... wakafa bi Rabbika Hadiyan wa Naseeran.... and sufficient is your Lord
as a Guide
and a Helper.
- the Quran 23:31
The most direct guidance comes from God alone and this alone is sufficient. In Islamic wisdom tradition one of the revealed 99 attributes of God is al-Hadi which translate as "the Guide". The roots of Hadi is a voice, sound, sensation or direct message (HAD) that returns us to the source of life and take us further (I).
The Bible relates that when Prophet Elijah (arabic Ilyas or Elias in Quran), when in trouble listened for the, "still, small voice", through which he heard the voice of the Holy One. Often our heart is in need, is in longing for such simple, direct sense of guidance.
Sufi master Inayat Khan's prayer reflected beautifully the invocation for heart's opening to that direct guidance within.
Open our hearts that we may
hear Thy voice
which constantly cometh from within.
- Prayer of Inayat Khan.
The Divine is the All Hearing, As-Sami, the Ever Listening. As illuminated servant, as divine instrument, abd-Allah, as we develop this attribute of God, we become the all hearing of God. Then we hear nothing but God's voice that constantly cometh from within. It is a station and a goal of seekers of truth.
When a seeker seeks, love and guidance is always present and they arrive from the Direct Presence of the Most High. Persian sufi of eighteenth century, Ahmad Hatif writes:
When you bring the journey,
take Love along for food.
Love makes easy what Reason makes hard.
Talk about the Beloved morning and evening.
Look out for the Beloved at twilight and dawn.
Even though they tell you a hundred times:
"No one has seen the One," keen on
until its vision illuminates you.
You'll find the Beloved located
where even Angel Gabriel can't go.
Love is the path,
the rations, and
the goal.
take Love along for food.
Love makes easy what Reason makes hard.
Talk about the Beloved morning and evening.
Look out for the Beloved at twilight and dawn.
Even though they tell you a hundred times:
"No one has seen the One," keen on
until its vision illuminates you.
You'll find the Beloved located
where even Angel Gabriel can't go.
Love is the path,
the rations, and
the goal.
Sufi Neil Douglas-Klotz in his book, The Sufi Book of Life teaches sufi meditation of guidance on the Divine attribute Al-Hadi as follows: Center in the heart. Breath the word Ya Haa-Dee rhythmically ... feel as the heart vibrates with the sound. Contact your senses of highest guidance, whether this be your own spirit of guidance or the reflection or may it come through a teacher, prophet or saint. Walk in rhythm with the feeling of your heart leading you further on love's journey.
. Transliteration of the Quran
. image credit: Arabic Calligraphy of the Name, Al-Hadi
. 99 Names of Allah
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