e oeivt

PROGRAM
of

Dhikr and Du'a

being
A Short Course
in

Self Correction

by
Dr. Muhammad Abdul Hai Arifi

foreword by
Maulana Muhammad Taqi Usmani

English Version prepared by ^

Muhammad Shameem

IDARATUL-MA'ARIF
Karachi, Pakistan.
A DAILY PROGRAM
of
Dhikr and Du'a
being
A Short Course
in
Self Correction

by
Dr. Muhammad Abdul Hai Arifi
Foreword by
Maulana Muhammad Taqi Usmani

English Version prepared by

Muhammad Shameem

IDARATUL-MA'ARIF
Karachi, Pakistan.
 EDITION
MARCH, 20(H)

PRINTED AT
MBHRAN PRINTERS, KARACHI.

PUBLISHER
IDARATVL MAARIF. KARACHI
POST CODE 75180. TEL 5049733. 6032020
it

E. MAIL ADDRESS:

AVAILABLE AT
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 Contents

1. Fore ward 4
by Maulana Muhammad Taqi Usmani

2. INTRODUCTION 5
by the Author

3. SUGGESTED DAILY PROGRAM

of Dhikr & Du'a 9

4. BASIC DEEDS OF THE HEART: 21

A. Gratitude 22
B. Patience 25
C. Seeking Forgiveness from Allah 27
D. Seeking the Protection of Allah 30

5. INTROSPECTION AND MEDITATION 35

6. PROBLEMS IN THE PATH OF TRUTH 37

A. The State of Depression (Qabd) 38
B. The state of Elation (Bast) 39

7. THE RESOLUTION OF SPIRITUAL

PROBLEMS 43

8. THE WAY OUT FOR THE GUIDELESS 47

9. SOME SPIRITUAL ASSIGNMENTS

FROM THE SUNNAH 50

10. SOME PRAYERS OF THE

HOLY PROPHET 57
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 4

FOREWORD

Dr. Muhammad Abdul Hai Arifi

A twentieth century man of Allah

Having lived a whole life devoted to obeying and

knowing Allah, Dr. 'Abdul Hai 'Arifi is a particularly
gifted successor to the spiritual legacy of Maulana
Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi. Allah Almighty gave him the will
and the ability to invite people to the true faith during
this age so tragically denuded of men with spiritual
excellence. Trained by Maulana Thanavi himself, he
was able to share his master's spiritual graces and in-

sights with those who attended his weekly series of

addresses.

It was on the 21st of Jumada al-Thaniyyah, 1398

A.H. when he recommended to his circle of listeners a
brief but comprehensive course in Self Correction tell-
ing them what they should do every day as part of
their routine of life. Since this Course is very useful
for allwho seek and take the trouble of traversing the
track of truth, we who have been serving his mission
thought of publishing it. Now, it is after his permis-
sion and revision that we are doing so for the benefit
of the larger Muslim community. May Allah give all of
us the perfect ability to put it into practice fully and
fruitfully. Amin.
Muhammad Taqi 'Usmani
 5

INTRODUCTION

In our previous sittings I have been talking to

you about the real nature of Tasawwuf and
Tarlqat. I had said that Allah Almighty has given
to His servants two kinds of commandments,
that is, those which ask us to do something and
those which tell us not to do something. Some of
these commandments pertain to what man does
outwardly. These commandments are commonly
recognized as the 'Shari'ah', for example, the obli-
gation of Salah,Sawm, Hajj and Zakdh and the
unlawfulness of liquor, interest, fornication etc.
Similarly, some commandments pertain to what
one does inwardly, for example, patience (sabr),
gratitude (shukr), trust in God (tawakkul) and
sincerity (ikhla?) and other graces of behaviour
which are all envy (hasad), miserli-
obligatory; or,
ness (bukhl), hypocricy (riyd'), arrogance
(takabbur) and other disgraces of behaviour
which are all forbidden.
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
6

I have also told you earlier that inward hu-

man deeds are, in reality, the foundation of what
man does outwardly. If one is rich in inward mer-
its, made the effort to have
specially if one has
his evil traits of character corrected, then,
in all
likelihood, his outward deeds also get to be
cor-
rect. who carries with him the
Otherwise, one
vices and weaknesses of inward deeds will find
his outward deeds remaining equally defective
for ever. So, it is very necessary that every con-
scious and determined seeker of the way of
Truth, in fact, it is necessary for every Muslim
that he should correct and civilize his inner
self.
This is the reason why a lot of hard work is done
initially by those who follow one of the
many
ways or Tarlqahs. The purpose is self-correction
following which it becomes easy to practice
and
observe all injunctions of the Faith. Therefore,
once you need to treat the diseases of the self, it
becomes inevitable that one would, naturally,
have turn to a physician of the soul, a Shaykh
to
or Murshid.

The form of this treatment is that the seeker

(of the way
out of his problem) narrates before
his corrector the different states of his inward
thoughts and feelings. He, in turn, suggests cor-
rective measures and recommends precautions
kpPninCf IT! \rio\JU V)io norfi/>lllnr r>r\r\ Alt-Is*^ r, XJ
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd 7

er, the treatment has one condition: That the

seeker should have a strong sense of belonging to
and a certain temperamental compatibility with
his spiritual master on whose good counsel he
must act without any ifs and buts. Some times,
the Shaykh would suggest a number of benedicto-
ry recitations (awrdd and wazd'if) along with cor-
rective measures. These have a special efficacy
for the seeker, for when he carries these out as
part of his daily routine of life for a given period
of time, the state of his heart becomes stable and
rightly-oriented. Standing firm against the dis-
sent of his self becomes easy on him. Consequent-
ly,the resulting effects of remembering and glori-
fying Allah (Dhikr and Tasbih) start registering
in a way
that the state of feeling responsible be-
fore Allah at all times (Taqwd) becomes firmly es-
tablished in the heart.

Shaykhs of every age have laid out action

plans for all seekers of spiritual realization which
would help them reform their Self and chasten
their moral qualities with due consideration of
their state of being and temperament. In this
present age, our life has become very complex.
The graph of things we must do has gone up
alarmingly. So, the present day seekers of Truth
need ways and means which are easy and effec-
tive, something which could be practiced with
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
8

simple care and concern.

And therefore, keeping in view the busy life

styles of my friends far and near, I am proposing
a plan of action which is very brief, comprehen-
sive and beneficial. Having received this calendar
of spiritual activities from my revered elders,
specially from my Shaykh and Murshid, Maulana
Muhammad Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi I
hope and pray that Inshallah this will prove to be
quite sufficient and effective in realizing the ob-
jective pursued.

Time is valuable, very valuable indeed, and a

rare opportunity which must be seized while one
lives. Every moment that passes decreases our
age. Thus, whoever must get ready for the Here-
after cannot afford to wait any more. I request
you to decide on working right from today and
start, without delay, acting in accordance with
the graded course in spiritual self-training I am
proposing here. This is an alternate
for long and
arduous exercises in spiritual self-discipline -
though brief, yet very effective and time-tested.
This is something one can practice punctually
with a determination and courage. May Al-
little

lah bless everyone with the ability to do so.

Muhammad 'Abdul Hai 'Arifi

A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 9

Suggested Daily Program of Dhikr Du'a

1. First of all, I request you to make a firm
time-table keeping in view your pre-occupations
during hours of the day and night because work-
ing in accordance with a time-table brings many
blessings. A lot more gets done within lesser time
and its blessedness is such that even difficult

tasks turn out to be easy.

