|
By
Imam Abu
Hamid Muhammad Al-Ghazali (May God Shower His
Mercy Upon Him)
From
Imam
Ghazali’s Arabic Book “Ayyuhal Walad”
from His Three-Volumes Collection of
Short Books “Majmu’a Rasail Imam Ghazali”
Translated
into English
By
Irfan
Hasan
From
the Urdu Translation of the Book
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Imam
Ghazali’s Response to the Letter
Benefits
Narrated by Hatim bin Ism (RA)
Qualities
of a Spiritual Guide (Shaykh)
Obedience
to a Spiritual Guide
Reality
of Tasawwuf (Spiritual Struggle)
Reality
of Reliance on God (Tawakkul
Reality
of Sincerity to God (Ikhlas)
Advice
According to One’s Comprehension
Individual
Capable of Benefiting from Advice
Staying
away from Affluent and Kings (Rulers)
Not
Accepting Gifts from Rulers
Four
Matters Worthy of Our Actions
The
Method of Developing an Intimate Relationship with Allah (God)
The
Method of Relating to the Slaves of Allah
An
Insistent Advice to Study and Learn
A
Supplication (Du’a) that can Always be
Recited
The
English translator has added all explanations given within square
brackets and
parenthesis and assumes all responsibilities for any mistranslations
and seeks
Allah’s forgiveness for that.
All
text in Arabic has been transliterated into English and has been
italicized.
For doing the English translations of the verses from the
Holy Quran,
some help has been sought from the English translation of Quran by
famous
European Muslim scholar Muhammad Asad called “The Message of
the Qur’an”.
The Urdu translation, used for doing this English
translation, has been
published by Dar-al Isha’at, Pakistan.
It
has been learned that one of the students of Imam Ghazali (Rahmatullahi
Alayhe [RA – May Allah shower His mercy upon him]),
who acquired a lot of
knowledge and spiritual benefits from him over a number of years, had a
thought
in his heart. He
thought that he
spent a lot of time learning from Imam Ghazali (RA) over a number of
years from
different branches of religious knowledge and gave a lot of sacrifices
towards
that end. However,
he still did not
know which branch of knowledge from among the branches of knowledge he
studied,
would be of real help to him, would illumine his grave, would be
beneficial to
him on the Day of Judgment and which branches of knowledge would not be
of
benefit to him on the Day of Judgment, so that he could refrain from
those
branches of knowledge because the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and
Blessings
of Allah be Upon him) said:
“A’auzu
Billahi Min ‘Ilm-il La Yanfa’au”.
“I
seek Allah’s refuge from the knowledge which is of no
benefit”.
This
disciple of Imam Ghazali (RA) kept thinking along these lines for a few
days and
then wrote a letter to Imam Ghazali with the view of getting an answer
to his
dilemma along with some other questions.
Furthermore,
he asked in his letter to Imam Ghazali (RA) for some advice and to
teach him a
supplication that he could always recite.
He
wrote in his letter that although Imam Ghazali (RA) has written
numerous books
on this issue such as “Ahya al-Uloom ad-Deen”
(Revival of the
Knowledge of the Path to God), “Kimiya
as-Sa’ada” (Alchemy of the
Ultimate Success and Happiness), “Jawahir ul-Quran”
(Priceless Gems
of the Holy Quran), “Arba’een”
(Forty Steps), “Minhaj ul
‘Aabedeen ila Jannatu Rabbul ‘Aalameen”
(Best Way for the Worshippers
of God Leading them Towards the Paradise of the Lord of All Universes),
etc.,
this weak individual is in need of something that he could always study
and
always act upon its injunctions. In
reply to his letter, Imam Ghazali (RA) sent him the
following advices.
IMAM
GHAZALI’S RESPONSE TO THE LETTER
In
the Name of Allah (God), the Most Compassionate and the Most Merciful.
All
praises belong to Allah alone, the Lord of all the universes and
blessings and
peace of Allah be upon His messenger Muhammad and on all of his
descendents and
followers.
My
dear beloved son and true friend!
May
Allah, the Exalted, grant you a long life for His worship and obedience
and may
He enable you to walk on the path of His beloveds.
You should know that the fountain of all good counsel is
the
holy existence of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him)
because the constitution of all counsel is based on his Ahadith
(traditions) and Sunnah (outward character and
conduct as well as
internal states). Every
counsel
(advice) contrary to his Ahadith (traditions) and Sunnah
(outward
character and internal states) will be of no benefit.
Countless accounts of advices have been written and told
in
the light of the Ahadith (traditions) and Sunnah
(outward
character and internal states) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and
blessings
of Allah be upon him). If
you have
received any guidance from them then you do not need any advice from me.
However, if you have not received any counsel from the
counsels of
Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then tell
me, in all
these years, what knowledge have you acquired from me?
My dear beloved son! Among the counsels of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad
(Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is the counsel:
“’Alamatu
I’radiAllahi ‘Anil ‘Abdi Ishtighaluhu
Bima La Ya’nehe Wa Inimra’un
Zahabut Sa’atuhu Min ‘Umrihi Fi Ghairi Ma Yukhlaq
Lahu Lihariyyun Ayyatula
‘Alaeyhe Hasratun.”
“A
servant of Allah’s involvement in useless things is an
indication that Allah
has removed His special favors from him/her (or has removed him/her
from His
Grace). And if the
servant is
spending even a moment from his/her life on things other than for which
Allah
has created him/her for, then it’s a matter of great
sorrow.”
Holy
Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has
furthermore
said:
“Mun
Jaawazal Arba’eena Sinatu Wa Lam Yughlab Khairuhu
‘Ala Sharrehi Fal
Yatajahhaza Ilan Nari.”
“An
individual whose state, even after forty (40) years of age, is such
that good in
him/her does not prevail over the evil in him/her, then [this
individual] should
get ready to go to Hell.”
My
dear beloved son! It’s
very easy
to give this advice to all the people of the whole world but
it’s very
difficult to act upon it oneself.
It’s
because, those in whose hearts the pleasures of the world and following
of their
desires [from the lower self] dominate, they find the advice and
guidance
bitter. These
people’s hearts are
trapped in the worldly desires and pleasures.
In this respect, this individual is worthy of special
mention, which
learns wisdom, philosophy and worldly learning like that and thinks
that this
knowledge will be a cause of salvation for him/her in the life
hereafter along
with earning for him/her fame and prestige in the world.
He/she thinks that it’s not necessary to act on
this knowledge and that
he/she is exempt from acting upon it.
This
belief, which is wrong, is of those who study philosophy.
All Glory and Honor to Allah the Great.
This individual does not even know this much that the
knowledge that
he/she acquires on which he/she does not even act upon, will be a
reason for
punishment for him/her on the Day of Judgment.
Does this person not know that the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(Peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Inna
Ashaddan Nasi ‘Azabun Yaumal Qiyamati ‘Alimu Lum
Yunfa’huAllahu Bi ‘Ilmihi.”
“On
the Day of Judgment, the most severe torment will be given to the
scholar
(person of knowledge) to whom Allah had not benefited from his/her
knowledge
(i.e. he/she did not act upon the acquired knowledge).”
It
has been narrated in the traditions of the intimates (friends/saints)
of Allah,
that one saint saw Shaykh Junaid Baghdadi (RA) in his dream after his
death and
asked him:
“O
Abu al-Qasim! Inform me about your state after your death!”
Shaykh
Junaid Baghdadi (RA) responded:
“Worships
and signs (Isharaat) all turned out to be useless.
But some Rak’at
(cycles) of prayers I did at the time of Tahajjud
(third part of the
night) were of benefit.”
My
dear beloved son! Do not be deprived of good deeds, do not be without
the
knowledge of the external matters (Shari’ah),
and do not be without
internal excellences (noble inner qualities).
Have firm certitude that only knowledge without good deeds
will not
benefit you on the Day of Judgment.
You
can understand this [important] point from the example that if someone
is
passing through a jungle or desert holding ten sharp swords, good
arches along
with some other weapons, and knowing the art of war and method of using
these
weapons and all of a sudden is confronted by a lion.
Tell me, can this person be saved without using these
weapons? You know
very well that
this person cannot be saved. Likewise,
you should know that if someone knows hundred thousand points of
knowledge (or Fiqh/legal
issues) but does not act on them then this knowledge will be of no
benefit to
this person.
Second
example is of a person who is sick and knows that his/her cure lies in
such and
such medicines but does not use these medicines, and then will the
knowledge of
medicines and of their ability to cure his/her illness is of any help
in
actually curing the illness [of this person]?
You can understand it quite well that merely having the
knowledge of
wisdom cannot cure the [spiritual/inner] diseases.
A poet has said that even if you take (buy) two thousand
pounds of wine you will not be intoxicated until you drink from it.
