Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen's Quotes on Knowledge
- Combining the outward and inward knowledge is the true (Divine) knowledge and the soul of religion and faith. All attention to only outward knowledge raises conflicts while the religion does not lie merely in inward or spiritual knowledge. True faith is a combination of both.
Cause of Modern Man's Waywardness
- In today's contemporary era, a prevalent challenge arises from individuals who deem Quranic verses ambiguous and consequently dismiss their significance, failing to seek guidance from them. Yet, these verses in fact offer profound spiritual guidance. Presently, the root cause of our waywardness lies in the neglect of our inward and spirituality, as attention is predominantly directed towards outward aspects of religion and the physical self.
Divine Observation
- Knowledge gained without Divine observation is useless.
- Allah Almighty has blessed the knowledge of all His Divine names to Adam and his progeny since eternity. It is revealed on those who ponder and concentrate over it.
Kinds of Knowledge
- There are two basic kinds of knowledge; these are as follows:
The Acquired Knowledge
It is the knowledge gained within the limits of intellect. Meaning, the knowledge we gain by using the senses of vision, audition, comprehension, olfaction and all other physical senses. It can be gained from school, college or university or by reading books or by researching.
The Inspired Knowledge
It is the knowledge gained through the compassionate love for Allah and by having Divine presence. This is the knowledge of spiritual glance which is transferred to the seeker’s esoteric self by the attention of the perfect spiritual guide. The perfect spiritual guide can confer the inspired knowledge through any medium such as invocation, reflection, concentration, deliberation, meditation, intuition, spiritual unveiling (kashf), Divine communication (waham) etc. It cannot be gained by reading books. It is bestowed when the seeker’s inward is illuminated with the Divine light and in that moment of enlightenment Allah reveals whatever secrets He likes. The greatest medium to gain this knowledge is the Sarwari Qadri spiritual guide and practicing the invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat under his guidance.
Divine observation is
useless.
observation is useless.
Optimal Knowledge
- Knowledge is limitless. The best kind is that which grants the recognition and gnosis of Allah. Everything besides Allah is mortal so its knowledge is mortal too. The knowledge of Allah-the Immortal gives the eternal life. The knowledge which does not grant recognition of the Immortal is mere ignorance while that which leads to the Eternal Self is true.
Prophet Mohammad's Sacred Self is the Ultimate Knowledge
- The person who enters the city of knowledge passing through its gate becomes the perfect knower (The Holy Prophet said, “I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate; so whoever seeks knowledge, has to enter the gate).
Significance of Acquiring Knowledge
- In their books, Mystics have always addressed the importance of acquiring knowledge. They have only condemned unenlightened knowledge. It is the light, but it may also be a veil upon intellect. The knowledge which takes to the Divine Reality is light while on the other hand which takes away from Reality becomes a veil upon the intellect.
- Revelation of Divine observation on the seeker without first acquiring knowledge would make him insane.
Knowledge And Faqr
- In the beginning of Faqr it is important for the seeker to forego his previous knowledge because to find the All-Knowing one has to come out of the bounds of his limited knowledge. Only then he can reach Allah-The Omniscient. Once he finds the Omniscient, he will automatically gain the entire knowledge.
- The knowledge of Faqr is that scale and criteria which validate the legitimacy of the legitimate and deceptiveness of the counterfeit. It is the touchstone which distinguishes between the pure and impure, right and wrong.
How Knowledge Is Discovered?
- Knowledge progresses in a specific direction in every era. It can be discovered through concentration and reflection.
one which grants recognition
and gnosis of Allah.
which grants the recognition and
gnosis of Allah.
Allah's Benevolence Surpasses Knowledge
- Benevolence of Allah must be considered above all knowledge and a seeker should consider that whatever he gained is due to the Divine favor and not knowledge. Without Allah’s grace, knowledge would deprave the person.
Exoteric And Esoteric Knowledge
- The exoteric knowledge is like a short-term rain while the esoteric knowledge is like a continuous spring because it is more beneficial compared to the former.
- Without the spiritual knowledge, mere exoteric knowledge leads to conflicts and formation of sects.
- The result of paying more heed to the exoteric knowledge is that the man of today is lost in the horizons. Had he gained expertise in the spiritual knowledge, he would have found the horizons inside him.
Above mentioned is a short collection of selected quotes extracted from Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen's books or noted during his gatherings. However, for gaining in depth knowledge of his teachings, click the following links to his books:
