Sufism is the spiritual reality of Islam
Islamic Spirituality
Sufism is the spiritual reality of Islam, even if it was not known as "Sufism" at the inception of Islam. Phenomenologically speaking, it proves to be the essence of Islam, which gives life to it, like the soul gives life to the body. In Sufi terminology, Islam has two aspects: shari'at, its outer dimension, or body, and tariqat, its inner dimension, or soul. These two aspects were inseparably joined in the person of the Prophet, but little by little through the history of Islam, there were people who paid attention only to the shari'at, Islamic law, and even confined Islam to this. Often the fuqaha or 'ulama took this attitude. In contrast to them there were people who emphasized the spiritual reality or tariqat, who became famous as Sufis.
Irfan-e-nafs
(Knowledge of Inner Self),
Khud-Shanasi (Self-Realization)
or
Haqeeqat-e-Insan(Reality of Man)
Since the very beginning of the planet earth when the human being stepped on it, the questions like, as given below, have always been arising in his mind.
Who am I?
What is my origin?
What is my end?
What is my reality?
What is my identity?
If there exists a creator who has created me, who is He and how would I recognize Him?
What is the purpose of my life
Allah tells the purpose of the human being's life and creation in the following Qudsi hadith:
Whoever recognized his self, undoubtedly, recognized his Rub (Allah).
The explanation of this hadith is that Allah created the sacred soul of Mohammad Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam from His Own Divine Light and the souls of all the rest of creation from the soul of Muhammad Mustafa Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam in Alam-e-Lahut (the Divine Realm). At this stage, the soul of humans is called "Ruh-e-Qudsi" (the Holy Soul) and this is the same state of the soul about which Allah expressed "man is My secret and I am his secret". The souls were absorbed in the Vision of Allah at this stage because at that time there was no veil between the souls and Allah, so they were submerged in seeing the Divine Beauty. Neither was there earth nor heavens, so they were not attracted by the pleasures of the material world or the Paradise. At the same stage, the pledge of the human spirits "The Bala" () was taken.It is mentioned in the surah Al A'raf, Allah says
(Am I not your Rub?)
All of them replied, Yes you are!
Alam-e-Lahut (The Realm of the Divinity) is that hidden world which is prohibited for all the creatures except the human souls. At the border of the same world, Hazrat Jibrael (The arch angel Gabriel) said to Hazrat Muhammad Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam on the night of Meraj (the Ascension to the Divine Presence), "if I step ahead a little more, I would be burnt". From Alam-e-Lahut Allah descended the human soul to Alam-e-Jabarut (the world of Invincibility or Domination) dressing it in Jabaruti clothes because in which ever realm or world the soul will be sent, it needs the required cover of that world to survive in it. Here, it was named as Ruh-e-Sultani (the Kingly soul). Then the soul was descended in Alam-e-Malakut (the celestial and angelic world) and was clothed in Malakuti dress and called "Ruh-e-Nurani" (soul with celestial light). Then, it was permeated into the mortal body and was dressed with fleshly body, where it was called as "Ruh-e-Jismani or Hewani" (the soul with corporeal physical body or bestial one). Therefore, the soul is said to be the "Amr-e-Rabi" (Divine Command) as it descended to the material world from the Divine world by the command of Allah. In the Divine world it is just the Noor (Light) of Allah and completely Divine, that is why, it is said that every child is born on the Divine Nature. It means, its soul is pure, illuminated and un-inclined to the impurities and worldly pleasures.
Now the actual human elevation is to be sanctified and exalted to such an extent that he can achieve his original soul i.e. Ruh-e-Qudsi by progressing spiritually and returning to the Divine Realm. When he reaches there, only then can he recognize his true self which is surely not the physical body made of matter, but the inner soul created from the Noor of Muhammad Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam. On reaching Alam-e-Lahut, the original home and the actual destination of human soul, the soul finds such closeness to Allah, as is required for His Deedar (Vision) and Pehchan (recognition).
A lay man terms the inner being or soul as "conscience". When a person does anything wrong or commits a sin, it is the soul which regrets and repents, because sin is not inherent in its nature, so the man exclaims, "my conscience is pricking me".
