Letters Inside the Journey 9830650057, 9789830650050

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The Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain

Letters Insiveé the Sourney Amatullah Armstrong

AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT ook Thre

(eo Ee Published by: A.S. NOORDEEN

© Amatullah Armsstrong

First Published: Ramadhan 1415/March 1995 No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN: 983-065-005-7

Published By: A.S. NOORDEEN G.P.O. Box: 10066 50704 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 4236003 Fax: 4213675 Sole Distributors: PUSTAKA HAYATI SH -14, Jalan Malawali

Taman Setapak 53000 Kuala Lumpur

Cover designed by the writer

Pre-Press by:

Syarikat R&S Printed By: Percetakan Zafar Sdn. Bhd.

By the Same Writer

AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT: An Australian Woman’s Spiritual Journey Within The Traditions, 1993 THE WATER OF LIFE:

A Traditional Story For Our Time, AND THE SKYIS NOT THE LIMIT BOOK TWO 1994

“Why should I not worship Him Who created me, and to Whom ye shall all be brought back?” (The Holy Qur’an 36:22)

This book 1s dedicated to the Lovers of Allah, who guide others to Unconditional Love of Him.

Allah took a handful of His Light and satd to tt:

“Be, Muhammad!” ‘It was.

May Allah Bless His Beloved,

Muhammad al-Mustafa,

from whose Light became manifest everything in the created spheres. May He shower lim, the Greatest Teacher, with His Infinite Grace and Eternal Peace. May Allah Bless all His Lovers, who down through the ages, have opened the inner-eye of the spiritually blind; those Inheritors of the Prophet whose endeavours and struggles have shortened our Journey of Return to Allah. May Allah Rless and Love my Murshid, a Lover of Allah, who makes others love Him with an Unconditional Love. May He immerse him in His Sweetest Oceans of Bliss.

With Gratitude to my husband Jihad, for his invaluable assistance throughout the writing of this book; and to my brother Muhammad Nasim, for Ins translation of Salat adh-Dhatiyya. May Allah reward them with Fits Chotcest Blessings. Ameen *

*

CONTENTS Preface - Nasthah

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Foreword

xD

Introduction

THE LETTERS

XVI

1

Postface

200

Bibliography

203

Some of the greatest splendours of Islamic art are to be seen in Spain: the Great Mosque in Cordoba and Alhambra in Granada. We have included photographs of these two magnificent pieces of architecture because they are able to act as impressive reminders that Islam is for the entire world. Islam is not new to Europe. And, because the Islamic Message and the sacred art which springs from it are Universal, they are for the ultimate benefit of all humanity.

Throughout this book the poetry and words of Fakhruddin ‘Iraqi are from “Divine Flashes”, and the poetry and words of Jalaluddin Rumi are either translations by W. C. Chittick (*) or translations by Coleman Barks (**). May Allah Bless the great Lovers of Allah and the people who translate their works, and may we benefit from all their efforts in the Way of Allah.

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PREFACE NASIHAH (an Arabic word for sincere advice. In the words of the Holy Prophet - May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and’Peace - “A Deen [or religion] is sincere advice.”)

Bismillah. A discussion took place regarding the first book of Sister Amatullah Armstrong - And The Sky Is Not The Limit (Book One) — An Australian Woman’s Spiritual Journey Within The Traditions. One kind brother made the remark, “It’s Tradition, not Traditions”. He said this is because it’s Islamic Tradition, so I

said that it is Traditions because Islam as we know it now is the totality of experience that has been given to mankind through the ages from the time of man’s existence. That includes 124,000 prophets and messengers of Allah (God) May the Blessings of Allah be upon them and Peace — and great teachers from the Divine who came to show us the way of returning to the Source. The essence of the message is basically the same throughout the ages but the method has been improved by each emissary, who we call a prophet and messenger of God.

For this reason, we will find if we look very carefully and seriously at this final message of Allah (God) which was brought to us, humanity at large, by the great Prophet of Allah, Muhammad May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — that he demonstrated all aspects of the teaching on himself and showed others how to implement it and how to benefit at the highest

level that any human being could possibly achieve in this earthly realm. This method of this‘great master contains within it all the other traditions par excellence in the most simple and powerful way. So if you say that some of this inner teaching belongs, is similar to, or looks like other traditions then we agree because all of this teaching comes from the same source. The only difference being with regard to the last, is that it is the balanced method and the message and teaching iin regard to the Divinity and Unity of God is of the highest clarity. The link which connects all the great prophets = is Divine Unity. As the Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — said: “The best that I brought,

and the other prophets before me, is La ilaha illa Allah; * Thereis no reality except One Reality. ayes is no truth except One Truth. The supremacy belongs to God and through Him we will be able to know Him and reach Him. As far as we know, the message shows the best way to return and unite man within himself; as regards the Unity of Allah (God), He does not need our confirmation as this is imprinted in all creations especially human beings. But at the mind and ego level, to deny or accept is man’s problem. As for Allah (God), He weld like to see us in Unity voluntarily of our own free will. He likes to see us develop from what He wants to what He loves. Because what He wants, as we said, no-one’ could escape it; but to be close to Allah (God) we must make an effort in the proper manner as has been shown by the Prophet Muhammad - May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace.

As the knowledge of the Ultimate truth bestows upon the holder of such knowledge, peace, tranquillity and the assurance of what lies ahead, so the purpose of this book is to shed light on this teaching and to give the glad tidings to people who are disheartened, that the final message of Allah is final in the sense of descent but infinite in the sense of unfolding because the essence of the message is within the Essence.

So this glad tiding to humanity isi in the completeness of this teaching and the fact that it is still so alive and fresh and unadulterated. What is contained in the passages of this book are a few

drops of the nectar of this teaching we call Tasawwuf, which is the Islamic Spiritual Psychological Study of ne Self and Knowledge of Divinity (Marifat ul-Nafs). We said a couple of drops of nectar; so like anything else, if one wishes to practise the method which is described he has to do it with great respect, honour and dignity and be 110 per cent sure

that he will get great benefit from such spiritual work. But, if he wants to go further he should know that the ego self, the nafs, will not let go until he has a living human being to trust and thus get the maximum benefit from the teaching. So the next step is to find someone who could guide you and could continue this particular study and practice and lead you to a higher level of knowledge in a safe manner. We recommend_that qne should _read_more_books-on the-subject_and find_out-more

about the teaching because the teaching is alive and well and has barely opened itself to the future of humanity which so desperately needs it.

It is the responsibility of every man and woman to take stock of themselves. Do not blame your parents, or your personality, or society, Or your geographical location in this world, or your socalled karma or anybody else, for what you are.

The merciful Allah (God) gave every man and woman the chance to undo what has been done through genuine exercise of determination to have the access to the ultimate realisation of the truth iss within yourself.

So, determined will is Allah’s gift to you when you tune your will to the Will of Allah (God). In a nutshell, when you learn the art of surrendering your will to Allah (God). So, now is the time to decide my dear brothers and sisters, about your purpose in this life — are you going to be the problem or the

solution to the modern all-pervasive world crisis?

One should look, without prejudice or preconceived ideas and with the greatest respect, to the teaching of the greatest master of Xiil

all ages Muhammad Rasulullah —- May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — because it is one of the keys to the mystery of All (And Allah is our witness). Wa ma taufi-igq ila billah

F.A. Ali El Senossi

(Winter 1994, Tasmania, Australia) Muharram 1415

XIV

FOREW/ORD And The Sky Is Not The Limit (Book One) - An Australian Woman’s Spiritual Journey Within The Traditions, told of my first 33 years of journeying towards Islam, then the next 8 years of journeying to the Spiritual Path of Islam (Tariqa) and finally the initial stages of the endless journeying on that Path. In this book, Letters Inside The Journey, | have endeavoured to look more deeply into various aspects of that Infinite Journey. A selection of private letters which I wrote to my Spiritual Guide (Murshid) has been used as a means with which to seek and dis-

cover just a few of the abundant jewels that are contained within the Treasury of the Teaching of the last of the Prophets of Allah, Muhammad al-Mustafa — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace. Interspersed with detailed footnotes and commentary these letters afford the reader an opportunity to receive, through the Grace of Allah, a hint of the beauty and power of tHis Great Teaching.

Every human must make thejjourney of return to his source and bécause each man and woman is unique, his or her journey of return is therefore also unique. The realisations and knowledge attained by one person are not necessarily those reached by another. For this reason the spiritual traveller must try not to expect a particular sequence of events to occur or a succession of wisdoms to be opened to him. Recorded in the following pages are some of the thoughts, struggles, questions and experiences of an individual traveller on her journey. These things are not bound to happen to every traveller, though certain facets of my travelling may be simi-

lar to those of another. Direct spiritual experience cannot be shared, yet, delicate fragrances from higher realms can, and do, reach sensitive seekers who are sincerely looking for the Way to travel on their journey. Praise be to Allah. The dates in these lecters have been purposely taken out in order to protect the reader from building up personal expectations of the time required to traverse particular stages of the journey. To prevent him from being tempted to experiment with the Teaching I have also omitted the number of times certain spiritual exercises were performed. Such experimentation can only lead to confusion and more deceptions of the ego self. Because this Teaching is Sacred its methods should only be practised under the strict supervision of a Murshid. However, within this book is one spiritual exercise which contains a safety factor and can be undertaken, by the genuine seeker of a Spiritual Guide, as a preparatory step towards encountering his own Murshid. This is known as al-Asaas, an Arabic word meaning The Foundation. Starting at the foundation the sincere seeker can begin the work of clearing away much debris from his lower self, in readiness for his Journey Home. Al-Asaas should be practised twice daily, in the morning and evening, with an attitude of respect and dignity, always bearing in mind that this exercise comes directly from the Sacred Teaching of the Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace.

Through the Infinite Grace of Allah the writing of this book has been undertaken fi sabilillah — in the Way of Allah, and in my Murshid’s words, “so that it may bring benefit to someone, somewhere, at sometime.” All shortcomings, mistakes and faults are my

own.

And success is only with Allah.

Amatullah Armstrong June 27 1994 / 17 Muharram 1415 Queensland, Australia

Letters Inside The Journey is intimately connected to And The Sky Is Not The Limit (Book One) ~ An Autralian Woman’s Spiritual Journey Within The Traditions. Because these two books are companion volumes we feel that it is appropriate to include Brother Bernard Bethell’s introductory words to Book One as an Introduction to this new book. Perhaps, in this way those readers who are already familiar with And The Sky Is Not The Limit may have their memories refreshed, in orderto place these Letters Inside The Journey in their correct context, while those readers as yet unacquainted with the first book may gain a clearer understanding of the significance of the Letters which follow.

INTRODUCTION TO AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT (Book One) and LETTERS INSIDE THE JOURNEY (Book Three) From the moment you came into the world ofbeing,

A ladder was placed before you that you might escape. Divani Shamsi Tabriz The great seers have asked mankind to explore the lowing certain established paths. Mystical experience scendent is the supreme reward of those who tread The mystical literature of mankind is the evidence of Chee.

Real by folof the tranthese paths. such experi-

The reader is invited to enter upon a spiritual journey where he “will encounter the rich spiritual heritage of Sufism which is the esoteric dimension of Islam and a vital spiritual force. This inner journey is richly documented by quotations from the Masters of this Tradition, from which each reader will extract what he can for

himself according to his level of understanding.

The fundamental aim of all religions is the realisation of Truth. This is a matter of direct experience, in which neither the mind nor the intellect nor any human faculty is involved. It is a question of being. There is only one Reality, which is God, so that ‘realisation of Truth’ means being aware that you are one with God. This is the meaning of “know thyself” for as the Tao Te Ching says: “He

who knows others is wise; He who knows himself 1s enlightened. 4

(XXXII)

3

This realisation requires a long process of preparation and purifitation, involving discipline and sacrifice, for one of the most fundamental laws that govern our activity on earth is the law of economics, that the more valuable a thing the higher the price that must be paid for it. The ‘payment’ that has to be made to attain any spiritual objective is to put aside all else and practise the various ‘ways’ which lead to_higher states of perception. One such ‘way’ is the all important Dhikr Allah which is to be pursued with unflagging concentration-and zeal, for it is by devotion to God that a man or woman is blessed. Everything else is useless. The different spiritual traditions agree that it is impossible to attain liberation without the help of a true guru or shaykh. St.Gregory of Sinai says: “He who works at the prayer (of Jesus) from hearsay or reading and has no instructor, works in vain.” The meeting with the Shaykh is the essential meeting, the decisive turning point in our lives. Without appreciating something of the real significance of the Master and his relationship to the disciple, no proper understanding of Divine Wisdom is possible. As a mark of his love and obedience, a disciple shows extreme respect for his Shaykh, who is in fact the embodiment of Grace = and God and His Grace are one — just as the sun and its rays are one. In reality, the Shaykh is the Self of the disciple; he is always there in the most secret place in the depth of the heart, and instructs his disciples according to their aptitudes and temperaments. He is capable of making well up from within the heart of the disciple, the immediate ineffable experience which is his own. The disciple must surrender himself without any reserve to the Shaykh — whom he or she sees as perfect — turned away completely from the attractions of the world.

The literal meaning of initiation is ‘to introduce for the first time’. On a higher level it/is the inception of ‘new birth’ and corresponds, on the subtle plane, to the physiological process which gives rise to animal birth in the gross. Just as the period of gesta-

tion varies with different animals, so also the interval between the

XV1li

moment of initiation and the actual realisation of Truth may be longer or shorter according to the/‘ripeness?, of the disciple. The spiritual path is only for those who’seek God here and now, and the role of the Master — who is himself connected through the chain of initiation to a Tradition — is to guide the disciple during this process. Man may seek spiritual wisdom by himself, but this effort is in vain unless the Master is present to lead him. To accept discipleship of a Master is to enter into a bond that is permanent, surviving even death. God attracts to Himself whom

He will, and in the case of

Amatullah Armstrong it was a few days of contact with the “radiant beautiful people of Tunisia” which started her on the spiritual quest, and led her to “yearn for Islam” with single-minded devotion. Relying almost entirely on books — and after years of lonely study and longing — she found her Shaykh. Even then she had to wait several more years before she finally recognised him and was initiated into a spiritual Tradition. Here she was indeed blessed by finding a true lover of God, who not only has a deep understanding of the outer and inner aspects of his Faith, but a rare ability to impart spiritual knowledge. May this very genuine and sensitive story of an Australian woman’s search for Truth be an inspiration to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Bernard Bethell

Perth, Australia 1992.

X1x

He said: “O my People! See ye uf tt be that I have a Clear Sign From my Lord, and that He Hath sent Mercy unto me From H1s own Presence, but

That the Mercy hath been Obscured from your sight? Shall we compel you To accept it even though It bé hateful to you?” (The Holy Qur’an 11:28)

“The Holy Qur'an is the Word of Allah. The Arabic language is the vehicle which carries the Word of Allah to mankind. The Word of Allah is beyond words. The Word of Allah is

fied servant of Allah. (1 realized in man.” AND TI

under

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that point of awareness where Allah is KY IS

NOT THE LIMIT, p. 152.

“We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to carry it and were afraid of it; and man carried it.” (al-Qur’an 33:72)

The Trust carried by man is to fulfil his raison d’etre, which is none other than being Allah’s representative on this earth; the khalifah of Allah. To attain such an honoured position man must become a purified and polished mirror in which Allah is reflected. In other words, man must become Perfect Man if he is to carry the Trust.

“Had We sent down this Qur’an on a mountain, verily thou wouldst have seen it humble itself and cleave asunder for awe of Allah.” (al-Qur’an 59:21) The weight of the Trust is immense and the responsibility of carrying it is the only task to which man should turn in totality. He should struggle with every available resource to be one of the Trusted Carriers. Every man is born with the capacity to be a carrier, but, not every man wants or needs to do so. The one who

yearns, with the utmost intensity, to strive for such a perfection, to beautify his soul with the virtues which will qualify him as a Carrier of the Trust, must seek out and find the one who dispenses this Trust to mankind. Who is a Dispenser of the Trust?

The Holy Qur’an was sent down to one man — to The Perfect Man — to the Holy Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace. The Holy Qur’an is the Word of Allah; it is the Final Revelation which gives to man everything that he needs to enable him to carry the Trust. In the Hadith it is said of the Prophet Muhammad: “His nature was as the Qur’an.” The Holy Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad give to each one of us the means by which we can become worthy of being Carriers. XXi

They teach us and show us how to attain a point of perfect equilibrium, that God-given equilibrium through which one can reach the supreme rank of being a khalifah of Allah.

The Living Teaching of the Holy Prophet is transmitted today by his Inheritors. These are the Lovers of Allah; those purified ones who have themselves become Trusted Carriers and Dispensers of the Trust. This Living Teaching, the Islamic Spiritual Psychological Study of the Self and Knowledge of Divinity, is called Tasawwuf (Sufism in the West) and the Spiritual Path within which the Teaching is transmitted is known as the Tariga. There are many Turug (plural of Tariga) and the starting point of each one is the Holy Prophet Muhammad —- May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace. When a man or a woman enters a Tariqga he makes an Initiatory Pact of Allegiance with his Murshid. This is known as the Bay’‘ah. At the time of taking the Bay’ah the Murshid recites this verse from the Holy Qur’an: ‘Verily they who pledge unto thee their allefiance pledge it unto none but Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their hands.” (al-Qur’an 48:10), This verse is the very essence of the Murshid/murid bond. By taking the Murshid’s hand, the muria has made a covenant with Allah. From this moment onwards it is his duty to ‘honour that pledge “to the death”: and beyond. It takes time for the reality of this Covenant to become firmly fixed in the murid’s heart, and the closer he gets to a true understanding of “The Hand of Allah is above their hands,” the greater will be his love, honour and respect for his Murshid.

“Allah’s Good Pleasure was on the Believers when they pledged alleSrance unto thee beneath the tree. He knew what was in their hearts and He sent down tranquillity to them and He rewarded them with a speedy Victory.” (al-Qur’an 48:18) *k 3K ok

Each murid has his own unique experience of entering the Tariqa XXxil

and taking the Bay’ah. This is a sacred time; a treasured moment; “the first step into Eternal Life. /

“My Murshid was on the other side of the continent in Perth whilst I was living in Brisbane. I became initiated into the Tariga through Bayah Uthmaniyya.” It was to be a further five months before I would actually sit in the Presence of my Murshid to take bay’ah at his hand. And I had no idea how that handclasp was to — : alter me, totally and forever.” _

AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT. p.95

The spiritual energy, the barakah, of the Path is transmitted on the

breath of the Murshid, and it is only through receiving the Bay’ah, the Pact of Initiation, face-to-face from him that the full power of this Divine Breath can start working within the murid. The Murshid, who himself has received this transmission of the breath

from his own Murshid, then passes the breath to his murids. The breath can be likened to the yeast which is used in breadmaking.» Only a tiny piece is required for the rising process to begin.

Each human has been allotted his own specific number of breaths which are to be breathed in this earthly life. When that last breath is breathed life ends. Allah breathed His Spirit into us and each one of our breaths can take us back to Him. This is the method of Islamic Spiritual Psychology — the Path of Return to Allah. The seeker on this Path should not inhale or exhale absent-mindedly; every breath

should be associated with an awareness of the Divine Presence.

Within a week of being initiated into the Path I received a cassette , from my Murshid in which he explained to me, in a meticulous and detailed manner, the spiritual work which I was required to do.

