Teachings of Khwaja Moinuddin Cheshti

Three meditations of Khwaja Moinoddin Cheshti

The real wine in a clear heart is the sign and symbol of
moving about in Allah and refers to the virtues and
qualities, and to the way of life to be moulded according
to the attributes of Allah.
The pure and purifying wine is this, that the divine grace
may descend upon the heart of the faithful witness of the
truth.
The real tavern is the heart. But without the guidance of
the perfect spiritual guide the absorbed traveller on the
way cannot understand it.
As you will remember I have promised to show some
pieces of the English translation of Moin ul Arwah - a
book written by Nawab Gudri Shah Baba dealing with
the life and teachings of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. Ill
try to give attention to different types of teachings;
different as to the level of complexity. The following is the
summary of teachings as coming from the second chapter
of Kashf ul-Asrar (Unveiling of Secrets) a book of Khwaja
Moinuddin Chishti. He tells us how the creation of the
universe took place and that there are similarities
between the universe (macrocosm) and man (microcosm):
God gave to all that was non-existing such existence, that
He created from the four elements four existences,
likewise He created four beings and when God desired to
see Himself and to see Himself and to manifest His own
Self, then God, the Almighty created these four spheres
which were like four pillars.
(Then a drawing is given in the midst whereof is a small
circle which is surrounded by four rectangles which
enclose eachother).
After separating these from God they had a tripod shape
and four elements, that is to say

fire, which is related to love

air, which is related to spirit
water, which is related to action
earth, which is related to ego.

This is similar (and can be compared) to the four friends

of Muhammad (s.a.w.) and the four archangels near God.
(Then Moinuddin Chishti discusses the self (nafs) in 3
stages of development:)
1. An-nafs al-ammara (the self inciting to evil; the ego).
This nafs comes from fire.
2. An-nafs al-molhama (the inspired self). This nafs comes
from water.
3. An-nafs al-motmainna (the quiescent soul). This nafs
comes from earth.
In the same way as there are four seasons in the created
world, there are in the existence of man childhood which
is like the sowing of seed, youth which is like Spring, the
age of decline which is like the beginning of Autumn and
old age which is like Autumn.
-

From
From
From
From

the
the
the
the

heart the tongue takes water, which is sweet,

lungs the nose takes water, which is sour,
gall the ear takes water, which is bitter,
liver the eye takes water, which is saltish.

Intellect is from the brain, modesty is in the eyes,

understanding is in the ear, knowledge is in the breast
and thought is in the heart.
God has created four spheres, the first is fire, the second
air, the third water and the fourth is earth. In heaven is
the height of mystery and under this mystery is the seat
of mystery itself, under the height fire is like air, under
the heigth air is like water and under the height water is
like earth and these are the downfalls and the rises. From
the height of the earth is the vegetable kingdom and from
the height of the vegetable kingdom is the animal

kingdom and from the height of the animal kingdom is the

human kingdom, and the purification of man is Nur
Muhammadi (the light of Muhammad) and this is the
whole and sole reason of the truth. The details of this are
many, but what is indispensable for the seeker has been
described here.

In Moin ul Arwah the following deals with the khirqa (the

frock of the dervishes):
With respect to the khirqa of the dervishes, all those who
have inner knowledge are unanimous. In the Kashf alMahjub (The Revelation of the Veiled, the oldest treatise
in the Persian language about Sufism) it says that the
persons worthy of these robes are only those belonging to
two groups, one are the extinct ones and the other the
ardent longers for God. And among the great mashaykh
the tradition is, that when some morid in connection with
renunciation is drawn to them, then admonition is given
to him (please also read: she) in three matters:
- the first is service to mankind
- the second is service to God
- the third is meditation in the heart.
Hence for the sake of service to mankind he should make
sure that he considers himself the servant of all, that he
regards all people as his masters, that without distinction
he considers them all better than himself and that he
considers it reasonable that they are above him.
And in the service to God it is necessary that he should
renounce the pleasures of this world and the next world
and that he should perform special prayers to God.
And for meditation it is necessary that his mind should
remain collected and all distractions be discarded from
the heart.

When those three conditions have been obtained and the

morid has become accomplished in those three matters,
then he is considered to be worthy of the path of religious
observance and it is befitting for him that he be clothed
with the khirqa.
(To be continued)
Part 2 The khirqa
In part 1 (see the archives of previous Saturday) a person
may receive the khirqa (the frock of the dervishes) for
three reasons: the first is service to mankind, the second
is service to God and the third is meditation in the heart.
The author of Moin ul Arwah continues thus:
That person deserves to be clothed with the khirqa who is
steadfast in God. According to the traditions Saifuddin,
the author of the Qusus-ul-Adab, the origin of the khirqa
is the black sheet which the prophet gave to Ali. He
writes that shaykh Najmuddin Kubra has copied from the
Akhbar-e-Sahih that the real khirqa is the cloak which
the prophet bestowed on Ali and by him it was bestowed
on the great mashaykh and by them it was bestowed on
several persons. He said that the truth about the khirqa is
this that God on account of spiritual purity bestowed the
khirqa. In short the prophet made the khirqa the
bestower of the secret truths of the prophet and invested
Ali with the khirqa. In the Rahat-ul-Qulub and Siyar-ulAuliya and various other books of the great ones on the
path it is written that the dervish mantle was bestowed by
God on the prophet in the night of the meraj (his
heavenly journey). That khirqa was a black garment.
But this tradition is not proved according to the authentic
hadith. On the contrary the authors of these traditions
have explained this as untrue and void But as to the
khirqa in reality its benefit is that it used to be the
garment of the prophet and this is unquestionable and
clear that the tradition of the khirqa, as has been
described above, was that the pure sufis who existed from
the earliest times, used to bestow this khirqa and
initiation after intimate friendship, learning and

