Intention of Gyarvi Sharif

Questions and Answers from Madani Muzakarah

(1) Adding money to donations with the intention of Giyarween Sharif

Question: Can we put money into the Madani Donations box with the intention of Giyarween Shareef?

Answer: Yes, you can put money into the Madani Donations with the intention of Giyarween Shareef, i.e., for conveying rewards to the Crown of the Saints, Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه. However, you cannot put Zakah money in it.[1]

(2) Was Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه an Arab or a non-Arab?

Question: Was Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānīرَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه an Arab or a non-Arab (ꜤAjami)?

Answer: Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was a non-Arab (ꜤAjami)[2]. One who is not an Arab is called an 'Ajami, just as we are ꜤAjami.[3]

(3) Explanation of a couplet by Imam Aḥmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه

Question: Please provide an explanation for this couplet of Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه:

By giving oaths, He feeds you and gives you to drink, Your Beloved Allah is your loving benefactor.[4]

Answer: In this couplet, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه has alluded to a saying of Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, in which he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه states: “My Lord says, ‘O ꜤAbd al-Qadir! By My oath, eat! By My oath, drink!’”[5]

(4) What if a mother hurts her daughter’s feelings?

Question: If a mother repeatedly hurts her daughter's feelings, what should the daughter do?

Answer: She should be patient and pray for her mother. Likewise, she should present her grievance to her mother gently, for instance, by saying, "Such-and-such thing or such-and-such action causes me distress; please do not do it." If the daughter retaliates, the matter could worsen. She should employ gentleness, gentleness, and only gentleness.[6]

(5) What is the ruling on praying for someone to "live for thousands of years"?

Question: What is the ruling on praying for someone in such words: “May you live for thousands of years with honour and well-being”?

Answer: It is permissible. "Thousands of years" here means “may you have a long life”.[7]

(6) The meaning of "صَلَّى اللہُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد"

Question: What is the meaning of صَلَّى اللہُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد?

Answer: The meaning of صَلَّى اللہُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد is: “May the blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم ”.[8][9]

(7) Is the Fajr prayer a prayer of the day or the night?

Question: Is the Fajr prayer counted among the prayers of the day or the prayers of the night?

Answer: Among the prayers of the day.[10]

(8) What is the ruling on throwing away ṣadaqah meat?

Question: Can meat from a charity animal (ṣadaqah) be thrown away?

Answer: Whether it is meat from ṣadaqah or from a ritual sacrifice (qurbani), throwing it away is a waste of resources, and this is a sin. However, if the meat has spoiled or rotted, it is forbidden (haram) to eat it, and it must be thrown away. There are some self-styled spiritual guides who say that when you give a goat as ṣadaqah, you should bury its head in a certain graveyard, and this will solve a particular problem of yours. Burying the head is also wrong; this too involves wasting resources, which is forbidden. It is essential for such guides to fear Allah Almighty and refrain from giving such misguided advice.[11]

(9) The meaning of "رَبِّ اغْفِرْلِیْ"

Question: Please tell me the meaning of رَبِّ اغْفِرْلِیْ.

Answer: It means: “O my Lord! Forgive me.”[12]

(10) The one who does not forgive will not reach the Pool of Kawthar!

Question: If someone asks for forgiveness from his friend and the friend does not forgive him, what should be done now?

Answer: One should forgive, for it is stated in a noble Hadith: "He whose brother comes to him to seek forgiveness, and he does not forgive him, will not be allowed to come to the Pool of Kawthar."[13]

(11) What should a wife do if her husband is financially strained?

Question: If a husband is in straitened circumstances, what should his wife do?

Answer: She should encourage her husband and console him by saying, "Allah Almighty will make everything better; please do not worry." On such an occasion, she should not make any demands, as demands can also lead to trials, and sometimes the husband turns towards forbidden means. If the wife gives her husband space (i.e., does not nag him), the husband will find peace and will also remain free from mental stress. By the will of Allah Almighty, blessings will surely come. The sustenance destined for a person will certainly reach them. There is a common proverb: "Sustenance finds an excuse [to arrive], and death finds an excuse [to arrive]."[14]

(12) Will prayers missed during a journey be performed as shortened or full?

Question: The prayers that were missed during a journey—will they be made up later as shortened (qasr) or offered in full?

Answer: The prayers that were missed during a journey, if they are performed after returning to one's hometown, will be made up as shortened (qasr). And if someone's prayers were missed in their hometown and they have now set out on a journey, they will make up the missed prayers not as shortened but with the full number of units. In other words, a prayer should be made up in the same state in which it was missed.[15]