DIVINE REMEMBRANCE A Divine Medicine
DIVINE REMEMBRANCE Table of Contents Titlle Page no. 1. Prayers and its importance in our lives 2 2. Giryah-u zari A Divine Medicine 5 3. Importance of Prayers 8 4. Various Kinds of Prayers (Dhik r) 9 5. Kinds of Divine Remembrance -Rapid Remembrance 13 1
FARMANS - REGULAR PRAYER: Prayers and its importance in our lives If you know your Du c a, then you can be sure that whatever problems you have, whatever difficulties you have, whatever sorrow you have, you will always get happiness from your prayers, and I want all of you always to remember this. Nairobi, 7 th September, 1963 I would also like that each and every one of you should remember that you must be regular in your prayers, for this is what will remind you of the shortness of this life and the greatness of the life hereafter. I would like you to be strong and courageous in adversity, to be humble in success and understand that this success is not only due to human intelligence. I do not want my spiritual children to forget that life on this earth is but a very short passage in eternity, and you must not believe that you are here for what is only one existence and that thereafter you have to account for nothing. It is most important that you should be regular in prayers and I insist on this because I know my Jamat will understand this, and that they will get from prayers and from observance of their religious duties that happiness which cannot be found anywhere else nor be replaced by anything else. Lahore, 25 th November, 1964 I am watching you everyday, every single day of the year. I follow your success or your failure with great interest and I want you to know that I wish you to succeed. So work hard, come to Jamatkhana regularly, for a man without prayers is a man who has no use on this earth. So come to Jamatkhana regularly, for a man without prayers is a man who has no use on this earth. So come to Jamatkhana, practice your Faith regularly and work hard. I give to you my most affectionate blessings. Remember to pray and work hard. Khanavadan, Khanavadan. Nairobi, 10 th December, 1961 There is only one sure key to happiness and that is prayer. Most of you will know that if you have a difficult time or if you have some personal unhappiness, the only real source of healing is prayer. Now, you cannot turn to prayer only when times are difficult: you must pray also when times are good. Nairobi, 13 th October, 1959 Spiritual Happiness and Healing in Prayers Satisfaction of heart is attained from the blessings of Divine remembrance, as is said in verse (13:28): Verily in the remembrance of God do the hearts find satisfaction. Since the hearts are in different ranks, therefore, from the beginning to the end, satisfaction comprises of various ranks. 2
In verses (89:27-30) satisfaction is praised with the following magnificence: "O the satisfied soul! Return unto your Lord, pleased and pleasing! Enter among My (chosen) servants and enter My Paradise." This Qur'anic teaching teaches the wisdom that the result of all good words and deeds in the life of a mu'min is true satisfaction, and at the highest level of satisfaction, there is the return to God. Divine remembrance is among the additional prayers (nawafil). It is extremely necessary to know its supreme purpose, so that, those who want its everlasting wealth, may be sure of its blessed and sacred results. Thus it is said in Bukhari, Kitabu r riqaq, Chapter 844, Hadith 1422: My servant always seeks my closeness through additional prayers until I love him. When I love him, I become his ear with which he hears, and I become his eye with which he sees and I become his hand with which he grasps and I become his foot by which he walks. This habit and law of God continues forever. The practical models of this supreme bliss are the Prophets and Awliya and this is an invitation for every Muslim to follow their practice. Thus, such fortunate people who are friends of God attain all this through the supreme elixir of Divine remembrance. With regard to the success of Divine remembrance, there is a great teaching in the second last verse of Suratu l-a c raf (6:205) and that is: And remember your Lord within yourself with humility and with fear; in a voice not loud, in the morning and the evening, and be not of the heedless ones. Thus from the above verse it is clear that God must be remembered in the depth of the heart, namely, the soul, with utmost humility and great fear. If this humility is real, that is, it is deep in the recesses of the heart or is the result of serene and serious giryah-u zari, then it is the germicidal medicine of spirituality, by using which, all false thoughts are killed. And the fear of God is that preventive medicine, which protects the heart from such germs. In the wise Qur an, God has praised the people of intellect. One of these wisdom filled verses is: Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and (in) the 3
