Islam – The Freedom To Serve (Shaykh Nazim, 93 pages, 3/4)
https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6050
, my Lord, let me be one
th e star o f mu ª ammad
of Mukammad’s children. Gladly, would I give up my propheth- ood for the honour of being the last one of his children.’
But we are forgetful and we forget to thank Allah Almighty for His gift. Did He not take us into the fold of this community even before we asked Him to?
kn ow thyself
In the Name of Allah Almighty, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent.
t does not matter how many people come togeth- er in a meeting. Two, or three, hundreds, thousands, or millions. Allah Almighty is with each association.
The strength we derive from faith comes from knowing this. When those who associate come together in the clear knowledge of the Presence of their Lord, then they will behave according- ly. Those who want to reach reality in this life, on this earth, must walk on their way knowing that their Lord is with them wherever they are. For He is their Creator and their Guide on the way to reality.
As long as the seeker is on the way, his Lord is with him. He never leaves him. If Allah Almighty, disappeared, then the way and the one who walks on it would disappear too. It is difficult for us to understand or to imagine what Allah Almighty is like and how He is able to always be with us.
Once, a Jew came to Sayyidinā ‘Alî and asked him, ‘What kind of a Lord is your Lord? What is He like?’ And Sayyidunā ‘Alî an- swered, ‘How can you ask what the One who gave existence to the ‘how’ is like? Alladhî kayyaf al-kayf, lâ yus’al ‘anhu kayf.’
That is why you cannot reach this reality merely through be- ing informed about it. What is it like, where is it and which way leads there? Even if it was possible to answer these questions, it would not enable you to take even one step. The question about
Allah Almighty cannot be answered if it is asked in this way. Whoever asks it must begin by starting out on the way. The starting point, however, does not begin with the question about your Lord, but with the question about yourself.
Leave the question about your Lord and ask: ‘Who am I? Where have I come from?’ Why don’t you ask? You came from two channels. Do you remember? Then, you came together in the womb of your mother. Do you remember? You don’t? You came out of your mother’s womb and you do not remember. Where have you come from? Ask! Ask this question first. The first station of knowledge is the knowledge of yourself. When you have reached it, you may ask about your Lord. That is why our Prophet, peace be upon him, says, ‘The knowledge of your Lord comes from the knowledge of yourself. Man ‘arifa nafsahu, fa qad ‘arifa rabbahu.’ That is the first step.
As it is very difficult to see how Allah Almighty is always with us, He sends His representatives to us. The last one of these representatives, that is to say, the one who was sent by Allah to the people of our time and for the remaining time until the end of time, was Mukammad Rasûlullāh, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
There are two testimonies of Islam. The first is: lâ ilâha illâ Llâh, there is no god except Allah. The second is: Muªammadun Rasûlullâh, Mukammad is the messenger of Allah. No one can take his place for all eternity. Just as Allah Almighty is with- out a partner, so is Mukammad, peace be upon him. Mukammad is of mankind but his face is turned unswervingly towards the Face of his Lord. The steadfastness of his gaze belongs to his real being in the Divine Presence. Here on earth there is only a ray, a small ray of the reality of Mukammad. We cannot understand or bear more than this.
Accordingly, we have someone to see and to understand, someone to speak with, to sit with, to go with, someone we can
kn ow th y s elf
meet. Allah Almighty sends us His emissary. We may not be able to see him, but it is not beyond our imagination to imagine him in our midst, for whatever is invisible may become visible. The easiest way to be aware of such a presence is through the presence of the Friends of God, the saints.
A murîd, that is, someone asking for reality, must be aware of this. He may have much knowledge or little, depending on the length of the way he has gone, but the certainty of the Di- vine Presence is absolutely necessary for him. It encourages him to proceed on his way and it teaches him to be careful and well-mannered.
My Master, may Allah bless him, asked his murîds to take him with them wherever they went. Once I was walking in the streets of Damascus, when suddenly someone came towards me from across the street. He waved to me, and when I stopped, he asked me about my master. I told him as much as I could. After a while I begged to take my leave, and the man let me go, asking me to convey his greetings to my master and giving me some sweets for the way. When I returned to my master, I told him that I had met such and such a person and that he sent his greetings. Then I took the sweets out of my pocket to give them to my master. He asked, ‘Where are yours?’ ‘Mine? Oh, these are mine. I am giving them to you.’ I don’t want yours, oh, Nazim Efendi, I want mine’, he replied.
‘When you walk alone, you must take me with you. When someone gives you something, you must say, “Thank you very much, this is for me and this is for my Sheikh. I am not alone.”’
This is simple advice, but it bears much meaning. Whoever heeds it will always be careful in his actions, and he will walk with the awareness that his master is always with him. He can call on him for help when he is in need. His Sheikh will support and defend him. If he walks alone, then he will have to meet
everything alone. If he goes with his master, then none of the devils will dare to approach him.
This holds true for your whole life. You should never take one step without a person endowed with spiritual power being next to you. Such a person can appoint one of his or her own spiritual bodies to accompany you. This can be done for one or for many. A true master, a Grandsheikh, can in this way be with all of his disciples, even if there are hundreds of thousands of them.
This is extremely important for our spiritual life. As long as you are not such a fighter that people fear you, as long as you are not like Sayyidinā ‘Umar, whom the devil tried to avoid, you will need someone to guide you; you will need someone to support you in all of your actions, in all of your worship.
