The Significance of Muharram and `Ashura

 
The Significance of Muharram and `Ashura

Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani


`Āshūra is a day of great historical significance. On this day: Allah (swt) accepted the repentance of Sayyidina Adam (as) after his exile from Paradise; Allah (swt) saved Sayyidina Nuh (as) and his companions in the ark; Allah extinguished the fire in which Sayyidina Ibrahim (as) was thrown by Nimrod; And Allah (swt) spoke directly to Sayyidina Musa (as) and gave him the Commandments. On this same 10th of Muharram, Sayyidina Ayyub (as) was restored to health (from leprosy); Sayyidina Yusuf (as) was reunited with his father Ya’qub (as); Sayyidina Yunus (as) was taken out from the belly of the fish; and the sea was divided as the nation of israel was delivered from captivity and Pharoah’s army was destroyed. `Āshūra is also the day when Sayyidina Dawud (as) was forgiven; the kingdom of Sulaiman (as) was restored; Sayyidina `Isa (as) was raised to Jannah and Sayyidina al-Husayn (as) [the Holy Prophet’s, Sallallahu `alayhi wa Sallam, grandson] achieved the honor of Martyrdom.

Worship Allah (swt) as much as you can on `Āshūra. Whoever fasts on this day is like one who fasts all his life. Whoever clothes a naked person Allah (swt) will release him from a painful punishment. He who visits a sick person, Allah (swt) will grant him a reward that will not be decreased. Whoever places his hand on an orphan’s head, or feeds a hungry person or gives water to a thirsty person, Allah will feed him a feast from Paradise and will quench his thirst with Salsabil (a wine that does not intoxicate). And who ever makes  ghusl on this day will enjoy excellent health and freedom from sickness and laziness. Whoever provides generously for his family on this day, Allah (swt) will be generous to him throughout this year. And whoever applies kohl to his eyes will never suffer from eye-sore again, inSha’Allah al-`Aziz.

Mu`awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan (r) relates: I heard the Messenger of Allah (swt) say: "It is the day of `Āshūra. Allah (swt) has not made fasting obligatory for you. But I am fasting. He who likes to observe fast among you should do so, and he who likes not to observe it (does not have to) observe it." [Sahih Muslim]

Abu Qatada (r) relates that the Holy Prophet (s) said that the fast on the 10th of Muharram atones for the sins of the preceding year. [Sahih Muslim]

في رواية لمسلم عن ابن عباس – رضي الله عنهما  - أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قدم المدينة . فوجد اليهود صياماً يوم عاشوراء . فقال لهم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ما هذا اليوم الذي تصومونه ؟ فقالوا : هذا يوم عظيم . أنجى الله فيه موسى وقومه . وغرق فرعون وقومه . فصامه موسى شكراً . فنحن نصومه . فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : " فنحن أحق وأولى بموسى منكم " فصامه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم . وأمر بصيامه

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, observed `Āshūra' by fasting it. He asked the Jews why they fasted on that day and they told him "It is the day on which Allah drowned Pharaoh and rescued Moses, so we fast in it to give thanks to Allah Most High." The Prophet (s) replied saying:  "We have more of a right to Moses than you." So he fasted on that day and ordered the people to fast on that day. He also said near the end of his life: "By Allah, if I lived longer I would fast on the 9th of Muharram." That is, that he would fast on the 9th and the 10th.

In Muslim from Abu Hurayra (r), the Prophet (s) said: "The best month to fast after Ramadan is Muharram."

وأخرج ابن المنذر وابن أبي حاتم والبيهقي في الشعب، عن قيس بن عباد - رضي الله عنه - قال: لله أمر في كل ليلة العاشر من أشهر الحرم، أما العشر من الأضحى، فيوم النحر. وأما العشر من المحرم، فيوم عاشوراء. وأما العشر من رجب، ففيه {يمحو الله ما يشاء ويثبت} قال: ونسيت ما قال في ذي القعدة.

Qays ibn `Abbaad (r) said:

To Allah belongs the command on the tenth night of every sacred month. As for the tenth of the [month of] sacrifice, that is the Day of Sacrifice. As for the tenth of Muharram, that is the day of `Āshūra. As for the tenth of Rajab, in it [Allah revealed about it] "Allah doth blot out or confirm what He pleaseth."  [13:39] and I forgot what he said about Dhu'l-Qa`idah.

