Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Caught in cause and effect-Away from Reality- with thanks to Shaykh Farhat
The human mind is unable to encompass the totality of creation, of existence. In our modern world, that appeals to no higher order but profit gain, truth becomes subjective, away from perspective. Thus with no cohesive paradigm to hold humanity together, no goal, save ambiguous concepts like survival, which is itself based on primitive understandings of "nature" meant, in the end, to justify our market system of predation for the gain of money, our belief systems and perspectives on understanding phenomenon can constantly change according to time and place, or by whoever happens to be in power- It is therefore based on falsehood, batil in Arabic- literally having no existence. The human mind is in the end limited, physical, incapable of understanding things out of time and space and therefore always locked in this realm, and because we, as Allah says in the Holy Quran were not witness's to our own creation, nor the creation of the heavens and earth, we can never truly understand our origins through our minds. It will always be left to theory, which is at best approximations of reality and at worse self-serving imagination. And there is, no doubt a living source to life- because life itself at one point was not in existence, the universe had a beginning outside of the six directions, thus needing an unlimited power to have started what we see now as being in existence. The infallibility of capital S science today, as a means to understanding our world, is the last major taboo to be broken. It is, as it were, the Emperor’s new clothes of our time. But pure ones know, real ones know and connected ones are witness to the existence of Allah, the Creator of every moment and thing, endlessly, beyond time, space, and imagination. Once the underpinnings of the scientific project are exposed as being based nothing more than biases and assumptions, and in fact ones rooted firmly and totally on the negation of a God, then one can begin the steps towards real belief. We have to furthermore understand that the scientific community is amenable to the same forces as any other under our market system based on profit gain- and therefore always at risk of being subverted and undermined according to that ethos- hence the utter evil of pharmaceutical companies for example. The fallacy of our positioning "Science" as the only means to knowing is seen clearly because merely studying natural phenomenon can never lead one to know "what is,” let alone to understand its meaning- as René Guenon elucidates in his excellent and seminal work: The Crisis of the Modern World, science is incapable of discovering truth because one set of data can equally be interpreted in many different ways and those outcomes are ultimately based on what you believe in as an aprioi assumption. Therefore, no matter how intelligent one is, if the platform they use to lift off on is corrupt, there is no way to find reality. And because our modern world simply denies a solid platform as a state of "fact"- there is literally no way for humanity to reach its target. For meaning, one has to enter the realm of the metaphysical, which begins to push up against, as one person put it: "The grand questions of life." But even philosophy is limited, also caught in time and space. Shaykh Nazim, may Allah bless him and raise him, who is the first one so strongly defeating all wrong thoughts and ideas in our time, and is no doubt reviving Islam for the whole world- and it doesn’t matter if that only exists for one person because-Islam started with one person and a few of his humble followers and friends, in the desert, in a backwater of the world, but can anyone deny today the truth of what was brought by that movement? He said, Shaykh Nazim, that there are two ways you can follow in the search for reality; one is through the mind, the way of philosophers and the other is the way of Sufism, of mysticism, found in every religion since the beginning of humanity on earth. Philosophy is an outward movement, from a false center, your subjective self, and therefore unable to grasp at reality-Philosophers are, the best of them, prisoners of their mind- in one life time a great thinker can hold so many views about one thing- even, As Shaykh Nazim says, rejecting 100 percent in his old age what he thought when he was young- philosophers, therefore, only except their minds as guides, which are incapable instruments for the job, since the mind itself is part of the matrix, and therefore incapable of having any perspective outside of itself. Most of what the world is following today is under this rubric, having no perspective no understanding. But Mystical ways require that you surrender your mind, your understanding to a spiritual guide- that means trusting and believing outside of what you understand. Think of how you thought as a baby, and how you think now-and how grateful we should be to have had parents to help us through this transition- we need to be pure like children to believe and follow, Islam therefore is not a religion of the mind- it is concerned about reality, "what is,' unchanging- there is no philosophy in Islam- spirituality thus is an inward movement from the external to the centre, the real center. And it is the only way for understanding, because the soul is the only part of us outside of time and space, unlimited, the representative of Allah in created existence, a mystery beyond mysteries but existent nonetheless. One of the main tools in keeping alive this modern world of falsehood, is Darwin's theory of evolution- and to those who would unwittingly mix truth with falsehood, and try and develop a cohesion between belief and Darwin’s assumptions, I would say either one has not grasped the true implications of the world view Darwin is coming from, or one, is in fact, only dressed in the clothes of a believer, while secretly believing nothing but nonsense, dead cause and effect. No- evolution is nothing but imagination- the only reason it is accepted as a paradigm or filter to view existence, is because we have reached the lowest point of human intelligence and knowledge- in the history of humanity. We are so castrated by the nerdy scientific clergy- that if they said red is blue and your house is on fire (when its not) we would believe them because of the position they hold. And so we should think long and hard about the doubts that assail us about Allah, and why, we as believers have to walk sheepishly on eggshells- we need to wake up and have the courage to openly challenge- lies, stupidity, and tyranny-and in our time the only way to do this is to step out of the machine of conditioning we grew up in. And the only way to do this is to connect with the path of truth and reality- the message of revelation, which has always been outside the sphere of falsehood. Islam, in all the meanings of the word, is the only way to cut with imagination- because it calls you to believe in your Creator internally and externally- it points to our destination always and reminds us of where we are coming from. It is pure and untouched- a project for believers, latent or open, to use, live, and inhabit its glorious space in order to reach their Lord. The people running our world today, writing our textbooks, making our news programs, do not have their pulse on reality, and therefore with all their best intentions are guilty of misleading humanity. Prophet Muhammad came to teach people about their Lord, about themselves, and to show them the way to get home safely. This is not a joke- what he was talking about is not a joke-Islam is true, what prophet brought is true- and is in the end the only way man will make peace with life. Not the Islam of mosques and beards and polyester robes- but Islam- taslim- surrender- to belief first in the Creator and to believe in a day of judgment, which symbolizes humanities gift of responsibility in the face of consequence- to be truthful. I challenge anyone to seek out the true heart of Islam and not find it to be perfect in everyway. Humanity needs the Quran, and more, needs the living Quran- Muhammad, as Hadj Tawfiq so powerfully said once- Muhammad is the antidote for what ails humanity- it is no surprise then, that he is the most demonized man on earth today- by everyone, followers and detractors. We always run away from what will truly cure us. And Shaykh Nazim Hazeratleri is walking in the footsteps of the Prophet, carrying the living revelation is his very being-but don't take my word for it- seek, have the courage to step out of yourself and taste for yourself. I wish all of us good fortune and protection from evils and misleading things of all kinds- may we on this path, have the courage of lions against every falsehood- until we reach our hearts desire- to be in state of witnessing what we are only talking about here.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Not every pain is meant to destroy
Walking through the debris of our fractured lives, the 21st century people that we are, refuse to discipline ourselves, therefore we are left to the whims of passing phenomenon. No grounding, or centering, nor a teaching to cling to, we become victims of our moods, the harm of our thoughts, actions, and the harms of others thoughts and actions. Unable to decipher the world around us we fall deeper into a state of imagination- we are happy to sit playing in the recesses of our subjectivity than to sit with Allah- and this is what makes us sad, like deflated balloons, flat. We run away from pain or bad experiences- filter events through proposed paradigms- we build our lives on shifting sands. But what often comes as a wind to destroy our deeply held beliefs, often times is just a means to have us enter into a new world of meaning, a deeper world than what we seem to be satisfied by for the moment. I wonder if being a believer in the end means to believe that everyone who comes to you, good or bad, was sent by your Lord. To know that behind every devils plan to steal ones faith, to cause some harm, every disliked experience, in fact, is Allah's plan to break another idol that we have uncannily set up. Maybe this is one meaning of "our way is to bear with contradictions." We run away from confrontation, anything that challenges our positions, but as my karate teacher Sensei has always maintained, on the path there are house sufis and field sufis, echoing Malcom X's famous adage. House sufis sit with their imagined master, comfortable in their mediocrity, scared for the house and high to be over, while field sufis, connected with the living source away from images, would be happy to burn it all down, to realize Truth. It reminds me of the famous saying of one of our masters Shaykh Abu Said,
To those who seek truth in conventionalized religion:
Until mosque and minaret have crumbled
This holy work of ours will not be done.
Until faith becomes rejection
And rejection becomes belief
There will be no true believer.
If we truly trusted that all that was coming to us was by His will, we could be able to begin to truly "follow the rhythm of life", as Shaykh Farhat puts it, and not get angry or scared, or lost in petty fighting- instead we could navigate through the all the sensory information around us, knowing that when one accepts that there is a Creator and source to life and livingness, then there is no place for chance, randomness, chaos- meaninglessness is our inability to decipher the code- as Prophet said: "Divine breezes waft through the day, be ready to catch them. " But how can be be ready for this without being aware, in the moment,- that's why guilt is the biggest trick used by Shaytan, guilt and shame- two nails in the coffin of our journey to realization.
