MERCY OCEANS, Book 08 (The Heart, Shaykh Nazim, 43 pages, 3/4)
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culous occurences as re- sulting from material causes, as being easily expli- cable events that normal reason can accept and the mind understand. This second party tries to bring the sun down onto the earth, and the moon to the ground : it tries to make heavenly events mundane.
Instead of trying to free the mind from its nor- mal definitions and limitations so ‘that it may attain to a more transcendent realm, these people try to
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fit spiritual realities into their block-heads, When they try to stuff the endless realities of Islam into such a cube, they will get something totally at vari- ance with the original heavenly guidance, as Islam is a religion of heavenly origin and not a system produced by man’s thought processes,
Since the nineteenth century this party has been gaining a wider following as the general level of faith, piety and knowledge of the Muslims has gone down, making them vulnerable to faulted ar- guments, and also more in love than ever before with material possessions while becoming less and less interested in the spiritual essence of Islam. The people of that party are dry and thick-headed — their heads are like rocks — and because of them the state cf the Muslims becomes more and mare pathetic.
Islam is always strong, never weak: it is like gold that may pass through centuries, through thousands of years without corroding or losing its value, but become even more valuable, Don’t think that these foolish people in their pitiable state are the possessors of that fine gold, no! They are bank- rupt because they have lost that treasure; but the treasure is not really lost, it is found in the hearts of true believers.
** Wa min Allah at-Taufiq.**
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ASSOCIATION
Once our Grandsheikh addressed me, saying: “Oh Nazim Efendi, I want to speak to you on a very serious point, a point for which you and all seekers must take the greatest care, Don’t worship your ego as a god beside Allah Almighty. You must be most careful, as this kind of polytheism is the kind you may be engaging in without even knowing it. Ego- worship is the most dangerous deviation from pure faith: hidden idolatry”.
Look, we human beings are actually the weak- est of creatures. Every animal that walks on the earth, swims in tthe water or flies in the air has better mechanisms of adaptation than we do. They may roam about in the nature eating grasses, drink- ing muddy water, sleeping on the ground; they have furs to keep them warm or else they are cold-blood- ed. They are not going to be affected by the normal change of weather. But our bodies are so delicate: we are in need of different kinds of clothes for each of the seasons, and we must maintain a certain lev- el of cleanliness in our food and drink or else we become ill. In other words, if we 'were to be subject- ed to the conditions under which other creatures Survive we would die quickly. Therefore, in this sense, mankind is a weakling among the animals.
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But notice that even we weaklings, the most delicate of creatures, even as vulnerable single in- dividuals never like to accept a partner in any ac- tivity if we think we can do it ourselves. Only when we estimate a particular task to be beyond our ca- pability of performing alone do we seek a helper. For example, if a man establishes a business and is easily able to finance and run it himself, will he seek a partner? No, that would be useless,
And so, if you can recognize that even a weak creature never accepts a partner when none is call- ed for, how can you ascribe a partner or partners to Allah Almighty? Who could be a partner to the Lord of ithe Universe, The Lord of All, Who has end- less power and created everything? How can He accept a partner, a son, a wife or a daughter? Which creature may be a suitable partner for Him? Can ‘anyone be up to that? Shall the Creator create a creature and set it up with Himself? That is ab- surd! You accept a partner to provide something you lack: financing or labour, otherwise no one tolerates such a burden. So who can help Allah?
Therefore, all Prophets have spoken out strong- ly against such foolish notions in religion, against any kind of polytheism. But there is a kind of poly- theism that is secret, not so easily detectible. And in reality, so many men are worshipping a god other than God Almighty without even knowing it. Even those who claim to worship only Him Alone usually persist in the worship of ithis secret idol in themsel- ves. And who or what is claiming to be a partner
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to Allah Almighty — none other, of course, than our ego.
Your ego approaches you and says: “I am the Partner. Whether you like it or not I am the idol you worship, beside Aliah, If you insist on worship- ping Allah and claim that He is your Lord, and I cannot dissuade you from that folly, then at least you must recognize me as your second Lord, and you will endeavour to please me too. If you strive to be an obedient servant of your Lord, you must also strive to be my servant; if you are obeying your Lord you must sometimes also obey me. Go ahead, if you must, and declare your belief in Allah, pray five times a day, fast in Ramadan, make pilgrimage to Mecca, give charity, but I will not tolerate all of this unless you dedicate these actions to me as well — I demand my share!”
When our egos address us in such a manner, we reply: “Oh my ego, you are right to demand that I pay homage to you as well, and I shall strive to please you, to honor and obey you. And if, some times, I cannot do your bidding, please forgive me, please pardon me, and know that I am doing the best I can to please you.”
Now. we, as Muslims, as followers of the purest monotheistic religion may be very smug and com- placent about the status of our faith, Perhaps in museums or by the roadside we may see idols that the ancients hewed from stone, shaped from clay or from metal, and we may laugh at the foolishness of worshipping the product of one’s own hands, say-
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ing: “Those ancients, how foolish they were — ha, ha — making some statues and offering them their humble obeisances, making vows to them, loving and honouring them!” And all the while we are in reality no better — devotees of the ego-god. The Holy Prophet warned in the strongest terms against this pitfall, especially as it is so well hidden, like a trap in the jungle covered over with branches and grass. So many people worship this partner without ever even suspecting it.
