Obligatory and voluntary worship

Among the matters in which the Leader of the world ﷺ is followed and obeyed, some

are obligatory duties (fara'id) and some are supererogatory acts (nawafil), and a distinct nearness (qurb) is attached to each of the two. Hazrat Mujaddid Alf-e-Sani and his sons described this nearness in detail in numerous letters (maktubat). This Mujaddidi faqir, may he be pardoned, has also, quoting from these elders, set it out in some detail in the book “Nubuwwat o Wilayat”. The gist is that the obligatory duties are so important that the nearness attached to them is the nearness of the Essence (qurb-e-dhat), while the nearness attached to the supererogatory acts is the nearness of the Attributes (qurb-e-sifat); between the two there is the same proportion as between a drop and the ocean. The well-known and famous hadith qudsi, which Hazrat Imam Bukhari (may his secret be sanctified) narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), is in these words:

“Allah Most High said: Whoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, I have declared war against him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me through supererogatory acts until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he grips and his foot with which he walks. If he asks of Me, I will surely give him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely grant him refuge.”

Whoever shows enmity to My friend (wali), I declare war against him. My servant does not draw near through anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him, and through supererogatory acts My servant keeps drawing nearer to Me until I make him My beloved. Then, when I make him My beloved, I become his ears with which he hears, his eye with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps and his foot with which he walks. If My servant asks of Me, I will surely give to him, and if he seeks My refuge, I will give him refuge.

A cursory look at the above hadith brings these few points to light:

1. The greatness and loftiness of the friend of Allah (wali), and his having attained to Allah. To oppose him and show him enmity is ruin.

2. Nearness is of two kinds: one that the servant attains by fulfilling the obligatory duties, and the second that is gained through supererogatory acts.

3. The most beloved nearness is “the nearness of the obligatory duties” (qurb-e-fara'id).

4. Through the nearness of the supererogatory acts (qurb-e-nawafil) the servant becomes beloved of Allah Most High and attains the station of being beloved (maqam-e-mahbubiyyat).

5. What his rank becomes after he is raised to the station of being beloved: Allah Most High becomes his ear, his eye and so on. Let it be known that the elders have given several interpretations of becoming his eye, ear and so on. One is that, just as the servant fulfils his needs through these very organs — that is, just as when there is a need to see someone with the eye, the moment one intends it the eye is raised and sees, and likewise when he intends to hear something with the ear, the ear hears at once — in the same way, when the servant remains occupied in supererogatory acts and is raised to the station of being beloved, he wishes, and Allah Most High fulfils his need more swiftly than these organs. The second interpretation given is that what is meant is that Allah Most High becomes the guardian of these organs; so at such a stage the servant hears with his ear only that which is lawful to hear, sees with his eye only that which is lawful to see, grasps with his hand only that which is lawful to grasp, and walks with his foot only towards that which it is lawful to go to. The point is that such a servant becomes cut off and detached from desires and lusts, remains absorbed in acts of obedience, and uses his limbs and organs only in those things for which they were created. The elders have said that the hadith contains an indication that the door to the love of Allah is drawing near through supererogatory acts.

This Mujaddidi faqir, may he be pardoned, submits that the above hadith also leaves room for this interpretation: that what is meant is that when the servant attains a special nearness, and these limbs and organs become the centre of divine manifestations (tajalliyat), their powers become so great that the ears hear from thousands of kos away and the eye sees from thousands of miles away; in an instant the friend of Allah reaches from one place to another by way of “folding of the earth” (tayy al-ard); whatever comes from his tongue, Allah Most High fulfils; and when his glance of wrath and anger falls, at a mere gesture whole

settlements are overturned. Read the spiritual interventions (tasarrufat) and miracles (karamat) of the people of Allah, especially of the early elders, and one is amazed at how the manifestations of divine power surge in their limbs and organs, so that in a moment they accomplished things at which minds are left astonished. And Allah Most High knows best what is right.

