Book 58 Zi Qaida 1435H To Rabiul Awal 1436H Sept - Dec

11SUFI WORLDSUFI WORLDwhich he should be rewarded."MuslimTradition No. 399Narrated Urwa bin Az-Zubair that Hakim bin Hizam tsaid to Allah's Messenger e "O Allah's Messenger! Do youthink that there is any reward (of the Lord with me on the Day ofResurrection) for the deeds of religious purification that I performed in the state of Ignorance, such as charity, freeing a slave,cementing to blood-relations?" Allah's Messenger e said tohim, "You have accepted Islam with all the previous virtues thatyou had practised."MuslimTradition No. 400Narrated Ibn Umar t :The Prophet e said, "VerilyIslam started as something strange and it would again revert (to its oldposition) of being strange just as it started, and it would recedebetween the two mosques just as the serpent crawls back into its hole.MuslimTradition No. 401Narrated Abdullah bin Abu Qatada from his father :Allah's Messenger40, said, "No one of you should hold his penis with his right handwhile urinating, or wipe himself with his right hand inprivy, andshould not breath into the vessel (from which he drinks)."Muslim(To be Continued)*****12Excerpts from Futuh Al -Ghaib(The Revelations of the Unseen)by Hazrath Ghaus Al-Azam (RAA)THE SEVENTY-SECOND DISCOURSEHe (may Allah be pleased with him) said:Those who got to the markets from among the people ofreligion, in observation of the institutions of religion, or inperformance of such commandments of Allah at thoseconcerning the congregational prayers on Friday or otherreligious congregations or to fulfil other needs with which theymay be confronted, are of several kinds.Some of them are such that when they go to the marketand see in it various kinds of provisions for the gratification ofthe senses and for enjoyments, they are captivated thereby andtheir hearts become entangled therein and they thus fall intotrial, and this becomes a cause of their ruin and of discardingtheir religion and its institutions and makes them inclinetowards yielding to their lower nature and towards followingtheir passions unless of course Allah looks after them by Hismercy and protecting power and by His providing them withpatience to struggle against these temptations; it is by thismeans that they can remain safe.Then there are others among them who, when they seethese things and are on the point of being ruined, return to theirreasoning sense of religion and exercise self control with aneffort and drink the bitterness of discarding them. These are likevaliant warriors in the cause of religion who are helped by Allahto assume control over their own selves and natures and desiresand passions. Allah awards them abundance of reward in thelife after death.In this connection we have it in some of the traditionshanded down by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allahbe on him):

