بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
و الصلاة و السلام على أشرف المرسلين
و على اله و اصحابه أجمعين
After the second century, when the Companions and their followers ascended into heaven, people felt the need to come back to asceticism, to abstinence, they felt the need to live again with the barest minimum in this duniya, to dedicate themselves to the True One…And the people who applied that were called Sufi.
This state of awareness and awakening soon became a call to return to the example left by the pious predecessors, an invitation to be patient with those who call their Lord in the morning and the evening desiring His Face. This call was and is based on the intern Vision of the Beloved’s ﷺ blazing Light.
Once, two bedouins came to meet the Prophet ﷺ and one of them said: “O Messenger of Allah ! Who is the best of the people ?” He answered: “He whose life is long and his deeds are good”. The bedouin said: “The laws and conditions of Islam have become too many for us. Tell me something that would allow us to follow all the laws at the same time.” The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Keep your tongue always moist with dhikrullah.”
[Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, hadith n°17339].
Dhikr is central to all actions, it is the talsam gathering all the esoteric meanings of the religion, it is the supreme spirit moving in each member of the divine Law body.
Allah ﷻ says: “the Most Merciful, so ask about Him one well informed. (Khabir)”
[sourah al Fourqân, verse 59].
The notion of Shaykh contains clear indications and meanings which are not understood by all. Indeed, most of people lessen the significance of this notion just as the rights of the one who deserves this status. The Book of Allah mentions the term Khabir, but who is the Khabir. The Kabir is the one who tasted the deep meanings of the establishment (istiwa’) of the letter Nun in the Name Arrahman (The Most gracious). He is the one who received Knowledge directly from Allah (‘ilm laduni) in such a way that his Spirit took the upper hand over the nature of his being which is created from dust. In this way, each atoms which are constituting him will be perfumed with the Divine Name.
The Khabir is the one who perfectly realised himself in the letter Ba’ of the Basmala, His feet are firmly anchored in the state of servitude ( Ubudiyya). He is the title of Existence, He is the True One’s ( al Haqq) consideration point in this Universe. He is the heart of this World.
In the cosmos of his existence, all the beings remember their Lord and the shadows of existence conform with his spiritual dimension. The Universe and all it contains are in his presence equivalent to a dust particle.
The Khabir was chosen by the True one to be the Muhammadan torch. Allah unified him to the throne of Love, He gave him The Stick of good manners as symbol of authority. He taught him his Name so he can know the Named.
Here is an overview of the khabir… and what is still hidden is even more sublime. Allah ﷻ says : “and for every people is a guide”.
[surah al Ra’d / verse 7].
In this way, within each people is a person who can light and show the Way. He is the lantern which draws its Light from the Light of the Allah’s Messenger (sallAllah alaihi wa sallam). This Light were transmitted from generation to generation through the initiatory chain.
The guide has been totally annihilated by the True One in His Presence, He now only lives through the divine Light. He received the clothes of Guidance and the sword of determination and of reverential fear. The True One taught Him what he did not know. He is the inheritor of the divine call : “say : “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is Forgiving, the Merciful””.
[surah al Zumar, verse 53].
The shaykh of our shuyukh, Sayidi al ‘Alawi (qudassa Allah sirrahu) said in one of his poems:
The breath of the Merciful has exhaled
Coming from the East (al Yamn)
in the shape of a man
and of a Spirit coming from me
This time honors me
accept me as being
unique in my time
alone in my country
I am the ink of gnosis
I am the built citadel
I am the Light of everything
I am in a such way that everything is under me
I am the Essence of Faith
I am the Pole of the religion
I am neither a man
nor a djinn
I am the Secret of the Merciful
and everything comes from me
That is why the Koran tells us : “and follow the way of those who turn back to Me.
[surah Luqman / verse 14].
In other words : follow the way and the methodology of the Saints and the Salikoun on the perfect Way. Follow those who turn back to Me in repentance at all times. (Sālik is a term for a follower of sufism.Its root is the verb salaka which means to travel or follow. It is related to sulūk “pathway”. Sulūk here specifically refers to a spiritual path).
The author of Al Bahr al Madid said in his exegesis about this following verse : “Be grateful to Me and to your parents ; to Me is the final destination. But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in this world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me. Then to Me will be your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do”.
[surah Luqman / verse 14 15].
“This verse was sent down for Sa’d ib abi Waqqas. When the Umma (the islamic community) suffered during three nights because no one could find something to eat, He went to complain to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. And it has been said that the verse “follow the way of those who turn back to Me” refers to Abu Bakr, because he is the reason of Sa’d’s conversion to Islam.
Good manners with parents is an obligation for all even for the elite. We have to obey them in everything they ask except in the case they do not permit the companionship of a Murshid Shaykh, because He is the one who purifies the heart from hidden Shirk which can be found in everyone. Murshid: means “guide” or “teacher” in Arabic.
