The path of Sufism starts...........................

The path of Sufism starts when a student 

takes an oath of allegiance with a teacher

 called Bai'ath orBay'ah(Arabic

 word meaning "transaction") where he 

swears allegiance at the hands of his Pir and 

repents from all his previous sins. After that, the student is called a

 Murid (Arabic word meaning committed one). 

From here, his batin (inward) journey starts.

A Pir usually has authorizations to be a 

teacher for one (or more) Tariqahs (path

s). A Tariqah may have more than one Pir at

 a time. A Pir is accorded that status by his

 Shaikh by way of Khilafat or Khilafah (Arabic 

word meaning succession). Khilafat is the

 process in which a Shaikh identifies one of 

his disciples as his successor (khalifah). A Pir  

can have more than one khalifah.

Pure-Sufism: DUROOD SHARIF AUR FAZAIL

Pure-Sufism: DUROOD SHARIF AUR FAZAIL: DUROOD SHARIF AUR FAZAIL ...

DUROOD SHARIF AUR FAZAIL

Sufi thought and practice..

Sufi thought and practice

Important aspects

The mystics drew their vocabulary largely from the Qurʾān, which for Muslims contains all divine wisdom and has to be interpreted with ever-increasing insight. In the Qurʾān, mystics found the threat of the Last Judgment, but they also found the statement that God “loves them and they love him,” which became the basis for love-mysticism. Strict obedience to the religious law and imitation of the Prophet were basic for the mystics. By rigid introspection and mental struggle, the mystic tried to purify his baser self from even the smallest signs of selfishness, thus attaining ikhlāṣ, absolute purity of intention and act. Tawakkul (trust in God) was sometimes practiced to such an extent that every thought of tomorrow was considered irreligious. “Little sleep, little talk, little food” were fundamental; fasting became one of the most important preparations for the spiritual life.

The central concern of the Sufis, as of every Muslim, was tawḥīd, the witness that “there is no deity but God.” This truth had to be realized in the existence of each individual, and so the expressions differ: early Sufism postulated the approach to God through love and voluntary suffering until a unity of will was reached; Junayd spoke of “recognizing God as He was before creation”; God is seen as the One and only actor; He alone “has the right to say ‘I’.” Later, tawḥīd came to mean the knowledge that there is nothing existent but God, or the ability to see God and creation as two aspects of one reality, reflecting each other and depending upon each other (waḥdat al-wujūd).

The mystics realized that beyond the knowledge of outward sciences intuitiveknowledge was required in order to receive that illumination to which reason has no access. Dhawq, direct “tasting” of experience, was essential for them. But the inspirations and “unveilings” that God grants such mystics by special grace must never contradict the Qurʾān and tradition and are valid only for the person concerned. Even the Malāmatīs, who attracted public contempt upon themselves by outwardly acting against the law, in private life strictly followed the divine commands. Mystics who expressed in their poetry their disinterest in, and even contempt of, the traditional formal religions never forgot that Islam is the highest manifestation of divine wisdom.

The idea of the manifestation of divine wisdom was also connected with the person of the Prophet Muhammad. Though early Sufism had concentrated upon the relation between God and the soul, from 900 onward a strong Muhammad-mysticism developed. In the very early years, the alleged divine address to the Prophet—“If thou hadst not been I had not created the worlds”—was common among Sufis. Muhammad was said to be “Prophet when Adam was still between water and clay.” Muhammad is also described as light from light, and from his light all the prophets are created, constituting the different aspects of this light. In its fullness such light radiated from the historical Muhammad and is partaken of by his posterity and by the saints; for Muhammad has the aspect of sanctity in addition to that of prophecy. An apocryphal tradition makes even God attest: “I am Aḥmad (= Muhammad) without ‘m’ (i.e., Aḥad, ‘One’).”

A mystic may also be known as walī. By derivation the word walī (“saint”) means “one in close relation” or “friend.” The awlīyāʾ (plural of walī) are “friends of God who have no fear nor are they sad.” Later the term walī came to denote the Muslim mystics who had reached a certain stage of proximity to God, or those who had reached the highest mystical stages. They have their “seal” (i.e., the last and most perfect personality in the historical process; with this person, the evolution has found its end—as in Muhammad’s case), just as the prophets have. Female saints are found all over the Islamic world.

The invisible hierarchy of saints consists of the 40 abdāl (“substitutes”; for when any of them dies another is elected by God from the rank and file of the saints), sevenawtād (“stakes,” or “props,” of faith), three nuqabāʾ (“leader”; “one who introduces people to his master”), headed by the quṭb (“axis, pole”), or ghawth (“help”)—titles claimed by many Sufi leaders. Saint worship is contrary to Islam, which does not admit of any mediating role for human beings between humanity and God; but the cult of living and even more of dead saints—visiting their tombs to take vows there—responded to the feeling of the masses, and thus a number of pre-Islamic customs were absorbed into Islam under the cover of mysticism. The advanced mystic was often granted the capacity of working miracles called karāmāt (charismata or “graces”), although not muʿjizāt (“that which men are unable to imitate”), like the miracles of the prophets. Among them are “cardiognosia” (knowledge of the heart), providing food from the unseen, presence in two places at the same time, and help for the disciples, be they near or far. In short, a saint is one “whose prayers are heard” and who has taṣarruf, the power of materializing in this world possibilities that still rest in the spiritual world. Many great saints, however, considered miracle working as a dangerous trap on the path that might distract the Sufi from his real goal.

