الصلاة: Salat or daily canonical prayers

This is a small write up about Salat:

Ibn ‘Ata

http://www.untiredwithloving.org/ibn_ataa_salat.html

Q: Why is our Salat not acceptable and not up to par?

A: Lack of knowledge:

http://www.untiredwithloving.org/defects_of_nafs.html#44

We are absent minded or bored during the Salat because we are ignorant Muslim worshipers! We Muslims need to learn and we Muslims need to acquire knowledge from deep within (Irfan).

As the Prophet peace be upon him said that there is no Salat without Fatiha, therefore putting 2 and 2 together we can safely infer that if we do not have the knowledge of Fatiha we could  and would not perform Salat properly:

Ansari Tafsir of Fatiha

http://www.untiredwithloving.org/ansaari_tafsir_1.html

Father of Rumi a.k.a Baha Walad Tafsir of Fatiha:

http://www.untiredwithloving.org/fatiha_baha_walad.html

Rumi’s Tafsir of Fatiha (collection of poems and sayings):

http://www.untiredwithloving.org/rumi_tafsir_fatiha.html

Qurtubi, Razi, Tabari, Tabatabai, Al-Alusi, Baqli  Tafsirs of Al-Hamd-u

http://www.untiredwithloving.org/qurtubi_1_1.html

 

Dara

 

 

 

 

 

Verses 4:101-104

I find the description of SALAT in verses 101-104 in Surah Nisa (#4) not clear to me. I find their purpose even less clear. The main source of non-clarity is the abundant use of translator’s opinions in parenthesis. When such use of opinions is made I suspect some loss of meaning, or even its possible corruption.

It all started with my trying to understand: إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا  . This partial verse is often cited in support of a rigid timings for Salat and their number (5) in a day. But I realize that to base the understanding on a partial verse is perhaps unsafe.  There may be additional verses on this topic but I have not seen them. So I looked at full verse and it does not add clarity to this partial quote often cited. Then I looked at the preceding and following verse it offered no further transparency. The part  إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا seems to be standing there by itself.

These are my difficulties. If you can point to some sources that might be helpful for me.

النَّفْس: Nafs (Self)

النَّفْس: Nafs (Self)

 

Inside2013

 

 

لسان العرب
والعرب قد تجعل النَّفْس التي يكون بها التمييز نَفْسَيْن،
وذلك أَن النَّفْس قد تأْمره بالشيء وتنهى عنه

Lisan Al-Arab

Ibn Manzour

Arab calls an entity by which two things are discerned Al-Nafs, for example what inclines a man towards good as opposed to foul i.e. discerns between good and bad.

Remark 1: This Rahi (Author) considers “entity by which” as “structure” i.e. a similarity between objects (spaces) which does similar actions or has similar attributes or behaves similarly.

This structure of Nafs is ubiquitous within every human being, quite similar in operations and attributes regardless of the person’s race or culture or religion.

This structure of Nafs is not limited to discernment between good and evil, but discerning between one’s own Self and others i.e. knowing cognizing that I am not you and you are not me; this discernment is exclusively possible by the instrumentation of this fantastic structure of Nafs. Else we could not find each other as different beings, as winds and eddies have no firm boundaries, as we were in the realm of Spirits wherein we could not be told apart.

Allah innovated most novel innovation called Nafs, a structure (similarity) endued in every human being, so otherwise entangled wind-like spirits could be discerned in the life on this planet:

Wa (Emergent) Nafs (Self) and how (amazingly) she was Sawwa (Engineered to Perfection)

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا

 

Structured for the purpose of discernment:

91:8 and how she (Nafs) was imbued with moral failings as well as with piety!

فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا

 

This structure much larger than our cosmos! What we feel of our Nafs (Self) is a tiny fragment of the whole structure.

In Qidam (Infinitely Past) we all were like unto  eddies or currents namely spirits, those who loved one another intertwined versus disliked and repelled, and yet therein I could not say “I” and you could not say “you”.

 

Model

Nafs could be modeled as a Capsule, discerning two regions namely interior vs. exterior.

