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lnner Tradition$ Intmational
One Park Stleet
Rochester, Vermont 05767
www.InnerTraditions,com
Copyright @ 1991 by Hakim abu-Abdullah Moinuddin al-Chishtiyya
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, includint photocopying, recording, or by any information
storate and ret eval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
LTBRARY oF CoNGREss CATALocTNG-rN-PuBLrcllTroN DATA
Moinduddin, abu-Abdullah Ghulam.
.
The book of Sufi healing
/
Moiruddin Chishti.
P.
cm.
Reprint. Origrnally published: New York : Inner Tladitions
Intemational, c1985.
inlcudes bibliographical references and hdex.
ISBN 0-89281-324-5
1. Sufism. 2. Spiritual healing. 3. Medicine, Arabic.
4.Metaphysics. I.Title
8P189.65.F35M65 t991
613-dc20 91-14595
CIP
Printed and bound in the United States
1098
Text design by Studio 31
In the name oJ God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Praise be m God, the Chefisher and Sustainer oJ the |Iorlds; Most Gracious,
Most Mercifuli Master oJ the Day oJ
Judgment.
Thee do we wonhip and
Thine aid we seeh, Show us the st,ruight waJl, the wql oJ those on whom thou
hast bestowed Thy Gtace, those who have not eamed Thine anger and who go
not astray.
C-ontents
Foreword by Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat Ali vii
Shajarah, or Line of Succession, of Shaykh Moinuddin ix
Notes on the Transliteration and Pronunciation of Arabic Words xiii
Preface 1
Prologue 9
1 What I s Heal t h? 11
2 The Hierarchy of Creation L7
3 The Stations of the Soul 25
4 Food and Health 39
5 Akhlat: The Four Essences of the Body 45
6 Foods of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
51
7 Herbal Formulas for Common Ailments 65
8 Fasting: The Best Medicine 85
9
9alet:
The Postures of the Prophets 9L
10 The Soul of the Rose LLL
11 The Universe of the Breath L23
12 Tacwidh: The Mericiful Prescriptions 131
13 Dhikr: Divine Remembrance L47
14 The Origin of Miracles L49
15 The Keys of the Treasures of the Heavens and the Earth 155
16 The Infallible Remedy 159
Appendixes
I. The Islamic Calendar 165
II. Some Useful Short Srlrahs of the Holy
Qur' an
767
III. The Divine Attributes 771
IV. Glossary 179
V. Bibliography 183
Index 187
[\
,
t
I
t
v
There arc t*o *;ra, oJ Knowledge:
the knowledge oJ rcligions and the
hnowledge
oJ the body,
,4
U
At^Jl
d
CEoVrbaul C^t
God has not cteated any illness without
creating ako its curc, except old age,
Foreword
Bismillah, ir-Rahmdn ir-Aahim
Not even the highest degree of dedication to worship may earn anybody the
claim of divine forgiveness or recompense in any other form, yet there is
one thing that everybody should make sure of, which shall not
go
un-
requited
under any circumstance by Allah the Almighty, and that is the
selfless service to the ailing humanity. There is no other human act more
favorably
acceptable to Allah than helping the sick and the suffering
creatures of His. That is what Shaykh Hakim Abu Abdullah Moinuddin
Chishti has endeavored to do in presenting
this BooL of Sufi Healing.
The subject being a difficult and rare one, there are not very many books
in this branch of knowledge. Nevertheless it is most heartening to note that
'
the author has taken great pains in bringing out this commendable work by
dint of his unshakable trust in Allah and unswerving will to serve the
humanity. He displays ample evidence of his vast knowledge in fields of
multifarious kinds-theology, mysticism, Islamic Sufism, medicine, hygiene,
astronomy, and modern sciences. One wonders at the depth and insight of
his knowledge, essentially the result of intensive as well as extensive study
in subiects of diverse nature. He takes up different subjects separately and
then correlates and coordinates them to converge on a central
point, namely
health, be it physical
and mental health or
purification
of the soul. This he
has done most logically and methodically. What
part
do snldt, fasting, tatuidh,
or recitation
of the Holy
Qur' an
or dhilcr of Allah the Almighty in any other
form play in physical
and mental health or
purification
of one' s nafsT The
answer is not very far to seek.
The author has also endeavored to dispel doubts and misgivings about
Islamic Sufism, a most misunderstood.subject in the West. It is a tremendous
effort on the part
of the author to vindicale the cause of Islam and Sufism.
The
presentation
of additional information in the shape of illustrations, list
of herbs with their characteristics and ailments with their treatment,
glos-
sary of mystical terms,
Qur' anic
verses aptly
quoted,
basic information
about s.aldt, fasling, dhikr, and so on, has made the book still more beneficial
for the ordinary reader. Indeed, The Book of Sufi Healing is a blessing for the
English-reading world population in general
and fellow American and
Muslim brethren of the author in particular. In creating such a fine book,
l x
x I Thc Ba,k ol Sufi Hnling
the author
has rendered a
great service to the cause of Islam in the sense
that, as Islam
is the most natural
faith, adherence
to its tenets
and
principles
i. lir" o"fy course
leading toward
human
perfection and establishing
the
rule of Aliah
the Almighiy
on this earth' For Sufism
in its
purest form is
nothing else but Islam and Islam only.
-
f *iL the author still more courage and
determination
to serve
the
cause of Islam and betterment
of the ailing
humanity'
Abu Anees
Muhammad
Barkat Ali
Dar-ul -Ehsan,
Faisalabad,
Paki stan
Shajarah
Sharif
of Shaykh
Hakim Abu Abdullah
Moinuddin
*-)-;)$\';r,
Allah, The Exalted,
The AlmightY
Huzw Sat-ilar-i-Ka'indt
Mulammail
Muglafd
'
The Holy Prophet of Islam
(s.a.w.s.)
&
Attfir al'Mu'minln
Hazrat
cAli
(r.a.a')
$
Hazrat Khtttdja
Hasan Basti
oir
Khzttdia
c
Ab ilul-Wdhiil
li'
FuilaYl
ibn AYad
o'o
Ibrahim
ibn Adham
oio
Sailiq
Mat
cashi
t:
llta Namshdrt
oto
Abn
Islhq Shami
oal
Abfr A\mail
AbilEl Chishti
ror
Muhammail
Zahiil Maqbal Chishfi
caa
r f
.
lr-
,-"
xl
xii I
Tlu Buk
S
iufi
Haling
Abtl
Yusal Chishti
olr
Nasiruililin
Chishti
'lo
Matoilild
Chishtr
r'o
Shaif
Zinilani
;
Klwaia
cVthrfldn
Hatini
olo
Ktutaja Muclnuilifrn
Chishti
of Ajmer
tlr
Khttt Aj a
Qutbu
tlilin
B akhtiy ht K-alci
olo
Shaykh
FatTituitiEn
Mascttil
Ganj'i Shakar
ltr
Haztat
cAl:auititin
cAIi
Atlmail Sdbit
ol Kalyar
Hazrat Shamsuililln
Turk of Pa,tiqat
ooo
Hazrat
laldlutlihn
Mahrnltil
of
Panipat
llo
Hazrat
Almad
cAbilul'Haqq
Ranilauli
Inkeja
oto
Haztat ShaYkh
cAif
of Ranilauli
r'o
Hazrat ShaYkh
Muhammail
ata
c
Ab ttttl
- Qu
ililit s of G
qngoh
ola
Kab it-ul-Aulia
J
alhluilitin
F arlt{t
Thanesar
oto
Shniareh Shedl I xlll
N izdmu dihn B alkh Rah num ah
&
Abh Saciil Gangohi
olr
Muhammail Sailiq
oto
Mahammail Daciil
otr
Shah Abitl-Mac dli
oot
Saciil Shah Mullammail Sallm
.a
Shah
clnayanlldh
oio
cAbilul-Kafim
o'o
Ilafi4
cAbllul-Ralfm
ooo
Hazrut Shdh Hassdn
r'r
Hafiz Husayn Shah
lo'
Muhammail Husayn
&
Muhammail
Murtaza Ahmail
lol
sacid Safdar
cAIi
Shah Chishti
&
Haztat Abu Abilullah Ghalam Moinuililin
'ol
aol
Muhammail Saciil
xiv
I
Thc Blr,k ol Srfi Hulirg
A shajarah is the record of the line of succession of a shaykh. It traces the
spiritual
genealogy
from the present shaykh, back in the line to the Prophet
Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.),
who first transmitted the spiritual possessions.
The Sufi genealogy is from the
$dbiriyyah
line of the Chishtiyyah Order
of Sufis, headquartered at Ajmer, Ralasthan, India.
Ones who carry on the Sufi teachings are authorized by living shaykhs,
who maintain a living link and authority over those below them. This
authority is granted
by means of formal initiation, and rights of succession
are set forth in a KhildfaFNama, or Letter of Succession, duly signed and
sealed by the senior shaykhs of the order. Hazrat Ni46muddin Awliyi' (r.a.)
explained the granting
of Khilifat:
"Khilafat
is the right of him who has no
aspiration in his mind to have it, and who
possesses
\7)
caql
salim
lsound
iudgmentl
or matured knowledge to
judge
all intricate matters of the world
with strict impartiality and forbearance;
(z)
who is an accomplished scholar;
and
(3)
whose chest is full of divine love and wisdom."
The shaykh serves as an indirect link with the Divine Power. The
tabarrukdt muslafawl-the sacred robes and relics coming down from the line
of Chishti shaykhs-are conveyed to the shaykh upon KhilSfat.
Hazrat Abu Abdullah Moinuddin is the twenty-sixth successor in the
line of Hazrat Khwaia Mucinuddin Chishu
(r.a.)
Notes on the Transliteration and
Pronunciation of Arabic
lVords
Arabic consonants are pronounced like English consonants, with the fol-
lowing exceptions.
'
A simple stop in the breath.
f[ Pronounced like f] in tfrrr.
klr Pronounced like rl in Scottish loch or Yiddish challah.
b
An h sounded with a strong outbreath.
dlr Pronounced like tl in tls.
r A slightly rolled r.
g
An emphatic s sounded with the tongue at the roof of the mouth.
I
An emphatic d sounded with the tongue at the roof of the mouth.
{
An emphatic f sounded with the tongue at the roof of the mouth.
4
An emphatic sound between z and dh.
f
A consonant formed by constricting the back of the throat and
pushing
the breath outward.
3ft
A sound like clearing the throat, or like a French r.
.4
A t sound from the back of the throat, like the c rn court as opposed toccf.
Arabic vowels are divided into long and short. The short vowels a, i, u are
pronounced
as in cat,
fit,
and duty. They are not indicated in transliteration by
any special marks. The long vowels are about twice as long ia duration as the
short vowels, and are marked as follows:
-a
ah as in
father
i ee as in seen
'u
oo as in vou.
xvi !
The Book ol Suli Healing
Arabic
has two complex vowels: ay, often
pronounced like eye but some-
times as in bay, and aa;,
pronounced between cow and bost.
All
prayers and sacred
phrases have been transliterated
according to a
special iormat that may help the reader with
pronunciation.
The Names of
iod are capitalized so as to be easily recognized.
z{llnfr begins with a letter
*hose sound often vanishes with elisions.
In such cases the Name is indi-
cated by the capitalization of its first sounded letter: Ufrh.
Names of ancient shaykhs have been written
according to Arabic trans-
literation. Contemporary
shaykhs' spellings have not been standardized'
Certain
phrases that find their derivation or maior usagein Persian,
Turkish,
or Urdu have not been set in Arabic transliteration
style. The same is true
of terms that have become common in English.
,x;;
Preface
Bismi
LIdh ir-Rabmdn, ir-Ral.im
Sub@n Alldhi wal-fomdu li-Lhhi wa la ilallu illa LIfth wa Alldhu akba
All thanhs belong to Allah and all praise belong to Allah and
there is tp deiE except Allah and AIIah is Grca&r
(than all tlmt we avfibe to Him).
I wish first to
give
thanks to Allah, Exalted is He, for the very excellence of
His creation, and for His mercies which exist and are bestowed in abundance
upon His humanity. His benefits are epitomized in the creation,
life, and
teachings of all of His prophets
(may
His blessings be upon them all), and
perfected in the form of His last Prophet, the master of humanity, chief of
both the worlds, Hazrat Muhammad
(peace
and blessings of Allah be upon
him).
To the extent that Allah should
permit and inform me, it is my intention
to set forth some of the
general and specific
principles of human health and
well-being as they have evolved within the
practices of the mystics of Islam,
generally called Sufis in the West. While it is understood that for many
readers this book may constitute their first contact with some of these
ideas, it is sincerely hoped that even
persons of long-standing
practice of the
'
way of life called Islam, may find herein confirmation of their faith and
belief. M; sh|' Allah!
(As
it
pleases Allah the AlmiShty!)
There are two main purposes to this book: to reveal the health and
healing
practices unique to the Sufis, anfto
give
some
general idea of the
stages and progressions involved in adopting the Sufi life'
Many possible approaches could have been taken with the subiect of Sufi
healing, which is being
presented in English for the first time. It must be
borne in mind that Sufism is a specialized topic within the study of Islam,
and the healing practices of Sufism is an even more refined subiect. Ob-
viously the possible matters which could be discussed would run into tens of
thousands of volumes, not one!
Moreover, there is a
problem in
presenting authentic Sufi
practices to a
2
I
The Book of iufi Hcoliag
public that has
perhaps
obtained a distorted view of Sufism up to the
present time. It is hoped that those whose impression of Sufism is merely
some vague
perception about "God and
goodness" will learn from this book
that it is at once a, specific and practical set of
guidelines for achieving a high
state of human evolution. In any event, the contents of this book are
offered as one drop in the divine ocean of knowledge.
Let us try to sort out the many conceptions, definitions, and notions of
the term
"Sufi."
One who has true knowledge of the subiect has
presented
it thusly: There is one immediate condition of the soul
(lnl),
called alghan in
Sufi
parlance, which refers to the overwhelming
ioy
and love one feels
when confronted with or
granted a glimpse of the very
presence and reality
of God Himself.* One is compelled to shed sweet tears. While this condition
no doubt comes and
goes,
the accounts are not few of pious personalities
who were afflicted with this supreme
joy
for
years
on end.
A second meaning of the word afghan rcfers to the sPiritual station
(maqdm)
of the soul, characterized by the one who has achieved true
purity.
Such a person can be said to have extinguished the flames or burning
(afisr)
of
the various appetites of the ego
(nals)
to such an extent that they can never be
rekindled. Anyone enjoying this status may be referred to as a Sufi. More
properly, he or she would be call ed a walt
(pl.
awliyd'), meaning
"beloved friend
of God."
People,
particularly in the West, who casually refer to themselves and
others as Sufis do not realize the exalted
Position
of those who have
attained such refinement through the
grace and blessings of Almighty God'
In fact, it would constitute a kind of unparalleled arrogance to
Presume
to
describe oneself as at the
pinnacle of spiritual
perfection. Since true Sufis
would of necessity exhibit the height of humility and selflessness, it is
difficult to locate one who would admit to such a condition.
The founder of the Chishtiyyah Order of Sufis in India, Hazrat Khwila
Mucinuddin Chishu
(r.a.),
has spoken of the true Sufi as one who sees no
evil, hears no evil, speaks no evil, and thinks no evil.
Although there are more than 150 orders in Sufism, they are all united
in one fact: that all
participants, from novice to supreme master, are con-
formed in inward thought and outward behavior to the religious iniunctions
of Islam, known as shancat.
Some mistakenly assert that Sufism is separate from Islam, that it is
broad and open-minded, whereas Islam is narrow, static, backward, and old-
fashioned. Not only is such a concept ignorant, but it does a tremendous
disservice to those who are sincerely seeking the right way of living, of
guidance to God. To those who may claim that all paths lead to God, He has
replied: If you
don't know where you are
going, any
path
will do.
'The
pronoun for God in Arabic has neither male nor female gender.
I use the con-
ventional literate form, Hirn, only because there is no proper genderless pronoun in English,
most certainly intending no offense to femininity.
Prelae I 3
Literally millions of volumes exist which establish beyond any
possibility
of doubt that Sufism took seed directly from Islam, was nurtured by Islam,
and has reached maturity in Islam. Sufism, far from being separate from
Islam, is the very soul of Islam expressed in a conceptual framework."
The Sufis may be considered a special class of teachers within Islam,
whose responsibility is to maintain and transmit the hidden, deeper knowl-
edge
(ciln)
contained in the Holy
Qur'an.