6. Reliance on Allah (Tawakkul)

Among the matters which the people of Allah have especially enjoined is reliance on Allah (tawakkul). In the Quran and Sunnah, tawakkul has been emphasised on various occasions, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has commanded that the believers should rely and place their trust in Allah Most High alone. Further, the Exalted Lord says: “And whoever relies upon Allah, He is sufficient for him” — whoever trusts in Allah, Allah Most High is sufficient for him. Further, the Lord says: “Then when you have resolved, rely upon Allah” — when you have firmly resolved, place your trust in Allah Most High.

Hazrat Imam Bukhari and others have narrated in their Sahih collections that the seventy thousand who will enter Paradise without reckoning will be those who have reliance on Allah Most High. (For further detail, see the books of Quranic commentary, hadith and Sufism.) Various elders have described several meanings of tawakkul, each according to his own spiritual state (hal). Hazrat Dhu'l-Nun al-Misri (may his secret be sanctified) says: “Tawakkul is to abandon the self's own planning and to become empty of power and strength, so that one knows no power or strength except that of Allah Most High — that is, La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah.”

Hazrat Abu Bakr al-Daqqaq (may his secret be sanctified) says: “Tawakkul is to arrange for living just one day and to give up worrying about tomorrow.” Some have said: “Tawakkul is to give up earning while relying on Allah Most High.” The verified view of Hazrat Imam Ghazali (may his secret be sanctified) is: “The heart's reliance on the Guardian,

....................

Surah al-Talaq, 65:3

Surah Al 'Imran, 3:159

the Real, alone” — tawakkul is for the heart to rely on the One Allah alone.

Today the cause of most of our troubles and difficulties is the lack of tawakkul. We live in this world of means (asbab) and find most things linked and bound to means. We sow seed in the field; it sprouts and the crop ripens, and in this way grain comes into our hands. We fall ill, we take medicines, and the illness goes away. Things generally come into existence under means. The mark of the believer is that he holds firmly that Allah Most High alone is the Causer of causes (Musabbib al-Asbab). It is He who placed in medicines the power to remove illness; He alone gives the grain; He alone sends down the rain; He is the true Doer; it is by His will that things come into existence under means. When He willed, He created Hazrat Adam without mother or father, and when He willed, He gave existence to Hazrat 'Isa without a father — upon our Prophet and upon both of them be blessings and peace. The effect of medicines is by His will. After all, why is it that one and the same medicine cures a certain illness, and that same medicine sometimes fails in that same illness? Why is it that even after seed is sown, sometimes no crop grows, and sometimes there is a very good yield? To believe that means have real effect is an unbelieving and polytheistic view. What faith demands is that, behind the means, one keeps one's gaze fully on the Causer of causes. Today Muslims' reliance on the Being of Allah Most High has generally become extremely weak; they do not have full conviction in Allah Most High as the Provider, and so they rely on means — and now, in this matter, all concern for lawful and unlawful has disappeared. The limit is that even the self-appointed contractors of the community's religious leadership now rely on politicians, the wealthy and rulers, but not on Allah, the Disposer of all affairs; that is why there is now nothing but disgrace and humiliation.

Degrees

Tawakkul has countless degrees. As much as a servant relies on and trusts Allah the All-Powerful, so much does he receive of His grace. There is a hadith qudsi: “I am as My servant thinks of Me,” that is, I deal with the servant

..................

Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 30

just as he thinks of Us.

The hadith is of course authentic, but it is also a matter of experience. Place true reliance on your Lord, and He, the Most Merciful and Most Generous, will surely honour your reliance. If you hold firmly in your heart that our Most Merciful and Generous Lord will not let us go astray, then He will not; if you are sure that He will not disgrace you, then He will not; if you have full reliance that He will not leave us and our children hungry, then He will certainly not leave them hungry; if you are sure that He will cure you of illness, then He surely will.

For those servants who placed complete reliance on Him, trays of food came down from the heavens. There have been such people of reliance (mutawakkilin) who never told any physician or doctor of their condition nor used any medicine, and they too came through the period of trial and recovered their health. The Sultan of the Knowers, Hazrat Bayazid Bistami (may his secret be sanctified), was asked, “From where do you eat?” — that is, where does your food come from? He replied: “My Master feeds the dog and the swine; do you suppose He will not feed Abu Yazid?” — my Master feeds dogs and swine, so do you think He will not feed Bayazid?

