The Tantalizing taste of the Oceans of Love


A saying of the Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, in which he prayed to God:

"Oh Allah, I ask You to grant me the love of You
and the love of those whom You love,
and grant me, Oh my Lord,the love of those
actions which lead me to the love of You".


The Three Levels of Love

To ask our Lord to open up our hearts to His Divine Love is the most important request we can make of Him in our prayers, as nothing can take the place of love. The Holy Prophet, who is called the Beloved of Allah, whom Allah created with the yeast of love, and whom Allah loved so much that He dedicated the creation to him, even this beloved Prophet asked Allah for Divine Love - why? Because who tastes of that love ask for more. Whose heart is like a rock will not ask Allah for this love, but those who have had the slightest taste of that love know that it is the key to all spiritual progress, to mercy, beauty, wisdom, to all favours that Allah may bestow upon His servants. Therefore, the Holy Prophet taught all mankind what is precious in this life.

And then his prayer continued: "And grant me the love of those who love you". The first level, "Love of God", is the Station of the Prophets, and you can't step from the bottom of the stairway to the top in on step. Allah Almighty is the Transcendent Being - you can't even begin to fathom anything about Him Almighty - but it is easy to love those who represent His Love among mankind, for it is much easier for us to begin to understand and love human beings like ourselves. You will find nothing in their hearts but the Love of Allah; therefore, loving them is a means to approach the Divine Love.

Lastly, the Holy Prophet asks for the love of those actions which lead to the love of Allah, actions which carry blessings with them, which soften our hearts and weaken our greed and selfishness. These are the actions encouraged by our Lord through the example of His Prophets, actions ordered and recommended in His Holy Books. And, although in the beginning our inner state may not correspond to these saintly actions, by engaging our limbs in what pleases our Lord, He will strengthen our hearts thereby.

These are the three levels of love for which the Holy Prophet prayed, and the wisdom reflected in this prayer is proof enough of the veracity of Muhammad, peace be upon him. While Believers must always ask for that love, Satan is ever at war with such a notion, for he knows that once love has entered the heart of one of his slaves, that slave is lost to him, for he will not be able to snare him anymore with this world's pleasures. He who has tasted that love may not even notice those pleasures, or may regard them as only a drop in an ocean.

Once, as Moses, upon whom be peace, was headed toward Mount Sinai, he passed the cave of a hermit. The hermit emerged and called after Moses; "Oh Moses, please ask our Lord to bestow upon me just an atom's weight of His Divine Love". Moses agreed to do this, and then continued on his way. Later, when Moses was addressing his Lord, he petitioned on behalf of that hermit. The Lord replied, "I will grant that servant of My Divine Love, but not in the amount he requested. I will only grant him the tiniest fraction of an atom's weight of that love".

When Moses returned from the mountain, he quickly went to see what was happening to the hermit, to see what effect such a tiny dose of Divine Love might have had on him. When he arrived he was startled to see that where the cave had been a part of the mountain was blown away, and in place of that cave there was a deep chasm in the Earth. "Oh servant of my Lord", he cried out, "what has happened, where are you?" Then Moses looked down the chasm and saw the hermit sitting down there as if in another world, completely overwhelmed by that love.

Why did that hermit ask for a portion of Divine Love? Because he was worshipping but feeling nothing; he felt emptiness in his heart that could only be filled by that love. Without love, worship is tasteless and useless; therefore, we must be sure to build our worship upon a strong foundation of love and to bake love into the bricks of the building of our devotional practice. This is more than an analogy, for even physical buildings are either alive with the love of their builders, or dead from their hard-heartedness. Therefore, old buildings often emanate a good feeling because of the love and goodness of those who built them. This is especially true of old mosques and churches, for their original congregations built them for the sake of their Lord's love and in an attitude of sincere piety. There is often a very strong feeling of the Divine Presence in old mosques, but have you ever felt such an atmosphere in the new showpiece of sterile architecture mosques? No, it is impossible; you may feel only an inner contraction inside of such concrete hills. They have left the love out of the mortar; the most important ingredient is missing.

