The “My Shaykh” Veil

Can your shaykh be a veil too? Of course he can. It is not only “bad” things that are veils, “good” things can be veils too. In fact the masters of this path have stressed that “good” things are often greater veils. Amongst the latter is “my shaykh is better than all others” or “…..THE shaykh of the time” or ” the Qutb of the age” etc etc. This is a sign of the nafs appropriating for itself the esteem and rank of the masters of this path. It is different from sincerely believing that your shaykh is indeed THE shaykh as far as you are concerned.

The immediate cause of these reflections is a discussion over on Deenport about the claim by followers of a contemporary shaykh that their shaykh is indeed Shaykh ul-Islam of our times. The proof of this claim is that certain other scholars have called that shaykh by the title in question, or that such and such a shaykh has taken ijaza from the shaykh. These people don’t realise that such niceties are quite common amongst the scholars. If such things were taken seriously there would be far too many Ghazalis, Razis, Suyutis of our time ( for this is how one hears scholars being praised) for us to even keep count and we would not be experiencing the “famine of men” (qaht ar-rijal) that is in fact a characteristic of out age.

The other problematic aspect of such discussions is that people start judging other shaykhs by the words of those that they hold in high regard. Sometimes this can be a good indicator but it does not authorize any student/disciple to become judge and jury himself. I have often seen people condemning scholars quite harshly (often for not fitting into their preferred box), only later to withdraw because they have found that their favorite shaykh has also taken an ijaza from the shaykh they were attacking.

So we should beware of falling in to this trap and remind ourselves that only Allah (swt) knows the true ranks of His servants and also recognizing that is not the ijaza or the title that makes the man but rather the man that lends meaning to the ijazaat and titles.

 

The Advice of Shaykh Ahmad Zarruq (RA)

al-Nasiha (The Advice) by Sidi Ahmad Zarruq

Know (may Allah give you and us success, and rectify
our worldly and other worldly lives and grant us
adherence to way of the truth in our journeys and
in our sojourns) that:

Repentance is a key. And Taqwa [awareness and fear of
Allah] is vast. And Uprightness (Istiqama) is the
source of rectification. Furthermore a servant is
never free of either blunders, or shortcomings, or
lassitude. Therefore never be neglectful of Tawbah
[repentance], and never turn away from the act of
returning to Allah (SubHana Wa Ta’ala ), and never
neglect acts that bring you closer to Allah (SubHana
Wa Ta’ala ). Indeed, every time one of these three
occurs, repent and return.

Every time that you make a mistake, listen and obey.
Any time you display shortcoming or lack of
enthusiasm, don’t desist in your efforts. Let your
main
concern be to remove from your outer state anything
that is displeasing, and then maintain its outward
state from continuous advice. Continue doing this
until you find that your fleeing from anything
outwardly displeasing is second nature, and your
avoidance of the boundaries of prohibited things is as
if it acts like a protective net that is placed before
you. At this point, it is time to turn inward, toward
your hearts presence, and to its reality with
both reflection (tafakkur) and remembrance (dhikr).
Don’t hasten the end result before you have completed
the beginning. But likewise, don’t begin without
looking toward the end result. This is so because the
one who seeks the outset at the end loses providential
care (’inaya); and the one who seeks the end at the
outset loses providential guidance (hidaya).

Act in accordance with principles and the appropriate
legal rulings (ahkam), and not in accordance with
stories and fantasies. Dont even consider stories of
how things went with others, except as a tonic to
strengthen your resolve.

Certainly not as a reference based upon their outward
forms (zahir), or what they seem to be telling us. In
all of this, depend upon a clear path you can refer
to,
and a foundation that you can depend upon in all of
your states. The best of these is the path of Imam Ibn
Ata’illah [author of the al-Hikam; d. 709 H /1309]
(may Allah be pleased with him!), given that in it is
a clear direction to Allah.

Do not take from others’ words unless it is in
accordance with your own path, but submit to their
implications if you desire realisation.

Avoid all forms of vain and foul speech to your
absolute utmost. Put aside anything that you cannot
discern its benefit immediately.

Beware of being extremely hard on yourself before
you’ve obtained a mastery over it. But also beware of
being too lax with it, in anything that concerns
sacred rulings. This is so because it is constantly
fleeing from moderation in everything, and it inclines
towards extremism in both matters of deviance and
guidance.

