The method of meditation (muraqaba)

Some elders have said that the method of meditation (muraqaba) is this: first hold the breath below the navel for a short while, then with all one's perceiving senses turn towards that simple meaning which every person imagines when uttering the name Allah. But there are few people who can free that simple meaning from the word. In any case, the seeker should strive to free that simple meaning from the word and to turn towards it without the interference of passing thoughts (khatarat) and without paying attention to anything other than Allah. Some people, however, are not able to achieve this kind of perception, so for such people some masters have prescribed supplications expressing this kind of meaning. The large spiritual lineage (shajara) that my master and spiritual guide (may his lofty shadow endure) bestows also contains supplications of this kind, which he urges even ordinary disciples (murids) to recite after the five daily prayers.

Some masters also say concerning such people that they should imagine pure void

and simple light, and direction. Through this imagining the seeker gradually reaches the attention described above. By pure void is meant that one imagines all the places of the world as empty of every kind of thing, and by simple light is meant plain light.

The Benefits of Muraqaba

Muraqaba is superior and higher even than the dhikr of negation and affirmation (nafi wa ithbat), and it is an independent way of reaching Allah. It is nearer to divine attraction (jadhba). Through constant muraqaba one can reach the rank of vizierate (wizarat); awareness of the passing thoughts of hearts and the power of disposal (tasarruf) in the Visible Realm (mulk) and the Unseen Realm (malakut) are attained only through muraqaba. Bear in mind that a settled capacity for muraqaba is difficult to attain without abundant remembrance of Allah (dhikr) and the company of the people of inner collectedness (jam'iyyat).

It should be known that this was an account of the muraqaba that is an independent way of arrival (wusul); otherwise, in the stations of the path (suluk), the state and method of the muraqaba of each station are different, and these will be described in detail in the section on the Mujaddidi path.

The Company of the Perfect Shaykh

Allama Nur Bakhsh Tawakkuli says: “In their very first companionship with the Master of the Messengers ﷺ, the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) attained a perfection that none of the friends of Allah (awliya) of this Ummah attained even at the end of their journey. Through a single ray of that sun of Messengership — may my father and mother be sacrificed for him — the veils of turbidity were removed from their subtle centres (lata'if), and they attained union beyond description. It is this way of reflection that the Naqshbandi masters (may Allah Most High have mercy on them) have adopted. Their way is exactly the way of the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them); in it the giving and receiving of benefit takes place by being dyed (insibagh) and by reflection (in'ikas). That is, through the blessing of companionship the hearts of the seekers are dyed with the lights of the gnosis in the hearts of those who have arrived, and from the mirrors of the hearts of those who have arrived

the forms of the divine lights are reflected onto the mirrors of the hearts of the seekers. But along with this, observing the etiquette of companionship is necessary: for example, following the radiant Sunnah perfectly in all one's movements and stillness, acts of worship, habits and dealings; having intense love for one's spiritual guide (pir); obeying him outwardly and inwardly; not objecting to any of his actions; and handing oneself over to him just as a dead body is in the hands of the one who washes it.” My spiritual guide and helper (may his secret be sanctified) used to say that, for reaching Allah, the way of spiritual attention (tawajjuh) is far nearer than that of seclusion.

He who in Tabriz received a single glance from Shams-ud-Din

mocks the ten-day retreats and scoffs at the forty-day seclusion (chilla).

The effect of the company of those who have arrived needs no explanation. The gnostic Rumi says:

A single moment in the company of the friends of Allah

is better than a hundred years of worship free of show.

Even if you are a rock of stone or marble,

when you reach a man of heart you will become a jewel.

Hazrat Khwaja Ahrar (may his secret be sanctified) likewise says:

Prayer may indeed become a missed prayer (qaza), but

the prayer of our companionship will never be missed.

Hazrat Khwaja Yusuf Hamadani (may his secret be sanctified) said: “Remain in the company of Allah Most High; and if you cannot do so, then remain in the company of the elder who remains in the company of Allah Most High.” End of quotation (intaha). For the blessing of his company will bring you to the company of Allah Most High. Hazrat Maulana Rum (may his secret be sanctified) says:

Whoever wishes to sit in the company of Allah,

tell him to sit in the presence of the friends of Allah.

