Tasawwuf

Q: Recently, someone has been inquiring about bay'at and its importance. If mufti sahib could please explain as this person is interested in bay'at?

Q: I want to ask that if I refrain from sins, means whenever the imagination of sin comes, I turn towards salaah and do dua. In this matter I benefited a lot but sometimes I do the sin. What should I do?

Q: Since Ramadaan I tried to bring a change to my lifestyle . I started my tahajjud and I'm trying to refrain from intermingling and to be more strict with my purda and form of niqaab. I would like to don the jilbaab but I am scared. Scared of spiralling down after been on this spiritual high. It has happened to me before that is why I am so afraid. Also my husband dosn't seem to be impressed and is of no support in any way whatsoever. We live in a house of Aalims all together. Unfortunately our parda is zilch. I don't know how to proceed. How do I hold fast onto haq and this feeling of only wanting to do that which is atqa. My desire has always been to memorise the quraan as well. Can mufti please advise me. I don't want to lose this feeling of closeness to Allah Ta'ala. I'm so scared that I'm going to get lazy and lethargic and will slowly retrogress whatsoever. What must I do. Am I doing too many things at once? I am an aalima. I just feel like Allah Ta'ala has lifted a blindfold from my eyes and I now see things very differently. I am ashamed the change is only coming now. All the years I have been so relaxed and negligent. Please advise me. I sometimes feel like I'm fighting a battle alone and everyone is just waiting for me to fall.

Q: Please issue a ruling on the following:

(1) Females travelling to a foreign country for the purpose of observing Nafl I’tikaaf in a hall.

(2) Females travelling to a foreign country for the purpose of observing Nafl I’tikaaf in someone’s house.

(3) Females observing Nafl I’tikaaf in a hall owned and operated by the local Hindu Association.

(4) Females eating the leftover food of their (ghair-mahram) Shaykh for the purpose of Tabarruk.

(5) Females being giving the clothing items of their living (ghair-mahram) Shaykh for the purpose of Tabarruk.

(6) Females having casual, non-Islaahi, conversations from behind a screen with their (ghair-mahram) Shaykh in the presence of others.

(7) A female travelling to Western secular Universities for giving bayaans to the female students of the Western secular University.

(8) A Shaykh of Tasawwuf buying a packet of sweets and sending it, as a gift, for a female mureed when she qualifies as a Hafizah. The gift is sent with a male mahram of the female mureed.

Q: How to achieve taqwa?

Q: My question is how to control the nafs. Is there any zikr?

Q: How does one remove the shackles of laziness that has distanced one from Allah Ta'ala? Could you prescribe some azkaar and ways to attain closeness to Allah Ta'ala?

Q: How do you get rid of your shaitaan?

Q: I took bayah a number of years ago to a sufi Sheikh in the Shadhili tariqa. I have recently been besieged with doubts about the tariqa. For example, I am not comfortable with the hadra which is a big part of the tariqa. I also frequently people saying bayah is haram (I know this is a minority option). Sometimes I think it is best to leave the tariqa to avoid doubtful matters. Then I worry that is is haram to break a bayah as the bayah might be considered a vow which cannot be broken. I then get very stressed because both options cause me doubt. I therefore have two questions; Is it permissible to break the bayah of a tariqa? Is it permissible to change tariqas?

Q: Is taking bayat to a Peer/wali is fardh(necessary). If yes then why?