REMEMBRANCE - THE SUFI PATH

It is reported - but Allah knows best - that the Prophet Muhammad - may peace be upon him - said, "To remember Allah cures the believer's heart."

Remembrance of God is the essence of Islam. The Sufi Path - tassawuf - is for those who want to devote themselves to remembrance of God above and beyond the daily requirements of the Muslim faith. The Path is not for everyone - it is for those with a special calling, a deep yearning, an emptiness that nothing but God can fill. The Sufi Brotherhoods are devoted to the science of remembrance of God and to nothing else.

 

GUIDANCE

Dhikr by invoking Allah's Name is a simple, fundamental, universal expression of Islamic spirituality and may be done by sincere individuals without any guidance but Allah's. You do not need to be "initiated" into a Sufi brotherhood to call out Allah's Name. However, if your dedication is intense you may want to place yourself under the guidance of those who are experienced and accomplished in the method, and among these are the Sufi Sheihks who have made the Dhikr their special devotion and expertise.

 

POLISHING THE MIRROR OF THE HEART

The heart is sometimes compared to a mirror in Islamic spirituality. Dhikr is then compared to polishing the mirror of the heart. The invocation of the Name slowly polishes our heart so that it is better able to reflect the Divine Attributes. A heart in submission to God is a perfect mirror free of blemishes, distortions, illusions, contortions and obstructions.

It is reported - and Allah knows best - that Abdul Qadir Jilani, a friend of God - may Allah be pleased with him - said, "Your heart is a polished mirror. You must wipe it clean of the veil of dust which has gathered upon it, because it is destined to reflect the light of divine secrets."

THE LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS

The invocation of God's Name is sometimes called "The Language of the Birds". In the Koran, the Prophet Solomon - peace be to him - is taught the "language of the birds". It is also sometimes called the "Green Language". This is because the Divine Name is written into the very fabric of nature. The Name of God resounds in the heart of every creature - and thus do the birds know it. But man, of all creatures, forgets the Divine Name and lives in amensia. He must remember consciously, by choice, prompted by revelation, whereas other creatures (the birds) remember God perpetually, by instinct. To apply yourself to the Dhikr is, by analogy, "learning the language of the birds" or "learning the green language".

 

THE FIFTY THOUSAND VEILS

Although Allah is "nearer to us than the jugular vein" yet He is veiled from us - it is said - by fifty-thousand veils. The invocation of His Name removes the veils between you and Him.

 

THE GREATER JIHAD

The struggle to establish God's Name in your heart and to remember His Presence always against the unruly "nafs" of the mind is the proper meaning of the term "jihad" or "struggle" or Holy War. In a famous Tradition of the Prophet Muhammad - may peace be upon him - a man's inner battle for his soul is called the "greater jihad", the jihad against the self. You can think of the inner struggle to establish the soveriegnty of the Name in your heart as a "jihad" in which you must be steady and brave and fight in the way of Allah with the chivalrous determination of the Holy Prophet and his Companions.

 

THE MAGNET ANALOGY

It strengthens the Dhikr in your heart to be in the proximity of those who are accomplished in the Dhikr and who have established the Divine Name clear and steady in their heart. The Name is like magnetism. Our hearts are like inert iron, heavy, cold, growing rusty. As we invoke the Name we are gradually magnetizing the heart. But it helps to be near to those whose hearts are already magnetized. If you place inert iron near magnetized iron the inert iron will become magnetized as well. The Dhikr is like that. You should seek to be near those who are sincere in their devotions, who are experienced in the Dhikr, who are firmly centred in Remembrance and who, consequently, have about them the fragrance of the Divine Presence.

The reality of this "fragrance" of the Presence, as evidence of real sanctity, is more important than any supposed chain of transmission of "initiates" back to a saint or a prophet. The only worthy test of sanctity is the extent to which a person has established the Invocation of God as the perpetual and humble habit of their heart.

It is reported - but Allah knows best - that the Prophet Muhammad - may peace be upon him - said: "Remember Allah until they say, 'He is mad.'"

It is reported - and Allah knows best - that Rabia al-Adawiyyah, a friend of God - may Allah be pleased with her - said, "Your life is the only opportunity that life can give you. If you ignore it, if you waste it, you will only turn to dust."

It is reported - and Allah knows best - that Abul Qasim al-Qushayri, a friend of God - may Allah be pleased with him - said, "The spiritual warrior is he who breaks an idol; and the idol of each person is his ego."

It is reported - and Allah knows best - that Abu Sa'id, a friend of God - may Allah be pleased with him - said, "The true saint goes in and out amongst the people and eats and sleeps with them and buys and sells in the market and marries and takes part in social intercourse, and never forgets God for a single moment."

It is reported - and Allah knows best - that Jalaluddin al-Rumi, a friend of God - may Allah be pleased with him - said, "Never be without rememberance of Him, for His rememberance gives strength and wings to the bird of the Spirit."

It is reported - and Allah knows best - that Kabir, a friend of God - may Allah be pleased with him - said, "Remember the Name, or you shall regret it after death. I tell you again. Remember the Name, or you shall regret it after death. And it will be too late."

 

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