Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen is the current leader of Sarwari Qadri Order and perfect spiritual guide of this era. He has written 24 books of fundamental importance on Faqr and Sufism. His every step follows the Holy Prophet’s steps. Every quote and action is in accordance with the Quran and Hadith. Similar to how people call Allama Iqbal’s mystical and spiritual poetry an exegesis of the Quran and Hadith. Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen’s quotes and statements related to Faqr and Sufism are in accordance with the Quran and Hadith and even their exegesis.
The Holy Prophet bestows the trust of Faqr to Sarwari Qadri Saints. He also bestows upon them the treasure of inspirational knowledge. This knowledge is proof that this Order belongs to the Holy Prophet and that the Saint is his spiritual heir. This is why the guidance from a Sarwari Qadri Saint is an expression of the Holy Prophet’s teachings.
The Quran is Allah’s book and it is important to follow the Holy Prophet’s sunnah in order to understand it. We understand the spirit of the Holy Quran through the Prophet’s sunnah. And through the company, actions, advice, sayings, and commandments of the Perfect Saints, the spirit of the Prophet’s sunnah becomes evident to the heart of the believer. We present a few topics from Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen’s quotes for the readers.
Faqr
The Holy Prophet said about Faqr:
اَلْفَقْرُ فَخْرِیْ وَ الْفَقْرُ مِنِّیْ فَاَفْتَخِرُّ عَلٰی سَائِرِ الْاَنْبِیَآءِ وَ الْمُرْسَلِیْن
Meaning: Faqr is my pride and Faqr is from me and Faqr is the reason of my superiority over all the Prophets and Messengers.
Faqr is one of Allah’s many treasures. Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says about Faqr:
- Faqr is an Arabic word commonly understood as poverty, destitution and hardship. It literally means indigence, but Mystics describe it as the ultimate purpose of a person’s life about which the Prophet said: “Faqr is my pride and Faqr is from me.”
- Allah bestowed Prophet Mohammad with numerous blessings and marvels, yet he never expressed pride in anything except Faqr.
The Holy Prophet calls Faqr a treasure of Allah. Sultan Bahoo, who reorganized the Sarwari Qadri Order, also calls Faqr a treasure in his book “Mehak-ul-Faqr Kalan”:
- The sight of Faqr is a treasure and it has authority over all the treasures. Faqr makes the man of sight independent of all desires
Faqr has two types. One is that which the Holy Prophet called his pride. And the other is that about which the Holy Prophet said “I seek refuge from compulsive Faqr.”
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says about compulsive Faqr:
- Compulsive Faqr is when someone adopts the path of Faqr for personal gains, only to falter and withdraw when encountered with trials. Some people adopt the path of Faqr out of fear of any worldly nuisance, pain or illness, or due to fleeting emotions. The shrine caretakers who manage the shrine of deceased Saints are also among the followers of compulsive Faqr. Mostly they are the Saint’s descendants and customarily have no understanding of Faqr. Their aim is just to collect the income from the shrine or the offerings from the disciples of Saints whose shrine they manage. Or, their ambition might be to gain nobility by becoming spiritual guides. All such people are on the path of compulsive Faqr.
Divine Vision
Allah says about Divine vision:
- So, whoever hopes to meet his Lord should do good deeds. (18:110)
Hadith
- Narrated Jarir bin `Abdullah:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “You will definitely see your Lord with your own eyes.”
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says about meeting Allah:
- Asking for the path of Faqr means asking for Allah, that is, asking for His sight and union.
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen favored the seekers of Allah by making them aware of the path of Faqr’s true meaning.
Divine Vision and Prophet Moses (AS)
Prophet Moses’ story of Divine vision is in the Quran. Allah says:
- And when Musa (Moses) came at the time (set) by Us and his Lord spoke to him, he (ardently aspired to behold Him out of the pleasure of hearing Allah’s Word and) submitted: ‘O Lord, show me (Your Beauty) so that I may savour Your Sight.’ Allah said: ‘By no means can you look upon Me (directly), but look towards the mountain. So if it stays firm in its place, then soon will you behold My beauty.’ When his Lord unveiled the Light (of His divine beauty) on to the mountain, (He) crushed it into sand particles (with the intense divine radiance) and Musa (Moses) fell down unconscious. Then when he recovered, he submitted: ‘Holy You are and I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of those who believe.’ (7:143)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says about Divine vision in the above verse:
- A Prophet never prays for what is unattainable and forbidden. Prophet Moses sought the vision of Allah because he knew that seeing Allah was possible. Allah Almighty conditioned His vision to the mountain staying intact, and this condition itself is evidence that the vision of Allah is attainable.
