In the course of his recently concluded Tour of India in the second half of January 2017, Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius spoke profoundly and movingly on themes of spiritual discipline and progress, addressing both his disciples and other seekers of higher spiritual wisdom. Over the course of several sessions of engagement with his disciples, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) elaborated on the subject of 'Zikrullah', arguably the most important method for the spiritual elevation of the human soul. Based on deep personal experiences of being in a state of 'Zikr' and being vouchsafed with frequent Divine revelations, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) explains the subtle points of practical wisdom to be deployed in the human quest for acceding to the Higher Presence and exhorts one and all to partake of the Divine treasures by following the ways and means of 'Zikr' elaborated here.
Reproduced below is the main text of the Speech delivered on the morning of January 17, 2017 at the Noor'ul Islam Masjid, Mathra:
My dear disciples and seekers
of truth,
May the Peace and Blessings
of God Almighty (Allah) be upon you.
I have chosen today to
address you through one of the revealed texts I received from Allah on the
Remembrance of God Almighty (in Arabic, the personal name for God is Allah,
whose name literally means The One without any associate, without any partner).
Holy is His name and most powerful is He above all creations.
O Allah! Pour down Your
blessings on Muhammad (peace be upon him), his family and his companions, and
may them be in peace always! Praise be to Allah Who opens sealed hearts by His
remembrance, His thoughts, the Zikr of His name.
Zikrullah, that is, the Remembrance of
God Almighty is the greatest Zikr (that is, Remembrance) which
can exist.
Verily, the remembrance of
Almighty Allah is the key to salvation; it is the light, the lamp which
illumines the soul by the grace of Allah, the Generous One, the Victorious One.
The remembrance of Allah is the foundation of the path leading to Allah. It is
the central pivot which holds fast to the wise people who have realised the
existence of Allah.
The remembrance of Allah
represents liberation from the state of ignorance, forgetfulness and
insouciance by an ever constant presence of our heart before the Truth,
Reality. We can describe Zikr as being the repetition of the
name of the One whom we are thinking about, with our heart and tongue.
Whenever we are remembering
Allah Himself, or remembering Him by one of His attributes, one of His
commandments, or one of His marvels, and so on, all these are one and the same;
that is, they form part of Zikr. The remembrance of Allah can
take the form of a supplication to Allah, it can take the form of the
remembrance of His messages, His prophets, His saints or anybody who have deep
connection with Allah, or who is close to Allah. It can take the form of a deed
such as the recitation of the Holy Quran, a poem or an anecdote in relation to
the religion of Allah.
Therefore, according to the
extended definition of the word Zikr, we can relatively say that the
theologian, that is, the one who is interested in acquiring divine knowledge, a
person who remembers Allah a lot, is a Muslim jurist (fuquha) filled with the thought of Allah in everything he does. Anyone
who meditates on the Grandeur, Majesty and Absolute Power of Allah the
Almighty, and also meditates on His signs in the heavens and earth, he is
someone who is filled with the thoughts of Allah. Anyone who observes
faithfully all commandments of Allah, and stays far away from the
divinely-instructed forbidden things, is someone who holds the name of Allah
dear to his heart, remembering Him with the same fervour as he takes in his
every breath.
One can do Zikr
with the tongue, heart, or other parts of the body. He can engage himself in it
secretly or openly, but the one who combines in himself all forms of Zikr,
brings Zikr to its perfection.
When we talk about Zikr
with the means of the tongue, we understand from it that the names of Allah are
pronounced without the presence of the mind. We call it the “Outer
Remembrance”. According to the Quran, Hadiths and my own personal analysis,
this “Outer Remembrance” is of utmost importance, and holds great
virtues and merits.
Zikr: Two categories
We can classify Zikr
in two categories, according to their limits judged by time and place or
without defining the limits of time and place.
The first category, that is, Zikr
limited by time and place, we can find: the five daily prayers, the pilgrimage
to Mecca, Zikr before going to sleep, Zikr when waking up,
before we eat, or when entering a vehicle etc.
