The Quintessence Concerning What Is Indispensable For the Spiritual Seeker by Ibne Arabi radi allahu anhu

1. God’s Unicity and Transcendence

2. Faith in the messengers, companions, ‘people of this Path’ (Friends of God), and serving the
poor

3. Silence, focus on dhikr/remembrance of God, and good deeds

4. Right companion on the spiritual Path

5. Sincere intention (Sidq) in seeking the right guide

6. Right livelihood

7. Eating little

8. Filling the day with prayer

9. Sleep, eat, and dress only as really needed

10. How to read the Qur’an

11. Keeping track of one’s animal self (muhāsaba) and shame before God

12. Staying Conscious: being aware of demands of the ‘Instant’ and eliminating inner
distractions

13. Purity (tahāra)

14. Striving for good moral character traits

15. Right attitude toward spiritual ‘opponents’

16. Right Behavior (adab) toward animals, dependents and children

17. Avoiding the powerful and worldly, while practicing insān and Sabr

Eight Lessons by Imam Ghazali (Radi Allahu anhu)

YOUNG MAN: Reflect, too, upon the story of Hatim the deaf who was the companion of  Shaqiq al-Balkhi (may the mercy of Allah be upon them both). One day Shaqiq enquired of Hatim: “For 30 years you have been my companion. What, pray, have you gained from  it?” Hatim replied: “I have gained eight benefits with which I am contented and from which I  expect my salvation and my deliverance.” “And what are they?” Shaqiq asked. Said Hatim:

“THE FIRST is that I looked at creation and noticed that to everyone there  belongs a beloved. And a part of that which is beloved to him accompanies  him to his death – sickness, while another part accompanies him only to the  edge of his grave. But none (of the above) enters with him. So I reflected   and said to myself: “The most beloved is the companion accompanying one into the grave! I found  this companion to be none other than Righteous Deeds. So I embraced her as  my beloved to be a shining light and an intimate friend never to abandon me  when I would be most alone.

THE SECOND is that I looked at man and found him guided by his whims and  fancies, forever hastening to the fulfilment of his lower desires. So I  meditated upon the verse: “But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrain his soul  from lower desires; his abode will be the Garden..” and came to know, with the knowledge of certainty, that the Qur’an was  indeed the Truth. Then swiftly I moved to free myself from its vain desires until they rested,   contented, in obedience to Allah, the High, the Exalted and finally  consented to His Will.

THE THIRD is that I noticed every single person greedily striving to gain  for himself the vanities of the world. Then I reflected upon the verse: “What is with you must vanish and what is with Allah must endure.” So I spent my life’s earnings in the way of Allah and divided them amongst  the poor to be as a treasure for me in the care of Allah.

THE FOURTH is that I saw a number of people who thought that their honour  and strength resided in the sheer abundance of their clan and kinsfolk.  Others claimed and boasted that it was contained in the amount of their   wealth and children. Others reckoned that it was to be found in the  extortion of wealth, oppression of others, and the shedding of their blood.  Yet another group believed that strength and honour was to be found in  extravagance – in the wasting and squandering of money. Then I thought  about the words of Allah: “Verily, the most honoured of you (is he who) is the most righteous of you.” I then chose righteousness for myself for I had come to know with firmness  of belief that the Qur’an was indeed the truth and that their opinions and  assumptions were false and ephemeral.

18th Discourse from Futuh al-Ghaib On Not Complaining

The Shaikh Abdul Qadir al Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him, and grant him contentment) said: Let me give you a piece of advice: Never complain to anyone about your luck, whether he be friend or foe, and do not accuse the Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) of treating you badly and making you suffer misfortune. You should rather proclaim your blessings and your gratitude. Better even to tell a lie by expressing gratitude for a benefit you have not received, than to state the plain fact of your situation truthfully but as a complaint. Who is totally without the grace of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He)? Allah (Exalted is He) has said:

And if you count the favor of Allah, you will never add it up. (16:18)

