LETTER 28: FIXING ONE'S SPIRITUAL ROUTINE FROM THE OUTSET

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Brother Shamsuddin may God bless you! After a disciple has attained the reality of faith and the soundness of repentance, he should be perpetually occupied with ablutions. Really and truly, there should be no time when he is not occupied with ablutions, even though it he dark and cold, and the water itself is cold. After his ablutions let him perform two inclinations as a prayer of salutation. He should never seek to escape from any prayer. Let him perform the five prayers along with the congregation. When one prayer is over let him pre- pare for the next since anyone who is waiting to pray is really already engaged in prayer. Then he should occupy himself with prayer and utter those ejaculations that he has determined for him- self, or that his guide has told him to say.

When the disciple rises before dawn, he should take a purificatory bath and perform two prostrations in gratitude, saying one hundred times: I ask God to pardon all my sins, both great and small, ap- parent and hidden. O God, grant me Your mercy! With dawn itself, he should perform two prostrations at the customary time. During the first inclination he should recite the one hundred and ninth chapter of the Quran. In the second, he should recite the one hundred and twelfth chapter, on sincerity, which condenses the legacy of the Prophet, that sincerest of men. After this prayer, let him recite O God, I pray for Your mercy, which alone can set my heart straight. This is found at the end of the work Quwat-ul-Quloob [Nourishment for hearts) The Prophet used to show great insistence in using this prayer, saying seventy times: I ask pardon from God, besides whom there is none to be adored; He is alive and remains firmly established forever. O God, I beg You to pardon me!

Then comes the dawn prayer, in congregation, which should be offered from the depths of his heart. When this prayer is finished, he should occupy himself with the verse that comes in the Quwat-ul-Quloob. To the extent that it is possible, he should recite the praises of God and beg continuously for forgiveness, earnestly repenting and imploring forgiveness for his whole past life. He should not talk much, except to substantiate God's commands and prohibitions, or to inter- cede for the welfare of the Muslims, or to speak about things that are profitable for his brother Muslims, or to instruct someone in need of knowledge. All speech of this sort would be beneficial. As far as possible, he should be facing Mecca in all that he does. Let him be occupied in visiting holy tombs or conversing with his spiritual guide or enjoying the company of a divinely inspired master. This would be better and more profitable than remaining forever on a prayer carpet, preoccupied with the praises of God. Only when he is not occupied with suchlike things should he seat himself on his prayer carpet, in the mosque or at home, and become occupied in remembering God- the most profitable of all activities

When the sun rises, let him rise up and perform two prostrations of prayer. This is the morning prayer. He should remain seated in the place of prayer until the sun has fully risen. After this, he should per- form two more prostrations. This is very profitable. When the sun has risen high, let him perform the mid-morning prayer, which he should make an obligatory practice for himself. He may also perform other prayers joined to these. After all these have been said, let him rise up to attend to the needs of his brother Muslims, such as visiting the sick, carrying biers, or associating with the pious and those who are God-fearing. If none of these activities is possible, he should promptly engage himself in reading the Quran, repeating his prayers and remembering God. After he has done all this, let him recite, When prayer has ended, disperse in the land and seek God's grace and remember God continuously, that you may succeed (Q62:10) Then he should attend to his dress and food. If he finds nothing further to do, let him know for sure that in sleep there is safety!

When the time for the midday prayer arrives, let him rise from sleep, have a bath, and perform the obligatory four prostrations. After completing that duty, let him perform two more prostrations and remain in the place of prayer, waiting for the next prayer. If his heart is tranquil, let him give thanks till the next prayer. If his heart is not tranquil, he should strive to put it at ease. He should realize

that this is genuine remembrance of God. Let him perform the obligatory prayer in the mosque and his spontaneous acts of devotion at home, for the safety of religion, and let all his thoughts be of that nature. When the time for the next prayer arrives, let him perform the four canonical prostrations. After that, let him perform the obligatory prayer. Then let him be occupied in remembering God and in meditation till sunset. Being watchful at this time is just the same as being engaged in praise.

