The different ways of the seekers

After completion, the saints adopted different ways. Some kept themselves among the people for the teaching and training of creation and for their reform and spiritual guidance (irshad); they adorned people's outward being with the Shari'ah and their inward being with the path (tariqah) and reality (haqiqah). Such people have great merits; the saints have said that such a person

is called "great" in the kingdom of the heavens (malakut). His example is like the sun, which is itself bright and also gives light to others, or like musk, which is itself pure and also perfumes others.

The way of some was abundance in voluntary (nafl) acts of worship, such as prayer, fasting and recitation of the Quran; these people occupied themselves especially with litanies (awrad), daily devotions (wazifa) and glorifications (tasbihat). This is counted among the ranks of those who freed themselves for the worship of Allah, and it too is one of the ways of the righteous. Some Sufis chose the service of the jurists, the Sufis and the people of religion. This has been counted among the best of voluntary deeds, because it is both worship and help to the Muslims, as has been narrated from Hazrat Ghaws-e-A'zam (may his secret be sanctified): "I did not reach Allah Most High through night vigils and daytime fasts; rather, I reached Him through generosity, humility and soundness of heart." Some saints adopted the way of carrying firewood on their backs, selling it in the market and giving the proceeds in charity. This too is voluntary worship; through it the blessings of the prayers of the believers are obtained.

Most Naqshbandi saints, along with following the Sunnah, particularly took up teaching and instruction, and from the very beginning strove for soundness of the breast, that is, purifying the heart of love for anything other than the Real (Haqq). Along with this they kept the practices (ashghal) of the order binding, and instead of demanding abundant worship from their disciples (murids), they had them traverse the stages through their lofty spiritual attentions (tawajjuhat), and laid stress on following the Sunnah. In other words, the disciple should first choose a shaykh who follows the Sunnah, and this disciple should then follow that shaykh completely. In this way the shaykh's habits will develop in the disciple, and this will open the door of giving and receiving spiritual grace (ifada and istifada). Upon attaining the stage of annihilation in the shaykh (fana fi'l-shaykh), the door of annihilation in the Messenger (fana fi'l-rasul) will open, because the shaykh is a follower of the Messenger. In this way the priceless wealth of "taking on the character of Allah" (takhalluq bi-akhlaq Allah) will come to hand; and since the Prophetic character is subordinate to the Divine character, the accomplished disciple will gradually be granted the priceless wealth of "taking on the character of the Messenger" (takhalluq bi-akhlaq al-Rasul),

which is the most important of the aims of the path (suluk). This is the building and advancement of the eternal and everlasting life, and upon this, mercies will continue to follow for ever and ever.

Now, for further progress and firmness on the path, we present the nine counsels (wasaya tis'a) of the saints, which are necessary for every seeker of Allah. Putting them into practice is extremely necessary to escape Divine punishment, and no shaykh can be accomplished (kamil) and a spiritual trainer (murabbi) without acting upon them.

The Nine Counsels:

The saints in general have advised nine matters for walking on the way of the friends of Allah (awliya) and reaching the rank of sainthood (wilayah). They are: (1) repentance (tawbah); (2) contentment (qana'ah); (3) renunciation (zuhd); (4) learning the knowledge of the Shari'ah; (5) safeguarding the Sunnahs; (6) trust in Allah (tawakkul); (7) sincerity (ikhlas); (8) seclusion ('uzlah); (9) guarding one's time (hifz al-awqat).

1. Repentance: The very first station among the stations (maqamat) of the path is repentance.

In Kifayat al-Atqiya, 'Allamah Sayyid Bakri Makki (may his secret be sanctified) says that repentance is the first counsel, the most important of the foundations of religion, the first stage among the stages of the wayfarers (salikin), and the first station of the seekers of Allah. The word repentance originally means returning: turning back from what is blameworthy and disliked according to the Shari'ah towards what is praiseworthy and liked is called repentance. The Quran and Sunnah describe immense merits of repentance, which are mentioned in detail in the books of hadith and the books of the Sufis, such as Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din and others. This Mujaddidi faqir has also described them to some extent in the book "Tasawwuf aur Us ke Fawa'id" (Sufism and Its Benefits), so look there. Here, keep a few matters in mind.