There is nothing in all creation that the Creator, Allah Almighty, hates. Indeed it is impossible to be hated by Allah and to be in existence: one absolutely precludes the other. All creation appeared through His Divine Love. He loved them and they appeared; therefore, everything in existence carries its share of Divine Love in it.

When I say "everything", I mean everything, from atoms and their parts - the very building blocks of the Universe - up to mankind. Yes, everything, even the smallest particles of matter, carries that Divine Gift. As you know, the electrons of atoms revolve around the nuclei, and at enormous velocity. Someone told me that the famous scientist Albert Einstein once declared: "I have come to understand so much, but what I have never been able to fathom is what power gives electrons the energy to orbit nuclei at such a speed. From where does such power come to them?"

We believe, and furthermore, have been granted certainty in our belief, that everything in existence has life, is living. For the sake of everyday reckoning we classify certain things, such as rocks, as inanimate objects, and recognize life only in plants, animals and human beings. But we believe that beyond these outward distinctions everything has life. Therefore, atoms, and their electrons that turn around the nuclei with such speed as to baffle even the renowned Mr. Einstein, are, in reality, alive. They are alive with the Divine Love Power that their Lord has granted them. That's what makes them spin at the speed of light.

Science may make penetrating and wonderful discoveries. Scientists' knowledge may advance and climb to unimagined heights in the realm of the observable and what may be proven through experiments. But even such a great realm, the realm of observation and experimentation, is finite, has its limits, and only within these limits can it draw authoritative conclusions. Therefore, scientists who recognize their limitations and are not blinded by pride may admit, that some occurrences are not explicable by science.

The Divine Name "Al Wadud"

It is for those who have access to a realm of knowledge beyond science to say with certainty, that it is Allah Almighty, the Lord of the Universe, who through His Holy Name "Al-Wadud" (The All-Loving) gives His Divine Love to everything in the Universe. Those electrons, drunken with Divine Love, spin at such velocity around the nuclei. That is how the influence of Divine Love is manifested by them. Science can neither proves nor denies this explanation, as this phenomenon is beyond their realm, and they cannot as much as offer a theory. But our hearts may be content with this explanation, as each and every one of us may try it himself within himself; for we all have the Power of that Divine Love in our hearts ready to be contacted.

There is no one word in Western languages that gives the full meaning of 'Al-wadud", and even explanations don't do it justice, even though the West claims its knowledge to be superior and looks down disdainfully on every religious experience. And this Holy Name, the meaning of which cannot even adequately be expressed in advanced western languages, is the most suitable "Dhikr," the most suitable of all the Divine Names to repeat and meditate upon for people who see themselves as superior beings and as being above normal standards.

"Love", it is certainly not a concept that western culture is unfamiliar with, and undoubtedly most people lay claim to loving and being loved to knowing the meaning of love, and to it being an important aspect of their lives, indeed the most important. But the love we refer to in connection with the Divine Name "Al-Wadud" is not the physical transitory love that is rapidly becoming the only meaning of love applicable to modern man: the love that one may find in the zoo. If you can't imagine a love other than what is on the level of animals, then you belong in the zoo.

There is a real love, never changing, never dying love, and then there is temporary animal love. Both are in man through the wisdom of the Creator, but the permanent love is the love given to man through the Divine Name "Al-Wadud". To realize that love is the challenge and fulfillment of human existence - to come in contact with those Love Oceans, for He has given His Divine Love most abundantly to His most honoured representatives in creation, mankind.

You may love a young lady for her youth, and when that youth departs you love her no more. That is false love. Sometimes we may have both kinds of love simultaneously, but usually the physical overpowers the spiritual, so that it is never allowed to appear. But to reach the ultimate goal of human life we are in need of permanent love, and it is only the Lord of the Universe who can grant it.

