In the Mystic Footsteps of Saints, VOLUME 1 (Shaykh Nazim, 153 pages, 6/10)
https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6025
man.
People who occupy themselves with advising others in matters concerning their eternal Lives should be peaple with open hearts, so that through the eyes of their hearts they may perceive what is relevant and acceptable to the person they are advisiug. It is not useful fust to ignore the face that the understanding and mentality of people from a different cultural background is drastically different from your own. To be a sptrimal advisor is not a question of obtaining degrees in that field, as one would obtain a diploma in chemistry or law; it is a question of subtle changes in the way one perceives people and events, so as to penetrate the defenses and artive at the reality of a person’s inner state. This profession requites a sharp diagnostic cye. You may be a pharmacist in charge of a whole depot of drups, but you havent the tight w prescribe for ill people. Even if you know the drug required vou may not know the dosage, and kil the patient with an overdose.
If we present the medicine to the patient in a form that makes Ht casier to swallow or taste better, should we be blamed? Is eating tron filmes the only way to get iron into one’s system? The holy Prophet said: “I have been sent to approach people tactfully.” ‘The meatiing of the hadith ts that there is no wisdom in mecting people’s prejudices head on. Don’t seek confrontation, but be wise kke the ship’s pilot who, when faced with a headwind does not set bow to it and let it push him back, but wisely takes an indirect diagonal course that may be three times as long as the direct one, but can be pursued even in the face of such an unfavorable breeze, a course which will set him towards his poal. The holy Prophet never used the word “No”, but we are so busy pointing the finger and saying: “This is forbidden, that won’t do.” That ts not our way, neither was it the way of the Prophet, nor of the great Sufi Masters of history. Some Islamic scholars blame Sufis and call us “innovators”, claiming that our methods have no basis in the example set by the holy Prophet. When a seed is newly planted and
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the first leaves spring forth, these leaves may look somewhat different than the ones that grow later. But we must not cut the later sprouting leaves, saying. “These leaves must be from a different sced.” Show me a plant that semains the same throughout its life, and | will show you a plastic plant. Islam was stil a sapling in the Propliet’s time, and through history has matured into a huge tree whose branches reach from East to West. And even if there are thousands of branches spreading over all peoples and times, they are connected to the root and the main tronk.
‘Then after some years, a tree develops flowers and fruits as well as leaves. At that point shall we look askance at the whole of mankind as it imbibes the fragrance of the flowers of our tree and as men nourish themselves from the sweet fruits of our tree? Shall we reject fruits and flowers, clinging to a “leaves only” mentality, advocating the destruction of flowers and fruits as ianovattons? True Islam is not Hke a hedge that requires a gardenes's clippers to keep it square, but like a miraculously expansive and fruit bearing tree — a shelter for all and a source of every delicious fruit.
72 Shaykh Nazim Adil Al Haqqani ® Aziz Mahmud Hudayi’s Reply
An miterpreter of dreams must be authorrzed ly his shaykh. Our grandshaykh had permission te interpret dreams and he passed that permission on to us as well. Sultan Ahmed (the Ottoman Sultan who built the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul} once had a very disturbing dream. beveryone he asked about it expressed his sorrow, for he had dreamit that he was wrestling with the Austrian emperor, and that the emperor pinned him to the ground. But, as he knew that dreams do not akvays mean what they seem to, he sought someone who could see in it a meaning other than the obvious one.
Then the Prime Minister said to the Sultan, “We must consult my grandshaykh.” They wrote down the dream and had a messenger bring it to the shaykh, Azim Mahrnud MHadayt, who is now buried in Uskudar {T always give association in his nrosque when Tam in Istanbul - it is a blessed place). The messenger attived at the Tekkia of the shaykh and gave him the envelope. At the same ume that the shaykh received the envelope he took another one from his pocket and gave it to the sergeant, saving, “Bring this to the Sultan.”
When the messenger retuned and was asked what had transpired, the Sultan was amazed to hear that the shaykh had already prepared a reply for him, even before reading the letter. Quickly opening the shaykh’s letter, they read: “Oh Sultan, don’t worry, for nothing is stronger than the earth, and since your back ts earthwards you needn’? worry — you are well supported. But as for the emperor, his back is im the air — he is without support. You shall be victorious. (Salan Abmed The Firs! defeated the .lustrian Keiser ant ihe batite of Listervon in 1603)
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§ Appreciating Islamic Civilization
oypt was won to Islam in the time of the Khalifa Limar. Even though Figypt had already been predominantly Christian for a few centuries, a number of pagan customs were stil in practice, One of the most abominable of these customs was the belief preserved from Pharaonic times, that the Nile demanded a bride every year, and, were it deprived of a bride it would refuse to Mood, therchy causing a drought. So every year the I Egyptians chose the most beaut Ful virgin in the land, dressed her up in a bridal gewn and threw her into the river to drown, At the time of the islamization of Egypt, the people sull beliewed and practiced this custom.
