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[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 198

Dhikr (Recitation of God’s Names)

Literally meaning mentioning, remembrance, and recollection, in the speech of the Sufis dhikr denotes regular recitation of one or some of God’s Names in the same recitation session. Some spiritual or Sufi orders prefer to recite: Allah (the proper Name of the Divine Being); others recite: There is no god but God, the declaration of Divine Unity; and others recite one or a few of the other Names according to the choice of the order’s master.

Like thankfulness, such recitation is a duty of servanthood to be performed both verbally and actively, and also with one’s heart and other faculties of conscience. Verbal recitation ranges from mentioning God Almighty with all His Beautiful Names and sacred Attributes; praising, exalting, and glorifying Him; proclaiming one’s helplessness and destitution before Him in prayer and supplication; reciting and following His Book (the Qur’an); and voicing His signs in nature and the seal special to Him on each thing and event.

Recitation by the faculties of conscience, primarily the heart, consists of reflecting on the proofs of His Existence and Unity, and His Names and Attributes radiating in the book of creation (the universe); meditating on His orders and prohibitions, His promises and threats, and the reward and punishment issuing from His Lordship to design or order our lives; and trying to penetrate the mysteries behind the veil of visible existence by studying creation and following certain spiritual disciplines. In addition, one repeatedly observes the heavenly beauties manifested as a result of such instances of penetration; and thinks that whatever exists in the universe pulses with messages from the high empyrean world, manifesting the meaning of the invisible world and functioning as a window upon the Truth of Truths.

Those who feel this constant pulsing existence, hear the invisible world speaking eloquently, and observe the manifestations of Grace and Majesty through those windows are so enraptured with such unimaginable spiritual pleasure that one hour spent with such pleasure is equal to hundreds of years spent without it. As a result, they advance along their way to eternity lost in Divine gifts and spiritual delight. When the one reciting feels the light of His Glorified Face surrounding all existence, he or she is rewarded with the sight of indescribable scenes and, becoming aware of all other beings reciting God’s Names in its own tongue, begins to mention Him with many of His Names.

Reciting God’s Names sometimes causes the reciter to enter a trance-like state in which one’s self is lost. Those who enter this entranced state or ecstatic contemplation utter such phrases as: There is no existent save He, There is nothing seen save He, and There is no god but God. There are others who, meaning and keeping in mind all Divine Names according to the inclusiveness of their consciousness, pronounce only save God and continue to declare His Unity. These seconds spent in this atmosphere of nearness to God and His company, the seconds of light and radiance, are much happier and more rewarding with respect to eternal life (in the Hereafter) than years spent with no light. This is what is referred to in a saying attributed to the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings: I have a time with my God when neither any angel nearest to God nor any Prophet sent as Messenger can compete with me. [1]

Active or bodily recitation consists in practicing religion with utmost care, enthusiastically performing all obligations, and consciously refraining from all prohibitions. Verbal profundity and awareness largely depend on active recitation, which also means knocking on the door of Divinity, searching for admittance, proclaiming one’s helplessness and destitution, and taking refuge in Divine Power and Wealth.

One who regularly and intensively mentions God or recites one or some of His Names is taken under His protection and supported by Him, as if having made a contract with Him. The verse: Remember and mention Me, and I will remember and mention you (2:152) expresses this degree of recitation, by which one’s innate destitution becomes the source of wealth, and helplessness the source of power. This verse also means that one’s regular remembrance and worship of God will result in His bestowal of favors and bounties.

Invoking and calling upon Him bring forth His favors. One who remembers Him even while going about his or her daily affairs and preoccupations will find all obstacles removed in both this world and the next. His company will always be felt, and He will befriend one left alone and in need of friendship. If one remembers and mentions Him during times of ease and comfort, His Mercy will reach one during times of trouble and pain. Those who struggle in His way to spread His Name will be saved from humiliation in both this world and the Hereafter. Such sincere endeavors will be rewarded with special favors and ranks that one cannot now imagine.

The desire to mention Him and recite His Names will be rewarded with Divine help, so that such activities can continue and guidance can be increased. The continuation of the second part of the above verse (2:152), that is: Give thanks to Me and do not show ingratitude to Me, suggests a virtuous circle in which a believer passes from recitation to thankfulness, and from thankfulness to recitation.

Recitation is the essence of all types or acts of worship, and the origin of this essence is the Qur’an. Then come the luminous, celebrated words of the Prophet, to whom the Islamic Shari’a was sent. All recitation, whether audible or silent, attracts and embodies the manifestations of the light of God’s Glorified “Face.” It also denotes proclaiming God to all human beings and jinn, and spreading His Name throughout the world in order to show one’s thankfulness for His manifest and hidden favors. When there is almost no one left to proclaim His Name, existence will be meaningless. According to the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, the universe’s total destruction will take place when there exist almost no people to proclaim His Name. [2]

Recitation, irrespective of its style, is the safest and soundest way leading to God. Without it, it is difficult to reach God. When the traveler remembers Him in his or her conscience and puts this remembrance into words with his or her tongue and other faculties, an inexhaustible source of support and (spiritual) provision is tapped.

Recitation signifies a journey toward Him. When one starts to mention Him or recites His Names both verbally and through feelings and actions, as well as in one’s heart as a chorus, one enters a mysterious lift ascending to the realm where spirits fly. Through the slightly opened doors of the heavens, indescribable scenes are beheld.

There is not a specific time for reciting God’s Names. Although the five prescribed daily prayers, the chief act of worship, are performed at the five appointed times and cannot be performed at certain times (e.g., during sunrise and sunset, and when the Sun is at zenith at noon), a believer can mention God and recite His Names whenever he or she wishes: They mention God standing, sitting, and lying down (3:190). There is no restriction of time or manner on reciting God’s Names.

It is hard to find in the Qur’an, the Sunna, and the books of the early righteous scholars anything more strongly recommended than the recitation God’s Names. From daily prayers to holy struggle in His way, it is like the soul or blood of all worship. The profundity of recitation is proportional to the depth of feeling for God. Sufis call this “peace of heart” or” witnessing.”

Some mention God Almighty and reach Him in their hearts by a mysterious way; others know Him by their conscience and feel His constant company by means of the point of reliance upon Him and seeking His help in their inner worlds. Since they remember Him uninterruptedly, always mention Him with their heart and conscience, always feel Him in their being, and live fully aware of His constant Presence, they regard mentioning Him (verbally) as heedlessness and ignorance of Him. One who has reached this degree of dhikr says: God knows that I do not remember Him to mention Him just now. How should I remember and mention Him now, seeing that I have never forgotten Him?

[1] Al-‘Ajluni, Kashf al-Khafa’, 2:173. [2] Muslim, “Iman,” 234.

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[lifeofresulullah]

The Life of The Prophet Muhammad(pbuh): Calling the Tribes to Islam, the Allegiances of Aqaba and Migration to Madinah

Migration to Madinah Starts

The allegiances and agreements made between the Muslims of Madina and our Holy Prophet (PBUH) opened a brand new arena before the Muslims. Living in their new community would allow them to talk about their beliefs openly, perform their religious duties freely, and fearlessly protect and spread their faith; the two most powerful tribes in Madina, the Aws and Kahzraj, promised to receive them with open arms, to protect them in all kinds of circumstances and not to withhold their help. It appeared as if the Sun of Islam (PBUH) would be shining with all his majesty in Madina very soon.

While the polytheists were concerned that the Muslims would move to this place of safety, our Holy Prophet (PBUH) was exerting all his efforts into making this new homeland that was rapidly embracing Islam the capital of Islam.

Mecca was in a very sensitive situation. When the polytheists heard that Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) had contracted an agreement with the Muslims of Madina, they further tortured the Muslims to a much greater extent.

Life in Mecca was like a punishment for the Muslims; it was as if the drinking water and the air were a burning fire.

The Muslims explained their troublesome and painful situation to our Holy Prophet (PBUH) and requested permission to immigrate. At first, our Holy Prophet (PBUH) indicated that permission had not been granted to him. However, he was granted permission in the following days and happily notified the Muslims of having received the approval:

“I was shown and it was made known to me that the place you will immigrate to is a city in between two black rocks and is filled with dates. Those who want to leave Mecca should go there and unite with their siblings from among the Muslims of Madina. Allah, the Exalted, has made them your siblings and Madina a home in which you will find safety and peace.”

As it is seen, when the threats and oppressions of Qurayshi polytheists on Muslims reached a point that did not allow Muslims to practice and spread Islam, the Messenger of Allah had allowed them to migrate. The following word of Hazrat Aisha expresses this state: “The believer had to migrate to Allah or His messenger for his religion because he had the fear of being prohibited from practicing his religion.”

“Then, migration, as it is sometimes expressed wrongly, is not an escape but a search. It is the search for a suitable environment for practicing the religion, which was in a point of elimination due to the threats and dangers. The religion determined its practice and application as its aim. If the conditions of the place a person lives in do not let this aim be practiced, it is a religious obligation for him to migrate from that place. The Quran does not regard those people as excused if they do not migrate and holds them responsible. They are obliged to look for a place where they can practice their religion.”

After this permission, the Messenger of Allah thought thoroughly about the act of migration, which was “a search for a suitable place to practice and spread the religion”. When it came time to immigrate, he continuously reminded the Muslims to act with caution and prudence and advised them to leave in small groups so as to not attract the polytheists’ attention.

In accordance to our Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) advice, the Muslims proceeded on their way to Madina individually and in small groups, which sometimes included only two people.

The first companion who emigrated from Mecca to Madina was Abu Salama Ibn Abdi’l-Asad.

The polytheists realized what was going on; they made the Muslims they could catch turn back. They were doing all they could in hopes that the Muslims would abandon their faith. They were separating wives from their husbands and objecting to them immigrating with their husbands. Some of the Muslims were being imprisoned. However, they did not want to kill anyone fearing that a war could break. Nonetheless, they did their best to dissuade the Muslims from immigrating by subjecting them to all kinds of unimaginable torture and cruelty. However, the Muslims had made up their mind and were determined to move to Madina regardless of the costs. They were finally able to overcome all of the obstacles and continued with their departure.