- When Allah Almighty responded, “You cannot look upon Me” (Al-A’raf:143) to Prophet Moses’s plea for the vision of Allah, it was not a denial of the possibility of anyone ever having the Divine vision. Rather, He addressed Prophet Moses specifically, saying, “You cannot bear the luminosity of My vision”. When Allah manifested His theophany, Prophet Moses fainted. His loss of consciousness is clear evidence that he did indeed witness something but was unable to endure it. In fact, the sheer intensity of Divine vision made him unconscious. Upon regaining his consciousness, he proclaimed, “I am the first of the believers” (7:143)
A true believer is one who believes in Allah after seeing Him—like Moses, who saw Him but fainted from the intensity.
The specialty of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen’s quotes is that the more a seeker studies, the clearer Quran and Hadith become. Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen explains the topics of Sufism that scholars are afraid to discuss in an easy-to-understand manner.
Renunciation of the World
Allah says in the Quran:
- And, (O people,) the life of this world is nothing but sport and pastime and the home of the Hereafter is the only (true) life. Would that they knew (this secret)! (29:64)
- And (the luxury of) the worldly life is nothing but play and fun fair, and certainly, it is the home of the Hereafter which is better for the Godfearing. Do you not understand (this reality)? (6:32)
The Holy Prophet said:
- Love of the world is the root of all evil. (Mishkat 5212)
The aforementioned verses and Hadith make it clear that worldly love is the bigger danger for faith. But how to not love the world while living in it?
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- According to the philosophy of Sufism, renunciation of world means renunciation of the lust of worldly pleasures and being indifferent to the world inwardly.
- Renunciation of the world does not mean abandoning the world, rather it means relinquishing the greed associated with it. It is to defeat the inner desires and exterminate the love of the world from one’s inward because unless the inward is purified from the allure of worldly love and desires, it is not blessed with Divine love. Thus, to attain union with Allah, it is essential to purify the inward from the love of world, worldly assets and relations.
- After the pledge of allegiance, the perfect spiritual guide first purifies the inward of the seeker in such a way that he negates everything other than Allah from within. The seeker feels like there is nothing in his inward, neither he loves anyone nor hates. This is negation.
Pretence
Allah says in the Quran:
- And those who spend their wealth to show off to people, and believe neither in Allah nor in the Last Day. And whoever Satan sides with as a companion, so he is an evil companion! (4:38)
Mahmud ibn Labid reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, my greatest fear for you is the lesser idolatry.” They said, “What is the lesser idolatry, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet said, “It is ostentation. Allah Almighty will say to them on the Day of Resurrection, when people are being recompensed for their deeds: Go to those for whom you made a show in the world and look, do you find any reward with them?” (Musnad Ahmad 24030)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- The reality of pretence is that a person shows off his pious acts to seek reverence and admiration from people and to become famous, respectable and a so-called role model of virtuosity.
Inciting Self
Allah says in the Quran:
- Certainly, the self commands much evil. (12:53)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- This particular self belongs to disbelievers, polytheists, hypocrites, transgressors, debauchees and seekers of the world. If it is not corrected or rectified properly then with rebelliousness and disobedience its evil keeps on growing and one turns from human to animal and from animal to beast, rather to Satan.
Repenting Self
Allah says:
- I swear by the Day of Resurrection. And I swear by the repenting self, reproaching (itself for evil deeds). (75:1-2)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- If the inciting self’s improvement and purification are initiated, it gradually succeeds towards the realm of angels and grows in piety elevating from inciting to repenting (an-nafs al-lawwamah النفس اللوامۃ). As the name suggests, it is the self which reproves when indulging in sinful deeds and makes the person regret. It has been bestowed with unseen favours and guidance from Allah hence behaving sinfully makes the person penitent. Such self always remembers death and the Judgment Day.
Inspiring Self
Allah says:
- But as for him who feared standing in the presence of his Lord and forbade (his ill-commanding) self its appetites and lusts, Paradise will surely be (his) abode. (79:40-41)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- When this self is further corrected, it advances to the realm of power and becomes the inspiring self (an–nafs al-mulhimah النفس الملہمۃ). This self with the help of Divine favour warns the person before sinning and makes him think twice that he should be afraid of Allah. The inspiring self stops the person from sinning and doing wrong deeds either with the help of the unseen Divine favours while he is acting upon his planned sin or through inspiration that can be in various ways. At times it holds back the person by inspiring proper argument and thoughts in the mind. Some have intuitions from the unseen and at times the person is informed in his dream which inculcates in him the fear of Allah so he keeps himself from being part of a sinful act.
