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"The more they take of it the more they are improving through Divine Lights, thus approaching their Lord’s Divine Presence.... where they experience boundless pleasure in witnessing more beauty oceans from His Divine Face....Therefore, they have become obsessed with their Lord...they pursue it, tirelessly and will sacrifice all things for the sake of this Divine Favor" - Moulana Sheikh Nazim

Divine Knowledge

Divine Knowledge or 'Maghrifah' is the Knowledge on Allah Almighty whereas ‘Shariat’ is the knowledge of the Laws of Allah. The Saints give knowledge precedence over spiritual states, because all spiritual states experienced depends on the depth of Divine knowledge possessed. Knowledge is the heritage of the Prophets, and the saints are the heirs thereto.

 

On 'Divine Knowledge' Moulana Sheikh Nazim says that,

This knowledge is called "ilm-ul-laddunni," or knowledge given directly from His Divine Presence, as the Qur'an declares:

 


Outward religious knowledge is easy to obtain, even non-Muslims can know it, but  divine knowledge can’t be gained except through purifying the heart of all created things, of all that exists besides Him Almighty.

 

When pursuing the Path of Knowing Allah, you must be prepared to be shocked and bewildered. Be prepared to see a reality beyond the normal understanding. The Saints are in endless Pleasure and bewilderment by unravelling endless Divine Knowledge and Secrets of Allah. Indeed the Saints are called, ‘awliya’ Allah’ (Friends of God), because of their intimate relationship with God and of the Secrets of himself.

The Holy Qur' an is an ocean of divine knowledge. It is so vast that its breadth can never be seen and its depth can never be fathomed. To try to limit it, thinking that we can ever fully comprehend its meaning, is ignorance. To cross this vast ocean of divine knowledge, each one of us must become a perfected human being. Moulana says

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If we liken God to the ocean and the human individual to a drop, the drop cannot know the ocean, being in the consciousness of it being separate from the ocean. When the drop finally merges with the ocean, it sees through the eye of the ocean that it is the ocean. Thus, we can say that the function of Sufism is to carry the drop to the ocean.

Then...the master of the Path is like a river linked to the ocean. Needless to say, for the drop to reach the ocean with the help of the river, it must first meet many difficult challenges. It must put up with a great deal of turbulence arising from its various encounters in the river, so that it may eventually merge with the ocean!

 

Accordingly, the Sufi goes through ascending spiritual stations (maqamat) ultimately conductive to a direct experience of the truth, moving up to the stage of ‘annihilation’ (fana) of the self, with the final goal being the return of self and subsistence in God (baqa).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Grandsheikh Abdullah Faiz Daghistani (qd)’s account of 'Unity' experienced on his Journey to the Divine Presence.

 

On that Blessed Night Sheikh Abdullah Daghistani (qd) prayed the `Isha’ prayer and then renewed his ablution and prayed two rak`ats and then sat in meditation, connecting myself through my Shaykh, to the Prophet (Sal). Then he saw the Prophet (sal) coming towards him and hugging him and he saw himself disappearing in the Prophet (sal).

 

 

 

Then, He heard a voice coming from the Divine Presence saying, “Approach, O my servant, to My Presence.” As he approached through the Prophet  , everything disappeared, even the spiritual reality of the Prophet   disappeared. Nothing existed except Allah, Almighty and Exalted

 

Then He heard a voice from all His Lights and Attributes that were shining in His Presence, ‘O my servant, now come to the State of Existence within this Light.’ He felt himself come into existence through the Prophet (sal), after having been annihilated, appearing and existing in the Divine Presence, decorated with the Ninety-Nine Attributes.

Describing further on this experience, Sheikh Nazim says "You are asking why we come to this life. It is to be witnesses of ourselves"..."The way to know Allah Almighty goes through you. As long as you know yourself you will find the way to know Allah Almighty. Otherwise, it is impossible for a man who does not know himself to know the One who created him"..."I cannot give more than this description until you taste it for yourself. When you taste, you will know. May Allah grant us to taste"

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It is said that When the Prophet (sal) was in Allah Almighty’s Divine Presence, He let him see His  beauty and spoke to him without words and letters, He spoke to him voiceless, a thousand words! Allah Almighty spoke to him in a way no human mind can understand.

 

On that night Allah Almighty told His Beloved, from the knowledge of the past and the knowledge of the future. With His divine blessings and said "My Beloved. You can tell your nation some of this knowledge I granted to you. That knowledge is for common people. Let them know, there is no hindrance. Some parts are only for your Companions and Saints to know. The other part is only for you, do not tell anyone. It is for you."

 

The real aspects of all `amal and obediency is to reach an understanding level of Who is the Lord of Heavens! 

The Seeker, they are asking wisdoms in everything they are looking at... When they are looking, they must take wisdoms. For which wisdom, divinely wisdoms bringing that one in existence?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Knower,  When they look at a person they look at the Lord's existence, the Lord's appearance on that person. They are not looking at anything else. They have already reached to Divinely Presence. Therefore, they are looking in everyone and seeing Divinely appearance on him. With His holy name that training him. For every looking they are reaching to their Lord with everything.

