You will know the saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) that, he who knows his self, knows his Lord. You can of course also read this “he” as “she” because self-reflection is useful to all. It requires some practice, because we have the inclination to cover our own acts and thoughts and feelings with a subjective veil and then we do not really look at such things. That is also why it is useful to have a spiritual guide who serves as a mirror to us. An intelligent enemy is also helpful. Hazrat Bulleh Shah has said: You read to become all-knowing, But you never read your self. I’ve today read an article dealing with self-reflection. I’m subscribed to…
The Rivers of Paradise
Aziz an-Nasafi in his “Unveiling of the Realities” gives this beautiful explanation in regard to the rivers of paradise and the water/milk/honey/wine mentioned: Know that water causes life and its benefit is common for everything in all times, and the reality of these rivers of water in heaven is that they are the waters of life for all the people of heaven who enjoy all of them. The cause which nurtures children is milk which is more particular than water, since the benefit of milk is common for all but only at a certain time. The reality of these rivers of milk in heaven is that they are the rivers of common sense which is the basis and exoteric aspect…
Diwaan-e-Mo’in: Ghazal 5
Here is a ghazal from the Diwaan-e-Mo’in (Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna): Maa talabgaar-e-to aim o to gorezani ze maa Maa basuyat moqbal o to ruye gardaani ze maa I’m seeking you out, but you’re running away from Me, I’m looking towards you, but you’re turning away your face from Me. Maa berun az shash jehat waz sad jehat juyaan to Chand khud raa har taraf mashghul gardaani ze maa I’m beyond the six directions, but you are seeking Me everywhere. How long will you keep yourself occupied thus by turning away from Me? Har kojaa khwaahi shodan baa maa to ham ai bikhabar Maa namimaanim az to gar to’i maani ze maa O, ignorant one, you are seeking…
Magical Mystery Tour
Several years ago a Chishti shaykh and his son arrived from the East for a visit in England. The English disciples invested lots of energy in trying to get visa for the two of them for France and Spain and all in vain. The shaykh could get a visa, but the authorities refused to give a visa for the son as they were afraid that he would stay in Europe and try to find a job. They did not know that there was no economic motive for the journey. Anyhow neither of them obtained the necessary visa. The idea was to travel to the Spanish town of Granada in order to visit a Sufi community in that town. But how…
It saved his life
In a restaurant in the West people objected to the presence of some Japanese. A certain man – he was called Laurens van der Post – then strongly objected to this racist behaviour and said to the owner of the restaurant that if the Japanese had to go that he would never visit the restaurant again and he would tell his friends to do the same. It not only worked, but because of talking to these Japanese visitors he got interested in the Japanese culture and even learned the Japanese language. This saved his life years later. He became a prisoner in a Japanese camp in Indonesia and because of his speaking Japanese he could survive as a much needed…
Sufi concept: Tuesday – Prophet Aaron
Shaykh Ibn al-‘Arabi tells us, that for every day there is a prophet from among the prophets, from whom descends a secret upon the heart of the verifying witness, a secret in which you takes delight during your day and by which you know something of that which requires to be known. This only happens to those who possess a heart. Day 3: Tuesday If your day is Tuesday, then Aaron is your companion, so adhere to right guidance and John, the Baptist, will be your intimate, so cleave to purity and contentment. On Tuesday it is either Aaron or John who addresses you with a secret by which he comes to know what is beneficial or harmful about the…
One Special Task
In jedem lebt ein Bild dessen, was er werden soll. Solange er dies nicht ist, ist nicht sein Friede voll. In each one lives an image of what he is to be. As long as he is not this, he ne’er at rest will be. [Friedrich Rückert] یکی گفت که اینجا چیزی فراموش کردهام Someone came and said: ‘I have forgotten something here.’ [Rumi: Fihi ma fihi; # 3; p. 14] Rumi answered: ‘There is one task in this world you should never forget. Even when you’d forget everything, except this one task, then it doesn’t matter. When you performed all tasks, remembered everything, and not forgot anything, but forgot that one task, then you have done nothing whatsoever’. ‘It…
Diwaan-e-Mo’in: Ghazal 20
Maa ba-har wesaal az del o jaan niz gozashtim Dar wasl na-khaahi to az aan niz gozashtim During the experience of union I also have renounced both my heart and soul. If You dislike something else during this union, I’ll renounce that as well. Dar bahr-e-fanaa’ gharq-e-rezaa-ye-to chonaanim Kaz juyi moraad-e-do jahaan niz gozashtim I am drowned in annihilation’s ocean to satisfy You in such a way That I also have renounced all desires for this world and the next. ‘Omri ze paa-ye naam o neshaan-e-to dawidim Maa dar talab az naam o neshaan niz gozashtim All my life I have been in a quest to know You and where to find You. I have stopped paying attention to who…
Chishti stages of love – Part 2
The stage of exclusive attachment to the Beloved also has five phases. 1. The first phase of exclusive attachment to the Beloved is called mu’aanadat (enmity). What happens that when the lover moves in company, she or he feels ill at ease with strangers and is afraid of being laughed at. People become her or his enemies and are prone to ridicule this lover. To explain this the author of Resaala-e-‘eshqia (The Epistle of Love) has quoted the following verse of Qur’an 22:52 We have not sent a messenger or prophet before you but when he recited the devil would intrude into his recitation Yet Allah annuls what the devil has cast. Then Allah establishes his revelations. Allah is All-knowing,…
The rules of behaviour of the shaykh
The Sufis of the Chishtiyya order, as well of many other orders, have also made a detailed study of the 52nd chapter of ‘Omar as-Sohrawardi’s handbook ‘Awaarif al-ma’arif dealing with The proper rules of behaviour of the shaykh and what he undertakes with his companions and disciples This they studied, if they could read Arabic or in case of knowledge of Persian they studied the book of al-Qashani (partially translated by Wilberforce Clark into English while using the ‘misleading’ title of the Arabic original). My translation is from German (Richard Gramlich; Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden; pp. 359-364. Gramlich has translated the complete book, an excellent achievement not only because it has the size of a telephone directory, but also because…