Acquiring
a lot of knowledge and continually browsing a lot of books but not
acting upon
that knowledge will not be of any benefit to you unless and until you
make
yourself deserving of Allah’s mercy through deeds of
righteousness.
Until then, the Grace of Allah will stay away from you.
Listen, Quran says the following in this respect:
“Wa
Anna Laeysa Lil Insaani illa Maa Sa’aa”
“Human
beings will get only what they have strived for.”
This
proves that human beings can achieve success only after struggling and
striving.
My dear beloved son!
I know
that you might have read that this verse of Quran was abrogated.
I suppose that this verse was abrogated but what do you
say about the
following two verses:
“Famaey
Ya’mal Mithqaala Zarratin Khairaey Yarahu Wa Maey
Ya’mal Mithqaala Zarratin
Sharraey Yarahu.”
“And
so, the one who shall have done an atom’s weight of good,
shall see it, and
the one who shall have done an atom’s weight of evil, shall
see it.”
(Quran, 99:7-8)
“Famun
Kana Yurju Liqaa-a Rabbihi Fal Ya’mal ‘Amalun
Salihun.”
“Hence,
whoever looks forward [with hope and awe] to meeting his/her Lord [on
the Day of
Judgment], let him/her do righteous deeds, and let him/her not ascribe
unto
anyone or anything a share in the worship due to his/her
Lord.”
(Quran, 18:110)
“Innal
Lazina Aamano Wa ‘Aamaylus Sawlihaatey Kaanat Lahum Jannaatul
Firdausee Nuzula
Khalideena Feeha.”
“Verily,
those who believe in Allah and perform righteous deeds, for them the
highest
Paradise is for their hospitality in which they will live
forever.”
At
another place (in
Quran), Allah the
Exalted has said:
“Illa
mun Taaba Wa Aamana Wa ‘Aamila ‘Aamalun
‘Sawlihun.”
“Except
for those who repented [from their sins and wrongdoings] and believed
and
performed righteous deeds.”
And
what do you say about the following holy Ahadith
(traditions of Prophet
Muhammad [May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him])?
“Buniyal
Islamu ‘Ala Khamsin Shahadatu Al La Ilaha IllAllahu Wa Iqamus
Salaata Wa
Eetaa-uz Zakaata Wa Saumu Shahre Ramadana Wa Hijjul Baeyta ManIstata-a
Ilaeyhi
Sabeela.”
“Islam’s
foundations are on five things: to testify that there is none worthy of
worship
(or Lordship) other than Allah and Muhammad (May the peace and
blessings of
Allah be upon him) is His messenger, to establish regular prayers (Salaat),
to pay the zakaat (obligatory charity), to fast in
the holy month of
Ramadan, and to perform Hajj (pilgrimage to the House of God) if one
possesses
the capacity (financial and physical) to do so.”
“Al
Imanu Iqrarum Bil Lisaaney Wa Tasdeequm Bil Janaaney Wa
‘Aamalum Bil Arkaaney.”
“Iman
(faith) is to testify with tongue, and to certify with one’s
heart, and to act
on the teachings (of Islam)”.
After
the explanation of this truth, if you get the thought in your heart
that I am
saying that a slave [of God, i.e., a human being] will go to Paradise
not on the
basis of Allah’s Grace but on the basis of his/her own [good]
deeds, then you
should understand that you have not understood what I said.
On contrary, what I am saying is that a slave will enter
Paradise because
of Allah’s Favor, Generosity, and Blessings.
However, unless the slave makes himself/herself deserving
of Allah’s
Mercy through his/her worship and servitude (obedience), until then
he/she will
not be entitled to Allah’s Mercy and Favor.
I am not narrating this fact instead Allah, the Exalted,
is saying:
“Inna
Rahmata Allahi Qareebum Minal Muhsineen.”
“Verily,
the Mercy of Allah is close to the doers of good.”
It
means, how a slave [of God] will enter Paradise without the Mercy of
Allah, the
Exalted? I repeat
this [important
point], how will a slave enter into the Paradise [without
Allah’s Mercy]?
But if someone says that one will enter into the Paradise
because of
one’s faith (Iman) then there are many
difficult valleys (obstacles) in
front. Among them,
the first
difficult way (obstacle) is to safely take with oneself one’s
faith (Iman).
My
dear beloved son! Have the conviction that unless and until you work,
you will
not get the pay (or compensation of your work).
There was man from among the Children of Israel who used
to
excessively worship Allah. Allah
sent an angel to him to test him who said:
“Allah,
the Holy, says that you put yourself in trouble for no use since your
worship is
not accepted by Him and you will go to Hell.”
Hearing
this message from the angel, the righteous man replied:
“Allah,
the Exalted, has created us for His worship and servitude and our job
is to
serve Him [no matter what] and He is the Owner [of each and everything
and
everyone including myself] and the Powerful One.”
Then
this angel appeared in the Presence of Allah, the Exalted, and said:
“O
my Lord! You are
the Knower to the
secrets of this universe and You also know what Your worshipper slave
has
replied.”
On
this Allah, the Exalted, said:
“If
this slave of Ours does not turn his face away from Our worship and
servitude,
then We will also not turn Our Face away from him.”
“Ishhadu
Ya Malaaikatey Anni Qad Ghafartu Lahu.”
“O
My angels! All of
you be [My]
witnesses that I have forgiven him.”
My
dear beloved son! Listen
to what
the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him)
says:
“Haasibu
Qabala Un Tuhasabu Wa Zinu Qabala Un Tuuzanu.”
“Take
accounts of your selves (i.e. judge and correct your selves) before you
will be
taken into accounts [on the Day of Judgment] and weigh your deeds (i.e.
critically self-analyze and correct the shortcomings in your deeds)
before your
deeds will be weighed (judged then punished or rewarded on the Day of
Judgment).”
Ali
(May Allah bless his countenance) said:
“Mun
Zanna Annahu Bidunil Juhdi Yasilu Fahuwa Mutminun Wa Mun Zanna Annahu
Bibazlil
Juhdi Yasilu Fahuwa Mut’ibun.”
“A
person who thinks that he/she will go to the Paradise without
(righteous) deeds
is misguided and the person who thinks that he/she will go to the
Paradise only
through striving is merely busy with hard work.”
Shaykh
Hasan Busri (May Allah shower His Mercy upon him) says:
“Talabul
Jannati Bila ‘Amalin Zambum Minaz Zunubi.”
“To
desire Paradise without good deeds is a sin from among the
sins.”
Another
intimate of Allah says:
“Al
Haqiqatu Terku Mulahizatil ‘Amali La Terkul ‘Amali.”
“The
reality [of knowledge] is that one acts on it (i.e. knowledge) without
admiring
it (i.e. one’s good actions), however one should not stop
performing [good]
deeds [even if there is a danger of one admiring one’s own
good deeds].”
Our
master of the two worlds (in this life and in the life hereafter),
Prophet
Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says in a much
better,
clear, pure, and beautiful way compared to the above sayings:
“Al
Kayyeysu Mun Daana Nafsahu Wa ‘Amila Lima Ba’dal
Mauti Wal Ahmaqu Manit
Taba’a Nafsahu Hawaha Wa Tamanna ‘Ala Allahi Illa
Mani Wafi Riwayati ‘Ala
Allahil Mughfirati.”
“Intelligent
is the one who subdued his/her Nafs (self, i.e.,
evil desires and
inclinations of the lower self) and performed [good pious] actions for
the life
hereafter and mindless (stupid) is the one who subdued his/her Nafs
to
pleasures, greed, and [evil and vain] desires and thought that Allah is
with
him/her.” In
some (Hadith)
traditions it says: “[This mindless person] hopes for
Allah’s
forgiveness.”
My
dear beloved son! You
stayed awake
at nights to continually rehearse (memorize/repeat) knowledge and
sacrificed
your sleep to study it. If
your
intention was to gain worldly (material) benefits and worldly prestige
and
status then:
“Fawailul
Laka Thumma Wailul Laka.”
“There
is sadness (woe) for you and again there is sadness (woe) for
you.”
However,
if your intentions were to establish (strengthen first in yourself and
then in
the rest) the Path to God (Deen) brought by Prophet
Muhammad (May peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him), attaining moral uplift and
civilization,
and eliminating evil from your self then:
“Fatuba
Laka Thumma Tuba Laka.”
“For
you is the happiness and blessings and again for you is the happiness
and
blessings.”
“Sahrul
‘Uyuna Bighairi Wajhika Sana ay’un
Wa
Baka uhunna Bighairi Faqdika Batilun”
“[O
my Lord!] The wakefulness of the eyes, except for beholding [the beauty
of] Your
Countenance, is useless.
And
unless it’s for [the sorrow of being separate from] You, the
weeping (tears)
of the eyes for someone [or something] else [other than You O Lord!] is
gravely
wrong.”