2. Bear in mind that acting in accordance

with the dictates of the Shari'ah, that is, doing
what it commands you to do and abstaining from
what it prohibits is obligatory under all condi-
tions. In addition to that:

3. Observe Saldh with Jama ah (prayer in

congregation) to the best of your ability. Avoid
missing the Jama'ah in the Masjid without a val-
id excuse admitted by the Shari'ah of Islam. Be
careful about observing the etiquettes of the Mas-
jid.

4. Make the activities given here your normal

practice. Carry them out after the Fajr Saldh or
set up any other time following your convenience,
with determination that you will be regular:

(A) Recitation (Tildwah) of the Holy Qur'an -

one part (Juz, Para) every day. If this is not pos-

sible, make it one half (nisf). If, even that much
happens to be difficult, one can recite one quarter
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
20

(Rub'). Do not make it less than that. Show con-

cern and make effort to recite in accordance with
the rules of recitation (Tajwid) to the best of your
ability. If, there comes a day when you
do not get
the time to recite the Qur'an due to chance or ex-
cuse,you may make amends for this by reciting
Suratul-Ikhlas (112) two hundred times.

(B) After finishing the recitation of the

Qur'an, read out one, if not, half stage (manzil) of
Munajat-e-Maqbool daily. Also, keep the accom-
panying translation of prayers in view.

(C) ^^l5i^ ^jjji5i^: f

(Pure is Allah
and praised is He. Pure is Allah, the Great.)
1 Tasbih

(D) >£?h'/k\ vr^iS; liii/jji : (Pure is Al-

lah and to Allah belongs all praise and there is
no god but Allah and Allah is great.) 1 Tasbih
(E) Seeking forgiveness (Istighfar) ^j^nijfef
p^i^S^t^S: (I seek the forgiveness of Allah, my

* Munajat-e-Maqbool is the popular name of ol^^l'-^c^i

by Maulana Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi which is a brief collec-
tion of prayers
from the Qur'an and Hadlth. Very authentic
and popular for almost one hundred years, Munajat-e-
Maqbool was first edited and published by Mufti Muham-
mad Shafi 4^iji^-and is available in Arabic-Urdu ver-
sion. The translator is not aware of any version which car-
ries the English translation.
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 11

Rabb, from all sins, and to Him I turn in repen-

tance.) 1 Tasbih

(F) The noble Darud (Praying for blessings on

the Prophet of Islam) .JzZ \&& &J5 JU fcffil
^^^t^jdl'^jt^CO' Allah, bless our leader
and our master, Muhammad, the unlettered
prophet, and his children and his companions,
and bless and protect them.) 1 Tasbih
(G) JlL no power and
(There is

there is no strength except with Allah.) 1 Tasbih

(H) *5l (There is no god but Allah.) - Two

thousand times, or 500 times at the least.

(I) After every Salah, recite: Suratul-Fatihah,

Ayatul-Kursi and the four Quls once each, and
the Tasbih al-Fatimi, )
which is, Jji-JiJL^:

Subhanallah - 33 times, Al-hamdulillah - \

33 times and ^fftlf Alldhu-Akbar - 34 times.

:

(J) After Tsha Salah, recite:

aUI 5U^?ij2S^jDl5^ ( Pure is Allah and

praised is He. Pure is' Allah, the Great.) 1 Tasbih

2. ^riifil^i%i^V^i5^ (Pure is Allah

and to Allah belongs all praise and there is no
god but Allah and Allah is great.) 1 Tasbih

3. Istighfar ^J^fJl^^ d Tas-

bih) (Trans, in 4E)
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd 22

4. The noble Darud jiuiXi Mp; ^jzfc-fi)

'^^y^j^^^Ui Tasbih) (Trans, in 4F)
(K) When ready to sleep, recite:

(a) Ayatul-Kursi (2:255)

(b) The last verses 285, 286 of Surah al-

Baqarah (2) from ^'^'(The messenger has be-
lieved) to the end.

(c) The last verses of Surah Al-'Imran (3:190-

194) from c,±Lz)\ jfc £i §l (Surely, in the creation of
the heavens...) to oiidj^"^ ( You wil1 not break
Your promise.)

(d) Suratul-Mulk ( &in OjJG) (67:1-30) - once

(e) Suratul-Ikhlas (112) - 100 times (If not, do
it 33 times, or make it 11 times at the least).

(0 Suratul-Falaq (^l S^ljli jj) (113) and Su-

ratun-Nas (^61 'ji) (114) three times each,

then, blow you breath on yourself (directly or via

the palms of your hands) and make another sym-
bolic gesture of having protected your home by
using your hand to draw an imaginary line of se-
curity around it, which is referred to as hisar. By
dam (
c
>: pronounced as in 'gum'), one protects
the body and by hisar (jL^>) , the house.

Besides applying yourself to these deeds, you

would do well to keep recitin'jJi yfifi (There is no
god but Allah) as and when you have the oppor-
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd 13

tunity to do so while moving around from one

place to the other. It will be good for you if you
J
occasionally combine III I Vl^in with 33\ J}%%£j in
your recital. In addition to this, please say the
noble Darud as many times as possible. Make
this recital a constant practice. This is the root of
what is known as Dhikr. (The English translation
of Dhikr - 'remembrance' - does not carry the full
meaning of this many faceted Islamic
terminology.)

This Dhikr or the act of remembering could be

simply verbal at the initial stage. But, once you
get into the habit of doing it, a time will soon
come, Inshalldh, when you will be blessed with
the unique attainment that the Dhikr of Allah
will penetrate the deepest recesses of your heart,
remain in there and keep releasing its fragrance
beat by beat despite your verbal and physical
pre-occupation with some other subject or
activity.

5. There are many authentic prayers which

have provenly reached us as the blessed practice
of the Holy Prophet fes*&mjz for instance, ,

the prayer when you sit to eat, the prayer when

you enter the masjid and the prayer when you
come out of it, the prayer when you go to sleep,
the prayerwhen you wake up and many others.
Memorize these and make a habit of saying them
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a , .
14

as and when called for during the different tim-

ings of the day and night. Some of these prayers
appear towards the end of this presentation.

Once in a while, make time and go and sit

6.

in the company of men of Allah.

Even in your
normal socialization, it will be beneficial
if you
would, as far as you can, keep in closer
touch
with pious people who follow the sunnah
of the
Holy Prophet fSEs? *4& ILl Jb
in their lives. Seek
their good counsel and ask them to pray for you.
You should keep the Mawa'iz and Malfuzat
7.

of Maulana Ashraf 'Ali Thanaviand his book,

"Tarbiyatus-Salik", under regular study. This
humble writer has given a gist of these in two
of
his books entitled,
Ma'athir-e-Hakimul-Ummat
and Basa'ir-e-Hakimul-Ummat. Study these
as
well, a little every day, even if it be a page. This
will increase your knowledge and freshen it, and
it will also motivate and prompt you to act in
ear-
nest.

Please bind yourself with these few items

of
daily doings, that is, put these on top of your
dai-
ly engagements and make yourself do these regu-
larly with full personal concern. Please
see that
you give priority to these things you have to
do
over other matters of interest. This is because
it
is not appropriate to cut these
suggested items of
A Daily Program oiDhikr and Du'a 15

spiritual activity any more shorter than they al-

ready are. For your information, all these things

which should be done originate from the blessed
words and deeds of the Holy Prophet j&jiifelGi Jfe
and are authentic.