When you do not just imagine that you can walk alone but when you are really capable of going on the path by yourself, then you must help those who do not know how to help them- selves against the attacks of the enemy of mankind.
association
In the Name of Allah Almighty, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent.
arîqatunâ a¶-¶uªbah wa-l-khayru fi-l-jam‘iyyah.
Our way is the way of companionship, and everything good comes from being together. These are the words
of Shah Naqshband, the founder and the pillar of the Most Dis- tinguished Naqshbandi Way. May Allah Almighty bless him and grant him closeness.
Wa kûnû ma‘a ¶-¶âdiqîn [9:119]: ‘be with the sincere Ones’. This is a Holy Order. Allah Almighty obliges us to seek out one of these true human beings and to follow them.
We live in a time where people mostly follow those who fol- low their egos. Promises from their side are most welcome. If possible, we would always like to choose the way which is easi- est and most pleasant to us, that is, to our ego.
This, however, is extremely dangerous because the ego never leads to a true way. It prefers falseness, for it is not motivated by truth, but by its own advantage. Whoever wants to find the truth cannot follow his ego. True ways are narrow but false ones are wide. The ego prefers such ways because it does not want to com- mit itself, it likes to try a bit here and a bit there – this and that. Following along true ways has to be learned. To learn this, you need a guide. You cannot be that guide because, when you are alone, Satan and the army of his helpers will attack you. You cannot escape, for they will get you and force you to follow
them, whether you like it or not. Once you go with them, you are finished.
But if you are in the company of a true human being, Satan and his volunteers will not approach you, because they fear the sacred, divine power of such a person. Let a true guide lead you through your life. Without him, it is too dangerous. Each time we leave the way we will be punished. This punishment may come sooner or later, but it cannot be avoided. All the suffering and misery which descends upon mankind is the result of their ceasing to follow true human beings. They no longer know what is happening to them and why it happens. That is their real suffering – not what happens to them, but their not knowing whence it comes and for which purpose.
If they followed a true human being, they would know that everything which happens to them is for their benefit. For they would know that nothing happens without the will and the knowledge of their Lord and they could then be content and bear it, even if it was difficult and unpleasant. We may not un- derstand the wisdom contained in events, but we may know that there is wisdom in them. Whoever recognises this, will have a heart which is at rest, for he knows that all will be well. Allah Almighty orders us, therefore, in all Holy Books, from Adam to Sayyidinā Mukammad, peace be upon them and upon all prophets, Yâ-ayyuhâ lladhîna âmanû ittaqû llâha wa kûnû ma‘a
¶-¶âdiqîn [9:119]. Nothing has changed about this verse, about this, ‘Oh, you who believe, fear Allāh and be with the people of truth.’ It is as true today as it was then and it will be true until the Last Day.
Which one of you, when you wake up in the morning, asks his Lord, ‘Oh, Lord, let me meet one of Your true servants today’? Who asks Him, ‘Oh, my Lord, let me find one of Your hidden friends, one of Your saints’! Whoever seeks will find, and who- ever asks will be answered.
associatio n
The hearts of the people of truth are free from all evil and all illness. Illness of the heart brings death: that is, the death that leaves a dead body behind. When we die, we go to find true life. We do not come into this life only to eat, drink and satisfy our sexual desires. The true reason for our being here is the search for true life.
Nobody finds eternal life whose heart is ill. When the heart is healed, it lives the true life, because the secret of the true life is lowered into it. He whose heart does not die, his body does not become dust.
Keeping company with a true human being is being on the path with one whose heart is whole and well. In this way your own heart is healed. Whoever has already found eternal life in this life, his body remains in the grave as it was on earth. He appears in it on the Day of Judgement, and his sign will be, ‘alâ manabirîn min nûr, ‘sitting on thrones of light’.
Is there anything more important than to seek real life? Do not say, ‘How shall I find these people of truth?’ Your heart will tell you.
wa y s to
th e
heavens
In the Name of Allah Almighty, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent.
ssociation with the Sheikh is the essence of
the Distinguished Naqshbandi Way. Without this link there is no way. Without a way, you cannot reach Allah
Almighty.
This way is a way of knowing. Each man and woman is obliged to try to know herself, himself, and to recognise their position in this life, on this earth, and in this universe. For this reason we have been given understanding. So we must try to understand and to be understanding. This is only incumbent upon those who have been given understanding.
There are two ways in which we can know about ourselves. One is the knowledge of the body. It is not too difficult, only a question of time and of the quantity of knowledge. Although neither an amateur nor a specialist can know everything about the body down to the smallest detail, we are, nevertheless, jus- tified in saying that we possess knowledge of our bodies and that to the extent that we are identical with our bodies, we are able to know ourselves.
Then, we know a little bit about ourselves through our re- lationship to other bodies. What is the character of the Earth? Why is it so suitable for the children of Adam? How is it that the children of Adam are to be found exclusively on this planet? Who chose it for them? Is it by accident that they live here or by
design? Such questions are important, because through them we learn about ourselves.
Now, the universe does not only consist of physical bodies, but also of spiritual ones. An indication for this is found in our dreams. Our physical body rests while we run, see, hear,eat and smell. How is this possible if there is only one body?How can we see, when our eyes are closed, how are we ableto run, when we are lying on our beds? Is there perhaps asecond body, a sec- ond being? We call this second body thespiritual body, or our spiritual being.