discipline. This being a test of the refining of the qualities

of the ego. This custom of the khirqa was made known in
the time of shaykh Junayd of Baghdad and after him this
custom of initiation arose.
(To be continued)
In Moin ul Arwah attention is given to the poems of
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. This is one of them:
Cast away from your face the mask of selfishness
And watch the spiritual beauty in all forms.
Ay! That You shine at every moment in a different
manifestation
In the Sinai of the heart.
And there is every time another Moses wishing for Your
appearance.
How can I explain that I cannot tell anything
And that in the matters of the heart all reasoning has
failed.
Last night my heart expressed too many things,
And I heard too many things that I have never told before
Neither heard before.
THE 23rd WAY OF MAREFAT (GNOSIS)
The members of the Chishtiyya order have adopted fifteen
principal stages and have made them their customary line
of action:
The first stage is that of helpers, which refers to Adam.
The second is the stage of abstainers, which is the stage
of Idries (Enoch).
The third stage is that of the devotees, which refers to
Moses.
The fourth stage is that of the patient ones, which refers
to Job.
The fifth stage is that of those resigned to the will of God,
which refers to Jesus.

The sixth stage is that of the contented ones, which refers

to the great Jacob.
The seventh stage is that of the defenders of the faith,
which refers to Jonah.
The eighth stage is that of the thinkers, which refers to
Joseph.
The ninth stage is that of the afflicted, which refers to
Shuaib (Jethro).
The tenth stage is that of the morsheds, which refers to
Seth.
The eleventh stage is that of the righteous ones, which
refers to Noah.
The twelfth stage is that of the sincere ones, which refers
to David.
The thirteenth stage is that of the illuminated ones, which
refers to Khidr.
The fourteenth stage is that of the grateful ones, which
refers to Abraham.
The fifteenth stage is that of the lovers, which refers to
Mohammed Mustafa.
If a dervish with the help of the teaching of the morsheds
is not aware of the above mentioned stages he is only a
beginner
(From Moin ul Arwah)
Persuasion to serve your morshed
Turning towards Hazrat Qutub al-Aqtab he said: When I
joined the Shaykh al-Islam Sultan al-Mashaykh Hazrat
Khwaja Uthman Haruni (on whose grave is the light of
God) and when the honour of bayat (initiation) bestowed
on me was received with absolute sincerity, then for eight
years I did not give myself a single moment of rest in the
service of my morshed. Wherever he travelled this
humble servant, carrying his bedding and luggage on his
head, remained in his company.
Pir-o-morshed, after seeing such service and devotion
from me, gave me such a gift as is beyond limits. Then he

said: Whoever received, received through service and

devotion. It is incumbent upon the morid not even
slightly to diverge from the order of the morshed.
Whatever the morshed has ordered in the way of prayer
and wazifa give full attention to it do according to it so
that you reach that stage where the pir is the beautifier of
the morid. When a pir suggests to his morid to do
something, it is for the sake of attainment of perfection
for the morid.
Outward infidelity is this that on account of numerous
deeds, customs and habits one be desirous of fame and
praise among the people; that is to say that one considers
the people, without the intermediary of God, as the
source of the fulfilment of desires and may have the hope
of success from them. As this fact is ungodly, therefore
such considerations in the heart are idols. The sincere
people of the inner path call this outward infidelity.
Someone asked shaykh Sadi what is initiation and what
is being a pir and what is being a morid. He said:
Initiation is this that you grasp the hand of the pir and
act according to his guidance. The refraining from habits
is called initiation, that is to say, keeping aloof from
former habits and accepting the pirs advice and always
remembering God. Being a morid is this, that you always,
in presence and in absence, are in obedience and respect
for the morshed and that you are always with heart and
soul present in the company of the pir, that you abstain
from treacherous deeds, that you remain in permanent
union night and day in remembering God according to the
order of the morshed.
Abdullah Ansari has said: To bestow initiation, to cut the
hair on the head of the morid, to make a morid, to guide
and to help the morid to reach God is a great task.
Without the training of a perfect morshed the beginning
morid cannot attain the nearness of God.
Khwaja Shibli has written that spiritual exercises are of
two kinds, real and outward. Outward religious exercises