Grandsheikh warned us also that this ego-god is never really going to be satisfied with being num- ber two. “No”, it says, “I am first, second and third... worship none but Me”, But when it perceives resist- ance it makes a sly calculation and says: “Alright, He is first, I am second”, knowing that this is his chance to place himself in a position to sabotage our faith and eventually stage its coup.
Therefore, our task is to dethrone the partner; and all of the Prophets were sent to mankind in order to teach them how to go about that task. We are in need of training at the hands of someone who can be firm in the face of his ego’s demands, who, beyond that, has tamed his ego so that it never demands undue attention or pampering. Until you have reached that point you must be aware that you are a secret idolater, and so, your heart will be locked up and cut off from the blessings of Divine Knowledge.
By being in the company of a man who has, firstly, realized what a deadly game the ego plays,
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and secondly, rid himself of its domination, the seeker of truth may arrive at his goal. Therefore, the Seal of Prophets, Muhammad, Peace be upon him, taught his companions, above all else, by ‘ta- king them as his companions, by entering them into association with him. Accordingly, the Inheritors of the Prophet, the Naqshbandi Masters, stress the importance of “Sohbet”, association ‘with the Sheikh, as the essential pillar in the training of seekers. Shah Nagshband, the illustrious Imam of the line of Masters we follow, the Imam after whom the Path is named and without whom there would be no Nagshbandiyya, always used to repeat in his assemblies: “Our Way is Sohbet, association, and all good things result from congregating”. He fur- thermore stated that if anyone attended an assem- bly of this Way even for five or ten minutes, he would derive such immense spiritual benefit from that brief encounter as to outweigh the benefits that would be gained by seven years of supereroga- tory worship.
That is the power of the assembly of the In- heritors of the Prophet, and augmenting that power is the unanimity of the participants in that meeting, their joining of hearts in sincerity with the heart of the Sheikh. In such a meeting such a power de- scends on tthe hearts of the participants that even the deep roots of hidden idolatry, of ego-worship, can be pulled out. You may observe that with every associ- ation the ego’s power is further undermined.
Our Grandsheikh explained that without associ
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ation it is very difficult to catch the ego out in its game, to identify its tricks and escape from its clutches. We are in need of a guide to show us which paths lead over cliffs, as it is particularly those paths that our ego likes to point to, putting up very authoritative-looking signs, saying ‘“Thru-way”, or “Shortcut”, and you think everything is alright. The ego comes and advises you: “If you do this, that may result; if that, this. This is suitable, but that not;” and with such “good advice’ it seeks to change your heart, to turn you against your Lord Almighty.
But when you are associating with the Sheikh, the ego and its doings are quickly identified and ‘become manifest. The ego’s disguise is snatched off of it so that there, in front of you it stands, naked and exposed. Then you are surprised and exclaim : “That is none other than my ego! It was so well dis- guised that I took it for a very important and highly qualified advisor; but now I see it is just that same old rascal.”
In this manner association with the Sheikh may help you to perceive your faults, and then, if you can take up the thread and work on those bad char- acteristics, improving yourself through applied effort, then you will undergo rapid improvement.
Another important point to understand is that whenever ‘any group of our brothers or sisters meet for the sake of Allah Almighty, unanimously join- ing their hearts with the Masters of this Way, that meeting will attain to the level of an association
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with the kind of beneficial effects just described. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the only beneficial meeting is the one where the Sheikh is physically in attendance. When our brothers or sisters meet, one of them must be the channel for inspiration to come from the Sheikh: one must speak and the others listen: one must take from the Sheikh and the others, through him from the Sheikh. The Naqshbandi Way is the Sufi Path ad- hering most closely to tthe practices of the Holy Prophet, and association in this manner was his way, and the way of his companions, as he always appointed a leader to preside in his absence.
Yes, one must speak and the others must listen, this way. all the meetings of our brothers are bless- ed. If more than one person speaks, or if there are arguments and contention, then there will be no spiritual power in that meeting and hearts will be left cold. Therefore, if we indicate that one of our brothers should make association in any meeting, you must listen to him. When you listen to him, he will be able to receive the inspirations of our Grand- sheikh whose heart is in connection with our Prophet, Peace be upon him, whose heart is always with the Lord Almighty. In this manner Allah Al- mighty is going to help that person and pour out on him from His endless Blessings, His endless Mercy, Knowledge and Favour Oceans, so that through his words the attenders of that meeting may be guided towards their destinations.
When a person is asked by the Sheikh to ad-
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dress people anywhere and anytime on the Sheilkh’s behalf, there may be one-hundred, one-thousand or one-million people listening to that person’s address, and every one of them will be able to take what he is in need of. It is impossible that someone should address a meeting on the Sheikh’s behalf without anyone drawing any benefit from that association; on the contrary, everyone will take his share.
J was in our Grandsheikh’s association for about forty years, and I was accustomed to writing down his words. All in all it came to more than seven thousand associations. He was so generous with his company and in sharing his wisdom; even if only one person was in attendance he would sit with him and teach him. He used to address people with such ease, never finding himself at a loss of what to say to. anyone or any group of people: children or adults, men or women, young or old people, edu- cated. city dwellers or villagers: he was able to address people according to their minds’ capacities, to speak to them on their levels, this despite the fact that he himself was unlettered. This was poss- ible because his knowledge was not derived -from books, but from the heart, and through his heart flowed everything we are in need of.