The Messenger ﷺ said: “Whoever cuts himself off from everything and becomes wholly Allah's, Allah suffices him for every burden (expense or toil) and will provide for him from where he does not even imagine; and whoever becomes wholly the world's, Allah Most High will hand him over to the world.”

Is Earning Better, or Reliance

Is it better to adopt a means of livelihood and earn one's sustenance, which is called earning (iktisab), or tawakkul — that is, not adopting means of livelihood and turning away from them? The elders have three views on this:

1. Tawakkul is better, because it is the state of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and of the People of the Suffah.

...................

Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 30

Ibid., p. 30

2. According to some, earning is better. In their view, the earning that is better than tawakkul is that which is not for amassing wealth, nor accompanied by the belief that earning will bring sustenance and benefit; rather, it is among those supererogatory acts which Allah Most High has commanded. In Surah al-Jumu'ah, Allah says:

“Then when the prayer has been concluded, disperse in the land and seek of the bounty of Allah” — that is, when the Friday prayer has been performed, spread out in the land and seek the bounty of Allah Most High. Here “bounty” means sustenance.

The third view, which is the preferred one, is as Hazrat Imam Ghazali (may his secret be sanctified) said: that the matter calls for distinction. A person whose state is such that, by giving up earning, he will free himself for remembrance of Allah (dhikr), reflection (fikr), worship and the like, while earning would interfere with this and cause disquiet of heart — for such a person tawakkul is better, because tawakkul involves patience and struggle against the self (mujahada). But the person who is not of this state and standing, and would instead hope that people will bring him something, and whose heart stays restless, and who would fall into irritation and anger when sustenance is tight — for such a person earning is better. Some elders have said that tawakkul is the state of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and earning is his Sunnah; so whoever is too weak for his ﷺ state should follow his Sunnah.

Cautions

The meaning of tawakkul is commonly taken to be giving up earning, that is, not earning one's sustenance; in this sense tawakkul is not permissible for a man with a family. According to the elders, tawakkul has another meaning: that one adopts the means but keeps one's gaze on the Causer of causes. In this sense, one who has adopted a means of livelihood but whose gaze is on the Provider (al-Razzaq) is also a person of reliance (mutawakkil). That is why in ‘Salalim al-Fudala’, quoting Imam Suyuti, it is said: “In my view earning is not contrary to or incompatible with tawakkul; rather, the servant can be both a person of reliance and an earner at the same time, in that he remains content with what Allah has

........................

Surah al-Jumu'ah, 62:10

decreed for him and does not covet more than that.” The Commander of the Faithful, Hazrat Faruq-e-A'zam (may Allah be pleased with him), said to a group of people who did not earn and claimed tawakkul: “The one who truly relies is he who sows the seed in the ground and trusts in Allah.”

Hazrat Sahl ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that tawakkul is the state of the Master (peace be upon him) and earning is his Sunnah; whoever's state is sound will not abandon the Sunnah.

Hazrat Mujaddid Alf-e-Sani (may his secret be sanctified), after discussing means in some detail, says: From this explanation it has become clear that the mediation of means is not incompatible with tawakkul, as the deficient have supposed; rather, in the mediation of means lies the perfection of the middle way. Hazrat Ya'qub — upon our Prophet and upon him be blessings and peace — while entrusting the matter to the Real, Glorified is He, named the observance of the means tawakkul; that is, he entrusted the matter to Allah Most High and also observed the means, and said:

یٰبَنِیَّ لَا تَدْخُلُوۡا مِنۡۢ بَابٍ وَّاحِدٍ وَّادْخُلُوۡا مِنْ اَبْوَابٍ مُّتَفَرِّقَۃٍ ؂

“O my sons, do not enter by one gate, but enter by separate gates.”

That is: O my sons! Do not enter by one gate, but enter by different gates.

The noble commentators (may Allah Most High have mercy on them) say that Hazrat Ya'qub — upon our Prophet and upon him be blessings and peace — gave this command to his sons so that they would be protected from the evil eye. Clearly, in this matter he took the means into account; then, entrusting the matter to the divine court, he says:

وَمَاۤ اُغْنِیۡ عَنۡکُمۡ مِّنَ اللہِ مِنۡ شَیۡءٍ اِنِ الْحُکْمُ اِلَّا لِلہِ عَلَیۡہِ تَوَکَّلْتُ وَ عَلَیۡہِ فَلْیَتَوَکَّلِ الْمُتَوَکِّلُوۡنَ ؂

“And I cannot avail you against Allah at all. The decision rests with Allah alone. Upon Him I have relied, and upon Him let those who rely place their reliance.”

I cannot avert or remove from you any decision or decree of Allah Most High. The command belongs to Allah

................

Salalim al-Fudala, on the margin of Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 30

Ibid., p. 30

Surah Yusuf, 12:67

Surah Yusuf, 12:67

alone; upon Him I have relied, and those who rely should rely upon Him alone.

Allah Most High praised this knowledge (ma'rifa) of Hazrat Ya'qub (peace be upon him) and declared it His own gift. See the said Surah.

It is thus known that tawakkul has degrees, and the people of Allah have different states; at different times they pass through different states and conditions. That is why, regarding tawakkul, one reads in the biographical works of the elders' differing states and degrees. Those who are cut off from everything and turned towards Allah Most High alone are miles away from means, and Allah Most High deals with them just as they think of Him, as is evident from another letter of Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) himself. The affairs of such people come about without any means; trays of food come to them from the heavens; such people have been counted in the group who will enter Paradise without reckoning or account, as Imam Bukhari and others have narrated.

Second are those whose descent (nuzul) is fairly complete. Such people are highly accomplished: they rely solely on the Causer of causes, Majestic and Exalted is He, yet in this world of means they also observe the means. These are the very great ones whom you have just read about in the words of Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified). There are further very delightful discussions on this, which can be learned from the words of the elders.

Means and Intermediaries

Since Allah Most High was to make this world an abode of trial and testing, He, by His consummate wisdom, generally linked effects and the attainment of things to means. The unbelievers and polytheists supposed these very means to be the real agents of effect. Today, owing to the company of these unbelievers and distance from the sciences of the Shari'ah, many Muslims too have begun to adopt means while regarding them as effective in themselves, with the result that reliance on means has increased while reliance on Allah Most High has decreased, or rather all but vanished. We have already said something about this at the beginning of this discussion.

The consequences emerging from lack of reliance on the Being of Allah lead towards misguidance; they are misleading and plunge servants into difficulties. The noble Sufis and great scholars have written quite lengthy discussions on adopting or not adopting means and intermediaries, and on whether or not they have any effect; Hazrat Imam Muhammad Ghazali (may his secret be sanctified) carried this to its conclusion. We set down a brief passage of Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) as a decisive word, which is the path of truth and guidance. May Allah Most High guide His servants rightly so that they recognise it correctly.

A Misconception

Let it be known that some theologians (mutakallimin) imagined the same relation between the contingent (mumkin) and the Necessary Being (Wajib), Majestic and Exalted is He, as exists between a clay pot and its maker. This means they supposed that the contingent needs Allah Most High in coming from non-existence into existence, but does not need Him in its continuance (baqa) — just as the pot needs its maker (the potter) for its existence but not for its continuance. Yet this idea was plainly contrary to the Quran. The Lord of the universe, Majestic and Exalted is He, says:

“O mankind, you are the ones in need of Allah, and Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy” — O people, you are in need of Allah Most High, and Allah Most High is Free of all need, Praised and Approved.

