Value of Ramadhan

Alhamdulillah, we have been fortunate once again to be present in the month of Ramadhan.

The value of Ramadhan can be truly understood by those who have a connection with Almighty Allah; and due to this connection they are able to feel the effect of their good deeds on their connection with Allah.

The month of Ramadhan is a month of economic boom. Each deed is multiplied in great quantities to give the believers benefit in every sense.

In regards to the month of Ramadhan my respected teacher, Maulana Imran Sahib, mentioned an example which gives us an implication of the value of this month:

The value of Ramadhan is like that of a thirty blank cheques; priceless. The value of this cheque is dependent on the individual who fills the cheque. If the person filling the cheque has any idea as to the value of the cheque then he will surely fill out a great amount.

In the same manner, we have been given a blank cheque which we have been told to fill in on a daily basis. Each day our actions will determine what amount the cheque is to be made of. The greater efforts we make, the greater the amount of the cheque.

In the same manner, my honourable Shaykh, Hadhrat Maulana Adam Sahib mentioned the importance of keeping our actions fruitful by not rendering them void through sinful acts.

Even the smallest of sin can deem our efforts and deeds void. The example of which Hadhrat gave of that person who cooks Biryani (an Indian dish) with great efforts. He puts in all the spices and prepares all the ingredients and mixed everything correctly. However, at the end of all his efforts he places a drop of poison in the food.

This food has now become, despite all of his efforts, useless. It is of no value and benefit to him and can in fact harm him.

We can also look at this theory along with the first example of a blank cheque where a person makes all the efforts and a large sum is entered on the cheque. However, due to his neglect he makes an error on the cheque which now needs countersigning and deems the cheque void.

Therefore, it is of utmost importance that a person takes maximum benefit of this Holy month as to be rewarded with immense generosity. Yet at the same time it is fundamental that sins are avoided so that our efforts are not destroyed.

May Allah give us all the inclination and ability to reap the benefits of this month and may He give us the strength and will power to refrain from sins. Aameen.

3rd Ramadhan 1429

Hadith 1
مَا أنْزَلَ الله دَاءً إلاَّ أنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً

For the past couple of days we have been discussing the above Hadith in which our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم clearly states that there is no illness without a cure. I have explained various different issues on this Hadith during the past couple of days.

This Hadith and many of its kind make it known to us that seeking treatment for any disease is not opposing the idea of Tawakkul (concrete trust in Allah). Some people become extreme in Sufism (spiritualism) and have a make-up belief that seeking treatment denotes that a man does not have trust in Allah and therefore had to resort to medication. This is a completely wrong notion and should be avoided.

It is necessary to always remain in the boundaries of Shari’ah; and to seek medication in within the boundaries of Shari’ah as well as Tawakkul. Even within the seeking of treatment there is the element of Tawakkul; if Allah wishes then this treatment will benefit and cure me and if Allah does not wish it then there is no possibility of recovery from any ailment.

Another simple example to explain Tawakkul is the matter of eating and drinking; when we feel hungry we eat and when we feel thirst we drink; neither of these activities defies or contradicts our trust in Allah. These are just means which even our beloved صلى الله عليه و سلم took aid of.

These means were used by our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم in order to educate the Ummah. On the occasion of Hijrah (migration) our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم took refuge in the cave whilst hiding from the enemies; this was also a means of safety which the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم took aid of.

The same applies to working; a person struggles to earn a Halal (permissible) livelihood to sustain himself and his family. This is not only a means but is also a necessity upon each person.

The scholars have stated that to seek treatment from minor and major illnesses and Mustahab (encourage) and Mandoob (recommended). The person who seeks treatment for any illness or disease, with the right intention, will be rewarded.

Imam Shafi’ee and Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal رحمهم الله have declared the seeking of treatment as Wajib (obligatory) for the simple reason that this body and soul is the property and Amaanah (belonging) of Allah; and no individual has the right to mistreat or neglect his body or soul. It is for this reason that suicide has also been made Haraam (forbidden) and its punishment is so severe that the person will continue to injure himself in the manner which he committed suicide. So if a person was to kill him self by drinking poison then he will continue to drink poison until the day of judgement and if a person was to commit suicide by stabbing himself then he will continue to, and experience the pain of, stabbing himself until he is resurrected. May Allah save us all. Aameen.

Therefore, true Tawakkul is to place your trust in Allah after having made all the arrangements and effort from your own self.

