Instructions
Some of the enlightened gnostics
have recommended the following instructions for a wayfarer before starting his
spiritual journey:
i. First: Before every thing
else a devotee must purify his self from sins and moral abjectnesses by means
of repentance. In the beginning with the intention of repentance (towbah)
take a bath (ghusl) and during bathing, think about your past sins and
esoteric contamination and then with a feeling of shame, present your self
before the Most Merciful and Most Compassionate Lord saying: Oh Lord! I have
repented and have returned to you. I have taken a firm decision never to sin
again. As I cleaned my body with water, I have also cleaned my heart from sins
and moral abjectnesses.
ii. Second: Consider yourself
all the time under the presence of God-Almighty. Try your best to remember God
in all circumstances and if once in a while negligence overtakes you try to
return to the previous state immediately.
iii. Third: Must be strict in
guarding his self against contamination with sins. During a period of twenty
four hours he must fix a time for self scrutiny and with extreme accuracy
should review his daily deeds and should seriously remonstrate his self.
iv. Fourth: Should remain silent
and should speak whenever it is absolutely necessary to speak.
v. Fifth: Should eat moderately
to meet his physical needs and should strictly avoid over-eating and becoming a
slave of belly.
vi. Sixth: Should maintain his
ablution all the times i.e. whenever he terminates ablution he should perform
it again. The Holy Prophet (S) narrated a tradition:
"The God-Almighty said: 'Whoever after termination
of ablution does not perform it again has been unfaithful to me,' whoever after
performance of ablution does not offer two units of prayer has done oppression,
and whoever after performance of ablution offers prayer and requests for his
worldly and spiritual needs -if I don't grant them, I have oppressed him. But I
am not the oppressor God."
-Wasail
al-Shi’a, vol. 1, p-268,
vii. Seventh: Should fix a time
during 24 hours preferably during night before down for practicing
concentration and presence of heart, by sitting alone in an isolated place,
lowering his head upon knees, concentrating all the senses towards face and
strictly avoiding entry of all external thoughts and memories. One should
remain in this state for a while. May be this action would result in some
spiritual contemplation for the wayfarer.
viii. Eight: Invocation:
"Oh Self-Existent, Eternal, there is no god save Thee," (Ya Hayyu ya
Qayum ya man la ilahi ilIa unt), should be recited continuously by tongue
together with heart's presence i.e. whatever is being chanted by tongue is also
comprehended by the heart.
ix. Ninth: During a period of 24
hours one must perform a prolonged prostration with concentration and presence
of heart in proportion to one's strength and should repeat the invocation:
"There is no god save Thee. Be Thou Glorified. Lo! I have been a wrong
Doer." (La ilahi illallahu Subhanak inni kuntu min az zalimin). The
prolongation of prostration has been proved as very effective and produces good
spiritual revelations. Some of the devoted wayfarer are reported to have
repeated this invocation as much as four thousand times during a single
prolonged prostration.
x. Tenth: Fix a certain time
during 24 hours and with presence of heart should repeat the invocation,
"Oh! Thou Who is free from needs, and Oh Thou Who is the Granter of Our
needs." (Ya Ghani Ya Mughni!)
xi. Eleventh: Recite the Holy
Quran with presence of mind daily, preferably in the standing position and
should ponder over the meanings of its verses.
xii. Twelfth: Awake a little
before the call of Adhan for the morning prayer, after performing required
ablutions should offer Night Prayer (Namaz-e-shab or Salatul-lail),
and after finishing it should recite the following verses of Surah Heights (al-Araf)
with heart's presence, which is useful for attaining certainty and negation of
external thoughts.
“Inna Rabbokumul lahu lazi
khalaqas samawate wal arzfi sittate ayyame summastavi ala arsh yaghshil lailin
nahar yatlebo hasisan washamso wal qomro wal najoom muskharat be amrehi. elahul
khalqo wal amr tabarkallaho rabbul alamin adava rabbokum tazraun wa kafitan
nahu la yohubbul moatadin wala tafsodu fil arz bada islaha wa ada wa ho khofan
wa tamum un rahmatullahi qarib minal mohsenin."
"Lo Your Lord is God who created the heavens and the
earth in six days, then mounted He the thrown. He covereth the night with the
day, which in haste to follow it, and hath made the sun, the moon and the stars
subservient by His command. His verily is all creation and commandment Blessed
be God, the Lord of the worlds.”
“(Oh mankind!) call upon your Lord humbly and in secret.
Lo! He loveth not aggressors. Work not confusion in the earth after the fair
ordering (thereof, and call on Him in fear and hope. Lo! the mercy of God is
nigh unto the good.” -the Holy- Quran (7: 54-56), al-Kafi, vol. 1, p-344.
In order to achieve the desired
result the above mentioned instructions should be practiced for a period of 40
days. It is possible that the wayfarer may succeed in receiving God's attention
and might be blessed with spiritual contemplation. But, if after passing forty
days one is not fortunate enough to receive such blessings, instead of becoming
disappointed, the program should be repeated again and again till the desired
results are accomplished. Without giving up seriousness, action, and struggle
the wayfarer should remain seriously committed towards his spiritual migration
and seek favor from the Most Merciful Lord. When ever, he develops the required
decency and competency to receive God's special blessing -it will be bestowed
upon him.
In case a wayfarer in the
beginning does not have the strength to perform all of the above mentioned
guidelines, he may begin with few gradually adding others. But most important
among these deeds are pondering, self-control, heart's presence, and attention
towards God-Almighty. It is crucial that a wayfarer should thoroughly negate
all sort of external thoughts and should pay absolute attention towards God-
Almighty, which is a difficult task indeed. The negation of other than God
could be achieved gradually in three steps:
1. First: During first stage
while reciting invocation try your best to concentrate all your thoughts
towards the invocation while strictly preventing the entries of all external
thoughts.
2. Second: During this stage one
should recite invocation exactly like the first stage with the exception that,
while reciting complete attention should be paid towards its meanings and
contents, in a manner that mind should become clearly aware of this occurrence.
At the same time efforts should be made to strictly prevent the attack of all
sorts of external thoughts and memories. is program should be exercised until
one is able to prevent the attacks of all external thoughts during the entire
period of invocation, while being remained attentive to their meanings and
contents.