The second category, that is,
Zikr
which is not limited by time and place (that is, your spiritual state), we can
count the Zikr which is related to the glorification or praise of Allah,
for example: Soubhan Allah (Glory to
Allah), Alhamdolillah (Praise to
Allah), La Ilaaha Illallah (There is
no god save Allah), Allahu Akbar
(Allah is Great), La hawla wa la quwwata
illa billahil Aliy-al-Azim (There is neither power nor force except through
Allah).
In this second category, we
can include also supplications, invocations which are found in the Quran, the Darood
(sending of blessings upon the Holy Prophet of Islam) or personal prayers and
invocations. This form of Zikr has a greater impact on the
heart of the people who have just begun this spiritual exercise for through
these practices they feel closer to the One whom they are supplicating. This
form of Zikr touches more easily their hearts and plunges them in a
reverential state which is associated with fear of Allah.
Moreover, we can include in
the second category what we call the “state of vigilance”. We can illustrate
this by different situations when we begin reflecting profoundly in the state
of meditation on certain realities like “Allah is with me”, “Allah is seeing
me”, or “Allah is watching me”.
Verily, Zikr is an extraordinary
means to reinforce, to give all the more strength to the materialisation of our
actual presence before Allah the Almighty, to establish and maintain an
appropriate conduct before Allah. It is an extraordinary means to assure
protection against forgetting Allah, against insouciance. It is a refuge
against evil; it is an extraordinary help to sharpen our concentration and
attention during Ibaadat, the acts of
worship.
There is no form of Zikr
which does not have a specific result which is associated with it, and whatever
form you engage yourselves in will give you aptitude, and power,
characteristics which it holds. Zikr done in a state of vigilance
and receptivity brings to illumination, but only in relation to the Zikr
which is being done.
Zikr is an interior reality, in
which the one whom we are thinking or meditating about, that is, Allah, takes
possession of our heart, whereas at the same time, we feel completely detached
from this world, we feel non-existent, that is, if we may say, we cease to
exist. The heart deep in Zikr constitutes of a seed covered
by three shells, one over the other. The heart is found beyond these shells,
but the shells are important, for you must pass through them before gaining
access to the heart.
The exterior shell is Zikr
of the tongue only. The one engaging himself in Zikr must continue to do
so with the tongue and at the same time by furnishing the necessary efforts to
make the heart participate in harmony in Zikr. The heart must acknowledge its
presence in Zikr. If we let the heart free in its own nature, then
definitely it will err, and lose itself in the world of imaginations. Thus with
Zikr,
it will pursues all sorts of thoughts, till it will finally merge with the
tongue’s exercises. When this happens, the light of the heart will burn all
passions and evil. Little by little Zikr of the heart will gain more and
more value and will dominate the now weakened Zikr of the tongue. The
body and soul will be filled with light, and the heart will be purified, and
will rid itself of all that which is not of divine origin. When we reach this
stage, all temptations lose their power and there remains no place for evil. The
heart undergoes a transformation and becomes a recipient of divine
inspirations; it becomes a clear mirror which reflects divine revelations and
deep knowledge. When Zikr invades the heart and the whole
body, then each particle of the body is absorbed in Zikr, depending on the
state of spiritual which you are in.
Zikr is like fire which neither
stays in the same place nor spread. When it enters a home, it says: “It’s
Me, there is no one besides Me.” This in fact is another way to express: “Laa
Ilaaha Illallah” (There is no god except Allah). If it sees straws or bits
of wood which can light fire, it will burn and fire will be ignited. If it sees
darkness, Zikr will become light and brighten the whole house. If there
is already light in this house, then Zikr will become “a light upon
light”.
By analogy, we can describe
the same thing for a body. Zikr removes impurities which soil
the body in the aftermath of intemperance (indiscipline) in the act of eating
or in the consumption of forbidden food. Zikr does not defile that which is
legal (Halal). When negative elements have been removed by Zikr,
each part of the body will participate in Zikr (as if the Hour has come).
