The Sayings of Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty (q.s.)

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following are some sayings of Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty (q.s.), primarily from Dalil al-‘Arifin, by his premier caliph, Khwaja Quthb ad-Din Muhammad Bakhtiyar Kaki al-Awashi ibn Kamal ad-Din (q.s.) of Osh. 

“The heart of a lover constantly burns with the fire of love, so much so that whatever intrudes upon its sanctity is burnt to ashes.” 

“When the river pursues its course, the flow occasions force and noise, but when it ultimately merges into the sea, it rest in supreme peace.  The same is true of the individual self, covering various stages on its onward journey to merge itself in the Universal Self.” 

“He indeed is a true servant, Blessed with the Love of God, who is Gifted with the following three attributes: charitable like the sea; affectionate like the Sun; and hospitable like the Earth.” 

“The association with the pious and godly is better even than doing a good deed, and the association with ungodly and impious is worse than committing an evil act.” 

“A sin committed does not harm an individual as much as the looking with contempt upon one’s own fellow beings.” 

“The estate of a hermit settles upon him who has no earthly belongings, which might excite his sense of attachment.” 

“Realisation of God comes to him who keeps vigilance and forgets recollection of self.” 

“The test of a true devotee’s mind is that it is always, and to all intents, strictly obedient to the Will of God and is constantly afraid of behaving in a manner which is apt to Displease Him resulting in the Withdrawal of His Grace.” 

“A witness of the essence of things is characteristically mute and meditative.” 

“It is an elevated stage on the path leading to the realisation of God that the seeker of the goal can witness the universe and its panorama through his two fingers only.” 

“Concentration on the implications of drawing and discharging breath is a part of the gnostic’s worship.” 

“Of all the worship, the worship that Pleases God Almighty most is the grant of relief to the humble and the oppressed.” 

“He is hardened sinner who commits sin and yet simultaneously entertains the belief that he is one of God’s Chosen few.” 

“He is a knower of the path of love who relinquishes attachment to both the worlds.” 

“The most prized Gift for a dervish is his association with other dervishes, while his greatest loss is to remain away from them.” 

“Patience is tested through resignation to sorrow, sufferings and disaster without murmur or disclosing one’s pains to others.” 

“The more one learns about the reality of things, the more one wonders.” 

“The gnostic regards death as a friend, luxury as an enemy and the constant remembrance of God as an exaltation.” 

“Knowledge is comprised unto an unfathomable ocean and enlightenment is like a wave in it; then what is the relation of God and man?  While the ocean of knowledge is Sustained by God Alone, the enlightenment pertains to man.” 

“Those having insight into the reality of things are endowed with light like the Sun and they impart illumination to the whole world.” 

“Without performing swalah, none can approach God because swalah is the climax in the process of such approach for the pious.” 

“There are four cardinal virtues of the individual self; firstly, refraining from begging in the state of penury; secondly, showing the attitude of the well-fed when feeling hungry; thirdly, maintaining cheerfulness in the time of sorrow; and fourthly, befriending the enemy.” 

“By attaining perfection in the observation of shari’ah through a pious conduct, one reaches the stage of the path leading to thariqa’, and then onward he passes on to ma’rifat, and lastly to the attainment of haqiqat. 

“The soul of him who perform ablution before going to bed always soars high in the ‘Arsh, taking a bird's eye view of the lower worlds.” 

Swalah is like a trust committed to human care by God, and as such it should be zealously guarded.  Swalah is the climax or destination of the faithful, and lastly, swalah is a secret relationship existing between the worshipper and the worshipped.” 

“Even the angels in the heaven pray for him who, having performed his morning swalah, remains sitting there engaged in the meditation of God.” 

“Incessant recitation of Praise of God is the infallible remedy for the fulfilment of one's needs.” 

“The graveyard is the place for picking up a lesson.  In such a solemn surrounding, one should not indulge in laughing or burst into laughter or eat or drink or do any other worldly thing.” 

“In the matter of realisation of God and self, no distinction in made between an ‘arif and a salik; they both reach the same and identical destination.” 

“God Rains misfortune and misery upon the heads of those whom He Loves.” 

“It is a pious act to look at God’s Scripture, greater is the piety in reciting it even if it be but one letter.  It will banish ten vices and enable ten virtues being Recorded in lieu.  It improves the eyesight and will impart immunity to the eyes against all mishaps.” “A devotional approach to the saint and friendship with dervishes attract Blessings from the Most High.” 

“The devotional visit to God’s Ka’bah is as good a Reward as one thousand years of worship and devotion to God.  The piety resulting from the haj itself is over and above this.” 

