Malfoozat of Sheikh Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri
Twenty-Seventh Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Sheikh Zada Uch¹ was present. He said: "The Apostle is greater than all the other prophets. Hence what is the meaning of: 'O God, bless Muhammad as You have blessed Abraham!" The comparison is made with Abraham. A comparison should be with someone superior."
Sixteenth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Jalaluddin Mahjub said: "What are the questions Munkar and Nakeer¹ will ask in the grave, and what are the answers?" The Venerable Master replied: "They will ask: 'Who is your Lord, and who is your prophet, and what is your religion.' The reply is: 'God
Fourth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Qazi Shah, the son of Qazi Ashrafuddin's brother, an expounder of the Law, was present. He said that a dervish had told him that he had recited the Quran completely seventy times while circumambulating the Ka'ba. He was asked: "With what words and meaning?"
Eighth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
The Helpless One said: "In several places it is written that 'wealth does not bypass a capable person, and that it does not reach anyone who is not prepared. Is this caused by the divine manner of proceeding and is it not a display of divine power?"¹
Fifth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Qazi Ashrafuddin said: "Many travelers halt at mosques. Have you seen any tradition in this connection?" The Venerable Master replied: "I have not noticed anything. It is astonishing that permission has been granted in this matter. It is disputed as
Sixth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Maulana Karimuddin said: "If a person spreads his prayer- mat on the place for prayer then, in Targhib-us-Salaat (An Inducement to Prayer) it is written that it is disapproved of. What is the reason for this?" 1 The Venerable Master replied: "Yes, this
Ninth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Maulana Nasiruddin, the prayer-leader of Qazi Shafi,¹ asked for the explanation of this tradition: "God said: 'If a person commits fornication with a woman and afterwards marries her, then both of them remain fornicators always." The Venerable Master
Thirty-Second Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
The Helpless One asked whether people could take back what they have given to another person. The Venerable Master replied: "There are seven situations in which it is not correct to take back what one has given away. He then recited the following judicial
Twenty-Fifth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
A discussion arose about the will of God and intention. The Venerable Master said: "In 'Ismat-ul-Ambiya (The Sinless- ness of the Prophets) it is mentioned that the 'will of God' and 'intention' are one and the same. 'Whatever he obtains by intention
Thirteenth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Sheikh Ahmad said: "During this life the body executes the commands of the soul, but in the next life, after a man dies, does his soul remain in the condition it was previously in?" The Venerable Master replied: "Yes, the soul remains as it was." Afterwards
Forty-Seventh Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
There was the felicity of an assembly after the evening prayer. After the meal the Helpless One said: "It is written in a certain place that, if somebody says, 'I do not want Paradise: I want to see You,' he becomes an infidel. Why would this be infidelity?"
Twenty-Eighth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
During the breaking of the fast a discussion arose about some people to the effect that, when they have acquired know- ledge, they feel ashamed of their fathers and, out of shame, are unwilling to mention their fathers' names openly. The Venerable Master
Forty-Second Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
After breaking the fast one Ramzan evening, Qazi Ashrafuddin' asked: "Yogis have the power of flight. Can they use it to go from one place to another?" The Venerable Master replied: "They can, but not completely. This is connected with self- struggle
Third Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Qazi Ashrafuddin said: "How many times did the Apostle perform his ritual prayer upside down?" The Venerable Master replied, "Once." He further asked: "In that condition did he lean against anything or not?" He replied: "I have not seen it described
Second Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
He (i.e. Zain) was privileged to kiss the ground. One of those present in the honorable assembly-may he be eternally honored-sneezed. The Helpless One said on this occasion: "What sense can there be in a person's saying, 'Praise be to God' when he sneezes?"¹ The
Thirty-Sixth Assembly (Khawn-Pur-Nemat)
One of those present in the honored assembly enquired: "Where does today's practice of making petition come from?" The Venerable Master replied: "It has not come to my attention in any reliable book, but there is a story which says that, in a certain
Thirty-Ninth Assembly (Khawn-Pur-Nemat)
Very many of the people of the town had come to extend their good wishes for the new month. Qazi Khan asked: "What is the meaning of fixing on six days, as we find in the verse, 'in six days'?" The Venerable Master replied: "I have not come across anything,
Fortieth Assembly (Khawn-Pur-Nemat)
Maulana Karimuddin said that there was a certain scholar who had a touch of madness. He often came to Maulana Qayamuddin and said that there was a tradition of the Prophet which said, 'Too much of this world is harmful for the next.' Once I asked Maulana
Thirty-Seventh Assembly (Khawn-Pur-Nemat)
The Venerable Master had come out for a visit to a shrine. From there he came to the garden of Khwaja Mahmud Iwaz. There was a raised platform constructed beneath a tree. He sat down there for some time. As soon as the Khwaja heard of this he came, along
Seventh Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
The Helpless One said: "If the Messenger was asked about a particular point and an apt answer occurred to him but no revelation descended, in such a situation would he give out that apt answer or not?" The Venerable Master replied: "First of all, he
Thirty-Fourth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Qazi Khan enquired what would happen in the next world to girls who died young. The Venerable Master replied: "The instruction concerning them is that, in the next world, God Almighty will give them to whomsoever He wants. Some women have died without
Forty-Sixth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
It was the feast day. In the congregation presided over by the Qazi at the place for feast-day prayers, a scholar said: "The offering of auxiliary prayers at this place before the official ones is not proper." Yet this tradition is current concerning
Seventeenth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