When the companions of the Prophet heard about this custom they informed the governor that the people were busy choosing and preparing that year’s victim. The governor wrote to the Khalifa iimar in order to receive instractions as to how this should be dealt with: whether to let the people go through with their sacrifice or not
Linar wrote a letter to the Nile via the governor, ashing him to throw itunto the river, It reac: “Oh Nile, if you are runrung by your owil order we are not in need of you, but if vou are renning by the otder of Allah pass on.”
The governor delivered the letter to the Nile, and when the Nile flooded as usual, despite the Inch of a bride, the peuple understood that the Nile was but a means for the Lord to bless them and had no will of its own. Tt was a miracle of Islam to end that bad custerm which had cost so many thousands of pirls their lives.
74 Shaykh Nazim Adil Al Haqqani
In Arabia itself, at the time of the Prophet people used to bury their own infant daughters alive, for no reason other than that ther were female. Tr could be said of them that they were the lowest of mankind; and i is enough proof of the truth of Islam that it transformed a society based on such wickedness, injustice and ignorance inte a great civilization guided by the highest spiritual principles within a quarter of a century.
An objective study of history will show that Islam, as brought to che world by the holy Prophet, pave civilization a tremendous push forward. The penetration of Islam from the Arabian Peninsula to the Old World resulted in the establishment of magnificent civilizations based tn Damascus, then Baghdad, Spain, Anatolia, Central Asia, Epyprt and India. TF you look even at the rains left behind by these civilizations, you will be open mouthed in amazement at the magnificence and harmony of the architecture, and an intimate study of all the aspects of Islamic culture and history, especially Sufism, will breed, must breed adouration,
Whether brought about through victory in muliary conflicts, through the work of Sufi preachers, ot the good example set by Muslim merchants and travelers, the spread of Islam. cannot be said to have been an “mvasion” in the way thal we might refer to the German invasion of France or the French invasion of Germany. No, tavasions leave only destruction in theie wake: burnt fclds, pillaged houses, dead boclies. Islam did not spread as a scoutee, but brought with it a magnificent civilization wherever it spread. Can anyone claim that those countries would bave developed more quickly without Islam at that junctute in history? Hellenistic thought had reached a dead end, Christian doctrines were ip a state oF conflict and turmoil, and both had becorne barren. The advent of Islam brought new hfe to mankind and a vigorous new direction.
So many misconceptions about Islam have flourished in our ume. There are two basic reasons for this, One is that the Muslims of our time are such bad examples of their religion — they are as coemote from the truth of Islam as the earth is from the distant
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stars. The secoud is thac Western people don’t bother to the a look at the origins and development of the religion that is so much in the news these days. No one tries to refer to authentic historical soutces but blindly accepts the opinions that sensationalist egotisuical people in the news media present to them, opimions based on shallow, biased observations of current events charged with hysterical emotion. This situation is much to the detriment of educated Wester people who maintain gteat pretences of objectivity.
The following story should illustrate clearly the Hkeness of people who rely on television journalism to form their opmions about Islam, tather than seeking accurate historical information. Once upon a time un erudite scholar was traveling through the countryside. He reached a village and went to the mosque to pray. As the prayer began he realized that the village Imam was an igoramus, making mistakes in the recitation us well as in the movements of the prayer,
The scholar addressed the villagers: “Oh people, you must replace that person with a qualified imam, for this one doesn’t know what he is dotng.” Phe villagers were sutpeised and asked them [mami “That person tells us that you are ignorant, What do you save” “He may say what he pleases, but pou may put us to the test and see which one is more learned.”
Then the villagers gathered like a peasant piry, to let cach press their claims and to pass a verdict. If they saw the letter “1” they would have taken it to be a wooden beam. Then the Imam said to the scholan “Write the word ‘ox’.” So the scholar put on his glasses and wrote the word ‘ex’ in very beautiful calligraphy. Meanwhile, the Imam sat down and drew a picture of an ox. Then he asked the peasants: “Tell me, which one is a better oxe” “Yours is”, they said, and ran the scholar out of town saying, “You are an imposter! Our Imam is altight and we accept his authority.”
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§ Rise at Night for Intimacy with Your Lord
liveryone should strive to become a frend of God, for the Lord never rebuffs the secker of Mis intmacy. The niain reason for attending a center such as this is to prepare vourself to attain that nimacy. No one can become a frend of God without also becoming a fiend of His servants. The attamment of that familiarity and sympathy with the souls of His servants is proof of one’s approach to sainthood, for it is casy to claim that one is a friend of God, but not so easy to be in harmony with people.
Perhaps now, durme your time here at this center, you may feel closeness with vour fellow seekers of trath, but when pou return to your countries you will certainly find this harder to realize. When you ttuly attain the station of friend of God, everyone wall be your friend. ‘To succeed in ateaining this closeness with people is a sign of one’s admittance to the Divine Presence. I dom 't mean that you become physically attractive or attracted to them — this is not a physical attraction we are talking about — but an attraction through the hearts.
