Trials on the path of Truth and Significance of Sincerity


Trials on the path of Truth and Significance of Sincerity

Allah longed to have someone who would recognize Him and love Him ardently. He desired to manifest His beauty and majesty. So, He created the creation.  In a Qudsi Hadith He says:

Meaning: I was a hidden Treasure, I intended to be recognized so I created the creation.

The foremost purpose of human creation, therefore, is the recognition of Allah. Only those remain successful who strive to achieve this great purpose in their life and remain perseverant in it. This path to Divine gnosis is the straight or the righteous path. The true success is to strive hard to reach the righteous path then stay there and achieve success in it with Allah’s favor.  Allah says in the Quran:

Al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani says:

Allah created humankind solely to acquire Divine gnosis and union. Therefore, he must seek in both the worlds what he is created for. Lest his life be wasted in vain and has to regret on it after death. (Sirr al-Asrar)

Types of Divine gnosis

Divine gnosis is the straight path. The present perfect spiritual guide Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman says about Divine gnosis:

There are two types of gnosis, the first one is the gnosis of Divine attributes and the second is the gnosis of Divine Essence. The former belongs to multiplicity and the latter to Unity. The gnosis of Divine attributes is related to the universe of creation whereas the gnosis of Divine Essence is related to the universe of Command or Creator. The former belongs to slavehood while the latter belongs to Lordship. The gnosis of attributes consists of overpowering and attracting the creation for worldly purposes. Whereas the gnosis of Divine Essence consists of engrossment in the observation of Divine Essence (the station of annihilation in Allah).

The source of attributive gnosis is the daily recitals, invocation, reflection, forty days seclusion and the physical and verbal hard mystic exercises but the source of the gnosis of Divine Essence is only the invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat. The extreme destination of gnosis of attributes is the conversation with Allah at the lote tree and reading the Guarded Tablet while the early stage of gnosis of the Essence is annihilation in Allah and the eternal presence in the Mohammadan Assembly. (Sufism – The Soul of Islam)

Trails on the straight path

The traveller of the straight path undergoes various trials, challenges, and hardships. Sometimes the circumstances are in his favor while other times they become opposite to his actions, nature and habits. Sometimes Allah bestows him with honor and other times passes him through tough trials. A true and sincere seeker is the one who patiently endures all the sufferings and trials and keeps his entire focus on attaining the path of Truth.

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

Meaning: And We will most certainly test you somewhat by means of fear and hunger and certain loss of wealth and lives and fruit. And (O beloved,) give glad tidings to those who observe patience. (Al-Baqarah – 155)

Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says about a true seeker who patiently endures sufferings in the path of Truth:

  • The calamities and grieves that befall the seeker of Allah, turn into blessings because he is patient with them in Allah’s love.

Importance of sincerity and perseverance in the time of trials

Achieving perseverance and success in the path of Truth is possible with sincerity of intention and Divine favor.

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

Meaning: Surely, We have revealed (this) Book to you with the truth. So worship Allah for His sake alone in sincere obedience. (Al-Zumar 2)

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

  • Glad tidings for the sincere ones and congratulations to those who are the light of guidance through whom all darkness fades away. (Nisai)
  • Deeds are judged by intentions. One achieves what he intends for. (Bukhari)

Sayings of the Saints on sincere intentions:

The perfect Fakirs who are the true spiritual successors of Holy Prophet pbuh, also call purity of intentions to be essential in Faqr (Sufism) along with perseverance and Divine favor.

Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani says:
  • Divine gnosis is achieved by the purification of esoteric self and soul. Purification of esoteric self and the soul is in learning and practicing knowledge and inculcating sincerity in actions and yearning to seek Allah sincerely. (Hayat-o-Taleemat-Syedna Ghaus-ul-Azam)
Sultan Bahoo says:

Explanation: If Divine vision was granted due to cleanliness then it would have been granted to fishes and frogs who stay in water all the time. If it was granted to those who grow their hair long, then it would have been granted to sheep. If it was gained by not sleeping, then it would have been gained by the bats who stay awake at night. If it was found by not getting married, then it would have been granted to the castrated animals. However, the vision and closeness of Allah cannot be achieved through such acts. It is only granted to those with purity of intention and whose inward is filled with truth and sincerity. (Abyat-e-Bahoo Kamil)

Sultan-ul-Faqr VI Sultan Mohammad Asghar Ali says:

True intention and sincerity are very essential in the path of Reality. The acceptance of a good deed in the court of Allah depends upon the degree of truthfulness and sincerity a person possesses while performing it. It is the Hadith of Prophet Mohammad pbuh, “The intention of a believer is better than his act. (Sultan-ul-Faqr VI Sultan Mohammad Asghar Ali-Life and Teachings)

Shaikh Sirri Saqti:

He who loved Allah lived, and whoever leaned towards the world remained deprived. The fool spends his days in ignorance and the wise finds his own flaws. (Mukashifat-ul-Quloob)

Shahabuddin says:

It is necessary for the traveler of the righteous path to account for his inner state, deeds, and words and ensure that his innerself does not act rebellious to Allah.  He must not utter any words from his tongue for it is pointless to utter words without inner intention.  Intention is associated with the inward. Words are only a way of expressing it. So unless there is a heartfelt love for Allah, it cannot be an intention. (Awarif ul Ma’arif)

Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:

The more purity of intention and humility there is, the sooner one becomes closer to Allah, and the closer he is, the more humble he will be, provided there is sincerity in his intention. (Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen)

Falsehood

The exact opposite of the truth is falsehood. It is not just idolatry and evil deeds, rather its roots begin to flourish within inward from negative thinking, satanic whispers, beliefs, and ideas. Satan’s attacks on the esoteric self through falsehood. The truth is from eternal and will remain for eternity. However, falsehood is mortal and will perish.

