AL-LISAN SCRATCH PAD

SIRAT-E-SULUK (PART 10)

2010-08-20T13:28:00.022+03:00

SELF-VIGILANCE (MURAAQABE) [2]

THE BEST JOY NEAR GOD AND HIS MESSENGER

At the end of the book Irshaad al-Qulub it is narrated that God asked his Messenger on the night of the spiritual ascent (mi‘iraaj):

O Ahmad, do you know what kind of joy is the best? And [do you know] what kind of life the most lasting?

The Messenger of Allah said: O God, I do not know.

God said: The best kind of joy is when a human being is always in the state of dhikr (remembering Allah) and does not get tired of it, he does not forget My blessings, knows Me, and throughout the night and day is after attracting My pleasure.

And the most lasting kind of life is when he is ever-vigilant of himself, until the world becomes insignificant and valueless, and the Hereafter great and valuable for him. He prefers My desire over his and is after My pleasure; and he reckons Me great the way I am. He always is cognizant of My knowledge and awareness about Him.

And at every moment of the night and day he is vigilant of My presence, when he is faced with evil and sin, and he removes from his heart whatever I do not like, and opposes Satan and his insinuations, and does not give Satan any place in his heart.

When he does the aforesaid actions, I quench his heart with a cup of My love, so that he does not give a place to anyone in his heart, and his remembrance, thought, aspiration, and speech is about those blessings that I have given to My beloved servants.

I open the eye and ear of his heart, so that he can listen through his heart and gaze at My Majesty and Greatness in amazement.

I would make the world to be narrow and small for him and the pleasures of the world insignificant and base, so that he despises them; and I would caution him against the world and what it contains in the manner that a shepherd protects his sheep from dangerous grazing areas.

This is when he escapes from the people and journeys from the transient world to the eternal universe, and hurriedly moves from the house of Satan to the dwelling pace of the All-Beneficent.; and I would beautify him with effulgence and greatness.

This is the best kind of joy and the very everlasting life; and this exalted station is for those are pleased with the desire of God.

THE EXALTED STATIONS OF THE PEOPLE OF DIVINE PLEASURE

Therefore one who takes a step towards My pleasure, I give him the privilege of three characteristics:

1-I direct him to express gratitude in such a way, that it is not admixed with any kind of ignorance

2- I beautify him with such dhikr (remembrance of Allah) that does not have any kind of forgetfulness.

3-I would make him taste such love, that he does not prefer the love of any of My servants over My love. Then when he loves Me, I likewise would love him, and I would open his eye and heart towards My Majesty. Thereafter, he would recognize My special servants, and thenceforth I would whisper to him in the darknesses of the night and day, until his conversation with others and his sittings with them is severed.

I will make him hear My speech and the speech of My angels, and I will unravel for himthe secret that I have hidden from the creation.

I will make him wear the beautiful apparel of shame and chastity, such that all My servants are ashamed of themselves, and He would move on the earth in a state of having been forgiven from all the sins.

I will fill his heart with knowledge, gnosis and insight, such that nothing from Paradise or Hell-Fire is hidden from him, and will show him the states and fearful moments of the people of the Judgment Day.

I will show him how the affluent, the poor, the ignorant, and the knowledgeable would be taken into account, and I will illuminate his grave.

Nakir and Munkir in the grave would ask him with such softness and care, that they would not witness the grief of death, the darkness of the grave and the difficulty of the journey to the Hereafter. Then I will establish the scales to weigh his deeds (mizan) and open his scroll of deeds.

I will hand him his book of deeds in his right hand so that he may read the same. Therefore I would not place any medium between Me and him, and these are the characteristics of the lovers of God.

And you O wayfarer of the path of the Friend, ponder carefully over these statements of Almighty God to his beloved, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny). Reflect on the kind of invaluable presents and gifts kept for the people of self-vigiulance and Divine pleasure and love, the best of which is the opening of the vision of the heart, and it is because of its very importance, it has been mentioned twice.

The Tradition of Seeking Proximity through Supererogatory Deeds & Its Meaning:

Similar to these precious gifts are things promised for performing supererogatory and obligatory actions. Almighty God says in a sacred tradition:

Nothing makes My servant closer to me than performing the obligatory deeds. And thereafter there is nothing in the level of the supererogatory deeds. My servant due to engaging in supererogatory deeds gets so close to Me, that I love him, and thenceforth I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his tongue with which he speaks, his hand, with which he works. And in such a state, were he to call upon Me, I would respond to him, and if he asks me for anything, I would give it to him.

The great ‘Allama, Shaykh Baha’i has brought this tradition in his book Arba’in. And he narrates from Aban bin Taghlib from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him), that he said:

When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) went to Mi’raaj, he asked Allah: O God, how do you reckon a faithful believer? He was told: O Muhammad…There is nothing that makes My servant closer to Me than performing the obligatory deeds. And thereafter, due to performing supererogatory deeds, he gets so close to me that…

Having narrated this tradition, ‘Allama Baha’I (may his spirit be sanctified) says:

The chain of narrators of this tradition is correct. It is also among the well-known traditions of the Shi’a and the Sunni, and has been mentioned in books accepted by both the sects.

Marhum Kulayni has also mentioned this tradition with two chains of narration in Usul-e-Kafi from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon and him) and Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him). And thereafter he has mentioned another tradition with the same contents. This is the same proximity (qurb) which is well known by the elite (people of gnosis) as qurb-e-nawaafil (proximity attained through supererogatory deeds).

The Tradition of attaining Divine Proximity through Obligatory Deeds

Almighty God says: There is nothing that makes my servant close to Me than what I have made obligatory on him. And in performing them, My servant becomes so close to Me, that I love him. And when I love him, he becomes my hearing with which I hear, and my vision with which I see, and My hand with which I carry out work.

