Tasawwuf and Character Building
SECTION 2
CHAPTER 17
SAIR E K´ABAH
TOUR OF THE K´ABAH
The previous lesson, it has been explained that the relationship with ALLAH has many degrees. In the beginning, the salik feels a need for such a relationship, then he makes up his mind to acquire it and plans accordingly, so that he can acquire the closeness of ALLAH. Soon he progresses and the relationship becomes strong. This inclination to move forward is called Sair (tour) in the words of Sufism. The tour is further divided into two major parts. First, tour towards ALLAH, the details of this tour is that the Nafs is cured of all its impurities, and it is further strengthened by ALLAH’s Zikr. The innerself is lighted up by the Divine Light and all hindrances and obstacles have vanished. The negative habits have been eliminated and goodness and piety have taken their place and one feels inclined towards virtue, to the extent that the trait of goodness becomes a habit. Prayers and other forms of worship become very convenient. A person starts caring about the rights of ALLAH, and the rights of fellow humans. Hence the relationship with ALLAH is established. The tour towards ALLAH is complete. After this the tour in ALLAH starts. A person starts reflecting and meditating on the Divine qualities of ALLAH and according to his capability the facts are unfolded beforehim. The attributes and qualities of ALLAH are unlimited. ALLAH is beyond the limits of imagination, therefore the tour in ALLAH is also unlimited.
When we hear the word ‘tour’, our mind at once starts thinking that we have to leave behind a certain place and move towards another. By the term tour towards ALLAH, it is understood that we have to move towards ALLAH, but what do we have to leave behind? This can only be understood if we looks at ourselves, our habits and hobbies, our interests, then only will it become evident what we have to leave. It is quite obvious that we are entangled in our desires, and stuck in the quagmire of wishes. This is the point from where we have to turn back and migrate towards ALLAH. This situation is pointed out by ALLAH in the following verse:
Have you seen the one who takes his own vain desires as his god? ALLAH has, knowing him as such, left him astray, and has sealed his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who then will guide him after ALLAH? (45:23)
Tour towards ALLAH means that you have to leave your false pride behind, leave the corporeal desires of the Nafs, abandon the habit of self praise, and move towards your beloved Creator, Who loves you much more than you love yourself. You are very stupid indeed in thinking that you love yourself. You do not. In fact you yourself are your greatest enemy. Tour in ALLAH is to reflect on His Divine Attributes. The results of the meditation should become a part of our practical lives, so that it becomes easy for us to act according to the Divine Will. The tour of K‘aba is in fact a tour in ALLAH because although the K‘aba is a cubicle structure of stones, which the Creator has called a place to bow down before Him. The K‘aba is a manifestation of ALLAH’s Divine qualities, the worshipped, the adored, as ALLAH is the only One Who is to be worshipped and adored. The Divine quality demands each and everyone to bow before ALLAH but we do not see ALLAH when we bow, as He is not limited to time and space and He is free of any form. Therefore He chose the holy K‘aba as the symbolic manifestation of His Divine quality and commanded:
Wherever you are, turn your faces in its direction. (2:144)
Although we are bowing before the K‘aba, we are really bowing to our Creator, ALLAH.
When a person touches the ground with his forehead in prostration(sajda), he is actually demonstrating feelings of extreme humbleness and sincerity, and the situation in which a person is prostrating in front of ALLAH is, according to the Holy Prophet
very close to ALLAH. The Holy Prophet states that a person achieves the greatest closeness to his Creator when his forehead touches the ground in adoration to his Creator. Therefore what is the reality of Sajdah? It is the achievement of heights, while being in a state of extreme lowliness. It is an event of meeting one’s Creator, a way to achieve Divine closeness. This great act of bowing to ALLAH requires a person to be prepared accordingly. When a person goes to meet someone of high status, he prepares for the occasion by grooming himself properly, by wearing impressive clothes etc. For meetings in the material world, one needs to groom physically. Hence before the meeting with ALLAH, a person should also prepare for his inner purification, as the dirt accumulates in the soul because of worldly sins, and it needs to be cleansed by the feelings of repentance. Therefore in this meditation, a salik’s Ruh cries out to ALLAH in front of the door of the K‘aba at Multazim begging for forgiveness for all the past sins. Afterwards the Tawaf (Going around the Holy K‘aba) starts from Hijr-e Aswad (The Black Stone) and every time the salik reaches the black stone he repeats his vow by saying, “O ALLAH! Iturn all my attentions, my deeds, my efforts towards achieving Your Pleasure and Nearness.’
