"And He giveth you of all that ye ask for. But if ye
count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number
them. (Qur'an 14.34)
"I was a Hidden Treasure and I loved to be known, so
I created the creations, and through Me they knew Me".
(Holy Saying of Allah from the Prophet Muhammad
, (May
the blessings of Allah be upon him and peace).
The great Sufi Masters in Islam and Muslims
in general know that the cause for the creation of the worlds
is love and the stamp of the last message that has been given
to humanity, the Holy Qur'an, is "In the Name of Allah,
the Compassionate, the Merciful".
What is Sufism? Sufism is a system of development
which provides access to the silence hidden at the centre
of man's being. The silence that is the most beautiful form
of music heard only by the sages and is the source of all
meaningful activities and actions. It is the origin of life
and of man's own existence. It is a key given to man with
which he can unlock the secret of his own existence and come
to possess the forgotten and neglected treasure hidden within
his being.
Sufism gives man the means to know himself and
thus to know The Real; to listen to the music of silence.
Sufism is able to lead mankind to that quiet and peace which
is hidden at the centre of his being and whose attainment
is possible at all times and places. It can deliver him from
the crushing storm of events in this life and the uproar of
the external world without necessitating abandonment of that
world.
In Sufism, man is delivered by means of an inner
transformation which takes place here and now, within the
framework of his normal life. As a result he is enabled to
hear the inward music of all beings, and above the noise of
everyday life, to listen to the music of the Silence of Eternity.
Millions across the globe have embraced it and
use it as a means to find belief, knowledge and realisations
of the truth which the Holy Prophet Muhammad mentioned
in the tradition which says that Allah has sent 124,000 prophets
and messengers of God to humanity. These special people were
sent to show us the best and safest way to return back to
the Source of life, love and knowledge. The Holy Prophet
has made the statement that "The best which I have brought
and all the prophets before me is 'There is no god but one
God' La ilaha il Allah. The Sufis take this formula of the
Unity of Being as their starting point. They see that within
this formula is the key to reach the ultimate aim, with Unity
of the self, Unity of time, Unity of place and Unity of essence.
Every salik (traveller) on the path of Allah,
to reach the state of realisations, travels through the seven
stages of the self. All of these stages (maqamat un nafs)
have been mentioned in great clarity in the Holy Qur'an and
in the practice of the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him.
These stages begin with:
1) Surrender (Islam)
2) Belief (Iman)
3) The way to perfection (Ihsan)
4) The knowledge of certainty ('Ilm ul yaqin)
5) The eye of certainty ('Ayn al yaqin)
6) The realisations of certainty (Haqq ul yaqin).
The last stage which is not known to many in
the lower circles of the teaching is called Hayat as shaur
(the life of the senses). The life of the senses is the highest
state of realisation of Allah. It is the seventh sense through
which the entire body is spiritualised within Allah. It is
the state of "seeing without eyes" and "hearing
without ears" and "speaking without tongue".
All of the senses are activated and become operative through
one sense alone. For example, when "seeing", one
also "hears" and "feels" through the faculty
of sight. Allah "Sees" without Eyes. Allah "Hears"
without Ears. Allah "Speaks" without "Tongue".
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Blessings of Allah be upon
him and Peace) indicated this Ultimate Life of the Senses
when he said, "I see you from my back the same as I see
you from my front". "Hayat ash-shaur" is the
highest level of baqa (abiding). All of the senses are Allah's.
The contributions of the Saints of Allah throughout
the 1400 years from the time of the Holy Prophet right
up to this moment have been to improve the condition and the
state of humanity. To make people reach the stage where they
become able to think - what they think they should say and
what they say should bring benefit, harmony, peace and love
to oneself and to all creations.
The method of the great Prophet and Master Muhammad
contains within it all the other traditions par excellence
in the most simple and powerful way. If someone were to say
that Tasawwuf is similar to or belongs to other traditions,
then we would have to agree. All of these teachings come from
the same Source. The only difference with regards to the last
message is that it is a balanced method and that the message
and Teaching with regards to the Divinity and Unity of Allah
is of the highest clarity. The link which connects all the
great Prophets is Divine Unity. As far as we know, this message
shows the best way to return and unite man within himself.
With regards to the Unity of Allah, He does not need our confirmation
as this is imprinted in all of the creations, especially the
human being. At the level of the mind and the ego, to deny
or accept is man's problem. Allah would like to see us in
a state of unity voluntarily, of our own free will. He would
like to see us develop from what He wants to what He loves,
for what He wants, no one escapes from. The Holy Qur'an says
that "everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies
Allah".
To be close to the Essence of God, we must make
an effort in the proper manner, as has been shown by the Prophet
Muhammad. The glad tidings to humanity in the 21st
century are in the completeness of the Divine message to humanity
and the fact that it is still so alive, fresh and unadulterated.
That is the miracle of the Holy Qur'an itself and the miracle
of the last Prophet and Messenger of God.
One thing that the people of Allah always remind
us of is that the Merciful and Beloved Allah gave every man
and woman the chance to undo what has been done through genuine
exercise of determination, to gain access to the ultimate
realisation of the Truth within ourselves. Determined will
is Allah's gift to all of us and when we turn our will to
the will of Allah, in a nutshell, when we learn the art of
surrendering our will to Allah, success and peace become our
inheritance. One should look without prejudice or preconceived
ideas and with the greatest respect to the teaching of the
last Prophet and Messenger of Allah to humanity. The Great
Master of all ages, Muhammad al Mustapha, may the blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him. It is one of the keys to the
mystery of all. May Allah fill the hearts of humanity with
love and inner considering so that the 21st century will be
a real celebration for the good of all.
In the words of the Holy Prophet, "The
most beloved to Allah is the one who makes the creation love
Allah".
Wa ma taufiq illa billah. And there is no success
except with Allah.
Murshid F. A. Ali ElSenossi
Almiraj Sufi & Islamic Study Centre, Inc.