وأخرج ابن عساكر عن خالد الزيات قال: بلغنا أن نوحا عليه السلام ركب السفينة أول يوم من رجب وقال لمن معه من الجن والإنس: صوموا هذا اليوم فإنه من صامه منكم بعدت عنه النار مسيرة سنة، ومن صام منكم سبعة أيام أغلقت له أبواب جهنم السبعة، ومن صام منكم ثمانية أيام فتحت له أبواب الجنة الثمانية، ومن صام منكم عشرة أيام قال الله له: سل تعطه، ومن صام منكم خمسة عشر يوما قال الله له: استأنف العمل قد غفرت لك ما مضى، ومن زاد زاده الله. فصام نوح عليه السلام في السفينة رجب، وشعبان، ورمضان، وشوالا، وذا القعدة، وذا الحجة، وعشرا من المحرم، فأرست السفينة يوم عاشوراء فقال نوح عليه السلام لمن معه من الجن والإنس: صوموا هذا اليوم.

Khalid az-Zeeyaat said:

It has reached us that on the first of Rajab Allah Sayyidina Nuh (as) set sail in the ark and he fasted and ordered all those with him from Jinn and mankind to do so saying: Fast this day for verily whoever among you fasts it, will be brought far from the Fire the distance of one year's travel; ... Sayyidina Nuh (as) fasted in the Ark the months of Rajab, Sha`ban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhul-Q`idah and Dhul-Hijjah and ten days of Muharram. Then the Ark came to rest on `Āshūra and Nuh (as) said to all those who were with him from Jinn and humankind, "Fast this day."

قال الزمخشري‎:‎ خصه من بين الأشهر الحرم لمكان عاشوراء فأفضل الأشهر لصوم التطوع المحرم ثم رجب ثم بقية الأشهر الحرم ثم شعبان

The scholar Az-Zamakhshari said: [Muharram's] distinction among the sacred months is due to `Āshūra. The best of the months for the voluntary fast is Muharram, then Rajab then the rest of the sacred months and then Sha`bān.

It is related from Ibn Mas`ud that he said: "It is incumbent upon the believer to intend spending Laylat al-Qadr in prayer from the very first night of the month of Muharram (the first month of the year) to the end of the year, so that he will most certainly chance upon it."

Shah Bahauddin Naqshband Muhammad al-Uwaisi al-Bukhari is the Master of this Tariqat and the Imam of the Golden Chain and the best of those who carried this lineage from the Khwajagan. He was born in the month of Muharram, in 717 H./1317 CE, in the village of Qasr al-'Arifan near Bukhara.

We are asking Allah (swt) to dress us for the sake of that one who gave up himself - and how many gave themselves up for sake of our benefit - and the first of them and greatest was Sayyidina Muhammad (s) who said:

ما أوذي نبي مثلما أوذيت

"I was the most tortured among all the prophets."
  
After that were his children and grandchildren - they were killed and yet they never turned their backs.  Sayyidina al-Husayn (as)  said "I am coming"   Sayyidina al-Husayn gave a promise and against advice of many he kept going.  When he arrived the supporters backed up, but he kept going - anyone who remembered that incident and fasted `Ashura  - as when the Prophet (s) entered Madina and saw the Jews fasting: "because that day Allah saved Musa from Pharaoh,” and the Prophet (s) said, "nahnu ahaqq wa awla bi musa minkum  - We have more right to Musa than you.” And in `Am Fath  - Sayyidina Muhammad's (s) last year in which he performed hajj, he said, “if Allah (swt) gives me life I will fast the ninth also.” So whoever fasts `Ashura Allah (swt) will waive the sins of one year back - all your sins will be taken away.  And that day Sayyidina al-Husayn was killed -when you fast that day remember Sayyidina al-Husayn. Fast, you will be saved.

These jewels, diamonds that Allah (swt) gave to us, we have to appreciate them.  Dhikr associations are to clean us from all these sins. May Allah (swt) bless us and send his best and highest manifestations on Sayyidina Muhammad (s) his family and children especially Sayyidina Abi `Abdillah al-Husayn wa rufaqa’ihi and Shuhada Karbala  wa min Allah at-tawfiq bi hurmat al Fatiha.

FIGHTING DESIRES

Fighting Desires from Sufi Meditation Center on Vimeo.

