The Secured Heart and The Contented Self
Mohammad Abu Bakr from Faisalabad asks:
Is it possible
for a person to sometimes feel the Contented Self
and sometimes feel the Inspired Self?
Or does the Lower Self stay at one state at a time without switching?
The Lower Self
has four different states.
The Commanding Self
which is completely under the Devil's control.
When divine energy enters it, it transforms from the Commanding Self to the Blameworthy Self.
When more divine energy is generated
then it will transform from the Blameworthy Self to the Inspired Self.
This is the highest rank a Devout Believer can reach.
After this
it doesn't matter how much one worships and generates divine energy
it will stay at Inspired Self, it does not progress from there.
In order for it to be transformed into the Contented Self, it is necessary for the divine theophanies to befall the Lower Self.
For the Contented Self...? [Audience repeats].
Now, who comes under the shower of divine theophanies? Saints of God. Those whom God wishes to make saints are showered with divine theophanies.
And this happens after one witnesses the divine splendour.
Once this happens the divine theophanies begin to fall.
And this is a wazifa from God.
When the divine theophanies are sent down their main target is your Spiritual Heart.
The Spiritual Heart also has different stages.
Until the heart is awakened and is void of divine energy
and it is trapped in the web of 180 000 Zannar
at this stage, it is known as 'Qalb-e-Snobar' (Senseless Heart).
S-N-O-B-A-R
Snobar.
Snobar means senseless; without sense.
When the 180,000 evil layers are burnt away with the spiritual concentration of the Spiritual Guide
and the heart is revived with the name of God
and the Zikar of God's name settles eternally in the beating system of the heart
then such a heart is known as 'Qalb-e-Saleem' (Secured Heart).
Now, this is a guarantee.
God said in Chapter Ash-Shuara
Koran 26:88
Koran 26:89
'On that day, neither your sons nor your wealth will benefit you.'
'Successful will be the one who brings forth a Secured Heart.'
So, it is guaranteed.
One may progress from the Secured Heart as long as there is a constant supply of divine energy
which transforms the heart from a Secured Heart to 'Qalb-e-Muneeb' (Heart Directed to God).
A Secured Heart is a heart which is freed from the Devil's grasp, has God's name settled therein and whose worship reaches God.
But when a Spiritual Heart becomes Muneeb, its direction turns towards God.
There is a phrase in Urdu 'Allah se lo lagaon ga' (I will be devoted to God).
That devotion comes from Qalb-e-Muneeb.
It is turned towards God.
This is the culmination for a Devout Believer.
This is the final stage for a Devout Believer.
Now, divine theophanies are necessary in order to have a Qalb-e-Shaheed (Witnessing Heart).
If divine theophanies are not sent down then the Spiritual Heart stays Muneeb and you remain a Devout Believer.
When you witness the divine splendour and the divine theophanies are sent, they will befall the Spiritual Heart.
The divine theophanies make the Spiritual Heart a Witnessing Heart.
The very same divine theophanies then befall the Lower Self.
When it falls, the Spiritual Heart becomes a Witnessing Heart and the Lower Self becomes a Contented Self.
The Koran states, 'O' you with the Contented Self,
I am pleased with you. Now, you become pleased with me.'
This is the stage of Radhiya Mardhiya.
In regards to the stage of Radhiya Mardhiya, there are many Sufi Scholars who
obviously do not possess sainthood
they have just become 'Sufi Scholars' by reading books
They do not know what Radhiya Mardhiya means
and they say that Radhiya and Mardhiya are stages of the Lower Self.
Nafs-e-Mardhiya, Nafs-e-Radhiya.
Although, there is no truth to this.
Radhiya Mardhiya happens when divine theophanies are showered
But before the divine theophanies are sent down
God puts the one he wants to make a saint through some tests.
God asks, 'Why are you worshipping?'
The man replies, 'I want your friendship.'
God says, 'Really? You want to befriend me?'
'Will you stay content with whatever I do?'
The man replied, 'Yes, I accept everything.'
So this examination before sainthood is granted
can last for one year for some saints
while others may be tested for three years.
Now, during this period
During this period of 1-3 years
God tests the person.
Now, during this examination
God can use any method to test him
He could kill his children
or any number of calamities.
And for that
the most dangerous thing about this test-period is that once God has put you to a test
then you cannot complain at all, neither verbally nor mentally.
His Divine Eminence also said something about this
'When I was in this position,
I would always say 'It's alright' with every loss and every test.'
His Divine Eminence said, 'That's where I got into the habit of saying 'It's alright'.'
*His Divine Eminence's Poetry*
So His Divine Eminence said that He developed the habit of saying 'it's alright' due to the test-period.
With every loss, with every test, His Divine Eminence just said 'it's alright'.
So in that period of 1-3 years, your heart cannot complain
or express resentment or sorrow.