In this troubled age it is very difficult to find a perfect spiritual guide who is perfect and perfecting. If things remain like this, perhaps the time is not far off when the relationship of pir and murid will remain in name only. (Tazkira-e Mashaikh-e Naqshbandiya)

Safar dar Watan (Journey in the Homeland)

In common usage, going from one city to another is called a journey (safar), and

homeland (watan) means the town or city in which a person lives. According to the people of the path, “journey in the homeland” means that the seeker's journey should be from the world of creation towards the Court of Allah, the Truth, Most High, as Hazrat Ibrahim, the Friend of Allah (upon our Prophet and upon him be blessings and peace), informed us in his words:

“Indeed, I am going to my Lord; He will guide me.” (As-Saffat: 99)

Or it means a journey from one state to another state that is better than the first, or from one station (maqam) to another, higher station. (Al-Bahjat al-Saniyya)

Another meaning of “journey in the homeland” that has been given is that the seeker should move from base and lowly human qualities to the excellent qualities of the angels. It is therefore obligatory upon the seeker to reflect on his own states and see whether any love of created things remains in him or not. If it does, he should repent anew and understand that this is his idol — for whatever keeps you away from Allah is in reality your idol. Then he should say La ilaha illallah, intending by “la ilaha” (there is no god) that “I end the love of such-and-such and negate it,” and intending by “illallah” (except Allah) that “I have established the love of Allah Most High in this place.” The reason for this is that the roots of the love of what is other than Allah are deeply hidden in the inner part of the heart, and pulling them out without thorough searching is very difficult. In the same way he should remove other evils, such as envy and the like, by the method described above. Hazrat Mujaddid Sahib (may his secret be sanctified) says that “journey in the homeland” means the journey within the self (sayr fi al-anfus), which is the source of the end being included in the beginning, and which is particular to this lofty path.

Khalwat dar Anjuman (Solitude in the Crowd)

Among the noble Sufis, seclusion (khalwat) is the name for a place in which the people of the path take up solitude for worship,

and “anjuman” means a gathering of people.

The intended meaning is that in all his circumstances — teaching and instruction, preaching and speaking, eating and drinking, talking, rising and sitting, walking about and all other activities — the seeker should remain occupied with Allah in his heart. It is therefore necessary that he attain a settled capacity for dhikr, in such a way that the seeker's heart remains present with Allah Most High and, even while living among people, remains absent from them. Hazrat Khwaja-e Buzurg (may his secret be sanctified) says that the noble verse:

“Men whom neither trade nor buying and selling distracts from the remembrance of Allah” (An-Nur: 37)

points to this. On this interpretation, the phrase becomes synonymous with muraqaba.

The phrase can also mean that the heart remains so occupied in converse with the Truth that, even while among people, they are not aware of it. It has also been explained to mean that the seeker engaged in dhikr remains so absorbed in dhikr of the heart that even if he enters the marketplace he does not hear people's voices because of the dominance of dhikr. It has also been said that this phrase is an allusion to the Naqshbandi affiliation (nisbat), because being with people does not contradict it, nor is dealing with people harmful to it.

A Benefit

Seclusion is of two kinds: one outward, the other inward. The first is that the seeker takes up solitude in some place that is empty of people, so that he may attain awareness of the Unseen Realm (alam-e malakut) and witnessing in the Realm of Power (alam-e jabarut), because when the outer senses are suspended and idle from their functions,

they come into conformity with the inner senses in witnessing the signs of the Unseen Realm.

Inward seclusion is that the inner self is engaged in witnessing the secrets of the Truth while the outer self is engaged in dealing with creation, in such a way that the outer dealings do not become an obstacle to the inner witnessing. This second kind of seclusion is particular to the Naqshbandi path. The Naqshbandi elders do not adopt outward seclusion; they adopted this too in following the Prophet ﷺ, for he said:

“The believer who mixes with people and bears patiently the hurt they cause is better than the believer who does not mix with them.”

Yad Kard (Remembrance)

In “yad kard”, the meaning of the word “yad” is clear, namely remembrance (dhikr), and “kard” is originally the infinitive “kardan”; the “n” has been dropped for lightness. What is meant by it is either that, even after reaching the stage of muraqaba, the seeker should remain engaged in the blessed dhikr. Dhikr here is general — whether of the Name of the Essence or of negation and affirmation, of the heart or of the tongue, of whatever kind; whether in sleep or wakefulness, while talking or silent, in motion or at rest. In short, in no state should dhikr stop.

Some have said that what is meant is that one should keep doing the dhikr of negation and affirmation with the tongue, because the heart is connected with the elements and therefore becomes rusted with the rust of the elements. So when he does the dhikr of negation and affirmation with the tongue, his breast will become bright and radiant, and he will progress in muraqaba until he reaches the level of witnessing (mushahada).