** Wa min Allah at-Taufigq **
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THE “PERSONALITY” OF ALLAH
Question : “How can we conceive of God as a “person” whom we can address in a way similar to that of one person addressing another, when, on the cther hand, Islam confirms the transcendence of Allah Almighty: that He is beyond definition or description, that He is Everything, and always greater than His creation? In the Judeeo-Christian- Islamic tradition, while Allah is Supreme and Transcendent, yet, somehow, He is still a "person” in some way, while in most Eastern religions the Absolute is conceived of more abstractly, in par- ales, or as Pure Light, a concept which is also present in Islam, as He is known as “an-Nur’”’, “the Light”. Can you help me to understand something of ‘these matters more clearly?”
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The Sheikh: The existence of our Lord, Allah Almighty, is Absolute, Real, Eternal Existence, while the existence of all appearances is relative : they may be or not be according to their Lord’s Will. You are inquiring about the Eternal Personality and Exist- ence of Allah Almighty, but that knowledge is be- yond your reach. How can our limited minds, our limited knowledge, limited personalities, encompass
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anything of the Personality, The One that is beyond the limits of our minds?.Now ‘yOu have asked a detailed question, and are trying to grapple with such matters with your mind; but all that you can know with your mind is that He is in existence, that His Existence is revealed through His Divine Attri- butes, that His Divine Attributes are known through His Holy Names, and that His Holy Names appear in this world through His Works or Deeds.
Our relationship with our Lord Almighty is the relationship of Lord to servant and servant to Lord. The Lord is never going to be like His servant and the servant never like the Lord, and this distinction is never going to be blurred or dimin- ished in the slightest no matter how close the ser- vant may draw or how dear he is to his Lord.
We know that He Almighty is “the Light’, but don’t think that you can decribe Him as “Light” (Pure Light’ or ‘White Light’), as ‘The Light’ is only one of His Holy Names, which indicates just one of His Holy Attributes from among endless Names and Attributes, Indeed, His Deeds and His creatures are endless, so don’t imagine that you can describe Him so simply. To say that Allah is Light is like saying, “Man is eye” or “Man is foot”. If you de scribe man as being the total sum of all his organs and limbs you have still not described. him fully, so what of describing him as being just one single organ? That would be foolishness.
Allah Almighty makes Himself known to His creatures through His Divine Attributes, as He has
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implanted His Attributes in mankind. The key to the knowledge God made available to man is embed- ed in our divine personality. Specifically, He Al mighty has implanted in-each person one of His Divine Attributes which is his key to opening his relationship with his Lord. Everyone has such a key-attribute in himself, and it differs from person to person. Through your particular divine attribute you may be able to address your Lord Almighty, to be with your Lord Almighty — your whole relation- ship develops through that Attribute. Therefore, whoever seeks to approach his Lord must know the Attribute in himself that is the key. Until we have that key in hand we may be in need of an interces- sor to help us perceive what our Lord desires of us, but once you have learned about that Attribute you may open yourself up and clearly see who is in you, who is out of you, who is with you and with whom you are.
Now, if you can take that key by following any spiritual tradition, then take it, but if you are not on the way to receiving it you are wasting your life. Try as many ‘ways as you like, then, if you still feel that your key is out of hand, and if you are still seeking it, come —- we have some methods, methods coming to us from the Holy Prophet to teach people how to take their keys, Then you may understand who He is and who you are. Otherwise you may ponder and perform practices, and all of it will be in vain. Don’t deceive yourself with empty titles, no; empty titles will never give you anything, You
must only ask: “Where is the key that opens me?” Then you may see you in yourself.
We are practising something here. Perhaps I am not addressing you very often, putting you to work, instead, at tasks of physical labour; it doesn’t matter, the important thing is that you are with us so that you may learn the whereabouts of your key. A Sheikh who is appointed by the Holy Prophet may give you your key, and all that you are doing here is training for that.
Don’t imagine that you will attain this opening by reading books. You must. not imagine that every- thing can be encompassed by the mind. The mind is bound to Earth, but our way is the way of the soul’s understanding. The mind refuses but the heart accepts. The mind denies what the heart be- lieves. That is the important point. So many thou- sands and thousands of people in your countries, in Europe and America, are seeking to establish the relationship between themselves and their Lord Al- mighty but they are following dead-end ways be- cause they are seeking to establish that relationship through their minds, and it is impossible. The spirit, not the mind, will arrive at that goal. The ego uses the mind to try and hinder the seeker of spiritual awakening, but with the right training the soul will triumph.
** Wa min Allah at-Taufiq **
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UNITY AND DUALITY
The realities of the human soul are unfathom- able. Those realities are not subject to the limita- tions of time and space, Therefore, you shouldn't imagine that our existence is only of the duration of our brief lifespan — fifty, seventy or eighty years — and that we then disappear and exist no more. Don’t imagine either that our realities are confined to these forms of flesh and bones. If you imagine for yourself such a limited existence, then, in reality, you are denying that your existence is real, as real- ity is eternal and unchanging.
