The
Inner Meanings of
Worship in Islam
A Personal Selection of Guidance For the
Wayfarer
(Excerpts Only)
By:
Shaykh
Fadhlalla Haeri
Chapter Two
The Roots of Faith
The Foundation of
Worship ('ibadah)
Living faith is the key
to awakened and enlightened existence. It begins with questioning
the meaning and purpose of life. Anyone who seriously reflects upon
the ever-changing experiences and quests in this world will conclude
that all human beings seek the state of knowledge that will always
give them reliable and sure guidance. The physical, material world
is forever in flux and change and yet we continually seek balance
and equilibrium.
Faith begins as a notion
and ends up with access to the Divine Ocean. The price for this
journey is sincerity, commitment, perseverance and total and utter
reliance upon Allah. To begin with faith is a useful idea. With
increased awareness and appropriate actions once ascends through
stages whereby one experiences 'living faith', where the seen and
unseen meet in a perfect fit. Divine Justice begins to be apparent
and the faithful person comes to live with insight and inner
contentment.
...
UNITY
Unity (tawhid) is
the belief that there is no deity other than Allah, that He is One,
without partner in His godhead and that there is nothing like Him in
His Essential Attributes and no equal to Him in existence. Thus. He
possesses knowledge unsurpassed, no one is equal to Him in His
creation, and He has no peer. Allah says:
Say, O People
of the Book come to a plain word between us and you, that we will
not worship other than Allah and we will not associate anything with
Him, and we will not take others among us as Lords in place of
Allah. (3:64)
...
This tawhid is
what the Prophets and Messengers have declared from Adam until our
Prophet Muhammad when he said:
I have been
commanded to strive with the people until they say, "There is no
deity but Allah".
...
Unity for the People of
Shari'ah
The scholars of shari'ah
confirm with evidence and intellectual proofs that if there were in
existence two independent gods, each would have been distinct from
the other in essence. This Unity of which we speak is the outward
and obvious form of Unity which nullifies the outward form of
idolatry. It is perfected by the utterance of the words 'La ilaha
illa Allah' (There is no deity but Allah). Upon doing so, one
becomes aware of the Oneness of Allah as far as one is outwardly
concerned; then one's outward and inward both are cleansed from the
impurity of obvious idolatry, as Allah says:
Indeed the
people of idolatry are unclean. (9:28)
This type of Unity is
also called 'Proven Unity' because it is Unity, which has been
confirmed by way of evidence and proof. It is also known as
Intellectual Unity, because it is arrived at by way of reasoning and
logic.
Unity for the People of
Tariqah
After attaining the
level of Unity which is expected on the level of shari'ah --
obtained through intellectual evidence bringing one to the testimony
that there is no deity but Allah, the One, the Only, and that there
is nothing other than Him in existence -- whoever believes in the
Oneness of Allah will then turn his gaze away from the effects and
causative factors and place his complete trust in Allah. He will
surrender himself to Him totally and will be contented with Him; as
Allah states:
Allah is contented
with them and they are contented with Him. (5:115)
Likewise, He says:
And whoever trusts
in Allah, He is sufficient for him. (65:3)
Shaykh AI-Harawi (d. 481
AH/1088 CE) refers to the Unity of the Elect saying:
This is the Unity,
which is confirmed by way of Reality itself. It is when regard for
the various outward causes of phenomena is dropped, and one rises
above intellectual disputes with their accompanying evidence. It is
when one does not look for evidence of tawhid, nor does he
seek a reason for trust, nor a means for his salvation. He witnesses
only the preponderance of Reality, by way of his judgment, knowledge
and ability to discern things in the proper order of their
significance. (In the book Manazil al-Sa'irin).
