THE
ELEMENTS
OF SUFISM
(Excerpts Only)
By:
Shaykh
Fadhlalla Haeri
Chapter
7
Sufi
Practices
The
outer practices of the Sufis include varying amounts of prayers,
invocations, recitations and supplications. If a Sufi Order
developed in a nomadic environment, then we find most of their
practices being performed while the caravan is on the move, and with
many of the gatherings and circles of remembrance of God occurring
at the beginning or the end of the night, because the caravan is
stationary at these times. If a Sufi Order became active amidst the
people of the bazaar in a city such as Qum, for example, or Fes,
then we find a different pattern of practices, in which gatherings
tend to take place in the afternoon or early evening or at a time
which is convenient for shopkeepers.
...
The meditation practices and night vigils of the Sufis differ
according to the place, time and particular orientation of the
spiritual master. Some spiritual masters are far more ecstatic than
others. Some are more serious or sober in their outer manner.
However, all of them have something in common, just as master chefs
in a kitchen have the love of food and knowledge of cooking in
common. The spiritual masters share a state of inner silence and
contentment. According to them, since the creation began from
silence, anyone who wishes to start living must return to that point
of origin – utter silence – inner silence in which there is no
vision, no memory, no thought, no movement.
...
According to the Sufis, everything we witness in this creation has a
measure of polarity in it. Also, every phenomenon in creation is
cyclical. A phenomenon is seen as if it starts from one point and
ends in another and both the points meet. For example, the story of
creation begins with the hydrological cycle. Water from the ocean
evaporates, becomes cloud and then it rains and runs back to the
sea. The same principle can be applied to the outer law and the
inner reality. The Arabic word for the outer law is shari'ah which
means a road or a way. When one embarks on it, it is like putting a
canoe into the river in order to reach the ocean. If the traveler
has a unific vision, if he is a man of unity, then he will recognize
that although it is a river, it has a direction which will lead to
its original nature and reality, which is that of the ocean. The
Arabic word for the inner reality is haqiqah which means the truth.
The ocean is the inner reality and the river is the outer road. The
river would have no purpose or meaning if it was not to end at the
ocean, and yet its origin is from the ocean!
As regards the people of vision and insight, of genuine
connectedness and unity, the moment they step into the outer law,
they perceive that they have stepped into the inner reality. From
the Sufi point of view, if a person is seeking the depth of meaning
and transformation in his life, then the moment he takes on the
outer law, he at once realizes its inner meaning and spirit. For
example, the outer law obliges a person to perform outer
purification, which is a combination of ritually washing the whole
body in certain circumstances, and ritually washing only certain
parts of the body in others, before doing a prayer. Now if a person
has unific vision of life and is after the knowledge of unity, then
he will realize that this knowledge cannot be attained unless he is
both outwardly and inwardly purified, and he will extend that
requirement of the outer law. He will purify his skin and flesh, not
only by ritual washing, but also by being watchful about eating and
drinking the right type of foods and beverages. Beyond that, he will
purify his heart, his intentions and his thoughts. This is the
unific view of the outer law, or code of conduct. It simply and
directly leads to the inner reality.
The outer Islamic law, as we mentioned earlier, is the complete and
final law of God revealed to the blessed Prophet Muhammad. It is
based on the laws of conduct that were revealed directly in the
Qur`an, and on the ways and teachings of Muhammad. These laws make
it possible for every member of society to go deeper inwardly and to
evolve towards the higher consciousness which is the intention and
purpose behind this creation. Inner development, which is the aim of
Sufism, is not possible without exoteric Islam. Esoteric interest
will not be sufficient unless a person has the protection of the
outer bounds of the outer code of conduct. Water cannot be contained
without a container, nor an egg yolk without a hard shell. In the
same way, the outer law is like a shell that protects the inner core
which safely carries what would otherwise be very volatile energy.
...
From the Sufi point of view, man needs to embrace and submit to both
the outer law and the inner reality, because he encompasses both.
The human being is an isthmus, or interspace, between the two. He is
involved in the outer law, or code of behavior, in the sense that he
is a physical, material entity, and he is involved in the inner
reality in the sense that there is something within him which is
beyond time and space. So inwardly, he is inner reality, and
outwardly, he is outer law. The great Sufi masters say:
Whoever has the outer law without the inner reality has left the
right way;
Whoever has the inner reality without the outer law is a heretic;
Whoever unites the two of them has realization.