The only thing changing in our lives is our outward form. It 'was created from dust and water, then caused to grow and become strong, then to shrivel and die. That form survives for its destined lifespan by means of air, water and food, then it reveris to dust and water, returning to its original form, once it has performed its duty and fulfilled its usefulness. The soul 'was tied to it for a short time in accordance with the Lord’s Will, and when it re- turns to its original form the soul returns to its reality in the Divine Presence.
Therefore, when Allah Almighty mentions the names of the Holy Prophets in the Holy Qur’an, He is not referring to forms made of clay, who ate food
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and drank water, but to their real forms in the Di- vine Presence. And so, when we affirm the prophat- hood of the Seal of Prophets, Muhammad, Peace be upon him, as part of our declaration of the Unity of God Almighty we are referring to that eterna! existence in the Divine Realm. The existence of Mu- hammad, peace be upon him, in the Divine Pres- ence is an aspect of Unity; everything in the Divine Presence is eternal and ‘real, so his existence per- tains to that realm of absolute existence, There is no partition in that realm, the realm where all ex- istence is engulfed in Unity Oceans, united in the reality of Divine Existence. So don’t imagine that the Qur'an, which is an eternal book in the Divine Presence, refers to the physical temporary existence on Earth of the Prophets Muhammad, Abraham, Moses, etc; no, it refers to their heavenly existence in the Divine Presence in Unity Oceans, in absolute- ness,
Question: “This is a very difficult point to comprehend, because when we say : “Allah, Muham- mad, Abraham” these are distinct and separate en- tities in our minds. In the mind there are parti- tions: one for Allah, one for Muhammad, one for Abraham. It is difficult to conceptualize Unity and yet have these undeniably distinct categories, The mind cannot encompass this.”
The Sheikh: One can only begin to approach such Divine Realities with the heart, When you say
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“The Atlantic Ocean”, it includes everything that exists in that ocean, but we dco not say that the Atlantic Ocean is fish or ships, even though they are in it; we refer to it only as “The Atlantic Ocean”. Whatever Allah Almighty causes to appear never contradicts His Unity, nor is it considered as being severed therefrom.
Now look in this mirror. Is that you in it, or not? Please, who is in it, you?
“No, I am here.”
Then who is that?
“It’s a reflection.”
But who is that, someone else or you? “Me.”
Look, it even speaks to you!
And if you put a mirror in front of you and another one in back so that they face each other, then you may see endless images of yourself from this side and from that. Like this, the Unity of Allah is absolute and all shapes are reflections, the Proph- ets being the most perfected reflections,
Don’t imagine that the existence of such a vast. Universe with so many creatures init in any way con- tradicts or detracts from the Unity of Allah; such imaginings would be foolishness. Yes, and you must know as well that everything has a distinct per- sonality because Allah Almighty causes endlessly varying manifestations of His Divine Names to ap- pear through His creatures.
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Question: “Does Allah Almighty appear in bad people or only in good people?”
The Sheikh: In the sight of Allah Almighty all are His creatures. He Almighty created goodness and evil to test His servants, Through good people appear His Divine Attributes of Mercy and Benef- icence, and through evildoers and tyrants are seen the reflections of His Attributes of Force, Power and Retribution. So, one kind of people are manifesta- tions and so are the others. Allah Almighty has endless Divine Names, and every Name is a mirror that has reflections in the creation.
Question : “Then is there nothing bad or evil?”
The Sheikh : In the sight of Allah this may be so, but you must know that Allah Almighty has or- dered us to pursue goodness and not evil, and He has made our obedience to this order as a test, a supreme test that is at the very heart of His hav- ing created us in this world and in these forms, As His creatures, who find themselves in the midst of a world which He created in order to test our ability to distinguish good from evil, and to follow good- ness despite the attraction of evil that He has caused to be strong in us, it is our duty to stress the distinction between good and evil and not try to downgrade it or cloud it over.
So, our level, the level of all who find them- selves in this world, is to distinguish; but the Cre-
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ator is never in this situation, far exalted be He above all limitations. You may follow the stream to its source. If we follow creation to the Main Source, we may find, coming from the same source, a stream gushing forth with sweet fresh water, and another, taking another course, salty and bitter. So, if you follow everything to its main source, that source is Allah; but right from the Source the two streams part; this means that mankind (and we are always included in that category, no matter who we are and no matter what we accomplish) experiences the distinction between the fresh and. the salty.
He is the Creator. It is His to test His servants. He is free. He is not under the command of anyone, and He does what He Wills according to His own wisdom. No one can command Him, but He com- mands all — and He commands us to do good and avoid evil.
Question: “But many people, especially unbe- lievers, ask: ‘Why does Allah create badness if He is supposedly so good?’ ”’
The Sheikh: They would be better off, much better off, not asking such questions! Satan asked “Why?” and he became Satan. How can weak man- kind ask such a question of the Lord Almighty? What daring they exhibit in relation to their Lord, when, by contrast, they are quick to refrain from asking their bosses and directors at work “why?” for fear of losing their jobs. They are ready to ac-
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cept the dictates of the powerful in this world with- out question from fear of crossing them, yet they venture to cross-examine the Lord of the Worlds! They are very bad mannered people indeed to ask cf their Lord: “Why did you create evil?’”. Yes, this life is full of every variety of good and bad, at every corner a chance to demonstrate your adherence to good or fall into temptation, every day many tests to face. And He Almi
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=5815
culous occurences as re- sulting from material causes, as being easily expli- cable events that normal reason can accept and the mind understand. This second party tries to bring the sun down onto the earth, and the moon to the ground : it tries to make heavenly events mundane.