الحاج پیر ہارون الرشید صاحب سجادہ نشین مرکزی دربار علیہ موہڑہ شریفAlhaj Peer Haroon ur rasheed sahab

Alhaj Peer Haroon ur rasheed sahab sajada nasheen markazi darbaray aaliya MOHRRA shareef .

Spiritual wallpapers

Jashn e wiladat Hazrat ALI (R.A)

700th year of Shah Rukn-e-Alam (RA) celebrated 09 may 2014

Friday, May 09, 2014 - Islamabad—Preston University in collaboration with Archeology and Historical Association organized a function in connection with 700th year celebrations of Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam (RA) on Thursday. Senior Vice Chairman, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Shah Mehmood Qureshi was the chief guest on the occasion.

Chancellor Preston University Dr. Abdul Basit, Australia’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Peter Heyward and Dr. Ghaznafer Mehdi also present.

Addressing on the occasion, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that services to humanity is sufi tradition, adding that it brings people together.

He said that Sufi saints converted people into fold of Islam through their good deeds and following the teachings of Islam. He said we are facing challenges due to lack of education. He said that diversity is the beauty of Pakistan.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Pakistan has a tremendous human resource, with its talented youth and its scientists and sportsmen had set examples. “I have so much faith in the youth of the country,” he remarked.

Earlier, Chancellor of Preston University welcomed the guests, he said that the University has produced tens of thousands of graduates that are now part of the country’s superior work force and are contributing positively towards the development of this country.

Australian High Commissioner said that Sufism is still have a capacity to influence the societies.

He said that “I will continue my study of sufism, adding that Sufism teach us peaceful interaction”. Dr. Ghaznafar Mehdi also spoke on the occasion. A large number of students and faculty members attended the event. 

Sheikh Nazim, Spiritual Leader to Sufis, Dies at 92

News out of Cyprus indicate that one of the most prominent Sufi leaders of the past century, Shaykh Nazim, has passed away at age 92.  

Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi al-Haqqani, known simply as Shaykh Nazim, was part of the resurgence of Islamic mysticism (Sufism) in the 20th century.    He spent decades organizing Sufi activities and initiating people into his Naqshbandi Sufi order.

Shaykh Nazim was a charismatic presence, to his followers nothing shy of the “Pole of Saints.”  His followers recount tales of his miraculous presence, and the Baraka (grace/ “Force”) that surrounded him.

Historically, it can be said that Shaykh Nazim played an important role in spreading Sufi teachings in the West.   The Ramadan gatherings in the Peckham Mosque in London (which I attended back in the 1990s) were an important part of Sufi revival.

Shaykh Nazim became one of the most ardent critics of Wahhabism.   In fact, I picked up an Arabic copy of the Sawa’iq al-ilahiya fi radd ‘ala ‘l-wahhabiyya (“Divine Lightning Bolts in the Refutation of the Wahhabi Doctrine) in Shaykh Nazim’s gatherings.    Shaykh Nazim’s son-in-law and deputy, Shaykh Hisham, who represents him in the United States, famously warned against Wahhabi presence in America. 

To some of his critics, Shaykh Nazim’s teachings took on an alarming messianic tone, starting in the 1980s.   Furthermore, some critics objected to organizing his followers based on ethnic lines, and occasional anti-Shi’i tirades.    Shaykh Nazim’s fondness for Prince Charles has been well-documented.   Lesser known though no less significant has been his appreciation and support for George Bush and Tony Blair in the “War on Terror.”

 Show caption

Shaykh Nazim al-haqqanifrom Wikipedia.

To be transparent about my own relationship with Shaykh Nazim: It was in the early 1990s that reading his “Mercy Oceans” volumes helped transform my understanding of Sufism from one primarily rooted in ancient Persian and Arabic texts to one that also has a contemporary manifestation.    His dhikr and Qur’an recitations  became a powerful part of my own spiritual life.    And many of my own friends continue to be active members of the Naqshbandi community.

In time, my own discomfort with the anti-Shi’ism perspectives and messianic predictions led me to pursue a spiritual community elsewhere.   But at the time of his passing, it is perhaps appropriate to pause and honor someone whose life and teachings overlapped with the majority of this past century, and who has helped elevate Sufism to a powerful and popular contemporary manifestation.

Khadim e khas Hazrat Muhammad(SAW)