Nikah - Hazrat Muhaddith Mufti Mawlana Farhan Shariff Sahib-e-Fazli Val Waqar

Opening Remarks & Welcome

In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most compassionate. Please come closer, inshallah. So we are all of course here after performing Salah — coming first to perform the Ibadah, the Fard of Salah, of Asr Salah. After Asr Salah we are sitting here to participate and witness, inshallah, the blessed union and Nikah of Mawlana Farhan and his bride Hafsa Baloch. So inshallah we will be starting momentarily.

Basic etiquette — I believe it's not appropriate to start without the brides. It's their Nikah, I mean her Nikah and her sister, both of them, their Rukhsati tonight. So they are a few minutes away, inshallah, and should be here shortly.

The program is very brief. We will have the brother of the groom, Mawlana Amin Sharif, inshallah — he will render us an opening recitation in a few moments. And then we will have — there is no bayan or lecture or dars per se — it's just a few reflections I might share, followed by the khutbah, ijab and qabool, offer and acceptance, inshallah, and a dua on Friday before Maghrib Salah.

And we may be starting late, but good news is that we have a hard stop at Maghrib Salah, which is not too far. And before you know it, it will be Maghrib. So whether we start right away after Asr or in a few minutes, we will still end at Maghrib, which is just basically only 32 minutes away. So inshallah you just bear with us.

Seating of the Families

As we begin, I would like to call to come up in the front and sit on the right-hand side. From the bride's side, her taya, her paternal uncle, Tariq Hussain sahib — Tariq Hussain sahib can come sit, inshallah, on the front right. And next to him, inshallah, we have the grandfather, Abdur Rasheed Khan sahib, inshallah, should be coming in.

From the groom's side, on the left, we have the groom himself — Mawlana Farhan Sharif can come up, inshallah, and sit on my left. And next to him, Farid Sharif sahib, his father, father of the groom. And inshallah the nana, the maternal grandfather is here as well, Dr. Muhammad Ismail sahib. You can come sit, inshallah, on the left.

Opening Recitation of the Qur'an

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ. So we will begin our brief ceremony, inshallah, with a recitation of the Qur'an — with the words of Allah. So for this I call upon the brother of the groom, Mawlana Qari Amin Sharif, who just recently graduated from a madrassa in Amia in Kamperdown, inshallah. Hopefully, if Mufti Abrar accepts, he will be joining the Darul Ifta to do ifta, alhamdulillah. So, at least he applied — we make dua he gets accepted, inshallah.

The following verses from Surah ar-Rum were recited:

And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the difference of your tongues and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for the knowers. And of His signs is your sleep by night and by day and your seeking of His bounty. Indeed in that are signs for a people who listen. And of His signs is that He shows you lightning out of fear and hope and sends down water from the sky and revives the earth with it after its death. Indeed in that are signs for a people who reflect. And of His signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His command. Then when He calls you to a call from the earth, you go forth. And to Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and the earth. All are obedient to Him. And it is He who begins the creation, then repeats it, and it is easier for Him. And to Him is the highest example in the heavens and the earth. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

SubhanAllah! What a beautiful recitation — in the Saut al-Hasan, a beautiful voice. You see the Qira'ah al-Husna adds further beauty to the Qur'an, the Kalam of Allah. And what a beautiful occasion we are here — starting off with a beautiful recitation of the Kalam of Allah.

Welcome to Guests

My dear respected brothers, sisters, respected ulama, dear friends from near and far — I see many friends from naturally, as this is the union of the bride and the groom, from the bride's side, familiar faces, ulama and elders of da'wah from Chicago who are here. Welcome. And likewise, from the groom's side, I see many familiar faces from St. Louis — where of course I spent several years and it is very beloved to me, the city of my wife as well. Welcome to Mawlana Haroon and Dr. Zahid Sheikh and others I see that are here visiting — Naveed uncle and mashallah.

I don't want to necessarily miss anyone. Typically we don't like to take names because then we mention some and forget others. But in any case, welcome to everyone to the house of Allah. We are here for this very blessed, mubarak occasion.

Reflections on the Nikah

Life's Stages as Tests from Allah

This is the nature of life — that Allah has given us different stages, and each stage is a different test from Allah, starting from birth till death:

Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent — He who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deed.

So subhanAllah, this is now a union — a Nikah. The sunnah not only of Nabi ﷺ, but the sunnah of all of the anbiya alayhimu salam:

And We had certainly sent messengers before you and appointed for them wives and descendants.

Allah says that We have sent messengers prior to you — all of them had wives and children. With the exception of Yahya alayhis salam and Isa alayhis salam — وَحَصُورًا مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ — Yahya alayhis salam never married and Isa alayhis salam did not marry. Besides these two, all of the anbiya alayhimu salam married. So it is not only a sunnah of Nabi ﷺ, it is a sunnah of all the anbiya alayhimu salam — for which we are gathered here.