consist of eating little, speaking little and remaining away

from the world, but the real spiritual exercise is to polish
the mirror of the heart through the secret remembrance.
The memorisation of the Quran is of two kinds, one
unreal and one real. To memorise the Quran without
understanding its meaning is unreal memorisation and
the real memorisation is that of reciting the Quran in the
heart.
Unity is also of two kinds, one unreal and one real. The
unreal union is this, that in the world of jabarut and lahut,
through the secret remembrance, the true seeker with
the service of remembrance in his heart will with heart
and soul attain the intoxicating effect of love. Only after
achieving perfection in the unreal union can one reach
the real union. The real union consists in this, that the
real seeker, leaving aside self-seeking, self-seeing and his
own existence, reaches the state of union with God. As
long as the seeker looks at himself he will not see God.
When the seeker does not see himself in between, he will
reach the perfect union with God
The eighteenth way of marefat
Shaykh Sultan Ibrahim Adham said: I have for years
together remained in prayer, idle deeds, the practice of
the customs, recitation, the use of the rosary and I spent
my whole life in the company of the learned ones, the
ascetics and the saliks who are not majzub. However I did
not attain even the perfume of the knowledge of God, but
when I stayed in the company of Hazrat Khwaja Fuzayl
Ayaz I reached the perfect goal.
It is said that mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi was the leader of
the scholars of Islam. He had in his library 2954 books
and he had 976 pupils. He used to hold discussions with
these scholars, he was involved in self-love and arrogance
and he considered himself as having reached union with
God. But when he got attached to the qutb (the pole) of
the awliya (friends of God), Shams Tabrizi, he left books,
paper and lectures and through the company and the

spiritual training of the shaykh, he, after acquiring

nearness to God attained unity in God.
For knowing God there are fourteen famous kinds of
knowledge:
1. The knowledge of the shariat, that is to say the
explanation of the words of God.
2. Religious knowledge, that is to say knowing the glory
of visions.
3. The higher knowledge, that is to say knowledge of the
meaning of poetry.
4. The knowledge of philosophy, that is to say the works
of the old philosophers.
5. The knowledge of faith, that is to say knowing the
names of the qualities of God.
6. The knowledge of calligraphy.
7. The knowledge of astronomy, that is to say counting of
stars and planets.
8. The knowledge of dialectics.
9. The knowledge of music.
10. The knowledge of medicine, that is to say the
knowledge of the healing of the body.
11. The knowledge of the unity of God.
12. The knowledge of the tariqat, that is to say
knowledge of the world of malakut.
13. The knowledge of haqiqat, that is to say the
knowledge of the world of jabarut.
14. The knowledge of inspiration, that is to say love and
affection.
The following is taken from the twenty-fifth way of
marefat:
One day shaykh Abdullah Ansari asked God: O, God!
What is the first thing and what is its end, that is to say,
what is its result?
The answer came: The first task is fana (annihilation) and
its end is wafa (fidelity) and the result is baqa (permanent
existence).
Then he asked: What
permanent existence?

is annihilation,

fidelity and

The answer came: Annihilation is being free from egoism,

self-adoration and (separate) existence. Fidelity is
keeping a bond with the Friend with heart and soul.
Permanent existence is keeping the heart busy with
truthfulness in all conditions.

As I am unconscious and intoxicated by the wine of Your

love,
In everything I look into, I see Your beauty.
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti said: For the seekers the first
way is the shariat (Islamic laws). When the seekers on the
way are devoted followers of the shariat and carry out the
commands of the shariat and do not even diverse to the
amount of a particle of dust from the way, then they reach
tariqat (the path of Sufism). When they are consistent in
that degree and follow the way of the people who have
done this before them and do not for a moment
transgress, then they reach the degree of marefat
(gnosis, inner knowledge of God) and when they
recognise and understand the importance of this place
then light will be generated in them. If they are
consistent in this degree then they go over to the fourth
degree, that is the degree of haqiqat (the realisation of
the Truth). After having reached this degree, whatever
they ask they will receive it.
The fifteenth way of marefat
This is the weekly piece from Moin ul Arwah, a book in
Urdu dealing with the life and teachings of Khwaja
Moinuddin Chishti:
Ahmad al-Ghazzali [he is the brother of the more famous
Muhammad al-Ghazzali d. 1111] has said: One who has
no shaykh, has no faith, who has no faith has no
illumination, who has no illumination has no feelings, who

has no feelings has no love The saints are under my

cloak, others cannot recognise them.
When the morid has obtained the nearness of a mushid,
but has not received the khirqa, then his [her] intentions
are not right
There are two groups of dervishes. One groups abstains
from possessions and positions and also avoids being
shaykhs The second group after renunciation chooses
satisfaction and resignation. This group is recognised as
being worthy of sitting as spiritual superiors, of giving
initiation, of giving training and spiritual education to
others. But the first group after abstaining from this idea,
adopts retirement in loneliness and contentment, as there
is the element of distraction and carelessness in being in
the company of the people of the world. When the people
of the world come to these people and present something,
although it is lawful, even so these people do not accept it
and keep away from the world just as people run away
from a tiger.
[There are of course more types. Some may retire in
lonely places, others however hide in the big cities.
Some have no direct value for their fellow humans, others
who do not wish to be shaykhs can be of service to others
in several ways; ]
This is the weekly portion from Moin-ul-Arwah (= Helper
of the Spirits). It is written by Nawab Khadim Hasan in
Urdu and it deals in great detail with the life and the
teachings of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The author lived
in the previous century and expired in 1970. He was the
head of a Sufi order. His khaneqah (Sufi center) still
exists at a walking distance of the grave of Khwaja
Moinuddin Chishti. Nawab Khadim Hasan lies buried at
the hill whereon Moinuddin Chishti retired in a cave for
meditation and dhikr, the remembrance of God. Now you
find several graves of prominent Sufis near the Chilla (the
place for 40-days retreat), and the silence thereof is
mixed with the voices of schoolchildren. A school has