Instead of trying to free the mind from its nor- mal definitions and limitations so ‘that it may attain to a more transcendent realm, these people try to
— 43 —
fit spiritual realities into their block-heads, When they try to stuff the endless realities of Islam into such a cube, they will get something totally at vari- ance with the original heavenly guidance, as Islam is a religion of heavenly origin and not a system produced by man’s thought processes,
Since the nineteenth century this party has been gaining a wider following as the general level of faith, piety and knowledge of the Muslims has gone down, making them vulnerable to faulted ar- guments, and also more in love than ever before with material possessions while becoming less and less interested in the spiritual essence of Islam. The people of that party are dry and thick-headed — their heads are like rocks — and because of them the state cf the Muslims becomes more and mare pathetic.
Islam is always strong, never weak: it is like gold that may pass through centuries, through thousands of years without corroding or losing its value, but become even more valuable, Don’t think that these foolish people in their pitiable state are the possessors of that fine gold, no! They are bank- rupt because they have lost that treasure; but the treasure is not really lost, it is found in the hearts of true believers.
** Wa min Allah at-Taufiq.**
— 44 —
ASSOCIATION
Once our Grandsheikh addressed me, saying: “Oh Nazim Efendi, I want to speak to you on a very serious point, a point for which you and all seekers must take the greatest care, Don’t worship your ego as a god beside Allah Almighty. You must be most careful, as this kind of polytheism is the kind you may be engaging in without even knowing it. Ego- worship is the most dangerous deviation from pure faith: hidden idolatry”.
Look, we human beings are actually the weak- est of creatures. Every animal that walks on the earth, swims in tthe water or flies in the air has better mechanisms of adaptation than we do. They may roam about in the nature eating grasses, drink- ing muddy water, sleeping on the ground; they have furs to keep them warm or else they are cold-blood- ed. They are not going to be affected by the normal change of weather. But our bodies are so delicate: we are in need of different kinds of clothes for each of the seasons, and we must maintain a certain lev- el of cleanliness in our food and drink or else we become ill. In other words, if we 'were to be subject- ed to the conditions under which other creatures Survive we would die quickly. Therefore, in this sense, mankind is a weakling among the animals.
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But notice that even we weaklings, the most delicate of creatures, even as vulnerable single in- dividuals never like to accept a partner in any ac- tivity if we think we can do it ourselves. Only when we estimate a particular task to be beyond our ca- pability of performing alone do we seek a helper. For example, if a man establishes a business and is easily able to finance and run it himself, will he seek a partner? No, that would be useless,
And so, if you can recognize that even a weak creature never accepts a partner when none is call- ed for, how can you ascribe a partner or partners to Allah Almighty? Who could be a partner to the Lord of ithe Universe, The Lord of All, Who has end- less power and created everything? How can He accept a partner, a son, a wife or a daughter? Which creature may be a suitable partner for Him? Can ‘anyone be up to that? Shall the Creator create a creature and set it up with Himself? That is ab- surd! You accept a partner to provide something you lack: financing or labour, otherwise no one tolerates such a burden. So who can help Allah?
Therefore, all Prophets have spoken out strong- ly against such foolish notions in religion, against any kind of polytheism. But there is a kind of poly- theism that is secret, not so easily detectible. And in reality, so many men are worshipping a god other than God Almighty without even knowing it. Even those who claim to worship only Him Alone usually persist in the worship of ithis secret idol in themsel- ves. And who or what is claiming to be a partner
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to Allah Almighty — none other, of course, than our ego.
Your ego approaches you and says: “I am the Partner. Whether you like it or not I am the idol you worship, beside Aliah, If you insist on worship- ping Allah and claim that He is your Lord, and I cannot dissuade you from that folly, then at least you must recognize me as your second Lord, and you will endeavour to please me too. If you strive to be an obedient servant of your Lord, you must also strive to be my servant; if you are obeying your Lord you must sometimes also obey me. Go ahead, if you must, and declare your belief in Allah, pray five times a day, fast in Ramadan, make pilgrimage to Mecca, give charity, but I will not tolerate all of this unless you dedicate these actions to me as well — I demand my share!”
When our egos address us in such a manner, we reply: “Oh my ego, you are right to demand that I pay homage to you as well, and I shall strive to please you, to honor and obey you. And if, some times, I cannot do your bidding, please forgive me, please pardon me, and know that I am doing the best I can to please you.”
Now. we, as Muslims, as followers of the purest monotheistic religion may be very smug and com- placent about the status of our faith, Perhaps in museums or by the roadside we may see idols that the ancients hewed from stone, shaped from clay or from metal, and we may laugh at the foolishness of worshipping the product of one’s own hands, say-
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ing: “Those ancients, how foolish they were — ha, ha — making some statues and offering them their humble obeisances, making vows to them, loving and honouring them!” And all the while we are in reality no better — devotees of the ego-god. The Holy Prophet warned in the strongest terms against this pitfall, especially as it is so well hidden, like a trap in the jungle covered over with branches and grass. So many people worship this partner without ever even suspecting it.