Therefore, when we say "Ya-Wadud" we are opening ourselves up to that Divine Love, asking our Lord to awaken that love that knows no limitation that is eternal and extends to all creation. I have been ordered to teach and advise people to call on our Lord, saying "Ya-Wadud", as this will enable the sincere to attain real love of their Lord Almighty and to love everything around themselves. We must learn to love everything for the sake of the love the Creator has for all His creation. And we are in utmost need to pray for such love, as although it is the essence of all success in the way of spiritual purification, it has become almost extinct in our times. Therefore, suffering, disturbances, struggle, crisis and chaos are continually on the rise.

What passes for human love nowadays is in deed a very far cry from real human love. Mostly, people cling to it for two or three months then throw it away. You are saying: "Oh my goddess" and she is saying, "Oh my god," but look in again on them two or three months later and see what is left of that "true devotion" and "deep emotion". That is the greatest cause of wretchedness in our times. For this reason I don't refer to this century as a civilized one. Rather, the twentieth century is witnessing the destruction of civilization, and every minute violence and misery are increasing.

The Endless Oceans of Love

The Lord - our Lord, your Lord, and their Lord - is One. He created us and planted His Divine Love in the very yeast of our being. You must know that, although that love may be temporarily covered, it is running through our hearts as a river runs to an ocean. Along the course of that river love may manifest only as temporary human love, and that love current may even seem to disappear completely, like a river that flows under a mountain, only to re-emerge on the other side. But there can be no doubt that our Lord has placed in every heart a current that flows irresistible to His Love Oceans in the Divine Presence. Therefore, don't imagine them to be cut off from Divine Love - it must be with them, whether that is now apparent to you and to themselves, or not.

As our heart-current flows toward that ocean, the main difference we notice is that our love is not tied to physical beauty. Everyone loves nature, greenery, rushing waters, youthful forms, beautiful people - but what about the others? The Lord gave of His Love to people in general, not only to the young and beautiful. And the One who implanted His Love in our hearts says: "Oh My servant, as I have given you from My Divine Love, so have I give it to all creation, so spread your love to everyone that you may be in harmony with My Will."

In reality, everything that contains His Love is green and beautiful, but to perceive the beauty in all creation you must transcend outward forms and penetrate to the realm of Spiritual Reality Oceans. First of all, it is important to pass from forms to meanings, from fleeting shapes to eternal spiritual realities, as forms are limited and limiting, whereas spiritual realities are Oceans, Endless Oceans of Contentment. To arrive at those Oceans will bring you inner peace.

Therefore, I am trying to love everyone. It is easy to say to a person, "I love you" as long as that person has never harmed you, but according to our Grandsheikh such is not the measure of real love. He used to quote a famous Daghistani Sufi poet who said: "I don't accept the love that you claim to hold for me to be real until I have tested you. What is my test? If I put you through a meat grinder and you came out the other end as minced meat - but were still alive - and if then I returned you to your original form, would you still love me?"

What this poet meant was "If I cause you so much suffering, and harm you as no one has ever harmed you before, will you still love me despite all that I have done? That is true love. But if I am with you for forty years, and because of one hurtful word I may utter towards you in a moment of stress, you leave me and declare me to be your enemy, denying the love of forty years and saying, "I don't love you anymore", that is not the love we are referring to.

Therefore, as I have said, there are levels of love along the way, differing in quality according to their nearness to the goal, the Absolute Love Oceans of our Lord. When one has reached that goal he may take any amount of harm from others and still love. He may say: "I love you for the sake of my Lord, not for any other reason. That love will never change or diminish, as no matter what you do your Lord's love is with you. You may behave like a wild animal, you may wound me, but yet, for you to even exist, my Lord's love must be with you, and therefore I am loving you, too."