The Blessings of This Union

Alhamdulillah, this is a union where we have subhanAllah a Muslim and a Muslimah, a Mu'min and a Mu'minah inshallah — Muttaqi and Muttaqiyah. And I was just thinking about it: Muhsin and Muhsinah inshallah. And mashallah there is a Sajid and a Sajidah and a Zahid and a Zahidah and an Abid and an Abidah. It keeps on — all the sifat that come to mind — whether it is Hafidh and Hafidha or Alim and Alimah, and Mudarris and Mudarrisa and Muallim and Muallimah. So alhamdulillah, this is the zawj and zawjah here — the husband and wife, the bride and groom — that all of the sifat jameelah, beautiful attributes that Allah has given them. So when it is combined inshallah, how much barakah will come — only time will tell, inshallah.

The Blessed Time and Place

Also to reflect — subhanAllah — there is this Nikah that is taking place. Any action that takes place, for that matter, every fi'l as we study in Arabic grammar, there is zaman and maqam — there is a time and a place. So this place is the house of Allah. This place is the Baytullah. Rasulullah ﷺ has said that the most beloved, most sacred place on this entire surface of the earth are the masajid.

And time-wise — on the day of Jumu'ah — إِنَّ الْجُمُعَةَ سَيِّدُ الْأَيَّامِ — Nabi ﷺ said Jumu'ah is the leader of all the days. It is the greatest day.

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1046)

It is greater than Eid al-Adha and greater than Eid al-Fitr — this Eid al-Mu'mineen, the day of Jumu'ah. And the time before Maghrib inshallah could potentially be that Sa'ah — that time, that moment of the day of Friday — where whatever dua is made, Allah will accept. So we are here primarily to make dua for them, and we hope that these duas will be accepted inshallah.

People of the Qur'an

It is such a happy occasion to see both families which are very near and dear to us — not only currently, but the fact that both of them are teachers of Darus Salaam. The bride is teaching Hifz al-Qur'an, and the groom is also teaching Tafsir of the Qur'an — what we internally call the Dawrat al-Qur'an, where alhamdulillah the entire Tarjuma and Tafsir of the Qur'an is taught. Rasulullah ﷺ said:

The best amongst you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5027)

So these are the people of the Qur'an, the people of Allah. And we are more in need of reminder than they are on this occasion.

The Only Way of Success

The reminder is that in every aspect of one's life, in every stage — going back and honoring the memory of Sabir al-Marhum, in the effort of da'wah, his name is synonymous with the effort of da'wah — that announcement that is done in the effort of da'wah, we take it for granted. It's just like, oh, that's the da'wah, that's the easiest thing. When you're starting out first time, going three days in your life, in the mashorah they say: okay, you've got to do the da'wah, you've got to do the announcement. Then you graduate onward to being a mutakallim, or in the jawla, and then the six points, and then finally you get the main bayan. So what is announcement, right? We take this for granted, but it's really such a powerful statement:

The success in this life and the life hereafter — complete and total success in this life and the life hereafter — lies only in following the orders of Allah, and in the noble way, in the sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ. So that is the only way of success, and all other ways lead to failure — abject failure, utter failure. It is not only a way of success; it is the only way of success.

Allah mujhe bhi samjha de, aapko bhi samjha de — may Allah grant me and you and all of us the reality of this. So when it comes to time to study, learn, education — if you do it according to the way of Allah and Rasul, there will be success. When it comes time to work, employment, job, business — do it according to the order of Allah and Rasul, there will be success. When it comes to subhanAllah marriage, Nikah — if you do it according to the order of Allah and the sunnah of Rasulullah, there will be success, there will be happiness.

Comfort in Marriage — The Ayah of Sukoon

The beautiful ayah that was recited — so many beautiful signs of Allah's greatness were mentioned — وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ, وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ. And much can be said about that, and has been written — volumes have been written on these ayahs. But just one point of reflection for all of us: if the Nikah is done according to the order of Allah, according to the sunnah of Rasulullah, then what will happen? The benefit will be apparent, will be manifest, will be witnessed, will be experienced in fact — not only you will see it, you will experience it inshallah. The bride and groom inshallah. What is that experience you will have?

And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.

The purpose — Allah has created the male and female as spouses for one another so that you may gain comfort from each other. لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا — so that you may gain comfort from each other.

Alhamdulillah we have our Darul Zakariyya graduates here too — I saw Mufti Azad Ajmeri, hafizahullah, sitting here. Reminds me of our Ustaz, our common teacher, Shaykhul Hadith Mufti Radhaul Haq, hafizahullah. There's a long poem, but the first lines of it — he's referring to the fact that the spouses are a comfort for one another:

Nikah aqd-e-masnoon, duq-e-dil ka marham — yahi farma gaye hain Rasul-e-Mukarram. Yashadi hi be-shak muhabbat ka khazina, baharon ki abad sabka tarana.

