The Teachings of Prophet Mohammad: The Culmination of Spirituality
There is a large group of people in [Pakistan] who believed in Sufism and saints
and they would visit the shrines of saints.
They would celebrate Giyarwin Sharif.
But then gradually, the Wahhabi sect from Saudi Arabia emerged,
and began its propagation in Pakistan.
As a result of which, those same people who would visit the shrines of saints started becoming Wahhabis.
And they began opposing the saints and the spiritual knowledge.
The practical detachment from Sufism and the lack of the spiritual knowledge in those who used to believe in saints and Sufism
played a huge role in the state of the society.
Prophet Mohammad had great fondness for Sufism.
All worship and supplications are effective only when one becomes a Sufi.
Without Sufism and the [revival] of the Spiritual Heart, all worship is like a gun without a bullet.
To wear an Imama and to keep a beard - these are the Customs of Prophet Mohammad
that are like the icing on the cake.
But if only have the icing and you don't have the cake, it is useless.
You can't say to someone, 'Keep the cake and I will keep the icing.' This doesn't happen.
If you have both the cake and the icing, it is better.
But if you only have the icing and not the cake, it is useless.
I want you to understand the ranks and authority of the saints of God.
What are they and what can they do?
It is important that you understand this.
When a Spiritual Guide is appointed by God,
God image is in his heart, in his chest.
And God sends 360 theophanies upon that image every day.
Many people object to the fact that the Companions of Prophet Mohammad never had to go for spiritual austerity [in the jungles].
They claim that the concept of going for spiritual austerity is fabricated by [Sufis].
The Companions of Prophet Mohammad didn't have to go for spiritual austerity.
They didn't have to because the theophanies of God that fall on a saint 360 times a day -
- God would send those same theophanies upon Prophet Mohammad non-stop, all the time.
[God would send those] theophanies all the time upon Prophet Mohammad.
There was only ever one saint who received more than 360 theophanies a day from God:
The leader of saints, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani.
God gave him the title, 'Mehboob-e-Subhaani'.
Every day, 500 divine theophanies would fall upon him.
There was such an abundance of theophanies falling upon him that he would not visit his wives at night.
He would only see them in the daytime.
He would be under an abundance of divine theophanies at night, so at that time, he would be alone.
What I want to tell you is this:
we started the campaign of Dhikr-e-Qalb (The Opening of the Spiritual Heart).
And since we started, it has been more or less 40 years.
40 years, give or take a year or two.
People think that it is incredibly important for the heart to engage in God's remembrance.
This is absolutely true.
it is necessary for the heart to engage in God's remembrance.
But I want to tell you that the heart does not remember God through one method alone.
It depends upon the Spiritual Guide, upon the saint.
The Spiritual Guide may make his disciples engage in invocation.
And for some others, the Spiritual Guide may not prescribe invocation at all [as a means for spiritual progress].
Rather, he may choose to enlighten such people with his spiritual concentration [alone].
So more important than all the rules and laws in spirituality is to listen to the Spiritual Guide.
Whatever the Spiritual Guide says is the absolute truth.
If the Sun is out and it is day, but the Spiritual Guide says, 'It is night,'
then you do not have the right to say, 'The Sun is out, it is day.' If you do that, you will become a disbeliever.
Now, the matter of the questions in the grave and the accountability on the Day of Judgement -
- once you have pledged allegiance to a Spiritual Guide, you don't have to worry about the questions in the grave or the Day of Judgement.
Once you belong to someone [who is a friend of God], wherever he goes, he will take you with him.
All you have to do is determine whether the one you are about to pledge allegiance to is a man or God or not.
If he isn't a man of God and you have pledged allegiance to him, you are done for.
And if he is a man of God and he accepts you,
then don't worry about how much your heart remembers God.
You now belong to him.
The reason why the Companions of Prophet Mohammad didn't have to go through spiritual austerity was because
Prophet Mohammad would constantly be under the divine theophanies -
the same divine theophanies that would fall upon saints 360 times a day.
He would be under the divine theophanies all the time.
Whether it was day or not.
He would be under the divine theophanies at all times.