As the sun is setting, he should examine his soul with care, noting that one more day of his life has passed, what has been gained? Has the day been a loss? To what extent has he profited by it? When the sun has set, he should prepare for the evening prayer and when he has said the obligatory prayer, he is free of what Tradition re- quires. After that, let him perform twenty prostrations, reciting the prayer of repentance, which falls between the evening prayer and the time for going to sleep. If he is diligent, he can perform all these prayers, and he may also impose an added religious duty on himself: They forsake their beds, calling upon their Lord in fear and in hope (Q32:16) rightly refers to those who are awake and watchful be- tween sunset and the first watch of the night. When the time for the retiring prayer arrives, he should perform the four canonical prostrations. After that, he should perform the obligatory prayer, then four more traditional prostrations, as well as two final ones for the evening, unless he is in the habit of performing them later on and is confident that at the very end of the evening he will not omit them. Otherwise, he should perform them at the beginning of the evening. If he does this, he will not be counted among the foolish but will be numbered among those who are in the presence of God. After the retiring prayer, let him read the chapters that come at the end of the Quwat-ul- Quloob. If he is not occupied with these, or he cannot recall them, let him say 250 times the one hundred and twelfth chapter of the Quran, on sincerity, for that is equal to a thousand verses. Afterwards, let him go to sleep in a state of purity, continually remembering God. Also, to prevent sleep from gaining mastery over him, let him rise at the end of the night's rest, before dawn breaks, and begin his work afresh that is the time to beg for pardon, and prayer is more profit- able at this time than at night! If at the end of the night he engages himself in the prayer throughout the night, he should seek God's par- don and recite the Quran. In this way let him show diligence, that the blessing of this hidden way, known as The Way, might bestowed upon him. It is incumbent upon him to adjust the Way to the Law. Anything you perceive in the Way that is not consonant with the Law will not profit you and should be dropped! It is only heretics who maintain that one can stand without the other, and that when Truth is made manifest, the Law then becomes superfluous.

God's curse be upon such a faith! The external, bereft of the in- ternal, is hypocrisy; while the internal, if it lacks external expression, is mere wishful thinking! The outer is joined to the inner at its very roots and cannot be separated by anyone. There is no god but God is the Truth, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God is the Law. Anyone who wants to be in a state of perfect faith cannot dissociate one from the other. Any such desire would be vain! Day by day a novice should devote himself to traveling along the Way with a pure intention in his heart. He should make a habit of being resolute in his outlook, pure in his actions, radiant in his secret knowledge, and agreeable in his conduct. He should benefit by conversing with the pious and serving the elders. He should realize that this work hinges upon discipleship and austerities. The path of discipleship requires him to yield to the suggestions of his spiritual guide, in small matters and in great, for obeying one's spiritual guide is the cause of many a blessing.

The path of austerity means that a novice should busy himself in opposing the desires of his lower self, for giving in to the natural im- pulses of one's bestial nature is at the root of all misfortunes. Per- forming the obligatory duties is a precondition to fulfilling the commands of the Law. In austerity lies the very heart of cutting oneself off from the world, since it entails safeguarding the senses and ab- staining from food and drink, as well as from sleep. When a novice commences his work, he should not seek the immediate solution of his difficulties, intentions, affairs, and all that takes place, rather, in all his states of soul he should have recourse to a sympathetic spiritual guide. Let him lay aside any excesses of self, for in this way will he become diligent and straightforward. The hope of union and blessings is like a tree: if properly pruned, it should bear much fruit, but if the sun is kept away from it, and it is not pruned, then it will inevitably wither and perish. A novice should strive, and even though his limbs and members be full of sin, he should never turn back. He should stand firm since faith remains as a quality and adornment of the heart even when disobedience and wickedness are ingrained in a person's members. It is the command of the heart that is correct, not that of one's members. It is the heart that is to be heeded, not one's members. One must keep in mind that God Almighty does not look at your faces and your works; He looks at your heart and your intentions. Do you think there is only one Mt. Sinai in the world? Or only one Moses? Your body is Mt. Sinai. Your heart is Moses! The strength of both lies in this: Surely I am God!

O brother, if you were to worship for many thousands of years and had to suffer many trials and afflictions, you would become purified in the fire of self-searching and striving. Whatever you said would be taken quickly to The Presence where you would experience the recompense for your devotion and labors.

As long as you doubt that I am enamored of Your face, Regard me as dust clinging to the paw of your alley dog.

[An anecdote concerning Shibli is followed by this couplet: Speak but one word to me, and then Kill me, O King, if that be your wish!

