Other Special Naqshabandi Practices
The Naqshabandi Practices have been generally divided into four groups. Each mureed may choose whichever group that he feels that he is capable of keeping to, unless the Sheikh has specifically asked a mureed to follow a particular group or indicated any other practices. For instance in Sri lanka the mureeds follow the Adab and Wazaaifs given in this website in the menu under the heading 'Adab and Wazaaifs.' This was given by Moulana Sheikh Nazim to the mureeds in Sri Lanka when he visited their country. The criteria in choosing a catergory or group seems to be that a mureed should know his capacity and should not over burden himself.
Practices for the First Group
First of all we shall start with the Waza'if for the People of Determination from among the Ummah of Muhammad (Peace be upon him!). The Murid ought to know that if he fails to attain an exalted Station and high Grade in this world because of his lack of effort, then he shall not be separated from this world but that the Sheiks make him reach it, and reveal for him his Station at the time of the seventh to last breath during the agonies of death. You should also know that nothing Haram should intervene between the Adab and other spiritual practices. If anyone performs these Adab and then performs an action which is forbidden, thenthat person will be like a person who builds the foundation of his house on the side of a cliff, and his house then collapses down the cliff. You should also know that nothing Haram should intervene between the Adab and other spiritual practices. If anyone performs these Adab and then performs an action which is forbidden, then that person will be like a person who builds the foundation of his house on the side of a cliff, and his house then collapses down the cliff.So we should always be aware of our actions, gauging them to see if they are Halal or Haram: "Is Allah (Who is Powerful and Sublime) going to be angry at our actions or not?" And we need to think about every action which we are about to do so much that ultimately we simply do not do any Haram thing which might weaken our foundation. By thinking carefully about our actions the Hadith: "Tafakkuru sa'atin Khairum min 'ibadati sab'ina sannah." i.e. "One hour's contemplation is better then seventy years worship," will manifest itself in us. By way of an example of what we are saying; if a tailor is given a piece of cloth to sew, then he must continue working at it until he finishes it in the evening. In the same way we must perform the Adab in the morning and persevere with the Wasa'if and other good deeds until the evening. We should perform these actions in the correct way, that is to say without any Haram deeds intervening. On this basis Allah (Who is powerful and sublime) has divided the day into three parts: eight hours for worship, eight hours for earning a living, and eight hours for sleeping. Anyone who does not accept and follow this division of energies will exemplify the Hadith which says: "He who is erratic will be erratic forever in the fire." He who goes according to his own will and reasoning does not progress, and he who wishes to obtain exalted Stations, Levels and Stages which previous generations earned by means of retreats and other spiritual exercises, must remember Allah (Who is Powerful and Sublime) throughout the course of the day. “The one who consults will never fail” FIRST PART (1) Getting up one hour or at least one hour before Fajr, since it is at this time that the Gate of the Mercy of Allah (Who is Powerful and Sublime!) is opened and the time when the GreatShaikhs look at their Murids. One should get up and make wudu', and then perform two rak'ats of Tahiyyatu'1-Wudu' and then stand up facing the Qiblah and ask that Allah (Who is self exalting) purify oneself from the anger of one's Nafs. And with this intention one should thensay: Ya Halim! one hundred times. And then one should seek protection from one's external and internal enemies, and from both heavenly and earthly misfortunes, saying: Ya Hafiz! one hundred times. Whoever wishes to reach the Station of the People of Determination (Ahlu'l-'aza'im) must keep up these practices. And our Sheik tells us about the importance of this time and its virtue, saying: If a person gets up one hour before Fajr and does nothing, not even praying, not even making Tasbih, but gets up to drink something such as coffee or tea, or to eat a morsel of food, then he must also be raised with the Ahlu's-sahr (the Vigilant People.)