The bright horizons were smiling at them already. They had escaped from the circle of torture and oppression and were now opening their wings towards the horizon. Besides, Madina and its inhabitants were anxiously awaiting their arrival.

MIGRATION OF HAZRAT UMAR

While the other Muslims were in the process of emigrating in secret, Hazrat Umar was girding on his sword. He took his bow, arrow, and spear and went to the Kaaba. He openly circumambulated the Kaaba seven times. He bravely called out to the ringleaders of the polytheists who were present:

“I am emigrating in the way of Allah so that I can protect my religion. If one wants to leave his wife as a widow, to make his mother cry, and to have his children orphaned, then come before me on this valley!”

After this fearless cry, about twenty Muslims went towards Madina in broad daylight. None of the polytheists had any courage to track them down.

In a few months, a great percentage of Muslims had departed from Mecca to Madina. Our Holy Prophet (PBUH), Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Ali, the needy who could not afford a long journey, those who did not have the strength to endure a long crossing, and those imprisoned by the polytheists stayed behind.

Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) also had the intention to emigrate. However, he was awaiting Allah’s permission in this matter. In fact, when Hazrat Abu Bakr disclosed his wish to emigrate our Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, “Be patient. It is hoped that Allah will grant you a companion” (to emigrate with.)

THE PANIC OF POLYTHEISTS

The tribes of Aws and Khazraj greeted the Muslims who gradually immigrated to Madina immensely well. They sheltered them and provided homes for them. Married immigrants stayed at the homes of those who were married whereas single immigrants stayed at the home of Sa’d bin Haythama, who was another unmarried companion.

The polytheists of the Quraysh panicked when they saw that the Muslims who had immigrated were being sheltered, helped, and uniting with the other Muslims in Madina. Their worries increased altogether when they thought about our Holy Prophet (PBUH) also emigrating, coming to the forefront, waging a war against them, and having the power to cut off the trade route to Damascus.

Meeting at Daru’n-Nadwa

They immediately convened at Daru’n-Nadwa to discuss how they could take measures.

Daru’n-Nadwa was a residence that faced the Kaaba and belonged to one of our Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) forefathers, Qusay bin Kab. The leading figures of the Quraysh would always gather here to discuss matters and consult with one another.

They arranged to discuss the matter regarding our Holy Prophet (PBUH) and met at Dar’un-Nadwa one morning.

In the meantime, they saw a well-dressed, sharp-eyed elderly man standing in front of the door. They asked this man, “Who are you?” “I am an elder from Najid” answered the man, “I heard about this meeting so I came to explain my thoughts. I want to express my opinions regarding measures that I deem to be suitable and unsuitable!”

The Qurayshis welcomed him and said, “Alright, enter!” Actually, the old man was a devil that had entered into the form of a human.

The Terrible Decision They Made!

There were about 100 Qurayshis at the meeting however only Abu Lahab was accepted from among the Sons of Hashim so that the others would not be informed right away. They opened the topic by asking, “What kind of measures should we take in the matter regarding Muhammad?”

Some of them said, “Let us imprison him by tying him with a chain.” The devil that had entered into human form replied, “No. By God, your idea is not suitable. If you imprison him, then his companions will tread on you and pull him away. They will advance with his propaganda and indoctrination and prevail over you. Think of another measure.” Upon this, some of them said, “Let us drive him away from our community and country! After he separates from us, have him go wherever he wants.”

The old man spoke again, “No, by God, your thought is not in good taste. Do you not see that his message and the sweetness and beauty of his words take command in the hearts of the people? If you drive him away, he will circulate among the Arab tribes and then rule over them. Afterwards he will tread over you and order you to do what he wants. For that reason you should think of something else!” At last, Abu Jahl got the chance to speak, “By God, I thought of a measure that none of you would have been able to think of.”

They asked, “what is it?”

Abu Jahl disclosed his idea:

“We do not have any other choice but to kill him. For that reason, we will choose a strong young man from each tribe. Then we will give each of them a sharp sword. They will all strike and kill him at once. That way, we will be freed from him and no one will know who killed him. When it happens in this way, the Hashimis will not be able to risk having a battle with all the other tribes and will consent to receiving blood money whether they like it or not. We will pay off the blood money and resolve the matter.” The devil that had entered the form of the old man came forth and said, “This is the correct idea and the most suitable solution.”

The others accepted Abu Jahl’s view and dispersed.

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[jami-attirmidhi]

JAMI’at-TIRMIDHI: The Book on Legal Punishments: Hadith 1825

Asbat bin Muhammad reported it from Al-A'mash who said:

"It has been narrated to me from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (ﷺ)," and it is similar. [It is as if this is more correct than the first narration.] (Another chain) for this Hadith.

Reference:  Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1425

In-book reference: Book 17, Hadith 5

English translation : Vol. 3, Book 15, Hadith 1425

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[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 137

Lawhun Mahfuz (The Supreme Preserved Tablet) and What Lies Before

Lawh is literally a board to write on, and the Lawhun Mahfuz is the immaterial board or tablet on which God has prerecorded everything, material and spiritual, animate and inanimate, or it is another name for the Divine Knowledge Which relates to all of these. Since there are and can never be any changes or alterations to the Lawhun Mahfuz, it is called the Preserved Tablet. This immaterial realm is, as stated in Suratu’l-Buruj (85:21– 22), the tablet where the Glorious Qur’an was identified and known before it was manifested in the Prosperous House (al-Baytu’l- Ma‘mur), and this realm is therefore an all-comprehensive notebook in which both this world and the next, with whatever there is in each, are recorded.

There is nothing left unrecorded in it (6:59).

Everything has been written down and kept in it (36:12).

It is a register where there is the knowledge of everything that has happened and will happen (50:4).

It is a notebook where everything that has happened and will happen to every being eternally exists (57:22).

Truly, the Supreme Preserved Tablet is the main record in which all the worlds, whether we know them or not, and all things and events that occur in these worlds are recorded. Everything belonging to or that is from the physical and metaphysical worlds was identified and recorded on the Supreme Preserved Tablet before it was or has been sent into external existence or before it did appear or has appeared in the visible realm in accordance with its identification. Although the preordainment or predetermination of everything and their execution according to the Supreme Preserved Tablet could be perceived as some sort of fatalism or absolute determinism in existence, this is not the reality. For according to reality, “Knowledge depends on what is known,” God has pre- knowledge of everything, of every action every human being will perform and how they will act in the future with their own free will, and this was written down accordingly.

Some scholars call the Supreme Preserved Tablet by other names such as the Book, the Manifest Book, the Manifest Record, the Book Kept Concealed, or the Mother Book. Since all of these have been derived from the Qur’an or accurately related Prophetic Traditions, no one can object to them. However, all of these designations are not complete translations of the exact truth of the Supreme Preserved Tablet; they designate it each from a certain aspect. What we do know about this Tablet is that, like other elevated realms, it is the title of a lofty, luminous mirror, the true nature of which we cannot completely comprehend; it is also where Divine Knowledge manifests Itself or Its contents. For this reason, some describe the Supreme Preserved Tablet as a realm where everything has been recorded in the minutest detail; the true nature of this is beyond our perception. There are many others who regard the Supreme Preserved Tablet as a title of what they call the Universal Soul, which stands above all corporeal realms. We should nevertheless point out that it is not proper to put forward about such a subtle matter personal ideas which go beyond what is set out in the Qur’an and the accurately related Prophetic Traditions. It is also an essential principle and a requirement of respect for God and self-possession before Him that we should remain silent on the matters in which there are no explicit statements from the master of creation, who is the eloquent tongue of the Unseen, upon him be peace and blessings. We should be careful and self-possessed while we are expressing information about these matters and not forget to refer the exact knowledge to God, saying: “God knows best.” Also, we should refer any matters about which we have no true knowledge to those who have knowledge of them or we should keep silent in acknowledgment of our ignorance about them.

Another tablet mentioned by scholars in addition to the Supreme Preserved Tablet is the Tablet of Effacement and Confirmation, which is indicated in the following verse: God effaces what He wills, and He confirms and establishes (what He wills): with Him is the Mother Book (13:39). It would be useful to say some things about this tablet here.

As manifestations of His perfect Wisdom, God Almighty makes changes or annulments in His laws, that is, in those of the Religion, as well as in those of the creation and operation of the universe; He transforms these laws, reforms them or casts them into different molds. He makes alterations in systems, and on the earth, and in the social atmosphere, and He destroys some people to replace them with others. He exalts and honors whomever He wills and abases whomever He wills; He makes whomever He wills laugh and makes whomever He wills weep. Through His alloverwhelming Power, He presents all the worlds, including the earth, to the views of observers with the manifestations of His Majesty and Grace as mirrors of the Tablet of Effacement and Confirmation. Similar to His disposals in His laws of the creation and operation of the universe, God abrogates some of His religious laws to replace them with new ones; for example, He made His messages known to people through the Scripture He sent to Prophet Noah, which took the place of that which He had given to Prophet Adam, and at another time He conveyed His decrees through the Revelation He sent to Prophet Abraham upon them be peace. Taking whatever He wills from the earlier Scriptures and combining them with new additions, God gave a new Book to Prophet Moses, upon him be peace. After some time He introduced a new depth in His messages and gave Prophet David, upon him be peace, the Psalms, in which He pronounced His commands once more. Through the Gospel, God manifested a profound spirituality different from what was found in the Torah and He gave the glad tiding of Prophet Ahmad ( Muhammad) through the tongue of the Messiah, alluding that the time was about to come when all the changes God had made up to that time were about to come to an end. That time arrived and God made the most illustrious person happy with the most meaningful of glad tidings through His glorious declaration, This day I have perfected for you your Religion (with all its rules, commandments and universality), completed My favor upon you, and have been pleased to assign for you Islam as religion (5:3).