13SUFI WORLDSUFI WORLD14"Seventy acts of virtue are recorded to the credit of abeliever on his discarding the urge of passion while he isoverpowered by it or when he overpowers it."In another saying of his we read similarly:"And some of them there are who obtain theseenjoyments and appropriate them and acquire them by thefavour and blessing of Allah in the shape of affluence ofworldly wealth and give thanks to Allah, the Mighty, theGlorious, on account of them."While they are still others who neither see nor are awareof these enjoyments; they are blind to everything exceptingAllah, the Mighty, the Glorious; so they do not see anythingbesides Him and are deaf to everything besides Him, so they donot hear anything besides Him. They are. too engaged to look atanything excepting the Beloved and their urge for Him. So theyare away from what keeps the world occupied. When you seesuch persons entering the market place and ask them what theysee in the market, they will say: "We do not see anything." Yes,they do see things but they see them with their physical eyes butnot with the eyes of the heart. And they see them only casually,not with the eyes of desire. The sight is of the appearance andnot of reality. It is an outward sight, not an inward one. Sooutwardly he sees what is in the market while in his heart hesees the Lord—sometime His Glory and at others His Grace.While there are still others who, when they enter themarket place, find that their hearts are filled on account ofAllah, the Mighty, the Glorious, with mercy for the people in it.So this pity for the people of the market keeps them toooccupied to look at things which belong to these people andwhich are before them. So such people remain engaged, rightfrom the entrance up to the time of their exit, in prayer and inseeking the protection of Allah and intercession for its people,in an attitude of affection and mercy. So their hearts burn to seektheir benefit and and to prevent their loss, and their tonguesremain engaged in the praise of Allah on account of all that Hehas given them from His blessings and favours. So such peopleare called the spiritual guards of the cities and the servants ofAllah. And if you like you can call them men possessed ofknowledge and Abdal and men of piety and knower so theunseen and the seen, His beloved and finished object and Hisvicegerent on earth appointed over His servants, Hisambassadors and executors of good, sweet of expression,guides, rightly-guided people and spiritual instructors. Aperson of this class is, so to speak, a philosopher's stone and theegg of a magpie. The pleasure of Allah and His blessings be onsuch a person and on everyone who has set his face towardsAllah and who attains the summit of spiritual elevation.THE SEVENTY-THIRD DISCOURSEHe (may Allah be pleased with him) said:Sometimes Allah informs His Walis about the faults andfalsehood of another person and his false claims about hisactions and words and thoughts and intentions. So the Wali ofAllah is made to feel jealous in respect of his Lord and HisProphet and His religion. So the inner anger and then also theouter anger are intensified with the thought. How can comfortbe claimed in face of the existence of diseases, both internaland external, and how can the faith in the unity of Allah beclaimed in face of polytheistic tendencies which amount tounbelief and which take a man away from nearness to Allah andin face of an attitude belonging to the enemy, the devil, theaccursed, and to the hypocrites who are sure to be flung andhurled into the lowest of hell and are sure to remain for ever? Sothe mention of the faults of such a person and his evil actionsand his insolence together with his big claims and hispresumption to possess the spiritual state of the Siddiqs and hisattitude of competition towards those who have annihilatedthemselves in the decree and his thus assuming the role of thefinished object of Allah--is made to come out from the tongueof the Wali.This is done sometimes on account of the jealousy for the

15SUFI WORLDSUFI WORLDglory of Allah, the Mighty, the Glorious, and at others for therefutation of such a false man and as a sort of admonition forhim; and at still others for the predominance of the act of Allah,the Mighty, the Glorious, and His purpose and His intensity ofwrath over the false man who gives lie to the truth of the Wali.So the Wali accused of backbiting the person concerned and itis asked, "Is the Wali permitted to backbite anyone while he isforbidden to do it? Can he speak of anyone, absent or present,things which are not known to the rank and file of people?" Thefact is that such a denunciation on their part falls under thepurview of the word of Allah: "Their sin is greater than theirbenefit." (ii-219).wise actor behind it, because all things are in existence throughHim. And it is this which is reported from Ibn Abbas (mayAllah be pleased with him and his father) in his comment onthe word of Allah:Apparently it (such criticism of the Wali) is thedenunciation of a disobedient man but in truth it is rousing thewrath of Allah and taking exception to His act. The condition ofsuch an objector is bewilderment; it is his duty to remain silentunder such circumstances and to offer submission and to try tofind out its permissibility in the Law and not to raise objectionto the work of Allah and His Wall who makes these bitingremarks on account of the false claims of the pretender. If heassumes this attitude it may result in the uprooting of the evil inhim and be regarded as his repentance and return from hisignorance and bewilderment. So it will be a sort of attack onbehalf of the Wall and will also benefit the self-conceited manwho is on the verge of ruin, on account of his conceit anddisobedience; and Allah guides whomsoever He likes to theright path.THE SEVENTY-FOURTH DISCOURSEHe (may Allah be pleased with him) said:The first thing which a man of intelligence should see isthe condition and composition of his own self and then all thecreations and inventions. Then he should infer from them theexistence of their Creator and Originator. Because the creationindicates the Creator and strong power is an indication of the16"And He has made subservient to you all that is in theheavens and in the earth."It is reported from the aforesaid in explanation of thisverse that:In everything there is an attribute from the attributes ofAllah and every name is a sign for one of His names; so surelyyou are between His names and His attributes and works,inwardly through His power and outwardly through Hiswisdom. He is manifest in His attributes and concealed in Hisperson. His person is concealed in His attributes and Hisattributes are concealed in His works. And He has revealed Hisknowledge through His will and He has expressed His will inmovements. And He has concealed His skill and Hiswerkmanship and expressed His workmanship through Hiswill. So He is hidden in His invisibility and He is manifest inHis wisdom and power. "There is nothing like a likeness ofHim and He is the Hearing and the Seeing." (xlii-1 1).Surely many secrets of spiritual knowledge have beenbrought to surface by this statement which cannot come to theknowledge of anyone unless he has a heart which has a lamp ofspiritual knowledge in it. And this privilege of this great man isdue to the fact that the sinless hands of-the Holy Prophet (mayAllah's peace and blessings be upon him) were raised inearnest prayer for him saying: "0 Allah! give himunderstanding of religion and teach him the interpretation."May Allah shower on us the same blessings which Heshowered on such like people and may He gather us in theircompany on the Day of Resurrection together with theirsanctity A'meen.(To be Continued).&&&&&

