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A Hadith Qutb Muhaiyaddeen (1) and The Catching Chain Only God will know the glory of God Only God will know His power and His creation. Amin. Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate Qutb Muhaiyaddeen, in the ripeness of age, came and sat in the mosque (2) of shari’at in time for the early morning prayer, fajr. The one who functioned as imam (3) for that mosque in those times came to the mosque and led the people in prayer. Although the Qutb was in the mosque, he did not join in the prayer during that waqt (4). The imam noted this and went away. At the midday prayer, zuhr, the imam came again to the mosque and led the prayer, but the Qutb did not pray then either. The imam returned again to lead the congregation in the late afternoon prayer, ‘asr. At that time too the Qutb did not join the prayer, but sat leaning against a corner of the mosque. Later, the imam came to the mosque at sunset and led the prayer of maghrib. The great one did not pray at that time either. As soon as the prayers were finished, the imam came up to the Qutb and said, “O great one! It is a grave fault against Allah Himself, that you were in a mosque of shari’at for three waqts without joining in the prayers (5). According to the commands of Allah and of his Rasul and according to the law, because you were in the mosque for three waqts without praying, you must be punished by a beating (hadd).” (6) The great one immediately got up, and, without saying a word, left the mosque and went outside. When the imam saw this, he called the mu’adhdhin, the one who gives the call to prayer, and said, “Please catch him and bring him back.” The mu’adhdhin immediately went after him, calling out, “O great one! Please stop! The imam wants you to be brought back.” So saying, the mu’adhdhin attempted to catch him by the hand, but the great one eluded his grasp and flew away. The imam, who was watching this, became enraged. Staring intently at the one who was flying way, the imam took out the catching chain, which had been given to him by our noble Prophet, and dispatched it with the command, “Even if the great one should go to the throne of Allah (the ‘arsh), capture him and bring him back!” The catching chain immediately flew off in pursuit. This chain, which was given by Allah as His catching chain to His Rasul is Allah’s divine kalimah (7): La ilaha illallahu (there is nothing other than You, O Allah; You alone exist). It is the clarity of unwavering truth, certitude, and determination of the steadfast faith called iman, which Allahu ta’ala Nayan gave to the din, the path of perfect purity, by way of His Messenger. Allah told His Messenger to give it to his followers as well. It is the catching chain belonging to the qalb, the innermost heart of man, which has the power to catch and deliver even Allah and His Rasul to those who have the absolute faith that is the precious wonder called Iman-Islam (8). Moreover, this chain can capture guilty ones as well, and deliver them into the presence of the King of justice, Allahu ta’ala Nayan. Then that King, the ruler endowed with justice, delivers them to the judge, who is installed in the inner sanctum, the station of truth called the Ka’bah (9) of haqiqat (10). That judge, Nur Allah (11), finds them guilty or not guilty and sentences them accordingly. This catching chain will do whatever it is told to do in any of the universes. It will bring each particular thing to the place of judgment. It wonders defy description. This chain of splendor was given by Allah’s Rasul, in his time, to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (12). It protected his qalb, his innermost heart, at all times, so that none of the faults and evils of the world or the qualities of satan could even approach it. Thus Abu Bakr kept only Allah and His Rasul within his heart. Such was the glory of this chain the imam now dispatched. And the chain sped on its way to capture the great one. In the meantime, the great one, the Awwal Qutb (13), reached the presence of Allah and sought refuge in Him saying, “Ya Allah! Ya Rahman! Please save me! The chain You sent down to Your Messenger was given by him to his followers, and that same chain is now chasing after me. Save me, Ya Allah!” At that very moment the catching chain also arrived on the spot. Allah, who knew them both, commanded the chain, “Stop! Do not catch him!” Then Allah, opening His mouth of grace, which is the mubarakat, the wealth and blessings for all three worlds, spoke the words: “Ya Muhaiyaddeen! O flag of purity of din! O divine elixir of dinul-Islam! (14) O Qutb! I know you. But will the world know you? Will the creations (mankind) who are My secret in this world know who you are, or who I am? Those of the world will not know, for such knowing is extremely difficult for them. Anyone who wanted to do so would (through the clarity of your wisdom within them) have to realize My qualities and the qualities and actions of My Messenger, and, by conducting themselves