Throughout this collection of letters the reader will gain an understanding of the way in which the significance of my M ursiid’s breath gradually opened up to me, revealing itself in a powerful and often overwhelming way. The importance of his voice on this first cassette - was great, though at that time I certainly did not realize this fact. * *k sk

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Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings

Praise be to Allah Who guided me to Islam, Who guided me to your door in Perth in 1984, and Who has opened for me the door to Guidance. Brother A., your cassette, in which you explained our awrad', arrived yesterday. Now, Allah Willing, I will truly work. 1. “The spiritual work given to me by my Murshid is called in Arabic wird [plural:awrad]. The wird is a unit of dhikr, constructed to contain in it certain patterns of knowledge and self awakening. This spiritual work, wird, is given by the Murshid individually to each murid according to his specific spiritual needs. Each murid has a specific dhikr to be performed a specific number of times. Once the dltkr has been given it is entirely up to the spiritual desire and energy of the murid, and it is at this point where himma manifests itself.” AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p.125. Dhikr, which means Remembrance or Recollection of Allah, is the fundamental

method of concentration and inner purification in the Sufi Path. It is through this Remembrance that the |heart ofthe murid may, by..the--Grace_of-Allah, become-cleansed_and fit to contain Him, Allah says: “My heavens and My earth ofMy believing slave does contain Me”, and the Holy contain Me not, but the heart y Prophet Muhammad - May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — said:

“There is a polish for everything to remove rust, and the polish of the heart is the Remembrance of Allah!” The awrad activates certain mechanisms to bring about movement, revolution and transformation. It is through devotion and dedication to his personal awrad thatthe lower self of the murid can be transformed into his Higher Self. The awrad, which is based on the essence of the Teaching of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, consists of repetitions of Divine Names, litanies by Masters of the Tariga and verses from the Holy Qur’an. When, on entering-a Tariqa, a new murid already recognizes the importance of the awrad and the seriousness with which it must be approached and undertaken then many inner barriers have been removed, clearing the Path for more progress.

Praise be to Allah you are my Murshid. I know this gift from Allah is the greatest gift — to be given to the

Sufis!?

2. When Allah loves someone he gives that person to the Swfis, in order to give to that person the Way to love Allah in return. These Masters of the Path, the Sufis, have the means by which the Eye of the Heart, the basirah, can be opened to see the wonders of Allah. When the Reality of Allah is witnessed He is loved with an Unconditional Love.

Brother A., everything is very clear about our awrad. I have been striving to learn Ayat al-Kursi,? — Allah Willing I will soon have it memorized. 3. Ayat al-Kaursi, (al-Qur’an 2:255) “Allah! There is no god but He, — the Living, the self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber

can seize Him nor sleep. His are gall things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) Before or After or Belind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, The Supreme (in glory).” The Holy Qur’an is the Book of Return. It is the Book containing everything that man requires to make the Return Journey to Allah. The recitation of its verses, particularly in the five daily prayers, constitutes an integral part of a Muslim’s life. The reciter is given the means to Return to the Source. However, within the Tariga this recitation is multiplied many times, so that much of the murid’s day and night are deyoted to the dhikr. To recite, for example, Ayat al-Kursi dozens or even hundreds of times during one day is to activate and bring about astounding alchemical changes within the self of the murid. aes

And I have already memorized the other suras, except the 128th and 129th verses of Surat at-Tauba,* which

Allah Willing I will soon know.

4. (al-Qur’an 9:128,9) “Now hath come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: tt grieves him that you should perish: ardently anxious is he over you: to the Believers is he most kind and merciful. But tf they turn away, say: ‘Allah sufficeth me: there is no god but He: on Him is my trust, - He the Lord of the Throne of Glory Supreme!” As with each verse of the Holy Qur’an this particular verse can be a source of constantly new knowledge. The inner meanings may descend into the heart of the sincere believer when he approaches the Sacred Words with humility, need and deep love of Allah. “Lagad jaa-akoum Rasuluun min anfusikoum - Now hath come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves.”

May Allah increase us in knowledge, give us high himma® and open our basirah.® 5. Himma is intense yearning for Allah. It is the most powerful energy which man contains, because on it, on this imma, he is enabled to “fly” back to his Lord. And the Holy Prophet Muhammad - May the Blessings of Allah be upon him

and Peace — said: “A man is rewarded according to his himma.” Tt is this himma which moves the murid to rise in the early hours of the morning, to stt in dhikr, to struggle against the body’s desire to sleep and rest and pamper ttself, ... “ AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p.125.

6. “When a heart becomes Pure and filled with Goodness. After the black spots have been removed and no stains remain, then the eye of that heart will slowly open, and the owner of the heart will begin to See. This inner eye is called al-basirah and with it one sees deeper than what meets the outer eye. The word basirah comes from the Name al-Basir which is one of the Beautiful Names of Allah. It means He ts the One Who is All-Seeing, Now and Abvays and Forever.” Amatullah Armstrong, THE WATER OF LIFE, A Traditional Story For Our Time. And The Sky Is Not The Limit (Book Two) 1994.

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Your murid” Amatullah 7. Throughout this book we have used the word “seeker” to indicate the one (male or female) who has not yet reached his Spiritual Guide, and either the word murid or “traveller” for the one who is developing his own self, under the strict direction of the Murshid, within the Islamic Spiritual Path.

a #

LETTER 2 pv the nune Sf Aah,

Most Compassionate, Most Mercyful

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Praise be to Allah for the time you have given to listen to me and answer my questions in our recent phone conversations. Allah Willing I don’t ring at inconvenient times and Allah Willing I don’t interrupt you too much.! 1. Here starts the dilemma: — the murid is filled with spiritual yearning for direct guidance and true knowledge from the Murshid, yet, the awe in which the Murshid is held and the murid’s honour, love and respect for him make the murid sensitive to, and very aware of, the possibility of overstepping the bounds of correct moral behaviour, by inadvertently disturbing or interrupting the Revered Guide. The delicate balance must be found, that point where the hunger for knowledge is satisfied whilst leaving the Murshid undisturbed! A fine balance indeed!

So, I thought to write to you about something which is hard to express over the phone and requires a little time to actually put into words. It basically comes down to the questions “Am I fooling myself?” “Is my lower self deceiving me?”

I have been a very private person for about the past 15 years. I really don’t like socializing. I like living very quietly and spending as much time as possible in study-

ing Islam and reading about Tasawwuf. I always feel barriers going up around me when someone is trying to invade my privacy. Our Beloved Rasulullah — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — said “You are on the deen of your closest friend”. And Ibn Ata’Illah says in his Hikam, “Do not keep company with anyone whose state does not inspire you and whose speech does not lead you to Allah.” 2. The word deen is most frequently translated as religion, though its meaning is much more profound than the present day understanding of religion. Whereas a religion is often considered as a “one hour on one day of the week” activity, a deen is the life transaction between Allah and man. And just as life is continuous, so too is the deen, which should therefore fill each moment of man’s life.

3. Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’Illah al-Iskandari (d.1309) was the third Shaykh of the Shadhiliyya Tariqa. His Hikam (Book of Wisdom) is regarded as the finest expression of the Teachings of Shaykh Abu’I-Hasan ash-Shadhili. See IBN ‘ATA’?ILLAH “THE BOOK OF WISDOM”, translated by Victor Danner, SPCK London 1979. p.58. Hikmah Number 43.

For a long time I’ve been asking myself if this need and desire for relative isolation is in some way a sort of trick of the nafs.4 4. The word nafi refers to, not only the lower self, but also to the stages of the Self through which the traveller passes on his Journey to the Higher Self. There are seven stages of the Self which are often referred to as: i) Nafs al-ammara (the animal self): “The (human) soul is certainly prone to ii)

evil”. al-Qur’an 12:53 Nafs al-lawwama (the complaining Self): “And I do call to witness the self-

reproaching spirit: (eschew evil).” al-Qur’an 75:2 iii) Nafs al-mulhamma (the inspired Self): “By the soul, and the proportion and iv) v)

vi)

order given to it;” al-Qur’an 91:7 Nafs Mutma’inna (the Self at Peace): “(To the righteous soul will be said:) ‘O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction!” al-Qur’an 89:27 Naf al-Radhiyya (the well-pleased Self): “Come back thou to thy Lord, - Well pleased (thyself),” al-Qur’an 89:28

Nafs al-mardhiyya (the well-pleasing Self): “And well-pleasing unto Him!”

al-Qur’an 89:28

vii) Nafs al-Kamila (the Perfect Self): “Enter thou, then, among my slaves!” alQur’an 89:29

The murid in a Tarigqa has taken up the supreme work in life - he has pledged to

undertake the Spiritual Journey of return, which is the very reason for his existence - he has started the struggle to transform his Nafs al-ammara into his Nafs al-Kamita. In these letters nafs generally is used when referring to this Nafs al-ammara, the lower self, which the murid is striving to transform.

Is my nafs telling me; “Of course it’s best for you to be alone. You would never have yearned for Tasawwuf if you’d not worked to secure this privacy. You would not have reached the Tariga had you mingled in the marketplace.”?® 5. In this struggle with the lower self a certain amount of so-called selfishness is necessary! At first sight this may seem like a contradiction, but, it is obvious that the murid must protect himself from those outside influences which will not only distract him from his spiritual work, but which may also pull him completely away from his individual endeavour. “Selfishness” or “self protection” — in this case both words amount to the same thing. Besides, a man cannot truly help others until he has helped his own self.

Ibn Ata’Illah also says, “Your desire for isolation, even though Allah has put you in the world to gain a living, is a Indden passion. And your desire to gain a living in the world, even though Allah has put you in isolation, is a comedown from a lofty aspiration.”© And “He who wishes that there appear, at a given moment, other than what Allah has

manifested tn tt, has not left ignorance behind at all.” 6. “The Book of Wisdom”, p.47. Hikmah Number 2

7. “The Book of Wisdom”, p.51. Hikmah Number 17

And, in answer to the question, “Sayyidi, what does Allah Ta’ala want from creation?” the great Master Sahl at-Tustari replied, “The state they now have.?8\ 8. To understand this profound statement and to then live every moment of one’s life with such a conviction, is to reach Knowledge of the reality ofthe Lord and slave relationship. This state is called Taslim — Perfect Surrender . ihe

Through the Grace of Allah I am now connected to

the Heart Teaching of Islam, and, Praise be to Allah, I

have been given the great opportunity to devote much

of my time to studying the works of Tasawwuf. A certain amount of privacy is necessary to be able to develop oneself, isn’t it? Should I be simply full of total gratitude to Allah Ta’ala for having given me this wonderful opportunity? I feel that this is the truth of the matter, but truly I often wonder whether or not I am fooling myself. And when I first spoke with you on the phone you said that the time I have been given without children is in fact a blessing. But it is only a blessing if I utilize this time in the correct manner, isn’t it? Allah Willing these words convey what I’m trying to express. In a way I think’I’ve sorted-out things for myself in just writing down these thoughts — but then again that could be another deception!” 9. Even at this early stage, after being in Tariga for only one month, the murid is on the lookout for the deceptive and cunning trickery of the Nafs al-ammara.

Praise be to Allah I now have me. Allah Willing I will phone letter. Brother A., yesterday ‘Mechanical Worship’. A long little book — “The Nagshbandi

you to talk to, to guide you after you receive this you spoke to me about time ago you sent me a Way”!®

10. Sheikh Abduilah ad-Daghistani, THE NAQSHBANDI for Spiritual Progress, Sebat Offset Printers, Konya, Turkey.

WAY: A Guidebook

— you wrote, “To help clean the rust from our hearts. ae 11. The spiritual work undertaken in the Tariga is purely and simply the polishing of the heart. Once it has been polished to such a high degree that the Almighty Allah may be reflected therein then has man arrived at the honoured rank of khalifah of Allah. The Prophet Muhammad said: “There is a polish for everything to remove rust, and the polish of the heart is the Remembrance of Allah — (dhikrullah).”

I had been trying to follow many of the practices in this book before finding my Murshid. When I read that The People of Determination should not leave the Sunna prayers! at all, I then did Sunna prayers always. 12. Sunna Prayers — A fixed number of prayers which, though not obligatory, are nonetheless recommended to be performed daily.

(I think I wanted one day to be a ‘Person of Determination, Allah Willing!) I really worry about that ‘Mechanical Worship” — when the mind eae: during prayer and I have to-keep dragging it back.! 13. The murid may strive and struggle to stop the mind from wandering during prayer and contemplation, but, by his own efforts he will not be able to “drag it back” to concentration and fixity. This is a delicate mystery, and one over which the murid will ponder for many, many long years. It is said: “No one worships Allah but Allah.” The best we can do is make our intention, at the beginning of the prayer, to turn all our attention to Allah. Everything else is His Grace.

Brother A., is it right for me to strive to do all the Sunna prayers and Tahajjud?!4 14. Tahagjud prayer is prayer performed at night, between midnight and dawn. The Holy Qur’an says : “Their limbs do forsake their beds of sleep, the while they call on their Lord, in Fear and Hope.” (32:16) The Holy Prophet Muhammad said : “Each night, when a third of it hath yet to come, our Lord — blessed and exalted be He! — descendeth unto the nethermost heaven, and He saith: “Who calleth unto Me,

That I may answer him? Who prayeth unto Me a prayer, that I may grant him it? Who asketh My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?” This is a powerful means of stifling the lower self, used as it is to ease and comfort. As soon as a devotee starts rising in the middle of the night for prayer and supplication, he has made a real and noteworthy effort in his own personal Holy War against the ugly vices within.

I really want to, but I fear ‘Mechanical Worship’!! May Allah protect me from that terrible abyss. Several years ago, when my heart was being pulled to Tasawwuf, I realized that I couldn’t simply sit and wait! And I read in “The Darqawi Way”! that the seeker must persevere until he finds the Lover of Allah who will be his guide. 15. Shaykh ad-Dargawi, THE DARQAWI WAY, Diwan Press, 1981

That concept of perseverance, in conjuction with the beautiful Hadith Qudsi, “... and My slave ceaseth not to draw near unto Me with aitdieed devotions offree will until I love him, ... %1° filled my heart and pushed me on. Praise be to Allah. 16. A Hadith Quasi is a

Holy Saying from Allah, which descended upon the

Holy Prophet Muhammad, but is separate from the Holy Qur’an. “My servant draws near Me through nothing I love more than that which I have made obligatory for him. My servant never ceases drawing near to Me through supererogatory works until I love him. Then, when I love him, I am his hearing through which he hears, his sight through which he sees, his hand through which he grasps, and his foot through which he walks.” This particular Hadith Qudsi is referred to, again and again, in writings by the Lovers of Allah. It contains many secrets and profound mysteries. See THE SUFI PATH OF KNOWLEDGE, Ibn al-’Arabi’s Metaphysics of Imagination, William C. Chittick, SUNY, 1989.

Brother A., Allah Willing I have not taken up too much of your time with this letter. But, this is ALL I want to do — if I can’t talk about the Tariga and the way to draw nearer to Allah Ta’ala, I don’t want to talk about

anything!! My prayers are always for you. May Allah bless you and love you and give you Bliss in this life and in the Hereafter. And may you lead me to Him. Ameen. Peace be upon you Your murid Amatullah * % k

Dreams are Allah’s gift to the murid. Throughout these letters there are several references to dreams, which, though private, can on occasion be revealed, with the Murshid’s permission, in order to stress the power of the Sufi Teaching.

10

DREAM I am in a University. It 1s a very old University like Oxford or Cambridge. There are numerous people, scholars, professors, “intellectuals’ who are sitting in groups, engaged in discussion. Others are working at computers. I attempt to enter several of the conversations

with these so-called learned men, but they tell me that I am silly, that I wouldn’t understand what they are talking about. In an act of defiance I walk naked down a long cloistered corridor, passing many groups of these ‘intellectuals’ who are whispering behind their hands and glaring at me with utter disapproval. They are disgusted with my behaviour, telling me to behave myself and remember where I am!! Then I am on a journey. I am dressed in my normal clothes. I am walking through buildings, streets, shopping centres, department stores, up and down escalators. I keep asking people for directions. No one assists me. I then ascend a very, very long escalator. I emerge onto a windy clifftop - like one in the Mediterranean. The wind 1s blowing fiercely and the Ocean, which is to the right of me, is immense and grey. Waves are crashing upon the clifftop and the spray from the waves falls over me. There are a few desolate houses and there 1s a lighthouse. I walk towards the houses and then find myself in narrow, dark alleyways like those in the souk in Tunis. There are a few old Tunisian men, with magnificent brown wrinkled faces standing at corners of the alleyways. Silently they direct me along the narrow paths. They point and tenderly smile.

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I reach a door and then enter and descend a long flight of wooden stairs. At the bottom 1s a very tiny inner courtyard. My Murshid comes from a side door into the courtyard to greet me. He 1s radiant. He is beautiful. And, he is very pleased to see me. He leads me into a small room, like a stable, with straw strewn on the floor. There are

perhaps two or three brothers sitting at the side, close to the wall. Then my Murshid and I sit in the middle of the floor, cross-legged, facing each other. He holds out his upturned palms. On them are two pieces ofpink cake. I think to myself that it looks like semolina cake. Then he tells me that it 1s much better with jam on top. With his fingers he spreads dark crimson jam all over the pink cake. Then we each eat a piece of the cake.

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All murids are different and therefore each one has his or her own manner of approaching the Murshid, much in the same way as the devoted Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — approached him. Some felt at ease and relaxed in his Presence whilst others, whose awe and love of him were so overpoweringly strong, were spiritually fulfilled simply by seeing him from afar. When a murid is acutely aware of the reality of this link between the Murshid and the Holy Prophet then a fleeting glimpse of the Murshid or a word from him can sustain that murid, and inspire him to yearn and struggle in the Way of Allah.

I wrote very few letters during those first months in the Path and tried to keep my phone calls brief, being quite unsure just how much or how little I should write or say. In those early days my questions to my Murshid were very broad and general. I was acutely aware of my ignorance and therefore did not dare delve too deeply into the complexities, let alone the mysteries, of the Path. However it was during this period, between the time of Bay’ah Uthmaniyya and the Night of Bay’ah five months later, that I first experienced the power of the dhikrullah. My initial taste of this overwhelming spiritual energy came upon me without the slightest forewarning. Quite suddenly I became engulfed by a wave of barakah, spiritual energy, which left me dazed, empty, floundering and somewhat frightened. I clung to the Sz/silat, the spiritual chain of our Tariqa, reciting those Blessed names over and over iS

again, trying to prevent myself from being washed away in the deluge. The following letters reveal the gradual progress of the murid moving along the Path to Knowledge of Allah, a journey regularly punctuated with direct spiritual experiences, the intensity of which were ever-increasing. % Ke

“The five months passed, during which time I spoke frequently with my Murshid | in Perth. I turned myself totally towards the work which he had given me and | : oe | theUae when og pee crosstthe continent to recite my home re a

AND THE SKY IsNOT THE LIMIT,Pd100° Books cannot convey the profound nature of the Murshid. Words can merely act as ca hogsor indicators, for as the Lover of Allah, Shaykh Ibn al-’Arabi said: “a sign ts sufficient to him who attains.”

“Before phoning him I would begin to0 getagitated, my breathing would become tight, my nerves would tingle and my sight start to blur. Then I would hear his voice and Vd be clutching the phone so | tightly, shaking from head to foot, desperately erying toae in

oe absorb every precious word that hesaid. =

IBID, P.103_ The day finally dawned when I was to once again meet my Murshid, in the physical realm, and take Bay’ah at his hand.

| “The Presence of my Murshid in Brisbane was w immediately apparent to me. Without any outside indication I knew within my heart that he had arrived. Somehow, the atmosphere seemed different,

though I cannot say how this was. “He is here, i know La has arrived.” And, early the next day he‘phoned me.”

RID. bgt”

14

During the above mentioned phone conversation my Murshid said something which was to haunt me for many months to come. He said, in reference to the telephone, “We can have other forms of communication.”

I sat in his Presence and took Bay’ah at his hand, and received the direct transmission of the Breath.