Nor can you verbally protest against it.
When one successfully passes the tests
God becomes merciful upon them
because they passed God's tests.
Then God says, 'You are my friend.'
Then the person asks God something.
This test-period by God is called 'Radhiya'
which is pronounced as 'Raziya' in Urdu.
So this stage is Radhiya.
When God is pleased then the saint asks God, 'Am I your friend?' God says, 'Yes, of course.'
And the saint says, 'So now you will be pleased with what I want.'
And God agrees to it.
Whatever God says to the saint
the saint has to accept it all without a word.
With the same token, if the saint says anything to God
about what he wants to happen, God has promised not to say a word.
This is the reason why people go to the shrines of saints to pray
to Data or Khwaja for children.
Those who lack this knowledge say it is all polytheism.
They don't know what these saints are at the stage of Radhiya Mardhiya; the divine pact has been made.
If such a saint has said you will have a child then God has to listen to him.
By law, God is bound.
By law
God is bound because God has promised them. Why do you say it is polytheism?
God tested him for 3 years, killed his wife and children, broke his face but did he complain?
He remained silent, didn't he?
So now it's his turn. If he says something
then God has to listen.
But it's not like God is adhering to the command of a human being, no. God has promised his man to listen to him.
This is God's promise.
For example, what did Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani ask God for in the stage of Radhiya Mardhiya?
He made God promise 70 times that none of his disciples would die without faith.
God must listen to him. Why? God promised to listen.
You can keep saying it is polytheism or innovation but it's God's promise.
'God does not break a promise.' (2:9)
God has promised his man that he will listen to him and whatever he says will happen
If God tells him to keep someone with him at all times, he has to do it because God said it.
For example, Saeed Siddiqui was a hell-bound soul
but God told His Divine Eminence to keep Saeed Siddiqui with Him at all times.
Arif Memon, too. God said it
that they have to stay with His Divine Eminence.
But what happened?
You cannot play a game with Gohar Shahi.
His Divine Eminence said, 'No problem.'
Those who didn't listen to His Divine Eminence and went against His decisions lost their status.
Those who were devoted to His Divine Eminence became Saeed Siddiqui and those who were not devoted became Arif Memon.
You understand?
So this is the stage of Radhiya Mardhiya.
'Radhiya' is for the saint to accept everything God does and says
and then
a time comes when the saint says
'I listened to you now you have to listen to me.'
God already knows that he has made a promise so there's no confusion.
That's why Bulleh Shah said, 'There is no God without the Beloved, even if you have to fight God about this.'
You fought with God but at least the Beloved is pleased with you.
The [Beloved] is at the stage of Mardhiya, that's why.
What do you say?
The saints who blessed people simply for serving them food or cleaning their homes were those who were at the stage of Mardhiya.
Addressing those with the Contented Self, the Koran states
that they are at the stage of Radhiya Mardhiya.
Let's read what it says next.
Koran 89:28
Now, the test of sainthood has been done
the promise of Radhiya Mardhiya was made
and then God says, 'Now you are among my friends.'
'Come and enter the divine sanctuary.'
'You are among my friends.'
'You are now among my men.'
Was he not a man before this? Of course, he was.
Right?
'Ibadi' meaning one who has obtained the divine servitude.
'Ibad' means the one who reaches the 'Mabood' (Creator)
and 'Ibadi' means 'my worshipper who has reached me.'
And then it says, 'Wad khuli jannati'
Now, the word 'jannati' here does not refer to paradise.
'Jannati' means 'my paradise'.
By saying 'my paradise' God means that now you have access to his realm.
Jannati.
Jannati means 'my paradise' and here it means 'realm' or 'station'.
For example, Jannat ul Khuld is the Station of Khuld.
So it means 'station'.
Now, he asked whether the states are interchangeable.
Once the Lower Self becomes the Contented Self, it freezes at that point.
It will stay at that stage.
However, until it becomes the Contented Self
then you must maintain the flow of divine energy.
If you don't maintain it then your Lower Self will revert from the Inspired Self to the Blameworthy Self and back to the Commanding Self once again.
After this, if the Lower Self shows any further signs of disobedience
it is lowered a further three levels.
If it goes lower from the Commanding Self, it turns into a snake.
If it is lowered even more it turns into a cobra; a bigger snake.
If it is lowered even more than that it turns into a white snake.
What does a white snake mean?
Hunger for glorification.
Such people want others to worship them.
There are many 'Sufi Scholars' who have reached this point.
They have to be praised and worshipped first and the Prophet (PBUH) comes second.
Whether God is worshipped and glorified or not is not a problem
as long as they are worshipped.
These people who claim to be Sufis and scholars and make people worship them
in the mosques, the worship places and the madrassas are the white snakes who are the enemies of God, God's friends and God's beloved.
Those who simply keep their company become deprived and ill-fated.
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