alteration of night and day, there are signs for the people of intellect, who remember God standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord You have not created this for vanity. Purified are you! Guard us against the chastisement of the Fire (3:190-191). This heavenly teaching is that intellect and wisdom, thinking and reflection, recognition of God, and attainment of Paradise, are all the rewards of such a remembrance of God, which according to the above-mentioned verse, continues in every position of sitting and standing. Two companions are appointed for every human heart: one is the angel and the other is the devil. It is obvious that as a result of Divine remembrance, the angel gets a chance to act, and contrary to it, from its negligence, the devil as this Qur anic verse (43:36) testifies to it: And whoso blinds himself to the remembrance of the Beneficent, to him We assign a devil who becomes his comrade (in every breath). The other side of this Divine law is that, whoso remembers God, for him is assigned an angel, so that, there should not be any defect in Divine justice and equity. The voice of dhikr-u bandagi, knowledge and wisdom, is medicine, healing and health for the human heart. Contrary to this, the voice of the devil, whether from mankind or jinn (6: 112), is sickness for it. Therefore, every wise Muslim should keep their heart immersed in the echo of Divine remembrance and thereby, the whispering of the devil is stopped and the angel casts a luminous tawfiq-u ta yid (spiritual help) (58:22). Divine remembrance is like a rope hung between divinity and humanity. It is like a spiritual bridge, or in other words a straight path on which the light of guidance increases step by step and stage by stage. Thus through Divine remembrance, the eternal link of the Creator and the creature is renewed every time. In the remembrance of God, there is a luminous world like Paradise, the wonders and marvels of which are beyond description and in it lay the priceless treasures of the lasting happiness and delights of the intellect and the soul. 4
Giryah-u zari A Divine Medicine Girya-u zari is a compound Persian word consisting of giryah and zari. Literally giryah means to weep and shed tears and zari means to consider one self feeble, infirm and weak. In actuality, it signifies that tasbih-u ibadat, which is performed with utmost humility, tenderness of heart and flowing tears. It is said in a Noble Hadith: "Oh! and indeed there is a lump of flesh in the body. When it is good, the whole body is good and when it is bad, the whole body is bad. Oh! and it is the heart" (Bukhari. Vol.l, p. 44). In the above Hadith there is a sacred teaching that, every mu'min should strive to be righteous and protect their heart from all diseases. According to the teachings of the Holy Qur an, such level of purity can be achieved only through giryah-u zari, for it contains all the good qualities and virtues of piety and pure heartedness. There is a Prophetic Tradition, mentioned in Da c a im-ul Islam, which says: There is no drop dearer to God than a drop of blood (shed) in the way of God, or a tear drop (shed) in the depth of night out of fear of God. 1 The reason for this high regard for Giryah-u zari is that by such tears, almost all spiritual diseases are cured. Pride is an extremely fatal disease from the ethical and spiritual point of view; similarly callousness (hardness) of the heart is also an extremely dangerous disease which, if not cured in time, can prove to be extremely detrimental for the spiritual growth of a mu min. According to the holy Qur an, precautionary measures against these spiritual diseases and its prevention are possible only through the tenderness of the heart, humility and giryah-u zari. The Wise Qur'an, in describing the praise-worthy manners and qualities of the Prophets (pbuh), praises giryah-u zari, in this manner : "These (Prophets) are they on whom God bestowed favors, from among the Prophets of the progeny of Adam and of those whom We carried with Nuh and of the progeny of Ibrahim and Israel and of those whom We guided and chose; when the verses of the Beneficent God were 5