“As he [my Murshid] drove away from my home on that night I _ simply wanted to pick up my subhah and follow him. I didn’t start walking, but I did start phoning him and when we talked I had no idea how much or how little time had passed. It was as though

the floodgates had finally opened. How many years had I been | holding all of this inside? So many words poured out. My letters to him were long and frequent. The written words also poured out.

Written words and spoken1 words.”

;

IBID.P.103

15

LETTER 3 n the name Of Mah,

Most Compassionate, » Most Mercyful

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Praise be to Allah, you are safe. May Allah protect you always.

You once said to me on the phone that we could have “other forms of communication”, other than the phone. I yearned for such a communication last Sunday when

you were in hospital.!

1. Two months after having taking Bay’ah my Murshid was involved in a car accident, and as he lay in hospital, thousands of miles away, I truly yearned for this “other form of communication.” These were early days as his murid and, even though I wished to phone the hospital, I felt that perhaps it was not the correct thing to do. So I sat and made du’a (supplication) to Allah to protect my Murshid and keep him safe.

“Thank you for all your dua,” were his first words to me. I was overwhelmed because I thought no one knew of my prayers. Here was the proof that the du’a always reaches the one for whom it is made! Here was one of those “other forms of communication.”

With you as my Murshid, Allah Willing, one day I will be able to purify my inner self enough for such a communication to take place! My need for my Murshid is so

16

immense! Hearing your voice yet Ear of Certainty”!!!7

was like “The

7

2. In Note 3, Letter 2 we quoted those verses from The Holy Qur’an which indicate the seven stages of the Self. These stages are also referred to, in The Qur’an and the Hadith, as Islam, Iman, Ihsan, ‘Ilm al-yagin, ‘Ayn al-yagin, Hagg alyagqin, Islam (istislam): i) “Islam 1s to declare that there is no god, only Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; to say the prayers, to vay zakat, to fast during Ramadan and to perform the Pilgrimage, if one is able.” (Hadith) The desert Arabs say, “We believe.” [‘amana] Say, “Ye believe not, but rather

say ‘we submit’ [aslama] for the faith [1cman ] hath not yet entered into your hearts.” (al-Qur’an 49:14) “Iman is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, fate and the

Hereafter.” (Hadith) Each one [of the men of faith] believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His Messengers. (al-Qur’an 2:285)

iii)

“Thsan is to worship Allah like you see Him, and though you do not see Him, be certain that He sees you.” (Hadith) Verily, in Rasulullah, ye have a beautiful example...

(al-Qur’an 33:21) iv)

‘Ilm al-yagin — The Knowledge of Certainty. This knowledge comes from hearing about the Fire of Truth. ‘Ayn al-yagin — The Eye of Certainty. This knowledge comes from seeing the light of the Fire with the inner eye, the basirah. Musa said to his household: Verily beyond all doubt I have seen a fire. I will bring you tidings of it [i.e. ‘ilm al-yagin] or I will bring you a flaming brand that ye may warm yourselves. [i.e. ‘ayn al-yagin]” (al-Qur’an 27:7)

Hagqg al-yagin — The Truth of Certainty. To be consumed in the Fire. To become one with Reality. But when he [Musa] came to the fire, a voice was heard: “O Musa! Verily I am thy Lord! Therefore (in My Presence) Put off thy shoes: thou art in the sacred valley Tuwa.” (al-Qur’an 20:11,12)

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vii) Islam — the very essence of Islam is istislam, which is going to meet the Divine Will in utter compliance. Behold! his Lord said, to, him [Tbrahim]: “Surrender! (aslim )”, he said: za,have surrendered (aslamtu os to the Lord of the Worlds.”

(al-Qur’an 2:131) In this letter, “The Ear of Certainty” is an allusion on my part, to the above mentioned three degrees of certainty.

With unspeakable gratitude to Allah for this gift of the Path. Peace be upon lee and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Your murid Amatullah

* oK

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ITER 4 pe the NUNE ofAllah; Most Compassionate, » Most Merciful

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings

Praise be to Allah and Eternal Blessings and Peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, “the light whose shadow the things are.” 1. These words are from a poem in Praise of the Prophet by Fakhruddin ‘Iraqi.

Brother A., on the night you had your accident, and for about a fortnight after it, I was quite bereft and felt helpless and inadequate. In my heart I was making du’a* for you almost constantly, but that just didn’t seem as though it was enough. 2. Dw’a is the private and personal supplication of the slave to his Lord. “Your Lord hath said : Call upon Me and I will answer you.” (al-Qur’an 2:260). “Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman : By whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well) : for to Him belong the Most Beautiful names.” (al-Qur’an 17:110). This personal form of prayer gives to the worshipper the opportunity to pour out his heart, expressing his longings, his fears, and his intense need of his Lord. In so doing man can rid himself of accumulated poisons and emotional debris which block the celestial channel between himself and Allah Almighty. Sitting, with head bowed and palms upturned in an attitude of readiness to receive the barakah from above, man may become a symbol, not only of spiritual poverty but also one of supreme trust.

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What more could I do? Brother A., it sounds pretty strange, but all my dhzkr and prayer I did with the intention that if any barakah was coming to me, for it to go to you instead!! It sounds arrogant — a murid wanting her barakah to go to her Murshid — but truly I had no pride in this — just a real need to do something for you. Brother A., did I do something that was totally lacking in adab? I don’t know! But, Praise be to Allah, you are now well.

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Your murid Amatullah

*k ok ok

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“Much ofthe higher teach yyin Tariga takes place in» the murid’s dreams when he will be given indications or instructions. Frequently my Murshid was with me in my dreams ae me : things of immense importance.” AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p.114.

: “Theproblem of adab, moral courtesy, arose very early in my time as | the murid of my Murshid. The male and female relationship of the Islamic Shari’a is well defined, and from what I had observed on my travels in Muslim countries, quite often it is incredibly strict. For a Western woman who has been used to mingling with pens both male and female, this aspect can cause a great deal ofstrain.” IBID, P.102.

Many of the letters collected in this book bear witness to just how great this dilemma was for me!

ER 5 n the name Of Allah, Most Compassionate,

Most . Werciful

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings. Yesterday morning I had a very fleeting dream. Within this dream you told me to phone you after 2 o’clock in the afternoon, as you wished to speak with me. That’s why I rang yesterday. And, you DID want to speak with me about my awrad! 1. One of those “other forms of communication” has just occurred between the Murslnd and murid, though, at this very early stage the murid may find it all too incredible to believe and as a consequence will regard the incident as a mere coincidence!

Brother A., I told you about the harrowing time I had during the two weeks after your accident. On one of those mornings when I was feeling really dreadful I was sitting on the front 21

verandah, staring in front of me. Then I realized that I was actually staring at something. A shaft of sunlight had penetrated the dark undergrowth of the garden just in front of the verandah, and at the point where the light fell on a fern was

written, in Arabic script - ALLAH.” 2. “We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and within themselves, until it 1s clear to them that this is the Truth.” (al-Qur’an 41:53). Within this Spiritual Journey the traveller firstly makes “the voyage in the universe” (Sayr-1-Afagqi), observing Allah’s signs “on the horizons”, then he makes “the voyage within the self” (Sayr-z-Anfust), reading the signs “within” his own self. The Holy Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon lim and Peace — ascended to the Divine Presence during his Mz’raj after having been shown everything about the world. He then left his own self and entered the realm of Absolute Truth. The Prophet Muhammad is our “beautiful example”, and if we sincerely yearn to reach Allah then we must follow in his footsteps.

Praise be to Allah. I have been reading William Chittick’s book on Shaykh Ibn al-’Arabi — “The Sufi Path of Knowledge”. What an incredible book! It’s taking me ages to read. After every couple of paragraphs —

Ae

my head starts to whirl and spin! There is SO much I want to talk about in this book. Allah Willing in the future I will be able to sit with you and learn. Brother A., before you became my Murshid, during those years ae I was ee about Tasawwuf, I truly thought

that I wasn’t qualified to even consider_being in a_ Tariqa. 1 used ‘to read about people who would attach themselves to the periphery of the Tariga so that they could benefit from the barakah® — and this even seemed like an impossible dream for me. 3. Barakah is a subtle spiritual energy which flows through everything, but is strongest within the human. The more purified the human becomes the greater the flow of barakah. Overpowering barakah can be experienced in sacred places, in sacred art and in sanctified people, all of which are theophanies, revealing and manifesting the Divinity— here on earth.

But now that all of this has happened to me I find myself wanting, wanting, wanting!!! When you were with us on the night of Bay’ah it was like an indication to me of what lies ahead. Sitting in your company was astounding, and I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life in such company; with the Lovers of Allah.* 22

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4. “Man is on the deen of his closest friend”, says an Hadith; and “It is not easy to become a Perfect Man,” says Ibn al-’Arabi, “It is only possible to find a Perfect man and hold onto his hand and, serve him. Surrender to a Perfect Teacher, and also become a person.” And Shaykh Jalal-ud-Din Rumi says; “Who wants to sit with Allah should sit with the Sufis.” And Shaykh Ash-Shitri says; “Do not look at vessels. Dive into the sea of meanings! Perhaps you will see Me [Allah], in the company of the Sufis.”

The period of your illness is a great trial for me. I’ve been questioning myself about so many aspects. Ada? has been a worry to me — Vé

5. Adab is right behaviour or courtesy; spiritual courtesy of the Way. Each moment, each situation, has its particular adab: right courtesy with one’s own self, right courtesy with the creation, and right courtesy with Allah and His Messenger. The one who knows Allah (arif) sees things as they are in their reality. He has discernment and therefore is able to observe the right behaviour

which each moment demands. And it has been said by the Lovers of Allah of the Sufi Path that “all Tasawwuf is courtesy.” The one with adab is he who has constant and perfect awareness of Allah. His heart is always connected to his Lord, at

all times and in all situations. That is Perfect adab. The Holy Prophet —Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — said: “I was sent to complete the noble (beautiful) character traits of humanity”, and Allah says in the Holy Qur’an, regarding the Holy Prophet Muhammad: “And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character.” (68:4). a

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The Sufis follow in the footsteps of the Holy Peaae canned May the Blessings ofAllah be upon him and Peace ~and so Tasawwufis all courtesy and adgb.

Pve read about adab between Murshid and murid, but

that is always with brothers. I’ve been following my heart with adab, but I know my heart is so covered with rust that it’s probably misguiding me. Brother A., please forgive me if I have been guilty of a lack of ada I always make du’a for Allah to guide me to correct adab with my Murshnd. And I find it really difficult to bear the fact that you are in pain, yet, when I am in pain I never ask Allah to stop the pain and even though I use various medicines to help remove the cause of the sickness I do not ask Allah to remove it -even though it is permissible to do so. But, Allah Willing, your pain soon eases. And Allah Willing this letter hasn’t tired you. I feel that perhaps I do tire you when I speak with you by phone. 24

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings 7

Your murid, Amatullah % 8

25

“What 2 it exactly about the Murshid that is causing s50 ‘much worry and confusion to the beginner on the Spiritual Path? The Murshid is a Mau. Yes. But, with a difference. What is this difference? The difference etween your Murshid and every other man you have ever encountered is his Perfection. Perfection? In the

words of Shaykh Ibn al--Arabi: ‘The Perfect Man is such a pure, : clean, absolute mirror, that Allah, Who is Absolute Beauty, Sees

His ee

ea

therein.’ (Kernel of the Kernel)” AND L = SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p. 144

LETTER 6 nv the rane OoAldh 5 Most

Compassionate, / Most Merciful

Dear Brother A..,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings.

Praise be to Allah and Eternal Blessings and Peace upon our Beloved Rasulullah.

Pve been thinking, as I always do, about our little talk this morning. What a wonderful invention is the telephone! There are many things I would like to write down, Allah Willing, in a later letter: but I’ve thought about the way I get agitated and “spacey” before I talk with you. Brother A., I’m still so totally overwhelmed

about being in the Tee and I know this is the greatest gift from Allah. Always in my heart I knew you were of great importance to me. The first time I read Ibn

Ata’Illah’s “Do not keep company with anyone whose state does not inspire you and whose speech does not lead you to Allah” — J thought that you were the one whose state would inspire me and whose speech would lead me to Allah. And when I read the beautiful saying of Rasulullah 26

— May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace Me they are seen, Allah is remembered”, it is you I think of. ‘ 1. When the Prophet Muhammad - May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace - was asked who are the Truthful Ones, he replied that they are the ones who “when they are seen, Allah is remembered.” As was stated earlier, it takes time for the murid to even begin to comprehend the import of the Qur’anic verse: “The Hand of Allah is above their hands.” The meaning of this verse is indeed a mystery, a secret which the murid will continually yearn to penetrate, but which will remain elusive. This and many other aspects of the Journey are encompassed in the words of Abu Bakr Siddiq - May Allah be pleased with him - the Beloved _ Friend of Rasulullah: “Inability to attain comprehension IS comprehension.”

Praise be to Allah. And when finally I saw you again after 6 years, and I sat with my Murshid, it was like an incredible dream. Is this really happening to me?

+

‘

I know there is a true love and respect between Murshid and murid, but also there is a great awe from me because you have travelled the Path and you are the most important person in the world for me. You said I shouldn’t get agitated when I speak with you, but how can I not get agitated? You are the only person who speaks the Truth to me — and that is quite agitating!!! And after I’ve spoken with you I think I’m even more “spacey” than before!!! Then the agitation subsides and I just sit with a great sweetness flowing in me. Praise be to Allah. In “The Book of Strangers” Tan Dallas (Shaykh Abdul-Qadir as-Sufi) mentions something similar, about the sensation he experienced when in close proximity to his Shaykh.

2. Ian Dallas, THE BOOK OF STRANGERS, SUNY, 1988.

My sensation seems to have nothing to do with actual physical distance — it seems to me to be much more subtle than that! The memory of the serenity and intensity of the night I took bay’ah fills my eyes with tears. And, as I said to you — it’s fairly strange to speak with someone knowing that he knows the dreadful mess of your inner-selfl!!!9 3. Yet another instance when the murid does not really understand the present sit-

27

uation. He may have read how the Murshid possesses powers of mind-reading, heart-reading and insight into future developments within his murid; powers which fully qualify him as the Physician of souls, but, reading about something and knowing that same something with certainty are two completely different things. Throughout the Journey there is a beautiful unfolding of, and a gradual awakening to, the spiritual gifts which have been bestowed upon the Murshid by Allah.

May Allah love you. Ameen. Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings. Your murid Amatullah.

x ok

The Murshid may at times appear to be ruthless and harsh. He must say things which seem to cut deeply and hurt as he attacks the lower self of the murid, who is then thrown into utter confu-

sion. From within this chaos the murid is enabled to see certain base character traits and having recognized them as negative and ugly elements he can then make war. [The murid who craves gentleness from the Murshid should bear in mind those beautiful words of Jalal-ud-Din Rumi:

“Do not

imagine that his severity is the opposite of his gentleness - behold the unity of these two in their effects!” **]

During a phone conversation my Murshid’s words hit their mark, throwing me into turmoil and causing me to look much more deeply inside myself. Recalling that incident I now realize that in reality my Murshid did not actually say anything hurtful. He simply was bringing out of me the base character traits which were so deeply hidden. His words were quite straightforward and gentle. The guilt and fear within myself were receiving them as words of criticism and pain. * ok ok

28

“This alchemy isapainful process, buttheMurshid is the master of Spiritual alchemy and you have handed over your will to him. The journey is long and it requires long and patient work and strug. AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, P.115 es

pn the name of Aah,

Most Compassionate, / Most Merojul

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings.

Thank you from my heart for all the time you take to talk with me on the phone. You spoke about the length of time required for spiritual maturity to be developed and attained. Sometimes I think I’ll need one hundred

years to start maturing - not ten years!! Today, the extent of my own spiritual immaturity seems to have hit me full-on in the solar plexus. Brother A., I think that

the snake between my sides! is far, far bigger than your other murids.

1. This is a reference to the story about Shaykh Alawi, the great Algerian Lover of Allah, who as a young man used to charm snakes. His own Shaykh told him that if he could charm the snake between the two sides of his body, i.e. his lower OF self, then he would indeed be a sage. See Martin Lings, A SUFI SAINT and Allen I, AL~’ALAW AHMAD SHAIKH : Y CENTUR THE TWENTIETH Unwin, 1973, p.52.

Peace The Holy Prophet Muhammad - May the Blessings of Allah be upon lim and sides.” your between nafs] [the - said; “The worst enemy you have is be viewed People of the Path know that from within the Tradition things can viewpoint Tariga the from from different angles. From the Shari’ah viewpoint; - Inner Hagiqah Law; Sacred Shariah and from the Hagiqah viewpoint.

29

Reality; Tariqa - the means.to travel from Shari’ah to Hagigah. As with the Holy Qur’an and with the Hadith literature there are inner-and outer meanings wait, ing to be penetrated and unveiled. “The worst enemy you have is [the nafs] between your sides.” Your lower self is an enemy to your Higher Self; OR the worst

enemy to you (i.e. “you” as an individual*’a separated and scattered mass of matter which has lost its Unity) is the Secret, the reality, which is contained deep within your Higher Self. For if the reality of your Secret is unveiled, then the “you” which is distanced from your Lord will be annihilated!

Today I feel as though I haven’t even commenced the struggle with my nafs. I feel as though I don’t deserve even one hour of sleep at night: and I thought I was struggling by getting six hours sleep!! And, I feel that I’m one of your troublesome murids with all my questions and concern over my physical state. Allah Willing, I will soon discover some sincerity in my heart and truly start to struggle, and Allah Willing I will one day start to act.

Thank you Brother A., for everything. For your words, your time, your love. Praise be to Allah, you are my lifeline. Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad

— May the Blessings of

Allah be upon him and Peace — said: “He who acts upon what

he knows, Allah will give lim whathe does not know.

Siliencae fdr. senrev, 2. In the next phone conversation I had with my Murshid he latocateht upon this hadith, and in so doing, emphasized a particular aspect which was lost in the above translation. He said : “He who acts upon what he knows, Allah will make bim inherit that which he does not know.” He stressed the aspect of “inheritance”. Only

members of a family are eligible for inheritance. et

FF ee

By loving our Beloved Prophet Muhammad more than following his perfect example, by applying oneself with of Islam and by striving to do one’s utmost to observe Teaching, one can become worthy of being a member believer will be given his inheritance. ”

Bo ; 5 anything, by meticulously total sincerity to the deen the nobility of his Great of his family. To such a

There is a kind of paradise called the paradise of heritage (jannati -wirathat), which is the paradise of the praiseworthy disposition, the attainme nt of which may be achieved through perfect observation in following our Prophet.

30

And say “My Lord, increase me in knowledge!” 3. “High above all is Allah, the King, the Truth! Be not in haste with the Qur-an before its revelation to thee is completed, but say, ‘O my Lord, increase me in knowledge.” (al-Qur’an 20:114) This du’a, “My Lord, increase me in knowledge!”, should be constantly upon the lips and within the heartsof all those who strive to be freed from the passions of the lower self And oncehaving been so freed the gnostic will then ceaselessly supplicaté;*“My Lord, increase me in knowledge!”, because now he will truly understand that the Journey upon which he began, in reality has no end. Allah is Infinite. Knowledge of Allah must therefore also be Infinite. An endless trajectory into the Unknown, whose horizons forever hold the promise of more and more and more sources of knowledge. ni

Your murid, Amatullah. k ok ok

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LETTER 8 n the name of Nah, Most Compasstonate, » Most Mercyful

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings.