After this, I tell you about some Wazd'if. Do

not make them compulsory on yourself, but do
have the intention that you will do these regular-
ly to the best of your ability. Let me sound a word
of caution. Please do not start off by making all

these supplementary daily acts compulsory for

•

yourself under the heat of excessive enthusiasm

for the program, something you may leave off
when that enthusiasm cools off. This is because
abandoning recommended acts {mustahabbat),
after having made them part of your regular rou-
tine, is very harmful as stated in Hadith. The

danger here is that man's desiring self and the

Shaytan, who have made one abandon an act
which was mustahabb, might conspire to get, God
knows what else, abandoned by him. But, for
anyone who embarks on the spiritual path, it is
extremely necessary that he does his best to hon-
our and execute recommended or desirable deeds
and recognises the worth and value of going
through them. Therefore, when it comes to taking
to desirable deeds, make some of them a regular
feature of your daily routine; be particular about
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
16
some others to the best of your
ability; and for
those one cannot be particular
about, one should
consider it a great blessing
from Allah if one is
able to do them whenever he gets an opportunity
to do so. In this there is nothing but good.
Some special deeds which are
important in-
trinsically and in which you may engage
yourself
on a daily basis are as follows:

1. The Salah of Tahajjud (12 Raka'at;

or a
minimum of 4 Raka'at):
better to perform it
It is
during the later part of the
night. However, until
such time that you get
into the habit of rising
during the later part of the
night, you should of-
fer 4 Raka'at with the
intention of performing Ta-
hajjud (Salatul-Layl) in
between the Fard and
Witr of Salatul-'Isha. While
doing so, you should
look forward to, with the best
of your determina-
tion and courage, making serious
effort to per-
form Tahajjud late in the night.

2. The set of Twelve Tasblhdt which are as

follows:

Number of Tasbih Times

Ml^ iLa ilaha Illallahu) 200
1

'My(Illallahu)
4 4Q0
ti\th\[Allahu Allah - 6 600
pronouncing dammah ( -:u) on the ha sound in
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 17

the first word and a pause on it in the second.]

'M (Allah) 1 100

Actually, these are thirteen, but they have

come to be known as Twelve Tasbihat. Their nor-
mal time of recital is soon after the Salah of Ta-
hajjud, but, should it be difficult to go through
them at that time, they can be done after the Sa-
lah of Fajr.

3.The Salah of Ishraq, the Salah of Duha

(Chasht), The Salah of Awwabin and four Raka'at
oiNafl Salah before the obligatory Salah oi'Asr
and 'Isha.

4. Surah Yasin (36:1-83) and Surah al-

Muzzammil (73:1-20) any time during the day at

personal convenience.

5. Reciting of Surah al-Kahf (18:1-110) on Fri-

day.

6. The Salah of Tasblh - once a week.

7. Reciting of Surah al-Fatihah 41 times in
between the Sunnah and Fard Salah of Fajr. Add
the noble Darud 11 times each before and after it.
This is a wonderful prescription for the soul
which, if pursued regularly, unties many a knot.
This has been a part of the daily practice of a ma-
jority of pious elders. any reason, this can-
If, for

not be done between the Fard and Sunnah of

 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a

Fajr, do it after the Fajr Saldh. After

having fin-
ished the suggested recitation, blow
your breath
on your chest.
An important note of warning
While taking to the Awrdd and Waza'if men-
tioned above on a regular basis, let this
be very
clear in your mind that all Adhkdr and
Awrdd
simply help one to achieve the objective. The real
objective is the pleasure of Allah for which
it is
necessary that one achieves the quality ofTaqwd,
and Taqwd comes out of the effort to inculcate
good morals and to abstain from the bad ones.
It
is only for this purpose that seekers of the spiri-
tual path are exposed to a series
of preparatory
exercises known as Mujdhidah which
literally
means 'striving'. As for the achievement of hav-
ing the pleasure of Allah, it is inevitable
that one
makes considered effort to stay away from the
commission of sins, fulfils all rights due on him,
maintains an attitude of truth and honesty in
transactions, practices simplicity and cleanliness
in social living and that he is temperamentally
soft-spoken and pleasant in manners. Unless
one
makes an effort to arm himself with these quali-
ties, striving in the way of Allah spiritually re-
mains for him an exercise in futility. Not simply
that one fails to achieve the objective of
his
search, he stays deprived of the chances of reach-
ing his real destination. So, do not take these
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 19

Awrad and Waza'if as sufficient by themselves

and do not become complacently care-free there-
by. Instead of that, keep making a constant sur-
vey of your life. Do not abandon the quest for
self-correction right upto your last breath, for the
evils of human self could lie undetected for years
and years together. Strictly guard your eye and
your ear and your tongue. These three human or-

gans are the fountain of all acts of worship and

the active instruments of all sins as well. They
are the motivating agents of all inmost deeds, be
they good or bad. Therefore, watching over them,
that is, the thought of using them lawfully or oth-
erwise, should be foremost in your mind. This is

important and should not be compromised. If and

when you make a mistake, waste no time, repent.
To use the words of a poet, let me say: 'Close your
eyes, close your ears and close your lips too / If
you do not see the light of Truth, you can laugh
at me.'

Please note that you can increase or decrease

the number and frequency of these Awrad and
Waza'if keeping in view the time available with
you and the factors of personal courage and
health. But, do keep your dealings clean, your so-
cial living purified and your morals chastened - a
concerted effort to see that this happens is neces-
sary under all conditions.
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
20

Finally, that which makes all these acts

of
devotion trustworthy and authentic is the act
of
following the Sunnah, the Way of the Prophet
of
Mercy,may the blessings of Allah be upon him
and may He protect him. The more care and
concern you show for it, the closer you shall get to
Allah. The measure of your shortfall on
that
count will be the measure of your deprivation. So,
it is all the more necessary that
our lives be cast
mould of Sunnah, which we must follow
into the
by design and effort. Sunnah could be
legislatorial, or habitual (including all acts of
worship, obedience to Allah and transactions
with human beings; or, daily life, home, food,
dress, style). Show care for and interest in all of
them to the limit of making them an integral
part of your life (details of which are available in
my book, Uswa-e-Rasul-e-Akram in Urdu, or in
its English translation). Sunnah is something
free from Self and Satan. If one succeeds in
following the noble Prophet jLj ds Jjj\ even if
,

it be in form only, there is every hope that,

Inshallah, that very act of followinghim will not
only be acceptable with Allah, but will also
become deserving of His fond attention.

Intention
The intention in carrying out all these Awrdd
and Waza'if should be none other than having the
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 21

pleasure and proximity of Allah. Human deeds

could be outward or inward. In the case of a Mus-
lim man or woman, these operate under a criteri-

on. That trustworthy criterion is nothing but his

or her intention. The more correct and strong the
intention, corresponding rewards and blessings
will register against his or her deeds.

BASIC DEEDS OF THE HEART

All daily deeds hitherto mentioned are out-
ward deeds which play an effective role in re-
forming your inward state of being. So, we now
take up what is to be done inwardly. However, it

must be conceded at the very outset that inward

deeds are many in number and they have to be
formally acquired by living under the supervision
of a perfect Shaykh. But, out of these, I tell you
about four deeds which are the core of a whole
range of Divine injunctions, that is, they are
Fard and Wdjib (obligatory). These are not only
the basis of mysticism (d^ Tasawwuf)
: up to a
certain extent, and of outward deeds, but they
are, in fact, the very moving spirit and founda-
tion of the Faith as a whole. When practiced,

they are easy and almost electronically effective.