Oer grandshaykh onee told me a tale about a flower of India that grows only in the most inaceessible places and is, furthermore, always surrounded by snakes. That flower has such an overpoweringly beautfd fragrance that whoever wears if wil] be loved by one and all. 1 said to my grandshaykh: “Oh my Master, let me go in search of that flower.” He replied, “Oh Nazim Effendi, there is no need for you to go there, for as long as you ate vigilant with your Lord after midnight — even for a short tume — Allah Almighty will adorn you with an attraction sewenty times more powerful than the attraction of that perfume. Even if you just arise
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during the last watch of the night when everyone is asleep, and even if you don’t pray, this miracle will occur and you will become us atttactive as that perfume.”
Whoever arises at that hour will ccrtataly gain the good graces OF his Lord, for that is the time when the Lord looks for the repentance of His servants. Therefore, | advise you all to awaken sometime during the last third of the night. even for fve menutes. You must, however, be i a state of ritual purity. Then you must address pour Lord: “Oh my Lord, come to me, as I can’t come to You.” That prayer is enough to give you full protection for that day and makes you a fiend of Gad.
People pass their days coming and going, but in the evening everyone returns to his or her darling. Whe Lord asks you to be with Him Alone, even for just free minutes in an intimate time of the late night. Who tums to his Lord in the night will Gad Him near, and will be able to rely upon Hun even in the nudst of great and terrible events.
78 Shaykh Nazim Adil Al Hagqani
ay Aspiring to Honey Stations
How does a secker of the Divine Presence attain it? Does one benefit from one’s efforts? Is it possible for someone to reach heavenly stations without carrying a heavy burden of worship and spiritual exercises? One of the well known attributes of God is power, His ability to bring about anything He desires, with or without apparent intermediary causes or means. Wings are the means through which fight : is made possible, but Allah Almighty is
certainly capable of carrying a person from earth to the heavens without any apparent means, without wings. Who can claim that He can’t do thi
Nonetheless, Allah has established natural laws, and according to these lnws, wings make fliezht possabic. ‘Tat is the mie, but there are also excepuons. The exceptions, however, are not the concern of people in general, the rule is, Therefore, it is only the smallest handful ef people who will reach the level of sainthood instantly without amy practice, while it is also undentably trac that some people wall siicerely decicate themselves to pious practices for years, but never get even a foot off the ground.
The Lord Almighty has asked His servants to conduct their behavior according to certain rules, aud He says: “Oh My servants, these are instructions, so hold fast to them. Itis Lwho know your destination, so surrender to My will and trust in Me — and trast Me alsa not to lose or disregard the works you have done for My sake. Don’t lose hope, even when you perceive that your decds are hopelessly deficient, for [ cant help you when you fall short of your goal. Know that the more difficulties you face in fulfilling the conditions of My servitude, the greater will be your reward.”
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You have come fo this training center seeking spiricual improvement. Not one of you has come for the enjoyment of his physical bady. You have come in order to submit yourself to training that you believe will help you develop those wings. You must make an intention to stay a certain length of time — between three and forty days: and you must ery to hold to that inteadon. Don’t draw the bucket up the long shaft of the well and drop it just as you are about to hold i in your hands, saying, “lam feel up.”
Aud what sort of traming have you embarked upon? You must ask yourselves this question. A suitable method ts Hke a walking stick: my stick will never be a burden for me as I climb the mountain; cather it is my best helper for that purpose. Gut should carrying a table up the mountain be the same?
A mountain guide nvust be able to gauge people’s capacities and instruct everyone accordingly so that the practice he prescribes should be like a walking stick. Grand Masters are experts in prescribing practices that are effective in aiding people’s propress.
Especialy in ovr times, any practice that is not like a lightweight walking stick is sure to be discarded. You may find climbing difficult, bur that stick should help you reach the summut, and although in technically adds weight to your body it will never be felt as such. Therefore, in our way, cach seeker practices dhikr, prayers and recitations in whatever amount helps him ia his clirab.
Mountain chmbing is mot the sanac sort of exercise as a promenade in the park You must be aware of tiat fact, bue then you must move, You must never say: “Tt is such a towering mountain, I can never scale i” When a person says, “Twill try”, the Lord helps him. But when a person falls into despair, divine support is cut. You mast not on the other hand, be so self rchant that you forget just how dependent you are upon divine support.
To simultaneously act and depend on divine support can be compared, for the sake of dlistration to pressing the gas pedal of your car. As long as you press the pas pedal you may reasonably expect the car to move forward, but if you don’t — well, you should grind to a halt, But you must not feel yourself all powerful there
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with your foot on the gas pedal, for any number of mushaps can make pressing that gas pedal a uscless endeavar, Events beyond your control may send that cat tumbling into a deep valley, and the higher you have climbed the more certain you are of being destroyed H you veer off a chit.
When you have understood this point, that you are always and completely dependent upon divine support, then you may be able to congect to that power for the purpose of moving towards your destination, no matter where you are and in what condition. If there is any point in your coming to this center, it is in your gaining an understanding of this potnt. [you can make a connection to the ever present curtent of divine support during your stay here, then you may be able to maintam it when you leave.
Our way is not an easy one, but climbing Mt. Everest earns YOR more distinction and honor than a promenade in the park. Wath the support of our Lord all the difficulties encountered on this way should become as nothing. Here it becomes necessary for you to ask yourselves what your intentions are, as all divine power agtives by means of out intentions. As long as you are intending to ask. for divine suppert it will never fail to reach you. With the support of your Lord every difficulty should resolve itself.