The Conditions of Repentance

(a) He should feel remorse for the sin and disobedience he has committed. Remorse is genuine only when there is tenderness of heart and he regrets what he has done. Remorse is therefore the greatest condition, and that is why in the hadith

it is said, "Remorse is repentance," just as it is said concerning Hajj, "Hajj is 'Arafah."

(b) The second condition is a firm resolve not to commit that sin again, and the third condition is that he distance himself completely from sins and free himself from the rights owed to those who hold them. The noble hadith states: "Whoever repents of sins is as one who has not sinned at all, and whoever seeks forgiveness for a sin while persisting in it is like one who mocks his Lord."

The noble hadith also states that when a servant repents, Allah makes the guardian angels forget his sins, makes his limbs forget them too, and also the places on earth where he committed them, so that he will meet his Lord, Majestic and Exalted, in such a state that there is no witness against him for any sin.

2. If he has wronged someone in respect of wealth, honour and the like, he should obtain release from him; or, if the rights owed are financial, he should return them, or else secure his release by asking forgiveness. There is considerable detail in this.

Self-accounting (muhasabah):

To attain permanence and constancy in repentance, it is necessary to avoid sins and opposition to the Shari'ah and to take account of one's self (nafs). A person should first take account of himself and reflect: of the deeds, words, movements and stillnesses that issued from him during the night and day, and of the breaths he has drawn, how many accord with the Shari'ah and Sunnah and how many oppose them? How many breaths came and went with the remembrance of Allah (dhikr), and how many in heedlessness? For the deeds and words that were good,

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1. Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Zuhd, Bab Dhikr al-Tawbah, no. 4252

2. Al-Firdaws by al-Daylami, vol. 2, p. 148, no. 2755

3. Al-Firdaws by al-Daylami, vol. 2, p. 77, no. 2432

he should give thanks to Allah, and from those contrary to the Shari'ah he should repent and resolve: "In future I will not be heedless." Likewise he should pledge: "I will not take a single breath without remembrance." Hazrat Amir al-Mu'minin Sayyiduna Faruq-e-A'zam (may Allah be pleased with him) says:

"Hasibu anfusakum qabla an tuhasabu wa tahabu li'l-'ard al-akbar 'ala Allah": take account of yourselves before account is taken of you, and make yourselves ready for the great presentation before Allah Most High. Allah Most High says:

یَوْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَضُوۡنَ لَا تَخْفٰی مِنۡکُمْ خَافِیَۃٌ ؂

On that Day you will be presented [before your Lord]; no hidden thing of yours will remain hidden.

On that Day you will all be presented, such that no hidden soul among you will be able to hide.

The saints have said that we should make supplication and seek forgiveness (istighfar) abundantly, and should make this supplication:

رَبَّنَاۤ اٰتِنَا فِی الدُّنْیَا حَسَنَۃً وَّ فِی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ حَسَنَۃً وَّ قِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ ؂

Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.

Translation: O our Lord! Give us good in the world, give us good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of Hell.

In the noble hadith this has been counted as seeking forgiveness. Along with this, one should recite moving verses of intimate supplication (munajat) in Arabic, Persian and Urdu; they produce tenderness in the heart and become a cause of love, affection, fear and awe, and especially at the time of Tahajjud they are a great means of attaining states of the heart. It should be known that it is among human weaknesses that a person cannot always remain steadfast on repentance; even after repenting, he commits that offence again because of the domination of the self. So whenever a sin occurs, he should repent in the manner described above. The benefit of this will be that he will not be counted among those who persist.

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1. Surah Al-Haqqah 69:18

2. Surah Al-Baqarah 2:201

Persisting in disobedience is something to be greatly feared. The noble hadith states: "Whoever seeks forgiveness has not persisted" (that is, has not remained fixed upon sin) "even if he relapses seventy times."