A
tradition (hadith of Prophet Muhammad [May peace and
blessings of Allah
be upon him]) says:
“’Ishu
Ma Shay’ta Fa Innaka Mayyeytu Wahbib Ma Shay’ta Fa
Innaka Mufariqatun
Wa’mil Ma Shay’ta Fa Innaka Tujza Bihi.”
“[O
Human Being!] Spend your life the way you like but [keep in mind that
one day]
you will die, and love whoever you like but [keep in mind that one day
you] will
get separated from him/her, and perform deeds the way you like but
[keep in mind
that one day] you will surely get their just compensation [good or bad
depending
on your deeds].”
What
benefit have you derived for yourself and what have you achieved from
studying
knowledge, i.e., knowledge of argumentation (Ilmul Kalaam),
social values
(Ilmul Ikhlaq), medicine (Ilmut Tib),
astrology (Nujoom),
linguistics, poetry, conducting wars, etc.?
What benefit have you obtained other than wasting your
life and gaining
worldly fame? I
have read in
Prophet ‘Isa’s (Jesus [Peace of Allah be upon him])
Gospel (Injil)
that between the time the copse (dead body of a human being) is placed
in a
casket and brought to the grave, Allah, the Exalted, asks the corpse
forty (40)
questions with His Power. In
the
first question Allah, the Exalted, asks:
“’Abdi
Qad Tahherta Munzaral Khalqi Sineena Fahul Tahherta Munzari
Sa’atun.”
“O
My Slave! You decorated (beautified) yourself [with knowledge of
outward
matters] for many years to show off to the [mortal] creations [of Mine].
But for My sake only, did you ever purified your heart
[from evil and
heedlessness] even for a moment?”
[Prophet
Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in an
authentic
tradition: “Allah does not Look at your faces and your bodies
but Looks at
your hearts (the state it’s in, what goes into it, and what
transpires into
it, therefore it’s extremely important to purify the heart
which is forever in
Allah’s Sight).]
My
dear beloved son! Everyday,
the
Voice of Allah resonates in your heart:
“’Abdi
Ma Tasna’u Bighairi Wa Anta Majfufum
Bikhairi.”
“O My slave! Why
do you worship [Me] for show off and ostentation, even though the good
and the
bad [circumstances] are both in My Hands?
For
this reason, you should worship me [alone] with sincere intention and
devotion
[and not to impress any of My mortal creations who are not capable of
benefiting
or harming you even by a little except by My Will].”
My dear beloved son! Knowledge without actions
is madness and actions without
knowledge are useless. The
knowledge that today, does not keep you away from sins and that does
not evoke
in you the desire to obey Allah, remember, will not save you tomorrow
from
Hellfire. If you do
not perform
righteous deeds today and do not make up for the time you wasted in the
past
then on the Day of Judgment you will be saying:
“Ferje’yna
Na’mal Saaliha.”
“Send us back [to the
world, O our Lord!] so that
we [can] perform the righteous deeds.”
Then it will be said to you:
“O you the mindless one!
That is where you are
coming from.”
My dear beloved son! Create courage in yourself
and create movement in your body
for struggle [on the Path of God].
Make
efforts for performing pious deeds because then you will be going to
the grave.
Those, who already are in the grave before you, are
waiting for you every
moment to see when you come to them.
Beware! Without
fruits (good deeds) do not even get close to them.
Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be pleased with him) says:
“Hazihil Ajsaadu
Qafasut Tuyouri Awo Astabalud
Dawab.”
“These bodies are either
cages of birds or
dwellings of animals.”
So think where you are in? If you are in the cage of
birds then when you will listen to
“Irji’I ila Rabbika!”
“Return to your Lord!”, you [will be
liberated and] will fly to a very high place to sit.
“Ihtuzza
‘Arshur Rahmaani Limauti Sa’adibne
Muadh.”
“The Throne of the
Compassionate One shook with the
death of Sa’ad bin Muadh.”
But God forbid if you are among the
animals for whom
it has been said:
“Uulaaika Kal
An’aami Bal Hum Adallu.”
“These people are like
animals yet even more
misguided.”
Be certain that you will arrive
carrying your luggage
from the place of Zawiya (spiritual retreat) to the
place of Hawiya
(Hell), i.e., from this world to straight to the Hell.
Once Shaykh Hasan Busri (May Allah shower His Mercy upon
him) was given
cold [and sweet] drink. As
soon as he took it in his hand he took a sigh and fell
unconscious. When
he regained
consciousness, people asked him what had happened to him.
He replied:
“Zakartu
Umniyyata Ahlin Naari Heena Yaquluna Le
Ahlil Jannati Un Uufidu ‘Aleyna Minal Ma’i.”
“I remembered the wish of
the inhabitants of Hell
when they will plead to the inhabitants of Paradise to give them a
little
water.”
O beloved!
If
knowledge without actions had been sufficient for you and if you did
not need
actions then why Allah, the Exalted, would say at the dawn:
“Hul Min Ta ibin
Hul Min Sa ilin Hul Min
Mustaghfirin.”
“Is there anyone who
repents from sins?
Is there anyone who asks [Me of anything]?
Is there anyone who begs [Me] for forgiveness?”
Then this proclamation of Allah,
the Exalted, would
have been useless. In
fact, this
proclamation of Allah, the Exalted, at dawn is for:
“Kanu Qaleelum
Minal Laili Ma Yahja’oon.”
“There are only a few
[slaves of Allah] who sleep
little in the last part of the night [right before dawn which is a
blessed time
for coming close to Allah].”
Once a group of companions were
praising Abdullah bin
Umar (May Allah be pleased with them both) in front of the Messenger of
Allah
(May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) on which the Messenger
of Allah
(May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Nay’mur
Rajula Huwa Lau Kana Yusalli Bil
Laili.”
“He is a good man.
I wish he prayed the Tahajjud prayers
(optional prayers in the
blessed last part of the night before dawn which is indispensable for
making
spiritual progress in the Path of Allah).”
One day the Messenger of Allah (May
Peace and
Blessings of Allah be upon him) said to a companion:
“La Takthirin
Nauma Bil Laili Fainna Kathratan
Naumi Bil Laili Tad’oo Sahibahu Faqirai Yaumal Qiyamati.”
“Do not sleep too much at
night because the one who
sleeps too much at night will be empty handed on the Day of Judgment
(i.e.
he/she did not avail the opportunity of coming close to Allah through
Allah’s
remembrance, prayers, and devotions to Allah at night especially in its
last
part).”
“Waminal Laili
Fatahajjad Bihi Nafilatal Laka.”
“[O Beloved Prophet! (May
Peace and Blessings of
Allah be upon him)] And in [the last] part of the night perform the Tahajjud
prayers [for the sake of Allah] which will be very beneficial for
you.”
(Quran)
In the above verse, it’s
a commandment from Allah
to His Prophet (May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him).
“Wa Bil
Ashaarihum Yustaghfiroon.”
“And those [true slaves
of Allah] at the time
before dawn, plead for Allah’s forgiveness.”
(Quran)
In the above verse, there is an
expression of
gratitude [from Allah to such slaves].
“Wul
Mustaghfireena Bil Ashaari.”
“And those [true slaves
of Allah] seek [Allah’s]
forgiveness at the time before dawn.”
(Quran)
In the above verse, there is a
mentioning [of such
slaves of Allah].
Our master of both the worlds, the
Messenger of Allah
(May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) says:
“Allah, the Exalted,
really likes three sounds: of
the rooster [that wakes people up for Tahajjud prayers], secondly of the recitation
of the Holy Quran, and
thirdly of those who in the last part of the night plead to Allah, the
Exalted,
for His forgiveness and repent [to Him].”
Shaykh Sufyan Suri (May Allah
shower His Mercy upon
him) [who was an intimate of Allah], says:
“Inna Allaha
Ta’ala Khalaqa Reehun Tahabbu
Waqtal Ashaari Tahmilul Azkaara Wal Istighfaara Ilal Malikil Jabbari.”
“Allah, the Exalted, has
created a wind, that blows
in the last part of the night. At
that time, those [slaves of Allah] who engage in Allah’s
remembrance and ask
[Allah for His] forgiveness, their voices are presented [by this wind]
to the
Court of Allah, the Exalted.”
Shaykh Sufyan Suri (May Allah
shower His Mercy upon
him) has also said:
“When the night begins,
an angel from beneath the
Throne (of Allah) makes the proclamation that all the worshippers
should wake
up, so those who are granted Tawfiq (good
fortune/capability) by Allah
get up and start praying. In
the
middle of the night, a second angel makes the proclamation that all
obedient and
respectful slaves of Allah should get up.
Thus
they get up and continue to pray until Sehr (the
last blessed part of the
night). When
it’s time for Sehr
then a third angel makes the proclamation that all those who seek
Allah’s
forgiveness should get up. Thus
they get up and seek Allah’s forgiveness.