The difference between
Unity for the people of shari'ah and Unity for the people of tariqah
is that the former is achieved by way of intellectual knowledge and
is associated with the general masses, while the latter is something
that is witnessed and is associated with the elect. The former will
bring about purification from obvious association, while the latter
will purify one from the more subtle association, which is more
difficult. Everyone who turns away from the realm of creation and
sees the One Whose Existence is absolutely true and permanent will
say: There
is nothing in existence but Allah.
Then he is a believer in Unity and a Lord; thus both his inner and
outer will become cleansed from the impurity of hidden or subtle
association, as Allah says:
And most of them
do not believe in Allah, but rather they are people of association.
(12:160)
Unity for the People of
Haqiqah
Those who have arrived
at the levels of Unity for the people of shari'ah and tariqah are
the ones who witness nothing in existence but Allah. They are aware
of no reality other than Him because they see His Existence is True,
while the existence of all else is merely a reflection or shadow
and, therefore, subject to change, obliteration and destruction; as
Allah has said:
Everything upon it
(the earth) perishes and the Face of your Lord remains, the
Possessor of Might arid Generosity. (55:6)
This is what is meant by
'He Who Remains'
(al-Baqi); that is, He remains within eternity.
'He who perishes'
(al-Fani) means that the one with this attribute will not
remain. It is for this reason that one finds that the Master will
say that there is nothing in true existence but Allah, His Names,
His Attributes and His Works, and thus all is Him, by Him, from Him
and to Him. Allah indicates this when He says:
And wherever you
turn then there is the Face of Allah. (2:115)
The word
'Face'
refers to Allah's Essence: wherever you turn you will witness His
Essence and His Existence because He surrounds all.
And Allah has
surrounded all things. (4:126)
...
JUSTICE
When Allah created man,
He commanded him to assume certain responsibilities. It was,
therefore, just after these responsibilities were given that He sent
to man someone who would teach him about this responsibility and
expound His Divine Law and indicate what would be beneficial to man
in order to be correctly guided to the Path and to overcome
ignorance and darkness. This is His justice ('adl).
...
Justice for the People
of Shari'ah
Justice in the eyes of
the people of shari'ah is to say that Allah never performs any
action which may be considered foul or mean, nor does He neglect or
forget anything in creation. He is not an oppressor so this is not
conceivable in His Decree, nor does He act unjustly in His Wisdom.
...
Justice for the People
of Tariqah
After they have become
firmly established in their belief in the shari'ah, justice in their
eyes is that Allah has given each human the means to accomplish his
own perfection on the level of inherent truths, natural disposition
and instinct, and various states and actions, to the extent demanded
by justice and fair play, with neither injustice nor deviation,
deficiency nor neglect. He is the Essence of Absolute Generosity,
and when absolute generosity is given to those who are ready for it,
it is given in the most perfect and complete manner.
...
Justice for the People
of Haqiqah
The people of haqiqah
have already been established in the knowledge that Allah is just in
His works and words, and just in His giving and withholding. Thus,
He must grant existence to every being according to whatever it is
in itself, without imbalance or excess or deficiency. This is true
justice, because it is the ordering of things in their proper
sequence in time and space, the opposite of wrongdoing. Allah states
in the Qur`an:
Each acts
according to its own form [disposition]. (17:84)
That is, according to
its outward form and inner potential and condition. For this reason
He has said:
Thus Allah
possesses the far-reaching proof and if He had willed, He would have
guided you all completely. (6:149)
That is, Allah knows our
intentions and actions and thus we experience His justice in our
destiny. In this respect the Prophet has said:
Everyone is
journeying to that which has been created for him.
...
PROPHETHOOD
Prophethood (nubuwwah)
occurs when a pure soul witnesses and experiences Divine Knowledge
and discernment. this is accomplished by means of the Primal
Intellect, which is sometimes referred to as 'Jibril' (Gabriel) and
is also referred to as the Holy Spirit (Ruh al-Quddus). The
mission of prophethood is to bring that knowledge and discernment to
those people who are their contemporaries or who live within the
nation (ummah) of that Prophet or Messenger.
...