Inside this Capsule placed your person, outside placed other than you.

 

33:37. And what you (Muhammad) concealed within your Nafs (Self)

وَتُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ

 

7:205. And remember your Lord within your Nafs (Self)

وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ

 

20:67 and in his Nafs (Self) Moses became apprehensive.

فَأَوْجَسَ فِي نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُّوسَى

 

This model extends to Allah as well having a Nafs (Self):

5:116. You know all that is within my (Jesus) Nafs (Self), whereas I know not what is in Your (Allah’s) Nafs(Self).

تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِي وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ

 

Furthermore the above verses indicate that this Nafs (Self) encapsulates to conceal as well. Therefore the said Capsule of Nafs (Self) has multiple purposes or you might say components.

 

Components

This Rahi (Author) ensembles the different derivations of the same word to render images and to form feelings within the modern English reader as were conjured within the ancient Arab when such words as Nafs were uttered.

 

Discernment

التمييز

Discerning between two entities.

 

With

عِنْد

To have something with one’s Self e.g. within my Self (Nafs) find many questions, I have no knowledge what is with Allah (Allah’s Self Nafs).

5:116. You know all that is within my (Jesus) Nafs (Self), whereas I know not what is in Your (Allah( Nafs(Self).

تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِي وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ

 

Individuation

الانفرادية

An entity individuates by means of becoming extraordinary priceless and perfected. Allah did not individuate these Selves as discernible entities unless they are, each, in most perfect and distinctly exotic forms.
لسان العرب
هو من المُنافَسَة الرغبة في الشيء والانفرادية، وهو من الشيء النَّفِيسِ الجيد في نوعه

 

Begotten

المَنْفُوس

There is no Nafs (Individuated Self) that is begotten (Manfus) except her place in Garden and Fire is pre-written, said the Prophet peace be upon him.

لسان العرب

والمَنْفُوس: المولود. وفي الحديث: ما من نَفْسٍ مَنْفُوسَةٍ إِلا وقد كُتِبَ مكانها من الجنة والنار،
ثعلب: نُفِسَتْ ولداً على فعل المفعول. وورِثَ فلان هذا المالَ في بطن أُمه قبل أَن يُنْفَس أَي يولد.

 

Begotten as in born from another another Nafs (Self) while maintaining the connection:

لسان العرب

، قال: وسميت النَّفْسُ نَفْساً لتولّد النَّفَسِ منها واتصاله بها،

 

This opens horizons for new thoughts:

Nafs (Self) as a complex multi-cellular structure which encapsulates and She begets and begotten.

 

Gender

Nafs gendered as female for the said structure that discerns between two entities, Nafs gendered as male to indicate human being or group of humans:

لسان العرب

وقالوا ثلاثة أَنْفُس يُذكِّرونه لأَن النَّفْس عندهم إنسان فهم يريدون به الإِنسان،

 

In the language of Arab the nouns and verbs are gendered i.e. shortest form of a noun or a verb is called Male and the Female the longer form of the noun or verb with suffix of Ta-Ha

ة

or Ha

ها

Remark 2:This terminology of male vs. female noun and verb configurations have nothing to with sexual organ nor reproductive physiology. It does not indicate power and authority in case of male and weakness and inferiority in case of female (as propagated by the Arab male).

Shortest form in terms of number of letters is male gendered, and longer forms female.

So Ruh (Soul, Spirit) is Male gendered and annexed to it the Nafs (Self) for discernment which is gendered as female, since it is the longer form due to the annexation. See Also:

http://www.untiredwithloving.org/kashani_3_5.html

However if Nafs is male gendered then it refers to human being.

 

Nearby Respiration

النَّفَس

التَّنَفُّس

Imagine being in a dark room, Nafas (Respiration) of another Nafs is felt while she could not be seen, yet we sense the breathing and we feel she is there quite close.

If applied to Allah indicates removal of hardship by means of the Nearness of Allah’s Divine Nafs (Self).

