Summary of Notes Taken from Two Addresses Of Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi

9th October, 2016

161009 Summary of Notes Taken from Two Addresses Delivered By

Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi
In the Name of Allah, the Infinitely Merciful, the Intensely Merciful; All praise is due to Allah Most High, the
One who facilitates for us to be with those whom He loves and allows us to receive His Love through them. May
Allah Taala send the best salutations and blessings of peace upon His beloved Messenger, Muhammad bin
Abdullah, his purified family, and his noble companions. May He keep us in the company of those who follow
their footsteps and may He raise us up with them on the Day of Resurrection.
And thereafter:
I have collected and typed my notes from two addresses that Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi delivered during his
visit to Malaysia. The first is a tazkirah that was recorded at IKIM on Thursday afternoon, 6th October 2016 (5th
Muharram, 1438), and the second is an address he gave to the Majlis Talim Darul Murtadza congregation on
Friday evening, 7th October, 2016 (6th Muharram, 1438). I have prepared these notes so that it benefits as a
reminder, especially for myself and my family. I hope others will also benefit from these notes. I have tried to
keep them brief and to the point, without adding my own input. However, in some instances it is unavoidable
and for that I apologize. Please find the notes as follows:
Section One
Following are the notes and reflections that I made during the live recording of Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisis
tazkirah for IKIM TV. The recording was done on 6th October, 2016 and these notes were written down 10th
October, 2016 and completed on 12th October, 2016. As of this writing, the video recording has yet to be
uploaded.
Shaykh delivered a tafsir of two famous verses in the Quran, from Surah Ash-Shuara (The Poets). The
meaning as rendered by Abdullah Yusuf Ali is: And let me not be in disgrace on the Day when (men) will be
raised up; the Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, but only he (will prosper) that brings to God a
sound heart. (Ash-Shuara (26): 87-89)1,2.
He says that the mufassirun3 have interpreted the terms wealth and children as knowledge and good
deeds, respectively. Therefore, if we were to read the verses again, it could be read as the Day whereon
neither ones knowledge nor ones good deeds will be of any use, but only he who comes to his God with a
sound heart. This should be a wake up call for all of us. Many people think that, to obtain a great reward, it is
enough for us to memorize many verses of the Quran, read many books and do a lot of good deeds. They do
not see the importance of the heart, that the states of heart has to be correct and pleasing to Allah Taala. If we
just depended on our knowledge and good deeds, we may fall into the trap of arrogance. Have we not heard of
people who have become arrogant because of the knowledge that they have, putting other people down through
their arguments, and deluding many from true knowledge because of worldly gains? And, have we not heard
about how people brag about their actions, especially when it is to show how pious they have been, etc?
Arrogance is a dangerous thing. If our hearts contained arrogance the weight of a mustard seed, we should
This is part of a long prayer of Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him. The prayer starts at verse 83 and ends at verse 89. In Abdullah Yusuf Alis
translation the prayer stretches to verse 102, as part of what Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, says to his people. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The
meaning of the holy Quran, (Maryland, US: Amana Publications, 2001), p919.
2 The same verses 87-89 are translated by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem as: and do not disgrace me on the Day when all people are resurrected: the Day
when neither wealth nor children can help, when the only one who will be saved is the one who comes before God with a heart devoted to Him.
(M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The Quran: a new translation, (UK: Oxford University Press, 2010), p234).
3 : commentator of the Quran. The plural is mufassirun, .
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Summary of Notes Taken from Two Addresses Of Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi

9th October, 2016

really be worried. There are many verses in the Quran where Allah warns us of the dangers of arrogance. If we
want to be able to meet God in Paradise, we must not have any arrogance in our hearts. 4 The Messenger of God
s.a.w has warned the Muslims to stay away from any arrogance at all costs. The Messenger of God s.a.w has
said:
The arrogant shall be gathered on Resurrection Day as small as ants but in human form, surrounded by
humiliation from every direction. (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad)
He in whose heart is an atom of arrogance shall never enter the Garden.5
In the Hikam of Ibn Athaillah rhm, there is an aphorism that means: A sin that makes you humble is better
than a good deed that makes you arrogant. This is not to mean that it is better to sin. Instead it means that when
we perform a good deed, we must make check our sincerity, which is a state of our heart. Are we doing it
sincerely for Allah, or for our egos? In a famous hadith, the Messenger of Allah s.a.w tells us how our heart
and actions are connected: There is in the body a lump of flesh; when it is good the whole body is good, but
when it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. This is the heart.6 Rasulullah s.a.w used to make prayers for his
heart so that Allah firmly establishes it on His religion. The nature of the heart is to easily turn from one state to
the another and being excessively restless. The Prophets prayer is: ( O You Who
turns hearts around, make my heart steadfast in Your religion)7. Ponder on this prayer. The Prophet s.a.w used to
make prayer for the safety of his heart. So, it is a prophetic sunnah to work on safeguarding and purifying our
hearts. He s.a.w wanted us to read this prayer as he s.a.w knew that our hearts will be tested by the world. The
Messenger of Allah s.a.w also used to pray for light to be placed in his heart. This is part of a famous prayer
read when one is going to the mosque. Therefore, whatever our actions may look like on the outside, the state of
our heart and intentions will determine if they were done sincerely for Allah and His Messenger or for egos.
In the ayat
Interpretation
Dimensions
Sciences
Corresponding
body part