The Self at Peace
Allah says:
- Beware! Verily, the friends of Allah will not have any fear, nor will they grieve. (10:62)
- O contented (pleased) self! Return to your Lord in such a state that you are both the aspirant to, and the aspired of, His pleasure (i.e., you seek His pleasure and He seeks yours). So join My (perfect) servants. And enter My Paradise (of nearness and sight). (89:27-30)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- When the self is further purified and succeeds inwardly, it becomes ‘the self at peace’ (an-nafs al-mutmainnah النفس المطمئنۃ) reaching the realm of Divinity. Hence, it gets rid of the eternal looter that is Satan and accomplishes life goals in the form of Divine closeness. It has reached the stage of peace from fear and grief by fulfilling its purpose of existence
- The inciting self is of those immersed in worldly pursuits, the repenting self pertains to those at the station of mysticism (realm of angels), the inspiring self relates to the station of reality (realm of power) and the self at peace is of those who have acquired gnosis of Allah (realm of Divinity).
Jealousy
Allah says:
- And (call to mind the time) when We said to the angels: ‘Fall down in prostration before Adam.’ Then all prostrated themselves except Iblis. He said: ‘Shall I prostrate myself before him whom You have created of clay?’ (And Satan also said:) ‘Tell me, is it he You have exalted over me? (What is its reason after all?) If You grant me respite till the Day of Resurrection, I shall root out his children except a few of them (by bringing them under my control).’ (17:61-62)
- (O Most Esteemed Messenger!) Relate to these people the account of the two sons of Adam (Habil and Qabil [Abel and Cain]) which is absolutely true. When both of them made offering (one each to Allah), the offering from one of them (Habil [Abel]) was accepted, whilst that from the other (Qabil [Cain]) was not accepted. Thereupon, he (Qabil) said to Habil (out of jealousy and vengeance): ‘I will surely kill you.’ He (Habil) said (in reply): ‘Indeed, Allah accepts (offering) only from the people of piety. (5:27)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- Jealousy is the foremost spiritual ailment and sin that manifested from Satan. He was jealous of Prophet Adam as Adam was blessed with the Divine Trust. Satan became rebellious and disobedient and refused Allah’s commandment to prostrate to Prophet Adam. Thus, he was rejected from Allah’s court. His rank of the teacher of angels was confiscated and his title was changed from Azazil to Iblis and Satan and is considered the first among the jealous.
- The first two sins (on heavens and on earth) originated from jealousy. When Allah gave Adam superiority, Iblis got jealous thinking that he is superior because Adam is made of clay and he is made of fire. The first sin on earth happened because Adam’s son Cain was jealous of Abel and killed him.
Anger
Allah says:
- They are the ones who spend in the cause of Allah whether they are affluent or indigent (in both the conditions), sublimate their anger and tolerate (the faults of the) people; and Allah loves those who are benevolent. (3:134)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen explains what a person feels during anger and how anger damages the person as follows:
- The reality of anger is fire as it is related to Satan who was created from fire, while Adam was created with soil. Fire denotes restlessness and impatience whereas soil represents peace. Whosoever is dominated by anger is related more to Satan than Adam.
Ism-e-Allah Zaat
Allah says in the Holy Quran:
- Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. (24:35)
- Allah is the Guardian of the believers. He brings them out of (all kinds of) darkness and takes them towards the light. (2:257)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- The invocation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat enlightens the invoker’s inward with light of faith.
When someone mentions invocation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat, common people do not understand what that means.
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- There are three kinds or ways of invocation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat: one is invocation with breaths, the second is contemplation or observation and the third is inscribing Allah’s name on the body.
Invocation with Breaths:
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- The invocation with breaths involves invoking Allah with every inhale and exhale without any audible sound, lip or tongue movement, allowing it to be done continuously with or without ablution, seamlessly blending into daily tasks. Although initially conscious effort is required but with time the inward becomes automatically engaged in it. If the invoker at initial stage sometimes forgets to do it, he can continue whenever he remembers.
Allah says:
- And remember your Lord in your inward with humility and tearful submissiveness and fear and repentance and also by calling in low tones. (Persevere with His remembrance) morning and evening and be not of the neglectful. (7:205)
Mohammadan Assembly
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- Perhaps there is no such writing of Sultan Bahoo in which he has not mentioned the Mohammadan Assembly. According to his teachings, the Divine vision and eternal presence in the Mohammadan Assembly are two such sublime stages in the spiritual world that no other level is higher than these.