The position of the
Prophet Muhammad was most glorious because a combination of three
levels -- nearness to Allah (wilayah), prophethood (nubuwwah)
and prophetic mission (risalah) -- were present in him. He
was befriended by Allah and was close to Him, he was a Prophet, and
finally he had been entrusted with a specific prophetic mission.
...
Prophethood for the
People of Shari'ah
When Allah created man
He bestowed His Kindness upon him by sending prophets and messengers
to inform them of what was necessary in the way of obedience to Him
and to teach them what they should refrain from. ...
...
Prophethood for the
People of Tariqah
..., prophethood from
this viewpoint represents the unveiling of the level of Reality and
its secrets which are based upon Allah's Names, Acts and Attributes.
...
Prophethood for the
People of Haqiqah
This is to do with the
absolute Divine Vicegerency. Its degrees accord with the stage of
the person who is the manifestation of that Vicegerency. Prophethood
in their eyes represents one who communicates the news of the
Essence and Reality of Allah, His Attributes, His Names, His Laws
and His Commandments.
...
The Qur`an relates that
Allah created man as vicegerent (khalifah [2:30]) over the
earth to act as His representative, invested with full power and
authority, whom He would call 'man' (insan) at his highest
potential. He also created for him an inward aspect and an exterior
form, which have enabled him to move freely in the physical as well
as in the spiritual realm.
...
IMAMATE
The Imamate or
successorship (imamah) is the leadership of the Islamic way
of life, which involves encouraging people to preserve their
spiritual and worldly interests as well as to restrain themselves
from actions which would be harmful to these interests.
...
According to reason,
people need a leader (imam) who possesses knowledge which places him
above error, who will preserve the laws of the Shari'ah for them,
who will direct them regarding its provisions, and who will
establish the limits prescribed by the Islamic way of life. This is
in the same way that people need a prophet who brings the laws and
explains to them what is permitted and what is forbidden. If the
sending of a prophet is necessary because of his subtle perception
and the strength of his position, the appointment of a leader is
equally necessary, so that the proof and explanations of Allah given
through the prophets can be confirmed. It may be said that the
appointment of a leader is a blessing and a mercy from Allah, and
mercy itself is obligatory upon Him. This is from the stand point of
reason.
When we look at what has
come down to us by way of the written word, Allah says:
O you who
believe, obey Allah, and obey the Prophet and those in authority
among you. (4:59).
...
THE RETURN
The return (al-mi'ad)
refers to the return of the universe and whatever it contains to
where it came from, in both form and meaning.
...
The Return for the
People of Shari'ah
This refers to the
rejoining of the various parts of the dead body, forming them into
what they previously were and returning the soul to it.
...
The Return for the
People of Tariqah
After they have become
firmly established in the belief of the Return as seen through the
eyes of the people of shari'ah, the Truth becomes manifest in the
forms of the two names of the Hidden (al-Batin) and the Last
(al-Akhir), along with other names ...
...
The world and the
Hereafter are the projections of Allah's manifestations; thus, they
must be eternal, not limited to specific time. The removal of a
manifestation of Allah from existence is impossible... As the world
consists of the manifestation of the inward in an outward form, its
return is the reverse process.
...
The Spiritual and
Physical Resurrection
... the Resurrection
must be divided into the stages of Lesser, Intermediate and
Greater... this division is also applicable when discussing the
People of Haqiqah, ...
The Lesser Spiritual
Resurrection
This refers to the
awakening and rising after the voluntary death of meaning. It is
based upon the saying of the Prophet:
Die before you
die.
And:
Whoever has died,
his own Resurrection has already begun.
...