recited to them, they fell down prostrating and weeping" (19:58). This is the most exalted place of the sacred tears, i.e. the pure eyes of the Prophets and Awliya'. According to the Holy Qur an giryah-u zari, is that quality of a mu min which appears at the peak of knowledge. See the verses (17:107-109): "Say believe in it (the Qur'an) or believe not; surely those who are given the knowledge before it, fall down on their faces, prostrating when it is recited to them. And they say: Glory be to our Lord! most surely the promise of our Lord was to be fulfilled. And they fall down on their faces weeping and it adds to their humility". The above verse testifies to the great importance of acquiring knowledge to be able to completely benefit from the spiritual medicine of giryah-u zari. Moreover, it emphasizes that mu min should shed tears of humility, under the influence of the ayats or signs of God and frequently go into the prostration of servitude and remain in it. By signs of God, are meant the Imams as Hazrat Ali is known to have said: I am the sign of God. Thus the greatest virtue in shedding tears is that it should be done under the influence of the Qur an and the Imam because they are the fountainhead of Divine signs (miracles). There are innumerable spiritual benefits hidden in the act of sincere giryah-u zari and humility. The greatest among them is the purification of the heart, man cannot purify his heart like one cleans the external and internal parts of a machine, however God has granted man the faculty of giryah-u zari i.e. weeping & crying in the love of Qur an and Imam; which is the greatest means to attain the purification of his heart and soul. Thus by the sacrifice of tears, the moral powers are increased, Divine grace and blessings descend, a dignified light shines on the face of a mu min and the glad tiding of spiritual manifestation is received in the mirror of the heart. With regard to the need of frequent and regular practice of giryah-u zari, it is suffice to say that, giryah-u zari is like a spiritual shower therefore a mu min has to regularly have a recourse to it, to keep their heart purified at all times otherwise there is a fear that the mirror of the heart will get soiled from the dust of evil caused by our personal devil. On contrary if the mirror of the heart is kept cleansed and pure, through regular giryah-u zari, and then the personal angel gets the chance to speak of hope, certitude, 6
knowledge and guidance. Thus, there is the dire need of frequent giryah-u zari, so that the devil may be disappointed and the angel may get an opportunity to cast the luminous shadow of ta yid (spiritual help). Giryah-u zari is an extremely powerful potential faculty, which gradually progresses in a mu min to such an extent that in some cases it takes the form of heavenly wahy or comes close to it. For instance Zabur (Psalms) is recognized as the heavenly wahy, although apparently it is from the tongue of Hazrat Dawud. The above can be explained by saying that through giryah-u zari, the ego or I of the faithful servant is annihilated, this allows the Divine light to enter his heart and the angel to speak through the tongue of a mu min. A mu min whose heart is cleansed and purified by giryah-u zari, he/she should use this occasion to offer prayers for the well being and betterment of all mu mins all over the world since this is the time of acceptance of prayers and bestowment of Lord s mercies and blessings. To summarize the virtues of giryah-u zari it is beautifully said Giryah-u zari has paramount importance in religion; it is not only a special prayer, but also the basic condition of repentance. It is the song of love as well as the worship of Awliya ; it is the proof of having fear of God as well as that of showing gratitude; it is the means of real love and also that of luminous didar; in it lies the purity of the heart and also the freshness of the soul; it is a sweet wisdom-filled pain as well as a delightful medicine. Thus because of all these eminent qualities, giryah-u zari is the supreme c ibadat and a heavenly medicine. 7