How many blessings you enjoy without acknowledging them for what they are! Do not settle for any mere creature as your confidant and intimate companion, and tell no one about your problems. It is rather with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) that you should be on intimate and confidential terms, and any complaining you do should be about Him and addressed to Him. Recognize no other party, for none has any power to bring you loss or gain, income or expenditure, honor or disgrace, promotion or demotion, poverty or affluence, movement or rest. All things are the creation of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). They lie in the hand of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) and the way they function is at His command and by His leave. Each runs its course until a time appointed, and everything is regulated by Him. There is no advancing what He has postponed, and no putting back what He has brought to the fore. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:

If Allah afflicts you with some hurt, none can remove it but He; and if He desires any good for you, none can repel His bounty. He causes it to reach whomsoever He will of His servants. He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Compassionate. (10:107)

If you complain about Him (Almighty and Glorious is He) while you are in good health and already enjoy some blessing, just wanting to get more and shutting your eyes contemptuously to the benefit and well-being you have received from Him, He will be angry with you and deprive you of both. He will give you something real to complain about, doubling your trouble, intensifying the chastisement and detestation and loathing you must suffer, and casting you down out of His sight.

Two Ways to Purify the Heart

Hadrat Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlvi (may the mercy of Allah be upon him) has written that there are two ways in which the earth regains purity if there is filth upon it.

1. Water pours down in such abundance that the filth is completely washed away.
2. The sun shines down so intensely that all trace of filth is burned away.

Similarly, there are only two ways to attain purification of the heart. One way is to engage in so much dhikr that mercy rains down upon one’s heart to such an extent that it eliminates the filth and cures the diseases of the heart. The other is to remain in the company of a righteous Shaykh and serve him, and like the sun the heart of theShaykh shines its rays upon his heart. The resulting blessing (faidh) removes all signs of the filth and a person’s heart is rendered pure.

Thus, we should be frequent and regular in our dhikr so that AllahAlimighty grants us annihilation of the heart (fana-e-qalbi), a blessing attained after the heart is purified in which a person is forever occupied in the remembrance of his Lord. However, this does not mean that he always sits in prayer and forsakes all other responsibilities. Rather the opposite is true and he takes care of all his worldly and family responsibilities but with a constant awareness of and a deep connection with AllahAlmighty.

ADVICE FOR THE MUREEDS of Silsila Qaadria Barakaatia Radawiya Nooria

Question

The question was posed to ḤuĎūr Tāj ash-Sharīá Muftī Muḥammad Akhtar RiĎā al-Qādrī al-Bareylwī ḥāfidhullāh,Could you please share with us any wazīfa (litany) or any áml which can be performed for the protection of our Îmân and a means of achieving spiritual peace?

Answer

ḤuĎūr Tāj ash-Sharīá ḥāfidhullāh replied, – The recitation of Durūd (and Salawāt) is the most superior of wazāíf, recite Durūd abundantly

One should recite the Durood Shareef as much as possible. The recital of the Durood Shareef gains immense Barakah for the reciter. This should also be remembered by the students, that if they do not have the time to recite the Wazifas, then they should continue reciting the Durood Shareef in abundance.

TASAWWUR-E-SHAIKH (PICTURING THE MURSHID)

Always try and picture your Sheikh, whenever you are alone. Do so with total love and sincerity. Imagine that you are seated in front of your Sheikh and that the both of you are present in the court of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). Imagine that the rays of Noor (Light) is descending upon the heart of your Murshid and from his heart it is being transferred to your heart. If you continue in this manner, you will be freed of all your worldly concerns and you will become more spiritually elevated.

May Almighty Allah assist you in this world and the Hereafter, through the Wasila of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) and all the Mashaa’ikh of the Silsila Qaadria Barakaatia Radawiya Nooria. Ameen.

