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WELCOME TO |
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MADRASA AL-HIDAYA |
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MUSLIM SCHOOL OF RIGHT GUIDANCE |
Interpreted by Brother Mohammad Afzal Habib of U.K
An Appreciation by: Siddiq Osman Noormuhammad.
All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds and eternal salawaat and salaams on Sayyidina Muhammad al-Mustafa (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), who is mercy for all the worlds.
Marhaba ! Welcome.
Welcome to this classic of Muslim spirituality, Maqaal al-‘Urafaa’ bi-I‘zaazi Shar‘in wa ‘Ulamaa’ (The Sayings of the Sufi Masters about the Excellence of Sacred Muslim Law and the Scholars) by Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi (1272-1340 A.H, 1856-1921 C.E), may we continue to benefit from his barakaat (blessings), Aameen. And welcome to this English interpretation of it by a muhibb, Brother Mohammad Afzal Habib, may Allah Ta‘ala give him barakaat, Aameen Yaa Rabbal ‘Aalameen.
It is a great honour for me to be requested by Brother M. I. Kashmiri of the Raza Academy (U.K) to write an introduction to this interpretation.
Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Rahmatullahi ‘alaih) is affectionately called A‘la Hazrat and is referred to as Imam Ahl-e Sunnah. This is not surprising as he towered above all others in the propagation of Islam in India in his time. His contributions are legendary. His literary works alone are so monumental and spiritually brimming as to rank him among the all-time great awliya’ and salihin. His Urdu translation of the Holy Qur’an is considered the most authentic one among all other translations in the Urdu language. It is a manifestation of Hubb (love) of Allah Ta‘ala and of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). His Salaam on the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), which is rendered in standing ovation to one who is Rahmatullil Aalameen (mercy for all the world) is the most memorable Salaam in the Urdu language. His Diwan titled Hadaiq-e Bakhshish, a collection of his poems in hamd (praise) of Allah Ta‘ala and madaa’ih (eulogy) of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), in Urdu and Farsi, is another classic of Muslim spirituality. Then there is the Fatawa-e Ridawiyyah which is a monumental work of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) in 30 volumes, each volume consisting of 850 pages.
The great Imam wrote voluminously; his major works number 350; some are yet to be published! So it is very pleasing to see a muhibb like Brother Mohammad Afzal Habib try to gain thawab by giving an English interpretation of one of these masterpieces.
Marhaba , welcome to it. Do wudu, apply musk, put on you ‘imamah/prayer cap (or hijab as appropriate), sit down with adab (respect) and drink deep at this spiritual fount. The great Imam deals with the importance of Shari‘ah (Sacred Muslim Law) in light of the Qur’an Kareem, the Hadith Shareef and the teachings of the Sahaba, the awliya’ and the saleheen. Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Rahmatullah ‘alaih) does not say anything from his own self but is content to quote great Muslim luminaries like Gawth al-A‘zam Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, Sayyidina Junaid al-Baghdadi, Shaikh Hazrat Sirri as-Saqati, Hazrat Ba- Yazid Bistami, Hazrat Abu Sa‘id al Kharraz, Hazrat Harith al-Muhasibi, Hazrat Abu Hafs Umar al-Haddad, Hazrat Abu Sulayman al-Darani, Hazrat Ibrahim ad-Dusuqi, and Shaikh ‘Abdul Ghani an-Nablusi, among others, may Allah Ta‘ala be pleased with them all. He quotes from Ihya ‘Ulum id-Deen of Imam al-Ghazali, Tabaqaat al-Kubra by Imam ‘Abdul Wahhab ash-Sha‘rani, Nafahatul Uns by ‘Allama ‘Abdul Rahman Jami, Awarif ul-Ma‘arif by Imam Shahab ud-Din Suhrawardi, At-Ta‘arruf by Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Ibrahim al-Bukhari al-Kalabadhi, Risalah Qushayriyya by Imam al-Qushayri, and Lataif Ashrafiyya by Sayyid Ashraf Jahangir Chishti Simnani (Rahmatullahi ‘Alaihim) among others. Other awliya’ mentioned who light up this sky are Hazrat Dhun-Nun Misri, Sayyid Ahmad ar-Rifa‘i al-Kabir, Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi and Hazrat Bishr al-Hafi, may Allah Ta‘ala raise their darajaat (spiritual stature) even higher, Aameen.
When you finish reading this kitab you feel you have graduated to venture into his Hadaiq-e Bakhshish, may Allah Ta‘ala lead us to it, Aameen.
Dear reader, as you read this, please pray for me and indeed for all of us that we may continue to get the barakaat of both the Shari‘ah and the Tariqah (spiritual path leading to Allah), Aameen Yaa Rabbal ‘Aalameen.
May Allah Ta‘ala give us protection under His ‘Arsh and give us the musk of the love of His Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), Aameen Yaa Rabbal ‘Aalameen.
Siddiq Osman Noormuhammad
Toronto.
Source: Sufism in Perspective , The Raza Academy, Stockport, England, 1994, p. 9-11.