This is sheer mercy from Allah that there are no
set timings or conditions for these deeds. One can
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 22

act according to them under all conditions wheth-

er moving around or sitting still. The key is to get
into the habit. Inshallah, by acquiring the habit
of doing these deeds, and of constancy in it, many
evil traits of character will automatically become
weakened and subdued and there will be many
good traits which will be energized and strength-
ened. These four deeds are as follows:

1. GRATITUDE {Shukr)

2. PATIENCE (Sabr)

3. SEEKING OF FORGIVENESS FROM

ALLAH (Istighfdr)
4. SEEKING THE PROTECTION OF ALLAH
(Isti'adhah)

1. GRATITUDE (Shukr)
First of all, when you get up in the morning
and before you go to sleep in the night, cast a cas-
ual look at yourself and at what is around you,
think of the blessings of worldly life and of the
Faith bestowed on you by Allah and be prompt in
expressing your overall gratitude. In addition to
that, you will do well to offer special thanks from
the deepest recesses of your heart for the Faith
you have been blessed with and for the protection
that you enjoy. Concurrently then, let there be a
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 23

solemn resolve in your heart that you will always

make the most correct use of these blessings.

Besides this, whenever and whatever blessing

you come to think of, quietly thank Allah for it

right there in your heart:

All praise belongs to Allah. O Allah, for You is

all praise and for You, all gratitude.

For example, something turns out to be as

you wished, or some prayer is answered, or you

have something which makes you happy, or there
happens something you are pleased with, or for

any good deed that you have been enabled to do -

think of it and thank for it in the heart of your

hearts. Even if you come to a point when, God
forbid, you are afflicted with some pain or
distress, you should, before you do something
about it, cast a glance at all those blessings Allah
has surrounded you with, inspite of the fact that

you hardly had any right to deserve these. These

very blessings give strength to your heart. Had
they not been there, what would have been the
level and intensity of your pain and distress?
Inshalldh, this meditation (aJI^ : muraqaba) will

bring peace of mind to you, at least rationally.

A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd 24

May be, the effect of pain or distress still lingers

physically. But, there is no exaggeration in say-
ing that countless blessings of Allah wait on us
all the time. If one cannot possibly thank for all

of them, he would, at the least, be able to pay his

debt of gratitude for some of them. By constantly
practicing in this manner, one becomes so used to

being thankful that he keeps thanking for every-

thing good he has or gets, right there in his
heart. How interesting that nobody knows what
is happening in his heart, yet, a great act of wor-
ship keeps being performed there! You simply
cannot imagine the raise in ranks it brings for
you. In short, man should aspire to remain grate-
ful under all circumstances. Perhaps, in the be-
ginning, this may appear to be difficult, but, by
practicing and by remaining conscious of it under
most conditions, you get used to it.

This act of being grateful is something Allah

demands of you in every department of Faith,
and on it, He promises blessings which have no
end. Gratefulness generates love for Allah Al-
mighty. Relationship with Him becomes stronger.
One starts feeling the taste of being content in
one's condition and life becomes free from unwel-
come burdens. It is also the benediction of this
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a

act of grace that a grateful

man very seldom falls

and fateful spiritual diseases such as ar-

into sin,
and
rogance, envy, greed, avarice, extravagance
miserliness leave him untouched.

2. PATIENCE (Sabr)
This inward deed is very crucial and hard to

carry out. It requires a high level of striving in

maintaining a balance in the universe of relation-

ships. Here, Allah puts man to test,
the test

which shows the strength of his belief. There

are

so many things which keep

happening in our
lives, things which we do not welcome and things

which are hard to bear. These could be the trage-

dy of a personal loss, or the shock caused by sick-
friend; or
ness, distress or death of a relative or
one may be disturbed by a loss of money or office;

or simply come under pressure from the

one may
scruples of his own self. In short, everything
which renders the peace of one's heart into sham-
bles becomes a test for his patience.
But, because

it isnon-voluntary, it is obligatory to believe that

it is from Allah for it is all mixed with many a
these,
wisdom and mercy. On occasions such as
grace, sug-
Allah Almighty has Himself, in His
gested a wonderfully fast-working
treatment for
should
your peace of heart and mind, that is, you
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd nn

promptly say:

To Allah we belong and to Him we are to return.

Rationally,brings peace; and physically, it

it

increases the strength to bear by

pain. So, irre-
spective ofwhether one suffers from some big
shock or encounters some insignificant
unpleas-
antness, it is advisable to recite Jj S
(To Allah we belong and to Him we aWto return)'
repeatedly on such occasions.
How necessary this
act can be proved by Hadlth narrations
is
which
say if one remembers a past event
and recites
these words, he gets the
same reward as one gets
at the time of the actual event.
It appears in
Ahadlth that the Holy Prophet jOi? &'&\
jb has
said (To Allah we belong and to
Ji

Him we are to return) even at the temporary

going out of the lamp because this
act becomes
the recipient of what has been
promised by the
Word of Allah:

These are the people on whdffi there

are bless-
ings from their Lord,and mercy. And these are
the people who are on the straight path. (2:157)
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 27

This is the act for which Allah has promised

His company by saying: 'We are with the patient.'
He has also given good news to the practitioners

of patience that theyhave His blessings and His

very special mercy and also the Word of Allah
that they are the finest actualizers of His guid-
ance. This act of patience enriches one's life with

the dignity of steadfastness, discipline and for-

bearance. It generates the ability to withstand all
sorts of misfortunes and calamities. This ability
to remain pleased with what has been ordained
for man is, in itself, a very high station of true

worshipfulness and endurance. The practitioners

of patience never act under emotions of anger
and revenge against anyone just to oblige their

self.

3. SEEKING FORGIVENESS FROM ALLAH

(Istighfdr)
The third act is Istighfdr. This act of seeking

forgiveness from Allah is also a very important

inward deed for which there is no fixed time, yet

it is needed all the time. The human heart is un-

der constant pressure from the urges of sin and

the surges of immoral thoughts - and God knows
how many flashes of each criss-cross it all the
time and how many sins get to be committed con-
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
28

sciouslyand inadvertently. There are some sins

which get committed without our realizing
that
this has happened, or we just do not take them
to
be sins. Under all such conditions, once a person
becomes aware of having committed a sin
at
whatever time it be, he should immediately
turn
to Allah right there in his heart with a
genuine
sense of shame and repentance and say: iftftfrT
(Astaghfirullah): 'O Allah, I am really ashamed.
Please forgive me and keep me protected against
it in the future.' Or, say:

{Allahummaghfirll)

O Allah, forgive me.

(Rabbighfir warham wa anta khayrur-Rahimin)

Forgive, (O) my Rabb, and have mercy and You
are the best of those who are merciful.

This is the act which makes the modest man

the object of the most perfect forgiveness
and the
most extensive mercy of Allah Almighty. Distilled
from this heart-felt sense of shame there
emerges
that vital feeling of belonging to Allah
in the
most refined form of servitude, a power which
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 29

protects faith and places in one's heart the

wealth of Taqwa (the fear of Allah). A person like
that would never commit a sin deliberately and
would never give pain to Allah's created beings.

Let Allah be thanked that He has, in His grace

and mercy, bestowed upon His erring and weak
servants the option of repentance and the hope of
forgiveness so that they could have for them-
selves prosperity in the present world and salva-
tion in the Hereafter. This is a great favour in-

deed.

For this, to Allah belongs all praise, and gratitude.