Hence, O wayfarer in the alley of the Friend, reflect properly on the scope of these two kinds of proximity!!

In the first kind of proximity, God becomes the hearing, sight, tongue, and hand of the human being, whereas in the second kind of proximity, the human being becomes the hearing, sight, and hand of God.

Hence the reward of obligatory acts is greater than the reward of supererogatory acts and causes more proximity as well. ‘Allama Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi (may his spirit be sanctified) says in this regard:

When a Gnostic detaches from himself and unites with the God, he finds every might dissolved in the might of God, which controls every might; and considers every knowledge to be annihilated and dissolved in the knowledge of God, from whose vision of knowledge not an iota is hidden; and he finds every volition immersed in His volition, under whose control nothing is excluded. Rather, he considers every entity and existential perfection to have originated from God. Hence Almighty God in this state becomes his sight through which he can see, his hearing through which he can hear, his hand with which he can perform his work, his intellect with which he can comprehend, and his existence through which he comes into existence. It is here that the Divine Gnostic has been qualified with Divine characteristics.

A Gnostic has said:

When Almighty God manifests Himself for someone, he finds the essence of all existents of the world, their attributes, and their actions to be dissolved in the Essence, Attributes, and Actions of God. He sees himself together with all the existents, such that it is as if he is their manager and controller, and it is as if he visions the entire universe as the parts of his being, and finds his essence, attributes and actions, dissolved in the reality of oneness. And when the insight of his spirit is attracted to the beauty of the Divine Essence, the light of intellect (partial intellect) turns dim and the light of the pre-eternal Essence of God shines. This is where he does not differentiate between pre-eternity (qidam) and incipience (huduth), because the Truth has come and falsehood vanished. This state is known as the state of unification (jam’); and whosoever has attained this station, links himself to everything that exists in the world of existence, for he finds every attribute, name and action in one Essence. Hence sometimes he speaks about plurality and sometimes about unity. And what we mean when we say that so and so has reached the station of unification, is this very state.

Marhum Faydh, after narrating the speech of this well-known Gnostic, says:

Perhaps this very (manifestation of the Essence of God) is the secret behind some apparently strange and alien words from Mawla Amir al-mu’minin ‘Ali (peace be upon him) in his sermon of exposition (bayan) and other sermons, for he says:

I am the first Adam, I am the first Noah, I am the sign of the All-dominating, I am the reality of the secrets, I am the one who makes the leaves of tress fall, I am the one who makes the fruits ripe, I am the one who makes the rivers flow…I am that light from which Musa (peace be upon him) took guidance, I am the companion of the blowing of the trumpet, I am the one who will take out those who are in the graves, I am the companion of the day of resurrection, I am the companions of Noah and his emancipator, I am the companion of Ayyub, the afflicted one, and his curer, I am the one who make the heavens and the earth to stand erect with the command of my Lord…

SIRAT-E-SULUK [PART 9]

2009-07-16T08:27:00.011+03:00

CHAPTER 6

SELF-VIGILANCE (MURAAQABE) [1]

THE NECESSITY OF SELF-VIGILANCE
& ITS MEANING:

The most important subject in wayfaring to Allah is self-vigilance (muraaqabe) for the purpose of attaining proximity to God. And it is the key to all kinds of felicity and the best way to attract virtues and blessings.

The meaning of self-vigilance is when a servant, due to his attention to God, attains such a station of faith that:

1- He sees no volition of his own and awaits Divine bestowals
2- He disregards other than God and anticipates Lordly benevolence.
3- He is immersed in the shoreless ocean of what Allah desires and yearns to meet the Beloved.
4- His heart craves to meet God and his spirit is restlessly eager to come in the alley of the Friend.
5- In order to reach this exalted purpose he seeks help only from Him, so that God opens the door of His mercy on him, with this endless and eternal blessing, and closes the doors of His punishment in such a way that they never open again. And it is possible that because of self-vigilance, even if it is just for a moment, the veils are lifted from his soul, something that cannot take place even for thirty years of struggle and spiritual self-mortification, for Allah turns their bad deeds into good deeds (25:70), and for those who do actions of beauty is the most beautiful reward and an increment (10:26).

DIVINE MERCY AND VOLITION

This increment [mentioned in the above verse 10:26] is an increment of Allah’s special mercy, for “that is the favor of Allah, He gives it to whosoever He wants.” (62:4)

A beggar can turn into a king in a moment of Divine Attraction
Only in a moment a mountain is given in return for a straw

Therefore, O wayfarer, upon you is self-vigilance, upon you is self-vigilance, upon you is self-vigilance.

Daylami writes in his Irshad al-Qulub:

God says: "And Allah is always extremely and perpetually vigilant over everything” (33:52)

The Holy Prophet (S) said to one of his companions: "Worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot see him, [certainly] He can see you." This saying of the Holy Prophet is in reference to self-vigilance (muraaqabe), for self-vigilance in reality is that the human being should know that Allah is looking at him, and is watching him in all his states.

And the most exalted benefit for a servant of God is to know in every breath of his that God is vigilant over his actions and close to him, such that He is aware of his actions, He sees his movements, hears his talks, and knows his secrets. And his movements are in His command, and his heart is in His hand. And in view of this state, he has no power to hide anything from God, nor can ever leave the Divine sovereignty.

LUQMAN’S COUNSEL

Luqman said to his son: When you wish to disobey Allah, go to a place where God cannot see you!! He said this to point out that since you are one who cannot find a place where God cannot see you, then do not sin.