accordingly, come to realize themselves. Only then, in that state, would they realize you, Me, and My Messenger. Those who attain such realization will remain detached and alone, act in accordance with their Lord’s virtues and actions (which exist within them), and acquire the fruits and benefits thereof. It is to help them know the truth of these benefits, O My Qutb, that I passed on this catching chain, through My Messenger, to those creations who manifested My essence and My attributes, My dhat and sifat. “When I gave this chain to My Messenger I told him, ‘Ya Muhammad! My Messenger! I have created everything through you. And I created man superior to all other creations—in wisdom, in clarity, in beauty, and in qualities. These human beings are your followers. Give them this immaculate catching chain of iman that I now give to you, this chain of the determination of absolute certitude of faith. Tell them to use it to come to know Me and capture Me, as well as the prophets who manifested out of My essence, and the splendor and resplendence of your light, the Nur, which is greater than those prophets.’ My Qutb! It is the same chain that has now come to capture your body. Therefore, I cannot ask this chain to go back, for it was sent down by Me to My divine Messenger, and he gave it to his followers to put it to good use and obtain its benefits. “It has been ordained by us that a man who is seeking to understand the import and benefits of this treasure—until he realizes the power of his own catching chain of steadfast faith, until the clarity of the certitude of iman dawns in him by his attaining the state of the absolute certainty of faith called yaqin, and until the understanding of its truth comes—until that time, he must go on learning the ethical and moral codes of shari’at (15) and the corresponding actions and laws of behavior, by following the path of shari’at. Once having understood this state with clarity, if his iman (faith) acquires certainty, he will know Me and you. These are the means by which My Messenger attempted to instill the beauty of insan (true human being) in his followers and implant within their hearts the treasure of absolute faith that would confer on them the state of insan kamil mu’min, the state of a perfected man, a true believer. Such are My commands and the precepts taught by My Messenger. “Ya Qutb! This being so, it was wrong for you to have gone to that place, the mosque of shari’at. I know you and you know Me. But these people do not realize who you are. Let me give an example. “Suppose there is a large hollow, or some low-lying land in this world that I created. When I send down My rain of grace (rahmat), which is the wealth for all three worlds (mubarakat), the water rolls and tumbles down toward that low-lying land, carrying residue, debris, dried leaves, and mud along with it, and turns that lowland into a pond. Even though it is full of many kinds of debris, sludge, and refuse, it is still a pond. “Some people are happy when they see the water, and go to it to quench their thirst. Even though it is dirty, they are content to push aside the dirt and drink the water. Some go there to bathe. Others, on seeing the water, answer the call of nature in some appropriate place nearby and then go to the pond to cleanse themselves. Others go there to catch fish. Still others carry away the sludge and decayed leaves from the bed of the pond and use them to enrich the soil. In this way, people go to the pond with 105 million different intentions, purposes, qualities, and actions. Each one goes with his own motive. “Ya Qutb! Some of My creations are like the people who trek to the pond. Until they develop the iman, the certitude of faith know as yaqin, through which they can receive the wealth of blessings that is the steadfastness of faith belonging to the clarity of truth that goes with the catching chain I gave My Messenger—until then, there are codes of behavior that have been laid down for them, exhorting them to visit holy places so their conduct may be trained to conform to the regulations defined by My Messenger, and so their wisdom may attain the clarity required for their transformation into true man. This mosque of shari’at has been built so the followers of My Messenger could go there to learn the wisdom that gives them clarity, and, through that wisdom, cleanse themselves of their accumulation of dirt. Their intention in visiting the mosque will vary according to their qualities, their actions, and their wisdom, just like those of the people who go to the pond with various motives. Some go just to relieve themselves, some go to rid themselves of the dirt and return cleansed, some go to dump their rubbish into it, while others go to remove the garbage. “In this way, until the wisdom of man dawns in the people, until the truth of the certitude of faith called iman becomes clear within them, they will go to the mosque with yearnings that arise out of 105 million different thoughts and aspirations. This mosque is the mosque of laws or injunctions