Arif-Sulook
“Bismillahir Rahmannir Raheem”Al-Hamdu Lillaahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen was Salaatu was- Salaamu ‘Alaa Sayidinaa Muhammadin wa Aalihi wa Asabihi Ajma ‘een (tauheed- risalat- ahkirat and islam-iman-ihsan)
Arif 33
OF THE TRAVELLER, THE GOAL, THE STAGES, AND THE ROAD.
Sulook – “Intelligence is light in the heart, distinguishing between truth and vanity, not the intelligence of life.”
The Goal is the Knowledge of God, and the acquisition of this knowledge is the work of Divine Light alone, Perception or worldly intelligence having no lot or portion therein.
God knew that although such might even be the conduct of the bulk of mankind(commit abomination and shed blood), there would still be some who should receive the Divine Light and attain to a knowledge of Him; so that it is clear that the object of the creation of existent beings was that God should be known.
Existence was made for man, and man for the knowledge of God(this is to be achieved by associating with the wise).
The Sufis say that there is no road from man to God, because the nature of God is illimitable and infinite, without beginning or end or even direction. The whole universe compared with the majesty of God is as a drop in the ocean, nay infinitely less than this.
“Verily God comprehendeth all things with his knowledge.”
The Traveller who has not attained to this Divine Light can have no lot or portion with God, but those who have reached it gaze always upon His face; they go not forth by day and retire not to rest at night without an abashed consciousness that God is present every where; for with Him they live, and in Him they act.
The Unitarians – They hold that existence is not independent, but is of God; that besides the existence of God there is no real existence, and that which is self-existent is God.that the error of imagining an existence separate from God is the only road to Him.
OF LAW, DOCTRINE AND TRUTH.
THE Law is the word
of the Prophet, the Doctrine.
is the example of the Prophet, and the Truth is the vision of the Prophet.
(islam -iman -ihsan)
The Traveller must first learn the theory of the Law, and act up to the
practice of the Doctrine, by which means the Truth will become manifest in him.
Those who possess all these three things are the Perfect, and these are the
leaders of the people
Objective is to become wise and good(sharia/law –tariqa /doctrine- marifa/truth)
First –learning law/sharia
Second –learning tariqat (to know and understand unity of god by associating with wise people)
Thirdly-marifa /truth (after the knowledge of God, learn the nature and properties of material objects)
The Traveller cannot arrive at the goal unless he combines theory with practice, superficiality with reality.
Aim is to keep away from sins and obedience towards sharia.
CONCERNING THE PERFECT MAN, AND THE PERFECTLY FREE MAN.
THE Perfect Man is he who has fully comprehended the Law, the Doctrine and the Truth;
Islam-iman-ihsan ——-tauheed-risalat-ahkirat——aqidah-amal-mamulat—sharia-tariqa-marifa
Denial of self (desires) +knowledge of god +merciful towards others+ renunciation(wealth dignity,desires,name and fame) + contentment.
Wealth and dignity are great hindrances; but too much praying and fasting are often hindrances too. The one is a shroud of darkness, the other a veil of light.
Renunciation is the practice of those who know God, and the characteristic mark of the wise.
Every individual fancies that he alone possesses this knowledge, but knowledge is an attribute of the mind, and there is no approach from unaided sense to the attributes of the mind, by which we can discover who is, or who is not, possessed of this knowledge.
Qualities however are the sources of action; therefore a man’s practice is an infallible indication of the qualities he possesses.
Renunciation is necessary to the real confession of faith; 1.Negation is the renunciation of other Gods(Expell the love of this world from heart/renunciation of self) 2.Proof is the knowledge /acknowledgement of God.
When I want to talk to Allah I say prayers and when I want that he talk to me I recite quran- Hazrath Ali(ra)
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