On the topic of Tawakkul I recall an incident which took place; a scholar once came to a town and gave a speech on Tawakkul to such an extent that one of the listeners was inspired by his speech. He therefore went into seclusion to submit himself to Allah whilst having complete trust in Him. However, his trust was flawed from the beginning as he chose to seclude himself in such an area where there was a well and shade of trees; a place where people would frequent and have picnics. Nevertheless, he sat there began his ‘Tawakkul’. After some time a person came and took out his lunch; seeing the person staring at him he was irritated and therefore took his food and walked away. After some while another person came who did the same thing; seeing that this man was staring at him he quickly ate his food and went away.

Now it was starting to get late and another person came have his food where this person had decided to sit. When this third person sat down to eat the man who was observing Tawakkul decided to do something as he knew there was no possibility of someone coming after this; therefore he started coughing and clearing his throat. The person who was eating saw this said, come and eat if you must but stop coughing, to which the person jumped at the chance.

After this incident, the person went back to the scholar and told him, ‘the talk you did on Tawakkul was very inspiring, but you forgot one thing, it should be توكل مع تنحنح (Trust in Allah with the aid of coughing).

As a poet rightfully says:

لَيْسَ لِلإنْسَانِ إِلا مَا سَعَى كو ياد ركہ
كر توّكل پهر تيري تدبير ہي تيري تقدير ہے

'And remember the verse, for man is only that for which he strives,
then striving will be your regarded as your fate'

So my respected brothers, this is not the name of Tawakkul and its reality is far from this. We should therefore take aid from the words of the Qur’an and treat ourselves with it. In fact, if there is no fear of Fitnah (sinning and immorality) and we cannot find a person of the same gender to treat us then we can acquire treatment from the opposite gender. But this is if there is no fear of Fitnah, which is usually the case as a person is worried about his health, life and treatment. This is for the sole reason that the aim is to save your life.

In summary, it should be understood that there is no harm in seeking treatment for any disease. Moreover, the treatment should be commenced early and from the beginning of the treatment we should have hope in Allah keep our attention towards him by continuously reciting Tasbeeh, the first Kalimah etc.

Furthermore, if there is a bodily pain or illness then our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم has also given us a method and Du’a to recite:

1. First of all the right hand should be taken and placed on the area where there is pain.

2. Thereafter, بسم الله (Bismillah) should be recited three times.

It should be only بسم الله and not the complete بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. It should be remembered that whatever words our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم has used it is those words we must also use. On one occasion our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم taught a Sahabi رضي الله عنه a Du’a in which the Sahabi رضي الله عنه replaced the word نبي with رسول, which is not a major change as our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم has both of these statuses. However, our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم refused the Sahabi رضي الله عنه from doing this and to use his exact words.

Therefore, the amount should be the same and also the words should be that as instructed.

3. Then finally the following Du’a should be recited seven times:

أعُوْذُ بِعِزَّةِ اللهِ وَ قُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أجِدُ وَ حَاضِرُ

“I seek refuge in the status of Allah and in His power from that evil which I am experiencing and that which is present”

Whilst reciting this Du’a one should keep a count with his right hand which he has placed over the concerned area.

It should be noted that this Du’a should be commenced from the day one fears an illness or feels a pain. This is what turning our attention to Allah means. Thereafter, let the x-rays and operations take place but remember to pray this Du’a continuously. Insha Allah it will be of great benefit.

May Allah give us all Shifaa (cure from diseases). Aameen.

Some may say, ‘why are you scared?’ We all have to return to Allah one day or another and the pious one is he who awaits the meeting of Allah. But it should be remembered that this eagerness to meet Allah is created by Allah alone; and a servant is granted this eagerness prior to his death, either hours before, days before or months before. But it is not something that is granted to a servant a long time before his death.

May Allah give us all the understanding. Aameen.

1st Ramadhan 1429

Hadith 1
مَا أنْزَلَ الله دَاءً إلاَّ أنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً

On the first night of Ramadhan, Hadhrat mentioned that there would be a gathering after Taraweeh for the duration of fifteen minutes to begin with. The topic would be Ahadith and the aim would be to complete forty Ahadith during the month of Ramadhan.

As an encouragement Hadhrat mentioned the following Hadeeth:

عن زيد بن ثابت قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول:
نَضَّرَ اللهُ اِمْرَأً سَمِعَ مِنَّا حَدِيْثًا فَحَفِظَهُ حَتّى يُبَلِّغَهُ غَيْرَهُ

[سنن ترمذي]

The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم has stated that ‘May Allah illuminate the face of a person who hears my Hadith, memorises it, understands it and teaches it’.