We cannot know about this body or being, as we were able to know about ourselves in the first case. Usually, we are identified with a self that lives through the physical body only. This is the ego. Knowledge of a second body, of our spiritual body is possible only to the degree that this identification begins to be disentangled. This process begins when the fight against the ego reaches a certain level. As not many are willing to give up the luxuries of the ego and its world and to fight against it, and as even less reach the level of disentanglement, only a small num- ber of human beings possesses such knowledge. They live in the uppermost floor of the building of mankind. The height of their apartment determines the view. All men live on this planet, but their living-spaces are different. Because of this, their views are different: some are short-sighted, others are long-sighted. He who lives on the roof may tell those living in the basement what he can see. Most human beings live in the basement, and if they do not strive to get out they must spend their whole life there. Whoever wants to get out has to search for inhabitants of the roof. We cannot obtain spiritual knowledge by ourselves, be- cause we are sitting with our egos in the basement of ourselves. When the roof-people come to us, they speak of this and that view, of this and that knowledge, and they ask us to come with them because they want to show us what they see. Whoever
wa y s to th e h e av en s
listens to them, whoever believes them and gets up in order to follow them, will see. The lines of the prophets, and thereby prophethood as such is completed. Nothing can be added and there will be no further prophet. But this does not mean that all possibilities for following prophets, especially the Seal of Proph- ets, are cut off. The last Prophet stands at the horizon of the children of Adam. He stands at the last horizon, there will be none after him.
If you follow a prophet in sincerity, you must finally reach his level, his view, his knowledge. If you do not follow any of them, that is, if you do not follow any human being who is sustained and moved by divine attributes, you will live in the basement and die in the basement.
If you intend to get up and follow one of them, you must be careful, for there are many impostors and charlatans. But if you find a true human being, then stay with him or with her and accompany them on their way. They will guide you to their lev- el and show you further universes beyond the horizon of our universe.
Do not say, ‘This takes too long and is too difficult.’ If it caus- es too much discomfort to you, if it is too wearisome, if you prefer to stay here, if you like it very much here, if it is good enough the way it is, if you say, ‘What shall I do with all these fairy-tales, I’ll stick to what I know and try to get along’, then you had better understand clearly what you are saying. You are saying that you prefer to die in filth and to be buried amongst pigs. However, he whose heart asks day in, day out, and he who follows it, will have a view opened to him.
There are †arîqahs, there are Ways of the Heavens, which al- low their seekers to feast their eyes from time to time while they are still on their way. They need this as a kind of incentive. But the most distinguished Naqshbandi Way does not use such methods. On the contrary, it keeps the eyes of those who walk
its way from swerving. In this way, it keeps them on their path. For it happens quite often that someone fascinated by the sights along the wayside forgets the goal – the arrival in the Divine Presence. The Naqshbandi Way leads its seekers, its murîds to their horizon, to their destination, without offering tempting promises. Only when they reach the station of safety, are their eyes opened. Then they see and then they know that this is the last horizon.
Here everything is made clear for everybody. You are free. We all live in the same building. You are free to live in the base- ment or on the roof. May our way be guided by love and may our feet be moved by the desire for the One.
All praise belongs to the Lord of the Worlds.
p art thr ee
words to
keep
i n our h e arts
a p horisms
a n d stori e s
nce upon a time, a master of our way invited his
disciples to a picnic. Such things are important for this way because they keep the disciples on the path by
keeping them amused. After having found a good place to rest and for refreshment, the master asked everybody where they had found him. All remembered and told him the place. There were as many places as there were disciples. Suddenly, the mas- ter disappeared. They all looked, but found nobody. All of a sud- den, his voice was heard. It said, ‘After having found me once, look for me again!’ But because it came from all directions at the same time, they did not know where to look for him and ran in all directions without success. After a while, when they had already given up, the voice was heard again, ‘Why, after having found me before, can’t you find me, now?’ It is like this, we think we are seeking, however we are sought. We think we find but we are found.
* * *
I do not change anyone, I do not add to anyone. I only pass on Divine Knowledge. I give from you to you, from within yourself. I make connections.
* * *
Honour should not be given for merely recognising the truth, it should be given to the one who accepts it.
* * *
If you look into the sun, your eyes hurt. Therefore, the Christians, the Jews, and even most of the Muslims in our days avoid looking at the Prophet Mukammad, peace be upon him.
* * *
All things are created to teach man. They teach him,
‘Look, everything around you is in balance. You must keep this balance. It is the balance of life: the balance of physical life and of spiritual life. Two scales. As long as one is full and the other one empty, as long as there is more in one than in the other, you will not be at peace. As long as your spiritual being is unhappy, it will not carry the weight of the body. As soon as you are bal- anced, Heaven and Earth are your neighbours.
* * *
Perfection is not a matter of making claims. There are
signs for perfection. He who reaches spiritual perfection will find himself in his own world. This world is his inner life. In his world he finds what he has been searching for, that is, what belongs to him. There, in this inner world, he will know himself and when he knows himself, he will begin to know the Divine.
* * *
Why do you not learn from trees and flowers? They are, like all creatures, created to serve creation. But we are like poi- soned thorns. We do not like ourselves and we do not like each other. We do not like ourselves because we stubbornly poison our souls.
* * *
My task and the task of all those who are on my level is to
make you believe. This is the task of the masters. It is not pos- sible to believe in something without believing in someone. For,
to listen the heart must be open. Whoever listens believes in someone and believes that this person can teach him what he cannot know, see, reach, or be by himself. Such belief brings you the love of the one to whom you are listening. By believing, you learn how to love. By believing, you learn to obey. By loving, you are on the way to obedience. For true obedience is not pos- sible without love. Whoever is forced to obey will never obey, and true obedience leads to the Divine Presence.