3. Third: During third stage,
try your best first to memorize the meanings of invocation inside the heart,
and since it has accepted their meanings and believes in them, orders the
tongue to recite them. In this case the tongue actually follows the heart.
4. Fourth: At this stage try
your best to negate all the meanings, contents, interpretations, and even the
imaginations of invocations from the heart, thus, making it readied for
receiving Divine blessings and illuminations. Try to pay absolute attention
towards God-Almighty with your entire existence cleansing your hearts
thoroughly from all sorts of external existence, opening its gate for the
entrance of God’s-Celestial Light. At this stage it is quite possible that one
might succeed in receiving God's special attention, may utilize His grace and
illuminations, and submerged with His attraction may ascent further higher and
higher upon the ladder of perfection in his spiritual migration towards God-Almighty.
At this station of his gnostic
journey the wayfarer might become so much absorbed that he would be seeing
nothing except God-Almighty even forgetting his own self and actions. It is
better for me to leave the description of these most sublime realities for the
God's favorite saints who had seen the end of journey and have tasted the most
delicious taste of the stages of Desire (Shouq), Affection (uns),
and Countenance (Laqa).
20.1. Instructions of the
Commander of the Faithful Imam ' Ali (A):
Nouf had narrated:
"I saw the commander of the Faithful Imam' Ali (A)
while passing by with speed, I asked him. 'Oh my master! Where are you heading
for?' 'Nouf, leave me alone, my desire is forcing me towards my Beloved. '
Replied the Imam. 'Oh my Master! What is your desire.' I asked him. 'the one
who is supposed to know about it -already knows, and there is no need to
describe it to some body else. The decency demands that a servant of God should
not include others (as partner) as for as the blessings and wants are
concerned.” Replied the Imam.
"'Oh commander of the Faithful! I am afraid of being
dominated by selfish whims and greed in my worldly affairs. ' I said. 'Why are
you negligent towards the Saver of afraid ones and Protector of pious ones ?’
Said the Imam.
"'Introduce Him to me.”
I requested. 'He is the God-Almighty the Magnanimous through whose special
benevolence your wishes are granted. Pay attention towards Him with your .full
strength and do not allow Satanic whispers to enter inside your heart, and if
you find it difficult then consider me as your guarantor. Return to God and
pay absolute attention towards Him. The glorious God has said:
"'I swear to My Majesty and Splendor that: Whoever
puts his hope in some one other than Me, I will cut off his hope, will dress
him in the robe of disgrace and wretchedness, will deprive him from My
Nearness, will cut off communication with him and will hide his memory. Woe be
upon him, who takes shelter in other than Me during difficulties, while the
solution of difficulties rests with Me. Does he hope in others while I remain
Living and Eternal ? Does he go to the homes of human beings for solution of
his problems while the gates of their houses are closed? Does he leave the door
of My house while its gate remains always open ?
"'Was there anyone who trusted Me and was betrayed?
The hopes of My servants are tied to Me, and I take care of their hopes. ' I
have filled the sky with those who never get tired of My praise, and have
ordered the angels never to close the door between Me and My servants. Does
not, the one who face the problem, know that no one can solve it except with My
permission ? Why does not the servant approach Me for his needs, while I had
already blessed him with favors without his being asked for them ?”
"Why does not he ask me instead of asking others ?
Does he imagine that in the beginning I bestow My favors upon the servant and
will now deprive him after his request? Am I miser that My servants regard me
as miserly ? Do not the world and Hereafter belong to me ? Do not the merry and
benevolence are my characteristics ? Do not the blessings and favors rest in My
hand ? Do not all the desires end with Me ? Who has the power to terminate them
?”
"'I swear with My
majesty and splendor that if all the needs of all of the world's habitants are
summed up, and if I bestow upon them in accordance to their wants, not
equivalent even to the weight of a tiny particle will be decreased from My
kingdom. Whatever is bestowed by Me, how could be it susceptible to loss or
reduction ? How destitute and wretched is the one who is hopeless of My
Blessings ? How helpless is the one who disobeys me, indulges into forbidden
deeds, disregards My limits and transgresses?” The Commander of the
Faithful after narrating this narration said: 'Oh Nouf ! recite the following
prayer:
Arabic Pronunciation:
Elahi in hamad tokafa be mawahibe ka, wa in ma1iattoka
fabeh moradeka, wa in qaddastaka fabe qu"vwateka wa in hallatoka fa be
qudrateka, wa in naazrto fa ilIa rahmateka, wa in uzuzto fa ala nemateka, ilahi
innahu man lam yashqalhul wa luo be zikneka, wa lam yaz wehis safaro be
qurbeka, Kanat hayatohu aleyhe maytatan wa maytatahu aleyhe hasratan, llahi
tanahat ubsarub nazirina elayka be sarai ril quloobe wa talaat asgas sameyeena
laka naj yato sudoor, falam yalqa absarahum raddo duna ma yoriduna, hatak ta
baynaka wa baynahum hojobal ghaflate, fasakanufi nooreka, wa tanaffasu be
roheka,fasarat qulubohum maqaresan ley habatatika wa absarohum maakefan
lequdrateka.
Wa qarrabta ar wa ha hum min
qudseka, fajalasu ismaka be waqail mujalasate, wukhuzuil mukhatabate, fa
aqbalta ilayhim iqbalash shafiqe, wa unsatita lahum insator rafiqe, wa ajabtahum
ijabatil ahibbai wa najaytahum munajatal ekhil lai, fo ballagh bill
mahallallazi ilayhe wasalva, wan qulni min zikri ela zikreka, wala tatruk baini
wa baina malakute ezzeka baban illafatehtah wala hijaban minjuhobil ghaflate
illa hatakta, hatta toqima.
Ruhi haina ziae arsheka wa
taj-ala laha maqarman nasba nooreka innaka ala qulle shyin qadir. Elahi ma aw
hasha tariqan layakuno rafiqi fehay amali fika, wa abada safaran la yakuna
rajai minho dalili minka, khoba mane etasama be hablay ghayreka, wa zaofa rukno
man istanada ila ghayre rukneka, fayar muallama muammali hil amalafayaz habo
un- hum kabatul wajale, la tahrimni salehal amale, wak la ani kal ata man
faragatful hiyalo, fa kaifaa yal hoqo muammalika zullul faqre wa antal ghani yo
un mazaril muznebina.
