Knowledge and Cognition

Question 8

Is there any reality of Fana-fi-Rasool, Fana-fi ALLAH, Baqa-bi-ALLAH and other meditations? How can these be achieved? Can you describe in detail so that we may also achieve these and enter the group of select slaves of ALLAH. We are living in a remote land. Considering me a member of you Order, please provide detailed guidance to acquire kashf-e-malaeka (seeing the angels) and kashf-e-quboor, (seeing the condition of the dead inside the graves.)

Fana-fi Rasul, Fana-fi ALLAH and Baqa-bi-ALLAH are stages of the Path for which thousands of ALLAH’s slaves strived, but left this world with their unfulfilled ambition buried in their hearts. A sincere desire for these stages is the hallmark of goodness of a person. However, these cannot be achieved by hymning His praises verbally. They belong to the realm of the Qalb (subtle heart) and the Ruh (spirit). The oral Zikr alone cannot purify the soul and illuminate the inner self. The fist step will, therefore, be reformation of the subtle heart which demands frequent Zikr-e-Qalbi closely adhering to the Shariah and the Sunnah under the guidance of an accomplished Shaikh.

Such a Shaikh first attends to the lataif and after their illumination, he lads the seekers to the Mediation Ahadiyat. When this connection strengthens he exerts his spiritual power to put him through Mediation of Ma‘iyat and Aqrabaiyat. This is followed by the Three Circles of Love, Meditation Ism-e-Zahir-wal-Batin, a stroll of the K‘aba together with Sair-e-Salah and Sair-e-Quran, Meditations onto the audience of the Holy Prophet in his mosque, where the meditations of Fana-fi-Rasul takes places. Fana-fi Rasul means complete absorption into the love and conduct of the Holy Prophet. After this the accomplished Shaikh puts the seeker to the Meditation of Fana-fi-ALLAH and Baqa-bi-ALLAH. These states cannot be achieved though oral Zikr but through Zikr of the heart and with the tawajjuh of an accomplished Shaikh. A strange feeling overtakes the seeker during Fana-o-Baqa. Physically he is on the ground but spiritually he feels himself prostrating before ALLAH, reciting Subahan Rabbi yal A’aala (Sublime is my Rabb). The sublime Arsh is the focal point of His Personal lights, which appear golden red. The whole universe resound with the same cry Subahana Rabbi Yal A‘la by the trees, stones, animals and the angels. The seeker is completed absorbed and becomes unmindful of everything else. It is not strange that everything in this universe hymns His praises, Writes ‘Allama Ibn-e-Taimiya:

ALLAH has created the stones, the minerals etc. that like human beings indeed hymn His praise.

Remember that the creation is of two kinds; the one blessed with intellect and the other without it. The former i.e. human beings is created for His worship and adoration and the latter for hymning His praise, as ordained by Him.

There is a meditation in my Order whereby one can communicate with non-intelligent creations; i.e., the trees, stones, minerals etc. Their language is formally taught and a perfect Sufi can communicate with them. However, I purposely do not put seekers though it because it can mislead the novices.

Conversation with the Angels, Jinn, Satan and human Ruh are preliminaries of the Sublime Sufi Path. However, its proficiency varies with the ability of the students. There are some seekers who attain to very high stages of the Path like the Realm of Command, yet they do not have any spiritual observations. This is the Will of ALLAH, Who keeps His Own Secretes. There are others who are blessed with such observations at the very outset. Such seekers are also put through the meditations of Ruyat-e-Ashkaal (lit: seeing the real shapes), whereby they observe the real form that the Ruh will assume after physical death. There are very few in today’s materialistic world who carry their spirit in its original human form. The sinful life disfigures the human spirit into the shape of the animal who possesses predominant common character trait. I seek ALLAH’s refuge against such an eventuality. The scholars deny such phenomenon mainly due to lack of knowledge, though the scientific developments have proved it beyond any doubt. Take the example of the television. Despite great distances between the TV set and the transmitting station, you can clearly hear and view all the activities on the screen. Similarly, with spiritual insight, one can see and communicate with the human spirit inside the grave (regardless of its location on the globe).

The phenomenon that the solid bodies; the stones, the minerals etc, do possess consciousness is proved from the Quran the Sunnah:

Some interpreters of the Quran have argued that His adoration is not actual prostration but it signifies that every creation is proof and sign of its Creator. This contention is however, not correct. The expression ‘many of mankind’ negates this argument and implies that there are some who do not do so. The adoration, therefore, is real.

This Hadith confirms the spiritual observation of the men of cognition that the stones and the minerals etc. do possess consciousness through which they listen to the Talbiyah of a pilgrim and join in.

This Hadith also confirms the contention of the men of cognition that the pebbles do have conscioness and understanding.

The word love in this Hadith proves that stone do have consciousness and feeling. The mutual loves means real love. However, since this is a presumption proposition, it will not be considered as part of fundamental beliefs.

To sum up, the stones, minerals and the trees etc are created to hymn His praise and are fulfilling the purpose of their creations. But the human being created for His cognition is neglectful. Realizing of his responsibility, if a person strives to attain Divine Nearness and Pleasure, he would lead a comfortable and purposeful life both here and in the Hereafter. The only instrument to this attainment is frequent Zikr ALLAH.

I must reiterate that spiritual observation and communication with the spirits and the non intelligent creation do not constitute a certificate of perfection. The real perfection is ALLAH’s Nearness and Pleasure. It is, therefore, vital for a perfect Sufi to ignore these observation etc. and march on the real destinations which is ALLAH’s Nearness. And never forget that this objective can never be reached without the guidance of an accomplished Shaikh.