...
...
The outer Islamic Law, as stated earlier, is the culmination of all
the earlier revealed laws. Societies and cultures which follow the
original divine laws will endure. An individual or society will
benefit according to the extent to which these laws are applied. If
a society or a country acts in generosity towards the poor and the
needy, which is in accordance with all the divinely revealed laws,
then as a result of this act, much good will come to those who are
charitable. So whenever, inadvertently or advertently, an individual
or a society performs good deeds, that act is in line with the
Islamic Law. The longevity and well-being of a culture or a society
depend on how close its practices are to the original outer Islamic
Law. Since the majority of the Muslims today are not fully applying
the Islamic Law, other than superficially, they too individually and
collectively are being afflicted and punished by their own ignorance
or wrongdoing.
...
To summarize, the outer divine laws have been revealed in different
formats over a period of time according to the needs of the age, and
this process was completed in its totality 1,400 years ago. This
master plan from the unseen, from the source of all creational
realities, is part of its love and mercy upon people so that we are
not left without guidance. The prophets and messengers revealed what
was essential and necessary for the human condition. The laws and
blueprints which they brought culminated in the final blueprint
which is the Muhammadan code. Thus these various codes of outer laws
are complementary and are readings from the same book. It is like
the reading of different chapters from the same book or tablet. And
within the parameters of the divinely revealed outer laws, there is
room for man-made laws which are in harmony with them. The outer
Islamic Law, as we have mentioned earlier, provides the body of the
law, but within it the specifics – for example, how much tax
should be levied upon the population for certain imported items –
are left to the government of the day to decide. If the government
needs a certain amount of money for a particular project, and people
are wealthy, then an Islamic government can establish its own rules
in order to collect this money by means of an extra tax, even though
it is not expressly obligatory according to the Islamic Law. So
there is great scope within the Islamic Law to prescribe rules and
regulations which are appropriate to present circumstances and which
are compatible with it. It is this flexibility, based on and within
a precise form, which ensures that the outer law is indeed a means
to the inner reality, and not an obstacle that covers it up or
prevents access to it.
According to the Qur`an, the creation began with the divine command,
'Be!' (Qur`an 16:40; 19:35; 36:82). Within that command is contained
the entire book of Reality. From the Sufi point of view, every
'heart' contains a blueprint of truth. Most people know what
happiness and unhappiness are, what contentment and discontentment
are. How do they know this? How do I know that I am not content? How
do I know that I am now disturbed? My body may be completely out of
balance, and yet I will still know what balance and tranquility are,
and what discord and imbalance are. There is something within the
core of everyone which reveals the truth. That something does not
change, for it is primal and sub-genetic. Physically, everyone
appears to be different, but that which is ingrained sub-genetically
in man is his innate nature, as we mentioned earlier. The word in
Arabic for innate nature is Fitra. The original blueprint of divine
laws is preserved in this innate nature of man. If that blueprint is
not tarnished or obscured, then it is easier for a man to recognize
and acknowledge the messengers and Reality. In other words, if a
person is brought up in a clean, natural and healthy environment,
then his chance of discovering the truth and the way to freedom is
better than that of others who are caught up within adverse
environmental, racial or cultural constraints.
The Sufis always say that if you follow your 'heart', you will be
all right. God also says in the Qur`an that the 'heart' never lies.
How does one distinguish between guidance coming from the 'heart',
and that which is coming from one's emotions, desires, fears and
imagination? How does one distinguish one's original innate nature
from one's imagination? The innate nature in each one of us has been
tarnished to varying degrees, due to family and other influences
during our early life. In order to return to our original state of
innate nature, we need again the guidance of the outer code of
divine law. This is why original Islam is much more easily followed
by people who have not been educated or trained to analyze, doubt
and debate.
...
...