Elahi wa inna qulla halawatin
munqate atun, wa halawatul imane tazdado halawatoha ittasalan beka, Elahi wa
inna qalbi qad basata amalahu fika, fa aziq ho min halawate basteka iyyahul
buloqa lema ummala, innaoka ala kulla shain qadir, Elahi usaloka mas alata man
yarifoka kun ha marefateka min kulla khyrin yanbaqi lil momine us yaslokahu wa
auzo beka min kulla sharran wa fi.fnatin aazta beha ahibaka min khalqeka,
innaka ala kully shayin qadir.
Elahi asaloka masalatal miskinei lazi qad tahoiyerafe
rajahe, fala 'jajdo maljaun wala musnedan yasillo behi elayka, wala yastedillo
behi alaika ma beka wa be arkaneka wa magamate kallati la talita laha minka, fa
us alo ka bis me kallazi zaharta behi lekhasate oliyaeka fa wahad wo ka wa
arafuka fa abaduka be haqiqateka un to arifni nafsaka lay aqir ra laka be
rabubiyateka ala haqiqatil imane keka wala toj alni ya Elahi min man yabudul
isma dunal mana wal hazni be lahzatin min lahzateka tannavaro beha qalbi be
marfeteka khasatan wa marafate oliyaika innoka ala kulle shayin qadir.
"Oh God! If I adore you
-it is because of Your Mercy and Compassion,. if Glorify you -it is because of
Your commandments, if I sanctify and attribute inviolability to you -it is
because of your energy, if I chant the world of Monotheism with my tongue -it
is because of Your Power. If I raise my eyes -see Your Blessings all over, if I
practice thriftiness, it is because to save Your Bounties,. oh Lord! Whoever,
You do not engage in Your invocation, and bestow upon him the grace of
journeying towards Your countenance -life becomes for him like death, and death
becomes for him a regret and disaster.
"Oh Lord! Those who are able to see -look towards
You with their esoteric eyes, mysteries of their hearts became manifested and
their wants are granted,. the veils of ignorance have been removed between You
and them,. your Divine illumination has enlightened their hearts, they breath
the breeze of Your Blessings,. Your Majesty and Splendor has overwhelmed their
hearts,. they witness the signs of Your Absolute Power every where,. there
souls have reached near Your Sacred Thrown and with dignity, tranquility, and
humility engage themselves in Your invocations. Like a friend You pay attention
towards them, listen to their words, grant their, wants, and communicate with
them.
"Please bestow upon me similar positions as attained
by them, let the veils of ignorance be uplifted so that my soul could see the
Divine illumination of Your Celestial Kingdom, and may receive an exalted
position therein. Indeed You have the absolute power over all things. 'Oh God!
how fearsome and terrible is journeying on the road which does not terminate in
you. Whoever, chooses a shelter of other than you -would certainly be
disappointed. Whoever puts his trust in other than you is like sitting upon an
unstable base.”
"Oh God! who had induced
hope within the hearts of all the hopeless ones and have removed their pains
and sufferings, please do not deprive me from the grace of performing righteous
deeds and preserve me -the shelter less and destitute- in your shelter. How
come those, who put their trust in Your Mercy could be inflicted with
deprivation ? While you remain absolutely free from the need of inflicting loss
upon sinners.”
"Oh God! All sweetness
and pleasures eventually get terminated except the pleasure of faith which
increases every day. Oh god! my heart is looking towards You with plenty of
desires, please let my heart taste the sweetness of seeing those desires
granted. Indeed You have absolute power over all things.”
"Oh God! As some one who has reached near the
enlightenment of Your Essence, I beg You, to bestow upon me all the blessings
which are worthy of a believer. And protect me from all sort of evils and
calamities the way You protect all Your favorite servants. In deed You have
absolute power over all things.”
"Oh God! My request to you is like the request of a
confused beggar who does not have any shelter or support and except from you
does not seek the help of any other helper. I request by the name, which became
manifested for Your favorite saints, thus, enabling them to become enlightened
about Your Holy Essence, comprehended You as One, and worshipped You with
sincerity indeed; please bestow upon me too the learning to comprehend Your
Holy Essence, so that I may admit the reality of Your Divinity and Godhood, and
do not include me among them who worship Your Name only without paying
attention to its meanings.”
"And allocate at least a certain moments (among
various moments) to pay attention towards me thus, enlightening my heart about
Your Sacred Essence as well as the essence of your favorite saints. Indeed you
have absolute power over all things." -Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 94, p-94.
20.2. Instructions of Imam
al-Sadiq (A)
Unwan Basari, an old man of
ninety-four years has narrated as follows:
"For the sake of acquiring knowledge I used to visit
Malik bin Anas. When Jafar bin Muhammad (A) came to our city I went to visit
him, because I wanted to acquire knowledge from his distinguished and eminent
personality. One day he said to me: 'I am a person who had received God' s
special favor and attention and have incantation and invocations for every hour
during day and night, therefore, you should not prevent me from their recital
and like before continue to visit Malik bin Anas for learning knowledge.”
"Hearing these words I become sad and disappointed
and left his company. I said to myself. 'If Imam had discovered some goodness
within me, certainly he would not have deprived me from his company. Then I
left for the Prophet's mosque and offered salutation to him. Next day, I went
to the Holy Prophet's tomb and after offering two units of prayer raised my
hands up and said:
"Oh God! Oh God! Make Jafar's heart soft for me so
that I could utilize his knowledge, and guide me towards straight path.” After
that with a heavy broken heart returned home as well as visited Malik bin Anas,
because love and affection for Jafar bin Muhammad had penetrated far deeper
inside my heart. For a long time I confined myself within the four walls of my
home and did not come out except for offering mandatory daily prayers till my
patience was exhausted one day I went to Imam's house and after knocking the
door asked permission to enter inside. A servant came out and asked me.”
"What do you want?' 'I would like to see the Imam
and offer a salutation. ' I replied. 'My master is offering his prayer, replied
the servant and returned inside the home, while I kept awaiting outside the
door. After a little while the servant returned and said: 'You may come in.”
"I entered inside the house and offered salutation
to Imam. He replied my salutation and said: 'Please be seated, may God-Almighty
bestow upon you forgiveness. ' Then he lowered his head and after a prolonged
silence raised his head and said: 'What is your name ? ' Abu Abdullah,’ I
replied. 'May God-Almighty bless you with His Special Grace and bestow upon you
firmness. What do you want?'
