Counsels & Guidance
نصائح و ہدایات
الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ
"Religion is sincere counsel." (Ḥadīth Sharīf)
Some Counsels, Cautions, and Admonitions of Ḥaḍrat
During their wide study of Ḥaḍrat's essays, letters, and commentaries on the Ṣiddīqī translations, some of his students encountered passages in which Ḥaḍrat had deemed it necessary to lay down certain counsels and cautions, or in which these had caught their attention. These have now been compiled, and a selection is presented here for use as a guiding resource.
1. Shayṭān — an Educated Enemy
Shayṭān (Iblīs) is an educated, learned enemy. He is difficult to avoid. He does not come in a frightening form — he comes at the moment of leisure, making a person feel their own weakness. He uses that very moment to establish himself, making the person feel feeble, while God renders the person capable and strong to repel Shayṭān's evil.
A person becomes conscious of their own weakness when humility and self-abnegation (tawaḍḍuʿ wa inkisār) arise in them — and this is the very life-breath of servitude (ʿubūdiyyah).
Even an enemy will not trouble you if you do not desire it. When we place our desires in the hands of God, all our work will be set right. Shayṭān will free us from other things besides; he will even protect the royal palace for us. Someone calls out from the court of our Lord — our Lord who is already ours — "O Master, come!" He will reprove; He will chastise — but do look: He will also show the power of our forbearance and watchfulness. So clasp the hem of Allāh the Most High's mercy always, and remain beneath it.
2. Nearness to God, Distance from Distress
For us, nearness to God is rest, and distance from Him is torment. Grasp God — grasp the skirt of His mercy. Detach your hand from it and you will find no peace (iṭmīnān) anywhere beneath His sky. God is singular — ʿayn al-waḥdah (the very essence of oneness). He alone is [the means of] reaching composure. If you rely on Him, you will find peace.
3. God Sees Our Intentions
Allāh the Most High sees your intentions. What is your purpose? Who is useful? Do today's work today — so that you are not put to shame.
4. Rely on God, Not on Outward Means
When performing any work, always examine whether its basis is inner (bāṭinī) or outer (ẓāhirī) — place greater reliance on Allāh and on His promises rather than on us. We do not say that you should resolve in your hearts that you have committed shirk fī al-ulūhiyyah (associating partners with God in His divinity), shirk fī al-ʿibādah (associating partners in worship), or shirk fī al-irādah (associating partners in will) — God forbid that such should occur. But if it does occur, then repent (tawbah). When sincerity (ikhlāṣ) is lost from deeds, meanness (dillat), degradation (ẓillat), and misfortune (tabāhī) arrive.
5. The Straight Path (Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm)
By the Ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm (the Straight Path) is meant the correct path that He wishes us to walk. Excessive license and excessive restriction are both inappropriate. Freedom leads to irreligion (dehriyyat), godlessness, and atheism (anī God-ness
6. Qadar (Divine Decree) and Free Will
Absence of [absolute] free will (ʿadam ikhtiyār) is an intellectually sound position. What is qadar (Divine Decree)? No one knows it beforehand — only after it occurs does qadar become apparent. Good people perform good deeds, pray, and make supplication (duʿāʾ), and maintain hope for acceptance and Divine favour. Sometimes in supplication the preconditions of qadar are fulfilled, and the supplication and its result become manifest; sometimes the result does not become manifest — but making supplication and leaving the matter to God is itself part of qadar. Leaving the matter to God is also itself qadar.
On one side of qadar lies the faction of taqlīd (following established precedent), ghayr-māturīdī (non-Māturīdī), and absolute ijtihād (independent legal reasoning), and on the other the non-taqlīd faction — but among the scholars there is a middle position: ijtihād fī al-madhhab, ijtihād fī al-masāʾil, tarjīḥ (preferring the stronger position), following the chain of transmission, and scrutiny of the truth — and following the right in its time.
Socialism, the inadequacy of republicanism and autocracy — these lie between intikhāb (selection/election) and Islamic opposition [to tyranny].