Almighty God says in the Qur’an: "He is with You wherever you are”

WAS GOD NOT PRESENT?

It is narrated that one of the scholars would show more love to one of his students, who was young and clever. This created ill-feeling and criticism in the rest of his students. In order to practically prove to them that he is right in showing more love to that particular student, he gave a bird to each and every student, and said: Slaughter this in a place where no one can see you.. After a few minutes all the students returned with their slaughtered birds. Then, after a few seconds the young [favorite] student appeared while he had not yet slaughtered the bird. The teacher asked him: Why have you not yet slaughtered the bird???

The student responded saying: It is because of your command. You had said: I should slaughter it in a place where none is present. And I did not find a place where the One, Unique and Non-composite God is not present. The teacher said to him:

Well done; and applauded him, and thereafter addressing his students said: It is for this very reason that I chose him among you, and venerated him.

THE EFFECTS OF SELF-VIGILANCE

1- To select what Almighty God has chosen
2- To respect what Allah respects
3- To consider low what Allah considers low

Hence hope in God would motivate you to worship, and fear of the justice of God, would protect you from sin. And self -vigilance leads to shame and makes you reach the realities, and forces you to account on seemingly minute affairs of life.

Know that the best worship is self-vigilance, a kind of vigilance that is perpetual and continuous.
The felicity of the human being is when he is constantly in the state of self-appraisal and self-vigilance, and always monitors and trains himself. For God sees his works and is aware of them. And he should know that he is always in the presence of God, and not for even a moment is he far from God’s knowledge.

ETIQUETTES OF SELF-VIGILANCE

1- One observes the acts of worship, programs, and supplications of the months and days of the year.
2- Rather he is not oblivious of the supplications of hours of the day and night.
3- Of greater importance is that he must be careful not to pass his moments in vain
4- He should always anticipate the arrival of the vivifying breeze from the alley of the Friend, for the Most Noble Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Without any doubt, in your life time there are moments when the All-compassionate breeze blows. Therefore, stay vigilant of those golden moments and do not disregard them.
5- The great flag-bearer of ethics and spiritual wayfaring, Ayatullah Mirza Jawad Agha Maliki Tabrizi has written a book on this subject called al-Muraqibat (Instances of vigilance) on the acts of worship of the year, which is reckoned to be among the best books of the subject. Do not be oblivious of it, and do refer to it.

To be continued soon Insha Allah...

SIRAT-E-SULUK [PART 8]

2008-02-03T13:38:00.000+03:00

CHAPTER 5

SELF-APPRAISAL (MUHAASABE) [1]

Imam al-Kazim (‘a) says: Whosoever does not appraise his actions daily, is not from us. That is, he should evaluate and see that if he has done a good deed, he should ask more of the same from Allah, and if he has done any sin, he should seek forgiveness from Allah and return to Him in penitence. [2]

Marhum Hasan bin Fadhl al-Tabrasi narrates that the Prophet (s) amidst his counsels to Abu Dharr, said:

O Aba Dharr, a human being would not be among the God-wary (muttaqin) until he appraises himself every day with greater [scrutiny and] accuracy than [one] appraising his financial partner, and he knows where his food has come from, the source of his drink, and from where has he procured his dress; He should know whether they are from lawful or unlawful means. [3]

NARRATION OF PRESENCE

15. From Self-Appraisal to Spiritual Victories

Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem) had extreme attention to self-appraisal and he would [also] emphasize the same. One day, in the gathering of his lesson, he said:

O dear ones, assess yourselves, so that you may be an example of “…such shall enter Paradise, provided therein, without any reckoning” (yadkhuluna al-Jannata yurzaqoona fiha bighayri hisaab). [4] Seek forgiveness from evil deeds, and express praise for your good actions, for self-appraisal (muhaasabe) brings about self-caution (muraaqabe), which in turn reaps [spiritual] presence, and presence reaps [spiritual] victories (futooh)!

16. The Last Advice of ‘Allama al-Tabataba’i

Ayatullah Haaj Sayyid Muhammad Hasan Murtadhawi Langrudi, the son of Marhum Ayatullah Haaj Sayyid Murtadha Murtadhawi Langroodi would attend the lessons of ‘Allama Tabataba’i on the Asfaar [of Mulla Sadra], the Shifaa of Avicenna, as well as the class of Qur’anic exegesis. He also attended the private lessons on Thursday and Friday nights which would be held in one of the houses of the attendants. In one of his speeches he says:

‘Allama Tabataba’i was among the people of self-caution (muraaqabe). Once we came in his presence so that he may give us an instruction to follow. He said: The spiritual wayfarer must from the start until the end of spiritual wayfaring adhere to the two states of self-caution (muraaqabe) and self-appraisal (muhaasabe). He said: At the end of the night, before sleeping, analyze the actions that you have performed during the day. For whatever good action you had performed, praise and thank God, and ask Him to bestow you with succor to perform the action even better the next day. And if God forbid, you had done something wrong or committed a mistake, repent immediately, and resolve not to perform it again. If you observe that you have performed a number of bad deeds, make a decision to lessen them the next day. In short, he said that the states of self-caution (muraaqabe) and self-appraisal (muhaasabe) must always be there. Lately also, when he (‘Allama Tabataba’i) could not speak properly, a friend asked him for counsels, and he once again said, “Self-caution (muraaqabe), and self-appraisal (muhaasabe)!” [5]

To be continued soon Insha Allah...

SIRAT-E-SULUK [PART 7]

2008-02-02T13:11:00.001+03:00

[NARRATION OF PRESENCE contd.]

