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From Mystic endeavors to Divine observation
Allah says in Quran:
وَالَّذِیْنَ جَاھَدُوْا فِیْنَا لَنَھْدِیَنَّھُمْ سُبُلَنَاج وَاِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِیْنَ ( سورۃ العنکبوت ۔ 69)
Meaning: And those who strive hard (and struggle against the inciting innerself vehemently) for Our cause, We certainly guide them to Our ways, and verily Allah blesses the men of spiritual excellence with His companionship. (Al-Ankabut 69)
Greatest Jihad
Aforementioned verse is a proof that one has to struggle for the cause of Allah. Unless one performs endeavors Allah does not show the way towards Himself. Infact, the struggle, war and endeavor with ones innerself (an-nafs) is the greatest jihad. Like the Prophet said:
رَجَعْنَا مِنْ الْجِھَادِ الْاَصْغَرِ اِلَی الْجِھَادِ الْاَکْبَرِ
Meaning: We are returning from the lower jihad to the greater one.
Man is always engrossed in one or another kind of endeavor in his life. It may be for a thing, status, peace etc.
Perseverance on the Path of Allah
If man strives for Allah’s closeness, he can achieve that as well. What one has to do is aim high but with perseverance. Therefore, constant struggle takes one towards success. As Allah has said so in the aforementioned verse of Quran. Infact, the lives of all Prophets are the examples of endeavors and even born Saints who strived for Allah’s closeness under the guidance of their spiritual guides are also examples. Hence, the purpose of their endeavors was to please Allah and to reach His Essence. Even after reaching the Essence they continued to struggle for His cause.
Endeavors of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani
Moreover, Al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani was a born Saint. Even so his life is an example of constant endeavors. To explain them in a small article is not possible. Some examples are as under:
Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani says:
“I have wandered through Iraq’s wilderness and woods for twenty-five years and performed dawn (Fajr) salat for forty years with the ablution of night (Isha) salat. Then, for next fifteen years I performed night salat with ablution of dawn salat. Infact, for fifteen years I have stood on one leg after performing night salat and recited complete Quran till morning. Often I would not eat or drink anything for thirty to forty days.”
Test of Innerself
In addition, Shaikh Abul Masood bin Abu Bakr Hareemi has reported that Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani once said to him:
“Year after year I tested my innerself with various trials. Therefore, one whole year I ate only vegetables, tossed away food and drank no water. Then the following year I ate nothing but drank water and then for the entire year after that I neither ate nor drank, as much as I would refrain from sleeping. For several years I resided in abandoned houses of Baghdad’s area, Karkh, where my food was only a wild growing herb. Therefore, people called me mad. Furthermore, I went to desert, wailed and rolled on thorns until my body was battered. Then, people took me to physician where I entered spiritual state of intoxication. But he would certify me dead. Hence, they started preparing for funeral rites and settled my dead body to bathe. Suddenly I regained consciousness.”
Moreover, cursed Satan also came to Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani in different guises and tried to trap him in worldly ruses but he defeated them through spiritual and mystic endeavours. Thus, the lesson one learns from his life is that mystic endeavours and struggles are requisite for esoteric progress.
Endeavor is Compulsory
Infact, some people do not perform them thinking what good it will bring to them. Therefore, different kinds of endeavours in different Sufi orders confuses people. Thus, they turn away from the Truth. Hence, they forget that endeavours performed with pure intentions to reach Allah ultimately leads to Him. A poet has beautifully described it as:
Divine Observation
What is Divine observation?
Infact, Divine observation is to recognize the Truth by the descent of special theophanies. In simple language, it means that the seeker through the invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat and the blessed company of the spiritual guide observes that his esoteric self is changing. Therefore, he gains that knowledge which he had not before. Ultimately, reaches immortality with Allah after annihilating in Him. Or someone becomes a Mystic from a common man. Moreover, stays engrossed in Divine vision without any forty days seclusion and fruitless endeavours. Or the perfect spiritual glance of the spiritual guide eradicates bad and vile attributes of the seeker.
Dream, Meditation and Unveiling
Infact, one can have Divine observations even in dreams, meditations and unveilings. Thus, the seeker of Allah observes the secrets of Allah and Truth Himself. But this remains hidden from laymen. Infact, the dreams, meditations and unveilings after practice of Ism-e-Allah Zaat are pure from any kind of deception.