After speaking with you last Saturday evening, when you broke off your contemplation to come to the phone, I was totally stunned. I felt so totally out of my depth on the phone; I felt totally clumsy. I desperately never want to interrupt you. Then, after our conversation I literally couldn’t stop crying for days. But I still don’t know why I was crying! In a way I felt very similar to how I felt after the Bay’ah.} 1. “On the Night of Bay’ah when I sat with my Murshid, after having not seen him for over five years throughout which time I could never recall his face, I experienced something so ravishingly beautiful. Before I touched his hand he Slanced at me and I looked at him and then as soon as the bay’ah had been sealed I once again looked at him. He was different. Somehow he was more beautiful, glowing, radiant. He had changed, or was it that I had changed? Something so pure had occurred as he was reciting the Blessed Silsilat of our Tariga. What had descende d on Murshid and

murid? I did not know.” AND

THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMITp. 121

On occasions the murid may be truly blessed, in a manner that he at once comprehends, by being given a radiant glimpse of insight into an Hadith or verse from the Holy Qur’an. One such occasion occurred when reading the following Hadith, whose meaning shone an entirely new light upon my experience during the Night of Bay’ah.

32

“And the Prophet said also: fe the people ikParadise are in their enjoyment a looked down upon Von from pits He will say: Peace be upon you, O people of Paradise! ...He will then look at them and they will look at Him, and they will not turn aside to anyof their enjoyment so long as lad are looking at Him until He veils Himself from them, though His Light remains.° v “And again, the Prophet said: By Him in whose hand is my soul, no gift of His is more precious than this looking upon Him! and when the vision fades, and they have come | back to themselves and return to their celestial household, their companions in delight ~on on guard, never allowing his lower

self to mislead him into believing that hisexperiences. es_are profound ‘mystical’ Dhicehees Sone WARES ae nawn to th the Sufi Path expecting to find miracles-amrd hoping to experience ‘unearthly visions’. Such expectations and hopes are the symptoms of a partial ignorance of the reality of theSpiritual Journey. The Sufi Path isbasedd onrslaveness, and knowledge of the moment and above all ¥ else, love of Allah. If the murid sets out with a relatively clear idéa that ‘celestial — visions’ and ‘unearthly voices’ are merely seductions to lead him astray and pro- 7” ' voke his fall from the Way, he will be able to turn to the spiritual work with sincere and pure intention. He must seek nothing but Allahand His Good Pleasure.

May Allah give you Bliss in this life and in the hereafter and may you guide me to Him. Ameen.

Praise be to Allah and Eternal Blessings and Peace upon Muhammad. Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings.

33

Your murid, Amatullah. NV

* ee

“The golden thread would weave its way from book to book, Master to Master, and I would try to follow it as Ijourneyed through the Great Teaching.” AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p. 128 © The murid must-be prepared to make great sacrifices as he travels on the Spiritual-Path. He must strive to willingly give his time; his efforts, his wealth and his physical health. He must beprepared to

sacrifice everything in an endeavour to arrive at his Goal, whichis Allah. Every spare minute should bedevoted toincreasing his

knowledge, be this by praying, by reading al-Qur’an, studying

Hadith literature, meditating upon the ‘work of the Lovers s of

Allah, sitting in dhikrullah, or contemplating the Murshid’s words. His efforts should be totally directed to the spiritual work, therefore he must be attentive, not allowing these priceless struggles to be diverted to lesser goals. His material wealth should be regarded

as a gift from Allah through which he can advance along the Path“Money to purchase books of knowledge; money to phone his Murshid; money to spend on his brothers and sisters; money to help spread the Teaching via his Tariga. And he should be prepared to subject his physical body to the strain and pain which are an inevitable part of this struggle against the lower self.

The Sufi Teaching is first and foremost an oral one. The transmis-

sion of true knowledge which passes between the Murshid and his murid is sacred, and therefore their conversations must not be

divulged to anyone except with the Murshid’s permission. The letters included in this book have been selected in an endeavour to assist those sincere seekers of Truth who are striving to develop their innate potentialities for Knowledge of Allah.

The murid who understands the weight of the Murshid’s speech will never allow even one of his precious words to pass by without giving it its due. Trying to retain his unparalleled spiritu al advice

34

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O ye who believe! What 1s the matter with you that when ye are asked to go forth In the Way of Allah, Ye cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? But little 1s the comfort of this life, when compared with the Hereafter. (al-Qur’an 9:38)

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coed and guidance in one’s head is not enough. The sacred knowledge which he reveals to his murid deserves and demands the utmost

respect and attention. It is advisable to write down everything that the Murshid says so that his words of Truth can be thoroughly and carefully contemplated. I always recorded the words, hints and signs which were given to me during the phone conversations with my Murshid, and afterwards would spend days, often weeks, and sometimes even months, reflecting and meditating upon all that he had said. On occasions it would be a year or two before I returned to those notes to pick up and follow through something that had been subtly hinted at long before. One word could trigger off a great chain of thoughts which I would desperately attempt to follow. Yet at times, there was no way I could keep up with this inundation of flowing thoughts. As wave upon wave of new concepts flooded my mind I would be forced into accepting the fact that I simply could not follow any of it. The murid begins tolearn how to ‘not think’ as he flows along on the great-stream of the Teaching. Sayyiduna Ali — May Allah be pleased with him — said: “I have come to know Allah by abandoning thought.” ~e SS

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Everything is in constant change. The Holy Qur’an says: “Each

day He is upon some task” (55:29). Shaykh Ibn al-’Arabi says that Altah’s ‘tasks’ are the creatures, and His ‘day’ is the indivisible moment, so that in each instant Allah’s relationship to every existent thing in the cosmos changes. Therefore, when the murid starts to experience this flood of changing thoughts he is begin-

ning to experience themoment — al-waqt. -y This is a gift of Allah to the murid. “Here” and “now” - this is where and when the murid can realize the Truth! “Here” is this space where he is physically situated, and when the “here” is realized it opens into Infinity. The restricted space becomes limitless space. “Now” is this moment he is placed in, and when the “now” is realized it opens into Eternity. The seemingly fixed point in time becomes endless time. Allah is Absolute. Allah is Infinite and Eternal. And being

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Absolute, Infinite and Eternal He cannot be limited in any way whatsoever. It has been said by a Lover of Allah, “Whatever you imagine within yourself or give form to in your imagination -Allah is different from that.” And a-Hadith Qudsi says: “I am with My slaves opinion of Me”. These seemingly contradictory statements ‘actually reveal the true situation. Rational thought cannot contain the Absolute, the Infinite, the Eternal. The seeker er Truth of believes in Allah. With his rate he conceives the Absolute. But, the Absolute cannot be contained by thought. It is beyond thought; beyond reason. Thought cannot contain_Allah, yet,the faculty of imagination allows us to approach the bewiicnne truth of the Unknowability of Allah. The realm of Imagination is a real/unreal realm. We ‘see’ things in our imagination but they are not really ‘there’. There /not there. He /Not He.

_

The knower of Allah is the one who has emptied himself, made of himself a void, so that the Divine can enter the world through him. prey Mer eys The following letter, which appears to be disjointed in its manner of jumping from subject to subject and concept to concept, actually reveals the spiralling, changing, moving thoughts of the murid. These moving thoughts are a preparation for ‘no thought.’

38

TER 9 xvere

rv the: une oS Mh,

Most Compassionae, » Most Mercyful

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings. May Allah bring you closer to Him in each moment. Ameen.

Several days ago you said to me, in relation to certain outside disturbances, “Let everything flow through you.”! "1, The beginner on the Spiritual Path must begin to distinguish between those » disruptive aspects of life which may cause worry and agitation or which may »v excessively occupy his thoughts, and those helpful and positive facets which can be of use in the spiritual struggle. Detachment is a necessary attribute on this Journey to Truth, for, without it the murid will soon discover that people, friends, things, situations, past experiences, future hopes, are all able to put their hooks into him, preventing him from devoting and directing his thoughts towards Allah Almighty. This is why he should contemplate the meanings within: “Let everything flow through you!” Flow in and flow straight out again.

igre we

OllICe ite spoke those words I have found that as I sit in dike? particularly before dawn, when in diikr Jalaal, 3 the concept “keeps coming to my mind— “Al existence is flowing through me. All existence isflowing through me. All existence 1s flowing through me.” 1 don’t understand what it means, but that sentence keeps flashing into my thoughts.*

2. Each authentic Tradition has its own specific method of recollection of God, the practising of which enables the devotee to purify his heart in an effort to

39

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allow the Divine Grace to flow through him. Within Tasawwuf this method is called Dhikr — the Invocation or Remembrance of Allah. The dhakir, (the one who remembers), devotes himself to repetition of one of the Divine Names, or a Sacred formula, or a phrase from the Holy Qur’an. It is this astounding es ee of the dhikrullah which awakens the consciousness of the murtd, purifies the heart, wages war on the vices, and ultimately, through the Grace of Allah, trans(Stns his base character traits into the noble and beautiful qualities which lie hidden within him. Then will the Light ot Allah enter his heart. The aim is perpetual

ahikr, when the heart is constantly remembering and present with Allah. 3. Jalaal means Majesty. Dhtkr Jalaal is the dhikr of Majesty. It is the repetition of the Name — ALLAH, and it is a most exalted dhikr. In AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, reference was made to Dhikr Jalaal, and the awe wage was experienced regarding it, even before entering the Tariqa. Welt okSs. r wed

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“I set aside a special time for my dhikr everya day. I followed it meticulously. But,

there was one dhikr I could not perform! This was the dhikr of the Name - ALLAH. I felt, deep within myself, that it would be utterly wrong for me to even consider performing such an exalted diikr! I did every dhikr but this one!” pp. 88,89 4. Here is an example of the manner in which the Murshid’s words can penetrate, activate and develop a particular train of thought within his murid. And this is why the murid should constantly be ‘present’ with the Murshid, attentive to his words, his subtle hints and his breaths.

And, Praise be to Allah, I’ve started to realize just how

precious those pre-dawn hours are! I look forward to the longer nights when I can have more hours before dawn. I find myself not wanting dawn to come too quickly — I want time to slow down. You once said to me,

“You will have a moment that lasts a thousand

years.” Allah Willing.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir says in “The Way of Muhammad”, when talking about the encounter of murid with Murshid : “One finds a man who is both ‘Abd al-Wagt and Abid al-Wagt, slave of the moment and worshipper of the moment.” 5. Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir as-Sufi, THE WAY OF M UHAMMAD, 1975:

Diwan Press,

About two weeks ago, after Salat ash--Shurug,® I felt a relative calm descend upon me.

40

6. Shurug prayer is a voluntary prayer to be performed a short time after the sun

has risen. This prayer is one which the Holy. Prophet Muhammad — May the a Blessings ofAllah be upon him and Peace — would observe. After praying the dawn (,“Drayer he would lie on his right side, at his place of prayer, awaiting the rising of the sun. Calling to his beloved companion, Bilal -May Allah be pleased with him — to inform him when the sun had risen, he would then pray Salat ash-Shurug. At this stage of the journey, following the isharah (subtle allusions) made by the Murshid, the murid is praying as many voluntary prayers as possible. If there is a spare moment, an available minute, this precious opportunity for prayer is never ignored.

I became very aware that nothing could happen before _its-time. The yearning, the pain and agitation in my chest were still there, but the anxiety about my Journey seemed to fall away. Many wonderful words I had read in the past seemed to flood in on me -

“He who wishes there appear at a given moment, other than what Allah has manifested in it, has not left tgnorance behind at all.” “Your being on the lookout for vices hidden within you ts better than your being on the lookout for the invisible realities veiled from you.”® “Do not request Him to get you out of a state so as to make use of you in another one: for, were He to desire so, He could make use of you as you are: without taking you out!” 7. “THE BOOK OF WISDOM”, Hikmah Number 17, p.51 8. Ibid, Hikmah Number 32, p.54 9. Ibid, Hikmah Number 19, p.51

Then I read some words by The Lover of Allah, the Shaykh al-Akbar, Ibn al-’Arabi - May Allah sanctify his mighty secret ~ about freeing our hearts from meditative speculation and sitting with the Truth by déikr on the carpet of courtesy, watching with presence and preparation for the acceptance of what He wills to us from Him, May He be Exalted.

4]

Brother A., today I had a little nap after praying the Zubr prayer,'© 10. Zubr prayer is the midday prayer.

and eunne my sleep I had a little dream - my first dream of 1991;

You are sitting with me and you say: “Have you noticed on this Journey how the Path slowly leads off to the right and all the teachings spiral in on themselves?” ete CO th ae And I heard the word ‘ellipsis’! This brought to mind that stunning book by Frithjof Schuon — May Allah shower him with His Choicest Blessings — “Sufism, Veil and Quintessence”, — the first chapter is called Ellipsis and Hyperbolism in Arab Rhetoric. 11. Frithjof Schuon, 1981.

SUFISM: Veil and Quintessence, World Wisdom Books,

Here is another example of the manner in which a dream can direct the murid towards a particular aspect of the Teaching. One word is capable of triggering off the mechanism which will alter the course of study. The books by the Lover of Allah, Frithjof Schuon (Shaykh ‘Isa Nur ad Din Ahmad), the greatest writer of our time, can be one of the most profound sources of Wisdom for certain seekers of Truth. Through the Infinite Grace of Allah, Frithjof Schuon can express the inexpressible!

Sometimes I have to give myself a good talking to! I feel so inclined to let “dunya duties”!? fall by the wayside.

ad Be os

12. Dunya indicates this world as compared with akhira, the next world. Dunya itself does not impede the murid on the Journey but it is the attachment to dunya which creates a barrier, Dunya is good and can be put torise inthe right way only when there is non-attachment to it. In a state of non-attachment the muri can be in “Khahwa (spiritual retreat) whilst in jalwa (society)”. His heart is occupied with Allah whilst outwardly he is mingling with man in society. He is mashgul farigh, ic. ‘one who is engaged and yet is free — or — busy/unbusy’. When the heart is liberated from attachment to dunya, then akhira appears.

42

FP Allah says in a oy oie tire whoever serves you.”

“O this world of Mine! sides miners? serves Me and

Within the Sufi Teaching, and particularly within the Shadbiliyya branches, stress is always placed upon the necessity for the murid to continue his normal everyday activities — naturally assuming that these do not contradict the Sacred Law whilst pursuing the Spiritual Path. The lower duties must not be neglected, but merely put into their rightful place. Spiritual realities are to be injected into everyday life, thereby giving every action deep a meaning and also filling it with spiritual energy. And, most importantly, as the murid travels and evolves and matures, he will understand that the weight of his responsibility to mankind has become much heavier. No longer can heignore the ones who are genuinely seek~ ing the Straight Way. Everything, in one way or another is a manifestation of Allah, and as the illusory mask is removed from these manifestations the murid ‘sees’ Allah everywhere - ‘in’ everything, ‘before’ everything, ‘after’ everything, ‘with’ everything — Seeing Allah everywhere. How can anything be ignored or passed by when the murid witnesses Allah within that thing? The Grace of Allah surrounds each and every man, but man has become thick and insensitive to this Grace, It may be argued that the contemplative, in setting himself apart from attachment to the world, has neglected his duties. In actual fact, the contemplative is indeed fulfilling his duties to mankind by striving to cleanse himself of all passions and illusions and in so doing, remove from this earthly realm an ugly and maleficent being. However, and this is an extremely important point which must be stressed, at the beginning of his Spiritual Journey, the murid must, of necessity be quite selfish. Selfish with his time and selfish with his efforts. Without a certain degree of selfishness, he would be easily diverted into lesser activities, surrounded as he is with a society which unconsciously is trying to pull him downwards to the depths of unbelief. He must be strong, and have the ability to discriminate and choose what is best for his own self. And, he must be prepared to say “No!” to those influences which are so eager to see him fail.

Because I have a real hunger for this new spiritual food, I am discovering little ways in which to lighten the load of daily work. Praise be to Allah such small changes do actually give me more time for reading and contemplation. Somehow everything seems to get organized. I hardly even remember being engaged in these necessary activities! In earlier letters

I wrote

about the beautiful Adh-

Dhatiyya prayer '3 How important it is to my existence! 13. This Prayer by the Great Master, Sayyidi Ibrahim al-Qurayshi Dasudi, is a blessed litany of our Path, the Tariga al-Borhaniyya, al-Dasugiyya, ashShadhiliyya.

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THE PRAYER OF THE MUHAMMADAN (as-Salaah Adh-Dhatiyya al-Muhammadiyya) ‘Ls +,

ESSENCE

“O my Lord, Bless the Mubammadan Essence which ts both subtlety and unity. Sun of the sky of secrets. The locus of manifestation of the lights. The majestic centre around which all revolves. The beautiful axis of the firmament. O my Lord, by his secret with You and by his journey to You, quieten my fears, decrease my faults, remove my afflictions and desires. Exist for me and take me to You from me. Grant me annihilation of my self to Myself: Do not make me led astray by my base self nor make me-vetled by my senses. Reveal to me all hidden secrets. O The Perfectly Alive!

O The Ever Self-Existing!” With gratitude to our brother Muhammad Nasim Cuff for this fine translation May Allah Bless him with His Choicest Blessings.

And the In Mashish prayer+ now seems to penetrate so many of my thoughts. 14. This Prayer of Sayyidi ‘Abd as-Salam ibn Mashish, who was the Master of Sayyidi Abu’! Hasan ash-Shadhili, is his only remaining text. It is recited by all the branches of the Shadhiliyya Tariga and is as it were a summary of the Sufi doctrine of Universal Man (al-insan al-kamil).

THE PRAYER OF IBN MASHISH (As-Salat al-Mashishiyah) “O my God, bless him from whom derive the secrets and from whom gush forth the lights, and in whom rise up the realities, and into whom descended the sciences of Adam, so that he hath made powerless all creatures, and so that understandings are arminished in his regard, and no one amongst us, neither predecessor nor SUCCESSOY, can grasp lim.

“The gardens of the spiritual world are adorned with the flower of his beauty, and the pools of the world of omnipotence overflow with the outpouring of his lights. “There existeth nothing that is not linked to him, even as it was said: Were there no mediator, everything that dependeth on him would disappear! (Bless him, O my God), by a blessing such as returneth to him through Thee from Thee, according to his due. “O my God, he is Thine integral secret, that demonstrateth Thee, and Thy supreme

veil, raised up before Thee.

;

“O my God, join me to his posterity and justify me by Thy reckoning with him. Let me know him with a knowledge that saveth me from the wells of ignorance and quencheth my thirst at the wells of virtue. Carry me on his way, surrounded by Thy aid, towards Thy presence. Strike through me at vanity, so that I may destroy it.

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Plunge me in the oceans of Unity, pull me back from. the sloughs of tawhid, and drown me in the pure source of the ocean of Unicity, so that I neither see nor hear nor am conscious nor feel except through it. And make of the Supreme Veil the life of my spirit, and of his spirit the secret of my reality, and of his reality all my worlds, by the realization of the First truth. “O First,

O Last,

O Outward, O Inward, hear my petition, even as Thou heardest

the petition of Thy servant Zacharia; succour me through Thee unto Thee, support me through Thee unto Thee, unite me with Thee, and come in between me and otherthen-Thee: Allah! Allah! Allah!

Verily He who hath imposed on thee the Quran for a law, will bring thee back to the promised end. (28:85)

‘Our Lord, grant us mercy from Thy presence, and shape for us right conduct in our plight.’ (18:10) F Verily Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O ye who believe, bless him and wish him peace.’ (33:56)

“May the graces of Allah, His peace, His salutations, His mercy and His blessings be on our Lord Muhammad, Thy slave, Thy Prophet and Thy Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, and on his family and on his companions, graces as numerous as the even and the odd and as the perfect and blessed words of our Lord. ‘Glorified be thy Lord, the Lord of glory, beyond what they attribute to Him, and peace be on the Messengers, Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. ?"(37:180-2)”

(See Titus Burckhardt, MIRROR OF THE INTELLECT, commentary on the Prayer of Ibn Mashish.