Like the ecosystem, which has undergone changes according to the Divine laws that established and organized it before it took on its present form, the Religion—a set of certain Divine commands and prohibitions—and the religious life underwent certain changes throughout history according to the time and conditions; both evolved until they were perfected through the Messengership of the master of creation, upon him be peace and blessings. In what way and according to what apparent laws that serve as veils before Divine practices all these changes and developments occur, it is clear that every thing and every event mirrors acts or instances of confirmation and effacement. From the very instant things and events became familiar with external existence, they have continuously been located within cycles of confirmation and effacement. The instances of coming into existence are followed by deaths; the instances of coming one by one are followed by instances of going one after the other. Instances of assuming colors are followed by instances of fading away and so too are the instances of happiness and rejoicing followed by sighs and mourning. Writing and drawing are followed by effacement and change. Even though the laws and rules have remained established with their relative truths, confirmation and effacement, which can be regarded as underlying the reality of time, have never failed to continue.

Neither the earth nor any being or object has ever been able to remove itself from this universal tide, these continuous acts of destruction and survival. The bright colors of yesterday have faded away or turned yellow; the species of yesterday have been replaced by new ones, and the ruling peoples of yesterday have changed places with others. New societies have appeared in the place of the cultures and civilizations of yesterday and a different religious life has taken the place of the one that existed yesterday. The same is true for the changes, alterations, and transformations in individual, social, economic, cultural, and political life.

As believers, we are sometimes vigorous and sometimes sluggish, sometimes determined and resolute and sometimes unsure and hesitant; sometimes we are polluted by sins and sometimes we stand at the door of the Ultimate Truth repentant and remorseful. Sometimes we are so full of faith that we can challenge the entire world, while at other times we are so wearied and feeble that we only stand in fear and trembling before any event. Just as the moments when we are taken beyond the worlds by our belief and enthusiasm are not few, neither are the inauspicious moments when we drown in a mere drop of water. There are days when we gallop like unflagging horses on the path of the Ultimate Truth, but there are weeks and months when we fall tired and exhausted. Every state of us is a live projection or reflection of certain scenes on the Tablet of Divine Destiny and Decree and every attitude we adopt contains certain pictures from the Tablet of Effacement and Confirmation.

All these changes, alterations, and transformations are reflections from the Tablet of Effacement and Confirmation, which is reproduced from the Supreme Preserved Tablet, also known as the Manifest Record. The Tablet of Effacement and Confirmation is characterized by change and transformation and manifests itself through different colors and designs.

From another point of view, the Supreme Preserved Tablet, also called the Mother Book or the Manifest Record, is the origin, start, foundation, and plan of everything; it is a book or record that is itself unchanging but which contains the principles of every change and encompasses the beginning, the end, the cause, and the effect all at the same instant. It is a unique identification by the Divine Being, a spiritual register or an all-encompassing record on the lines of which everything and every event is recorded with the particular identity of each. All the Divine laws responsible for the creation and operation of the universe and for every event in the universe from the beginning to the end, all Divine laws of religion from the time of Adam to the end of time, all things and beings with all the moments of their lives, and all events with their beginning and end and all their causes and results are contained on this Tablet. This is the Supreme Preserved Tablet, but it is not possible for us to say anything definite about its true nature or identity.

Here I would like to relate Bediüzzaman’s somewhat different considerations concerning the Supreme Preserve Tablet and the Tablet of Effacement and Confirmation. What follows is a summary of his views:

The Qur’an mentions the Manifest Record and the Manifest Book in several places. Some interpreters (of the Qur’an) consider these to be identical in meaning, while others say they have different meanings and connotations. The explanations of their true nature differ, but all are in agreement that both describe Divine Knowledge. However, through the enlightenment of the Qur’an, I have arrived at the following conviction:

The Manifest Record, which relates more to the World of the Unseen than to the visible, material world, expresses one aspect of Divine Knowledge and Commands. That is, it relates more to the past and future than to the present. It is a book of Divine Destiny that contains the origins, roots, and seeds of things, rather than their flourishing forms in their visible existence.

By growing into their full bodies with perfect order and art, the origins, sources, and roots of things show that they are arranged according to a book of the principles contained in the Divine Knowledge. Likewise, the seeds, results, and fruits of things, which contain the tables-of-contents and programs of beings that will come into existence, demonstrate that each is a miniature register of the Divine Commands. For example, it can be said that a seed is the miniature embodiment of the program and table of its contents according to which a tree may be formed and of the Divine principles or commands which determine this program and table. In short, the Manifest Record is a table-of-contents and program of the Tree of Creation as a whole, which spreads its branches through the past and future and the World of the Unseen. In this sense, it is a book of Divine Destiny or a register of its principles. By means of the dictates and demands of these principles, atoms are used and managed for things to come into existence and to continue their existence.

As for the Manifest Book, it relates more to the visible, material world than to the World of the Unseen, and more to the present than to the past and future. It expresses Divine Power and Will rather than Divine Knowledge and Commands. If the Manifest Record is the book of Divine Destiny, the Manifest Book is the book of Divine Power. In other words, the perfect art and orderliness in everything’s essence and existence, as well as its attributes and functions, show that everything is made to exist in accordance with the laws of an effective, all-penetrating Will and the principles of a perfect, absolute Power. Everything is specifically formed and given an appointed measure and particular shape. This shows that Divine Power and Will have a universal, comprehensive register of laws, a great book, according to which a particular existence and form are determined for each entity.

Curiously, although the people of neglect, misguidance, and corrupt philosophy are aware of the existence of the Supreme Preserved Tablet ( Lawhun Mahfuz) of the Creative Power and the manifestations and reflections of the Manifest Book of Divine Wisdom and Will on things, they name it “nature,” thus making it completely meaningless. In sum, through the dictates of the Manifest Record, that is, through the decrees and instructions of the Divine Destiny, Divine Power uses atoms to create or manifest the chain of beings, each link of which is His sign, on the metaphorical or “ideal” page of time, which is called the Tablet of Effacement and Confirmation. Thus, atoms are set to move so that beings may be transferred from the World of the Unseen to the material, visible world, from (the Realm of) Knowledge to the (Realm of) Power. The Tablet of Effacement and Confirmation is the tablet on which beings are inscribed and then removed or effaced according to their origins in, or the dictates of, the Supreme Preserved Tablet. Therefore, it displays continuous change. The Tablet of Effacement and Confirmation constitutes the essence of time. Time, a mighty river that flows through existence, has its essence in the Divine Power’s inscription of beings and in the ink It uses. Only God knows the Unseen.[1]

The scholars of Sufism have usually viewed the Supreme Preserved Tablet as the start, origin, and central point of the sphere of existence and as the title of what they call “the Universal, Speaking Soul,” which was created after the Most Exalted Pen. It is the first center of the identification of all of creation on the horizon of Knowledge by the Knowledge Itself. It is a Divine light which was manifested in the same relationship with the Universal Intellect as Eve had with Adam—this is such an all-encompassing Divine light that all the worlds are but an extended shadow of this light, dependent on Divine Power; all of the Divine religious laws are an illuminating ray of it issued from Divine Speech, and the Law Prophet Muhammad, upon him be the most perfect blessings, brought is the continuous radiance of it. These approaches of Sufi scholars mark some depths of the Supreme Preserved Tablet.

It has also been called the Tablet of Light on account of its relation to Divine Unity and absolute Glory, and the Tablet of Divinity due to its being the first mirror to Divine Being’s Attributes of Perfection and reflecting Divine mysteries; it is known as the Tablet of Judgment owing to its being the origin of Divine orders and prohibitions, and the Tablet of Wisdom because of its being a source from which gifts and blessings pour into hearts and spirits. Each of these designations marks the growth or flourishing of a different mystery of Divine Lordship. Since everything depends on and ends in it, it manifests Divine Unity. God’s Attributes of Perfection rise in it and surround all material and immaterial worlds.

Hearts revive through the lights that emanate from it and become its mirrors. Spirits are awakened by means of the rays that diffuse from it and humans tend to worship its Owner. It is due to this last aspect that the Sufis have called it the Tablet of Devoted Servanthood and have stressed that Divine purposes and demands are intertwined there. The dignity of belief in Divine Unity, sincere devotion or servanthood, the truth of submission to God and perfect reliance on Him, the feeling of resignation to His decrees and judgments, and the considerations of fear and awe are the fruits of this horizon. All of these have been regarded as sweet water that gushes forth from this depth.

It cannot be said that all these meanings attributed by some Sufis to the Supreme Preserved Tablet have been derived from the Qur’an or the accurately related Prophetic Traditions. However, no one can object to the fact that the consciences that have turned to Him completely with their mental faculties and profound hearts have been honored with certain favors and gifts. Thousands of people have so far been favored with so many gifts and honored with exceptional heavenly repasts by means of their turning to Him completely and concentrating on Him. Provided they are not incompatible with the spirit of the Religion, it cannot be harmful to accept such considerations and interpretations as special gifts and favors that have been sent to them.

Some Sufis have regarded the tablets (meanings) in question, which seem to be unfolding aspects of the truth of the Supreme Preserved Tablet, as the Tablet of Moses or the Ten Commandments. This approach may be acceptable if it refers to a particular aspect of the universal truth of the Manifest Record; otherwise it restricts a vast, universal truth to a single people. The truth of the Supreme Preserved Tablet is the blessed title of an essential truth which embraces all times and places through eternity and reflects its own color and design on everything. For this reason, every sort of restriction is incompatible with its all-encompassing nature.

Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes! Do not disgrace us either in this world or in the Hereafter! Bestow on us favors manifest and hidden, and make our souls contented with You and “reunion” with You, resigned to whatever You judge for us and satisfied with Your offerings; bestow blessing and peace on the most honorable of Your creation, our master Muhammad, and on his pure Family and excellent Companions.

[1] The Words (trans.), New Jersey, 2007, p., 566.