Seek out a companion to help you out in your affairs,
and take his advice concerning matters that occur from
both your inward states (batin) and your outward
affairs (zahir). If you do indeed take his
companionship, then treat him in a manner commensurate
with his state and give him of your advice based upon
his inabilities and abilities, because a perfected
friend is no longer to be found. Indeed, in these
times even a suitable companion who is agreeable
rarely lasts!

And beware of the majority of people in matters that
concern your religious and your worldly states, unless
you have ascertained he has some sound relationship
with his Lord based upon a knowledge that is free of
his caprice (hawa’) or love of leadership, and a sound
intellect free of the pitfalls of hidden agendas. Do
not be heedless of the machinations of others or their
hidden states. Consider these two from both their
origins and their actions. A person of character and
family-distinction rarely affects you with other than
good.

And yet a person of low origin’s roots usually cause
him to disregard you when times get tough.

Be extremely vigilant of the dominant qualities of a
given people in any given land, and don’t be heedless
of the Divine Wisdom in the creation. And notice
gathered-ness and separation, some of this we have
already covered in our book Al-Qawa’id [The
Principles], so take a look at it there.

Organize your time in a manner appropriate to the
time-specific needs using gentleness and toleration.
And be very wary of either harshness or laxity. This
is so because too much laxity concerning permissible
matters pulls the heart backward in its journey, until
even a man of resolve [or a serious person] ends up
looking like a foolish boy.

Work for this world as if you would live forever, but
work for your next life as if you would die tomorrow.
Thus do not neglect the externals of your worldly
needs. In the meantime do not be heedless of your end
and final resting-place.

Be extremely vigilant about avoiding positions of
leadership, but should you be tried with such matters
at least know your own limitations.

Be absolutely sincere to Allah with the sincerity of
one who knows full well Who is placing demands upon
him.

Surrender completely to His Decree (qadr) with the
submission of one who knows he can never overcome Him.

Have a firm foundation for all of your affairs and you
will be save from their pitfalls.

Organize your devotional practices (’ibada), and you
will find your time extended due to the barakah
[blessings] in it.

Never be fanatical about anything, whether it is the
truth or whether it is false, for your heart will then
remain in a state of soundness towards others.

Never claim anything you are entitled to - not to
mention what you’re not entitled to - and you’ll be
safe from tricks and treachery. This is so because
anyone who claims some rank above his own will fall in
humiliation. Whereas those who claim a rank they want
will have it stripped from them. While those
who claim a station less than their true rank will be
elevated to even higher levels than they actually
deserve.

Never give your companion anything of your state other
than what his own state wants. This is so because if
you go down to his level, he will show you contempt.
Whereas if you attempt to raise him up to your level,
he will abandon you.

Never demand a right from anyone whether an intimate
or a stranger. The reason for this is a stranger in
reality owes you nothing, and someone close to you
is too precious to direct your blame to him.

Never assume that anyone in this world can really
understand your circumstances other than from the
perspective of his own circumstances. This is so
because in reality everyone only sees things in
accordance with their frames of reference and their
personal path. However when aims, purposes and
aspirations are similar, people tend to work together
toward a common goal.

Never belittle any talk that involves absent people,
even if there is no harm in it due to the possibility
of harm entering into it.

Guard your secrets even if you feel safe with someone,
because the one you divulge your secret to is not a
safer place than your own heart from whence it
emanates.

Never leave an atom’s weight of your regular
devotional practice (’ibada). Never be lenient with
yourself in either lax times or times of high
resolve. Indeed, should you miss some of your practice
in a given time, redress [or replace;qada'] it in
another time. If you’re not able to do your usual
practice, at least occupy yourself with something else
similar.

Never obey your ego (nafs) even for a moment, nor
believe any of its claims no matter what it tells you.

Be vigilant about your resolve in all of your affairs
to your utmost. In fact,should you resolve to do
something, then do it immediately before the resolve
wanes.

Examine your soul constantly in matters that you are
obliged to do, or are needed to be done. Anything you
are in no need of doing, leave it. Even if it is
something that is recommended. That means not
involving yourself in anything other than absolutely
necessary things, and real discernable needs.

Treat others just as you would want to be treated, and
fulfill to them what is due to them.

All of this is really epitomized in the words of the
poet when he said,
If you desire to live such that your religion is safe,

And your portion is full and your honor is sound,
Guard your tongue and never mention another’s faults
Remembering you yourself have faults and others have
tongues.