Guarding the Seven Limbs

To attain permanence and constancy in repentance, it is necessary to guard the seven limbs (a'da'-e-sab'a), that is, the seven parts of the body from which most sins issue. They are as follows:

1. Guarding the eye means not looking at a Muslim with contempt and keeping oneself from looking at the faults of Muslims; not looking with desire at any picture or face; and not looking at any non-mahram woman, nor at the private parts ('awrah) of any stranger or other person. If one's gaze happens to fall, one should turn it away at once. In Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din it is stated that on the Day of Resurrection there will be questioning about idle looking, just as about idle speech.

2. The second limb is the tongue. Guarding the tongue means keeping it from lying, backbiting, tale-bearing, breaking promises, quarrelling, abuse, self-praise, cursing, invoking evil on others, ridicule, mockery and the like. The afflictions of the tongue are countless. Today anyone says whatever he likes about anyone; tongues generally keep wagging in hurting the heart of a believer, and pointless, idle and obscene talk goes on. The noble hadith states that people will enter Hell because of what their tongues have said.

3. The third limb is the ear. Guarding it means keeping it from listening to evil things and to the things mentioned above.

4. The fourth limb is the nose. Guarding it means keeping it from smelling the scent of a non-mahram woman.

5. The fifth limb is the stomach. Guarding it means keeping it from what is forbidden and doubtful, and from desires that are not proper. Guarding the stomach has become a very serious problem today; controlling it is very

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Bukhari, Muslim and others

difficult. A major cause of the decline of spirituality is pampering the belly and not caring about halal and haram.

6. The sixth limb is the private parts. Guarding them means keeping them from everything forbidden and staying far from fornication and sodomy.

7. The seventh limb is the hand. Guarding it means that it should not be raised against an innocent person, nor used to take hold of unlawful wealth, nor used to harm any of the creation, nor used for breach of trust, nor used to write things that it is not permissible to speak of.

8. Some saints have counted other limbs as well, such as the foot: it should be kept from walking towards what is forbidden, and one should not walk to the door of a tyrannical ruler, king or minister while being content with his oppression. Yes, there is no harm if one goes to restrain him from oppression, to advise him, and the like.

The saints have said: going to such oppressors without need is a sin.

9. The ninth is the heart. Keeping the heart from envy, rancour, hatred, showing off (riya'), self-admiration ('ujb), love of status and wealth, love of praise and the like is what guarding it means. It should be known that the diseases of the heart are also many, and they have been described in considerable detail in Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din and other works. Guarding the heart, too, is nowhere to be found today; most of those in whose hands are the reins of religion are themselves its victims, so how will they be able to save others? In the terminology of the Sufis this is called purification of the heart (tasfiya-e-qalb), which is attained after thousands of efforts and spiritual struggles (mujahadat).

Benefit

When a person attains firmness and steadfastness in the station of repentance, the saints have said that he must then undertake spiritual struggle (mujahadah) and employ his limbs in acts of obedience. When the servant attains constancy in struggle, outward and inward movements arise; the outward movements are the cause of the inward

movements. Hazrat Abu 'Uthman Maghribi (may his secret be sanctified) says that whoever imagines that anything of this path will be opened or disclosed to him without struggle is mistaken.

Hazrat Sultan al-'Arifin Bayazid Bistami (may his secret be sanctified) says: "For twelve years I struggled against my self, and for fifty years I was the mirror of my self, and for one year I reflected on what lay between them, and I saw a zunnar (the girdle of the unbelievers) within myself. Then for five years I reflected on how I might break the zunnar, and it was disclosed to me. I looked at creation and found them all dead, and I pronounced four takbirs over them."