Cowardice — that is, speaking softly and fleeing at the moment of confrontation — lies between cowardice (buz-dilī) and boldness (mardānagī). Between the extremes of cowardice and boldness lies ʿiffah (chastity and self-restraint).
Frugality (dimī), miserliness (bukhl), extravagance (iftilākī), meanness, and scarcity — and between these, knowledge, generosity (sakhāwah), and soundness (salāmat) — lie between excess and miserliness.
Irjāʾ (deferring judgment) and waʿīd (threat of punishment) represent opposing positions — for Muslims the truth lies between fear (khawf) and hope (rajāʾ), and between despair (yās) and presumption (ghayr).
Good conduct (aḥsanī ādāb) means not inclining to one side.
On the Straight Path — walking with restraint from excess and restriction is necessary, it is obligatory (farḍ).
Young people should walk carefully and keep the hope of God's mercy before them.
In worldly affairs, rely more on Allāh and give less importance to [outward] means (asbāb) and action (ʿamal).
He who walks the Straight Path will cross the bridge of the Hereafter safely. He who abandons moderation and restraint will not remain [upon it].
7. What Is Our ʿAmal Ṣāliḥ (Righteous Deed)?
Our ʿamal ṣāliḥ (righteous deed) — what is it? Our every human action, our farḍ (obligatory duty) at every moment: prayer (ṣalāh), fasting (ṣawm), almsgiving (zakāh), pilgrimage (Ḥajj) — the entire life lived under these prescribed human categories is itself ʿamal ṣāliḥ. The soul of all deeds is sincerity (ikhlāṣ): obedience to Allāh and obedience to His Messenger ﷺ. Worldly good deeds carry their own reward. Rest, honour, a government, and affluence — worldly good deeds yield these. For those who do not turn their attention toward the Hereafter, this world is their only reward. But those who perform appropriate deeds for both religion and the world — their religion is sound and their world is sound as well. Muslims keep both in their grasp, remaining in power. Muslims straighten and lead them on a straight and sound path. — Wherever there is milk (dūdh), there is also blood. Where children are fed pure (ḥalāl) food, there too the milk is intermixed ().
8. The False Path (Bāṭil Ṭarīqah)
What is the false path? That by which one approaches God through: bribery, extortion, inventing a false case, constructing lies, giving false testimony (jhūṭī gawāhī), usury (sūd), fraud (jawā khelānā), placing bets on money with stipulated conditions, collecting community funds unlawfully, theft, forgery, misappropriating postal money — bribing a good official to obtain an unjust ruling. Accepting a bribe is impermissible (nājāʾiz) — and giving a bribe is equally impermissible.
All these activities bring harm to the entire community in a plainly unlawful manner. They destroy blessings of growth, prosperity, and the means of lawful livelihood (rizq-e-ḥalāl). The ḥarām produces darkness in the heart and destroys the spiritual benefit of worship throughout the entire day.
Hold the scales of your religion always upright. Remain steadfast in all ways. Do not become a burden to others — from within, through self-reliance, and from without, support others.
All these impermissible deeds bring a calamity upon the entire community. They make lawful income disappear, and the ḥarām produces nār (a darkening) in the heart — this destroys the spirit of worship (ʿibādah) of an entire day. Maintain the scales of your religion true at all times. Remain upright in every aspect. Do not make yourself a burden on others; correct yourself from within, and support others from without.
9. The Days of Hindus and Sikhs
Hindu and Sikh neighbours come to one's home during their special festive days and are welcomed as guests. He [Ḥaḍrat] wishes that in those ten days one should present oneself as a Muslim, or show greater affinity with Christians during their seasons.
Islam is a religion of moderation — there is no excess or restriction in it. A solitary stranger cannot remain in any one place. Excessive familiarity is in itself a religious offence (gunāh) — because medically it contains great harm. Islam has very strongly prohibited using the marriage rites (waẓīfah-e-zawjiyyah) of other communities — and has thereby elevated and safeguarded the matter — because when you yourself do not respect your own community and do what is not befitting, and perform the deeds of those communities whose members God will destroy — you do not do what you ought, and the work of those communities whose members God will destroy.
