39-A. The Objective/Purpose of Tasawwaf and Islam..
Every individual can reach the stage where he can converse…hold a dialogue with Allah. Initially it may last for a short time but as you keep up the practice…gradually it may become perpetual…continual.
In the Quran, Allah has said that there are people who have/emit effulgence…a light and this is bestowed as guidance from Allah . These effulgent persons move amongst people and they have achieved such noor/light on account of their rapport with Allah. Their hearts are enlightened on account of their spiritual rapport with Allah. It is as if they are continually being guided by Allah.
Achieving this is the purpose of Taswwaf and Islam. The practices of Islam, all issue from this foundation and are the reason for its success. People do not realise that this world is different from the world of the hereafter
One can see in the life/conduct/and teachings of the messenger pbuh of Allah that his persona was reflected in the personality of his companions and people close to him. Our way too is based on Zikr, Fikr…contemplation and Suhbat.
The Zikr that have been prescribed are the 12 tasbihs in which there is first La ILA ha Illalah, when you strike your heart with the word Allah. Then Illalah and finally Allaho Allah. If some one does not find that possible to do then there is 500 times of repeating ‘Allah’ or a third one… saying ‘Allho while breathing IN and Allah breathing OUT completes this Zikr and done silently. It is done in the heart…Zikr e Qalbi…no word is articulated.
All these Zikr have been there since the time of the Prophet Pbuh. Some modes of practise may have been altered but these alterations are not of common intellect but the persons who are ever tuned towards the Prophet Muhammad’s heart are given guidance when an alteration is required. There are shorter words of Zikr too, saying SubhanAllah, Alhamdolillah, Allah o Akbar, La ILLaha ILLalah may also be said 10 times each. If you do 100 times it is very good.
The Zikr must be done in complete absorption in Allah…you must be unaware of your body… of your surroundings of anything else around you. This is also practised best in solitude, in darkness and silence those who can do so are rewarded with a gift from Allah. The reward of a Light…of guidance and success…whatever they do they will be successful and if the success is not evident they will definitely have inner success. If you are not rewarded in this world, you will surely receive it in the Hereafter.
Hazrat saheb said that I mentioned the last time that it is obvious/evident that Taswwaf expects action –performance – practise. It is not theoretical. The initial requirement that comes before us is Namaz...Prayer. Tariqat and Shariat are same…Tariqat is the essence of Shariat. It is the performance of worship with spiritual and sincere devotion.
The first command that comes before us is Prayer/Namaz
Think about the fact that Allah has asked us to perform prayer repeatedly in the day and night. No other form of worship has this frequent and regular observance daily. The Namaz/Prayer is a collective practise of reciting Allah’s revelation, of bowing to him or considering your self in utter humility and go into prostration all with absolute absorption in Him and with feeling the sentiment of awe and His greatness from the depths of your heart.
It is the remembrance and understanding. Understanding the reason…the wisdom - the discernment of a performance are essential. In the Quran Allah has explained the reason behind his directives too. If we can comprehend the wisdom of actions one can feel and pray Namaz sincerely and with feeling.
Man has been gifted/bestowed two powers …Sifli and Ulvi, a superior and an inferior …one displays your conduct with others and your conduct with God. The powers that are lower and self-oriented are also essential and-used in balance and correctly are necessary to our lives too. Allah has bestowed us with it so we may perform our worldly chores and fulfill the worldly requirements. Allah has invested this force with attraction and necessity so we can live our lives while in this world adequately.
Man wishes to live a good life, protect his family, fulfill his physical needs and requirements for being able to support his family so this success the Sifli power is required too which Allah has provided human beings with. There are some people who get ensnared with this power and spend their lives indulging and absorbed only in this aspect. Such people believe their achievements are self acquired, but there is the Ulvi force/power which is spiritual, ethical and moral which has great strength and it can over-power the inferior one.
As much as the inferior power in charge of self preservation and selfish desires is essential so he may be able to live his physical life … man should move his attraction from the worldly and remember his Creator but we need to be reminded constantly….therefore the regular and repeated namaz in the day.
To remind us of Allah and of the existence of another life… the one towards which we must work.
The details of the Namaz is not given in the Quran though, to pronounce ‘Allah is Great’…to bow before Him to prostrate before Him to Remember Him are all mentioned in the Quran…it is a blessing from God that the manner of Prayer has been displayed to us by the Prophet pbuh.
Prophet Muhammad pbuh. Is our link…our rapport to Allah the threshold that leads us to form our relationship with Allah.
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18/03/2009