Grandsheikh warned us also that this ego-god is never really going to be satisfied with being num- ber two. “No”, it says, “I am first, second and third... worship none but Me”, But when it perceives resist- ance it makes a sly calculation and says: “Alright, He is first, I am second”, knowing that this is his chance to place himself in a position to sabotage our faith and eventually stage its coup.
Therefore, our task is to dethrone the partner; and all of the Prophets were sent to mankind in order to teach them how to go about that task. We are in need of training at the hands of someone who can be firm in the face of his ego’s demands, who, beyond that, has tamed his ego so that it never demands undue attention or pampering. Until you have reached that point you must be aware that you are a secret idolater, and so, your heart will be locked up and cut off from the blessings of Divine Knowledge.
By being in the company of a man who has, firstly, realized what a deadly game the ego plays,
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and secondly, rid himself of its domination, the seeker of truth may arrive at his goal. Therefore, the Seal of Prophets, Muhammad, Peace be upon him, taught his companions, above all else, by ‘ta- king them as his companions, by entering them into association with him. Accordingly, the Inheritors of the Prophet, the Naqshbandi Masters, stress the importance of “Sohbet”, association ‘with the Sheikh, as the essential pillar in the training of seekers. Shah Nagshband, the illustrious Imam of the line of Masters we follow, the Imam after whom the Path is named and without whom there would be no Nagshbandiyya, always used to repeat in his assemblies: “Our Way is Sohbet, association, and all good things result from congregating”. He fur- thermore stated that if anyone attended an assem- bly of this Way even for five or ten minutes, he would derive such immense spiritual benefit from that brief encounter as to outweigh the benefits that would be gained by seven years of supereroga- tory worship.
That is the power of the assembly of the In- heritors of the Prophet, and augmenting that power is the unanimity of the participants in that meeting, their joining of hearts in sincerity with the heart of the Sheikh. In such a meeting such a power de- scends on tthe hearts of the participants that even the deep roots of hidden idolatry, of ego-worship, can be pulled out. You may observe that with every associ- ation the ego’s power is further undermined.
Our Grandsheikh explained that without associ
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ation it is very difficult to catch the ego out in its game, to identify its tricks and escape from its clutches. We are in need of a guide to show us which paths lead over cliffs, as it is particularly those paths that our ego likes to point to, putting up very authoritative-looking signs, saying ‘“Thru-way”, or “Shortcut”, and you think everything is alright. The ego comes and advises you: “If you do this, that may result; if that, this. This is suitable, but that not;” and with such “good advice’ it seeks to change your heart, to turn you against your Lord Almighty.
But when you are associating with the Sheikh, the ego and its doings are quickly identified and ‘become manifest. The ego’s disguise is snatched off of it so that there, in front of you it stands, naked and exposed. Then you are surprised and exclaim : “That is none other than my ego! It was so well dis- guised that I took it for a very important and highly qualified advisor; but now I see it is just that same old rascal.”
In this manner association with the Sheikh may help you to perceive your faults, and then, if you can take up the thread and work on those bad char- acteristics, improving yourself through applied effort, then you will undergo rapid improvement.
Another important point to understand is that whenever ‘any group of our brothers or sisters meet for the sake of Allah Almighty, unanimously join- ing their hearts with the Masters of this Way, that meeting will attain to the level of an association
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with the kind of beneficial effects just described. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the only beneficial meeting is the one where the Sheikh is physically in attendance. When our brothers or sisters meet, one of them must be the channel for inspiration to come from the Sheikh: one must speak and the others listen: one must take from the Sheikh and the others, through him from the Sheikh. The Naqshbandi Way is the Sufi Path ad- hering most closely to tthe practices of the Holy Prophet, and association in this manner was his way, and the way of his companions, as he always appointed a leader to preside in his absence.
Yes, one must speak and the others must listen, this way. all the meetings of our brothers are bless- ed. If more than one person speaks, or if there are arguments and contention, then there will be no spiritual power in that meeting and hearts will be left cold. Therefore, if we indicate that one of our brothers should make association in any meeting, you must listen to him. When you listen to him, he will be able to receive the inspirations of our Grand- sheikh whose heart is in connection with our Prophet, Peace be upon him, whose heart is always with the Lord Almighty. In this manner Allah Al- mighty is going to help that person and pour out on him from His endless Blessings, His endless Mercy, Knowledge and Favour Oceans, so that through his words the attenders of that meeting may be guided towards their destinations.
When a person is asked by the Sheikh to ad-
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dress people anywhere and anytime on the Sheilkh’s behalf, there may be one-hundred, one-thousand or one-million people listening to that person’s address, and every one of them will be able to take what he is in need of. It is impossible that someone should address a meeting on the Sheikh’s behalf without anyone drawing any benefit from that association; on the contrary, everyone will take his share.
J was in our Grandsheikh’s association for about forty years, and I was accustomed to writing down his words. All in all it came to more than seven thousand associations. He was so generous with his company and in sharing his wisdom; even if only one person was in attendance he would sit with him and teach him. He used to address people with such ease, never finding himself at a loss of what to say to. anyone or any group of people: children or adults, men or women, young or old people, edu- cated. city dwellers or villagers: he was able to address people according to their minds’ capacities, to speak to them on their levels, this despite the fact that he himself was unlettered. This was poss- ible because his knowledge was not derived -from books, but from the heart, and through his heart flowed everything we are in need of.