The Shaykhs in the Sufi way of spiritual real-

ization say that one should recall all major and
minor sins of his past life to the best of his memo-
ry and then seeing them all as being present be-
fore him, he should hasten to repent before Allah
and seek His forgiveness repeatedly with utmost
remorse and humbleness as much to his heart's

content as possible. This much would be suffi-

cient. Inshallah, all sins will stand forgiven. After
that, one should never indulge in this modality
regularly which may cause him to remember
these sins again and again and leave him all too
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
gQ

harassed. Instead of that, when he is naturally

reminded of some sin, he should pray to Allah in
his heart that he be forgiven. Doing it once is
good enough. But, when it comes to the rights of
the servants of Allah, these have to be
fulfilled
under all circumstances, to the best of your capa-
bility by any legitimate means at hand. It is
obligatory that these be either fulfilled, or
for-
giveness be sought from the holder of the right.

4. SEEKING THE PROTECTION OF ALLAH

(Isti'adhah)
The fourth act is Isti'adhah. It means to seek
refuge with Allah or to seek protection from
Him.
no bed of roses. Things unforeseen keep
Life is

happening all the time. There are accidents and

shocks and disappointments round the corner.
Then, there is man's own self struggling against
the satan, moment
after moment. With this in
view, one should keep praying for Allah's
protec-
tion against all such things. In human affairs,
one could be locked in not too uncommon a situa-
tion inwhich future options may be full of dan-
gers and one may not be able to think of a way
out or any counter measures could be just out
of
one's control - in a time like this, the heart
of
man finds great strength in naturally turning to
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 31

his Lord for help and protection:

There is no might (to guarantee safety against

anything evil) and there is no power (to help ac-

quire anything good) except with the help of Al-

lah. There is nowhere to go and there is no ref-

uge from Allah unless it be towards Him.

That is, it is not possible to stay safe from

anything evil, nor is it possible to acquire any-

thing good without the help of Allah. There is no

place of escape and no refuge from Allah except
in Him.

For example, there are many matters relating

to one's life in the world, or one's faith in the

Hereafter. If, in them, there is an apprehension

of acute harm, or that of financial loss, or of some

sickness or distress; or it may be a nagging con-

cern about a job cut or business slump; or it may

be the pressure of an impending failure in some
objective or project; or one may anticipate danger

to his life or property at the hands of an adver-

sary, or from anyone else holding a grudge
against him; or it may be some outward or in-
ward sin under the instigation of Shay tan, or
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 32

one's own one may be afraid of be-

fickle self; or
relating to his
ing called to account in matters
Faith; or, it may just be any other
impure
thought crossing one's heart. When
confronted
should lose
with any of the above conditions, one
no time, turn immediately to Allah,
and pray to
Him that he be protected. Let one say words
to

the effect that he is earnestly

seeking forgive-
ness, then recite the noble Darud
and also recite
one of the following prayers:

1. O Allah, protect me from the Shaytdn.

2. O Allah, from You I seek Your grace.

i

3. O Allah, bless us with well-being and forgive us.

astaghtth)
(Yd Haiyyu Yd Qaiyyumu bi-rahmatika
Sustaining, Sustainer of
4. O the Living, O the Self

all I humbly turn towards

Your mercy for help.

When you have finished with your set morn-

it is better to also pray to
ing routine of recitals,
the following effect:
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 33

Ya Allah, help me with Your grace and mercy

and keep me and my family protected against
all sorts of physical and spiritual worries, and
save me from everything indecent and forbid-
den, and from the evils of Self and Shaytan, and
from accidents and calamities originating from
the earth or the heavens, and from all kinds of
grave situations, and from sicknesses and infir-

mities, and rescue me from every hurt or harm

that may come from people - and bless me with
Your protection at all times and under all situa-

tions. Amln.

Or, better say it in the words used by the

Holy Prophet, Muhammad ^ :

Ya Allah, I seek protection from You against the

evils of our selves and the evils of our deeds. O
Allah, seek protection from You against all
I

temptations and disasters whether open or hid-

den. I seek protection through the most perfect
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
34

words of Allah against the evil which may come

from His created beings, and I entrust all mat-
ters of mine with Allah. Surely, Allah is all-
aware of His servants.

This
is the act which enables a servant
of Al-
lah to witness the greatness of Allah,
His Lord-
worthiness and His all-mercifulness, when his
heart receives from Allah Almighty the assu-
rance of being under protection, and at peace.
Persons like these are endowed with the quality
of placing their trust in Allah,
and leaving mat-
ters in His charge, a great wealth indeed.
Such
people never hurt anyone. They just do not have
the heart for it.

Besides what has been stated above, if one is

faced with some other problem for which
there
appears to be just about no solution, I would like
you the recipe in the words of my teacher
to give
and master who used to say: "Do not think about
it. Just start praying within your heart. Say:

You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help.

Say it within your heart, say

it repeatedly
with your heartbeat. Inshalldh, you shall get rid
of the concern for the problem. You will be at
peace, and your problem will be resolved smooth-
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
35

ly and easily."

The reality is that these four deeds are of

such magnitude that the moment any one of
these is activated by some incentive, it instantly
blesses one with the ability to turn to Allah
which, to say the least, is a Divine gift that
abides for ever.

For all these four deeds, it is good to form an

intention in advance. It is still better if you could
renew your intention once in a while thinking
that the Holy Prophet fa^fc. *UI jb has taught us
to do so, and that he has not only laid great
stress on them but that he has himself done this
almost always. Then, as a benediction of
following what the noble prophet said and did,
this deed of your will, Inshalldh, be acceptible
with Allah, and lovable too. This will be, let us
say, Light upon light!

INTROSPECTION AND MEDITATION

A summary meditation over these four deeds
can be included in your daily time-table set for
this purpose in the following manner:
1. FOR THE PAST: Repent and Seek Allah's
Forgiveness. Let be heart-felt, almost passion-
it

ate remorse causing the fullest emotional release

over the thought of all outward and inward, open
A Daily Program otDhikr and Du'a 36

and hidden sins. Then, consider and make seri-

ous effort to make amends for Fard'id and
Wdjibdt (obligatory acts of worship) which you
have missed, and for this pray to Allah for His
forgiveness and acceptance.

2. FOR THE PRESENT: Fulfill the Obliga-

tion of Gratitude by:

A. Thanking for blessings you enjoy now,

whether around you or in you, and thanking Al-
lah for them sincerely, out of the deepest recesses
of your heart, then, praying that Allah helps you
in your determination to make use of them cor-
rectly, and grants you perfect security in life.

B. Being patient and forbearing over hard-

ships and unpleasant happenings thinking that
they are nothing but mercy from Allah, then
praying that Allah enables you to stay pleased
with what He decides for you, and that He be-
stows on you the very beauty of ideal endurance,
and that He enriches you with real peace of heart
and mind.

3. FOR THE FUTURE: Pray for protection

from Allah.

A. There are so many things in life against

which one needs protection. It could be the very
fear of a change for the worse in your life, or that
there may be mishaps and accidents. Or, you
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 37

may be worried about remaining a loser in the

present world as well as in the world-to-come. Or,
you may be worried about the evil designs of Self
and Shaytdn and about the dangers hidden be-
hind your own negligence caused by a life full of
material enjoyments. For all such worries, seek
from Allah refuge and protection against all that
threatens or bothers you.

B. Then, pray that Allah grants you prosperi-

ty and real success in both the worlds, the Dunyd
and the Akhirah, and that He bestows on you the
bliss of an end which is the best in deeds.

Inshallah, these very few deeds shall prove

quite sufficient for success in your purpose. Let
the fact that the Qur'an and Hadlth command
you to act likewise, strengthen your resolve, and
let the merits of these deeds mentioned there be-
come an additional incentive.

