Divine Obligations & Prohibitions in the Naqshbandi

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

In the Maktubat, Imam Ahmad al-Faruqi ibn ‘Abd al-Ahad as-Sirhindi (q.s.) said, regarding the Naqshbandi, “It must be known that Allah has Placed us under His Obligations and His Prohibitions.  Allah Says: 

سُوۡرَةُ الحَشر

... وَمَآ ءَاتَٮٰكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَہَٮٰكُمۡ عَنۡهُ فَٱنتَهُواْ‌ۚ ... (٧) 

… So, take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you ... (Surah al-Hashr:7) 

If we are going to be sincere in this, we have to attain fana’ and the love of the Essence.  Without these we cannot reach this degree of obedience.  Thus, we are under another obligation, which is to seek the path of taswawwuf, because this Way will lead us to the state of fana’ and the love of the Essence.  Each thariqa’ differs from the other in its states of perfection; so too does each thariqa’ keep the sunnah of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and have its own definition of what that entails.  Every thariqa’ has its own way of keeping the sunnah of the Prophet (s.a.w.).  Our thariqa’, through its shuyukh, requires us to keep all the commands of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and to leave all the things he prohibited.  Our shuyukh do not follow the easy ways but insist on keeping the difficult ways.  In all their seeking, they keep in mind the verse of Qur’an: 

سُوۡرَةُ النُّور

رِجَالٌ۬ لَّا تُلۡهِيہِمۡ تِجَـٰرَةٌ۬ وَلَا بَيۡعٌ عَن ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ ... (٣٧) 

By men whom neither traffic nor merchandise can divert from the remembrance of Allah … (Surah an-Nur:37)”