* * *
If you do not notice nearness and do not notice it coming nearer, if your soul does not ask daily for the beloved, nothing has happened. You are playing. You are wasting your time.
* * *
In these times, you may reach one out of ten thousand, not more. People do not help you, and when a patient does not help his doctor, he cannot be cured. This applies to our ways. If you do not help me, I cannot help you.
* * *
Claiming to be right, even if you are right, extinguishes the light of faith in your heart.
* * *
To follow Sufi ways, must I be a Muslim? Do you think that Christians are not Muslims? Perhaps they are. To be a Mus- lim means to be an obedient servant of your Lord. ‘Muslim’ is only an Arabic word for this. Why are you afraid of this word?
Worship your Lord. Worship is part of a special relationship be- tween you and your Lord.
* * *
Sometimes a little fish asks its mother, ‘Mother, where is the ocean?’, and she answers, ‘Show me where there is no ocean, and I will show you the ocean.’
* * *
The fight against your ego is terrible and full of dan- gers. You cannot fight it by yourself but you must find someone who has won this fight and can show you what to do. Never meet your ego head-on. If you say to it: ‘I’m declaring war on you’, then you are finished. You must flatter it. The ego is sus- picious so you must show it your friendly side by saying, ‘I like you more than anything in this world.’ Then its tyranny will soon be over. Those who challenge this rule are swallowed im- mediately.
* * *
There are billions of people on this earth and each
one of them has been given his particular fantasies. Everyone imagines things differently. All of mankind’s fantasies and im- agination are worthless. True value lies in true knowledge. The knowledge coming to us from the prophets is not imagination. We can accept it as it is. The prophets are authorised to speak to everyone according to his level of understanding. So, there is no need to say that something is like this or like that. We can accept it the way it comes. We believe and act accordingly.
You are burning. And what burns you is love, or it is fire.
* * *
Here on this earth nothing is yours. What is yours is be- yond space and time. Look for it there.
* * *
We are authorised to meet everyone. They may be educat- ed or uneducated, young or old, peasant or politician, Christian, Jew, or Muslim, they may be scholars of religion or dervishes. Whichever way they follow, whichever school they belong to we give as much as they can take.
* * *
We do not prepare speeches. We do not look into books or notes to find the right words. We take from the hearts and give to the hearts. Why should we prepare if the ones we have been waiting for do not appear, or if a bird appears and imme- diately leaves? We want you to understand. We are not in love with brilliant ideas, so that people can say, ‘What a great schol- ar, what meaningful words, what important thinking, what a giant amongst theologians.’ Important for us is that you under- stand. A helicopter may land anywhere, the Concorde needs a special airport. Give honour to the scholars. However, we are humble, we only need your attention.
* * *
The message which the Seal of Prophets, Sayyidunā Mukam- mad, brought from his Lord Allah Almighty is for all people until the end of time. It is perfect, it does not need any im- provement.
* * *
Move in the way of the fish. If you understand this, then the whole world may be pulled away from under your feet and it will not disturb you. Why do you need ground under your feet? You are free.
* * *
If you refuse all and accept the One, you are not proud. If you accept all and refuse the One, you are proud.
* * *
Use your mind and your eyes. When you look at Islam, do not listen to your ego. Your mind will tell you that Islam does not oppose mankind. It opposes your ego.
* * *
We are holders of the attributes of God, not His partners.
* * *
What shall I do with the parts of a watch if I do not know their place? Everything is with us, all the components are there, but we do not know where they fit.
The difference between you and your master is that you
are proud.
* * *
You pray, but in your heart is jealousy. You pray, and in your heart is love for this life. You pray, and in your heart is selfish- ness. Sixty bad qualities can be in your heart. If only one of them stays, it is sufficient to destroy your faith.
* * *
It is impossible to control technology through thought. It is too fast for thinking.
* * *
Humility sustains hearts. Therefore, the hearts of the
prophets bring people together. Pride makes them flee from each other.
* * *
Education in the modern world educates only towards selfishness. Which school should we send our children to so that they may learn that everything belongs to all of us?
* * *
Strength does not consist in strong words or deeds. It consists in your being able to bear everything in this life, good
or bad, with equal courage. If you run away from something, you are only running from bad to worse. Whatever happens to you marks you. Nothing helps but patience.
* * *
As long as you are connected with everyone, you must endure everyone. Do you know what you are asking for, if you want someone to suit your wishes? One false link in the chain falsifies all. Each attempt to change one link in the chain changes all. Therefore, physical control over others is impos- sible.
* * *
A human being thinks with the head, intends with the heart and acts with the organs.
* * *
During the day or at night, take a bath, sit quietly and say in silence, ‘My God, I have left everything, everything, except You. Now, I am with You. I know that You will never leave me, that You are always with me. But I am not with You and now I would like to be with You, if only for a little while. A while, my God, I will sit with You, looking at You, listening to You, doing what I do only for You, and being only for You.’
* * *
‘I am a Muslim’, means, ‘I have stopped fighting against
the Will of my Lord, and I promise never again to quarrel with Him.’
The most significant characteristic of the West is
speed. There, one also wants a speedy cure, even though our illness has been building up over a long time.
* * *
This is a meeting witnessed by our Lord. The angels bear witness, and we are witnesses to each other.
* * *
All our lives we run after Light. Without it we cannot live, without it we cannot serve our Lord. Without it we do not know what is coming towards us, in this life and in the next.