After the evening prayer he (i.e. Zain Badr Arabi) went along with the other disciples to wish the Master a happy new month. Qazi Ashrafuddin said: "It has been related that one hour's meditation' is better than a year's worship. Meditation thus enjoys
Twenty-Fourth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
A discussion arose about the descendants of Muhammad. The Helpless One asked: "Is 'Honour my children who are good, for God's sake, but not the evil, for my sake,' a tradition of the Prophet, and have you noticed it in collections of Traditions?" The
Twenty-First Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Maulana Karimuddin said: "When Gabriel was bringing the Quran to the Prophet, how many verses would he bring at a time?" The Venerable Master said: "It is related that five verses were brought at a time." Again, he asked: "Did a command issue forth from
Twenty-Second Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
After breaking the fast¹ Sheikh Muizzuddin enquired: "The decision of a Qazi pertains to the external and internal forums, but what is meant by this word 'internal'?" The Venerable Master said: " "External' refers to things as seen by men, where- as
Twelfth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
The Helpless One said: "When the Leader of the Faithful, Abu Bakr, the Just One, brought all his goods and possessions and offered them to the Apostle, did he have a family?" The Venerable Master replied: "Yes, so the Apostle asked, 'What have you kept
Twenty-Third Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
A discussion arose about the serious sin committed by the brothers of the Prophet Joseph. The Venerable Master said: "Their sin was committed before the manifestation of their prophethood, and it is said that prophets are not preserved from serious sin
Thirty-Eighth Assembly (Khawn-Pur-Nemat)
The Venerable Master was reclining. Someone stood by his side, fanning him. For some days the Venerable Master thought that the wind has its own abode, but this is not so. At this time, he read that it was the air itself, which was in motion but, on
Nineteenth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Sheikh Muizzuddin said: "It is said that on Thursday evenings the doors of Paradise are flung open. Is this true or not?" The Venerable Master replied: "It is attested to by sayings and traditions, and it could be true that this is so. What cause for
Thirty-Fifth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Sheikh Muizzuddin said: "If a person acts according to the opinion of an authoritative interpreter of the Law but another one holds a different opinion, what should he do?" The Venerable Master replied: "In such a situation caution has to be exercised
Forty-First Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Maulana Nizamuddin, one of those present, asked: "Is it correct to pledge allegiance 'in absentia' or not?" The Vener- able Master replied: "I have not seen it written anywhere, nor does it stand to reason but, if a saintly person has mentioned it somewhere,
First Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
He (i.e. Zain) had the good fortune of kissing the ground. At that time, the Venerable Master-may God exalt him to great nearness-had been suffering from some debility in his blessed body for several days. He also had intermittent fever. Through the
Thirtieth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Sheikh Muizzuddin asked if meditation was more excellent than all other forms of voluntary worship. Did that mean it was superior to voluntary, extra ritual prayer? If this is so, how could it be for, in such prayer, meditation is also included." The
Twenty-Ninth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
A discussion about the holiness of the saints arose. The Venerable Master said: "Every saint has his own territorial limits. This applies in the spiritual domain just as it does to kings in the visible world. Each one exercises power within his own territory
Twenty-Sixth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
It was after the evening prayer that he was seen. The Helpless One said: "What is the command concerning a work about which conditions of acceptability are not explicitly stated?" The Venerable Master replied: "It is like scattered particles of dust.
Tenth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Qazi Ashrafuddin said: "It is commonly held by people that the rank of anybody in the next life depends on how much fasting, prayer, struggle with self and austerity he has per- formed during this life. Such a person is known as a 'traveler'. Besides
Forty-Third Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
The Venerable Master said: "If the moon is seen on the 29th of the month, the feast would fall on Thursday; while if someone sees it clearly on 30th, it will fall on Friday. What is the difficulty if it falls on Friday? That Friday would be a two- fold
Eleventh Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Qazi Ashrafuddin said: "Can the fact that some people look for a blessing at the tombs of holy men and offer food for the sake of the departed soul be construed as a proof that the person was a saint?" The Venerable Master replied: "Yes, it is a sign
Eighteenth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
He (i.e. Zain) had the good fortune of being invited to a special banquet¹ after the evening prayer. A discussion arose about the fellowship of animals with men. The Venerable Master said: "In science it is mentioned that all animals are like man insofar
Fifteenth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Sheikh Muizzuddin said: "How should a dream be interpreted in which a person sees lightning strike and flames erupt?" The Venerable Master, after pausing for a while, said: "Disaster is about to strike the city in which a person has such a dream." This
Forty-Fourth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Qazi Ashrafuddin said: "If someone dreams that, on a fast day, all the Muslims are eating, what would that mean?" The Venerable Master replied: "This dream is interpreted as referring to back-biting, for this breaks the fast, in accordance with the tradition:
Thirty-First Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Auhaduddin, son of the sister of the Great Master, Sheikh Najibuddin Firdausi, was present in the assembly. The prayer- caller gave the call for the afternon prayer. After the call he said: "Upon hearing the blessed name of the Prophet, in all places
Fourteenth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
The Helpless One asked: "If somebody has a dream in which a man's head is severed from his body, what would the interpretation be for the person dreaming?" He replied: "Which group did the man who had the dream belong to?" He answered: "He was a solitary."
Twentieth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
A discussion arose about the torment and the comfort of the grave. Maulana Karimuddin asked what the torment of the grave was based upon. The Venerable Master replied: "A singly transmitted tradition." Afterwards he said, "Articles of belief do not depend