SUNY, 1987, for

Alternative translation by ‘Aisha ‘Abd ar-Rahman at-Tarjumana, can be found in THE DIWANS OF THE DARQAWA, Diwan Press, 1980)

I couldn’t actually express how I felt ing, whilst I found dhikr jalaal to be when reading “Heart of the Koran”,!® the author had explained perfectly my

these to be calmso different. But, I discovered that feelings.

15. Lex Hixon, HEART OF THE KORAN, Quest Books, 1988

He talks about the Blessed Cities of Medina and Mecca and what he says about Medina is exactly what I was trying to express about those two prayers. The spiritual atmosphere is Pure Sweetness in Medina — there is a delicate and intimate mystery. Medina is the transport of love, whereas Mecca has an entirely different sacred 45

atmosphere, with its terrifying sense of vastness and power. Mecca is the all consuming fire of knowledge.

And this is how I find dhikr jalaal!'©

;

16. Behind every thing within this physical realm is a rmeaning. Every thing is a

symbol of some higher reality. When a person starts to understand this concept, that every thing in existence has a hidden meaning, he will start searching for those meanings. And, for the Muslim, such a search will bring him to the edge of the endless Ocean of meanings contained within his deen, Islam. Tasawwuf is that Ocean. In this letter the murid is starting to experience some of the inner meanings of “Mecca” and “Medina”. Mecca is the place of the House of Allah, where the slave stands alone before his Lord. Mecca — total inwardness and bewilderment. Mecca —Reality.. Medina is the home of the Messenger of Allah, a place overflowing with human love and compassion. Medina is the Outward Manifestation of the Inner Reality. The slave cannot reside permanently in Mecca because he would be burned-up in the all-consuming Fire of the Reality of the Truth. He must live in the world, in Medina, amongst men, sharing and loving and following the Sacred Law. The slave makes the Journey to Mecca, but he returns to Medina. All is balanced. The Inward and the Outward. Mecca and Medina.

In the lifetime of our Beloved Prophet — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — this balance between the inward and the outward was of immense concern to his Companions. The Prophet Muhammad always stressed that the ideal was to perpetuate the consciousness of spiritual realities without withdrawing from everyday life. He said: “By Him in whose hand is my soul, if ye were to remain perpetually as ye are in my presence, or as ye are in your times of Remembrance of Allah, then would the Angels come to take you by the hand as ye lie in your beds or as ye go your ways. Now this and now that, now this and now that, . now this and now that!”

Brother A., I distinctly remember about five and a half years ago, when I was reading Sura al-Kahf,!’ I became very anxious to understand the inner meaning of the fish that “took its course through the sea in a marvellous w ayP18

17. Sura al-Kahf, the 18th sura of al-Qur’an. The entire Teaching of Tasawwuf is contained within the Holy Qur’an and the Sunna of the Prophet Muhammad May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace. Sura al-Kahf forms a particularly important part of the Inner Islamic Teaching. For example: “When ye turn away from them and the things they worship other than Allah, betake yourselves to the cave: Your Lord will shower His Mercies on you and dispose of your affair towards comfort and ease.” (Verse 16).

“I hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer (even ) than this to the right road.” (Verse 24),

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“I will not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in travel.” (Verse 60). “So they found one of Our slaves, on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our Own Presence.” (Verse 65). “Say: If the ocean were ink (wherewith to write out) the words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than would the words of my Lord, even if we added another ocean like it, for its aid.” (Verse 109)

18. He replied: “Sawest thou (what happened) when we betook ourselves to the rock? I did indeed forget (about) the Fish; none but Satan made me forget to tell (you)

about it: It took its course through the sea in a marvellous way!” al-Quran 18:63.

I remember that I instantly wrote to you in Perth, expecting to be sent a nice book which would explain everything to me!!!!? 19. There 1snoway oFuederstanding OeSpiritual Journey_without embarking

upon it. It cannot be understood throug “yeading books. It cannot be understged by sitting indiscussion groups. Reading and_talking.can inspire the seeker He to. 5 work harder, but Knowledge of Reality, inherited Knowledge, can only be gained through respecting, honouring-and carefully following-the instructions and work given by the Murshid. Until the seeker embarks upon the Journey of ‘Return to Allah he has no clear understanding of the nature of the Journey or the efforts which he will be required to make. He may even think that the travelling will be easy! The pre-Islamic era is referred to as al-Jahiliyyah, the time of ignorance. When a new murid is totally honest with himself he will quickly realize that everything that went before the moment of initiation into the Tradition was his own personal al-Jahiliyyah. As we said in our first book: “At the beginning of the journey the murid is so very impatient, wanting and yearning for Allah. The murid wants to reach his goal ‘now!’ He wants to make it happen. He is so spiritually immature. He can’t make anything happen. As he travels on the Way he may take a glance back at his immature desires and earlier ignorance, and perhaps he may even blush a little at his naivety.” p. 121. Tasawwuf is the ‘taking away of ignorance.’

Earlier today, when sitting in dhikr the 16th ayat of Sura al-Kahf came to mind (and heart).

“When ye turn away From them and the things They worship other than Allah, Betake yourselves to the Cave: Your Lord will shower His Merctes on you 47

And dispose ofyour affair Towards comfort and ease.”

Brother A‘, I feel-as though I am having so many Mercies showered on me. Never will I be able to number them.2% 20. Referring to: “And He giveth you of all that ye ask for. But ifye count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them” (al-Qur’an 14:34) “Tf ye would count up the favours of Allah, never would ye be able to number them; for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful”. (al-Qur’an 16:18)

May Allah love you always and May you guide me to Him. Ameen.

O Allah! Bless our Master Muhammad and his family and his Companions and give them Peace Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Your murid Amatullah

ook

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“When you embark on the Spiritual Journey you believe that you have love for Allah. You do, but it 1s neither; Pure nor Total. Your heart 1s so full of love for other-than-Allah, however, until taking the hand ofyour Murshid you never realized just how many minor loves and attachments were buried inside you. Recognizing these loves and attachments is the first step - then they must be overcome and transformed.” AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p.117.

ITER 10 ne the rane oS i (Wah, , Wost Compassionate,

s lost 4 Verciful

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds

I make dua many times every day for Allah, the Great and Glorious, to guide me to pure and perfect adab with my Murshid. I seem to need to write to you very often. You once said that on this Journey we travel by plane, by car, sometimes we walk, sometimes we are on a donkey!! 1. Each seeker is unique. The speed of journeying on the Spiritual Path differs “sf from one seeker to another and the time required to cover a particular stage also ~~

differs. As Bernard Bethell stated in the Introduction to AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, ‘Just as the period ofgestation varies with different animals, so also the interval between the moment of initiation and the actual realisation of Truth may be longer or shorter according to the ‘ripeness? of the disciple.” The seeker is required to keep a close watch-over the downward-pulling forces of the lower self, the strength of which can easily fool him into believing that vast distances are being covered and immense wisdom being gained. Listening to these whisperings of the inner shaytan and becoming concerned with the “where am I?” aspect of the Journey can create great barriers and hinder movement along the

49

x

\/

8

Cr

about the stage I was at. One time he had said: “Sometimes we are travelling so fast on this Path that we think we are standing still!” The seeker is required to ., apply himself to the spiritual work whilst keeping his sight firmly fixed upon the Goal. And the Goal is Allah. The Grace of Allah is always descending upon the murid. He is never without this Grace. The murid, sitting in dhikr, has Allah sitting with him, for Allah said: “Ana jalisu man dhakarani” — “I am sitting with the one who remembers Me.” And, the.murid.cannot remember Allah unless Allah first remembers him! That is

the greatest Gift — the Grace of Allah. And, even though the m#riimay at times feel stuck in the awrad as he attempts to drag himself through the thick and sticky spiritual work, the barakah is constantly present in the ‘doing’. A barakah which lies hidden within.the work itself -within the ‘doing’. Sometimes the murid can feel like a supreme hypocrite, as he sits in dzkr without enthusiasm, without yearning, without hope even! His prayers may feel empty, his Qur’an reading lacking any sense of sacredness and earnestness. Simply “getting through” the daily awrad appears to be his aim! Dragging himself through the thick and heavy spiritual work. This can be a time of severe disillusionment. The murid thinks back and says: “This isn’t what I thought it would be like!” Wanting to know ‘where am I?’, but struggling to be content with not knowing!

So, I think letter-writing is a part of my Journey — when the heart aches for spiritual conversation and words need to be said. I wanted to write to you about a small discussion I had last night with J. We held quite different views — perhaps his was right for him and mine for me, or perhaps one of us has it wrong! This is what it stemmed from:

I know that the Murshid of a Tariga always chooses his words carefully. Nothing is said in an off-hand or flippant manner. Each word is packed full of meanings. I try to store in my memory (and heart) all you have ever said to me — right from the very beginning — right from August 1984 when I first saw you at Nasihah Bookshop in Perth! I feel as though all those words are carved on my heart. You have said so many beautiful things to me ~ my heart expands and ‘flies away’. Now, the problem for me is whether or not I actually interpret your words

50

properly. Or whether my nafs is intervening and making me get the wrong meaning. Everything you say is stored away inside me and I feel ‘that it all adds up to something incredible — and then I get filled with panic and dread and feel so sure that my zafs is fooling me, playing a sick game with me, misguiding me! So, last night we were talking about this aspect. J. couldn’t understand why I was so worried, why I wanted to know about my rotten nafs. He said I should just accept the situation of uncertainty — of not knowing whether or not my zafs was fooling me! But, I sites disagreed. If I am going to fight the Jihad al-Akbar, surely that means searching for these hidden vices within me. 2. Jihad al-Akbar is the Greater Holy War. When returning from a battle, a jihad, the Holy Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — said to some of his Companions: “We have returned from the Lesser Holy War to the Greater Holy War.” And when one of them asked: “What is the Greater Holy War, O Messenger of Allah?” he answered: “The war against the self.” “Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth and ye know not.” (al-Qur’an 2:216)

The Holy Prophet said: “The Garden is surrounded by hated things.”

+

“Tt is this constant bringing-to-mind of the True Goal that enables the murid to struggle and strive and fight In the Way of Allalr - fi sabilillah. This ts the true jihad, the Greater Holy War. This is the battle to bring peace to the earth - not that physical earth out there, outside the window - but this earth of the self: |The greater peace cannot be achieved on the planet earth until the inner peace within the human self is achieved.] To subdue all the infidels in the land of the ego-self. To struggle in the journey from the lower self to the Higher Self. This is why the murid 1s able to subject himself to seemingly harsh disciplines.” AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p.126.

“Only the brave fighters obtain it”, said Sayyidi Abdal Qadir al-Jilani. He speaks of _ the spiritual struggle where the warrior persists in the combat, with sword drawn and besmeared with the blood of his self and his desires, till he meets his Lord.

a

Balance, harmony, pete and_tranquillity can all be attained through dhikrullah. Perfect balande of one’s inner and outer existence, harmony with all of the creation and peace and tranquillity of the Self. But, before theree can be Peace there must be a conflict, a greatvhattle, which will subdue the enemies and bring them under control.

Previously we said that Tasawwuf is the taking away of ignorance. It is also the removal of ugliness of the self. To remove an ugliness and replace it with a beauty. A virtue replacing a vice. This removal of ignorance, which is possibly one of the greatest forms of ugliness, can only be achieved through Balance. Tasawwuf is Balance. Perfect Equilibrium in each moment and under every condition. Taking away of ignorance.

See Chapter One, The Spiritual Significance of Jihad, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, TRADITIONAL ISLAM IN THE MODERN Studies, Kuala Lumpur, 1988.

WORLD,

Foundation For Traditional

Our Beloved Rasulullah said: “He who ial Ins ae truly-he knows his Lord.”

ress

3. Allah is Absolute and He is Infinite, And being Absolute He is therefore the All-Possibility. And All-Possibility demands the possibility of there being, within the world of manifestation, a creature who has the capacity to know Allah, the Absolute, the All-Possibility, the Infinite. Man is this very creature! Man has the capacity to attain Ultimate Truth. This is the reason for his existence. Man was created-and placed within-this world of opposites, this realm of multiplicity, so that there would be someone within this world who could realize Unity, the Truth — Allah, and in realizing Him, return to Him. All-Possibility demands this. This Truth, this Unity, is contained deep within every human - this is the Allah Within — and it is only through knowing one’s own Self that one can come to know one’s Lord.

“He who knows his Self - truly - he knows his Lord.” This beautiful Hadith of the Holy-Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — contains the very essence of Inner Islamic Teaching, the Journey from the lower self to the Higher Self— from the self to the Self. Ties ta aere See Tbn ‘Arabi, “WHOSO KNOWETH HIMSELF”, Beshara Publications, 1976. Also, THE SUFI PATH OF KNOWLEDGE,

pp344-346.

Surely the warfare is on all fronts. I can’t bear the idea of being deceived a my nafs. Isn’t that what the J/ast Sura of al-Qur’an' is all about? ~

4.“Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind, The King of Mankind, the God of Mankind, From the mischief of the Whisperer (of Evil), who

52

withdraws (after his whisper), — (The same) who whispers into the hearts of Mankind, - among Jinns and among Men.” (al-Qur’an 114) /

The sneaky whisperer is a cunning and clever enemy who is everpresent with the murid, trying to seduce him with sweet words and deceive him with subtle insinuations. He is sneaky because he constantly changes his disguise. One moment he lures the murid into his web by whispering words of praise and encouragement — “Your spiritual work is going really well. It won’t be long — you’re nearly there! — any second now you will SEE ALLAH!”; the next moment he snatches away the murid’s longing and yearning — “This is hopeless — where is all of this getting you? Go back to bed and rest for a while!” “Your prayers are so pure!” “Your prayers are pathetic!” “Your efforts are admirable!” “Your efforts are woeful!” “Your Murshid is very pleased with you!” “You are a nuisance to your Murshid!” Whispering in an attempt to pull the murid off the Straight Path. The murid must be aware and on guard, and he must unceasingly cling to the Murshid because this is where there is safety and security.

I want to know about and to taste Fana fi-Murshid.® Allah Willing — one day! 5. When reading books about the Science of the Self — Tasawwuf, one will encounter numerous references to a spiritual stage called fana. Fana translates as annihilation or self-effacement. When travelling to the Source, to Allah, the murid passes through different levels of fana, each of which brings hinmrcloser-to

his Goal>"Phere-are-hundreds; even thousands, of fanas. Every time a form of ignorance is removed to be replaced by knowledge, the murid has experienced

fana. He has tasted the annihilation of an ignorance. And, every moment of éxis‘féfite is in fact a moment which is pregnant with its own particular knowledge. So, for the aware one, each moment can be-a fana.

However, within Tasawwuf

there are three Major types of fana, through which the murid must travel if he is to reach the Absolute — Allah. These are Fana_ fi-Murshid, Fana fi-Rasul and Fana fi-llah. Through respecting, honouring and loving the Murshid the murid may attain the first — Fana fi-Murshid. Fallen man cannot, by his own resources, reach this stage of “Annihilation in the Source”. He requires a Guide. This is the Murshid. Now, the Murshid is a pure receptacle for the Divine Outpouring which emanates from our Beloved Rasulullah — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace. This Outpouring comes through his Teaching, and from the Divine Book of Allah, the Qur’an, which contains all the mysteries of life and which was brought to all of creation by Rasulullah. The Murshid is everpresent with the murid, but his identity changes as the murid travels upwards along the Path of Return. Initially he is seen as the Murshid, who is such-and-such a man living at a such-and-such a place. The murid must first reach a stage of fana fi-Murshid — a2.

Ne

fre

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annihilation of the self in the Murshid. This occurs when the Teaching of Rasulullah, which is passed on by the Murshid, enters the murid’s heart and becomes firmly established. The murid becomes absorbed by the Teaching, through constant meditation and contemplation of Allah. After this fana ‘has been reached, through the Grace of Allah, the identity of the Murshid seems to change. The murid may start to perceive a marked difference in his Murshid, who, whilst still remaining physically as such-and-such a man now assumes an added dimension, a new aspect! As was stated above, the Murshid is the pure receptacle for the Divine Outpouring which emanates-from HIS OWN MASTER, who is the Holy Prophet Muhammad himself —- May Allah everlastingly shower him with His Chotcest Blessings. Then, if it be the Will of Allah, the murid may be blessed with an eye to ‘see’ and an ear to ‘hear’ and a heart to ‘know’, that the Murshid’s words are now the words of his Beloved Master. His identity has changed. His identity has dissolved into that of his Master, the Guide of guides, the Teacher of teachers, the Prophet Muhammad al-Mustafa.

“No one will meet Allah before meeting the Prophet.” After self-annihilation into the Self of the Murshid, the murid journeys to the next fana, which is Fana fi-Rasul — self-annihilation in the Prophet. Here the murid loves the Holy Prophet Muhammad more than anything; more than life itself. From this exalted stage the murid may be blessed with the ultimate fana Fana fi-llah, self-annihilation in Allah. On this Journey to the Higher Self the murid knows that he must become annihilated in the Murshid before any real progress can be made. This stage is the first rung in the ladder of ascension, and after this self realization in one’s Murshid the steps are easier. And, knowing that the Journey will be easier once Fana fiMurshid has been realized, the murid quite naturally yearns for it. This yearning will show in his attitude to and his respect and honour for the Teaching and for the teacher. Such an attitude must be of the highest degree.

May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala grant us in our lifetime a Hajj’ with our Murshid. Ameen. 6. Hayy is the Pilgrimage to the House of Allah, the Ka’aba, Mecca. It is the fifth Pillar of Islam. We spoke earlier of the symbolism of Mecca, and within Tasawwuf the meaning, the symbolism of the Hajj is for the murid to make the journey to the House of Allah, which is the heart. Here, at the Source of Oneness, the murid, who has realized his own slavehood, must leave all multi-

plicity. The idols within the Sacred House, his heart, must be cast out. Only then can the slave stand in the Presence of the Absoluteness of Allah

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an with Me; and sanctify My House..” (22:26)

“Associate not anything in worship

For a stunning interpretation of the meaning of Hajj and the other major Islamic rites see Shaykh al-’Alawi’s KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, Diwan Press, 1981.

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See also Sayyid Haydar Amuli, INNER Books 1989.

SECRETS

OF THE PATH,

Element

7

O Allah! Shower Thy Eternal Blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his Family and his Companions and give them Peace.

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings. Your murid Amatullah ok

Do

“However there is a subtle teaching continually flowing from the Murshid during all the precious conversations which they share. This teaching is through isharah which means indication or allasion. The murid must understand that the Murshid weighs every single word which he utters. Each word is pregnant with numerous meanings which slowly reveal themselves to the murid as he travels the Path, so he must always be on the alert for this precious isharah.” AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p. 128. “From the moment of leaving my front door each step was accompanied by a silent or softly spoken dhikr and each object which I passed was clearly seen as a sign of Allah. A tree in a garden or a stone on the ground, a man on the roadside or a cloud in the sky, all signs of Allah; all manifestations of Allah; all glorifying Allah in their own distinctive manner.” IBID. P.108.

LETTER

11 n the name of ~ Ullah,

Most Compassionate,

Most . Wercijul

Dear Brother wis

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings So, that is how the teachings spiral in on themselves, as was indicated in my dream! Just after speaking with you last night, I stopped in my tracks, tapped myself on the forehead and thought, “Oh well, it only took me a minute

or so to realize that my Murshid was in fact elaborating on that dream!” You spoke of certain Hindus going to the great Masters of the Turugq, and the Christian being taught by Shaykh Jalal-ud-Din Rumi — May Allah sanctify his secret — and the Chinese man sending his son to a Sufi. Everything spirals in on Tasawwuf?