* * *
I saw you, my brother, my sister, how you came out of your houses, running. You must run after someone or something; you must want to catch it. Did you catch it today? They say, ‘No, tomorrow we will try an
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6050
, my Lord, let me be one
th e star o f mu ª ammad
of Mukammad’s children. Gladly, would I give up my propheth- ood for the honour of being the last one of his children.’
But we are forgetful and we forget to thank Allah Almighty for His gift. Did He not take us into the fold of this community even before we asked Him to?
kn ow thyself
In the Name of Allah Almighty, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent.
t does not matter how many people come togeth- er in a meeting. Two, or three, hundreds, thousands, or millions. Allah Almighty is with each association.
The strength we derive from faith comes from knowing this. When those who associate come together in the clear knowledge of the Presence of their Lord, then they will behave according- ly. Those who want to reach reality in this life, on this earth, must walk on their way knowing that their Lord is with them wherever they are. For He is their Creator and their Guide on the way to reality.
As long as the seeker is on the way, his Lord is with him. He never leaves him. If Allah Almighty, disappeared, then the way and the one who walks on it would disappear too. It is difficult for us to understand or to imagine what Allah Almighty is like and how He is able to always be with us.
Once, a Jew came to Sayyidinā ‘Alî and asked him, ‘What kind of a Lord is your Lord? What is He like?’ And Sayyidunā ‘Alî an- swered, ‘How can you ask what the One who gave existence to the ‘how’ is like? Alladhî kayyaf al-kayf, lâ yus’al ‘anhu kayf.’
That is why you cannot reach this reality merely through be- ing informed about it. What is it like, where is it and which way leads there? Even if it was possible to answer these questions, it would not enable you to take even one step. The question about
Allah Almighty cannot be answered if it is asked in this way. Whoever asks it must begin by starting out on the way. The starting point, however, does not begin with the question about your Lord, but with the question about yourself.
Leave the question about your Lord and ask: ‘Who am I? Where have I come from?’ Why don’t you ask? You came from two channels. Do you remember? Then, you came together in the womb of your mother. Do you remember? You don’t? You came out of your mother’s womb and you do not remember. Where have you come from? Ask! Ask this question first. The first station of knowledge is the knowledge of yourself. When you have reached it, you may ask about your Lord. That is why our Prophet, peace be upon him, says, ‘The knowledge of your Lord comes from the knowledge of yourself. Man ‘arifa nafsahu, fa qad ‘arifa rabbahu.’ That is the first step.
As it is very difficult to see how Allah Almighty is always with us, He sends His representatives to us. The last one of these representatives, that is to say, the one who was sent by Allah to the people of our time and for the remaining time until the end of time, was Mukammad Rasûlullāh, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
There are two testimonies of Islam. The first is: lâ ilâha illâ Llâh, there is no god except Allah. The second is: Muªammadun Rasûlullâh, Mukammad is the messenger of Allah. No one can take his place for all eternity. Just as Allah Almighty is with- out a partner, so is Mukammad, peace be upon him. Mukammad is of mankind but his face is turned unswervingly towards the Face of his Lord. The steadfastness of his gaze belongs to his real being in the Divine Presence. Here on earth there is only a ray, a small ray of the reality of Mukammad. We cannot understand or bear more than this.
Accordingly, we have someone to see and to understand, someone to speak with, to sit with, to go with, someone we can
kn ow th y s elf
meet. Allah Almighty sends us His emissary. We may not be able to see him, but it is not beyond our imagination to imagine him in our midst, for whatever is invisible may become visible. The easiest way to be aware of such a presence is through the presence of the Friends of God, the saints.
A murîd, that is, someone asking for reality, must be aware of this. He may have much knowledge or little, depending on the length of the way he has gone, but the certainty of the Di- vine Presence is absolutely necessary for him. It encourages him to proceed on his way and it teaches him to be careful and well-mannered.
My Master, may Allah bless him, asked his murîds to take him with them wherever they went. Once I was walking in the streets of Damascus, when suddenly someone came towards me from across the street. He waved to me, and when I stopped, he asked me about my master. I told him as much as I could. After a while I begged to take my leave, and the man let me go, asking me to convey his greetings to my master and giving me some sweets for the way. When I returned to my master, I told him that I had met such and such a person and that he sent his greetings. Then I took the sweets out of my pocket to give them to my master. He asked, ‘Where are yours?’ ‘Mine? Oh, these are mine. I am giving them to you.’ I don’t want yours, oh, Nazim Efendi, I want mine’, he replied.
‘When you walk alone, you must take me with you. When someone gives you something, you must say, “Thank you very much, this is for me and this is for my Sheikh. I am not alone.”’
This is simple advice, but it bears much meaning. Whoever heeds it will always be careful in his actions, and he will walk with the awareness that his master is always with him. He can call on him for help when he is in need. His Sheikh will support and defend him. If he walks alone, then he will have to meet
everything alone. If he goes with his master, then none of the devils will dare to approach him.
This holds true for your whole life. You should never take one step without a person endowed with spiritual power being next to you. Such a person can appoint one of his or her own spiritual bodies to accompany you. This can be done for one or for many. A true master, a Grandsheikh, can in this way be with all of his disciples, even if there are hundreds of thousands of them.
This is extremely important for our spiritual life. As long as you are not such a fighter that people fear you, as long as you are not like Sayyidinā ‘Umar, whom the devil tried to avoid, you will need someone to guide you; you will need someone to support you in all of your actions, in all of your worship.
When you do not just imagine that you can walk alone but when you are really capable of going on the path by yourself, then you must help those who do not know how to help them- selves against the attacks of the enemy of mankind.
association
In the Name of Allah Almighty, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent.
arîqatunâ a¶-¶uªbah wa-l-khayru fi-l-jam‘iyyah.