There are the commonly known
and understood teachings of the Holy Book-called mulkam1t
(sing.
muf;kan)-
which can be understood easily by anyone. Then there are those divine
secrets called mutashdbihit
(sing,
mutashibih\ which were revealed by the Holy
Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
to Hazrat
cAli
(r.a.a.),
who in turn conveyed
this knowledge to others in an oral transmission which has continued up to
the present
time through the network of Sufi orders, or silsilas.
The life of the Sufi is the life of the spirit, a life adjusted and regulated by
the clear
guidance
for humanity
provided
by God Himself in the Holy
Qur' an.
Ultimately, the successful one is
granted
a personal confrontation
with, and absorption in, the overwhelming reality of the Creator, Owner,
and Sustainer of existence: Allah.
It is important to note that the word Allah does not mean "a" god
or a
Muslim
god.
Even Arabic-speaking Christians use the word Allah for God.
We use the word Allah, first, because it has never been used to refer to
anything except the One God. Further benefits attached to the Arabic
letters and sounds will be elucidated in this book, in shi'Allah
(God
willing).
For the Sufis, the supreme object of life is to serve and obey Allah,
thereby earning His pleasure.
Just
as the Creator indiscriminately bestows
sun, rain, and love upon all of His creatures, so too does the Sufi strive to
love all of humanity regardless of caste, creed, age, sex, color, religion, or
national origin.
The stages of Sufism rest upon the premise that by constant recollection
and remembrance of Allah, one will, through the grace
of Allah, eventually
come to be effaced in the One Remembered.
At the headquarters
of the Chishti Order in Ajmer, India, there is one
street
(more
like an alleyway) that mns alongside the dargah, or resting
place,
of Hazrat Khwdfa Mucinuddin Chishti
(r.a.).
Along that street are
sitting perhaps
three dozen men and women at any given
time, and from all
outward appearances they are the dutcasts and most despicable beggars of
the world. But one look into their eyes will reveal a countenance of supreme
ioy
and peace,
of contentment, of complete reliance and trust upon Allah
(tawwakul
AllAh) to provide
all that they may need. Whether they eat or do
not eat does not matter to them. They cannot even know if they are clean or
dirty. Every person
who crosses their
path,
be he criminal or saint, is
given
'lt is beyond the scope of the present book to deal fully with this issue. The interested
reader is referred to Annemarie Schimmel, Myslical Dimensions oI Jslara
(University
of North
Carolina Press), and Dr. Mir Valiuddin, Contenplalioe Disciplines in Sufism
(London,
East-West).
e I
Thc Bor,k of 5$ Huliag
the same
greeting-an exPression of unrestricted
love for that person and
the deepest
prayer that the person may receive the mercies and blessings of
Allah. Once this condition sets in, there is no end. Slbllin
Altah! Sublrafl Allnh!
Subl l qn Auah!
It was in this same condition that the well-known
Sufi Hazrat Mawlana
Rnmi
(r.a.)
found himself after completing the
greatest sequence of mystical
poetry in the world, lhe Masnaoi. To show that he was completely resigned
io the will of Almighty God, and that
he lived solely
by the
permission and
favor of God and
"oi
by the blood of the human
body, Mawlind,
in the
presence of a large
gathering of notables, called
for a
physician
(fakirz)'
When the healer irrived, Mawlene ordered that incisions be made through
all of his veins and the cuts be allowed to bleed until all flowing ceased.
When this act was done and no more blood flowed, Mawlane rose up and,
after
performing ablutions, entered
his rose
garden and commenced the
ecstatic twirling of the sacred
dance. Mi shA'
AltAhf Al-ftandu
li-lJah al'
IJayyu! Al-Qayyiln!
Hazrat BEbd Farfd Gani-i Shakar
(r.a.),
one of the saints of the Chishtiy-
yah, has said that the first step or stage of Sufism consists in knowledge of
and access to the 18,000 created worlds
(cilamtn;
sini.
talcrn).
No doubt. to
arrive at the threshold of such a state requires a commitment and level of
worship that most humans cannot even imagine.
It is related that Almighty Allah has said:
"My servant ceases not to seek
nearness to Me through special worship, until I make him My favorite, and
thus I become the ears wherewith
he hears, the eyes wherewith
he sees, the
hands wherewith he holds, and the feet wherewith he walks."
This
"special worship" is taken up in the form of voluntary
prayers
during the day, and also extended worship and supplications throughout
the night. The masters of the true
path are united in their insistence that no
progress at all can be made without the middle-night superogatory
Prayers
(tahajjudl.
By combining this special devotion and obedience
to Allah, the Sufis
unlock the origin of miracles through which they
gain access to the attri-
butes of Allah the Almighty, and reflect these
qualities in their own charac-
ter and actions, to the extent possible in human beings.
Just
as the most
prominent characteristic or attribute of Allah is His
compassion for humanity, so, too, do the Sufis strive to spread and bestow
this among the
people.
Of all service to humanity, that which is considered
superior is the healing of the sick and suffering. Certainly
the
great propor-
tion of Sufi shaykhs have been known for their ability to effect results in
the realm of healing various ailments. Of course, it is Allah Who does the
actual healing, the shaykh being only the agent for the will of Allah, exalted
is He!
The Chishtiyyah Order of Sufis, one of the four largest in Islam, has
carried on this tradition of serving the downtrodden
of humanity-the
sick
and ailing-for the past eight hundred
years, ever since the founding of the
Prcleu
I 5
order. A large herbal-medicine
clinic is attached to the dargah premises
at
Aimer, and all persons
coming there
(upward
of sixty thousand per
day) are
provided
whatever treatment
they need, free of charge or obligation. M6 sh6'
Allah!
If Allah touch thee with affliction,
none can remove it but He.
(Qurhn
6:17)
The above verse forms the basis of this book, which has been written to
provide
specific means to attain a true health of the body, mind, and soul.
For these suggestions to be put into practice
successfully requires only the
state of being known as tawwakul Allih
(trust
in Almighty Allah). To inspire
the reader's confidence in the suggestions which follow, I have cited exam-
ples
of various Sufi personages past and present.
All of these persons have
derived their own example and inspiration from that of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.),
whose life has been aptly described as "the
Qur' an
lived-"
The physical
healing methods of the Sufis derive first from the
Qur'an
and second from the traditions and actions of the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.).
Furthermore, there are many men and women of brilliance who
have developed the knowledges of
physical
medicine in the context of
Islamic societies and culture. Hakim Ibn Sina, Rhazes, and al-Suyuti are
among these medical authorities frequently studied by the Sufis.
I have made little effort to rationalize or otherwise
lustify
the healing
claims contained in this book, except to identify their source and origin,
which in the end is God. In fact, materialistic ideologies and scientific
theories can never be sufficient to explain the divine mysteries. Nonetheless,
these practices
have proved effective and useful for an untold but very
great
number
of
persons
and are in current use among the mystics of Islam.
At the same time, it must be noted that what is required for one to attain
to the state of being of a walT or Sufi-and utilizing the healing methods
herein-is not the same thing as reading this book. One who is sincerely
interested in taking up a formal curriculum of study in Sufi healing must
find an authentic shaykh or master and wholeheartedly
submit to the advice
offered. Some say that at least twelve years
are required for this training.
The health practices
fall into three categories:
(1)
those for the body,
(2)
those for the mind or emotions, arrrd
(3)
those for the soul. The best and
preferred practices
are those for the soul. However, a person
whose mind
and soul are degenerated or weak, may be unable to act upon or be acted
upon by a
purely
spiritual practice. In such a case, herbal remedies, food
restrictions such as dieting and fasting, and similar modes are employed.
Practices for the heart are also employed favorably in such cases, for they
awaken, enliven, and disseminate various divine potentialities
throughout
the person.
The practices
for the soul are highly charged with divine
grace
and
blessings, and if rightly applied, will never fail to bring results. It is a
6 I
Thr Bcr,k of 1ufi Htr,liq
principle of nature that the spiritual always takes
Precedence
over the
material.
My own study of the sciences of Islamic mysticism
(taqawwuf\
began in
1968 with a written correspondence with my shaykh, the late Hazrat
Maulana Sufi Wahiduddin Begg
(may
Allah
grant him the choicest blessings,
as many of such things as there are, imin!). Prior to his demise in Aimer in
February
1979, our exchange of letters had
grown to some four thousand
pages, which form the corpus of his teachings to me.
During this
period it was my
good
fortune to travel to Afghanistan,
where I took up a formal course of. study of healing sciences under the
guidance of Sufi
personages
of that beloved land. While there, I was initiated
into the healing practices of dream interpretation by Pir Syed Daoud lqbali,
leader of the Naqshbandiyyah Sufis at Dehdadi,
near Balkh.
The knowledge of Islamic
jurisprudence (/iql)
and the science of utilizing
various
Qur'anic
verses in healing
(tacwldh)
were conveyed by Haiii Shaikh-
ul-Islam
Nimayatullah Shahrani, also while I was in residence in Afghanistan.
ln April 1976, while paying my respects to the leader and supreme
murshid
(teacher)
of the Chishtiyyah, at the dargah of Hazrat Khw6ia
Mucinuddin Chishti
(r.a.),
I experienced the first of what was to become a
continuing sequence of miracles
(karamat\.
There, under the direction of my
shaykh, I was able to instigate a
particular pracfice that halted a sPontaneous
abortion which was being suffered by my wife in far-off Kabul-an e.' ent
that was later termed a miracle even by the attending
physicians.
Consequently, I undertook a vow to devote the balance of my life to the
duty of serving the humanity, for the sake of Allah Almighty and only for
the sake of Allah the Almighty. Ma sha' Allah.
In order to make this volume useful to as many as
possible, I have
presented wherever I could the original Arabic script as well as the trans-
literation and translation of various
prayers. The words should be uttered in
Arabic, for reasons that will become apparent in the following
pages'
A special debt of
gratitude is hereby acknowledged and expressed for my
present shaykh, Syed Safdar Ali Shah Chishti, of Lahore, Pakistan, who has
shared with me his spiritual possessions, for which honor and favor I could
never adequately express my appreciation.
One of the finest examples and exponents of the ideals expressed in this
volume is to be found in the life and personality of Sufi Abu Anees Mu-
hammad Barkat Ali of Dar-ul Ehsan, Pakistan. His miraculous healing
experiences are legend throughout the world.
While I was involved in preparing the final typescript of this book,
Bernard Glicksberg
provided me with
great
assistance in the mechanical
production of the text and allowed me to work unhindered by various
external concerns. He proved to be a friend in the truest sense of the word.
The editing of this manuscript was a special challenge. Rabia Harris
exerted her knowledge of Arabic in conforming the disparate foreign lan-
guage
elements to one style. And Kendra Crossen discovered many opPor-
Ptcfutc
I
7
tunities to clarify and enhance the text. Both of these
gracious people
earned my respect and gratitude.
The Arabic and Persian calligraphy was contributed by Enayatullah
Shahrani, Aishah Holland, Shaykh Shemsuddin Friedlander, and myself.
The illustrations were the inspired work of Angela Werneke. A special
thanks is due to Leslie Colket, who managed to masterfully coordinate all of
the disparate elements of
production.
Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat Ali read the manuscript for errors of
intent and reason, and Zafar Hussain Khan assisted me by resolving tech-
nical matters regarding Sufistic terminology.
My wife, Iman, listened with love and concern to my ideas and efforts
while I was writinS this book, and I must thank the All-Merciful for her
endless support and forbearance.
Finally, I most sincerely thank my publisher, Ehud C. Sperling, president
of Inner Traditions International, Ltd,, of Rochester, Vermont, for his years
of kind forbearance and interest to allow me the time and effort to complete
this volume.
May Allah the Merciful reward them all with His choicest blessings!
Ami n! Ami n! Ami n!
Wa ikhiru dacwini an al-\amdu li-Ll5hi rabb il-c6limin!
Wa9-qalitu was-salimu
cali
rasilihil-karim!
Rabbani taqabbal minni innaka antas-Samic ul-cAlim!
Subl.rina Rabbuka rabb ul-cizzati
cammi
yaqifin.
Wa sal i mun
cal al -mursal i n.
Wal-lramdu li-Llihi rabb il-celamin!
Ami "l
In the end our claim is that all praise be to Allah, the
Lord of the Worl ds, and bl essi ngs and
greeti ngs to the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.).
Our Lord! AccePt from us this dutY!
Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower!
Gloried be thy Lord, the Lord of Majesty,
From that which they attribute
(unto
Him)!
Peace be unto
His messengers!
Praise be to Allah the AlmightY,
Lord of the Worlds! Be it so!
H.M.C.
Dar-ul Iman
Oxford,
New York 13830
Prologue
The philosophy
of Sufism is best summed up in the words of the final
kfufbaft (sermon)
of Hazrat Khwrja Mucinud&n Chishu
(r.a.),
which he
delivered to his followers
iust
one month before his demise.
The great
saint
said:
Love all and hate none.
Mere talk of peace will avail you naught.
Mere talk of God and religion will not take you
far.
Bring out all of the latent powers
of your being
and reveal
the full magnificence
of your immortal self.
Be surcharged with peace
and
ioy,
And scatter them wherever you
are
and wherever you go.
Be a blazing fire of truth,
Be a beauteous blossorn of love
And be a soothing
balm of peace. With your
spiritual light,
dispel the darkness of ignorance;
dissolve the clouds of discord and war
and spread goodwill, peace, and harmony
among the people.
Never seek any help, charity, or favors
from anybody except God.
Never go
to the courts of kings,
but never refuse to bless and help the needy and the poor,
the widow, and the orphan, if they come to your
door.
This is your mission, to serve the people.
Carry it out dutifully and courageously,
so that I, as
your
hr-o-Murshid,
may not be ashamed of any shortiomirtgs
on your parr
before the Almighty God and our holy predecessors
in the Sufi order
[silsilifi]
on the Day of
Judgment.
In the following pages,
my own humble effort is offered to fulfill this
pious
advice. It is for all people,
and constitutes
an expression
of mv
ao
I
Thc Book of Suli Haliry
unyielding love for the life and example of our beloved leader, the Prophet
of Islam and savior of humanity
(s.a.w.s.).
If you find the spiritual sparks herein to become uplifted, all
praise,
thanks, and appreciation belongs to Allah sublhnu wa tacafa, the All-Merciful,
the All-Compassionate.
If there be mistakes or errors, the responsibility is entirely my own, and I
ask pardon
and forgiveness of my Lord.
1,
Health? What Is
Fot you God nbjectcd all that is in
tbe heavens
And on the eorth, aII
Jrcm
Him,
Behold! In that are signs
Jor
pople who
rcflect.
Qtr'an
45:18
What is health? When we talk about the human organism existing in a
state of health, we must first of all understand several interrelated questions.
What is a human being? How did it come into existence? How is it
sustained in existence? And what is the purpose
of human life? Without
understanding the answers to these questions
(or
at least the questions), we
can never have a satisfactory knowledge of the real type of health we should
be seeking. For without any criteria for what constitutes the proper func-
tioning of a human being, how can we say that it even matters whether we
are ill or well?
Just
because something feels
"good"
does not necessarily
mean it is of ultimate benefit to us. And conversely, simply because at the
moment we seem to have pain,
we cannot dismiss this experience as"bad,"
unless we understand how and what the result of these momenrary sensa-
tions will be.
Allah says in the
Qur'an,
"There
may be a thing decreed for
you
that
you
do not like that is
good
for you;
and things that you like that are not
good
for you." The great
Sufi Imam al-Ghazzali
(r.a.)
expressed this idea as follows:
"lllness
is one of the forms of experience by which humans arrive at a
knowledge of God; as He says, 'Illnesses
are my servants which I attach to
My chosen friends."'
Thus, we ought not necessarily to consider illness our enemy; rather, we
may see it as an event, a mechanism of the body, that is serving to cleanse,
purify,
and balance us on the physical,
emotional, mental, and spiritual
planes.
Considered from this perspective,
a bout of flu, a cold, diarrhea,
even some kinds of agonizing pain are friends, enabling our bodies to
purge
unwanted and potentially
harmful toxic by-products of metabolism.
rz
I
The Brr,k ol 9tfi Haling
Western
medicine endeavors to halt or impede the various eliminative
functions
of the body-to stop the urSe to vomit
with stomach
remedies; to
block
diarrhea with
potions; to end fever with aspirin and related drugs'
Behind
every naturai action of the human
body is an inherent wisdom, a
mechanism ihut
"Uo-t
the body to heal itself.