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The Most Compassionate! It 1s He who has taught the Quran. He created man;

He taught him eloquence. The sun and the moon follow their ordered courses And the stars and the trees prostrate in adoration. And the Heaven has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance ifJustice, In order that ye exceed not due balance, So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance (al-Quran 55:1-9)

ME

' Alhambra, GRANADA,

SPAIN

1. Islam is the final Revelation from Allah to’ His creation, Islam is the Perfect Deen. We use the word deen to indicate the “life transaction” between Allah and Man. It is not merely religion in the constricted and limited sense which the word has assumed in these times. “Life transaction” means every facet, every aspect of life - from the smallest detail to the greatest action. Every moment of a man’s life should be impregnated with the awareness of Allah - life is meaningless

and futile without such an awareness. Islam, the Perfect and Final Revelation, is the Straight Path to this awareness of the Source. And Tasawwuf is the Living 3) Heart ofIslam — the Heart from which flows the life-giving nourishment to every *

soul in themanifested world. Even if a man is ignorant of Islam and its Heart, nevertheless he is still benefiting from them, because the barakah which emanates _ from the Lovers of Allah truly does alter the surrounding atmosphere. Our Beloved Rasulullah — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — said that the light shining from the home of a Believer-illuminates forty houses which encircle it. The Divine Light which shines from the heart of a gnostic, an artf; overflows and fills space and time with its luminosity. Everything spirals in on Tasawwuf.

Brother A., I am noticing many changes within myself. Praise be to Allah. Now, I feel that there is a partially total(!!) awareness of each word, each thought, each

action. And, my contact with people is greatly intensified. I now don’t seem to take anyone for granted, Praise be to Allah. Last night you were saying how we should leave each person with some sweetness from us. How beautiful! And I truly can discern this happening.” 2. As the murid travels the Path, turns to the awrad and strives to purify the heart, he will begin to see everything in a new light, with a new awareness. It is a Light from Allah which reveals the reality of each and every manifestation in the created world. This is only the beginning of seeing the reality behind things.

Fleetingly and occasionally the murid will be startled and amazed when realizing he is actually looking at and seeing a manifestation of Allah. And of necessity that

the manifestation bears witness to the Principle from which it emanates. As was mentioned above, when speaking of the different levels of Fana, the murtd firstly must attain a very high degree of honour and respect for the Lover of Allah who is guiding him along the Path to Self awareness. And this is what is now happening. The murid does not yet actually perceive Allah as the reality of every manifestation, but the knowledge which passes between Murshid and murid, gradually opens up many realisations of the Truth. Whenever the murid is struck by this new awareness his love for the thing, for the person, will increase, because now “he sees that thing or person as a trace of the Creator. How can he do anything ~ other than leave behind him the sweet fragrance of this awareness? The Imam Junayd said : “For thirty years now Ive been conversing with Allah, yet

59

people seem to think I’m talking to them!”

Today, another little old lady and I had a warm conversation. I'sée her quite often. When I met her todaf I thought to myself — “She’s going to ask me if she can walk back along the street with me!” And, sure enough,

that’s what she said!! We walked and chatted and all the time I was thinking of Allah and of my Murshid. Such simplicity. It was beautiful. 3. The murid may also begin to experience moments of telepathy when he anticipates a phone call before it happens, or thinks of a friend just before receiving a letter, or knows someone’s words before they are verbalised. But the murid must try as hard as possible to ignore such occurrences. He must not think that this is a fruit of his spiritual endeavour and he must not supplicate to Allah to increase him in such experiences. The murid must never believe that such experiences are an indication of his spiritual eminence. All that matters is what brings us closer to Allah — and that is His Remembrance. The giving of oneself to Allah — totally,

willingly and unconditionally.

on

Nee

ee Oa

I am feeling more and more ‘spaced-out’* each time I go out, but at the same time a heightened awareness of each person, each tree, each animal. Praise be to Allah.

So, what looks like a quiet and simple life to the outsider, in reality is intensely beautiful. 4. The Holy Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace - said: “Be in the world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.” The ‘spaced-out’ feeling which develops within the murid is in fact the first hint of the detachment which is necessary for one to be in the world like a stranger. Here is where and when the murid may gain first glimpses of the “here” opening into Infinity and the “now” opening into Eternity. This floating and light-headed sensation indicates the barakah of the awrad and, though such feelings are not to be sought or yearned for, they nevertheless do. start preparing the murid for the dismantling of his preconceived ideas about his physical body, which, in these early stages of the Journey he thinks is what he is! “This body of flesh and bones is ME!” It is not him, but the realisation of his true reality must come gradually and methodically otherwise the shock of an instant and sudden ‘falling apart’ could prove to be too much for an unprepared seeker. (It is during this dismantling process that the murid will truly understand why the protection of the Murshid and the spiritual chain is so vital.) The gradual dismantling is in fact somewhat distressing because it is unknown, and many of the following letters will clearly illustrate this.

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Saint Francis of Assisi was very important to me about ten years ago. In the early stages of his spiritual Journey he was so full of love for mankind that he took a leper in his arms and kissed him!> 5. Love of God is not confined to one Tradition. Man, born as he is with the potential to know and love God, may choose of his own free will, that Path which will bring him closer to his Lord. At certain times in his life the only man-

ner in which the man of poverty, Saint Francis of Assisi, could express the extent of his Love of God, was by dancing!!

J. said to me this morning that he thought I was strong! I said that I wasn’t, but that I really wanted this Path.

You asked me on the phone — “Do you want the hard road?” Allah Willing I want whatever you give me and I pray that I have the imma to carry this poor old body!® 6. There are tribulations for the murid as he journeys to Allah. He must be prepared to suffer and face these trials, and a great part of the struggle, in the early stages, is connected to actually trying to accept the fact that such suffering is necessary. Before the murid embarked upon the Journey he lived under the illusion that his physical body was him. The spiritual work then started to break down this illusion and in so doing created many physical imbalances. The dense “flesh and blood’ body desperately tries to ‘keep up’ with this newly awakened subtle spiritual body, but it cannot do so. They belong to different realms. The physical body cannot go where the spiritual body wants to go! The spiritual body comes from Allah and yearns to return to its Source. Our spiritual body does not belong tous, it belongs to Allah, and we only have complete access to it on condition that we realize that it not ours. The murid has to forget all those wrong notions which he previously held so dear, concerning this “flesh bag”, this body. It has to be left behind. And, as his consciousness is awakened the murid can really perceive that his physical body is no longer ‘himself. A sort-of panic situation results from this gradual discovery. This is unknown territory. The murid clings tightly to his Murshid.

Shaykh Jalal-ud-Din says: “For the sake of the Gentle friend who sleeps not by night, do the same. Entrust your heart to Him and sleep not!” * O Allah! Shower Thy Eternal Blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his Family and his Companions

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and Peace.

Peace be upon oe and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Your murid Amatullah * **K

Shaykh Rumi says: “Pray for a tough instructor to hear and act and stay within you. We have been busy accumulating aolaees Make »us afraid of how we were.” ** | Ccdn

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ish” The first Islamic Testimony of Faith, the Shahadah, is arad illa’llah” —“There is no god, only Allah”. From the gnostic viewpoint this could be rephrased as “There is no ego, only the Self”. The ego must ‘cease to be’ in order that the Self can be realized. This is the work! The ego — full of accumulated debris, mis-infor-

mation, distorted opinions and base character traits, must be transformed. Each murid has to undergo a period, or many periods, of severe ego-flattening. Such phases will continue, under the

direction of the Murshid, until the “There is no ego”, “LAA ILAHA” starts to be realized. ‘ rel

The Holy Qur’an relates the story of the meeting between the Prophet Musa — Peace be upon him — and the mysterious Teacher, the man of Knowledge, the slave of Allah, Khidr, from whom he wishes to learn. “Musa said to him :May I follow thee, on the footing that thou teach me something of the (Higher) Truth which thou

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5 \

hast been taught? (The other) said : ‘Verily thou wilt not be able to have patience with me!’.” (18:66,67) This incident is particularly relevant to the murid who has put himself in the hands of a Murshid. The Murshid often says or does things in a way-which the murid cannot understand. The murid is still looking at things from a logical angle, and when confronted by something appar-

ently illogical he may react to this situation by losing some of his patience. The Murshid only speaks according to the teaching brought by Rasulullah — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace. His work is purely to implement this profound Teaching. I now entered a rough stage of my Journey, my own phase of egoflattening, when, for a interval of over seven weeks, I was unable

why I could not to speak with my Murshid. 1 did not understand

speak with him and I did not know whether it was only me or whether his other murids were also not permitted to speak with him. I was convinced that the reason behind this imposed silence was my lack of moral courtesy. A period of intense questioning of myself ensued as I sifted through our previous conversations trying to discover a hint or an indication of where the bounds of correct adab had been overstepped.

Just before this seven-week-long ‘turbulent siesta’ my Murshid had said that I must not lift off the lid of the pot to see how the cooking was going! I knew that he would never utter even one word which was not of special importance to me on my Journey yet, I could not grasp what he meant by this.

Initially I thought that this stage was a drought, whereas it was

and maturing. Many really a period of growth and development

seeds had been planted during my first year within the Taviga, and now, my Murshid, the Gardener, was standing aside, allowing the sun and the rain to do their work. It was also a time of cooking. Many ingredrents hadbeen placed in the pot — the awrad, the muragqaba (contemplation), the reading, the words of my Murshid and his breath! Now they were being slowly cooked. But, I kept asking myself, “How have I lifted off the lid?” Ego-flattening is difficult, to say the very least. During those seven 63

weeks the only words I had from him, a message conveyed to me through an intermediary, were: “The Journey 1. is long. | The Sea is deep. — Allah is with all of us. We must be with Him.”

This is the very core of the Teaching. “Allah is with all must be with Him.” In order to achieve perfection man “with” Allah. This is the struggle facing the traveller on Path. This is what the spiritual work is aimed at — To Allah, Always and Forever.

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of us. We must be the Sufi Be With

TER 12 fn the name of Miah , Most

Compassionate,

Most Mercyjul

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings. Allah Willing, a short letter! I think I have just come through quite a decisive stage in my Journey! So much inner turmoil combined with a week of physical pain has left me with little to say or write. But yesterday morning I had a dream which I would very much like to relate to you, if I may.

“You and I are sitting together talking. There are many people milling around us, but you and I are quite still. The atmosphere is very relaxed and casual and we are talking about many things, in an easy manner. All the time that we are talking I keep trying to cover my legs with my skirt. I keep arranging my skirt so that my legs are completely covered. I am very occupied with this action of concealing my legs.

Then we sit, cross-legged, facing each other. Slowly, we start spinning. Not individually, but we are spinning together. The spinning gets faster and faster. Then, slowly the spinning subsides and sitting in between us is a small girl who is veiled. You gently reach out for her, pick her up and move her aside, so that she is no longer between us. Then, the spinning recommences.” 65

The covering of my legs seems to me to be related to verse 27 in Sura 44 of the Holy Qur’an about the Queen of Sheba!!!? ae

ee

2

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1. “She was asked to enter the lofty Palace; but when she saw tt, she thought it was a lake of water, and she (tucked up her skirts), uncovering her legs. He (the Prophet

Solomon) said: “This is but a palace paved smooth with slabs ofglass.’ She said: ‘O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul: I do (now) submit (in Islam), with Solomon, to the Lord of the Worlds.”

And the young girl who is veiled — is she my spiritual immaturity, which, Allah Willing one day will be put aside?? 2. As has been said, many times, the murid must be alert. “We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and within themselves” says the Holy Qur’an. Surrounded, as he is, by signs which will assist him on the Journey, he must first recognize them as such, and learn how to read them. Discernment is then required as he chooses which course of study to pursue in order to further his understanding and knowledge of the particular sign. In this instance, the murid, though still not able to interpret the dream, can nevertheless expand his knowledge of the significance which has been gleaned from the dream.

My prayers are for you.. O Allah! Shower Thy Eternal Blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his Family and his Companions and Peace. Your murid Amatullah

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“Which then is best? — he that layeth his foundation on piety to Allah and His Good Pleasure? — or he that layeth his foundation on an undermined sand-cliff ready to crumble to pieces? And it doth crumble to pieces with him, into the fire of Hell. And Allah guideth not people that do wrong.” (al-Qur’an 9:109) One of the spiritual practices of our Tarigqa is called al-Asaas, which means “The Foundation” — a foundation which, when practised with sincerity and humility, will bring the murid to Felicity. Al-Asaas, which has come to us from the great Inheritor of the Prophet, Sayyidi Ibrahim al Qurayshi ad-Dasuqi — May we benefit ‘from his immense barakah — is a powerful part of the awrad and should never be left aside, even during times of sickness. (pe

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Al-Asaas is overflowing with barakah, and through the Grace of Allah this spiritual energy can bring true benefit to any genuine and sincere seeker of Truth who turns to this exalted adbkar with need and humility. If a seeker, who has not yet reached his Guide, so desires, he may practise al-Asaas.

Firstly he should cleanse himself with clean, flowing water. See THE VEHICLE OF LIGHT, And The Sky Is Not The Limit (Book Five), for full details about ritual purity. After having prepared himself in the manner described in the above book, the seeker should isolate himself in a secluded and quiet room or corner, sit comfortably and, with awareness and purpose, recite the following five formulas i) BISMILLAH-IR-RAHMAN-IR-RAHEEM ... 100 times. (translation — In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.)

HUWA-TAL-AZEEM, ii) ASTRAGHFIRULLAH TAUWAAB AR-RAHEEM ... 100 times. (translation - I seek the forgiveness of Allah, the Great, He is the Oft-Returning, the Merciful.) iii) LAA ILAHA ILLA ‘LLAH ... 100 times. (translation — There is no god, only Allah.)

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iv) YA.DA’YEM ... 300 times. (translation — O! Eternal.)

v) ALLAHUMMA SALLI ALA SAYYIDUNA MUHAMMADAN WA AALIHI WA SALAM ... 100 times. (translation — O Allah! Bless our Master Muhammad and his family and give them Peace.) The seeker should endeavour to turn himself to this blessed spiritual work twice every day — first, in the early morning, preferably

before sunrise, and then in the late afternoon, preferably before sunset — or as close to these times as he is able. Through the Infinite Grace of Allah this seeker will be preparing himself for the Journey Home. —————————— SSS

Without a strong foundation a strong and stable house cannot be

built. The house, in Tasawwuf, is the heart. Allah says in aHadith

Qudsi: “Fam with those whose hearts are broken for My sake.” The broken hearts are those hearts that have been dismantled, cleansed, polished and beautified with the remembrance of Allah. Only such a house, such a heart as this is in any way worthy of containing Allah. “My heavens and My earth contain Me not, but the heart of My believing slave does contain Me.”

The sacred centre of man contains all the beautiful virtues which give to him the supreme possibility of fulfilling his raison d’etre in becoming the viceregent of Allah. These virtues are the beautif ul character traits about which the Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — said: “I was sent to complete the noble character traits”. The virtues reflect the Beauty of a Pure Heart. Man can acquire these noble character traits by stripping them of the baseness which they have acquired as a result of

the Fall. The vices, such as vanity, arrogance, miserli ness, envy,

covetousness, anger and lust can be transformed into those radiant

virtues of gnosis, wisdom, forbearance, humilit y, generosity,

chastity and courage.

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To acquire a virtue is to eliminate a vice and by eliminating a vice one opens one’s self to Allah. Man must strive for perfection whilst remaining aware of his imperfection. It is his intention that counts. It takes time and effort to-eliminate.a vice and the means

to do so are the Dhikrullah.

|

The fact that a certain amount of suffering is inevitable and necessary during this process, cannot be restated too often. The seekers of Truth need to be prepared for this reality of travelling the True Spiritual Path, particularly in an era when the pseudo-spiritualists, with their man-made systems of self development, would have one believe that this so-called development is simple and effective! Their methods are dangerous, as they delve into dead systems and wallow in murky mazes of which they have no understanding. Under such indoctrination man is shown merely how to inflate himself. The murid who is situated within an authentic Tradition and is under the care and guidance of a Holy Man, is given the Divine means with which to surpass himself. The tribulations of the Spiritual Path are accompanied by unavoidable fears of the unknown territory in which the murid finds himself. Only if the murid has trust in the Murshid, and utter respect for the Noble Teaching, will he be able to endure the trial.

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LETTER 13 v the name of Allah, Most Compassionate,

Most Mercyful

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings.

Praise be to Allah and Eternal Blessings and Peace upon our Teacher Muhammad. During the last three weeks I feel as though I’ve been chewed-up and spat-out!!! I was proceeding very comfortably with my awrad, thinking to myself that I had broken through the sleep barrier, and being able to sit in dink? for two and a half hours each morning. I felt that the Journey was smoot — like h travelling through a big, beautiful plain with the road stretched out in front of me. Then, suddenly — the plain became a mountain, a sheer cliffl! My awrad hadn’t changed, but it seemed to be so difficult! How to sit for two and a half hours without dying!!! Without collapsing ina heap!!!

I had days when my mind was empty — I just sat staring in front of me or lying on my bed looking at the ceiling!

1. As the murid progresses with the personal spiritual work, (which is his and his only), and as the barakah which is hidden within his work starts toactivate certain inner mechanisms, the murid may experience times of relative mindlessness. During these times, be they seconds, minutes or even hours, try as he will to

70

retain one thought or follow through a chain of thoughts, he only finds himself drowning and going deeper into a realm of ‘no thought’. “Be in this world like a

stranger...”

:

/

Everything that surrounds him and everything that is within him seems strange and watery - unreal! The body, which has been used to being pampered, tries to save and defend itself during such experiences and the murid may find that his natural reaction is to stop and block this unseen force. My Murshid advised me to just go along with these experiences and not to attempt to stop or lessen them in any way. And, if _ the force of the experience seemed to be too much to bear he told me to lie flat on my back and breath slowly. And, of course, that breathing was always the Name — ALLAH. In an Hadith which deals with the tribulations that will occur near the end of the world, before the Day of Judgement, the Blessed Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — said: “Tribulation will come, and the believer will say, ‘This will finish me’, but it will pass. Another tribulation will come,

and he will say, ‘This is it’, but it will pass, and a third will come and go likewise.” The murid who contemplates this, and other related Hadiths, may start to understand a little about the “inner” Day of Judgement, the “inner” Hell, the “inner” Garden. This will be investigated in detail at a later stage in this present book - Allah Willing.

My head raged for eight whole days - one huge constant headache which then spread all down my spine! I couldn’t sleep. I kept worrying about my adab with you, but then consoled myself because I knew that you know me far better than I know myself. murid, and it is good for the murid to theSelf of his 2. In reality, the Murshid.is keep this truth everpresent in his heart because during times of difficulty and hard struggle, this reality will give him the necessary strength to persevere.

Last week, when we spoke of the trials and hardships of the Journey, you said to me “Do you want the hard road?” and instantly it became hard for me!? 3. It may appear to the murid that his Murshid says things and ‘miraculously makes them happen!’ At times the Murshid’s words are spoken to trigger-off a particular response from his murid, whilst at other times he is simply and plainly stating the very truth of the matter. Each seeker’s Path is pre-ordained, having been mapped out for him in Pre-Eternity. A Sufi saying goes: “The Paths to Allah are as numerous as the breaths of mankind.” If the essence demanded the hard

7a

road, then the murid will travel that hard road!