When it’s time for dawn, then a fourth angel
makes the proclamation
‘O you the heedless ones!
Get up
[the day break has come]!’
Then
these people get up from their beds like the dead will get up from
their graves
[upon resurrection on the Day of Judgment].”
My dear beloved son! It has been told in the
will of Luqman (Peace of Allah be
upon him) that he, advising his son in his will, said:
“Ya Buneyya La
Takununnad Deeku Akyas Minka
Fainnahu Yunaadi Bil Ashaari Wa Anta Na’imun.”
“My son!
Do
not let the rooster be more intelligent than you are.
It shouldn’t happen that he (i.e. the rooster)
gets up at
the last part of the night to make proclamations [for Tahajjud
prayers
and remembers his Lord] while you keep sleeping [in a deep sleep of
heedlessness, carelessness, and ignorance].”
This reality is made clear in the
following verses
(of poetry):
“Laqad Hatafet
Fi Junhil Laili Hamamatun
‘Ala Funanin Wahnun Wa
Inni Na’imun
Kazabtu Wa Baitil Allahi Lau Kuntu
‘Aashiqan
Lama Sabaqatni Bil
Buqa’il Hamaaimun
Wa Az’amu Anni
Haa’imun Zu Sababatin
Lahu Bi Wa La Abki Wa Tabkil
Bahaaimun.”
“At night, the dove
sitting on the branch [of a
tree] is calling on [to its Lord]
While I am in a deep sleep
By the Lord of the House of Allah (Ka’aba)!
I am a liar! If I
had been a true
lover [of Allah]
Then the doves would not have won
over me in weeping
[in the pain of separation from my Beloved (Allah)!
Alas! I do not even wet my eyes
[with tears] while
claiming to love [my Beloved Lord!]
While the animals keep weeping [in
their love for
their Creator].”
My dear beloved son! Our purpose is that you
should know what obedience and
worship are. Obedience
and worship
are to follow the Shari’ah (law) of
Prophet Muhammad (May peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) then whether the commandments are for
performing
the righteous deeds or for restraining oneself from evil or whether
[the
commandments] are for following his words or deeds, in other words,
whether you
do something or not do something, whether you say something or not say
something, all these must be in accordance with the teachings of
Prophet
Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
If you say something then say it according to the
teachings of Prophet
Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
If you keep silent then be silent according to the
commandments of
Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
If you do something or do not do something then do it in
accordance with
the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be
upon
him). If you do
something and you
consider it an act of worship but you do not do it to obey the
commandment of
Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then
this will
not be counted as worship but instead will be counted as a sin even
though it
might be prayer or fasting. Do
you
not know that if someone fasts on the [first] day of the two Eids
(i.e.
two foremost Islamic celebrations) or on the days of Hajj
(pilgrimage)
then this person will be committing sin?
Even
though it is fasting but since it’s not done in accordance
with the
commandment of Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him)
that’s why this person is being sinful.
Similarly,
if someone performs prayers at a forbidden time (e.g. after Asr
[late
afternoon] prayer but before sunset or after Fajr
[dawn] prayer but
before sometime after sunrise, etc.) or at an illegally occupied place
then
he/she will be called Athim (sinner) and Fasiq
(law breaker).
Even though it apparently looks like [a legitimate act of]
worship but
since it was not done in accordance with the guidance of Prophet
Muhammad (May
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), it is not correct.
If a husband has relations with his wife then it is not a
sin even though
it apparently looks bad. However,
since it is done in accordance with the guidance of Prophet Muhammad
(May peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) therefore it is Halal
(permissible or
within legal limits). Therefore,
it
is known [now] that worship is the second name (synonym) of obedience
(i.e.
worship means obedience).
Similarly, prayers and fasting are
counted as worship
when they are performed in accordance with the [Divine] guidelines.
Therefore, my dear beloved son!
All
of your words and deeds should be in accordance with the commandments
of Prophet
Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
That is, whatever actions you perform and conversations
you have should
be in accordance with the Shari’ah
(Divine law), because whatever the
knowledge and actions of [God’s] creations, not in accordance
with the Shari’ah
(Divine law), are clearly misguided and keep them (i.e. creations/human
beings
primarily) away from the truth. This
is the reason why Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be
upon
him) abrogated all [religious] learning from the previous eras.
Therefore, you should not do
anything without the
guidance of Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) and
be certain that you cannot walk (move forward) on the Path of Allah,
the
Exalted, with [merely] the knowledge that you have acquired.
However, this Path [of God] must be traveled through hard
work and Mujahadah
(intense inner spiritual struggle and exercises) and the pleasures of
the self
and desires [from the lower self] must be cut (wiped out) with the
sword of Mujahadah
(intense inner spiritual struggle and exercises).
These desires of the lower self cannot be eliminated
through immoralities
and through the deceptions of false Sufis (i.e. those who claim to be
Sufis
[True Sufis are those who possess an intimate relationship with God due
to the
emergence of purified souls after they wiped out evil from the deepest
recesses
of their souls through Mujahada –
spiritual struggles] but in reality
they are not, they are simply speaking the words of Sufis and acting
like them
on the outside while being hollow and devious from the inside).
Allah, the Exalted, does not like fine points, i.e.,
depths of
philosophy, and dark times, i.e., a life engulfed in sin (evil and
immorality).
The tongue speaking the words of deep wisdom and beauty
while the heart
worshipping heedlessness [from God] and desires of the lower self,
this is a sign of mighty misfortune.
Unless you cut (eradicate) the
desires (inclinations
and tendencies) of the lower self with the sword of truth and Mujahada
(intense inner spiritual struggle and exercises), until then the light
(illumination) of Ma’arifah (deep
intimate knowledge, understanding,
consciousness, awareness, relationship with Allah) will not be born in
your
heart.
My dear beloved son! You have asked [me] about
some [spiritual] issues, among
which, some cannot be described completely in writing and speech.
When you reach that [high spiritual enlightenment] state
then you will
know them yourself. The
lesson of
love is not taught but it’s born and learned by itself.
If you reach that [high spiritual] state then knowing
[these issues] will
be equivalent to moving from one [spiritual] state to another (Mustahilaat).
Because Ishq (intense love) is another
name for love and intense
desire to seek what one loves (Zauq).
Love and Zauq (intense desire to seek
what one loves) can neither
be described in speech nor in writing and its spirit (meaning) cannot
be
presented. Just
like sweetness,
sourness, and bitterness cannot be described by anyone who wants to
describe
them in writing or speech. Therefore,
let it be known, that if you reach this destination [of high spiritual
station/enlightenment] then you will know [all this] by yourself.
But if you are not able to reach this destination [of high
spiritual
station] then the truth can be described to some extent in writing and
speech.
My dear beloved son! Some of your questions are
such that to whatever extent they
could be addressed in writing and speech, have been answered in my book
Ahya
al-Uloom ad-Deen (Revival of the Knowledge of the Path to
God) and in other
books in detail that you can read.
However,
they will be explained here too, in a concise way Inshallah
(God-willing).
Secondly, you have asked what is
essential for those
walking on the Path of Allah, the Exalted (i.e. the seekers of Allah).
[First condition is that] You should
have the knowledge that the
first thing that should be present [in a seeker of Allah] is the belief
of fear
of Allah to such an extent that a seeker does not get involved in an
innovation
(bid’a, i.e., a matter which is contrary
to the established principles
of Quran and Sunnah [teachings, actions, outward
conduct and inner states
of Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) such
as
contentment, patience, gratitude, certitude in God, intimate
relationship with
God, Ma’arifah (deep intimate knowledge
and recognition of God],
intense love of God, etc.)]). The
second
condition is that true and complete repentance (Taubatun
Nasuh)
should be done in such a way that [a seeker of Allah] will not return
to this
humiliation [of sins]. The
third
condition is that even enemies should be kept satisfied to
such as extent
that none of the creations has any obligation left on him/her.
The fourth condition is that one [a
seeker of Allah] should
acquire [enough knowledge] from the knowledge of Shari’ah
(Divine law)
so that through it, he/she will be able to follow and obey the
commandments of
Allah, the Exalted [that are obligatory on him/her].
It is not an obligation to learn from the knowledge of Shari’ah
(Divine law) anymore than that. From
other branches of knowledge one should learn to the extent that is
obligatory on
him/her. This fact
should be in
your knowledge that it has been narrated in the traditions of the
intimates of
Allah (saints) that Shibli (May Allah shower His Mercy upon him) said:
“I served 400 spiritual
masters and guides and I
adopted (acted on) only one out of the 4000 Ahadith
(traditions) of
Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that
they
narrated and left the rest of the Ahadith
(traditions).