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[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 36

Qurb and Bu’d (Nearness and Remoteness)

Nearness (qurb) means that one transcends corporeality in order to acquire perfect spirituality and proximity to God. Some interpret it as God’s proximity to His servants; however, this is not accurate. God is near to His servants, but not in terms of quantity or quality. Nearness in Sufi usage pertains to and is acquired by mortal beings created in any phase or part of time, and undergoing different forms and stages of existence. God’s nearness to His creatures or bringing them near to Him is elo-quently summed up in: He is with you wherever you may be (57:4). Such nearness is not the particular nearness acquired by belief and good deeds; it is God’s being near to His servants, nearer to them than their selves, including every created thing or being living or non-living, believer or unbeliever, good or evil. While general nearness, meaning God’s nearness to the creation, encompasses everything and every person, particular nearness depends on belief and can be acquired by doing whatever God has decreed as good and right. This nearness to the Almighty is possessed by those who have discovered the way of nearness and, having entered the corridor leading to eternity, reach every morning and evening with a new, deep dimension of belief. Such people are included in the meaning of: God is with those who keep from evil in reverence for God, and are doers of good (16:128). Those who have obtained this rank recite: Surely my Lord accompanies me and will guide me (26:62) while inhaling, and: Surely God is with us (9:40) while exhaling.

In particular nearness, consciousness of belief and perfect goodness have the same worth and significance as light to seeing and soul to body. Performing obligatory and supererogatory religious duties with this consciousness are like wings of light that carry one toward the “skies” of infinitude. The safest, most acceptable, and direct way of nearness to God is performing obligatory religious duties; however, performing supererogatory religious duties, which have no limit and show loyalty and devotion to God, results in true nearness and the rank of being loved by God Almighty.

A traveler to God enters new corridors leading to eternity on the wings of supererogatory duties, and feels rewarded with new Divine gifts, which engender an even greater desire to perform obligatory and supererogatory duties. One awakened to this truth feels in his or her conscience the love of God in direct proportion to his or her love of God. As stated in the hadith qudsi: [1]

My servant cannot get near to Me through anything else more lovable to Me than doing the obligatory religious duties. However, by doing supererogatory duties he gets nearer to Me, and when he becomes near to Me, I shall be his eyes to see with, his ears to hear with, his hands to grasp with, and his legs to walk on.

In short, such a believer is directed to act by the Divine Will.

Nearness acquired through performing obligatory duties is another of the rank of one’s being loved by God, and is included among those loved by God. As for nearness acquired through performing supererogatory duties, this is the rank of all one’s acts being ascribed to God. It is a particular Divine bestowal and honoring, as pronounced in: You (Believers) slew them not, but God slew them. And you (Muhammad) did not throw when you threw, but God threw (8:17).

Nearness, a particular gift of God, cannot be credited to one’s actions without considering its Divine origin. Nearness to Him originates in His Greatness and Mercy, and remoteness from Him is one of the weaknesses and “dark pits” of our character or nature. The writer of Gülistan (The Rose Garden) aptly expresses the origin of nearness and remoteness:

The Friend is nearer to me than myself; How strange it is that I am remote from Him. What can I say and what can I do, that While He is with me, I am distant from Him.

Remoteness means being distant from God and perishing. According to Sufis, the first indication of remoteness is the cessation of Divine gifts, and the final indication is that if a particular Divine help does not come, the person seeking it is completely lost and perishes. Just as degrees of nearness are based on whether one is an ordinary believer, a saint, a good and righteous person, or one brought near to God, remoteness also has its degrees in a line descending to Satan, who occupies the lowest point of perishing.

Nearness to God is a Divine favor, and remoteness from him is a deprivation. However, one cannot always feel his or her personal nearness to or remoteness from Him. The greatest favor of God is that He does not allow one to feel His (special) favor (e.g., being a saint or near to Him), lest the believer so honored should feel pride and thus lose such favor. As a result, those nearest to God are usually unaware of their nearness. However, one’s unawareness of his or her personal remoteness from God is a Divine reprisal. There are still others who, intoxicated with the love of God and making no distinction between nearness and remoteness, neither show desire for nearness nor worry over remoteness. The following couplet expresses the thoughts of such intoxicated souls:

Jami, worry yourself about neither nearness nor remoteness; There is neither nearness nor remoteness, nor union nor parting.

It is an acknowledged fact that remoteness denotes horror and deprivation. However, some shiver because of the winds of awe blowing from nearness and feel themselves caught in the clutches of Divine wrath and destruction. Nearness to the King is a burning fire may express this mood. Nevertheless, if nearness may be likened to the slopes of Paradise that open to breezes of Divine familiarity and friendship, remoteness should be regarded as the pits of deprivation and loss.

[1] A Prophetic Tradition whose meaning belongs directly to God and the word-ing to the Prophet.

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[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 21

Tawakkul, Taslim, Tafwiz, and Thiqa (Reliance, Surrender, Commitment, and Confidence)

Reliance, surrender, commitment, and confidence are the four steps or stations of a spiritual journey beginning with reliance on (or trust in) God, continuing in full awareness of one’s helplessness and destitution before God, and ending in entrusting all of one’s affairs to God Almighty in order to attain absolute peace and tranquillity of heart. Reliance (tawakkul) means total confidence in God, and feeling troubled or uneasy when it occurs to one that there may be other sources of power (that one can resort to). Without such a degree of confidence, it is wrong to talk about reliance. Moreover, one cannot attain reliance so long as the doors of the heart remain open to others. Reliance means doing all that is necessary to obtain a desired or intended result, and then waiting in expectation for the Eternally-Powerful One to bring about His Will. After this comes surrender (taslim), which many friends of God have described as one’s being before God’s Power and Will like a dead body in the hands of a mortician. Then comes commitment (tafwiz), leaving or committing all things and affairs to God and expecting everything from Him.

Reliance is the start of a journey, surrender is its end, and commitment is its result. Therefore, commitment has a wider meaning and relates to those who have almost completed the journey, rather than to beginners. Commitment comes after surrender, which requires the conviction of one’s helplessness and destitution before God’s Power and Wealth, and the ability to feel in one’s heart the meaning of: There is no power and strength save with God. It also requires the utmost dependence on and the expectation of help from the heavenly treasure of: There is no power and strength save with God. In other words, commitment means that a traveler on the path to God feels warned by the point of reliance and the point of seeking help in his conscience and, in exact awareness of his or her helplessness and destitution, turns to the Unique Source of Power and Will and says: Hold me by the hand, hold me, for I cannot do without You.

If reliance means that one entrusts all worldly and otherworldly affairs to the Lord, commitment means that one is fully aware that it is actually God Who does everything, Who produces every result, and Who creates all things and deeds that many consider to be done by themselves. Reliance means that one relies on God and closes the doors of one’s heart to whatever or whoever is other than Him. It can be regarded as the outer fulfillment all duties of worship and the inner attachment to God, the Lord Who is the sole Sustainer and Administrator of all that exists. This is what Shihab expresses in the following couplets:

Rely on the All-Merciful in all your affairs; One who relies on Him is never in loss. Confide in God and be patient with His disposal of you, For you can obtain only as His favors what you expect from Him.

I think ‘Umar, the second Caliph, may God be pleased with him, drew attention to the same point in a letter he wrote to Abu Musa al-‘Ash'ari: If you are able to submit to whatever or however God decrees for you [i.e. by not objecting to whatever befalls you], this is wholly good. If you are unable to do so, then endure it with patience.

From another perspective, reliance signifies reliance on and confidence in God. Surrender is the state of those who have been awakened to spiritual life. Commitment, meaning that travelers are not detained by considerations of means and causes, is a station special to those of high spiritual achievement.

Even if travelers possessing commitment seem to attach a certain importance to means and causes, this is due to the fact that they live in the material world, the sphere of means and causes, in which God has made any accomplishment dependent on certain preliminary conditions. If they give priority to means and causes, thereby disregarding the fact that God disposes of everything as He wishes, then they will become like vermin crawling on earth, despite their previous resemblance to birds flying in the highest parts of the heavens. It is related in books on the lives of saints that those saintly people who try to advance but become caught in the over-consideration of means and causes hear these words:

Give up taking precautions, for involvement in precautions causes perishing; Commit your affairs to Us, for We are more thoughtful of you than yourself.

Such a commitment is a heroism that can be achieved only by those who persevere in their relations with God while living among people.

Doing what is necessary to obtain a certain result without attributing any creative effect to them may mean different things to different travelers: reliance for everybody, submission for those awakened to realities beyond the visible dimension, and commitment and confidence for those who have attained true peace or tranquillity of heart. How fine is the following saying of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, which combines exerting effort and reliance and commitment: If you were able to rely on God as true reliance on Him requires, He would provide you as He provides birds that leave their nests hungry in the morning and return full in the evening.

This Prophetic Tradition contains different truths for people of different spiritual ranks. What it means for the typical individual is what Rumi says:

Even if reliance on God is a guide, Fulfilling preliminaries is a practice of the Prophet. He told (a Bedouin) loudly (in response to his question): First fasten your camel and then rely on God.

This meaning is what is pointed out in: On God let the reliant rely (14:12).

Those who lead their lives at the level of pure spirituality understand, in perfect awareness of their helplessness and weakness before God, that they should trust wholly in God’s Power and Strength, and become like a corpse in the hands of a mortician: In God put your trust, if you are true believers (5:23). As for those who fly around the summits of “self-annihilation in God” and “subsistence with God,” they say, like Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, even while being thrown into fire: God is sufficient for me (39:38) and commit their affairs wholly to Him. It is enough for them that God Almighty knows their condition.

We can also see this greatest degree of commitment in God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. When the feet of those pursuing him during his emigration to Madina were seen from the cave where he was hiding with his nearest friend Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, and their pursuers’ voices echoed from the cave’s walls, he relied wholly upon God and told Abu Bakr: Grieve not! Assuredly, God is with us (9:40). This is also alluded to in the verse: Whoever puts his trust in God, He will suffice him (65:3).

Commitment and confidence are the highest degrees of reliance on God. Those who have attained these degrees have entirely submitted their reason, logic, and belief, as well as their outer and inner feelings, to God’s commandments. As a result, they have become “polished mirrors” in which His Names, Attributes, and acts are reflected. Signs of these degrees are under-standing that taking precautions is included in God’s preordainment, and thereby finding peace; seeing their willpower as a dim shadow of the Divine Will, and turning to that Divine Will; and being pleased with God’s treatment, whether it be favorable or not, and agreeing with whatever happens to them.