The saints have explained Hazrat Bistami's (may his secret be sanctified) words to mean that Hazrat Shaykh Bistami (may his secret be sanctified) was at the stage of struggling against the self and removing its vices, such as self-admiration, pride, greed, rancour and envy. He worked at this in such a way that he cast his self into the furnace of fear (takhwif), then pounded it with the hammer of command and prohibition until he had put it through hardship. At that point he thought, "We have cleansed the self." Then he looked at the heart in the mirror of sincerity and saw that hidden polytheism (shirk khafi), showing off, regard for one's own deeds, thought of reward and punishment, and longing for miracles (karamat) and divine gifts still remained in it. It is this that he expressed as the zunnar. By the act of breaking it is meant separating the self from attachments and obstacles and turning his gaze away from creation, until he reached the stage where he made dead the self that had been alive, and made alive what had been dead in the heart, until he became firmly established in witnessing the Eternal (shuhud-e-qidam) and brought everything to the level of non-existence. At that time he pronounced the takbir over creation and turned to the Real. As for his saying that he pronounced four takbirs over creation, this is because four takbirs are pronounced over the dead; moreover, the veil of creation from the Real consists of four things: (1) the self (nafs), (2) whim (hawa, the desire of the self), (3) Satan, and (4) the world. So he broke his self and its desire, and abandoned Satan and the world.

2. Contentment (qana'ah):

The second counsel is contentment. Being pleased with a small portion is contentment. For a servant to be granted contentment is a great mercy and blessing of the Lord, Majestic and Exalted; contentment is the cure for the great diseases of the heart. The noble hadith states, "Al-qana'atu kanzun la yafna": contentment is a treasure that never runs out. When it is attained, one's gaze does not turn towards people's wealth, riches, status and splendour, nor are those evils born in the heart at the sight of them which usually arise on seeing worldly people. Another hadith states, "'Azza man qana'a wa dhalla man tami'a": whoever was content became honoured, and whoever was greedy became disgraced.

Contentment is in fact founded on renunciation of the world (zuhd fi'l-dunya). Until there is disinclination and turning away from the world, it is futile to expect contentment. When the transience, nothingness and decline of the world settle in the mind, and a person becomes fully aware that the wealth he has will either be spent on various things, or fall victim to some mishap, or else pass into the hands of an heir, then his inclination towards the Hereafter will become stronger than towards the world, and his seeking of the Hereafter will exceed his seeking of the world. If you wish to become disinclined towards the world while living in it, and wish your renunciation to grow, then reflect on who holds the world and in whose hands it is: even if it comes by lawful means, account must still be given for it; and if it comes through unlawful means, there is punishment and penalty. Whoever seeks it, it escapes him and runs away from him; whoever looks towards it, it blinds; whoever gains riches in it is put to trial; and whoever is in need of it is grieved.

In Kifayat al-Atqiya, Arabic verses of Hazrat Imam Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with him) are cited, the gist of which

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Bayhaqi

is this: O seeker of the Hereafter! Be content to give up the things your self desires, and of the foods, clothes and dwellings through which it boasts, be content with little. Little in food is what wards off hunger; in clothing, as much as covers the private parts; and in dwelling, as much as keeps off cold and heat.

Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from Hazrat Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she brought a piece of bread for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He ﷺ said, "What is this piece?" Hazrat Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "It is a piece of bread that I baked for you; I did not like to eat without feeding you." He ﷺ said, "This is the first food to have entered your father's mouth in three days."

O seeker of the Hereafter! May Allah have mercy on you. Look at this noble lady, who was content with a little bread, and at this noble Prophet ﷺ, who had not tasted any food for three days.

Hazrat Sahl ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that all good lies in four qualities, through which the Abdal became Abdal:

(1) keeping the stomach hungry, (2) silence, (3) seclusion, and (4) staying awake at night.

The noble hadith states: "Tuba li-man hudiya li'l-Islam wa kana rizquhu kafafan wa radiya bihi."

Glad tidings are for the one who was guided to Islam, whose provision remained just sufficient, and who

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1. Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 19, Al-Ma'had al-Islami

2. Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir by Tabarani, Bab al-Alif, no. 750

3. Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 19, Al-Ma'had al-Islami

4. Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 19

5. Al-Firdaws, vol. 2, p. 447, no. 3929

was content with it. The noble hadith also states, "Inna Allaha idha ahabba 'abdan ja'ala rizqahu kafafan": when Allah Most High loves a servant, He makes his provision just sufficient, that is, enough for his expenses. He neither gives him more, so that he becomes rebellious, nor less, so that he suffers hardship.