Purification of Innerself
Infact, the theophanies and lights from Divine observation burns the inciting innerself (an-nafs). Then the seeker achieves the Divine vision and proximity. At times people perceive unveiling and observation to be the one. Whereas they both are apart. Hence, unveiling is a light blessed upon the seeker while on the journey towards Truth. Resultantly, it eradicates veils and perishes the idols in inward. (That is a person does not depend on physical sources rather the one Who provides them.) Moreover, Ibn Ajiba says about unveiling, “It is the thought which occurs in a moment in the inward of a man of wisdom or it is one which occurs in the inward and is correct if inward in pure.” (Tasawwuf ky Roshan Haqaiq)
Different forms of Endeavor
In reality, there are different physical devotions in different Sufi orders. But purpose and method of each is different. One type even includes leaving home and staying isolated in a room for many days. In others one has to perform forty days seclusion, carry out lengthy litanies, abstaining from eating meat, refusing to meet others and avoid wearing specific colours in clothes etc. etc.
Whereas few of them are so difficult that it gives one jitters. As in Chishti order there is a tradition of forty days seclusion. Thus, a seeker hangs himself upside down in a well for forty nights to perform devotions. Fariduddin Ganjshakar’s following the order of his spiritual guide Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki was to find a tree near a mosque whose stems were located on a well. It was the responsibility of muezzin to hang him at night and untie in morning. He travelled a lot in search of such a well. At last he found one in Uch Sharif. Hence, he was hanged after night (Isha) salat and untied early in the morning and that is how he fulfilled the task.
Sarwari Qadri Order
In Sarwari Qadri order without any mystic endeavor a person can achieve Divine observation just by a single glance of the perfect and accomplished spiritual guide. Therefore, Sultan Bahoo has said that the start of Sarwari Qadri order is the peak of other orders.
Sultan Bahoo says about Sarwari Qadri order.
“Sarwari Qadri is the mystic way that is conferred upon me by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). I pledged allegiance to him and he commanded me to guide the men of Allah with spiritual courage. After blessing me with inward persuasion, he held my hand and entrusted me to Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani. He also blessed me and ordered to give spiritual persuasion to people. By his grace, every seeker whom I guided thereafter, physically or spiritually, through the medium of Ism-e-Allah Zaat and Ism-e-Mohammad, achieved eternal presence of holy assembly of Prophet Mohammad without any struggle or invocation. Then, there remained no veil between Allah and that seeker and he observed Ism-e-Allah Zaat wherever he looked.
The Sarwari Qadri way is very beneficent and courageous. In the other mystic ways, some seekers were burnt to death by the blaze of Ism-e-Allah Zaat, some could not bear the burden of Ism-e-Allah Zaat and retreated while some apostatized and were cursed.” (Ain-ul-Faqr)
Sarwari Qadri Orders’ way of guidance
In Sarwari Qadri order, spiritual guide gives guidance in the same way as the Prophet gave to his Companions. Even the endeavors are of the same nature and seeker develops absolute Tawakkul (trust) in Allah. In the Prophet’s era, the Companions bravely performed jihad with inciting innerself and that of wealth. All this was to take the message of Allah to the people and to please Him and His Prophet. Its purpose was not at all to obtain ranks. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was spreading the word of Allah and without any personal benefit. It was all for the betterment of people and to spread the pure religion, Islam.
The Prophet did not put his Companions into forty days seclusion and neither isolated them from the world. Rather the type of endeavour carried out was to test their faithfulness and to benefit religion. As Sarwari Qadri order follows the same pattern therefore the type of endeavours are the same.
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen
Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman is the thirty-first spiritual guide of Sarwari Qadri order, founder of Tehreek Dawat-e-Faqr and the Universal Divine Man (al-Insan al-Kamil) of present era. He is busy 24/7 to spread the message of Faqr around the globe. He is on the footsteps of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). Seekers of Allah follow him in spreading the message of soul of Islam.
Purification of Innerself in Sarwari Qadri Way
In Sarwari Qadri order the type of endeavors are such which purifies the innerself of a person and eradicates worldliness from his inward. Blesses with proximity to Allah. Moreover they changes the direction of the seeker from world and towards Allah. Like this one understand how to please Allah. The more a person endeavors the more he gains with Divine observations. Sultan Bahoo therefore says:
“If there is enlightening observation, it is in the mystic struggle.”