From the teachings of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi

Naqshbandi Sufi Meditation Center, Vancouver, BC

All Video on YouTube keep up-to date

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzf0oqEm6CA

And Mawlana Shaykh is teaching that there are many different realities we are in search of. And what we are in need of most is protection from bad desires and from other difficulties that are constantly moving towards us. They attach themselves to us, making us fall and lead us to make wrong choices and bad actions, eventually leading to difficulty upon the soul. Those who are inspired by the Divine to be seekers in life find themselves present here in such associations; their soul is seeking its reality and pushing the physicality, pushing the body to seek that reality. And the way of tariqah and Sufism come to explain the physiology and understanding of the "self".

And Mawlana Shaykh is teaching that if you focus on your external and keep building on that, focusing just on the physicality, then there is no protection, no Light, nor any feeling or taste; all of it becomes only a facade. We were describing before that you can cook a turkey very fast, if you put it on high heat you can make the whole outside look brown but if it's not well done inside and you bite into it, it is all raw. It means that those who focus only on the external, on the form or the body, they find that they have no protection, nor the ability to defend against bad desires and are always afflicted by confusion just like everything else in the material world. It is just like if you make a beautiful structure on the outside and the inside has no substance, has no power and benefit, and it is just a facade then anyone who comes can blow that house down in one huff and puff. It means that Shaytan can come in any form, and anyone who is only working on his external form, by doing all their practises related only to the form; they have no taste and cannot feel what they are reading, then many different energies can attack them and make them lose to their bad desires and therefore fall into oceans of difficulty.

And Mawlana Shaykh comes into our lives and begins to teach us that will prevail unless you focus on the inside, and it is the secret of Qudra; the secret of power. It is that secret that the Divine wants us to build, our inside, and to strengthen it and build the heart.

The only chakra which we call lataaif, is the subtle energy point that we keep our focus on, and it is the heart, the core of the entire body. If we build the energy within the heart we build the power of the soul and then the core becomes empowered. At that time the soul is energized, because the heart has been cleansed and purified with the chanting and the practises, as well as the breathing and anything that has to do with the spirit, not just the physicality. You cannot just leave the physicality, but you have to put a discipline upon it. Sufism comes and teaches that you should first focus on the inside. We begin with the cooking process, and we do not worry about the browning of the turkey but "cook" our inner self; make our zikr and practises; look into our heart, meditate and contemplate and sit by our self, with our self, in the presence of the Divine Creator on a daily basis. And we have daily accounting, daily hisaab, breathing and meditating and as that energy begins to build that core begins to strengthen and it begins to send the energy that will protect the physicality. If there is nothing happening inside, the outside is like a paper lion, it will fall easily. If one test or hardship comes that person falls to pieces and we have had examples before.

If the inside is strong and someone comes and break down the door, they will never be able to enter because the inside is fortified, it has power to protect. But if a burglar tries to come in and from the outside there is nothing to protect, and the inside of that person has nothing of any value to the Divine Presence, then he breaks in, and smashes the door and goes straight through. Shaytan sees there is nothing inside to provide protection and the outside was very flimsy, just like a glass door, a very subtle protection and it's so easy to get through. But if there is power on the inside and protection, it will begin to send a shield to the outside and then there is no way to penetrate that barrier, and that example becomes the reality of our inner self; as much as we focus on our heart and focus on our practises, it builds the reality of the heart and the soul. And when we practise meditation, contemplation, breathing, our accounting and do the chanting by reading the awraad and the zikr, it brings the Divine Gaze to the heart. Allah (SWT) says, "I am neither in the Heavens nor on Earth but I am in the heart of My believer, Qalbun mum'in baytullah." So if the Divine Light begins to shine within the heart then energy begins to emanate and it begins to protect the body.

And many times Mawlana Shaykh has said that we are just like the earth; the Divine is teaching us that He will show us His signs upon the horizon and within our self. So then people who don't want to look within themselves can go study how the earth is protected. What is creating that shield of protection for the earth so that everything in the outer space, the stars, planets and other objects do not fall upon our heads? It is the magnetic core; the heat at the core of the earth moves the metal within the core and is making it magnetic from molten lead and iron within the center of the earth, and the energy released from these metals is creating the energy belt around the earth and is described as the "layers of energy." So when things are trying to penetrate the earth most of them burn off before entering the earth's atmosphere. And the Divine is teaching us we are no different; the energy within us needs to be developed through the heart, the core of our body is pure water and has to be kept purified. And the iron within our blood, if not oxygenated/polished and stamped with zikrullah, it becomes a source of sickness in our body. And so they say most staff infection is from the rotting iron (free radicals) which attaches itself and immediately increases the sickness.