In fact, no herb, food, or any
other
substance or procedure can do anything on its own to heal; it can only
aid and assist the body in its own self-healing
role. If
your finger is cut,
it is
not the stitches or the bandage or the iodine that causes it to heal; it is the
skin itself that performs this miracle.
When we think of illness, we almost always
first think of iniury or acute
pain as the first stage. But today many
people- are.realizing
that other
aspects of our mental world, our feelings and thoughts,
can become un-
baianced and cause illness and suffering,
even though there may be nothing
clinically
"wrong" with a
person. This approach
to health
and disease has
come to be Lnown as
"holistic."
It is rather easy to understand
the
physical level The body lets us
know-by rn""rl, oi our sense
Perceptions-sight,
sound, touch, taste, and
smell-and the vegetative faculties-when
something
is wrong, and we
take steps to correct the
problem. The seat of the vegetative
function-that
is, the instinctive, life-sustaining
work of the body-is the liver, sometimes
called
the Wheel of Life. All of our
physical functions
are cued by the
functions and enzyrnes of the liver.
In Arabic, nals is the word for the body and its appetites'
Na/s means all of
the demands of the body-for food, for warmth,
for fame and fortune
(all
of
these
include emotional
needs or drives). All
physical diseases can be marked
out by one or more of these physical dimensions.
The word nafs has many meanings:
breath, animal life, soul, self, a
person, essence, and more. In Sufism, the
progression of the soul is described
Ly considering
the evolution of the nals, which manifests in
human behavior
ai one's entire character,
personality, and behavior.
'fhe
nafsi am-marfr is the
commanding
soul, which creates inordinate appetites.
This is the condition
of the rafs referred to when one occupies
the station of egotism
(maqdm
an-nafs).
The behaviors
recommended in the
Qur'an
(sharical)
are meant to control
and subdue these inordinate appetities, leading
the nals lo a more refined
status.
The soul that has been entirely
purified is called nalsi lcrll, meaning
"universal soul," which unites with Allah
in the final stage of Sufism
However, even at the latest stages of Sufi
practice, one cannot assume
oneself to be immune to the blemishes of the soul.
The second aspect of our existence is the mind world, or let us say the
emotional and mental world. The mind
is not entirely
separate from the
physical body, but is
part of and intimately connected-
with
physical func-
lioning.
Moods and feelings that originate
in the mind frequently
have an
effect on the body-emotions
such as anger, fear, or extreme
ioy
When one
Whot Is Hcdth?
I 13
or more of these is experienced, the blood pressure
may rise or fall, the body
sweats, tears may come.
Interestingly,
some ailments or conditions that we have come to regard
as purely
emotional have their origin in physical
imbalances. An example is
severe anger. Psychologists would usually attribute this to a condition of
the mind or emotions. But according to the
fibb
system of the Persian
physician
Avicenna, severe anger is one of the body's most effective ways of
dispelling excess moisture in the area of the heart. It is easily corrected with
diet.
The realm of the mental world is called
/itr
in Arabic. In essence,
/ilrr
means meditation or deep-thought process.
The third component of our existence is the soul, called the rnfi. The rull
is that which exists after death, which marks the end of both physical
and
mental life.
The interaction of the three realms
(or
the activation of the physical
and
mental realms by the soul realm) is carried out by means of the spirit. Many
people
use the words
"spirit"
and "soul" to mean the same thing,
yet
they
are distinctly different and separate. The spirit is what activates the physical-
level existence, including thought processes. The word for this spirit-
activator is nafas. lt is activated at the point
of the breath. The
point
of the
lips where in-breath and out-breath unite is the link between life and death.
We can live without mental activity and without physical
movement.
But without breath, life ceases in a very short time. There are
people
who
live without mental existence. Although an electroencephalograph shows
that their brain waves are not functioning, they may be kept "alive" by
mechanical means. They are called
"brain
dead,"
yet
they are still regarded
as living; we do not bury them. This means that there is something superior
to this mental existence and
physical
existence. Such persons
still have
something left of life in them, and that something is the breath.
The Sufis consider that the breath of life exists and continues by virtue
of the idfia, or
permission
of God, the One Who has created us all. What
we call the Creator-God, Allah, Yahweh, or whatever-does not matter.
In His ultimately reality, God is one. He
gives
His permission
for human life
to exist in the first place, and as long as that permission
remains, we may
draw breath in and out. Regardless of which system of healing we may wish
to apply, or how skilled the practitioner, Even if all the healers of the world
came together, they could not counteract the idhn. When the permission is
withdrawn, there is no more breath; life ceases.
Interesting cases bear this out. When a child is born, it does not breathe
right away. Some say the shock of the cold air starts it breathing. But not in
every case does this happen. The Sufis would say that Allah sends His i/lz
for that particular
life to commence. If He does not send His permission,
no
amount of spanking or technological effort can force the baby to breathe. It
will be a stillborn.
rt I
Thc Book ol Suli Haling
On the other hand, sometimes, despite every effort to end a life, the
permission overrides human efforts A recent article in a medical
iournal
iold of a couple who had informed their doctor that they did not want to
have children under any circumstances'
The doctor suggested
that the
husband undergo a permanent vasectomy,
and so it was
performed A few
months
later the couple was back, furious
with the doctor, because the wife
had become
pregnant. The doctor then offered to
perform a free abortion to
terminate the
pregnancy. This
procedure was done. Another month later,
the couple sued the doctor for malpractice
when the woman discovered
that
she was still
pregnant!
Despite the sterilization and the abortion, the idhn of God was that this
particuiar child would be born. And so it was. Clearly, there is an Authority
against Whom we have no real ability to interfere.
Consider the nonmanifest
realms-the world of dreams, of intuition, of
abstract
phenomena-and the many cases of
people reporting encounters
with UFOs,
demons,
poltergeists, and the like. No one in the West has so far
come forward with a fully developed conceptual
framework
with which to
deal with these
"other-worldly" experiences.
The Sufis use the term
ghnyb to
refer to events that transpire in the unseen realms. This unseen realm
includes the actions of the soul.
The center, or seat, of the soul' s existence
is the heart' With what do we
associate
the heart and soul? Love, compassion,
sympathy, mercy, and all of
our religious sentiments' When someone dies, the
grief of
the survivors is
felt in the heart. It is actually a physical pain. The heart aches. There is so
much terminology
in our language
about these soul-related
aspects of the
heatt. And no one can deny that these feelings of love and compassion do
exist. No one is without them.
In Arabic, the heart is called
qalb. The heart according to the Sufis is not
just
a
physiological pump for dispersing blood about the body. It serves two
-or"
uitil, interrelated functions. One, the heart is the storehouse of divine
attributes;
and two, it is the seat of manufacture of the rafas-that life-
activating force which enters with each breath, the breath that activates all
physiological
functions.
Thus, when the idhn, or
permission of God, is drawn in, it
goes im-
mediately to the heart. In some manner, this idhn activates
all of the divine
attributes in various combinations, and these then are carried out into the
body.
ihe
Qur'an
informs that these divine attributes are approximately ninety-
nine in number and are what Allah uses as the means of allowing the
human to function and work on the created
plane of being.
For example. one of these attributes
ls called al-Ba{r, which means
"the
Perceiver."
In other words, Allah sees everything at all times; there is
nothing that escapes the view of God, not even the most intimate thoughts.
This bnqir exists as a
potentiality within us at all times, stored
in the heart.
Whel h Hcslth? lrs
When Allah sends His idhn in on a breath, and this is combined with certain
sounds we utter, the potentiality
will then travel through a semigaseous
network called a humor. The potentiality
moves along this network until it
reaches
the moist, crystalline lens of the eye. Once there, the potentiality
unites with the
physical part
of the body and becomes the actuality of sight.
Perception, the total potentiality of al-BaEir, also includes such things as
insight,
our sensation of maiesty when viewing a panoramic
sunset, and
sirnilar experiences. All of these perceptive
capabilities are included within
the potentiality
of perception.
All of these ninety-nine divine attributes, then, are stored within the
heart. These potentialities
may be activated by means of various sounds we
utter in combination to make words.
The three basic sounds are the long vowel sounds of i, i, and l. These are
what the Sufis call the universal harmonic constants, and they are similarly
used in all mystic paths
that utilize sounds
(otherwise
called manlras or
wagfahs).
We do not sing or chant these sounds. Rather, they are voiced in the
normal course of our conversations. The word All-ah, as an example, is
iust
an elongation of the long vowel sound of t, intrrupted once with the
consonant of the letter l, which makes the shape of the letter i with the
tongue. Even animals utter various combinations of these three long vowel
sounds. The owl, for example, says,
"Hool"
The pronoun
for God in Arabic
is Hi, pronounced
exactly the same way that the owl utters its remembrance
of the divine name.
Allah has informed us, "Every creature in the Heavens and the earth
glorifies
His Name." The Sufi, knowing the Arabic tones and names of God,
is able to attune to a cosmic conversation that is constantly
going
on
throughout all of existence as countless creatures utter their variations of
the divine name.
The use of these three constants is not arbitrary. The long vowel sound
of d
(as
in
father),
as a vibratory tone, travels downward and slightly to the
left from the throat and centers in the heart, thereby stimulating all of the
divine attributes stored within. The long sound of i
(as
in machine) moves in
the opposite direction, up the nasal septum, and vibrates at the point
of the
pineal gland,
which is considered to be a remnant of the third eye, a light-
sensitive organ.
The long sound of u
(as
in you) exists when uttered exactly at the point
on the pursed
lips, the point
of connection between the in- and out-breaths.
It is where our action meets and intermingles with the divine permission,
the idhn.
The Sufis use various formulas or combinations of these tones to produce
electrifying effects that are able in and of themselves to unlock congested
areas within the heart, thereby releasing
one or more potentialities.
This
alone accounts for a considerable number of miraculous cures.
16 I
Thc Book ol Srli Hcaling
So the very words we use to make conversation are hardly a random
matter. When we say the word
"
eal"
(making
the sound of the long i), for
example, we are actually stimulating the endocrine system's
pineal gland!
The
tineal
gland receives a vibratory signal that causes a series of ethereal
shocis which
go
throughout the body,
providing information to all of the
physiological functions.
These events are in coniunction with what transpires throughout
nature
when the sun sends certain
germinative shocks through the soil which
cause the seed to open and send out rootlets. The
germinal center of the
seed is activated by shocks frorir the.sun. Likewise, various centers within
the human body are awakened by the undulations of the vibratory tones in
these universal harmonic constants. The effects upon human health are
profound.
This interconnection between the
physical and spiritual
realms exists all
through nature, of which humans are a
part. One might say that animals
ur" rno." attuned to it; sometimes horses and other animals
give a
particular
sound
just
before they die, and animals nearby know the meaning of this
sound. Animals have
greater
awareness of the unseen realms. Humans
should have this knowledge, but they do not seek it. Humans are more
bound to the
physical plane.
There must be a knowledge and consideration
of the physical, mental,
and spiritual
planes of existence for there to be true health. By understand-
ing eich of these
planes of being, we can arrive at the correct modes of
balancing and treating each one. If the subiect of disease
is looked into
deeply enough, the origin of all illness can be said to lie in the mind. There
must be a thought or concept of an illness in order for it to exist. But what is
the mind? Some say it is a collection of cells that have many functions and
possibilities. But the Sufis attribute a
Sreat
deal more to the mind, as the
iepository of the intellect, which God has
given to humans, thus making
them unique among all of the creation. Before this mind can be adequately
understood,
we first have to have a conception of the entire universe, from
the most minute bacterial life up to God. This is known as the hierarchy of
creation.
2
erarchy
The
Hi
of Creation
God is the One Who eeated
tor
you
AII that is on the earth.
Moreove4 He tunrcd to tlp heaven and
fashioned
seven havens with
hannony.
He isJull of krcwledge o:f all things.
@thn
2i :17
The hierarchy of creation extends from the most minute forms of terrestrial
life up to Allah. The construction of this hierarchy was designed by Allah
and is kept in form and balance by His will. In general
terms, the whole of
creation is divided into two
parts:
the known world of our human creation
(insin)
and the unseen
Qhayb)
and
generally
unknown world of the heavens.
The world below, as it were, is the sublunary world, consisting of four
elemental spheres: the terrestrial, vegetative, animal, and human kingdoms.
These four components are arranged in ascending order of creation, so that
the human being occupies the highest
position
in the order of the
physical
creation. This dimension is governed
by the rules of nature, which is to say
the dominion of growth
and decay, of life and death.
Above this created world of human existence lies the realm of the
heavens, which are eleven in number. Eech
of these heavens is occupied by
angelic forms and ultimately is
populated
with souls that depart from
human bodies and earthly existence.
The various realms of earth and the heavens can be represented in their
entirety in the accompanying chart.
Each of the elemental spheres-the terrestrial, vegetable, animal, and
human kingdoms-is composed of two parts: an elemental sphere and an
interspace, with which it connects to the sphere above its own. Thus, the
terrestrial sphere connects with the second elemental sphere via the in-
l 7
20 | Thc Bak ol Sufi Huling
organic world. When the element of water is combined with the terrestrial
sphere, the vegetative world is created.
Likewise, the addition of air to earth and water creates fire. When all
these combine-earth, water, air, and fire-the human form is made up.
The human kingdom is the interconnection to the heavenly realms. For
most humans, the first heaven is represented by the moon: We first attain
our strivings for the heavenly realms by viewing the moon. For those who
occupy
the dimension of the first heaven, or moon, the moon is the firma-
ment and the second heaven represents a higher aspiration-Mercury is
their heaven. And so on, up the hierarchy of the heavens.
Humans occupy the highest
place in the realms of created life, by virtue
of one reason only: Humans have been endowed with the faculty of reason,
caql.
The
caql
is the creative, rational reasoning
power of the mind, which
neither
plants nor animals nor water has. These lower forms can only obey
their instincts provided by the Creator. They are totally obedient to the
laws of nature. For example, one can never "reason"
with a deer. If one tries
to approach one, it almost invariably bolts instantly and disappears, regard-
less of the intent of the approaching
human.
This holds true even for those animals that humans have sought to
control.
Dogs, for example, have not taken well to efforts to domesticate
them. The more inbreeding that has occurred in a
particular breed, the
more neurotic the dogs become. Despite efforts to make dogs into pets, it is
not so infrequent that a dog will for no reason turn wild upon a person or
small child and kill him.
Animals that have been domesticated usually lose the natural dignity of
their species. Animals of all kinds are marvelous in their natural terrain' But
in that element they have intact all of their natural instinctive behavior,
which is required for their survival. The lion does not kill in the wild out of
malice. To be a killer is the position given to the lion in the creation, and the
lion must do it.
Only humans have the capacity for creative reasoning, for the rational
decision-making
process
by which we decide whether we are
going to do a
thing. This process is sometimes called free will. One can inform a human
being that to do something dangerous will kill him; yet the human being-
using
his free will-can act contrary to all the evidence and do it anyway.
Animals have no such choice: A fish must be a fish.
Our mental decisions are accomplished by the
taql,
and it is byvirtue of this
faculty alone that humans have been placed over all of the creation of the
sublunary world.
When we aspire to something beyond the earthly existence, we move
into the realm of the heavens. Most apparent to all are the zodiacal heavens,
which are seven in number.
This is the realm of the
planets, the first of which is the moon. Its color is
white and silver, and it is constructed from the four elements mentioned,
olus ether.
The Hientchy ol Crcetbn | 2l
The second zodiacal planet
is Mercury, whose color is
gray.
God said
that He made Mercury with the addition of His own
fikr,
His own deep
meditative thought.
Venus is the third zodiacal planet, and its color is yellow.
Venus
governs
the world of similitudes, of analogies and metaphors, of
poetry.
Allah has
informed us that Venus was created with the addition of His khayal, or
imagination.
The sun, the fourth zodiacal planet,
is presided
over by Israfil, the
Angel of Resurrection.
The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
is reported to have related
that Israfil told him that the Angel of Death scans the faces of seventy
thousand people
each day and, from these, chooses those who will be called
from earthly existence. This planet
God made from the light of His own
heart, the fount of God, the absolute of the heart: love.
The fifth planet
in the zodiac is Mars. Its color is blood-red. Azrael, the
Angel of Death, presides
over this
planet,
which is created from God'swafum,
or divine decision.
Jupiter
is the sixth planet
of the zodiac, presided
over by the archangel
Michael and formed of the Light of Himmah-the light of Allah' s reflection.