"In this meeting i/there is no any other advantage
for me except this prayer -even this much is going to be extremely precious for
me. ' I said to myself Then I said: '1 asked God-Almighty to soften your heart
for me so that I may utilize your knowledge. I hope my prayer would have been
granted by him.
"Oh Abu Abdullah! Knowledge cannot be acquired by
learning rather real knowledge is the light which illuminates a person's heart
who is blessed with His guidance. Therefore, i/you are seeker of the knowledge,
first make your heart comprehend the reality of (God's) serventhood, then
request knowledge by means of deeds, and ask God-Almighty for comprehension so
that he could make you understand. ' said the Imam.
"I said. 'Oh! Honorable one!' 'Abu Abdullah !” “
Please continue.’ said the Imam. 'Oh Imam! What is the reality of servanthood?'
I asked.
The Imam replied. “The reality of servanthood consists in
three things as follows:
1. First: A servant should not
consider himself the owner of things which have been bestowed upon him by
God-Almighty, because servants never become owner of things rather consider all
the wealth as God's property and spent it exactly in the same manner as
prescribed by him.
2. Second: Should regard him as
absolutely helpless in managing his own affairs.
3. Third: Should engage himself
continuously in performance of deeds recommended by God-Almighty and avoidance
of His forbidden deeds.
"Therefore, if a servant
does not consider himself as the owner of the wealth, spending it for the sake
of God's way would become easier for him. If he trusted God-Almighty as a
competent manager for managing his affairs then tolerance of worldly hardships
would become easier for him. If he kept himself engaged in performing Divine
commands and sustained himself: from committing forbidden deeds his precious
time would not be wasted in nonsense amusements.
"And if God-Almighty
honored a servant with these three characteristics then dealing with world,
people, and Satan would become easier for him. In that case, he would not
endeavor for increase of wealth for self-glorification, and would not wish for
things whose possession is considered as means of prestige and superiority
among the people and would not waste his precious hours in false pleasures.
This is the first rank of piety which have been described by God-Almighty as
follows:
"As for that abode of the Hereafter, we assign it
unto those who seek not oppression in the earth, nor yet corruption, the sequel
is for those who ward off evil." -the Holy- Quran (28:83)
"'Oh! Abu Abdullah!
Please bestow upon me practical instructions. ' I said. The Imam said: 'I
recommend you to follow the, following nine items. These are my recommendations
and instructions for all those wayfarers who are journeying towards
God-Almighty, and I pray that may God-Almighty bestow upon you his special
grace. The following are the guidelines: 'There are three guidelines for
practicing self-asceticism (riyazat-e-nafs), three guidelines for forbearance
(hilm wa burdbari), and the last three guidelines are for education {ilm). Preserve
them and, be careful not act negligently in their practice'. Unwan Basari said:
'I was listening to Imam's instruction with my entire existence, then the Imam
continued ': 'The three instructions recommended by me for self-asceticism
consist of:
1. Be careful, do not eat any
thing until and unless you feel an appetite for it, because otherwise, it would
be a matter of foolishness and ignorance.
2. Do not eat any thing until
and unless you feel absolutely hungry.
3. When you eat always recite phrase in the Name of God
(Bismillah) and eat only lawful (halal) foods.
The three instructions
recommended by me for forbearance consist of:
1. Whoever tells you: 'For
each sentence you speak to me, I will speak ten sentences in response. ' You
should say in reply: 'If you speak ten sentences to me, in reply you will not
hear even one sentence from me.
2. Whoever threatens you with
abusive language, you should promise him good wishes and advice.
3. Whoever accuses you, you
must say in reply: 'If you said it right may God forgive me and if you lied
then may God forgive you.
The three guidelines recommended by me for education
consist of:
1. Whatever is unknown to you
ask from the learned ones, but be careful not to question them with the
intention of examining their knowledge or giving them hard time.
2. Strictly avoid following
your whims and as much as possible act prudently.
3. Strictly avoid issuance of
religious decrees (fatwas) without religious documents. As much as you would
like to run away while encountering a wild beast, similarly be careful not to
offer your neck as a bridge for people's crossing. ,
"Then he said: 'Oh Abu
Abdullah! You may leave now. I have given you sufficient advice. Do not disrupt
me from continuation of my incantations and invocations, because, I believe in
the dignity of my own self: Salutations be upon those who are obedient to
guidance."
-Kashkul,
Shaykh Bahai, vol. 2, p-184, -Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 1, p-224.
20.3. Instructions of Allameh
Majlisi (R.A.)
One of the most eminent wayfarer
of gnostic journey -the great learned Divine Scholar Mulla Muhammad Taqi
Majlisi writes:
"Whatever this servants has discovered during his
period of self-building and gnosticism is related to the period when I was busy
in studying commentary of the Holy Quran, one night, while I was in a state of
partly slept and partly awakened I saw the Holy Prophet Mohammad (S) in a
dream. I said to my self that it is a good opportunity to take a profound look
about the perfection and moral ethics of the Holy Prophet (S) The more I paid
attention towards him I found his splendor and illumination spreading till it
brightened the entire space around me.”
"At this moment it was revealed to me that the Holy
Quran is the perfect manifestation of the Holy Prophet's moral ethics.
Therefore, to know more about Holy Prophet's moral ethics I must ponder deeply
about the Holy Quran. The more I paid attention upon the verses of Holy Quran
the more I discovered the sublime realities till at one instant I felt that a
lot of realities and learning have been descended upon my heart.”
"After that whenever I pondered about a Qur'anic
verse, I felt that a special talent for its comprehension has been bestowed
upon me. Of course, appreciation of this incident by some one who has not been
blessed with such a grace is naturally difficult rather impossible, but my aim
was to advice and guide the fellow brothers for the sake of God-Almighty. The
guidelines for asceticism and self-building consist of:
-Useless talks, rather any thing other than God's
Remembrance should be strictly avoided.
-Living in luxurious, beautiful and comfortable housing
as well as consumption of expensive foods, drinks and fancy clothing should be
renounced. (one should limit himself to the extent of .fulfilling his genuine
needs).
-Social mixing with other than God's most favorite saints
should be strictly avoided.
-Excessive sleep should be avoided and God's invocation
with complete dedication should be recited continuously.