The recognition of Ruh-e-Qudsi (the Holy Soul) is actually called Khud Shanasi (self realization), Haqeeqat-e-Insan (Reality of Man) or Irfan-e-Nafs (the intrinsic knowledge of inner self) and same is the meaning of 'Deen' or the True Faith.
'Deen' means "the recognition of the essence (soul) of human being and its accomplishment", and the attainment to this level is actually, the true and complete Faith (Deen). In other words, self knowledge, self realization and self completion is called the True Faith (Deen).
Self realization is that a person must know that he is created with two things, firstly, it is the outer being which is also called body and which can be seen and touched, with eyes and hands respectively. Secondly, it is the batin (esoteric self) which is also termed as 'Ruh', 'Qulb' or 'Dil' (the soul, inner core or heart) by Arifeen (knowers of Allah) and it can neither be seen nor touched, with physical eyes and hands respectively. It can only be seen with the inner eye as it does not belong to this physical world, rather, it is related to the invisible realm. It is everlasting, and stays even after the death of the physical body as it is answerable to Allah for everything its possessor human being had been doing in the world during his physical life.
Just as physical body desires physical pleasures, soul desires to gain knowledge of Allah and to have the pleasure of Vision of the Divine Beauty. Only it is ordained to worship. Reward and punishment are only for it and only it is destined to be humble and submissive. That is to say, all the attributes and qualities of a human being are related to his soul, not to his physical body. The awareness to this reality is the key to the Marifat (gnosis) and closeness of Allah. In the present age, the main difficulty is that whenever, issues related to the esoteric knowledge arise, the people pass by the Quranic verses which consist of the explicit and enlightened instructions about the esoteric knowledge, by calling them ambiguities or similies. It is the main reason of our waywardness that we have forgotten our real esoteric self and diverted our attention only towards our exoteric or superficial self. Alas! today's man is lost in the external world, if he recognizes his actual inner being, he would see Allah, as well as the universe within himself.
In Quran, man's attention is directed again and again towards his innerself.
And I am within your selves. So do you not notice? (Surah Adh-Dhariyat-21)
And I am nearer to the man than his jugular vein. (Surah Qaf-16)
Have you seen him who has made his desires (of nafs, lower inner self) his god. (Surah al-Jathiya-23)
Have they not meditated within themselves. (Surah ar-Rum-8)
Allah has turned our attention towards the inner self, in this Holy Hadith:
Neither earth can possess Me nor the skies but only the heart of Momin (the true believer) can.
The Holy Prophet Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam has also frequently referred to the esoteric self in his sayings:
No doubt! Allah neither sees your faces nor your actions, rather, He checks your intentions and hearts. (Bukhari, Muslim)
Meaning: Acts depend upon your intentions.
The heart of Momin (the true believer) is Allah's Throne.
There are several such verses and hadiths in which human attention is drawn towards the heart and the inner self, which are the center of imagination and contemplation. And in this very heart or soul is placed the faith, as Allah says:
In their hearts (qalb, soul) Allah has inscribed faith. (Surah Al-Mujadala-22)
Even the cursed satan creates the misconceptions and wrong beliefs in the same esoteric self, as said in Quran.
(I seek refuge of Allah from the cursed Satan) who creates false illusions into the hearts of the mankind. (Surah an-Nas-5)
Whenever in the world a true philosopher, a recognizer of the Reality or a saint familiar to the Divine secret is born, he definitely unveiled this reality that the real awareness is gained through the intrinsic knowledge of the inner self, and has also revealed the Quranic reality that, not only Allah and His created world but the whole universe (rather all the worlds) are present in the human heart in a quite delicate and subtle form. This is not merely a philosophical rule which is fabricated for the intellectual enjoyment or for the satisfaction of the mental exercise, rather, this is the reality of life which is strongly based on the teachings and experiences of the Prophets and the perfect mystics along with the teachings of the Quran and Hadith.
Maulana Rome Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh says to man while unveiling this reality that:
You are a little world by appearance but in reality you are a great world.
