translated & edited by G.N. Jalbani and David Pendlebury (Octagon Press 1982)
Stages of "the Heart"
One of the characteristics of the heart is to subjugate the bodily members, modify their behavior, and use them to carry out particular tasks. The visible effect of this aspect of purification is called sincerity and propriety. Other effects are shame and embarrassment, confusion, penitence and contrition. The effect of this aspect of purification is called passion.
Another characteristic of the heart is to subjugate the carnal self and take no account of its frivolity and greed, and keep it willy nilly under firm control . The effect of this aspect of the purification of the self is called patience.
A further characteristic of the heart is to conform with the intellect and to heed and accept its bidding. The effect of this aspect of purification is termed surrender to providence.
Yet another of its characteristics is loyalty to friends and close adherence to their customs. The effect of this aspect of purification is called piety and love of holy ritual.
One final characteristic is that, in comparison with the desired objective, everything else is found to be a simple matter; and because of its inclination towards the real, the heart suppresses any impulse to anger, avarice , love of dignity, or extravagant hopes . The effect of this aspect of purification of the self is termed magnanimity.
Thus we have seen that the fundamental stages of the heart are these:
Sincerity, passion, patience, reliance, surrender, piety, love of holy
ritual and magnanimity.
This is the reason why the Sufis have spoken so much about these attainments and explained them so thoroughly .
Benefits of the purification of the intellect
Concerning the benefits which accrue from the purification of the intellect as a result of its acquiescence in that which transcends it, these are twofold.
The first is that a conviction concerning the supreme manifestation which is established in the sacred fold of paradise filters through to the individual from the sublime realms. A resolution forms in his mind without his understanding exactly where it came from. He is certain about it in every detail ; and yet he is unable to say a single word about it. "The blind man knows he has a mother , but he has no idea what she looks like."
This kind of conviction needs to be completed by reliance and surrender, and it clothes both heart and self in a robe of its own color.
A second benefit is this: that from the repositories of sublime knowledge, which in the law are termed the tablet, and which in Sufi parlance are called "the world of ideas", the mind is inundated with images of the future either in dreams or else in the waking state, in the shape of visions and imaginings. This is known as revelation.
With regard to one's effectiveness in more mundane areas, there are two further benefits:
First, the seeker's powers of conjecture and logical inference increase and he may gain a true insight into the course of events. He may be able to see into the hearts of others and gain access to hidden information.
Second, whatever happens to reach his ears from the Koran, the traditions of the Prophet, and from the sayings and doings of the ancients-- all of this is, with God's grace, assimilated by his intellect, and he is thus able to understand perfectly the purpose behind every word and the interpretation of every tradition, as well as the associations and allusions implicit in every verse.
The manifestation of the attributes and the names of God may illuminate his mind, rendering him for a moment, both inwardly and outwardly submissive. Spiritual illuminations will appear to him in their most complete form.
All of these are the fruits of purification and the benefits of training.
Perpetual Service
The cornerstone of purification is perpetual service.
This is of equal value to each of the three faculties and its benefits
embrace all of their ramifications.
At this point, however, there is a difference between earlier and later Sufis. The former used to ascribe more importance to the purification of the self, the intellect and the heart, together with their specific manifestations and peculiarities; and they placed most emphasis on the training of these three faculties, regarding perpetual service merely as the end product and consummation of such training.
The later Sufis, however, concerned themselves exclusively from the very outset with perpetual service. They did not consider anything to be more important and useful than that.
After completing and perfecting this relationship they would then
look to see what kind of shoot and leaf this seed had brought forth in the heart of the seeker, and what kind of flower this shoot would eventually produce. If by virtue of the soundness of nature and stability of temperament of the particular individual , all the stages of attainment had been produced, well and good; if not, they proceeded to aim for what had not as yet appeared.
In holding this view, the later Sufis were in fact on target. Doubtless this was a rare blessing which had been reserved for them.
Thus if certitude and love are gained before the purification of the self has occurred, then such a person is called the "attracted" and the "desired".
However, if purification of the self , repentance, and the spiritual
exercise occur before the appearance of conviction and the desire for love, then such a person was named the "seeker" and the "disciple".
In general, perpetual service falls into two categories:
The first type is connected with the limbs and organs of the body, and with the tongue. This entails spending one's life in prayer and reading the Koran with one's thoughts collected and one's heart in attendance. This is one of the fundamental principles of Sufism, and it has been explained exhaustively.
The second type is connected with the heart and the intellect. Here the heart is occupied with the love of the beloved and close attachment to the beloved. The intellect is occupied with remembrance and awareness while breathing. In this connection we have not seen any path more profitable than that followed by the masters of the Naqshbandi school.
However, at this point, there arises a difference of opinion:
Some people have been content to occupy themselves with inner matters and have not taken externals into account, regarding these as a simple affair. This is one of the errors of the later mystics.
Concerning this matter, the substance of what the masters of the Naqshbandi schools have said is this: that it is sufficient to keep within the limits indicated by sublime tradition-- not that one may deny the very foundations of the latter.
The whole point in engaging oneself in activities and exercises is that every faculty should be educated and that due consideration should be given to every stage.
The attainment of the stage of sincerity and the purification of the self and the bodily members are not possible without the outward display of devotion. When a man undertakes the obligation of perpetual service and dedicates himself to it, both inwardly and outwardly, never sparing himself even for a moment and this quality penetrates his heart, intellect and self to the very core--- deep, deep into the innermost self-- then inevitably, every detail of the various stages will come into operation.
In the science of behavior this quality serves as the substance while the developmental stages are like forms. Once the wax has been made ready, then whatever image is desired can be fashioned from it. In the same way, the practice of perpetual service has first of all to be adjusted before each individual stage can be put right.
"First the throne is made firm, then it is decorated."
When perpetual service has been duly adjusted, the appearance of the various stages will take place in accordance of the basic nature of the three human types outlined above.
Thus the stage of sincerity will come easily to him whose heart by nature dominates both his bodily members and his behavior and has brought them under control as a matter of course.
If the love of a particular community establishes itself in the heart of a man who is weak by nature and yet his heart does not require him to follow the regulations of that community and if its outward forms of behavior, such as courteous speech, paying frequent visits, and the giving of precious gifts do not alter his habitual ways-- then such a person must be seen to have no hope whatsoever of completing the stage of sincerity.
There is another type of man who is not strong in his heart. When
calamities assail him, he loses self-control and becomes impatient,
fretful and distressed. Obviously such a man has no hope of perfecting the stage of patience and fulfilling its requirements.
Perpetual service is like a seed. The growth of a shoot, with leaves and eventually a flower depends upon the fitness of the soil. So it has to be established whether the soil is by nature good or bad since it is precisely upon that nature that the whole process will depend. If perpetual service attains its perfect form without any of the stages revealing its splendour, then there is no harm in that....
from The Altaf al-Quds of Shah Waliullah
Shah Waliullah of Delhi
TRANSLATED BY G. N. JALBANI
REVISED AND EDITED BY David Pendlebury
The Sacred Knowledge is regarded as a fundamental text in both East and West by students of Sufi thought. Through Professor Jalbani’s rendering, the book shows how the 18th century mystic of Delhi discharged his task. In Waliullah’s own words, ‘The purpose behind writing this discourse is that only those problems pertaining to perception and the mystical unveiling are mentioned.’
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