[Ali Muhiti says:]

13. A Prisoner in the World of Intuition

In this connection [i.e. abstaining loquacity], Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem) narrates a spiritual intuition (mukaashafa) that he had experienced:

During the predawn (sahar) moments of Saturday night, the 12th of Jamadi al-Awwal 1389 [AH lunar] (5/5/1348 AH solar), after having performed the supererogatory prayers of the night and dawn as well as the obligatory prayer of the dawn (subh), and having recited the dhikr of the exalted Name "Allah" for a particular number of times, [NB: This was part of a forty day spiritual program (arba’in), when Ayatullah Hasan Zadeh Amoli would recite the dhikr of the exalted Name "Allah" for a specific number of times after every subh prayer], I sat in concentration, when all of a sudden I was overtaken by a particular state of [spiritual] attraction, and my body trembled and sounded as if a tractor was passing through large stones and an uneven path. I saw that my spirit left my body and ascended; however, it was contained in a body that resembled the body of the realm of dreams. My spirit went a little higher when I saw it [entrapped] in a house. It resembled a bird that is entrapped in a closed cage, and starts flying from one side to another, but does not find a way out. I was entrapped for approximately fifteen minutes, and would hurriedly run from one side to another. I saw myself imprisoned in this house. I could not escape. [Then] I heard a speech of someone whom I did not see. He said to me: Your imprisonment is because of your excessive and unnecessary speech. Why don’t you be careful of your speech?

In that state I swore by the Prophet (s) before Allah a number of times, for my emancipation. And I entreated Allah and lamented before Him, when suddenly my eyes looked north of the house, where I saw a window open, through which only one person could escape. I escaped from it. After coming out, I flew eastwards for a little while, and once again I left for the direction of the qibla.

And when I was freed from the imprisonment, i.e. after coming out of the house, I saw it as a very huge and magnificent house, built in the midst of a garden, which had no limits. The garden contained trees filled with white flowers. I had never seen such scenery in my life.

And I saw myself moving in the air at the height of the trees, such that the front part of my body faced the sky, while my back was facing the earth. And it is by my own volition, aspiration, and command that I could move up and down. I was constantly swearing before Allah by the Seal of the Prophets (s) and all the other Prophets, to attain intuition of realities. In that very state I came back to myself. That imprisonment of a few minutes had so badly affected me, that my body was exhausted and worn out, and my head and shoulders were aching severely, and my heart was beating fast. [4]

14. The Dhikr of Silence!

One day Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem) said in the gathering of the class:

One of our friends would say: “In one of my spiritual observances, I had an inner vision (mukaashafa) that I came before the presence of the Greatest Messenger of Allah (s), and sought a recital of Divine remembrance (dhikr) from him. He said: “I give you the dhikr of silence” [5]

FOOTNOTES:

1- Shaykh Tusi, Al-Amaali, tr. 1
2- Al-Kulayni, Usul al-Kafi, v.2, p. 14. Marhum Allama Majlisi (sanctified be his spirit) in his book Mir’aat al-‘Uqool when expounding this tradition writes: This tradition means that if there is a lot of speech in permissible matters, it would cause the hardness of the heart. However, in wrong and illegal matters, even if there is less speech, it would result in the hardness of the heart!.
3- Khudshinaasi dar Tarbiyate Islami, v.2, pp. 178-179
4- Ayatullah Hasan Zadeh Amoli, Insan Dar Urfe ‘Irfaan, pp. 25-26, Incident no. 6. Incident no. 18 also speaks of the same but with slight variation.
5- The Ayatollah has expounded this incident in point no. 320 of his work 1001 points as well as p. 26 of his work Insan dar ‘Urfe ‘Irfaan, which has some variation with what has been narrated here.

To be continued soon Insha Allah.

SIRAT-E-SULUK [PART 6]

2008-01-20T15:15:00.000+03:00

CHAPTER 4

REFRAINING FROM LOQUACITY

Shaykh Tusi (sanctified be his spirit) narrates from the Holy Prophet (s) that he said:

Do not overindulge in speech that concern other the remembrance of God, for overindulgence in speech about other than the remembrance of God results in the hardness of the heart (qasaawat al-qalb), and the most remote one from Allah among the people is one who has the hardness of the heart. [1]

Shaykh Tusi has put this tradition as the very first tradition of his [well-known] work Amaali, and this shows his special attention to it as well as the subject.

Al-Kulayni (sanctified be his spirit) likewise has narrated this tradition from Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) but with a slight variation. He narrates that Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) said:

Hadhrat Masih [Prophet ‘Isa (‘a)] would say:

Do not overindulge in speech about other than the remembrance of God, for those who overindulge in speech about other than the remembrance of God become hard and stone –hearted, despite their ignorance [about the same]. [2]

Narration of Presence

10. A Session of Silence

Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem) indeed [constantly] practices this instruction. His speech would be well-calculated and brief, yet profound [and full of meaning]. In the class he would refrain from marginal speech and rhetoric of beauty, and would speak selectively, and indulge in sublime matters. He is truly an example of the following poem:

Kam gooy o guzide gooy chun durr
Taa ze andake tu jahaan shawad pur

Speak less and selectively [and be] like a pearl
So that with little of you, the world becomes full

One of the great lessons we learnt from years of being in the presence of Hadhrat Ustaad ‘Allama Hasan Zadeh Amoli (perpetual be his high esteem) was his silence and selective speech. On his arrival in class a halo of silence would prevail the gathering; and between his arrival and the official beginning of the lesson the gathering for a few minutes would be that of silence.

11. The mouth is a Door of Allah

That [particular] day Hadhrat Ustaad gave an admonition to the wayfarers of the alley of amorous love (‘ishq) and Divine knowledge and said:

The mouth is a door of Allah! Control its exports and imports; the mouth is the ear of the spirit; strive to make your intellect control your mouth.