The final zodiacal planet
is Saturn. Its color is black. Saturn, being the
highest in the hierarchy, was the first zodiacal constellation to be created.
These first seven heavens
(presented
in reverse order, from lowest to
highest) are descdptively named ssmi'. The word sami'
(heaven)
is linked by
sound to samdc, an Arabic word meaning
"ecstatic
contemplation."
Each
heaven exists with a relation to both something above and something below
itself.
These heavens are inhabited by various beings of the creation. There are
disembodied souls
(having
died already to earth life and awaiting the yawm
al-qiydmmah, or Day of
Judgment)
in one or other of the heavens. All the
angels exist in all of these various heavens, depending upon their function
and rank.
In addition to human souls and angels, Allah also created
iinns.
Whereas
He created humans from the four elements of earth, water, air, and fire, He
made the
jinns
from "smokeless
fire." The
iinns,
which are described fully in
the Holy
Qur2n,
can from time to time assume human form. Generally,
they are harmless or favorably inclined to humans, but they can be malevo-
lent. They have great
effect upon h'uman affairs and frequently cause
imbalances that we would identify as disease. A prime
example is colic in
infants, who are especially prone
to the influence of
iinns.
Certain herbal
substances and recitations
are used to dispel
jinns.
When the soul is extracted from human life, it begins to ascend through
these heavenly realms. So a person
would always have consideration of a
prior
state, and also something to look forward to. This is the reality of the
heavenly existence. Those who believe in reincarnation have arrived at their
concepts by only
partially
understanding the entire creation of the heavens.
When we arrive at the highest heaven of the zodiac, we are at the
22 I The Book of Suli Hwling
threshold of the Throne of Allah, called the
carsh.
This is actually a meta-
phoricai statement, as no one could imagine sitting in or anywhere near the
seat of Almighty Allah. This eighth heaven constitutes the limit of the
physical confines of our universe. The universe we study with telescopes,
laser beams, and radio waves reaches its limit at this point of the eighth
heaven. Although science has not arrived at this barrier
yet, it may in time,
Cod willing.
There are 18,000 created universes, of which we know about only one,
the one we inhabit. The other 77,999 exist contiguous to our own and have
other functions that we do not know.about and never will. Allah has said
that He did not create humans with ihe capacity to totally understand all of
His creation. But at the moment of death, when the veils are torn away,
each person will instantly see the whole nature of the heavens and the
universe and will be astonished at the ingenuity of God' s design. Incidentally,
Allah has said that despite the complexity of the heavens, He has created
the human body infinitely more complex! But for now we shall have to be
content to know that there is unimaginable vastness. This inspires us to
accept the majesty and power of our Creator, Who has insisted upon many
thousands of dimensions of creation; we humans see only one drop in this
divine cosmic ocean.
The events of the eighth heaven are directed by Allah Himself; in the
lower realms, Allah directs intermediaries to accomplish His designs. When
events like shooting stars and meteorites occur in our zodiac, they are
caused by actions in this ninth heaven. The regular orbiting of our fixed
planets
in the earthly heavens is regulated from this heaven.
The ninth heaven is the Crystalline, called the
rarsl,
meaning the Throne
of Allah, the dazzlement of God' s
glory.
This state of existence is totally
beyond conception or description. A
great
Sufi once said,
"He
who climbed
over the wall to the
tnrsh,
no one ever heard of him again."
The tenth heaven contains no planets or stars and thus is called the
Starless Heaven. It is where the motions of all the other spheres originate,
directly under the command and decision of Allah the Almighty.
The eleventh heaven is called the Empyrean, or the Heaven of Heavens.
It is wholly luminous, nothing but
pure, complete, overwhelming light.
Mawlana Rimr
(r.a.)
celebrated this realm when he wrote:
"What do we
care for the Empyrean and the skies? Our
iourney
is to the Rose Carden of
Union."
Allah has informed us in the
Qur' an
that when He decided to make the
creation, the first thing He made was the soul of
prophecy. And, this, He
said, He made from His own light, or anr. In other words, for all of the
prophets Allah sent to earth with information for human beings about the
nature of the creation, God made for them one soul only. He put this in
12o,ooo successive human forms, both male and female, some known to the
world, some not. Allah made this unimaginably elegant soul from His nlr,
The Hictatchy of Crution I 29
His own light. That is why the prophets were able to have such amazing
effect upon the world: Allah
gave
them the powers
of illumination over the
world.
Allah further said that
"lf
I had not created the soul of prophecy, I would
not have created the world." After Allah created this soul of
prophecy,
it
was so brilliant and luminous that it began to perspire.
And from this
perspiration
of the soul of
prophecy, Allah made the soul of the rose. This is
why the rose has such a magnificent essence and is called the mother of
scents. Anyone who looks at a rose smiles and is uplifted, and people
all over
the world honor and caress the rose instinctively. Indeed, the rose is the
symbol of love itself.
We can see from this chart or
pathway
of the evolution through the
hierarchy of creation that humans occupy a relatively low point in it all;
there are many levels above that we cannot reach with the physical
body.
After the earthly, terrestrial life, there are many additional stages, which of
necessity must be traversed using the vehicle of the soul. There is a stage
beyond the Heaven of Heavens, past the Empyrean, called oifl, or the
wedding to God Almighty. This alone is the
goal
of the true Sufi and the
real meaning of U ildha illa Unh-that one is content with nothinS except
the ultimate and final union with the Beloved, the Owner, Creator, and
Sustainer of all the Worlds. Yi
f;ayyn!
Yn qayynm!
Every scripture and every prophet from the first have said the same
thing: that we are created by a wise and loving Creator, and that the special
purpose of our existence is to endeavor to work our way back to Him. Our
objective in life is to regain union with God, and everything in our life is an
immense pageant
designed to assist us in that
lourney.
That is why one who
is active on the Sufi
path
is referred lo as sdlik, the traveler.
Everything we consider to be kind, good,
and desirable in this life is but
the minutest manifestation of the final, absolute, and incontrovertible ac-
tuality of those things which are owned by Allah and not by anyone else.
This final and ultimate knowledge about all things is called
haqiqat
(from
haqq,
trtth).
When we speak of love and say we want to be loved or to love someone,
what we mean is that we
yearn for that absolute love that will overwhelm
us and burn us to ashes so that we die of love. One human cannot
provide
such maiestic power
of love for anothei. It is only the Divine Beloved who
can annihilate us. That is what the Sufi seeks, or dies trying to achieve.
The
iourney
from a confused, earthly person to one united forever with
the Divine Reality is a long, complex, and difficult
iourney.
Therefore, the
Sufis have elaborated the various stages on this path and have developed
various signposts and measures that can be used to identify where one is on
the path. This chart of progression on the
journey
to the Beloved is called
the stations of the soul.
The
Stations
of the Soul
In its progression
through life, the physical
body passes
through stages,
from infancy
to youth,
adulthood, and old age. Similarly, the soul palses
through specific evolutionary
stages or stations.
The Arabic word for such a station is maqdm
(pl.
naqdndt).lt
means a
s.topqilg or resting place.
But it has many other connotations
that convey
the full sense of what this stage may be: place of residence,
dwelling,
mansion, stay, dignity,
office, state, musical tone, question.
Indeed, the
occupation
of a maqim
by the soul is all of these, and sometrmes more.
The stations
of the soul are entered into at the moment
of birth, and the
entire period
of life is occupied in one of these stations, although there may
be changes from
one station to another. These are listed in ascending order
as follows:
Maqdm an-Nafs: The Station of Egotism
Maqfrm-al-@lbz
The Station of the Heart
Maqdm-ar-Rll1t
The Station of the Pure Spirit
Maqdm as-Sirrt The Station of Divine Secrets
Maqim nlQurbz The Station of Proximity
(or
Nearness) to Allah
Meqdm al-Wigdl:
The Station of Union
(sometimes
called
the Divine
Wedding with the Beloved)
From the moment
of birth, we are constantly
striving to develop the
soul, and progress
in this effort can be marked
out and measured bv
referring
to these stages. Obviously, not everyone attains all of the stages.
It is important
to realize that it is not the bodv as such that makes this
journey,
but rather the rill.
The translation
of rul is usually given
as
"soul."
It can also mean the
breath of God, the angel
Gabriel, the
Qur'an,
revelation,
or prophecy.
26 I The Book ol Suli Huling
For the Sufis, the rn! is the essence of life. It is not the
physical
body or
the brain and its thoughts and memories; nor is it the life processes.
The rirlhas
a distinct existence of its own, which is derived from God and belongs
entirely to God.
When we ask someone what a pomegranate tastes like, he may well say
something like,
"lt
tastes what it tastes like." That does not seem a very
satisfactory answer, but because the pomegranate is unique, its taste cannot
be related to anything else, hence this curious reply. And so it is with
the rnft.
The rufi, or essence, can be shown to exist only in relation to rhythm and
motif. Think of dance as an example. There is such a thing as dance, but it
does not exist concretely except in relation to the form of rhythm and motif.
One can imagine a dance with the mind, but for the dance to be actual, the
motion and rhythm
of dancers are needed to act it out. But the dance
remains the essence. This is what is meant by essence, of which the m{r is
perhaps
the supreme example.
The human soul also requires this rhythm and motif to be manifest on
the
physical plane.
Remember that the rnf, or soul' s essence, is not the same
thing as the spirit
(nafas).
The latter is the divine force that activates the
physical phenomena
in the body, including mental
processes.
The rn! is
more intimately felt and superior to the spirit.
Imagine all of the things that have the essence of fire in them-the sun,
green wood, ashes, and so forth. All have the same essence, but they
possess
very different physical
forms, and each is at a different stage of
evolution, a different maq|m. The absolute of the essence of fire is oart of
the rr.rr, or light of Cod.
Every physical
created thing has its unique and characteristic balance-
between hot and cold, moist and dry, passivity and activity. We read in the
Qur' an
that Allah "has
created everything in its correct balance." For exam-
ple,
the blood is characteristically warm and moist. Anything that disturbs
or changes that normal balanced condition may lead to disease. The same is
true of our emotions.
Our moods are constantly affected by events coming
in via our sensory apparatus. Take the sense of touch. If someone slapped
you
hard, your mood would almost instantly change. If you
jumped
into an
icy
pool,
again, your
mood and emotions would dramatically change. Hearing
is another example. Music can
produce profound
effects on the state of
mind. Calm, soothing music is healing. Loud, raucous music can make one
iittery.
Yet these emotional events need form and motif in order to cause
these changes. The effect of reading musical notes on
paper
is not the same
as that of listening to a
Breat
symphony.
Some senses are more powerful
than others. The physical
sense con-
sidered to be the highest is that of smell. Some say that smell is related to
memory. For instance, when walking down the street, one can encounter a
scent, such as that of baking bread, and almost immediately it reaches the
The Sretiont of the Soul 127
nostrils, one has a flashback to some childhood memory. The science of
aromatherapy is based upon the
preeminence
of the sense of smell. Each
flower of nature has its own rr.rf, or essence. A pure, natural floral oil may be
used for its antiseptic effect on a wound. The Sufis have classified flowers
according to their effect upon the soul in its evolution toward God.
Each human being has a rr.r!, but not every
person' s ruf is the same as the
next one' s; a sinner is not the same as a saint. Some souls are much more
refined than others.
Every person is born into the maq|m nn-nafs, or station of egotism. This is
the inevitable first stop in life. The infant is entirely preoccupied with its
need for physical satisfaction. It wants food, or to be
picked
up, and will
scream, cry, and spit to make its demands known. It is completely uncon-
cerned about the effects of its own actions. A baby will break an object
considered a priceless treasure by an adult, and will laugh about it, at that!
The body in its earliest development cares only to satisfy its animal
desires-for food, affection, stimulation of all kinds. Since this isa God-given
condition, and a necessary one, infants and children are immune from
judgment
and punishment. If a small child walks into a supermarket and
knocks over a display of bottles, no one says much. Someone cleans it up.
But let an adult do it-intentionally, as a child might-and the
police
may be
called.
In the station of egotism, the faculty of reason and
judgment
has not yet
been developed. That comes later on. As a child
grows,
its
parents,
or the
society at large, generally impress upon it various codes of conduct. In other
words, the child learns how to stay on a
particular
track of behavior. One
who deviates from that track will be confronted with various uncomfortable
restrictions.
It may be normal and understandable for small children to exist in this
state of egotism, but
just
as they
grow
out of crawling and regurgitating
their food, and develop mature bodies and smooth physical actions, so, too,
do we expect that a person' s soul will evolve and
grow out of egotism.
The
Qur' an
reveals the proper behavior for conducting this evolutionary
progression
of the soul. The mode of living spelled out in the
Qurhn
is
called, as-Eir-a! al-mustaqim: the straight path. For the Sufi, the supreme and
sole obiect of life is to attempt to
iourney
to God, and to do so in the most
reasonable and successful manner, antl the
quickest
way as well. Therefore,
the straight
path is actually a straight line-the shortest distance between
two
points,
which measures the distance between the station of egotism
and union with the Beloved, Almighty Allah.
Many
people grow into adulthood and even old age without ever depart-
ing from this initial stage of egotism, the maqfrm an-nafs. Such
people never
stop demanding their own way, the endless satisfactions of the body. Taken
to the extreme, the whole range of emotional and
physical diseases we call
chronic and degenerative is a result of remaining in this station too long.
28
I
The Book of Sufi Huling
Fearfulness, anxiety, self-doubt, selfishness, insanity, weeping for no reason,
depression,
paranoia, sexual perversions, and suicide-all are emotional
diseases connected with the maqim an-nafs, when a
person lingers in it into
adulthood.
The physical diseases associated with the maq|m an-nafs can sometimes
occur concurrently with the emotional or psychological ones. But for the
body, the end result of remaining in the station of egotism includes drug
abuse, alcoholism, criminal behavior, obesity, hypoglycemia, blindness and
other eye problems,
jaundice,
heart attack, venereal disease, and cancer.
These conditions result from the failure to exercise
proper
control over one
or more of the nals functions, or appetites of the body. Some readers may
disagree and say that they know a very nice person who had a heart attack.
Understanding the further stations in the evolution of the soul will clarify
t hi s mat t er f ul l y.
The method of escape-or
progress-from the station of egotism is to
train and discipline the ego and its drives. This means developing willpower,
responsibility, consideration, compassion, and courtesy, among other traits.
When one succeeds in
gettinS some control over the rals and leaves its stage,
one arrives at the mnqim al-qalb, or station of the heart.
The Arabic word for heart, qalb, refers to a wide range of magnificent
meanings: heart, mind, soul, understanding, intellect, kernel, marrow, cen-
ter, the choicest
part,
core,
genuine, pure. Even more interesting is that the
word
4alb
also means "permuting," "transmuting," or
"turning." For the Sufi,
the heart is the means by which all transformation occurs
Those who occupy the station of the heart have a basic
goodness;
they feel
good about themselves and the world. A person in lhe maqam al-qalb would
say,
"l want to do only good in the world. I love nature in all its forms. I accept
everyone. Oh, what a wonder life is!"
Judging
by this exalted attitude toward
life, one might imagine that no diseases or
problems would trouble a person
at this stage. The reality is almost the contrary. For persons in the station of
the heart are still prone
to both emotional and
physical imbalances as well as
spiritual ones. The emotional and spiritual ailments include the inability to
concentrate, forgetfulness, fear of failure, certain types of hypocrisy, exces-
sive emotions such as severe ecstasy, depression,
ioy,
and severe anger,
arrogance, and being inconsiderate of others' feelings.
Despite the positive aspects of this station, it is still only the second
station of the soul' s
progress.
This stage can be a time of tremendous
emotional upheavals, including divorce or other relationship problems, and
financial difficulties. This is so because the
person feels a surge of ecstasy, a
fresh and almost overwhelming excitement toward life. Many who have
been involved with the
person
before he or she ascended to the station of
the heart cannot accept the changes they see in their friend. In fact, loss of
friends is very common in this stage.
There are also
physical problems affiliated with the station of the heart.
Thc Stotiont of the Sosl
129
While those of the prior
state were almost exclusively of a degenerative
nature, the diseases and ailments of this stage are chronic and acute. This is
so because the body is going
through an internal cleansing, a throwing off
of toxicity and superfluous matters accumulated in the prior
stage. Thus,
diseases of the station of the heart include headache
(especially
migraine),
nausea, diarrhea, aches and pains
throughout the body, irritability, general
toxicity
(skin
eruptions, scalp problems),
fever, and gallbladder
and kidney
problems.
