Tahajjud and Dhikr: The two missing components By Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri
Edited by ‘Abd Allah bin Muhammad al-Afriqui
in MP3:
Tahajjud and Dhikr: The two missing components
A summary of an ‘Ulama address by Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri (Allah protect at
him) of Jami’ah Islamiyyah Dabhel at Madrasah Talim al-Din, Isipingo
Beach on Sunday, 1 Sha’ban 1434; 9 June 2013.
We all take pride in linking ourselves to our akabir (elders) who had
laid the foundations of the various dini (religious) works that we are
involved in.
However, what is required of us is to see what were the sifat
(qualities) that they possessed which enabled them to achieve success
and progress. There were two outstanding qualities in their lives that
are decreasing in our ‘ulama presently.
The first is the performance of Tahajjud salah (voluntary night prayer).
Initially it was the first fardh (obligatory) salah. Study Surat
al-Muzzammil (Qur’an, 73) and see the link that it has with the dini
work that we are involved in. Who could have been more occupied than
Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace), yet Allah
instructed His Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) to spend a
minimum of a third (1/3) of the night in Tahajjud salah. It is through
this that one will gain energy for the rest of the day.
The hadith speaks of Shaytan tying three knots on the nape of a sleeping
person saying to him that he should continue sleeping. Thus, even if
our eyes open early we will look at the clock and say to ourselves that
there is still plenty of time left, resulting in us not getting the
opportunity to perform Tahajjud salah.
It was a common feature in the lives of all the Sahabah (Allah be
pleased with them), tabi‘in, muhaddithin, and our akabir (Allah have
mercy on them), whether those whom we had seen or those before them.
They were punctual on this practice irrespective of whether they were
travelling or not.
The second common feature was that of dhikr Allah (remembrance of
Allah). This was their spiritual energy. They never left out their daily
adhkar and ma’mulat (prescribed routine). Mawlana Habib al-Rahman
(Allah have mercy on him) who was the vice principal of Dar al-’Ulum
Deoband would daily make 125 000 dhikr of ‘Allah’ despite his busy
schedule of seeing to the administration of the madrasah.
In a letter to one of his khulafa’ who was a principal of a madrasah,
Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhalawi (Allah have
mercy on him) impressed upon him the need to spend at least two and a
half hours daily in dhikr and inabat ilallah in order for his madrasah
to prosper and progress.
Dhikr Allah will be in the form of one’s ma’mulat , the morning and
evening adhkar and du’as, and tilawah (recitation) of the Qur’an.
Mawlana Zakariyya al-Kandhalawi would daily recite eight to nine juz’
(parts) in spite of his busy schedule of teaching, mutala’ah and tasnif.
Each one of us needs to ask ourselves, how much of the Qur’an do we
recite daily.
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