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Sufism and Shari`ah, from Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi radi allahu anhu

The Shari`ah is of fundamental importance to the Sufi path. This point is very strongly made by the great Naqshbandi Sufi, Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi (also known as Imam ar-Rabbani), in his letters. Here is a small excerpt from one of his letters, where he clarifies this topic:

The Shari`ah has three parts: knowledge, action, and sincerity of motive (ikhlas); unless you fulfil the demands of all these parts, you do not obey the Shari`ah. And when you obey the Shari`ah you obtain the pleasure of God, which is the most supreme good in this world and the Hereafter. The Qur’an says: “The pleasure of God is the highest good.” Hence, the Shari`ah comprehends all the good of this world and the next, and nothing is left out for which one has to go beyond the Shari`ah.

The tariqah ["way"] and the haqiqah ["reality"] for which the Sufis are known, are subservient to the Shari`ah, as they help to realize its third part, namely, sincerity. Hence they are sought in order to fulfil the Shari`ah, not to achieve something beyond the Shari`ah. The raptures and ecstasies which the Sufis experience, and the ideas and truths which come to them in the course of their journey, are not the goal of Sufism. They are rather myths and fancies on which the children of Sufism are fed. One has to pass over them all and reach the stage of satisfaction (rida) which is the final goal of suluk ["travelling", i.e. the Sufi path] and jadhbah ["overwhelming love"]. The purpose of traversing the stages of of tariqah and haqiqah is nothing other than the realisation of ikhlas which involves the attainment of rida. Only one out of a thousand Sufis is graced with the three illuminations (tajalliyat sih ganah) and gnostic visions, given ikhlas and elevated to the stage of rida.

[Quoted from "Sufism and Shari`ah: A study of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi's Effort to Reform Sufism," by Muhammad Abdul Haq Ansari, pp. 221-2. Originally from Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi's letters, Vol. I:36.] 

Consume food only if it is ” Halal “

The translation of an excert borrowed from the fourth chapter of the second part of Kimyâ-i-se’âdet: Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ‘alaihi wa sallam’ stated: “It is farz for, (i.e. incumbent upon,) every Muslim to earn (a living) by way of halâl.” Earning by way of halâl, in its turn, requires learning what is halâl. Halâls and harâms are known clearly. What is difficult to know is the doubtful area between the two. A person who fails to avoid the doubtful will fall into harâms. This subject, therefore, should cover an extensive area of knowledge to impart. We have provided detailed information in our book entitiled Ihyâ-ul-‘ulûm. In this chapter we will briefly dwell on some salient points of sweeping generally, arranging them in four articles. [One of those four articles is given here.]

Merits of earning by way of halâl, and thawâb for doing so:

The fifty-second [52] âyat-i-karîma of Mu’minûn Sura purports: “O My Prophets ‘salawâtullahi ‘alaihim ajma’în’. Eat what is pure and halâl and worship Me in due manner!” For this reason, Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ‘alaihi wa sallam’ stated: “It is farz for every Muslim to earn by way of halâl.” At another occasion the Most Blessed Prophet stated: “If a person eats (only) whatsoever is halâl without mixing any harâm with it for forty days running, Allâhu ta’âlâ will fill his heart with nûr (spritual lights). He will make Hikmat flow like rivers into his heart. He will remove worldly love from his heart.” [It is not sinful to work in order to earn what is worldly. What is sinful is love what is worldly and attach one’s heart to the world.] Sa’d bin Abî Waqqâs ‘radiy-Allâhu ‘anh’, (a Sahâbî, the seventh earliest Muslim, and one of those most fortunate ten Muslims who are called the ‘Ashara-i-mubash-shara because they were given the glad tidings that they would enter Paradise after death,) one day entreated: Yâ Rasûlullah (O Messenger of Allah)! Please invoke a blessing on me so that Allâhu ta’âlâ will accept all my prayers!” The following hadîth-i-sherîf contains the reply of the Best of Mankind:

Sufi Sayings on Rememberence By It’s Masters

REMEMBRANCE

The Sufi aspires to remember God every moment of the day, with each and every breath. The dhikr,the repetition of the name of God,is the fundamental practice of remembrance.