However we do feel pain and guilt and are lost in our fears. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim said once that we will be tried by every hardship in this life and that includes fear. It is easy to be a believer in the Unity of Allah when you are one, alone on a hill, much harder to keep this in the world of multiplicity, duality, pain and separation- I'm realizing that, contrary to my egos best deceptions, I began this path not seeking Allah, but running away from pain, alienation, fear. But by Divine grace alone I've been lucky enough to have had my heart change its resonance, back to when I was younger, innocent and searching- this is the power of meeting, loving and being in contact with, a living inheritor of the living revelation. Shaykh Nazim's holiness and absolute brimmingness of Divine Presence, I feel shy to even make descriptions, turned my heart, in intention, away from this dunya forever- even though my inner idols and devils are still very strong- I met a man who can change the whole earth with his holy heart- and I met his blessed students who gave me the first taste of real living faith, beyond even the best of what the world of the mind can offer: sound analysis, creativity, intellectuality. And so even an action not truly pure can still be changed into the real thing. I'm making intention to keep my feet strongly on the path and ask my Lord for guidance and strength for the sake and honor of His most beloved one, Muhammad(SAW)
To those who seek truth in conventionalized religion:
Until mosque and minaret have crumbled
This holy work of ours will not be done.
Until faith becomes rejection
And rejection becomes belief
There will be no true believer.
If we truly trusted that all that was coming to us was by His will, we could be able to begin to truly "follow the rhythm of life", as Shaykh Farhat puts it, and not get angry or scared, or lost in petty fighting- instead we could navigate through the all the sensory information around us, knowing that when one accepts that there is a Creator and source to life and livingness, then there is no place for chance, randomness, chaos- meaninglessness is our inability to decipher the code- as Prophet said: "Divine breezes waft through the day, be ready to catch them. " But how can be be ready for this without being aware, in the moment,- that's why guilt is the biggest trick used by Shaytan, guilt and shame- two nails in the coffin of our journey to realization.
However we do feel pain and guilt and are lost in our fears. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim said once that we will be tried by every hardship in this life and that includes fear. It is easy to be a believer in the Unity of Allah when you are one, alone on a hill, much harder to keep this in the world of multiplicity, duality, pain and separation- I'm realizing that, contrary to my egos best deceptions, I began this path not seeking Allah, but running away from pain, alienation, fear. But by Divine grace alone I've been lucky enough to have had my heart change its resonance, back to when I was younger, innocent and searching- this is the power of meeting, loving and being in contact with, a living inheritor of the living revelation. Shaykh Nazim's holiness and absolute brimmingness of Divine Presence, I feel shy to even make descriptions, turned my heart, in intention, away from this dunya forever- even though my inner idols and devils are still very strong- I met a man who can change the whole earth with his holy heart- and I met his blessed students who gave me the first taste of real living faith, beyond even the best of what the world of the mind can offer: sound analysis, creativity, intellectuality. And so even an action not truly pure can still be changed into the real thing. I'm making intention to keep my feet strongly on the path and ask my Lord for guidance and strength for the sake and honor of His most beloved one, Muhammad(SAW)
Friday, June 5, 2009
When the recorded truths of a path are come to unconsciously by following your heart, blind to the world, and venturing independently for meaning, bravely on your own, then they are proof of the livingness of a path. Merely repeating axioms, intellectually digesting them will never make you reach the goal. Perhaps the 11 principals of the Naqshbandi path were not meant to be studied academically, but to be lived consciously, with experience.
The universe was made for us, so that we may know ourselves. A tree is there for us. We have oceans inside of us, deserts inside of us, animals inside of us, rapists inside of us, lovers inside of us, stars inside of us, black holes inside of us, Hitler's, Obama's, Messiahs, Prophets inside of us. This world of phenomenon is for us to see ourselves, to know ourselves. The beauty of a tree is the beauty of our loins and family lineage. Animals cannot think- but humans can reflect, observe and reflect, drink tea and reflect, reflect and understand. The masters of old understood the world better than we do today- we can't think that they didn't understand technology- but the manipulation of materiality was of secondary importance to them- Look we make airplanes today, which are truly spectacular, but hear how loud they are, how destructive to the environment, how wasteful- but look at the beauty of a bird flying- It is only He that lifts them in the air. They fly and fall dead, so gracefully put back in earth. See how Allah creates and how we manipulate- for humans as honored as we are can never create anything- if all the seeds were taken from the earth and all the trees, what scientist could make a seed, with what machine, barren rock and water and mud and make a seed- the secret of life is out of their reach- as long as the thin passage of air in their throats is kept from closing, they do what they can to take, what is given to them, and use it for their pleasures and design- Prophet Muhammad said we are but travelers in this world- It is a bridge between two worlds- whoever saw a man building his home on a bridge. And he said- choose your companion before the road, the neighbor before the house- We have to know that there exists 'meaning' before manifestation- not the other way around- no possibility for existence with out meaning. No possibility for the universe to be in existence with out a Creator. Don't go to academics for meaning- they are caught in their web of blindness- subject to the intellectually bankrupt scientists latest "discoveries"- art has become irrelevant as well, as my poet friend CJ says, it tries to create a space outside of itself. Worse. It is also binded to the latest "theories" on how it is just an evolutionary mechanism- The entire modern project wants to play in the sand box of its imagination- like children who say that they have an imaginary friend simply because they are bored- They negate meaning so that they can make their own whimsical fashions- That's how buildings get built that look like toilets, how people defecate on papers and put them in museums, and how countries kill en masse with no regard for humanity. To say life has no meaning, or to say their is no access to meaning divests people of responsibility to be true and good-
Allah says in the Quran "Oh you who believe, be with the truthful ones." In our time that means anybody on that wavelength- the ones who shock with their candid sincerity and have no malice towards anyone. Not people following appearances, groupies, community needers,and image worshippers. I'm happy and grateful, but not truly enough, to my Lord for putting these people in my life.
The universe was made for us, so that we may know ourselves. A tree is there for us. We have oceans inside of us, deserts inside of us, animals inside of us, rapists inside of us, lovers inside of us, stars inside of us, black holes inside of us, Hitler's, Obama's, Messiahs, Prophets inside of us. This world of phenomenon is for us to see ourselves, to know ourselves. The beauty of a tree is the beauty of our loins and family lineage. Animals cannot think- but humans can reflect, observe and reflect, drink tea and reflect, reflect and understand. The masters of old understood the world better than we do today- we can't think that they didn't understand technology- but the manipulation of materiality was of secondary importance to them- Look we make airplanes today, which are truly spectacular, but hear how loud they are, how destructive to the environment, how wasteful- but look at the beauty of a bird flying- It is only He that lifts them in the air. They fly and fall dead, so gracefully put back in earth. See how Allah creates and how we manipulate- for humans as honored as we are can never create anything- if all the seeds were taken from the earth and all the trees, what scientist could make a seed, with what machine, barren rock and water and mud and make a seed- the secret of life is out of their reach- as long as the thin passage of air in their throats is kept from closing, they do what they can to take, what is given to them, and use it for their pleasures and design- Prophet Muhammad said we are but travelers in this world- It is a bridge between two worlds- whoever saw a man building his home on a bridge. And he said- choose your companion before the road, the neighbor before the house- We have to know that there exists 'meaning' before manifestation- not the other way around- no possibility for existence with out meaning. No possibility for the universe to be in existence with out a Creator. Don't go to academics for meaning- they are caught in their web of blindness- subject to the intellectually bankrupt scientists latest "discoveries"- art has become irrelevant as well, as my poet friend CJ says, it tries to create a space outside of itself. Worse. It is also binded to the latest "theories" on how it is just an evolutionary mechanism- The entire modern project wants to play in the sand box of its imagination- like children who say that they have an imaginary friend simply because they are bored- They negate meaning so that they can make their own whimsical fashions- That's how buildings get built that look like toilets, how people defecate on papers and put them in museums, and how countries kill en masse with no regard for humanity. To say life has no meaning, or to say their is no access to meaning divests people of responsibility to be true and good-
Allah says in the Quran "Oh you who believe, be with the truthful ones." In our time that means anybody on that wavelength- the ones who shock with their candid sincerity and have no malice towards anyone. Not people following appearances, groupies, community needers,and image worshippers. I'm happy and grateful, but not truly enough, to my Lord for putting these people in my life.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Sohbat: Revelation is a love song for pure hearts: Be just!