At first, it is in the mind
which Zikr takes place. Thus it is in this part of the body which you
will experience the sound of the like of cymbals and trumpets. Zikr
has strength in itself. When it alights in a place, it awakens it with trumpets
and cymbals for it opposes all except Truth. When Zikr establishes itself
in a place, it works hard to repulse all evils, all negative sounds and impulses
just like water extinguishes fire. Just like the rushing of water, the sound of
the sweet breeze, sounds of fire, and leaves etc. can be heard.
These experiences are found
in the fact that man is composed of all elements, be them noble substances or
vile ones; such elements as water, air, sky and earth – sounds come from these
sources (nature). All fundamentals of nature extract their essence from these
substances. The one who gets to hear something out of these sounds glorify
Allah and declares with his tongue that Allah is Holy. He does so with full
confidence and intense absorption. When arriving at this stage, it may be that
the servant stops practicing Zikr with his tongue, but instead
makes his heart absorb completely in Zikr, just like the movements of a
child in the womb of its mother.
The heart is the reflection
of our love for Allah and His Messenger Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and
Zikr
is pure milk nourishing that heart. When the heart expands and gains in
strength, then a desire to know the Truth begin to develop naturally in it. Then,
signs and sorrows of desires in Zikr becomes apparent in the quest
of the one whom the heart is seeking, and in the present case, the purpose, the
aim, the goal is Allah in all His glory. The Zikr of the heart is like
the buzzing of bees, which is neither too loud nor too low. When the one whom
we are remembering (that is, Allah) possesses our heart, and Zikr
disappears, the one engaging himself in Zikr must not consider the Zikr
and his own heart. If he does so, this will distance him from the aim of his Zikr
(that is, Allah). This will become like a veil barring his way from perceiving
Allah.
That is what we call
disappearance of ego (fana): he loses himself (in Allah), that is he
forgets all about himself to concentrate on the purpose of his Zikr.
He stops feeling his own body and surroundings, but rather takes conscience in
the first stage of his voyage towards his Creator, then he takes conscience of
himself. Self-effacement is in a way the beginning of the path: this is the
journey or rather the voyage towards Allah the Most High. “Guidance” comes
afterwards. By the word “Guidance”, we understand that it is the guidance from
Allah, like described by the Friend of Allah, the Khalillullah Hazrat Ibrahim
(on him be peace):
“I am going to my
Lord; He will guide me.” (Surah 37, Verse 100)
It is rare that the state of
complete absorption last. If the one engaging himself in Zikr persists in his
efforts, he will develop a habit which is firmly rooted in him, and it develops
in a permanent state where the person can fly into higher worlds. In this state
of absorption, he can perceives the Pure and Real Being (that is, Allah), and
the reality of the invisible world (al-Malakut) can be felt in him, and
the holiness of divinity can be revealed to him.
The first thing in this domain
which is manifested to him who does Zikr is the essence of angels, the
spirits, the souls of the prophets and saints, and all these in beautiful
forms, and through which some truths and realities are revealed to him. This is
only the beginning, then the degree of his realisation becomes more important
in nature till it exceeds all forms, and comes to recognise the essence of
Truth in all things.
This is in brief the fruit of
the essence of Zikr. Its beginning concerns the tongue only; then we have Zikr
of the heart, but this is attained with a little more effort, then comes Zikr
with the heart which comes naturally (without efforts), and then comes the
possession of the heart by Allah and complete effacement of the one engaging
himself in Zikr. This is the secret found in the Hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) who says: . “The
one who desires to participate in the festivities held in the gardens of
paradise, must remember Allah frequently.” There is another Hadith which
states:“Secret Zikr, which is hidden, is seventy times better than Zikr which the angels (guardians) hear
(and note down).”