Whereas the diseases of the station of egotism were severe and often
incurable, the conditions of the station of the heart are themselves a kind of
self-treatment by the body. Almost all are signs of one or more of the kinds
of healing crisis the body undergoes in healing itself. This process may not
be pleasant,
but it is beneficial.
It is very difficult to continue to the higher stages of soul evolution
without a true shaykh. Under his guidance,
one may move toward the next
stage, maqdm ar-rul1
(station
of the soul), by following various practices
to
develop the capacities of mercy, compassion, consideration, and self-
discipline to a high pitch
of
perfection.
No doubt the station of the soul is a blessed state, and anyone occupying
it would appear to others as a person
of
great
love and spirituality. But at
the same time, there remain physical
and emotional imbalances that become
part
of the mechanism by which the person
strives toward God. These
conditions deepen faith. The emotional problems
of the nr aqam ar-r ll includ,e
arrogance, pride, self-deception, lack of concentration, giddiness,
a frivolous,
irreverent attitude to life, and sometimes the habit of degrading others.
Note that these are the diseases of this state, not the behavior of one
existinS in balance in this station. The imbalances may occur when the
person has not yet
evolved to the
point
of being entirely immune to the
appetites of the nafs.
Once, when the great
Sufi
cAbdul-Qadir
Jildni
(r.a.)
was already con-
sidered to be a great
man of spiritual rank, he was approached by a mani-
festation that identified itself as Gabriel, the angel of revelation. The
manifestation told
cAbdul
Qadir
that he could now dispense with ritual
prayer
because
of his holiness.
cAbdul-Qidir
recited a verse from the
Qur' an
which exposed the manifestation as a masquera ding shayldn
(satan).
This
demonstrates that the further one traVels on the spiritual path,
the more
certain one may be of insinuations from the devil.
Some of the imbalances
of this station are easy to control, some not. One
of the more difficult, and offensive, is arrogance. This is the raw, self-
referent kind of egotism that leads a
person
to say, "I
am better than others.
I pray
all day. I fast. I meditate, and look at all these
garbage people in the
world. They' re sinners!" This may be the truth in some form about certain
people,
but it is an injury to them, and it mars one' s own spiritual develop-
ment to express it. It must be appreciated that each person has evolved to a
30 I The Book ol Suli Haling
particular point by the decision of Almighty God. No matter how sunk into
the life of the world people
may be, they still have within them the spark of
divinity. They also can advance, and it is the duty of a truly spiritual person
not to condemn them, but to befriend them so that they might be led out of
their misery and onto the right path
of living.
Some physical problems
are associated with the station of the soul.
These include auto-intoxication
(from
excessive breathing practices),
various
kinds of nervous tremors, fatigue, corrupted appetite, and fever.
There are two forms of fever. The first, occurring in the stations of
egotism and the heart, is an intense
leat
developed by the body to refine
and
process
out superfluous
toxic matters. The second kind of fever, occur-
ring in the later stations, constitutes a deep spiritual cleansing, causing, as
the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
has said,
"the
sins to fall off like leaves
being shed from a tree." These fevers burn off impurities on the soul level.
Even some of the prophets
were subiect to frequent fevers. The holy people
who experience fever at this level are not being corrected for vile living
habits. As one Sufi said,
"In
the beginning you
repent for wrong actions and
sins; at the end, you repent for forgetting God even for a second." It is this
latter condition that is being treated in the station of the soul.
It can happen that persons
in the station of the soul skid off into lunatic
behavior, especially if they have no guide. They may fall into the most
destructive kinds of self-illusion.
One can never rest at any stage or assume
t hat one wi l l never f al l back.
When it comes to a spiritual physician
or Sufi treating a person for a
disease, it now becomes clear that the saint and the
person
dwelling in the
station of egotism would require drastically different modes of treatment-
even though they both may report fever as the main symptom.
The question
may arise whether a person may overlap from one station
into the next. This does not occur. A station is a resting place.
As such, once
one enters a station, one will remain
until death or until retreating or
advancing into another station. There are, however, innumerable immediate
conditions occurring in each station, and these conditions are called
!al.
Literally,
fril
means
"change."
It is linked by sound to
fall,
meaning an
untying or unloosing, a dissolving. In this sense, it means when we lose our
senses, such is the extreme fervor of the Sufis during their recitations of
dhikr, when it is not uncommon to see one of the members fall senseless to
the
ground,
having glimpsed
som ething o(
laqiqah
(truth)
or macrifa,
(ecstasy).
The fourth station is the maq1m as-sirr, the station of divine secrets. The
word sirr
(pl.
asrdr) refers to the greatest
mystery, which cannot be imagined,
and even when experienced, it cannot be believed. The word also has other
meanings: coition, the middle or best part
of anything, richest land, root,
origin, and tomb.
This is the station referred to bv Allah when He said, "There
are certain
The Stationt ol the Soul | 3l
of my servants who cease not seeking nearness to me by means of voluntary
worship, until I become the lips with which they speak, the eyes with which
they see, the ears by which they hear, the hand wherewith they hold, and
the foot by which they step." The fortunate ones in the station of divine
secrets can understand the mechanisms by which the whole universe is held
in place.
They have fully developed powers
of clairaudience and can read
the thoughts of others. Angels come to them with information from the
unseen realms.
One day someone asked the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.),
"What was
all of this universe created for? How does it exist?" The Prophet answered,
"I
don' t know the answer. I' ll have to
go ask the angel Gabriel." So he went
and asked Gabriel, who answered, "l dont know the answer to that, I' ll have
to
go
ask Allah." So Gabriel asked Allah, then returned and said,
' Allah
said,
' I
have created the skies and heavens simply as a beautiful sight and an
entertainment for you, and to create wonder and awe of My majesty and
power.
I want the blinking stars to uplift and delight you and cause you to
marvel at My creation."' When Allah was asked how He did all of this,
Gabriel reported that He said, "I did not create humans with the mental
capacity to comprehend the means and mechanisms by which I have done
this. Even if I told you, you would not understand. But at the instant of
death, when the veils are torn away, you will immediately see how it is
done, and you will be astonished at My ingenuity. I am the best of creators.
As complicated and complex as I have made the heavens, I have made the
human body infinitely more complex." The Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.),
who most certainly existed in the highest of stations, was able to receive
this kind of information. The average person
would never attain to this
exalted state and favor of the Almighty God.
,
The
persons
admitted to the station of divine secrets have passed the
most excruciating tests and are no longer seeking any egotistical aspect of
human life. They do not desire fame, wealth, or excitinS sensations. They
exist only for and by virtue of a very exclusive and intimate relationship
with the Creator and the celestial
population.
Nonetheless, they are still
human, and some
physical
and emotional events do occur on this
plane
as
well. It is not correct to call these events
"diseases,"
reallyl- they are rather
imbalances or sidetracks that can cause one to descend from this state or to
languish in this station and not continue further, to reach the
goal
of Allah.
The primary
imbalances of the station of divine secrets include false inter-
pretation
of divine
phenomena,
irrationality, lack of interest in earthly life,
incoherent babbling, heart
pain,
and heart burning.
At this
point,
it should be explained that a
person
in one station
generally
cannot leap several stations ahead or above. A
young
child may be able to
ride a bicycle well, but certainly could not
pilot
a supersonic
iet.
This is not
to demean the child or
glorify
the
pilot.
But a
person
who has attained a
3z I The Buk ol Sufi Huling
particular
station can function in and understand any of the lower stations-
iust
as the
pilot,
having ridden a bicycle as a child, could continue to do so as
an adul t .
The self-deception referred to in this station of divine secrets would be a
condition of this maqdm. B* a
ldl
would be the mode in which this self-
deception manifests itself. Not everyone in this or any other station would
experience all of the
lals
thal could occur in that station.
The physical events that occur in the maqdm as-sirr are fever, a sense of
difficulty in breathing, and sometimes a sense of suffocating. These particu-
lar afflictions occur because arrival at.this stage requires years
of breathing
practices. Imbalances can occur if these practices
are done incorrectly or
excessively. Moreover, it is not uncommon at this stage that one is bothered
by events of the nonmanifest realms. Interference from
jinns
is an example
(although
they can bother people
at any stage, even infants). Or one may be
carrying on certain kinds of relations with disembodied souls and become
affected by this interchange. In these cases, various kinds of spiritual
prac-
tices involving breathing would be employed as remedies.
For the Sufis, the main source of breathing practices is the Holy
Qur' an
itself. The various breath starts and stops are marked in the text of the
Qur' an
and employ degrees of difficulty up through eleven levels of recita-
tion. The vowels, in
particular,
are frequently elongated and held for more
than a normal single beat in reciting. Although only a few persons
as a
practical matter can recite at the advanced levels, it is possible
to find
cassette tapes of such
performances
by shaykhs reciting the Holy
Qur' an.
In
these phenomenally
stirring recordings, one can hear sustained recitations
lasting up to two minutes with one breath expulsion, and movement through
four and five octave ranges.
Beyond the station of divine secrets is the maqdm al-qurb. The definition
of
qurb is "nearness,"
but it also connotes drawing near, approach, neighbor-
hood, relationship, and kinship. One in this station indeed enjoys the view
of the neighborhood of the Most High-that is, the highest heaven, con-
taining the
carsh,
or Throne of the Almighty. One occupying the status of
this station has a vantage of this created world, but also glimpses into the
next world, the world of other created forms.
At this stage there are very few imbalances or difficulties, strictly in
terms of health and disease, but those that do exist can be very severe. One
of the conditions is excessive ecstasy. A person affected with this condition
is called majdhitb. Such people lose virtually all interest in or connection with
the world. They are in a state of
joy
at all times and do not care whether
they sleep, eat, or are clothed. They are divinely intoxicated and absorbed in
the Beloved.
I met such a man once living out in the
pastoral
countryside near
Paghman, Afghanistan. He was said by his followers to be about 125 years
Thc Stttions of thc Soul
I 3J
old. As I and my companions
entered the high-walled garden
of his com-
pound,
we saw a small man sitting hunched
over rows of potted geraniums.
From time to time, he would pick a few bright red blossoms
anJ eat them.
He shared these treats with squirrels and other small animals that scurried
around him without fear. Later, upstairs in his room, he behaved in a
manner that would alarm anyone uninformed about this station. He never
spoke clearly or directly, but one could catch snatches of his conversations
addressed to the inhabitants
of the angelic realms. Birds flew in and out of
the open windows. As we were leaving, he offered one of my companions a
"gift,"
which he held out like a treasure in his cupped palms.
The gift
turned
out to be a dirt-smeared,
half-eaten peach pit!
Such is the condition
of those
in the station of nearness,
who perceive
reality on an entirely other plane.
This state is interesting
and beautiful in its way, but it is not the goal.
In
fact,
most shaykhs
are of the opinion that it is an inferior and undisirable
condition.
Some people
in this station do not speak. Cases are recorded
of some
who went for
over twenty years
without speaking,
being so overwhelmed
that they had no desire or ability to communicate.
Other difficulties include
forgetfulness
and genuine
insanity. The person
forgets from one moment
to the next what he is saying
or doing. Some of the practices-involving
both breath and mental contemplation-are
so profound
and intense
that
the person
may lose his mind entirely. This is rare, however.
Remarkable
similarities may be observed between the conditions
occur-
ring in these latter stages of spiritual evolution
and the behavior of the
mentally ill. In the East, many people
on the street exhibit such bizarre
behavior that they would immediately
be locked up if they did the same
thing in the West. Yet a true diagnosis
of their condition-would require
a consideration
of the imbalances
of the soul.
'
A problem
not mentioned yet but common to all of the stations
(and
yet
more
of a danger in the station
of nearness than any other) is that of
attributing
divinity
to oneself, God protect
us from such a thing. And,
although
it is painful
to even think of it, a related imbalance-the
most
severe-is
disbelief in God.
The higher and further
one rises in the evolution
of the soul, the more
one is tested. People at this level have long since extinguished their carnal
desires and egotistic traits. But they frequently are very successful in
leading
others to the path
of truth and righteousness, and therefore are
constantly being bothered by all of the malevolent forces-shayalin
(devils),
jinns,
dayo paree
(ghosts),
and similar troublemakers.
I have heard people
say that they themselves listen to God, or that thev
have received guidance
directly from God. They ought to recall that the
only means Allah has ever used to relate to humans is the angel Gabriel
(with
the sole exception of Moses, once). There are many warnings about
tt
I
The Buk ol S'lfi Hwling
assumi ng onesel f to be adequate armor agai nst the del usi ons of the evi l ones,
both human and nonhuman. The
great
shaykh
Junayd
(r.a.)
sai d,
"He
who
takes hi msel f as a teacher has taken Satan as hi s
gui de."
One more stati on exi sts, and the Sufi s cal l i t maqdm al -arb.i l , or uni onwi th
Allah. Here God is your Beloved and you are the lover, and
you are wedded
together i n Di vi ne Uni ty for al l ti me. Thi s stati on, unl i ke al l of those whi ch
precede i t, cannot be attai ned by effort. Al mi ghty Al l ah makes the deci si on
and chooses whom He wi l l .
The tradi ti on rel ati ng the manner of sel ecti on for thi s stati on i s movi ng.
It i s quoted from the Hol y Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
on the authori ty
of Hazrat Ibn Masci d
(r.a.):
Among the creatures of Allah, there are three hundred people who bear a
special relationship with Allah and whose hearts are similar to that of the
prophet Adam, peace be upon him. And forty whose hearts are similar to
that of the prophet Moses, peace be upon him. Seven are those whose
hearts are similar to that of the prophet Abraham,
peace be upon him. Five
are those whose hearts are similar to that of the archangel Gabriel. Three
are those whose hearts are like that of the angel Michael. There is one
servant among the creatures of Allah the Almighty whose heart is like the
angel Isrifil. When one servant dies, Allah chooses one from among the
three to
'replace
him. When one among the three dies, one from among
the five is admitted to his place. When one among the five dies, one from
among the seven is admitted in his place. When any of the seven dies, one
from among the forty is admitted to his place. When any one of the forty dies,
one from among the three hundred i s admi tted to hi s pl ace. When one from
among the three hundred di es, one from among the
peopl e i n general i s
admi tted. So, because of them; Al l ah the Al mi ghty admi ni sters l i fe, death,
rai nfal l , creati on, and ri ds humani ty of mi sfortunes.
Al l of the three hundred
persons
woul d be characteri sti cal l y smi l i ng at al l
ti mes and woul d have no concerns whatsoever of the worl d. They do not
need to eat, dri nk, or sl eep. They have transcended human bounds and can
soar-l i teral l y-anywhere they l i ke, on earth and through the heavens.
Onl y a few i n human hi story have come to thi s status. l t i s i mpossi bl e to
descri be i n words. It i s the real goal
of exi stence and i nvol ves the
promi se
we each made to our Creator before we came i nto thi s l i fe.
These
people are termed nnl'i
(pl.
swlivfr'), meaning
"beloved
friends of
God." They are the real vi cegerents of God on earth. General l y, they are
not known to the worl d at l arge. The awl i yd' are i nformed about and have
access to the mechani sms to control and affect al l human events, and i t i s
they whom Al l ah uses to unfol d the di vi ne pl an on earth. The means they
use are wi th the knowl edge of Al l ah.
Onl y one who has attai ned admi ttance among the three hundred or the
l esser numbers i s properl y
termed a Sufi . Al l others are rather aspi rants to
Sufi sm.
The St,,tions of th. SotI I
35
By the ti me one attai ns the stati on of
proxi mi ty there are no physi cal
ai l ments l eft. The onl y
physi cal event remai ni ng i s the mode by whi ch one
wi l l di e. Usual l y,
peopl e at thi s stati on do not di e from di sease as such, but
rather they are i nformed by the Angel of Death of the preci se ti me for thei r
departure, and so can make
preparati ons for i t. My shaykh wrote me the
exact date of hi s death one month before i t occurred. He worked, ful l y al ert,
up unti l the morni ng of hi s passi ng. Then, at two P.M., he l ay down and
began reciting the profession of faith
(La
ilnha illa LLnh, Mulammndun rasilu
Ual ) unti l he expi red,
j ust
after sunset
(whi ch
happened on the bi rthday of
the Prophet, s.a.w.s.). MA sha' Al l ah.