Sohbat Thursday Winter 2009
Shaykh Farhat Jouani
Bismillah aRahman aRaheem
Allah Intended Beauty
Allah
Ilah lahu HU*
* Hu- the name of Allah that signifies the utter mystery of the Divine Essence
Everytime you remove a letter
the meaning becomes more strong
mysteries of Revelation
We are as humans
recipients of Revelation
Revelation was sent for our sake
There are no words
We are shy to speak
A magnificent song of love,
a poem of intimacy, a lovers talk is Revelation
Revelation is a story of love
On earth the miracle of a baby coming
starts with love
they even say, “We made love.”
Muhabat(Arabic for love)
A habib(A beloved in Arabic)
Most high vehicle of this is
a believer
not a temple goer
or mosque goer
that's a worshipper
A human who is a believer
understands what it is to be human
and the first step in that is to be just
a human is in fact a wonderful wonder
a love story sung by the Divine
Divine.
This word is beyond our understanding
Our mind is meant to deal with the world of materiality.
Higher than mind is imagination
which is meant for us to explain the world of Archetypes.
But Divine love is higher
still further
we cannot grasp
We need for that world to go beyond our materiality
of everyday.
Materiality- that which is the most heavy and thick but also the least existent.
Physicality is this least existent of everything
And what is Existent
Love, Revelation, Divine
is most subtle
It is from the eternal-It has to be beyond
outside of physicality.
Allah created this love, world of light and truth,
the rest is just a vehicle of this world.
Truth, beauty and light is for the other dimension.
What is the opposite- the world we’re left with-
light dark/emptiness/truth heedlessness/ awareness love/indifference Divine/individualism
This realm is exclusion, competition so that anything in creation not from truth, light, happiness is necessarily in this realm soufle/ lower energy and below it many levels.
Shaykh Nazim , Inheritor of Rasulallah
Subhanallah!
Taught us by example
Because Rasulallah was a living example
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim taught us
we saw him always the first one for truth
and light and revelation.
Sohbat changing,
Rasulallah, after his last pilgrimage
Tells his disciples that they should shave there heads. No one did. By ‘no one’ we mean in Mediterranean language about 2% did, the close companions.
He was shocked one of the ladies of his household Umm Salama, said Oh Rasulallah if you want them to do it, shave your head in front of them.” And he did. obviously it is to teach- showing the baraka of Umm Salama- one of the ladies of revelation. The day after, all the disciples shaved their heads-
people want to be lead by some example.- not piloting, but through example.
Our world is one of materiality, of position, advertising, peer pressure- But our teachers teach by being beyond that world of materiality. Today it become the subject of philosophers , dissidents, empty market people.
Main teaching of spirituality is to help people go beyond materiality- but early on its hard so first spiritual teachers go to the physical level: Don’t eat that, you have to do this, you can’t do that.
But then it becomes an attitude of the heart. The real thing is the intention- That’s why according to the intention can change meaning
Whole Revelation came to teach by example. That’s why Jesus was like a spring breeze, like a rose petal
so light, so beautiful.
Sayyidina Isa Allah bless him taught by example
He was so humble. He had only one robe, walked barefoot, never ate food made by people bought in the market place- a pure soul- he chose to have a donkey the humblest animal to travel with. We look today and we see that we are in a world of materiality.
Our master Omar (RA) had a robe with 40 patches and while Caliph Abu Bakr was found going to the market to sell things for food for his family- they asked you can’t do this, you're the king-- he said no, I have to bring bread to my home. Salman al Farsi lived under a tree while he ruled Persia- which was a lot bigger than Iran today, He was one of the biggest companions of the Prophet and second in line in our chain of masters- when he was asked why he did not have a home- he said- Rasulallah(SAW) said to be like a traveler in this world.- He died with one robe, one broken bowl, one sword, tip broken- He battled Ogres and human devils for them to be stopped...He had a sword- if Goodness does not have a sword it gets sacrificed
Whenever Truth did not have a sword it got crucified.
There is a very strong saying of the Prophet(SAW),
“Paradise is under the shadow of swords.”
Rasulallah said such truth
For life and love to flourish they need to be protected
There are always predators.
A believer is one who is fidel. Faithful. Paradise is the conclusion, happiness. The project of love, light, and realization- means to be protected.
Islam is up! And nothing is above it.
Revelations last face and last representative, the acting power, the acting authority, nothing comes on top.
Up to Sultan Abdul Hamid, In the Ottoman times, Every Sultan use to walk barefoot, bareheaded and pass their heads under the Holy Book held by the Shaykh ul Islam, for blessing. Revelation, love, justice is above everything. Our master Omar, was crying when he became Caliph- he said “ I’m afraid if there is a broken path in Iraq 1800 km away and one donkey or mule hurts itself I will have to answer to Allah. This is to be just. He is just, Today we are left to ourselves. - A man can kill another man and destroy him and then say I have no responsibility I did it it self defense- and his lawyer gets him out. This is the difference between good faith and bad. Allah help us to understand good faith, without that its artificial to say we are the recipients of Revelation: He who knew it- knew everything, he who lost it, lost everything. He who takes care of it takes care of everything.
People are stuck on names- why do people seperate traditions- It’s all one- not as interchangeable- each one played its role- it’s like a dynasty, they inherit, play a role for their time. Same vision, project, beauty-
One must connect with the living phase.
How can you limit Revelation- the unlimited eternal,
unlimited because its eternal- it speaks on many levels- a fruit tree is known by its fruits,
Make the way wide for people and Allah will make it wide for you. Differences are made by men.
Who can limit- Someone who knows.
Find someone who knows
But as long as people are stuck on words and images, its impossible- in the last one hundred years, words lost their meaning, I met philosophers who talk about technicalities that have no meaning left.
Not to be stuck with words, our version can not limit Revelation Allah can limit but...
Revelation came for “us” to know “us”
His Revelation is for you, your understanding of Allah and you
But if we are analyzing there is no way to receive. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim says the best speech is Zhikr and the best work Fasting.
Allah says I forgive everything but putting a partner with Him.
Believe that you get into any field with Him . Every field is his- you have to stop analyzing and critiquing.
The best ruse is no ruse , the best strategy is no strategy.
Revelation came to you so you may know yourself everything else is tools. Justifying analyzing is rewriting- no, one has to sit back to believe. The past is images and the future is imagination, only life is this precious moment- sitting with Allah being available. When we sit like that we see that we’ve always been sitting with Him, but sitting with enthusiasm.
first principal of the Naqshbandi path Hosh dar dam- watch your breath- look at the precious moment- you hear this all the time- don’t get excited when something good happens, and don’t be sad when something bad happens. That is your truth, the only moment
This is the teaching of Shaykh Nazim how you deal in life- All comes for that- we are masters of ourselves, also humanity in general.- we are some dust speckle.
May Allah guide us, protect us, Bless all those who taught us and carry the flag of truth.
Shaykh Farhat Jouani
Bismillah aRahman aRaheem
Allah Intended Beauty
Allah
Ilah lahu HU*
* Hu- the name of Allah that signifies the utter mystery of the Divine Essence
Everytime you remove a letter
the meaning becomes more strong
mysteries of Revelation
We are as humans
recipients of Revelation
Revelation was sent for our sake
There are no words
We are shy to speak
A magnificent song of love,
a poem of intimacy, a lovers talk is Revelation
Revelation is a story of love
On earth the miracle of a baby coming
starts with love
they even say, “We made love.”
Muhabat(Arabic for love)
A habib(A beloved in Arabic)
Most high vehicle of this is
a believer
not a temple goer
or mosque goer
that's a worshipper
A human who is a believer
understands what it is to be human
and the first step in that is to be just
a human is in fact a wonderful wonder
a love story sung by the Divine
Divine.
This word is beyond our understanding
Our mind is meant to deal with the world of materiality.
Higher than mind is imagination
which is meant for us to explain the world of Archetypes.
But Divine love is higher
still further
we cannot grasp
We need for that world to go beyond our materiality
of everyday.
Materiality- that which is the most heavy and thick but also the least existent.
Physicality is this least existent of everything
And what is Existent
Love, Revelation, Divine
is most subtle
It is from the eternal-It has to be beyond
outside of physicality.
Allah created this love, world of light and truth,
the rest is just a vehicle of this world.
Truth, beauty and light is for the other dimension.
What is the opposite- the world we’re left with-
light dark/emptiness/truth heedlessness/ awareness love/indifference Divine/individualism
This realm is exclusion, competition so that anything in creation not from truth, light, happiness is necessarily in this realm soufle/ lower energy and below it many levels.
Shaykh Nazim , Inheritor of Rasulallah
Subhanallah!
Taught us by example
Because Rasulallah was a living example
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim taught us
we saw him always the first one for truth
and light and revelation.
