Topics
It is imperative for a qualified Sufi
Master to have gained the spiritual link (nisbat) with the Prophet Muhammad
and have gained his perceptivity (tart-e-fikr).
When
a student achieves fana fi shaykh" (as described in chapter-29) then his perceptivity and traits of personality
mirror those of his Spiritual Master (shaykh) and he starts to assimilate the
essence of the Prophet Muhammad. To improve this link, the student is given the
Muraqaba of tasawwar rasul (visualization of the Prophet) so their spiritual
connection improve and they could receive the blessings of the Light of
Prophethood (nur nabu'wat). Depending on the prophet Muhammad's intercession,
the students see the Light of Prophethood based on their ability, which is
subject to his approval. When the Light of Prophethood fills the inner self of
the students, they achieve the station of ' fana fi rasul."
There
are different methods of tassawar rasul:
In
the Muraqaba, the student imagines the Mosque of Medina (masjid nabawi) or its
green dome. The students imagine the lights from the city of Medina are being
absorbed in their inner. In the heart of the student, the word Muhammad is
written in luminescent form and his heart lit because of it. The Prophet
Muhammad is sitting in the crown of Prophethood and from his heart the lights
are falling into the student's heart. The student imagines that he or she is
sitting with the Prophet and that he is watching them.
Just
as Muslims consider the Prophet Muhammad to be their mediator or medium to
God, members of other faiths consider other personalities to he their medium
between them and God. Jews regard Moses as such while Christian mystics
consider Jesus, Hindus consider Krishna or Ram, and Zoroastrians consider
Zoroaster to be their medium. Buddhists believe in redemption through Buddha.
Based on this belief, in these religions the Muraqaba of these personalities is
given after the Muraqaba of the guru.
KHWAJA SHAMS-UD-DEEN AZEEMI
In the current information age, the very question of what Man
is, and to what extent his abilities
go, has gained prominence. Metaphysical knowledge tells us
that Man is not just a mass of muscles and bones but in fact is a living
universe or microcosm (a'lam asghar) itself. His life is primarily relying on
information. As a matter of fact his life is nothing but a collection of
thoughts and imagination. His every movement is influenced by information and
thoughts. Every human achievement is circled around the unseen world of
cognition, imagination and creative thoughts. By giving new meaning to this
idea, Man creates and invents new things out of nothing.