For such
persons,
when they
pass out of human l i fe, i t i s a bl essed event,
even a cel ebrati on, for they have l ong si nce
gi ven up rel ati ng to the worl d
wi th thei r bodi es. Instead, they have soared hi gh i nto the spi ri tual real ms
wi th thei r soul s and are abl e to traverse not onl y thi s but the other uni verses
as wel l . No one can di sturb or contradi ct them. Even the most determi ned
cri mi nal s or vi ol ent armi es woul d be
powerl ess agai nst the Sufi . Such
persons are i mmune from the di ffi cul ti es of the worl d.
General l y, one i s not accepted i nto the ci rcl es of shaykhs unti l one has
attai ned the stati on of the soul or hi gher. Thi s acceptance by the aspi rant of
the duti es i mposed upon the shaykhs i s formal i zed i n a speci al ceremony of
initiation, called baytat
(pledge).
The founder of the Chishti Order in India,
Hazrat Khwi j a Muci nuddi n
(r.a.),
has offered an account of hi s own i ni ti a-
ti on at the hands of hi s shaykh,
cUthmi n
Hari ni
(r.a.).Thi s
ceremony
transpi red i n the year A.H.561, after Khwi i a Muci nuddi n had spent a ful l
twenty
years i n trai ni ng and servi ce wi th hi s shaykh. The
great
sai nt
described his bat'at thw:
I had the honor of appearing before my shaykh, Hazrat
cuthm;n,
in the
presence of many other spiritual luminaries. I bowed my head in solemn
reverence. Hazrat
cUthmin
asked me to offer two ratsnls of
1alit.
I did it. He
then directed me to face the Kacbah at Mecca. I did it. He then asked me to
recite the
Qur'anic
chapter Sirat al-Baqarah. I did it. He told me to rePeat
prai se and bl essi ngs for the Hol y Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
and hi s fami l y
(a.s.)
twenty-one times and to say Subldn AIIah sixty times. I did it.
After that, he stood up, took my hands in his own, and looked toward
the heavens, sayi ng,
"Let
me
present you to Al l ah." After that he cut off my
hair with a scissors and then
put a speciil cap
lkolah
thahar larkil on my head
and asked me to sit down. He then asked me to rePeat Srirat al-lkhl5g one
thousand times. I did it. He then said, "Among our followers there is only
one day and one night's probation
Inuinhqdahl,
hence go and do it today."
Accordingly I spent the whole of one day and one night in continuous
alAf
and reappeared before him.
He asked me to sit down and repeat Srirat al-lkhlig again one thousand
times. I did so. He then instructed me,
"Look
toward the heavens." When I
raised my eyes toward the heavens, he inquired,
"How far do you see?" I
36 I
The Book ol Suli Huling
said,
"Up
lo al-tqrsh al-mucaln"
[the
Zenith of the Divine Throne]. He then
said, "Look below." I did so. He inquired again,
"How far do you see?" 1 said,
"Down to the tqlllothlhsm"
lthe
Abyss of Hell].
He then asked me to si t down and repeat Surat al -Ikhl i g one thousand
times. I did it. He then told me,
"Look
toward the heavens." When I did so,
he inquired, "How far do
you
see now?" I said,
"Up io the
co4mqt"
(the
Dazzl ement of God' s Cl ory). He then tol d me,
"Cl ose your eyes." I di d so,
and after a moment, he tol d rne, "Open your eyes." I di d so. He then hel d up
the first two fingers of his right hand and inquired,
"What
do
you see
through them7" I sai d, "l see the ei ghteen thousand worl ds." When he heard
thi s he sai d, "Now your work i soveri ' He then l ooked toward a bri ck l yi ng
nearby and asked me to pick it up. When I did so, I found some
gold
coins
under it. He asked me to go and distribute them among the poor and the
needy, whi ch I di d. He then i nstructed me to remai n wi th hi m for some
ti me.
Thus wi th obedi ence and the
grace
of Al l ah does the soul progress from i ts
state at i ncepti on-of hel pl ess egoti sm-to the di vi ne uni ty, i f Al l ah wi l l s i t.
The means of passi ng from l ower to hi gher stati ons i s by opposi ng and
control l i ng the appeti tes of the nafs. And i n thi s endeavor, the Sufi s have
recei ved speci al practi ces thai are desi gned by Al l ah Hi msel f to produce the
most sure, rapi d, and profound resul ts.
Fai l ure often overwhel ms peopl e who desi re, or thi nk they desi re, to
take up and mai ntai n a spi ri tual ori entati on to l i fe. Thi s i s so because the ego
i s the greatest test there i s. We may wake up any morni ng wi th the fi rmest
resol ve that we wi l l concentrate onl y on the
purest, most bl essed, and
hi ghesi thoughts. Yet al l i t takes i s a phone cal l , tel l i ng us that we are
overdrawn at the bank, or that the chi l dren have broken a wi ndow, and
before we know what has happened, we have l ost our concentrati on. Onl y
l ater i n the afternoon do we recal l our resol uti on to remember God.
Therefore, one must constantl y restate and restart one' s i ntenti on al l
the ti me. At fi rst, i t may be di ffi cul t, and fai l ures may occur. But sooner
than one woul d i magi ne, the i ntenti on l eads to a habi t, the most posi ti ve
habi t possi bl e. After a ti me, you don' t forget.
Gradual l y the aspi rant l ets go of worl dl y ambi ti ons and concentrates
sol el y on the spi ri tual
goal s.
In Indi a at the headquarters of our Chi shti
Order, there i s the resti ng pl ace
of our murshi d, Hazrat Khwi i a Muci nuddi n
Chi shu
(r.a.).
Beneath the shri ne-the dorgah-are about one hundred smal l
cells
(hujrahs\,
which are assigned to shaykhs of the order for use during
vi si ts to Aj mer. These cel l s exi st for the performance of the chi l l a, a forty-
day-and-ni ght secl usi on, underground and i n darkness, wi th a mi ni mum of
food and water. Thi s practi ce
consti tutes a ki nd of rehearsal for bei ng i n the
grave. The Sufi s, real i zi ng the i nevi tabl e nature of death, take the oppor-
tuni ty whi l e sti l l l i vi ng to see what the
grave i s l i ke, and prepare for thi s
extended ti me of secl usi on. Whi l e i n thi s secl usi on for forty days and ni ghts,
one i s under the di recti on of one' s shaykh, who
prescri bes certai n reci tati ons
Th. Srqriont of rhe Soul I cz
and practices,
which serve to extinguish the fires of the nals and annul the
lower desires.
One cannot undergo this ritual alone or according to one' s
own thinking. The dangers are awesome. This is only one of the important
reasons one needs
a living master to
guide
one at all times.
If we read the testimony of all of the
greatest people
who lived-the
prophets
(a.s.)-we
find that they were the most fearful
of what awaited
them in the grave
and in the next life. These people
were the most humble,
most righteous and selfless people
who lived; and they all were constantly
aware of their shortcomings and worried about their ultimate fate before
their Lord. How much more ought ordinary
people
to express such concern.
The foregoing descriptions of the stations of the soul' s evolution are of
necessity greatly
simplified, and many decades are required under true
teachers and optimum circumstances to achieve meaningful results. There
are schools that teach a
person
how to fix an automobile engine, which
require two or three years
iust
to learn the basics. How much more time
and complexity are involved in learning how to fix the harsh workings of a
disordered soul.
There is a difference between a serious seeker who comes before a
shaykh to find the anchor for life and the
person
who is the guide. The
difference
between these two persons-seeker
and sought, disciple and
master, murid and shaykh-is that the shaykh
gives
and the student receives.
The student comes asking, seeking, demanding-still in need. The transition
occurs when one no longer remains crying for breast milk, for ihe teacher' s
aid and attention,
but instead becomes one who demands to give. And no
one can stop the giving.
It is like going through the midpoint of an hour-
glass.
One who has passed
through that small and difficult stricture may
not be a teacher yet,
but at least is looking out to the other side.
It' s like being a river rushing down the side of a mountain, trying to
reach the ocean. When the ocean is reached,
there is a great,
tranquil
merging, a new existence. What need is there then to be a little river,
noisily running over the rocks? There are no more barriers when one has
reached the ocean of divine mercy.
So those who arrive at the final destination-union
with Allah-are of
the chosen ones, the Sufis. Their status in the eyes of Allah is one of
great
favor, but below that of the prophets
(peace
be upon them all). They are not
prophets,
nor have they ever claimed suchi thing for themselves. However,
they stand as a testament and inspiration to the heights that human beings
may achieve, by sincerely following the advice and loving guidance
of the
Great, the Praised, the Glorious, the Holy, the Lord of Angels and the
Spirit, the Exalted,
the Glorified Allah the Almighty. Al-fudndu li-Iihi rsbb
l t l al aml n!
Now let us turn to the health aspects of the body, the mind, and the soul,
and take notice of the modes of treatment employed by the Sufis in treating
various imbalances
to restore people
to full health.
4
ealt
Food and H
The stomach is the home oJ disea*.
Diet is the main medicine.
Prophet Mulnmmad (s. a,w. s.
)
kl1il1 Muslim
The worldly life is one of the stages of the
lourney
to God, and the body is
the vehicle for this
iourney.
As such, it behooves the traveler to maintain
the body in optimum condition, so that the diversions of discomfort and
pain
do not distract one from concentration upon the
goal.
Digestion is the process of taking in nutrients through the mouth and
then refining those elements in the body. When it is said that the stomach is
the home of disease, this means that disease arises when this digestive
process
becomes unbalanced.
"Diet is the main medicine" is taken to mean
that we should first use foods themselves to rebalance and rebuild the
digestive process. The foods are used as vehicles for conveying certain heal-
ing formulas-both herbal and nonphysical-to
the body.
The possible
exception to this
general
rule occurs when the body and its
organs have been damaged so severely that there remains no regenerative
power
to rebuild an organ or bodily system. In such cases, surgery or other
radical modes might be the treatment of choice. However, if the principles
of health are followed throughout life, from earliest childhood onward, one
need have no more fear of falling ill than being struck by lightning. Indeed, I
have known quite
a few men and women
(mainly
residing in the East) who
have never had a day of illness in their lives. They had never had so much as
a headache and never visited a doctor or a hospital. Perhaps health is best
defined as that state in which one never need be aware of the body. In other
words, a healthy person
receives no signals of
pain,
disturbance, or discom-
fort-all of which signify some kind of imbalance in the body. Nonetheless,
if we recall the pathways
of the soul's evolution, originating in the station of
egotism, we know that these imbalances have developed in many people.
Let us review the process of digestion so as to determine how and why
imbalances occur.
40 | Thc Buk of 9rfi Huling
One characteristic of Sufi shaykhs that seems to predominate over all
others is that they are extremely hospitable and capable of offering some of
the most delicious and satisfying meals imaginable. Many stories about the
shaykhs revolve around some aspect of food, not only intake, but also
abstinence.
Once I was visiting near Balkh, Afghanistan, and wanted to
go
and sit
with a shaykh I had heard of, a descendant of Hazrat Mawlini Rimi
(r.a.).
' lhe
imam
(prayer
leader) of the main mosque at Balkh
gave
me directions to
the old shaykh' s khanaqah
(compound),
in the village of Esrak, about fifteen
kilometers from Balkh. After a most interesting
journey
to the village, I
found the shaykh standing in the doorway, as though he had been expecting
me. Once inside, I saw a
group
of old dervishes sitting huddled in a circle,
about to commence the noon meal. The shaykh invited me to
join
them,
and I sat down. In a few minutes a large wooden bowl was brought and
placed before the shaykh. There was one wooden spoon in the bowl. The
shaykh took a
portion
for himself, replaced the spoon, and handed the
serving bowl to the man seated on his right. After a half-dozen men had
their turns, the bowl came to me. I took a spoonful of a cucumber and
yogurt soup, which was unbelievably delicious, despite its simplicity. In all
my memories, I cannot recall any meal being better than that soup shared
with a handful of dervishes perched atop the world.
One of the
great
Chishti shaykhs, Hazrat Ni4Smuddin Awliyi'
(r.a.),
kept a half-dozen of his nrnrids with him for more than seven
years,
and all
the while
prevented
them from eating to their fill. Frequently they were on
the edge of starvation. One day a disheveled beggar arrived at the door and
broke an earthen bowl of flour before the eyes of the starving dervishes.
From that day forth, Hazrat NiTimuddin
provided
the most magnificent
feasts for the whole city of Delhi up till the end of his life.
Why are shaykhs so involved in
providing
food to their followers? First
of all, it is a
good
service to feed the hungry, if they are
genuinely in need.
But even more important, the shaykhs have a certain knowledge of the
effects of food on the body and the stages of the soul' s evolution, and so
they can frequently benefit the students and the sick by the choice of foods
served at meals.
The serving of food must be conceived of on the broadest
possible scale.
By this I mean that the person preparing and serving the food-be it
mother, father, servant, or shaykh-must take into account all of the
factors relevant to the season or time of year, the time of day, the climate,
altitude, distance from the sea, any prevalent diseases or viruses, unusual
migration of insects, and so forth. People who live close to nature are able to
observe all of these factors and many others as well.
The conception and intention brought to the preparation of a meal are
the most important things that bear on food. In the United States, it seems
that not only do
people
seldom consciously think about food in this way, but
Foo.l and Health I 4t
they real l y do not even take the ti me to si t down and eat properl y, preferri ng
to have a paper-wrapped
clod slapped into their hands as they drive by a
window.
In my fami l y, my wi fe, Iman, and I are constantl y conferri ng
wi th each
other about what foods ought to be i ncl uded i n the menu. Shel l i nform me
what smal l thi ngs are goi ng
on wi th our chi l dren' s heal th, or what parti cul ar
foods are comi ng onto the market by season. We make adj ustments accord-
i ng to the si tuati on. For exampl e, i t i s a very common noti on i n the East that
mi l k and fi sh shoul d never be consumed together. Bi ochemi cal research has
shown that mi l k and fi sh both have a hi gh concentrati on
of a parti cul ar
.ami no
aci d. When they are eaten together, the concentrati on i s so
great
that
i t may cause al l ergi c reacti ons.
Another i mportant
consi derati on i s that frui ts and vegetabl es at the
begi nni ng of the
growi ng
season have a heal i ng qual i ty,
whi l e those at the
end of the growi ng
season can produce
di sease. Thi s i s confi rmed wi th
appl es, for exampl e,
whi ch are very tart and astri ngent earl y i n the
growi ng
season. But after the freeze, the sugar content soars and can easi l y cause
excessi ve mucus bui l dup. Fl us, col ds, and the l i ke may resul t.
Attenti on must be gi ven
to the sel ecti on and buyi ng of foods. Where are
you goi ng
to buy your
food products?
Where do they come from? Are they
treated wi th chemi cal s? If so, what chemi cal s? Most foods shoul d be obtai ned
from the l ocal e i n whi ch you resi de. Al ways buy oni ons and potatoes grown
l ocal l y
(or
wi thi n one day' s
i ourney),
because they contai n the cure and
anti dote for al l of the l i ttl e vi ruses, bugs, and speci al bacteri al strai ns that
occur i n your
regi on. One shoul d not forgo oni ons from one' s own nei ghbor-
hood i n favor of those trucked i n from a thousand mi l es away. Of course, i f
you l i ve i n an area where potatoes
and oni ons are not grown
at al l , then you
general l y
shoul d not eat those parti cul ar
foods. Eski mos sel dom, i f ever, eat
bananas!
Peopl e who enter a supermarket are often pl eased
by the si ght of the
bonanza of foods, a vi rtual cornucopi a. Yet al most al l of the foods, i ncl udi ng
fresh frui ts and vegetabl es, have been severel y al tered wi th chemi cal addi -
ti ves and treatments. It may be marvel ous that you can obtai n Egypti an
mangoes, Bol i vi an pomegranates,
and Mexi can bananas ar your
corner
grocery,
but that does not necessari l y mean they wi l l sustai n you properl y.
Conventi onal advi ce about food sel etti on emphasi zes consumi ng the
mai n food groups
dai l y. Some peopl e refi ne the concept somewhat and
suggest choosi ng whol e grai ns,
fresh frui ts and vegetabl es i n season, and so
forth. Others offer anal ysi s of the vi tami n, mi neral , and nutri ent content of
the foods as the key to eati ng for heal th. The Sufi s vi ew the matter
somewhat di fferentl y.
Just
as they percei ve
the soul or essence of the body
as the most i mportant,
so, too, do they seek the essence of food as the most
i mportant
el ement.