Peace!

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Brother Shamsuddin may God bless you! After a disciple has attained the reality of faith and the soundness of repentance, he should be perpetually occupied with ablutions. Really and truly, there should be no time when he is not occupied with ablutions, even though it he dark and cold, and the water itself is cold. After his ablutions let him perform two inclinations as a prayer of salutation. He should never seek to escape from any prayer. Let him perform the five prayers along with the congregation. When one prayer is over let him pre- pare for the next since anyone who is waiting to pray is really already engaged in prayer. Then he should occupy himself with prayer and utter those ejaculations that he has determined for him- self, or that his guide has told him to say.

When the disciple rises before dawn, he should take a purificatory bath and perform two prostrations in gratitude, saying one hundred times: I ask God to pardon all my sins, both great and small, ap- parent and hidden. O God, grant me Your mercy! With dawn itself, he should perform two prostrations at the customary time. During the first inclination he should recite the one hundred and ninth chapter of the Quran. In the second, he should recite the one hundred and twelfth chapter, on sincerity, which condenses the legacy of the Prophet, that sincerest of men. After this prayer, let him recite O God, I pray for Your mercy, which alone can set my heart straight. This is found at the end of the work Quwat-ul-Quloob [Nourishment for hearts) The Prophet used to show great insistence in using this prayer, saying seventy times: I ask pardon from God, besides whom there is none to be adored; He is alive and remains firmly established forever. O God, I beg You to pardon me!

Then comes the dawn prayer, in congregation, which should be offered from the depths of his heart. When this prayer is finished, he should occupy himself with the verse that comes in the Quwat-ul-Quloob. To the extent that it is possible, he should recite the praises of God and beg continuously for forgiveness, earnestly repenting and imploring forgiveness for his whole past life. He should not talk much, except to substantiate God's commands and prohibitions, or to inter- cede for the welfare of the Muslims, or to speak about things that are profitable for his brother Muslims, or to instruct someone in need of knowledge. All speech of this sort would be beneficial. As far as possible, he should be facing Mecca in all that he does. Let him be occupied in visiting holy tombs or conversing with his spiritual guide or enjoying the company of a divinely inspired master. This would be better and more profitable than remaining forever on a prayer carpet, preoccupied with the praises of God. Only when he is not occupied with suchlike things should he seat himself on his prayer carpet, in the mosque or at home, and become occupied in remembering God- the most profitable of all activities

When the sun rises, let him rise up and perform two prostrations of prayer. This is the morning prayer. He should remain seated in the place of prayer until the sun has fully risen. After this, he should per- form two more prostrations. This is very profitable. When the sun has risen high, let him perform the mid-morning prayer, which he should make an obligatory practice for himself. He may also perform other prayers joined to these. After all these have been said, let him rise up to attend to the needs of his brother Muslims, such as visiting the sick, carrying biers, or associating with the pious and those who are God-fearing. If none of these activities is possible, he should promptly engage himself in reading the Quran, repeating his prayers and remembering God. After he has done all this, let him recite, When prayer has ended, disperse in the land and seek God's grace and remember God continuously, that you may succeed (Q62:10) Then he should attend to his dress and food. If he finds nothing further to do, let him know for sure that in sleep there is safety!

When the time for the midday prayer arrives, let him rise from sleep, have a bath, and perform the obligatory four prostrations. After completing that duty, let him perform two more prostrations and remain in the place of prayer, waiting for the next prayer. If his heart is tranquil, let him give thanks till the next prayer. If his heart is not tranquil, he should strive to put it at ease. He should realize

that this is genuine remembrance of God. Let him perform the obligatory prayer in the mosque and his spontaneous acts of devotion at home, for the safety of religion, and let all his thoughts be of that nature. When the time for the next prayer arrives, let him perform the four canonical prostrations. After that, let him perform the obligatory prayer. Then let him be occupied in remembering God and in meditation till sunset. Being watchful at this time is just the same as being engaged in praise.

