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Mahdaviah Insight (A Publication of Islamic Center of Chicago )

January 2020 (Jamadi-I/Jamadi-II, 1441 H) | Vol. 5, Number 7

Editorial: Teachings of Vilayat

In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful, On the auspicious occasion of the Milad of our beloved Imam ASWS, let’s focus on the teachings of Vilayat. The teachings of Inside this issue: can be broadly classified into teachings of Nabuwat and teachings of Vilayat. Prophet Muhammed SAS presented the teachings of Nabuwat to the masses but the teachings of Vilayat to only a few who had the capabilities of grasping those teachings. Imam ASWS came as the manifestation of Prophet ’s Vilayat (Vilayat e Muhammadi). Mahdi ASWS said that Allah sent him to propagate the teachings of Vilayat.

It is for this reason, Imam Mahdi ASWS did not say much about the Islamic jurisprudence (). He ASWS said that in the matters of Islamic jurisprudence, follow the rulings that seem to be closer to Qur’an. The mission of Mahdi ASWS is to bring the Editorial 1 The Teachings of Vilayat people closer to Allah by removing all the veils. This would be possible by accepting and adopting the mandatory Ibadah of Nabuwat as well as of the Vilayat. The Vilayat of Prophet Muhammed is supreme, it is the of Islam because it is based on pure love of Allah. The mandatory Ibadah are our obligations that we have to honor but the teachings of Vilayat will transform the same obligation into our passion. This completely changes the entire purpose of the Ibadah and the purpose of As’haab e Suffah 2 & our existence, and our destiny. Let’s focus on one unique practice of Zikr that we generally call the mandatory act of Vilayat (Farz e Vilayat). 4

There is no such Ibadah in Islam that is better than remembrance of Allah (Zikrullah). There are numerous Qur’anic verses that emphasize the importance of Allah’s Zikr and we also find Qur’anic verses that warn us the consequences of not Quest for the 3 Part—II performing Allah’s Zikr. Every mandatory Ibadah is time-bound and it has a measured quantity except Allah’s Zikr; it is neither time bound nor it has a fixed quantity. For instance, when we pray Namaaz, we know how many Rakats we have to offer as the mandatory (Farz) act under each on a daily basis. When we pay (Charity), which is also mandatory, we know that mostly it is 2.5 percent of the total wealth accumulated and held for a year. When we do fasting, we know the time of Sahar and Iftar to complete a day’s fast in the month of . When we perform , we know that it has to be in the month of Zul Hijjah and that to on the specific days. Urdu Poetry 4 When we talk about Zikr or remembrance of Allah, what does it mean? It means that we always affirm that Allah’s existence is Qur’anic verse 2 necessary (Wajib ul Wujood) and He is alone worthy of . But only affirmation of Allah’s existence is not a complete 3 Zikr. It should also come with our own negation. Unless we negate our existence, our affirmation of Allah being Alone and Naql 3 Unique, is incomplete*. If we go to any high-rise in the downtown area, we see a sign board close to the elevators that reads “in case of fire, do not use elevators” then it also says “use stairs”. In the same way only affirmation of Allah’s existence is not enough, we should also declare that we do not exist (self negation). Everyone of us need to learn the essence (Mahiyat) of Zikr from a Murshid. *

Allah says in Holy Qur’an, “When you have finished the , remember Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down, and when you feel secure, perform the [complete] prayers, for the prayer is indeed a timed prescription for the faithful.” (4:103) Now we know that two things are essential for the Zikr. One being the affirmation and negation and the other one being constant Zikr while standing, sitting, and reclining. These two requirements can be fulfilled only by performing Zikr in the way it was taught by Imamuna Mahdi ASWS. There is no other practice of Zikr, to the best of our knowledge, that fulfills both the conditions. Zareen Syed Mahdi ASWS has taught us to do Zikr with the breath-in and breath-out without using our tongue. This is the only way we can Editor-in-Chief remain in Zikr all the time. When a person is on the death-bed, not able to even talk or say a word, he can still be in a position

