Hasbi Rabbi JallAllah,
Ma Fi Qalbi Ghayrullah,
Nur Muhammad Sallalah,
La Ilaha Ilallah
Suffices my Lord - the Glorious One,
Inside this Heart of mine
there is nothing except Allah,
O the Precious Muhammadan Effulgence,
There is nothing else but Allah.
The above formula in Arabic, Hasbi Rabbi JallAllah, Ma Fi Qalbi Ghayrullah ~ is a very popular one among the Sufis for it encapsulate the spiritual attitude of independence from anything other than God; where the Heart of the seeker sweeps clean of ghayrullah (anything except God). The first part of the formula witness the absolute reliance on the Lord and the second part confirm what happens and what need to happen as a result - which is the Heart becoming the Throne of the Sovereign King.
Nur Muhammad is the secret emanation of creation and finally La ilaha illaAllah ~ the highest declaration of independence, this is the ultimate declaration from ghayrullah or anything other than Allah.
2.
There are one thousand stations (maqam) between the servant of God and his Lord (mawla).
~ Khidr
And there is none among us but he has a known station.
~ The Qur'an 37:164
Certainly they are in varying degrees (darajat) in the sight of God.
~ The Qur'an 3:163
Way stations or stopping places are used as a common term in Sufic spiritual literature which are traveled by those who are journeying toward God until the the servant, having passed (and is helped to pass) through those ascending degrees stage by stage, is honored to be received into the proximity (qurb) of God. Metaphorically many have mentioned that there are one thousand stations, which could also be a number to indicate many. For example Dhul Nun said, "There are a thousand worlds between the servant of God and his Lord." Abu Yazid and al-Junayd speaks of "one thousand stations."
In those thousand stations, there is no escape from six things which are: respecting the divine command, fearing God's tricks and ruse (makr), seeking God's forgiveness, actively respecting the way of the Messenger (sunnah), living in friendship and kindness, and being compassionate toward all creation (the essence of sunnah).
The following are some Way Stations towards declaration of independence from the lower self, the lower world and from anything other than God.
DEVOTION (iradat)
There are three kind of devotions: devotion to the world, devotion to the hereafter and devotion to God. Devotion to the hereafter has three signs: one sign is to decrease one's worldly comfort in order to keep one's religion safe and secure. The next sign is to accompany and seek conversation of the dervishes or fuqara and the third sign is to ask God for the reward of the hereafter.
And the devotion to God is what God, the Most High, says in the Quran, "Seek God and His Messenger..." (33:29). Devotion to God has three signs: one sign is to liberate oneself from the burden and the desires of the two worlds and the next sign is to liberate and free one's self from people, and the third sign is to free one's self from one's own ego.
DISENGAGEMENT (tajrid)
Disengagement is concerning three things: the body, the heart, and inner consciousness (sirr). Disengagement of nafs is the way of reciters of Qur'an (qarayyan), disengagement of the heart is the way of Sufis, and disengagement of the inner consciousness is the way of the gnostics.
Disengagement of the nafs involves three things: not seeking the world, not regretting the loss of material riches, and leaving alone what had already passed.
Disengagement of the heart also involves three things: not to getting one's hopes up over what is non-existent, not considering as any great worth what is presently existent, and not being fearful at the prospect of renouncing.
Disengagement of the inner consciousness involves three things: not remaining at ease with secondary causes (asbab), not seeing one's self as significant on the path towards God, and not seeking anything from God except God.
REFUGE (laja)
Refuge is seeking safety and haven in one place. There are three kinds of refuge: refuge of the tongue, refuge of the heart, and refuge of the soul.
Refuge of the tongue or vocal refuge lies in apology, and seeking forgiveness; refuge of the heart indicates the heart's spiritual poverty, and the soul's taking refuge comes from being made desperate and distressed; here distressed means being afflicted with yearning. Trust in God is to consign your actions to Him, and refuge is to entrust your life to Him. Trust in God is to place one's hope in obtaining certain things from Him, whereas refuge is to place one's hope in Him alone. The one who trusts God finds peace in God's bounty, whereas the adept in refuge finds peace in Him alone.
There is no veil on the path of refuge, and there is no end to its treasure. If there were no refuge, there would be no reality to one's seeking. Refuge is the splendor of the righteous and God's door-ring that is grasped by the hand of the seekers.
