A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is the Naqshbandi method of muraqabah as taught to us by our shuyukh .  As Imam ath-Thariqa’ , Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband ( q.s. ) said, “We are providers of access to communion; we are nothing else.”   First, perform ablution.  Then sit respectfully, facing the qiblah .  Recite the following adab once, in the order listed.   Repeat the shahadah three times.  The purpose of the shahadah is to affirm the Oneness of Allah ( s.w.t. ), His Sovereignty and His Power over all things.   أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إلاَّ الله وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًاعَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ   Ashhdadu an laa ilaha illa Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadar ‘Abduhuu wa rasuuluh   I bear witness that there is no god,but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.   Repeat the istighfar 70 times.  This is to seek Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Forgiveness not so much for ou...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   To understand the foundations of the doctrines of the Naqshbandiyyah Sufi Order, we must look at the order that preceded the Khwajangan in Central Asia, the Kubrawiyyah .   Shaykh Najm ad-Din Abu al-Jannab Ahmad ibn ‘Umar al-Kubra’ ( q.s. ) was a 13 th century Persian Sufi from Khwarizm.   Shaykh Najm ad-Din al-Kubra ( q.s. ) was known as the “Pillar of the Age” and one of the greatest Sufis of all time.   He is the founder of the Kubrawiyyah Sufi Order which was influential in the Ilkhanid and Timurid dynasties.   His methodology is considered exemplary of a golden age of Sufi metaphysics.   It was related to the Illuminism of Shaykh Shahab ad-Din Yahya ibn Habash as-Suhrawardi al-Ishraq ( q.s. ) the founder of Suhrawardiyyah Order.   His close associates included Shaykh Muswlih ad-Din Abu Muhammad Sa’adi ibn ‘Abdullah ash-Shirazi ( q.s. ) as well as Khwaja Shams ad-Din Muhammad Hafizh ash-Shirazi ( q.s. )...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ What do Naqshbandi Sufis believe in? ”   The Naqshbandi thariqa’ is a Sunni Sufi Order.   As such, in theology, Naqshbandis are mostly orthodox Sunnis, primarily of the Ash’ari creed.   Their theological beliefs do not differ from mainstream Islam.   In terms of spiritual practice, the Naqshbandi generally follow the doctrine of sahw , sobriety, with an emphasis on the silent dzikr , as opposed to loud chanting.   Whilst there are elements of hadhrah and whirling, these are not central to the order, unlike for example, the Mawlawi and Rifa’i .   That aside, like any Sufi order, there are certain guiding principles.   The following is a brief explanation of the Eleven Naqshbandi Principles.   There were originally eight principles formulated by Khwaja ‘Abd al-Khaliq ibn ‘Abd al-Jamil al-Ghujdawani ( q.s. ).   The last three were later add...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. )  said, “I guarantee to anyone who seeks this Way, that if he imitates the shaykh with sincerity he will eventually find its reality.  Shah Naqshband ordered me to imitate him and whatever I did in imitation of him immediately brought its results.”   However, he also warned, “The masters of our Way cannot be known except in the Maqam at-Talwin .  Whoever imitates their behaviour in that station will succeed.  Whoever imitates their behaviour in their station of perfection, however, will be corrupted.  He will be safe from corruption only if his master has mercy on him and reveals to him the Reality of that station.”   What he means, and Allah ( s.w.t. ) knows best, is that the seeker cannot reach perfection until he has been Perfected.  Maqam at-Talwin , the Station of Colour and Changes is the one in which the seeker struggles ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Is there any meditation in Islam? ”   Dzikr , especially the silent dzikr as practiced by the Naqshbandi and other Sufi others, is a form of meditation.   There is a lot of emphasis on breathing when reciting the litanies.   Some forms of meditation is about emptying the mind.   Within Islam, it is about emptying the mind and heart of anything except Allah ( s.w.t. ).   For example, in the Naqshbandi tradition, when one recites, “ Laa ilaha ”, “there is no god”; the initiative is taught to visualise that his heart is being emptied, and it is recited while breathing out.   When one recites “ illa Allah ”, “except God”; he visualises a light from the heavens entering his heart and breaking the “rust” of heedlessness and kufr .   It is recited while breathing in.   Within the Sufi tradition, the understanding is that this was first taught to Sayyidina ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, “One day a shaykh asked me, ‘How is your heart?’   I said, ‘I do not know how my heart is.’   He said, ‘I know my heart, and it is like the Moon in the third night.’   I related this story to Shah Naqshband who said, ‘He answered according to his heart.’   When he said this, he stepped on my foot and pressed on it.   Immediately I left myself and I saw that everything in this world and this universe was in my heart.   When I awoke from that state of unconsciousness, he was still standing on my foot, and he said, ‘If the heart is like that, then no one can describe it.   What do you think now about the hadits : ‘Neither My earth nor My Heavens can contain Me, but the heart of the Believer contains Me.’   This is one of the hidden secrets you must come to understand.’”   Then, Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Na...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The history of Muslim resistance against the Czarists, the Soviets and their successors is inextricably the history of the Sufi orders and their muridun .   And the most prominent order in the region until today is the Naqshbandi, including the Naqshbandi Haqqani, followed closely by the Qadiri.   If we had to fight to believe, would we take your religion for granted?   Much of Central Asia is the heartland of the Naqshbandi.   This was the land of Shah Baha’ ad-Din Naqshband al-Bukhari ( q.s. ), the Imam ath-Thariqa’ and the Ghawts al-Khaliqah .   The Naqshbandi shuyukh of Central Asia, from the 10 th to 16 th century, were known as the Khwajanagan or Khwajagan .   It is for this reason that the dzikr of the Naqshbandi is known as the Khatm Khwajanagan - it is the completion of the wisdom of the Masters.   “ Khwaja ” itself is a Persian title meaning “Master”.   Other prominent masters of the Naqsh...