ASWS to remember Allah by following the teachings of Imamuna Mahdi al-Ma’ud . When a person is unconscious due to severe MICC has an Editorial Team illness, his heart would still be awake and performing the Zikr through breath-in and breath-out. It is as if the Zikr is and a Review Board to programmed into one’s breath and it becomes an automated process. Secondly, the rhyming of Zikr is so set up in breath-in ensure the quality of the and breath-out that it covers both affirmation of Allah and negation of our self. publication. The people of Mahdi ASWS (Qaum e Mahdi) are unique in the sense that they are the only one in the world who believe that The Newsletter is a collaborative project of MICC and Mahdavia Foun- remembrance of Allah is mandatory (Farz), not just a good deed (Mustahab). As mentioned earlier, Mahdavis are taught to dation, it will also be available at: perform mandatory Ibadah as a passion and not as an obligation, because passion comes with love of Allah, whereas 1. www.miccusa.org, 2. www.promisedmehdi.com, obligation does not have any element of Allah’s love and in fact, Allah’s love is also mandatory. Therefore, we also love Allah promisedmehdi yahoo group, and with passion. This becomes possible when we accept Hazrat Syed Muhammed Juanpuri as the Imam Mahdi. Moreover, Zikr Promised Mehdi Facebook page. is the only Ibadah that Allah asks His servants to perform in abundance. “O you who have ! Remember Allah with The authors are responsible for the abundant remembrance.” (33:41). contents of their article; editorial board may or may not agree with the May Allah guide us and help us to perform His Zikr constantly and let this zikr becomes a practice of Mahdaviah identification opinions expressed by authors. again. Ameen! Editorial Team

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Mahdaviah Insight January 2020 page 2

As’haab e Suffah

(Quote from the Article) In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent; Most Merciful. senger. He found a glass of milk, so he asked,

‘From where have you brought this milk?’ They “These men were As’haab is the plural of Sahabi meaning the compan- said, ‘It is said that so and so have brought it here’. ions of the Prophet pbuh . Suffah is an word a personally trained in The Messenger of Allah, ’s blessing and peace Verandah or a platform. The term has also been trans- religious teachings by the be upon him, said, ‘Abu Huraira! Go to the people lated as the Fraternity of the Verandah. Prophet pbuh himself. The of Suffah (my companions) and call them to come early Muslims were Ashaab e Suffah were the companions of the Prophet to me at once’. Abu Huraira said that the people of pbuh Suffah are the guests of Islam; they left their generally poor. But this who lived in an adjacent area by the Masjid e Naba- wi. This place was like a verandah or a platform (Urdu: homes and their money and whenever the Mes- group was comprised of Chabootra). Later a thatched roof was put over it to senger received a gift, he took some of it and sent both affluent and poor protect from heat and rain. There used to be anywhere the rest for them and whenever he received alms, Muslims. Prophet pbuh between 30 to 700 men at any given time. These men he sent it to them without taking anything of it. Abu arranged this place for their were personally trained in religious teachings by the Huraira said that this (the Prophet’s request) sad- Prophet pbuh himself. The early Muslims were generally residence. They had dened me too much because I wished to drink poor. But this group was comprised of both affluent and some milk from that cup so that I might strengthen renounced the world and pbuh poor Muslims. Prophet arranged this place for their myself for the rest of the day. But I was obliged to did not leave this place to residence. They had renounced the world and did not obey the orders of the Messenger of Allah. So, I leave this place to work or for any worldly and material- work or for any worldly and hurried to call them and, as I expected, they came, istic activity. Thus, they were in constant company of materialistic activity. ” took the permission of the Prophet and took their the Prophet pbuh. They would join the whenever ———— needed and stayed at the Suffah for the rest of the time. seats. The Messenger of Allah, God’s blessings They lived a destitute life, in starvation and ate whatever and peace be upon him, said, ‘O Abu Huraira! Take this glass and give it to them’. I took the glass Allah sent their way through charity. People will bring fruit etc. and leave it there, and whoever was hungry and gave it to them one by one and at last, when