Sohbat changing,
Rasulallah, after his last pilgrimage
Tells his disciples that they should shave there heads. No one did. By ‘no one’ we mean in Mediterranean language about 2% did, the close companions.
He was shocked one of the ladies of his household Umm Salama, said Oh Rasulallah if you want them to do it, shave your head in front of them.” And he did. obviously it is to teach- showing the baraka of Umm Salama- one of the ladies of revelation. The day after, all the disciples shaved their heads-
people want to be lead by some example.- not piloting, but through example.
Our world is one of materiality, of position, advertising, peer pressure- But our teachers teach by being beyond that world of materiality. Today it become the subject of philosophers , dissidents, empty market people.
Main teaching of spirituality is to help people go beyond materiality- but early on its hard so first spiritual teachers go to the physical level: Don’t eat that, you have to do this, you can’t do that.
But then it becomes an attitude of the heart. The real thing is the intention- That’s why according to the intention can change meaning
Whole Revelation came to teach by example. That’s why Jesus was like a spring breeze, like a rose petal
so light, so beautiful.
Sayyidina Isa Allah bless him taught by example
He was so humble. He had only one robe, walked barefoot, never ate food made by people bought in the market place- a pure soul- he chose to have a donkey the humblest animal to travel with. We look today and we see that we are in a world of materiality.
Our master Omar (RA) had a robe with 40 patches and while Caliph Abu Bakr was found going to the market to sell things for food for his family- they asked you can’t do this, you're the king-- he said no, I have to bring bread to my home. Salman al Farsi lived under a tree while he ruled Persia- which was a lot bigger than Iran today, He was one of the biggest companions of the Prophet and second in line in our chain of masters- when he was asked why he did not have a home- he said- Rasulallah(SAW) said to be like a traveler in this world.- He died with one robe, one broken bowl, one sword, tip broken- He battled Ogres and human devils for them to be stopped...He had a sword- if Goodness does not have a sword it gets sacrificed
Whenever Truth did not have a sword it got crucified.
There is a very strong saying of the Prophet(SAW),
“Paradise is under the shadow of swords.”
Rasulallah said such truth
For life and love to flourish they need to be protected
There are always predators.
A believer is one who is fidel. Faithful. Paradise is the conclusion, happiness. The project of love, light, and realization- means to be protected.
Islam is up! And nothing is above it.
Revelations last face and last representative, the acting power, the acting authority, nothing comes on top.
Up to Sultan Abdul Hamid, In the Ottoman times, Every Sultan use to walk barefoot, bareheaded and pass their heads under the Holy Book held by the Shaykh ul Islam, for blessing. Revelation, love, justice is above everything. Our master Omar, was crying when he became Caliph- he said “ I’m afraid if there is a broken path in Iraq 1800 km away and one donkey or mule hurts itself I will have to answer to Allah. This is to be just. He is just, Today we are left to ourselves. - A man can kill another man and destroy him and then say I have no responsibility I did it it self defense- and his lawyer gets him out. This is the difference between good faith and bad. Allah help us to understand good faith, without that its artificial to say we are the recipients of Revelation: He who knew it- knew everything, he who lost it, lost everything. He who takes care of it takes care of everything.
People are stuck on names- why do people seperate traditions- It’s all one- not as interchangeable- each one played its role- it’s like a dynasty, they inherit, play a role for their time. Same vision, project, beauty-
One must connect with the living phase.
How can you limit Revelation- the unlimited eternal,
unlimited because its eternal- it speaks on many levels- a fruit tree is known by its fruits,
Make the way wide for people and Allah will make it wide for you. Differences are made by men.
Who can limit- Someone who knows.
Find someone who knows
But as long as people are stuck on words and images, its impossible- in the last one hundred years, words lost their meaning, I met philosophers who talk about technicalities that have no meaning left.
Not to be stuck with words, our version can not limit Revelation Allah can limit but...
Revelation came for “us” to know “us”
His Revelation is for you, your understanding of Allah and you
But if we are analyzing there is no way to receive. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim says the best speech is Zhikr and the best work Fasting.
Allah says I forgive everything but putting a partner with Him.
Believe that you get into any field with Him . Every field is his- you have to stop analyzing and critiquing.
The best ruse is no ruse , the best strategy is no strategy.
Revelation came to you so you may know yourself everything else is tools. Justifying analyzing is rewriting- no, one has to sit back to believe. The past is images and the future is imagination, only life is this precious moment- sitting with Allah being available. When we sit like that we see that we’ve always been sitting with Him, but sitting with enthusiasm.
first principal of the Naqshbandi path Hosh dar dam- watch your breath- look at the precious moment- you hear this all the time- don’t get excited when something good happens, and don’t be sad when something bad happens. That is your truth, the only moment
This is the teaching of Shaykh Nazim how you deal in life- All comes for that- we are masters of ourselves, also humanity in general.- we are some dust speckle.
May Allah guide us, protect us, Bless all those who taught us and carry the flag of truth.
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The Eleven Principles of the Naqshbandi Path
Taken from the Golden Sufi Center website.
The first eight principles are from 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani (d. 1220). The final three principles were added by Baha ad-din Naqshband (d. 1389).
1. Awareness in the Breath / Awareness in the Moment (Hush dar dam)"Every breath which is exhaled from within must be exhaled with awareness and presence of mind and so that the mind does not stray into forgetfulness."
Baha ad-din Naqshband said: "The foundation of our work is in the breath. The more that one is able to be conscious of one's breathing, the stronger is one's inner life. It is a must for everyone to safeguard his breath in the time of his inhalation and exhalation and further, to safeguard his breath in the interval between the inhalation and exhalation."
As the seeker becomes occupied with the exercise of the moment (i.e. remembering the breath), he turns his attention from remembering the past and thinking of the future, and focuses on each breath until it is expired.
Sa'd ud-din Kashghari added: "Hush dar dam is moving from breath to breath so there is no heedlessness but rather there is presence, and with each breath that we take should be the remembrance of the Real."
Sheikh Abdul Janab Najmuddin al-Kubra said in his book, Fawatih al-Jamal: "Dhikr (remembrance of God in the breath) is flowing in the body of every single living creature by the necessity of their breath -- even without will -- as a sign of obedience, which is part of their creation. Through their breathing, the sound of the letter 'Ha' of the Divine Name Allah is made with every exhalation and inhalation and it is a sign of the Unseen Essence serving to emphasize the Uniqueness of God. Therefore it is necessary to be present with that breathing, in order to realize the Essence of the Creator."
The name Allah, which encompasses the ninety-nine Names and Attributes, consists of four letters, Alif, Lam, Lam and Hah (ALLAH). The people of Sufism say that the absolute unseen Essence of Allah Exalted and Almighty is expressed by the last letter vowelized by the Alif, "Hah." It represents the Absolutely Unseen "He-ness" of the Exalted God (Ghayb al-Huwiyya al-Mutlaqa lillah 'azza wa jall) in which the mystic loses his separate identity with every "hah" in his breath. The first Lam is for the sake of identification (tacrif) and the second Lam is for the sake of emphasis (mubalagha).
The soul has long been thought to be in the breath. "For the early thinkers the soul was visualized sensuously as a breath-body." Awareness of the breath makes us aware of the soul and the inner body, inner self, which belong to the moment.
In the path of the Khwajagan awareness in the breath is a very great principle. Those in this path regard it a great transgression to become unconscious of the breath.
2. Watch your Step! (Nazar bar qadam)Direct yourself constantly towards the goal.
Sa'd ud-din Kashghari added: "Looking upon the steps means that the seeker in coming and going looks upon the top of his feet and thereby his attention is not scattered by looking at what he should not look at." When the beginner's attention is taken by shapes and colors outside of himself, his state of remembering leaves him and is ruined, and he is kept from his objective. This is because the beginning seeker does not have the power of the "remembrance of the heart," so when his sight falls upon things, his heart loses its collectedness, and his mind becomes scattered.
Watch your step can also refer to watching circumstances, feeling when is the right time for action, when is the right time for inaction, and when is the right time for pause. Some have said that Nazar bar qadam is an expression which refers to the wisdom inherent in one's natural disposition.
Fakhr ud-Din Kashifi added: "Nazar bar qadam may be alluding to the seekers traveling through the stages of breaking from existence and putting behind self-love."
Of these three interpretations, the first refers to beginners' use of this aphorism, the second refers to those in mid-progress on the Way, and the third to the Attainers.
3. The Journey Home (Safar dar watan)Your journey is towards your homeland. Remember you are traveling from a world of illusion to a world of reality. The wayfarer travels from the world of creation to the world of the Creator.
The Journey Home is the transformation that brings man out of his subjective dream state, so that he can fulfill his divine destiny.