that are meant to help them learn about the beauty and wisdom of man and about My qualities and actions, through learning about the teachings of the absolute faith residing in My Messenger. It enables them to learn the commandments, the conditions, and the guidelines for knowing Me. Further, this mosque of shari’at is a place that teaches them the clarity of the absolute faith that is a pre-requisite to understanding the words and actions of My Messenger and to knowing themselves and knowing Me. One who becomes a true human being will know Me and you. Such a one will stand alone. Know that state, Ya Qutb. Understand the attributes of that state. “Thus, according to the explanations of the rules given by Muhammad, My Messenger and your grandfather, it was wrong for you to have gone to that mosque. Therefore, it would be wrong for Me to send back this catching chain that I gave to My Messenger, for I gave it to him to bring forth the form, the qualities, and the beauty and clarity of Nur within the form of man. And he has given it to his followers, making it permissible, or halal, for them to use the chain in the same way. While My Messenger was living in this world, the catching chain successfully performed many such feats. Now that he is dwelling with Me, if the catching chain given by him were to return without fulfilling its mission, his followers would all lose their certitude of faith and say, ‘While he was alive, the chain always obeyed the commands that were given, but it no longer does what it is ordered to,’ “Your going to that mosque was a fault. There was no need for you to have gone there at all. Those people do not know that you, being My Awwal Qutb (16), are the light that fills both this world and the divine realms (‘alam and arwah). Therefore, if the chain goes back without you, they will grow suspicious, and doubt will arise in their hearts. As a result, I will have to bear the burden of hearing the word of My Messenger and the wonders of My essence, My attributes, and My secrets (which I sent down as the Thiru Qur’an) being ridiculed and labeled as lies. Ya Qutb! You have all of everywhere in this vast universe to stay in, so it was a grave mistake for you (having assumed a subtle form) to have gone and sat in their presence in that mosque. Therefore, you must accept the punishment they give you,” said Allah. Immediately, the chain caught and bound the Qutb securely and brought him back before the imam. The imam was still looking out from where he was standing in the mosque. As soon as the catching chain brought the Qutb to him, the imam addressed him with respect, “O great one! Even though you are one who knows the absolute certitude of faith called iman, and even though you are one who has drunk the bliss of Islam, you were at fault for not joining in the prayer in the mosque of shari’at during the three waqts that you were there. Refusing to accept your guilt and flying away when you really were guilty was a second offense. Further, since I hold the position of amir, or leader, for this group of people at the present time, your flouting of my orders within this mosque was a third offense—so say the laws of the religion. Thus, according to the mandates of these laws, and according to the word of the Rasul of Allah and the rules of shari’at, I must sentence you to be caned 101 times within this mosque. And, since you are guilty of three offenses, I order that your robe be removed and the blows be struck on your bare body. “I do realize that you are an exalted one. But then, you should not have come to this mosque of shari’at. However, since you did come, you should have conformed to the rules of shari’at and prayed during those waqts. Such are the injunctions of the Qur’an, the rules of shari’at, and the word of Allah and His Rasul. If you are the Qutb, you should have remained in places that are outside the bounds of this law. “There is a law of truth that states, ‘Allah knows who you are, and you know Allah.’ But the people of the shari’at in this mosque of shari’at will not know these things about you. They will not see the clarity of your iman or the glory of your light. They will judge you only in keeping with the level of wisdom that has thus far dawned in their hearts, and with the level of wisdom that has thus far dawned in their hearts, and they will think, ‘He is not praying, so why must we pray?’ They will form this conclusion firmly in their hearts, for they are incapable of knowing the resplendence of Allah’s truth, which you have realized through the clarity of your wisdom. Therefore, they will refuse to learn about or abide by the laws of shari’at or the good things learned through these laws, things concerning man’s qualities, actions, behavior, and codes of conduct. This is why I sentence you to this punishment prescribed by the laws of shari’at. If you had been elsewhere and not in this mosque, the conditions of this law would not apply to you. “Allah knows you, and you know Allah. We, too, know you. And those of wisdom will know. But the people who still have to learn wisdom in this mosque of shari’at will not know the splendor or the power of your glory. Therefore, without relaxing or altering the rules of this mosque, I must issue this decree.” Having pronounced his verdict, the imam commanded those about him, “Take off his robe!” At once the mu’adhdhin of the mosque and the others present undid and removed the robe of the great one. Immediately, every part of his body—the hairs, muscles, blood, skin, nerves, bones, water, air, earth, fire, and everything contained within them, as well as the 105 million skin pores, each with a mouth of its own—all resounded with the dhikr (17), the remembrance of God: La ilaha illallahu (There is nothing other than You, O Allah; You alone exist). The resonance of that sound thundered and was heard in this world, the other world, and the divine realm (dunya, akhirah, and arwah)—absolutely everywhere. With every breath, that dhikr thundered forth from 105 million mouths. And with every breath, at the rate of ten to each one, 1,050 million resplendent breaths of dhikr emerged. Upon hearing this resonance, Allahu ta'ala Nayan amplified tenfold the sound of each one, offering prayers of glorification in the name of the Qutb. No sound other than the sound of Allah's dhikr and the resonance of the Qutb's dhikr was heard in this world, the hereafter, and all of everywhere. This world and the hereafter thundered and trembled. Heavenly beings, angels, jinns, fairies, prophets, saints, qutbs, shaikhs, and millions upon millions of celestial beings heard the thunder of that sound and offered prayers of glorification. Everyone in this world also heard that sound and offered prayers of glorification. In all the worlds, both seen and unseen ('alam and arwah), no other sound was heard, save the sound of that dhikr. Hearing that sound, all those inside the mosque fell down senseless. At this point the imam summoned the mu'adhdhin of that mosque (the one who gives the call to prayer), picked up a cane, and handed it to him saying, "Deal the great one 101 blows!" As soon as the mu'adhdhin took the cane, he began to tremble in fear, his body became lifeless, and he started blabbering incoherently. With hands shivering and the vision of his eyes blurred, unaware of his own state, he stood, crying, "O imam! O shaikh! I cannot do it!" and fell headlong to the ground. Now the imam handed the cane, in turn, to each of the elders present, asking them to deliver the punishment to that great one. Every one of them fell down senseless. Finally the imam cried out, "Ya Allah! Please protect me! I am only carrying out Your injunctions. Therefore, I seek refuge in You. Since it is this noble one that I am punishing, please pardon me through him. I am forced to punish the great one only in order to fulfill Your commands and the laws of shari'at. So please pardon me through him." So saying, he picked up the cane, and forgetting himself and forgetting his body, he struck the Qutb 101 times. To the eyes of the onlookers, those 101 blows appeared to strike the body of the great one. But they did not even touch him. The great one merely stood there smiling, while the thunder of that dhikr continued to resonate everywhere. However, the blows dealt by the imam were felt by those in God's creation who are His slaves, by the imam himself, and by all other lives as well. The force of those blows sank into all the lives that offer prayers of glorification to Allah, caused pain in their hearts, and settled in and merged with those hearts. As soon as the imam had completed the punishment of 101 strokes, he fell at the feet of the great one, clasped both his feet, and wailed, "O divine elixir! O our lord of gurus! O lamp that dispels the darkness! O elixir of grace who is the badushah, the emperor for both worlds! I seek only your divine feet! Please accept me. I was only obeying the injunctions of the Rasul of Allah. I am your slave, O wondrous light! O my guru! O Muhammad's grandson, O king of gnanis! O my satguru! (18) O Guru Nathan (19) Muhaiyaddeen! O Ghauth Muhaiyaddeen (20) who has come as Qutbuz-Zaman, the Qutb for this age. O resplendent flame of wisdom that shines as our guiding light in all the worlds! O light of grace that feeds all the creations of Allah with all the compassion of love and makes their wisdom grow! O precious divine elixir! O bliss that shines as the wisdom within love! O luminous Qutb who has received the grace of Allah! O clearest nectar of purity that rules our hearts! "O grandson of the Divine Messenger who is the ocean of compassion and wears the title of Allah's Prophet of grace for this world and for the divine worlds! Ya Muhaiyaddeen, our Master! May you forgive this sinner's hand that beat you, and may you forgive his intention to carry out the punishment! May this prayer be accepted!" beseeched the imam, as he fell at the Qutb's feet with melting heart, forgetting himself and unaware of his body. "A wretch such as I can no longer live on this earth. Please accept me," he