Only the highest and most select of mankind are ever on such a level, and we are trying to reach that point - but it is so difficult. You must know that this is a test for you and an opportunity to gain spiritual ranks. Now you are in a situation where you must be patient with people who may not be upholding the same level of decorum that you are accustomed to. Here is an opportunity for you to advance, as Holy people have advised us: rather than avoiding all ill-mannered and badly educated people, we should mingle with them and establish contact with them, that they may benefit and that you may test yourself and gain thereby.

They are servants of the Almighty's Will, and we are His servants too. Our Lord is their Lord and their Lord is our Lord. We must be patient and we will gain, little by little. Cherry trees first yield bitter fruit, but you must wait - little by little, little by little, the tree starts to yield sweet and tasteful cherries.

The Promise Of the Holy Masters

The Holy Masters have promised me that whoever sits with us and listens with his heart full of love must come to the same level: their hearts must open to Divine Love. The Masters are not going to abandon us, and we are not going to turn from them, as our hearts have been bound with the strongest of bonds; the bond of Divine Love, that strongest of relationships of love that exists between the Creator and His creatures. That relationship is the ultimate goal of existence, and we pray that we may grow stronger always.

Those with whom we sit and whose hearts are receptive to Divine Love will attain that love. This is a promise from the Masters, and therefore our meeting indicates that your time is approaching, the time when you will be able to break the bonds that make you slaves to your egos. Soon you will be free to approach your spiritual goals, and that is why everyone here feels himself affected and moved to tears.

If the love that was with me were only transitory love you wouldn't even bother sitting with me for a moment. But the love that is with me is real, permanent and Divine, and I have extended a ray of it to your hearts to awaken permanent love in you.

My daughters and sons in attendance here today have never met me before, but our first meeting has been enough to establish real love from my heat to theirs. This is a love they will never forget, a love that is blossoming in their hearts.

I ask my Lord for permission to spread His permanent love to the hearts of all people - and the time is approaching when we hope that permission will be granted.

Love is eternal, and the transitory nature of all things pertaining to this world is a sign of truth, a sign that shows us by means of contrast. Real spiritual love: love of Allah and love of mankind for the sake of Allah is the only truth, the only thing in this world that is permanently and constantly sweet. Physical separation from someone you love, in accordance with the rule that pertains to the physical, may create a longing that will cause love to increase, may augment the bliss of reunion. But on the spiritual level that love is constant, is never interrupted by distance or by time. Your beloved may be on the moon and you may be in bliss at the thought of reunion, but if love is unrequited, that is not sweet separation but a bitter pill. The extinction of love is pitch darkness. You may regard the sunset as beautiful, but how would you feel if it were setting forever?

Love is the water of life. Allah created Adam from clay and water. If it were not for water the clay would hold no shape. Divine Love is what binds our souls together. That is why people become so miserable when they feel unloved. It is a feeling that something essential is missing from one's life, that life itself is incomplete, and in the face of this ache people set out in search of love with the desperation of a man dying of thirst.

Love is an attribute of God Almighty which binds His servants to Him eternally. If Allah were to hate mankind it would be so easy for Him to bring about an abrupt and terrible end to our follies - but He loves us and therefore shows us so much tolerance.

If you are a parent, consider your love for your children. If your son grew up to be a criminal, would you not love him still? Would you not maintain that despite his bad actions (which you would perhaps readily condemn) he was still basically at heart a good boy? Would you not find excuses for his bad behavior and have faith that he would turn away again from those bad actions?

Ask for Divine Love

Love is lovely to the Lord and to His servants. If you do anything with love it should be accepted by your Lord, and He should make it tasteful for you. If you love your work it will be easy for you to do, if not, it will only be a burden. The Lord says: "I am not in need of your worship; I am only seeking the love with which it is offered." "Oh servants of the Lord, Oh believers, you must not overlook this point. Don't be like slaves rowing in the galley of a ship - if you pray, you must pray with love not by force, as if a slave driver were standing over you with a whip! Allah never appreciates such forced devotions. Now we are trying to perform all the practices but forgetting to ask for Divine Love, so we are becoming like mechanical robots, or like people performing gymnastics.