Our way is the way of companionship, and everything good comes from being together. These are the words
of Shah Naqshband, the founder and the pillar of the Most Dis- tinguished Naqshbandi Way. May Allah Almighty bless him and grant him closeness.
Wa kûnû ma‘a ¶-¶âdiqîn [9:119]: ‘be with the sincere Ones’. This is a Holy Order. Allah Almighty obliges us to seek out one of these true human beings and to follow them.
We live in a time where people mostly follow those who fol- low their egos. Promises from their side are most welcome. If possible, we would always like to choose the way which is easi- est and most pleasant to us, that is, to our ego.
This, however, is extremely dangerous because the ego never leads to a true way. It prefers falseness, for it is not motivated by truth, but by its own advantage. Whoever wants to find the truth cannot follow his ego. True ways are narrow but false ones are wide. The ego prefers such ways because it does not want to com- mit itself, it likes to try a bit here and a bit there – this and that. Following along true ways has to be learned. To learn this, you need a guide. You cannot be that guide because, when you are alone, Satan and the army of his helpers will attack you. You cannot escape, for they will get you and force you to follow
them, whether you like it or not. Once you go with them, you are finished.
But if you are in the company of a true human being, Satan and his volunteers will not approach you, because they fear the sacred, divine power of such a person. Let a true guide lead you through your life. Without him, it is too dangerous. Each time we leave the way we will be punished. This punishment may come sooner or later, but it cannot be avoided. All the suffering and misery which descends upon mankind is the result of their ceasing to follow true human beings. They no longer know what is happening to them and why it happens. That is their real suffering – not what happens to them, but their not knowing whence it comes and for which purpose.
If they followed a true human being, they would know that everything which happens to them is for their benefit. For they would know that nothing happens without the will and the knowledge of their Lord and they could then be content and bear it, even if it was difficult and unpleasant. We may not un- derstand the wisdom contained in events, but we may know that there is wisdom in them. Whoever recognises this, will have a heart which is at rest, for he knows that all will be well. Allah Almighty orders us, therefore, in all Holy Books, from Adam to Sayyidinā Mukammad, peace be upon them and upon all prophets, Yâ-ayyuhâ lladhîna âmanû ittaqû llâha wa kûnû ma‘a
¶-¶âdiqîn [9:119]. Nothing has changed about this verse, about this, ‘Oh, you who believe, fear Allāh and be with the people of truth.’ It is as true today as it was then and it will be true until the Last Day.
Which one of you, when you wake up in the morning, asks his Lord, ‘Oh, Lord, let me meet one of Your true servants today’? Who asks Him, ‘Oh, my Lord, let me find one of Your hidden friends, one of Your saints’! Whoever seeks will find, and who- ever asks will be answered.
associatio n
The hearts of the people of truth are free from all evil and all illness. Illness of the heart brings death: that is, the death that leaves a dead body behind. When we die, we go to find true life. We do not come into this life only to eat, drink and satisfy our sexual desires. The true reason for our being here is the search for true life.
Nobody finds eternal life whose heart is ill. When the heart is healed, it lives the true life, because the secret of the true life is lowered into it. He whose heart does not die, his body does not become dust.
Keeping company with a true human being is being on the path with one whose heart is whole and well. In this way your own heart is healed. Whoever has already found eternal life in this life, his body remains in the grave as it was on earth. He appears in it on the Day of Judgement, and his sign will be, ‘alâ manabirîn min nûr, ‘sitting on thrones of light’.
Is there anything more important than to seek real life? Do not say, ‘How shall I find these people of truth?’ Your heart will tell you.
wa y s to
th e
heavens
In the Name of Allah Almighty, Most Beneficent and Most Munificent.
ssociation with the Sheikh is the essence of
the Distinguished Naqshbandi Way. Without this link there is no way. Without a way, you cannot reach Allah
Almighty.
This way is a way of knowing. Each man and woman is obliged to try to know herself, himself, and to recognise their position in this life, on this earth, and in this universe. For this reason we have been given understanding. So we must try to understand and to be understanding. This is only incumbent upon those who have been given understanding.
There are two ways in which we can know about ourselves. One is the knowledge of the body. It is not too difficult, only a question of time and of the quantity of knowledge. Although neither an amateur nor a specialist can know everything about the body down to the smallest detail, we are, nevertheless, jus- tified in saying that we possess knowledge of our bodies and that to the extent that we are identical with our bodies, we are able to know ourselves.
Then, we know a little bit about ourselves through our re- lationship to other bodies. What is the character of the Earth? Why is it so suitable for the children of Adam? How is it that the children of Adam are to be found exclusively on this planet? Who chose it for them? Is it by accident that they live here or by
design? Such questions are important, because through them we learn about ourselves.
Now, the universe does not only consist of physical bodies, but also of spiritual ones. An indication for this is found in our dreams. Our physical body rests while we run, see, hear,eat and smell. How is this possible if there is only one body?How can we see, when our eyes are closed, how are we ableto run, when we are lying on our beds? Is there perhaps asecond body, a sec- ond being? We call this second body thespiritual body, or our spiritual being.