 

لسان العرب

وقوله في الحديث: بُعِثْتُ في نَفَس الساعة أَي بُعِثْتُ وقد حان قيامُها وقَرُبَ إِلا أَن اللَّه أَخرها قليلاً فبعثني في ذلك النَّفَس، وأَطلق النَّفَس على القرب، وقيل: معناه أَنه جعل للساعة نَفَساً كَنَفَس الإِنسان، أَراد: إِني بعثت في وقت قريب منها، أَحُس فيه بنَفَسِها كما يَحُس بنَفَس الإِنسان إذا قرب منه، يعني بعثت في وقتٍ بانَتْ أَشراطُها فيه وظهرت علاماتها؛ ويروى: في نَسَمِ الساعة، وسيأْتي ذكره والمُتَنَفِّس: ذو النَّفَس.

 

From this terminology came Nafas Rahmani or Rahman’s Respiration which indicates wind-like or something flow-like on this planet that removes the hardship from people and provides them with relief.

 

لسان العرب

والنَّفَس: الفَرَج من الكرب. وفي الحديث: لا تسبُّوا الريح فإِنها من نَفَس الرحمن، يريد أَنه بها يُفرِّج الكربَ ويُنشِئ السحابَ ويَنشر الغيث ويُذْهب الجدبَ، وقيل: معناه أَي مما يوسع بها على الناس، وفي الحديث: أَنه، صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم، قال: أَجد نَفَس ربكم من قِبَلِ اليمن، وفي رواية: أَجد نَفَس الرحمن؛ يقال إِنه عنى بذلك الأَنصار لأَن اللَّه عز وجل نَفَّس الكربَ عن المؤمنين بهم، وهم يَمانُونَ لأَنهم من الأَزد، ونَصَرهم بهم وأَيدهم برجالهم، وهو مستعار من نَفَس الهواء الذي يَرُده التَّنَفُّس إِلى الجوف فيبرد من حرارته ويُعَدِّلُها، أَو من نَفَس الريح الذي يَتَنَسَّمُه فيَسْتَرْوِح إِليه، أَو من نفَس الروضة وهو طِيب روائحها فينفرج به عنه،

 

Ishara (Vectorial Pointing)

Molecular Self(Membrane Capsule): Liposome

A liposome is an artificially-prepared spherical vesicle composed of a lamellar phase lipid bilayer. The liposome can be used as a vehicle for administration of nutrients and pharmaceutical drugs.

A liposome encapsulates a region of aqueous solution inside a hydrophobic membrane; dissolved hydrophilic solutes cannot readily pass through the lipids. Hydrophobic chemicals can be dissolved into the membrane, and in this way liposome can carry both hydrophobic molecules and hydrophilic molecules. To deliver the molecules to sites of action, the lipid bilayer can fuse with other bilayers such as the cell membrane, thus delivering the liposome contents. By making liposomes in a solution of DNA or drugs (which would normally be unable to diffuse through the membrane) they can be (indiscriminately) delivered past the lipid bilayer. A liposome does not necessarily have lipophobic contents, such as water, although it usually does.

Clear partition of interior vs. exterior:



 

Impromptu

Q: Are there any examples of entities without Self?

A:

Electrons

Many Physics experiments fail to identify the individual electrons i.e. there is no way to fix one electron and tell it apart from all other. In cases that is possible the original system ceases. Therefore there is indication that Electrons might not have the concept of the Self as we do and understand.

 

Clouds

Clouds are incredibly large entities teeming with microbial life and operations. It is now suspected that these microbial forms operate as  a collective to cause rain or snow or hail, or to stop such nucleation of the water vapor, while they transport themselves to the crust of the earth and ride upwards back to the cloud.

This life-form of the Cloud stretches many thousands of kilometers and yet difficult to say where it starts and where it ends, what is a sub-part, which part is this cloud and which part is another cloud.

This Rahi (Author) calls these clouds as Dis-Organisms!

Organism is compact with well-known boundaries of its being, Dis-Organism is as alive though non-compact i.e. has no discernible boundaries for being.

Therefore we model clouds as Dis-Orgnismans without Nafs (Self).