It can also mean that when forgetfulness and heedlessness of dhikr occur and one forgets to do

dhikr, then whenever one remembers, one should occupy oneself with dhikr. Allah Most High says:

“And remember your Lord when you forget.” (Al-Kahf: 24)

Baz Gasht (Returning)

Just as “kard” remained from “kardan” there, so here “gasht” has remained from “gashtan”. What is meant is that during the dhikr of negation and affirmation, when the seeker breathes out, he should return to the thought of the words Ilahi anta maqsudi wa rizaka matlubi (“O my Lord, You are my goal and Your pleasure is what I seek”), that is: “O Lord, You alone are my goal; I have left this world and the Hereafter for Your sake; complete Your blessing upon us and grant us union.”

When there is such a contemplation, it will strengthen the meaning of negation and affirmation and produce in the heart the secret of true Oneness (tawhid), until the existence of all creation is annihilated from his heart and the existence of the Absolute One becomes manifest in the loci of manifestation. The Naqshbandi masters (khwajagan) prescribe these words so that the disciples, by persisting in them, may become characterised by their meaning. In short, the effect and special property of these words is the manifestation of the secret of Oneness and the unveiling of the reality of detachment (tajrid) and singling out (tafrid).

Some have said that this “returning” is an allusion to the one doing dhikr turning back to Allah Most High at the time of dhikr and expressing his helplessness and shortcoming in dhikr, because no one can do dhikr as it deserves except through the special favour and help of Allah Most High.

The seeker should impress the meaning mentioned above firmly upon his mind. Hazrat Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlvi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “I heard my honoured father (Shah Abdur

Rahim) (may his secret be sanctified) say: ‘Whatever I have attained, I have attained through the blessing of these blessed words.’”

Nigah Dasht (Watchfulness)

“Dasht” has remained from “dashtan”. Its intended meaning is either that during the dhikr of negation and affirmation one keeps watch over the heart and guards it so that no passing thought or whispering enters it; otherwise the fruit of dhikr (presence of heart with the One remembered) cannot be attained.

Or it means that one keeps driving away passing thoughts and the self's inner chatter from the heart. The seeker should always remain awake and alert and not give any thought or passing notion a place in the heart. Hazrat Khwaja Naqshband (may his secret be sanctified) says that the seeker should stop a passing thought at the very beginning of its appearance, because once it has appeared the self (nafs) will incline towards it and be affected by it, and in that case it will become difficult to drive away.

Guarding the heart against the entry of passing thoughts is a very important matter. Whoever has become able to do this has in reality acquired Sufism (tasawwuf), because the spirit of Sufism is in reality keeping the heart pure and clean of all passing thoughts, fancies and concerns. Whoever gains this ability has recognised the reality of the heart, and in accordance with the saying “Whoever knows himself knows his Lord,” through knowledge of the heart he has attained knowledge of the Lord. Hazrat Shaykh Abu Bakr Kattani (may his secret be sanctified) says: “I stayed as a doorkeeper at the door of the heart for forty years, and my heart became such that it does not even recognise anything other than Allah.”

Yad Dasht (Recollection)

Complete and pure attention towards that reality of the Necessary Being which is free of words and

imaginings, and the heart attaining permanent presence with Allah Most High in every state, is what is called yad dasht.

Some have given the meaning as guarding the heart in the witnessing of the self-disclosure of the Essence (tajalli-e dhat). Bear in mind that the presence attained through dhikr and muraqaba, through love and rabita, and through the phrase yad dasht is one and the same in its reality, because witnessing the lights of the Essence of Oneness is what is called presence (huzur); yes, it differs in its quality, and recognising the difference in quality is the work of the elect. Also keep in mind that the presence meant by the phrase mentioned can be attained only after complete annihilation (fana) and perfect subsistence (baqa).

Wuquf-e Zamani (Awareness of Time)

That is, the awareness and witnessing that is related to time. What is meant is that the seeker should keep watch over his breaths and pay attention to whether his breaths are passing in dhikr or in heedlessness.

It can also mean that the seeker should at all times be aware of his own states: when he performs an act of obedience, he should give thanks, and if a sin is committed, he should ask pardon. In short, the seeker should be mindful of every moment of the day and night and keep taking account of himself (muhasaba).

Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) has said that saying the glorification, praise and magnification of Allah — that is, Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar — a number of times before sleeping is also a kind of self-accounting. It is as if, by repeating the words of glorification, the servant seeks forgiveness for his sins, and for the shortcomings that have occurred in the Court of the Most Holy Lord he seeks the elimination of his sins by glorifying and sanctifying Allah; whereas in seeking forgiveness (istighfar) what is sought is the covering of the sin.

From this you will have understood that in glorification (tasbih) sins are uprooted and eradicated; obviously there is a great difference between the two. From this it is known that the better self-accounting is through glorification rather than through seeking forgiveness. By repeating the words of praise (tahmid) the servant gives thanks, and repeating the words of magnification (takbir) as it were impresses upon the mind that the Essence of Allah Most High is exceedingly high and exalted, so that whether it is thanks or apology, both should be worthy of that lofty Court.

Wuquf-e Adadi (Awareness of Number)

This means either that the one doing dhikr should keep count of the number of dhikr, that is, that the dhikr of negation and affirmation should be an odd number of times; or that the silent dhikr should be done with attention to number. In dhikr as such, number is not the aim, nor is a large number; rather, dhikr should be done with presence of heart, even if it is little, so that the benefit of dhikr (the negation of human existence at the words of negation, and the rising of the effects of divine attractions with the affirmation) can result from it. If attention to number is observed in dhikr, its benefit will be that the heart remains protected from passing thoughts and scattered attention (tafriqa).

Wuquf-e Qalbi (Awareness of the Heart)

That is, the awareness and consciousness related to the heart. It can have several meanings. The first is that at the time of dhikr there should be awareness of and connection with the Truth, Glorified be He, and the heart should be aware and conscious of it. The second is that during dhikr the one doing dhikr should remain turned towards the pine-cone-shaped heart, so that this lump of flesh does not remain heedless of the meaning of the dhikr but stays occupied in the remembrance of Allah Most High. Hazrat Khwaja Naqshband (may his secret be sanctified) regarded awareness of the heart, observed in both the meanings above, as more important than awareness of number, because the aim of dhikr is permanent presence and awareness, which is attained only through this.

The third is that the one doing dhikr should keep watch over the heart so that scattered attention and the imprints of what is other than Allah cannot

pass through the heart. Hazrat Sayyiduna wa Ghawthuna Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlvi (may his secret be sanctified) says that awareness of the heart is in reality the name for turning towards the heart in such a way that its pine-cone shape does not come into the imagination along with the Name of the Essence. This attention takes the place of the stroke (zarb) that is well known in the dhikr of other orders. Moreover, while keeping one's attention on the Divine Essence, one should keep watching upwards, since it is from there that grace is hoped for; and regard for the upward direction is out of reverence, because the Truth, Glorified be He, is above, that is, higher than everything.

In short, awareness of the heart is a pillar of dhikr, because attaining the affiliation (nisbat) is impossible without it. Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) has said that if dhikr of the heart does not take effect on someone, he should be stopped from dhikr and instructed in pure awareness of the heart, and should also be given spiritual attention (tawajjuh) continually, until the dhikr takes effect.

The Naqshbandi Principles (Kalimat)

I have mentioned here these few practices of the Naqshbandi path; the account of the remaining stations of nearness will come within the account of the Mujaddidi path. Now we present those phrases on which the foundation of the Naqshbandi way rests. Some of these phrases point to the practices mentioned above, and some indicate the effects of those practices. There are eleven phrases in all, of which eight are transmitted from Hazrat Khwaja Abdul Khaliq Ghijduvani and three from Hazrat Khwaja Baha-ud-Din Naqshband (may Allah sanctify their secrets):

1. Hosh dar dam (awareness in breathing), 2. Nazar bar qadam (gaze upon the step), 3. Safar dar watan (journey in the homeland), 4. Khalwat dar anjuman (solitude in the crowd), 5. Yad kard (remembrance), 6. Baz gasht (returning), 7. Nigah dasht (watchfulness), 8. Yad dasht (recollection); and the phrases transmitted from Hazrat Khwaja Naqshband (may his secret be sanctified) are: 1. Wuquf-e zamani (awareness of time), 2. Wuquf-e qalbi (awareness of the heart), 3. Wuquf-e adadi (awareness of number).

Bear in mind that the Naqshbandi path appeared in the cities of Transoxiana (Ma wara' al-Nahr) and became well known

there, and in those lands the Persian language was mostly spoken; therefore most of these phrases are in Persian. We now set out their literal and technical meanings in detail.