PROBLEMS IN THE PATH OF TRUTH

In addition to what has been said above,
there are some particular spiritual problems
which most seekers of the path of truth are con-
fronted with. A brief explanation of these is given
below. This is specially relevant in the case of
those who engage themselves in Dhikr on a regu-
lar basis and, for that matter, it also applies to
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd 38

practicing Muslims at large whose hearts experi-

ence the emotional states known as Qabd
(seizure: depression) and Bast (release, elation)
quite commonly, without any volition of theirs.
Although, these states are transitory, yet they
play a vital role in spiritual training and moral
grooming. Because of these, man's spiritual po-
tential rises to new heights and his relationship
with Allah gets stronger.

1. THE STATE OF QABD: This is a state in

which the heart is seized (not in the medical
sense) by a feeling of acute depression (again, not
in the medical sense) and dispiritedness. Not
only does one feel dejected with whatever he is

doing by way of spiritual deeds, but that he also

starts seeing everything else pertaining to his
personal and professional life as useless. So acute
becomes this state of dullness and despair that
life itself appears to be a heavy burden. There are
occasions when one starts nursing doubts and
hesitations in crucial matters of Faith and Salva-
tion - despite the fact that one keeps fulfilling
mandatory religious obligations. When overtaken
by such a state, one should keep engaged in
abundant prayers seeking Allah's forgiveness
and protection along with repeated recitals of the
noble Darud supplicating fervently for well-being
from Allah. As said earlier, this state of Qabd is
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'& 39

simply transitory, a passing phase, but there are

many spiritual gains made through it. One real-

izes his weakness and humility, his helplessness,

his servility and virtual nihility. This is the sta-
tion of Sabr • of patience, endurance and forbear-
ance - for a seeker. It is here that man is blessed
with the wealth of Divine company and it is here
that the root of man's pride over his supposed ex-
cellences in knowing and doing things is cut
asunder.

2. THE STATE OF BAST: Contrary to the

state of depression, there are other times when a
sense of relief, delight and openness overtakes
the heart of the seeker who engages in Dhikr reg-
ularly. In a state like this, one becomes enthu-
siastically absorbed in prayers and other forms of
worship and is able to witness the rewards and
favours of Allah all around him. With a disposi-
tion all-elated, the heart turns aglow with spiri-
tual lights of many shades and hues. Although,
this state too is transitory, yet, the seeker in the
way of Allah occupies the station of Gratitude in
that state of being where he is all possessed by
Divine love.

But, one should not lose sight of the fact that

these states of Qabd and Bast are simply transi-
tory and non-voluntary. Therefore, one should
not bother about them rationally. Instead of that,
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 40

one should, under all conditions and circumstanc-

es, stay devoted to the performance of obligatory
duties (Fard'id and Wdjibdt) because that is the
very objective of life.

So, the essence of what is being said here is

that one should forget about the states of depres-

sion or elation {Qabd or Bast) and stay glued to
one's job on hand because inward conditions are
naturally prone to changes, something no human
being can claim to be exempt from. Rather, the
fact is that these very changes are the building
blocks of moral training and grooming and of
spiritual ranks that follow in their wake. There-
fore, no matter what the condition, one must
meet the challenge posed at that time and deliver
what is due - sometimes with Patience (Sabr) and
at others, with Gratitude (Shukr). But, one
should plan nothing on his own
remove or to
achieve one or the other condition. The best
course is to entrust one's case with Allah. This is

the way of ideal peace and security. Let this be

understood clearly that feeling proud over com-
mendable deeds, and their surrounding effects, is

neither befitting nor called for, nor is there any

need to be disappointed over deficient deeds and
their circumstantial effects, if any. Mind you that
both these attitudes are highway-robbers of the
spiritual quest. The real touchstone of acceptance
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'& 41

with Allah is the fulfillment of the injunctions of

the Sharfah and the abstinence from sins. When
the profusion of Dhikr and persistence in right-
eous deeds start producing stability and fortitude
in deeds and their surrounding conditions, one is
blessed with an inward connection proportionate
to one's capability, knowledge and comprehen-
sion. This tunes one to obey Allah and to worship
Him in a natural way the result of which is that
he finds himself doing so out of love, while, at the
same time, there emerges a parallel hatred for
disbelief and sin in his heart. On occasions, one
starts experiencing the unravelling of some spiri-
tual insights and realities. All these are favours
and rewards from Allah without any right, claim

or deservedness. When this happens, it is obliga-

tory that we should always be grateful for them.

There is yet another important thing which

we must understand in this connection. This is

about those ugly, disturbing and absurd thoughts

which frequently overwhelm us mentally and
emotionally during the state of Salah and Dhikr
and, for that matter, under other common condi-

tions as well. There is a mob of alarming tempta-

tions and threatening fears. At times, one reach-
es the dangerous limits of disbelief and heresey
which generate doubts in faith, Islam and in mat-
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 42

ters relating to the Hereafter resulting in their

outright rejection. Sometimes, the demands of

the desiring self get uncontrolably activated.
There are other times when one's own imperfect
condition combined with failure in worldly affairs
starts subjecting him to extreme despair.

Let us be very clear in our minds that all

these distractions are involuntary and should be
taken as nothing but Satanic instigations. So far
one does not submit and act as they demand, one
is never going to be answerable for them, and
they are definitely no sign of having been rejected
in one's search for truth. In fact, they do not
cause any decrease in one's faith, nor do they
make any dent in one's relationship with Allah.
Rather, one is rewarded for bearing by the pain

caused by the nature of these thoughts which are

ugly and unpleasant. On such occasions,
thoughts should be diverted to something else.
Read a religious book. Take to sitting with men of
Allah. Seek Allah's forgiveness and His protec-
tion a few times. Inshallah, one will get rid of
these doubts gradually. If, just in case, one does
not get rid of them even through a whole life-

time, one hardly loses anything in the present

world, or in the Hereafter - because they, being
non-voluntary, carry no answerability.
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 43

In what I have said above, I have laid out be-

fore known as Tasaw-

you the essence of what is

wuf and Suluk (mysticism and spiritual quest).

This is the capital on which you build the edifice
of certitude in faith, the piety of the heart and
the knowledge of the self. As for now, please do
not aspire for more Wazd'if and Awrdd (things to
recite regularly). In methods suggested above,
there is just no chance of remaining deprived. In-
shallah, everything will be achieved through
these brief, yet concise deeds. Nevertheless, the
condition is that one should be sincere in inten-
tion and consistent in practice because fortitude
is superior to the working of miracles in our time.
jU\i 'i\fegSjS\ZS : I am unable to do anything except
by the will of Allah.

THE RESOLUTION OF SPIRITUAL

PROBLEMS
The need for rigorous spiritual training, the
and the pre-occupation
routine of set recitations,
with the Dhikr of Allah and the aim of self-
purification and moral grooming is only to help in
the formation of a habit of acting freely in accor-
dance with the injunctions of Allah (bidding and
forbidding both) and the teachings of the Prophet
(the following of Sunnah), so that the rights of Al-
lah, the rights of one's own self and the rights of
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd
44

other servants of Allah start getting fulfilled

as
due, easily and in accordance with the
provision
of the Shari'ah. In this lies life at its
best, both
here in the present world as well as in
the Here-
after.

Out of these, the subject of Huquq al-'Ibad

or
the rights of the servants of Allah is very
signifi-
cant. We
have been bound to follow the percepts
of the Shari'ah in matters relating to the
rights of
the parents, the rights of the spouses, the
rights
of the children, the rights of the relatives
and the
rights of Muslims in general. Therefore,
it should
be simply to seek the pleasure of Allah that
we
should mete out the best possible treatment
to all
those related to us in one way or the other with a
lot of open-heartedness, and even sacrifice, and
without hoping to have something in return.
Also, one should do his best to see that
nobody is
even slightly displeased with one's personal con-
duct.