He further says:
Although the human body is worthless regarding his physical being yet, a man possesses a "large realm" within his esoteric self.
Khawaja Hafiz Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh says:
Oh Hafiz! My Beloved is with me day and night, just like life is within my veins and muscles.
Hazrat Bu Ali Shah Qalander Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh tells us:
Your Beloved (Allah) is within you, why are you so oblivious.
(Knowledge of Inner Self),
Khud-Shanasi (Self-Realization)
or
Haqeeqat-e-Insan(Reality of Man)
Since the very beginning of the planet earth when the human being stepped on it, the questions like, as given below, have always been arising in his mind.
Who am I?
What is my origin?
What is my end?
What is my reality?
What is my identity?
If there exists a creator who has created me, who is He and how would I recognize Him?
What is the purpose of my life
Allah tells the purpose of the human being's life and creation in the following Qudsi hadith:
Whoever recognized his self, undoubtedly, recognized his Rub (Allah).
The explanation of this hadith is that Allah created the sacred soul of Mohammad Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam from His Own Divine Light and the souls of all the rest of creation from the soul of Muhammad Mustafa Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam in Alam-e-Lahut (the Divine Realm). At this stage, the soul of humans is called "Ruh-e-Qudsi" (the Holy Soul) and this is the same state of the soul about which Allah expressed "man is My secret and I am his secret". The souls were absorbed in the Vision of Allah at this stage because at that time there was no veil between the souls and Allah, so they were submerged in seeing the Divine Beauty. Neither was there earth nor heavens, so they were not attracted by the pleasures of the material world or the Paradise. At the same stage, the pledge of the human spirits "The Bala" () was taken.It is mentioned in the surah Al A'raf, Allah says
(Am I not your Rub?)
All of them replied, Yes you are!
Alam-e-Lahut (The Realm of the Divinity) is that hidden world which is prohibited for all the creatures except the human souls. At the border of the same world, Hazrat Jibrael (The arch angel Gabriel) said to Hazrat Muhammad Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam on the night of Meraj (the Ascension to the Divine Presence), "if I step ahead a little more, I would be burnt". From Alam-e-Lahut Allah descended the human soul to Alam-e-Jabarut (the world of Invincibility or Domination) dressing it in Jabaruti clothes because in which ever realm or world the soul will be sent, it needs the required cover of that world to survive in it. Here, it was named as Ruh-e-Sultani (the Kingly soul). Then the soul was descended in Alam-e-Malakut (the celestial and angelic world) and was clothed in Malakuti dress and called "Ruh-e-Nurani" (soul with celestial light). Then, it was permeated into the mortal body and was dressed with fleshly body, where it was called as "Ruh-e-Jismani or Hewani" (the soul with corporeal physical body or bestial one). Therefore, the soul is said to be the "Amr-e-Rabi" (Divine Command) as it descended to the material world from the Divine world by the command of Allah. In the Divine world it is just the Noor (Light) of Allah and completely Divine, that is why, it is said that every child is born on the Divine Nature. It means, its soul is pure, illuminated and un-inclined to the impurities and worldly pleasures.
Now the actual human elevation is to be sanctified and exalted to such an extent that he can achieve his original soul i.e. Ruh-e-Qudsi by progressing spiritually and returning to the Divine Realm. When he reaches there, only then can he recognize his true self which is surely not the physical body made of matter, but the inner soul created from the Noor of Muhammad Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam. On reaching Alam-e-Lahut, the original home and the actual destination of human soul, the soul finds such closeness to Allah, as is required for His Deedar (Vision) and Pehchan (recognition).
A lay man terms the inner being or soul as "conscience". When a person does anything wrong or commits a sin, it is the soul which regrets and repents, because sin is not inherent in its nature, so the man exclaims, "my conscience is pricking me".
The recognition of Ruh-e-Qudsi (the Holy Soul) is actually called Khud Shanasi (self realization), Haqeeqat-e-Insan (Reality of Man) or Irfan-e-Nafs (the intrinsic knowledge of inner self) and same is the meaning of 'Deen' or the True Faith.