Allah has asked us to engage our bodies in His worship and in service to His creation through charity and good deeds, but what must be the fruit of those actions? If the fruit is not love it is bitter fruit and is rejected. If our worship causes Love of Allah to grow in our hearts, then we must keep to that practice and continue on our way: and if we are keeping the company of a spiritual teacher, and find that through keeping his company love of Allah is awakening in our hearts, then we must follow him closely.

The Love of Allah is not easy to attain, for we cannot imagine Him; therefore, He Almighty has made the Prophets apostles of His Love. Allah's Beloved, the Seal of Prophets, Muhammad, upon whom be peace, was such a pure medium for the transmission of that love that the hearts of his companions were overwhelmed with his love, and were transported to the love of Allah. He was the representative of Allah, who is the Absolute Truth; therefore, the Prophet declared: "Who has seen me has seen the Absolute Truth".

When a delegation of non-Muslims came to visit Medina, they were amazed at the love and respect shown to the Prophet by his companions. When they returned home they said to their leaders: "We have met many emperors, kings and tribal chiefs, but never have we seen one whose subjects or courtiers treated him with such sincere love and devotion. How can this be?" They were not able to comprehend the secret of this love, as their egos caused them to deny Mohammed's prophet hood. The love of the companions towards the Prophet was such that they used to say to him: "I am ready to sacrifice for you even my mother and father", which, for the Arabs, is much stronger than saying: "I would sacrifice myself for you". And in reality many of them underwent nearly unbearable hardships for the sake of their belief in the mission of the Holy Prophet: exile, disinheritance, boycott, torture and death.

Who represented the Holy Prophet after his life on Earth? They are those who evoked such love. The Prophet himself described them: "Those who see them are reminded of Allah". He who thirsts for Divine Love must seek out such people, but in our time they are mostly hidden, and Islam has come to mean for many people only a set of rules of conduct and forms of worship - an empty shell. Who can derive taste from such a thing? Shall mosques be only gymnasiums? And now the "gym teachers" are opposing Sufi Paths, which are the ways of the heart, ways that lead to the Love of God.

Our Lord has given us an instrument that measures not your blood pressure but our "love pressure" and our goal is to make it high! Yes, seek to improve with every new day, for the Holy Prophet said: Whoever does not improve with each day is losing ground. "What does this mean? It doesn't mean that if we pray forty rakats of prayer today, we should pray forty-one tomorrow and forty-two the next day. No, that is not required, what is intended is that you fill your worship with ever more love of your Lord, so that He will observe: "My servant has sent Me more love today than yesterday". "One of our Grandsheikhs summarized perfectly what I am trying to say: "An atom's weight of love is worth more than seventy years' worship without love".

Today we speak about love for Allah and His Prophet. Our Grandsheikh was telling this hadith, that one day the Prophet was giving a sermon when one Bedouin came to the door of the mosque and shouted: "Oh Prophet, when is the Last Day coming?" There was no answer, so he called out again and still again. The Prophet was waiting for Allah to provide him with an answer, as only He knows when the Last Day is. Then the Angel Jibril came to him saying: "Ask him what he did in preparation for the Last day". The man replied: "Muhammed, I love you and I love your Lord, nothing else, only this". Then Jibril told Muhammed: "Answer him that he will be with you and your Lord like two fingers together. Everyone who loves another must be with him on the Last day." On hearing this, Abu Bakr asked: "Oh Prophet, is not action a necessary condition, is only love enough?" He answered: "No, Ya Aba Bakr, actions are not a condition, what is important is love. Everyone will be with his beloved friend."

Constancy

Question:

Can the spiritual development of Sufis be like Swiss cheese - inconsistent, full of holes?