pleaded, and fell down unconscious. Muhaiyaddeen 'Abdul-Qadir stood looking at the imam with a smile of bliss on his face, thinking, "Who shall reply to this? Allah or I? Was it Allah or I who accepted the punishment?" He stood there smiling, without replying. "He begs forgiveness from me! Is it not the One who accepted the punishment that must give the reply?" he thought, and kept on smiling. At that very moment Allah's sound came forth. "Rise, O imam! In all fifteen worlds and in the unseen divine realm, there is no place without the light of My grace, Muhaiyaddeen 'Abdul Qadir, who is the eye of iman of Islam and the Qutb for the primal beginning (athi), for the beginning of creation (awwal), and for the hereafter (akhirah). There is no place where he is not. There is no mosque in which he does not pray. The radiance of wisdom and the gnanam (grace awakened wisdom) of My grace cannot exist in places where he is not. No enlightened being, no saint, no prophet—none of these—exist who have not profited from the meanings contained in his teachings. I who reciprocate his tasbih, taubah, and salawat, (21) find that I am unable to respond adequately, even though I use millions upon millions of tongues to do so. In order to reply to all the salawat, salams, dhikrs, and fikrs (22) performed by him, I find I have to offer tasbih through millions upon millions of mouths. "When all My creations in all the worlds hear the thunder of the resonance in those prayers of glorification made by My Qutb and Me, their ears and their minds feel comforted, their hearts melt, their intentions are overwhelmed, and they resonate in a state of awareness with the sound, "Ya Allah! Ya Allah!" This is the reaction of those who have the resplendent light of the wisdom of the Qutb. The cause for this is the sound of the prayers of glorification performed by Me and My Muhaiyaddeen 'Abdul-Qadir. It is on hearing this that all of you worship with heads bowed and minds overwhelmed, with certitude and love in your hearts, and in awe of Me. "Thus I am aware of the prayer of this Qutb, who brings forth countless prayers of glorification with each breath from that one mouth, thereby revealing Me to My creations and enabling them to know Me. He who knows My greatness knows Me. He who knows Me knows the absolute certitude of faith called iman. And he who knows iman knows the Triple Radiance: Allah, Muhammad, and Muhaiyaddeen. One who knows these three resplendences will know and realize the purity of Iman-Islam (23) and will lose himself within it. I am the one who knows the Ka'bah, which is the innermost heart, the qalb. (24) I am the one who knows their prayer and opens their hearts. I am the Lord to whom all worship is due. I am the Lord who knows each heart and gives to each what it deserves. I am the one who judges and decides, and I am Allah, who is called by the name Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim (in the name of God, most Merciful, most Compassionate). One who knows the truth of the clarity of My purity knows the resplendence of the certitude of the purest iman. And I exist as the One who knows and is known by the heart of the one who has known that resplendence. "Therefore, O imam! The blows you dealt have fallen on all living beings, as well as upon you and Me. Try to understand this. Try, within your qalb and your entire being, to realize My hikmatus-sirr (the innermost mysterious secrets that cannot be revealed outwardly), to acquire their benefits, to know the import of their fruits and effects, and to then describe and explain their import to others. Show these in your actions. Display them by your conduct. Demonstrate My beneficial qualities, actions, and conduct by putting them into practice. Only then will others realize My truth and glory, the truth of the things created by Me, and your truth. "Until you understand these meaning in this way, do not attempt to explain or interpret My resplendent a hadith (divine words of grace) to others. You do not know their greatness and glory, nor do you understand the secrets, qualities, actions, behaviors, and prayers of those creations. The traditions (ahadith) that you relate without this understanding and the punishments that you determine based upon your own interpretation of these traditions will, in the end, only gather blame upon yourself. Do not attempt to take My words of grace (kalam), or My honey of grace that shines as the exquisite resplendence of the Thiru Qur'an, and interpret them as this or that, or limit them to this much and no more. The meaning and the import of My words of grace will be understood by My creations only in keeping with their respective levels of wisdom. Those who have cherished and abided by My qualities and actions and the qualities, behavior, and conduct of My Messenger—those who have forgotten themselves and have lost themselves within the purity of the clarity of absolute certitude of faith—such people will understand the meaning of My words of grace and their fruits and benefits in proportion to the