The sign which indicate that Zikr
has attained the profound secret of the interior of man is the absence of the
one doing Zikr in his Zikr. The Zikr of the profound
interior becomes ecstasy, total immersion in ecstasy. Amongst its signs we find
out that if one abandons Zikr, on the other hand, Zikr
does not leave him. This is called the exalted state of Zikr which this person
experiences which is inside him, which removes him from a state of insouciance,
absence to reality to make him feel the presence of Reality. Another sign is
the feeling that you are tied up, body and mind, in chains. Moreover, its flame
never extinguishes and the spiritual light never fades away. All the time you
witness the rise of divine light, whereas other lights are made to fade, and at
the same time you feel the heat of a sacred and pure fire around you. When Zikr
attains the profound of a person’s being, at that moment this Zikr
becomes like a needle which pierce the tongue, and one feels Zikr
pervading his whole being with an ever intense light.
Zikr and the three types of
souls:
There are three kinds of
souls:
1) An-Nafs al-Amaarah bi’s-su
(the soul prone to evil)
2) An-Nafs al-Lawwamah (the
self accusing soul)
3) An-Nafs al-Mutmainah (the
soul at peace)
1. An-Nafs al-Amaarah bi’s-su
(the soul prone to evil)
The soul prone to evil
directs man to follow his instincts or physical natural, and it forces you to
engage in activities liable to satisfy only his physical and sensual appetite. As
for its effect on the heart, it abases it in a world of vices, immorality and
evil. This is the soul of the majority among mankind. This soul is filled with obscurity,
and thus for it, Zikr represents a light-giving lamp, ready to fill its realm
with divine light, and casting aside this dreaded darkness.
2. An-Nafs al-Lawwamah (the self
accusing soul)
This is the soul which is
brightened with the light of the heart, which is proportional with the degree
of its conscience and oblivion. This soul is self-caring and begins to bring a
change in its situation, which vacillate between Allah and creatures. Each time
that something bad comes out from this soul which blames itself, due to its
nature and its dark character, the “beware” divine light comes upon him, and
thus it begins to blame itself. The soul feels regrets, repents for all its
mistakes, and asks Allah to forgive it. It stays before the door of Allah the All-Forgiving,
Ever Merciful. For this reason, Allah respects it and mentions on its account: “I
swear by the Day of Judgement Day; I swear by the self-accusing soul.”)
It is as if this soul finds
itself in a house where there are lots of bad things, like filth, pigs etc.,
but then it starts working hard, with patience to eliminate all these wrongs
and filth. But sometimes, while cleaning the “house” from all filth, he gets
contaminated with this filth. When this happens, the soul reproach itself, and
continue to recall Allah in Zikr and turn to Him in repentance
till the power of Zikr overcomes the wrongs and eliminate them. The soul comes close to the state of acquiring
peace, and continues to furnish and decorate its house with beautiful and clean
things, till the house brightens with a special light, and become a real home.
When this happens, the Sovereign Lord (Allah) descends upon such soul, and
Truth manifests through it, and thus is born a united soul (where the duality
between Creator and creature disappear); and thus the soul ultimately finds
peace.
3. An-Nafs al-Mutmainah (the
soul at peace)
This soul is illumined by the
light of the heart in such a way that all bad qualities and blemishes leave it
and other virtuous qualities replace them. The soul turn itself completely in
the direction of the heart, and these virtuous qualities remains with it till
its ascension in the world of holiness (alam-al
quds) which is far away from all impurities, whereby the soul is completely
under the obedience of Allah, in a state of peace and tranquillity in the
presence of “The One who elevates ranks” till its Lord addresses it as thus:
“O soul at peace! Return towards your Lord,
happy with Him and Him happy (satisfied) with you; enter therein amongst My
pious servants in the Garden (of Paradise).”
These are the stages in Zikr
and the stages of the soul which each one of you should strive to go through
and overcome so that you may reach the highest stage which is possible for you
to attain in this era of Divine Manifestation. You are light-bearers; bearers
of the good news of the manifestations of Allah through the advent of a
Messenger of Allah.
The one who truly wants to connect to Allah should strive
to follow this advice of mine, for he does Zikr in the right was
as prescribed, then he shall accede to the hidden world, step by step, as
allowed to him by Allah, to discover the beauty of Zikr, and the
nearness of Allah. May Allah enable you to do so, and fully understand the
practice of His Zikr and illumine your pathway leading to Him. Insha-Allah,
Ameen.