Sheikh Nazim:

That is not development at all. Development is consistent. There is an inspection carried out to determine the consistency of development and the criterion for that inspection is the Divine Law (Shari'a). Can you keep yourself within the Shari'a for forty days? By this we don't mean or expect you to do everything prescribed by the Shari'a; no, for that is impossible. The scope of the Shari'a is vast, like an ocean; you are only held accountable for that which you encounter on your way. As you pass through your life's journey you must try to hold to Allah's orders and avoid what He has forbidden in the way of actions or thoughts. For example, there are many autobahns in Munich, but you are only held responsible for driving well on the one on which you are travelling, not on the others.

Yes, to keep to the Shari'a for forty days may include doing actions that are neither indicated nor prohibited by the Shari'a, they are called: Mubah. What that means is to let your horse or donkey graze, to let your ego have its ration, that is alright. When we travel we are not always on the road, we must stop from time to time in order to tank up. That is alright and it is necessary: we are letting our horse graze we will be able to ride it but if we do not let it graze, it will be to difficult to ride and will give us lots of trouble and refuse to move. So, sitting with our families etc, is alright, but every activity in our lives has its appointed time; there must be balance in our lives. For example, you as a doctor go to your office at 9.00am and stay there until 5.00pm and during that time it is not alright for you to enjoy yourself with your family, as that is the time which belongs to your patients. There is a time for Mubah and a time to be on the Way. If a person is always grazing his ego, he can't go forward.

Not everyone can keep the Shari'a for forty days and attain spiritual stations as a result, and the knowledge of who is eligible is with the Sheikh. The Sheikh guides the follower through the forty day training under orders from the Prophet, and only with such authority will that exercise be able to take the seeker to his objective. Otherwise the forty days will have been spent in vain. For example, there is a certain ferocious dog that has a curly tail. Other types of may be gentle, but this one is always vicious. Some people, thinking the curly tail to be at fault, put the dog's tail in a splint in order to straighten it out. For forty days the dog walks around with his splinted but straight tail dragging and thumping behind him. Then as soon as the splint is removed, the tail curls back up as before and the dog is as vicious as ever.

Now you (one of the listeners) have just jumped up to say something to a person outside. That causes the spiritual level of the discourse to descend, like an airplane hitting an air pocket. Even to turn your head during the discourse is against the Shari'a, as it deprives the Sheikh and the audience of the concentration required for the transmission of 'spiritual emanation (fuyudat). If we can't even keep ourselves during a twenty minute discourse, how shall we keep ourselves during forty days?

Once our Grandsheikh said to one of his followers 'If you can keep yourself in firm attention according to the Shari'a for just two minutes, then I will be able to take you to the graveyard and show you the condition of the people who lie in their graves - whether they are suffering or content.' Then the follower sat and tried to keep himself for two minutes. Inadvertently he turned a spoon over in order to distract himself from the implications of the Sheikh's offer and challenge. The Grandsheikh said: 'What was the use of that action? What benefit come from it? That action was useless and, according to the Shari'a, you must keep yourself from useless actions if you want to progress.'

- Maulana Shaykh Nazim Haqqani
(taken from Mercy Oceans : Pink Pearls)


Association

In the Name of Allah Almighty, Most Beneficent and Most Merciful.

Tariqatuna as-subha wa-l kheyru fi-l jami-ya. Our way is the way of companionship, and everything good comes from being together. These are the words of Shah Naqshband, the founder and the pillar of the Most Distinguished Naqshbandi Way. May Allah Almighty bless him and grant him closeness.

Wa kunu ma'a as-sadiqin: ' be with the sincere Ones.' This is a Holy Order. Allah Almighty obliges us to seek out one of these true human beings and to follow them.

We live in a time where people mostly follow those who follow their egos. Promises from their side are most welcome. If possible, we would always like to choose a way which is easiest and most pleasant to us, that is, to our ego.

This, however, is extremely dangerous because the ego never leads to a true way. It prefers falseness, for it is not motivated by truth, but by its own advantage. Whoever wants to find the truth cannot follow his ego. True ways are narrow but false ones are wide. The ego prefers such ways because it does not want to commit itself, it likes to try a bit here and a bit there - this and that.