As the sun is setting, he should examine his soul with care, noting that one more day of his life has passed, what has been gained? Has the day been a loss? To what extent has he profited by it? When the sun has set, he should prepare for the evening prayer and when he has said the obligatory prayer, he is free of what Tradition re- quires. After that, let him perform twenty prostrations, reciting the prayer of repentance, which falls between the evening prayer and the time for going to sleep. If he is diligent, he can perform all these prayers, and he may also impose an added religious duty on himself: They forsake their beds, calling upon their Lord in fear and in hope (Q32:16) rightly refers to those who are awake and watchful be- tween sunset and the first watch of the night. When the time for the retiring prayer arrives, he should perform the four canonical prostrations. After that, he should perform the obligatory prayer, then four more traditional prostrations, as well as two final ones for the evening, unless he is in the habit of performing them later on and is confident that at the very end of the evening he will not omit them. Otherwise, he should perform them at the beginning of the evening. If he does this, he will not be counted among the foolish but will be numbered among those who are in the presence of God. After the retiring prayer, let him read the chapters that come at the end of the Quwat-ul- Quloob. If he is not occupied with these, or he cannot recall them, let him say 250 times the one hundred and twelfth chapter of the Quran, on sincerity, for that is equal to a thousand verses. Afterwards, let him go to sleep in a state of purity, continually remembering God. Also, to prevent sleep from gaining mastery over him, let him rise at the end of the night's rest, before dawn breaks, and begin his work afresh that is the time to beg for pardon, and prayer is more profit- able at this time than at night! If at the end of the night he engages himself in the prayer throughout the night, he should seek God's par- don and recite the Quran. In this way let him show diligence, that the blessing of this hidden way, known as The Way, might bestowed upon him. It is incumbent upon him to adjust the Way to the Law. Anything you perceive in the Way that is not consonant with the Law will not profit you and should be dropped! It is only heretics who maintain that one can stand without the other, and that when Truth is made manifest, the Law then becomes superfluous.

God's curse be upon such a faith! The external, bereft of the in- ternal, is hypocrisy; while the internal, if it lacks external expression, is mere wishful thinking! The outer is joined to the inner at its very roots and cannot be separated by anyone. There is no god but God is the Truth, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God is the Law. Anyone who wants to be in a state of perfect faith cannot dissociate one from the other. Any such desire would be vain! Day by day a novice should devote himself to traveling along the Way with a pure intention in his heart. He should make a habit of being resolute in his outlook, pure in his actions, radiant in his secret knowledge, and agreeable in his conduct. He should benefit by conversing with the pious and serving the elders. He should realize that this work hinges upon discipleship and austerities. The path of discipleship requires him to yield to the suggestions of his spiritual guide, in small matters and in great, for obeying one's spiritual guide is the cause of many a blessing.

The path of austerity means that a novice should busy himself in opposing the desires of his lower self, for giving in to the natural im- pulses of one's bestial nature is at the root of all misfortunes. Per- forming the obligatory duties is a precondition to fulfilling the commands of the Law. In austerity lies the very heart of cutting oneself off from the world, since it entails safeguarding the senses and ab- staining from food and drink, as well as from sleep. When a novice commences his work, he should not seek the immediate solution of his difficulties, intentions, affairs, and all that takes place, rather, in all his states of soul he should have recourse to a sympathetic spiritual guide. Let him lay aside any excesses of self, for in this way will he become diligent and straightforward. The hope of union and blessings is like a tree: if properly pruned, it should bear much fruit, but if the sun is kept away from it, and it is not pruned, then it will inevitably wither and perish. A novice should strive, and even though his limbs and members be full of sin, he should never turn back. He should stand firm since faith remains as a quality and adornment of the heart even when disobedience and wickedness are ingrained in a person's members. It is the command of the heart that is correct, not that of one's members. It is the heart that is to be heeded, not one's members. One must keep in mind that God Almighty does not look at your faces and your works; He looks at your heart and your intentions. Do you think there is only one Mt. Sinai in the world? Or only one Moses? Your body is Mt. Sinai. Your heart is Moses! The strength of both lies in this: Surely I am God!

O brother, if you were to worship for many thousands of years and had to suffer many trials and afflictions, you would become purified in the fire of self-searching and striving. Whatever you said would be taken quickly to The Presence where you would experience the recompense for your devotion and labors.

As long as you doubt that I am enamored of Your face, Regard me as dust clinging to the paw of your alley dog.

[An anecdote concerning Shibli is followed by this couplet: Speak but one word to me, and then Kill me, O King, if that be your wish!

Peace!