We cannot know about this body or being, as we were able to know about ourselves in the first case. Usually, we are identified with a self that lives through the physical body only. This is the ego. Knowledge of a second body, of our spiritual body is possible only to the degree that this identification begins to be disentangled. This process begins when the fight against the ego reaches a certain level. As not many are willing to give up the luxuries of the ego and its world and to fight against it, and as even less reach the level of disentanglement, only a small num- ber of human beings possesses such knowledge. They live in the uppermost floor of the building of mankind. The height of their apartment determines the view. All men live on this planet, but their living-spaces are different. Because of this, their views are different: some are short-sighted, others are long-sighted. He who lives on the roof may tell those living in the basement what he can see. Most human beings live in the basement, and if they do not strive to get out they must spend their whole life there. Whoever wants to get out has to search for inhabitants of the roof. We cannot obtain spiritual knowledge by ourselves, be- cause we are sitting with our egos in the basement of ourselves. When the roof-people come to us, they speak of this and that view, of this and that knowledge, and they ask us to come with them because they want to show us what they see. Whoever
wa y s to th e h e av en s
listens to them, whoever believes them and gets up in order to follow them, will see. The lines of the prophets, and thereby prophethood as such is completed. Nothing can be added and there will be no further prophet. But this does not mean that all possibilities for following prophets, especially the Seal of Proph- ets, are cut off. The last Prophet stands at the horizon of the children of Adam. He stands at the last horizon, there will be none after him.
If you follow a prophet in sincerity, you must finally reach his level, his view, his knowledge. If you do not follow any of them, that is, if you do not follow any human being who is sustained and moved by divine attributes, you will live in the basement and die in the basement.
If you intend to get up and follow one of them, you must be careful, for there are many impostors and charlatans. But if you find a true human being, then stay with him or with her and accompany them on their way. They will guide you to their lev- el and show you further universes beyond the horizon of our universe.
Do not say, ‘This takes too long and is too difficult.’ If it caus- es too much discomfort to you, if it is too wearisome, if you prefer to stay here, if you like it very much here, if it is good enough the way it is, if you say, ‘What shall I do with all these fairy-tales, I’ll stick to what I know and try to get along’, then you had better understand clearly what you are saying. You are saying that you prefer to die in filth and to be buried amongst pigs. However, he whose heart asks day in, day out, and he who follows it, will have a view opened to him.
There are †arîqahs, there are Ways of the Heavens, which al- low their seekers to feast their eyes from time to time while they are still on their way. They need this as a kind of incentive. But the most distinguished Naqshbandi Way does not use such methods. On the contrary, it keeps the eyes of those who walk
its way from swerving. In this way, it keeps them on their path. For it happens quite often that someone fascinated by the sights along the wayside forgets the goal – the arrival in the Divine Presence. The Naqshbandi Way leads its seekers, its murîds to their horizon, to their destination, without offering tempting promises. Only when they reach the station of safety, are their eyes opened. Then they see and then they know that this is the last horizon.
Here everything is made clear for everybody. You are free. We all live in the same building. You are free to live in the base- ment or on the roof. May our way be guided by love and may our feet be moved by the desire for the One.
All praise belongs to the Lord of the Worlds.
p art thr ee
words to
keep
i n our h e arts
a p horisms
a n d stori e s
nce upon a time, a master of our way invited his
disciples to a picnic. Such things are important for this way because they keep the disciples on the path by
keeping them amused. After having found a good place to rest and for refreshment, the master asked everybody where they had found him. All remembered and told him the place. There were as many places as there were disciples. Suddenly, the mas- ter disappeared. They all looked, but found nobody. All of a sud- den, his voice was heard. It said, ‘After having found me once, look for me again!’ But because it came from all directions at the same time, they did not know where to look for him and ran in all directions without success. After a while, when they had already given up, the voice was heard again, ‘Why, after having found me before, can’t you find me, now?’ It is like this, we think we are seeking, however we are sought. We think we find but we are found.
* * *
I do not change anyone, I do not add to anyone. I only pass on Divine Knowledge. I give from you to you, from within yourself. I make connections.
* * *
Honour should not be given for merely recognising the truth, it should be given to the one who accepts it.
* * *
If you look into the sun, your eyes hurt. Therefore, the Christians, the Jews, and even most of the Muslims in our days avoid looking at the Prophet Mukammad, peace be upon him.
* * *
All things are created to teach man. They teach him,
‘Look, everything around you is in balance. You must keep this balance. It is the balance of life: the balance of physical life and of spiritual life. Two scales. As long as one is full and the other one empty, as long as there is more in one than in the other, you will not be at peace. As long as your spiritual being is unhappy, it will not carry the weight of the body. As soon as you are bal- anced, Heaven and Earth are your neighbours.
* * *
Perfection is not a matter of making claims. There are
signs for perfection. He who reaches spiritual perfection will find himself in his own world. This world is his inner life. In his world he finds what he has been searching for, that is, what belongs to him. There, in this inner world, he will know himself and when he knows himself, he will begin to know the Divine.
* * *
Why do you not learn from trees and flowers? They are, like all creatures, created to serve creation. But we are like poi- soned thorns. We do not like ourselves and we do not like each other. We do not like ourselves because we stubbornly poison our souls.
* * *
My task and the task of all those who are on my level is to
make you believe. This is the task of the masters. It is not pos- sible to believe in something without believing in someone. For,
to listen the heart must be open. Whoever listens believes in someone and believes that this person can teach him what he cannot know, see, reach, or be by himself. Such belief brings you the love of the one to whom you are listening. By believing, you learn how to love. By believing, you learn to obey. By loving, you are on the way to obedience. For true obedience is not pos- sible without love. Whoever is forced to obey will never obey, and true obedience leads to the Divine Presence.
