Irfan (Volume 1) IRFAAN 1

87-88

Many formal shopkeeper (and tradesmen) Shaikhs tell the condition of these Subtleties to their Seekers verbally reading from the books on Tasawvuf and Salook that: two Subtleties of the Nafs and Qalb are from the Realm of the Creator and these five Subtleties of the Spirit, Sirr , Khafi , Akhfa and the Subtlety of Anaaare of the Realm of Amar (Command) and they tell the Stations of these Lataif that this is the Station of the Nafs in the bosom, and this is the Station of Qalb , and this Station in brain is concerning to that one and this Station is related to that one and after engaging the Seekers in doing the Habs-e-Damm , they say that think towards heart and you will feel the move of Zikr in it and the voice of Zikr will be heard. When the poor pleb-like Seekers think towards heart after doing the Habs-e-Damm , there really is felt the motion of the entrance and exit of the flow of blood in heart but rather its motion is felt and found in whole body and veins and capillaries and side by side the voice of the thrust of blood like 'tup lup' is heard by the Seeker . These formal and customary Piraan, assign these motions and beats of the current of blood flow with the Zikr-e-Qalbi , Zikr-e-Ruhi and Zikr-e-Sirri etcetera. And the plain brainless Seekers feel pleasure in taking these movements to be the living of Zikr , Subtleties and considering it the Zikr e Sultan although these movements (and wiggling) and voices of the flow of blood have not any relation with the Zikr of Lord and Inwardly Subtleties. It this movement, motion and material voice in the heart and all organs is the Zikr-e-Qalbi , then this Zikr is also present in the Kalb that is, dog and also in every animal. Regrets that the Shaikhs of these days who are formal, customary, duplicitous, shopkeepers (and tradesmen) have taken Tasawvuf and Salook to be the play of kids same as young girls play with dolls; celebrate marriages and wedlock of dolls although it neither is marriage nor is a wedlock. There is huge gap between the real and the imitation.

Reality cannot be concealed in the wraps of simulation,

? As fragrance cannot come from the flowers of paper.

[Ismail Merithi]

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Becoming the Zikr of Qalb living with Allah and its motion and movement is a great thing. When the Qalb , after turning live, comes in motion and movement, then the Arsh e Mualla of Allah Almighty feel tremor and vibration and the Haamilaan (holders) of Arsh fall in Hairat. Fourteen Tabqaat (strata) become bright for the Living-Hearted Saalik and are seen to him of the size of a mustard seed.

Heart, when, comes in motion, it shakes the Arsh even,

And heart makes Arsh the floor under its feet.

[Jalal ud Din Rumi]

When this Subtle Inwardly Bulk of Qalb of the Saalik, becomes live, it is as if it is reborn like a Subtle Child of Noor in the Inwardly and Subtle World. So, the prime purpose and objective of the Selk-Salook and Tasawvuf is making these Inwardly Subtleties alive through the Zikr of Allah. Its parable is this that the Noori Lamp of the Name-Allah-the-Essence (Ism-e-Allah-Zaat ) was hanging in the chimney of our heart in the material tree of our body of this world but the tree of body was nearly falling due to the fast wind of destruction and death and the threat of breaking and shattering of this chimney was imminent. Thus, its cautious owner lit another lamp from it and hung it in the Noori Chimney with the Subtle, peaceful, lasting, established and strong tree that is, the Goodly Tree of the Inward where there is no threat posed to its breaking or extinguishing. Hazrat Maulana Room Rahmatu-Allahe Ta-aala Alaihe describes it in this way in his Masnavi:

Wind is strong and the lamp of life may die,

Let me light another lamp by this lamp before this happens,

May be one of them will survive in case other is blown off,

As an Arif lights the lamp of heart with this imperfect lamp to keep satisfied,

That when one day, this physical lamp is extinguished suddenly,

Then he can put this spiritual lamp (of heart) in front of him.

[Jalal ud Din Rumi]