I have started reading Shaykh Fadhlalla’s commentary on

Surat Ya Sin; “Heart

of Qur’an

and Perfect

Mizan”.* 4, Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri HEART OF QUR?AN AND PERFECT

MIZAN, Zahra

Publications, 1983. Surat Ya Sin, the 36th sura of al-Qur’an, is called the heart of the Qur’an. It is the-sura-which is read over the dead and therefore is of immense

importance to the living. Contained within Surat Ya Sin are the following verses: “Then there came running, from the farthest part of the City, a man, saying, ‘O my People! Obey the messengers: obey those who ask no reward of you (for themselves), and who themselves have received guidance.” (20,21) This voice speaks to every man from within the depths of his heart - though not everyone can hear, and not everyone who hears actually listens and not everyone who listens believes and acts accordingly. The voice that calls the dead to Eternal Life. And, of Surat Ya Sin it is said, within the Tradition, that the-soul-efAdam — Peace be upon him — at first refused to enter the body of clay, and was drawn into it only-by celestial music, music which is

reproduced and contained within the recitation of Surat Ya Sin.

On page 33 he talks about the final stage of the seeker when he becomes completely and utterly limp, like a rag with air just coming in to him and going out of him again. It is a beautiful paragraph. Yesterday during a storm I stood on the back verandah watching a spider in his web — Praise be to Allah, he.was so beautiful — as the

rain poured down on him he simply went very limp and just hung there patiently waiting for the rain to stop! The rain stopped and he simply started mending his

web! Praise be to Allah — to be like that!®

5. Here again the murid is attentive to the signs “on the horizons”.

William Chittick finishes his two books - “The Sufi Path of Knowledge” and “The Sufi Path of Love” with a concept which exactly corresponds with my idea of my Murshid© 6. Earlier we noted how the murid does not initially grasp the true reality of the Murshid. Exalted words and lofty concepts about him dwelling in the spiritual world, and being a True Inheritor of the Prophet,.and_a slave of Allah, do tot penetrate deeply enough to be understood by the new murid. But, at this stage, believing in these concepts without yet having certainty, gives the murid all that is required for him to devote himself to and direct his love towards the Spiritual

AZ

Master. Then, gradually, with contemplation and reading, he will start to savour

the reality of his Murshid and will delight in this newly acquired knowledge. 7

“Know that crossing over the stations and the states is one of the specific characteristics of the Muhammadans. It belongs only to the People of Courtesy, those who sit with the Real on the carpet of awe with intimacy. They are perpetually in equilibrium, fixity and rest. However, they possess swift movements in their inward dimension with every breath: ‘You will see the mountains, that you supposed to be fixed, passing by like clouds’.” (Shaykh Ibn al’Arabi in The Sufi Path of Knowledge)

“Although the mountains are very steady — by Allah, they do not have our steadiness.” (Shaykh Rumi in The Sufi Path of Love) Brother A., I am trying desperately hard to observe correct adab with you. A very sweet calmness has pervaded me. Shaykh Abdul Qadir says in The Book of Strangers — “The Heart finds the Heart.”° 6. These words are surely a great comfort to the seeker who has not yet found his Spiritual Guide, because if his heart sincerely yearns for True Guidance, without doubt he will find it. The seeker should never forget thathe cannot remember

Allah unless Allah remembers him, so he must supplicate for Allah to remember_ himvand guide him and Tove him. “Call upon Me and-Lwill answer you.”

“With Companions Pure and Holy.”” 7. “But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, we shall soon admit to Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath, — their_eternal home : Therein shall they have companions pure and holy : We shall admit them to shades, cool and ever deepening.” (al-Qur’an 4:57).

“And say; My Lord, increase me in knowledge!” O Allah, Shower Thy Eternal Blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his Family and his Companions. Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings

40

Your murid Amatullah eh

* * ok

The Holy Qur’an says : “We have indeed created man in the best of moulds, then do We abase him to be the lowest of the low,” (95:4,5) Allah created man in the best of moulds, that is, upon His own form. Then, he was cast down into this world of manifestation, in

order to find himself and return to Allah with knowledge of his

own reality. There is also the saying, “The best when corrupted becomes the worst.” Corruptio optimi pessima. The first phase of _ the spiritual Journey is often referred to as “the descent into Hell”. It is here that the murid delves into the depths of his own self in order to discover the ‘worst’, which through repentance, can be transformed into the ‘best’. The discovery and acceptance of these base character traits is extremely painful. The murid can feel disgusted, disillusioned, bereft and dejected when faced with

his own ugly faults. The fire of repentance then blazes fiercely and, with time, the ugly are transformed into the beautiful. But, one may rightfully ask the question, “How does the murid change these ugly vices into beautiful virtues?” Actually, the murid doesn’t and cannot change or alter or transform anything. All he can do is apply himself, with sincerity and dedication, to the spiritual work. Man is like an unarmed warrior, facing a fierce and terrifying enemy. Standing alone and without weapons the situation is utterly hopeless. He has to be armed with the strongest weapons- in fact, the weapons must be from a Divine source nothing less than this can defeat such a satanic antagonist. Dhikr is the supreme weapon to conquer and destroy everything that impedes direct access to the sacred centre — to the Allah that is within.

Having not yet acquired an eye with which to ‘see’ the reality of

the Murshid, the murid often sees the inconsistencies and deficiencies of his own self reflected in the shining mirror of his

Murshid. For, as the Lovers of Allah say: “By the purity of our drink you see your faults in us.” 74

The valley through which I was travelling at this phase was dark and fearful. The questioning of the correctness of my adab became intolerable and I found the protracted silence, which my Murshid had imposed upon me, to be nearly unbearable. Why wasn’t my Murshid speaking to me? What terrible thing had I done? What did I say to upset him? Did I ask too many questions? How did I take the lid off the pot? At this time I really believed that I was a complete bother to my Murshid. I felt that he was fedup with me and was therefore giving himself a rest from my incessant questions. It takes time to understand the profound beauty of the love between Murshid and murid! ok ok

aD

“For many months I had been unsure of how to speak, write and act, with my Murshid. I had no one to consult. There are books specifically dealing with adab and most books on Tasawwuf make reference to this vitally important aspect, however, none of them ever mentioned female murids. The male murid knew exactly where he stood - how to act with his shaykh, how to sit with his |

shaykh, how to write to lis shaykh. I was so worried about how I should do these things.” AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p.102 “The intensity of my supplications grew and I was upset and full of anguish. I needed an answer to this confusion. When the moment was right and when my need had reached its limit I prayed for a sign so that my heart could be cleared of this turbidity.” Ibid. p.114.

LETTER 14 72 the PUNE Of - Ullah od Wost

Com, DASSLONALE,/

. Wost - Vercyjul

Dear Brother? A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings.

Praise be to Allah and Eternal Blessings and Peace upon our Beloved Master Muhammad.

Can I actually make a dream occur, or is it that what I desire and what is actually destined for me have coincided and appeared at the same moment? Ibn Ata’Illah says in his Hikam:

“Antecedent intentions cannot pierce the walls of predestined decrees.”

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1. THE BOOK OF WISDOM, Hikmah Number 3, p.47. There comes a time in the travelling when the. murid arrives at a point of understanding some of the sacred knowledge which is contained at his centre. This is the knowledge which is not to be found in books. This is the knowledge which, through the barakah of the spiritual work, he is now eligible to inherit. Slowly and almost imperceptibly, ignorance is taken away and knowledge appears in its place. The murid may experiences many wonderful and many fearful things on his Journey, experiences which, by their very nature are difficult to put into words. It is here that the great writings on Tasawwuf open up and offer themselves to the receptive murid. The Lovers of Allah, whom Allah has inspired with clear words, manage to express the inexpressible and in so doing are able to communicate profound meanings to the heart. In a moment, like a lightning flash, the murid has understood! He has understood what he is reading because that particular knowledge, which previously was hidden at his sacred centre, has now been unearthed.

You know how troubled I’ve been during these last few weeks regarding my relationship with my Murshid. As I said to J. this morning: “It would be easier if I was ‘Abdullah rather than Amatullah!” Male instead of female!!? 2. The murid has not, as yet, been able to look beyond the ‘form’ to the essence. This is the inevitable result of a lifetime spent in observing phenomena, thinking that the things or persons seen are their outward form only. The journey from ‘form’ to essence, or meaning, takes time.

Today, after Zubr prayer, | would not actually put it into words (I dared not!), but my very core was yearning for a sign that I had not been guilty of incorrect adab, that I had not poured out my heart too much in my recent letters to you. I longed to have a reassurance that ‘All is well.’ So, after praying, I had my little nap, and Praise be to Allah, there you were in front of me in a dream,

dressed in white with your white turban. You were smiling radiantly, reassuring me that everything is okay. You were saying that I was strong and that everything is going strong. You said: “You wanted the lot! Pm giving you the lot!!”8 3. It must be remembered that each murid’s load is his own personal load, and, what is “the lot” for one murid may be “just a little” for another. This all goes back to Pre-Eternity when the souls of the, as yet uncreated, Children of Adam,

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demanded all that would be given to them in their earthly lives.

In this dream, I kept looking at you, questioningly! You smiled and nodded your complete and total reassurance.

Praise be to Allah. But, did I make this dream appear just to make me feel better? You once told me that our dua always reaches the one for whom it is made! May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala draw you nearer to Him in each and every moment. Ameen. O Allah! Shower Thy Eternal Blessings and Peace upon our Master Muhammad and his Family and his Companions and Peace. Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings.

Your ‘very young’ murid Amatullah * ook

The manifested world is like the “breathing” of the Divinity. All

worlds, all universes, the entire creation, are the “breathing” of Allah. Allah “breathes out” the realm of cosmic manifestation.

The “breathing” of the Murshid is able to, not only awaken the murid’s consciousness to the power of “the breath”, but it can also set him on an endless and bewildering contemplation of the Divine Breathing. The potential hidden within the murid’s own breath subtly starts to manifest itself, as his awrad does its work. The speed of the spiritual work can be assisted if the Murshid gives to this hidden potential a fine and gentle push — a thrust in

78

an upward direction — towards the Mystery of the “breath”. As with every aspect of the Teaching, the “murid sets out on a smaller journey within The Journey, to examine and explore this freshly revealed artery from the Heart. The murid prudently puts his toe into the water — testing the temperature. He steps in; then wades out a bit; a bit further; and further still — suddenly, he is out

of his depth ~ swimming in the Mystery and understanding very little at all! But, a Mystery remains a Mystery, no matter how deeply one may be able to penetrate it.

A telephone conversation or a face-to-face meeting with the Murshid, or a cassette recording of his voice, may be the vital catalyst which will set into motion the murid’s longing to explore this new Mystery. The Murshid breathes and mysteriously, the murid is energized! This spiritual energy is the barakah which was transmitted to the Murshid from his own Murshid, who received it from his Murshid who in turn received it from his Murshid. Up along the chain of transmission, from Murshid to Murshid to Murshid, until the beginning of the chain is reached — The Holy

Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace. And,

The

Prophet

Muhammad

is the Beloved

of Allah,

Habibullah, “but for whom there would have been no created spheres.” And, “Allah took a handful of His Light and said — ‘Be! Muhammad.” The murid, here and now, receives the transmitted barakah of the

breath from the Source. This surely is a Mystery.

8

12

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LETTER

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Allah, Most

Gom, hUSStONALE,

Most Merciful

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

May Allah — Great and Glorious is He — bless you in each moment and may all of your grateful murids benefit from your barakah. Ameen.

Perhaps one day I won’t even have to rely on letters, or words, or speech!! , 55, 9, ed oneself, of having mistaken arrogance for sincerity; the fear that one has total‘ly misunderstood everything that has been experienced so far on the Spiritual Journey; the sickening and lurking fear that the Murshid has finally opened the Pandora’s Box of the murid’s lower self and revealed monsters of the most hideous kind. And the worst fear of all - the fear that Allah Almighty has forgotten this murid.

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Jalal-ud-Din wrote a beautiful passage in Fiht ma Fili about all this:

“Man imagines that he will be able to drive away his own reprehensible attributes by exertion and holy war. After striving earnestly and expending his strength and means, he falls into despair. Then Allah says to him, ‘You imagined that you would accomplish this task through your WN

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strength, activity and effort. This is the Wont that I faze ‘established: expend everything that you have in Our Le, pe Ss

Then Our Bounty will come to you. In this endless road, ~~ We command you to travel with your_own feeble hands and feet. Indeed, in a hundred thousand years you will ‘not arrive at the first waystation. However, when you

travel this road until your legs are exhausted and you fall down flat, until you have no more strength to move forward, then Allah’s grace will take you in its arms.”

Brother A., in a way, maybe Allah’s grace was your telling me to stop all of the previous dhikr and giving

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me my new work? Is that possible, or am I once again far, far off the mark? Or is it simply that1in this mujahada, ‘Round.1’ goes to the Horse of Fire;> and I have so

many bad elements hidden within eee that I am a .very ‘hard nut to crack’? Has this collapse come just to show me how spiritually immature I am? To show me how truly weak I am? 5. The horse of fire.is man’s

fiery nature contained.within his physical body. This

horse must bettame and ‘trained and ¢transformed, so that it works for the murid,

“not against him. The fire represents anger. The Holy Prophet Muhammad - May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace - said, “The strong man 1s not the one who is strong in wrestling, but the one who controls himself in anger.” He also said, “When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down.” He advised the one who became angry to perform the ablution, for Water puts ‘out Fire. The face of the angry man becomes red and ugly. This horse of fire must ‘be controlled.

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I used to have an old horse up on our farm — her name e* was Bouboulina. She was a horse of fire — she was impossible to train in any way! She would kick and snort and get very, very angry! Well, Allah Willing, my horse of fire isn’t another Bouboulina!! But, oh, Brother A., your other words of Saturday have just returned to me. You said — “Hewho asks for patience isasking for difficulties!” Yes, nowv Iunderstand! One San possibly develop patience unless one isput into situations and subjected to circumstances which require patience! If. If life was always smooth sailing and trouble tree, how could patience. eeeslansa Though, I think

patience when I pray “My Lord, increase me in knowledge!” And, with my new work, I know what I must do,

because one week before my crash you indicated it all to me. I have gone back over our conversations, picking up(?G _ «all of thezsharah which you gave — the contemplation; M4 mM 6) the reading and meditatio#-on various” ayats of al| Qur’ an, the searching through the Mighty Book for every La aha wlallah”. 1 knew as soon as you spoke “Spanner

(4) Gy r

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about all this that it was for me, and at that stage I wondered how I would ever find the time for the contemplation and the study. But now, Praise be to Allah, you have given me the time. Allah Willing, as soon as I recover from this illness I will then start reading the Qur’an again. But all I seem to have done for the last four days is sleep. I remember once you told me about the one who is in khalwa, who is constantly in dhikr and does not allow himself any sleep, but when he really has to sleep, he sleeps. For this weak murid, who hasn’t been in khalwa - sleep has taken over! Khalwa seems like a total impossibility for me at this moment - what strength those murids must be receiving from Allah!® is no power and no strength 6. Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah. There meena see soe een x ee A a constitution of iron and mean necessarily not does except with Allah. Strength a determination of steel. Real Strength is the awareness that one has absolutely

that one owns anyNO strength. Real Strength is to be freed from the illusion

thing. Real Strength is to be able to let go andlet Allah do with oneself whatever He wills. ie ae

May Allah give me the strength to wash away all my knowledge and all my action so that all knowledge and

action come to me from my Murshid. Ameen. —

Allah Willing, one day I will be finely-tuned enough to receive all you have to send. You said, “Makeit easy on yourself, don’t makett hard”.

How have I made it hard on myself when I have been doing all you have told me to do? Allah Willing I have the strength for this Journey. Today I am crawling, sapped of energy. Laa hawla wa laa quwwata ila billaht al--Ali, al-Azeem.

From my heart, love and gratitude. Oh Allah! Shower Thy Eternal Blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his Family and his Companions and Peace.

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Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings. WAAAY

Your murid, ih need,~. Amatullah K

*

“Tasawwuf ts for life. Tasawwuf is total sincerity. Tasawwuf is the complete and never-ending Remembrance of Allah. Tasawwuf is ceaseless Alikr. Tasawwuf is Unity.” AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p.111

“My Murshid is taking me now, at this exact moment, on the Journey into the Light of the Presence. My Murshid is taking me to my Lord.”

Ibid. p.126

Martin Lings writes in A CENTURY:

SUFI SAINT OF THE TWENTIETH

“.. he (Shatkh’Alawi) was quite ruthless in his method. He would

put them in khalwah for weeks at a time if need be, and sometimes for months. For many of the fugqara, even for most, this was difficult to endure; but what might have been intolerable in other circumstances was made relatively easy because the Shaikh knew how to provoke ‘a state of spiritual concentration.’ None the less, some of the fugara would come out of khalwah almost in a state of collapse, dazed in both body and soul, but the Shaikh was indifferent to this provided that some degree of direct knowledge had been achieved. Moreover the fagir would usually recover his balance very soon, while at the same time a complete break had been made between him and his former life.” p.105

It must be understood that there is, in the Words of the Holy Qur’an, “Mo compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from

error: The alchemical work of the awrad which is handed to the

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murid by the Spiritual Master can only be operative if, and only if, the murzd is willing to undergo the transformation of his self. The Master is not a Svengali or a Franquin, who by hypnotizing his naive followers, makes them do things against their will. 4 The _murid who recognizes _his utter helplessness and essential need for Guidance has s already achieved a high degree ofssuccess in his travelling.

previous letter, ‘the murid’s honour and respect for the Murshid ‘increases immensely. Now he is acutely aware of the fact that with-

out the bavakab of the Silsilat of the Tariga to protect and aid him m through |this decisive and| dangerous stage of the Journey he would possibly lose his sanity. Such serious psychological and physical imbalances are amongst the most horrifying dangers facing certain people who unwittingly follow the cepirosdSGU a i and pseudo-spiritualists. of false gurus z K

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LETTER 28 pn the name of MNlah, Most Compassionate, Most Meregul

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings. May Allah Bless you for Eternity.

And I know you know what is in my heart; many things I cannot express without falling into exaggeration.! 1. On this Journey there is a tirhe for words and there is a time for silence. The muria has now entered a phase where reflection and silence are required. This may in fact be extremely difficult for the murid due to his intense need to know “just what has happened” to him. The Murshid may actually impose silence upon him. He may give quite precise and clear indications that it would be advisable for his murid to contemplate all the profound states through which he has just travelled. The murid ALWAYS has to do the work himself. And, because of the intense nature of the stages just traversed, he has quite possibly become used to over-exaggeration; an almost inevitable outcome of the previous spiritual travelling. A time for the murid to sit quietly and place all of his trust in Allah. As my Murshid often said, with reassurance, “You are in Good Hands.”

The pen doesn’t rest so easily in my hand anymore and the heart is tremulous! s¥ BF

Brother A., I realized several days ago that I had been saying to myself — “I will not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas.” and “Truly we have suffered 160

much fatinue at this stane of our Journey.” 2. “Behold, Musa said to his attendant, ‘I will not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in travel.’ © (al-Qur’an 18:60) “When they had passed on (some distance), Musa said to his attendant: “Bring us our early meal; truly we have suffered much fatigue at this (stage of) our journey.” (al-Quran 18:62) These two profound verses from Sura al-Kahf are overflowing ~ with mystical significance. As the murid travels the Path of Return, he may, through the Grace of Allah,-be-blessed with insight into the verses of the Holy Qur’an< This gift of insight, basirah, may-be-given to thedevotee when his heart has become-the-purified and sanctified House of Allah. A House where Allah Almighty will take up Residence. “The heavens and the earth contain Me not, but the heart of My believing slave does contain Me.”