* * *
If you do not notice nearness and do not notice it coming nearer, if your soul does not ask daily for the beloved, nothing has happened. You are playing. You are wasting your time.
* * *
In these times, you may reach one out of ten thousand, not more. People do not help you, and when a patient does not help his doctor, he cannot be cured. This applies to our ways. If you do not help me, I cannot help you.
* * *
Claiming to be right, even if you are right, extinguishes the light of faith in your heart.
* * *
To follow Sufi ways, must I be a Muslim? Do you think that Christians are not Muslims? Perhaps they are. To be a Mus- lim means to be an obedient servant of your Lord. ‘Muslim’ is only an Arabic word for this. Why are you afraid of this word?
Worship your Lord. Worship is part of a special relationship be- tween you and your Lord.
* * *
Sometimes a little fish asks its mother, ‘Mother, where is the ocean?’, and she answers, ‘Show me where there is no ocean, and I will show you the ocean.’
* * *
The fight against your ego is terrible and full of dan- gers. You cannot fight it by yourself but you must find someone who has won this fight and can show you what to do. Never meet your ego head-on. If you say to it: ‘I’m declaring war on you’, then you are finished. You must flatter it. The ego is sus- picious so you must show it your friendly side by saying, ‘I like you more than anything in this world.’ Then its tyranny will soon be over. Those who challenge this rule are swallowed im- mediately.
* * *
There are billions of people on this earth and each
one of them has been given his particular fantasies. Everyone imagines things differently. All of mankind’s fantasies and im- agination are worthless. True value lies in true knowledge. The knowledge coming to us from the prophets is not imagination. We can accept it as it is. The prophets are authorised to speak to everyone according to his level of understanding. So, there is no need to say that something is like this or like that. We can accept it the way it comes. We believe and act accordingly.
You are burning. And what burns you is love, or it is fire.
* * *
Here on this earth nothing is yours. What is yours is be- yond space and time. Look for it there.
* * *
We are authorised to meet everyone. They may be educat- ed or uneducated, young or old, peasant or politician, Christian, Jew, or Muslim, they may be scholars of religion or dervishes. Whichever way they follow, whichever school they belong to we give as much as they can take.
* * *
We do not prepare speeches. We do not look into books or notes to find the right words. We take from the hearts and give to the hearts. Why should we prepare if the ones we have been waiting for do not appear, or if a bird appears and imme- diately leaves? We want you to understand. We are not in love with brilliant ideas, so that people can say, ‘What a great schol- ar, what meaningful words, what important thinking, what a giant amongst theologians.’ Important for us is that you under- stand. A helicopter may land anywhere, the Concorde needs a special airport. Give honour to the scholars. However, we are humble, we only need your attention.
* * *
The message which the Seal of Prophets, Sayyidunā Mukam- mad, brought from his Lord Allah Almighty is for all people until the end of time. It is perfect, it does not need any im- provement.
* * *
Move in the way of the fish. If you understand this, then the whole world may be pulled away from under your feet and it will not disturb you. Why do you need ground under your feet? You are free.
* * *
If you refuse all and accept the One, you are not proud. If you accept all and refuse the One, you are proud.
* * *
Use your mind and your eyes. When you look at Islam, do not listen to your ego. Your mind will tell you that Islam does not oppose mankind. It opposes your ego.
* * *
We are holders of the attributes of God, not His partners.
* * *
What shall I do with the parts of a watch if I do not know their place? Everything is with us, all the components are there, but we do not know where they fit.
The difference between you and your master is that you
are proud.
* * *
You pray, but in your heart is jealousy. You pray, and in your heart is love for this life. You pray, and in your heart is selfish- ness. Sixty bad qualities can be in your heart. If only one of them stays, it is sufficient to destroy your faith.
* * *
It is impossible to control technology through thought. It is too fast for thinking.
* * *
Humility sustains hearts. Therefore, the hearts of the
prophets bring people together. Pride makes them flee from each other.
* * *
Education in the modern world educates only towards selfishness. Which school should we send our children to so that they may learn that everything belongs to all of us?
* * *
Strength does not consist in strong words or deeds. It consists in your being able to bear everything in this life, good
or bad, with equal courage. If you run away from something, you are only running from bad to worse. Whatever happens to you marks you. Nothing helps but patience.
* * *
As long as you are connected with everyone, you must endure everyone. Do you know what you are asking for, if you want someone to suit your wishes? One false link in the chain falsifies all. Each attempt to change one link in the chain changes all. Therefore, physical control over others is impos- sible.
* * *
A human being thinks with the head, intends with the heart and acts with the organs.
* * *
During the day or at night, take a bath, sit quietly and say in silence, ‘My God, I have left everything, everything, except You. Now, I am with You. I know that You will never leave me, that You are always with me. But I am not with You and now I would like to be with You, if only for a little while. A while, my God, I will sit with You, looking at You, listening to You, doing what I do only for You, and being only for You.’
* * *
‘I am a Muslim’, means, ‘I have stopped fighting against
the Will of my Lord, and I promise never again to quarrel with Him.’
The most significant characteristic of the West is
speed. There, one also wants a speedy cure, even though our illness has been building up over a long time.
* * *
This is a meeting witnessed by our Lord. The angels bear witness, and we are witnesses to each other.
* * *
All our lives we run after Light. Without it we cannot live, without it we cannot serve our Lord. Without it we do not know what is coming towards us, in this life and in the next.
* * *
I saw you, my brother, my sister, how you came out of your houses, running. You must run after someone or something; you must want to catch it. Did you catch it today? They say, ‘No, tomorrow we will try an
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