been created on the hill giving education to children of

several religions, all belonging to the poorest people of
Ajmer. It is an unique school as you do not find many
schools in India where Hindu and Muslim children sit
together in thew same class.
But now what you have been longing for: Moin-ul-Arwah.
[Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti ] said: The angel Gabriel
asked the prophet Abraham, the friend of God: Do you
need anything?
He answered: Not from you! for he was devoid of ego
and spiritually he had received the presence of God.
[Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti] said: I have heard from my
brother, shaykh Shahabuddin Umar Suhrawardi that in
the world there are two things which are good as a rule of
conduct. First being in the company of a faqir, secondly
respecting the friends of God (awliya).
He said: The messenger of God has said: He is weakest
who does not keep true to his word.
He said: When Adam was expelled from Paradise,
everything except gold and silver wept about the
condition of Adam.
God asked: Why dont you weep?
They answered: We will not weep about the condition of
those who are not in obedience to You.
God said: By My grandeur and power, whatever your
price and whatever your inherent value may be, I will
make them known to Adam and I will make his
descendants your slaves.
Some time ago there was a short discussion about the
value of ebaadaat (worship). In his Khwaja Gharib
Nawaz; published by Sh. Muhammad Ashraf in Lahore
Zahurul Hassan Sharib gives this English translation on
p. 114 of the teachings of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in
this respect:

Gharib Nawaz says that if one wishes to protect oneself

from the hell-fire, one should try to discharge ones duties
of worship and prayer to God. It should be remembered
that there is no better thing before God than prayer.
Hazrat Qutub Sahab thereupon asked: What type of
prayer was that? Gharib Nawaz replied that that prayer
consists in hearing the complaints of the aggrieved and to
assist them, to help the needy and the oppressed, to feed
the people and to get free the captives from captivity. All
these things, Gharib Nawaz emphasised, are of great
importance.
Generosity in almsgiving
Such was the condition of his (Khwaja Moinuddin
Chishtis) generosity that whenever there came a beggfar
or a needy person, the latter did not go from his door
without having received some help. Hazrat Qutb Sahab
said: I have remained in his company for a long time, but
I have never seen any beggar or needy one go from his
door unhelped.
Persuasion not to omit the repetition of the names
of God and wazifas
He (Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti) said: If you have
voluntarily undertaken to do the repetition of a sacred
name of God, you should do it daily. If you cannot do it
during the day, do it during the night, but you must
definitely fulfil it because in the hadith it is written that
the abstainer from repetition is cursed.
Then in connection with this occasion he narrated as
follows: One day Mawlana Raziuddin fell from his horse
and his foot was hurt. When he came home he thought:
How did this misfortune befall me? He recalled that he
used to recite the sura Ya Seen after the morning prayers,
but on that day he had not done it.

Then in connection with that occasion he narrated as

follows: Khwaja Abdullah Mubarak on a certain occasion
failed to perform his wazifa. At that moment there came a
voice from the unseen saying: O, Abdullah! Perhaps you
are oblivious of the promise you have given as you have
not performed the wazifa to-day.
Then he said: Whatever has been mentioned by our
spiritual leaders in the way of repetition of sacred names
of God, that I do, you too should perform the same.
Question:
I am a little troubled by some of the things said above.
Words like accident and cursed are difficult to digest
for me. But on the other hand in order to see the reality
as it is, perhaps it is necessary to accept some advice in
harsh language. What do you say? Has the above to do
with the jalali aspects of God, or what is sometimes
expressed as the jealousy of God? What are the reasons
behind the advice to do your practices regularly?
You will receive a letter from Khwaja Moinuddin
Cheshti
Khwaja Moinoddin Cheshti (1135-1229) has written 5
letters to his successor Qotb Sahab (1173-1235). In the
fifth letter he writes what his morshed Khwaja Othman
Haruni has told him about a dialogue between a morshed
and his morid.
The morshed in the forthcoming letter is Khwaja Shaqiq
of Balkh (d. 810) . Khwaja Abu Ali Shaqiq bin Ibrahim alAzdi is the spiritual disciple of Shaykh Ibrahim bin Adham
(this Sufi you may all know as he is the prince of Balkh
leaving his worldly position behind him to pursue the path
of Sufism). Khwaja Shaqiq is the spiritual guide of Hatim
Asamm (d. 852).
The morid in the forthcoming letter is Khwaja Abu Abd
ar-Rahman bin Ulwan al-Asamm. You probably all know

why he was called al-Asamm (the deaf)? He was also

known among the Sufis because of his great sincerity.
The letter makes it clear that the morid has learnt eight
useful things. One by one he mentions them and shortly
describes them.
I the near future I hope to give this letter as translated
from the Persian by Dr. Zahurul Hassan Sharib and now
to be found in his The Beloved of Allah, a manuscript of
which only a Dutch translation has come out.