Your Wealth
Your Knowledge
Your knowing
Aqeedah (Creed)

Your Children
Your Actions
Your doing
Fiqh (Jurisprudence)

Your Heart
Your Inner being
Your being
Tasawwuf (Purification)

Mind

Body

Spirit

Table 1 Describes the summary of the verses discussed by Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi

The science of obtaining a pure heart, the knowledge of suluk (wayfaring) and puurification, is known as
tasawwuf. The Sufi is the one who is purified.8
We have to be very careful of arrogance. Arrogance manifests itself in many ways, until sometimes we are not sure if its arrogance. One such
manifestation is racism. The first racist is Iblis, because he did not obey Gods command to bow down to Adam. He argued that he is better than
Adam because he was made from fire while the latter was made from earth. This caused Iblis to be thrown out of the Garden and became one of the
disbelievers. His name was changed to the Devil, al-Shaytan. Allah Taala said concerning Iblis: He refused, was arrogant, and became one of the
disbelievers. [2:34] Racism also indicates that we do not have love in our heart, and are prejudiced towards others. If one can be arrogant towards
people of another skin colour, what would stop them from being arrogant and nasty to those of the same race but are special? If we do not want our
children to develop extremist views, then we have to teach them the path of wasatiyyah.
5 Translation of the hadiths here were taken from Dr Mostafa Al-Badawis translation of Imam al-Haddads Counsels of Religion, published by Fons
Vitae, page 226.
6 Imam al-Haddad comments: Therefore it is a duty to attend to it (the heart) and concentrate on making it sound and upright. (Counsels of Religion,
18)
7 Translation of the hadith here was taken from Dr Mostafa Al-Badawis translation of Imam al-Haddads Counsels of Religion, published by Fons
Vitae, page 18.
8 Imam al-Haddad included in the Book of Assistance: A gnostic once said: A sufi is not a sufi unless, were everything that is in him to be exposed
on a plate in the marketplace, he would not be ashamed of anything that came to light. The Book of Assistance, translated by Dr Mostafa al-Badawi,
(UK: Quilliam Press, n.d.), 16.
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Summary of Notes Taken from Two Addresses Of Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi

9th October, 2016

The verses present to us three dimensions of state. Knowledge is for the state of our knowing, actions is for our
doing state, and the state of the heart is for how we are being. As Muslims we should master the sciences of
each state, namely aqeedah or creed, fiqh or jurisprudence, and tasawwuf or purification of the heart. Teachers
who are masters of these sciences still exist today and we should seek them out and learn with them. This is
important if we are serious about achieving a good end.
Shaykh tells us that to obtain a pure heart, we can do one or both of two things: 1) Purification by making a lot
of dzikr, and 2) Being in the company of the purified.9 The only ibadah Allah Taala tells us to do a lot of is
dzikrullah. Yes, other forms of ibadat are mentioned several times in the Quran, but dzikrullah is the only act of
worship Allah tells the believers to do abundantly. O you who believe! Remember God abundantly! [33:41]. Yet,
one should be careful of making dzikr abundantly. Some forms of dzikr are not for the uninitiated. Therefore,
one must seek a guide, a murshid for these matters.
Shaykh talks about the importance of a murshid, a spiritual master. A murshid is a person whom one takes the
knowledge of wayfaring from, one who has himself taken it from a master, in an unbroken series of masters
back to the Prophet s.a.w.10 The Murshid is also one who has comprehensive mastery of the Sacred Law, who
knows its explicit and implicit rulings, which of them are of general applicability and which are particular,
which supersede others and which are superseded. He must also have a thorough grounding in Arabic, be
familiar with its figurative modes and similes, and so forth.11
Alhamdulilah, this completes the notes from the tazkirah delivered by Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi for IKIM TV.
Section Two
On Friday evening, 7th October 2016, Shaykh was invited by Habib Ali Zainal Abidin al-Hamid to attend the
monthly Maulid organized by Majlis Talim Darul Murtadza at Masjid Muadz bin Jabal, Setiawangsa, Kuala
Lumpur. During the majlis, Shaykh was invited to speak for a few minutes. Following are the key points from
his talk:
Shaykh started the address in Arabic, but changed it to English. This provided a light moment to everyone,
and it also brought everyone to attention. Alhamdulillah, for the ability to notice subtle points.
Shaykh advised us to be mindful of the company we keep. There is a hadith where Rasulullah s.a.w tells us:
You will be resurrected with the one you love. In this gathering tonight, we are all here because we love
Rasulullah s.a.w, we love the ahlul bayt, we love our scholars, we love our Muslim brothers and sisters. On
the day of Qiyaamah, we will be resurrected with them. What is important for us to remember here is to
love the right people. If we want to be with them in the Afterlife then we need to love them and do what
that love entails.12
Shaykh shared with us a saying of the ulama that describes the states of the mukmin, the true believer and
9