Since those people of learning held the contingent to be in need for its continuance, they adopted the doctrine of the renewal of likenesses (tajaddud al-amthal), so that the perpetual neediness of the contingent might be established. What is the renewal of likenesses? That is a separate discussion; understand it in its proper place. In short, the truth is what the majority of theologians hold: that just as the contingent needs the Necessary Being in coming from non-existence into existence, so too in its continuance it needs that same cause which brought it into existence (the originating cause, 'illat-e-mujida). The proof of this is that continuance is the name for existence in the second moment of time; and since the contingent does not of itself call for existence in the first moment, then how would it call for existence in the second moment —

....................

Surah Fatir, 35:15

how could that be? For such a requirement does not vary with the variation of times. So as long as the outpouring of existence (ifada-e-wujud) from the Necessary Being continues upon the contingent, it will remain existent, and when the outpouring is cut off, no trace of the contingent will remain.

Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) says: All contingent things — be they substances, accidents, bodies, intellects, souls, heavens or elements — depend on the bringing-into-being of the All-Powerful, the Free Chooser, Majestic and Exalted is He, in that He brought them from non-existence into existence; and just as all these (aforementioned) things need Allah Most High for existence and for coming into being, so too they need Him, Glorified and Exalted is He, for continuance (remaining in being after creation). He, Glorified is He, has made means and intermediaries a veil over His own act, and has made wisdom the instrument for the existence of power. For the people of intelligence and acumen, whose inner sight (the eye of the heart) is anointed with the kohl of following the Prophets (upon them be blessings and peace), know that means and intermediaries — which need the Exalted Creator for existence and continuance, have their establishment and subsistence from Him, and are dependent on Him, and are in reality mere inanimate matter — how could they exert any effect on another thing which, in being mere inanimate matter, is just like them, and how could they bring about and originate (grant existence to and create) another? Behind their veil there is One All-Powerful who brings them into existence and grants them the perfections befitting them. It is just as when people of reason and understanding see some act issue from mere inanimate matter, from that very point they trace the doer and mover of that mere inanimate thing (a stone), because they know that the act does not befit that inanimate thing and that behind it there is some doer who brings this act from non-existence into existence. Thus, in the view of people of reason and understanding, the act of a lifeless thing (mere inanimate matter) could not become a veil and screen over the act of the true Doer; rather, in view of its inanimateness, that act became a proof of the true Doer. So it is in this case too. Yes, in the understanding of a fool, the act of the inanimate thing is a veil and screen over the act of the true Doer, for out of the utmost dullness of mind

......................

As in the marginal note to Letter 266, quoting from the letters of Qazi Thana'ullah (may Allah have mercy on him)

he took the mere inanimate thing itself to be possessed of power on account of that act, and denied the true Doer.

A Useful Note

The elders never approved of abasing oneself before created beings, and coveting what they possess — rank, wealth and the like — in order to obtain it; rather, in their view this is among the most hideous habits. There are only two ways to escape this covetousness: one is tawakkul; the other is that one adopts sources of income and earns wealth through the means of wealth. For when he too has what others have, he will not abase himself before them out of covetousness for it.

It is stated in al-Kifayah:

“Do not spend your noble honour on the people of this world while you covet their wealth and rank, and while you abase yourself by frequenting their service, helping them in their aims, praising them, praying for them, showing love for them and swelling their numbers; for that is a mark of the love and veneration of the world in one's heart, and whoever loves the world and venerates it will venerate the one to whom the world has turned, and will wish to attain from it what that one attained. This is the description of the slaves of the world and the slaves of their own desires.”

That is: do not spend your honourable dignity, or your life, for the worldly while you are longing for their wealth and rank, and while you are displaying abasement by frequenting their service, helping them in their aims, praising and lauding them, praying for them, expressing love for them, and increasing and swelling their gatherings; for all this is the effect of the love of the world and its veneration in one's heart. Whoever loves the world and venerates it is thereby venerating the one to whom the world has turned, and wishes to obtain from the world what that person wished. This is the very description of the slaves of the world and of those who follow the desires of their lower selves.

...............