 

© 2016-2002,  Dara O Shayda

Nasafi’s Advice for Murids (Seekers)

Nasafi’s Advice for Murids (Seekers)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
See Also:
http://www.untiredwithloving.org/kashani_knowledge.html 

From the conclusion of Manāzil Al-Sā’rin by Nasafi:

O Darwish!

No matter what rank of knowledge you attained, and in each and every such rank, never rely upon your mind and your acquired knowledge and do not ever dare to consider or call your Self scholar or seeker of Truth or some such lofty titles.

Do not make a new field or school of thought or do not fabricate a new sect based upon your thoughts.

In other words no matter what rank of knowledge you reached, you must imitate the Prophet and do not forsake his Shari’at (Prophetic Ways); for sure all those who invented new false-religions and misguidance they were once  the virtuous scholars who placed full trust upon their minds and knowledge; each made a new claim as the final truth and refuted others’.

With certitude you know that there is only one Truth (Haqq), consequently they cannot all be of the same truth and yet differing. Now that you know these have no truths and yet claiming the truth, therefore (learn from their mistakes) and do not rely upon your mind and your knowledge to call yourself a scholar or a seeker of truth (who has already found it), since you will be one of them.

O Darwish!

Know forsooth that calling yourself a scholar or seeker of Truth is the deception of your Nafs (Self). Do not be deceived by the Nafs (Self) and know for sure that the foundation of all misguidance is the preference of Nafs’(Self’s) desires over Allah’s Ascent (Ridha)—Allow that not!

End and Al-Hamdu (All Perpetual Praise) for the Lord of Multiverse.

خاتمۀ کتاب منازل السایرین
بسم اللّه الرحمن الرحیم
الحمدللّه رب العالمین و العاقبة للمتقّین، و الصلوة و السلام علی انبیائه و اولیائه، خیر خلقه، و علی آلهم و اصحابهم الطیّبین الطاهرین.

 

در بیان نصحیت
ای درویش! در علم و معرفت در هر مقامی که برسی، و در هر مقامی که باشی، باید که اعتماد بر عقل و علم خود نکنی و خود را محقّق ندانی و نام ننهی، و برای خود طریقی پیش نگیری، و باندیشۀ خود مذهبی نسازی، یعنی در علم و معرفت درهر مقامی که باشی، باید مقلّد پیغمبر خود باشی و دست از شریعت وی نداری، که جمله اهل بدعت و ضلالت فضلا و علما بودهاند که اعتماد بر علم و عقل خود کردند، و هر یک این دعوی کردند که آنچه حقّ است ما داریم، و دیگران بر باطلاند و هر یک این گفتند و میگویند که محقّقیم و دیگران در خیالاند. و ترا بیقین معلوم است که جمله بر حقّ نتوانند بود، که حقّ یکی بیش نباشد. و چون بیقین دانستی که جمله بر حقّ نیستند و جمله دعوی حقیقت میکنند، اکنون تو اگر اعتماد بر عقل وعلم خود کنی، و خود را محقّق نام نهی، یکی از آن باشی که گفته شد.
ای درویش! بیقین بدان که این غرور نفس است که میگوید که تو محقّقای، و دیگران درخیالاند. بیش غرور نفس مخور و از خیال و پندار بیرون آی و بیقین بدان که بنیاد همه گمراهی تقدیم هوای نفس است بر رضای خدای و روا مدار! و این نصیحت ازمن قبول کن، و احتیاط از دست مده، یعنی شریعت را فرو مگذار که هر کس که شریعت را فرو گذارد، البّته پشیمان شود، که «ترک الاحتیاط و الحزم سوء الظنّ». هیچ زیان نخواهد داشت، که نفس آدمی بطبع کاه است و او را بکامی باید داشت، تا بکاری مشغول شود، و اگر نه، خود را و ترا بدبخت دو جهانی کند.
تمام شد و الحمدللّه ربّ العالمین

Dara: Call your Self nothing, avoid titles, no silly gowns and robes (are you a clown?), shun the followers, spend much time with the beginners, if you do not do something do not teach it instead teach something your Self does well and frequently, focus on members of your household first and foremost and then those surrounding you, accept no salaries but if you are starving accept a meal or transportation fee, satisfy your Self with your own woman and avoid desiring those coming to you for knowledge, walk or use public transportation, live below the average of your people, dress like them and eat like them, speak when spoken to for Allah needs no scholar to teach ITs servants, give your knowledge freely, accept corrections and expect no respect or approval from people, allow no one to serve you be it a cup of coffee, spend much time with the poor, prepare your meals clean your house and shop little.