 

With everything they are looking to their Lord. Therefore, they are saying - He is in all. He is all, in all. He is all, in all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If anything you may say going to be in existence by itself, it is going to be partner to Allah Almighty. Because only one, Allah Almighty Himself, standing in existence by Himself. But everything standing by Himself, by the Lord Almighty Allah.

Sheikh Nazim says that:

His Essence, It is complete sacredness into which no-one can enter. The Essence of Allah Almighty is darkness; no one is knowing the real Being of Allah Almighty’s Existence, His Essence. (For) His Name on that position we are saying only “Hu”, (and) Hu (He) means ‘unknown’! is absolutely and completely transcendent, beyond everything that can be described or expressed by the servants whether in Heavens or on the earths. He (swt) Is beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the candle is not lightening, you would not know that there is an existence. In the same way Allah Almighty (is) putting some signs of His real Essence, and those signs are pointing that someone is in existence and that someone is Unknown. In this way Attributes are signs (for) the real Existence of the Lord of Creation, the real Existence of the Lord of Heavens, the real Existence of Allah Almighty.

 

‘The honour of a man is according to his Divine knowledge’. ‘All Prophets and saints have ranks, according to their Divine knowledge. According to their Divine knowledge, they approach the Divine Presence’

 

Sheikh Nazim Says:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Grandshaykh says, “Knowledge is an endless ocean. All things that belong to Allah Almighty are endless, and Allah is teaching His servants so many different kinds of knowledge.

“All Prophets’ and saints’ ranks are given from our Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him). All knowledge, Divine knowledge, also comes from Muhammad (peace be upon him).

No one and nothing can directly reach the essence of Allah Almighty. Nothing can reach - it is impossible. Only through the Seal of Prophets -the summary and essence of whole creation is with him. It has been granted to him, and that grant is continuing without stopping, running, never ceasing or being cut off, no!

Saints, the inheritors of the Seal of Prophets, those Grand Saints - have been granted oceans as well (Oceans of Creation). But their oceans, even the oceans of all prophets and saints together, in comparison to that which has been granted to the Seal of Prophets, is just like the drop sticking to the tip of a needle when you dip it in an ocean. It is only that much in comparison.

 

And all awliya and saints, particularly Grand Saints, Grand Sheikhs, the ones in the first row, close to the Seal of Prophets, sayyedina Muhammad (saws), they are taking directly from him and they have been granted much more than others. And their souls are drinking from those oceans and are also becoming oceans. The soul of each one of them is like an ocean and only the Prophet (saws) knows what is in that ocean. Allah knows everything; but through the station of creation, what had been granted to all prophets as well as grand prophets, Grand Awliya, Grand Sheikhs - they are first row inheritors of RasulAllah (saws)- only the Prophet (saws) knows.. And what is in everyone’s ocean, they know, as well as the prophet (saws) knows.

Compiled from the Sohbets of Moulana Sheikh Nazim

'Allah Almighty teaches some people because they put everything out of their hearts excepting their Lord, and they choose their Lord over everything — until their Lord loves them, and when He loves His servant He gives him treasures from His knowledge'

"And We taught him knowledge from Our Divine Presence." (Surat-ul Kahf: ayat 65). .

“Who is He (Allah)?! You can't understand it until you Annihilate. (yourself in Allah's Divine Presence)"

The Sufi’s ultimate goal is to get rid of their ego and the world of multiplicity to subsist in communion with God in the abode of his Oceans of Unity.

“As soon as I disappeared in him I saw myself ascending from the Dome of the Rock, the Bait ul-Maqdis, from which the Prophet (sal) ascended in the Night Journey. I saw myself astride the same Buraq which carried the Prophet (sal)  and I saw myself carried up in a true vision, to the Station of Two Bow-lengths, where I could see the Prophet (sal)  but not myself. I felt myself to be a part of the entirety of the Prophet (sal)”

"Then I saw myself inside the Prophet (sal) , appearing inside every creation that was existing by Allah’s Power. That took us to a state in which we were able to realize that there are universes other than this universe, that there are endless Creations of Allah, High and Sublime”

They are looking and taking divinely wisdoms and using that power to approach to Allah Almighty saying, SubhanAllah. Subhan al-khaliqu nnur. Subhan al-khaliqu n-nar. That wisdoms making them to glorify their Lord Almighty Allah.

They can't see anything except the Lord Almighty Allah, His appearance. They are looking that he is standing with his Lord. If no Lord's appearance with His mercy, with His powers, with His wisdoms, he is not getting in existence. Nothing is standing by itself.

“Divine knowledge revealed to Saints is never directly from the Divine Essence. Rather, these Saints are in the Oceans of Names and Attributes of Allah.  Everything in existence comes from a Name of Allāh swt, and Only Sayyīdinā Muhammad (s) gets this Divine Knowledge directly, and even he cannot take from that Essence that is Utterly Hidden, (al-ghaybu ’l-muţlaq)”

Everytime people reach an understanding they find Him Almighty beyond it. Any expression that came in the Holy Quran, cannot describe him.

‘Don't think the Divine Presence is one level; it is countless levels! As much as our Prophet (peace be upon him)'s Knowledge  is improving, all Prophets are also taking more and more’

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