The Swalah of a Believer
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is adapted from Shaykh Tu’sun Bayrak al-Jirrahi ’s article on swalah at The Khalwati-Jirrahi Sufi Order on Swalah . One day Shaykh Hatim az-Zahid ( r.a. ) came to visit Shaykh ‘Aswim ibn Yusuf ( r.a. ). When Shaykh ‘Aswim ( r.a. ) asked him, “Have you been able to do your swalah properly?” he answered: “Yes. I hope so!” Then, Shaykh ‘Aswim ( r.a. ) asked him to tell how he did his swalah . Shaykh Hatim ( r.a. ) replied, “When the time of prayer approaches, I take my ablution the way we know our Prophet ( s.a.w. ) did, even though my previous ablution was not broken. Next I stand at the place where I pray a long time, until I have an awareness of my whole body and I feel physically present. Then I imagine a straight line coming from the Ka’bah up to my forehead and the Maqam of Ibrahim in line with my chest, knowing well that Allah ( s.w.t. ) is free of all image and place, that I am in His ...