Questions & Answers

“Why does it happen that people do not feel repentance? Is it due to their egoistic nature or arrogance, or is there a reason that people often do not repent?”

“Does our heart and mind have a connection with our soul? How do we know if the thoughts that arise are from our heart and mind or the voice of the soul? Can we hear the voice of the soul? How do we know if it is a thought from our mind or from our heart?”

“What is the meaning of shukr (gratitude)? Its basic meaning is acknowledgment, but can you explain it in an elaborate way? It is very important in the Quran, because the first verse is Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen. Alhamd means praise, but its real meaning is acknowledgment.”

“What should be the starting point of ma'rifat (spiritual knowledge)?”

“What is spirituality? Please tell us something about it.”

“Sometimes I feel my ma'rifat is high and sometimes I feel it is low. I get very frustrated with this high and low experience. My question is: how can I always be in a state of high ma'rifat?”

“How can we develop strong affection and love of God and how does it help us?”

“Some people link divine help with their duas being accepted. They think if their dua is not accepted, then God is not pleased with them, and many end up going for shortcuts like amulets and even to dargah to get their wish fulfilled. What is your opinion on this?”

“People are so engrossed in their worldly activities that even an earthquake of seven point eight intensity does not jolt them out of their forgetfulness. Then how can we succeed in making them realize the importance of personality development which alone can lead them to paradise?”

“In the series of learning from you, and of course I am learning, I want to know the difference between ideal Islam and spiritual Islam.”

“How can one come out of frustration and find the truth of life? How can one purify one's soul? I am in a lot of negativity.”

“I am not educated enough to do Dawa work or education work. But I love your mission. Will Allah reward me for this love? How can I be useful for this mission?”

“The Quran says Paradise is for those who purify themselves. Please clarify what is the means of purification?”

“Maulana, today in the class you mentioned a term amani, that is wishful thinking. Please tell us that how can I recognize whether I am indulging in amani and how can one come out of this?”

“What is the meaning of personality building and what are its basic components?”

“To protect ourselves from Satan, what should we focus on most: the ego or Satan's whispers?”

“In Fawa'id al-Salikin, Khwaja Ajmeri had his own kalma recited. Is it correct to do such a thing?”

“What is the meaning of deep thinking? Is trying to know the reality of the soul and the mysteries of the universe deep thinking?”

“To protect ourselves from Satan, what should we focus on most? Ego or Satan's whispers?”

“In last week's talk on the intellectual journey, in response to a question you said: 'My teacher is God Himself, no other teacher. God inspires me, I speak from God's inspiration. For me, books are secondary sources. My primary source is divine inspiration, which anyone can receive through prayer. Whoever engages in prayer will surely receive divine inspiration.' Maulana, what do you mean by inspiration in this answer?”

“You wrote that spirituality which aims at stopping the thought process is dehumanizing and brings man to the level of animals. How then can one try to gain control over mind? Please explain.”

“Sometimes despite my best efforts to avoid negative thoughts, I am incapable of diffusing them. Is there any dua which can help me diffuse the negative thought?”