Importance of Prayers Divine remembrance is like a rope hung between divinity and humanity. It is like a spiritual bridge, or in other words a straight path on which the light of guidance increases step by step. Thus through Divine remembrance, the eternal link of the Creator and the creature is renewed every time. In the remembrance of God, there is a luminous world like Paradise, the wonders and marvels of which are beyond description and in it lie the priceless treasures of the lasting happiness and delights of the intellect and the soul. Satisfaction of heart is attained from the blessings of Divine remembrance, as is said in verse (13:28): Verily in the remembrance of God do the hearts find satisfaction. Farman by Mawlana Hazir Imam: There is only one sure key to happiness and that is prayer. Most of you will know that if you have a difficult time or if you have some personal unhappiness, the only real source of healing is prayer. Now, you cannot turn to prayer only when times are difficult: you must pray also when times are good. Nairobi, 13 th October, 1959 Divine remembrance is among the additional prayers (nawafil). There is an extremely significant Hadith about it, which is: My servant always seeks My closeness through additional prayers until I love him. When I love him, I become his ear with which he hears, and I become his eye with which he sees and I become his hand with which he grasps and I become his foot by which he walks. Two companions are appointed for every human heart: one is the angel and the other is the devil. It is obvious that as a result of Divine remembrance, the angel gets a chance to act, and contrary to it, from its negligence, the devil as this Qur anic verse (43:36) testifies to it: And whoso blinds himself to the remembrance of Allah, to him we assign a devil who becomes his friend. The other side of this Divine law is that, whoso remembers God, for him is assigned an angel, so that, there should not be any defect in Divine justice and equity. God, the Exalted, in His infinite mercy, has made His blessed dhikr (remembrance) of many kinds, so that His sincere servants may enrich themselves with the favors and blessings of various kinds of it, at different times and in different states. The various kinds of dhikr are: dhikr-i fard (individual remembrance), dhikr-i jama c t (collective remembrance), dhkr-i khafi (hidden remembrance), dbikr-i kathir (abundant remembrance), dhikr- i Qalil (little remembranc), dhikr-i lisani (remembrance by tongue ), dhikr-i basari (visual remembrance ), dhikr-i Sam c i (auditory remembrance), dhikr-i badani (bodily remembrance), dhikr-i khwab (remembrance in dream), dhikr-i munfasal (remembrance at intervals), dhikr-i musalsal (constant remembrance), dhikr-i tanaffus (remembrance by breathing), and dhikr-i c ilmi (remembrance of knowledge). 8
Various Kinds of Prayers (Dhik r) God, the Exalted, in His infinite mercy, has made His blessed dhikr (remembrance) of many kinds, so that His sincere servants may enrich themselves with the favors and blessings of various kinds of it, at different times and in different states. Thus had dhikr been of only one kind, it would have been very difficult, rather impossible for mu'mins to completely benefit from it. Among Islamic c ibadat (types of worship), namaz (prayer) is the first, which is of many kinds. And indeed each kind of namaz by itself is the remembrance of God (20:14). Then there are other adhkar (pi. of dhikr) such as: 1. Dhikr-i jama c t (collective remembrance), 2. Dhikr-i fard (individual remembrance), 3. Dhikr-i jali (Open remembrance), 4. Dhkr-i khafi (hidden remembrance), 5. Dbikr-i kathir (abundant remembrance), 6. Dhikr- i Qalil (little remembrance), 7. Dhikr-i lisani (remembrance by tongue), 8. Dhikr-i qalbi (Remembrance in the heart): 9. Dhikr-i basari (visual remembrance), 10. Dhikr-i Sam c i (auditory remembrance), 11. Dhikr-i badani (bodily remembrance), 12. Dhikr-i khwab (remembrance in dream), 13. Dhikr-i munfasal (remembrance at intervals), 14. Dhikr-i musalsal (constant remembrance), 15. Dhikr-i tanaffus (remembrance by breathing), and 16. Dhikr-i c ilmi (remembrance of knowledge). In addition to these, there are other adhkar such as: 1. Hamd (praising God), 2. Tasbih (glorifying God), 3. Munajaat (supplication), 9