So hijama/cupping will take away all the excess iron and pull the dirty blood from the body. In many different spiritual practises when we chant and also during the spiritual practises, this nasma and qudra and all of that Divine energy (that is surrounding us) attaches itself to the iron (haemoglobin), not to the liquid part within the blood, and then moves all over. The iron in the blood begins to heat the water/liquid of the body and begins to change the state of our whole being; we can either be a fiery person and as soon as something happens we become angry and we flush, or we can be a spiritual person where we have practised and opened the energy within our heart and made it a Baytullah, "the house of God" (within us). And with every pumping of the blood when we are breathing the Divine energy comes through the breath and goes into the lungs which nourish the blood and it moves into the heart. And as it enters into the heart it will be stamped by the heartbeat which is Allah Hu (between cessation and pumping) if that heart has become "the house of Allah," it is then stamped with the zikr of Allah (SWT). And once that energy has been stamped upon the blood, the heart shoots it to the eleven essential organs of the body (reflection of the solar system within).

That is why they say that every step (in spiritual progress) is based on the breath; every spiritual order talks of this, the spiritual consciousness of the breath, because this is the Divine blessing that is coming to us. Before (this realization) you want money, you want a wife or a husband or children and this or that, but the Divine is saying, "You want so many things in life but did you thank Me for the nafas/the breath? And you are given 24,000 such gifts during each day and you don't thank Me even once for those breaths?" So then we have all our wants but we have no thankfulness to the Divine and that is the formula for depression and sadness; you are always sad because you have wants but you never thank. And that is Divine teaching, we always have to be thankful constantly saying, Alhamdulillah wa Shukranlillah, Alhamdulillah wa Shukranlillah....because we have life. If God gets sick of us He may end the breath and we would be gone and all our complaints go with us. The Divine is teaching us to thank Him on a daily basis and hamd is different from shukr. Alhamdulillah is that everything, yusabihoo wa bi hamdi...that "everything is praising the Divine" and I am also praising with all my being, I am praising You my Lord. So keeping chanting Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah for what He have given us and Shukranlillah because there is our breath which is coming in easily. Go watch people who suffer from breathing, we have said this many times and it is Mawlana Shaykh's training; when we think we have a hard time because our sustenance is short, go to the children's hospital and watch children who have asthma; they cannot breathe or take in air, they are small and innocent and they haven't smoked or done stupid things to harm themselves; it's just the way the cards have been put out when destiny was written. So when we go to those situations and see the difficulty of their breath, and the hardship that they endure, and what suffering really is, then we say Shukranlillah, Shukranlillah, Shukranlillah...you make it a thousand times a day and it still won't be enough.

The Divine is teaching that is the key when we are thanking and praising, and to be thankful for everything that we have. Then they begin to teach us that this breath coming in is thanking the Divine as it is moving through the body, so we should be busy all day long with our chanting whether we are asking forgiveness for the things we have done wrong, known or unknown to us by saying astagfirullah or then praising the Divine Presence and praising the Prophetic reality constantly. It means the heart is now busy and it becomes like a factory constantly praising and purifying, as it is purifying it's now stamping with Divine energy, and every blood cell flowing through it is now being stamped with that praise. With that stamp, the blood now begins to go to each organ and fight on our behalf; before, all the organs were under satanic and bad energy attack and each organ was prone to collapse, bringing every difficulty to the body. It's not a coincidence that kidney failure and liver failure are the most common diseases in the world. It's because bad energy is encouraging us (into wrong actions) and wants to take over our being. Shaytan wants to come and take over our heart completely and presses us, "Why don't you smoke?" And as soon as we smoke we put all that horrible energy into being and it gets to move freely through our blood.