'Deen' means "the recognition of the essence (soul) of human being and its accomplishment", and the attainment to this level is actually, the true and complete Faith (Deen). In other words, self knowledge, self realization and self completion is called the True Faith (Deen).
Self realization is that a person must know that he is created with two things, firstly, it is the outer being which is also called body and which can be seen and touched, with eyes and hands respectively. Secondly, it is the batin (esoteric self) which is also termed as 'Ruh', 'Qulb' or 'Dil' (the soul, inner core or heart) by Arifeen (knowers of Allah) and it can neither be seen nor touched, with physical eyes and hands respectively. It can only be seen with the inner eye as it does not belong to this physical world, rather, it is related to the invisible realm. It is everlasting, and stays even after the death of the physical body as it is answerable to Allah for everything its possessor human being had been doing in the world during his physical life.
Just as physical body desires physical pleasures, soul desires to gain knowledge of Allah and to have the pleasure of Vision of the Divine Beauty. Only it is ordained to worship. Reward and punishment are only for it and only it is destined to be humble and submissive. That is to say, all the attributes and qualities of a human being are related to his soul, not to his physical body. The awareness to this reality is the key to the Marifat (gnosis) and closeness of Allah. In the present age, the main difficulty is that whenever, issues related to the esoteric knowledge arise, the people pass by the Quranic verses which consist of the explicit and enlightened instructions about the esoteric knowledge, by calling them ambiguities or similies. It is the main reason of our waywardness that we have forgotten our real esoteric self and diverted our attention only towards our exoteric or superficial self. Alas! today's man is lost in the external world, if he recognizes his actual inner being, he would see Allah, as well as the universe within himself.
In Quran, man's attention is directed again and again towards his innerself.
And I am within your selves. So do you not notice? (Surah Adh-Dhariyat-21)
And I am nearer to the man than his jugular vein. (Surah Qaf-16)
Have you seen him who has made his desires (of nafs, lower inner self) his god. (Surah al-Jathiya-23)
Have they not meditated within themselves. (Surah ar-Rum-8)
Allah has turned our attention towards the inner self, in this Holy Hadith:
Neither earth can possess Me nor the skies but only the heart of Momin (the true believer) can.
The Holy Prophet Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam has also frequently referred to the esoteric self in his sayings:
No doubt! Allah neither sees your faces nor your actions, rather, He checks your intentions and hearts. (Bukhari, Muslim)
Meaning: Acts depend upon your intentions.
The heart of Momin (the true believer) is Allah's Throne.
There are several such verses and hadiths in which human attention is drawn towards the heart and the inner self, which are the center of imagination and contemplation. And in this very heart or soul is placed the faith, as Allah says:
In their hearts (qalb, soul) Allah has inscribed faith. (Surah Al-Mujadala-22)
Even the cursed satan creates the misconceptions and wrong beliefs in the same esoteric self, as said in Quran.
(I seek refuge of Allah from the cursed Satan) who creates false illusions into the hearts of the mankind. (Surah an-Nas-5)
Whenever in the world a true philosopher, a recognizer of the Reality or a saint familiar to the Divine secret is born, he definitely unveiled this reality that the real awareness is gained through the intrinsic knowledge of the inner self, and has also revealed the Quranic reality that, not only Allah and His created world but the whole universe (rather all the worlds) are present in the human heart in a quite delicate and subtle form. This is not merely a philosophical rule which is fabricated for the intellectual enjoyment or for the satisfaction of the mental exercise, rather, this is the reality of life which is strongly based on the teachings and experiences of the Prophets and the perfect mystics along with the teachings of the Quran and Hadith.
Maulana Rome Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh says to man while unveiling this reality that:
You are a little world by appearance but in reality you are a great world.
He further says:
Although the human body is worthless regarding his physical being yet, a man possesses a "large realm" within his esoteric self.
Khawaja Hafiz Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh says:
Oh Hafiz! My Beloved is with me day and night, just like life is within my veins and muscles.
Hazrat Bu Ali Shah Qalander Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh tells us:
Your Beloved (Allah) is within you, why are you so oblivious.