Never, not even inadvertently, treat anyone

in a manner
Which you would have disliked, if someone tried it on you.

So, if we make a mistake about anything con-

cerning our general circle of relationships, we
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 45

should promptly forgive and ask to be forgiven.

This is what Allah and the Messenger of Allah
command us to do.

It is we should compul-
necessary for us that
sorily keep reminding those we relate with of the
demands of our Faith, we should also pray to Al-
lah that they be guided right. This too is a com-
mand of Allah and it is obligatory on us to obey
it.

Important Instruction
Al-hamdulillah, the time table of deeds given
above is quite sufficient under most conditions
for all seekers of the truth, and specially so for
the mild-mannered ones. But, as I have already
stated earlier that human nature harbours the
kinds of evil traits which keep influencing his
outward deeds and, as a result, they continue dis-
turbing the affairs of his life to disastrous propor-
tions. Some of these evil traits are very strong
and cannot be corrected without working hard on
them in a spiritually organized way. Some of
these traits are: Arrogance, envy, malice, love of
office, influence or wealth, anger, backbiting,
evil-eyedness and sexual urges. Therefore, in or-
der to prune, amend and bend them, it is inevi-
table to consult some spiritual physician. Hoping
to overpower them, without formal spiritual edu-
cation and training, is very difficult indeed. So, in
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'A ,c
4b
the Sufi way of spiritual self-realization, the
guidance of an accomplished master is considered
to be a pre-requisite of the way.

In this age of ours where we see a universal

scarcity of men
of real spiritual qualities, the
chances of finding one near at hand are
slim. So,
should you fail to locate a Shaykh who
is a genu-
ine follower of the Shari'ah and
Sunnah, then,
you are advised to study "Tarbiyatus-Salik"
(The
Training of the Seeker of Truth) written
by
Maulana Ashraf 'All Thanavi. May Allah bless
the author who has given a masterly
exposition
of all such chronic spiritual diseases in
great de-
tailsalongwith his sunnah -oriented method
of
treating them. These were almost
clinically test-
ed by him and found to be unfailing
remedies in
all sorts of serious emotional and
spiritual imbal-
ances. Thousands of people have benefited from
his counsel and they were pleased to find them-
selves spiritually cured for ever. If
Allah Al-
mighty so wills, anyone who elects to act
as ad-
vised there will never remain deprived
of positive
results.

There is another book entitled, "Basa'ir-e-

Hakimul-Ummat" by this humble writer which is
more or less a gist of Maulana Thanavi's major
work cited above. This can be used as a supple-
mentary source for the same purpose. You will do
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'&
47

well to keep them with you, study them carefully

and keep referring to them back and forth. When
you are pressed for time, you can study only a lit-
tle, but, do persevere on the long run.
(Incidentally, these two books are in Urdu and
can be ordered from Maktaba-e-Darul-Uloom,
Korangi-14, Karachi).

THE WAY OUT FOR THE GUIDELESS

If,even these books are not available or can-
not be consulted due to language problem, one
should, then, act according to the method sug-
gested below. Inshalldh, one is bound to be cured
spiritually. Thisseemingly modest blueprint of
action has been suggested by Maulana Thanavi.
As recorded in Ashrafus-Sawanih, vol. 2, he said:
"If a person is not attached to anyone who has
achieved spiritual excellence by following the
Qur'an and Sunnah in letter and spirit (buzurg)
nor there remains any hope of getting attached
to such a guide, then, I have carved out a way
for that person as well because this is the Way

of Allah and no seeker of truth shall ever remain

deprived of it. So, just go on learning about the
necessary injunctions of the Shari'ah. Do it
yourself through study or do it by asking relia-
ble men of knowledge as and when needed and
simply keep offering your prayers and observing
your fasts. If you sense that you are suffering
from one of the spiritual diseases, try to treat it,
as far as you can, relying on your good under-
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
4g

standing and judgement, all by yourself. Keep

abstaining from major sins; for the rest, contin-
ue seeking forgiveness from Allah. Also, keep
praying: Yd Allah, help me feel and recognize
the diseases of my heart and also help me un-
derstand how I can treat them. And if I do not
have the ability to understand, then, let this
happen without the obvious use of any method -

correct all these defects just by Your grace.' Pe-

riod. This too is, God willing, perfectly sufficient
for your salvation
- and salvation is what
you
want you have not been obligated to do any-
- for

thing beyond that."

Keep practicing this mode of action for an ex-

tended period of time. The mercy, grace and gen-
erosity of Allah Almighty will, Inshallah, be with
you and you shall find yourself spiritually cured -
and this is in no way beyond the most extensive
mercy of Allah Almighty.

I The Essence of Mysticism

1

"That tiny bit of wisdom which is the essence of

mysticism is: 'If you feel lazy about carrying out
an act of obedience, challenge laziness and carry
it out; and if you have an urge for sin, challenge
the urge and stay away from that sin.'

One who can do that needs just about nothing

beyond it because this very act of wisdom helps
establish communion with Allah and this is his
guard on duty and this is his promoter."

-- Hakimul-Ummat Maulana Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi

A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd 49

A GOOD END
(An End with Good Deeds which abide)
"Believe in a good end to life as the
most graceful and the most perfect of
all blessings. Always pray for such an

end, specially after the five daily

prayers with exceedingly passionate
entreaty and humbleness of heart. And
be grateful for the faith you already
have because this too is, according to
the promise of Allah: ftj2jif;»i£ *Jl (If
you will be grateful, I shall bless you
with more - 14:7), one of the effective
causes of a good end."

- From the parting instructions left by

Maulana Thanavi

Let us, then, pray:

'Ya Allah, bestow on us this great wealth.

Ya Allah, prompt us to prove our faith at the

time of death.

Bless us with faith which is perfect and strong.

Grant us the abounding ability to perform good
deeds. And grant us the ability to stay firm in
following the words and deeds of our Prophet i£.
And while We adhere strongly to this belief of
ours, let our end come with ideal good. Amin.
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
5q

i?a66 al-'Alamln, Lord of the worlds, by

the honour of our Prophet, of prophets the fore-
most, mercy for all the worlds, the intercessor
of
all on him be the blessing of Allah, and
sinners,
peace and salvation, most abundantly.

SOME SPIRITUAL ASSIGNMENTS

FROM THE SUNNAH:

[1] . -
The Holy Prophet jbfgzZi] has said:
'For anyone who says this Darud, my inter-
cession becomes necessary:'

O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad

and upon the family of Muhammad i£ and take
him to a resting place near You.

[2]
According to a narration by Sayyidna Abu
Said al-Khudri i^Ull^;, the Holy Prophet
j£
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd
51

said: 'One who has nothing to give in charity, he

should recite this Darud in his Du'd (prayer, sup-
plication). That will become a source of spiritual
purification for him':

O Allah, send blessings on Your servant and

Your Messenger and send blessings on all be-
lieving men and believing women and on
Mus-
lim men and Muslim women.

[3]

With the name of Allah, with Whose name noth-

ing can harm or hurt in the
Earth nor in the
Heavens and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
I seek protection
with the most perfect words of
Allah against the evil of everything
He has
created.
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 52

appears in Hadlth that the Holy Prophet

It

said:'Whoever says this prayer three times every

^
morning and every evening of every day, he shall
remain protected on that day and that night.