10. Today There Is a Great War
Today there is a great war in which millions of unbelievers (kuffār) are [arrayed against us]. Their women are going badly astray. They will strive with every means — cunning, deceit, and intrigue — to capture our minds and hearts. They will strive to ruin our religion and faith. Look! See — and also strive to prevent Muslim women from being led astray by non-Muslim women. Save Muslim women — and save Muslim women from marrying non-Muslim communities; for a Muslim woman's nikāḥ (marriage contract) with an unbeliever is void (bāṭil). Their morals are corrupt, their customs are corrupt, the family is corrupt, the household is corrupt — and in the end the torments of Hell become their lot.
Before us lie both kinds of precedent. Polytheist women (mushrik) have led Muslim children astray and painted them in their own colours. At the end — no rest in the world, and in the Hereafter only hope for forgiveness.
Worse than all this is for a Muslim woman to contract marriage with an unbeliever. Until recently such excessive licence did not exist — these events had not been occurring. Even a Muslim widow made a relationship with a non-Muslim — Allāhu Akbar; today the world has come to such a pass. Muslim women are holding weddings with unbelievers, and old men bless them — O Allāh, protect us (Allāhumma aḥfaẓnā).
11. Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil (Amr bi'l-Maʿrūf wa Nahy ʿan al-Munkar)
When commanding good and forbidding evil (amr bi'l-maʿrūf wa nahy ʿan al-munkar) among Muslims became suspended, destruction came about — and Muslim catastrophe grew. [Consider this scene:] A few people are sitting together in a boat — one of them takes a drill and begins boring a hole in it. It is the duty of all of them to stop him. — The instruction of amr bi'l-maʿrūf wa nahy ʿan al-munkar is being given. How lamentable it is that those who propagate false religions and ideas are abroad, propagating their ideologies to them, while Muslims remain oblivious and persist [in error]. Day by day a new religion is being invented and gaining ground. The world is becoming a killing-ground of religions. Those who have the courage — they will proceed, one way or another. May Allāh grant Muslims the ability to promote good and forbid evil, and the ability to follow the Prophet ﷺ and his Sunnah. Āmīn.
12. Two Types of People and Tablīgh (Propagation)
People are of two kinds — (1) Those who are acquainted with the principles of religion and its original sources: those who distinguish truth from falsehood and can keep them apart — they should go among [others] and propagate the religion of Islam.
(2) Those who are not familiar with religion — they should avoid bad-madhhab-people (sectarians and innovators) and refrain from disputing with them — their eloquence, rhetoric, and contentious discourse have a very great influence.
In the speech of some people there is a kind of magic: those who are ignorant of their own madhhab and of the non-madhhab people become captivated by their mocking debates and grow arrogant. Such is the condition of the ignorant. When someone tells them — a Sunni religious orator, for instance — "Go, listen to him" — some say "He is only a preacher." — The lack of moral courage is what prevents condemnation of falsehood — and arrogance and heedlessness is what causes persistence [in error]. When you forget God and receive no recollection of Him from the lips of these good scholars and scholars of virtue, while the mocking and contentious ones are near — you do not even know yourself that you are unlearned. Sunni children (bacche) — save them from the teaching of non-madhhab-people — because ignorant children of non-madhhab-people are visible [among them], and they are being influenced. We should be vigilant — because something has appeared in this world which was previously suppressed and was being put down — today a fresh evil has arisen. The one who mounts the platform goes about: eloquence and boldness in speech — speakers come — things are said — Marhaba! (Bravo!), congratulations, applause — but the talk is of no use to anyone. Why? Because they are all victims of non-madhhabism. The reason is that religious instruction is not being given at all — and the response to it is: something is remembered, something is thrown back — the matter is evaded — in short, the world is made and the Hereafter abandoned.