12. The Best Response

[Above: A photo of 'Allama al-Tabataba'i]

One of the students of Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem) in this connection says:

The wise philosopher, ‘Allama Hasan Zadeh Amoli (perpetual be his high esteem) has narrated that whenever someone would travel with Marhum ‘Allama Tabataba’i, as long as he would not ask anything from ‘Allama, the latter would not speak to anyone.

And it must be known that one should not respond to every question, and this depicts one’s knowledge and awareness.

One day in the class of the venerated Ustaad ‘Allama Hasan Zadeh Amoli (perpetual be his high esteem) from whose grace of knowledge I was benefiting, a person asked the Ustaad a question to which he responded saying: “Very good.” Then, when the class came to an end, the person said to the Ustaad: Is “Very good” also an answer? ‘Allama said: Yes, and it was the best answer! [3]
To be continued soon Insha Allah...

SIRAT-E-SULUK [PART 5]

2008-01-20T08:11:00.000+03:00

CHAPTER 3

ABSTAINING FROM OVEREATING

God says in Qur’an:

“…and eat and drink, but do not transcend the limit[s]; indeed He does not like those who transcend the limit[s]. [1]

O friend, know that overeating undoubtedly kills the heart and makes the soul disobedient and oppressive; and know that hunger is the most exalted trait of a believer.

How beautifully has Yahya bin Ma‘aadh expressed [this reality]:

“If you make the angels of the seven heavens, the 124,000 prophets and their successors, and all the Divine scriptures, as your mediators, to enable your self to accompany you in detaching from the world and submitting to the Divine law, it [i.e. your self] would not agree. However if you were to take hunger as your mediator, and enter from the path of hunger, it would comply and obey you.” [2]

Hadhrat Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) in this connection says:

The stomach, due to overeating, transgresses, and the best state of a servant in the presence of God is when his stomach is empty of food, and the worst state of a human being before God is when his stomach is full. [3]

Narration of Presence

7. Evil effects of Overeating

Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem ) would say: fitna (sharpness of mind) does not merge with bitna (overeating and gluttony) [4]. One who overeats is loquacious and speaks in confusion. And he (Ayatullah) writes in his book Sad Kalime (One Hundred Words): One who intelligently deals with his material food, must know that bitna (gluttony) is the opposite of fitna (perspicacity) and brings about increased stupidity and fitna (sedition). [5]

8. Overeating is a Hurdle in Spiritual Wayfaring to Allah

Akhund Mulla Husayn Quli Hamadani (may his spirit be sanctified) is one of the exalted saints and among the well-known students of Sayyid ‘Ali Shushtari (may his spirit be sanctified). He is also known as the greatest master of ethics and gnosis (‘irfan) in the later centuries. The spiritually united mystic, Marhum Maliki Tabrizi (may his spirit be sanctified) says about him: I have not seen a man of his caliber in the aforesaid things (i.e. long prostrations, worship, etc.). In one of his meaningful and invaluable instructions to Marhum Sayyid ‘Ali Agha Irawani (may his spirit be sanctified), Mulla Husayn Quli Hamadani writes as follows:

Janabe Agha! (O Mr.!) Take caution and beware of four impediments (of the spiritual path): Overindulgence in speech, overindulgence in food, overindulgence in sleep, and overindulgence in sitting with people; and on you is to transform and change that with the remembrance of Allah, the All-knowing King during the nights and days.[6]

9. An advise from Iblis [Satan]

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) narrated the following for Hafs bin Ghiyaath:

One day Iblis appeared before Hadhrat Yahya (‘a) in the state of having so many ropes hung around his neck.

Hadhrat Yahya (‘a) asked him: What are these ropes?

Iblis said: these are the selfish desires and needs of the children of Adam with which I [entrap and] trouble them.

Hadhrat Yahya (‘a) said: Is there any rope for me too?

Iblis said: Sometimes you have overeaten, and I have made you oblivious of prayer and the remembrance of God.

Hadhrat Yahya (‘a) said: I swear by God that henceforth I will never fill my stomach with food.

Iblis said: I swear by God that I likewise henceforth shall never advise any believer or monotheist. [7]

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Holy Qur’an, Surat al-A’raaf (7), v. 31
[2] Abu Taalib al-Makki, Qut al-Quloob, Egyptian ed., p. 215
[3] ’Allama Majlisi, Bihaar al-Anwaar, v.66, p. 336
[4] Perspicacity does not merge with gluttony. A human being who overeats would not be clever, and this statement of Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem) is an inspiration from the tradition of Hadhrat Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) which says, “La tajtami’ al-fitnatu wal bitnatu” (The sharpness of mind cannot come together with overeating) (Haaji Noori, Mustadrak al-Wasaa’il, v.3, p. 81)
[5] Ayatullah Hasan Zahed Amoli, Sad Kalime, word no. 78, p. 37
[6] Ridha Mukhtari, Simaye Farzanegaan, pp. 59-60
[7] ‘Allama Majlisi, Bihaar al-Anwaar, v.63, p. 216

To be continued soon Insha Allah...