17SUFI WORLDSUFI WORLDExcerpts continued from“The Awarif-ul-Maarif”In the beginning of hal, Abu Said Kharraz used, whenhe was very necessitous to hold forth the hand (of beggary) ; andto say : "The prophet of God !"So long as the necessity for concord was not complete,they have not seen this crowd in beggary whereof they are fullof caution. Because of it the Shari'at hath cautioned them in theway of inciting and of terrifying.(a) Inciting In the history of Thauban, it is relatedthat one day Muhammad said to the ashab: "Who in one thingwill join me,—him, in Paradise, I will meet." I said "O prophetof God ! I will." He said: "Of the people, ask naught."(b) Terrifying. In the Hadith it is said"Urge not thy prayer (of beggary) till God permitteth;till only a piece of flesh remaineth on thy cheek."The adab of the beggar is:So long as no necessity ariseth, he should not enterupon beggary. As long as he hath power, he maketh nafsdesirous of patience of its handfuls till from the hidden, the dooropeneth.When, in places of need, by giving patience, nafsdisplayeth levity, true wealth from all exterior to God isacquired.The second crowd mutazvakkil on account ofperfection of being engaged with Him,--viewing the grandeurof tauhid and the light of yaqin,—seek the causing in no cause ofthe causes of daily food ; and from no created being, seekaid,—so that the Causer of causes (God) may as He desirethconvey to them daily food.One day, they. inquired of Bayazid, saying: "Thee,we see engaged with none : whence is thy livelihood ?" Hereplied .'"The (unclean) dog and the (filthy) pig, my Masterfeedeth, wherefore should he not feed Abu Yazid ?"Some are those who, whatever they ask, ask of God,so that He giveth them one of these things:(i) the giving of the desired object.(ii)the power of patience.(iii)the erasing of desire from the heart.by Hazrath Shahbuddin Suhrawardi (RAA)ADAB-I-MA'ISHAT (THE RULE OFLIVELIHOOD)VI, 7Diverse, according to contrariety of degrees, are theIftiIs of the (mutasawwifah) in causation and in reliance (onGod).(a) Some, through weakness of for the amending oftime, in search of daily food rely on chattles. These are calledmutasabbib.(b) Some, through power of hal and denial of will,suffice themselves with the surety of God on Him, rely ; and inno way seek reliance on daily distributed food (through man'seffort). These are called mutawakkil.(c) Some strive in kasb (acquisition) some in beggary; some (for the amending of their time) now in kasb, now inbeggary.Ibrahim Adham, sometimes for the maintenance of thesahabah, used to obtain a morsel of lawful food by watchingover sown fields, or by reaping ; and sometimes when alone, atthe time of need and to its extent, used to travel the path ofbeggary. Awhile, he was a dweller in the jam' (masjid) at Bisraand used to break his fast every three nights; on the night ofbreaking the fast, he used to come forth, and to take morselsfrom the doors of houses ; to the eating of these morsels, herestricted himself.Abu Ja far-Haddad (Junaid's murshid) used to goforth, every two or three nights, in the first two watches (of thenight); and to the extent of his need, at doors, used to beg.18