13. The Banū Isrāʾīl and the Lesson for Muslims
What were the Banū Isrāʾīl doing when they fell into ruin? — Arrogance of the ego (mann kī ghurumat), excess, fantasies, and taʾwīlāt (false rationalisations) — and heedlessness from God. — Can all these things be said to be absent from Muslims? Look — see what their state was; you will find our own state the same. The catastrophe advances upon us in groups. The curse came upon them — and our catastrophe also advances in groups. Falling downward — yet no sense of shame; this heedlessness advances — how close has it already come to the brink of the Hereafter?
What has been said so far is sufficient — but a solution for the heedless and improvident is not enough. Now reform yourself — make your own improvement.
14. Every Relationship Has Its Own Rights
Every individual thing has its own separate ruling (ḥukm). Revere and respect your father (bāp kī taʿẓīm wa tawqīr karo). Love your wife (bīwī) and children (bachchon se muḥabbat karo). Love your wife from within your heart and fulfil every rightful due of every person — fulfil every right of every person deserving it.
Love (muḥabbat) is the greatest thing; it rises from the ʿarsh (Divine Throne) and makes hearts possible. It creates intimacy. It unites two into one — do a little more; see that my children are yours and your children are mine. They are husband and wife — love has united them. Well-being (khairiyyat) has been obliterated — alas, in this age love has been banished, exiled from this world — wherever you look, the force of quarrelling (jadmar), displeasure (nāgawārī), enmity (dushmānī), and hatred (ʿadāwat) prevails.
15. Family Disputes and Going to Court
In our household [disputes] — when husband and wife begin to quarrel — this is a very important matter. Be attentive to decision-making — the moment [for decision] comes. Custom and convention (rasm o riwāj), together with the decisions of both families, with fairness and to the best of my judgement, have greater hope of resolution from the patience of those who trust in God. It is necessary for courts to be reached — but going to full litigation need not come to pass; the [family] decision can be made even before reaching the court. Whatever ruling is given — if it is an oppressive ruling or a wrongful ṭalāq (divorce) — then it is void in the law of religion and inapplicable in the [divine] law — and the court will also reverse such a ruling.
16. Usury (Sūd) and Unlawful Expenditure
Look — at unlawful customs and wasteful expenditure — people are becoming prisoners of greed. The burden of debt grows ever greater. First, taking an interest-bearing loan is not a good thing — then the interest-bearing loan becomes a necessity. Muslims previously had wealth — they had a government — and they were generous with it; injustice was not entertained. They gave patronage to learning and to the arts of war. Now we need the sufficiency of livelihood and education to avert ruin. Guiding — merely guiding people away from ruin — no more than guiding. Allāh is complete and perfect — He is self-sufficient and without need. This is His mercy. His deeds proceed without any need from His side. All of this flows from His grace and mercy. He has provided us with all the raw material to benefit from. Learn His law and His method; discover it. He will show the results of our deeds — those results will not fall short. The results of appropriate worldly deeds will render worldly deeds appropriate — the results of appropriate deeds for the Hereafter will render the Hereafter deeds appropriate — the results will also not be curtailed.
17. Knowledge, Deeds, and Honour
Do not go astray — do not go as renegades; do not be enemies of your own knowledge and skills. Do work, struggle — be patient. He is the Lord of the Worlds. He will show favour through His mercy — and they will succeed. If your belief (ʿaqīdah), prayer (namāz), and fasting (roze) are in order, then the result of all this will come to you — you will become desired (maṭlūb) in the world. You will become humble and submissive. You will also obtain your result in the Hereafter — He will aid you (in ko ḥāte paise diye hain). Allāh takes the affairs of the world into His keeping — He has placed the solution in the hands of the world. Do not be obstinate — can the knowledgeable and the ignorant both be put to the same use? Absolutely not. Allāh — He created them for the purposes for which He created them. A person is what he is — he strives in his own way — and as the result of it you will see his striving:
باتوں سے کیا ہوتا ہے ✦ عمل سے ساری عزت ہے
What comes of mere words? — All honour lies in deeds.