The way of Islam is the Adamic way of behavior. Every prophet, every
man of awakening and freedom, has been in submission and is
therefore a Muslim. Every thinker, philosopher and wise man has been
a Muslim to varying degrees of clarity and consciousness. All human
beings in fact are born in submission to natural reality and
therefore in Islam. It is the society and the parents who often then
corrupt that innate Islamic state. There are people all over the
world who discover Islam in themselves during some period of their
lives, and not as a result of having come across the conventional
religion Islam. Rather, it is an echo of something far deeper and
pre-creational which is centered in the hearts of all human beings.
However the conventions, both behavioral and conceptual, which
society, community and personal habit impose upon a person, veil
recognition of this reality. Hence we need divine laws to guide us
to lead a life which is unified and which leads to knowledge of
unity.
Original Islam has existed right from the beginning of humanity and
it was revealed in different degrees until the totality of it was
revealed through the Prophet Muhammad in such a way that God
promised to people that it would be preserved forever. Accordingly,
no one has any excuse if they try to distort or change it. The
differences that exist between the various Muslim schools of law on
matters of Islamic Law are minor and insignificant. However if
people want to see differences, then they see great differences, and
this often happens to those who do not have access to their innate
nature.
The chief purpose of Sufi practices is the restoration of wholeness
in people. The Sufi masters, therefore, prescribe different medicine
to their followers in the form of different kinds of practices with
different intensities according to the type of illness which is
being treated. We find that every Sufi Order has its own particular
invocation, its own chanting and recitation, and its own ceremonies
and methods of sitting or standing. As well as the practices which
are done collectively, the Sufi teacher often prescribes specific
remedies for particular individuals, for example, if one of his
close followers is ill or needs specific treatment, such as intense
periods of night vigils or watchfulness. Whatever their apparent
differences, one element which we find in common in all of the Sufi
Orders is a deep relationship between the spiritual master and the
close follower. The relationship is based on trust, love and
obedience to the master. It is said that the best follower for a
master is like a rag in the hands of a washerman. It is through such
submissiveness and obedience that the meaning of the teaching of the
spiritual master is quickly absorbed.
...
...
There is no doubt, however, that any meditation or divine adoration
and invocation or recitation is spiritually helpful. It is like
taking a general tonic which helps everyone, whatever their ailments
may be. However in the case of acute or chronic illness, a tonic
only brings temporary and limited relief, and the services of a
skilled physician are required. The various forms of remembrance of
Allah of every Sufi Order are helpful. Every recitation that has
come from the genuine spiritual master does have some benefit, even
for the one who recites them without having had them prescribed for
him, but when a specific form of remembrance of Allah is
individually prescribed by a spiritual master, and is transmitted
from heart to heart, then an effective step towards freedom has been
taken.
The Arabic word for remembrance is dhikr. Remembrance is of several
types or levels. There is the remembrance of physical things which
are in front of us, and there is the remembrance of one's desires,
anxieties and so on. Along the spiritual path, remembrance relates
to that which is in one's innate nature. It is the remembrance of
the Essence of God the Almighty, of the Source of all manifestations
and attributes. That source is within everybody. On the Sufi path,
one is required to dis-remember everything else that is discernible,
everything that is other than God, in order to return to the
original remembrance. Allah. The Arabic word for remembrance of God
is dhikru'llah.
So the original remembrance of God is already in every heart,
whether one is aware of it or not. Through the guidance of a
spiritual master, the seeker is led beyond, to a level where there
is no remembrance of anything that is mentionable. Then that which
has always been there, encompassing everything, is evidently
experienced and witnessed. The purpose of Sufi practices is to be
spontaneously aware of the absolute or central reality as well as
remaining aware of the physical and material limitations of the
phenomenal world which surrounds us. One is an inner awareness
beyond the senses, and the other is an outer awareness which is
based on the senses. So the aim of a Sufi teacher is to give the
appropriate practices to his close follower and to watch over the
results.
...
...
A very important Sufi practice is watchfulness. The Arabic word for
watchfulness is muraqabah. It is practiced in order to witness and
sublimate one's own state. With the practice of watchfulness comes
greater and greater sensitivity which results in the ability to
witness the 'opening' within. Concentrated and advanced watchfulness
occurs in retreat. During retreat, and when the real opening occurs,
the seeker will recognize the vast emptiness and timelessness within
himself. This is the culmination, so to speak, of self-awareness and
self-watchfulness, and the beginning of what is considered as the
process of gnostic awakening or enlightenment. All this means is
that the person is conscious at all times of the indescribable state
within, which has no limits.