Sayyidul-Istighfar

The Foremost Prayer for Forgiveness.

O Allah, You are my Rabb, my sustainer and

provider. There is no god worthy of worship but
You. You have created me and I am Your ser-
vant, and I stand by Your covenant and Your
promise to the best of what I can. I seek refuge
with You from the what I have done. I
evil of
confess before You of Your blessings on me, an I

confess my sin. So, forgive me, for no one else

can forgive these sins except You.

It appears in Ifadith that a servant of Allah

who prays for forgiveness in these words with his
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 53

heart behind it, with sincerity and assurance of

the heart, any time during the day, he will be
doubtlessly admitted to Paradise after his death.
The words of this Istighfar are:

P * 9s a

Yd Haiyyu, Yd Qaiyyumu, bi-rahmatika as-

taghlth I O the one who is Alive, the Self-
Sustaining Sustainer of all, for redress, I come
in pain towards Your mercy.

When worried about something, so says the

Hadlth, this used^to be the prayer the Holy
Prophet fLj^-tf)! Ji^ made. Recite it again and
again.

In addition to this, following the practice of

the pious elders of our Faith, repeatedly recite
the following noble verse (known as the Ayah al-
Karlmah I Ayat-e-Karlmah) of the Qur'an when
faced with trying circumstances, such as, acci-
dental happenings, economic or emotional wor-
ries of life, severe diseases and distresses:

There is no god worthy of worship except You.

Pure are You. I am but one of the sinners.

Recite this noble verse (21:87) one hundred and

A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd 54

eleven times - plus Darud 11 times before and af-

ter it - after the 'Isha prayer and make Du'd for

your needs. Inshallah Ta'dld, you shall be deliv-

ered of your distress.

When you are in some trouble, or you fear be-

ing harmed by someone, or you are faced with a
from which there seems to be just about
difficulty

no way out, then, recite the following prayer re-

peatedly and abundantly:

Allah, O All-Merciful, O Very-Merciful, O

Master of all Might and Generosity, O Allah, the

Alive, the Self-Sustaining Sustainer of all, for

help I come in pain towards your Mercy.

Inshallah, your worry will go away and you shall

find yourself at peace.

For those belonging to a spiritual order

People who belong to a spiritual order usually
maintain an affectionate bond between each oth-
er. In addition to that they remember and
pray

for all earlier Shaykhs of the order which helps

strengthen the connection between the seeker
and master all along the line.
 .

A Daily Program oiDhikr and Du'a 55

The names of the elders of the order are re-

corded in what is known as the 'Shajarah' denot-

ing spiritual genealogy. Those attached to the or-

der read this Shajarah following the practice of
all present and past Shaykhs of the order for
spiritual satisfaction and benefit. Those interest-
ed in details may consult the original of

"Ma'mulat-e-Yo wmiy ah"

A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a

Prayers of the Prophet*

* Some of the prayers he always made are given

here. These should be committed to memory and
recited as and when appropriate throughout one's
life.
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 57

[Prayers of the Prophet

1. The prayer on waking up from sleep:

ft
>J^lt J J
Praised be Allah who gave us life after having
given us 'death' and to Him is the Resurrection.

2. The prayer on entry into the bathroom:

With the name of Allah. O Allah, I seek refuge

with You from the evil Shay tan, the male and
the female.

3. The prayer on coming out from the bath

room:

I ask for Your forgiveness. Praised be Allah

who delivered me from filth and granted
relief to me.
 A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a
5c

4. The prayer before making

Wudu :

With the name of Allah,

the All-Merciful, the
Very-Merciful.
5. The prayer during Wudu
:

Allah, forgive me mysins and grant me

suffi-
ciency in my house and bless me in
my liveli-
hood.

6. The prayer after Wudu :

I testify that there is

no god worthy of worship
except Allah. He is one. For Him, there
is no
partner. And I

servant and His Messenger.

testify that Muhammad * is His
Allah, rntke me
one of those who repent and make me
one of
those who remain clean. I proclaim Your purity
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a 59

Allah, and I praise You. I testify that there is

no god worthy of worship except You. I beg Your

forgiveness and I turn to You in repentance.

7. The prayer when entering Masjid :

O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy. And

make easy for me the avenues of sustenance from
you.

8. The prayer when coming out of the

Masjid :

Allah, I ask You of Your grace.

9. The prayer after the Adhan :

Allah, Sustainer of this perfect call and the

established prayer, bless Muhammad i£ with
(the office of) intercession and superiority and
raisehim to the most praised station which You
have promised to him because You do not go
 ::

A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'd

qq

back on Your promise.

10. Prayer when you begin to eat

With the name of Allah and from the blessing

of Allah.

11. Prayer when you finish eating

»5feL£3l
Praise be to Allah who gave us things to eat and
drink and raised us among Muslims.

12. The prayer when dressing :

#3* ft ^JJf -iufcCf

Praise be to Allah who dressed me with what I

cover the parts of my body which it is indecent
to expose, and with this I make myself look de-
cent in my life.
13. The prayer when going out of the house:

With the name of Allah, I place my trust in Allah.

14. The prayer when coming into the house:
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a

O Allah, I ask You for the best of entry and the

best of exit. With the name of Allah, we go in
and with the name of Allah, we go out and in Al-
lah, our Rabb (Lord), we trust.

15. The prayer when about to sleep:

With Your name, O my Rabb, I rest my side and

with Your help I You withhold
shall raise it. If

my soul, please forgive it then. And if You send

it back, please protect it then - in the manner

You protect Your righteous servants. Allah,

save me from Your punishment on the day You
raise Your servants.

16. The prayer before you ride:

•

kin
- eh
Bismillah (With the name of Allah).
 :

A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a

62
17. The prayer while on board
a ride :

Praise be to Allah. P ure

H e who made this
is
subservient for us and we were not competent to
control it. And, surely, we are to
be returned to
our Rabb (the Lord-Master
of the final destina-
tion).

18. The prayer when something

pleasing
6
happens :

Praise be to Allah with

whose blessing good things get
done.
19. The prayer when something
unpleasant
happens

Praise be to Allah under

all conditions.

20. The prayer when obsessed with

doubts
and suspicions :

<L& jI>L iL'I'^l & ill f#

I seek the protection of
Allah against the
Shaytan. I believe in
Allah and His Rasul
(Messenger).
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a g3

21. The prayer against the effects of the evil

eye:

Recite and blow breath on the affected:

With the name of Allah. O Allah, remove

her temperature and her chill and her dis-
comfort.

A Comprehensive Prayer
The Holy Prophet ju;; liii JL has also

taught us one such prayer which includes all

prayers. If this could be recited once after every
Salah, it is certainly better.

fas tite&J* Ll^j '4j

!ii£si n -I ^ aj^fr
O Allah, we ask You for everything good which
was asked of You by Your prophet, Muhammad,
may Allah bless and protect him, and we seek
Your protection against everything evil from
which Your protection was sought by Your
prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless and pro-
tect him.
A Daily Program of Dhikr and Du'a

Our Lord, do not let our hearts be misguided

af-
ter Your having guided us, and give us from out
of your own mercy. You, certainly, You are the
Giver. Allah, Our Lord accept (this) from us.
You, surely, You are the All-Hearing,
the All-
Knowing. And, may the blessings of Allah be
upon our master and our leader, Muhammad,
and on his family and his companions and his
community and may they be blessed and pro-
tected incessantly.

Wa ma tawfiql ilia billdh

I am unable to do anything without the will and

help of Allah.
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