Seventeenth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)

After the evening prayer he (i.e. Zain Badr Arabi) went along with the other disciples to wish the Master a happy new month. Qazi Ashrafuddin said: It has been related that one hour's meditation' is better than a year's worship. Meditation thus enjoys an excellence over other forms of worship. What can be said, however, about some holy men who perform two or three hundred rounds of prayer each day or night? What is the purpose of this? If they were engaged in meditation, wouldn't they already be occupied with a form of worship which enjoys excellence over others?

The Venerable Master replied: This would be so in the sense that meditation has an excellence over supererogatory prayers, but it is also true that everything has a specific quality which cannot be found except in that particular thing. A person's aim is to acquire spiritual perfections for himself. There are ways in which a person can acquire the inner meanings of these perfections. Obligatory prayer, for example, has a specific quality which is not found except in prayer. Those who engage in daily prayer do so in order to perceive this specific excellence, become aware of it, and acquire these perfections for themselves.

Afterwards he said: This discussion reverts to the fact that some abandon daily prayer saying that it, fasting and other forms of worship are needed only as long as a person has still to attain what he was seeking and aiming at. When this is accomplished, the need for all these things disappears, for they are all ways and means. A person needs to utilize them as long as he has not yet arrived at the stage he was aiming at. When this stage is reached, there is no need to occupy oneself with them.

In reply to this, however, I say that, if the only purpose of

daily prayer was that it was a means, then what you say would be true. There are other purposes in prayer besides this, however, which neither you nor I know about, nor shall we attain to.

In the pause which followed, Qazi Ashrafuddin said: If he were to ask how you knew that there were these other aspects to prayer, what would you say? He replied: The interlocutor should investigate the matter for himself. I would say that there is a consensus among the theologians and spiritual masters in this matter, for the prophets were the men closest of all to God. Now if the only purpose of daily prayer was that it was a means, then the prophets would not have continued praying, for such an occupation, after having attained union, would be profitless. Everybody knows, however, that the prophets were ever faithful to daily prayer. None of the theologians and great sheikhs who are acceptable to all has ever abandoned daily prayer. Hence it can be known that those who remain faithful and do not abandon prayer do so because they have perceived therein deep meanings and secrets.

They are astonished at me, saying: What did you see therein?

But what do the blind know about the blessings of vision?

Again, he enquired: Could it not be that they did so to instruct the people? He replied: Once would have been sufficient, or a few times, in order to instruct the people. Moreover, what was the need of instructing them by good example? Verbal instruction would have sufficed.

Again, he asked: What would you say if someone said it was not to instruct the people but applied especially to them (i.e. the prophets) and thus became current? He replied: If it' had applied especially to them they would have said so, as happened with so many other things which pertained only to them, for they stated clearly what was special to them. After- wards he added: Daily prayer is all-embracing, including glorifying and praising God, bowing and prostrating, praise and petition, recital of the Quran and sitting respectfully. In each of these-indeed, in every movement and pause there is a

secret and special quality which manifests itself to them and, by means of which, they acquire perfections.

From the point of view of excellence, meditation is superior to other forms of worship. Nevertheless, what is found in prayer is not found in it, as has come to us in the tradition which states that anyone who recites the chapter 'Ikhlas' three times acquires as much merit as someone who recites the whole Quran. Can we infer from this that a person should not recite the other chapters of the Quran? With regard to merit, the recital of 'Ikhlas' is as stated, but when one considers the secrets, promises and warnings, stories and similar things, as well as knowledge of the first and the last things which are contained in the Quran, then what would you say if a person did not recite it? Should he forsake it? If the only purpose of reciting it was to acquire merit, and it so happened that three recitals of 'Ikhlas' was as meritorious as reciting the whole Quran, then people would not recite the rest. From the point of view, however, that the Quran contains so many thousand secrets, mystical meanings, promises and warnings, counsels and know- ledge of the first and last things, it has to be said that these cannot be acquired except by reciting the Quran. Afterwards he added: This serves as a good example to refute those who advocate abandoning prayer, affirming it is simply a means- but God is the guide to the right path!

Afterwards he asked: When a person is seeking spiritual perfections then that is why he engages in something. This purpose is achieved in daily prayer. What is the point of getting engrossed in extra prayers? He replied: From the point of view of prayer, obligatory prayer and those added for devotion's sake are the same. The perfections that can be obtained from the former can also be gleaned from the latter. Such people are greedily engaged in acquiring perfections.