"God's favorite saints
by continuous recital of invocations namely: "Oh! Self-existent Oh!
Eternal " (ya Hayyio ya Qayyum!) and "There is no god but God"
(Ya man la ilaha illa ant), were able to obtain good results. I too have practiced
the same invocation but perhaps my favorite invocation is "Oh! God"!
(Ya Allah), with thorough cleansing of heart from all existence other than God,
together with absolute concentration towards Him. Of course, what is important
is that God's Remembrance should be accompanied with absolute concentration and
heart's presence. Also, all other deeds do not come close to the
importance assigned to invocation.”
“If this is done for a period of forty day and night
continuously then certainly the doors of wisdom, learning, and love will be
opened for the wayfarer enabling him to ascent towards the most exalted gnostic
positions of annihilation in God (fanafi Allah wa baqa billah), or achieving
permanence with God-Almighty."
-Rozatehal-Mutaqin,
vol. 13, p-128.
20.4. Letter of Akhund-Mulla
Hussein Quli Hamdani
The most eminent learned Divine
scholar and gnostic (late) Akhund Mulla Hussein-Quli Hamadani (R.A.) in his
letter to one of the scholar in Tabriz writes:
(Bismillah ar Rahman ar Rahim,
Alhamdulillahi rabal alimin was salat was salam ala Muhammad wa aleh al tahirin
wa lantatullahi ala adaihim ajmaeen).
"In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the
Merciful"
"Praise be upon God of the worlds, salutations be upon
the Muhammad and his Holy progeny and may be the curse of God be upon their
enemies.”
“It should not remain hidden for religious brothers that
there is no way to achieve the nearness of the Lord of Splendor and Majesty
except strictly following the sacred religious law of Islam (Sharia) in all
movements, pauses, conversations, and instances etc. Superstitious methods
practiced by some pseudo mystics and ignorant ones in accordance to their
intellectual taste do not produce any desired result except their taking
farther distance from God-Almighty.”
"Even a person who
forbids upon himself meat and leaves the hairs of his mustache untrimmed is
blessed with the blessing of faith, (i. e. belief about the immunity from sin
for the infallible Imams of the Prophet's progeny) must understand, that unless
and until he strictly practices their instructions and traditions for
invocations, he would become farther away from God-Almighty.”
"It is therefore, necessary that he must regard the
sacred Divine Law (Sharia) with special reverence and should attach utmost
importance for its execution. Whatever have been emphasized in the sacred
religious law as well as whatever have been comprehended by this poor servant
by using intellect and deliberating traditions may be concluded: "The
fulfillment of the heartiest desire of all creatures -God' s Nearness depends
upon their making serious efforts and endeavors to quit sinning.”
"So for this is not done recital of invocations and
pondering over Qur’anic verses would not produce any useful result for heart,
because the services rendered by some one who is in direct rebellion against
the King would be useless. I don't know, what sort of King ? The exaltedness
belong to that king of Splendor and Majesty, and which enmity could be more
worst then enmity with such a King ?”
"You must better understand that your efforts
endeavor for achieving God's Nearness -while still sinning and being
contaminated is a serious mistake. How come this matter has remained hidden
from your eyes that it is the sin of a sinner that causes the King to feel
hatred towards him, and this hatred can never be summed up with His love.”
"Since you know it with certainty that avoidance of
sins is the beginning, end, apparent, and hidden of faith, therefore the sooner
you engage yourself in self-struggle the better it would be. With absolute
dedication from the moment you awake, all along the day till the time of sleep
you must monitor your self strictly. Be careful to remain respectful because
you are continuously in the presence of the Lord of Majesty al1d splendor and
know that all your body parts and members, including the finest particles of
your existence are the prisoners of His Power, therefore, do not forget to
observe the rules of etiquette. Worship him in a manner as though you are
actually seeing Him, and if you do not see Him, any way He sees you.”
"Be conscious about His Majesty and your humility,
His Eminence and your lowness, His Magnanimity and your abjectness and His
Freedom from needs and your neediness. Be aware that if you act negligently in
remembering the Lord of Glory and Magnanimity but He does remember you, and in
his presence stood like a helpless, wretched servant. Like a bony dog put your
chin upon din before His feet. Is this distinction and honor is not sufficient
for you that He has permitted you to utter His Holy Exalted Name by your filthy
tongue ? The tongue that had become unclean due to pollution of sinning.”
"Oh dear! Since the Most Compassionate and Most
Merciful Lord has made the tongue as the reservoir of the mountain of light, to
be commissioned only for His Holy invocation it is indeed shamelessness that
the King' s reservoir be polluted by refuse and filth of lying, backbiting,
cursing, teasing, and sinning. It should be a place full of perfume and rose
water instead of being filled with filth and refuse. Beyond any doubt since you
acted negligently in supervising your self strictly, you don't know what son of
horrible sins and transgression have been committed by your body pans namely:
ears, tongue, eyes, hands feet, belly, and sexual organs.”
"What sorts of devastating fires have you ignited ?
How much corruption have you induced in your religion? How much prohibited
wounds have you inflicted upon your heart through the tongue's swords and
arrows ? It will be surprising if it has not already been killed. If I want to
comment about the details of these deviations even this entire book would not
be enough, what can I do with one page? You, who have yet not cleaned your body
pans from the filth, how do you expect someone to write for you about the
heart' s condition ? Therefore, make haste, hurry up to perform a true
repentance and seriously guard your self.”
"In summary, after
making his best endeavors for strictly guarding the self a wayfarer striving
for God's Nearness should not be negligent about night vigil awakening before
dawn and offering the night prayer (Namaz-e-Shab) with concentration and
heart's presence. If time permits J he should engage himself in hymns and
invocations but at least a pan of night should be spent in invocation with
heart's presence. In all these situations the wayfarer should not be without
grief and sorrow and if he is -he should acquire its causes.”
"In the end recite the
following:
- The rosary of Hazrat Fatimeh
al-Zahra (S.A.) [1]
- Surah al-Ikhlas (surah no.
112)-12 times,
- "There is no god but God.
There is no partner, there is no kingdom except yours." (La illahi
illahi wahdahu la sharika lah, lahu al-Mulk) -10 times,
- "There is no god but
God" (la ilahi illallahu) -100 times,
- I Beseech God's forgiveness
and offer repentance" (Astaghfarullahi rabi wa atuboh ilahe) -70
times,
- A portion of Holy Quran and
the famous prayer named Dua-i –Sabah [2] of the Commander of the Faithful
Imam 'Ali (A).