1. Sahl said to one of his disciples: “Try to say continu-ously for one day: ‘Allâh! Allâh! Allâh!’ and do the same the next day and the day after, until it becomes a habit.”Then he told him to repeat it at night also, until it became so familiar that the disciple repeated it even during his sleep. Then Sahl said, “Do not consciously repeat the Name any more, but let your whole faculties be engrossed in remembering Him!” The disciple did this until he became absorbed in the thought of God. One day, a piece of wood fell on his head and broke it. The drops of blood that dripped to the ground bore the legend, “Allâh! Allâh!Allâh!” ( SAHL )

2. When God wishes to befriend one of His servants, He opens

Sufi Sayings By Its Masters

THE SUFI

Sufism is defined as “truth without form,” and the Sufi aspires to become “featureless and formless,” to be so lost in God that only He remains. But there are certain qualities that belong to these travellers on the path of love.

The Sufis are folk who have preferred God to everything,
so that God has preferred them to everything. DHÛ-L-NÛN

DISEASES OF THE SOUL

Various diseases affect the soul. A perfect Murshid can only treat them. We should study ourselves and upon finding ourselves affected by any of these ailments, seek a remedy from a perfect Murshid.

The diseases of the soul are: (1) Showing off (2) expirty (3) jealousy (4) hate (5) pride (6) love of praise (7) love of status (8) love of showing off (9) love of fame (10) reverence of the rich (11) disrespect of the poor (12) following desires (13) flattery (14) ingratitude (15) greed (16) stinginess (17) desire too much (18) thinking ill (19) hostility against truth (20) persistence in falsehood (21) convenience (22) rationalizing laziness (23) breach of trust (24) laziness (25) hard heartedness (26) greed (27) reliance on creation (28) forgetting the Creator (29) forgetfulness of death (30) committing sins openly and not fearing Allah (31) hypocrisy (32) obeying Shaitaan (33) self worship (34) inclination to idle matter (35) sloth (36) lack of fear of Allah (37) impatience (38) lack of humility (39) self – wrath in which case the anger could be used in the Path of Allah (40) being lax in Allah’s commands and prohibitions, etc. (Fatawa Afriqa by A’la Hazrat, pg. 129)

TYPES OF BAI’AT

There are two types of Bai’at – Bai’atul Barakah and Bai’atul Iraadah:

Bai’atul Barakah (Allegiance of Blessing):

One pledges Bai’atul Barakah by joining a Sisilah (spiritual order) for attaining Barakah (spiritual grace). Bai’atul Barakah is more widely pledged. However, one must be absolutely sincere in pledging to this Bai’ah. For the Bai’atul Barakah to be complete, it is necessary that the four conditions of a Sheikhul Itisaal be met. (The four conditions has been explained). This Bai’ah is also very auspicious. To be amongst those who are loved by Allah Ta’ala and linking to their spiritual order is an honour itself.

Bai’atul Iraadah (Allegiance of Devotion)

In Bai’atul Iraadah one pledges to detach oneself completely from one’s self-will wholly, and unconditionally place oneself in the hands of the Murshid such that one may be moulded through the ways of Tariqah (the path to Allah through spiritual training). No action or decision may be taken without the consent and approval of the Sheikh. This Bai’ah is pledged and carried out by the Saalikeen (Travelers on the path of Tasawwuf), hence it is also called Bai’atus Saalikeen. It is also the purpose of the Mashaa’ikh and a conveyance to Allah Ta’ala. The Holy Prophet Muhammed (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) took this Bai’ah from the Noble Sahabah (radi Allahu anhum).

The Noble Companion, Abaada Ibnu Saamit Al Ansaari (radi Allahu anhu), narrates: “We pledged Bai’ah to the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) in all our matters of good and misfortunes, in all trials and tribulations. We pledged to consult the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) in all our matters and to unflinchingly follow his orders and not to query his commands”. (Fatawa Afriqa by A’la Hazrat, pg.135)

From this discussion one can deduce that Bai’ah should be done on the hands of such a person who is worthy and meets with the criteria of a Murshid.