level of their attainment. This is why it is said, 'One who knows iman will know himself! And one who knows himself will be the leader of Iman-Islam, the state of perfect purity based on absolute faith.' "Therefore, O imam! Because the one on whom you decreed and carried out a punishment is the Awwal Qutb, who is the grandson of My divine Messenger, the blows of that punishment are decreed for all of us. But since the judgment on this Qutb, who shines as subtle wisdom (arivu) and resonates as divine analytic wisdom (pahuth arivu), was made within the mosque of shari'at, I bestow the name "Muhaiyaddeen Mosque' to all mosques where the prayers of shari'at are being practiced. May you also give this name to the mosques of shari'at worship. "However, O imam! One who does not know the purity of iman (absolute certitude of faith) cannot know the heart of another. One who does not know the heart of others will not know Me. One who does not know Me will not know My Habib Rasul, My beloved Messenger. One who does not know My Rasul will not know the greatness of the catching chain given by Me. One who does not know the greatness of the catching chain will not know the state of Islam. One who does not know the state of Islam will not know the true meaning of iman and its significance. One who does not know the true meaning of iman will not know the meaning of the Thiru Qur'an. One who does not know the meaning of the Qur'an will lack the capacity to give explanations of its truths; nor will he be qualified to assess the state or qualities of My creations, to decide upon their guilt or innocence, or to mete out punishment to them. Any of you who set out to judge and to determine punishment without realizing that state will fall subject to My punishment." This was the sound that resonated from Allah ta'ala Nayan's divine mouth of grace. Upon hearing that sound, the imam cried out, "O guru Muhaiyaddeen 'Abdul Qadir al-Jilani ! O jewel among gurus of divine prayer!" and, clinging to the feet of the Qutb, he pleaded, "Please bless me with the elixir of grace." When he heard this, the noble Qutb smiled and said, "Allah Himself has given you that elixir of grace, has He not? Al-hamdu lillahi Rabbil-'alamin! (All praise is to Allah, Lord of all the universes!) O imam! Live with inner patience (sabur) and contentment and gratitude (shakur)." So saying, he offered prayers of glorification to Allah, gave salams (greetings of peace) to the imam, and vanished from sight. One who is man must contemplate, understand, and analyze this with his divine analytic wisdom, and, with that wisdom, accept the truth that emerges, as Truth. Amin, Ya Rabbal-'alamin. As-salamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullahi Wa barakatuhu kulluhu. May it be so, O Lord of the universes. May all the peace, the beneficence, and the blessings of God be upon you. Muhaiyaddeen, M.R. Bawa. The Resonance Of Allah. Chapter 14. Philadelphia:Fellowship Press Footnotes: 1) This is a name given to Muhaiyaddeen ‘Abdul Qadir al-Jilani; the Qutb for that age. [The Qutb of the age is the axis around which the universe resolves. He is grounded in Allah, and so he remains still, while the rest of the cosmos revolves around him.] Qutb Muhaiyaddeen’ Abdul Qadir al-Jilani is reported to have declared before a multitude of witnesses, “The sun never rises before saluting me with greetings of peace and informing me of what is happening throughout the world. And the year comes and reports to me about what goes on during it in all the lands; also the month, the week, and the day tell me of the secrets that take place in them.” 2) [Islamic place of worship, where prayers are performed five times daily, according to the laws of shari’at.] 3) The one who leads the congregation in prayer. 4) Prescribed time of prayer. 5) [Although the number of prayers in which the Qutb did not join was four and the law specifies three, the story has been translated in the way it was told.] 6) [A legal term for punishments for specified offences whose limits are defined in the religious laws.] 7) The affirmation of faith: La ilaha illallahu (There is nothing other than You, O Allah; You alone exist). The kalimah is the word of God that cuts away the influence of the five elements (earth, fire, water, air, and ether), washes away all the karma that has accumulated from the very beginning until now, dispels the darkness, beautifies the heart, and makes it resplend. It is God’s grace and His pure light of truth. With this truth, each one can wash his innermost heart, his qalb. It is the water of grace that washes his body and heart and makes him pure. It makes his wisdom emerge, and impels that wisdom to know his own self and God. 8) The state of the spotlessly pure heart that contains Allah’s Thiru Qur’an, His divine radiance, His divine wisdom, His truth, His prophets, His angels, and His laws. The pure heart which, having cut away all evil, takes on the power of the courageous determination called faith and stands shining with the resplendence of Allah. When the resplendence of Allāh is seen completely filling the pure heart of man, that is Iman-Islam. When the fullness of the unshakable faith of the heart is directed toward the One who is completeness, when that fullness is made to merge with the One who is completeness, when the heart communes with that One, trusts only Him, and worships only Him, accepting Him and nothing else as the only perfection and the only one worthy of worship—that is Iman-Islam. 