From the Rashahat-i 'ayn al-hayat: "[The journey home refers to] that traveling which the seeker makes within his human nature. In other words, travel from the qualities of humankind toward the angelic qualities, moving from blameworthy qualities to laudable ones." Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi (d. 1624) said: "This blessed expression [traveling in the homeland] means traveling within the self. The source of its results lies in putting the final [practice] at the beginning, which is one of the characteristics of the Naqshbandi Way. And although this [inner] traveling can also be found in other tariqas [schools of Sufism], [in those] it is found only in the end after the 'traveling on the horizons' [referring to the Qur'anic verse (41:53): 'We will show them Our signs on the horizons and within their selves until they know He is the Real']."
"Traveling on the horizons" is traveling from place to place. At the beginning of the journey it can mean leaving home to find a guide or teacher. Also it happened in former generations that when the wayfarer had become established in a place, got accustomed to it and become familiar with its people, they took on traveling in order to break down habit and comfort and cut themselves off from renown. They would choose travel in order to experience complete emptying.
It means traveling within oneself, looking at oneself, examining oneself and one's reactions, and how they act upon one.
This reflects the stress that the Naqshbandi path puts on the inner states, stages, processes.
Be an external resident and let your heart travel.Traveling without legs is the best kind of travel.
4. Solitude in the Crowd (Khalwat dar anjuman)There are two kinds of retreat. One is the outward kind in which the seeker, far from people, sits alone in his cell until he comes into contact with the spiritual world. This result comes about because the external senses withdraw themselves and the inner senses extend themselves to signs from the spiritual world.
The second kind of retreat is the hidden one, where the seeker is inwardly witnessing the secrets of the Real while he is outwardly surrounded by people. Khalwat dar anjuman is of this second type of retreat: outwardly to be with people, inwardly to be with God.
In all your outer activities remain inwardly free. Learn not to identify with anything whatsoever.
Khwaja Awliya Kabir, one of the deputies of 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani, explained khalwat dar anjuman as follows: "'Retreat within the crowd' is that state when one is so constantly and completely absorbed in divine remembrance that 'one could walk through the market-place without hearing a word.'"
They are with their Lord and simultaneously they are with the people. As the Prophet said, "I have two sides: one faces my Creator and one faces creation."
'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani himself was known to say: "Close the door of the formality of sheikhhood, open the door of friendship. Close the door of khalwat (solitary retreat) and open the door of sohbat (companionship)." Baha ad-din Naqshband said in this connection: "Our path is in companionship. In [physical] retreat there comes fame and with fame comes calamity. Our welfare lies with the assembly and its companionship, on condition that [self-] negation is found in one another."
When Baha ad-din reached Herat on his journey to Mecca, the Amir Hussein arranged a gathering in his honour. At the assembly the Amir asked him, "Since with your Presence there is neither audible dhikr, nor voyaging, nor audition of special music and poetry, what is your path?" He answered, "The pure words of the tribe of 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani, which are 'retreat within the crowd,' and we follow in their Way." "What is retreat within the crowd?" the Amir asked. "Outwardly to be with the people while inwardly to be with God," said Naqshband. The Amir expressed surprise and asked whether this was actually possible. Baha ad-din replied that if it were not possible God Most High would not have indicated it in a Qur'anic verse which describes those who are not distracted from the remembrance of God even while in the marketplace: "Men whom neither business nor profit distracts from the recollection of Allah" [24:37]. This is the way of the Naqshbandi Order.
Ahmad Faruqi Sirhindî, Mujaddid-i-alf-i-thani (the Renewer of the second millennium), said: "Retreat within the crowd is derived from traveling in the homeland since if traveling in the homeland is properly accomplished, then retreat within the crowd will properly occur. The seeker within the diversity of the crowd travels in his own land, and the diversity of the horizons finds no way into the meditation cell of his inner self. This treasure will manifest with difficulty at the beginning and with no difficulty in the end. And in this tariqa it is the portion of the beginning while in other paths it is at the end. This is so because the treasure is derived from traveling within the self (with presence in the moment), which is at the beginning of this path, while traveling on the horizons takes place simultaneously. This is the opposite of the other paths which make the traveling on the horizons the beginning and the traveling within the self the end."
In the words of al-Kharraz: "Perfection is not in exhibitions of miraculous powers, but perfection is to sit among people, sell and buy, marry and have children; and yet never leave the presence of Allah even for one moment."
In constant communion with the Beloved within,a stranger to the world.Those endowed with such beauty are rare indeedin this world.
5. Remembrance (Yad kard)Concentration on Divine Presence.
For the Naqshbandiyya remembrance is practiced in the silent dhikr.
Keep God, the Beloved, always in your heart. Let your prayer, dhikr, be the prayer of your heart.
According to Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar, "the real meaning of dhikr is inward awareness of God. The purpose of dhikr is to attain this consciousness." The purpose of the dhikr is to keep one's heart and attention entirely focused on the Beloved in love and devotion.
The dhikr is not just repeated as words, but is in the heart.
Remembrance of the tongue becomes remembrance of the heart. Abdu'l-Qadir al-Gilani said: "At the first stage one recites the name of God with one's tongue; then when the heart becomes alive one recites inwardly. At the beginning one should declare in words what one remembers. Then stage by stage the remembrance spreads throughout one's being -- descending to the heart then rising to the soul; then still further it reaches the realm of the secrets; further to the hidden; to the most hidden of the hidden."
6. Returning, Going Back (Baz gasht)Travel one way. The return to God. Single-minded pursuit of divine truth.
Remember that you belong Somewhere and your goal is to attain Reality.
The meaning of baz gasht is the return to Allah Exalted and Almighty by showing complete surrender and submission to His Will, and complete humbleness in giving Him all due praise. The reason, mentioned by the Holy Prophet in his invocation, ma dhakarnaka haqqa dhikrika ya Madhkar ("We did not Remember You as You Deserve to be Remembered, O Allah"), is that the seeker cannot come to the presence of Allah in his dhikr, and cannot manifest the Secrets and Attributes of Allah in his dhikr, if he does not make dhikr with Allah's support and with Allah's remembrance of him. As Bayazid Bistami (d. 874) said: "When I reached Him I saw that His remembering of me preceded my remembrance of Him." The seeker cannot make dhikr by himself. He must recognize that Allah is the one making dhikr through him.
"Beloved, you and your approval are my purpose and desire." This attitude will rid one of impure thoughts and distractions. It relates to the path of absorption. One Sufi was concerned that he was not sincere, and was ashamed. So his sheikh took him to a Sufi who was on the path of absorption, and this sheikh told him that absorption, not hair-splitting, would free him from his problem. The wayfarer realized that in his worry about his dishonesty and shame, his wants and needs, he had been focused on himself, separating himself from his Beloved.
According to Khwaja Ahrar, the saying "returning" means that we have within us the goal of our striving. The seeds of transformation are sown in us from above and we have to treasure them above all possessions.
7. Attentiveness (Nigah dasht)Struggle with all alien thoughts. Be always mindful of what you are thinking and doing, so that you may put the imprint of your immortality on every passing incident and instance of your daily life.
Be watchful. Be aware of what catches your attention. Learn to withdraw your attention from undesirable objects. This is also expressed as "be vigilant in thought and remember yourself."
Nigah means sight. It means that the seeker must watch his heart and safeguard it by preventing bad thoughts from entering. Bad inclinations keep the heart from joining with the Divine.
It is acknowledged in the Naqshbandiyya that for a seeker to safeguard his heart from bad inclinations for fifteen minutes is a great achievement. For this he would be considered a real Sufi. Sufism is the power to safeguard the heart from bad thoughts and protect it from low inclinations. Whoever accomplishes these two goals will know his heart, and whoever knows his heart will know his Lord. The Holy Prophet has said, "Whoever knows himself knows His Lord."
Sa'd ud-Din Kashgari said: "The seeker must, for one hour or two or whatever he is capable of, hold onto his mind and prevent thoughts of other [than God] entering." Another description from the Munahej ul-Sair has it that: "[Nigah dasht is the] guarding of the special awareness and presence which have resulted from the noble dhikr, so that remembering of anything other than the Real does not find its way into the heart/mind."
Yet others have written that nigah dasht also applies to the time of the dhikr itself: "Nigah dasht is when the seeker at the time of the dhikr holds his heart/mind upon the meaning of LA ILAHA ILLA 'LLAH so that thoughts do not find entrance into his heart, because if thoughts are in the mind then the result of the dhikr, meaning presence of the heart/mind, will not manifest." It has also been said, "Nigah dasht is an expression meaning the prevention of the occurance of thought at the time one is occupied with [repeating] the fragrant sentence [of LA ILAHA ILLA 'LLAH]."
