There are 2 sets of Adhkar (remembrance) that must be done on a daily and weekly basis:
Twice daily – once after Fajr, and once after Magrib or Isha
Once a week – Thursday night is best, but can be done at any day/time that is possible for you
These adhkar (remembrance) must be done without fail. In being admitted to the Noble Tariqah, you have made a promise to Allah Ta’la that you will fulfil your pledge to Allah Ta’la that you made to the Shaykh (May Allah Ta’la preserve him)
Remembrance and invocation of Allah
A regular spiritual exercise involving recitation of a litany of Dhikr
There are 2 obligatory academic assignments for you to start with. Once you have completed these, you have the option of progressing further in your pursuit of knowledge, depending on your aptitude and dedication.
This involves studying the text ‘Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah’. This document will contain the original text in Arabic with the English translation, surrounded by extensive notes. Alongside the text, a number of videos available to access on Madina Institutes Youtube of Sayyiduna Shaykh Muhammad going through the text of Imam at-Tahawi.
If you have not already done so, you will need to choose one of the four Sunni madhab (i.e. schools of Fiqh), to adhere to; – Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi ’i, or Hanbali, and become familiar with the obligatory knowledge of that madh’hab
The core articles of Islamic belief – through this, the Muslim knows who they worship, and why He is worthy of worship
Islamic jurisprudence – through this, the Muslim knows how to worship
In addition, each murid is to listen to a khutbah by the Shaykh once a week (recorded lectures available online). While the 2 obligatory academic assignments will strengthen your basics in the deen, listening to the khutbas will allow you to benefit from the ocean of knowledge that the noble Shaykh presents and to develop your knowledge on various Islamic topics. There is already a collection of 100’s on our Madina Institute official Youtube page.
It is incumbent upon every Muslim who is a ‘Mukallaf’ (someone who is sane, pubescent and has heard the message of Islam) to study the obligatory portions of knowledge: Aqidah & Fiqh. Knowledge is the key in Ihsan (Tasawwuf). We need to at least acquire the obligatory portion of knowledge, so that we may then teach others and spread the deen. In light of this, the noble Shaykh has made it part of the spiritual path that this obligatory knowledge is sought for learning and then teaching.
عَنْ أَبي الدَّرْداءِ، قَال: سمِعْتُ رَسُول اللَّهِ منْ سَلَكَ طَريقًا يَبْتَغِي فِيهِ علْمًا سهَّل اللَّه لَه طَريقًا إِلَى الجنةِ، وَإنَّ الملائِكَةَ لَتَضَعُ أجْنِحَتَهَا لِطالب الْعِلْمِ رِضًا بِما يَصْنَعُ، وَإنَّ الْعالِم لَيَسْتَغْفِرُ لَهُ منْ في السَّمَواتِ ومنْ فِي الأرْضِ حتَّى الحِيتانُ في الماءِ، وفَضْلُ الْعَالِم عَلَى الْعابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمر عَلى سَائِرِ الْكَوَاكِبِ، وإنَّ الْعُلَماءَ وَرَثَةُ الأنْبِياءِ وإنَّ الأنْبِياءَ لَمْ يُورِّثُوا دِينَارًا وَلا دِرْهَمًا وإنَّما ورَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ، فَمنْ أَخَذَهُ أَخَذَ بِحظٍّ وَافِرٍ. رواهُ أَبُو داود والترمذيُّ
It is narrated by Abu Darr, who said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, “He who follows a path in quest of knowledge, Allah will make the path of Jannah easy to him. The angels lower their wings over the seeker of knowledge, being pleased with what he does. The inhabitants of the heavens and the earth and even the fish in the depth of the oceans seek forgiveness for him. The superiority of the learned man over the devout worshipper is like that of the full moon to the rest of the stars (i.e., in brightness). The learned are the heirs of the Prophets who bequeath neither dinar nor dirham but only that of knowledge; and he who acquires it, has in fact acquired an abundant portion.”
It was related by Al-Tirmithi and Abu Dawud
A Murid is encouraged to enagage in the following on a continuous basis, to maintain their spiritual advancement and ensure the continuity of the spiritual illumination:
