MERCY OCEANS, Book 04 (Rising Sun, Shaykh Nazim, 112 pages, 4/4)
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in the hereafter, Tt will be nothing. Each of our Prophet’s sayings is perfect; therefore, for those who would abandon their worldly duties, he has urged them to oppose this tendency by thinking of this world as eternal, so that they may give value to their duties. And for those who would pursue this world exclusively, the second measure: the time spent here against the time there, so that they may seek what is in
oe: fact eternal. Sayyidina Ali related from the wisdom he gained from the Prophet, that exaggeration on the one hand, and the total abandonment, on the other, of any aspect of life is a sign of ignorance. Therefore, in this matter of balance between different aspects of effort we have been urged to seek equilibrium. And our Naqshbandi predecessors recommend the following division of our day: eight hours for prayer and devotions and eight hours for seeking our sustenance, (and time devoted to our families may be considered as devotion, as Allah has ordered us to attend to them). Following such guidelines, even people with heavy responsi- bilities may find time for both work and prayer, like King Solornon and Sultan Abdul Hamid.
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Question: ° ‘What shall I do in my work situ- ation where I am surrounded by people who are really devils, and are always -trying to drag me down to their level. Shall I be very short with them, reject their familiarity and just go about my business?”
The Sheikh answered:
There is no wisdom in pointing out people’s faults to them directly, nor in behaving in such a way that your disapproval becomes very obvious. All you may do is to make some very generalized statements at an appropriate time without coming too close to directly attacking their actions or ideas, for there is nothing that the ego hates more than being blamed or accused.
— 85 — All sculs have wings, but the wings of sinners are broken, and they cannot fly until their wings heal, and that takes time. Meanwhile, they do not seek nests in high places-on roofs, mountains or trees - but crawl into the basement. Because they are imprisoned by their egos they remain in that dark surrounding, never seeing the light of day, only knowing artificial light.
They may in time emerge from that dark basement, but if you make them angry with you they will become even more stubborn. Allah Al- mighty warned the Holy Prophet of the consequences of such an attitude when He said:
“And if you were short-tempered, severe and
hard-hearted they would flee from you”.
This verse indicates that only through exem- plary tolerance and kindness can any impression be made on ill-mannered and badly educated peo- ple.
It is not Allah Almighty’s way to punish peo- ple, not even tyrants, until a Divine Messenger has been sent to them, to offer them a better way than the way of tyranny on which they tread. The door to repentance and just dealing is open to everyone, and it was the duty of the Prophets and their Inheritors to beckon all towards that door; all the more so the tyrants, as their bad actions may adversely affect millions of people or the whole world!
The very word “Pharaoh” has become synony-
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mous with “tyrant”. Our Lord teaches us the prop- er way of trying to turn a tyrant away from his tyranny, when He ordered Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them, to:
“Go unto Pharaoh and speak to him smooth-
ly and politely, that perhaps he may he
guided”.
Only later, when Pharaoh's intransigence became apparent, Moses was ordered to threaten him with divine wrath and to bring down divine retribution upon Pharaoh’s people.
According to this Divine Wisdom, it is wrong for a believer to confront anyone with bad manners and derision. We have not been ordered to he quarrelsome and scowling, cursing-and-swearing people.
Whenever our Grandsheikh would receive government officials, secret police or people who had come to his assembly to try and find fault, in order to oppose him, he, of course, could easily read their secret intentions. He always treated such people with especial kindness, showing them extraordinary respect and deference. The result was that they would feel ashamed of their previous insincere intentions and go away with a good feeling about Grandsheikh, resolving to treat him respectfully from then on. Our Grandsheikh’s wife used to warn us: “If you see Grandsheikh making a great fuss over a visitor, beware of that person!”
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Can you tell a Diamond from
a Piece of Glass ?
“Speak in accordance with peeple’s understanding.”
=g@hat is the advice of the Prophet "Muhammed, peace be upon him, to everyone in the world who is trying
# to communicate with another person. In trying to make someone understand what you are saying you must perceive on what level this is poss- ible and meet him there. There is no benefit in trying to teach first-graders calculus nor in teach- ing university students addition and subtraction.
During the Holy Prophet’s Night Journey and his Ascension through the seven heavens to the Divine Presence, Allah Almighty bestowed upon him Divine Knowledge, and He taught the Prophet that there are three distinct categories into which this knowledge is divided. The first category of knowledge taught to him was to be shared com- monly with all mankind. None of this knowledge is going to shock or disturb people: it is clear and straightforward, can be easily understood by even the simple mind, and it is expressed in a way peo- ple’s minds can easily grasp. For example, when
— 88 — I tell you a tale I try to make sure that its contents corresponds to your own experiences so that you may benefit from it.
It is one of the miracles of the Holy Qur'an that everyone who reads it may understand some- thing from what he has read: it is not so cryptic or unclear that people should say: “I can’t under- stand”. But don’t imagine that the meaning of the Holy Qur’an is only what you have understood and no more! Even scholars must be careful not to make such an assumption, for the more we improve in our faith the sharper our minds become. The light of faith brightens our understanding.
If we can understand that our understanding increases with our faith, then we will never raise objections if we find anything in the Holy Qur’an that seems to conflict with what we see to be our better judgement. We must not draw hasty con- clusions, but wait until enough of the Holy Qur’- an’s limitless meanings are revealed to our minds to understand the wisdom in what we read, for the Qur’an contains Meaning Oceans and we must undergo training to be able to extract pearls from them. And before we assume that we know better than the Qur’an, or even that we know better than any person, we must pay heed to our Lord’s dec- laration: ‘‘Above every knower there is one who knows more”, and understand that our perception may be clouded, and that surely there exist people who are more knowledgeable and wise than we
soci: GOP mans are. If common people and scholars alike heed this Quranic observation and understand that others may see and know what they don’t and can’t, then they will keep an open mind, and, at least, not attack those whose knowledge is of a different realm.
The second category of knowledge the Holy Prophet was instructed to reveal to initiates, to seekers of truth, in accordance with their thirst for deeper understanding. This knowledge was only for those who had become suitable recipients for extraordinary revelation that would only shock or confuse the uninitiated.
One Great Grandsheikh, Sheikh Muhyuddin Ibn-al-Arabi, may Allah bless him, received huge grants of knowledge of this category from the Holy Prophet. He was one of the first to put into writing knowledge that had previously been passed on only orally and spiritually. As a result of this he was widely persecuted. Scholars used to be scandalized by his writings and say: “From where is he bringing these things? We have looked through the Holy Qur'an and the Traditions of the Holy Prophet but find nothing in them to support such heretical views.” This they were saying in the spirit of those who, in his time, rejected the prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
From where did that understanding come to Sheikh Muhyuddin? The Holy Prophet once said: “Beware of the perception of the true believer,
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for he sees with the light of Allah’. It was the light of strong faith, and the resulting clarity of perception and sharpness of intellect that enabled Sheikh Muhyuddin to delve into that “restricted area’. So, if you consider yourself to be a seeker of truth, don’t be lazy or timid in your quest, but seek to benefit from the clues provided by those who received initiation into this second category of knowledge. Don’t be surprised that Sheikh Muhyuddin, Mevlana Rumi, Abu-Yazid al-Bistami, Shah Naqshhand or Grandsheikh Daghistani reveal knowledge that is beyond the pale of the outward or apparent understanding of Islam. But don’t try to force such an understanding on those who are not seeking it, for it is not intended for all. Even the companions of the Prophet, who loved him intensely and were always ready to sacrifice every- thing for him were not all able to receive knowl- edge of this type, and among those who were, some could receive more than others. Sayyidina Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, was one of those who received the most in-depth knowl- edge; he once said to some of the other companions: “There are two categories of knowledge I received from the Holy Prophet: one I reveal to you, and the other, were I to even intimate something of it, you would try to kill me.”
Whoever encounters a jewel but knows not the distinguishing characteristic of gems may think it to be part of a fossilized coke - bottle and
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throw it away. There is a famous diamond in Istanbul, perhaps one of the biggest and most valuable diamonds in the world. The story of this diamond may help illustrate my point. That diamond was originally found in a dust-bin by a street sweeper. He put it in his pocket and brought it to a spoon-maker he knew. The spoon-maker saw that it could be valuable, so he offered the street - sweeper a wooden spoon in exchange for the dia- mond. The street-sweeper was very happy with the trade, as, in those days it was a sign of dis- tinction to carry a spoon in one’s belt-just as a cowboy carries a gun in his holster -and to always be prepared in case rice or soup was served.
' Then the spoon-maker took the diamond to a jeweller, who paid him a lot of money for it. The jeweller polished it and notified the Vizier about the existence of an extraordinary diamond. The Vizier bought it for_a fortune and presented it to the Sultan, who had never seen its like. But to the street-sweeper its worth was equivalent only to one wooden spoon.
So, everyone receives what he needs on his level, and this was a Divine Order to the Prophet: “Give to those who may receive”, and it is written on the Preserved Tablet who will be eligible for that knowledge.
The third category of knowledge is that which is between Allah and His Prophet to the exclusion of all others. This is the realm of the private
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confidence bestowed upon the Prophet by his Lord, and it is a depth of knowledge that distin- guished him from and sets him above all of the Saints and learned people of his Nation.
Once we have understood this division of Islamic knowledge into three categories, and es- pecially if we are faithful enough to develop pen- etrating vision and a share of esoteric knowledge, it should not be difficult for us to address people in accordance with their understanding. In his time the Holy Prophet was working mostly with a very coarse and unlearned class of people, and he ad- dressed them, accordingly, in a manner suited to their mentality. He built their understanding, so to speak, from the bottom up, laying a strong base upon which to build; but for those of them whose hearts were receptive, their simple origins were no obstacle to their receiving grants of inner knowledge.
In his time, the Holy Prophet also addressed more learned people: delegations of Christian cler- gy from Yemen and Jewish Rabbis and scholars residing in Medina. He addressed them on their respective levels too, discussing his missicn in ac- cordance with the contents of their Holy Books. But knowledge of religious scripture is neither a condition for, nor a disqualification from inner knowledge -the only condition is a receptive heart and mind, and the only disqualification is pride and envy. So those who came with sincerity and
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open hearts received amply, but those who came with prejudice could not be helped.
Our time also has its particular conditions and peoples. Certain words or methods may be accepi- able to you but difficult for others. When the Holy Prophet applied this wisdom to his manner of ap- proaching people, Islam spread both East and West quickly. Therefore, don’t be oblivious to the reactions of these whom you address, don’t run up against a wall, gaining nothing in the process - ex- cept a bump on the head. Find common ground, then build on it step by step.
Islam derives its vitality from its inherent simplicity and universal principles. The basics may be practiced by all, irrespective of distinctions based on race, nationality, sex, age or cultural ad- herence, and it is in harmony with nature - with the nature of Man and with that of the Earth. But we must be worthy of understanding this and communicating it.
In our time elderly people may often be hard on youth for the way they behave, saying: “We never behaved so badly even when we were young”. But they must remember what kinds of conditions and social norms those children are now being brought up in. Similarly, practising Muslims who are scrupulously observing the Law of Islam, may be impatient with those who are slowly approach- ing Islam or whose hearts are drawn to a circle of believers, expecting those people to conform.
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quickly. If this is the case, it is a sign that you have not yet understood anything, and that your practices are only blinders. If you are wise, you will expect or demand only very little in the way of conformity from newcomers. Don't try to load your burden on them-and if you are trying to shift your burden you must consider its causes. Don’t worry about bringing people “in line” but rather concern yourself with making sure that your own practices are becoming a means for attaining inner peace and are not becoming an end in them- selves. If your practice brings you inner peace and wisdom others will emulate those practices volun- tarily.
The proper attitude is indicated in a saying of the Holy Prophet: “Make things easy for people, not difficult; give them good tidings and don't drive them away’. Now, most Mustims are only driving Westerners farther away from Islam by ignoring the differences in the conditions they face. Such an attitude is a sign that they have deprived themselves of access to that second category of knowledge - wisdom - which brings with itself pro- found and penetrating vision; indeed, the blind are not even able to understand the first category of knowledge correctly. We ask our Lord to grant us understanding of the Way of Islam, and to help us know which direction we must go.
How the Ant with the Broken Ceg got to Mecca
B very person from among mankind may attain Divine Stations. The Way is not +} barred to anyone: we are all candidates
eee for the position of “Deputy of God on Earth”, The Holy Verse is clear enough: “Oh man, verily you are striving towards your Lord, and you will meet Him”; therefore, whoever makes a ser- ious attempt to reach, must reach. Bui if we con- sistently take one step forward and two steps back, and make ourselves fit Allah Almighty’s descrip- tion: “They believed, then fell into disbelief, be- lieved again, and once more fell”, then we will find ourselves lost.
Steadfastness is the quality that will aid our progress, even if that progress be slow. Be stead- fast and you may reach your goal; and even if you don’t, your Lord perceives your sincere intention and may convey you towards your goal, just when you have despaired. Our Grandsheikh said that. such perseverance in the face of immense odds is most difficult. Imagine that a person has been told; “There is a treasure wailing for you inside the Earth, a fourth of the way to China - you must
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dig and take it. Here is a broken pick and a spade with a broken handle, now you may start digging”. Imagine being ordered to such a task with such tools! You must start; don’t say: “It is impossible! Even an oil drill can’t reach down that far!” No, you must say: “My Lord has ordered me to proceed and He has given me these instruments with which to proceed with my task, so I must start digging”. Then you dig, and when you collapse from exhaus- tion your Lord may deliver that treasure up to you in the blink of an eye,
Perhaps an ant with a broken leg may intend to travel from London to Mecca in order to per- form the rites of pilgrimage. He may intend such a journey and start on his way, but do you think that thore is any hope of him arriving? Allah Almighty sends a pilgrim who sets down his hand- bag; as the ant crawls in to see if there is any food to be found for the way, the pilgrim comes, picks up the bag and gets into the taxi to the airport. When the pilgrim arrives at Jeddah, he boards a bus to Mecca, then a taxi to his hotel. At the hotel he leaves his other bags, but takes this valu- able one with him to the Holy Mosque to make his Tawaf of the Kaaba... After his Tawaf he sits down to read Qur’an, and the terrified ant slowly emerges, Only to find himself in front of the Kaaba.
Allah Almighty made a way for that ant be- cause it firmly intended to reach that unattainable station, with its broken leg and all and he helped
— 97 — F.:7 it arrive quickly, too. So don’t lose hope! We are like that ant: we are directing our faces towards the Divine Presence and asking to attain to it. He may take us to that state, but we can never make it on our own.
Question: Is keeping our way in the non - sup- portive surroundings of the West also like this?
The Sheikh said:
These surrouncings are like a whetting stone that serves to make our faith sharper and stronger. Our Grandsheikh used to say to me: “Oh Nazim Efendi, if you can go to the downtown area of Damascus and return to this mountain without indulging your eyes, without casting your glance here and there, that is a greater feat and of more value than staying forty years in seclusion in a cave.”
Yes, a man may go to Mecca and Medina for six months, fasting Ramadaan there in the scorch- ing heat and suffering thirst he never imagined when he fasted at home; he may stay through the Hajj season and experience overcrowded conditions
uid a unparalleled on the face of the Earth. He may perform so many ritual prayers and rites with sincerity and may feel his faith renewed, but just as he is-leaving the holy cities and their con- straining atmosphere, and boards the plane at Jeddah, a seductive stewardess greets him, saying: “Welcome aboard...” Then his ego catches him and wrestles him to the ground.
Therefore, here in the West where conditions are difficult, you are offered the challenge of controlling your ego under conditions exactly contrary to those ends, but the reward is greater and of more lasting benefit. Here you may lose it all or you may reach your goal quickly. Yes, it is difficult to lead a chaste life under such cir- cumstances, but you must not make excuses for yourself! You may live in surroundings that ensure that you are never for one moment allowed to forget sexuality, and you may feel that you will never be able to resist such an onslaught, but you must only intend sincerely to keep yourself and He will help you attain that goal-just remember the ant with the broken leg!
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Che Lion is a Harmless Dussycat, until...
lah Almighty sent every kind of trial to the Holy Prophet and _ his companions - why? He Almighty willed that Islam become a great world relig- ion, an international way of life, so He made sure to impart the perfect education to the Prophet and his companions, as they were to be the foundation upon which that great building - comprising all nations and races- was to rest. All training is based on trials, to ascertain whether each lesson has been well learned. One trial which Allah sent upon this first group of believers in Islam was hunger, since hunger is a powerful motive for our egos to rebel. People are very quick to anger when they are hungry; therefore, we have a saying: “The lion is a harmless pussycat - until it gets hungry!” When the lion is hungry, it will attack, and the same is true of our egos. Whoever is able to control himself when hungry is proven to be trustworthy: whoever loses his self-control at the first pang cannot be trusted.
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The Prophet and his companions were tested in this way and found to be strong, and it was a iraining that helped them endure every hardship and keep their self-control. Whenever the com- panions were hungry for three days the Prophet
— 100 — was hungry for four; when they were hungry for two days he was hungry for three. Once, when the Prophet had not eaten in three days, he went to Abu Bakr’s house only to find that he had been hungry for two, Then both of them went to the house of Umar and found him in the same con- dition, but content and not complaining. How is it with us? If the meal arrives five minutes late we are disgruntled. With what right? Look, if a young lady says to her impassioned suitor: “If you remain two days without food I will come to you”, he will say: “For your sake three days!” This is a simple example: if a young person may bear hunger for three days for the sake of the love of a creature, then why should we not be able to endure for our Creator, nay, even give our lives to Him, as He may make us content. With Him the thirsty knows no more thirst, the hungry knows no more hunger, the dead are no Jonger dead. That is the power of the love of God that bas been trans-
mitted to our heart.
Our brother here has opened his house to all of us: that is also a trial for him. It is impossible for the people of our times to have sixly or seventy guests in their homes. For our brother and his family this may be a spacious house, but such a throng must certainly be an imposition, and his welcoming us must be a sign of his strong faith. And if his house could accomodate one-thousand people, his faith would cause him to open it to
— 101 — all of them, whether he knew them or not, as he only sees that they are all his Lord's servants. It makes no difference to him whether they are members of the Bundestag or peasants, Germans or Africans, because, through his faith, he has attained to the knowledge that the Lord is the Lord of the worlds, of all the Children of Adam, and that, as the Lord states in the Holy Qur'an: “We have honoured all the Children of Adam”. He Almighty has respected us without distinction, and it is an attribute He calls on us to emulate.
Faith has settled in our brother’s heart, so that he may take every burden upon his shoulders. Allah supports him and will provide, for whoever gives freely is never going to become poorer as a result of it. We are in need of such faith, for without faith our hearts become narrow and we can tolerate less and less the burdens we are asked to carry. But when we believe, our hearts expand and we can bear much joyfully.
And nowadays, when faith has been entirely lost, people cannot even bear the burdens of their own existence and commit suicide. The real cause of depression is only loss of faith. Whon faith is lost darkness descends on our hearts. We are in need of people who can bring the light of faith to people’s hearts more than we are in need of psychiatrists to deaden people’s feelings with their psycho-pharmaca. I am only a weak servant, and I am asking our Lord’s help to bring us and the people of our time out of darkness.
— 102 — The Source of Wisdom is the Heart, not any Book
wise man may utter words of wisdom, but once they are recorded they join , the body of knowledge that is gen- \ erally available to listeners and We “o@ readers far and wide. Once words of wisdom have been transferred to the realm of knowledge through such mediums as books and tapes, they lose something essential. Of course one may derive so much benefit from them still, but they can’t replace the draught of wisdom froim the gushing source-that source is the heart, and what comes from the heart of a wise man passes through his words directly into the heart of the seeker.
Where may one find wisdom? Not necessarily in the same place one would find a wealth of knowledge. A source of wisdom may be a Sheikh, a scholar cr a professor, but may also be a plumber, a peasant or a totally illiterate person. Treasures are mostly sought in ruins, not in modern sky- scrapers; buried uncer layers of debris, not sitting in the open, lying on the counter. And when the searcher finds some broken pottery or bits and pieces of a treasure that serves to enlighten him
— 103 — as to the realities of what he is excavating, he does not concern himself with the fact that these relics are not intact, for how could he expect to find that? And if you offer him brand new items from a supermarket that correspond in use to those ancient ones he found, he will not even consider your offer, and think you to be just joking, saying: “How do these two compare?”
Therefore, take wisdom wherever you may find it, and don’t ask for titles or diplomas. Remember that your Lord may grant you wisdom through any means, sc don’t turn your nose up at anyone, but take a look at what he is offering, and if it be from ruins or in a ruinous state you must be ready to salvage it.
Wisdom belongs to the realm of the heart: once it has been grasped it is never lost. One of our Grandsheikhs, Abu-Yazid al-Bistami, once address- ed seekers of knowledge as follows: “Oh scholars, you are carrying your knowledge like a horse car- ries a load of books,you are loaded down and ever tiring, and you know that the Holy Prophet said, ‘Forgetfulness is the destroyer of knowledge’. As a termite comes and devours a piece of wood, so does time and age consume all you know. As long as you are in the hands of your egos your memory will decline with age, but the heart of hearts, once it has been awakened, strengthens with age. The heart is a source of wisdom that never dries up; but beware if you have not sought and received
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eg divine powers, for in the end your cup, which now runneth over will be as dry as a bone.”
My Grandsheikh, may Allah bless him, was over one-hundred years old but his memory was remarkable. This wakefulness of mind was a re- sult only of his spiritual condition, otherwise it it would have been impossible.
As I meet more and more Westerners I find that they are very avid readers of books. I have never seen people who read so much! Centuries age Muslims used to read, but now all that remains is that some people read the Holy Qur'an, but when that practice is lost they usually stop reading altogether. But in the West, your hobby is reading, and perhaps, if you are seeking wisdom through books, you have asked yourself: “Perhaps I have read one-thousand books, and I hope to read an- other thousand yet, but for what? To what end am I reading and reading and reading?” Then it may occur to you that you are secking something else through your reading, something that reading draws you close to, but cannot got you to.
And when, as a result of this soul-searching you begin to read from books of Sufi knowledge. of the Prophet, of Abu Bakr and Ali, of Rumi, of Attar, you only feel your longing more strongly and feel that you are even thirstier. Through all this reading you have tasted only a trickle, just enough to know how sweet a spring this is. By now you must realize that books are not the best
105 °- vessels for wisdom of the heart, for the heart it- self is the vessel, and the precious draught is pas- ed from heart to heart. Where may such heart - springs be found in a time that has turned verdant fields into desert wastes? Wandering through huge desert wastes, how many of us may just happen to stumble upon an oasis? First you may stumble upon one-hundred mirages! But you must keep on, don't turn back saying, “IT have found only illusions’. No, no one said that you have embarked on an easy journey, so you must be perseverant.
Because of the immense challenge involved in this quest for inner wisdom, for finding the bub- bling spring in the desert wastes, so many people choose to totally ignore this most important facet of human life, and either devote themselves to the pursuits of worldly gain, or, if “religiously inclined”, to the accumulation of religious knowledge. Imam al-Ghazzali, a world-famous figure in the history of Islam, was simultaneously a great scholar and a sufi master. He wrote so many books that, to read all of them in a lifetime is challenge enough. It is said about his master work, “Thya-Ulum-ud-Din’, “The Revival of Religious Sciences”, that if all other books written by Islamic scholars throughout his- tory were lost, this book alone would be enough to preserve all the essential knowledge of the centuries of Islam, and enough to keep Islam strong and vital. As his heart was opened to Divine Wisdom, he was able to expand our understanding
—- 106 — of The Holy Qur’an and the Prophetic Traditions through his writings.
According to Imam al-Ghazzali, when a person dies, he is as a sleeper who has awakened. When he thus passes from the world of images to the world of reality, he faces immediately an evalu- ation of his time in this life. Even before he is buried in his grave the Lord will put forty questions to him. The first and most important of these questions is, ‘Oh My servant, during your life you were so careful to care for your appearance, to ornament yourself for the sake of your fellow creatures: wearing fine clothes, and arranging your hair. But did you bother to arrange your heart for your meeting with Me? You knew that I am not concerned with your physical beauty, the colour of your hair or skin, or whether you are short or tall. You knew that I wanted from you only to purify your heart and to come to My presence prepared, with your heart turned towards Me and not back to that place which you have left, and which you knew you must eventually leave?”
In the Holy Qur’an, Allah Almighty declares: “A man cannot have two hearts in the hollow of his breast”, therefore, the goal of all sufi endeavour is to rid the heart of extraneous pre-occupations, and turn towards Allah fully. This is the purification of the heart, and when this is accomplished, the light of Allah’s eternal beauty will shine on and from the mirror of your heart. This is why, for
— 107 — those who have attained the inner reality to live up to such a practice, the meaning of fasting is not only what it implies for the normal believer, ie. abstinence from food, drink, indulgence and anger for a certain pericd of time, but the total absorption in the Divine Presence. Therefore, whenever 2 worldly whim seems to invade the heart of such people they consider themselves ritually impure and immediately take a shower. That is the level of saints, it is a practice impossible to be undertaken by others- we would always be wet. Yes, the Lord is calling us saying: “Oh my servant, why are you trying to escape from Me? If I were to leave you for even one moment you would cease to exist.”
108 —
“OU he (olden Chain of Hpicilual “CU ransmission of the “LRaqshbandi - “Khwajagan
“Th lasters
. The Hely Prophet Muhammaxl Mustafa, Peace
be upon him.
2. Abu Bakr as-Siddigq 3. Salman al-Farsi
Al-lmam Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abu Bakr as-Siddig
Al-Imam Jafar as-Sadcdiq
Abu Yazid al-Bistami
Abul Hasan al-Kharqani
Abu Ali al-Farmadi
Yusuf al-Hamdani
. Abul-Abbas (Mhidr, upon whem be peace). Abdul Khaliq al-Ghuiduwani
. Arif Righwari
. Mahmud al-Faghnawi
. Ali Ramitani
. Muhammad Baba Sammasi
Seyyid Amir Kullal
. Qutub at-Tariqah Shah Muhammad Bahauddin
Naqshband al-Uwaysi al-Bukhart
. Alauddin Muhammad al-Attar
110 —
19. ac. al. 22. 23. a4, 25.
ad. a3. 29, 30. Sl.
Ya'qub al-Charkhy
Ubeydullah al-Ahrar as-Samargandi Muhammad az-Zahid
Dervish Muhammad al-Bukhari
Hajegi Emkeneki as-Samargandi Muhammad al-Bagibillah as-Samarcgandi
Mujacdid al-Alf ath-Thani Imam Rabbani Ahmad Farug as-Sirhindi
. Urwat ul-Wuihga Muhammad Ma’sum
ar-Rabbani
Haji Sayfuddin ar-Rabbani
Mur Muhammad al-Badwani
Habibuliah Mirza Jan-i-janan al-Mazhar Ghulam Ali Abdullah ad-Dehlawi Ziyauddia Abu Naasan Muhammad Khalid al-Baghdadi ash-Shami
. Sheikh Ismail an-Narani
. Khas Muhammad Shirwani
. Sheikh Muhammad Yaraghi
. Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Ghumugi al-Husseini. Abu Ahmed as-Sughuri
. Abu Muhammad al-Madani
. Sayyid Sharafuddin ad-Daghistani
. Sultan al-Awliya Abdullah ad-Daghistani
. Sheikhuna wa-Ustazuna Sheikh Muhammad
Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi al-Haqqani
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Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=5792
in the hereafter, Tt will be nothing. Each of our Prophet’s sayings is perfect; therefore, for those who would abandon their worldly duties, he has urged them to oppose this tendency by thinking of this world as eternal, so that they may give value to their duties. And for those who would pursue this world exclusively, the second measure: the time spent here against the time there, so that they may seek what is in
oe: fact eternal. Sayyidina Ali related from the wisdom he gained from the Prophet, that exaggeration on the one hand, and the total abandonment, on the other, of any aspect of life is a sign of ignorance. Therefore, in this matter of balance between different aspects of effort we have been urged to seek equilibrium. And our Naqshbandi predecessors recommend the following division of our day: eight hours for prayer and devotions and eight hours for seeking our sustenance, (and time devoted to our families may be considered as devotion, as Allah has ordered us to attend to them). Following such guidelines, even people with heavy responsi- bilities may find time for both work and prayer, like King Solornon and Sultan Abdul Hamid.
I
Question: ° ‘What shall I do in my work situ- ation where I am surrounded by people who are really devils, and are always -trying to drag me down to their level. Shall I be very short with them, reject their familiarity and just go about my business?”
The Sheikh answered:
There is no wisdom in pointing out people’s faults to them directly, nor in behaving in such a way that your disapproval becomes very obvious. All you may do is to make some very generalized statements at an appropriate time without coming too close to directly attacking their actions or ideas, for there is nothing that the ego hates more than being blamed or accused.
— 85 — All sculs have wings, but the wings of sinners are broken, and they cannot fly until their wings heal, and that takes time. Meanwhile, they do not seek nests in high places-on roofs, mountains or trees - but crawl into the basement. Because they are imprisoned by their egos they remain in that dark surrounding, never seeing the light of day, only knowing artificial light.
They may in time emerge from that dark basement, but if you make them angry with you they will become even more stubborn. Allah Al- mighty warned the Holy Prophet of the consequences of such an attitude when He said:
“And if you were short-tempered, severe and
hard-hearted they would flee from you”.
This verse indicates that only through exem- plary tolerance and kindness can any impression be made on ill-mannered and badly educated peo- ple.
It is not Allah Almighty’s way to punish peo- ple, not even tyrants, until a Divine Messenger has been sent to them, to offer them a better way than the way of tyranny on which they tread. The door to repentance and just dealing is open to everyone, and it was the duty of the Prophets and their Inheritors to beckon all towards that door; all the more so the tyrants, as their bad actions may adversely affect millions of people or the whole world!
The very word “Pharaoh” has become synony-
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mous with “tyrant”. Our Lord teaches us the prop- er way of trying to turn a tyrant away from his tyranny, when He ordered Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them, to:
“Go unto Pharaoh and speak to him smooth-
ly and politely, that perhaps he may he
guided”.
Only later, when Pharaoh's intransigence became apparent, Moses was ordered to threaten him with divine wrath and to bring down divine retribution upon Pharaoh’s people.
According to this Divine Wisdom, it is wrong for a believer to confront anyone with bad manners and derision. We have not been ordered to he quarrelsome and scowling, cursing-and-swearing people.
Whenever our Grandsheikh would receive government officials, secret police or people who had come to his assembly to try and find fault, in order to oppose him, he, of course, could easily read their secret intentions. He always treated such people with especial kindness, showing them extraordinary respect and deference. The result was that they would feel ashamed of their previous insincere intentions and go away with a good feeling about Grandsheikh, resolving to treat him respectfully from then on. Our Grandsheikh’s wife used to warn us: “If you see Grandsheikh making a great fuss over a visitor, beware of that person!”
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Can you tell a Diamond from
a Piece of Glass ?
“Speak in accordance with peeple’s understanding.”
=g@hat is the advice of the Prophet "Muhammed, peace be upon him, to everyone in the world who is trying
# to communicate with another person. In trying to make someone understand what you are saying you must perceive on what level this is poss- ible and meet him there. There is no benefit in trying to teach first-graders calculus nor in teach- ing university students addition and subtraction.
During the Holy Prophet’s Night Journey and his Ascension through the seven heavens to the Divine Presence, Allah Almighty bestowed upon him Divine Knowledge, and He taught the Prophet that there are three distinct categories into which this knowledge is divided. The first category of knowledge taught to him was to be shared com- monly with all mankind. None of this knowledge is going to shock or disturb people: it is clear and straightforward, can be easily understood by even the simple mind, and it is expressed in a way peo- ple’s minds can easily grasp. For example, when
— 88 — I tell you a tale I try to make sure that its contents corresponds to your own experiences so that you may benefit from it.
It is one of the miracles of the Holy Qur'an that everyone who reads it may understand some- thing from what he has read: it is not so cryptic or unclear that people should say: “I can’t under- stand”. But don’t imagine that the meaning of the Holy Qur’an is only what you have understood and no more! Even scholars must be careful not to make such an assumption, for the more we improve in our faith the sharper our minds become. The light of faith brightens our understanding.
If we can understand that our understanding increases with our faith, then we will never raise objections if we find anything in the Holy Qur’an that seems to conflict with what we see to be our better judgement. We must not draw hasty con- clusions, but wait until enough of the Holy Qur’- an’s limitless meanings are revealed to our minds to understand the wisdom in what we read, for the Qur’an contains Meaning Oceans and we must undergo training to be able to extract pearls from them. And before we assume that we know better than the Qur’an, or even that we know better than any person, we must pay heed to our Lord’s dec- laration: ‘‘Above every knower there is one who knows more”, and understand that our perception may be clouded, and that surely there exist people who are more knowledgeable and wise than we
soci: GOP mans are. If common people and scholars alike heed this Quranic observation and understand that others may see and know what they don’t and can’t, then they will keep an open mind, and, at least, not attack those whose knowledge is of a different realm.
The second category of knowledge the Holy Prophet was instructed to reveal to initiates, to seekers of truth, in accordance with their thirst for deeper understanding. This knowledge was only for those who had become suitable recipients for extraordinary revelation that would only shock or confuse the uninitiated.
One Great Grandsheikh, Sheikh Muhyuddin Ibn-al-Arabi, may Allah bless him, received huge grants of knowledge of this category from the Holy Prophet. He was one of the first to put into writing knowledge that had previously been passed on only orally and spiritually. As a result of this he was widely persecuted. Scholars used to be scandalized by his writings and say: “From where is he bringing these things? We have looked through the Holy Qur'an and the Traditions of the Holy Prophet but find nothing in them to support such heretical views.” This they were saying in the spirit of those who, in his time, rejected the prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
From where did that understanding come to Sheikh Muhyuddin? The Holy Prophet once said: “Beware of the perception of the true believer,
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for he sees with the light of Allah’. It was the light of strong faith, and the resulting clarity of perception and sharpness of intellect that enabled Sheikh Muhyuddin to delve into that “restricted area’. So, if you consider yourself to be a seeker of truth, don’t be lazy or timid in your quest, but seek to benefit from the clues provided by those who received initiation into this second category of knowledge. Don’t be surprised that Sheikh Muhyuddin, Mevlana Rumi, Abu-Yazid al-Bistami, Shah Naqshhand or Grandsheikh Daghistani reveal knowledge that is beyond the pale of the outward or apparent understanding of Islam. But don’t try to force such an understanding on those who are not seeking it, for it is not intended for all. Even the companions of the Prophet, who loved him intensely and were always ready to sacrifice every- thing for him were not all able to receive knowl- edge of this type, and among those who were, some could receive more than others. Sayyidina Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, was one of those who received the most in-depth knowl- edge; he once said to some of the other companions: “There are two categories of knowledge I received from the Holy Prophet: one I reveal to you, and the other, were I to even intimate something of it, you would try to kill me.”
Whoever encounters a jewel but knows not the distinguishing characteristic of gems may think it to be part of a fossilized coke - bottle and
woes GF es
throw it away. There is a famous diamond in Istanbul, perhaps one of the biggest and most valuable diamonds in the world. The story of this diamond may help illustrate my point. That diamond was originally found in a dust-bin by a street sweeper. He put it in his pocket and brought it to a spoon-maker he knew. The spoon-maker saw that it could be valuable, so he offered the street - sweeper a wooden spoon in exchange for the dia- mond. The street-sweeper was very happy with the trade, as, in those days it was a sign of dis- tinction to carry a spoon in one’s belt-just as a cowboy carries a gun in his holster -and to always be prepared in case rice or soup was served.
' Then the spoon-maker took the diamond to a jeweller, who paid him a lot of money for it. The jeweller polished it and notified the Vizier about the existence of an extraordinary diamond. The Vizier bought it for_a fortune and presented it to the Sultan, who had never seen its like. But to the street-sweeper its worth was equivalent only to one wooden spoon.
So, everyone receives what he needs on his level, and this was a Divine Order to the Prophet: “Give to those who may receive”, and it is written on the Preserved Tablet who will be eligible for that knowledge.
The third category of knowledge is that which is between Allah and His Prophet to the exclusion of all others. This is the realm of the private
22198 —
confidence bestowed upon the Prophet by his Lord, and it is a depth of knowledge that distin- guished him from and sets him above all of the Saints and learned people of his Nation.
Once we have understood this division of Islamic knowledge into three categories, and es- pecially if we are faithful enough to develop pen- etrating vision and a share of esoteric knowledge, it should not be difficult for us to address people in accordance with their understanding. In his time the Holy Prophet was working mostly with a very coarse and unlearned class of people, and he ad- dressed them, accordingly, in a manner suited to their mentality. He built their understanding, so to speak, from the bottom up, laying a strong base upon which to build; but for those of them whose hearts were receptive, their simple origins were no obstacle to their receiving grants of inner knowledge.
In his time, the Holy Prophet also addressed more learned people: delegations of Christian cler- gy from Yemen and Jewish Rabbis and scholars residing in Medina. He addressed them on their respective levels too, discussing his missicn in ac- cordance with the contents of their Holy Books. But knowledge of religious scripture is neither a condition for, nor a disqualification from inner knowledge -the only condition is a receptive heart and mind, and the only disqualification is pride and envy. So those who came with sincerity and
— O93 —
open hearts received amply, but those who came with prejudice could not be helped.
Our time also has its particular conditions and peoples. Certain words or methods may be accepi- able to you but difficult for others. When the Holy Prophet applied this wisdom to his manner of ap- proaching people, Islam spread both East and West quickly. Therefore, don’t be oblivious to the reactions of these whom you address, don’t run up against a wall, gaining nothing in the process - ex- cept a bump on the head. Find common ground, then build on it step by step.
Islam derives its vitality from its inherent simplicity and universal principles. The basics may be practiced by all, irrespective of distinctions based on race, nationality, sex, age or cultural ad- herence, and it is in harmony with nature - with the nature of Man and with that of the Earth. But we must be worthy of understanding this and communicating it.
In our time elderly people may often be hard on youth for the way they behave, saying: “We never behaved so badly even when we were young”. But they must remember what kinds of conditions and social norms those children are now being brought up in. Similarly, practising Muslims who are scrupulously observing the Law of Islam, may be impatient with those who are slowly approach- ing Islam or whose hearts are drawn to a circle of believers, expecting those people to conform.
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quickly. If this is the case, it is a sign that you have not yet understood anything, and that your practices are only blinders. If you are wise, you will expect or demand only very little in the way of conformity from newcomers. Don't try to load your burden on them-and if you are trying to shift your burden you must consider its causes. Don’t worry about bringing people “in line” but rather concern yourself with making sure that your own practices are becoming a means for attaining inner peace and are not becoming an end in them- selves. If your practice brings you inner peace and wisdom others will emulate those practices volun- tarily.
The proper attitude is indicated in a saying of the Holy Prophet: “Make things easy for people, not difficult; give them good tidings and don't drive them away’. Now, most Mustims are only driving Westerners farther away from Islam by ignoring the differences in the conditions they face. Such an attitude is a sign that they have deprived themselves of access to that second category of knowledge - wisdom - which brings with itself pro- found and penetrating vision; indeed, the blind are not even able to understand the first category of knowledge correctly. We ask our Lord to grant us understanding of the Way of Islam, and to help us know which direction we must go.
How the Ant with the Broken Ceg got to Mecca
B very person from among mankind may attain Divine Stations. The Way is not +} barred to anyone: we are all candidates
eee for the position of “Deputy of God on Earth”, The Holy Verse is clear enough: “Oh man, verily you are striving towards your Lord, and you will meet Him”; therefore, whoever makes a ser- ious attempt to reach, must reach. Bui if we con- sistently take one step forward and two steps back, and make ourselves fit Allah Almighty’s descrip- tion: “They believed, then fell into disbelief, be- lieved again, and once more fell”, then we will find ourselves lost.
Steadfastness is the quality that will aid our progress, even if that progress be slow. Be stead- fast and you may reach your goal; and even if you don’t, your Lord perceives your sincere intention and may convey you towards your goal, just when you have despaired. Our Grandsheikh said that. such perseverance in the face of immense odds is most difficult. Imagine that a person has been told; “There is a treasure wailing for you inside the Earth, a fourth of the way to China - you must
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dig and take it. Here is a broken pick and a spade with a broken handle, now you may start digging”. Imagine being ordered to such a task with such tools! You must start; don’t say: “It is impossible! Even an oil drill can’t reach down that far!” No, you must say: “My Lord has ordered me to proceed and He has given me these instruments with which to proceed with my task, so I must start digging”. Then you dig, and when you collapse from exhaus- tion your Lord may deliver that treasure up to you in the blink of an eye,
Perhaps an ant with a broken leg may intend to travel from London to Mecca in order to per- form the rites of pilgrimage. He may intend such a journey and start on his way, but do you think that thore is any hope of him arriving? Allah Almighty sends a pilgrim who sets down his hand- bag; as the ant crawls in to see if there is any food to be found for the way, the pilgrim comes, picks up the bag and gets into the taxi to the airport. When the pilgrim arrives at Jeddah, he boards a bus to Mecca, then a taxi to his hotel. At the hotel he leaves his other bags, but takes this valu- able one with him to the Holy Mosque to make his Tawaf of the Kaaba... After his Tawaf he sits down to read Qur’an, and the terrified ant slowly emerges, Only to find himself in front of the Kaaba.