Abdul Majid Il Khani said that the meaning of preserving the heart/mind from incoming thoughts is that they lose their hold on the mind. In this connection Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar said: "The meaning of preserving the mind [from thoughts] is not that the seeker can avoid thoughts at the beginning [of his attempts], but rather that thoughts do not disturb the attendance and presence [required for the dhikr]. [Thoughts] can be likened to straw which has fallen onto moving water and yet the water is not prevented from its course. 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani said: "It isn't so that thoughts never enter the heart/mind, but rather that at times they do and at times they do not." His statement seems to be supported by Khwaja 'Ala al-Din al-'Attar who reported: "Succeeding with thoughts is difficult or even impossible. I preserved my heart for twenty years from thoughts, after which they would still appear but they then found no hold there."
8. Continued Remembrance / Perpetual Invocation (Yad dasht)Constant awareness in the presence of God. "The complete experience of divine contemplation, achieved through the action of objective love."
Those on the path maintain that when inner love is always present in one's dealings with the world, then one has achieved this mindfulness.
This is the last stage before transformation is completed. The seeker becomes aware that his loss of "self" will be compensated by objective love. The humiliation (abnegation of self) that leads to this stage ceases to touch the seeker for he discovers the unlimited joy that Truth will bring.
Yad dasht refers to the durability of the awareness of the Real in the path of "tasting" (living in the multiplicity of illusion). In the Rashahat-i 'ain al-Hayyat it is stated: "Some have said that this is a perceiving/witnessing which is the domination of witnessing the Real in the heart through essential love."
Ubaydullah Ahrar said: "Yad dasht is an expression meaning the durability of the awareness of the Glorious Real." He said further: "It means presence [with God] without disappearance."
Regarding the use of the term for the period of the dhikr itself it has been said: "Yad dasht is that which the dhakir (person practicing dhikr) during the dhikr maintains [fully the meaning of] negation and affirmation in his heart in the presence of the Named."
Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar has described the principles four through eight as following each other in this manner: "Yad kard (Remembrance) refers to the work of invoking/remembering. Baz gasht (Returning) means turning to the High Real in the manner that when saying the fragrant sentence of the dhikr the seeker follows this in his heart with "God you are my true goal!" and nigah dasht (Attentiveness) is the holding on to this turning [to the Real] without words. Yad dasht (Recollection) means constancy/firmness in [the holding on of] nigah dasht (Attentiveness)."
9. Awareness of One's State of Mind / Time (Wuquf-i-zamani)Baha ad-din Naqshband said that this consciousness is the maker and guide of the disciple. It means to be attentive to one's state of mind at any given moment and to know whether it is a cause for giving thanks or for repenting.
It means: To keep account of one's temporal states. To distinguish presence, huzur, from absence, ghaflat. Baha ad-din described this as "self-possession" or "mindfulness." He added that one should always be grateful when one returns to a state of presence.
In wuquf-i-zaman the seeker remains constantly aware of his changing states. Baha ad-din Naqshband explained: "Wuquf-i-zamani is the work of the traveler on the Way: to be attentive of his state, and to know whether it is a cause for giving thanks or for repenting, to give thanks while feeling spiritual elation, and to repent while in spiritual dryness or contraction."
He also stated: "The foundation of the work of the seeker has been established in the awareness of time [exercise] as seeing at each moment whether the perceiver of breaths is [breathing] with presence or with forgetfulness."
Maulana Yaqub Charkhi, in his Explanation of the Names of Allah, said: "Khwaja [Naqshband] instructed that in the state of qabz (contraction) one should seek God's forgiveness, whereas in the state of bast (expansion) one should offer thanks. Close observation of these two states constitutes wuquf-i-zamani." Wuquf-i-zamani of the Naqshbandi path is equivalent to the term "mohasseba" (keeping account of/close observation) used by other Sufis.
Jami, in the Resalah-i-nuria, said:"Wuquf-i-zamani is a term meaning the keeping account of the times one passes in [a state of] dispersal (tafriqah) or collectedness (jam'iyyat)."
10. Awareness of Number (Wuquf-i-adadi)An expression meaning the observation of the number of individual repetitions of the dhikr. Jami said: "Wuquf-i-adadi is the observation of the number of dhikrs and of whether this [observation] yields results or not." According to Baha ad-din Naqshband, "The observation of the number of repetitions of the dhikr of the heart is for gathering thoughts/mental activity which are scattered."
According to Khwaja 'Ala al-Din al-'Attar, "The important thing is not the number of repetitions but rather the composure and awareness with which one makes them."
According to Baha ad-din Naqshband, this awareness is the first stage of entry into the spiritual world.
This could also mean that for beginners, reading about the achievements and states of consciousness demonstrated by those advanced in this practice would be helpful, since in reading about another's state of nearness, one acquires a certain quality of inner inspiration.
For advanced disciples, this technique, which facilitates the initial stages of acquiring inner intuition and inspiration, brings a consciousness of the unity of diversity:
This diversity and proliferation is all but a show,The One is manifest in the all.
Diversity, if you look with open eyes, is naught but unity. No doubts for us, though there might be in some minds. Though appearance is in numbers, the substance is but one.
(It should be noted that inner inspiration, that understanding which brings the practitioner and people on the path closer to higher teachings, comes through divine grace and is not due to mind discoveries. "Knowledge comes from grace. The difference between divine inspiration and divine knowledge is that divine knowledge comes through internalizing the light of the Essence and the divine attributes, while divine inspiration is gained through receptivity to inner meanings and those types of instructions which manifest within the practitioner.")
11. Awareness of the Heart (Wuquf-i-qalbi)The heart becomes aware of God. This marks the awakening of divine love. The individual becomes aware that his existence is an obstacle to his final transformation and he no longer fears to sacrifice it because he sees for himself that he will gain infinitely more than he loses.
Wuquf-i-qalbi has been described as having two meanings. One is that the seeker's heart in the midst of the dhikr is conscious and aware of the Real. On this point Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar said: "Wuquf-i-qalbi is an expression meaning an awareness and presence of heart toward the Most High Real felt in such a manner that the heart feels no need of anything except the Real." This meaning is similar to that of yad dasht.
Heart consciousness means heart's resting with the Beloved, as if nothing and no one else existed.
The other meaning is that there is awareness of the heart itself. In other words, the seeker during the time of the dhikr is attentive to the cone-shaped heart which is the "seat of subtlety," and prevents it from becoming unaware during the saying of the dhikr.
Baha ad-din Naqshband did not consider it necessary to hold the breath during the dhikr as is done in some tariqas, even though he considered that practice to have its benefits; nor did he consider essential the wuquf-i-zamani and wuquf-i-adadi (awareness of time and awareness of number). But according to the Qodsîyyah he considered "the observance of wuquf-i-qalbi the most important and necessary because it is the summary and essence of the intention of the dhikr."
Like an expecting mother-bird, sit watchfully on the egg of your heart,Since from this egg will result your drunkenness, self-abandoned,uproarious laughter and your final union.
Taken from the Golden Sufi Center website.
The first eight principles are from 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani (d. 1220). The final three principles were added by Baha ad-din Naqshband (d. 1389).
1. Awareness in the Breath / Awareness in the Moment (Hush dar dam)"Every breath which is exhaled from within must be exhaled with awareness and presence of mind and so that the mind does not stray into forgetfulness."
Baha ad-din Naqshband said: "The foundation of our work is in the breath. The more that one is able to be conscious of one's breathing, the stronger is one's inner life. It is a must for everyone to safeguard his breath in the time of his inhalation and exhalation and further, to safeguard his breath in the interval between the inhalation and exhalation."
As the seeker becomes occupied with the exercise of the moment (i.e. remembering the breath), he turns his attention from remembering the past and thinking of the future, and focuses on each breath until it is expired.
Sa'd ud-din Kashghari added: "Hush dar dam is moving from breath to breath so there is no heedlessness but rather there is presence, and with each breath that we take should be the remembrance of the Real."
Sheikh Abdul Janab Najmuddin al-Kubra said in his book, Fawatih al-Jamal: "Dhikr (remembrance of God in the breath) is flowing in the body of every single living creature by the necessity of their breath -- even without will -- as a sign of obedience, which is part of their creation. Through their breathing, the sound of the letter 'Ha' of the Divine Name Allah is made with every exhalation and inhalation and it is a sign of the Unseen Essence serving to emphasize the Uniqueness of God. Therefore it is necessary to be present with that breathing, in order to realize the Essence of the Creator."
The name Allah, which encompasses the ninety-nine Names and Attributes, consists of four letters, Alif, Lam, Lam and Hah (ALLAH). The people of Sufism say that the absolute unseen Essence of Allah Exalted and Almighty is expressed by the last letter vowelized by the Alif, "Hah." It represents the Absolutely Unseen "He-ness" of the Exalted God (Ghayb al-Huwiyya al-Mutlaqa lillah 'azza wa jall) in which the mystic loses his separate identity with every "hah" in his breath. The first Lam is for the sake of identification (tacrif) and the second Lam is for the sake of emphasis (mubalagha).