The author of Minhaj describes this degree of commitment as follows:

I committed all my affairs to the Dear One, Whether He keeps me alive or makes me die.

The following words of Wasif of Andarun are also most appropriate: Whatever was destined will certainly happen, so Commit your affairs to God; neither be grieved nor suffer pains.

One of the most beautiful descriptions of commitment belongs to Ibrahim Haqqi, the initial verses of whose Tafwiznama (Description of Tafwiz) are as follows:

God changes evils into good; Never think that He does otherwise. One with knowledge of Him watches In admiration what He does. Let us see what our Master does; He does well whatever He does. Put your trust in God, the Truth; And commit to Him your affairs So that you may find peace. Be patient and agree (with whatever He does). Let us see what our Master does; He does well whatever He does.

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[lifeofresulullah]

The Life of The Prophet Muhammad: The Battle of Khandaq and Afterwards

The Battle of Khandaq: Part 3

The Prophet Breaks the Hard Rock into Pieces

The activity of digging was going on.

The Companions confronted a hard rock. While trying to break it, several tools like sledgehammers, pickaxes and spades were broken. No matter how hard they tried, they could not break it.

They informed the Messenger of God who was having a rest in the tent made of animal hair. They said, “O Messenger of God! We confronted a white rock. We could not break it. What do you order us to do?”

The Prophet took the sledgehammer of Salman al-Farisi. He hit the rock by saying, “Bismillah”. One third of the rock was broken. He said, “Allahu Akbar! I was given the keys of Damascus. I swear by God that I see the red manors of Damascus now!” Then, he said, “Bismillah!” again and hit the rock with the sledgehammer again. One third of the rock was broken. The Prophet said, “Allahu Akbar! I was given the keys of Persia. I swear by God that I see the city of Madayin of the Chosroes and his white manors!” Then, he said “Bismillah!” again and hit the rock with the sledgehammer; the remaining part of the rock was broken into pieces. The Prophet said, “Allahu Akbar! I was given the keys of Yemen. I swear by God that I see the gates of Sana now!”

All of the conquests informed by the Messenger of God took place during the periods of Hazrat Umar and Hazrat Uthman. Abu Hurayra said to Muslims, “These conquests are only a beginning. God gave the keys of the cities you conquered and the cities that will be conquered until Doomsday to Muhammad (pbuh) beforehand” when he saw those conquests.

The Feast Given to the Army

The Muslims who worked without having a rest in order to finish digging as soon as possible did not have much food to eat. There was a famine and drought in Arabia that year; Madinah was also affected by that famine.

The act of digging was going on.

Once Jabirb. Abdullah went home and said to his wife, “I saw that the Messenger of God was extremely hungry. Nobody else could have put up with that hunger. Is there anything to eat at home?”

His wife said, “By God, I have this kid and one sa’ (3,5 kg) of barley.”

Jabir slaughtered the kid and his wife ground the barley in the mill. They put the meat into an earthenware pot and made some dough. They put the pot into the oven and waited.

When Jabir was about to leave the house, his wife said, “Do not make me embarrassed in the presence of the Messenger of God and the people near him”, implying that the food was not enough.  

Jabir went to the Messenger of God and said,

“O Messenger of God! I have some food. Take a few people with you and let us go to my house to eat.”

The Messenger of God asked, “How much food do you have?”

Jabir said, “Bread made of one sa’ of barley and a small kid”

Thereupon, the Prophet, “It is plenty of food and it is very nice. Tell your wife not to take the pot and the bread out of the oven until I arrive!” Then, he said to the people there in the presence of Jabir, “O people of Khandaq! We will go to Jabir’s house to have a feast. Come on.” All of the people of Muhajirs and Ansar who were there stood up.

Hazrat Jabir went home and said to his wife in astonishment, “May God give you goodness! The Messenger of God (pbuh) is coming here to eat with all of the people near him! ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun!’ (To God we belong and to Him is our return!) What are we going to do now?”

His wife said, “Did the Messenger of God (pbuh) not ask you how much food we had?”

Jabir said, “Yes he did. I told him how much food we had.”

Thereupon, his wife said, “You will be embarrassed, not me!” She asked Jabir, “Did you or the Messenger of God invite them?”

Jabir said,“The Messenger of God (pbuh) invited them.” Then, his wife said, “He knows better than you do.”

The Messenger of God went to the house of Jabir with all of the Companions that were there. He said to them, “Enter the house without squeezing one another.”

The Companions entered the house in groups of tens.

The Messenger of God said a prayer of abundance. Then, he said to Jabir’s wife, “Call a woman bread maker and make bread together. Take food from the pot with a scoop. Do not remove the pot out of the oven!”

The Prophet took the bread out of the oven with his hands and broke some pieces from the bread. He put some meat on a piece of bread and gave it to a Companion. It went on like that until all Companions ate and were full.

Although everybody ate the meat and the bread, they remained the same.

The Messenger of God said to Jabir’s wife, “Eat the remaining meat and bread yourself and give it away because everybody is hungry.”

Jabir, who had thought he would definitely be embarrassed, stated the following regarding the issue:

“I swear by God that about a thousand people came. All of them ate and were full. However, the pot was still full and the bread was still there. We ate it and then gave it away to the neighbors.”

The Digging of Trenches is Completed

The extraordinary efforts the Companions made while digging the trenches were the most evident proof that they were loyal to God and His Messenger. They never left the place even when they needed to leave without getting permission from the Prophet. It was an example of self-sacrifice and renunciation suitable for the Companions. As a matter of fact, God Almighty witnessed that they were believers and their loyalty was unique by sending down the following verses:  “Only those are Believers, who believe in God and His Messenger: when they are with him on a matter requiring collective action, they do not depart until they have asked for his leave: those who ask for thy leave are those who believe in God and His Messenger; so when they ask for thy leave, for some business of their, give leave to those of them whom thou wilt, and ask God for their forgiveness: for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

The Messenger of God and the Muslims took the activity of digging trenches very seriously but the munafiqs considered it unimportant. They worked lazily and they left whenever they wanted without getting permission from the Messenger of God. They sometimes made fun of the Companions who worked very hard and who were examples of belief, loyalty, self-sacrifice and hard work; they also laughed in order to demoralise the believers.

God Almighty stated the following about the inappropriate attitude of the munafiqs:

“Deem not the summons of the Messenger among yourselves like the summons of one of you to another: God doth know those of you who slip away under shelter of some excuse: then let those beware who withstand the Messenger’s order, lest some trial befall them, or a grievous Penalty be inflicted on them.”

As a result of the tiring work, the activity of digging trenches lasted for six days. The trench was five ells (3.40 m) deep; it was too wide even for a very good cavalryman to jump over. Only one part was not wide enough because they were in a hurry. It was possible for cavalrymen to jump over that part. The Prophet expressed his concern about that place by saying, “I do not fear that the polytheists can pass anywhere but this place.”

The Messenger of God decided to appoint guards to defend that narrow place during the battle.

Besides, the Prophet had entrance places built through the appropriate places of the trench. He would appoint guards under the command of Zubayr b. Awwam when the enemy army came and settled their headquarters.

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[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAM: PART 89

Love and affection

Part 2

Below we mention some of the pithy statements of Sufis about love in Sufism.

► Love is the turning towards beloved through the surrounding all parts of love.

► Love is an attribute of God.

► Divine love is that God loves us for us and for Himself.

► The pleasure of Wisdom saves us the life in which there is no human death.

► Supererogatory worships and keeping on them regularly save the servants the sovereignty of God’s attributes. And those obligatory provide his whole to become light.

► There is no more beautiful than the universe because God loves the universe. God is most beautiful, and God is loved because of the essence of His beauty. Therefore all universe loves God. The beauty of God’s creating spreads on all  creations and the universe is the place of the reflection of His Pleasure and Beauty.

► God saw His Beauty in the universe and loved His Beauty.

► God liked affirming His Unity in His creations. So who unities Him, is beloved of God.

► God does not like the person who does not unity Him.

► A wise man knows that all-seeing, all hearings, and all talking are from God. So God manifests this reality to His Lovers.

► If a servant is honest in his claim loving Lord, he has to have conducted through the names of God.

► If one wants to enter the presence of God, he must leave his mind and put the Sharia in front of him.

► Happy people are those who stand in God’s borders and do not go beyond them.

► Wherever and whatever is the case, try to be friendly and loving. When affection is your property, you could be a lover forever, whether you are in the grave or in the Day of Judgment or in heaven. If you sow wheat, it is grown wheat and you get wheat in your granary and on your tandour.

► The evidence of affection is the statement: “I thank God for His granting us everything.” The evidence of love is the statement: “I thank God in every case.”

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[tawakkull]

HADITHS ON SPIRITUALITY: 

13. The Path of Those Devoted to Allah Most High

Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Abu al-Hasan ibn Mansour apprised us that Ishaq ibn Abu Hassan al-Anmati told us that Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al- Hasan ibn Shaqiq told us that Ibrahim ibn al-Ash’ath told us that Fudayl ibn Iyad told us, on the authority of Hisham, on the authority of al-Hasan, on the authority of Imran ibn Husoyn who said:

The Messenger of Allah said, “Whoever devotes himself to Allah, Allah spares him every burden and provides for him from whence he did not suspect; but whoever devotes himself to this world, Allah consigns him to it.”

_________________

1 Abu Na’im narrates in Hilyat al-Awliya and in his collection of 40 hadith on Sufism with a different fourth item from this narration. Al-Sakhawi said, “It is good.”

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[lifeofresulullah]

The Life of The Prophet Muhammad(pbuh): The Battle of Khandaq and Afterwards

The Expedition of Qurata

(6th year of the Migration, the month of Muharram)

In the month of Muharram, the Prophet sent a group of cavalrymen consisting of thirty people under the command of a Companion called Muhammad b. Maslama against Sons of Bakr b. Kilab in the land of Najd.

When the mujahids arrived at the place called Sharabba belonging to that tribe, they confronted a group from Sons of Muharib. A clash took place between them. Some of the people of Sons of Muharib were killed and the others ran away. The mujahids did not do anything to their children and women that were left behind.