So the Prophet (s) described that Shaytan moves through the blood in our bodies, by always whispering, "Why are you taking a long time? Start smoking," so then bad energy can enter very quickly and hit our heart. It results in heart disease through heart attacks, and from there it will move through our blood into our liver, kidneys and our lungs. And later Shaytan will inspire us to drink! "Drink and put spirits inside your body," they don't call it heavenly names, but they call it "spirits". What spirits are coming into our body? These are negative spirits and they want to dilute what we are made up of, that is pure water. We are asking to purify this water and fill it with Divine chanting and Divine energy, but negative energy comes and says, "No dilute that water and make it to be like fire, fill it with all sorts of spirits." And then the blood becomes like fire; it begins to de-nourish all the organs and starts to shut down the entire body. So we are under attack, whether we know it or not, the reality of Sufism is to come and teach us how to defend our self until we regain a consciousness and become aware of what the Divine has guided us to. You keep thinking (on the surface), "I thought I was just sitting on this carpet and chanting?" But the Divine is saying, "No, you are under a negativity attack and it is overtaking you," and (it will not stop) unless we begin to chant and practise and understand our focus is on the inside, on the heart and its energy. As soon as we empower the heart then nasrullah, "Divine Help" is coming. The Divine energy starts entering the heart providing support, and all our internal energy changes, all the organs of the body will be protected, and now we begin to secure the kingdom within.

This (body) is a kingdom that the Divine has given us and before we can open the reality of the heavenly kingdom we don't even know our own kingdom which is (constantly) under satanic attack, how then are we going to witness the grandeur of Divinely kingdom? Many people who are zahireen focusing only on external practises, wonder why nothing is opening for them? Why is there no understanding and reality opening for them? Mawlana Shaykh is teaching what would Allah want to show you from His heavenly kingdom when you don't know your own kingdom? You don't know who you are and what king is sitting upon your throne? What king is sitting upon your heart? Is it a satanic king of bad desires, bad action, and bad will and wants? Or is it the Divine King? Thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. It means the kingdom of the Divine must come into the heart. The Light of the Divine comes into the heart and begins to push down all wants and desires by this internal energy, and begins to protect with this energy every external (bad) influence. Under the levels of the Naqshbandia murshids, Mawlana Shaykh is all of those realities.

But the Shaykh al-Tarbiyah and Shaykh al-Tazkiya is the same; they give us from their tarbiyah and from their understanding which means there has to be amongst you a Shaykh that teaches tarbiyah, teaches manners, teaches what is right and what is wrong and the understanding of the self. As you begin to bring tarbiyah/discipline and etiquettes of understanding the do's and don'ts, what's right and wrong, you can begin the internal cleansing. There has to be a guide that teaches that tarbiyah and it is all about mannerism. We have the expression bay-tarbiyat and it means "vulgar, rude". So it is the opposite and when there is no tarbiyah how could there be tazkiyah? How could you have purification if you have no manners? It's impossible. So the guides of tarbiyah come and teach, "Don't do this but do that... don't do this, now do that," they have perfected their manners so when you see them, they have the best of manners, loving and humble and always seeking God's support, Mercy and forgiveness because they know they are always under attack.

As soon as the tarbiyah comes then the Shaykh begins to inspire from the reality of tazkiyah, and now the zikr and practises will finally start to take a hold on you because your manners are finally trained towards goodness. And they begin to give you zikr and from their nazar/gaze that zikr is now housed in a beautiful vessel to hold it. If you hold your cup out to them and it has no tarbiyah accompanying it and you are asking for a zikr, that is like asking for liquid gold and as soon as it is poured in that cup it melts everything, and since the vehicle in which we are asking to place that is not yet purified, they begin to teach us by starting with tarbiyah. So then the same Shaykh, teaches from the reality of tazkiyah, he takes note that we have followed all the tarbiyah, choosing right from wrong, because they jumped us through hoops and our character is now corrected, and the manners are corrected, then the zikr they give us will hold onto the soul. It brings a light and a tremendous energy inside and begins to provide a powerful energy outside and prevents the hawa; stops the desire of dunya, overcomes the ego and begins to fight Shaytan. Without the inside being strengthened, the outside is definitely under attack. We pray that Mawlana Shaykh opens more and more understanding for us on how to build that inside energy and how to follow their tarbiyah and tazkiyah and that our hearts begin to open, and that energy begins to shine within our heart. Subhaanaka Rabbil izzati amma yasifoon wa Salaamun 'alal mursaleen wal Hamdulillahi Rabbil 'Aalameen. 