Sultan Bahoo says:
- How can such a person be considered a Muslim, faithful or a follower of the Holy Prophet who does not believe that the Holy Prophet is alive! No doubt, such a person is a liar, faithless and a hypocrite, whoever he is.
- Whoever does not believe in the life of the Holy Prophet, is disgraced in both the worlds. Only that person denies the eternal life of the Prophet and considers him dead whose faith has been confiscated by Satan and whose inward has darkened. (Kaleed-ul-Tauheed)
Allama Iqbal says:
- I have a complete faith that Prophet Mohammad is alive and the people of this age can also gain beneficence from his company as the sacred Companions did. However, in this era the very expression of such convictions would be unpleasant for several minds that is why I remain silent. (Fitrak-e-Rasool – A letter to Niaz-ud-Din Khan)
Allama Iqbal states about the Mohammadan Assembly:
بمصطفیٰؐ برساں خویش را کہ دیں ہمہ اوست
اگر بہ او نرسیدی، تمام بولہبی است
Explanation: You must take yourself to Prophet Mohammad (that is the Mohammadan Assembly) as he is the complete and perfect faith. If you do not take yourself to Prophet Mohammad, your whole faith is like that of Abu Lahab. (Armaghan-e-Hijaz)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- A disciple who harbours doubts about the Mohammadan Assembly can never find presence there. And if, by the beneficence of the spiritual guide, he enters this assembly, he cannot stay there due to his malicious inward.
Conclusion
To confine Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen’s teachings to a single article is like trying to fit an ocean into a vessel. This blog humbly presents this effort to the readers. Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen follows every step in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet, and his teachings draw deeply from the Quran, Hadith, and the wisdom of the noble Sufi Saints.
Note:
The blog takes all quotes of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen either from Sufism – The Soul of Islam or Teachings and Quotes of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen.
Questions:
Q1. What is Faqr?
Ans. Faqr is an Arabic word commonly understood as poverty, destitution and hardship. It literally means indigence, but Mystics describe it as the ultimate purpose of a person’s life about which the Prophet said: “Faqr is my pride and Faqr is from me.”
Q2. What are some teachings of Sufism?
Ans. Sufism teaches about: Divine Vision, Renunciation of the World, Pretence, Inciting Self, Repenting Self, Inspiring Self, The Self at Peace, Jealousy, Anger, Ism-e-Allah Zaat, Mohammadan Assembly and many more topics.
Q3. What does Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen say about Jealousy?
Ans. Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
- Jealousy is the foremost spiritual ailment and sin that manifested from Satan. He was jealous of Prophet Adam as Adam was blessed with the Divine Trust. Satan became rebellious and disobedient and refused Allah’s commandment to prostrate to Prophet Adam. Thus, he was rejected from Allah’s court. His rank of the teacher of angels was confiscated and his title was changed from Azazil to Iblis and Satan and is considered the first among the jealous.
- The first two sins (on heavens and on earth) originated from jealousy. When Allah gave Adam superiority, Iblis got jealous thinking that he is superior because Adam is made of clay and he is made of fire. The first sin on earth happened because Adam’s son Cain was jealous of Abel and killed him.
Comments (18)
Very Beautiful ❤️ and Informative Article
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Very inspiring blog
Faqr is an Arabic word commonly understood as poverty, destitution and hardship. It literally means indigence, but Mystics describe it as the ultimate purpose of a person’s life about which the Prophet said: “Faqr is my pride and Faqr is from me.”
Narrated Jarir bin `Abdullah:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “You will definitely see your Lord with your own eyes.”
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
A disciple who harbours doubts about the Mohammadan Assembly can never find presence there. And if, by the beneficence of the spiritual guide, he enters this assembly, he cannot stay there due to his malicious inward.
amazing article
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
Perhaps there is no such writing of Sultan Bahoo in which he has not mentioned the Mohammadan Assembly. According to his teachings, the Divine vision and eternal presence in the Mohammadan Assembly are two such sublime stages in the spiritual world that no other level is higher than these.
Very Informative Article
Sultan ul Ashiqeen is indeed the perfect spiritual guide 🌹🌹🌹
Blog 👌
so many topics touched eloquently
😍😍😍
very informative
very nice 👍
Haq bahoo sultan Muhammad najeebur Rahman
Haq Ka pegam najeebur Rahman
Haq ka pegam najeebur Rahman