A Muslim Convert Once More

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following was extracted from Qudsiyyah , the statements of Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband ( q.s. ) by Khwaja Abu Naswr Muhammad Farsa al-Bukhari ( q.s. ), and translated by Dr. Alan A. Godlas.   Shah Baha’ ad-Din Naqshband ( q.s. ) commented on the following hadits of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), which is in Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Husayn al-Bayhaqi’s ( r.a. ) Shu’ab al-Iman : “Gather together your wudhu’ ; Allah ( s.w.t. ) will Collect your qualities.”   اجْمَعُوا وُضُوءَكُمْ ، جَمَعَ اللَّهُ شَمْلَكُمْ   He said, that this alludes to the fact that we should gather together the inner ablution with the outer ablution so that the establishment of the inner dimension will be attained.   The establishment of the inner dimension occurs when, in the embrace of the expression of unity, kalimah at-tawhid , all spiritual and physical attachments, become negated.   And the negation of all of these attachments ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi ( q.s. ) wrote, in Kashif al-Ilbas , on the fadhilah , the excellence, of taswawwuf .  The following is extracted from it.   As for the fadhilah , excellence, of Sufism, it has already been mentioned that is subject matter is nothing less than the Dzat , Exalted Divine Essence.  There is no limit to the excellence of this subject, so the science that pertains to it also has no limit to its excellence.  Its first stage deals with the khasya , fear, of Allah ( s.w.t. ), its middle stage with proper conduct with Him and the last with the ma’rifah , knowledge, of Him and complete dedication to Him.   That is why Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Junayd ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi ( q.s. ) said, “If we knew that there was a more noble science under heaven to discuss with our companions, surely I would have speedily found it.”   In his book, Anwar al-Qulub fi al-‘Ilm al-Mawhub , Shaykh as...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   In the “Gardens of Exegesis,” Shaykh al-Islam , Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi, ( q.s. ) commented on the following ayat .   سُوۡرَةُ النُّور ۞ ٱللَّهُ نُورُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۚ مَثَلُ نُورِهِۦ كَمِشۡكَوٰةٍ۬ فِيہَا مِصۡبَاحٌ‌ۖ ٱلۡمِصۡبَاحُ فِى زُجَاجَةٍ‌ۖ ٱلزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّہَا كَوۡكَبٌ۬ دُرِّىٌّ۬ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ۬ مُّبَـٰرَڪَةٍ۬ زَيۡتُونَةٍ۬ لَّا شَرۡقِيَّةٍ۬ وَلَا غَرۡبِيَّةٍ۬ يَكَادُ زَيۡتُہَا يُضِىٓءُ وَلَوۡ لَمۡ تَمۡسَسۡهُ نَارٌ۬‌ۚ نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ۬‌ۗ يَہۡدِى ٱللَّهُ لِنُورِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ‌ۚ وَيَضۡرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡأَمۡثَـٰلَ لِلنَّاسِ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ۬ (٣٥)   Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth.   The Parable of His Light is as if there were a niche and within it, a lamp: the lamp enclosed in glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a Blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Mawlay Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad al-‘Arabi ibn Ahmad ad-Darqawi ( q.s. ) instructed his followers in this most ancient dictum: There are three forms of knowledge.  The first is intellectual knowledge, which is in fact only information and the collection of facts, and the use of these to arrive at further intellectual concepts.  This is intellectualism.  Second comes the knowledge of states, which includes both emotional feeling and strange states of being in which man thinks that he has perceived something supreme but cannot avail himself of it.  This is emotionalism.  Third comes real knowledge, which is called knowledge of reality.  In this form, man can perceive what is right, what is true, beyond the boundaries of though and sense.   Scholastics and scientist concentrate upon the first form of knowledge.  Emotionalist and experientialist use the second form.  Others use the two combined, or either one...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Recitation of the Qur’an is a Sunnah of Allah ( s.w.t. ) as He Recited it long before the universe was Created.   Muslims are also required to recite it as He has Ordered.   Sending swalawat upon the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) is also from amongst the Sunnah of the Lord.   He is Constantly Sending Swalawat upon the Beloved Messenger ( s.a.w. ).   In addition to Sending Swalawat upon the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), He also Commanded the believers to send salaam on him.   سُوۡرَةُ الاٴحزَاب إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَـٰٓٮِٕڪَتَهُ ۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّۚ يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيۡهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسۡلِيمًا (٥٦)   Allah, and His angels, Send blessings on the Prophet: O you that believe!   Send you blessings on him and salute him, with all respect. (Surah al-Ahzab:56)   When believers perform these pious acts, they are following the ways of the Lord.   He Tells us about this in His...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ‘Iyd al-Adhha’ , the Festival of Sacrifice, is a major event in Islam    The entire haj is the Sunnah of Abraham ( a.s. ).   Abraham ( a.s. ) is viewed by the Jews as the Patriarch of their people.   There was once an ascetic of Bani Isra’il who had been devoted to God’s worship for four hundred years.   Once, he addressed God as such, “O my Lord!   If You had not Created all these mountains, Your humble servants would have travelled the whole world to see Your wonders.” The prophet of the time was Commanded by God to go and say to the ascetic, “It is not your business to interfere in Our Kingdom.   And since you had the audacity to challenge Our Will, We have Struck your name from the Book of the Blessed, and Entered it into the Book of the Cursed.” Hearing this, the ascetic felt overjoyed, and prostrated on the ground in gratitude. “What is the occasion of thanksgiving on being condemned?” asked t...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ It was Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ) who explained in detail, the inner dimensions of ‘ibadah .   His shaykh was Imam Abu ‘Ali Fadhl ibn Muhammad al-Farmadi ( q.s. ), 8 th Grand Shaykh of the Golden Chain.   Imam al-Farmadi ( q.s. ) was also the one who made du’a that Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ) be raised to the maqam of Ghawts al-A’azham , whose feet are on the necks of the awliya’ .   Spirituality is the essence of faith.   Swalah is one of the foundations of Islam.   But the moment we state our ni’at , and the moment we remember our Prophet’s ( s.a.w. ) injunction to “pray as if you see Allah, and even if you do not, know that He Sees you;” that is where the realm of thariqa’ begins. This article is meant to be an introduction to Latha’if for those who are serious in taswawwuf .   ‘Ashura has a spiritual meaning.   Each p...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Muslims and Christians are believers in the same God.   And the best of men in religion are the closest to Allah ( s.w.t. ).   سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء قُلِ ٱدۡعُواْ ٱللَّهَ أَوِ ٱدۡعُواْ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنَ‌ۖ أَيًّ۬ا مَّا تَدۡعُواْ فَلَهُ ٱلۡأَسۡمَآءُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ‌ۚ وَلَا تَجۡهَرۡ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتۡ بِہَا وَٱبۡتَغِ بَيۡنَ ذَٲلِكَ سَبِيلاً۬ (١١٠) وَقُلِ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى لَمۡ يَتَّخِذۡ وَلَدً۬ا وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ ۥ شَرِيكٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡمُلۡكِ وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ ۥ وَلِىٌّ۬ مِّنَ ٱلذُّلِّ‌ۖ وَكَبِّرۡهُ تَكۡبِيرَۢا (١١١)   Say: “Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman: by whatever Name you call upon Him (it is well): for to Him Belong the Most Beautiful Names.   Neither speak your prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between.”   Say: “Praise be to Allah Who begets no son, and has no partner in (His) Dominion: nor (needs) He any to protect Him from humiliation: Yea...