Allah Almighty made a way for that ant be- cause it firmly intended to reach that unattainable station, with its broken leg and all and he helped
— 97 — F.:7 it arrive quickly, too. So don’t lose hope! We are like that ant: we are directing our faces towards the Divine Presence and asking to attain to it. He may take us to that state, but we can never make it on our own.
Question: Is keeping our way in the non - sup- portive surroundings of the West also like this?
The Sheikh said:
These surrouncings are like a whetting stone that serves to make our faith sharper and stronger. Our Grandsheikh used to say to me: “Oh Nazim Efendi, if you can go to the downtown area of Damascus and return to this mountain without indulging your eyes, without casting your glance here and there, that is a greater feat and of more value than staying forty years in seclusion in a cave.”
Yes, a man may go to Mecca and Medina for six months, fasting Ramadaan there in the scorch- ing heat and suffering thirst he never imagined when he fasted at home; he may stay through the Hajj season and experience overcrowded conditions
uid a unparalleled on the face of the Earth. He may perform so many ritual prayers and rites with sincerity and may feel his faith renewed, but just as he is-leaving the holy cities and their con- straining atmosphere, and boards the plane at Jeddah, a seductive stewardess greets him, saying: “Welcome aboard...” Then his ego catches him and wrestles him to the ground.
Therefore, here in the West where conditions are difficult, you are offered the challenge of controlling your ego under conditions exactly contrary to those ends, but the reward is greater and of more lasting benefit. Here you may lose it all or you may reach your goal quickly. Yes, it is difficult to lead a chaste life under such cir- cumstances, but you must not make excuses for yourself! You may live in surroundings that ensure that you are never for one moment allowed to forget sexuality, and you may feel that you will never be able to resist such an onslaught, but you must only intend sincerely to keep yourself and He will help you attain that goal-just remember the ant with the broken leg!
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Che Lion is a Harmless Dussycat, until...
lah Almighty sent every kind of trial to the Holy Prophet and _ his companions - why? He Almighty willed that Islam become a great world relig- ion, an international way of life, so He made sure to impart the perfect education to the Prophet and his companions, as they were to be the foundation upon which that great building - comprising all nations and races- was to rest. All training is based on trials, to ascertain whether each lesson has been well learned. One trial which Allah sent upon this first group of believers in Islam was hunger, since hunger is a powerful motive for our egos to rebel. People are very quick to anger when they are hungry; therefore, we have a saying: “The lion is a harmless pussycat - until it gets hungry!” When the lion is hungry, it will attack, and the same is true of our egos. Whoever is able to control himself when hungry is proven to be trustworthy: whoever loses his self-control at the first pang cannot be trusted.
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The Prophet and his companions were tested in this way and found to be strong, and it was a iraining that helped them endure every hardship and keep their self-control. Whenever the com- panions were hungry for three days the Prophet
— 100 — was hungry for four; when they were hungry for two days he was hungry for three. Once, when the Prophet had not eaten in three days, he went to Abu Bakr’s house only to find that he had been hungry for two, Then both of them went to the house of Umar and found him in the same con- dition, but content and not complaining. How is it with us? If the meal arrives five minutes late we are disgruntled. With what right? Look, if a young lady says to her impassioned suitor: “If you remain two days without food I will come to you”, he will say: “For your sake three days!” This is a simple example: if a young person may bear hunger for three days for the sake of the love of a creature, then why should we not be able to endure for our Creator, nay, even give our lives to Him, as He may make us content. With Him the thirsty knows no more thirst, the hungry knows no more hunger, the dead are no Jonger dead. That is the power of the love of God that bas been trans-
mitted to our heart.
Our brother here has opened his house to all of us: that is also a trial for him. It is impossible for the people of our times to have sixly or seventy guests in their homes. For our brother and his family this may be a spacious house, but such a throng must certainly be an imposition, and his welcoming us must be a sign of his strong faith. And if his house could accomodate one-thousand people, his faith would cause him to open it to
— 101 — all of them, whether he knew them or not, as he only sees that they are all his Lord's servants. It makes no difference to him whether they are members of the Bundestag or peasants, Germans or Africans, because, through his faith, he has attained to the knowledge that the Lord is the Lord of the worlds, of all the Children of Adam, and that, as the Lord states in the Holy Qur'an: “We have honoured all the Children of Adam”. He Almighty has respected us without distinction, and it is an attribute He calls on us to emulate.
Faith has settled in our brother’s heart, so that he may take every burden upon his shoulders. Allah supports him and will provide, for whoever gives freely is never going to become poorer as a result of it. We are in need of such faith, for without faith our hearts become narrow and we can tolerate less and less the burdens we are asked to carry. But when we believe, our hearts expand and we can bear much joyfully.
And nowadays, when faith has been entirely lost, people cannot even bear the burdens of their own existence and commit suicide. The real cause of depression is only loss of faith. Whon faith is lost darkness descends on our hearts. We are in need of people who can bring the light of faith to people’s hearts more than we are in need of psychiatrists to deaden people’s feelings with their psycho-pharmaca. I am only a weak servant, and I am asking our Lord’s help to bring us and the people of our time out of darkness.
— 102 — The Source of Wisdom is the Heart, not any Book
wise man may utter words of wisdom, but once they are recorded they join , the body of knowledge that is gen- \ erally available to listeners and We “o@ readers far and wide. Once words of wisdom have been transferred to the realm of knowledge through such mediums as books and tapes, they lose something essential. Of course one may derive so much benefit from them still, but they can’t replace the draught of wisdom froim the gushing source-that source is the heart, and what comes from the heart of a wise man passes through his words directly into the heart of the seeker.
Where may one find wisdom? Not necessarily in the same place one would find a wealth of knowledge. A source of wisdom may be a Sheikh, a scholar cr a professor, but may also be a plumber, a peasant or a totally illiterate person. Treasures are mostly sought in ruins, not in modern sky- scrapers; buried uncer layers of debris, not sitting in the open, lying on the counter. And when the searcher finds some broken pottery or bits and pieces of a treasure that serves to enlighten him
— 103 — as to the realities of what he is excavating, he does not concern himself with the fact that these relics are not intact, for how could he expect to find that? And if you offer him brand new items from a supermarket that correspond in use to those ancient ones he found, he will not even consider your offer, and think you to be just joking, saying: “How do these two compare?”
Therefore, take wisdom wherever you may find it, and don’t ask for titles or diplomas. Remember that your Lord may grant you wisdom through any means, sc don’t turn your nose up at anyone, but take a look at what he is offering, and if it be from ruins or in a ruinous state you must be ready to salvage it.