The effect of this meditation on the life of the salik is that his inclination towards ALLAH increases and all his worships acquire greater sincerity. The realisation of ALLAH’sGreatness and his own humbleness is unfolded before him and the fact establishes itself in his heart. He feels a disgust for all that is wrong or which may lead him astray from ALLAH’s path. During the time of Hajj you must have noticed, people holding on to the Multazim door and crying with utmost repentance. Here no one feels ashamed of crying. They are not aware of anyone else except ALLAH,andthey keep crying and asking for forgiveness. It seems that there is something special about this part of the K‘aba as whoever clings tothe door, cannot abstain from crying. But do the people who cry and cling to the K‘aba never commit any sins in their lives again? No, such people are very rarely found, because it is the nature of man to forget. Do the clothes which are washed and cleaned, never get dirty again? Of course, they get dirty but they are washed again. Yes, this has never been seen that a person wearing clean clothes jumps happily into the gutter. No matter how much a person tries to keep away from filth, he cannot avoid a little bit of dust and stains ruining his clean clothes. Sweat and dirt will certainly affect his clean clothes and they will need to be washed repeatedly.
The Holy Prophet has conveyed the happy tidings of ALLAH for sinful beings like us so that we may not feel disappointed in our hearts. He narrates a Hadith Qudsi saying:
“A servant of ALLAH commits a sin and prays to ALLAH saying: ‘I have committed a sin, O ALLAH! Please forgive me.’ ALLAH says, ‘My slave has committed a sin and knows that he has a Creator who can forgive him or punish him.’ After some time he commits another sin again and says, ‘O ALLAH! Please forgive me.’ ALLAH Almighty says, ‘My slave has committed a sin and he knows that he has a Creator who can forgive him or punish him.’ After sometime again the servant commits a sin and asks forgiveness again. ALLAH Almighty replies, ‘You may do whatever you want, I have forgiven you’.”
The last sentence, should not be considered a permission to commit mistakes. This is ALLAH’s way of showing His love for His slaves. It is a relationship of love between ALLAH who is Forgiving and Merciful and a slave who is full of faults. Only those people, who have experienced deep love for their Creator, can comprehend how a world of forgiveness and blessings has been compressed in this sentence.
Forgiveness is related to sins. The result of sins is hell, the cure and remedy for sins is repentance and asking for forgiveness, and the motive behind repentance is faith and belief in ALLAH. Salvation is based upon faith and belief and the degrees of Divine closeness depends upon noble deeds. When faith and belief in ALLAH are present then one can certainly expect forgiveness from ALLAH, and when a servant has been forgiven, salvation is certain.
THE MEDITATION OF SALAH
In the tour of K‘aba, a salik has accepted the fact that ALLAH is, the only one to be worshipped, and instead of revolving around ones own desires, the centre of attention and all the efforts of the salik should be ALLAH Almighty. By asking for forgiveness, a salik has cleansed and purified his innerself, and has also performed the Tawaf around the K‘aba. Now a salik should move forward. The aim is not to just bow down, but to bow in such a way, which has been taught to us by the Holy Prophet, and that is to bow down in salah. In this meditation, a salik has to turn his attention towards four important facts. First, that the manifestation of ALLAH’s Divine quality of being worshipped is in front of him, and his attention should be towards ALLAH alone.Secondly, a salik should always remember that he is nothing in front of ALLAH. Third, the state of bowing to ALLAH, and fourth, during prostration with the head touching the ground in adoration. In every situation the primary aim should be the pleasure of ALLAH ,and love for ALLAH. Permanence in attention and concentration towards ALLAH, at all times, is the height of excellence for a believer. The following words which the Prophet has said prove the same point: “A Momin can gain the height of excellence through prayers.”
The effect of this meditation is that, a salik learns the way of worship and adoration for ALLAH from no one but our beloved Prophet, who had said, “Learn the art of bowing to ALLAH from me, look at me carefully the way I perform the prayers, you should also do it in the same manner.” The second effect is that a longing develops for the voluntary worships, which is a source of progress towards the closeness of ALLAH, protection against sins, hatred for all wrong actions, and inclination for good deeds is born in a salik. Concentration towards ALLAH, and a feeling of humbleness and sincerity overwhelm his whole existence. These are really the feelings of Divine closeness which never come to an end.
RECITATION OF THE QURAN
In this meditation, a salik reflects on the reality of the Qur-an and its revelation on the Holy Prophet.
Verily this is a Revelation from the Rabb of the universe. With it came the Truthful Spirit, to your heart that you may admonish. (26:192-194).
After meditations on these facts, a salik turns his concentration upon his ownheart, and by the blessings of ALLAH he prays that his heart should become a torch of Divine Light and be capable of the Divine faith and trust. The salik sees two sides to the act of revelation. It is revealed unto the noble heart of the Holy Prophet. From the noble heart, the blessings of he Holy Quran acquire two routes.The salik’s heart receives the blessings of the Holy Quranic verses through verbal deliverance from the Holy Prophet and through the noble scholars. Secondly, the salik feels his heart receiving the blessings of the spirit of the Qur-an, its essence and its meanings by the attention of the Holy Prophet through the noble Shaikh. This results in happiness, amazement, opening of the heart to the explanation of the Quran and knowledge. He realises that this alone can take him to eternal salvation. The salik feels all of revelation, how the Quran was revealed unto the holy heart of the Holy Prophet through the angel Gabriel and how the blessings spread from the holy heart, how the blessings entered the hearts of those who accepted it with open arms, and how the Quran affected their actions and deeds, their thoughts, and the different aspects of their lives.
During this meditation, a salik feels an increase in faith endorsed by his heart and a sense of determination is kindled within him. He feels himself at peace and harmony with other fellow humans and achieves the closeness of ALLAH. He is bestowed with such a gift, that the blessings always increase and never end, to the extent that after entering heaven, he shall still enjoy the blessings of the Quran and the progress will continue. The salik is absorbed in conversation with his Creator. The Creator is talking to him and he is listening carefully. The blessings have encircled the salik, and he has lost sense of his material body and its desires, and has achieved immortality of his soul. Then the salik reflects upon the purpose and aim of the Quran and he feels that he can hear the holy words clearly:
Verily this Quran does guide to that which is most right. (17:9)
It leads straight towards the destination. What is the destination? It is the closeness of ALLAH , the pleasure of ALLAH,and the obedience of ALLAH’s commands. The salik then feels that there is a straight road in front of him and he seeshimself standing at one end, and the other end which is the destination. There is someone calling out to him:
Verily, this is my path, leading straight: Follow it. Do not follow other paths. They will scatter you about from His Path. (6:153)
“This is the straight path which is also my path. Come to me on this path, and remember to walk straight. There are many small alleys leading outof this path and they are very tempting. Do not be misled by them and do not leave the right path, else you will be led astray and far from your destination, and you will never be able to find your way back.”
The salik thinks, who is the one calling out to me. He at once knows in his heart that the person calling out is none other than him who has been assigned the great duty of ‘teaches them the Book’ (62:2). He will not only convey the book but also teach and educate accordingly. He will teach you the meaning of the verses of the book and also show you its practical side by adhering to the commands of the Holy Book. He will teach his companions to lead a life according to the Quran, so that the following generations do not get confused with the interpretation of words.
The results of this meditation is that a salik observes his own life and tries to reform himself according to the Quran. But reformation means good deeds. In the distance between words and deeds here lies a very delicate point, where people are usually misled. The right way is to understand the true meaning of the holy words and search for its practical example. The true implication of the Quranic words is taught by the Holy Prophet who was sent as a teacher of the Quran for the entire human race. The practical side of the Quran can be found in the life of the Holy Prophet and lives of the companions
who were trained and instructed by the Holy Prophet himself. ALLAH Almighty has declared, that the ideal standard of living is that of the Holy Prophet and his companions.
And (also) those who follow them in good deeds. ALLAH is well pleased with them as are they with Him. (9:100)
“If you seek My closeness and pleasure, then with all sincerity, follow those people who have been trained by My Prophet for twenty three years, and I have announced during their lifetime that they have earned My pleasure and consent.” Therefore it is important that a person learns the true meaning of the Quran from that teacher who has been sent by ALLAH for this purpose, rather than following the guidance of one’s ownknowledge or desire.
After the reformation of one’s self, the second requirement is toconcentrate upon preaching ALLAH’sZikr. The great gift of knowledge and good deeds which he has acquired, through the Holy Book of guidance, the Quran, should not be just kept to oneself. It should be conveyed to others, so that people who are ignorant and illiterate can try to achieve the closeness of their Creator also. A yearnto seek the pleasure of ALLAH can be borne in them. This is the real goal for which a salik is trained.