Let us assume for the moment that we have sel ected the correct foods
+z I The Book of iufi Hwlbtg
and have the best i ntenti ons i n regard to feedi ng our fami l y and fri ends.
The next stage i s the actual cooki ng of the food. I have sai d many ti mes that
the most i mportant hospi tal i n the worl d i s your
own ki tchen, because i t i s
here that the essence of the food i s extracted, and heal th
gai ned
or l ost.
If the food i s bei ng prepared correctl y-taki ng suffi ci ent ti me for each
stage-the fi rst thi ng that occurs i n the ki tchen i s the most del i ghtful
expl osi ons of scents. When oni ons are heated i n ol i ve oi l , for exampl e, the
vol ati l e oi l s and essence are dri ven off i nto the ai r. When you add spi ces
such as ci nnamon,
gi nger,
cardamom, and si mi l ar aromati c spi ces, anyone
who comes i nto the house and
gets
a whi ff of these wonderful scents i s
i mmedi atel y upl i fted.
The matter of scents i s i mportant, and i ndeed many today are becomi ng
i nterested i n the essences of fl oral substances
(i ncl udi ng
what we general l y
cal l spi ces) and thei r effect on heal th. The body responds to al l of these
smel l s i n vari ous ways. As the nose percei ves certai n odors of cooki ng,
i nformati on i s del i vered to the i nternal organs that a meal i s bei ng readi ed.
The stomach, gal l bl adder,
l i ver, col on, thyroi d
gl and,
and other endocri ne
gl ands-al l respond i n thei r own ways. Moreover, the essences of oi l s,
dri ven off by the heati ng, can themsel ves al ter the temperament of i nternal
organs and thus affect heal th greatl y.
At the very l east, cooki ng fragrances
are responsi bl e for al teri ng the body to concl ude the
pri or meal ' s di gesti on.
When peopl e come i nto the di ni ng room onl y moments before eati ng, and
thus are depri ved of the i ntake of scents pri or to the meal
(or
even through-
out the day), some of the most i mportant i ni ti al stages of di gesti on are l ost.
In fact, the process of di gesti on actual l y begi ns at the ti me of the mental
concepti on of a meal .
These scented vapors not onl y affect the bodi l y functi ons, i ncl udi ng the
ski n, but al so have a benefi ci al i nfl uence on the eyes. Oni ons, whi ch make
you cry when you cut them, are the best exampl e of thi s. Many i nj uri ous
toxi ns are bui l t up as a normal resul t of the thi nki ng and emoti onal l i fe.
Parti cul arl y si nce many peopl e
thi nk that cryi ng i s somehow unmanl y or
weak, the tendency to release superfluous matters through the eyes by
cryi ng i s suppressed. Duri ng cooki ng, the vapors of oni ons as wel l as other
spi ces encourage el i mi nati on through the eyes. When oni ons are cut i n the
ki tchen, i t i s surel y not a mournful matter.
When I cook, I start at noon. To me, prepari ng meal s for others i s one of
the most enj oyabl e and wonderful thi ngs a human can do. Cooki ng i s
heal i ng i n i ts essence. I have one di sh made of basmati ri ce wi th chopped
pi stachi os, al monds, rai si ns, and ti ny carrots sl i vered i nto pi eces
the si ze and
shape of toothpicks. I need about three dozen large carrots to make this dish
for ei ght or ten peopl e. I al ways si t down wi th a sharp kni fe and spend an
hour or more at thi s task of sl i ci ng, unti l a huge pi l e
of carrot sl i vers i s
si tti ng before me.
One day someone hel pi ng i n the ki tchen saw me doi ng thi s and i nformed
Food and Heslth | +g
me, "l
have a great
idea. Here, put those carrots in the food processor,
and
the
iob
will be done in less than a minute!" I thanked my assistant for the
suggestion
and then explained that the reason I preferred
doing the
iob
by
hand was that with each slice I made a little prayer
that the food be a healing
influence for the person
who eats it. So the thought of desiring wellness for
people
also needs to be added to the foods that you prepare
for them.
We certainly can tell the difference between food eaten in a restaurant
and food prepared properly
in the home. Too often, the people
who work in
public
eating establishments have no concern whatsoever for the food they
serve
(food
which almost always is prepared
by machines). In fact, many
people
having
jobs
in restaurants are anSry and disgusted that they have to
work there in the first place.
The mental vibrations
of such people inevitably
work their way into the food.
Let us now assume that we have the best food, prepared
according to the
correct methods, and are ready to put it into our mouths. Even before we
put
the food into the mouth, we have to think for a second: Where does this
food come from,
and what is our
purpose
in consuming it? For the Sufi, the
eating of food is a time of fellowship, a celebration of life, and a rededication
of life to the highest ideals of human existence. Before eating, the Sufi says,
"Bisni
Llnhi ir-Rnfumdn,
ir-Raftlm: In the name of God, the most merciful, the
most compassionate.
O my Lord! I will eat this food only to be a better servant
of yours.
Use this food to uplift me and uplift all of your humanity. r4nrin."
The reason for eating is not simply to derive pleasure.
It is to maintain
the body, which is the vehicle for conveyance of the soul and the means by
which we improve
and
give
strength and gracefulness
to the soul. Only
after applying such an invocation to the food do we
put
it into our mouths,
t n
gnq
. auan.
The refinement,
or digestion, of food requires from one to eight hours,
depending upon the food. Science has delved into the biochemical structures
of foods and the body and derived some facts and theories that purport to
explain what goes
on during digestion.
The most important concept relating to human physical
health is centered
on the notions conveyed by two Persian words, sardi and garmi,
meaning
"hot"
and "cold."
Before explaining this concept fully, let me say that the
entire process
of digestion should be thought of as one of heating, or
cooking, the nutrient substances. The're is a Persian word,
pokhta,
which
means "cooking,"
but also refers to what the body does in breaking down
food into its composite nutrients. Poklta means that something is cooked and
ready to serve. For example, one knows that a curry is
pokhta
when the
ghee
or oil is floating lightly, shimmering and glittering,
on top of the sauce. Until
then, it is not ready to serve, is not fully cooked.
There is a moment of ripeness to everything. We can easily see when a
fruit is unripe, and we would not eat it until it is ripe. The gross
cooking of
food leads to a moment of ripeness, and the bodv itself
"cooks"
the food
e4 I The Book of Sufi Hwling
down until it is also ripened and ready to assimilate into the blood or tissues
or enter into other chemical interactions.
In other words, something is ripe when it is at the optimum moment of
growth
or refinement. In the
processing
of foods by the body, a series of
digestions occur, beginning with the action of enzymes in the mouth. This
action creates heat, slight though it may be. To this heat is added the heat of
friction, caused by the
grinding
of the food by the teeth. After the food is
swallowed into the stomach, another cooking occurs-the heat of hydro-
chloric acid. Each of these heatings changes the nature of the food. If one
lacks the
proper
levels of enzymes in the mouth, or fails to chew the food
sufficiently, or if there is a hydrochloric acid deficiency, then digestion will
be impaired from the start.
When the digestion in the stomach is finished, the food is a semifluid
mass called chyme. Exiting from the stomach, the chyme travels through
the small intestine, where further enzymes act upon it. Then it arrives at
the site of the liver.
Eastern and Western medicine have taken virtually irreconcilable views
of digestion from this point onward. Western science tries to identify each
components of the nutrient-vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, caloric values,
proteins, fats, and so forth. Eastern medicine feels such an effort is by and
large useless. This is so because each liver cell contains more than one
thousand enzymes. Or it should be said rather that Western
pathologists
have acknowledged that more than a thousand enzymes exist in each liver
cell, of which they know specifically how only about two dozen actually
work in the body! In fact, there may be billions of enzymes in each liver cell.
This is not known or unknown as yet. In any case, to base one' s theories on
somewhat less than three percent of the total
possibilities is to rely on mere
guesswork.
Eastern medicine takes a much more interesting view of the digestive
process-a view that can be understood by anyone, even
young children,
and that provides the basic framework for the selection of foods to maintain
or regain health quickly and easily. These concepts are consistent with all
systems of medicine in the world-Chinese, Ayurvedic, Hippocratic, Calenic,
Arabic, and Hebraic. In other words, all of the medical and health systems of
the world have agreed with these concepts for thousands of
years-except
Western biochemical medicine.
The key to healthful eating habits is in understanding two notions: the
four bodily essences, and the heating and cooling effects of foods. These
concepts are so important to human health that the next chapter is devoted
to them.
Akhldt:
The Four Essences
of the Body
The four essences of the
physical
body arise at the site of the liver and are
part of the
process
of digestion. Each of these essences, or akhlit,
(sing.
tltill),
is
produced as the food is broken down into ever-smaller components of
nutrients and by-products. The accompanying chart summarizes the origin
and fate of each of the four essences.
Let us now focus upon the four essences:
Blooil Es*nce: Hot and Moisr
Phlegm Es*tru: Cold and Moist
Bilious Esxnce: Hot and Dry
Atrnbilious Essmce: Cold and Dry
Each of these essences has a characteristic temperament of heat and mois-
ture associated with it. When this temperament is altered or disturbed,
imbalance occurs, frequently leading to one or more disease conditions.
(I
use the term "intemperament" for such imbalances.) Like the other essences
described in Sufi healing, the alrfrlnl do not exist as separate entities, but only
as a part of the entire process of digestion. When the body no longer
functions. the essences also cease to exist.
To illustrate how these essences function, let us consider in some detail
the phlegm essence.
th" phl"g- essence comes into' being as
part
of the third stage of
digestion, and is formed from the less choice nutrient parts
(the
choicer
parts having already been utilized in the formation of blood and its essence).
Phlegm is used in many ways in the body: as a lubricant, as a shield against
foreign matter, including bacteria, and as a coating of the internal viscera,
among other things. Phlegm by nature is somewhat sticky, but it frequently
can be observed to change its character-to salty, thin, rough, watery, and
so forth. Normal phlegm will always be the result of a cold and moist
essence. When the essence moves to either a hotter or colder degree, the
45 | The Book ofSuli Hcaling
phlegm itself is altered. Sometimes this alteration is necessary as
part
of the
healing process.
The
fak' ims,
physicians
of the physical
diseases, have worked out a
codified system that categorizes all diseases arising from disturbances of
this third stage of digestion by the nature of the
phlegm.
Likewise, all of the
other essences can alter and produce
imbalances, and specific symptoms are
associated with a
particular
imbalance
of each essence. It follows, then, that
the first course of treatment is lo restore the essence lo its natural balance.
Now, it is rather easy to arrive at a diagnosis, by first determining which
stage of digestion is affected and then looking for the signs of excess heat or
moisture
(or
its opposite). Although four factors are associated with each
essence-heat, cold, moisture, dryness-these can be reduced to two, heat
and cold
(garmi
and sardi in Persian), because moisture is a function of heat,
which drives off moisture.*
Of course, the diagnosis of a complicated imbalance belongs in the realm
of an expert physician.
However, there exists a complete system of dietetics
according to the foregoing principles
and essences. This system of food
selection is based upon the two factors of heat and cold.
When we say that a food is hot, we do not mean that it is actually hot to
the taste, nor do we refer to its caloric value. Rather, a hot food is one that
creates a net effect in the body which promotes
metabolism. A food that is
cold in its essence has a net effect of lowering metabolism. In other words, if
we had a thermometer
that measured temperature in billionths of degrees
rather than tenths, we could observe a slight increase in body temperature
whenever a hot food was consumed. And the reverse would be true of
eating a cold food: The temperature would drop slightly.
The single most important factor in this dietetic system is that foods
contain sufficient metabolic heat to allow digestion to be completed. As the
Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
has said,
"The
main cause of disease is eating
one meal on top of another." This means that the food first consumed is not
fully digested and assimilated before a new meal is taken. Of course if one
eats every twenty minutes, such a condition would occur. But what is
meant here is that the food is not fully digested owing to lack of metabolic
heat. This notion becomes clearer when we look at the metabolic values of
many common foods, given
in the accompanying chart
(page
48).
Although it is beyond the scope of this book to present the entire system
of medicine
(known
as
Jibb)
that has evolved from these marvelous
prin-
'The
prince of physicians,
Hakim
Abn
cAli
ibn Sint, known as Avicenna in the West,
wrote an eighteen-volume encyclopedia of medicine, in which can be found a complete
di scussi on of the essences and whi ch di seases resul t from whi ch i mbal ance of each. I have
published a book, translated from Persian sources including the works of Avicenna, which
introduces this system of physical
medicine for the lay public and natural practitioners:
Nalural Meditine
(London:
Wildwood House. 1980).
FLUI DS
I N SMALL I NTESTI NE
CHYME 8Y
WITH DICESTIVE
& I NCESTED FLUI DS
PARTS TO
I NTESTI NE:
ciples, it will be useful to
present
another arrangement of evaluating the
heating and cooling
properties
of foods and spices, so that one may begin to
make intelligent choices about the foods one consumes. It is hoped, ifl eftr'
AIlAh, that one will see a remarkable improvement in health.
To facilitate the use of foods and herts as medicines, all substances are
classified according to their degree of heat or cold. There are four degrees of
each, making a total of eight possible classifications for each food.
Thus a food or herb may be:
Akhllat: The Four Essences ol the Body I 47
MOUTH TAKES IN
FOOD & DRI NK
FIRST
DIGESTION
PARTS
UPON BY
Cold in the First Degree
Cold in the Second Degree
Cold in the Third Degree
Cold in the Fourth Degree
Hot in the First Degree
Hot in the Second Degree
Hot in the Third Degree
or
Hot in the Fourth Deeree
48
I
Thc Bor,k ol iufi Haling
METABOLIC VALUES OF FOODS
Heating
(Garmi)
Foods
Mcat aru| Eishz lamb, liver, chicken, eggs, goat
(male),
fish
(general)
Dairy Products:. sheept milk, cream cheese, cream, clarified butter
(ghee)
Vcgztablcs and Beens: beet, radish, onion, mustard
greens, red lentils, white
lentils, kidney beans, leek, eggplant, chigk peas, red pepper, green pepper/
carrot seed, squash
Fnrilsr banana, coconut, peaclL plum, orange, lemorL mulberries, red raisins,
green raisins, olive, ripe grapes, purnpkin, all dlied fruits
Sccils anil Nrls: sesame, almond, pistachio, apricot kernels, walnut, pine
nuts
Grcins: thin-grain rice, basmati rice
Oils: sesame oil, corn oil, castor oil, mustard oil
Bcwrags: black tea, coffee
HerEs: cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fenugreek,
ginger,
celery seed, anise
seed, rue, saffron, garam masala
(blend),
curry powder
(blend)
Ollran honey, rock candy, all sweet things, salt, all modern medicine
Cooling
(Sardi)
Foods
Mcet: rabbit,
goat
(female),
beef
Dairy Prodwtst cow's milk, mother's milk,
goat's milk, butter, buttermilk,
dried cheeses, margarine
Vrytebhs and Beanst lettuce, celery, sprouts
(general),
zucchini, spinach,
cabbage, okra, cauliflower, broccoli, white potato, sweet potato, carrot,
cucumber, soybeans, tomato, turnip,
peas,
beans
(general)
Frurts melons
(general), pear, fi& pomegranate
Sceds end Nrls: none
Grains: brown rice, thickrain rice
Oils: sunflower oil, coconut oil
Bwmges: green teas
Hcrls: coriander
(dry),
dill, henna
Olftar refined
sugar,
vinegar, bitter things, sour things
Akhlit: Thc Four Essenc.s of lhe Body
I
49
We learn from Avicenna that these degree have the following effects:
First Degree: Affects metabolism, but not in any way discerned by physi-
cal sensation. Slightest action.
Second Degree: Acts upon the body, causing metabolic change, but in
the end is overwhelmed by the body. All nutrients belong to this cate-
gory.
Among the actions caused by second-degree substances are opening
pores, initiating peristaltic
action, causing perspiration, and stimulating
digestion.
Third Degree: Not acted upon by the body, but acts upon the body. All
medicinal substances belong to this category. An example is senna pods,
which overwhelm the eliminative
powers and force rapid evacuation of
the lower bowel.
Fourth Degree: Causes cessation of metabolic function. Poisons are in
this category. Some herbs are used as medicines from this category, but
only in the most minute amounts and under the strict supervision of
a
physician.
By way of illustration, a second-degree hot substance would speed up
metabolism, whereas a second-degree cold substance would slow it down- In
the extreme fourth degree, a hot herb would cause an expangion of metab-
olism beyond the limits that support life, whereas a fourth-degree
cold
herb would slow down metabolism to the
point
of death.