After the evening prayer he (i.e. Zain Badr Arabi) went along with the other disciples to wish the Master a happy new month. Qazi Ashrafuddin said: It has been related that one hour's meditation' is better than a year's worship. Meditation thus enjoys an excellence over other forms of worship. What can be said, however, about some holy men who perform two or three hundred rounds of prayer each day or night? What is the purpose of this? If they were engaged in meditation, wouldn't they already be occupied with a form of worship which enjoys excellence over others?

The Venerable Master replied: This would be so in the sense that meditation has an excellence over supererogatory prayers, but it is also true that everything has a specific quality which cannot be found except in that particular thing. A person's aim is to acquire spiritual perfections for himself. There are ways in which a person can acquire the inner meanings of these perfections. Obligatory prayer, for example, has a specific quality which is not found except in prayer. Those who engage in daily prayer do so in order to perceive this specific excellence, become aware of it, and acquire these perfections for themselves.

Afterwards he said: This discussion reverts to the fact that some abandon daily prayer saying that it, fasting and other forms of worship are needed only as long as a person has still to attain what he was seeking and aiming at. When this is accomplished, the need for all these things disappears, for they are all ways and means. A person needs to utilize them as long as he has not yet arrived at the stage he was aiming at. When this stage is reached, there is no need to occupy oneself with them.

In reply to this, however, I say that, if the only purpose of

daily prayer was that it was a means, then what you say would be true. There are other purposes in prayer besides this, however, which neither you nor I know about, nor shall we attain to.

In the pause which followed, Qazi Ashrafuddin said: If he were to ask how you knew that there were these other aspects to prayer, what would you say? He replied: The interlocutor should investigate the matter for himself. I would say that there is a consensus among the theologians and spiritual masters in this matter, for the prophets were the men closest of all to God. Now if the only purpose of daily prayer was that it was a means, then the prophets would not have continued praying, for such an occupation, after having attained union, would be profitless. Everybody knows, however, that the prophets were ever faithful to daily prayer. None of the theologians and great sheikhs who are acceptable to all has ever abandoned daily prayer. Hence it can be known that those who remain faithful and do not abandon prayer do so because they have perceived therein deep meanings and secrets.

They are astonished at me, saying: What did you see therein?

But what do the blind know about the blessings of vision?

Again, he enquired: Could it not be that they did so to instruct the people? He replied: Once would have been sufficient, or a few times, in order to instruct the people. Moreover, what was the need of instructing them by good example? Verbal instruction would have sufficed.

Again, he asked: What would you say if someone said it was not to instruct the people but applied especially to them (i.e. the prophets) and thus became current? He replied: If it' had applied especially to them they would have said so, as happened with so many other things which pertained only to them, for they stated clearly what was special to them. After- wards he added: Daily prayer is all-embracing, including glorifying and praising God, bowing and prostrating, praise and petition, recital of the Quran and sitting respectfully. In each of these-indeed, in every movement and pause there is a

secret and special quality which manifests itself to them and, by means of which, they acquire perfections.

From the point of view of excellence, meditation is superior to other forms of worship. Nevertheless, what is found in prayer is not found in it, as has come to us in the tradition which states that anyone who recites the chapter 'Ikhlas' three times acquires as much merit as someone who recites the whole Quran. Can we infer from this that a person should not recite the other chapters of the Quran? With regard to merit, the recital of 'Ikhlas' is as stated, but when one considers the secrets, promises and warnings, stories and similar things, as well as knowledge of the first and the last things which are contained in the Quran, then what would you say if a person did not recite it? Should he forsake it? If the only purpose of reciting it was to acquire merit, and it so happened that three recitals of 'Ikhlas' was as meritorious as reciting the whole Quran, then people would not recite the rest. From the point of view, however, that the Quran contains so many thousand secrets, mystical meanings, promises and warnings, counsels and know- ledge of the first and last things, it has to be said that these cannot be acquired except by reciting the Quran. Afterwards he added: This serves as a good example to refute those who advocate abandoning prayer, affirming it is simply a means- but God is the guide to the right path!

Afterwards he asked: When a person is seeking spiritual perfections then that is why he engages in something. This purpose is achieved in daily prayer. What is the point of getting engrossed in extra prayers? He replied: From the point of view of prayer, obligatory prayer and those added for devotion's sake are the same. The perfections that can be obtained from the former can also be gleaned from the latter. Such people are greedily engaged in acquiring perfections.