Even if obstacles appear to loom ahead as hupe mountains, don’t worry, but know and believe that your Lord’s support wall enable you to pulverize therm. There is a tradition of our holy Prophet: ‘The aspiration of men can even upenot mountains.”
Once there was a prophet who was ordered in a dream to swallow the first thing he encountered on his journey the next moniing. Upon awakening he braced himself to try and fulfill this tall order. He stepped our of the door and, lo and behold, a gigantic mountain loomed i front of him. He said to himself “] am the servant and He is the Lord. It is for Mim to order and for me to obey. There is no power to change anything except with Him.” And so he made the intention to swallow the whole mountain.
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Nothing is unc hangeabie. ‘Phe Lord may change anything, but when a person despairs of any change in a difficult or impossible situation, quickly that support leaves him and he can’t do anything.
That prophet put bis test in God and went towards the mountain, But instead of the mountain iInoming larger and larger as he approaches, it dwindled, as if it were receding into the distance, and by the time he arrived, ut had diminished te the size of a small morsel, which he quickly put in his mouth. He had never tsted anpihung so sweet im his life. Thar is the reward of those who persevere in trosting God, a pleasure that defies description.
Yes, you must persevere. Don’t be like a person who never tastes honey because he fears the sting of the bee. He who is truly enamored of the taste of honey will be daring, and even if he is stung, he will take the honey and run — he won't drop it anc run! Yes, there are honey stations in the Divine Presence.
82 Shaykh Nazim Adil Al Hagqani
§ A Lesson From ton Arabi's Fall Off His Donkey
Onee Shaykh Muhvuddin ibn al Arabi was eiding on a donkey (at that time owning a donkey was like owning a Rolls Royce in our time — not everyone could afford one!) surrounded by his disciples, passing through the cowutryside in silence. AH of a sudden, the donkey bucked, and Shaykh Mabyuddin fell 10 the ground, bur his foot caught in the stirrap so that, for a few paces, the donkey dragged hin along om his face. Thea the disciples rushed upon the donkey to free theie Shaykh from this dangerous and undistinguished position, but he prevented them, sayings “Wart a moment unl it becomes clear to me im what verse of the holy Quran this event is mentioned.” In great distress the oaurids waited, obeving his wishes, until after a few moments he said: “Alright, now you tay free me.” So they set lum back on the donkey and continued on their way.
Shaykh Mubyuddin was one of these who received the light of perception weth which he could discover meantags Aulden in the holy Quran, as Allah Almighty says in the Quran:
“Ol peaple, you may find everything in this Quran: farce and incl, net anal apy.”
Even this meeting mest be mentioned there atid also what we are saving. Perhaps te some of us this seems to be quite a claim, but just consider a drop of water. you may look and say: “This is just a dr op of water, nothing more.” But were you to put that drop under a microscope, you would be presented with quite a different picture, Because your view has changed, so has your thought, and you would say: “That deop is a key, and so many things are
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swimming in it” Where are they? You can’s see them with the naked eve, but with the microscope vou can see mullions of bacteria, and even that is only a small nuinber compared to what we know to be inside that drop, too small to detect with a stmple microscope. Even with a microscope we are unable to sce the molecules of water consisting of two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen: even with an electronic microscope you can’t see this. Anc these atoms themselves consist of nuclei and clectrons.
Pron ignorance one may say: “Whats this talker Thar is only a single drop of water”, but science confirms what we say. The same is fue of the holy Quean, for it was revealed as a guide to all mankind, not just to a few people living at the time of the holy Prophet in Mecca and Medina. Tt was piven to all mankind for all epochs, aud if life were to continue cternally on earth, the holy Quran would still be relevant to the lives of those pe ople of the frturc. Therefore, everyone nist be able to derive benefit from the Ocean of the holy Quran but we are so pre occupied with trivia that it is impossible for us to see for ourselves. If however, we can concentrate our spitimal powers we will have no trouble recognizing subtle signs.
The holy Prophet himself had the most complete knowledge of the inner meanmgs of the holy Quran, because of the divine attributes of perception that the Lord bestowed upon him. After hina, the Priends of God, like Shaykh Muhyuedin knew that all that occurs is precestmed and does not happen by chance or accident. You can’t take one step out of that “divine program’ — it is imopossible. When you understand this poimt you may live in contertment, aad say: “PE move in accordance with my Lord’s will, and though | may make an intention to do something with my wall, if He does not desire it to reach frrition, Flis will shall overcome mine.” And the same is true for something 5 you would never desire, hike fall ing off of a donkey. Lf tt is written for you nothing can preveat aL.
Then Shaykh Muhyuddin recited the holy verse: “Say: Nothing will befall us except what Allah bas weitten for us. He is our Lord.”
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You must helieve that He Almighty i is your Protector, your Savior, and that He is gutding all ciings in the best of w ays. He Almighty has informed us that this world is only a place of trial s, that it is not all and everything, only a prelude to eternal life, therefore we must not blame Him for the vicissitudes of fe, nor hate Lim for creating a world that abounds in death, suffering: and tmjustice. Rather, we must believe in His promise of final justice, and do our best to advocate f
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6025
man.