Watch your eye;
Should it ever reveal to you the faults of others
Say to it, “O my eye! Other people have eyes too!”

Live treating others well, And avoid aggression.
And should others aggress against you, Leave them but
in the best way.

The source of these words is in fact nothing other
than the Ahadith of the Prophet (may the peace and
blessings be upon Him!) when he said, “Be vigilant of
Allah wherever you are, and follow a misdeed with a
good deed, and it will remove it. And treat others
with the most excellent of character.”

In another, he (may the peace and blessings be upon
Him!) said, “every child of Adam makes mistakes, and
the best of those who make mistakes are those who seek
to redress them. Again, the Holy Spirit [i.e.
Jibra'il, may peace be upon him!] inspired my heart’s
core that no soul will die until it fulfills its
decreed portion of this world and its appointed time
here. So be conscious of Allah and make your request
with dignity.”

In summation, Repentance, Awareness of Allah and
Uprightness are the foundations of all that is
beneficial. The Truth is clear, and its details are
weighty and significant. The affair belongs only to
Allah. Success is in His Hands.

(partial translation of Shaykh Zarruq’s al-Nisiha by Shaykh Muhammad Affifi, the emphasis is mine.)

 

The Hikam of Imam Ibn Ata’illah(RA)

 

The Kitab al-Hikam ( Book of Wisdom) of Sidi Ahmad Ibn Ata’illah (ra) is one of the classic texts of sufism. In form it is a collection of aphoristic statements in beautiful Arabic. However it is an ocean of meanings whose outer simplicity often veils one from the depth and profundity of its teachings. Masters from a wide variety of tariqa’s have used and recommended it to seekers down the centuries from Sidi Ibn Ata’illah’s time in the 7th century of the Hijra. A contemporary shaykh praised the Hikam thus: “The written teachings (of the Shadhilis) can best be tasted in the Hikam of Ibn Ata ’Illah as translated by the late Shahdili teacher and translator, Sidi Abdu-l-Jabbar Dr. Victor Danner. For anyone interested in the pure pith of Shadhili teachings this book is a must……..The Hikam, like the Mawaqif of al-Nifari, exists in another dimension. It is a thing in itself and works deeply on one, especially when repeatedly read over many years.”

Sidi Ahmad Ibn Ata’illah Iskandari (d. 709/1309) was the third master of the great Shadhili silsila. He was the successor of Shaykh Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi who was in turn the successor of Imam Abu al-Hasan as-Shadhili, the initiator of the Shadhili tariqa. The first two masters did not write any books and it was the destiny of Sidi Ibn Ata’illah to become the ultimate spokesman of this silsila. He authored a number of books on the path such as at-Tanwir but it is the Hikam that is the most celebrated of them all.

There is an excellent translation of the Hikam available in English by Victor Danner called Sufi Aphorisms and more recently a translation of the selection by Shaykh Ali al-Muttaqi al-Hindi (Tabwib al-Hikam) with a commentary by Shaykh Abdullah Gangohi. This selection arranges the hikmas (aphorisms/wisdoms) according to subject.

For a taste of the Hikam go here . To see how the hikam is used in sufi teaching by shaykhs of the path take a look at this.

 

Contrasting the Shadhili and Ghazali Ways

Al-Ibriz min Kalam al-Arifbillah Sayyidi Abd al-Aziz ad-Dabbagh ( Pure Gold from the Words of the Knower by Allah my Master Abd al-Aziz Dabbagh) by Sidi Ahmad Ibn al-Mubarak, usually knowm simply as al-Ibriz ,is a famous sufi text from the middle ages. Sidi Abd al-Aziz was a great wali who was granted special knowledge of legal and spiritual matters so his words are always interesting. What follows is an extract from translation of a passage from al-Ibriz dealing with a question that has interested me for a good while now. The Shaykh was asked:

“What is the difference between the Way of al-Shadhili and his followers, and the Way of al-Ghazali and his followers? the first seems to be fully centered around gratitude and joy to the Giver without any exertion or struggle, while the other seems to be focused on spiritual exercises (Riyadah) and hunger and staying awake and tiring acts of exertion, so are they both in congruence on the necessity for Riyada? and Imam al-Shadhili seems to command (his followers) to have gratitude after coming close to Arrival (Wusul) or upon reaching it, or even to have gratitude and joy in Allah from the first moment of the Path. And could both Ways be taken at the same time by one person, or is it that you cannot benefit from one unless you avoid the other? Please give a thorough response…”

Read the full reply here. To read an account of the shaykh’s own illuminatory experience go here.