4. Shukrguzari (expression of gratitude), 5. Giryah-u zari (weeping and shedding tears), 6. Prostration, prayer, recitation of the Qur'an, 7. Recitation of salawat etc., So that every mu'min at different times may benefit from different dhikr, so that on the whole, he may remain in constant dhikr. Following is the example of, different kinds of dhikr, their meaning and brief explanation 1. Dhikr-i jama c at (Collective remembrance): In Islam the great importance is attached to collective dhikr for there are countless benefits hidden in it. The foremost of which is that in addition to personal reward mu min also receives special reward which amounts to the reward of the whole jama c at. Thus if all conditions and etiquette of the assembly of remembrance are fulfilled, then compared to other forms of dhikr there are greater chances of spiritual progress in this way of Divine remembrance. 2. Dhikr-i fard (Individual remembrance): Although the collective dhikr has greater virtue and its reward is very great, however, this opportunity is not available, at all times nor is it possible to have a congregation the whole day. Thus, due to these reasons, the individual dhikr becomes necessary so that the mu'min, according to his time and condition, may illumine his intellect and soul with the remembrance of his Lord. 3. Dhikr-i jali (Open remembrance): In this kind of dhikr, one or more people remember God with an effective voice. In other words any worship which is performed loudly is called dhikr-i jali. The open remembrance is extremely important as it helps hidden remembrance to progress. Unless the disease of the callousness of the heart vanishes by the open remembrance and giryah-u zari, the spiritual miracle of the internal or hidden remembrance is not possible. 4. Dhikr-i khafi (Hidden remembrance): The purpose of dhikr-i khafi is to perform dhikr hiddenly and secretly. The benefit of this dhikr is that there is no show of darwishi therein. Moreover this dhikr gradually descends to the heart and takes the form of dhikr-i qalbi. 10
5. Dhikr-i kathir (Abundant remembrance): By this dhikr is meant to remember God abundantly, whether with one kind of dhikr or with different adhkar (pl. of dhikr). The Wise Qur'an has repeatedly drawn attention to the importance of the abundant dhikr due to the countless wisdom hidden therein. If it is desired to remain safe from the roots of all evils of the carnal soul, then the only remedy is dhikr-i kathir. 6. Dhikr-i qali1 (Little remembrance). If little remembrance is merely due to laziness, then it is not a good sign. If there is any other reason and it is definitely intended to add to it, then there is nothing wrong. 7. Dhikr-i lisani (Remembrance by tongue): God, the Exalted, has granted man the tongue in order to always keep it busy in reciting His soul-nourishing remembrance. The benefit of this dhikr is that not only does the heart of the dhakir attend to and wait for the mercy of God, but also awakens the sleeping hearts of others from the sleep of negligence. The special benefit of the remembrance by tongue is attained when it causes the state of melting in the heart. 8. Dhikr-i qalbi (Remembrance in the heart): This is the dhikr of heart which is most special among all adhkar. But as much as it is miraculous, it is also delicate and difficult. This is the reason for which it is aided by all other adhkar and good deeds in order that it may progress. It has innumerable benefits, and the basic and most essential benefit is that through its regular and constant practice the door of spiritualism opens. 9. Dhikr-i basari (Visual remembrance): This dhikr is the dhikr of the eye of a mu min. This can be done in various ways. For instance, through conceiving the great names of God, or studying the Qur an and religious books. This dhikr also includes observing and studying the Divine sign in the nature, with external eyes and observing the Divine signs in the personal world, with the inner eye of the heart. For both sight and insight, are granted to remember God. 10. Dhikr-i Sam c i (Auditory remembrance): This blessed dhikr relates to the ear. This dhikr includes listening with zeal, to the recitation of the Noble Qur'an and the glorification of God. 11. Dhikr-i badani (Bodily remembrance): Every kind of hardship that is borne by the body for the sake of dhikr-u c ibadat is the part of bodily dhikr. Particularly, the service for the nation and community. 11