RESOLUTION ('azm)
Resolve means severing connections with everything other than what is desired, and turning the heart away from all save that which is desired. Resolve is rectifying one's purpose, and possessing a pure and determined heart, and it possesses three aspects: the resolve to repent, the resolve to serve God, and the resolve to realize the Divine Reality.
The resolve to repent consists of three things: the resolve to free oneself from sin, the resolve to overthrow the causes of sin, and the resolve to break off all-association with bad people.
The resolve to serve God involves three things: being prepared to carry out the command of God before it is given, to perform religious duties on time, and to give priority to one's religion over business and transactions of the world.
To resolve to realize the Divine Reality also involves three things: to remain calm when angry, magnanimous during times of need and hardship, and modest when prosperous. The foundation of resolution is built upon three things: steadfastness in religion, zeal in observance of God's commandments, and consistency in the spiritual and metaphysical moments (waqt).
FLEEING TO GOD (farar)
Fleeing is taking refuge in the Lord, shutting tight the door of separation (from God) behind one, and becoming free from the bondage of the two worlds.
Fleeing to the Lord has three signs: losing hope in efficacy of one's own deeds (thus knowing that your actions are not your own savior), the second is questioning your sincerity (confessing that your sincerity is lacking), and finally, repenting from beholding one's own devotional worship with conceit.
And shutting tight the door of separation from God behind yourself has three signs: uniting all your strength and (thus becoming focused), the next is freeing yourself from your own contrivances and personal deliberations, and finally resigning oneself to obey God's command in full submission.
And becoming free from the two worlds has three signs: one is limiting your concern to that which is most certain and assured over all other concerns, which is the fear of bring separated from God. The second is limiting your striving for saving your moments over all other striving. And, finally is making the hope of beholding God your ultimate hope.
EXHILARATION (insibat)
Exhilaration is seeking proximity and desiring to behold God. Those who seek to behold are of three groups: One group includes those who sync with Prophet's supplication, praying: "I beseech You grant me the pleasure of gazing upon Your countenance." Such people are characterized by three attributes: arriving at the place of revelation, behold themselves as unworthy there, and so understanding the Messenger."
And then there is exhilaration of the wayfarer who desires thoughtlessly, who seeks out of habit, yet is essentially eager to see and to behold God.
Thirdly, there is the exhilaration of the man whose soul has been consumed and heart burnt out and spirit imbued with passionate longing.
THE METAPHYSICAL MOMENT (waqt)
The metaphysical moment or time constitutes an instant in which nothing but God can be contained. The people of the metaphysical moment are three groups. For one, the metaphysical moment is like a flash of lightning, for another, it is lasting, while for other, it is overwhelming.
The moment that is like a flash of lightning is purifying, washing away defects. The moment that is lasting is awe-inspiring and keeps one occupied. The moment that is overwhelming destroys and annihilates.
The moment like a flash of lightning arises from contemplative reflection (fikrat). The moment that is lasting arises from delight in divine remembrance and invocation. The moment that is overwhelming arises from the audition of spiritual vision.
That which is like a flash of lightning make one oblivious of the world and illuminates one's recollection of the hereafter. The moment that is lasting will keep one engaged in itself rather than preoccupied with the hereafter, until the Truth becomes evident. The moment is overwhelming eliminates the conditioned habits of the human state, so that the transcendent Truth alone abides.
BREATH (nafas)
The breath of the master of metaphysical time and moment is that which is untarnished by any matter pertaining to his self or ego. Adepts in spiritual reality have three different kinds of breath: a penitent plaint, an infatuated cry, and a shout of ecstasy.
The penitent plaint dispels demons, absolves sin and opens the heart. The infatuated cry of the attracted person purges the love for the world, sweeps material causality away, and causes one to become oblivious of creation. The shout of ecstasy of the raptured pierces the soul, sets the heart athirst and burns away the veils.
~ The Stations are quoted (selectively and not in exact chronology) from the famous work of Abdullah Ansari of Herat (1006-1056) titled "Stations of the Sufi Path," translated by Nahid Angha, may Allah bless them both. Stations of the Sufi Path delineate one hundred such stations or fields.
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