19SUFI WORLDSUFI WORLD20Some ask naught, either from the people, or from God;because in His ilm, they have effaced their own ilm, and desire;they know that in their affairs, more comprehending is the ilm ofthe Eternal than their own ilm; attachment to their affairs, on thepart of Universal Desire (God) is greater and more completethan partial desire on their part; therefore on account of His 'am,they are independent of begging.They call the mutawakkil "the companions ofgratuitous income," because their taking is from the incomereceived gratuitously from the hidden. Although he seeth that,from the hidden is gratuitous income without their nafs beingdesirous, they accept it, even if in need of it they be not.Some are slow in taking and in giving, because, in bothhals, they have suspected the residence of desire in their ownsnafs.Some are slow in taking, not in giving, because ingiving they less regard the pleasure of nafs.Some are slow in giving, not in taking, because intaking they regard only the will and the act of God,—in giving,their own will and act.Some are slow neither in taking nor in giving, becausetheir existence is annihilated in the light of tauhid, their giving inDivine causes, is their safety from the calamity of desire. In theworld, the existence of this crowd is more precious and lessoften found than (rare) red sulphur.The adab of the mutasabbib (or tariq), the mutawakkil, is this, that before arrival at the degree of the glory ofdhat, of qualities, and of deeds (which are the source of glories),they haste to taking gratuitous income and to giving it withoutthe connection of a new permission, or of a ready knowledge.Before the rules of the maqiim of freedom, they plantnot the foot, in the foot-place of the free.In respect to the Ashab of tamkin and to the Lords ofyaqin, they regard not their own hal without a true proof.By the residence of the veil of seduction, the truth of theshaikh's hal may appear to him obscure but at the time ofexamination (the fact) that the cash of his hal is counterfeit is notconcealed to the assayer of vision.As long as he is bound by the residence of the residenceof his own habits, for him is not reserved the maqam of freedom.Shaikh Hammad used to eat no food unless, in dream orin sleep, he saw the order : (a) certain food of such a quantity fromsuch a one,—take; (b) certain food of such a quantity to Hammadtake. Then he used to take it.To one of the crowd of his own murids, Shaikh 'Abd-u'lQadir Hibli sent, despite that the depositor was absent, saying :"In thy presence, a certain one hath a desposit thence, some goldand some food thou shouldest send me." That murid came beforethe shaikh and said : "Rule over the deposit, how is it lawful forme to exercise ? If they ask thee, thou wilt give a decision that it isnot fit (to do so)." With compulsion, the shaikh ordered him (totake from the deposit). Immediately after that, from the master ofthe deposit arrived a letter saying so much gold and so muchfood, take up from the deposit and take to 'Abd u'l - Qadir.Its quantity was exactly as the shaikh had stated.Then in respect to .his delaying in (the matter of)submission (to his order) the shaikh reproved that murid and said:"Void of the truth of ilm, thou thoughtest was the commanding ofthe f uqara "The truth of gratuitous income is this:From God, they should take it, not from thepeople—whether its cause be the hand of man, or not ; whether itbe known or not—on the condition that in its preface there be nowishfulness.The Shaikh-ul-Islam relateth that once to ShaikhAbu'l-Sa'id a man came, and said "I wish to make a fixed quantityof a daily allowance that they should bring for thy use but I thinkthat the sufis have said : 'Sinister, is what is known." The Shaikhsaid : "This, we say not : because the known that God willeth forus,—in it, His deed we see ; and it auspicious, not sinister, weregard."SALAT (PRAYER)VII,When a person wisheth to begin the salat (namaz,prayer), its sunnat is that, in its preface, if it be an enjoined

21SUFI WORLDSUFI WORLDordinance, he should prefer the iqiimatiGenerally in the salawat-except in the nawafil of safarin respect to the rahilah—the condition is:In body, he should look towards the qiblah and inheart, towards the Master of the qiblah, from the wickedness ofthe temptations of Shaitan and from the thoughts of nafs shouldtake shelter in God ;and to himself should utter :the Surat-u'nNas, chapter 114, the Qur'an.Both hands, he should uplift in such a way that the twopalms are level with (and parallel to) the two shoulders, the twothumbs near to the two lobes of the ear, and the finger-tips levelwith the ears.According to the appointing, he should in his heartperform the established. sala

Hazrath Ghouse ul Azam (RAA) in his seventy fifth lecture in "Futuh Ul Ghaib" Says: Tasawwuf (Spiritual Culture) is obtained not through discussion and talk but through hunger and givin