SIRAT-E-SULUK [PART 4]

2008-01-17T14:02:00.000+03:00

[ A CONTINUATION OF CHAPTER 2]

Narration of Presence

4- That which is Important in Practical Gnosis

[ALI MUHITI SAYS:]

That [particular] day the subject of discussion in the class of Misbaah al-Uns was about the necessity of purification for the spiritual wayfarer and kinds of purification. In this connection, Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem) said:

There are three important things in practical gnosis (‘irfaane ‘amali):

a) The state of purity and its continuity
b) Aspiration (himmat)
c) Steadfastness (istiqaamat)

Well, now [the discussion on the book] Misbah al-Uns (Lamp of Intimacy) is over; and what then after that?? Tomorrow Futuhaat [Meccan Openings] will also begin, and we will learn terminologies. With all these nothing can happen. How much have you known terminologies! Perhaps what you have learnt equals [in size] to so many times of the Holy Qur’an. You must have the state of Saraah (lit. dismissal or release), meaning, you must always be “In the abode of truthfulness with an Omnipotent King.” (fi maq‘adi sidqin ‘inda maleekin muqtadir) [4]. You must be a Qur’anic human being: you should not speak that which is futile, you should not listen to that which is futile, for “La yamassuhu illa al-Mutahharun” (No one touches it [the Qur’an] save the purified ones”) [5], because you are actually “touching” whatever you say or listen to.

5- The Effects of Purity

[ALI MUHITI SAYS:]

One day in the class of Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual is his esteem), from whom we would benefit, he [Ayatullah Hasan Zadeh Amuli] said:

Our teachers would say: During purification be careful and take an amorously loving step and approach [it] truthfully so that you can experience its flavor; If you do that a number of times, it would assist you in understanding it, and a leap of knowledge would come about and the human being would transform to an example of “Indeed my prayer and my worship, my life and my death are for the sake of Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.” [6] He would sincerely be at the service of God, turn [spiritually] ablaze, and be availed with Divine effusions and illuminations.

6- Stages of Purity

[ALI MUHITI SAYS:]

I cannot forget that Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem) one day, which [indeed] resembled a Divine Day (yawm Allah), said:

Purification are in stages: apparent purification and inner purification; and each in turn has [different] stages. In the words of the Gnostic of Shabistar:

Because there are four obstacles of this world,
There are also four purifications for them.

First is the purification of the external form;
Second is clearing sin and the “evil of the whisperer.”

Third is cleaning away blameworthy habits,
Which keep a human being at the level of beasts

Fourth purifies the inner consciousness of otherness,
And this brings one to the end of the journey

Whosoever has completed these purifications
Undoubtedly would be fit to whisper to God

FOOTNOTES:

[1] AL-Daylami, Irshaad al-Qulub, See towards the end of ch. 13 and ch. 20
[2] In the discipline of ‘Irfan (gnosis) the entire world is considered a manifestation of the sacred Name Allah, and every existent therein a manifestation of a specific Divine Name. And whosoever seeks Allah, and attains Him, has in reality attained the entire world as well; for it is said: “When hundred comes in, ninety is also included.”
[3] ‘Allama Hasan Zadeh Amuli, Diwaane Ash‘aar, p. 55
[4] Holy Qur’an, Chapter al-Qamar (54), verse 55
[5] Holy Qur’an, Chapter al-Waaqi’a (56), verse 79
[6] Holy Qur’an, Chapter al-An’aam (6), verse 162
[7] Mahmud Shabistari, Gulshane Raaz, p. 83

To be continued soon Insha Allah...

SIRAT-E-SULUK [PART 3]

2008-01-14T19:38:00.000+03:00

CHAPTER 2

Maintaining the State of Wudhu Constantly

Daylami narrates from the Holy Prophet (s), that God says:

Whosoever loses his state of wudhu, and does not perform wudhu, has turned away from Me; and whosoever loses his state of wudhu and performs wudhu again, but does not recite at least two units of prayer, has turned away from Me; whosoever loses his state of wudhu, renews his wudhu and recites two units of prayer, and thereafter does not supplicate, has turned away from Me; and whosoever loses his state of wudhu, and thereafter performs the same, and recites the prayer, and supplicates and asks for his needs of this world and the Hereafter, and I do not respond, then verily I have turned away from him, and I am not a Lord that turns away. [1]

Yes indeed, O brother!

Know that wudhu is light, and its constant practice results in one’s upliftment to the sacred world (‘aalam-e-quds). Know that this blessed instruction has been experienced by great men of knowledge and action. Therefore, O traveler of the alley of the Friend, it is incumbent on you to firstly, perform it constantly, and secondly, have an exalted aspiration, and after prayer seek from God, the Blessed and Exalted, that which subsists and is everlasting, and ask not from Him save Himself; and your state should naturally reflect the following couplets:

Maa az tu nadaareem beghayre tu tamannaa
Halwa bekasi de ke mahabbat nachesheede ast

We do not have any aspiration from You save Yourself
Give sweetmeat to one who has not tasted (the flavor of) love!

For one who has tasted the flavor of Divine love, considers other than Him to be nothing. Besides, whatever one seeks other than Him, is a manifestation [2] of a name from the Divine Names; therefore when He attains the Origin (i.e. the Essence of the Truth), he would attain all its derivatives.

Chera zaahid andar hawaaye behish ast?[3]
Chera bikhabar az Behisht Afreen ast?

Why does the Zaahid (detached from the world) desire Paradise?
Why is he oblivious of the Creator of Paradise?

The Divine Gnostic Sadr al-Din Dezfuli sings as follows:

Khudaya Zaahid az tu Hoor mikhwahad, qusoorash bin!
Be Jannat migureezad az darat, Ya Rabb, shu‘oorash bin!

O Lord, a Zaahid seeks Houri from you, look at his mistake!
He escapes to Paradise from Your [very] door, O Lord, look at his mind!

Therefore after having finished your prayer, go into the state of prostration, and say:

Allahummarzuqni halaawata dhikrika wa liqaa’aka wal hudhoora ‘indaka

O Allah! Make me taste the sweetness of Your remembrance, O Lord, bestow me with the sustenance of meeting You. O Lord! Enable me to experience Your Presence.