"One should remain in the state of ablution
continuously and it is preferred to offer two units of prayer after performing
each ablution. Be careful not to inflict the least damage or hurt the feeling
of fellow human beings and must strive sincerely in meeting the needs of fellow
Muslims especially the scholars and pious ones. He should not attend any
meeting where there is a possibility of sinning, even socialization with the
negligent ones is harmful. Also, excessive involvement in world affairs –although
permitted religiously, too much humor, nonsense talking, and listening to false
rumors are injurious for the hearts condition ultimately making it a dead
heart.”
"Without, practicing, strict self-control simply
engaging in invocation and deliberations would be fruitless and would not
produce the results even though if one succeeds in achieving ecstasy, because
it won't be durable and one should not be fooled with ecstasy achieved without
self-surveillance. I do not have lot of strength and I beseech you to pray a
lot for me and do not forget this humble wretched sinner full of guilt. Do
recite Surah Power (Qadr), one hundred times on Thursday night and Friday
afternoon.”
-Tazkirateh
al-Muttaqin, p-207.
20.5. Instructions of Mirza
Javad Agha Malaki Tabrizi (R.A) [3]
The most celebrated perfect gnostic Mirza Javad Agha Maliki
Tabrizi writes:
"The Holy prophet (S) through his repeated
recommendations have emphasized the importance of prolonged prostration, which
indeed is an extremely important matter. Prolonged prostration is the most
nearest aspect of servanthood, and it is because of this consideration that two
prostration have been incorporated in each unit of prayer. About the prolonged
prostration of Infallible Imams (A) of the prophets progeny and their Shiite's,
a lot of traditions have been narrated.”
In the one of his prolonged
prostration Imam al-Sajjad has repeated the following invocation one thousand
times:
(La illahi illahi haqan haqqa,
la illahi illahi taubdan wa riqqa, la illahi illahi Imanan wa sadqa)
"There is no god but God-truly and Justly."
"There is no god but God I bow in humility in front of him."
"There is no god but God is the truth indeed and is my faith."
About Imam al-Kazim (A) it has
been reported that some times he prolonged his prostration from morning till noon, and similar incidents have been narrated about his companions namely: Ibne abi Amir,
Jamil, and Kharbouz.
"During my stay in
Najafi-Ashraf, I had a learned pious scholar who was a Marjai-Taqlid for
religious students. I once ask him: 'What special act have you tried in your
own life which is effective for a wayfarer in his spiritual gnostic journey ? '
He replied: 'To prolong the prostration during a period of twenty four hours
and reciting of invocation:
(La illahi ilIa ant Subahnak
Inni Kunt min as Zalimin). "There is no God save Thee. Be Thou
Glorified. Lo! I have been a wrong doer.” While reciting this invocation lie
must pay attention to the fact that God-Almighty is for inviolable to oppress
me rather I am the one who have oppressed my own self and have blamed Him for
that.”
"My teacher recommended
this prostration to those who were interested in gnostic journey, and those who
performed it obtained good results especially, those who prolonged it more.
Some of them repeated this invocation in prostration one thousand times, some
of them a little more or less and about some of them I heard that they repeated
it three thousands times in their prostration."
-al-Moraqebat,
p-122.
20.6. Instructions of Sheikh
Najmuddin (R.A)
Sheikh Najmuddin Razi writes:
"Know that engaging in
invocations without paying due regards to recital manners and relevant
etiquettes will not produce useful results. First of all a devoted wayfarer
should prepare himself thoroughly to meet all the requirements of moral
etiquette. When a true devotee is inflicted with the pain of desire for
undertaking the spiritual journey, its symptoms are that he develops intense
affection with invocations and feels frightened with the people until reaching
to a point whereby he turns his face away from the people and takes shelter in
invocation, as the Holy Quran says:
"Say God! Then leave them in the play of caviling.” -the Holy- Quran (6:91)
"As he continues to
guard his invocations he should not be negligent towards its basis which is
true repentance (towbatun nasuh) and should not commit sins. While, engaging in
invocations it is preferable to take a bath (ghusl) and in case it is not
possible one must make ablutions, because invocation is tantamount of waging
wars against enemies in the battlefield which cannot be done without armaments,
and this is why the ablution has been called as the armaments of believers:
The clothing of devotee
should be clean and should meet the following four requirements:
1. First: Cleanliness from
impurities such as blood, urine and excrement etc.
2. Second: Cleanliness from
oppression i.e. the clothing should not have been obtained through oppression.
3. Third: Cleanliness from
sanctity i.e. it should not consists of forbidden (haram) Material such as silk
(for men).
4. Fourth: Cleanliness from
vanity i.e. its length should be short in accordance with Islamic traditions
and should not be dress of vanity.
The place of invocation
should be dark, clean, and isolated and it is preferred to make it perfumed by
burning some incenses. He should sit in the direction of Mecca,
sitting in a squared position [4] -a position which is forbidden all
times except far recital of invocation because Khuwaja (A) after offering
morning prayer used to sit in squared position until sun-rise. He should place
his hands upon his thighs, making his heart and eyes readied with all due
respect should, start reciting the invocation (la ilahi illallahu). "There
is no god but God” -with his entire existence in a rhythmic cycle in a
whistling manner without raising his voice.
"He should recite the invocation firmly and
continuously pondering about its meanings within his heart as well as negating
all the external thoughts. Like the meanings of "there is no god" (La
illahi) he should negate whatever thoughts enter inside his heart, meaning that
he would no longer desire any thing else and would not like to have any other
beloved except God-Almighty. In totality he should negate other gods and should
affirm the God-Almighty as the beloved and ultimate desired object.”
"While chanting each phrase of invocation the heart
should accompany the tongue from the beginning till end negating and affirming,
and in this process whenever he looks inside his heart and if discovers his
heart attached to something else -should discard it, returning the heart to
God-Almighty. By negating -"There is no god." -must nullify heart's
attachment towards other than God, thus, destroying the roots of his attachment
to other objects and replacing it with God's love.”