It has also been narrated that the Master of Madinah ﷺ said that on the Day of Resurrection Allah Most High will create wings for some individuals of my Ummah. They will fly from their graves to the Gardens, go wherever they wish in them, and enjoy the blessings as they please. The angels will say to them: "Did you see the Reckoning?" They will say: "No." The angels will say: "Did you cross the Bridge (Sirat)?" They will say: "We did not see the Sirat." The angels will say: "Did you see Hell?" They will say: "We saw nothing." The angels will say: "Whose Ummah are you?" They will say: "Of Muhammad ﷺ." The angels will say: "We ask you by Allah Most High, tell us what deeds you used to do in the world." They will say: "There were two qualities in us, through which, by the grace of Divine mercy, we reached this station." The angels will ask: "What were they?" They will say: "(1) When we were alone, we were ashamed to disobey Allah Most High, and (2) we were content with the little that was our lot." The angels will say: "You are worthy of this (lofty) station."

Note:

Contentment is a great blessing of Allah Most High and a quality of the saints. The heart of one who is granted this blessing becomes free of need; it remains at peace and is protected from distraction, dispersion and disarray. It is also safe from the diseases of the heart, and his life passes in tranquillity. Turning towards the Divine

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Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din, vol. 5, p. 2366

Takhrij Ahadith Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din, vol. 5, p. 3566

Presence happens very easily, and in such a state the servant receives abundant grace (fayd) from the Holy Court. Such servants possess single-minded focus, and if they find an accomplished spiritual guide (murshid-e-kamil), they attain great stations. Today deprivation of contentment has made man restless; even with every blessing, he has no peace.

Even eating well, dressing well and living in fine houses, he is deprived of the wealth of tranquillity. Greed and avarice keep him turned towards the world at all times. What he desires is wealth and riches, and honour. Even if he prays, it is not out of love of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ but out of fear, and sometimes out of desire for wealth. The list of his wants is so long that it cannot be compiled. Because of this he has been deprived of lasting success and triumph, of eternal blessings and everlasting manifestations. He lives in pain and suffering and dies in it. This separation from the world keeps him restless even in the grave, and he will feel this shortcoming fully in the Hereafter. Today there is a need to encourage people towards contentment; if contentment is born, one is freed from a thousand sorrows.

What does not concern one (ma la ya'ni) and what concerns one (ma ya'ni):

"What does not concern one" includes all matters for which there is no need. They are of various kinds and types, for example games and amusement, laughter, and every matter that impairs dignity (muruwwah); also seeking expansion in the world, positions and leadership, seeking praise and acclaim, and the like: matters from which no benefit for the Hereafter is gained, and through which precious time is wasted, for which there is no compensation.

Some scholars say that "ma ya'nihi" (what concerns him) means that from which some religious benefit is gained, or a worldly benefit that leads to the Hereafter, and "ma la ya'nihi" is the opposite of this. Hazrat 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Man talaba ma la ya'nihi fatahu ma ya'nihi."

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Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 20, Al-Ma'had al-Islami

Whoever sought what does not concern him lost what does concern him. Seeking what does not concern one is also contrary to contentment. A seeker of the Hereafter never busies himself with matters of no concern. Those whom Allah Most High has blessed with intelligence and understanding always seek Allah and His Beloved ﷺ; they turn only to that which brings them near to Allah, Majestic and Exalted.

3. Renunciation (zuhd):

Among the nine matters the saints have advised is renunciation (zuhd). Lexically, zuhd means lack of inclination. As to what zuhd means in the Shari'ah, the scholars differ. Shaykh Muhammad Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says in Salalim al-Fudala' that the preferred view is that zuhd is regarding the whole world as worthless. For the one in whose eyes the world is worthless and small, the world will weigh lightly upon him; he will not rejoice at gaining anything of it, nor grieve and be saddened at losing it, and he will take from the world only as much, and only that, which helps and supports him in obedience to Allah. Even so, he will always remain engaged in remembrance and spiritual practice, and will never be heedless of the remembrance and recollection of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Such a person lives in the world with his body, and in the Hereafter with his intellect and soul.