This is a Hadith which becomes true for that person who does the work of Hadith and this is not restricted to the teaching of Hadith but also for that person who listens to it.

On this note, let us begin the first Hadith and make an intention to complete forty Ahadith during the month of Ramadhan for we will be rewarded upon our intention also.

بـــــســــــم الله الرحـــمـــان الرحـــيـــم

عَنْ ‏ ‏أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏ ‏رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ‏‏عَنْ النَّبِيِّ ‏ ‏صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ‏ ‏قَالَ
‏مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ دَاءً إِلَّا أَنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً ‏

‘Allah has not sent down any disease without its cure’

This Hadith informs us that there is s no disease without a cure. It is different matter that a person is not granted relief from his disease or the fact that man has not yet acquired the cure. For example, at one time tuberculosis (TB) was a life threatening disease which was ‘incurable’ and the same was true for malaria. However, now these diseases have become common and their threat has become minor as the cure for them is known and available. In today’s era the disease of cancer is a great example; once a life-taking disease that had no cure or any hope of survival is now very close to becoming curable through various treatments such as chemotherapy.

This is the statement of our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم which he made over fourteen hundred years ago.

The study of medicine is known in Arabic as طِب and there are two types of medicine:

1. Spiritual Medication (Roohaani)
2. Physical Medication (Jismani / Abdaan)

1. Spiritual Medication

Every prophet عليهم السلام came as a spiritual doctor to cleanse people off spiritual illnesses through the religion of Islam. Even our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم was sent for this.

2. Physical Medication

However, along with spiritual medication our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم was also an expert in physical medication which related to the human body. This was another speciality of our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم and one of his miracles.

Throughout the Saheeh Bukhari examples are found of our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم giving advice on treatment illnesses and diseases through honey, olives and other items.


The fundamental and essential medication and treatment is that of the soul as this is what remains with a person even after his body is buried and decayed.

In Fathul Bari, a famous commentary on Saheeh Bukhari, Imam Ibn Hajar رحمه الله has written many pages on this topic and chapter of طب and medication. This has also been the case with many other scholars who have shown in depth knowledge on the topic of medication.

Medication for the Bewitched

For example, one narration states that a person who has been bewitched then his cure is to take the fruit of the Lote Tree (Nettle Tree, Celtis Australis) and crush it with stones to an extent where it can be diluted with water; the water should then be poured over the person who has been bewitched and it will cure him.

When I was in Malawi I would wake up and see these trees daily; it was a time when Maulana Imran and Maulana Ahmed Ali were small children.

Time has come to an end and I would like to remind everyone that if you cannot wake up for Tahajjud then perform two Rakaats of Salaah prior to sleeping with the intention of Tahajjud and Insha Allah you will receive the reward of Tahajjud.

May Allah accept our efforts. Aameen

Purifying the Heart

My teacher Maulana Imran Sahib has always been a father-like figure to me; guiding me, advising me and offering me his company whenever I required. He always made me wonder what I had done in order to deserve the company of such a down-to-earth and knowledgeable scholar.

As mentioned before, Maulana Imran Sahib has always offered his guidance to me and, despite not being my Sheikh, his guidance has always shown me the right track and aided me in times of spiritual dilemmas.

Recently, my teacher, Maulana Imran Sahib, sent me the following:

Imam ibn al-Jawzi رحمه الله was once asked:

"Is it better for me to make Tasbeeh (praise Allah) or to make Istighfaar (seek forgiveness)?"

He replied:

"The dirty robe is more in need of soap than perfume"

Simple words which holds great meaning for the person who understands. It is necessary to prepare the heart before to contain the love of Allah; the heart is the house of Allah and therefore before we intend to place Him within our hearts we have to ensure that it is clean and free of the filth of sins, and this can be achieved by seeking the forgiveness of Allah from our sins.

Nur (divine light) and Dhulumaat (darkness of sins) cannot be contained within the same heart; in the same way, Allah cannot reside in that heart which contains greater love for anything and anyone but Allah. The preparation of the heart is beautify it for its true occupier, Allah.

May Allah give us all the understanding of the words of our pious 'Ulamaa and predecessors. May He give us the courage, strength and method of making preparations for His arrival within our hearts, which should be His abode alone. Aameen.