Purification of Heart and Mind

Our message is to spread unbounded love, understanding, respect, kindness, sincerity, honesty, forgiveness, simplicity, and Universal brotherhood/sisterhood both among Muslims and non-Muslims. If we can practice this then maybe we can succeed in bringing the diverse spectrum of cultures in religions and spiritual paths into harmony to acknowledge mankind's responsibility of being an ambassador between the Creator and His Creation. 

Can we with a pure spirit, still live in this materialistic world, at the same time respecting others, honor the technological process of science, but not surrender our cultured heritage and religion. Although one may think that Sufi mystics were solely involved in theoretical philosophy and fancy poetry, no, they were supporters a deeper-seated revolution, a delicate revolution affecting thought patterns, self-awareness, and creating a cultural awakening of change. 

Our cultured Muslim mystics, poets and philosophers like Hazrat Maulana Rumi (may Allah be pleased with him), were not solely concerned with mysticism or gnosis; however, they emphasized individual evolution and the purification of the soul, illuminating the true inner self.

Abu Madyan Shuayb ibn al-Husayn al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) was born in the suburban town of Cantillana near Seville around the year 509/1115-6. His overwhelming desire to seek and study Islamic sciences drove him to Morocco. The earliest account claiming a connection between Abu Madyan and Sayyiduna Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him) comes from a tradition transmitted by Abu Muhammad Salih al-Magiri (may Allah be pleased with him). In this account, Shaikh Abu Madyan (may Allah be pleased with him) says to his disciples: "I saw al-Khidr and asked him about the Shaikhs of the East and West in our time. I then asked him about Shaikh Sayyiduna Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him) and he said: "He is the Imam of the truthful and the proof of the Gnostics. He is the inspiration behind gnosis, but his destiny is not to be physically present among the saints. I arrange the ranks of saints according to his direction." Because of this Shaikh Abu Madyan considered himself to be a 'disciple' of Sayyiduna Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him) without actually having met him.

Shaikh Abu Madyan also saw the ego (nafs) as the main obstacle to self-awareness. Because the nafs thrives on desire, the most effective weapon against it is hunger, for hunger (fasting) weakens the desire for eternal existence that gives rise to the ego's stratagems (trick, ploy). 

For Shaikh Abu Madyan (may Allah be pleased with him), an aspirant's spiritual progress could never be separated from his social responsibility: "Sufism is not the [mere] observance of rules, nor does it consist of degrees of stages. Instead, Sufism consists of personal integrity, generosity of spirit, the emulation of what has been revealed, knowledge of the [divine] Message, and adhering to the way of the Prophets. He who deviates from these sources finds himself grazing in the gardens of Satan, submerged in the oceans of lusts, and wandering in the darkness of ignorance.

 

The Mystic who embarked on this Way was no withdrawn ascetic, lost in the contemplation of Almighty Allah while ignoring the injustices that beset the Muslim community. No, instead, the mystic was a full participant in social life, who used discipline and detachment from the world to maintain a constant vigilance over oneself and one's neighbors: "The true Sufi must be neither jealous, egotistical, nor arrogant with his knowledge nor miserly with his money. Rather, he must act as a guide: not confused, but merciful of heart and compassionate with all creation. To him every person is as [useful] as one of his hands. He is an ascetic: everything is equal to him, whether it be praise or blame, receiving or giving, accepting or rejection, wealth or poverty. He is neither joyful about what comes to him nor sad about what has been lost". [Courtesy: Pg. 138, Realm of the Saint - Power and Authority in Moroccan Sufism]

 

We must thus follow the Right Path of 'ihdina siratal mustaqeen', but His Eminence indicated that everyone claims that he is on the right Path and his contact is strong. Contact with the Prophet IS NOT sufficient, we should first establish our connection with Shaikh Sayyiduna Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him) and other Masters of Reality, including Imam Ahle Sunnat Ahmad Raza Khan (may Allah be pleased with him); and then our contact with the beloved would be of real worth.

 

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