What he says here: this Nikah aqd-e-masnoon — according to the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ — duq-e-dil ka marham — it is a marham, an ointment, a balm, a healing, a cure for the distressed heart.

Remembering Sabir Bhai — A Reflection on Surah al-Kahf

In this particular marriage — and the tragedy is known to all — the statement takes on even more meaning. Normally when you talk about this — when the Shaykh, hafizahullah, Mufti Sahib was talking about duq-e-dil ka marham — he's talking about the fact that in the life of tajurrud, the life of being single, there is a pain in the heart, and a person is in search for that spouse — searching for that spouse in a halal manner, making dua to Allah.

Allah Ta'ala created Adam alayhis salam — he was not enjoying life fully until Allah Ta'ala created Hawa alayhis salam. So the first human being is Adam alayhis salam. The second human being is Hawa alayhis salam. So the first human relationship between any two humans is the relationship between which ones? Husband and wife. First human relationship. So life is incomplete without finding that spouse — that who you can share the ups and downs of life with, who will be a pillar of support.

When Rasulullah ﷺ had that traumatic experience with Jibreel alayhis salam — who gave him comfort? Khadijah al-Kubra radiyallahu anha. In Sahih al-Bukhari, in Kitab al-Iman, in the beginning of Bab al-Wahy, the beautiful long hadith of Khadijah comforting Rasulullah ﷺ — so that's what he's talking about.

But in this particular incident, we are all greatly missing Sabir Bhai. And subhanAllah, I pray and we hope — and all of you say Ameen, inshallah, when you make dua — that this union will become a means of consolation for the bride, who so suddenly lost her father. نَوَّرَ اللَّهُ مَرْقَدَهُ — may Allah illuminate his resting place.

And on a positive note, we hope that this ayah — that comes to mind from Surah al-Kahf — in the story of Musa alayhis salam and Khidr alayhis salam, when he comes to the wall and he repairs the wall — everybody knows the story here, this is a mashallah well-educated crowd. As far as this wall is concerned, Khidr alayhis salam is explaining at the end of the story — Musa alayhis salam is objecting: why did you repair it, they didn't even give us food, and then on top of it you didn't even take any money. As far as this wall is concerned, this belonged to two orphans of the city. And under this wall, there was a treasure — so I had to preserve this treasure for them.

Their father was righteous.

SubhanAllah — so this was his shahadah, this was his righteousness — subhanAllah — that Allah made the means for his daughters to have such beautiful husbands. One is our Khatib al-Wara, who gave the Jumu'ah khutbah today, Mawlana Ammar. And one is — mashallah, beautiful — I'm holding myself back because he restricted me: "Do not sit there and talk about me, praise me" — Mawlana Farhan. That's the only reason I'm not praising him — I want to honor his request, I don't want him to be upset with me.

But Mawlana Farhan — Allah made him inshallah a means of fulfillment of the needs of the children because of his taqwa. So many people nowadays are struggling so hard to find spouses for their daughters, spouses for their sons — both ways. But Allah — years are going by, years and years are going by — but Allah is the one who made this intizam.

And the thing is, some go ahead and some come behind — we all have to go back to Allah.

And this is the nature of life:

And that it is He who makes one laugh and makes one weep.

Sometimes He makes us laugh, sometimes He makes us cry. Sometimes the test is of sabr, sometimes the test is of shukr. So my message to the bride's family is that alhamdulillah, you passed the test of sabr, and inshallah you will now pass the test of shukr. أَبْكَىٰ — He made you cry. أَضْحَكَ — He will also make you laugh from now on, inshallah. Say inshallah. And likewise, Mawlana Farhan — he may have been crying for some other reason — but now inshallah he will also be laughing, inshallah.

The Ijab and Qabool (Offer and Acceptance)

So I said I will not talk much, but I ended up speaking too much. Inshallah, now we will actually do the ijab and qabool, the offer and acceptance, followed by dua.

This is a very, very simple procedure. First, I am going to ask the taya, the paternal uncle, senior brother of Sabir Bhai Marhum, Tariq Hussain sahib — if he, as the wali, has taken permission from the daughter.

If he has taken permission from Hafsa Hussain Baloch, daughter of Sabir Baloch — to marry Farhan Musab Sharif, son of Farid Sharif — in exchange for the dowry.

"Yes, I have taken permission."

And the witnesses: Farid Sharif sahib, Abdul Rashid Khan sahib.

"Yes, inshallah."

Farhan Musab Sharif — do you accept in your Nikah the sister of Hafsa Hussain Baloch, daughter of Sabir Marhum?