But above all keep the following Dhikr (Remembrance):

2:255. And They shall not encompass anything of ITs Knowledge except by what IT willed

وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ

There is no one with any source of power who can snatch even tiniest knowledge from Allah, if you have knowledge it is not achieved it was an endowment from Allah.

© 2010-2002,  Dara O. Shayda

A thank-you note and a question

Salaam Sayyidi and Salaam to everyone

1.Sayyidi,last year you wrote a sentence:

“Sadly for me to be truthful is far more suited than being pious”

I could not understand it that time. Now I am beginning to see the depths of these words. All I can say is thank you.

2. It has been more than eight years I have been performing five times prayer a day.
But all these years I saw nothing.
I experienced nothing.
No sign of any Divine Ray.
All I see is my Self repeating verses of the Quran, making Dhikr, standing up,bowing down and so on.

I feel like a hypocrite, Nafs thinks that it is doing an extemely pious deed while there is no connection with Allah whatsoever.

What might the possible reason behind this? Any hint?

Speech: Personal Experience Not Dogma

Today Muslim does not know his or her religion, indeed severely exposed to American media cooks up a hodgepodge of Judea-Christian concepts of the contemporary Western retail media and (mostly) movies, grows its bread and puts a scarf on it and calls it Islam.

Today Muslim incessantly chatters half baked Arabic words he or she has no knowledge of, in every aspect of human life, daily life, and measure of Iman (Faith) is measured by the speedometer of the tongue: How fast blabbering nonsensical part-Arabic phrases.

First and foremost corrupter of the Islam of a man and a woman is his or her own words.

To incessantly utter Allah’s Grand Names as though personal gossip endeavors limitless foulness as opposed to piety.

If you enter a mosque, you notice the men in charge, no matter what you ask or say immediately respond with most profound Islamicalized blabber, usually centered around five to ten verses or Hadiths which they have no understanding of their Tafsir, their grammar nor lexicon.

Spectrum of this instant-blabber is wide ranging from Stem cell research to female hygiene. Knows no national boundaries Arab or Pakistani or Iranian, they just spew large amounts of most imaginative falsehood about Islam and the Prophet.

Our Sayyid The Prophet Peace be upon him said: The best of man’s Islam is his forsaking of what is not his business.

I apply that to my speech: Am I talking about what is directly my business or am I pontificating nonsense to an unsuspecting ear. Found mostly the latter.

Therefore I made these rules for DARA, not instructions to you and the Mankind, exclusively targeted guidelines in Dara’s  personal life for Dara’s speech:

  1. Speak when spoken to and talk about what is my immediate business or fall silent
  2. Speak about what I know, if I do not know say “I do not know”, and then make an attempt to research to learn with hugest verve, get back to the person and inform them accordingly, being it a long time later
  3. Shun any speech about what I do not do! Since Allah hates the actions of those who say what they do not do. I am not generous so I do not write about charity. I am not brave so I do not write about armed struggle. I have had difficulties in my personal life therefore I do not write about man woman relationship or marriage or sex.
  4. Seek yearn no compensation e.g. people following me or expect them to listen to me or call me some lofty title or publish my work or invite me for talks. So I think of my words as arrows, once they leave the bow better hit the target or I will harm someone, unintended target yet fully liable.

Obviously these advice(s) bear a dull life, no one interested to socialize with boring me or invite me to their homes or call me on the day of the Eid and probably the day of my passing no one will attend the funeral.

I ask Allah to aid me to win the battle against the demon in my mouth, the rest matters not!

 

Dara