Death here is not
physical death, but rather it refers to subduing the desires and
attachments of the self, for it is by these desires that the self
lives on. [See
Seven Patterns of
the Self for additional reading]
The lower self is inclined to worldly pleasures and lusts by way of
desire, dragging and veiling the heart along with it. If, on the
other hand, the self is subdued, the heart will return to its
original love and the realms of purity and light. Experiencing this
death is to taste freedom in nothingness; it is to experience the
indescribable state of the space-less, timeless, zone of
supra-consciousness. This is the death and life which is indicated
by Allah when He says:
Is the one who
was dead and to whom We granted life and to whom We gave a light who
walks by it among men like one in darkness who does not exit from
it? (6:122)
Is the one who is
engulfed in ignorance and darkness the same as the one to whom Allah
has granted knowledge and light by which he walks among men, in
perfection, aware of eternal life, and Divine Mercy?
...
[the Prophet] said:
The mujahid
is the one who struggles against his own self, because whoever
becomes dead to his desires, becomes alive in His [Allah's]
guidance.
That is, one becomes
alive in guidance is not led astray; he lives by his knowledge and
is no longer dead in his ignorance.
...
The Intermediate
Spiritual Resurrection
This refers to the
process of becoming dead to all forms of condemnable behavior and
all despicable attributes. It represents survival through laudable
behavior and noble traits, which has been the goal since the coming
of the Noble Prophet.
...
[the Prophet] said:
I was sent in
order to complete the most noble code of behavior.
...
... following Allah's
code of behavior and assuming His Attributes is the cause of eternal
joy and will bring one to the bliss of Eternal presence. ... this
hadith qudsi [states]:
My Earth and My
Heaven cannot contain Me but the heart of My faithful servant
contains Me.
Thus, the path of
reaching Allah lies in directing the heart to take on His Attributes
and His decreed code of conduct. ...
...
The Garden which is
attained through this Resurrection is referred to as the 'Spiritual
Garden'; as in the Qur`anic verse:
The people of
faith have succeeded, those who are humble in their prayer, and
those who turn away from foolishness... They are the heirs who
inherit the (Spiritual) Garden of Firdaws. They shall abide there
eternally. (23:1-3 & 10-11)
The path is to exchange
condemnable behavior for what is praiseworthy, and to extract
oneself from the pit of darkness and take on the attributes of inner
harmony and light. In this way, one prepares oneself to take on the
Divine Attributes and code of behavior and thereby enter the
Spiritual Garden before entering the Garden of Form. Thus, one
becomes the Possessor of two Gardens and the Master of two Stages,
in accordance with Allah's words:
And for whoever fears
the station of his Lord there will be two gardens. (55:46)
...
The Greater Spiritual
Resurrection
This refers to
annihilation in Truth (fana`) and ongoingness (baqa`).
It is often referred to as Annihilation in Unity. It is also called,
'The Nearness of Nawafil' (supererogatory prayers) because of
Allah's words in hadith qudsi:
As long as the
servant continues to come near to Me with his supererogatory actions
I will love him and if I love him I will be his ears, his eyes, his
tongue, his hand and his feet. Thus it is as by Me that he hears and
by Me that he sees, by Me that he speaks, by Me that he grasps and
by Me that he walks.
...
The Return for the
People of Haqiqah
...
The Lesser Spiritual
Resurrection of the people of haqiqah is their annihilation in
the Unity of Action and arrival at the point of witnessing the
actual One who administers everything. ... The signs of this
condition are trust, submission, entrusting one's affairs to Allah,
and confirming it by one's own actions.
...
The Intermediate
Resurrection of the people of haqiqah refers to annihilation
into the Unity of Attributes and the arrival at the point of
witnessing the One Attribute, which runs through everything.
...
We have lifted
from you your veils and your eyes are like steel. (50:22)
...
The Greater
Resurrection of the people of haqiqah is the witnessing of the
Everlasting Quality of the Essence in the Essence of Truth (Allah)
after their annihilation within it, which is a spiritual
annihilation, not a physical one; as Allah said:
Everything upon
it will be annihilated and the Face of your Lord will (eternally)
remain the Possessor of Glory and Generosity. (55:26)
...