9) The house of God, the innermost sanctum within the heart of man, where a true man prays directly to Allah. [Literally, the Ka’bah is the large cubic structure in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, towards which all Muslims turn to pray.] 10) The state of realization of truth, or divinity, and the beginning of communion with God. 11) Allah's complete effulgent light, the light that becomes complete within Allah and then emerges from Him as the plenitude. 12) [A close companion of the Prophet, and later his father-in-law; the first caliph in Islam, after the passing of the Prophet.] 13) Allah’s wisdom that emerged from the light of Nur Muhammad; the power of divine analytic wisdom, which emerged from the Nur after the Nur emerged within Allah; the power that explains the truth of God. 14) The path of perfect purity; the resplendence of perfectly pure iman; the ancient truth that was in Allah originally and is always with Him. The light of truth for dunya (the world) and akhirah (the hereafter). For those who dwell within it, dinul-Islam is the faith of unquestioning surrender to the will of Allah. See Chapter 15, pages 377-382. 15) The first step of spiritual ascendance; the discrimination between right and wrong, and good and evil, and the conducting of one’s life according to what is right and good. See Chapter 8. 16) Allah’s wisdom that emerged from the light of Nur Muhammad; the power of divine analytic wisdom, which emerged from the Nur after the Nur emerged within Allah; the power that explains the truth of God. 17) Allah’s wisdom that emerged from the light of Nur Muhammad; the power of divine analytic wisdom, which emerged from the Nur after the Nur emerged within Allah; the power that explains the truth of God. With various intentions, the dhikr can be recited thirty-three times, one hundred times, five hundred times, one thousand times, ten thousand times, or one hundred thousand times. The most exalted dhikr of all is to remember God with your every breath, saying, “La ilaha illalaāhu: There is nothing other than You, O Allah; you alone exist.” All the other dhikrs relate to His actions (wilayat), but this one points to Him and to Him alone. It is the communication with God, which runs as speech within speech, as breath within breath, and as soul within soul. If, through the divine analytic wisdom of the Qutbiyyat, one can bring this dhikr into the soul and make it travel along with the breath, then the dhikr, the wisdom, and the soul would ascend and descend as one, in union, 43,242 times a day (the number of breaths a human being takes per day). 18) When the soul was in arwah (the divine kingdom), the satguru was Nur Muhammad. Our first awareness comes from that satguru. Wisdom comes later in the form of the Qutb. But until one attains such wisdom, it is the satguru that gives all that is needed—water and air, the sense of smell for the nose, the sense of taste for the tongue, the sweetness, and the many scenes that are seen. That which makes a child first aware is the satguru, Nur Muhammad. A newborn baby does not yet have wisdom, and yet it can scratch itself when it itches. It is the Nur (the satguru) that makes it scratch. If the child cries for milk and the mother picks it up, it stops crying; but if somebody else picks it up, the baby continues to cry. It knows. When the mother embraces the child, it takes its milk from her nipple because it knows. It is the satguru that shows the baby all these things. Only later does the wisdom called the Qutb come to teach about right and wrong, and good and evil. 19) Guru of gurus; the Lord of gurus. 20) [One who is a source of grace and blessings, whether in the worldly or mystical realm; one to whom people turn for succor and help. In Sufism it refers to the most spiritually advance being of the age (Qutbuz-Zaman); the Qutbul-Aqtab, the pillar of pillars, the spiritual axis around which the entire universe revolves. He is considered to be the true heir of the Prophet Muhammad.] 21) Glorification of God, repentance, and praising God. 22) Salawat: prayers; glorification; blessing; salams: greetings of peace; dhikr: remembrance of God: fikr: contemplation of God. 23) Complete, unshakable faith in Alaāh, the One who is completeness. The state of the spotlessly pure heart that contains Allah's Thiru Qur'an, His divine radiance and wisdom, His truth, His prophets, His angels, and His laws. 24) The innermost heart; the heart or shrine within, where one stands alone, worshiping the One who is alone.
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