People who occupy themselves with advising others in matters concerning their eternal Lives should be peaple with open hearts, so that through the eyes of their hearts they may perceive what is relevant and acceptable to the person they are advisiug. It is not useful fust to ignore the face that the understanding and mentality of people from a different cultural background is drastically different from your own. To be a sptrimal advisor is not a question of obtaining degrees in that field, as one would obtain a diploma in chemistry or law; it is a question of subtle changes in the way one perceives people and events, so as to penetrate the defenses and artive at the reality of a person’s inner state. This profession requites a sharp diagnostic cye. You may be a pharmacist in charge of a whole depot of drups, but you havent the tight w prescribe for ill people. Even if you know the drug required vou may not know the dosage, and kil the patient with an overdose.
If we present the medicine to the patient in a form that makes Ht casier to swallow or taste better, should we be blamed? Is eating tron filmes the only way to get iron into one’s system? The holy Prophet said: “I have been sent to approach people tactfully.” ‘The meatiing of the hadith ts that there is no wisdom in mecting people’s prejudices head on. Don’t seek confrontation, but be wise kke the ship’s pilot who, when faced with a headwind does not set bow to it and let it push him back, but wisely takes an indirect diagonal course that may be three times as long as the direct one, but can be pursued even in the face of such an unfavorable breeze, a course which will set him towards his poal. The holy Prophet never used the word “No”, but we are so busy pointing the finger and saying: “This is forbidden, that won’t do.” That ts not our way, neither was it the way of the Prophet, nor of the great Sufi Masters of history. Some Islamic scholars blame Sufis and call us “innovators”, claiming that our methods have no basis in the example set by the holy Prophet. When a seed is newly planted and
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the first leaves spring forth, these leaves may look somewhat different than the ones that grow later. But we must not cut the later sprouting leaves, saying. “These leaves must be from a different sced.” Show me a plant that semains the same throughout its life, and | will show you a plastic plant. Islam was stil a sapling in the Propliet’s time, and through history has matured into a huge tree whose branches reach from East to West. And even if there are thousands of branches spreading over all peoples and times, they are connected to the root and the main tronk.
‘Then after some years, a tree develops flowers and fruits as well as leaves. At that point shall we look askance at the whole of mankind as it imbibes the fragrance of the flowers of our tree and as men nourish themselves from the sweet fruits of our tree? Shall we reject fruits and flowers, clinging to a “leaves only” mentality, advocating the destruction of flowers and fruits as ianovattons? True Islam is not Hke a hedge that requires a gardenes's clippers to keep it square, but like a miraculously expansive and fruit bearing tree — a shelter for all and a source of every delicious fruit.
72 Shaykh Nazim Adil Al Haqqani ® Aziz Mahmud Hudayi’s Reply
An miterpreter of dreams must be authorrzed ly his shaykh. Our grandshaykh had permission te interpret dreams and he passed that permission on to us as well. Sultan Ahmed (the Ottoman Sultan who built the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul} once had a very disturbing dream. beveryone he asked about it expressed his sorrow, for he had dreamit that he was wrestling with the Austrian emperor, and that the emperor pinned him to the ground. But, as he knew that dreams do not akvays mean what they seem to, he sought someone who could see in it a meaning other than the obvious one.
Then the Prime Minister said to the Sultan, “We must consult my grandshaykh.” They wrote down the dream and had a messenger bring it to the shaykh, Azim Mahrnud MHadayt, who is now buried in Uskudar {T always give association in his nrosque when Tam in Istanbul - it is a blessed place). The messenger attived at the Tekkia of the shaykh and gave him the envelope. At the same ume that the shaykh received the envelope he took another one from his pocket and gave it to the sergeant, saving, “Bring this to the Sultan.”
When the messenger retuned and was asked what had transpired, the Sultan was amazed to hear that the shaykh had already prepared a reply for him, even before reading the letter. Quickly opening the shaykh’s letter, they read: “Oh Sultan, don’t worry, for nothing is stronger than the earth, and since your back ts earthwards you needn’? worry — you are well supported. But as for the emperor, his back is im the air — he is without support. You shall be victorious. (Salan Abmed The Firs! defeated the .lustrian Keiser ant ihe batite of Listervon in 1603)
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§ Appreciating Islamic Civilization
oypt was won to Islam in the time of the Khalifa Limar. Even though Figypt had already been predominantly Christian for a few centuries, a number of pagan customs were stil in practice, One of the most abominable of these customs was the belief preserved from Pharaonic times, that the Nile demanded a bride every year, and, were it deprived of a bride it would refuse to Mood, therchy causing a drought. So every year the I Egyptians chose the most beaut Ful virgin in the land, dressed her up in a bridal gewn and threw her into the river to drown, At the time of the islamization of Egypt, the people sull beliewed and practiced this custom.
When the companions of the Prophet heard about this custom they informed the governor that the people were busy choosing and preparing that year’s victim. The governor wrote to the Khalifa iimar in order to receive instractions as to how this should be dealt with: whether to let the people go through with their sacrifice or not
Linar wrote a letter to the Nile via the governor, ashing him to throw itunto the river, It reac: “Oh Nile, if you are runrung by your owil order we are not in need of you, but if vou are renning by the otder of Allah pass on.”
The governor delivered the letter to the Nile, and when the Nile flooded as usual, despite the Inch of a bride, the peuple understood that the Nile was but a means for the Lord to bless them and had no will of its own. Tt was a miracle of Islam to end that bad custerm which had cost so many thousands of pirls their lives.
74 Shaykh Nazim Adil Al Haqqani
In Arabia itself, at the time of the Prophet people used to bury their own infant daughters alive, for no reason other than that ther were female. Tr could be said of them that they were the lowest of mankind; and i is enough proof of the truth of Islam that it transformed a society based on such wickedness, injustice and ignorance inte a great civilization guided by the highest spiritual principles within a quarter of a century.
An objective study of history will show that Islam, as brought to che world by the holy Prophet, pave civilization a tremendous push forward. The penetration of Islam from the Arabian Peninsula to the Old World resulted in the establishment of magnificent civilizations based tn Damascus, then Baghdad, Spain, Anatolia, Central Asia, Epyprt and India. TF you look even at the rains left behind by these civilizations, you will be open mouthed in amazement at the magnificence and harmony of the architecture, and an intimate study of all the aspects of Islamic culture and history, especially Sufism, will breed, must breed adouration,
Whether brought about through victory in muliary conflicts, through the work of Sufi preachers, ot the good example set by Muslim merchants and travelers, the spread of Islam. cannot be said to have been an “mvasion” in the way thal we might refer to the German invasion of France or the French invasion of Germany. No, tavasions leave only destruction in theie wake: burnt fclds, pillaged houses, dead boclies. Islam did not spread as a scoutee, but brought with it a magnificent civilization wherever it spread. Can anyone claim that those countries would bave developed more quickly without Islam at that junctute in history? Hellenistic thought had reached a dead end, Christian doctrines were ip a state oF conflict and turmoil, and both had becorne barren. The advent of Islam brought new hfe to mankind and a vigorous new direction.
So many misconceptions about Islam have flourished in our ume. There are two basic reasons for this, One is that the Muslims of our time are such bad examples of their religion — they are as coemote from the truth of Islam as the earth is from the distant
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stars. The secoud is thac Western people don’t bother to the a look at the origins and development of the religion that is so much in the news these days. No one tries to refer to authentic historical soutces but blindly accepts the opinions that sensationalist egotisuical people in the news media present to them, opimions based on shallow, biased observations of current events charged with hysterical emotion. This situation is much to the detriment of educated Wester people who maintain gteat pretences of objectivity.
The following story should illustrate clearly the Hkeness of people who rely on television journalism to form their opmions about Islam, tather than seeking accurate historical information. Once upon a time un erudite scholar was traveling through the countryside. He reached a village and went to the mosque to pray. As the prayer began he realized that the village Imam was an igoramus, making mistakes in the recitation us well as in the movements of the prayer,
The scholar addressed the villagers: “Oh people, you must replace that person with a qualified imam, for this one doesn’t know what he is dotng.” Phe villagers were sutpeised and asked them [mami “That person tells us that you are ignorant, What do you save” “He may say what he pleases, but pou may put us to the test and see which one is more learned.”
Then the villagers gathered like a peasant piry, to let cach press their claims and to pass a verdict. If they saw the letter “1” they would have taken it to be a wooden beam. Then the Imam said to the scholan “Write the word ‘ox’.” So the scholar put on his glasses and wrote the word ‘ex’ in very beautiful calligraphy. Meanwhile, the Imam sat down and drew a picture of an ox. Then he asked the peasants: “Tell me, which one is a better oxe” “Yours is”, they said, and ran the scholar out of town saying, “You are an imposter! Our Imam is altight and we accept his authority.”
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§ Rise at Night for Intimacy with Your Lord
liveryone should strive to become a frend of God, for the Lord never rebuffs the secker of Mis intmacy. The niain reason for attending a center such as this is to prepare vourself to attain that nimacy. No one can become a frend of God without also becoming a fiend of His servants. The attamment of that familiarity and sympathy with the souls of His servants is proof of one’s approach to sainthood, for it is casy to claim that one is a friend of God, but not so easy to be in harmony with people.
Perhaps now, durme your time here at this center, you may feel closeness with vour fellow seekers of trath, but when pou return to your countries you will certainly find this harder to realize. When you ttuly attain the station of friend of God, everyone wall be your friend. ‘To succeed in ateaining this closeness with people is a sign of one’s admittance to the Divine Presence. I dom 't mean that you become physically attractive or attracted to them — this is not a physical attraction we are talking about — but an attraction through the hearts.