among them would eat out of it. They were, as was the they all quenched their thirst, I gave the glass to Prophet, completely dependent on Allah (Mutawakkil the Messenger of Allah, God’s blessing and peace Billah). A lot of times they also went hungry because be upon him, he took it and put it in his hand while Al-Qur’an there was no food and they did not go out of their place some milk remained in it. Then he raised his head to make a living, for being completely dependent on (The people of Imam and looked at me and said while smiling, ‘Abu Allah for all their needs. Mahdi AS) Huraira!’ I said, ‘I am here, Messenger of Allah!’ He said, ‘You and me are still thirsty’ I said, ‘You are “ O you who have Hazrath Abu Huraira Rz one of the As’haab e Suffah right, Messenger of Allah’. He said, ‘Then, sit here believed, whoever of you narrates how a miracle of the Prophet pbuh one day fed should revert from his and drink’ I did as I was asked. He asked me to - Allah will bring all the residents of Suffah with just one cup of milk. In drink more and more but at last I said, ‘No, by the forth [in place of them] his Sahih, Al-Bukhari, may God have mercy upon him, One who sent you by Truth! I am unable to drink a people He will love and transmitted from Abu Huraira, may God be pleased with any more’ He said, ‘Then give me the glass’, I gave who will love Him [who him, he said, ‘By God! I was so hungry that I tightened a are] humble toward the it to him, and he drank the leftover milk. believers, powerful stone over my belly in order not to feel that strong hun- against the disbelievers; ger.’ One day, I sat on the road where Muhammad pbuh They loved the Prophet pbuh and loved to be in the they strive in the cause and his companions used to walk in. Abu Bakr Rz company of the Prophet pbuh (Sohbath e Sadiqeen). of Allah and do not fear And who could be more Sadiq than the Prophet the blame of a critic. passed before me and I asked him about a sign from pbuh That is the favor of the holy Book of Allah. I asked him so in order to make , the Al Sadiq and Al Ameen. A Hadith says: Allah; He bestows it him feed me but he did not do so. Then Omar, may God “None of you can be a true believer until his love upon whom He wills. And be pleased with him, passed before me and again I for me is more than his love for his parents, chil- Allah is all-Encompassing dren and all the people in the world”. And they and Knowing. asked him about a verse from the Book of Allah, Great and Almighty, and also, I asked him so in order to make loved the Prophet pbuh profoundly, and he pbuh also (Al Qur’an, 5:54) him feed me but he did not do so. Then Abu al-Qasim loved them, and shared the knowledge of Islam (Muhammad) pbuh passed before me and soon he knew and the knowledge of with them. It is what was in my mind and soul and he said, ‘O Abu said the origin of the Sufis (the spiritual mystic Huraira!’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Here I am!’ He masters of Islam) is also derived from the word Suffah. said, ‘The Truth’, then he left, and I followed him. He entered his house and I took the permission of the Mes- (Continued on page 4) Email: [email protected] | www.miccusa.org