It’s because, when I deliberated on this one Hadith
(tradition),
then I found my salvation in this one Hadith
(tradition). I found in this
one Hadith (tradition) the knowledge of all who
came first and all who
came last:
‘Aymal Lid Dunya
Be Qadre Maqamika Feeha
Wa’mal Le Akhirateka Be Qadre Baqaa’ika Feeha
Wa’mal Lillahi Be Qadre
Hajateka Ilaeyhe Wa’mal Lin Naari Be Qadre Sabrika Alaeyha.’
‘Work for the world (or
worldly life) as much as
you live in it and work for the life hereafter as much as you want to
live there
and work for Allah, the Exalted, as much as you are in need of Him and
work for
the Hell as much as you can be patient with its pain and
sufferings.’ ”
My dear beloved son! It is known from this Hadith
(tradition) that you do
not need much knowledge because to study knowledge more and to acquire
it more
is Fard Kifayah (i.e. it is an obligation on the
entire Muslim community
and this communal obligation is discharged when a group of people from
within
the community do it, but if there is no one doing it in the community
then the
entire community will be sinful for not discharging the Divine
obligation).
Pay special attention to this next tradition so that you
will attain [a
high level of] certitude:
A
TRADITION:
It is said that among the students and mureeds
(disciples who seek spiritual elevation/enlightenment through the
attainment of
purification of their soul from all evil desires and tendencies under
the
guidance of a spiritual guide who has in turn completely attained this
purification and high station before Allah through training, guidance,
and
proximity of another spiritual guide) of Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May
Allah Shower
His Mercy upon him), was a student and disciple named Hatim Ism (May
Allah
Shower His Mercy upon him who in turn later on became a great spiritual
master
through the training and guidance of Shaykh Shafeeq).
One day Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah Shower His Mercy
upon him) said
to him:
“O Hatim!
For
how long have been in my company (spiritual proximity) and have been
listening
to what I have been saying (teaching)?”
Shaykh Hatim Ism (May Allah Shower
His Mercy upon
him) replied: “Thirty Three years!”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi asked:
“In that [long] time
period, what benefit have you
derived from me?”
Shaykh Hatim Ism (May Allah Shower
His Mercy upon
him) responded:
“[I have] obtained eight
(8) benefits [from
you].”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah
Shower His Mercy
upon him) responded:
“Inna Lillahi Wa
Inna Ilaeyhe Raji’oon.”
“To Allah we belong and
to Him shall we return
(it’s a supplication from Quran that is made at times of loss
and grief).”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah
Shower His Mercy
upon him) then said:
“O Hatim!
I
have spent my lifetime in teaching and training and you have just
gained eight
benefits from me!”
Shaykh Hatim Ism (May Allah Shower
His Mercy upon
him) replied:
“O my teacher!
If you asked [me] for the truth then the reality is what I
[just] told
you. I do not need
any more
[benefits] and these benefits from knowledge are quite sufficient
because I am
certain that I will attain salvation [and success] in this life and in
the life
hereafter through these eight benefits.”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah
Shower His Mercy
upon him) asked him:
“All right! Tell
me what are those eight benefits?”
BENEFITS
NARRATED BY HATIM BIN ISM (RA)
“O my teacher!
The first benefit
is that I looked at the people of this
world and saw that everyone has a beloved.
But these beloveds of the people [of the world] are such
that some of
them (i.e. the beloveds) are with them (i.e. the people) until their
illness
that brings death, some of them are with them until death, some of them
are with
them until they reach their graves, and after burial all the lovers
return from
there. None of
their beloveds go
with them in their graves to live with them there and to provide their
company
[in the darkness, solitude, narrowness, and horror of the grave].
I contemplated on this and said to myself that only that
is a good
beloved who goes with them in the grave and lives with his/her lover,
who will
provide the company, who will illuminate the grave, who will be a
partner on the
Day of Judgment and its destinations (stations that one goes through
after
burial until the Day of Judgment).
I
saw that the only beloved who has these [good] qualities is my good
(pious/righteous) deeds. After
this [determination and awareness], I made my good
deeds my beloved so that it goes with me in my grave [when I die], will
provide
me with its company, will become an illuminated candle in my grave,
will be my
partner in all stages of life hereafter, and never ever separate away
from
me.”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah
Shower His Mercy
upon him) said:
“Bravo O Hatim!
You have told a very good thing.
Now
narrate the second benefit.”
“O my teacher!
The second benefit
is that I glanced at the people of the
world and saw that everyone was following after the pleasures and
desires from
the Nafs (lower self that instructs one to commit
evil) and [everyone] is
subservient to the desires from the lower self.
Upon seeing that, I deliberated on the following holy
verse [from Quran]:
‘Wa Amma Mun
Khafa Maqama Rabbihi Wa Nahun Nafsa
‘Anil Hawa Fa Innal Jannata Heyal Mawa.’
‘But the one who has
stood in fear of his/her
Sustainer’s Presence, and restrained his/her inner self from
the base (low and
evil) desires, Paradise will the place of rest [for this
person].’
(Quran, Chapter 79, Verses 40-41)
I developed the certitude that the
Wise Quran is
correct and the book of Allah is the truth.
Then I established a front against my Nafs
(lower self) and became
determined to oppose it. I
molded
it (i.e. my lower self) in such a shape that I did not fulfill any of
its
desires until it started to find peace [and satisfaction] in the
worship of
Allah, the Exalted.”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah
Shower His Mercy
upon him) responded:
“May Allah, the Exalted,
provide His blessings in
your good deeds. Now
narrate the
third benefit.”
“O my teacher!
The third benefit
is that when I glanced at the people I
saw that every person, with great pain and hard work, is busy in
accumulating
the possessions (money, wealth, goods) of this mortal world and is very
happy
that he/she has a lot of goods and material possessions.
But when I contemplated on the following holy verse from
the bounteous
Quran:
‘Ma
‘Indakum Yanfadu Wa Ma ‘IndAllahi Baaqin.’
‘All that is with you is
bound to come to an end,
whereas all that, which is with Allah is everlasting.’
(Quran, Chapter 16,
Verse 96)
Then whatever [material
possessions] I accumulated in
the world, I spent it all in Way of Allah by distributing it among
pious
indigents and beggars so that it (the material possessions that I
distributed in
the Way of Allah) will get deposited with Allah, the Exalted, as my
trust and
will become source of immense good and ransom (i.e. salvation) in the
life
hereafter.”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah
Shower His Mercy
upon him) said:
“O Hatim!
May
Allah grant you His Compensation (reward for your spending in His Way)!
You said a very good thing and have done a very good thing.
Now narrate the fourth benefit.”
“O my teacher!
The fourth benefit
is that I looked at the people of the
world and saw that some of them think that grandeur and honor belong to
the
nation or tribe (group) that is big and powerful, that’s why
they are
expressing pride in their tribe (nation or group).
Some of them are such that they think that the grandeur is
obtained through abundance of wealth, [material] possessions, family
and
relatives that’s why [some] people are expressing their pride
in their wealth
and children. Some
[people] are
such that they think that their grandeur and honor is in displaying
anger,
beating, killing, murder and pillage and they express their pride in
that.
Some [people] are such that they think that their grandeur
is in wasteful
spending that’s why they consider their wasteful spending a
source of honor
and express their pride in that. But
I deliberated on this verse in which Allah, the Exalted, says:
‘Inna Akramakum
‘IndAllahi Atqakum.’
‘Verily, the noblest of
you in the sight of Allah
is the one who is most deeply conscious (i.e. fearful) of
Him.’
(Quran, Chapter 49, Verse 13)
Therefore this is correct and is
the truth and the
creations’ thoughts are false and wrong conjectures. That’s why I
adopted Taqwa (pious reverence,
consciousness, awe, and fear of Allah) so that I get counted as the one
with the
highest rank in the sight of Allah, the Exalted.”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah
Shower His Mercy
upon him) said:
“O Hatim!
May
Allah be pleased with you. You
have
said a very good thing. Now
narrate
the fifth benefit.”
“O my teacher!
The fifth benefit
is that I looked at the people who were
complaining about each other. It
was found that they were doing all this because of envy, jealousy, and
enmity
and the main cause of that is [the desire and competition for]
greatness,
grandeur, [material] possessions, wealth, and knowledge.
I contemplated on the following verse from the Holy Quran
in which it’s
said:
‘Nahnu Qasumna
Baeynahum Ma’eeshatahum Fil
Hayatid Dunya.’
‘It is We who
distribute their means of
livelihood (sustenance) among them in the life of this world.’
(Quran,
Chapter 43, Verse 32)
Then I thought that Allah, the
Blessed and Exalted,
has appointed the possessions and ranks since the first beginning [of
the
creation] and no one has any control [or say] in this matter.
Therefore, I did not compete or had jealousy with anyone
and remained
agreed to Allah’s distribution [of worldly bounties] and [His
appointed]
destiny and got along with the whole world [by giving up all jealousies
and
enmities against God’s creations].”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah
Shower His Mercy
upon him) said:
“O Hatim!