Wisdom belongs to the realm of the heart: once it has been grasped it is never lost. One of our Grandsheikhs, Abu-Yazid al-Bistami, once address- ed seekers of knowledge as follows: “Oh scholars, you are carrying your knowledge like a horse car- ries a load of books,you are loaded down and ever tiring, and you know that the Holy Prophet said, ‘Forgetfulness is the destroyer of knowledge’. As a termite comes and devours a piece of wood, so does time and age consume all you know. As long as you are in the hands of your egos your memory will decline with age, but the heart of hearts, once it has been awakened, strengthens with age. The heart is a source of wisdom that never dries up; but beware if you have not sought and received
— 104 —
eg divine powers, for in the end your cup, which now runneth over will be as dry as a bone.”
My Grandsheikh, may Allah bless him, was over one-hundred years old but his memory was remarkable. This wakefulness of mind was a re- sult only of his spiritual condition, otherwise it it would have been impossible.
As I meet more and more Westerners I find that they are very avid readers of books. I have never seen people who read so much! Centuries age Muslims used to read, but now all that remains is that some people read the Holy Qur'an, but when that practice is lost they usually stop reading altogether. But in the West, your hobby is reading, and perhaps, if you are seeking wisdom through books, you have asked yourself: “Perhaps I have read one-thousand books, and I hope to read an- other thousand yet, but for what? To what end am I reading and reading and reading?” Then it may occur to you that you are secking something else through your reading, something that reading draws you close to, but cannot got you to.
And when, as a result of this soul-searching you begin to read from books of Sufi knowledge. of the Prophet, of Abu Bakr and Ali, of Rumi, of Attar, you only feel your longing more strongly and feel that you are even thirstier. Through all this reading you have tasted only a trickle, just enough to know how sweet a spring this is. By now you must realize that books are not the best
105 °- vessels for wisdom of the heart, for the heart it- self is the vessel, and the precious draught is pas- ed from heart to heart. Where may such heart - springs be found in a time that has turned verdant fields into desert wastes? Wandering through huge desert wastes, how many of us may just happen to stumble upon an oasis? First you may stumble upon one-hundred mirages! But you must keep on, don't turn back saying, “IT have found only illusions’. No, no one said that you have embarked on an easy journey, so you must be perseverant.
Because of the immense challenge involved in this quest for inner wisdom, for finding the bub- bling spring in the desert wastes, so many people choose to totally ignore this most important facet of human life, and either devote themselves to the pursuits of worldly gain, or, if “religiously inclined”, to the accumulation of religious knowledge. Imam al-Ghazzali, a world-famous figure in the history of Islam, was simultaneously a great scholar and a sufi master. He wrote so many books that, to read all of them in a lifetime is challenge enough. It is said about his master work, “Thya-Ulum-ud-Din’, “The Revival of Religious Sciences”, that if all other books written by Islamic scholars throughout his- tory were lost, this book alone would be enough to preserve all the essential knowledge of the centuries of Islam, and enough to keep Islam strong and vital. As his heart was opened to Divine Wisdom, he was able to expand our understanding
—- 106 — of The Holy Qur’an and the Prophetic Traditions through his writings.
According to Imam al-Ghazzali, when a person dies, he is as a sleeper who has awakened. When he thus passes from the world of images to the world of reality, he faces immediately an evalu- ation of his time in this life. Even before he is buried in his grave the Lord will put forty questions to him. The first and most important of these questions is, ‘Oh My servant, during your life you were so careful to care for your appearance, to ornament yourself for the sake of your fellow creatures: wearing fine clothes, and arranging your hair. But did you bother to arrange your heart for your meeting with Me? You knew that I am not concerned with your physical beauty, the colour of your hair or skin, or whether you are short or tall. You knew that I wanted from you only to purify your heart and to come to My presence prepared, with your heart turned towards Me and not back to that place which you have left, and which you knew you must eventually leave?”
In the Holy Qur’an, Allah Almighty declares: “A man cannot have two hearts in the hollow of his breast”, therefore, the goal of all sufi endeavour is to rid the heart of extraneous pre-occupations, and turn towards Allah fully. This is the purification of the heart, and when this is accomplished, the light of Allah’s eternal beauty will shine on and from the mirror of your heart. This is why, for
— 107 — those who have attained the inner reality to live up to such a practice, the meaning of fasting is not only what it implies for the normal believer, ie. abstinence from food, drink, indulgence and anger for a certain pericd of time, but the total absorption in the Divine Presence. Therefore, whenever 2 worldly whim seems to invade the heart of such people they consider themselves ritually impure and immediately take a shower. That is the level of saints, it is a practice impossible to be undertaken by others- we would always be wet. Yes, the Lord is calling us saying: “Oh my servant, why are you trying to escape from Me? If I were to leave you for even one moment you would cease to exist.”
108 —
“OU he (olden Chain of Hpicilual “CU ransmission of the “LRaqshbandi - “Khwajagan
“Th lasters
. The Hely Prophet Muhammaxl Mustafa, Peace
be upon him.
2. Abu Bakr as-Siddigq 3. Salman al-Farsi
Al-lmam Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abu Bakr as-Siddig
Al-Imam Jafar as-Sadcdiq
Abu Yazid al-Bistami
Abul Hasan al-Kharqani
Abu Ali al-Farmadi
Yusuf al-Hamdani
. Abul-Abbas (Mhidr, upon whem be peace). Abdul Khaliq al-Ghuiduwani
. Arif Righwari
. Mahmud al-Faghnawi
. Ali Ramitani
. Muhammad Baba Sammasi
Seyyid Amir Kullal
. Qutub at-Tariqah Shah Muhammad Bahauddin
Naqshband al-Uwaysi al-Bukhart
. Alauddin Muhammad al-Attar
110 —
19. ac. al. 22. 23. a4, 25.
ad. a3. 29, 30. Sl.
Ya'qub al-Charkhy
Ubeydullah al-Ahrar as-Samargandi Muhammad az-Zahid
Dervish Muhammad al-Bukhari
Hajegi Emkeneki as-Samargandi Muhammad al-Bagibillah as-Samarcgandi
Mujacdid al-Alf ath-Thani Imam Rabbani Ahmad Farug as-Sirhindi
. Urwat ul-Wuihga Muhammad Ma’sum
ar-Rabbani
Haji Sayfuddin ar-Rabbani
Mur Muhammad al-Badwani
Habibuliah Mirza Jan-i-janan al-Mazhar Ghulam Ali Abdullah ad-Dehlawi Ziyauddia Abu Naasan Muhammad Khalid al-Baghdadi ash-Shami
. Sheikh Ismail an-Narani
. Khas Muhammad Shirwani
. Sheikh Muhammad Yaraghi
. Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Ghumugi al-Husseini. Abu Ahmed as-Sughuri
. Abu Muhammad al-Madani
. Sayyid Sharafuddin ad-Daghistani
. Sultan al-Awliya Abdullah ad-Daghistani
. Sheikhuna wa-Ustazuna Sheikh Muhammad
Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi al-Haqqani
- 1i1 —
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