Mahdaviah Insight January 2020 page 3 -—

In the Name of Allah, the Most High. But, one can try to follow some guidelines. The Hadith Qurān says, O ye who believe! Come not to the prayers in a drunken state... (Surah Nisa, Ayath 43). ‘Abdullah b. Mas’ud said: : This is a Naql from Insaf Nama, it describes the degrees of lust and love for the world and material attractions. In this Verse, the Arabic word, sukara (drunken), The Messenger of AS The farther a person is from these lusts, the closer one occurs. Imāmuna has interpreted it as the drunk- Allah SAS said to me: gets away from hell fire and gets closer to Allah, be the enness of the world. A murshid is supposed to be recite Surat al-Nisa’. I not drunk by the greed of the worldly lusts, be lot person is a Kasib or a Faqeer or a Murshid. This could asked: Shall I recite to more observant of religion and lot more adhering to be one of the tests in finding a true Murshid. One can try you what was sent the basic teachings of Imamuna AS, the one observ- to see if a Murshid is free or relatively free from these down to you? He ing and engaging in the observance of Sultan ul replied: I like to here lusts, specially the lust for hoarding wealth and the lust Nahar and Sultan ul Lail i.e. in the morning from it from someone else. for branded horses, which in today’s world could be Fajr to sunrise and in the evening from Asr to Isha. So I recited (it) until I termed as lust for fancy and luxury cars. If a Murshid is More or less observe tawakkal in Allah, living a reached this verse after hoarding wealth and living in luxury, instead of striv- simple and frugal life, is not gaudy, less indulgent in “How then shall it be ing to live a simple life, the person in quest of a true worldly affairs, less materialistic than the rest of the when We bring from Murshid, may safely move on, and look for a Murshid community, and less egoistic. Above all this, must every people a living a simple life. The Naql goes as follows: “Know have the right chain () all the way to Imamu- witness?”. Then I then that there are seven zones (darajaat) of Hell, one naAS. Must have had spiritual training from his raised my head and lower than the other, and all of them are surrounded with Murshid to be able to guide the who is in the saw tears falling from lusts (shahwat). And Prophet MuhammadSLM has said quest of Vision of Allah, to achieve that goal. his eyes. that the Paradise is surrounded with hardships, and the (Sunan Abi Dawood # 3668) There are some basic guidelines that are called the Hell is surrounded with lusts. And there are seven de- limits of a Faqeer (Hudood e Faqeeri) i.e. how one grees of lust. And there is a zone of the Hell correspond- is supposed to behave and the minimum standard ing to each degree of lust. One will be thrown into a zone of observance of the religious practices, and limits of the Hell corresponding to the degree of one's lust. The of Kasab (Hudood e Kasab). If a Murshid is in com- seven lusts are those that Allah has specified in the plete compliance of the precepts of Hudood e Quranic Verse 2 cited above, clearly indicating each lust. Kasab, these days, this itself would be a huge Among these the lust for women or that of the sex (farj), achievement. It is very clear that we are not going to the beastly lust for children, the lust for stored-up heaps find a Murshid as perfect as the ones from the dis- of gold and silver, which is the lust for amassing and tant past or even the recent past, because as the hoarding wealth, the lust for silver is the lust for jewellery time passes, we are edging towards doomsday for adoring oneself and acquiring silver crockery and (khayamath). But, if one finds a reasonably prac- ticing Murshid, who is at least in complete compli- Naql: cutlery, the lust for branded horses (of pedigree and ance of Hudood e Kasab then it's time for the one chaste blood) which is the lust for pomp, rank and posi- Imam MahdiAS is on one training with him in the intricacies of the tion, and the satisfaction achieved by riding them narrated to have said, spirituality, and the path towards the Vision of Allah. (horses), the lust for cattle which is the lust for acquiring, "Divide your hunger May Allah bless us all with His Vision (Deedar). producing and amassing great riches and take pride in in three parts. Eat the Ameen. (Note: For article on Hudood, please refer them, and the lust for land or tilth which is the lust for bread for one part. to the July 2019 issue. Drink water for the governing and acquiring the power of life and death over http://www.miccusa.org/main/images/miccusa/ second part and keep one's subjects and of enforcing one's commands and newsletters/072019_MahdaviahInsight.pdf ). prohibiting what one forbids. These seven lusts encom- the third part empty pass the seven zones of the Hell. These are the delights so that you could perform zikr and the possessions of worldly life and these are the Marag is a Hyderabadi spe- ((Note: The first part of this article was pub- things that consume and engulf the world and derive cialty commonly found in (remembrance of benefit and profit from it. Verily their abode is Hell. All this lished last monthweddings. in the December 2019 issue of Allah). You will not be able to perform zikr has been excerpted from (the book) Bahr-ul-Haqaiq.” Mahdaviah Insight). Contributed by Mr. Abu Naimath Shahab. and go to sleep, if you So, now the question is, how and where to find a perfect eat a bellyful. Murshid. For this, one has to be a perfect kasib and a perfect Taalib e Khuda. But, in today’s world nobody is perfect, so one (Hashia Insaaf Nama has to be as close in compliance and observance of the religion # 389) as possible.