Shirk: In islam, Shirk means ascribing or the establishment of “partners” placed beside God. It is the vice that is opposed to the virtue of Tawhid
so this verse tells us : “if they endeavor you to associate Me with other than Me, by using your passion or by using your love for them, then do not obey them but accompany them in this world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me.“ “Those who turn back to Me” refers to the murshid Shaykh who teaches by the spiritual Knowledge.
The words of al Junayd demonstrate that: “My father ordered me to do something, while Sirri ordered me something else ; I made Sirri’s order prevail and I found a huge in that.”
The great Waliy and Shaykh of our Shuyukh, sidi Yussuf al Fassi had a young disciple who was the son of an influential man of the city. His father forbade him to visit his Shaykh. But each time the young man visited his shaykh, His father punished him. Despite that, The Shaykh used to tell him : « Obey your father in everything he asks you except on visiting us.”
[Tafsir al Bahr al Madid fi tafsir al Quran al Majid / sidi Ahmad ibn Ajiba].
So follow the path of pious people, follow the path of the one on who appeared the Light of the True One, a physical and concrete Light not a metaphorical nor allegorical light. Follow the path of the one who entierly dedicated himself to Allah making him one of the people of Ihsan. Hold on to Him. You ignore it but he is the secret of intercession.
Allah ﷻ say : “Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, so from their guidance take an example”.
[surah al an’am/ verse 90].
It is through The Name that He has guided them to the Named and it is through the Haqiqa (truth) that they reached the True One (al Haqq) : Their way is way of worship which is preserved and purified from any space for the ego and from iblis incursions.
Saydi ibn ‘Ajiba says: “those masters have been privileged over the people of their Time because they have been guided to Him by the Lights of Tawhid and by the Secret of the uniqueness and by what was reserved for them in terms of fullfilment in the state of servitude (‘ubuddiyyah) and by their goods manners with the sublimity of the Lordship (rububiyyah). In this way, in the Words adressed to his Beloved ﷺ “from their guidance take an example” are the keys permitting to reach this prevalence.so Anyone who will follow them scrupulously on what was quoted will be a part of the privileged people of his Time.
It is in his Beloved ﷺ that He gathered together what He shared with others, permitting them to get more love and higher degrees. He ﷺ is the Master (Sayeed) of the Awaleen (the First) and of the Akhireen (the last) and anyone who follows scupulously His example from his gestures, from his words, from his manners will reach a degree of prevalence according to the how those examples are followed.
As for the order given by Allah ﷻ to take an example from their guidance. He always had good manners (adab), even before Allah ﷻ rose him to a degree which was specifically kept for him.
Prophets have their own path and their own spiritual elevation as well as the saints (awliyah) have theirs.”
[Tafsir al Bahr al Madid fi Tafsir al Qu’ran al Majid/ Sidi Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba].
but the True One (al Haqq) wanted the verse aforementioned to be followed by this one: “And they did not appraise Allah with true appraisal”
[surah al an’am/ verse 91].
So He who does not give importance to Allah’s chosen people, he will not give importance to Allah ﷻ Himself and he has in reality showed contempt for what Allah has given importance and what he has honored and belittled what Allah has loved. These chosen people are the true servants. They asked you to feed them but you did not, because of your ignorance and the layers of illusion covering the eye of your heart.
The Beloved ﷺ said:
“Allah will say on the Day of Judgment: “Son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me.”
“My Lord, How could I visit You when You are the Lord of the Worlds?”
“Did you not know that one of My servants was sick and you didn’t visit him? If you had visited him you would have found Me there.”
Then Allah will say: “Son of Adam, I needed food but you did not feed Me.”
“My Lord, How could I feed You when You are the Lord of the Worlds?”
“Did you not know that one of My servants was hungry but you did not feed him? If you had fed him you would have found its reward with Me.”
“Son of Adam: I was thirsty, but you did not give Me something to drink.”
“My Lord, How could I give a drink when You are the Lord of the Worlds?”
“Did you not know that one of My servants was thirsty but you did not give him a drink? If you had given him a drink, you would have found its reward with Me.”
[sahih Muslim, hadith 4668].
These servants did not ask you to feed them because hunger never affected them. For they are those who stay all the night with their Lord who feed and water them. They asked you because they wanted you to fell a part of their Proximity with the Divinity and to share with you their perfume. They only show you gentleness while your only wish is to flee from them.
How could their Lights flow in you while you distanced yourself from them and while you fled away from their companionship ? You claim you can do without them, you claim you do not need intermediary in your relation with your Lord, while through ignorance in reality, you are drowning in the Talut’s Separation river.
Your “I” totally took over your being. Come to us….we will erase it with The Truth’s Ha’. Each time you try to distance yourself from us, you are in reality coming closer. In your evasion is your allegiance (bay’a).
We are what you need and in the same time, we are unavoidable for you. We are the antidote which cures the poison of your ego. You must find the one who will let pass the camel of you ego through the needle of your soul.In front of us, there is no loopholes. We are your spotless origin.
