Mawa`iz (Discourses) of Faqihul Ummah
Foreword
Tuesday, 05 February 2013 14:59
باسمه تعالى
All praise and gratitude be to almighty Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala and salaat and salaam be upon our beloved master Sayyiduna Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), his companions, family members and those to follow till the Day of Qiyaamah.
It is through the sheer grace of Allah Ta’ala that the mawaa’iz (discourses) of Faqeeh-ul-Ummat have been translated into English. These mawaa’iz are the discourses of none other than the great wali and saint Hadhrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi رحمة الله عليه who was amongst the leading scholars and saintly figures of our recent past. Hadhrat’s discourses have brought about a revolutionary change in the lives of many and inspired many others to take up the path of righteousness and piety.
The discourses were recorded and transcribed by several students of Hadhrat and later published in Urdu.
We make du’aa to Allah Ta’ala that He accepts this translation, makes it a source of inspiration for all those who read it and allow it to be a means of thawaab-e-jaariyah for all those who had contributed towards its compilation and translation. Aameen
Ebrahim Salejee[1]
[1] Hadhrat Mufti Ebrahim Salejee Sahib دامت بركاتهم is a Khaleefah of Hadhrat Mufti Mahmood Sahib رحمة الله عليه and he is the principal of Madrasah Taleemuddeen in Isipingo Beach.
Introduction
Tuesday, 05 February 2013 14:56
Who was Hadhrat Faqeeh-ul-Ummat رحمة الله عليه? Born to pious parents in the town of Gangoh in the year 1325 A.H. he lived to become one of the greatest luminaries of his time. Nevertheless, describing the personality of Hadhrat Mufti Sahib رحمة الله عليه is an almost impossible task. The most eloquent words would hopelessly fail in truly describing the knowledge, brilliance, piety, kindness, compassion, humility, and the numerous other qualities which he embodied. He was an ustaaz to thousands of students, a mentor to thousands of disciples and a kind and compassionate father to all who came into contact with him.
His compassion and kindness knew no bounds. It was indeed his fundamental nature. Every year he personally took care of the monthly expenses of numerous students of Darul Uloom Deoband, Saharanpur and other institutions. And he also saw to their various needs. There were instances when he gave away his valuable, personal kitaabs and there were occasions where he even gave away the clothing he had been wearing at that time. Despite this, he never regarded himself as having shown any favour to anyone. He greatly loved the poor, he loved being with them and he loved living and had a desire of even passing away like them. Hadhrat رحمة الله عليه was also forever concerned about the deeni progress of others, especially the poor.
It was the normal practice of Hadhrat Mufti Sahib رحمة الله عليه for many years that he would recite 15 paras or more daily in salaah. During the month of Ramadhaan, he would complete one Qur’aan daily.
Hadhrat Mufti Sahib رحمة الله عليه taught Bukhaari Shareef for many years at Kanpur as well as at Darul Uloom Deoband. Besides teaching Bukhaari Shareef and other books of hadeeth at Deoband, he also graced the distinguished position of Grand Mufti of that august institution for many years.
His fataawa (Islamic verdicts) have been compiled into 29 volumes each of which spans over hundreds of pages. Besides the fatwas, he authored several books and booklets. Upon his instruction the publication of many magazines and newsletters was undertaken by various institutions. Together with this Hadhrat Mufti Sahib رحمة الله عليه travelled to many countries for the purpose of disseminating the deen of Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). South Africa was particularly fortunate in that Hadhrat Mufti Sahib رحمة الله عليه repeatedly blessed our shores with his presence and benefited the ummah with his teachings. It was also the good fortune of South Africa that this country was blessed with his company during the last days of his earthly life.
May Allah Ta’ala allow this publication to be a source of guidance for the entire ummah.
Discourse 1 - Purification of the Soul
Tuesday, 05 February 2013 14:47
نحمده و نصلي على رسوله الكريم
فأعوذ بالله من الشيطن الرجيم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّى ﴿١٤﴾ وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّى ﴿١٥﴾ بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا ﴿١٦﴾ وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى ﴿١٧﴾ إِنَّ هَـذَا لَفِي الصُّحُفِ الْأُولَى ﴿١٨﴾ صُحُفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى ﴿١٩﴾
Allah Ta’ala has stated in the Qur’aan-e-Kareem:
“Successful indeed is he who has purified his inner-self.” (al-A’laa:14)
Whoever has corrected his inner-self is surely successful. People’s understanding of success differs.
An individual feels that by acquiring a palatial house, he is successful. Another person reasons that attaining wealth is the ultimate success. A third person concludes that if he marries into a wealthy and noble family, then he too will be successful. A fourth person decides that if he graduates from college and becomes a professional, he also will be successful.
Elections have arrived and the nominated candidate reasons that succeeding in the electoral process and becoming a member of parliament, will make him successful. Every individual’s view of success differs.
The correct view of success, however, is the one outlined by the Creator of these views. What Allah Ta’ala explains as success is true success. Everything else is not success but merely a deception, which is temporary and will swiftly perish. Success is something that is everlasting.
Discourse 2 - Durood and Salaam
Tuesday, 05 February 2013 06:45
الحمد لله و كفى و سلام على عباده الذين اصطفى ، أما بعد :
It is mentioned in the hadeeth that Allah Ta’ala has commanded a group of angels to disperse on the earth and present the greetings and salutations recited upon Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) to Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). They convey the greeting and say, “So and so, the child of so and so, has recited this greeting and salutation for you.” Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) becomes pleased and replies to the greeting.
Now a person may question that since we are reciting durood for a lengthy period, how is it that we have not seen any angels? The answer is that ‘seeing’ is not a pre-condition for existence. To ‘see’ or ‘witness’ something physical and use this as the benchmark for acceptance, is a grave error. Our rationale should be that whatever Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) has stated, is sufficient for us to accept.
Discourse 3 - Contemptibility of Pride
Tuesday, 05 February 2013 06:33
Pride - Challenging the power of Allah Ta’ala
نحمده و نصلي على رسوله الكريم ، أما بعد :
Allah Ta’ala states in a Hadeeth-e-Qudsi:
الكبرياء ردائي و العظمة إزاري فمن نازعني واحدا منهما أدخلته النار و في رواية قذفته في النار (مشكاة ، ص 433)
“Majesty is My upper-garment and greatness is My lower-garment. Whoever attempts to snatch any of the two away from Me, I will enter him into the fire of hell.”
Hadeeth-e-Qudsi is an explanation, by Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), of a statement made by Allah Ta’ala. He attributes it to Allah Ta’ala but it is not part of the Qur’aan Shareef. In this hadeeth-e-qudsi, Allah Ta’ala states:
الكبرياء ردائي
“Majesty is My upper garment.”
What will we think of a person who tries to snatch away the garment of someone else? We will say that he is a very immoral and wicked person. Thus that person who wants to establish his greatness, who wants to show his superiority over others, he displays his arrogance towards others, he is in fact trying to snatch the upper-garment of Allah Ta’ala. Do we realise the consequence of a person who tries to snatch away the garment of Allah Ta’ala?
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