LETTER 5
In a letter to Hazrat Qotb Sahab, Khwaja Moinoddin
Cheshti writes that his morshed Othman Haruni once
was pleased to narrate the following dialogue between a
morshed and a morid:
Hatim Asamm was a morid of Khwaja Shaqiq of Balkh.
One day it so happened, that the morshed inquired from
his morid: Tell me, since how long have you been
engrossed in my love and engaged in my service and have
been hearing my talk and discourses?
He replied: For the last thirty years, morshed.
Khwaja Shaqiq then asked: Now, tell me, during this long
period, what have you gained and what benefits and
blessings have you derived?
Thereupon Hatim Asamm submitted: I have acquired
eight useful and beneficial things, morshed'
The morshed inquired: What are they? Did you not enjoy
and posses them before?
He replied: It is true to say, that I did not enjoy them
before. I am happy and satisfied, morshed. I do not
require anything more.
Khwaja Shaqiq exclaimed: Hatim! I have spent all my life
in your work and in your training. I myself do not want,

that you should acquire more than what you have already
acquired.
Hatim, as a mark of expression of his satisfaction and
gratitude, humbly submitted: This much knowledge is
sufficient unto me, for the salvation of both the worlds is
circumscribed
within
the
eight
beneficial
accomplishments, which fortunately I have acquired in
your blessed company.
Thereupon shaykh Shaqiq asked Hatim Asamm to
describe them and he answered thus:
Morshed, the first thing is this, that when I saw the
people of the world minutely, I found then that everybody
has foolishly made someone his beloved. These so-called
beloveds are of such a type and trait, that some are with
you during your illness, some are with you till your death
and some accompany your funeral to the grave. There is
none, who may go with you inside the grave and partake
of your sorrow and affliction therein and there is none,
who may serve as a lamp in your grave.
Seeing this I thought to myself, that (s)he is indeed a
good beloved, who may be prepared to go with you inside
the grave and be sympathetic to you and be a bright lamp
there in the grave and enable you to overcome hardship
and cross the hurdles. Then I understood, that the
beloveds capable of helping thus are no other than good
actions! So I made them the focus of my attention and
treated them as my beloved and took them as my pleader,
so that they may stand by me in the grave and serve as a
bright lamp therein, be with me at every stage, intercede
for me and may never desert me.
Hearing this Khwaja Shaqiq of Balkh said: Hatim, you
have done very well indeed. Now describe the second
thing.
Hatim then began to describe the second thing thus: The
second thing is this, that when I saw the people of the
world minutely, I found them to be the followers of lust
and the devotees of greed and obeying their own self. I

pondered over the verse of the Quran 79:40-41, which

says:
But he who feared standing before his Lord
And restrained his self from vain desires,
His place is in heaven.
By thus meditating over the aforesaid verse, I realised
that what the Quran said, was true. Consequently I
equipped myself to oppose the self and placed it in the
fireplace of asceticism. I refused to fulfil any of its
desires. This unflinching obedience to God conferred
upon me peace, confort and tranquility.
Khwaja Shaqiq of Balkh thereupon expressed his joy and
said: May God, the Almighty, give you blessedness in
your pursuit. You have done well and very well. Now
proceed with the third.
The morid answered: The third benefit is this, that when
I studied carefully the condition of the people of the
world, I realised that everybody runs after the world.
After undergoing sorrow, trials and tribulations one is
able to derive some benefit from the officials of the world.
One feels happy therefrom.
Subsequently I pondered over the verse 16:96 of the
Quran which runs thus:
Whatever you have is transient and not lasting
And whatever is with God is everlasting.
The effect of the aforesaid verse was, that whatever I had
hoarded, I voluntarily spent it in the way of God and
surrendered myself to God, so that it may last there in the
presence of God and may thus become a means of
sustenance for me in the world hereafter.
Khwaja Shaqiq of Balkh, on hearing this, said: May God
bless you! You have done very well indeed. Now tell me
the fourth.

The fourth thing is this, that when I looked minutely into

the condition of the people of the world, then I reached
the conclusion that some people take a large family as the
standard of honour, prestige and greatness and they feel
proud of it. There are others who are of the opinion that
honour depends upon wealth and children and this
constitutes to them the hallmark of glory. Subsequently I
thought over this verse 49:13 of the Quran:
Surely the noblest of you
In the sight of God
Is the most pious.
I was led to believe that the verse contained the truth and
what the people thought was false and frivolous.
Consequently I took to piety, so that I might become the
one accepted by God.
Khwaja Shaqiq of Balkh thereupon said: You have done
very well. Id like to hear about the fifth benefit.
Hatim Asamm then narrated thus: Fifthly, when I
scrutinised the people, I came to know that due to
jealousy they bear enmity with each other and talk ill of
each other. And they are jealous of wealth, prestige,
honour and knowledge. Then I pondered over the verse of
Quran 29:62 that follows:
God expands the sustenance
For whomsoever He wishes of His servants
Or restricts it.
I was led to believe that since the day of eternity they
have received their share and none can interfere in it,
then of what use it is to be jealous. Consequently I
avoided jealousy and became at peace with all.
Khwaja Shaqiq of Balkh again remarked: You have done
very well. Now describe the sixth.
And his morid thus proceeded: Sixthly, when I saw the
world closely, I found that some bear enmity with each

