The Presence of the Shaykh & the Divine Connection

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.) said that, insha’Allah, this is a technique which will be useful to all of us after he leaves our physical presence.  We are in need of this technique.  In this life, our physical meetings come and go.  It is not possible for a person to always be in the company with another person, whether they be husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters or amongst the most beloved ones.  A person never desires to be far away from his loved ones.  However, it is written that it takes place. 

“Firaq” means “separation” and at some point, everyone must depart.  As far as our physical bodies are concerned, it is Written that we cannot always be together.  It is just not possible. However, spiritually, we have been given the ability by Allah (s.w.t.) to have a connection with any other soul.  This is possible because we are all from a single soul, a single Breath that Allah (s.w.t.) Blew into Adam (a.s.).  When we remember someone, our spiritual self is always be able to connect with that person. 

These connections have so many levels.  The perfect awliya’ are always in connection with Rasulullah (s.a.w.).  At anytime they have a need for it, they find themselves immediately in the holy presence of Rasulullah (s.a.w.).  They never leave Rasulullah’s (s.a.w.) spiritual presence.  This is hudhur ma Rasul.  The people of thariqa’ move in this direction, to obtain such a connection. 

The first step towards hudhur ma Rasul is hudhur ma shaykh, to be in connection with our shaykh.  Anytime a murid thinks of his shaykh, a connection is created.  At first one may not see him, but a feeling of his presence may be felt.  These feelings are of different levels.  A simple connection is to feel our shaykh’s presence always.  And then gradually, we may come to the level of feeling the breathing of our shaykh.  Then further on, we may see our shaykh in front of us engaged in dzikr, “Allah, Allah.”  And eventually, we may look upon him as if he is physically present and follow him.  It is only then that we are considered to be present with our shaykh all the time.  Thereafter, we find ourselves in the presence of the whole circle of the lovers of our shaykh, the spiritual majlis. 

When that connection becomes perfect, we will see ourselves as our shaykh and acquire the personality of our shaykh.  That is fana’ fi ash-shaykh.  The murid becomes the representative of his shaykh.  It is then that our shaykh, through that personality, will bring us into the Holy Presence of Rasulullah (s.a.w.).  Rasulullah (s.a.w.) manifests in us, his spiritual light and we become the representative of Rasulullah (s.a.w.).  Rasulullah (s.a.w.) is dhahir; he appears through us.  It is Rasulullah (s.a.w.), himself, who will then bring us to Hudhur al-Haqq, the Divine Presence of Allah (s.w.t.).  Allah (s.w.t.) Manifests within us the Divine Light and we are Annihilated in Allah, Fana’ fi Allah.  It is then that we leave everything of ourselves, everything of dunya.  With the Divine Light Manifest, we have become Khalifatullah, the Representative of Allah.  The Khalifa’ represents Allah (s.w.t.) in Creation.  All the teachings Sent Down through the prophets is to guide people to this station.  When we reach the station of Khalifatullah, we have achieved the final aim of shari’ah and thariqa’.