(2) Then he should stand and pray two Rak'ats of Salatu'n-Najat (Prayer of Salvation). Reciting in the first Rak'ah: AI-Fatihah, then: BismilIahrr-Rahmanrr-Rahim. Shahidallahu annahu la ilaha ilia .hu- Wa'1-Mala'ikatu wa ulu'l-'ilmi qa'imam bi-I-Qist. La ilaha ilia huwa'l-'azizu'l-Hakim. Inna 'd-Dina 'indaUahi'l-IsIam. Bismillahi'r-Rahmanrr-Rahim.Quii'llahumma malika'1-Mulki tu'ti'l-Mulka man tasha'u wa tanzi'uT-Mulka mimman tasha'u, wa tuizzu man tasha'u wa tudhillu man tasha\ Bi-Yadika'I-Khairu innaka 'ala kulli shay'in qadir.TuIiju'l-Laila fi'n-Nahari wa tuli]u'n-Nahara fi'1-lail. Wa tukhrijul-Hayya mina'I-Mayyiti wa tukhriju'l-Mayyita mina'I-Hayy.Wa tarzuqu man tashau bi-ghairi hisab.And in the second Rak'ah, recite al-Fatihah.Then : 11 Ikhlas Sharif. (Surah Number 112)And then after making salams one should make sajdah to Allah 'Azza wa Jalla with the intention of burying the anger of your Nafs and killing the child of the blameful Nafs, and changing reproachable manners into praiseworthy ones.All the angels of the Heavens and the earth gaze down at the One doing sajda, and he is one who confides in His Lord. The angels do not lift up this sad) a to Allah (Who is without fault and is Self-Exalting), rather Allah takes it up to Himself without any in- termediary. The Murid speaks to his Lord in the sadja, saying:Ya rabbi kama ta'kulu'n-naru'l-hataba ha-kadha'l-hasadu'l-muta'silu fiyya ya'kulu jami'a a'mali khallisni ya rabbi minhu wa khallisni aidan mina'l ghadabi in-nafsani wa min nafsrt-tiflTl-madhinu. mah.Wa mina'l-akhlaqi'dh-dhaminiah. Wa ya rabbi baddil kulla akhlaqi ila akhlaqin hamidah. Wa afalin hasanah.(Oh my Lord! Just as fire consumes firewood, in the same way the envy which is rooted in me consumes all my actions. Purify me, Oh my Lord from it and purify me too from the anger of my Nafs. Rid me as well, Oh my Lord of the blameworthy Nafs of the child and from reprehensible manners. And Oh my Lord change all my manners to laudable manners and into good actions.)He should ask Allah (Who is powerful and sublime) for every thing which is of importance to him in this world and the next, since supplication of this degree is accepted and it is not possible that it might be rejected.And if the Murid should happen to leave this night vigil he will have lost a large portion of the tajalli since it is a part of the tajalli of the entire Waza'if. Should any part of the spiritual practices be deficient. then he shall be manifesting the quality which we already spoke about at the beginning of our discourse, where the water goes outside without being used at all, when there is a small hole or some such thing in the pipes. But really this tajalli is not wasted, and if it is not given us in this world, and we do not see it as a result of our negligence, then it remains for us to receive in the next world.Our guide (Murshid) says: "He who makes a regular practice of the Adab and the Awrad shall obtain the water of true life and with it he will perform wudu;' he will bathe in it and drink it, and by means of it shall he reach his goal. There is such a person who claims that he has been in the Order for thirty years and as yet has not seen anything and has not attained anything. The answer for this person is to search and look at what his actions were throughout these years. How many deficient actions has he performed? When you know the deficiency you should avoid it, and then you will quickly reach Allah (Who is Powerful and Sublime). When the Murid forsakes that which the Sheiks have told him about the Waza'if, then he will remain absolutely incapable of making further progress, and he will be unable to return to any previous stage.Whoever keeps to these Waza'if is promised that he will reach the exalted stations and great levels.And if the Murid still has time before the morning prayer, then he can also perform the following:(3) Eight Raka'ats : Salatu't-Tahajjud.