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"Blessed be He Who hath placed in the heaven mansions of the stars, and hath placed therein a great lamp and a moon giving light!" — Holy Qur'an 25:61

 

Candle Posts :: Motivational Gems for Higher Spiritual Enlightenment

:: Candle Post #104 :: A Modern View of The Balance Between Din and Duniya ::

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Ya Ali Madad! The Baitul Khyal satado for spiritual upliftment starts on Friday, February 10, 2012 in Canada. During this period of 7-days, let us commit to become regular in the practice of bandagi. Our long-term goal is to harness the energy and inspiration to practise bandagi every morning! This is not easy, because it requires a change in lifestyle. However, we should try our best because this is key to swim in the ocean of reality!

Through the practice of bandagi, the Prophets, Pirs and highly elevated souls have moved mountains of difficulties for the Jamat and humanity at large. Let us eagerly participate in the Baitul Khyal satado and make a commitment to seek spiritual elevation and illumination.

The benefits of this exercise are twofold: (1) acquire provisions for the next world; and (2) acquire strength and courage to face material difficulties.

Part 1: The Ismaili Approach of Din and Duniya

Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam has consistently guided us to uphold the Ali'd tradition of balance between Din and Duniya. It is most important for us to be fully involved in the material world and earn a lawful, ethical income. We also have been guided to strengthen our families, our Jamats, the communities in which we live, and contribute to global solutions through knowledge and education.

As Din and Duniya are integrated in our faith, we have to use ethical principles pertaining to the soul and its light for both, the material and the spiritual, dimensions of our lives. In the end, we will be accountable for both, i.e., we will be judged for our actions in the material life and for our actions in the spiritual life.

This aspect of the balance was introduced to the global Jamat in the firman made in Bombay, 27th November, 1973. The duty to attend to the material and the spiritual dimensions of our lives was placed on us on the day that we were born.

Part 2: Muhammad Este'lami's Opinion on Din and Duniya

For this post, I have used excerpts from a chapter entitled, 'The Concept of Knowledge in Rumi's Mathnawi' by Muhammad Este'lami (pp. 401-408) which appears in 'The Heritage of Sufism' series entitled, 'Volume 1: Classical Persian Sufism from its Origins to Rumi (700-1300)'. 1999. Edited by Leonard Lewisohn. Published by Oneworld, Oxford. (ISBN 1-85168-188-4).

Muhamamad Este'lami is Professor Emeritus of Persian Language, Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University in Montreal Canada. I would like to present the conclusion of his chapter because it is a very balanced view on how we should live. He writes (p.408):

"In conclusion, I would like to emphasize again that my purpose in this brief survey of Rumi's conception of knowledge is not to denigrate or deny the valuable results of progress in science and technology. Rumi himself did not denigrate the values of scholastic and religious studies in his time. The main consideration is that the whole of knowledge, culture and civilization must serve as a ladder to the achievement of a spiritual and humane elevation, and all schools, universities and research centers must cooperate in the attainment of such a degree.

Contemporary man cannot, and does not need to close down schools, universities and research centers. Neither can he live all the time in a Khanaqah or a monastery. He does not need to deprive himself of worldly pleasures and activities, but urgently needs to take some courses in divine love, and to search for a resurrection which hopefully may lead us towards moral and spiritual stability, In sha'Allah."

Part 3: Key Silver Jubilee Teachings of Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam:

  1. Allah is Eternal. His creation knows no limits, no bounds. It is endless.
  2. Conflict, or a potential conflict, between science and faith does not exist in Islam;
  3. The human mind is continually discovering new dimensions of Allah's creation through science and technology;
  4. It is important to be humble and not vain when we advance in science and technology;
  5. Unadulterated pursuit of material well-being will create an evil vacuum of destructive forces; and
  6. It is important to maintain a balance between the spiritual and material dimensions of our lives on earth.

Part 4: Who are the Ones who will Deserve Favor and Support from God?