You
are saying the truth and you are doing the right thing.
Now narrate the sixth benefit.”
“O my teacher!
The sixth benefit
is that when I glanced at the people, I
saw that every person is having enmity with someone else for some
reason.
Then I deliberated on the following verse:
‘Innash Shaytana
Lakum ‘Aduwwun Fettakhizuhu
‘Aduwwa.’
‘Verily, Shaytan
(Satan) is your enemy so
treat him as your enemy.’
(Quran,
Chapter 35, Verse 6)
After that, I developed the
certitude that Allah’s
saying is the truth, I should not have any enmity with anyone other
than Shaytan
(Satan). Since
then, I considered
Satan as my enemy and did not obey any of his orders.
Instead, I developed obedience [of Allah] and followed the
commandments of Allah, the Exalted and adopted only His worship and
servitude.
The correct way is the Sirat al-Mustaqeem
(the straight path of
guidance in which there is no crookedness) as Allah, the Exalted, has
Himself
said:
‘Alam
A’had Ilaeykum Ya Bani Aadama Al La
Ta’budush Shaytana Innahu Lakum ‘Aduwwum Mubeen Wa
Ane’buduni Haza Siratum
Mustaqeem.’
‘Have I not obtained this
promise from you that O
you the Children of Adam! Never
ever obey the Shaytan (Satan).
No
doubt, he is your avowed (open) enemy and worship Me alone [because]
this is the
straight path.’ ”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah
Shower His Mercy
upon him) said:
“O Hatim!
You
did a very good thing and said a very good thing.
Now narrate the seventh benefit.”
“O my teacher!
The seventh benefit
is that I looked at the people and saw
that every person is preoccupied with his/her livelihood and search for
sustenance and is involved in an intense effort.
In this regards, he/she is not even differentiating
between Halal
(permissible) and Haram (forbidden) but instead, is
getting humiliated
with doubtful and Haram (forbidden) earnings. Then I deliberated on the
following verse:
‘Wa Ma Min
Daabbatin Fil Arde Illa ‘AlalAllahi
Rizquha.’
‘And there is no living
creature on earth whose
sustenance is not the responsibility of Allah.’ (Quran,
Chapter 11, Verse 6)
Then I developed the certitude that
the Wise Quran is
the truth and is correct and that I am also among those living
creatures [of
God] that are present on earth. So
thus, I got engaged in the worship of Allah and developed the certitude
that He
will bring to me [my] sustenance because He has promised [to provide me
with]
sustenance.”
Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May Allah
Shower His Mercy
upon him) said:
“You did a very good
thing and told a very good
thing. Now narrate
the eighth
benefit.”
“O my teacher!
The eighth benefit
is that when I looked at the people I
found that every person’s reliance [or trust] is on someone
or something.
Some have trust [or rely] on their [material] possessions,
some trust [or
rely] on other people. Therefore,
I
pondered on this holy verse in which Allah, the Blessed and Exalted,
says:
‘Wa Maey
Yatawakkal ‘AlalAllahi Fahuwa Hasbuhu.’
‘And for everyone who
places his/her trust in
Allah, He [alone] is enough [for him/her].’ (Quran, Chapter
65, Verse 3)
‘Wa Huwa Husbi
Wa Nai’mal Wakeel.’
‘And He is sufficient for
me and He is the best
Helper.’
[Therefore, I adopted complete
reliance on Allah in
every matter.]”
When Shaykh Shafeeq Balkhi (May
Allah Shower His
Mercy upon him) heard these [eight] benefits, he said:
“O Hatim!
May
Allah grant you His Tawfeeq (i.e. enable you to do
righteous deeds and to
walk on His Path). You
have told
[us] very good things. I
have seen
in Taurat (Torah), Injil
(Gospel of Prophet Jesus), Zabur
(Psalms), and in the praiseworthy differentiator between right and
wrong (i.e.
the Holy Quran), that all these books [of God] mention these eight
benefits,
i.e., all four books in their teachings have told [us] these eight
benefits.
Whoever acts on these [eight principles] is like as if
he/she has acted
on all four [holy] books.”
My dear beloved son! You [now] know from these
traditions that you do not need a
lot of knowledge.
Now let’s return to our
explanation and I will tell
you the internal (inward) conditions for the student and seeker on the
Path of
God.
The fifth condition
that is obligatory on the
seeker on the Path of Allah, the Exalted, is that he/she should have a Shaykh
al-Kamil (the perfected spiritual guide) who guides him/her
and removes evil
qualities [and morals] from the seeker and replaces them with noble
qualities
[and morals]. The
example of [Shaykh’s
spiritual] training is just like that of a farmer who when looking
after a crop
sees the unnecessary grass that emerged, pulls them out of the crop.
Likewise, whatever weeds that pop up in the farm, he (i.e.
the farmer)
uproots them from the crop and throws them away.
Then the farmer puts water and fertilizers in the crop so
that the crop
grows [better] and develops a good quality.
Likewise, in every condition, the traveler on the Path of
Allah has no
cure or solution but to have a Murshid al-Kamil (a
true Shaykh or a
perfected spiritual guide). Because,
Allah, the Exalted, has sent Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of
Allah be
upon him) to His slaves (human beings) so that he proves to be an
illuminated
proof (guide) in the Way of Allah and so that he brings people to the
Way of
Allah, the Exalted. When
the
Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) departed
from this
world, he appointed his deputies and caliphs in his place so that they
become a
proof (Daleel) of the Way of Allah, the Exalted,
until the Day of
Judgment.
Therefore, for the seeker [of God],
there should be a
perfected spiritual guide (Shaykh al-Kamil) who, for
the sake of walking
on the Path of Allah, is an illuminated proof as a deputy (spiritual
heir) of
Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
QUALITIES
OF A SPIRITUAL GUIDE (SHAYKH)
The heir of Messenger of Allah
(Peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) who is made one’s Shaykh
(spiritual guide) should
be a scholar but every scholar cannot be a Shaykh al-Kamil
(a perfected
spiritual guide). For
this work [of
guiding people spiritually by purifying their souls and helping them
progress
with their souls in the Way of Allah] only that person can be qualified
who has
some specific qualities. Here
we
briefly narrate some [such] qualities so that every nut head (crazy)
and
misguided person could not claim to be a Shaykh
(spiritual guide) [as it
is necessary to define these qualities due to the presence of a large
number of
fake impersonators claiming to be Shaykhs whose
sole purpose is to
deceive people to gain material benefits thus causing great damage to
this
important aspect of Islam by disillusioning people and misguiding
many].
I say this that only that person
can be a Shaykh
(spiritual guide) who after having turned his/her face away from the
love of the
world, [love of] honor, and [love of worldly] ranks, has given the Bay’a
(a way of promising Allah on the hand of a Shaykh
to turn away from evil
inwardly and outwardly and to excel utmost in the Path of God by
obeying God’s
commandment, staying away from His prohibitions, and struggling with
one’s
soul to excel oneself in the Path of God by purifying one’s
soul seeking
God’s nearness and approval) to a perfected spiritual guide
[who in turn has
given the Bay’a to his perfected
spiritual guide and so on] so that
this [spiritual] chain [in this way] goes back all the way to the
Messenger of
Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
This person must have done all kinds of Riazat/Mujahada
[spiritual
struggles] and has obeyed every commandment of Prophet Muhammad (Peace
and
blessings of Allah be upon him). This
person must eat less, sleep less, prays more (performs prescribed five
daily
prayers along with optional prayers), fasts more, and does a lot of
spending [in
the Way of God] and charity. This
person should have in his/her temperament (inner and outer personality)
all good
moral qualities and patience, gratitude, certitude [in Allah],
generosity,
contentment, trustworthiness, tolerance, seriousness [of purpose in
life],
humility, obedience [to Allah], truthfulness, shyness (modesty,
reserve, fear of
wrongdoing), dignity (an aura of honor and respect), tranquility, and
other
qualities like these should be a part of his character and conduct.
This person should have acquired a light (illumination)
from the lights
(illuminations) of Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him)
so that all evil qualities like miserliness, jealousy, enmity,
expectations from
the world [and its inhabitants], anger, rebellion, etc., have been
eliminated
from him and he should not be dependent on anyone for knowledge except
for that
knowledge which we [specifically] obtain from the Messenger of Allah
(Peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him).
These [above] mentioned qualities,
among some
qualities of perfected spiritual guides and leaders who lead
spiritually on the
Path of God, are capable of making one a deputy/heir of the Messenger
of Allah
(Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Following such spiritual guides is the correct way.
OBEDIENCE
TO A SPIRITUAL GUIDE
Such spiritual guides are very
difficult to find.