The soul has long been thought to be in the breath. "For the early thinkers the soul was visualized sensuously as a breath-body." Awareness of the breath makes us aware of the soul and the inner body, inner self, which belong to the moment.
In the path of the Khwajagan awareness in the breath is a very great principle. Those in this path regard it a great transgression to become unconscious of the breath.
2. Watch your Step! (Nazar bar qadam)Direct yourself constantly towards the goal.
Sa'd ud-din Kashghari added: "Looking upon the steps means that the seeker in coming and going looks upon the top of his feet and thereby his attention is not scattered by looking at what he should not look at." When the beginner's attention is taken by shapes and colors outside of himself, his state of remembering leaves him and is ruined, and he is kept from his objective. This is because the beginning seeker does not have the power of the "remembrance of the heart," so when his sight falls upon things, his heart loses its collectedness, and his mind becomes scattered.
Watch your step can also refer to watching circumstances, feeling when is the right time for action, when is the right time for inaction, and when is the right time for pause. Some have said that Nazar bar qadam is an expression which refers to the wisdom inherent in one's natural disposition.
Fakhr ud-Din Kashifi added: "Nazar bar qadam may be alluding to the seekers traveling through the stages of breaking from existence and putting behind self-love."
Of these three interpretations, the first refers to beginners' use of this aphorism, the second refers to those in mid-progress on the Way, and the third to the Attainers.
3. The Journey Home (Safar dar watan)Your journey is towards your homeland. Remember you are traveling from a world of illusion to a world of reality. The wayfarer travels from the world of creation to the world of the Creator.
The Journey Home is the transformation that brings man out of his subjective dream state, so that he can fulfill his divine destiny.
From the Rashahat-i 'ayn al-hayat: "[The journey home refers to] that traveling which the seeker makes within his human nature. In other words, travel from the qualities of humankind toward the angelic qualities, moving from blameworthy qualities to laudable ones." Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi (d. 1624) said: "This blessed expression [traveling in the homeland] means traveling within the self. The source of its results lies in putting the final [practice] at the beginning, which is one of the characteristics of the Naqshbandi Way. And although this [inner] traveling can also be found in other tariqas [schools of Sufism], [in those] it is found only in the end after the 'traveling on the horizons' [referring to the Qur'anic verse (41:53): 'We will show them Our signs on the horizons and within their selves until they know He is the Real']."
"Traveling on the horizons" is traveling from place to place. At the beginning of the journey it can mean leaving home to find a guide or teacher. Also it happened in former generations that when the wayfarer had become established in a place, got accustomed to it and become familiar with its people, they took on traveling in order to break down habit and comfort and cut themselves off from renown. They would choose travel in order to experience complete emptying.
It means traveling within oneself, looking at oneself, examining oneself and one's reactions, and how they act upon one.
This reflects the stress that the Naqshbandi path puts on the inner states, stages, processes.
Be an external resident and let your heart travel.Traveling without legs is the best kind of travel.
4. Solitude in the Crowd (Khalwat dar anjuman)There are two kinds of retreat. One is the outward kind in which the seeker, far from people, sits alone in his cell until he comes into contact with the spiritual world. This result comes about because the external senses withdraw themselves and the inner senses extend themselves to signs from the spiritual world.
The second kind of retreat is the hidden one, where the seeker is inwardly witnessing the secrets of the Real while he is outwardly surrounded by people. Khalwat dar anjuman is of this second type of retreat: outwardly to be with people, inwardly to be with God.
In all your outer activities remain inwardly free. Learn not to identify with anything whatsoever.
Khwaja Awliya Kabir, one of the deputies of 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani, explained khalwat dar anjuman as follows: "'Retreat within the crowd' is that state when one is so constantly and completely absorbed in divine remembrance that 'one could walk through the market-place without hearing a word.'"
They are with their Lord and simultaneously they are with the people. As the Prophet said, "I have two sides: one faces my Creator and one faces creation."
'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani himself was known to say: "Close the door of the formality of sheikhhood, open the door of friendship. Close the door of khalwat (solitary retreat) and open the door of sohbat (companionship)." Baha ad-din Naqshband said in this connection: "Our path is in companionship. In [physical] retreat there comes fame and with fame comes calamity. Our welfare lies with the assembly and its companionship, on condition that [self-] negation is found in one another."
When Baha ad-din reached Herat on his journey to Mecca, the Amir Hussein arranged a gathering in his honour. At the assembly the Amir asked him, "Since with your Presence there is neither audible dhikr, nor voyaging, nor audition of special music and poetry, what is your path?" He answered, "The pure words of the tribe of 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani, which are 'retreat within the crowd,' and we follow in their Way." "What is retreat within the crowd?" the Amir asked. "Outwardly to be with the people while inwardly to be with God," said Naqshband. The Amir expressed surprise and asked whether this was actually possible. Baha ad-din replied that if it were not possible God Most High would not have indicated it in a Qur'anic verse which describes those who are not distracted from the remembrance of God even while in the marketplace: "Men whom neither business nor profit distracts from the recollection of Allah" [24:37]. This is the way of the Naqshbandi Order.
Ahmad Faruqi Sirhindî, Mujaddid-i-alf-i-thani (the Renewer of the second millennium), said: "Retreat within the crowd is derived from traveling in the homeland since if traveling in the homeland is properly accomplished, then retreat within the crowd will properly occur. The seeker within the diversity of the crowd travels in his own land, and the diversity of the horizons finds no way into the meditation cell of his inner self. This treasure will manifest with difficulty at the beginning and with no difficulty in the end. And in this tariqa it is the portion of the beginning while in other paths it is at the end. This is so because the treasure is derived from traveling within the self (with presence in the moment), which is at the beginning of this path, while traveling on the horizons takes place simultaneously. This is the opposite of the other paths which make the traveling on the horizons the beginning and the traveling within the self the end."
In the words of al-Kharraz: "Perfection is not in exhibitions of miraculous powers, but perfection is to sit among people, sell and buy, marry and have children; and yet never leave the presence of Allah even for one moment."
In constant communion with the Beloved within,a stranger to the world.Those endowed with such beauty are rare indeedin this world.
5. Remembrance (Yad kard)Concentration on Divine Presence.
For the Naqshbandiyya remembrance is practiced in the silent dhikr.
Keep God, the Beloved, always in your heart. Let your prayer, dhikr, be the prayer of your heart.
According to Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar, "the real meaning of dhikr is inward awareness of God. The purpose of dhikr is to attain this consciousness." The purpose of the dhikr is to keep one's heart and attention entirely focused on the Beloved in love and devotion.
The dhikr is not just repeated as words, but is in the heart.
Remembrance of the tongue becomes remembrance of the heart. Abdu'l-Qadir al-Gilani said: "At the first stage one recites the name of God with one's tongue; then when the heart becomes alive one recites inwardly. At the beginning one should declare in words what one remembers. Then stage by stage the remembrance spreads throughout one's being -- descending to the heart then rising to the soul; then still further it reaches the realm of the secrets; further to the hidden; to the most hidden of the hidden."
6. Returning, Going Back (Baz gasht)Travel one way. The return to God. Single-minded pursuit of divine truth.
Remember that you belong Somewhere and your goal is to attain Reality.
The meaning of baz gasht is the return to Allah Exalted and Almighty by showing complete surrender and submission to His Will, and complete humbleness in giving Him all due praise. The reason, mentioned by the Holy Prophet in his invocation, ma dhakarnaka haqqa dhikrika ya Madhkar ("We did not Remember You as You Deserve to be Remembered, O Allah"), is that the seeker cannot come to the presence of Allah in his dhikr, and cannot manifest the Secrets and Attributes of Allah in his dhikr, if he does not make dhikr with Allah's support and with Allah's remembrance of him. As Bayazid Bistami (d. 874) said: "When I reached Him I saw that His remembering of me preceded my remembrance of Him." The seeker cannot make dhikr by himself. He must recognize that Allah is the one making dhikr through him.
"Beloved, you and your approval are my purpose and desire." This attitude will rid one of impure thoughts and distractions. It relates to the path of absorption. One Sufi was concerned that he was not sincere, and was ashamed. So his sheikh took him to a Sufi who was on the path of absorption, and this sheikh told him that absorption, not hair-splitting, would free him from his problem. The wayfarer realized that in his worry about his dishonesty and shame, his wants and needs, he had been focused on himself, separating himself from his Beloved.
According to Khwaja Ahrar, the saying "returning" means that we have within us the goal of our striving. The seeds of transformation are sown in us from above and we have to treasure them above all possessions.