I have taken the following excerpt from Muhammad Este'lami's chapter (p.407):

"To explain, the differences between a man who deserves favor and support from God and a man who does not have such a capacity, Rumi has many different allegories and parables in the Mathnawi. One of them is a story of a domestic fowl who fostered a few ducklings, which hatched under her wings. The ducklings came out of their shells and later walked towards the riverside with their foster mother. On the river they immediately began to swim, but the domestic fowl walked around and did not dare to go into the water. Following this parable, Rumi says:
 
"Leave the nurse on the dry land;
You sail into the sea of spiritual reality like ducks."

 
Those who are able to swim in the sea of reality, are not slaves of their material desires or hawâ-yi nafs. Their material needs and desires have been harnessed in the service of their immaterial life, as Rumi said, "They believe that man's original food is the Light of God." Such food may not be eaten through our material mouths and throats. Their spiritual elevation gives them another mouth and another throat by which they get immaterial food and drink, and that food is nothing but spiritual awareness of Absolute Existence (hasti-yi mutlaq)."

In our Tariqah, we have the practice of bandagi (meditation) for spiritual elevation. With the guidance of the Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam, through the Light of Imamat, through the Light of Hazrat Ali, we seek to come close to He who is above all else. We are searching and yearning for higher spiritual enlightenment through rigorous practice of luminous prayers (bandagi) at a luminous time (noorani waqt) with a luminous word. May we all be graced to attend Baitul Khyal regularly. Satado Mubarak!

Part 5: Supplication for help from Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha

Through the dhikr of 40 beads of Noore Ali Mushkil Kusha, Noore Ali, Hazar Imam, we are seeking to come close to Mowla's light. Specifically, we are trying to do the following.

  • Firstly, we are increasing our consciousness to seek support from the Light of Ali by calling on the Light itself.
     
  • Secondly, we do know that we have to use our intellect to solve our problems. However, we also have to be receptive so that the Universal Intellect (Aql-i Kulli), in form of Light, can inform our partial intellects (aql-i juz'i).
     
  • Thirdly, we have to be extremely humble and become an ardent lover of Light in order to be graced with the its taste and vision. We also have to learn to work within the realm of the Light and understand that utmost purity, humility and obedience are required.

Let us perform the following dhikr with utmost humility and tenderness of the heart. Download Noore Ali Mushkil Kusha sound track in mp3 format (8 min 46 sec)

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (1)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (2)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (3)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (4)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (5)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (6)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (7)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (8)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (9)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (10)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (11)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Noore Ali, Mushkil Kusha; Noore Ali, Hazar Imam (12)
(Light of Ali, the Remover of Calamities; Light of Ali, Hazar Imam)

Al-hamdu lillahi rabbil 'alamin.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

Part 6: Links:

  1. Noore Ali Mushkil Kusha, Noore Ali, Hazar Imam
  2. Balance between Din & Duniya :: Noor Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.)
  3. Balance between Din & Duniya :: Noor Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) (PDF)
  4. Eighteen Bandagi Gems :: Knowledge about Luminous Prayers
  5. Eighteen Bandagi Gems :: Knowledge about Luminous Prayers (PDF)
  6. Creation of Light Within the Personal World Through Ism-I Azam
  7. Creation of Light Within the Personal World Through Ism-I Azam (PDF)

Ardent Supplications:
Ya Ali, Ya NOOR Mowlana Shah Karim Al-Hussaini Hazar Imam, create Sunshine in our hearts, light in our foreheads, and bless us all with the inner vision of the Truth!

Ya Ali, Ya NOOR Mowlana Shah Karim Al-Hussaini Hazar Imam, grant the global Jamat luminous (noorani) and spiritual (ruhani) tayid (help) to advance materially, spiritually and intellectually. Ameen.

Haizinda — Qayampaya
(Our Present Imam is Living and His NOOR is Eternal)

Rakh Mowla je Noor te Yaqeen (Certainly, we trust in Mowla's Light only),
Noorallah Juma
SalmanSpiritual.com
Monday, February 6, 2012

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