What is zikr and Islamic Spirituality The Forgotten Path

Islamic Spirituality - The Forgotten Path

 

A lecture delivered by Maulana Imran Nazar Hosein

at the Maulana Abd al-Aleem  Siddiqui Masjid, Singapore

What is zikr? 

Zikr has its external forms in which you recite mechanically. The real zikr is internal. Zikr is remembrance. Remembrance is most of all, remembrance of the one you love. When you truly love someone, then that love will go with you wherever you go.  Yes! That love is there in your heart at all times. You were standing and its there. You sit down its there. You lie down its still there. Whenever the memory of the beloved enters into the heart, it’s like a fragrance (khushbu) coming into the heart. Whenever the memory of the beloved enters into the heart you are transported into another world. This is zikr. 

‘Do you love Me?’  Allah ﷻ asks. ‘Do you love Me as much as your dog loves you? Are you as faithful to Me as your horse is faithful to you? Do you serve Me as well as they serve you? Do you show as much courage doing My work as they do in doing your work? [The 100th  Sura, al-aadiyaat (Those That Run), verses 1-6]:

The horses that you love so much; they run so fast they’re panting. When they run at night their hooves hit on the stone and sparks fly. When the morning comes and the fresh breeze enters into their lungs, they run with a new spurt of speed. When they face the enemy they dash into the very center of the ranks of the enemy

‘Do you love Me as much as much as they love you? Do you serve Me the way they serve you? Are you as loyal to Me as they are loyal to you?

Truly Man is, to his Lord, ungrateful;

‘No you don’t! You are ever negligent of your relationship with Me’ Allah ﷻ is saying. ‘Your dog loves you more than you love Me and your horse is more faithful to you than you are to Me.’ Who are those that will live for Allah ﷻ tonight. Only those  that  live  for Allah  ﷻ,  only  they  will  die  for Allah  ﷻ.  They  call  that fundamentalism and terrorism. As the love for Allah ﷻ enters into the heart and the servant sets his sight, saying, ‘This is my goal. I am twenty years of age, come back and see me after forty years and you will still see me walking on this same road, going in the same direction.’ Consistency in his life! This is my goal and mission. Zikr is what delivers that. The zikr polishes the glass. The verse of the Holy Qur’aan continues that this lamp has oil which comes from the blessed olive tree which is [The 24th Sura, an-Nur [The Light], verse 35}:

It belongs neither to the east nor to the west

for it stands firmly for Allah.

It is [The 6th Sura, al-Anaam [The Cattle], verse 162}:

Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds;

When you have a person who lives for Allah ﷻ like that and who works, struggles and sacrifices in the way of Allah ﷻ then you produce oil. That oil is pure oil. [The 24th Sura, an-Nur [The Light], verse 35}:

The oil itself gets ablaze although the fire does not touch it.

This is different from the oil you put in your motor vehicle. This one glows without fire touching it. Can you imagine what is going to happen when fire touches it? You will not grow spiritually until fire touches you. When fire touches you and the oil is already there inside of you, then you attain light.

Light upon light

This light does not come from the stock-market, Allah ﷻ gives it

Allah guides towards His light whomever He wills

Allah is presenting these lessons to mankind that they may reflect over it

And Allah has knowledge of all things

Therefore  the  nur  is for ilm. Thus  the  essential  goal  of the  spiritual quest  is knowledge which comes directly from Allah ﷻ. When you have that knowledge or the capacity for internal, intuitive, spiritual knowledge; what do you use it for? How important is it? Where do you apply it? This is the last part of the epistemological⁴  lesson.

Note 4 Epistemology: the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge, in particular its foundations, scope, and validity

Source:  Islamic Spirituality - TheForgotten Path

 to be continued  . . . .

Internal Purification and Islamic Spirituality The Forgotten Path

Islamic Spirituality - The Forgotten Path

 

A lecture delivered by Maulana Imran Nazar Hosein

at the Maulana Abd al-Aleem  Siddiqui Masjid, Singapore

In order for the heart to accommodate the truth, the heart must now be cleansed and purified. This is called, Tazkiyah  or internal purification. After the heart has been purified and the heart is turned to Allah ﷻ then Allah ﷻ will put nur into the heart. Now you can see what other wise you could never see. The 24th  Sura, an-Nur  [The  Light],  verse  35 is the most important verse  of the Holy Qur’aan teaching  us the methodology for spiritual growth. Teaching  us the way through which we can learn to see with the internal eye when we are spiritually mobilized.

Allah  is the Light of the heavens and the earth.

The example by which you could understand His light is that of a niche in the wall where you used to put a lamp before the electricity came.

In that niche in the wall there is a lamp. Abdullah ibn Abbas Radiyallahu anhu said that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that that mishkaat or niche is not in the wall. Its here in the chest and in that space within the chest there is a lamp. I can’t do it now but when you teach this lesson, you turn off the lights and you light an oil lamp. All the children will look at the lamp and they will never forget that lesson for the rest of their lives. This is the way to teach it.

The lamp has a glass around it.

The glass is so spotlessly clean that it glitters like a shining star.

So the process of internal purification is to look to see the stains on the glass within your own heart and start to cleanse them, purify them and wash them out. The process of washing away the stains on the glass is first of all to recognize that we have committed sin. Secondly, to turn away from the sin; this is called tauba. When you turn you must turn with sincerity. Don’t turn in the day and turn back at night. [The 66th Sura, at-Tahreem (the Prohibition, verse 8]:

Turn away from the sin. Turn to Allah and do it with sincerity

Having turned away from this sin, there must be regret in your heart for what you did. [Nafsul lawwama  reproaching]:  ‘How could I ever  have  done that?  I am ashamed of myself. O My Lord! Kindly put a cover over the sins I have committed because I am ashamed of them.’ Weep for the things you did yesterday. Now you must commit yourself, never again to return to them. When you give your word, keep it. Then one last thing remains. You must spend the rest of your life teaching others, helping others, guiding others, warning others, that they do not walk on that path of sin. If you do that, then Allah ﷻ is prepared to forgive all sins. He wipes it away and the glass becomes clean. Sometimes we think the stain is gone, like in the case of lust. In fact it is not gone and still more work remains. How will I know that the stain remains? Dreams! In my dream I will commit the sin again. So that dream is telling me that the stain is still there so go back and wash. After the  glass  has been cleaned  and the  stains  have  been removed  then the  Holy Prophet ﷺ said that these hearts they catch rust. The dust accumulates.  So in addition to cleaning you also have to keep on constantly polishing. What is the polish for the glass? The Holy Prophet ﷺ   said the polish is zikr.

Source:  Islamic Spirituality - TheForgotten Path

 to be continued  . . . .