 

Hadra in the presence of Shaykh Abd-ar-Rahman Shaghouri (RA)

The Shadhili hadra in Damascus in the presence of Shaykh Abd-ar-Rahman as-Shaghouri (ra) who passed away in 2004. I will post something on this great Arif and Murshid later insha’Allah, for now just enjoy the hadra which he loved himself. In the video you see some of the ulema of Damascus such as Shaykh Abd- al-Aziz al-Khateeb al-Hasani in the front rows.

 

Mawlid In Jeddah

A short clip of the Ba-Alawi Mawlid majlis in Jeddah. Three great shaykhs of out times a present in it: 1- Sayyid Muhammad bin Alawi al-Maliki (ra), 2-Habib Ahmad Mashur al-Haddad (ra) and 3-Habib Abdal Qadir as-Saqqaf (may God prolong his life).

 

Afternoon Tea with Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad

Bismillah-The Journey Of the Soul (the following are some notes I took-I have a feeling this will be long one)Shaykh Abdul Hakim began by speaking about the year coming to its end, with the Hajj having just taken place and reminding us that all ibadaat are forms of dhikr; our days are punctuated with the five daily prayers, we have Jummah once a week, Ramadhan once every year and Hajj once in our lifetime. He mentioned how Hajj is the last pillar of Islam and how this practice is symbolic of the returning journey of the soul from whence it came. (It wasn’t until the end of his talk that I understood and appreciated the link between Hajj and the title of the talk).

We begin from the beginning, from even before we were manifest in our mother’s wombs; before we were given our bodily forms comprised of flesh and bones:

‘When your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam , from their reins, their seed, and made them testify of themselves, He said: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yea! We testify!’ That was lest you should say on the Day of Arising: ‘Of this we were unaware.’’ (7:171)
This is an excerpt from an excellent talk by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad which I found transcribed on Usma’s Just Another Blog. Read it in full here.

 

Being of Service- A Sufi Story

One day in the courtyard of the mosque, Abu Yazid al-Bistami, the great Sufi sheikh, the flower of Bastam also known as the Qutub al-’Arifin (the central pillar of Divine knowledge) of his time, was making his ablutions in preparation for prayer. Across the courtyard, he saw a very old man. Today we have taps that can be turned on, and the water simply flows, but in the old days they used heavy clay pitchers for water, and if you were strong enough, you picked one up and washed yourself. Often the person next to you would help you pour the water, and in turn you did the same for him. What Abu Yazid al-Bistami saw was that no one was helping the old man. He walked over to the old man and said, “Old man, what could you have done in your long life that you do not have one friend, no one has come to help you?” The old man looked at him and said, “The ones who serve are served. And if I had not served Allah and His creation, how would the Qutub al-’Arifin, the man of the highest knowledge, come now to serve me?”

Excerpted and adapted from:

“The Ones who Serve, are Served” by Shems Friedlander

 

Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad

Mawlana Azad is a twentieth century scholar that I have revisited lately. I read some of his work many years ago and had found him to be interesting. Recently I picked up his book Arkan-e-Islam(Pillars of Islam) from the local library and having read it felt that I had underestimated the man last time round. The chapters on the reality of tawheed and prayer are enlightening and in their own way sum up the whole meaning of religion. In many ways he was a good example of the modernist “school” that is sometimes referred to as the Dabistan-e-Shibly.

Apart from being a great scholar Mawlana was Azad was also an interesting personality. Having gone through a period of doubt he returned through the Qur’an to a more rational understanding of religion in general and Islam in particular. He is perhaps more famous for his role in the Indian independence movement which has detracted from his contributions to Islamic learning and culture. His translation of the Qur’an aptly named Tajuman al-Qur’an is one of the best in the Urdu language. His commentary on the Fatiha is a real gem for its elaboration of the Qur’anic concept of tawheed and the explanation of the Qur’anic method of appealing to the signs of God in the world of nature as well as within the human self to engender faith. In my view he definitely deserves more attention than has been generally accorded him. A brief biography can be found here.