When we are in the company of the purified we will be motivated to perform what they do. In so saying, it seems imperative to seek good company
first. Refer to the story of the man who repented after killing 99 people and God accepted his repentance because he was seeking to be in good
company. Contrast as well how we say about a delinquent that they got caught up with bad company.
10 Taken from Shaykh Nuhs translation of Imam an-Nawawis al-Maqasid, page 161.
11 Taken from Shaykh Nuhs translation of Imam an-Nawawis al-Maqasid, page 162.
12 One of the points Habib Ali Zainal Abidin al-Hamid touched upon in his tausiyah that evening was the relationship Saidina Abu Bakr r.a had with
the Messenger of Allah s.a.w. It was not just a companionship, but it was a relationship of love, that he r.a would anything to protect the Messenger of
Allah s.a.w from any harm. Allah Taala honoured Saidina Abu Bakr r.a by revealing the verse: Even if you do not help the Prophet, God helped him
when the disbelievers drove him out: when the two of them were inside the cave, he [Muhammad s.a.w.] said to his companion, Do not worry, God is
with us. and God sent His calm down to him, aided him with forces invisible to you, and brought down the disbelievers plan. Gods plan is higher:
God is Almighty & Wise.(Surah At-Taubah (9): 40). The companion referred to in the verse is Saidina Abu Bakr r.a and the event is the migration
from Makkah to Madinah, while being pursued by those who were planning evil.
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Summary of Notes Taken from Two Addresses Of Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi

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the munafik, the hypocrite. The mukmin in the masjid is like a fish in the sea; while the munafik in the
masjid is like a bird in a cage.13
Next, Shaykh spoke of the majlis. In a majlis like this there are angels all around us, standing in rows all the
way up to the heavens, making prayers of forgiveness for everyone attending. Hence, anyone who comes
with a mountain of problems and attends a majlis like this, will leave it feeling relieved. Anyone bringing
many sins to the majlis, will leave the majlis forgiven. Anyone coming to the majlis with sickness, will
leave it cured. May Allah grant us these.
Shaykh spoke of how one can stay on the straight way, the Siratul Mustaqim. A person who reads many
books and/or listens to many lectures can easily go astray. But, if the person were to make lots of salawat
upon the Prophet s.a.w, he or she would not go off the Straight Path easily. So, for anyone who is still
looking for a Shaykh or a Murshid, then he/she should recite alot of salawat. Everyone should have a daily
wird of salawat upon the Prophet s.a.w.14
Concluding his address, Shaykh advised everyone to honour the auliya in our midst,15 honour the ahlul
bayt in our midst, honour majlis like the one we were gathered in and to increase our salawat upon the
Prophet s.a.w. We should have a daily wird of sending salutations upon the Messenger of Allah s.a.w and
not just read it once a week, or less.

Alhamdulillah, that concludes my notes from the address that Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi gave at the Majlis
Maulid organized by Majlis Talim Darul Murtadza,led by Habib Ali Zainal Abidin al-Hamid.
Conclusion
Alhamdulillah, my notes for the two talks are now complete. May Allah forgive me my shortcomings them. I
have tried to minimize as many typos as possible and made as many references to enhance the notes. I pray that
anyone reading the notes will be able to understand them clearly and benefit from them and be protected from
any misguidance. To Allah alone do we place our trust. To Him alone success is derived. May He complete the
gaps in the best way for us. May He sends the best blessings and salutations of peace upon the Noble Prophet
Muhammad s.a.w, his family, and his companions. I pray that our parents be forgiven and shown mercy and be
placed in the best of places with Saiduna Rasulullah s.a.w.
For any comments or suggestions, please direct them to amransofiyan@gmail.com

13

a: The original habitat of the fish is in any body of water such as a river, a lake, or a sea and the original habitat of the bird is in the sky, on the
trees. The fish in the sea swims freely, and the bird in the air flies freely. The metaphors were used to depict states of happiness, ease, calm. The
metaphor used is to help us understand that a true believer is happy and free in the mosque and has no intention to leave it, while the hypocrite is
uneasy and waiting for the slightest chance to leave it.
14 In the Book of Assistance, Imam al-Haddad advises us: Adopt a wird of prayers for the Messenger of God, may blessings and peace be upon him,
for that will be a connection between you and the Prophet, and a door through which assistance from his presence flows in abundance to you. (Imam
Abdullah ibn Alawi al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance, translated by Mostafa al-Badawi, (UK: Quilliam Press, n.d.))
15 The Mssenger of God s.a.w said, Honor scholars, as they are the inheritors of the prophets. Anyone who honors them has honoured God and His
Messenger. From the collection of al-Khatib. Taken from Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Marzuis The content of character, translated by Shaykh Hamza
Yusuf and published by Sandala in 2015. Hadith taken from page 10.
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