Letter 266, Volume One

Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 32

Let it be known that the dervish never stretches out his hand before anyone for himself without a valid excuse. Hazrat Imam Ghazali (may his secret be sanctified) says that Hazrat Bishr used to say that the poor (fuqara) are of three kinds:

1. One is the poor man who does not ask, and if given, does not take; he will be with the spiritual beings (ruhaniyyin) in 'Illiyyin.

2. Second is the poor man who does not ask, but if given, takes; such a poor man will be with those brought near (muqarrabin) in the Gardens of Firdaws.

3. Third is the poor man who asks at the time of need; he will be among the People of the Right, with the truthful (sadiqin).

All the noble Sufis agree that asking is a bad and blameworthy thing, and that asking even in the face of starvation causes one's degrees to fall.

7. Sincerity (Ikhlas)

One of the nine counsels (wasaya-e-tis'a) is sincerity (ikhlas). It belongs to the actions of the heart, and it is such a supreme pillar that the acceptance of all acts of obedience and worship depends upon it. That is why the Quran has emphasised sincerity in place after place and described the ranks, qualities and perfections of the people of sincerity.

Consider a few statements.

۱۔ وَ مَاۤ اُمِرُوۡۤا اِلَّا لِیَعْبُدُوا اللہَ مُخْلِصِیۡنَ لَہُ الدِّیۡنَ ؂

1. “And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, making the religion sincerely His.”

That is, they were not commanded anything except that they worship Allah Most High, making religion purely for Him.

۲۔ اَلَا لِلہِ الدِّیۡنُ الْخَالِصُ ؂

2. “Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion.”

.................

Surah al-Bayyinah, 98:5

Surah al-Zumar, 39:3

Beware! For Allah Most High is the pure religion.

The Master of the world ﷺ has said:

1. “Make your religion sincere, and even a little action will suffice you.”

2. The Master (upon him be blessings and peace) was asked about faith; he said: “It is sincerity for Allah Most High” — faith is making one's religion sincerely for Allah Most High.

3. The Soul of the world ﷺ says: “Allah does not accept of deeds except what is purely for Him and by which His Countenance is sought” — that is, Allah Most High accepts only those deeds which are purely for Him and through which His pleasure is sought.

4. The Prophet ﷺ, Knower of what has been and what will be, says: “Whoever devotes forty days sincerely to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, Allah Most High makes springs of wisdom burst forth from his heart onto his tongue.”

5. The Mercy to the worlds ﷺ says: “Whoever leaves this world upon sincerity to Allah alone, who has no partner, having established prayer and given zakat, will leave the world in such a state that Allah Most High is pleased with him.”

The Meaning of Sincerity

That the aim in all acts of obedience and deeds be only nearness to Allah Most High and pleasing Him — this is what is called sincerity. If someone performs a good deed in order to show people, or with the intention that people

................

Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 32

Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 32

Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 32

Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 32

Kifayat al-Atqiya, p. 32

praise him, or out of greed for their wealth and so on, then such a deed leaves sincerity and falls to the level of hidden polytheism (shirk-e-khafi), and the one who does so is deemed deserving of punishment. Several meanings of sincerity are reported from the elders; one is the one just mentioned.

Hazrat Sahl ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah Most High be pleased with him) says that sincerity is that the servant's stillness and movement be for Allah Most High alone. He (may his secret be sanctified) also says that the intelligent looked into the interpretation of sincerity and found only this meaning: that the servant's stillness and movement, in private and in public, be for Allah Most High alone, with nothing else mixed into it — neither the self, nor desires, nor the world. The elders have deemed this interpretation of Hazrat Sahl (may his secret be sanctified) very comprehensive.

The Master of the Sufi community (Sayyid al-Ta'ifa), Hazrat Junayd Baghdadi (may his secret be sanctified), says: “Sincerity is purifying the deed of turbidities” — keeping one's deeds clean of impurities is sincerity.

Some elders said: “Purifying the deed of self-admiration” — keeping one's deeds pure and clean of self-admiration ('ujb) is sincerity. (Turning one's attention and gaze to one's own deeds is called 'ujb.)

It has also been said that constant meditation (muraqaba) and forgetting all one's selfish portions (huzuz) is what is called sincerity.