Oer grandshaykh onee told me a tale about a flower of India that grows only in the most inaceessible places and is, furthermore, always surrounded by snakes. That flower has such an overpoweringly beautfd fragrance that whoever wears if wil] be loved by one and all. 1 said to my grandshaykh: “Oh my Master, let me go in search of that flower.” He replied, “Oh Nazim Effendi, there is no need for you to go there, for as long as you ate vigilant with your Lord after midnight — even for a short tume — Allah Almighty will adorn you with an attraction sewenty times more powerful than the attraction of that perfume. Even if you just arise
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during the last watch of the night when everyone is asleep, and even if you don’t pray, this miracle will occur and you will become us atttactive as that perfume.”
Whoever arises at that hour will ccrtataly gain the good graces OF his Lord, for that is the time when the Lord looks for the repentance of His servants. Therefore, | advise you all to awaken sometime during the last third of the night. even for fve menutes. You must, however, be i a state of ritual purity. Then you must address pour Lord: “Oh my Lord, come to me, as I can’t come to You.” That prayer is enough to give you full protection for that day and makes you a fiend of Gad.
People pass their days coming and going, but in the evening everyone returns to his or her darling. Whe Lord asks you to be with Him Alone, even for just free minutes in an intimate time of the late night. Who tums to his Lord in the night will Gad Him near, and will be able to rely upon Hun even in the nudst of great and terrible events.
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ay Aspiring to Honey Stations
How does a secker of the Divine Presence attain it? Does one benefit from one’s efforts? Is it possible for someone to reach heavenly stations without carrying a heavy burden of worship and spiritual exercises? One of the well known attributes of God is power, His ability to bring about anything He desires, with or without apparent intermediary causes or means. Wings are the means through which fight : is made possible, but Allah Almighty is
certainly capable of carrying a person from earth to the heavens without any apparent means, without wings. Who can claim that He can’t do thi
Nonetheless, Allah has established natural laws, and according to these lnws, wings make fliezht possabic. ‘Tat is the mie, but there are also excepuons. The exceptions, however, are not the concern of people in general, the rule is, Therefore, it is only the smallest handful ef people who will reach the level of sainthood instantly without amy practice, while it is also undentably trac that some people wall siicerely decicate themselves to pious practices for years, but never get even a foot off the ground.
The Lord Almighty has asked His servants to conduct their behavior according to certain rules, aud He says: “Oh My servants, these are instructions, so hold fast to them. Itis Lwho know your destination, so surrender to My will and trust in Me — and trast Me alsa not to lose or disregard the works you have done for My sake. Don’t lose hope, even when you perceive that your decds are hopelessly deficient, for [ cant help you when you fall short of your goal. Know that the more difficulties you face in fulfilling the conditions of My servitude, the greater will be your reward.”
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You have come fo this training center seeking spiricual improvement. Not one of you has come for the enjoyment of his physical bady. You have come in order to submit yourself to training that you believe will help you develop those wings. You must make an intention to stay a certain length of time — between three and forty days: and you must ery to hold to that inteadon. Don’t draw the bucket up the long shaft of the well and drop it just as you are about to hold i in your hands, saying, “lam feel up.”
Aud what sort of traming have you embarked upon? You must ask yourselves this question. A suitable method ts Hke a walking stick: my stick will never be a burden for me as I climb the mountain; cather it is my best helper for that purpose. Gut should carrying a table up the mountain be the same?
A mountain guide nvust be able to gauge people’s capacities and instruct everyone accordingly so that the practice he prescribes should be like a walking stick. Grand Masters are experts in prescribing practices that are effective in aiding people’s propress.
Especialy in ovr times, any practice that is not like a lightweight walking stick is sure to be discarded. You may find climbing difficult, bur that stick should help you reach the summut, and although in technically adds weight to your body it will never be felt as such. Therefore, in our way, cach seeker practices dhikr, prayers and recitations in whatever amount helps him ia his clirab.
Mountain chmbing is mot the sanac sort of exercise as a promenade in the park You must be aware of tiat fact, bue then you must move, You must never say: “Tt is such a towering mountain, I can never scale i” When a person says, “Twill try”, the Lord helps him. But when a person falls into despair, divine support is cut. You mast not on the other hand, be so self rchant that you forget just how dependent you are upon divine support.
To simultaneously act and depend on divine support can be compared, for the sake of dlistration to pressing the gas pedal of your car. As long as you press the pas pedal you may reasonably expect the car to move forward, but if you don’t — well, you should grind to a halt, But you must not feel yourself all powerful there
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with your foot on the gas pedal, for any number of mushaps can make pressing that gas pedal a uscless endeavar, Events beyond your control may send that cat tumbling into a deep valley, and the higher you have climbed the more certain you are of being destroyed H you veer off a chit.
When you have understood this point, that you are always and completely dependent upon divine support, then you may be able to congect to that power for the purpose of moving towards your destination, no matter where you are and in what condition. If there is any point in your coming to this center, it is in your gaining an understanding of this potnt. [you can make a connection to the ever present curtent of divine support during your stay here, then you may be able to maintam it when you leave.
Our way is not an easy one, but climbing Mt. Everest earns YOR more distinction and honor than a promenade in the park. Wath the support of our Lord all the difficulties encountered on this way should become as nothing. Here it becomes necessary for you to ask yourselves what your intentions are, as all divine power agtives by means of out intentions. As long as you are intending to ask. for divine suppert it will never fail to reach you. With the support of your Lord every difficulty should resolve itself.