other and are at loggerhead with each other to achieve a

certain object. Then I studied the verse of Quran 35:6
minutely which gives this warning:
Satan is an enemy of yours.
This verse dispelled all doubts and led me to believe, that
the word of God was true and that there could be no
doubt that Satan was our enemy. I made up my mind
neither to follow nor to obey Satan. I wanted to obey and
worship God and God alone. And this is as it should be,
for God has said in Quran 36:60-61:
Did I not exhort you,
O Children of Adam,
Not to worship Satan!
For he is a manifest enemy of yours.
And worship Me,
For this is a straight path.
Khwaja Shaqiq, on hearing it, said: You have done well.
And what is the seventh?
Hatim Asamm answered: And seventhly, when I saw the
people of the world minutely, then I came to know that
everybody tries his utmost for his sustenance. For this
reason he becomes diffident and doubtful. He brings upon
himself humiliation. I then contemplated on Quran 11:6
which tells:
On the face of the earth there is no creature,
Whose sustenance is not the responsibility of Allah.
I realised that the word of God was true. I am myself a
creature. Since then I took to the service of God and I felt
sure, that my sustenance will come from Him, because He
Himself has taken the responsibility for it.
Khwaja Shaqiq of Balkh then said: You have done very
well. Now narrate the eighth and last thing by which you
are benefited.

Hatim Asamm finished his story by telling this: When I

saw the people of the world minutely, I found them
reposing their trust in gold, silver, wealth and in material
acquisitions. Then I pondered over Quran 65:3 which
says:
Whosoever reposes his trust in God,
God will be sufficient for him.
Since then I reposed my trust in God. He is sufficient unto
me and He is a very good Pleader.
Khwaja Shaqiq of Balkh was delighted to hear the
aforesaid things and he said thus: May God in His infinite
grace and mercy enable you to pursue assiduously the
things aforesaid. I have studied carefully the Old
Testament, the Bible, the Psalms of David and the Quran
and I have acquired from these four books the very things
that you have mentioned. Whosoever acts upon these
eight things, described by you, follows and acts upon the
aforesaid four books in fact!
Khwaja Moinoddin Cheshti concludes his letter to Hazrat
Qotb Sahab thus: By this narration you have come to
know that much knowledge is not needed or required.
What in fact is called for is purposeful practice.
You may remember how the letter of Khwaja Moinoddin
Cheshti to Qotb Sahab ended. He wrote: By this
narration you have come to know that much knowledge is
not needed or required. What in fact is called for is
purposeful practice.
Here follows another letter, written by the same hand and
translated from Persian by Zahurul Hassan Sharib,
delivered to you across the boundaries of space and time:
Whosoever attains the enlightenment of Allah, does not
go about saying Allah, Allah The one who does so has
not yet attained enlightenment. As has been said, the one

having attained enlightenment, becomes in fact deaf and

lame!
The perfect enlightened person passes beyond the stage
of remembrance (dhikr), for remembrance is itself a kind
of duality and duality to the enlightened constitutes a
drawback and a defect. Allah says in Quran 57:4 the
following:
And He is with you wheresoever you are.
An enlightened one in fact becomes an emperor: he does
not expect anything from anyone and he does not
fear anyone except Allah. Of such people Allah in
Quran 10:62 has said:
Indeed, the friends of Allah
Have nothing to fear,
Nor will they grieve.
Allah is in the heart of man and the heart is in the chest
of man. The heart is of two kinds, namely the non-real
heart and the real heart. The real heart is neither on
the right side, nor on the left side, neither upward nor
downward and neither far nor near. But it is indeed
difficult to recognise the real heart. Only those near to
Allah know it. The heart of a perfect believer is in
reality the throne of Allah. The nearness of Allah
cannot be acquired without the company of a perfect
spiritual guide.
The perfect and sincere seekers of the truth do not
indulge in interrogations. But instead they are silent and
respectful.
The heart of a believer is ever and anon engrossed in
silent remembrance (dhikr-e-khaf), hence (s)he acquires
immortality. But the heart of a common person is
unmindful of the secret remembrance, hence it is dead.
People recite la ilaha illallah (there is no god but God),
but they do not know what is actually meant by existence

and non-existence, and whom they deny and whom they

assert. Reciting there is no god but God and Mohammad
is the messenger of God implies that there is none in the
world, except the One Singular and that Mohammad is
the manifestation of God. So the seeker of the truth
should not allow the thought of a stranger to enter his
(her) mind and (s)he should take God to be omnipresent.
Allah says in Quran 2:115 thus:
Wherever you turn
The face of Allah
Is everywhere.
The prophets and the friends of Allah are ever engaged in
the silent remembrance (dhikr-e-khaf). The prophet
has said:
Remembrance with the tongue is a connection.
Remembrance with the heart is a kind of temptation.
The remembrance with the soul is a source of divine
manifestation.
And there is always the silent remembrance.
The silent remembrance and the real prayer constitute in
fact the renunciation of the self.
As just now a letter has been concluded, here is a new
one. In another letter received from Khwaja Moinoddin
Cheshti he writes this:
The perfect enlightened, knower of the truth, lover of
God, brother Qotbuddin Kaki Ushi, may Allah increase
your piety! Salaams to you from your humble well-wisher
Moinoddin.
O, dear friend! You must tell your mureeds as to what is
actually meant by a perfect dervish, what are his (or her)
distinguishing marks and how (s)he is to be recognised.
The eminent shaykhs have said, that a dervish is (s)he
who is above all worldly needs and who does not hanker
after anything except His everlasting beauty, because the