** Wa min Allah at-Taufigq **
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THE “PERSONALITY” OF ALLAH
Question : “How can we conceive of God as a “person” whom we can address in a way similar to that of one person addressing another, when, on the cther hand, Islam confirms the transcendence of Allah Almighty: that He is beyond definition or description, that He is Everything, and always greater than His creation? In the Judeeo-Christian- Islamic tradition, while Allah is Supreme and Transcendent, yet, somehow, He is still a "person” in some way, while in most Eastern religions the Absolute is conceived of more abstractly, in par- ales, or as Pure Light, a concept which is also present in Islam, as He is known as “an-Nur’”’, “the Light”. Can you help me to understand something of ‘these matters more clearly?”
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The Sheikh: The existence of our Lord, Allah Almighty, is Absolute, Real, Eternal Existence, while the existence of all appearances is relative : they may be or not be according to their Lord’s Will. You are inquiring about the Eternal Personality and Exist- ence of Allah Almighty, but that knowledge is be- yond your reach. How can our limited minds, our limited knowledge, limited personalities, encompass
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anything of the Personality, The One that is beyond the limits of our minds?.Now ‘yOu have asked a detailed question, and are trying to grapple with such matters with your mind; but all that you can know with your mind is that He is in existence, that His Existence is revealed through His Divine Attri- butes, that His Divine Attributes are known through His Holy Names, and that His Holy Names appear in this world through His Works or Deeds.
Our relationship with our Lord Almighty is the relationship of Lord to servant and servant to Lord. The Lord is never going to be like His servant and the servant never like the Lord, and this distinction is never going to be blurred or dimin- ished in the slightest no matter how close the ser- vant may draw or how dear he is to his Lord.
We know that He Almighty is “the Light’, but don’t think that you can decribe Him as “Light” (Pure Light’ or ‘White Light’), as ‘The Light’ is only one of His Holy Names, which indicates just one of His Holy Attributes from among endless Names and Attributes, Indeed, His Deeds and His creatures are endless, so don’t imagine that you can describe Him so simply. To say that Allah is Light is like saying, “Man is eye” or “Man is foot”. If you de scribe man as being the total sum of all his organs and limbs you have still not described. him fully, so what of describing him as being just one single organ? That would be foolishness.
Allah Almighty makes Himself known to His creatures through His Divine Attributes, as He has
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implanted His Attributes in mankind. The key to the knowledge God made available to man is embed- ed in our divine personality. Specifically, He Al mighty has implanted in-each person one of His Divine Attributes which is his key to opening his relationship with his Lord. Everyone has such a key-attribute in himself, and it differs from person to person. Through your particular divine attribute you may be able to address your Lord Almighty, to be with your Lord Almighty — your whole relation- ship develops through that Attribute. Therefore, whoever seeks to approach his Lord must know the Attribute in himself that is the key. Until we have that key in hand we may be in need of an interces- sor to help us perceive what our Lord desires of us, but once you have learned about that Attribute you may open yourself up and clearly see who is in you, who is out of you, who is with you and with whom you are.
Now, if you can take that key by following any spiritual tradition, then take it, but if you are not on the way to receiving it you are wasting your life. Try as many ‘ways as you like, then, if you still feel that your key is out of hand, and if you are still seeking it, come —- we have some methods, methods coming to us from the Holy Prophet to teach people how to take their keys, Then you may understand who He is and who you are. Otherwise you may ponder and perform practices, and all of it will be in vain. Don’t deceive yourself with empty titles, no; empty titles will never give you anything, You
must only ask: “Where is the key that opens me?” Then you may see you in yourself.
We are practising something here. Perhaps I am not addressing you very often, putting you to work, instead, at tasks of physical labour; it doesn’t matter, the important thing is that you are with us so that you may learn the whereabouts of your key. A Sheikh who is appointed by the Holy Prophet may give you your key, and all that you are doing here is training for that.
Don’t imagine that you will attain this opening by reading books. You must. not imagine that every- thing can be encompassed by the mind. The mind is bound to Earth, but our way is the way of the soul’s understanding. The mind refuses but the heart accepts. The mind denies what the heart be- lieves. That is the important point. So many thou- sands and thousands of people in your countries, in Europe and America, are seeking to establish the relationship between themselves and their Lord Al- mighty but they are following dead-end ways be- cause they are seeking to establish that relationship through their minds, and it is impossible. The spirit, not the mind, will arrive at that goal. The ego uses the mind to try and hinder the seeker of spiritual awakening, but with the right training the soul will triumph.
** Wa min Allah at-Taufiq **
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UNITY AND DUALITY
The realities of the human soul are unfathom- able. Those realities are not subject to the limita- tions of time and space, Therefore, you shouldn't imagine that our existence is only of the duration of our brief lifespan — fifty, seventy or eighty years — and that we then disappear and exist no more. Don’t imagine either that our realities are confined to these forms of flesh and bones. If you imagine for yourself such a limited existence, then, in reality, you are denying that your existence is real, as real- ity is eternal and unchanging.
