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Topics of the Month 2007September/October2005  June/JulyApril/MayMarch January200420032002200120001999Articles On HajjWhat the Scholars SayAbout SufismWhat the ScholarsSay About MawlidInnovation in IslamOn DhikrThe Life of Hazrat KhwajaMoinuddin ChishtiSecrets of FastingRamadan in EgyptSalawat |
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June/July 2005 Wise Advice Offered by the Helper [al-Ghawth],Shaykh Abd al-Qâdir Al-Jeelani (sanctified be his innermost being), to his son, 'Abd ar-Razzâq The reader should know that our venerable master and our revered Shaikh, the venerable Shaikh 'Abd ar-Razzaq (may Allah the Exalted sanctify his innermost being) asked his father for advice, and that the venerable Helper [al-Ghawth] (sanctified be his innermost being) responding by saying: "O my son, may Allâh (Exalted is He) bestow His enabling grace upon us, and upon you and all the Muslims. Âmîn. "This you must know and understand: I am advising you to practice true devotion [taqwâ] to Allâh, and obedience to Him, and adherence to the Sacred Law [Shar' ], and careful observance of the limits [hudûd] set by Him. "O my son, may Allâh (Exalted is He) bestow His enabling grace upon us, and upon you and all the Muslims. You must also know that this Spiritual Path [Tarîqa] of ours is founded upon the Book and the Sunna, and integrity of [the feelings within] the breasts, the generosity of the hand, the giving of liberal donation, abstinence from crudity, endurance of injury, and readiness to pardon the mistakes of our spiritual brethren [ikhwân]. "I am also advising you, O my son, to make a practice of spiritual poverty [faqr], which means preserving the ordinances of the Shaikhs, maintaining good relations with spiritual brethren, giving sincere counsel to juniors and seniors alike, and refraining from argument, except where matters of religion are at stake. "O my son, may Allâh (Exalted is He) bestow His enabling grace upon us, and upon you. You must also know that the true significance of spiritual poverty [faqr] is that you are not in need of anyone like yourself, while the true significance of spiritual affluence [ghinâ] is that you are independent of anyone like yourself. As for spiritual culture [tasawwuf], it is a state that does not belong to anyone who indulges in idle talk and gossip. When you have an opinion to offer, you should not begin by expressing it in terms of knowledgeability. You should rather present it initially as an _expression of sympathetic friendliness. This is because knowledgeability tends to alienate the listener, whereas friendliness makes him feel comfortably at ease. "O my son, may Allâh (Exalted is He) bestow His enabling grace upon us, and upon you and all the Muslims. You must also know that spiritual culture [tasawwuf] is built on eight fundamental qualities, namely:
"You must not entertain suspicious doubts about Allâh, where the material means (asbâb) are concerned. You must rely on him with confidence in all circumstances and conditions. You must not entrust your needs to anyone else, on the basis of some connection between you and him, such as kinship, affection and friendship. "It is incumbent upon you to provide the spiritual paupers with three forms of service. The first of these is modest humility. The second is good moral conduct. The third is a complete lack of selfishness. You must put your lower self [nafs] to death, so that you may come to life. The nearest of all creatures [khalq] to Allâh (Exalted is He) is the one who is richest in good character [khuluq], and the most meritorious of all deeds is the preservation of the innermost being [sirr] from paying attention to anything apart from Allâh. "It is also incumbent upon you, when you are together with the spiritual paupers [fuqarâ'], to engage in the mutual counseling of patience [sabr] and the mutual counseling of truth [haqq]. As far as this world is concerned, two things should be enough for you: the fellowship of a spiritual pauper [faqîr] and the respect of a saint [walî]. "You must also know, O my son, that the spiritual pauper [faqîr] has absolutely no need of anything apart from Allâh (Exalted is He). "You must also know, O my son, that aggressive behavior toward someone below you is actually a form of weakness, while such behavior toward someone superior to you is a form of boastful pride. Spiritual poverty [faqr] and spiritual culture [tasawwuf] are two very serious matters, so you must not mix them with any kind of frivolity. "This is my advice to you, and to anyone else among the seekers [murîdîn] who is capable of heeding it. May Allâh (Exalted is He) cause them to multiply, and may He enable you, and us, to succeed in fulfilling all that we have mentioned and explained. May He include us among those who follow in the footsteps of the righteous forebears [salaf], and who follow in their footsteps in honor of our master, our Prophet and our intercessor [shafî'] Muhammad. May Allâh bless him, his family and his Companions, and may He grant them abundant peace, until the Day of Judgment [Yawm ad-Dîn]. Praise be to Allâh, Lord of All the Worlds." Source: As-Sayyid Ismâ'îl Muhammad Sa'îd al-Qâdirî, Al-Fuyûdât ar-Rabbâniyya (Emanations of Lordly Grace), translated from the Arabic by Muhtar Holland, Al-Baz Publishing Inc, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 2000, p. 62-65. Courtesy: Iqra Publications : http://www.iqra.net © 2007 Islamic Studies and Research Association (ISRA) |