Then, the mujahids proceeded to the place where the people of Sons of Bakr were. The mujahids suddenly attacked them and killed ten of them. They took some of their sheep and camels as booty. The booty that was taken from Sons of Muharib and Sons of Bakr amounted to one hundred and fifty camels and three thousand sheep.

The commander of the group, Muhammad b. Maslama allocated one fifth of the booty to the Prophet and divided the rest among the mujahids.

On the way to Madinah, the mujahids captured Sumama b. Usal from the tribe of Sons of Hanifa. Sumama was going to Makkah for umrah.

The group of Muslim cavalrymen returned to Madinah on the last night of the night of Muharram.

Sumama b. Usal Becomes a Muslim

Sumama b. Usal, who was taken captive by the mujahids was one of the notables of the people of Yamama. Once, he had attempted to kill the Prophet but his uncle had prevented him from committing that murder. The Messenger of God had regarded it permissible to shed the blood of Sumama.

The mujahids who brought Sumama to the presence of the Prophet did not know Sumama. The Messenger of God said to them, “Do you know who you caught? He is Sumama b. Usal, the leader of the tribe of Sons of Hanifa. Treat him well.”

The Companions accommodated him in the mosque.

The Messenger of God went to the mosque to see Sumama. He said,

“O Sumama! What do you have in your heart? What are you thinking of?”

Sumama said in embarrassment, “O Muhammad! You have goodness in your heart. If you kill me, you will kill a murderer whose hands are bloody. If you do me a favor and forgive me, you will do a favor to a person who feels grateful and who appreciates favors. If you want any property from me to let me free, take whatever you want.”

The Prophet left without saying anything.

The Prophet visited Sumama the next two days and asked him the same question. When Sumama gave the same answer, he said to his Companions, “Release Sumama”, letting him free without receiving any ransom.  

Upon this generous act, Sumama felt enlightened. He uttered kalima ash-shahada and became a Muslim there.

What Happened to Sumama in Makkah

Sumama, who became a Muslim, went to Makkah for umrah with the permission of the Prophet. When he entered the city by uttering “Talbiya”, the  Qurayshi polytheists understood that he had become a Muslim. They wanted to capture and kill him. One of them said, “Leave him! You always need Yamama for food!” Thereupon, they left him.  

Despite this, Sumama challenged them.

He said, “By God, if the Messenger of God, Muhammad, does not let, even one grain of wheat will not come from Yamama for you.”

As a matter of fact, when Sumama returned to Yamama after performing umrah, he prohibited the people of Yamama from sending anything to the Qurayshis.

The Compassion of the Prophet

When the people of Yamama did not send any food to Makkah upon the order of Sumama, the Qurayshi polytheists were stuck in a difficult situation. They started to eat different things due to the scarcity of food.

In the end, they had to write a letter to the Prophet: “You order people to show respect to the rights of relatives but you kill fathers and make children starve to death. Sumama has stopped sending us food. We are stuck in a difficult situation. Please send Sumama a letter regarding the issue.”

Thereupon, the Prophet ignored all of their enmity and bad deeds and sent Sumama b. Usal a letter asking him not to prevent the people of Yamama from selling food to Makkans.

Upon the order of the Messenger of God, Sumama allowed the people of Yamama to sell grains to Makkans.

As it can be seen, the Prophet treated his fiercest enemies very compassionately and mercifully in terms of food and drinks because of the importance he gives to human life. His heart, which was an ocean of compassion and mercy, could not give consent to the destruction of the Qurayshi polytheists, his fiercest enemies, due to hunger and thirst. It was only one of his best acts that suggested showing respect to life. When we look at his holy life from this point of view, it is definite that we will see many similar incidents.

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[lifeofresulullah]

The Life of The Prophet Muhammad(pbuh): The Conquest of Makkah and Afterwards

The Siege of Taif: Part 3

Distribution of the Booty

After the captives were returned to their owners, the Messenger of God was going to start to distribute the booty.

Meanwhile, it was seen that some Bedouins disturbed the Prophet and pulled his garment by saying, “O Messenger of God! Distribute the booty of camels and sheep among us.” The Bedouins went so far that the Prophet had to lean back to a tree. Thereupon, the Messenger of God said, “Do you think I will not distribute the booty that God granted among you? By God, if the booty was as much as the number of the trees of Tihaman, I would distribute them among you without fear and stinginess.” Then, he picked a camel hair and held it between his fingers and showed it to them. He said, “O people! By God, apart from the one-fifth, there is nothing, not even something like this camel hair, that I have from the booty. And the one-fifth is spent on you when it is necessary.” After that, he had the booty items counted and distributed everybody their share.

Grants to the Muallafa al-Qulub

In the Islamic army in Jirana, there were about two thousand people who had just become Muslims on the day of the Conquest of Makkah and some notables of Makkah that had not become Muslims yet. The Prophet used a new method in order to strengthen the belief of the new Muslims and to gain over the hearts of people who had not become Muslims yet.  

As it is known, the Prophet had the right to use one-fifth of the bounty. He could spend this one-fifth for necessary things and people.

Due to the purpose mentioned above, he gave abundantly from the one-fifth to the new Muslims and the notables of the Quraysh in order to soften their hearts.

He gave Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Qurayshis, his sons Yazid and Muawiya one hundred camels each and forty uqiyyas of silver each. Thus, Abu Sufyan and his sons received three hundred camels and one hundred and twenty uqiyyas of silver totally. Abu Sufyan, who was received such great generosity and grants said,   “May my mother and father be sacrificed for you! You are so generous and charitable. When we fought against you, you fought so nicely. When we made peace, you made peace so nicely. May God reward you with good things.” Thus, he expressed the generosity and philanthropy of the Prophet.

Besides, the Messenger of God granted two hundred camels to some of the notables of the Quraysh and fifty camels to other notables each.

Safwan b. Umayya Becomes a Muslim

Safwan b. Umayya was one of the people who opposed and acted against the Prophet and Muslims severely. He was one of the people that had been ordered to be killed wherever they were seen on the day of the conquest of Makkah. However, when he took refuge in the Prophet, who was like an ocean of compassion, he was forgiven. He asked for a period of two months to become a Muslim. The Prophet gave him four months.  

He also joined the Islamic army.

While the Messenger of God was checking the booty in Jirana, he spotted Safwan, who had not become a Muslim yet. He was staring at the valley full of camels and sheep.

The blessed eyes of the Messenger of God noticed this careful look and senses what he was thinking about. He said,

“Abu Wahb! Did you like the valley a lot?”

Safwan said, “Yes…”

Thereupon, the Prophet said, “Then, the valley belongs to you with all the things in it.”

Safwan was astonished; he could not believe his ears. After waiting for a while in astonishment due to the grants and generosity of the Prophet, who never said no to the requests of people, Safwan said, “The heart of nobody except a prophet can be so pure, good and generous.” He stated that his heart had been conquered.

Safwan was affected by the attraction of the light of Islam and the sun of the prophethood. He uttered kalima ash-shahada there and became a Muslim.

Thus, Safwan b. Umayya, who was the enemy of Islam for years and who was given permission for a period of four months to become a Muslim, embraced Islam at the end of the first month.  

Safwan, who beautified his Islam through good deeds, later stated the following about the effect made by that generosity:

“The Messenger of God was the person that I hated the most among the people until he granted me the valley. However, after his grant, he became the most beloved person for me.”

This incident is an example showing clearly how skilled the Messenger of God was at knowing people and treating them accordingly. Sometimes one compliment of his, sometimes a sweet word, sometimes a smile, a nice act and sometimes a grant was enough to gain over people. Only this characteristic of his is a topic that can be researched. When this research is made, it will be seen that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) determined the rules and principles of making friends and gaining over the hearts of people more than fourteen centuries ago uniquely through his acts, attitudes and words.

To be able to make people loyal to you with one look, sign, word, smile or act is a characteristic of the Prophet that needs to be learned by the humanity.

The Objection of the Companions

Some Muslims who did not know the reason behind this act of the Prophet that aimed to affect the spirits of the people who had not become Muslims yet or who had just become Muslims felt disturbed by this act. They thought those people were preferred over them and that they were regarded superior. However, the Messenger of God did not do so with such thoughts.

As a matter of fact, when he was granting the people whose hearts he wanted to gain over (muallafa al-qulub), Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas, one of the Companions, went to his presence and said, “O Messenger of God! You gave people like Uyayna b. Hisn one hundred camels each instead of people like  Juayl b. Suraka.”

The Messenger of God realized the reason of the opposition very well. Juayl was really poor in terms of money and goods but he was very rich in terms of belief. The Messenger of God knew that it was the reason of opposition; so, he answered Sa’d as follows:

“By God, if the earth was full of people like Uyayna and Aqra, Juayl would be better and more virtuous than them. However, I am giving them abundantly to make them like Islam and belief. I refer Juayl to his Islam and the rewards prepared for him in the hereafter.”

Some People from Ansar Talk Critically

What distressed the Prophet was what he heard from some Madinah Muslims. In fact, the Prophet had expressed his loyalty and love about them as follows: “My life is together with your life; my death is together with your life.”

The Messenger of God was granting abundantly to the people who had been fierce enemies of Islam and the Muslims until yesterday, who had not made a sacrifice for the religion and who had not undergone any troubles for the religion. That was what made the Companions think about it. They felt distressed by the act of the Prophet because they had not realized the real wisdom behind the act of the Prophet and they showed their distress by their attitudes. Some of them even uttered unpleasant words.

Sa’d b. Ubada told the Prophet about the distress and discontent of some Ansar. Thereupon, the Prophet summoned Ansar and addressed them as follows: “O Ansar! I heard that you uttered some words that you should not have uttered. You said this and that.”

Upon the words of the Prophet, some Ansar apologized; they said, “O Messenger of God! We did not say so; some of our young people spoke like that.”

Despite their apology, the Messenger of God continued speaking: “O Ansar! Did I not come to you when you were in the wrong path? Did God not grant you guidance through me? Did God not make you rich when you were poor through me? You were enemies of one another. Did God not soften your hearts and unite you?”