(4) SaIatu't-Tasabih: four Raka'ats, if he cannot do it every night, then he should do it once a week.When the Adhan is called for the morning prayer then he should attend the congregational at home, if a congregation is there assembled, or else go to the mosque to attend the congregational prayer there.And he should wait for the prayer of Ishraq if sleep does not overcome him. No Prophet ever obtained Prophethood, nor did any Saint ever obtain Sainthood, and no Believer ever attained the stage of faith without utilizing this period of time between the morning prayer and Ishraq(sunrise), keeping to these Waza'if.(5) He should pray two Raka'ats of SaIatuT-Ishraq. And if he has some important job to do and isn't able to pray the prayer of Duha at its appointed time, then he should pray it immediately after Ishraq.(6) Eight Raka'ats of Salatu'd-Duha.The best time for the prayer of Duha is two hours before Zuhr. The Waza'if of the People of Determination is that they should not leave the Sunnah prayers at all, and they must be performed like the Fard prayers. SECOND PART: AWRAD (1) Dhikru'l-JaIalah : "The Glorious Dhikr."Allah Allah : 5000 times verbally.(2) Dhikru'l-Jalalah : "The Glorious Dhikr."Allah Allah : 5000 times in the heart.And having concluded both of these you may then recite the prayer on the Prophet (Peace beupon him')(3) Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'alaAli Muhammedin wa sallim:1000 times. But every Monday, Thursday and Friday2000 times.(4) Recitation of one Juz' of the Qur'an Karim.(A Juz' is one - thirtieth of the Qur'an).(5) Recitation of one Hizb (Section) of the book :Dala'ilu'l-Khairat". Muhammad, (on whom be the best of prayers and peace!), said: A man's safety lies in keeping his tongue." He who keeps this Adab and does not look at the defects of others and works at hisWaza'if taking care to perform them, and does not get involved in other things, he is the one who gets the blessings of this Hadith.Whoever looks down on the Sons of Adam who have been honored in the sight of Allah, (who is powerful and sublime), when he said: "And We have honoured the Sons of Adam"; Allah will dishonor him and he will exemplify the Hadith: We have honoured the Sons of Adam, and whoever honors them. Allah. (Who is Powerful andSublime) will honor him and will set him over such people who will, in their turn, honor him. (But who honours them not will experience terrible things at their hands). The Waz'ifah of the People of Determination is completed with Allah's praise.
Practices for the Second Group
FIRST PART One should get up at night if one is able. And the way to gauge one's ability in this matter is to imagine whether you would refuse two golden liras to get up at night because of the strength ofyour tiredness; only when one is in such a state does one have a valid excuse for not getting up. And if one is brisk, then one should get up one half hour before.(1) Two Rak'ats for Wudu'.(2) 100 times : Ya Halim(3) SaIatu'n-Najat : if possible with the Sajdah.(4) Salatu't-Tahaj)'ud : if possible.(5) The Morning Prayer.(6) Salatu't-Tasabih : once on Friday.If sleep overtakes him then he may pray the prayer of Ishraq when he awakes. And then praying two to four Rak'ats for Duha.And if one is able to keep the Sunnahs, then he will obtain the blessings-of the Hadith saying: "He who revives my Sunnah when my Ummah has fallen into depravity will have the reward of one hundred martyrs."SECOND PART: THE AWRAD(1) Dhikr of the Glorious Name: with the tongue: Allah Allah : 2500 times.(2) Dhikr of the Glorious Name: in the heart: Allah Allah; 2500 times.(3) Allahumma salli *ala Muhammadiw wa *ala Ali Muhammadiw wa sallim: 300 times. But on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays: 500 times. (4) The second and the third groups are free to choose whether they read one thirtieth of the Qur'anKerim every day, and a section of the book "Dala'ilul-Khairat" or not. Our Master Shah Naqshband is the keeper of the spiritual Nur (Light) which Allah (Who is powerful and Sublime) has placed in it. And on the Day of Resurection. he will, by means of this light, gaze around at the people standing there, until four gardens are filled with the Ummah of Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be on him!) and he will be an intercessor for them. So he who keeps this second Adab and the Awrad will enter the Circle of this Nur.