"Yes, I have accepted her."

The Du'a for the Couple

Let us all together repeat after me this masnoon du'a for the couple:

Oh Allah! As You have granted sadness, allow this Nikah to be a means of happiness for the couple, O Rabbul Alameen. Oh Allah! Grant them success in all of their endeavors, O Rabbul Alameen. Oh Allah! Make them a model couple, O Rabbul Alameen. Protect them from Hasad and Nazar and Ain and enmity from all sides, O Rabbul Alameen.

Oh Allah! Protect them from in front and behind, from right and left, from on top and from beneath, O Rabbul Alameen. Protect them from Nafs and Shaytan, from the Fitna of the Mufsiteen and the Fasad of the Mufsideen, and the Hasad of the Hasideen, and the Makar of the Makireen, O Rabbul Alameen.

Oh Allah! Make every single future endeavor successful for them, O Rabbul Alameen. Oh Allah! Make all the stages of this Dunya and the Akhira successful for them, O Rabbul Alameen. Remove all anxieties and worries from them, O Rabbul Alameen.

Oh Allah! Allow both families to unite in mutual love and respect, O Rabbul Alameen. Oh Allah! Grant them beautiful, righteous, healthy children, O Rabbul Alameen. Healthy, righteous, pious offspring, O Rabbul Alameen. That will remain steadfast on the Deen, O Rabbul Alameen. Save them and their progeny from the fire of Jahannam, O Rabbul Alameen.

Oh Allah! Those that are alive among the family members, grant them Barakah in their lives, O Rabbul Alameen. Oh Allah! Those that have passed away, Oh Allah! Grant them Noor in their graves, O Rabbul Alameen.

Oh Allah! Allow us to understand that our success lies in following Your orders in the Sunnah of Your Nabi Mustafa ﷺ, O Rabbul Alameen. Oh Allah! Allow us to bring simplicity in our Nikahs, O Rabbul Alameen. Allow us to follow Sunnah in every aspect of our lives, O Rabbul Alameen.

Oh Allah! Those that are sitting here — all of us — whatever needs we have in our private lives, Oh Allah! You are fully aware of what keeps us up at night, what are our worries and anxieties — Oh Allah! Fulfill all of our needs, O Rabbul Alameen. Oh Allah! Our greatest need is to acquire Your pleasure — become pleased with all of us, O Rabbul Alameen. Forgive our major and minor sins, O Rabbul Alameen. Show Your mercy upon us, O Rabbul Alameen.

Oh Allah! Those Muslims that are suffering throughout the world — in Gaza, in other places — Oh Allah! Grant relief to the suffering, O Rabbul Alameen. Oh Allah! Accept the Shahada of the Shuhada, O Rabbul Alameen. Oh Allah! Answer the calls of the oppressed ones, O Rabbul Alameen. Allow the bloodshed to stop, O Rabbul Alameen. Allow the indiscriminate killing of the young children to stop, O Rabbul Alameen. And the women, O Rabbul Alameen.

Oh Allah! Grant Hidayah to the Muslim leaders to unite and utilize whatever abilities You have given them to stop this, O Rabbul Alameen. To stop the genocide and ethnic cleansing, O Rabbul Alameen.

Oh Allah! Protect us here in this land — in our families, in our loved ones, in our masajid, in our madaris, in our businesses, in our homes, in our institutions. Protect all of us, O Rabbul Alameen. Become pleased with us, O Rabbul Alameen. Oh Allah! Bless this Nikah, O Rabbul Alameen.

Closing Remarks & Announcement

This was a very beautiful Nikah of two of our teachers, Imam Farhan and Muallimah Hafsa Baloch. May Allah bless their Nikah. Say Ameen, inshallah. Alhamdulillah.

Also, we have many guests from different parts of the city here, so I just wanted to take an opportunity to invite everyone that along with the Nikah that you are here for, there is a very amazing program starting from tomorrow. This is once in a year that happens — it's a three-day academic intensive program, called our Winter Intensive. We have many ulama from around the country that will be here, different scholars, and Shaykh Dr. Mateen Khan. We have our local Mufti Ibrahim Mirza, etc.

Please visit our website for more details. Please try to join as much as you can. December 23rd to 25th — Saturday, Sunday, Monday — a three-day program about contemporary fiqh topics: such issues in which there is a lot of confusion in the Ummah, including about riba, and about moonsighting and calculation, and zabiha and machine slaughter. All of these series of contemporary issues that are widely discussed in our parties, in our social events, and amongst each other — sometimes with knowledge, sometimes without knowledge, sometimes with wrong information. Sometimes we are uninformed, we may be misinformed. So this is an opportunity to get informed by those who are qualified experts in the field. I humbly request everyone to join and benefit.

Jazakumullah Khayran. Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.