Struggle

 786

We see with our eyes that have been closed

We hear with our ears letting all in and more

My ignorance to trust the one who sighs too close

Debates are for the ones who have crafted a storm

I have lost already for giving a thought to form

Commencing a relationship with a trustee of the spot

Walking side by side unaware of the army he has brought

Back and forth thoughts are weaving a curvy road

Paper holds the weight of the bruised morality

Easily falling as long as trustee has vitality

Struggle is given a consideration to raise the roof

Contemplation becomes the core on all shores

You have to face the shadow but you are not alone

The Lions behind you with the tongue of truth

Repentance is the step to the cave of Hu.

Secrets of Number 3 and Faith

Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi
Sufi Meditation Center

Assalamu `alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

3 Levels of Spiritual Development

Secrets of Atii-Allah, atia Rasul wa ulu amri minkum., Power in the Number 3
From The Teachings of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
The number 3 is a very significant number in spirituality.

Recently, the Sultan of Saints, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani, declared that we are entering into the 2nd phase out of 3 phases, and as with everything that our beloved Shaykh says, these 3 phases are hinting at a tremendous ocean of reality filled with precious jewels for those who
want to dive further. The master-divers within these oceans of saintly knowledge are known as the “arifeen”, the “knowers”, those who have delved deep into the spiritual secrets of all Holy Books. Thus, from just one description of a reality by the Sultan of Saints, Mawlana begins to open many realities:

· The 3 levels of obedience (Allah, Rasul, Ulu amr’)

· The 3 levels of spiritual development (Islam, Iman, Ihsan)

· Husband, wife and child

· Hajj, Prophet Abraham (as) and the reality of 3

As we have discussed previously, the number 3 is associated with the formation of the soul and our “Adamic Reality,” which is our true self in the world of light. Thus, our real existence has to do with the secrets of the creation of Adam, who was fashioned by God’s own hands, and blown into from His spirit. This is a tremendous reality which many people never stop to contemplate, but it is something that the arifeen have understood completely. What is this power that the Divine has dressed upon the hearts of human beings? It was something so majestic that the angels in Paradise were ordered to bow down, even though they knew that humans would spread bloodshed upon the earth.

*3 Levels of Spiritual Development*

Then there is the importance of the 3 levels of obedience, and its relationship with the 3 tiers of faith described in the Hadith of Gabriel. The 3 levels of obedience are described in the Holy Qu’ran:

Atii-Allah, atia Rasul wa ulu amri minkum.
Obey God, obey the Prophet and obey those in authority.* (Women, 4:59)*

The number 3 is also found in the Hadith of Gabriel, who came to the Prophet (s) and his companions in the appearance of a man and asked certain questions about the religion the Prophet (s) had brought. When the questions had been answered, this man mysteriously left, and the companions asked the Prophet “who was that person?” to which the Prophet (s) replied, “that was the angel Gabriel. He came to teach you about your religion.” The answers that Prophet (s) gave were a description of the 3 tiers of spiritual development: Islam, Iman and Ihsan. These are Arabic terms, but when translated into English they describe the stations of submission, faith, and moral excellence.

When people hear the term “Islam”, they immediately think that it is something foreign to them, but in reality the word “Islam” is an Arabic verb which in English simply means “submission.” It is not a noun or a religious label. Rather, it is an action, and the Prophets were all teaching that actions mean more than words. Someone can call themselves pious and still lie and cheat people, because the label of piety is meaningless. It is the actions which matter. Sayedina Isa (as) said, “Judge a person by the fruits of their actions,” and Sayedina Muhammad (s) was teaching that all religion is based upon the same principle, which is submission to the Divine Will. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done.” This is an action, not a label. Whether we call ourselves Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, if these are labels that we are using to separate and divide people then what is the benefit? Sufism comes to remind people to follow the teachings of all the Prophets and to think outside the box.  In the world of light, all that exists is the light! You cannot take these labels into that realm. You cannot take your Gucci with you, and say “I’m wearing Gucci, so let me in.” The only thing that counts in Divine Presence is the action of submission, meaning the degree to which we are submitting our will to God’s Will. Therefore, if a Buddhist is praying in the Tibetan language, and his prayer in that language is for his or her will to be brought down, and to follow the will of the Divine, then that is Islam.