Allahu Akbar. Those beautifully powerful verses now are of immense significance to me. I feel that maybe I’ve tasted real fatigue, but from within the centre of that fatigue there is a real cry of “I will not give up!” Allah Willing. There is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Mighty. My body looks and feels like a ruin, but Praise be to Allah, Jalal-ud-Din says: “Wherever there is a ruin, there is hope for a treasure.” Allah Willing. But, it’s the heart that has to break

and become a ruin, not just the body! This is along, hard, cold winter.> 3. The poetry of Jalal-ud-Din Rumi contains many allusions to the spiritual Winter through which the yearning lover must pass as he ascends to his Beloved.

See THE TRIUMPHAL SUN; also THE SUFI PATH OF LOVE; and the various Rumi translations by Coleman Barks. For a deeper penetration into the Winter and Summer aspects of the Sufi Path see the last two chapters of THE BOOK OF CERTAINTY, Abu Bakr Siraj Ed-Din, Samuel Weiser, 1974.

Yesterday was a hard day. I was full of fear.* 4. A certain degree of fear is inevitable when the murid enters another valley, a fresh stage of the Journey. And, as was earlier mentioned, the murid who now and experiences his own descent into Hell will indeed be gripped with panic trait. character ugly dread as each moment seems to disclose yet another base and g to He must always _place himself, with emptiness, before his Qur’an, supplicatin

his Lord for guidance.and wisdom. «

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tobefirm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughand

(alout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, those who fear Allah.” Qur’an 2:177)

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Then, those beautiful words of the Blessed Lover of

Allah, Sayyidi Ibrahim al Qurayshi ad-Dasugi, in his “A/ Salaah adh-Dhatiyya”> came to me with more meaning than ever before! “Quieten my fears, decrease my faults. Remove my afflictions and desires.” I spent the day fluctuating between fear and hope! 5. See Letter 9, Note 9.

I’ve been thinking about: t) Suruhu la ilaha illallah 11) Babahu Muhammadan Rasulullah it) Miftaahuhu la hawla wa la quwwata illa billalf 6. These words, also by Sayyidi Ibrahim al-Qurayshi Dasuqi, Al Tahseen ash-Sharif, The Noble Protection:

are from his litany

[I enter the protection whose founder is ALLAH] 1) Suruhu laa tlaha illa Allah. (“whose celestial fortress is ‘There is no god, only Allah.’”)

li) Baabuhu Muhammadan Messenger of Allah.’”)

Rasulullah. (“whose door is ‘Muhammad 4

is the

ii) Miftaahuhu laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah. (“whose key is ‘There is no power and no strength except with Allah ~~)

And, once again, I was o the right books which contained impo. tant indicatiois for me!

I opened “A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century”, and there was written; “The Folk have denied the existence of other-than-Allah and they have found rest and have entered His Fortress, never to leave It.”

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I opened “The Meaning of Man”, and there was written, “Rasulullah - May the Blessings of Allah be upon lim and Peace - said, I am the treasury of knowledge and its door is by me.” 5

And I feel that the key, Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa \ billah, is to truly, totally and utterly surrender. Not to desire other than what-you are now. Not to want anythingto’ appear in a given moment other than what Allah has made manifest in that moment. | >

Sidi Ali al-Jamal says; “Know that we are a people who do not seck anything except Allah.” That is the key to the door in the fortress wall. But, Brother A., the whole mystery is — how to put the key in the lock, to turn it,

to open the door and to enter!! — May Allah give me the highest himma for this Journey.’ 7. Sometimes, the vast scope of the work undertaken within the Tariqa, coupled with the acute awareness of one’s own ignorance in the Face of Ultimate Truth, can overawe the struggling murid. “How,” he may wonder, “how am I ever going to understand or penetrate ANY of this?” Every portion of newly-acquired knowledge brings with it a further ignorance of the next piece of knowledge which lies awaiting discovery.

Brother A., today I went up to Brisbane to have a check-up at the doctor’s. ’ve been more than a little nervous about this visit. I know I subjected my body to immense strain and suffering since you were with us last July, and because it is all new ground that Pve been travelling over I was afraid I may have pushed myself too hard. All this has shown me how little trust I have!! May Allah forgive me for my lack of trust. Praise be to Allah, all went well with the doctor. She

was a little concerned over my weight loss and rapid pulse — my pulse was racing because I was so nervous about going to the doctor!! Vicious circle! She thinks I may have an over-active thyroid gland, but it seems to me that the symptoms are fairly similar to being in a Tariga - weight loss, nervousness, large eyes, heavy breathing!! I told her I’d been working pretty hard lately — really pushing myself.

Jalal-ud-Din speaks of the frail, pale and submissive lover who is carried by every draft in a new direction,

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whose appearance is like a tiny piece of yellow straw being drawn to amber. And he speaks of “the illness which 1s more agreeable than health.” And he says, “Take the pulse ofyour heart-and religion, and see how you are, and look once into the vial of actions!”

Brother A., am I clinging heavily to the earth, this body of mine? Sidi Ali al-Jamal says of the gnostics, “Had He cast them into the punishment of al-Jahim® it would have been more beloved to them than anything.” 8. Much has been written about some of the seemingly exaggerated, and often contradictory statements made by Sufi Masters. However, such statements are vehicles for profound truths; truths which require the shattering of reason to become manifest. Frithjof Schuon has written extensively on this subject. See

SUFISM: VEIL AND QUINTESSENCE. In the above quotation al-Jahim is Hell. A subtle twist is indicated by the murid’s having actually chosen to quote these words, at this time. A personal Hell is itself now being experienced by the

murid, who knows that Allah has put him there and, look! ... he does not complain!

To be in Taslim? in each moment. A heart so full of Allah Almighty, overflowing with Taslim, receiving with purity the constaht flow of revelations that descend into it. To live in complete conformity to the Will of Allah. Praise be to Allah. 9. Taslim is the ultimate stage of Knowledge of Allah. Taslim is Perfect Surrender in the Face of this Absolute. It is that exalted stage of utter slavehood, where man, knowing his proper place in the hierarchy of creation, adores his Lord with total certainty. This is the stage referred to in the Holy Qur’an: “Behold his Lord

said to him [Ibrahim]: Surrender!’. he said: I have surrendered to the Lord of the

Worlds.” (2:131) The Self that has arrived at Taslim is the Nafs al-Kamila, the Perfect Self. This is the ultimate.

I read this beautiful poem by Sana’i in “Divine Flashes”: O frog in the unbounded waters, struggle on, keep swimming. Who knows? Perhaps ...... 164

I feel like that frog! I want to phone you and I’m trying not to!! I don’t know how long my firm resolve will last!19 10. The silence which the murid is attempting to observe can be a hard struggle and a trial, particularly if the murid is a solitary traveller. Without a companion, with whom many spiritual words could be exchanged, the isolated murid can experience periods of intense constriction. Having another member of the family as a fellow traveller does not necessarily mean that such mystical conversations occur, because often the actual “closeness” of the two, be it brother and sister or husband and wife, can create a barrier to such a sharing.

O Allah! Shower Thy Eternal Blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his Family and his Companions and Peace.

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Your murid Amatullah * ok ok

(“If the murid always has the image of the Murshid before his heart r Murshid 1s seen | he will never forget his goal, because whenevethe

| Allahis remembered — and Allah is TheGoal.” - AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p.126 ee

The heart and the mind of the murid must be wiped clean. A blank page without any calligraphy. A fresh white canvas awaiting the inspired images. An empty computer screen in readiness for new words. A purified heart and a serene mind, free and prepared for whatever Allah Almighty wills to give. But, as soon as the murid thinks; “I’m empty now!”, he has actually started writing on the blank page, painting on the canvas, typing into the computer.

Again he struggles to free himself of images, of thoughts, of ideas. Once again they creep onto the page, the canvas and the screen. Perplexity. How to be empty! 165

We cannot empty ourselves in readiness for Allah. It isAllah Himself Who empties us. We strive and struggle. Nothing hap; pens. Yet without the efforts and. without the yearning, no Grace would descend into the empty heart and the empty mind. Only in retrospect can we say; “I really WAS empty then!!” He (Prophet Musa) said : “O my Lord! Show Thyself to me, That I may look upon Thee.” Allah said : “By no means Canst thou see Me (direct)...”

(al-Qur’an 7:143) ( “Ihsan (perfection) af

is to worship Allah like you see Him, and if you Se

do not see Him, you should know that He.seesyou.”

(The Holy Prophet Muhammad upon lim and Peace.)

— Myf the Blessings of Allah be : ,

“When you are there, Allah is not. When Allah is there, you are not.” * 2k ok

The enemy within has been subdued — to a certain extent. But, this is only a lull in the battle. He is resting and preparing for a new offensive. At this point in the Journey the murid may be given a new awrad with which to slaughter the sneaky nafs.

The murid who endeavours to “die before he dies”, by sitting in ’ perpetual dhzkr, will conquer the nafs al-ammara.

“Let not the Unbelievers think that they can get the better (of the oaly): They will never frustrate (them). Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah

doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly.” (al-Qur’an 8:59,60)

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“O ye who believe! Fight the Unbelievers who gird you about, and let a them find firmness in you: and know that Allah is with those who fear Him.” (al-Qur’an 9:123)

This is theJihadal-Akbar, Your enemy is very close at home.

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This new valley of the Journey can be a dark valley indeed. The muria who has entered this strange and unknown territory can become overconcerned about the physical body which has just undergone such immense strain. Try as he will to contain his worry and to ignore his bodily discomfort, he may nonetheless find that he complains, almost constantly, about his physical condition. Complaining and grumbling, thinking that one has a dreadful illness. The Murshid’s stern words can act as the most powerful deterrent to these excesses in feeling somewhat “sorry for oneself.” - lagAber fas

“You must trytoaccept all of this. You don’t want to throw a bucket of cold water r over allthework we have done, do you?” All of the work which had been done in the first stage a my Journey, the stage which took me “around the corner”, was replaced by the celestial sword of Laa ilaha illa’llah— there is no god, only Allah. So powerful, so supremely effective was this dhikr) that I soon found myself, face-to-face, with my own personal Day ¢& of Judgement; a Day of Judgement hich was to become newly manifested in each moment. I started observing myself through the microscope, watching my thoughts, my actions, my reactions. © |

I watched myself withsuch a critical eye, judging everything I did,

and-actions, my speech and hearstriving to purify my thoughts an ing, my sight — everything. I wass calling reel to account before I to account. Each moment - the Day of Judgement. “was called

The Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him before you are asked tto and Peace — said, viitkesaccount of)yourself be give account.” teNga

ee

“On that Day will men proceed in companies sorted out, to be shown 167

Alhambra, Granada, Spain

the Deeds that they (had done). Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good, see it! and anyone who has done an atom’s weight of evil, shall see it!” (al-Qur’an 99:6,7,8) % oK ok

“The wolf always eats that sheep which 1s outside the group.” In this Tradition of the Holy ‘Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon him and Peace — we are given a clear indication of aye the necessity to gather together all the disparate aspects of our “self, uniting and harmonizing them, in order to bring about that perfect balance which is the essential nature of “man as khalifah of Allah.” When the self is dispersed, scattered and separated, - ee or that is, a “self at odds with itself”, then those elements which are in disequilibrium have in fact wandered and strayed from the ulti- 9%rohitele. mate safety of Unity. Such a dispersed self will inevitably be eaten) »% 9), and consumed by the wolf. The murid must not allow himself to Vw Tay , it in this manner. He must constantly be watching, on be split guard, aa doorkeeper” tohis own heart. ¢

* ok ok

The murid has made.the frightening descent into the hell of his own self. He has endeavoured to cut through the enemy with the sword of Laa ilaha illa’llah. Each moment

he has witnessed his

own-personal Day of Judgement, looked to the deeds which he ¢ on has sent_on before him, and found them to be extremely paltry. qu The physical realm has Begone like a cage, and at this time he may, call, in distress: “IU never get out of this prison! I'll never get out fe this prison!”; to which his Murshid may well reply: “Tt sounds to me as though you are very Homesick.”

To become homesick for the Real Home, that Divine and Tranquil Centre at the very Heart of man’s being, is to be greatly blessed, for such a Homesickness is a_gift from Allah,it_ is the Grace of Allah. “And, such a True Homesickness leaves the ailing one no rest. He will devote all of his days and all of his nights to that work which will get him a there” again. Trying-to get back to “how he was, _ before he was.’

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LETTER 29 n the name Sf Miah,

Most

Compassionate,

_ Most Mercyul

Dear Brother A.,

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings.

May your physical pain be easing. May Allah, the Great and Glorious comfort and strengthen you. May my du’a reach you. Ameen

Praise be to Allah, you indicated to me to look to and contemplate, the beautiful Sura 106, Quraish. This morning I have learned it “by heart”. 1. “For the covenants (of security and safeguard enjoyed) by the Quraish, their covenants (covering) journeys by winter and summer, — let them adore the Lord of tls House, Who provides them with food against hunger, and with security against fear (of danger).” (al-Qur’an, Sura 106). At this decisive and delicate stage of the Journey, when the murid feels trapped within this earthly prison whilst yearning to escape from it, the numerous forces which are in wild activity both externally and internally, can wear him down quite considerably. He is in need of a reassurance, a Divine Reassurance, that Allah, al-Latif (the Subtle One) is watching and protecting him. Sura Quraish is one such Reassurance. To enter into this Particular Sura, with need and trust, is to enter another manifestation of the Invincible Fortress of Allah. The Holy Prophet Muhammad — May the Blessings of Allah be upon lim and Peace - would pray: “I seek refuge in the Total Word of Allah from the mischief of created things.”

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It is as though I had never ever read this Sura ever before! Meanings, like diamond bullets, pierced me. Journeys by Summer and Winter.” 2. The hidden meanings of the verses of the Holy Qur’an may reveal themselves gradually or, with the swiftness and hardness and preciousness of a diamond bullet, the heart may be pierced, in a flash. The Spiritual Journey affords countless opportunities for such startling unveilings, especially when, through direct experience, a channel is cleared in readiness for the murid to receive a celestial ray of understanding.

I read in Letter 30 of The Darqawi Way - “By Allah, we only say ‘Sayyid’ to the one who breaks our fetters.® 3. Sayyidi means “my Master”, and such an honoured title should only be placed on the man, a khalifah of Allah, who has guided the traveller to knowledge of himself. When the fetters are broken the traveller is freed from illusion and perceives things with his basirah, his inner eye. And, with such a perception, he is able to discriminate between the Real and the transitory, and he is able to see that Allah is the Doer. The Murshid, The Lover of Allah whom he calls “Sayyid”, is the khalifah through whom Allah’s work is done.

And last night I read in “The Meaning of Man” “Oh the happiness of the one who has had ts inner eye opened by Allah and recognizes one of the people of this Prophetic relationship.” And, Praise be to Allah, also -

“The quality is that it is the same to him whether the Shaykh is present or absent. He benefits from him in his absence as he benefits from him when he 1s present. He benefits from him when he is silent as he benefits from him when he speaks.” Though, I hope, Allah Willing, to be able to sit with you, when the time is right. “If the reality of the wali were unveiled, he would be worshipped.” Brother A., yesterday you recommended that I start writing, with the view to putting all this in book form. I truly thought it would be several years before you asked me to attempt this! Perhaps this is why I am now in such isolation, where my only outlet is through the pen!

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Allah Willing I shall phone you in a week or two, after having thought about all this, and we can talk a little about such, an undertaking.* Allah Willing, by acting upon-your recommendation to put all of this in writing, I can truly try to serve you. 4. It is here that the nafs al-ammara once again steps-in with full force, asserting itself and inflating the murid with ideas of self-esteem and importance. “Ahh! At last! My Murshid has said to write a book! O! How much I have inside me worth saying!!” But, Praise be to Allah, the Lover of Allah who is guiding the murid through this tangled maze of illusion and delusion, knows the tricks and deceit of the lower self and the extent of his murid’s sicknesses and spiritual imbalances. It takes only a few strong and heavy words from the Murshid to hit the rising nafs al-ammara, and give it the coup de grace. Shock tactics are often required to give the death blow to the nafs al-ammara.

In Kernel of the Kernel is written — “It easy is not to become a Perfect Man. It 1s only possible to find a Perfect Man and hold_on to his hand and serve him. Surrender yourself to a Perfect Teacher, and also become a person.es 5. To love Allah means to eliminate from the ‘Self allthat prevents Allah from |entering dt. Only man has the capacity to love Allah in a total manner and to reach the station of being Perfect Man. Allah says in the Qur’an: “We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused tocarry it and were afraid ofiit; and “man carried it” (33: 72) It is the carrying of this Trust which makes man Perfect Man, the one in Whom Allah contemplates His Own Perfection. The Perfect Man is always in equilibrium, he is totally*balanced, being the manifestation of the AllComprehensive Name, Allah, that Name which contains all of the Beautiful Names. See ‘Abd al-Karim al-Jili AL-INSAN AL-KAMIL, Translation by Titus Burckhardt, UNIVERSAL MAN, Beshara Publications, 1983. Also Rene Guenon, SYMBOLISM OF THE CROSS, Luzac and Co., 1975.

Surely living in these canefields is steeped in quite wonderful symbolism. It is now August, the middle of Winter, and all of the canefields are being burned — an immense conflagration which causes all the sugar to rise and ripen!! I am surrounded by the roar of flames, huge flames, and the sky is filled with thick, brown smoke and hash the fire the sweetness is rising. Praise be to

Allah.

When we spoke about the Phoenix,® Praise be to Allah, you said that you felt sure that this Phoenix would rise, 172

not from the ashes, but from the flames!!! 6. The Phoenix (simurgh or anga) is said to represent the Perfect Man, the way-

farer who is in union, and one who has gnosis of the Divine Essence. It often symbolizes the spirit of the saint or the saint himself. “IfIam to fly from the nest of existence like theSimurgh, I must take flight from my self and abandon every-

A pacVere a a

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Brother A., I keep looking into Tahseen ash-Sharif, and always find new wonders! Praise be to Allah. Suruhu la ilaha ila’llah = Tawhid Babahu Muhammadan Rasulullah

= Ubudtyyah

(Slaveness)

Miftaahuhu la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah = Istislam’ 7. The Spiritual Journey of Return is overflowing with beauties, and one of the

of these beautiesisthe endlessness of the Journey Itself. The most dazzling Journey is a Return to Allah, and Allah, Who is Eternal and Infinite, has no End.

Therefore when one immerses himself in contemplation of the Real that contem-

plation becomes an-endless journey in itself. Each moment brings with it a new knowledge, and the one who receives this knowledge is also in a state of constant

change. The “you” who is now reading this line of this page is not the same

*You” who read the first line of this page. When sitting in contemplation one

may suddenly say, “I’ve got it!”, but, the next instant the contemplator is different and the “I” who had just “got it!” has been left behind and the new Deis seeking a further understanding. “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” In this letter, contemplation and dhikr of the Litany, Tahseen ash-Sharif, have opened up new understandings for the murid, who then keeps searching for more},

O Allah! Shower Thy Eternal Blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his Family and his Companions and Peace.

Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings. Your murid Amatullah * kK

173

“Tt is for him to do his spiritual work, to hand over his will to his Murshid and to put all his trust in Allah Almighty.” AND THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT, p.127. CVA >

“Throughout the journey the salik ts testing himself to see the degree of his trust, but this profoundly beautiful quality cannot appear within him before its right moment. The moment will arrive and he will be able to say with utter conviction: “Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah” ... And the murid will submit, just a little more and say - Alhamdulillah - Praise be to Allah.” «Ibid. p.134

“Here 1s the sweet fruit of the dhikr. The murid ts no ing the Qur'an with just-dis.two.physical eyes. The eve of his heart, his basivahisstartingtoopen, and it is within the heart that the truthsofthe Holy Qur’an reveal themselves in such a radiant