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Mahdaviah Insight January 2020 page 4

, As’haab e Suffah (Contd. From page 2)

This place was the residential school, the first Islamic (a place of learning), you may also call it the first University of Islam, where they were especially trained and taught by the Prophet pbuh in the spiritual aspects of Islam and spent their time in prayers. It is Kids Section: said that each one of them rose to eminent positions during the time of pious caliphs (Khulafa e Rashideen). Most of them were appointed as emirs or governors of different provinces or com- manders of the armies. Hazrath Abu Huraira Rz was one of them. He has narrated more than 5000 ahadees. He was appointed emir of Bahrain by the second pious Caliph Hazrath Omer Rz. There were a lot of other Ashaab e Suffah who were very prominent com- panions of the Prophet pbuh. In the later period some of them also served as advisors to the Pious Caliphs (Khulafa e Rashideen).

The Mahdavia Daira, was first established by Imamuna AS. The

Daira followed the same concept and principles established by the

pbuh Prophet , for the Ashaab e Suffah. Daira is an Arabic word meaning a Circle, a section, a ring etc. In the Mahdavia parlance it’s a place where a Murshid and his Fuqara lived. The tradition of the AS Mahdavia Daira continued after the Passing away of Imamuna Rz under the guidance and watchful eyes of Huzoor Sani e Mahdi , the Eldest son and the first caliph (khalifa) of Imamuna AS. Joining the Daira by renouncing the world (Tark e Duniya) would enable the Fuqara to comply with and observe all the Faraiz e Vilayath. When a Murshid forms a Daira, he would mark a circular area and mark the boundaries and would surround it with a temporary fence. In- side the Daira, a prayer hall (Jamaath Khana) and temporary tene- ments (Hujrah) for the residents would be built where the Fuqara lived with their families. The Daira would be abandoned when the Murshid migrates (Hijrath) to another place and establishes another Daira. The Dairas would usually be on the outskirts of the populat- ed areas, providing a degree of solitude (Uzlath az khalq) to the residents of the Daira, usually closer to some water resources like a tank or a river etc. the Murshid would be the chief and taskmaster of the Daira and the Fuqara would completely follow him and his Apoll fish is a Hyderabadi instructions (Sohbath e Sadiqeen). The Fuqara would be trained in specialty. Marinated fish fil- the religious teachings and spirituality, the same way the Prophet By letscomparing are dp friedthe similarities and lightly between the Ashaab e Suffah and the Fuqara of pbuh trained the Ashaab e Suffah. The Fuqara would perform all the thetossed Daira, inwe a realizemasala that seasoning. the Daira is not a new concept, or any kind of inno religious obligations, engage in the remembrance of Allah Serve as an etizer or with the vation but it is following the practice and of the Prophet pbuh, by his (Zikrullah) all the time, in quest for the Vision of Allah (Talab e main course. perfect follower Imamuna Mehdi al Mawood Alaihis Salam. Our present day Deedar e Khuda), listen to the explanation of the (Bayaan e Ingredients: and their masjids are the modified forms of the Dairas of the past, Quran) by the Murshid, between Asr and Maghrib, thus learning the and we still go to them for guidance and enlightenment, and to learn the es- commands and intricacies of the Quran (Sohbath e Sadiqeen). Fish 250gms They would completely depend and rely on Allah (Mutawakkil Bil- senceA cup and of intricacies curry leaves of Zikrullah and spirituality. All the Mahdavia cemeteries lah), for all their needs, would not go out of the Daira to make a (Hazeeras 4 - 5 green ) that chillies, we find chopped spread all over the Indian sub-continent form north to living, and would survive on whatever Allah sends their way in the south 1 teaspoon and east chopped to west garlic in every nook and corner, and beyond the sub- form of charity. The charity would be received by the Murshid and continent¼ tsp turmericpowderare the remains of those Dairas, and a reminder of the tradition of 1 tsp chilli powder equally distributed (saviyath) among the Fuqara. All this was in migration1 tsp ginger (Hijrath garlic) of the paste Murshids of the yore. absolute compliance with the concept of Ashaab e Suffah. 1 egg 1 tablespoon all(Article-purpose contributed flour by Mr. Abu Naimath Shahab.) 1 tsp corn starch 1 ½ tsp chilli paste

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