To be continued soon Insha Allah

SIRAT-E-SULUK [PART 2]

2008-01-13T14:02:00.000+03:00

Turayhi writes:

The phrase “I have been given the comprehensive words” (u’titu jawaami’ al-kalim) [1] that has come in one of the [prophetic] traditions, refers to the Noble Qur’an for although the letters of Qur’an are few, they have ample meaning, to the extent that it has been narrated that every letter of the Qur’an has seventy thousand meanings [2].

Obviously when one figure of geometry well-known as “The Figure of the Sector” (shakl-e quttaa') has 497,664 geometrical principles [3], it is not far fetched at all that every letter of the Qur’an comprehends seventy thousand meanings. For an exposition of this reality, read our Epistle on Time and Qibla [4].

O special servants of Allah, here [before us], are the concluding verses of Surat al-Furqaan of the Holy Qur’an. Draw closer and do not limit yourselves with their pronunciation, but ponder over them, for each of them is an instruction (dastur al-‘amal) [in itself], and whosoever acts according to it would be emancipated and attain salvation: [The verses begin with]: “Wa ibaad al-Rahman alladhina yamshuna ‘ala al-ardhi hawnan…”[25:63-75]

The special servants of God are as follows:

1- They move in the earth with humility.
2- When the ignorant reprimand them, they respond to them with the soundness of spirit and pleasant speech.
3-They spend their nights in extreme love for God and prostration and standing in prayer for His pleasure.
4-They constantly express in the state of supplication and humility: O Lord! Make us aloof from the punishment of Hell Fire, for indeed it is an abominable punishment; and the [abode of] Hell fire (jahannam) is a bad place and an evil outcome.
5-When they spend [what Allah has given them] they do not transgress the limits, and adopt the state of moderation.
6-They do not believe that God has a partner, and seek only Allah
7-They abstain from murder and crime that Allah has forbidden.
8-They never wander around the vile deed of fornication, for whosoever performs this ugly deed, would experience its eternal punishment, and on the Day of Resurrection its punishment would double, except those who do tawba (return in penitence) and perform good deeds, for in that case God will transform their misdeeds into reward; and whosoever does tawba, Allah would obviously accept his penitence.
9-They do not give false testimony
10- Whenever they come acrossy a futile and ugly deed performed by the ribald, they pass by with [dignity and] nobility
11- Whenever they remember the signs of God, they do not pass besides them like the blind and deaf; rather they comprehend them with an aware heart and insightful eye and contemplate on them so that their state of knowledge and belief is increased.
12- During supplication they say to their Lord: O Lord, make among our spouses and children those that bring about luster in our eyes, and make us the chiefs of the spiritually purified of the world and leaders of the God-wary. The reward of the patience of such servants shall be paradisal palaces, where they would meet each other with peace, salutations, and happiness; and they would eternally reside in the beautiful Paradise.
O Prophet, tell your nation: “Was it not for your supplication, wailing, and weeping, God would not have paid any attention to you; for in the past, you rejected the signs of God and the Divine Prophets and this rejection would hold you and not leave you. (Therefore separate from it by means of supplication (du'a).” [25:63-76]

Narration of Presence

[Following are narrations of the compiler [Ali Muhiti] about Ayatullah Hasan Zadeh Amuli. Here he refers to him as Hadhrat Ustaad daama izzuh (perpetual be his esteem).]

1- Be a Qur’anic Human Being!

One day I went to the house of Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem), and he had brought about a discussion on the Qur’an being a Divine Covenant [5]; Thereafter he continued:
Once they knocked at my door. I opened the door and saw a youth. He said to me: Haaj Agha, give me a [spiritual] instruction (dastur al-‘amal) [to follow]:
I said: Firstly, be a Qur’anic human being, and secondly be steadfast
He said: Give me another direction.
I said: You [first] go and perform the very first instruction!!

2. Let the Teacher be God [Himself]

One day during the lesson of Ustaad, from whose knowledge I would benefit, he said:

Mr.! If you require dhikr [recital of Divine remembrance], then [know that] one of the names of Qur’an is dhikr; Dhikr is the very Qur’an. However, you must be careful that the way you have an appointed time for your lesson, you must likewise have the same for Qur’an. Appoint one of your lessons as Qur’an; Sit in His Presence; and let the Teacher be God [Himself]![6]

3. The Kernel of Misleading Books

Hadhrat Ustaad (perpetual be his esteem) would say: One night I saw in the realm of Dreams that in a black and tar colored pit there were some pieces of meat, and I am busy shifting them, and they were extremely stinking and had a very foul stench. When I woke up from my sleep, their foul odor continued irritating me. At eleven o clock that morning, someone knocked at my door. It was a person in a motorcycle. He had brought a black plastic bag full of misleading literature, and said:

I wanted to burn these books.[However,] I said to myself: Perhaps they would be advantageous to you. It would benefit you in reading and responding [the misleading ideas]. This event made me remember the dream that I saw the previous night, and I said: Dear Mr.! When we have the Qur’an, Usul-al-Kafi, and the Holy Traditions, why should we go after these?

FOOTNOTES

1. ‘Allama Majlisi, Bihaar al-Anwaar, v.16, p. 324, tr. 16
2. al-Turayhi, Majma’ al-Bahrayn, Root word jam‘a
3. Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi, Kashf al-Qinaa’ 'an Wajh al-Qattaa’
4. Ayatullah Hasan Zadeh Amuli, Epistle on Time and Qibla, Lesson 12, p. 53
5. This statement of Hadhrat Ustaad refers to the tradition of Hadhrat ‘Ali (‘a) “Al-Qur’an ‘ahdulLaahi ilaa khalqih” (Qur’an is covenant of Allah to his creation…(Ref: Al-Kashani, Al-Waafi, v. 14, p. 64)
6.In many verses of Qur’an dhikr is employed to refer to Qur’an. For example: “Indeed we sent down the Dhikr, and it is We who are its protectors.” (15:9)

To be continued soon Insha Allah...

