Salaam Everyone
Imagine living some place where to relax after a hard day people stand on top of the remains of bombed buildings watching the sunset.
I am not going to throw you on the flames of cliche judgements which the American media fans around the planet, but I tell you to keep The Dhikr (Remembrance), like unto a lamp in darkness, so people could find their ways, not to you, but to Allah’s peace and prosperity and safety and happiness, not for the people you like but for all.
Few of you, deep within you, unbeknownst to you, find a light, it was always there before you were born and it shines after you die, and this light shall extinguish the flares of war, shall calm the tumult of horrid weather, shall sprout crops for all to prosper, and shall cure the ailments.
I feel the radiance of this light in you or this pen would have been still, and perchance you are not even born, or you are oceans away, or not speak this language, nonetheless I see the glimmer.
No one cares about the lamp, they care about the light.
Dara
>it was always there before you were born and it shines after you die…
Q.1-Is this that very light called Ma’arifa?
Q.2-How can a person connect himself with that light?
Salaam.
Salaam Shakir
Q.2-How can a person connect himself with that light?
This is the entire purpose of the religions and Sufism and all that endeavour, and if I knew the absolute answer, I would not be here.
However, I know what we should NOT do: Unlawful (Haram) obtaining for the daily provisions e.g. shady financial deals to profit from people’s savings or selling weapons or narctotics, or selling laborer into slave contracts, or making money from religion and so on.
Keeping the daily provisions Halal i.e. obtained without criminal intent and activities is quite difficult these days, specially in warring countries like USA.
Touching what belongs to other without their consent is sure bet to occlude the light.
Salaam Shakir
Q.1-Is this that very light called Ma’arifa?
I do some research INSHALLAH and get back to you and Ma’rifa
Apropos to Shakir’s Q2, in old books of Sufism you read so and so sheikh did not eat for 40 years. The modern reader thinks this is some sort of supernatural ability.
The language means this Sufi did not obtain his/her daily provision by unlawful means i.e. he did not eat Haram (Unlawful provision) for 40 years.
There were long periods of time when there was prosperity in that region while tainted with criminal acquisition of daily provision, and many Muslims would not aggressively accumulate since they knew the governors were unjust by grabbing what belonged to others.
So they suffered from scantiness even in times of prosperity in order to avoid touching provision that was obtained unlawfully.
Salaam Sayyidi
Thank you. This is a subtle point you mentioned. Abstaining from haram and obtaining halal -a sure approach towards Ma’arifa- that helps a lot. Thank you.
Will be waiting for the research inshaAllah.