whole world is a mirror and a manifestation of His

everlasting beauty. Hence (s)he sees his (her) object in
all.
Some of the awliya (friends of God) have explained this
thus: A perfect dervish is (s)he indeed, who removes from
his/her heart the stain, stress and burden of anything and
everything, and gives place in his heart to God alone, who
does not pursue any other object or desire except God
Himself. When all things other than God are effaced and
removed from the heart, then alone the object is
achieved.
So the seeker should ever and anon pursue faithfully and
diligently his/her object. Now it is necessary to know as to
what is meant by aim and object. You should know, that
the object is the same pain and pangs, whether it be real
(because of the love of God) or otherwise. Here the nonreal pain (because of worldly objects) is the beginning of
the mandates of the Islamic code. Salaams to you!
Nawab Khadim Hasan says this in his Moin ul-Arwah:
Who does not know that sayings contain the essence of
the experiences of the whole of life, and than the sayings
of an aref reveal his various degrees of attainment?
Fortunate are those who profit by the guidance of their
sayings. He then proceeds by giving annotated 94
sayings of Khwaja Sahab. Ill omit the notes as they
almost always refer to pages of Persian publications.
1. The heart of a lover is like a furnace of love. Whatever
goes into it is burnt to nothingness because there is no
fire like the fire of love.
2. The way of love is such that no trace remains of the
one who sets out to it.
3. From the lips of an aref one hears naught but the
remembrance (dhekr) of God.
4. The first sign of an aref is that (s)he begins to despise
possessions and wealth.
5. Even if one would give up both worlds in the friendship
of the Friend, that would be a small thing.

6. Though the lovers are cut off in love, they choose to do

the work of people who, in sleeping and in waking, are
seeking for the Beloved, and who having done with the
formal aspect of friendship are absorbed in the
contemplation of the Friend.
7. The Beloved Himself sees the lovers longing; the way
of love is a matter of supplication.
8. An aref is (s)he who strives to achieve one breath.
The breath of the aref is such that it performs the
remembrance (dhekr) of God and the aref sacrifices
his (her) whole life for this one breath. If such a breath
be achieved this is a matter of great fortune, because
even by seeking for such a breath in heaven and on
earth, and year after year, it cannot easily be obtained.
In Moin-ul-Arwah in the chapter dealing with the 25 th way
of marefat attention is given to the heavenly ascension of
the prophet Mohammad (Allahs blessings and peace be
upon him). The author tells that the prophet returned
with a robe, the robe of khilafat and that he asked several
people what they would do if they would receive it. Here
are their answers:
Abu Bakr: Id practice much austerity, Id attain much
spiritual power and Id say many prayers. In outward and
in inward prayers Id remain in your obedience.
Omar: For the pleasure of God Id embrace justice and
Id do right to the one who deserves it.
Othman: O, messenger of God! For the love of God Id
bestow much upon the poor and the down-trodden.
Ali: O, messenger of God! Id cover the defects of the
people and cover their sins.
This was the correct answer and Ali received the robe.
Here is another selection of the book by Nawab Gudri
Shah Baba called Moin-ul-Arwah, dealing with the life and
teachings of Khwaja Moinuddin Cheshti:

The fourth way of marefat, the knowing of the spirit of

inner correction and the stability in the way of haqiqat
When the 9th century [of the Islamic calendar] has passed,
then, at the end of that period of time, the learned, the
renouncers and the Sufis will be without a murshid, that
is they will have neither a spiritual guide who is perfect
nor a majdhub (an enraptued one, someone who has lost
control of himself because of the attraction by God).
Instead of prayer they will be involved in their own
desires and the purpose of wearing the robe and turban
only for external show. People in great numbers will be
adorers of the body and several learned ones and
renouncers will get involved in the greed of the world and
the worship of the ego. The virtues of marefat (gnosis)
and worshipping of the truth will not be among them, but
instead they will be far away from the real knowledge of
God. The reality about that group is known by the friends
(awliya) of God; these great ones will always remember
God in seclusion.
In order to attain union with God you should with heart
and soul remain engaged in inner exercises. The
knowledge acquired in this way, which is obtained
through sincerity and inner correction, is inspired
knowledge. This knowledge is the knowledge of God,
therefore on account of its holiness it may not be
disclosed to everyone. If someone happens to hear those
many secrets [without the proper background] he will
lose the power of hearing. When those lacking in courage
hear something from the people of the shariat, from the
learned or the renouncers about the secrets of God, that
is to say, about the secrets of the truth about the arefn
(gnostics) they do not believe it, they say it is impossible.
Therefore one should not give anyone, except the true
seekers, the knowledge of inner correction, obedience
and the training of the world of jabarut (the world of
power; next to the world of humanity there are other
worlds, like the celestial world. It is also the world of the
divine names and qualities).
(To be continued)

The remainder of yesterdays post:

The agglomeration of man consists of the marefat of ego,
heart and soul. The ego is the seat of the devil. The heart
is the seat of the angels and the soul is the place of the
contemplation of God, that is to say:
- the qualities of the ego are the search for this world
- the qualities of the heart are the search for the eight
eternities
- and the qualities of the soul are the search for the
hidden secrets.
The humble believer often remembers God in his heart
and this excessive remembrance of the Friend is on
account of extreme love. O, beloved ones! The
remembering by repetition with the tongue and dhikr
belong only to the external knowledge. As long as the real
seeker does not get rid of the intellect he will not attain
steadiness in absorption and the perfection of the
nearness of God will not be attained as long as he is not
frequently lost in inner obedience, in deep devotion and
absorption. Comprehension and intellect are two stages
and neither leads to God; those two stages are of external
knowledge.
The world of nasut (the world of humanity or the material
phenomenal world, perceived through the physical
senses) and malakut (the world of sovereignty is the
invisible spiritual, angelic world, which is perceived
through insight and the spiritual faculties) are outward.
Love and divine knowledge belong to the condition of
always being present. The nearness of God has nothing to
do with outward knowledge, the treasure of the secret of
the truth has to do with the heart and not with the
tongue.
The heart of the believer is full of affection and love. It is
the place of the secrets of the Friend. The pure heart of
the believer is the throne of God, the mosque in
Jerusalem and the house of the kaba. Unless you come

into the path of God with sincerity, one will not be

accepted in the court of God. Do not ask anybody but
your murshid a question of your heart.
This, too, is of the outward world that you say that you
have received from such and such a great one such and
such an initiation in a certain order. O, beloved ones!
Adopt the way of the dervish. The people of the real
intellect are the people of marefat (gnosis) and the
dervishes. It is worth-while seeking the company of,
receiving the training, the initiation and the advice of the
salek majdhub and the majdhub salek [for the explanation
of these terms please refer to The Culture of the Sufs].
One group of the shuyukh (spiritual elders) considers the
initiation by one particular shaykh as a duty.

The Beloved Himself sees the lovers longing; the way of

love is a matter of supplication.
On this path many masters have been reduced to
humbleness and many humble people have become
masters.
Khwaja Mo'inuddin Chishti has taught:
"Some people say that samaa' (listening to the music of
the Sufis) is the way of attaining the Divine presence, that
through this the lover attains completeness in love and
gets totally lost in the Beloved, but this is wrong about
love. The truth is this, that through Sufi music one attains
double union because, on account of it, the heart dwells
in the purity of love, the head in contemplation, the soul
in union, the body in service, the eyes in sight and the
ears begin to hear the voice of the Friend.
Samaa' (listening to Sufi music) is of two kinds, one with
relationship, the other without relationship. If you hear
the music as coming from the qawwal (musician), then
you hear something from the unseen world, but when you
hear the music coming from God, that is being in the
Divine presence.

Sufi music is like the sun from which everything is

acquired according to the capacity of obtaining and
according to the degree of attainment and no one remains
empty-handed. Sufi music is of God, but some of its parts
are useless and improper. The temperament of the
beginner is in no way capable of hearing the inspirations
from God. Junayd Baghdadi has said: 'I have seen a
darwish who on entering the musical gathering sat down
and passed away. That is the real hearing of Sufi music'.
Sufi travel
Travelling is of four
Moinoddin Cheshti):

travelling
travelling
travelling
travelling

kinds

(according

to

Khwaja

with a purpose
for inner contentment
of tariqat
of haqiqat

Travelling with a purpose is done to perform ones work,

for instance to go somewhere with the purpose of trade
and so on.
Travelling for inner contentment is this that one makes
this travel for the sake of pleasing God. Travels of inner
contentment are undertaken in a spirit of faqr (spiritual
poverty) and contentment by those who do not talk
Travels of tariqat are those which the pilgrims undertake
for the sake of pilgrimage, but the real seekers do not
perceive in that the perfume of the knowledge of God.
Travels of haqiqat cannot be obtained without the help of
a real spiritual guide, but are acquired by the training of
a perfect spiritual guide and by obedience in the way of
the prophet and by preserving nearness to God.
Be a traveller and travel always,
But be careful of wells and mountains.
Travel by your heart,
As the world is not the place for covering distances.

The heart of the momin (the one with faith) is the house
of unification and in unification of the heart is the hajj of
the poor. It is not for everyone to attain the inner
unification. When the inner attainment of the heart is
reached, then through repeated recitations and
remembrances in the heart and inner obedience the true
seeker reaches the place of unification of unification. That
beauty of beauties is attained in eternal unification and is
the contemplation of real beauty.
O, beloved one! That prayer in which, while performing
the different movements of prayer, the difference between
you and I remains, is not the prayer to God.
When absorbed deeply in the love of God,
Mere formalities of prayer are not observed.
Unless there is strong faith in the Oneness of God
Mere observance of formalities is not the means of
approach to God.
That prayer is not of God which is outwardly worship of
God, but is in reality of the ego.
The praying of lovers is a secret.
It is known only by those who are always praying.
The ignorant worshipper does not know,
That the soul of the lover is always in prayer.
When the lover sees the beauty of his Beloved in
privacy,
No one else should come in between.
Going into retreat is of three kinds, that is to say, retreat
of nasut, of malakut and of jabarut. Abdulah Ansari has
said that, through the training of the murshid the real
seeker reaches the nearness of God in ten years. Shibli
has said that it is in three years and Dhun-Nun al-Mesri
has said that the nearness of God can be attained in the
third retirement.
The weekly portion from: Mo'in ol-Arwah.