علم و عمل کی دنیا ہے ✦ غلط باعثِ ذلت ہے
The world belongs to knowledge and deed — falsehood is the cause of disgrace.
18. Do Not Seek Comfort Through Laziness
Without effort, seeking comfort while roaming perpetually — this is the way to ruin. A father's accumulated wealth — until when will it last? Qārūn's treasury will also come to an end one day.
Facing difficulty — he cannot claim mastery over the mountain either. The mountain swallows him and shatters it into pieces. The mountain is there, and he finds a way through it and makes his path.
The time comes — it brings everything with it. Do today's work today — when will yesterday's work be done? Yesterday has gone — tomorrow is uncertain, the future is not reliable. Now what is there apart from the solution in your own hands?
کام کرو یا کاج کرو ✦ جو کرنا ہے آج کرو
Work, or attend to your affairs — whatever must be done, do it today.
Weeping over the past and seeking a solution for the past is the work of the heedless and improvident.
جو وقت گیا وہ پھر نہ آیا ✦ کیا نقدِ حیات کھورے ہو
The time that has passed will never return — why are you squandering the coin of your life?
Make your life a notebook — think at every moment, think deeply. Do not repeat the same errors again and again. The present age is unworthy of trust, and the age that comes with it is our companion. We shall remain until tomorrow — all the deeds of every moment will be recorded. The black and white of night and day is our recorder; it will be noted. Soon the moment of death will come knocking at our door — when will its debt run out? Still — some work remains — do some now, do some of it. Leave behind the work of aeroplanes coming and going, of ships crossing the seas, abandoning oneself to chess (shattarang), gambling (qamār bāzī), wine-drinking (sharāb-khūrī), and the same habitual pastimes of idleness — until when will you remain intoxicated? Wake up from your heedlessness and do some work.
اُٹھو، اُٹھو! یہ خوابِ غفلت کب تک ✦ جاگو، اجل کسی گاہ میں ہے
Rise, rise! How long this sleep of heedlessness? — Awake: death may come at any moment.
آتی ہے ہر نفس سے صدا گوشِ ہوش میں ✦ کچھ کرلو غافلو کہ میں ناپائدار ہوں
At every breath, a cry enters the ear of the awakened mind: "Do something, O heedless ones — for I am not permanent."
19. Ṣāḥibān — the Ruin of Past Nations
Ṣāḥibān! In the past — God did not reach out to peoples. He brought fire. He brought it down upon them. He kindled coarse desert reeds into a blazing fire. Woe — a Muslim neither refuses nor is slow. There is no lack of will, no lack of determination on our part. Yet the enemy presses us from one side and is arrayed against us. Those who are perishing — for them religion is nothing, the Hereafter is a mere fantasy. — Who will give us victory and support? Be confident: in the examination by [the affair of] Fīl, God has not yet accepted our supplication — [and yet] He should not have: we have sinned against ourselves, we have not sinned against Allāh. But every now and then He lifts us up somewhat. There is one Muslim in this age who also tells Muslims of Islam. At present those who are dying — for them there is no religion, no care for the Hereafter — a bad lot. Who will give them support and victory? Be trusting in this manner: in the examination by Fīl and Sind, God had not as yet accepted our supplication. Now the opportunity is here — He wants us to turn to Him. See — turn to Allāh. See what He wishes — and turn your heart — and repent — and make your own improvement.
20. On Going Among Unbelievers
Do not feel love for the unbelievers and carry it proudly among people. If you go among them with the intention of propagation — be careful. Never make friends with God's enemies — do you seek to make God your friend? Then do not greet God's enemies up to that point, and do not take from Islam [on their terms] and do not obtain anything little or great [from their patronage]. Try to bring millions of them [to Islam]. — Never seek water from them [i.e., do not make yourself beholden to them]. — Stand on your own two feet, your own two feet. — Self-reliance (khud-iʿtimādī) — learn it. Until when will you hold on to the coattails of others? Stand firm.