"In this manner the devotee should chant, invocation
continuously, so that gradually heart becomes cleaned and purified from all
sorts of usual desirable objects achieving an state of heart's absolute
domination with invocation. When it occurs the devotee becomes totally
annihilated by the invocation's illumination turning him as singular -purifying
his essence with all sort of attractions and obstacles, and enabling him to
pass through the material and spiritual worlds swiftly.”
"As it is said: that the heart of a believer is the
place especially reserved for the union with the God-Almighty. But so for as
the heart's domain is occupied by the alien elements, God's Majesty and
Exaltedness does not consider it befitting for His entry. However, once the
herald of "there is no god” announces the cleanliness of heart's domain
from alien elements, one may then expect the entry of the Lord of the Majesty
and Splendor. As the Holy Quran says:
"So when thou art relieved still toil and strive to
please thy Lord.”
-the Holy Quran (94:7-8)
-Marsad
al-ebad, p-150.
Therefore, in the light of above
discussion it becomes clear that eminent gnostics while regarding invocation as
one of the best means for undertaking gnostic journey, for its implementation
have experienced and recommended various methods. The reason is that all
invocation described therein assure the real aim behind them which is to cut
off all connections from other than God and paying absolute attention towards
God-Almighty. But their influence varies in proportion to the rank and degree
of a devotee. What is the rank and position of a wayfarer, where does he stand
upon the path, and what particular invocation will be suitable for him –are
matters where the role of a competent teacher comes into picture.
In the books of traditions and
supplications a lot of invocation and supplication have been narrated and for
each one of them special rewards have been described accordingly. Over all
invocations and supplications may be divided into two categories, namely:
Independent and Conditional.
For some of the invocations
particular timings, special conditions and a certain number have been
prescribed and in these cases the wayfarer is supposed to perform them exactly
in the same manner as prescribed by the Infallible Imams (A) so that he earn
the prescribed reward. But some of the invocations are independent and in those
cases the devotee is free to select the suitable number for its recital and its
timings in accordance to his circumstances, and conditions. Or, may consult his
teacher and guide. Also, one may resort to the books of supplication and
traditions.
Here it is important to
emphasize the importance of the following matters:
1. First: A wayfarer must be
aware of the fact that the real aim behind the invocation is to attain absolute
concentration and heart's presence towards God-Almighty. Therefore, in
selecting the timings, quantity and quality of invocation he should keep in
mind the real aim and should continue recital, but whenever he feels tired,
exhausted and disaffected he should discontinue and must start again at some
appropriate time because the Commander of the Faithful Imam 'Ali (A) said:
"Sometimes the heart is. healthy and full of
enthusiasm while at other times it is sick and disaffected, therefore, deeds
must be performed when the heart is willing, otherwise, performance of a deed
with a reluctant heart would result in heart's blindness." -Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 70, p-61.
2. Second: It must be understood
clearly that the real aim behind continuation of invocation and practicing
asceticism is to attain self-perfection and God's Nearness which is not
possible except through discharging due obligations. If a person is responsible
for performance of some social and religious obligations, he must discharge
them properly and while doing so should not remain negligent from God's
Remembrance as well as recital of invocations to the extent he may do so. Also,
he may again continue it in his free time, but if by taking the excuse of asceticism
and continuation of invocation if he hides into seclusion and did not discharge
his due obligations, then such deeds will not result in God is Nearness for
him.
Notes
[1] Allahu Akbar 34 times,
Subhan Allah 33 times, an Alhamdu lillah 33 times [Tr].
[2] For Dua-i Sabah refer to
Mafateh al-Jinan of Haj Sheikh Abbas Qummi p-97 [[Tr].
[3] Mirza Javad Agha Malaki
Tabrizi: The most distinguished jurisprudent and perfect mystic late Mirza
Javad Agha Malaki Tabrizi was born in Tabriz. After finishing has early
education at his home town, he left for Najaf-e-Ashraf which at that time was
supposed to be the most reputable religious learning center. At Najaf he
attended the lectures of great learned jurisprudents such as Akhund Khorasani
(writer of Kifayateh al-Usool) Haj Agha Ridha Hamadani (writer of Misbah
al-Faqiyeh) and Muhaddith Nouri (writer of Mustadrak al-Wasail).
Also, during this period he came
in contact with most celebrated mystic personality of that time -Akhund Mulla
Husain Quli Hamdani, who was unique in knowledge, ethics, and mystics. Mr.
Malaki spent 14 years with him and during this period acquired profound
knowledge of moral ethics and Mysticism from his learned professor. Mr. Malaki
attained such higher spiritual positions in gnosticism that a great
jurisprudent and scholar like sheik Muhammad Hussain Isfahani famous as
Kampani, himself an outstanding authority of learning and deeds, in a letter to
Mr. Malaki, seeks his instructions regarding ethics and mysticism.
Mr. Malaki returned to his
native home town Tabriz in the year 1320 or 21 A.H. and settled down there, but
after few years due to constitutional revolution the conditions in Tabriz
deteriorated facing him to migrate to Qum. Where he started teaching
jurisprudence from Faiz Kashani's Book: Mafateeh as well as taught ethics
(Akhlaque). Also, he kept himself busy in writing and had left many precious
works.
Ultimately, after living a
fruitful life full of learning, teaching, writing, refinement, and purification
of self he left this transient world to join his beloved in the moving of 11th
Dhill Hijjah 1343 A.H. His Holy remains were buried in the t Shaykhan-Qum
Graveyard near the tomb of Mirzai Qummi. The following verse, written in Arabic
reflects about his precious existence and the year of his demise.
"The world lost its soul, the Nation lost its
shelter.”
His virtues and mystical
perfection are far greater to be confined in words. In order to satisfy the
curiosity of our readers to know more about profundities of Islamic mysticism,
the following reports narrated by authentic sources will through some light
about the spiritual perfection of this great man.
1. One of his close friend and
pupil had reported:
"One night in the city of Shahroud in
a dream I found myself in a plain where Imam al-Mahdi (2) (A) the Lord and
Master of the Age, together with a group of his companions, was leading the
congregational prayer. With the intention of kissing his hand and salutations,
when I approached him, I saw a sheik whose face was the manifestations of
virtues and perfection sitting near the Imam. After awakening from this dream
kept thinking deeply about the dignified sheik who is so close to the Imam. I
was so much interested to identify and meet him.”