“To cast a devotional look towards one’s murshid and to serve him faithfully are comparable to the devotion to God.” 

“The best way of evading the Fire lies in feeding the hungry, providing water to the thirsty, removing the wants of the needy and befriending the miserable.” 

“It amounts to devotion and worship on the part of a son to cast a look on the faces of his parents.  All the sins committed by the son who kisses the feet of his parents are extinguished.  Shaykh Bayazid al-Bisthami once said, ‘Whatever position of distinction I have attained, it is a legacy bestowed upon me by my parents.’” 

“He is an ‘arif who is visited every day by a hundred thousand flashes of inspiration from the Heavens.” 

“He is an ‘arif whom unseen wisdom enlightens to enable him to reveal mysteries to solve all thorny problems and meet all arguments successfully.  He is always swimming in the ocean of interpretation and is capable of extraction the pearl of secrets and of light and to present it to those who are competent enough to test its genuineness.” 

“Just as the sunshine increases gradually in the morning, so does the Divine Light expand in one who performs the swalah al-ishraq.” 

“When the ‘arif meditates over a thing, he attains a state of absorption in which even if thousands of angels assuming wonderful forms try to attract him, he would remain entirely undisturbed for the time being.” 

“For an ‘arif, it is an ordinary miracle that he ascends beyond the Heavens by taking only one step and reaches the Veil of Divine Glory.  But God Alone Knows the secret implications of that stage.  He cannot say where it leads him ultimately to, and what he perceives in that mysterious state when he returns.” 

“The mouth of a human being is regarded as sanctified irrespective of his personality, be it that of a mu’min, or a kafir, be he purified or impure.” 

Swalah is a pledge between a mu’min and God.  Its faithful discharge leads to redemption.  If it is not discharged faithfully, the defaulter would not be able to show his face to God on the Day of Judgement.” 

“Offer your repentance quickly before death arrives and hurry up to perform swalah before its final hour passes.” 

“It is greatest sin is not to perform the obligatory prayer at its proper and appointed time or to say two obligatory prayers simultaneously at one and the same time.” 

“Almighty God will Erect, on the Day of Judgement, veils, the thickness of which will take 500 years to cross, between Hell and the man who feeds a hungry person.” 

“That man is a true servant of God who resigns with pleasure to the misfortune that comes from his Beloved.” 

“For the seeker who follows the true path, it is the greatest sin if his heart does not melt with the fear of God when the Name of God is uttered before him, or when Qur’an is recited before him.” 

“It is incumbent on the follower of thariqa’ that he must first renounce dunya, then akhirah, and ultimately, his own self, failing which, he should abandon the enterprise of Sufism.” 

“For a follower of the path of Haqq, it is worse than a sin to disdain or look down upon anyone.” 

“The stage of perfection in ‘irfan is reached when the gnostic enlightens the hearts of others with Divine Light.” 

“When the ‘arif becomes silent, it means that he is talking to God; and when he closes his eyes, it means that he is knocking at God’s door.” 

“The path of Love is such a path that whoever stepped into it, he lost himself.” 

“Those who are true lovers of God give away both of the worlds for the sake of their Beloved, and even then, they feel that they have done nothing whatsoever.” 

“Three things are dearer than all other things in the world: firstly, the savant who says according to what he has digested; secondly, the person who does not succumb to avarice; and thirdly, the gnostic who is always singing the praises and glory of his Beloved.” 

“There are no rituals to be performed in Sufism, nor are there academic dissertations which may be easily acquired by reading, but, according to men who are lovers of God and the shuyukh of thuruq, Sufism means scrupulously maintained moral behaviour which one must observe towards all the creatures of God.” 

“The resignation of the gnostic is indicated in his reposing unflinching faith in the Mercy and Grace of God and God Alone, and that he should not be attracted to anyone else.” 

“Only two things are enough for one desirous of establishing himself on the path of thariqa’: devotion to and worship of God and obeying His Commandments.” 

“Death is a bridge which expands the passage for a lover to reach his Beloved.” 

“Love of God transcends and is above all passion for others.” 

“According to those well-versed in the doctrines of the seeker of true path, penitence assumes shape in the combination of three things: moderation in food with the resolve of fasting; moderation in speech in order to save time for singing the praises of the Beloved; and moderation in sleep in the interest of reserving more time and energy for his devotion.” 

“Without performing swalah, none can approach Allah (s.w.t.), because swalah is the mi’raj in the process of such an approach for the pious.” 

“The one who does not perform devotion of Allah is engaged in the career of earning a sinful living.” 

“Perfection in faith is evident by three things: fear, hope, and love.


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