We often come across the practice of retreat combined with other
spiritual practices prescribed for 40 days. Why 40 days? In the
natural world, there are numerous natural laws, many of which are
cyclical. There are also many biological laws, such as those
regulating reproduction and feeding, which follow a certain rhythm
and time cycle. In the case of spiritual nourishment or
rehabilitation, there are also optimum durations and frequencies.
...
The Sufi master places a seeker in retreat when he is fully prepared
for it in body, mind and heart. The Arabic word for retreat is
khalwa. Once in spiritual retreat, the purpose is, by means of
remembrance of Allah and watchfulness, to leave all thoughts behind
and through single-pointedness experience pure consciousness. During
a close follower's retreat, his intake of food must be carefully
regulated by the spiritual master. Equally, his mental, emotional
and spiritual state is watched. Spiritual retreat and remembrance of
God are of no use unless the seeker is ready to leave all aspects of
creation behind him. One form of spiritual retreat is called a
chilla, which means 40, and its duration is 40 days. It is said that
when a person is ready to be locked up for 40 days, a breakthrough
or opening may be achieved earlier, before the 40 days have been
completed.
...
Numerous Sufi masters and saints have come up with certain
invocations, recitations, chants and supplications which help the
seeker to purify and uplift himself. Circles and gatherings of
remembrance of God are held to help purify the self by means of
abandoning thought and concern with mundane affairs. Much help comes
by concentrating on a special, specific sound repeatedly. The energy
that emanates from the presence of many people in a circle of
remembrance of Allah creates 'openings' to the 'heart' and produces
light-heartedness in the seekers. Different spiritual masters,
according to different circumstances and times, have brought about
different remedies for curing the maladies of the self.
...
...
Most of the Sufi Orders practice remembrance of Allah by chanting or
singing, with the occasional use of musical instruments, especially
drums. Music has entered into the practices of the Sufi Orders in a
very limited way, and often for a temporary period under the
guidance of a spiritual master. In the case of the Indian
sub-Continent, the Sufis found that the Hindus were already very
fond of music, so they also used music in order to bring them to the
path of self-awareness, remembrance of God and joyful abandonment.
So although musical instruments were used for that purpose and with
that intention, they were however generally considered to be
unnecessary distractions. Most of what is sung is concerned with the
spiritual path and has no relationship to ordinary songs. They are
often descriptions of how to liberate oneself from one's own
shackles and how to be awakened.
...
Particular importance is attached to special places and times by
spiritual masters for meditation, supplication and other spiritual
practices. There are certain places which have natural qualities
that are affected by, for example, the earth's electromagnetic field
and closeness to granite mountains or rivers and other sources of
water. There are numerous places on this earth where people feel an
affinity or a desire to be there. Also there are places which are
repulsive, such as, for example, near high voltage electric power
lines, which frighten away most animals who can feel the bad
vibrations and who accordingly avoid such contamination, unlike most
human beings who are not so sensitive.
Obviously, every place has a certain energy or eco-system. There are
certain places on this earth which have a high energy concentration,
such as Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem and the shrines of the earlier
prophets and the great saints, spiritual masters and spiritual
leaders, to which people are constantly drawn. When one visits these
places, one feels that a great event once took place there, and this
feeling is often helpful in healing the heart and raising one's
spiritual level. These places help a great deal if a person is
guided and prepared to uplift his state.
...
...
The enlightened master sees the entire cosmos in his heart. He
regards his heart as the sacred house of worship of God at the
center of the cosmos. He sees Allah's trace at all times everywhere.
However, for a lay person, in spiritual maters, it appears as if God
is more present at certain times and in certain places than at other
times or places.
The ultimate purpose of all genuine Sufi practices is the
experiential awakening into the infinite realities as they unfold in
their own natural way within each heart. The sparks of light that
emanate from within are innumerable and infinite in their
combination and permutation, engulfing all attributes, and yet their
essence is one. The real Sufi will not rest until he is established
in the knowledge of the essence, and when that occurs, all other
lights, manifestations and glorious attributes fade in the
effulgence of that inner awakening.