"Searching for him, I went to Mash had hoping to
locate him over these but could not; came to Tehran but still there was no news
from him, ultimately, when I came to Qum, I found him in a small room at
Faizyeh -school busy in teaching. Having inquired about him, they said: 'He is
Mirza Javad Malaki Tabrizi. ' When I visited him he welcomed me worm I
heartedly and with kindness, treated me in a manner as though he knows me, and
was aware of that dream. After that I remained in his company and found him
exactly the way I had first perceived him in that dream."
2. Another one of his intimate
friend has reported. The following story: "One day after finishing the
lecture late Malaki went to the room of a religious student in Dar al-Shafa School;
he thanked and appreciated the inmate and after sitting over there for a while
came out of the room. Since I was accompanying him, I asked the reason of
visiting this student Mr. Malaki answered: 'Last night near the dawn I was
bestowed with special Divine grace which I understood was not due my own deeds.
When, I thought deeply, I discovered that this student is busy in night vigil
and in his night prayer has prayed for me and those blessing were the result of
his prayer. Therefore, I visited him for offering my appreciation and thanks .
3. "Late Malaki has a
son who is the source of warmth and pleasure for his household. On the Day of
Eid-e-Ghadir (3), when traditionally people visit the elderly personalities to
offer greetings, his house is full of visitors. Suddenly, a female servant
discovers the dead body of his son floating inside the yard's water pool. She
starts crying; the others women folk of Mr. Malaki's household joins her in
loud crying; having heard the loud screams Mr. Malaki comes to the back yard
and sees the lifeless body of his dear one; he controls himself and asks the
women folk to stop crying, the women stop lamentation and become silenced, the
dead body is placed in a corner and they return inside the house in order to
treat the visiting guests. Some of the guests remained for the lunch at his
house. After lunch, when the guests asked permission to leave, Mr. Malaki says
to some of his close friends:
'Please don't leave, I have
some thing to tell you. ' When all the guests left the house, he informed them
about the tragedy of his son’s demise and seeks their help in making the
necessary arrangements for the funeral.”
4. Late Hujjatul Islam Sayed
Mahmood Yazdi, one of very close and intimate friend has narrated the
following: "When the time of night prayer arrived he used to perform all
the etiquettes recommended for awakening of heart namely prostration and
special supplications, used to cry in his bed, then he will come outside in the
yard and looking at the sky will recite the verse:
(Lo! in the creation of earth
and sky there are signs… -the Holy Quran (2: 164) and while placing his
head against the wall, shedded tears. During ablutions sitting one the water
pool continued crying and while standing upon the prayer rug used to become
agitated and used to cry a lot during prayer and especially in Qunoots.”
5. Late Haj Agha Husain Fatimi,
a pious ascetic and an intimate friend of Mr. Malaki has narrated: "When I
returned from the Jamkaran Mosque, I was informed that Mr. Malaki has inquired
about me. Since, I knew that he is sick I rushed to see him. I presume it was
Friday after noon, I found him laying upon a bad neat and cleaned, bathed,
perfumed and hair dyed readied for Dhohr and Asr Prayer. He recited Adhan and
Aqameh upon his bed, recited supplications and as soon as raised his hands for
Takbirteh al-Ahram and said Allahu Akbar (God is great) his sacred spirit
ascended towards the celestial Kingdom thus, the meanings of narration: The
Prayer is believers heavenly journey -become truly manifested for him. Also,
the meanings of "Get readied for the Prayer" in accordance to
traditions have been described as the time of meeting the Beloved, too become
materialized for him because he rushed to meet his Beloved with prayer.
This was the brief life history
of a perfect mystic. For the detailed biography the readers may refer to the
following books:
Rehanateh al-Adab vol. 5 p-397,
Naqba al-Beshar vol. 1 p-330, Ganjinai Danishmandan vol. 1 p-232, preface to
Resala Laqa Allah and Simai Farzangan pp. 60-70 [Tr].
(2) Imam al-Mahdi (A): The son
of Imam Hasan Askari was born in Samarra on Friday, 15th Sha'ban 255 A.H. The
twelfth Imam lives in hiding under the protection and tutorship of his father
until the latter's martyrdom, when by God's command he went into occultation,
during a period known as "lesser occultation" (al-Ghaybat
as-Sughra). During this period, four special deputies in succession would
answer the questions of the Shi 'ite and resolve their problems. After that in
the year 329 A.H. the Imam went into the Greater occultation (al-Ghaybat al-
Kubra), until a day when by God's command he will reappear to fill the world
with justice as it is now filled with oppression.
(3) Eid-e-Ghadir: In the tenth
year of the Hijra, the Most Noble Messenger (S) set out foro Mecca to perform
his final, farewell Hajj. After carrying out the rituals of the pilgrimage and
imparting necessary teachings to the people, he set out for Medina. When he was
returning on 18th Dhu' l-Hijja (10 March, 632), on the road at a locale known
as Ghadir al-Khumm (Ghadir Pond), he ordered the caravan to halt. In the midst
of one hundred twenty thousand pilgrims from all over the Arabian Peninsula, he
took 'Ali's (A) hand, raised it aloft and declared:
"He of whom I am the
mawla (the patron, master, leader), of him 'Ali is also the mawla (man kuntu
mawlahu fa Ali-un-mawlahu).
Oh God! Be friend of him who
is his friend, and be the enemy of him who is his enemy {Allahuma wali man
walahu wa adi man adhau)"
With this act, the question of
the successor, who was to govern the affairs: of the Muslims, guard the sunnah
(the body of customary behavior based on the Prophet precedent), and uphold
religious customs and laws, was settled for the Islamic society. The intent of
the noble verse, ' Messenger! Promulgate what has been revealed to you by your
Lord. for if you do not. you will not have conveyed His message' (5: 67), was
carried out. The Most Noble Messenger (S) died shortly after returning to Medina.
The above traditions of al-Ghadir are so abundantly reported and so commonly
attested by hundreds of different transmitters belonging to all school of
thoughts that it be futile to doubt their authenticity. Ibn Kathir, a most
staunch supporter of Sunni viewpoint has devoted seven pages to this subject
and has collected a great number of different isnads from which the tradition
is narrated. Also, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal has recorded this event in his Musnad
[Tr].
[4] While offering prayers in
sitting positions the legs are bent in a vertical, plane. Like sitting for
Tashahud and Salutation. Squared position means a relaxed position in which the
legs are bent in a horizontal plane [Tr].