So just by sitting in the company of Prophet Mohammad, the Companions whose Lower Selves were to be purified became purified.
People who came later did not have Prophet Mohammad's physical company available to them.
Since they didn't get Prophet Mohammad's company, they had to adopt another method to purify their Lower Selves.
They had to purify the Lower Self through spiritual discipline and austerity.
Now, we are living in an era where no spiritual austerity or control over one’s diet can purify the Lower Self.
The ratio of negative energy in the world has increased.
It is no longer possible to keep your eyes, heart or intentions pure.
Now if your Lower Self is to be purified, it is only possible through the spiritual concentration of Imam Mehdi Gohar Shahi.
Without His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi's spiritual concentration, it is not possible anymore [to purify the Lower Self].
There were some people like Abu Dhar Ghifari - he was very close to Prophet Mohammad.
Prophet Mohammad took him on the spiritual path.
He didn’t follow Sharia strictly.
Prophet Mohammad wasn't just a prophet.
He wasn't just a messenger.
Prophet Mohammad wasn't just a prophet or a messenger.
Prophethood and messengerhood are ranks.
But Prophet Mohammad himself -
- he is a beautiful combination of the divine theophanies, God's will, God's beauty and God's love.
In other words,
When the entire attributes of God converge into one, that is Prophet Mohammad.
The convergence of all of God's attributes into one - that is Prophet Mohammad.
Sufism has been the soul of every religion.
But when the religion of Islam was established, Sufism reached its culmination.
When Islam was established, due to Prophet Mohammad's blessings,
Sufism reached its peak.
Meaning Deen-e-Hanif.
Every religion has its foundation.
The basis of every religion begins with Deen-e-Hanif.
Adam's religion began with Deen-e-Hanif.
The religions established by Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Prophet Mohammad all began with Deen-e-Hanif.
What is Deen-e-Hanif?
When your heart and your tongue both invoke upon God, this is Deen-e-Hanif.
When both your heart and tongue invoke upon God, you have entered Deen-e-Hanif.
After this, through the religion, you have to progress on the path.
But when it comes to progress -
- most of our Muslims think that the total representation of Islam is the performance of worship.
Most of our Muslims think that the total representation of Islam is the performance of worship.
This is not true.
Worship is just a small chapter of the religion.
Before everything else,
Before everything else, the most important thing is to establish a connection between you and God.
Once you have a connection with God, that is when the other aspects of the religion come into play.
Unfortunately in the religions the aspect that of connecting oneself to God became extinct.
The religion was no longer a lifestyle; it became [an incomplete religion].
Religion no longer remained to be a religion; it became a set of customs and rituals.
In the era we are living,
no one came who could explain spiritual knowledge to us.
Sainthood is no longer valid.
And no Perfect Spiritual Guide came in this era.
There are two types of sainthood:
One type of sainthood has to do with rank alone: it is known as Faqr-e-Bakaram.
Prophet Mohammad appoints such saints.
Such saints do not have access to God; they only have access to Prophet Mohammad.
The second type of sainthood is Wilayat-e-Kubra.
Such saints are directly connected to God.
The saints in Wilayat-e-Kubra are those who are directly connected to God and they have seen God.
It has been over 400 years since saints belonging to Wilyat-e-Kubra came to the world.
This is why this knowledge of spirituality steadily became extinct.
If someone manages to become a disciple of a Perfect Spiritual Guide,
then even if he has to sweep the floors of the house -
- if the Spiritual Guide says to sweep the floors and he does it -
then you need not worry about his worship.
He has sold himself.
He has been bought.
Now [his spiritual progress] is in the hands of the one who bought him and God.
Do you understand?
Gradually, people will understand Sufism.
Slowly, people will find out more about sainthood.
But these Sufis, these Dervishes -
- they sit before people and they can see their inner and outer.
However, they do not have permission to tell you [what they see] clearly.
Because it is a test for the one in front of them.
[The way to pass the test is] once they have become connected to God, they must have blind trust in the Spiritual Guide.
Whatever the Spiritual Guide says to do, do it. Whatever he stops you from doing, stop doing it.
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