Following along true ways has to be learned. To learn this, you need a guide because, when you are alone, Satan and his helpers will attack you. You cannot escape, for they will get you and force you to follow them, whether you like it or not. Once you go with them, you are finished.

But if you are in the company of a true human being, Satan and his volunteers will not approach you, because they fear the sacred, divine power of such a person. Let a true guide lead you through life. Without him, it is too dangerous. Each time we leave the way we will be punished. This punishment may come sooner or later, but it cannot be avoided. All the suffering and misery which descends upon mankind is the result of their ceasing to follow true human beings. They no longer know what is happening to them and why it happens. That is their real suffering - not what happens to them, but their not knowing whence it comes from and for which person.

If they follow a true human being, they would know that everything which happens to them is for their benefit. For they would know that nothing happens without the will and knowledge of their Lord and they could then be content and bear it, even if it was difficult an unpleasant.

We may not understand the wisdom contained in events, but we may know that there is a wisdom in them. Whoever recognizes this, will have a heart which is at rest, for he knows that all will be well.

Allah Almighty orders us, therefore, in all Holy Books, from Adam to Sayyidina Muhammad, peace be upon them and upon all prophets, Ya ayyuhalladhina amanu ittaquallah wa kunu ma'a as-sadiqin. Nothing, has changed about this verse, about this 'Oh, you who believe, be with the people of truth.' It is true today as it was then and will be true until the last day.

Which one of you, when you wake up in the morning, asks his Lord, 'Oh, Lord, let me find one of Your hidden friends, one of Your saints!' Whoever seeks will find, and whoever asks will be answered.

The hearts of the people of truth are free from all evil and all illness. Illness of the heart brings death: that is, the death that leaves the body behind. When we die, we go to find true life. We do not come into this life only to eat, drink and satisfy our sexual desires. The true reason for our being here is the search for true life.

Nobody finds eternal life whose heart is ill. When the heart is healed, it lives the true life, because the secret of the true life is lowered into it. He whose heart does not die, his body does not become dust.

Keeping company with a true human being is being on the path with one whose heart is whole and well. In this way your own heart is healed. Whoever has already found eternal life in this life, his body remains in the grave as it was on earth. He appears on the day of Judgement, and his sign will be, ala manabirin min nur, 'sitting on thrones of light'.

Is there anything more important than to seek the real life? Do not say, 'How shall we these people of truth?' Your heart will tell you.

- Mawlana Sheikh Nazim Haqqani
(taken from Islam :The Freedom to Serve)

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....By being in the company of a man who has, firstly, realised what a deadly game the ego plays, and secondly, rid himself of its domination, the seeker of truth may arrive at his goal. Therefore, the Seal of Prophets, Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught his companions , above all else, by taking them as his companions, by entering them into association with him. Accordingly, the Inheritors of the Prophet, the Naqshbandi Masters, stress the importance of "Sohbet", association with the Sheikh, as the essential pillar in the training of the seekers. Shah Naqshband, the illustrious Imam of the line of Masters we follow, the Imam after whom the Path is named and without whom there would be no Naqshbandiyya , always used to repeat in his assemblies: "Our way is Sohbet, association, and all good things result from congregating". He furthermore stated that if anyone attended an assembly of this Way even for five or ten minutes, he would derive such immense spiritual benefit from that brief encounter as to outweigh the benefits that would be gained by seven years of supererogatory worship.

That is the power of the assembly of the Inheritors of the Prophet, and augmenting that power is the unanimity of the participants in that meeting, their joining of hearts in sincerity with the heart of the Sheikh. In such a meeting such a power descends on the hearts of the participants that even the deep roots of hidden idolatry, of ego-worship, can be pulled out. You may observe that with every association the ego's power is further undermined.