Practices for the Third Group
THE AWRAD
(1) Dhikr of the Glorious Name : Allah Allah : 1500 times.(2) Allahumma salli *ala Muhammadiw w *ala Ali Muhammadiw wa Sallim: 100 times.And on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays : 300 times.Allah (Who is Powerful and Sublime) says: "Behold! By the Remembrance (Dhikr) of Allah hearts are made peaceful." Allah (Who is without fault and is Self-exalting) made a covenant with all the atoms of the Sons of Adam on the Day of "Am I not your Lord. They said: 'Yes!-'." a covenant that they make His Dhikr (He who is Powerful, Sublime).
Practices for the Fourh Group
Those who would like to be raised with the Generous Prophets and with the Magnificent Saints and with the People of Tariqah, they must forsake the enmity which is harboured in them, and they must show them their love.In the following letter our Sheik has further elaborated on the Awrad and Adab that correspond to the level of the fourth group: IN THE NAME OF ALLAH.THE BENEFICIENT. THE MERCIFUL Our brother/sister. Wa 'alaikum salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh! Your kind letter has just arrived, and it has pleased me greatly. I ask my Lord to bless you and to guide you to His Glorious Presence. The first step in reaching Divine assistance is to find someone who is himself .Divinely guided and belongs to the Glorious Divine Presence of Allah Almighty. Such a person may not be found in books, but you are lucky because you have been searching for such a person, and it is the right of whoever seeks such a man that he will ultimately find him. We are honoured to be Almighty Allah's servants, and we see no ranks which are above the rank of being His servant; there is no greater honour. We were all in the Divine Presence on the Day of Promises, in the World of Souls, the real servants of Allah Almighty, who know the promise they made to their Lord. No doubt, I may say, that our Grandshaikh was one of those true servants; whoever would like to reach the Glory of the Divine Presence may follow him. There are so many guides, but it is enough for us to take only one. You may accept him as your guide, and you may do Dhikr according to his commands. Every day you may repeat It is for this reason that the Pride of all Creation (On whom be. the best of Prayers and Peace!) said: He who has good thoughts about people will not come to a bad end." No matter how much a sinner such a 'Good-thinker' is, he- will nevertheless be raised with the People of Allah (Who is Powerful and Sublime!) But he who thinks always bad of the people, he will have a bad ending. When we speak of a bad end' we do not intend to say that such a person will end up in distress, rather we mean that he will enter the Heavens belonging to ordinary people, and he will not enter with the one who belongs to the Station of the Greatest Pleasure. Three times: Kalimatu'sh-Shahadah (Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa Rasuluh.) 70 times : Astaghfirullah. 100 times : Allah Allah. 100 times : La ilaha Ulallah. 100 times : Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadiw wa 'ala Ali Muhammadiw wa sallim. 11 times : Qul huwallahu Ahad. (Surah Number 112) Then you should recite the Fatihah, dedicating it to the Holy Prophet Muhammad and to Grandsheik. Advise from our Beloved Grandsheik: I advise you not to look at the wrong doings of other people, and not to blame other people for what they do. Look always to their good side; and I advise you to remain calm always and not to get angry. I advise you to do your best for everyone as far as you are able. because this is the way of all the Prophets (peace be upon them) who always did their best for whoever they were with; and to teach people to do their best for everyone. This is the best characteristic of Islam. We pray for you that He Almighty might pour out His endless blessings, giving you moreand more from His Light.Your Obedient Servant for His Sake, His Weakest Slave, Sultan ul Awliya Sayyidina Moulana Sheik Abdulla Faiz ad Dagesthani (RA).