But if someone has obtained this wealth and this blessing
that he/she
found such a spiritual guide and this spiritual guide includes him/her
among his
disciples (Mureeds) then it is necessary for this
disciple to have outer
and inner respect (honor and etiquettes) for his/her spiritual guide.
Outer etiquettes [to
one’s spiritual guide] include
that [the disciple] does not argue with him/her and if some argument
starts and
if he/she thinks that the spiritual guide has forgotten something then
he/she
should not object to it. The
disciple should not stand in place of prayers all the time but when its
time for
prayers then he/she should go to the place of prayers and perform
prayers then.
When [the disciple] is done with prayers then he should
wrap up the
praying mat and should not perform a lot of optional (extra and
non-obligatory)
prayers in front of the Shaykh (spiritual guide)
after every [obligatory,
i.e., five daily] prayers. Whatever
the perfected guide commands, the disciple should obey it to the best
of his/her
capacity [It is extremely important for everyone to understand here
that, of
course, a true spiritual guide cannot and will not command a disciple
to do
something which is Haram (forbidden) in the Shari’ah
(the law of
Allah). On
contrary, the fake
impersonators claiming to be spiritual guides lacking in the
aforementioned
qualities, can command their disciples to do things that are Haram
(forbidden)].
Inner etiquettes [to
one’s spiritual guide] include
that whatever the disciple apparently hears from the Murshid
(spiritual
guide), he/she should not entertain even a small grain of doubt in
his/her heart
about the Shaykh’s (spiritual guide)
words or deeds otherwise the
disciple will be called a hypocrite. If
the disciple cannot do that then he/she should abstain from the company
of the
spiritual guide until his/her inside becomes like his/her outside.
The sixth condition
is that the disciple (the seeker of truth) refrains from the deceptions
of the Nafs
(the lower self which is a subtle, invisible [to an outer eye yet
clearly
visible to a person having an inner eye or deep insight], inner
presence [or
subtle faculty like the soul] that commands one to evil by whispering
it into
the heart of a person). This
is
only possible if the seeker abandons the gatherings of the
bad-character folks
and the ignorant people. In
this
way, the domination of Shaytan (Satan) over his/her
heart will come to an
end and all Satanic (evil) influences will get eradicated from their
roots. This Satanic
group could be from among the humans or from
among the Jinn (an invisible creation of God that
was created from fire.
Satan belongs to this group and he gets his recruits from
this group).
The seventh condition
is that in every situation, [a seeker] should give preference to
humility and
lack of greed over wealth and should adopt contentment [and
satisfaction with
the Will of Allah]. These
seven
things are essential for the traveler on the Path of Allah, the
Exalted, and the
seeker [of the truth].
REALITY
OF TASAWWUF (IHSAN, SUFISM,
SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE)
You have asked, what is Tasawwuf?
Tasawwuf is the name of two qualities:
First [quality] is that [the slave] should be obedient to
Allah, i.e.,
he/she should be acting on the Shari’ah
(the outer laws of Islam
including obligations, commandments, and prohibitions). And second
[quality] is
that [the seeker] is the one who is sympathetic and a doer of good
towards [all
of] Allah’s creations [which is not possible without
purifying one’s soul
from all evil qualities and then embellishing one’s soul with
all good
qualities]. One who
has perseverance in acting on the Shari’ah
and has the qualities of [desiring] betterment (true success) for the
entire
humanity is a “Sufi” (this
actually is the correct use of this term
as opposed to the wrong uses of the term that are prevalent today). Loyalty [and obedience] to
Allah is that [the seeker]
sacrifices his own happiness for the sake of Allah.
Sincerity to [all] people [of the world] is that [the
seeker] does not
keep relations with the people for his/her own motives [but instead is
selfless
towards them and performs selfless duty to them] and refrains from
selfishness.
But instead should dedicate himself/herself for the good
(welfare) of
[all] the people [of the world], however the condition is that, this
welfare
should be in accordance with the Shari’ah
(the Divine laws).
You have asked, what is servitude?
Servitude has three things:
First
is to obey the commandments of Shari’ah
(the outer laws of Islam).
Second is to be content with the decree and destiny
appointed by Allah,
the Exalted. Third
is to leave
one’s desires and prerogatives and to be happy with the
Desire and Prerogative
(Power) of Allah, the Exalted.
REALITY
OF RELIANCE ON GOD (TAWAKKUL)
You have also asked, what is
reliance on God (Tawakkul)?
You should know that Tawakkul is that,
one should have firm belief
and certitude in what Allah, the Exalted, has promised.
In other words, one should believe that you will surely
get whatever
Allah, the Exalted, has destined for you.
Then
if the entire world tries to stop it, it (Allah’s Decree for
you) cannot be
stopped. But for
that which is not
written in your destiny [by Allah], if you and the entire world make
efforts for
it, you will never get it.
REALITY
OF SINCERITY TO GOD (IKHLAS)
You have also asked, what is
sincerity to God (Ikhlas)?
You should know that Ikhlas is that,
all of your deeds should be
exclusively for the sake of Allah [and His pleasure].
Whatever you do, it should not be for show off
(ostentation/Riya).
When you do good deeds, your heart should not be inclined
towards people
[to impress them and to gain their praise].
Your heart should not be pleased at the admirations
(praises) of the
people, nor should [your heart] be grieved at their complaints [or
criticisms].
You should know that Riya (show
off/ostentation) is born out of
people’s praises and honors and the cure of [the spiritual
disease of] Riya
(show off/ostentation) is that you consider the entire universe
subservient to
the Power (Control) of Allah, the Exalted, and consider all creations
[of Allah]
equivalent (similar) to the pebbles and stones, you should understand
this that
stones do not have the power to bring you either grief or comfort.
If you consider all creations like this (i.e. like stones
and pebbles)
then you will get rid of Riya (show
off/ostentation).
Until you have this belief that the [mortal] creations
have power to
bring you grief and comfort, then Riya (show
off/ostentation) will never
get out of your heart.
My dear beloved son! Your remaining questions
are such that some of them have been
addressed in books written by us (i.e. me) which you can see there and
some [of
your] questions are such that writing their answers is forbidden.
So whatever is written, keep putting them into practice so
that those
matters will be clarified to you, which you do not yet know.
My dear beloved son! After this, whatever
matter you find difficult and do not
understand, then do not ask [about such matters] other than with the
tongue of
your heart.
“Wa Lau Annahum
Sabaru Hatta Takhruja
Ilaeyhim Lakana Khairal Lahum.”
“If those people had
exercised patience [instead of
screaming outside your house] until you (O Prophet Muhammad [Peace and
blessings
of Allah be upon him]!) yourself had come out [of your house], then it
would had
been good for them.” (Quran,
Chapter 49, Verse 5)
Accept the advice of Khidr (Peace
be upon him):
“Fala Tas-alni
‘Un Shaeyin Hatta Uhdithu Laka
Minhu Zikra.”
“If you want to follow me
[O Moses (Peace be upon
him)!], then do not question me about anything [that I may do] until I
myself
mention (explain) it to you.”
(Quran,
Chapter 18, Verse 70)
Don’t hurry! When
the time comes you yourself will be told [about such matters] and shown.
“Sa Urikum Ayate
Fala Tusta’jiloon.”
“We (i.e. Allah) will
soon show you our signs,
therefore, do not desire to hasten [this matter].”
So don’t ask before [the
right] time, when you
reach that [spiritually elevated] stage then you yourself will see it.
Therefore, have this certitude that unless you go towards
this
destination, until then you will not reach there nor will you be able
to see.
“Awalum Yaseeru
Fil Arde Fayanzuru.”
“Have they not toured the
earth so that they would
see [everything].”
My dear beloved son! By Allah!
If you
illuminate your heart [by purifying it by removing from it the darkness
of evil]
then certainly you will see amazing things.
You should strive with your utmost in every step [of the
way
towards your destination]. Other
than that, the purpose will not be achieved.
Shaykh Zun Noon Misri (May Allah
shower His Mercy
upon him) said something so good to a student of his from among his
students:
“In Qadarta
‘Ala Buzlir Ruhi Fata’ala Wa
illa Tushtaghil Bi Nazahatis Sufiyyati Wal Qaal.”
“If you have the courage
to exert your utmost [with
your soul in this way] then come [and step in this way] otherwise do
not just
get indulged in the nice things that Sufis say.”
My dear beloved son! I will now end my
explanation on [following] eight
admonitions (advices).
Among these [eight admonitions],
you have to do four
of them and you do not do four of them so that your knowledge does not
become
your enemy on the Day of Judgment.
First,
those four things will be mentioned that you should not do.
Firstly, as much as it’s
possible you should not
have [religious] debates with everyone and do not argue with anyone on
any
[religious or non-religious] issue because there are many [hidden]
calamities
(harms) in it and has more harms than benefits.