12. Dhikr-i khwab (Remembrance in dream): The dhikr also takes place in the dream. But since it is beyond the control of man, therefore, it is short and brief only as a symbol and sign so that a person knows whether he is punctual or lazy in bandagi. 13. Dhikr-i munfasal (Remembrance at intervals): Is the dhikr at short intervals. An example of this dhikr could be given from a pious shopkeeper, who while working in the shop, even though cannot perform the constant dhikr, nonetheless can benefit from the remembrance at intervals. This work is not very difficult for a mu'min with high ambition. 14. Dhikr-i musalsal (Constant remembrance): As the name implies, in this kind of dhikr the dhakir remembers God at all times and thereby allows an angel to command his heart and protect it from the whispers of the devil. 15. Dhikr-i tanaffus (Remembrance by breathing): This sufic dhikr is performed by breathing. This dhikr has a special benefit both physically and spiritually. 16. Dhikr-i c ilmi (Remembrance of knowledge): This is a dhikr of a higher degree, which is related to remembering God through reflecting upon the Qur'anic verses and the signs of God in the internal world & the external world. The main purpose of all these adhkar is only one and that is the proximity and closeness of God, so that the mu'min may attain the annihilation, in which there is not only the Supreme Paradise, but also the Supreme Ridwan (Pleasure of God). And in it is the extreme health and eternal peace. 12
Kinds of Divine Remembrance Rapid Remembrance Rapid dhikr means to continue the chain of Divine remembrance with extreme rapidity, love and fear, as it helps to remove the laziness and negligence from the heart and soul and does not allow the devil to interfere. It is due to the same reason that our noble Prophets (pbuh) are glorified in the Holy Qur an, for they also accomplished every good deed without any delay. See Qur anic verse: Surely they used to hasten, one with another, in good deeds and to call upon Us, with longing (love) and fear (21:90). With regard to the benefits of rapid dhikr, it is said that it is the best and most effective remedy for negligence, oblivion, disturbing thoughts, conversation of the carnal soul, anguish, languor, dejection, laziness and dominance of sleep, etc. Every word of dhikr-i ilahi or Divine remembrance, which in fact, is a spiritual jihad against the carnal soul (nafs-i ammarah) and the devil, is a blow of a sword or a spear. If such is the case, why should the sword and spear not be used against the enemy, who is the root of all diseases, with great rapidity and full strength? It is recommended that one should accomplish religious obligations with great rapidity, for, due to laziness and delay in religious works, not only is life wasted, but there is also the danger that the carnal soul will trap us in deception. Thus in the Qur anic verse (51:50) it has been commanded that the believing servant should fly to the proximity of God, and that proximity can not be achieved without the rapid dhikr and/or rapid accomplishment of good deeds. With regards to the importance of rapid dhikr, it is said that just as physical fitness trainers emphasize on fast exercise such as jogging, aerobics etc. to obtain the cardiac benefits, similarly the secrets of spiritual health lies in the practice of rapid dhikr. According to the Qur anic verses (100:1-5), on one hand the physical horses are mentioned and on the other the spiritual horses are implied, which are the rapid 13
adhkar, due to whose rapidity, force and continuity, the animal soul dissolves, sparks of spiritual lights are scattered and spiritual wealth is received as booty. Describing the mechanism of how rapid dhikr works, two examples could be presented, one is that of sparks which are produced when flint and steel are strike against each other forcefully. The second example is that of heavenly lightning, which is produced due to the striking of clouds, in which the main thing is the negative and positive electricity. Thus the carnal soul acts as the negative electricity or flint and the rapid dhikr as the positive electricity or steel. Due to their striking together, the sparks of light are produced and scattered in the personal world. In the Wise Qur an, commandments such as, And Hasten! (3:133), Vie with one another (57:21), Hasten! (62:9), And the foremost in the race (56:10), And fly to! (51:50), are enjoined to accomplish the good deeds with rapidity, diligence and devotion. However, in order to create this kind of attribute in oneself, the rapid dhikr is extremely beneficial. Thus it is a sure fact that the rapid dhikr is a spiritual remedy, through which, God willing, many diseases can be removed. 14