Ansar said, “Yes, O Messenger of God! You found us in darkness; we attained light thanks to you. You found us near a hole of fire; we got rid of it thanks to you. You found us in aberration; we attained the true path thanks to you. We accepted God as Lord, Islam as the religion and Muhammad (pbuh) as the Prophet. The rights and bounties of God and His Messenger on us are superior to everything. We are grateful to God and His Messenger. O Messenger of God! Do whatever you wish.”

Despite this, the Messenger of God continued speaking. He did not want any anxiety or resentment to remain in the hearts. He added,

“O Ansar! If you had wished, you could have said this and it would have been true: ‘You came to us when you were rejected by others and we confirmed you. You came to us when you were left alone and we helped you. You had been deported but we looked after you like our souls.’  Yes, if you had said so, I would have confirmed you.”

After this conversation, the Messenger of God expressed what he meant to say through the following laconic sentences:

“O Ansar! Do you not want to return to your land with the Messenger of God while some people leave with the goods, camels and sheep that they have obtained?”

The Muslims of Madinah answered this question by shouting, “Yes, O Messenger of God! We do.”

Upon this answer, the Prophet ended his speech, which changed the situation altogether, as follows:

“I swear by God, in whose hand of power is the existence of Muhammad that, if it were not for the virtue of the Migration, I would want to be a member of Ansar!

O God! Show mercy on Ansar, their children and the children of their children!”

Upon these sincere and loving words of the Messenger of God, the Muslims of Madinah sarted to cry sobbingly; their beards got wet due to the tears coming down.  

They made their final decision. They said, “We consent to the Messenger of God as our share of the booty even if we do not receive anything else.”

A unique share of the booty!

God Almighty granted His beloved Messenger such unexceptional persuasive ability. On the one hand, he affected the spirits of his fierce enemies and attracted them to Islam through his words; on the other hand, he eliminated all of the resentment of his friends through one speech.

From Jirana to Makkah

There were twelve days left for the month of Dhulqada to end.

When the Messenger of God was in Jirana, he performed prayers in the mosque there; he went to the mosque again, performed prayers, prayed and entered ihram for umra. Then, he left Jirana and entered Makkah at night with his Companions. The Prophet uttered talbiya during the journey; when he saw the Kaaba, he stopped uttering talbiya. In the morning, he circumambulated the Kaaba with his Companions. Then, he performed sa’y between Safa and Marwa. After the seventh sa’y, he cut his hair near Marwa.

The Prophet did not sacrifice an animal during this umra.

Returning to Madinah

The Messenger of God wanted to return to Madinah.

He appointed At­tab b. Asid as the governor of Makkah again. He ordered Muadh b. Jabal to stay there so that he will tell people about Islam and teach the Quran.

Then, he set off from makkah. He reached Madinah a few days before the end of the month of Dhulqada.

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[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 16

Taqwa (Piety)

Taqwa is derived from wiqaya, which means self-defense and avoidance. Sufis define it as protecting oneself from God’s punishment by performing His commands and observing His prohibitions. Besides its literal and technical meanings, in religious books we find the meanings of piety and fear used interchangeably. In fact, taqwa is a comprehensive term denoting a believer’s strict observance of the commandments of the Shari'a and the Divine laws of nature and life. Such a person seeks refuge in God against His punishment, refrains from acts leading to Hellfire, and performs acts leading to Paradise. Again, the believer purifies all outer and inner senses so that none of them can associate partners with God, and avoids imitating the worldviews and life-styles of unbelievers. In its comprehensive meaning, taqwa is the only and greatest standard of one’s nobility and worth: The noblest, most honorable of you in the sight of God is the most advanced of you in taqwa (49:13). The concept even the actual word of taqwa is unique to the Qur'an and the religious system of Islam. Its comprehensive meaning encompasses the spiritual and material; its roots are established in this world, while its branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits are located in the Hereafter. One cannot understand the Qur'an without considering the meaning or content of the fascinating and wonderful concept of taqwa, and one cannot be muttaqi (pious) if one does not adhere consciously and continually to the practices and concepts outlined in the Qur'an.

In its very beginning, the Qur'an opens its door to the pious: This is the Book about and in which there is no doubt, a guidance for the pious (2:2), and calls on people to live in accordance with it so that they may be pious: O men! Worship your Lord, Who created you and those before you, so that you may be pious (and protect yourselves from His punishment) (2:21).

The most lovable act in God’s sight is piety (taqwa), His most purified servants are the pious, and His matchless message to them is the Qur'an. In this world, the pious have the Qur'an; in the Hereafter, they enjoy God’s vision and pleasure. The pleasure felt in the conscience and spirit is another gift of piety, and in order to recall the importance of piety, the Almighty decrees: Fear God and be devoted to Him as He should be feared and devoted to (3:101).

Piety, which is the conscious performance of good and avoidance of evil, prevents individuals from joining the lowest of the low and causes them to advance on the path of the highest of the high. For this reason, one who attains piety has found the source of all good and blessing. The following is another testimony to this fact:

To whomever God has given religion and piety, He has realized his aims in this world and the next. Whoever is a soldier of God and pious, He is prosperous and truly guided, not a wretched one. Whoever has nothing to do with piety, His existence is but a shame and disgrace. One lifeless with respect to truth is not truly alive; Only one who has found a way to God is alive.

Piety is an invaluable treasure, the matchless jewel in a priceless treasure of precious stones, a mysterious key to all doors of good, and a mount on the way to Paradise. Its value is so high that, among other life-giving expressions the Qur'an mentions it 150 times, each mention resembling a ray of light penetrating our minds and spirits.

In its limited sense, taqwa means sensitivity to the commandments of the Shari'a and refraining from acts that deprive one of Divine reward and result in God’s punishment. The verse: Those who refrain from major sins and shameful deeds (42:37) expresses one aspect of this basic religious virtue; the verse: Those who believe and do good deeds (10:9) points to the other. Strict observance of obligatory religious duties and refraining from major sins are the two necessary and complementary foundations of taqwa. As for minor sins, which the Qur'an calls lamam (small offenses), there are many Prophetic declarations, such as: A servant cannot be truly pious unless he refrains from certain permissible things lest he should commit risky things, that warn people to be careful.

Perfect sincerity or purity of intention can be attained by avoiding all signs of associating partners with God, while perfect piety can be achieved by refraining from all doubtful and risky deeds. According to the Prophetic saying: The lawful is evident and the forbidden is also evident. Between these two are things which most of the people do not know whether they are lawful or forbidden, a truly righteous, spiritual life depends on being sensitive to matters about which there is some doubt. The Tradition just mentioned points out that the Legislator of the Shari'a has clearly explained in broad terms what is allowed and what is forbidden. However, as many things are not clearly allowed or forbidden, only those who avoid doubtful things can live a truly religious life. Using a simile in the continuation of the Tradition, the prince of two worlds, upon him be peace and blessings, said:

It is possible for one who does doubtful things to commit forbidden acts, just as it is possible for the flock of a shepherd pasturing near a field belonging to another or the public to enter that field. Know that each king has a private area under his protection; the private area of God is forbidden things. Also know that there is a part of flesh in the body. If it is healthy, the body will become healthy; if it is ailing, the body will be ailing. That part is the heart.

In light of this basic foundation for a healthy spiritual life, perfect piety can be obtained by avoiding doubtful things and minor sins. In order to do this, however, one must know what is lawful and what is forbidden, and have a certain knowledge of God. We can find the combination of piety and knowledge in these two verses: The noblest, most honorable of you in the sight of God is the most advanced of you in taqwa (49:13), and: Only the learned among His servants fear and revere God (35:28). Piety brings honor and nobility, and knowledge leads one to fear and revere God. Individuals who combine piety and knowledge in their hearts are mentioned in the Qur'an as those who succeed in the test of piety: They are those whose hearts God has tested for piety (49:3).

In the context of worship and obedience, piety means purity of heart, spiritual profundity, and sincerity. In the context of refraining from what is unlawful, piety means being determined not to commit sins and to avoid doubtful things. For this reason, each of the following may be considered an aspect of piety: A servant must

- Seek only God’s approval and pleasure, and not set his or her heart upon whatever is other than Him.

- Observe all commandments of the Shari'a.

- Do whatever is necessary to achieve the objective, and be convinced that only God will create the result. Thus one cannot be a fatalist (i.e., one cannot neglect to perform whatever is necessary to obtain a certain result, and must take all necessary measures against possible misfortune or defeat) or a pure rationalist and positivist (Mu'tazili) who attributes all human acts and accomplishments to oneself by denying God any part in them.

- Be alert to whatever may divert him or her from God.

- Be alert to the carnal pleasures that may lead to the realm of the forbidden.

- Ascribe all material and spiritual accomplishments to God.

- Not consider himself or herself as higher and better than anyone else.

- Not pursue anything other than God and His pleasure.

- Follow the guide of all, upon him be peace and blessings, without condition and reservation.

- Renew himself or herself, and continuously control his or her spiritual life by studying and reflecting on God’s acts and works as well as on His laws of nature and life.

- Remember death, and live with the conscious knowledge that it may happen at any time.

In conclusion, taqwa is the heavenly water of life, and a muttaqi (pious one) is the fortunate one who has found it. Only a few individuals have achieved the blessing of this attainment. A poet says:

God Almighty says: The great among you are those who are pious.

The last abode of the pious will be Paradise and their drink kawthar.

O God! Include us among Your pious servants who were sincere in all their religious acts.

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[tawakkull]

HADITHS ON SPIRITUALITY: 

32. The Permissibility of Speaking about Esoteric Knowledge and Its Reality

Hamed ibn Abdullah al-Harawi apprised us that Nasr ibn Muhammad ibn al-Harith al-Buzjani told us that Abd al Salam ibn Saleh told us that Sufyan ibn Uyayna told us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Ata, on the authority of Abu Hurayra:

The Messenger of Allah said, “Truly, some knowledge is like a concealed form: no one knows it except for those with knowledge of Allah and, when they speak of it, no one disapproves of it except for those heedless of Allah the Exalted.”1

___________________

1 Abd al-Salam ibn Saleh is Abu al-Salt al-Harawi, who is very weak according to the majority of scholars. Al-Hakim said, “The Imam of Hadith, Yahya ibn Ma’in, attested to his worthiness.”