So the first phase of development on the path is the phase of learning to submit our will and to bring down our egoistic desires so that we may begin to bring out the light from within the heart. That 1st phase is from the 1st level of obedience to those in authority, and can only be perfected through following someone who has been granted spiritual authority, which are the Saints. Then, once we are in obedience to the spiritual authority, we move to the 2nd level of obedience, which is obedience to the Prophets and the reality of Iman or faith. It means that the station of faith is achieved by following the life and example of the Prophet, but it is not something easy. The Bedouin came to Prophet (s) and said, “We believe!” to which God revealed to Prophet (s), “They do not yet have faith. They have merely accepted the existence of a Creator.”

This is an important distinction. It is one thing to accept that there is something greater than us at work in this vast universe, but to reach the station of faith which was exemplified by the Prophets is much more difficult. That level requires a tremendous amount of testing to determine the quality of that faith. If there is any inconsistency or hypocrisy hidden within us, that testing will bring it out. Divine is saying in all Holy Books that we will be tested with our money, with our family, with our
health, with our life and with our death. At every level we will be tested throughout our lives to see if our faith in the Divine is shaken, or if we stand firm - and if we stand firm then at that time we will reach our reality in Divine Presence, which is the station of moral excellence (Ihsan).

*Phase of Spiritual Development:*

Islam (Submission)

Iman (Faith)

Ihsan (Moral Excellence)

*Obedience to:*

Ulu amr’ (those in Authority) 

Prophet (s)

God


Man, Woman and Child*

The number 3 also describes the relationship between man, woman and child.  This has to do with the spiritual significance of the creation of Adam and Eve. According to holy traditions, Sayedina Adam (as) was created by God’s two hands, yet he was lonely and desired companionship. So the Divine
created Hawwa (Eve) from his rib, which is to symbolize the equality between man and woman. Adam represents the physical body and submitting the body (Islam), while Eve represents the soul and faith. When body and soul come together they give birth to your reality (Ihsan). It means that if you don’t achieve the station of faith nothing will be born from your submission, you will simply remain at the surface level. It is an enormous struggle to reach that reality, just like the struggle of marriage. One partner wants something and the other partner wants something different.  The body desires something, the soul desires something different, and in each case the shaykhs always advise us to compromise and to find a balance.  In that balance we will find success -in marriage as well as in spirituality. Just as we compromise and find a balance with our spouse, we must also find a balance between what our body needs and what our soul needs. If we give too much to either one, we find ourselves becoming extreme and either going to Las Vegas or leaving everything and going to live in the woods. But the Naqshbandi way is to find a balance so that even though you are amongst people, your heart is always connected with Divine Presence.

*Creation:*

Adam (Ibrahim)
 
Eve (Haggar)  

Child (Ismael)
 
*Phase of Spiritual Development:*

Islam (Submission)

Iman (Faith)

Ihsan (Moral Excellence)

As this 2nd phase is now opening, those who are submitting should see the light of faith open in their hearts.  A faith that is hidden and doesn’t produce anything is a sign that there is a problem. When you have submission along with faith, it should produce moral excellence and the perfection of character.  If not, then there is a problem. Similarly, when a husband and wife come together out of love, their union should result in a child, which is a symbol of that love.  If there is a medical condition that is something different, but generally speaking, if there is no child it is a sign that there is a problem within the relationship. Also, when there is that love for Mawlana, then there must be some physical action or physical manifestation of that love.  Either through a growing community of fellowship, or eventually the birth of a Sufi center which represents the collective love of the  community for Mawlana and which allows these teachings to spread.

*Hajj and the Reality of 3*

The reality of the number 3 is also related to the pilgrimage and the story of the Prophet Abraham (as). Pilgrimage is the door of gnosticism; it represents a migration towards reality, and the rituals performed during the pilgrimage contain tremendous spiritual significance. One important sign for us is that the pilgrimage is not completed until you reach Mt. Arafat, the mountain of araf, the mountain of the arifeen. It means that your spiritual pilgrimage to your reality is not complete until you reach
the station of knowing. The pilgrimage in Sufi tradition is based upon the story of the Prophet Abraham (peace and blessings be upon him), known as the “father of faith”. He was an extremely generous person who gave all of his life, until a test came that shook him to his very core.