7. Attentiveness (Nigah dasht)Struggle with all alien thoughts. Be always mindful of what you are thinking and doing, so that you may put the imprint of your immortality on every passing incident and instance of your daily life.
Be watchful. Be aware of what catches your attention. Learn to withdraw your attention from undesirable objects. This is also expressed as "be vigilant in thought and remember yourself."
Nigah means sight. It means that the seeker must watch his heart and safeguard it by preventing bad thoughts from entering. Bad inclinations keep the heart from joining with the Divine.
It is acknowledged in the Naqshbandiyya that for a seeker to safeguard his heart from bad inclinations for fifteen minutes is a great achievement. For this he would be considered a real Sufi. Sufism is the power to safeguard the heart from bad thoughts and protect it from low inclinations. Whoever accomplishes these two goals will know his heart, and whoever knows his heart will know his Lord. The Holy Prophet has said, "Whoever knows himself knows His Lord."
Sa'd ud-Din Kashgari said: "The seeker must, for one hour or two or whatever he is capable of, hold onto his mind and prevent thoughts of other [than God] entering." Another description from the Munahej ul-Sair has it that: "[Nigah dasht is the] guarding of the special awareness and presence which have resulted from the noble dhikr, so that remembering of anything other than the Real does not find its way into the heart/mind."
Yet others have written that nigah dasht also applies to the time of the dhikr itself: "Nigah dasht is when the seeker at the time of the dhikr holds his heart/mind upon the meaning of LA ILAHA ILLA 'LLAH so that thoughts do not find entrance into his heart, because if thoughts are in the mind then the result of the dhikr, meaning presence of the heart/mind, will not manifest." It has also been said, "Nigah dasht is an expression meaning the prevention of the occurance of thought at the time one is occupied with [repeating] the fragrant sentence [of LA ILAHA ILLA 'LLAH]."
Abdul Majid Il Khani said that the meaning of preserving the heart/mind from incoming thoughts is that they lose their hold on the mind. In this connection Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar said: "The meaning of preserving the mind [from thoughts] is not that the seeker can avoid thoughts at the beginning [of his attempts], but rather that thoughts do not disturb the attendance and presence [required for the dhikr]. [Thoughts] can be likened to straw which has fallen onto moving water and yet the water is not prevented from its course. 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani said: "It isn't so that thoughts never enter the heart/mind, but rather that at times they do and at times they do not." His statement seems to be supported by Khwaja 'Ala al-Din al-'Attar who reported: "Succeeding with thoughts is difficult or even impossible. I preserved my heart for twenty years from thoughts, after which they would still appear but they then found no hold there."
8. Continued Remembrance / Perpetual Invocation (Yad dasht)Constant awareness in the presence of God. "The complete experience of divine contemplation, achieved through the action of objective love."
Those on the path maintain that when inner love is always present in one's dealings with the world, then one has achieved this mindfulness.
This is the last stage before transformation is completed. The seeker becomes aware that his loss of "self" will be compensated by objective love. The humiliation (abnegation of self) that leads to this stage ceases to touch the seeker for he discovers the unlimited joy that Truth will bring.
Yad dasht refers to the durability of the awareness of the Real in the path of "tasting" (living in the multiplicity of illusion). In the Rashahat-i 'ain al-Hayyat it is stated: "Some have said that this is a perceiving/witnessing which is the domination of witnessing the Real in the heart through essential love."
Ubaydullah Ahrar said: "Yad dasht is an expression meaning the durability of the awareness of the Glorious Real." He said further: "It means presence [with God] without disappearance."
Regarding the use of the term for the period of the dhikr itself it has been said: "Yad dasht is that which the dhakir (person practicing dhikr) during the dhikr maintains [fully the meaning of] negation and affirmation in his heart in the presence of the Named."
Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar has described the principles four through eight as following each other in this manner: "Yad kard (Remembrance) refers to the work of invoking/remembering. Baz gasht (Returning) means turning to the High Real in the manner that when saying the fragrant sentence of the dhikr the seeker follows this in his heart with "God you are my true goal!" and nigah dasht (Attentiveness) is the holding on to this turning [to the Real] without words. Yad dasht (Recollection) means constancy/firmness in [the holding on of] nigah dasht (Attentiveness)."
9. Awareness of One's State of Mind / Time (Wuquf-i-zamani)Baha ad-din Naqshband said that this consciousness is the maker and guide of the disciple. It means to be attentive to one's state of mind at any given moment and to know whether it is a cause for giving thanks or for repenting.
It means: To keep account of one's temporal states. To distinguish presence, huzur, from absence, ghaflat. Baha ad-din described this as "self-possession" or "mindfulness." He added that one should always be grateful when one returns to a state of presence.
In wuquf-i-zaman the seeker remains constantly aware of his changing states. Baha ad-din Naqshband explained: "Wuquf-i-zamani is the work of the traveler on the Way: to be attentive of his state, and to know whether it is a cause for giving thanks or for repenting, to give thanks while feeling spiritual elation, and to repent while in spiritual dryness or contraction."
He also stated: "The foundation of the work of the seeker has been established in the awareness of time [exercise] as seeing at each moment whether the perceiver of breaths is [breathing] with presence or with forgetfulness."
Maulana Yaqub Charkhi, in his Explanation of the Names of Allah, said: "Khwaja [Naqshband] instructed that in the state of qabz (contraction) one should seek God's forgiveness, whereas in the state of bast (expansion) one should offer thanks. Close observation of these two states constitutes wuquf-i-zamani." Wuquf-i-zamani of the Naqshbandi path is equivalent to the term "mohasseba" (keeping account of/close observation) used by other Sufis.
Jami, in the Resalah-i-nuria, said:"Wuquf-i-zamani is a term meaning the keeping account of the times one passes in [a state of] dispersal (tafriqah) or collectedness (jam'iyyat)."
10. Awareness of Number (Wuquf-i-adadi)An expression meaning the observation of the number of individual repetitions of the dhikr. Jami said: "Wuquf-i-adadi is the observation of the number of dhikrs and of whether this [observation] yields results or not." According to Baha ad-din Naqshband, "The observation of the number of repetitions of the dhikr of the heart is for gathering thoughts/mental activity which are scattered."
According to Khwaja 'Ala al-Din al-'Attar, "The important thing is not the number of repetitions but rather the composure and awareness with which one makes them."
According to Baha ad-din Naqshband, this awareness is the first stage of entry into the spiritual world.
This could also mean that for beginners, reading about the achievements and states of consciousness demonstrated by those advanced in this practice would be helpful, since in reading about another's state of nearness, one acquires a certain quality of inner inspiration.
For advanced disciples, this technique, which facilitates the initial stages of acquiring inner intuition and inspiration, brings a consciousness of the unity of diversity:
This diversity and proliferation is all but a show,The One is manifest in the all.
Diversity, if you look with open eyes, is naught but unity. No doubts for us, though there might be in some minds. Though appearance is in numbers, the substance is but one.
(It should be noted that inner inspiration, that understanding which brings the practitioner and people on the path closer to higher teachings, comes through divine grace and is not due to mind discoveries. "Knowledge comes from grace. The difference between divine inspiration and divine knowledge is that divine knowledge comes through internalizing the light of the Essence and the divine attributes, while divine inspiration is gained through receptivity to inner meanings and those types of instructions which manifest within the practitioner.")
11. Awareness of the Heart (Wuquf-i-qalbi)The heart becomes aware of God. This marks the awakening of divine love. The individual becomes aware that his existence is an obstacle to his final transformation and he no longer fears to sacrifice it because he sees for himself that he will gain infinitely more than he loses.
Wuquf-i-qalbi has been described as having two meanings. One is that the seeker's heart in the midst of the dhikr is conscious and aware of the Real. On this point Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar said: "Wuquf-i-qalbi is an expression meaning an awareness and presence of heart toward the Most High Real felt in such a manner that the heart feels no need of anything except the Real." This meaning is similar to that of yad dasht.
Heart consciousness means heart's resting with the Beloved, as if nothing and no one else existed.
The other meaning is that there is awareness of the heart itself. In other words, the seeker during the time of the dhikr is attentive to the cone-shaped heart which is the "seat of subtlety," and prevents it from becoming unaware during the saying of the dhikr.
Baha ad-din Naqshband did not consider it necessary to hold the breath during the dhikr as is done in some tariqas, even though he considered that practice to have its benefits; nor did he consider essential the wuquf-i-zamani and wuquf-i-adadi (awareness of time and awareness of number). But according to the Qodsîyyah he considered "the observance of wuquf-i-qalbi the most important and necessary because it is the summary and essence of the intention of the dhikr."
Like an expecting mother-bird, sit watchfully on the egg of your heart,Since from this egg will result your drunkenness, self-abandoned,uproarious laughter and your final union.