A seeker observes that his guide is true at the start of his journey when he pledges allegiance to a spiritual guide. The purpose is simple to walk this path with perseverance. One also gains the guarantee that the guide is true is also achieved by the invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat. Such observations helps the devotee to come out of doubts into certainty.
Observation of disciples of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen
It is solely the beatitude of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman that many of his devotees have seen Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) and have been to the Mohammadan Assembly. The book ‘Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen’ has details of observations of his disciples. Few of the observations are:
Vicegerent of Prophet Mohammad
A devotee writes that in a dream he saw Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). He further writes that after a while he saw that he was standing there no longer and instead Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen is standing.
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen is the Universal Divine Man
A seeker of Allah writes, “My mother had seen the Prophet multiple times in her dreams. After meeting Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen I was astonished that the face was as how my mother would describe.
After I pledged allegiance to Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman, he gave me a book along with invoking and contemplating Ism-e-Allah Zaat. The title of the book was al-Insan al-Kamil. It was of Sayyid Abdul Karim bin Ibrahim al-Jili. One day I was studying this book when suddenly a secret revealed on me. The secret was that my spiritual guide Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman is the Universal Divine Man (Insan-e-Kamil) of the age. The same day Mohammadan Reality also revealed on me. This was inspired knowledge. I was extremely happy. Moreover I saw light on the face of my spiritual guide and that was making me crazy.”
Blessings of Swearing Oath of Allegiance
A seeker writes, “I saw supernatural beings (jinns) from a young age. They did not went away even after wearing talismans from different sources. It kept on increasing with the passage of time. They hurt me by squeezing my ribs. I was relieved of this the day I pledged allegiance on the hands of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman and started invoking and contemplating Ism-e-Allah Zaat.”
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen blessed Mohammadan Assembly
A devotee writes, “To seek guidance I was lodged at the khanqah of Sarwari Qadri It was Sunday and a gathering under the supervision of Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman was organized which I was attending. I seated right in front of him and was engrossed in his vision. Esoterically, I requested him to please bless me with presence in the Mohammadan Assembly. The same day at night I dreamt of the Prophet.”
Search for Allah
A seeker writes, “It was 2006 when Allah bestowed me with loving Him and His prophet ardently. This love became so intense with the passage of time that to see Allah Almighty and Prophet Mohammad became my prayers. I thought that Divine vision was only possible when one dies therefore my sole wish was to die so that I could see Him. Although I prayed for death but Allah does not accept it. I performed many mystic exercises but it intensified the passion to behold Him. Although I had everything in my life but my inward never tasted peace and satisfaction.
One day after sunset (Maghrib) salat I prayed Allah to guide me Himself as I am unable to find perfect spiritual guide. Just after the salat I found a page placed in cupboard. It was written on it, ‘Contact us for perfect spiritual guide and Ism-e-Allah Zaat.’ There was also the address of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman written on the page. Such a favour of Allah surprised me. I pledged allegiance on the sacred hand of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen in January 2007 and found what has been searching since long.”
Marvel of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen
It is the marvel of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen that he solves such problems of his devotees which they even do not share with him. There are many devotees who were at the verge of suicide before swearing oath of allegiance on his hand, but after swearing oath they have adopted the righteousness. His all disciples bear testimony that he is a perfect spiritual guide of present era. Some of the testimonies and observations of his disciples have been written in the book Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen which has been compiled after a long research by team of selected members. If you want to know about the marvels of Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman then you must read this book. Allah may help us to understand the status of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen and give us strength to follow the straight path.
Note:
This blog is English translation of an Urdu article of the magazine ‘Mahnama Sultan-ul-Faqr Lahore’ for the month of July, 2019. The title of the Urdu article is:
مجاہدے سے مشاہدے کا سفر | Mujahida se Mushahida ka Safar
Originally penned by Maryam Gulzar Sarwari Qadri from Lahore is presently in English by Sahibzadi Muneeza Najib Sarwari Qadri exclusively for the website. Do not forget to visit the original article to which you only have to click the link
https://www.mahnama-sultan-ul-faqr-lahore.com/july-2019-mujahida-se-mushahida-ka-safar/
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