The only thing changing in our lives is our outward form. It 'was created from dust and water, then caused to grow and become strong, then to shrivel and die. That form survives for its destined lifespan by means of air, water and food, then it reveris to dust and water, returning to its original form, once it has performed its duty and fulfilled its usefulness. The soul 'was tied to it for a short time in accordance with the Lord’s Will, and when it re- turns to its original form the soul returns to its reality in the Divine Presence.
Therefore, when Allah Almighty mentions the names of the Holy Prophets in the Holy Qur’an, He is not referring to forms made of clay, who ate food
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and drank water, but to their real forms in the Di- vine Presence. And so, when we affirm the prophat- hood of the Seal of Prophets, Muhammad, Peace be upon him, as part of our declaration of the Unity of God Almighty we are referring to that eterna! existence in the Divine Realm. The existence of Mu- hammad, peace be upon him, in the Divine Pres- ence is an aspect of Unity; everything in the Divine Presence is eternal and ‘real, so his existence per- tains to that realm of absolute existence, There is no partition in that realm, the realm where all ex- istence is engulfed in Unity Oceans, united in the reality of Divine Existence. So don’t imagine that the Qur'an, which is an eternal book in the Divine Presence, refers to the physical temporary existence on Earth of the Prophets Muhammad, Abraham, Moses, etc; no, it refers to their heavenly existence in the Divine Presence in Unity Oceans, in absolute- ness,
Question: “This is a very difficult point to comprehend, because when we say : “Allah, Muham- mad, Abraham” these are distinct and separate en- tities in our minds. In the mind there are parti- tions: one for Allah, one for Muhammad, one for Abraham. It is difficult to conceptualize Unity and yet have these undeniably distinct categories, The mind cannot encompass this.”
The Sheikh: One can only begin to approach such Divine Realities with the heart, When you say
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“The Atlantic Ocean”, it includes everything that exists in that ocean, but we dco not say that the Atlantic Ocean is fish or ships, even though they are in it; we refer to it only as “The Atlantic Ocean”. Whatever Allah Almighty causes to appear never contradicts His Unity, nor is it considered as being severed therefrom.
Now look in this mirror. Is that you in it, or not? Please, who is in it, you?
“No, I am here.”
Then who is that?
“It’s a reflection.”
But who is that, someone else or you? “Me.”
Look, it even speaks to you!
And if you put a mirror in front of you and another one in back so that they face each other, then you may see endless images of yourself from this side and from that. Like this, the Unity of Allah is absolute and all shapes are reflections, the Proph- ets being the most perfected reflections,
Don’t imagine that the existence of such a vast. Universe with so many creatures init in any way con- tradicts or detracts from the Unity of Allah; such imaginings would be foolishness. Yes, and you must know as well that everything has a distinct per- sonality because Allah Almighty causes endlessly varying manifestations of His Divine Names to ap- pear through His creatures.
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Question: “Does Allah Almighty appear in bad people or only in good people?”
The Sheikh: In the sight of Allah Almighty all are His creatures. He Almighty created goodness and evil to test His servants, Through good people appear His Divine Attributes of Mercy and Benef- icence, and through evildoers and tyrants are seen the reflections of His Attributes of Force, Power and Retribution. So, one kind of people are manifesta- tions and so are the others. Allah Almighty has endless Divine Names, and every Name is a mirror that has reflections in the creation.
Question : “Then is there nothing bad or evil?”
The Sheikh : In the sight of Allah this may be so, but you must know that Allah Almighty has or- dered us to pursue goodness and not evil, and He has made our obedience to this order as a test, a supreme test that is at the very heart of His hav- ing created us in this world and in these forms, As His creatures, who find themselves in the midst of a world which He created in order to test our ability to distinguish good from evil, and to follow good- ness despite the attraction of evil that He has caused to be strong in us, it is our duty to stress the distinction between good and evil and not try to downgrade it or cloud it over.
So, our level, the level of all who find them- selves in this world, is to distinguish; but the Cre-
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ator is never in this situation, far exalted be He above all limitations. You may follow the stream to its source. If we follow creation to the Main Source, we may find, coming from the same source, a stream gushing forth with sweet fresh water, and another, taking another course, salty and bitter. So, if you follow everything to its main source, that source is Allah; but right from the Source the two streams part; this means that mankind (and we are always included in that category, no matter who we are and no matter what we accomplish) experiences the distinction between the fresh and. the salty.
He is the Creator. It is His to test His servants. He is free. He is not under the command of anyone, and He does what He Wills according to His own wisdom. No one can command Him, but He com- mands all — and He commands us to do good and avoid evil.
Question: “But many people, especially unbe- lievers, ask: ‘Why does Allah create badness if He is supposedly so good?’ ”’
The Sheikh: They would be better off, much better off, not asking such questions! Satan asked “Why?” and he became Satan. How can weak man- kind ask such a question of the Lord Almighty? What daring they exhibit in relation to their Lord, when, by contrast, they are quick to refrain from asking their bosses and directors at work “why?” for fear of losing their jobs. They are ready to ac-
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cept the dictates of the powerful in this world with- out question from fear of crossing them, yet they venture to cross-examine the Lord of the Worlds! They are very bad mannered people indeed to ask cf their Lord: “Why did you create evil?’”. Yes, this life is full of every variety of good and bad, at every corner a chance to demonstrate your adherence to good or fall into temptation, every day many tests to face. And He Almi
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