After many years without a son, his prayers were finally answered when Haggar gave birth to his first child, Sayedina Ismael (as). As the child grew and became a boy, Sayedina Ibrahim (as) had a dream that must have felt like a nightmare, asking him to sacrifice the boy. He woke-up thinking “this can’t be”, went back to sleep and dreamt it again. Then he woke-up again, fell back to sleep, and the dream came a third time. At that moment he knew it was real, for it is said that if a dream repeats 3 times it is from truth (al-haqq), and so he accepted and prepared for the sacrifice.  From the knowledge of the arifeen, they are teaching us that his acceptance to follow the Divine order represents physical submission, the first station on the spiritual path.

Then, as he is hearing and obeying, the Devil approaches his wife and says, “do you know what your crazy husband is preparing to do?! He has lost his mind and is going to sacrifice your only child!” The wife again symbolizes the soul and the station of faith, and she knew in her heart that Sayedina
Ibrahim (as) was a Prophet and he was getting his coordinates from his Lord.  If he heard it, her faith told her that it must be true.  This is important in our development because as our physicality comes into submission, don’t think you have arrived! Your soul is going to come under heavy attack from evilness which wants to shake your faith and prevent you from reaching your reality, where the full power of the light within heart can be unleashed.

Another important point to be made here is that if you are missing something from the first level, the level of submission, then you cannot be confident in your spiritual coordinates and what your heart is inspiring.  That submission means that you are performing what the Divine has ordered to be performed, not out of a sense of hardship, but from a Heavenly Wisdom that these practices and disciplines provide a vital protection from the attack of negative energy which seeks to prevent the seeker from attaining their Heavenly station. Sayedina Ibrahim (as) was in perfect submission and
could therefore be confident in his spiritual connection, but we are not at that level of submission.

Mawlana is saying that this life is like a game of football. You can’t say “I don’t agree with the rules,” or “I don’t want to play this game.” When you were born you were given a jersey and sent onto the field, and your goal is only to reach the end zone and score. It means the goal is to achieve Divine satisfaction. But anyone who watches football knows that the other team isn’t going to just let you stroll across the finish line unchallenged, and similarly this negative energy is not going to let you walk into Divine Presence. They come looking to crush you and prevent you from getting anywhere, and because of that these football players must wear a lot of protective padding.

The physical disciplines are the spiritual version of protective padding.  You can’t say “but now we are modern. We don’t need to do these practices anymore.” That is like a football player saying they are going to march down the field with the ball but they don’t see the importance of wearing a helmet or any padding. That person is going to find themselves in big problems very quickly! The importance of the physical disciplines is that they seal the body from these attacks and empower the soul, and any deficiency in these practices will create a hole through which negativity can attack. For example, it is important to maintain your wudu throughout the day and night. If you wash and then pray two rakahs sunnah of wudu, it creates a shield of light around the body which protects from these electromagnetic energies.

All of the prayers, fasting, dietary requirements etc. build the soul and provide a protection. Unfortunately, we see that many so-called Sufi “masters” or teachers now have left the physical discipline. Not understanding the importance, they instead place all of their focus on the spiritual and esoteric aspects and leave themselves open to attack from negative forces, and that is why you see many of the fake ones smoking and drinking and missing prayers. For normal people it is something else, but for a supposedly spiritual person to be intoxicating and sickening their breath by smoking is a sign that they have not achieved perfection. That perfection is only achieved by following the practices of the Prophets who have been dressed by perfect submission to their Lord.  In our times there are no more Prophets; therefore we look to their inheritors, the Saints, who are reflecting that perfection in our times.

Returning to the story of Prophet Abraham (as), he represents the physicality and the station of submission. He heard the order and he obeyed, even though he was shaking and crying at the thought of losing his son. Then his wife represents the soul and the station of faith. That faith will be tested, as she was tested when Satan began to whisper to her against her husband, but her faith was strong and she could not be persuaded. Seeing that he had failed to change her heart, Satan then tried to whisper to the boy, and the boy spits on him. The boy represents the station of moral excellence because of the innocence of youth, and by spitting the Divine is showing us that evilness has no chance with someone at the station of moral excellence because it is the station of perfection.  That is why the Saints are described as being like children, not because they are naive - for they are filled with wisdom - but because they have purified themselves to a state of youthful innocence and no longer possess bad desires.


Peace & Blessings
Eternally