SIRAT-E-SULUK [PART 1]

2007-11-17T12:16:00.001+03:00

[SPECIFICATIONS OF THE BOOK]

SIRAT-E-SULUK
COMPILED BY ALI MUHITI
PUBLISHED BY INTISHARAT-E-QAA'IMU AALI MUHAMMAD ('A)
10TH EDITION
ISBN: 964-96165-5-1

CHAPTER 1

[At the onset I believe] it is proper for us to remind [ourselves about] some of the directions of the Magnificent Lord, His Prophet (s) and the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) that are essential for the travelers of the alley of the Truth.

The Holy Qur’an

The Holy Qur’an is the written form of a perfect human being (insan-e-kamil). This means, it is a written form of the Muhammadan reality. The Holy Qur’an says:

Indeed this Qur'an guides to what is most upright…[17:9]

In the Apostle of Allah there is certainly for you a good exemplar...[33:21]

However much you seek closeness to the Holy Qur’an, you have [in reality] become near to the perfect human being. Hence reflect on what extent do you benefit from the Holy Qur’an. This is because the realities of its verses are actually the stages (darajaat) of your essence, and its runways (madaarij) are the ladder[s] of your spiritual ascent and perfection.

The leader of thaqalayn (Human beings and Jinns) Hadhrat ‘Ali (‘a) in his will to Muhammad bin Hanafiyya says:

And upon you is the recitation of the Qur’an and action according to what it says; adhere to what it has made compulsory, the laws that it contains, the lawful and unlawful things it mentions and its commandments and prohibitions; and observe your night prayer with it and recite it during your night and day, for surely it is a covenant ('ahd) from Allah, the Blessed and Exalted to His creatures; Hence it is incumbent on every Muslim to look at his covenant every day, even if that be only fifty verses. And know that the stations of Paradise are equal to the verses of Qur’an; and on the Day of Judgment, the reciter of the Qur’an would be told: Read and ascend! Then there would not be in Paradise after the station of the prophets and the veracious (siddiqin) a station higher than that.

The late ‘Alam al-Huda [Sayyid al-Murtadha] narrates from Ibn Masud that the Most Noble Messenger (s) said:

The Holy Qur’an is a Divine Banquet (ma'dabat Allah); thus benefit from it as much as you can; for indeed the most empty of houses, is that heart which is empty of the light of the Qur’an.

Calling the Qur’an a banquet (ma’duba) has so much sweetness in it, that despite being comprehensible, is inexpressible. Then, expounding the meaning of the word “ma’duba” ‘Alam al-Huda says: Ma’duba with a dhamma over the letter dal in the speech of Arabs means the food that a person has prepared, to invite people so that they may benefit from it. In this sacred tradition the Most Noble Messenger (s) calls the benefit that one derives from reciting and safeguarding it, as ma’duba (prepared food). In the Arabic when one invites a person for a meal, he says: Qad adaba al-rajulu ya’dabu fahuwa adab. And a banquet (ma’daba) is also called mad‘aat.

Al-Ahmar has said: It is also pronounced as ma’daba with a fatha over daal [instead of a dhamma as previously mentioned], and the aforesaid tradition also has been narrated with such a pronunciation (ma’daba instead of ma’duba). Hence what is meant by ma’daba or ma’duba is one and the same thing, and there is no difference in meaning.

Others have said that “ma’daba” with a fatha over dal is in the linguistic form of maf‘ala, and its origin is from the word adab (etiquette). Hence the meaning of the tradition would be: The Qur’an has been sent for training the creation.

The reason why the word ma’dabat has come with a taa’ of the feminine gender, while the Qur’an is referred to with a masculine gender and thus there is no need to have a taa’ at the end of ma’dab, is that the letter taa’ here confers a hyperbolic connotation. ‘Antaza, the poet, has said something similar: (wal kufru makh’abatun linafsi al-mun’im) The word makh’abat here has come with taa’ employed for a feminine gender [but it confers a hyperbolic connotation]. It means, “disbelief extremely hides the reality of the human being’s soul.”

Therefore, O dear brothers come and sit near the Divine banquet; whatever your soul seeks, would be found there, things that even the eyes by beholding them derives pleasure. Welcome to the training ground, for you cannot find greater etiquette than [what] it [contains], and cannot get a loftier teacher than its tutor. Is there anything after the truth other than deviation?

Sayyid Ibn Tawus narrates from Imam al-Sadiq (‘a): It was repeatedly experienced by the Imam in the state of prayer that he would fall unconscious while reciting the Qur’an [in prayer]; when he would return to his normal state, he was asked; what led you to be overtaken like this? Imam (‘a) said a statement, whose meaning is as follows:

I repeated the verses of the Qur’an so much until it was as if I would hear it from the tongue of its original speaker. This is where the human power could not bear the vision of Divine Magnificence and Grandeur, and I fell unconscious.

Sayyid Ibn Tawus thereafter says: Know that the Qur’an is a boundless ocean. Why shouldn’t it be so, when it is the manifestation of Divine grace?

Prior to this we had narrated a tradition from the first and sixth holy Imams (‘a) who said:

Allah, the Majestic and Invincible, manifests Himself for His creation in His speech; but they cannot perceive.

...to be continued soon Insha Allah