Our Grandsheikh explained that without association it is very difficult to catch the ego out in its game, to identify its tricks and escape from its clutches. We are in need of a guide to show us which paths lead over cliffs, as it is particularly those paths that our egos likes to point to, putting up very authoritative-looking signs, saying "Thru-way", or "Shortcut", and you think everything is alright. The ego comes and advises you: "if you do this that may result, if that, this. This is suitable, but that not;" and with such "good advice" it seeks to change your heart, to turn you against your Lord Almighty.

But when you are associating with the Sheikh, the go and its doings are quickly identified and become manifest. The ego's disguise is snatched off of it so that there, in front of you it stands, naked and exposed. Then you are surprised and exclaim: "That is none other than my ego! It was so well disguised that I took it for a very important and highly qualified advisor; but now I see it is just that same old rascal."

In this manner association with the Sheikh may help you to perceive your faults, and then, if you can take up the thread and work on those bad characteristics, improving yourself through applied effort, then you will undergo rapid improvement.

Another important point to understand is that whenever a group of our brothers or sisters meet for the sake of Allah Almighty, unanimously joining their hearts with the Masters of this Way, that meeting will attain to the level of an association with the kind of beneficial effects just described. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the only beneficial meeting is the one where the Sheikh is physically in attendance. When our brothers or sisters meet, one of them must be the channel for inspiration to come from the Sheikh: one must speak and the others listen: one must take from the Sheikh and the others, through him from the Sheikh. The Naqshbandi Way is the Sufi Path adhering most closely to the practices of the Holy Prophet, and association in this manner was his way, and the way of his companions, as he always appointed a leader to preside in his absence.

Yes, one must speak and the others must listen, this way all the meetings of our brothers are blessed. If more than one person speaks, or if there are arguments and contention, then there will be no spiritual power in that meeting and hearts will be left cold. Therefore, if we indicate that one of our brothers should make association in any meeting, you must listen to him. when you listen to him, he will be able to receive the inspirations of our Grandsheikh whose heart is in connection with our Prophet, peace be upon him, whose heart is always with the Lord Almighty. In this manner Allah Almighty is going to help that person and pour out on him from His endless Blessings, His endless Mercy, Knowledge and Favour Oceans, so that through his words the attenders of that meeting may be guided towards their destinations...

- Mawlana Sheikh Nazim Haqqani
(taken from Mercy Oceans of the Heart)


Patience

Whenever we direct our hearts towards our Lord Almighty we are immersed in inner peace, and when we turn away from Him we are stranded at the bottom of a deep and dark well seething with snakes, scorpions and spiders.

Grandsheikh (Dagestani) told me of a man who always felt aggravated by his surroundings who always felt as if people were disturbing his peace of mind. One day he got so fed up with the society of men that he decided to leave it behind and become a cave dwelling hermit. So he settled all of his affairs and retired to a remote mountainside. After searching for many days he finally found a cave suitable for his purposes, and occupied it, saying: "There is no one here and no one knows where I am. I am finally in peace."

Just as he was saying this to himself, someone passed in the valley below, looked up at the mountainside and noticed a very beautiful rock just near that cave. "I must have a piece of that colourful rock", he said to himself, began climbing the mountain and started chiseling away at the rock, tak! tak! tak!

At this the man in the cave became really exasperated and said: "Oh my Lord, I try to escape from people and You send me this! There are so many mountains, why did you have to send him to this one?

No one can escape discomfort in this life, as the Holy Prophet said, "There is no rest in this world." You may live in a city or a village, even on the side of a mountain - but all you will discover is that this life is made of unrest. We have been ordered to be patient in the face of this situation, for, "He who is patient ultimately succeeds". Allah sends us trails and burdens in accordance with our capacities, but every single person must carry some burden through this life. We will be asked to carry burdens in accordance with our faith-power. In our times believers will be loaded to their absolute capacities, as spiritually blind people have made sure to make the lives of believers as difficult as possible.

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Haqqani
(taken from Mercy Oceans : Lovestreams)