A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said that t he highest degree of this station of the Absolute Void of Unsensing Other-than-Allah ( s.w.t. ), is annihilation, fana’ .   Thus, Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband ( s.a.w. ) counselled his muridun , “When that state of self-effacement comes on me, leave me alone and give yourself to that state and accept its rights on us.”   Of this journey, Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din ( s.a.w. ) said to his muridun , “The shortest path to our goal, which is Allah ( s.w.t. ), is for Allah ( s.w.t. ) to Lift the veil from the Essence of the Face of His Oneness that appears in all Creation.   He does this with the State of Erasure and Annihilation in His Absolute Oneness, until His Majestic Essence Dawns upon and Eliminates consciousness of anything other than Him.   This is the end of the Journey of Seeking Allah ( s.w.t. ) and the beginning of another ...

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   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   Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) proposed to the daughter of Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband ( q.s. ).   Shah Naqshband’s ( q.s. ) answer came one day, after midnight, when awakening from his sleep in Qaswr al-‘Arifan, he went quickly to the school in Bukhara, where Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din ( q.s. ) lived.   There he found everyone asleep except Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din ( q.s. ), who was up reading the Qur’an by the light of a tiny oil lamp.   He came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, but Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din ( q.s. ) did not respond.   He prodded him more, but still he did not react.   Then, through his spiritual vision, Shah Naqshband ( q.s. ) perceived that Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din ( q.s. ) was not present, but was in the Divine Presence.   He then called him spiritually, and Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din ( q.s. ) immediately looked up and replied, “O my Shaykh .”   ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   One time, the scholars of Bukhara had a disagreement concerning the possibility of seeing Allah ( s.w.t. ) in this world.   Some of them denied the possibility and some of them affirmed it.   All of them were followers of Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) .   They came to him and said, “We need you to judge on this matter.”   He replied, “Those of you who have denied the possibility of seeing Allah ( s.w.t. ) in this life, stay with me three days, keeping ablution at all times, and remaining silent.”   He kept them in his presence for three days, directing his spiritual power on them, until they all beheld a very powerful state, causing them to faint.   When they regained consciousness, they came to him crying out, “We believe, and we confirm that it is true!” and kissed his feet.   They told him, “We accept what you said, that it is possible to see Allah ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, “The way of contemplation and meditation is higher and more perfect than the way of dzikr by laa ilaha illa Allah .   The seeker, through contemplation and meditation, can reach the internal knowledge and will be able to enter the Heavenly Kingdom.   He will be authorised to look at Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Creation and he will know what is passing in their hearts, even the slightest gossip or whispering.   He will be authorised to enlighten their hearts with the light from the essence of the essence of the state of Oneness.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. )   said, “To visit saints, is a sunnah wajibah , a duty on every seeker, at least every day, or every other day, while keeping the limits and respect between you and your shaykh .   If the distance is great between you and your shaykh , visit him at least every one or two months.   Do not rely only on your connection with their heart, lest you become disconnected.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, “To be near the graves of pious people has a good influence, although to direct yourself to their souls is better and carries with it a higher spiritual influence.   The Prophet ( s.a.w. ) said, ‘Send prayers for me wherever you are.’   This indicates that you can reach the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) wherever you are, and it applies to His saints as well, because they take their power from the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, referring to his shaykh, Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband ( q.s. ), “When Shah Naqshband got new clothes, he would give them to someone else to wear.   After they were used, he would borrow them back.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) , “When Allah ( s.w.t. ) Makes you forget both worldly power and the Heavenly Kingdom, this is Absolute Annihilation.   And if He Makes you forget Absolute Annihilation, it is the Essence of Absolute Annihilation.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, “Beware of hurting the hearts of Sufis.   If you want their company, you must first learn how to behave in their presence.   Otherwise you are going to harm yourself, because their way is a very delicate way.   It is said, ‘There is no place in our Way for the one who does not have good manners.’”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, “Silence is the best state, except under three conditions: you must not keep silent in the face of bad gossip attacking your heart; you must not keep silent in directing your heart to the remembrance of Allah ( s.w.t. ); and you must not keep silent when the vision inside your heart orders you to speak.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, “You have to be at the level of the people around you and to hide your state from them, because the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) said, ‘I have been ordered to speak with people according to what their hearts can contain.’”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, “The adab , or proper way, of visiting graves is to direct yourself to Allah ( s.w.t. ) and to make these souls your means to Allah ( s.w.t. ) humbling yourself to His Creation.   You humble yourself externally to them and internally to Allah ( s.w.t. ).   To bow before human beings is not allowed unless you look on them as appearances of Allah ( s.w.t. ).   Then that humbleness will be not directed to them, but it will be directed to the One Who is appearing in them, and that is Allah ( s.w.t. ).”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) “The benefit of visiting the graves of your shuyukh depends on the knowledge you have of them.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, “To protect your heart from evil thoughts is very difficult, and I protected my heart for twenty years without letting in a single whisper.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, “The intention of seclusion is to leave the earthly connection, and to direct the self to the Heavenly Truth.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) said, “It is said that the seeker in external knowledge must hold tight to the Rope of Allah ( s.w.t. ), and the seeker in internal knowledge must hold tight to Allah ( s.w.t. ).”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) , “If you think you are behaving well then you are wrong, because seeing your own behaviour as good is itself a form of pride.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh ‘Ala ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Bukhari ( q.s. ) , “ The best deed in this Way is to punish the whispering and gossip in the heart.”