Even if obstacles appear to loom ahead as hupe mountains, don’t worry, but know and believe that your Lord’s support wall enable you to pulverize therm. There is a tradition of our holy Prophet: ‘The aspiration of men can even upenot mountains.”
Once there was a prophet who was ordered in a dream to swallow the first thing he encountered on his journey the next moniing. Upon awakening he braced himself to try and fulfill this tall order. He stepped our of the door and, lo and behold, a gigantic mountain loomed i front of him. He said to himself “] am the servant and He is the Lord. It is for Mim to order and for me to obey. There is no power to change anything except with Him.” And so he made the intention to swallow the whole mountain.
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Nothing is unc hangeabie. ‘Phe Lord may change anything, but when a person despairs of any change in a difficult or impossible situation, quickly that support leaves him and he can’t do anything.
That prophet put bis test in God and went towards the mountain, But instead of the mountain iInoming larger and larger as he approaches, it dwindled, as if it were receding into the distance, and by the time he arrived, ut had diminished te the size of a small morsel, which he quickly put in his mouth. He had never tsted anpihung so sweet im his life. Thar is the reward of those who persevere in trosting God, a pleasure that defies description.
Yes, you must persevere. Don’t be like a person who never tastes honey because he fears the sting of the bee. He who is truly enamored of the taste of honey will be daring, and even if he is stung, he will take the honey and run — he won't drop it anc run! Yes, there are honey stations in the Divine Presence.
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§ A Lesson From ton Arabi's Fall Off His Donkey
Onee Shaykh Muhvuddin ibn al Arabi was eiding on a donkey (at that time owning a donkey was like owning a Rolls Royce in our time — not everyone could afford one!) surrounded by his disciples, passing through the cowutryside in silence. AH of a sudden, the donkey bucked, and Shaykh Mabyuddin fell 10 the ground, bur his foot caught in the stirrap so that, for a few paces, the donkey dragged hin along om his face. Thea the disciples rushed upon the donkey to free theie Shaykh from this dangerous and undistinguished position, but he prevented them, sayings “Wart a moment unl it becomes clear to me im what verse of the holy Quran this event is mentioned.” In great distress the oaurids waited, obeving his wishes, until after a few moments he said: “Alright, now you tay free me.” So they set lum back on the donkey and continued on their way.
Shaykh Mubyuddin was one of these who received the light of perception weth which he could discover meantags Aulden in the holy Quran, as Allah Almighty says in the Quran:
“Ol peaple, you may find everything in this Quran: farce and incl, net anal apy.”
Even this meeting mest be mentioned there atid also what we are saving. Perhaps te some of us this seems to be quite a claim, but just consider a drop of water. you may look and say: “This is just a dr op of water, nothing more.” But were you to put that drop under a microscope, you would be presented with quite a different picture, Because your view has changed, so has your thought, and you would say: “That deop is a key, and so many things are
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swimming in it” Where are they? You can’s see them with the naked eve, but with the microscope vou can see mullions of bacteria, and even that is only a small nuinber compared to what we know to be inside that drop, too small to detect with a stmple microscope. Even with a microscope we are unable to sce the molecules of water consisting of two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen: even with an electronic microscope you can’t see this. Anc these atoms themselves consist of nuclei and clectrons.
Pron ignorance one may say: “Whats this talker Thar is only a single drop of water”, but science confirms what we say. The same is fue of the holy Quean, for it was revealed as a guide to all mankind, not just to a few people living at the time of the holy Prophet in Mecca and Medina. Tt was piven to all mankind for all epochs, aud if life were to continue cternally on earth, the holy Quran would still be relevant to the lives of those pe ople of the frturc. Therefore, everyone nist be able to derive benefit from the Ocean of the holy Quran but we are so pre occupied with trivia that it is impossible for us to see for ourselves. If however, we can concentrate our spitimal powers we will have no trouble recognizing subtle signs.
The holy Prophet himself had the most complete knowledge of the inner meanmgs of the holy Quran, because of the divine attributes of perception that the Lord bestowed upon him. After hina, the Priends of God, like Shaykh Muhyuedin knew that all that occurs is precestmed and does not happen by chance or accident. You can’t take one step out of that “divine program’ — it is imopossible. When you understand this poimt you may live in contertment, aad say: “PE move in accordance with my Lord’s will, and though | may make an intention to do something with my wall, if He does not desire it to reach frrition, Flis will shall overcome mine.” And the same is true for something 5 you would never desire, hike fall ing off of a donkey. Lf tt is written for you nothing can preveat aL.
Then Shaykh Muhyuddin recited the holy verse: “Say: Nothing will befall us except what Allah bas weitten for us. He is our Lord.”
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You must helieve that He Almighty i is your Protector, your Savior, and that He is gutding all ciings in the best of w ays. He Almighty has informed us that this world is only a place of trial s, that it is not all and everything, only a prelude to eternal life, therefore we must not blame Him for the vicissitudes of fe, nor hate Lim for creating a world that abounds in death, suffering: and tmjustice. Rather, we must believe in His promise of final justice, and do our best to advocate f
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