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[tawakkull]

HADITHS ON SPIRITUALITY: 

11. Asking Claimants to Support their Claims

Ali ibn al-Fadl ibn Muhammad ibn Aqil apprised us that Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Sulayman al-Hadrami apprised us that Muhammad ibn al-Ala told us that Zayd told us that Ibn Lahi’a told us that Khalid ibn Yazid al-Saksaki told us, on the authority of Sa’id ibn Abu Hilal, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Abu al-Jahm, on the authority of al-Harith ibn Malik , that:

He passed by the Messenger of Allah and he asked him, “How are you this morning, O Haritha?” He said, “I woke up truly a believer.” He said, “Be careful of what you say. Every truth has a reality, so what is the reality of your belief?” He said, “I have become averse to this world. It is if I am witnessing the inhabitants of Paradise visiting one another, and it is as if I am witnessing the inhabitants of the Fire bewailing one another.” He said, “O Haritha, you have known, so adhere.” He said it three times.

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[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 161

Sakr and Sahw (Intoxication and Sobriety)

In the language of Sufism, sakr (intoxication) means that an initiate is enraptured by the rays of the manifestations of God’s “Face.” His/her returning to his/her former, normal state is sahw (sobriety). These two terms are usually used together as sahw u sakr.

There is a relation between intoxication and absence. If the inner world of seekers after the Truth who feel intoxication is not satisfied with the Divine gifts, then they lack something in intoxication, and suffer irregular tides with respect to the state of absence. It is coloring, rather than self-possession, which is witnessed in their actions. For this reason, such seekers should be regarded as those who have perhaps feigned intoxication rather than being actually intoxicated. However, it sometimes occurs that the gifts come in showers and invade the whole being, with the result that then they do become fully intoxicated.

Intoxication sometimes arises from a strong belief, a considerable knowledge of God, and is balanced by fear and awe, making itself felt in a broader sense. As for the degree of intoxication which is felt by those who have advanced further on the way and who have approached nearer to God, whenever such travelers are honored with the light of the manifestation of the “Face” or with the vision of the “Face” beyond all concepts of modality, they immediately become intoxicated. The spirit overflows with zeal and joy and the heart feels excessive excitement.

Sobriety means that the intoxicated ones return to their former, normal state. Like intoxication, sobriety is also an undeniable part of the journeying toward the Almighty. Whenever the Truth invades the very being of the intoxicated lovers of God the Almighty, who spend their lives immersed in spiritual pleasures in the valleys of absence, they feel as if they have immediately fallen into an ocean and have vanished like a drop into the world of feelings, or that they have been burnt away like a dried, flammable object and that their nature has changed. Furthermore, the ways and bridges of sensing are demolished one after another and He alone can be felt everywhere and in everything. There are many who see a relation between such a state and what is meant in the verse (7:143): As soon as his Lord displayed an exclusive manifestation for the mountain, He made it crumble to dust, and Moses fell down in a swoon (as if struck by lightning). Just as Mount Sinai, or a part of it, was rendered dust, despite its immensity, and just as Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, fell down in a swoon as if struck by lightning, despite his being one of the five greatest Messengers of God, people of ecstasy feel as if they have changed their nature, they take up different attitudes, act as if intoxicated and utter words that suggest intoxication:

O cup-bearer, pour wine into the cup, it is time to break the fast; Restore this ruin; it is time to display the favor we receive. (M. Lutfi)

This day Nasimi displays intoxication with the grace of the cup-bearer; I have always seen Mustafa in the wine which intoxicates me. (Nasimi[1])

There are many other words uttered that concern intoxication, but it is beyond the scope of this book to cite them all. Only consider that the famous Hafiz al-Shirazi begins his Diwan with the verse, Beware, O cup-bearer, bring a cup and pass it around!

Intoxication is a state in which one is enraptured with pleasures; of sobriety the main characteristics are knowledge and self-possession. A traveler is in waves of unintended, unpremeditated joy and pleasures in the state of intoxication, while in sobriety, he or she is conscious, self-possessed, and makes deliberate efforts to feel the All-Holy Truth.

Some consider intoxication to be when a heart boils with extraordinary joy and excitement in the moment when the person feels deeply the All-Beloved One. We may interpret this state as the human self being immersed in joy and pleasures in the face of the gifts coming from the Unseen World or when an initiate loses him or herself, being overpowered by love. If the human self gets intoxicated because of immersion in joy and pleasures, this is regarded as a natural state of intoxication which an initiate gets into. If love drives the person into intoxication, this is the state of intoxication into which God Himself draws him or her. However, whatever the reason for intoxication, the traveler to the Truth lives wonder-struck and acts in tides of zeal and joy. As seekers deepen in intoxication, they begin to wander in the valleys of amazement and astonishment. Sometimes their will-power may even break down, with the result that they begin to feel as if they were a shadow of the Light of His Existence. Those who have reached this point are called the “willed ones.” Their finite attributes are replaced by the manifestations of the Attributes of the All-Permanent One, and they become a polished mirror of the fact that he sees by Me.

Indicating this highest point, it is said in Thamarat al-Fuad (“The Fruits of the Heart”):

My voice, which sings like a nightingale, has been made to speak by Him; My eyes, which see, see by Him, and I have heard speech from Him. He has favored me with speech, with which He has brought mysteries to light. By the all-brilliant Light of God, my heart has been made extremely bright, And by the light of Muhammad, I have become one with a pleasant heart.

Some have disapproved the use of the word intoxication for a spiritual state as it celebrates a concept that is scorned by both reason and the Shari’a. But intoxication, which we can describe as the state of losing oneself due to the depth of love and ecstasy, is a metaphor used to express being exposed to or being favored with the rays or gifts of the Almighty which enrapture. Initiates enraptured by these gifts or rays cannot distinguish anything because of the depth of the waves of joy and pleasure in which they are drowning. In a hadith concerning repentance, God’s Messenger, who is the most advanced in reasoning and sensibility, tells us that a man of the desert expresses the excessive joy he feels with the words coming from his mouth unintentionally: “My God! You are my servant and I am Your Lord.”[2] This may be a good example of what may happen within the ecstasies that one experiences due to being favored by the Almighty’s stream of gifts.

There have been numerous people overpowered by this state, who burn with love and yearning. With his words, “O singer, play the instrument, for tonight I am intoxicated!”, Muhammed Lutfi Efendi, taking advantage of the permissibility of metaphors, declares nothing more than the joy and zeal of a lover.

As it has been to date, many travelers to the Truth will from now on murmur the same things each in their own style in the face of the Divine lights, colors and forms that they observe everywhere. In fact, when a heart falls in love with the Eternally Beloved One and is invaded by ecstasies, and in its conscience feels His company, only those who have Prophetic insight and resolution can save themselves from confusion. Other faithful lovers, who dive deep into the cataracts of love (or who flow abundantly like a river swelling with rains,) will sometimes overflow their limits; they will let themselves into the huge waves of love due to the rejoicing originating in feeling in His company, and always live in wonder, uttering “He!”

The feeling of absence that a traveler to the Truth has during intoxication is expressed by “He!” Although some suggest confusion, the following verses are beautiful in expressing this:

The lights of my eyes are He, and the direction for my reason is He; My tongue always utters He is He, and I sigh and groan with He. My heart goes on an excursion in He, the love of my soul is He. Those who are lovers and intoxicated are always with He. My soul has sacrificed itself in the way of its Beloved, Its union is with He, its parting is with He; And the cure for its afflictions is He.

Sobriety is the condition when one favored with knowledge of God comes to after having gone into an absence of feelings and consciousness, or, as with the Prophets, when one spends a lifetime in wakefulness and consciousness. It is the opposite of intoxication. The following couplet of Tokadizade Sekip is worth quoting in this respect:

The people of peace intoxicated with intimacy in Your Presence, Do not want to exchange their rapture with sobriety.

Intoxication is a state, while sobriety is a station and is more objective, secure, and straightforward when compared to intoxication. While intoxication comes from a subjective consideration of the Truth, sobriety is based on the consideration of the All-Exalted, Majestic Being known by His Names and outlined by His Attributes and Whose Essence cannot be perceived. From another perspective, an initiate is out of his or her senses when in a state of intoxication, but is sensible in sobriety. Intoxication suggests “self-annihilation in God,” but sobriety implies “subsistence with God,” which is subsistence by His Subsistence and is defined as “subsistence with God and being in His company.”

Some prefer intoxication to sobriety, yet this is the view of the intoxicated when overpowered by the state or induced by traveling through the valleys of coloring. There is absence in intoxication and in sobriety there is peace and rest. Sobriety is a few steps higher than intoxication. Intoxication means being overpowered by state; it is accompanied by coloring, and is the way of some saints, while sobriety depends on consciousness, is accompanied by self-possession, and is the way of the Prophets and the purified scholars. The Qur’an declares (15:99): Worship your Lord until certainty, which is bound to come, comes. An approach to this Qur’anic declaration is: “Continue on the way to God until you are fully awakened by death to the truth of the belief’s pillars, for traveling toward the Infinite One is endless.”

In addition, sobriety is closely connected with the consideration of life and requires strong will-power. While in intoxication, the considerations of one’s feeling annihilated in (God’s) Existence and one’s feeling annihilated in the Witnessed or in His manifestations, sometimes keep the will-power under pressure, there is in sobriety special assistance and protection that come from the company of God, such as that which is expressed in: He hears by Me, and sees by Me, and holds by Me, and walks by Me.

Our Lord! Grant us from Your Presence a special mercy and arrange for us in our affairs what is right and for our good!

May Your peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad and his family for ever. [1] Imadeddin Nasimi (1369-1417), Azerbaijan’s outstanding poet of the 15th century, wrote in Azerbaijan along with Arabic and Persian. He was very successful in lyric poems.  [2] Al-Muslim, “Tawba,” 7.

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