This work (debates and arguments) is the fountainhead
(source) of all evil things such as ostentation (show off/Riya),
jealousy, arrogance, resentment, enmity, pride, egoism, etc. If an argument starts
between you and someone else [about an
issue] and you desire the truth to prevail then your intention to argue
in this
matter is said to be correct. In
this regards, there are two indications (signs) of your right
intentions:
First [indication] is that, if truth is revealed from
either your tongue
or from the tongue of the opponent, it makes no difference to you.
In other words, you are satisfied (content) in both cases
that the truth
has been revealed. Second
indication [of your right intention] is that you consider it better to
argue on
this [issue with your opponent] in solitude [and not in front of an
audience].
But if you argue [or debate] on an issue and if you are
certain that you
are correct and the opponent is only arguing [for the sake of arguing]
then you
beware and do not argue with him/her and end your discussion right at
that point
otherwise grudges [and resentments] will born out of this and no
benefit
[whatsoever] will be achieved.
Here I explain a benefit. You should know that to
ask questions about [religious and
spiritual] issues is like narrating the diseases of the heart and its
causes in
front of a doctor (curer) of the heart.
Furthermore,
the efforts made by this doctor (curer) to cure the diseases of the
heart, are
like responding to the questions asked about [various] issues.
You should have the certainty that ignorant people are
like those
patients who have a sickness (disease) in their hearts and [true]
scholars are
like doctors and curers. Imperfect
scholars are not capable of curing [the diseases of the heart] and
perfected
scholar (Shaykh al-Kamil) can cure the diseases.
Furthermore, [a perfected scholar] can find the [root]
causes of the
disease, but if the disease becomes worse and if its causes are not
found then
an expert doctor (curer) should be consulted who can tell that this
disease can
be cured and this disease cannot be cured with any medicine. To be indulged in curing
an incurable disease like this is
equivalent to wasting time. Now
you
should understand that:
CATEGORIES
OF
PATIENTS:
Ignorant [people who are like] patients are of four kinds
and
among these [four] categories, the patients belonging to one category
can be
cured. The
remaining four
categories of patients are incurable.
First patient is the one who asks
questions because
of jealousy or who objects. Jealousy
is such a lethal disease that has no cure.
Just understand, that whatever answer you will give, no
matter how good
it is, he/she will consider you an enemy and his/her fire of envy and
jealousy
will be further ignited. Therefore,
it’s better to not respond to this person.
A poet has said something good in this respect:
“Kullul
‘Adawati Qad Turja Izalatuha
Illa
‘Adawata Mun ‘Aadaka Min Hasadin.”
“Every kind of animosity
can be rectified
(corrected) but the animosity born out of jealousy is not possible to
be
rectified.”
Therefore, its solution is that you
leave this
jealous one so that he/she stays infected with this disease.
“Fa
‘AaRid ‘Um Mun Tawalla ‘Un Zikrina
Walam Yurid Illal Hayatad Dunya.”
“So stay away from the
individual who [because of
jealousy] turns his/her face away from Our remembrance and desires
nothing but
[the pleasures of] the life of the world.”
Second kind of patient is the one
whose cause of
disease is the lack of intelligence and foolishness.
This disease is also incurable.
Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him) said
that I am [with the
Permission of God] not incapable of bringing dead to life but I am
incapable of
curing the fools and the ignorant folks.
Ignorant
fool is the one who spends very little time acquiring knowledge and has
not even
started [learning] intellectual and transmitted religious knowledge but
objects
to those scholars who have spent their lifetime acquiring intellectual
and
transmitted religious knowledge. This
individual has no knowledge that his/her objection is
considered agonizing by this individual [even though he/she is not
aware of it],
others like him/her, and scholars.
Likewise,
undoubtedly, this objection must seem agonizing to the one who is a
great
scholar. This
individual does not
even know that the objection he is having on the scholar is of no avail
(useless) [to him/her]. This
great
scholar’s depth of knowledge and insights is not even known
to him/her and to
others like him/her. So
if this
person cannot even understand that (i.e. the knowledge and depth of
understanding of the scholar) then it is his/her foolishness.
One should stay away from this kind of person and should
not even give
[him/her] a response.
ADVICE
ACCORDING TO ONE’S COMPREHENSION:
Third kind of patient is the one who, due to his/her
restlessness and impatience, do not understand the teachings of the
spiritually
elevated ones (saints) and keeps relying on his/her lack of
intelligence, for
whatever this individual understands, understands it according to
his/her own
interest (benefit). This
[kind of]
person is simpleminded and mindless and his/her mind is incapable of
understanding the truth. This
kind
of person should not even be given a response, because Prophet Muhammad
(Peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
“Nahnu
Ma’aashirul Anbiyaee Umirna Un
Natakallamun Nasa ‘Ala Qadre ‘Uuqulihim.”
“Our group of prophets
have been ordered [by Allah]
to talk to the people according to their minds (i.e. mental
capacities/understandings).”
INDIVIDUAL
CAPABLE OF BENEFITING FROM ADVICE:
Fourth kind of patient is the one who is seeking the right
path of guidance (Sirat al-Mustaqeem), is obedient,
sharp and
intelligent, and he/she should not have anger, following of the desires
from the
lower self (Nafs), jealousy, and desire for wealth
and fame.
Therefore, this person who is searching for the path of
truth and for
correct method (guidance), whatever question he/she asks or objections
he/she
makes is not due to jealousy or to find fault or to test.
This type of person is that patient who can be cured.
Therefore, to answer the questions of this person is not
just legitimate
but it’s obligatory (Wajib).
You are being admonished that you
refrain from
preaching and making speeches because there are great calamities and
harms in
it. If you think
that whatever you
preach you have already acted upon it, then keep this in mind also that
Allah,
the Exalted and the Truth, said to Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus
– Peace be upon him):
“Ya Ibna Maryama
A’azee Nafsaka Fa In At-ta’azta
Fa Izin Nasa Fustahyee Minni.”
“O Son of Mary!
You [should] admonish you self (Nafs)
[first], then if it accepts
your advice then give advices to others, otherwise have shame before
Me.”
If such situations get created that you have to preach, then refrain from two things: Firstly, in your sermon refrain from colorful narrations, gestures and signs (secretive language), flowery and decorated language, pleasing poetry, illegal talk that is against the Shari’ah (Divine laws), and lies of [fake] Sufis (spiritually elevated individuals). It is because Allah, the Exalted, does not like those who are pretentious (showy). But if [some preacher’s sermon or talk] exceeds the boundaries of pretense and show (i.e. one is only trying to impress others with a seemingly eloquent language) then know that this preacher’s inner being (heart) is bad and his/her heart is heedless [of God’s remembrance]. Because the purpose of sermon (religious talk) is not to display one’s capabilities but it is to mention the punishment of the hereafter. It is to narrate one’s shortcomings in Allah’s servitude and to express regrets on useless endeavors and the life wasted [in useless pursuits]. It is to mention the difficult stages of the life hereafter that are obstacles in our way ahead. Likewise, it is to mention the method of passing through this world while keeping our faith (Iman) intact, the spectacle of the Angel of Death (Malik ul-Maut) at the time of death, the questioning in the grave by Munkir Nakeer (two angels that appear in the grave after burial), and to mention the stations of the Day of Judgment. In addition, the [fearsome] spectacle of accountability in the field of Hashr (a vast field where all humankind will be assembled after resurrection on the Day of Judgment), the weighing of [our] actions [that we did in the world] in Mizaan (the mighty scale/balance created by the Almighty Allah for weighing our actions on the Day of Judgment), walking on the bridge [called] Sirat (a bridge over Hell which leads to the Paradise which is thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword on which all human beings will be made to walk) and crossing it, and to map other horrors of the Day of Judgment. The preacher should narrate all these matters of fear in front of the people and should inform them about these matters. Other than that, the people sitting in the gathering (audience) should be reminded of their [inner and outer] faults and shortcomings so that the fear of the punishment of the hereafter is born in their hearts and to the greatest extent possible they should have regrets over the time they lost [in vain pursuits] and should try to make up for that (i.e. the lost time), and they should shed tears over the time spent without worship (God’s remembrance). All these things that I mentioned above should be narrated in a sermon [or religious talk]. For instance, if the water from the flood reaches the door of someone’s house creating such a threat that within seconds it could engulf the entire house and drown it along with his/her children. At that time [of an impending disaster just about to be unleashed], the owner of the house will scream in the house and will say “Al-Hazr Al-Hazr”, this is, “Beware! Beware! Run quickly! Flood Water has arrived!”. In a horrific time like this, the owner of the house will never mention the flood in colorful sentences, gestures and signs (secretive language), flowery and decorated language, or in an embellished colorful poetry. The example of the sermon should be like this (i.e. to have fear oneself and then instill that same fear of wrongdoings in others with a sense of extreme