Types of Falsehood

Falsehood is of three forms, and it dominates the man in any of these forms. Its first form is the innerself (when it is not purified), second form is Satan, and the third form is world.

Sultan Bahoo says:

  • Innerself is the king, Satan is its vizier and world is the mother of both which nourishes them. (Ain-ul-Faqr)
  • Inciting innerself is the king in the existence and Satan is its vizier. They are always conspiring and planning to arouse ego and conceit. (Kaleed-ul-Tauheed Kalan)
i. Inciting innerself

Bayazid Bastami states:

  • Inciting innerself is an evil that attains peace only through falsehood. (Kashf-ul-Mahjub)

Shaikh Junayd of Baghdad says:

  • Fulfilling the desire of inciting innerself is the basis of disbelief.

Data Ganj Bakhsh Ali ibn Usman al-Hajveri says:

  • Inciting innerself has no relation with the elegance of Islam. This is why it always turns away from Islam. The one who turns away from Islam is a disbeliever and the disbeliever of the truth is always a stranger. (Kashf-ul-Mahjub)
ii. Satan

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

He (Iblis) said: ‘Since You have led me astray, (I swear that) I will (also) sit on Your straight path (to waylay the children of Adam till I cause them to deviate from the path of truth).‏ I will assuredly approach them from their front, from their rear, from their right and from their left, and (consequently) You will not find most of them grateful.’ (Al-A’raf 16,17)

Satan is an enemy of man. He always employs new tactics to detract the seeker of Truth from the right path and divert him to falsehood. His greatest weapon is the inciting innerself, which he pollutes with desires and lusts and subdues it with the whispers of fear and danger.

Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen describes the evil attacks of Satan on the inwards as follows:

Satanic whisper is an evil thought that arises in the inward. There are two doors of inward, upper door is connected to the body and lower door is connected to the soul. Satan sits on these two doors making a web like spider and whispers in the inward. Satanic whisperer is like a python which has poisoned spikes on its tail. Through these spikes he puts venomous thoughts in the inward and darkens it. (Sufism – The Soul of Islam)

Incident of domination of Satanic whisper on a disciple

Once Shaikh Abu Saeed was going to Tus from Nishapur with one of his disciples and on the way he passed through a gorge. It was so cold that Shaikh Abu Saeed’s feet became very cold. A thought occurred to the disciple to tear his cloak, cut it in two and wrap it around the Shaikh’s feet. Because his cloak was beautiful and precious, his heart did not allow to tear it.

The disciple states that when they reached Tus, he asked the Shaikh, “O Sheikh! What is the difference between satanic whispering and Divine inspiration?” Shaikh replied, “Divine inspiration was the one in which you were commanded to tear the cloak into two pieces and wrap it around my feet so that my feet would not get cold. And satanic whisper was what stopped you from doing it.” (Kashf ul-Mahjub)

iii. World

Sultan Bahoo states in his book Ain-ul-Faqr about the seeker of the world:

  • The seekers of world are either hypocrites or pretenders
  • The world is a Satan and its seekers are devils
  • The world is violence and rebellion and its seekers are rebellious The world is hypocrisy and its seekers are hypocrites
  • The world is an impurity and its seekers are impure
  • The world is a lie and its seekers are liars
  • The world is polytheism and its seekers are polytheists
  • The world is an evil and its seekers are also evil
  • The world is a curse and its seekers are accursed
  • The world is an ignorance and its seekers are ignorant like Abu Jahl
  • The world is a prostitute and a worldly man is a cuckold who sees his whore wife in the sensual company of others but does not object. (Ain-ul-Faqr)
Concluding words

In short, any thought, action and knowledge that leads man to the path of Allah’s closeness is the path of Truth and the deeds which make him a follower of worldly pleasures, desires of the innerself and Satan are falsehoods. One can differentiate between the path of Truth and falsehood and can stay on the righteous path only when he completes the stages of self-purification in the company of perfect and accomplished spiritual guide.

In this materialistic age, everyone is stressed out. The solution lies in following the spiritual path because spirituality is free from falsehood. Unfortunately, many people refuse to accept that the company of perfect Fakirs is necessary. They consider only outward worships and salutations to be the purpose of their life. Rewards can be gained from the outward acts of worship performed sincerely, but Allah’s love and closeness is only possible with the invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat in the company of perfect spiritual guide.

Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman is the present perfect spiritual guide of and the spiritual successor of Holy Prophet. Allah has blessed him with the most elevated status of al-Insan al-Kamil, the Universal Divine Man.

He guides the seeker of Allah on the righteous path the very first day by granting the invocation of the greatest name of Allah (Ism-Allah Zaat). He sanctifies the inwards of seeker with his perfect spiritual sight. Those who benefit from the company of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen feel at peace inwardly.

It is an open invitation to everyone to come and benefit from the spiritual company of perfect spiritual guide Sulan-ul-Ashiqeen and begin their journey towards Divine gnosis.


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