An example of these
principles in action is the common case of
people
eating curry that is too hot for them. Usually, they reach for a tall
glass of
water. However, this does not
quench
the burning, because water, in this
system, is neutral. Instead, they should have on hand a small side dish of
cucumbers and yogurt-two foods that are quite high in their cooling
effect.
All elements of nature can be assigned a value according to this system
of heating and cooling effects. And the diet can be adiusted according to all
of the factors mentioned earlier: season, climate, altitude,
prevalent illnesses,
and so forth.
These dietary principles form thg basis of all traditional societies and
their eating habits. In the United States, those of Hispanic and African tribal
origin have the vestiges of this system in their diet because both
peoples
were at one time
part
of Islamic culture.
The Sufi shaykh understands this system and frequently makes recom-
mendations to correct a physical imbalance by introducing one or more
foods. Each part of the body has its own characteristic degree of heat or
cold-just as each of the four essences do-and so one can
generally
adjust
the diet to raise or lower the metabolic balance.
so I
Thc Bnk of Sufi Huliag
For instance, a man may come before the shaykh complaining of
painful
joints-a
condition called arthritis in Western terminology. The shaykh
knows that the proper temperament of the interior nerves and
loint
fibers is
somewhat cold and moist in a state of health. By observing the
physical
condition of the man, the shaykh will determine whether or not a cold or
hot excess has created the imbalance, and he can prescribe an herb or food
to correct the problem. This is similar to what a physician does, but the
shaykh is also taking into account the effect of the nafas, or activator of the
physiological actions.
When the breath is drawn in thrgugh the mouth and nostrils, it is
destined to
penetrate
to the furthest reaches of each organ. True, the
breath may undergo many changes before it reaches its
goal,
but it will
always carry an intention to travel to the furthest reaches of all extremities.
When a constriction occurs in the pathways of these breaths of life, disease
conditions develop quickly. We could assign a value to the type of imbalance
and
peer inside the tissues to see that a particular bacteria thrived in the
atmosphere of imbalance and grew to a larger than normal population. How-
ever, it is first of all necessary to unblock the constriction of the dispersal of
the nafas-the life force itself . This accounts for the vast malority of miracu-
lous cures of physical problems
accomplished by the Sufis. The methods by
which these blockages are unlocked will be taken up in a later chapter.
With all of the foregoing as a preface, we can now turn to study some
of the specific knowledge of foods, as related by the master and
guide
of all
Sufis, the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.).
6
Foods
of th
t
Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
And the eatth hath He appointed
Jor
His creadnes
Whercin are
Jruit
and shathed
plm trees,
Husked gruin and rrcated ffi.
Wbicb is it oJ thee
Javon
oJ yow lnrd
tlnt ye deny?
@n'an
55:10-13
The Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
was once reported to have said,
"There
are two kinds of knowledge: knowledge of religion and knowledge of the
body." The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
frequently commented upon the nature and
value of various foods and spices. These comments were noted by his wives
and companions
(r.a.)
and remain available to us today.
For the Sufi, the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
was the embodiment of one who lived
as perfectly
as possible, and as that includes his eating habits. his recommen-
datio{p on diet form the basis of the Sufis' daily sustenance. At the begin-
ning;frre Sufi aspirant assumes a behavior know n as
fand' fi
shaykfi-efface-
mentYn the shaykh. The period
of following this course of behavior may be
short or long. During this time, the murid adopts as closely as possible
the
behavior of the shaykh in all respects. That is, the murid dresses like the
shaykh
(or
as the shaykh requests), eatslhe fdods of the shaykh, takes up
the practices
advised by the shaykh. In short, the nnrid dissolves himself in
the image
of the shaykh. The objective is for the murid to discontinue his
prior
behavior and over time adapt himself to the character of the shaykh.
The point
of this training, on one level, is to harmonize outward action
with inward condition. This interaction is eoitomized in three words: imin.
isldm, and ifisrtn. Imdn means to have true belief and absolute faith in God.
When one
possesses
this requisite faith, it causes one to follow the com-
51
52 I The Book of 9nfi Huling
mandments of God, called sharitat. The one who consciously follows these
sharicat laws is said to be living Islam.
When the way of life called isla-nr is adhered to with finality, it causes the
development of the interior stations
of the soul, known as if;sdn, which
means "blessing."
On the Sufi path
one cannot attain any of these conditions
without the other; they are interdependent.
As Sufi Abu Anees Barkat Ali
once remarked: "Following
the behavior of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
is the
sunnah, which is the root of Islam.
Sufism is the fruit of the tree of Islam, or
the fragrance
of its fruit. If there is no root, how can there be any fruit?"
When this period
of
f
an6'
f
i shaykh is e nded, the murid enters the next
phase, called
fand' fi
murshid, adopting
the dress, foods, and general
and
specific behavior of the leader or murshitl of the particular
order to which the
murid belongs. Thus, the practices
are extended, food is lessened and fasting
increased, and the deeper meanings of the
Qur' an
are studied, revealed
through the agency of the shaykhs of the order.
The next evolution is into that known as
fana' fi
rasul, in which, in sfia-'
Allah, the murid is effaced in the image
of the rasul Allah, the Holy Prophet
Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.).
Ultimately, following
this stage, if successful, the
murld. attains the state known as
fana' fi
LlAh, or total annihilation in the
Almighty.
Because the Sufi path
is a gradual
and reasonable one, fully in accord
with human nature in every regard, the murid at the outset concentrates
upon adopting the correct manner of eating, sleeping, walking, sitting,
praying, and similar behaviors. At all times, the shaykh holds sway over the
murld, to offer helpful suggestions and
guidance,
and to correct kindly any
actions that the murld may do incorrectly.
In the earlier stages of Sufism, the struggle is mainly to subdue the gross
physical
appetites of the nafs, and therefore, the following statements
and
suggestions of the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.),
which also include some
of the knowledge associated with the physicians
of Islam, become vital for
every aspirant to learn, understand, and apply.
Before presenting
a selection of the Hadith specifically relating to health,
it is necessary to reflect for a moment on the nature of some of these
recommendations.
To some pbople,
the advice which follows may seem
quaint,
old-fashioned, or simply bizarre. Some may feel that a
particular
statement has not been or cannot be confirmed by scientific knowledge.
However, all of the statements and actions of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
are
woven upon the nucleus of divine inspiration, and so do not admit of any
error, inaccuracy, or amendment. A few illustrations will make this clear.
There is a Hadith that says that if a fly falls into a liquid while one is
preparing
to drink it, the person
should first dip the fly completely under
the surface of the water and submerge
the fly totally before removing it.
This advice seems very strange, if not dangerous.
Medically it is known that a fly carries some pathogens
on some parts
of
Fods of the Prophd
(s,o.w,s,l
I Sg
its body
(this
was mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad
[s.a.w.s.]
1,400
years
ago, when there was
practically no formal medical knowledge). But
Allah has said that He created no disease wiihout also creating its remedy,
except death
(meaning
the decline of old age). Therefore, in modern times
penicillin has been discovered, which is used to counteract harmful organ-
isms such as staphylococci. However, Dr. Muhammad M. el-Samahy, director
of the Department of Hadith at al-Azhar University at Cairo, Egypt, has
written an article revealing the astute medical genius
of this apparently
mysterious advice.
Dr. el-Samahy relates that microbiologists have discovered that there are
longitudinal cells living as parasites inside the stomach of the fly. These
yeast
cells, as part
of their own reproductive cycle, protrude
through the
respiratory tubules of the fly. When the fly is dipped completely into a
liquid, the resulting change in the osmotic pressure causes the cells to burst.
The contents of those cells is an antidote for pathogens which the fly carries
on its body. Thus, the latest research in microbiology confirms what has
been known from Prophetic knowledge for 1,400 years.
Another example concerns the advice to take a small amount of salt
before beginning a meal. This in particular seems to be contradicted by
modern medical wisdom, which stresses the harmful effects of excess salt
consumption. However, a knowledge of the metabolism of the body illus-
trates the wisdom of this suggestion as well.
Salt is composed of two chemicals: sodium and chloride. The chlorides
present in salt constitute the only readily available source of chlorides with
which the body can manufacture hydrochloric acid, vital for proper digestion
in the stomach. Thus, taking in a small amount of salt prior to the meal
allows any deficiency of hydrochloric acid to be made up
just
before intro-
ducing new food.
It should be added that the harmful effects of excess salt are
primarily
associated with raised levels of sodium, not chlorides. In fact, persons who
eliminate salt entirely from their diet may be subject to further disease
caused by lack of
proper
levels of hydrochloric acid.
-
These two examples prove that there is indeed intelligent medicalreason-
ing for following the recommendations of these Hadith. It is true that not all
of these Hadith have been submitted to scientific confirmation. It must be
pointed
out, however, that even if scientific experiments were done to
confirm each and every statement, the fact that science did not, or could
not, confirm its value would not negate the truth of the statement.
For scientific knowledge is constantly changing, and too often experi-
ments have been found to be done incorrectly, and even intentionally
falsified. For the Sufi, it is sufficient that God has mentioned, or inspired
His Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
to advise, a practice. Human knowledge or experience
can never contradict or amend the divine knowledge and commandments.
Once these words of advice are integrated into dietary habits, one will
sa l The Book ol Sufi Huling
discover that every action is perfectly in accord with human nature, and
immense health benefits will accrue to anyone applying them with sincerity.
Not only can various recipes be
gleaned
from the commentaries that
follow, but also individual foods and herbs are often
prescribed as medicines.
It is impossible to state with finality which food or herb would be
given
in a particular case, because the person must be
present before the healer or
physician, in order for him to make a correct diagnosis of the imbalance.
Nonetheless, the foods discussed in the following sections should be
pre-
ferred over others, and the suggestions for combining them adhered to.*
It must be remembered that it is
lot
simply the eating of one or more
foods that marks the Sufi' s behavior. There are many other aspects of
behavior that bear upon health-fasting,
prayer, giving of alms, and other
practices-and these other factors may have a
greater total impact on health
than any foods.
SAYINGS OF THE PROPHET
(s.a.w.s.)
Before
proceeding to the listing of foods, it is worthwhile to provide the
statements of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
relating to manners, hygiene, preven-
tion, and similar topics, bearing on health.
Said the Prophet of Allah
(s.a.w.s.):
Allah did not create any illness without also creating the remedy, except
death
lold
age]. Allah said that he who lives according to the
Qur' an
willhave
a long life.
The origin of every disease is cold. So eat when
you desire and refrain
when
you
desire.
The stomach is the home of disease and abstinence the head of everv
remedy. So make this
your custom.
In the sight of Allah, the best food is a food shared by many.
To eat the morning meal alone is to eat with satan; to eat with one other
person is to eat with a tyrant, to eat with two other
persons is to eatwith the
prophets
(peace
be upon them all).
'ln
my
judgment,
the cuisine of Afghanistan provides the best recipes for applying all of
these foods in proper proportion, and in that country, at least, the foods are eaten in light of
availability by season. Unfortunately, there are few easily obtainable books on Afghan
cooking. It is also a fact that the men and women of Afghanistan are probably among the
most vigorous and hearty and pious on earth.
Foods of thc Prcphd
(s.o.u.s.,
I ss
Allow your
food to cool before eating, for in hot food there is no blessing.
When you eat, take your shoes off, for then indeed your feet have more
rest. This is an excellent advice.
There is blessing in the middle of a dish. So commence from the side and
not from the middle..
There is blessing in three things: in the early morning meal, in bread and
ln soup.
Brush your teeth with a miswik
[a
wooden toothpick usually made from a
twig of the pelu tree] after a meal and rinse out your
mouth. For these two
practices
are a safeguard for the eyeteeth and the wisdom teeth.
Use miswltk, for this
practicecomes
from cleanliness, and cleanliness comes
from faith, and faith takes its practitioner to heaven.
The dish pleads
for mercy for the onewho takes up the last morsel
Ii.e.,
do
not be wastefull.
Eat together and then disperse, for a blessing resides in
groups.
Less food, less sin.
To horde in these things is unlawful: wheat, barley, raisins, millet, fats,
honey, cheese, walnuts, and olives.
Let no one drink while standing up, except one who is suffering from
sciatica.
Eat your meal at dawn, for there is blessing in a meal at dawn.
When I was taken up into Heaven, I did not pass
one angel who did not say
to me:
"O
Muhammad, tell
your people
to make use of scarification
Iallowing
out a small amount of blood from an incisionl. The best treatment that you
have is scarification, coriander, and costus
[an
East Indian herb].
Whoever is sick for seven days, thereby he expiates before Allah the sins
of seventy years.
There is no pain like pain
in the eye, and no worry like the worry of a debt.
When the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
came before a sick person, he used to say:
"Get
rid of evil delusions. Strength is with Allah the Almighty. Cure and be
cured. There is no healing but Yours."
*The
implication here is that one should exhibit a selfless reserve and allow another to
obtain the blessing, not hog it for oneself.
s6
I The Book olSuli Hcolirg
LIST
OF FOODS
Aniseed
(arisfin)-Among
its many properties,
the seed of anise soothes
internal pains,
increases
menstrual
flow, promotes
secretion
of milk and
semen, and dissolves intestinal gas.
It may be applied in tea form to the eyes
to strengthen
eyesight.
ln nature, snakes
coming out of winter hibernation
seek out the anise plant
and rub their eyes against it, because
their vision
becomes weak over winter.
Apple
(taffih)-Sour
apples u..
-o.l
cooling than sweet
ones. It is claimed
that apples strengthen
the heart.
Asparagus
(hiyawn)-Hot
and moist, asparagus
opens obstructions
of the
kidneys
and eases childbirth. It is said that asparagus
will kill dogs that eat it.
Banana
(mawz)-Hot
in the first degree, banana has little use as a food.
except for people
with a very cold intemperament,
who should eat it with
honey.
Batley (sh{ir)-Barley
ranks
below only wheat as a desirable
food. It is the
first recommendation for hot intemperament
diseases. Barley is soaked in
water, which is drunk for coughs
and sore throats.
The
prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
always gave
a soup made from barley
to anyone suffering
from the pain
oi
rever.
Basil,.
Sweet-
\rayfiAn)-smelling
basil strengthens
the heart. Sleep is pro_
moted by rubbing
the head
with basil and water.
Bread,
(khubz)-The
best bread is made of the finest
whole grain
flours and is
baked in a circular
stone oven. Bread
should be allowed
i' o cool somewhat
before being eaten,
or it will make one excessively
thirsty. Stale bread clogs
the bowels. Bread
containing
substantial
bran is d-igested quickly,
but is veiy
nourishing.
The softer
the bread, the easier the digestion
anj the greater
the nourishment.
Bread
crumbs produce
gas.
Breadi made from Uuj"y u.,a
pea
flours are slow to be digested
and must have salt added to them.
Said
the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.):
"Do
not
cut bread
with a knife,
but
give
it due honor
by breaking it with the hands, for Allah has honored it.,,
Butter
(zubfuh)-Butter
is mildly hot and moist.
Useful to alleviate
constiDa-
tion, butter is also mixed
with honey and dates to make a food
that removes
the food
cravings
of
pregnant
women.
Foods ol tlu Prophct
G,s,u,s,l I s7
Cauliflower
(qunnabil)-This
vegetable is hard to digest, and it is said to
harm the vision.
Chamomile
(bdbitnajl-Hot
in the first degree, chamomile is mild. Its main
use is to promote
urination and menstrual flow.
Canol
(jaztrl-Sexual
urges arise from eating carrot, which is hot in the
second degree. It also is used to increase menstrual flow and urination.
Coconut
@drJil
ilay'a'l)-The
best type is very white, which is hot and moist.
The natule of coconut is that it increases
sexual powers and relieves pain in
the back
Coffee Bean
(qahwahl-Coffee
is a corrective for dysentery,
relieves thirst,
and is said to produce
wisdom. It should be used sparingly
Coriander Seed
(habb
al-suda)-The most respected
books of traditions state
that the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
said, "Make yours
the seeds of coriander, for it is
a cure of all diseases except swelling
[cancer],
and that is a fatal disease.,,It is
also reported that Allah informed the Prophet,
"She
has been given
every-
thing." And then Allah revealed that "she"
is coriander. Coriander alleviates
flatulence and resolves fevers. It is effective in the treatment of leukoderma.
and it opens the subtlest networks of the veins. Excess moisture in the body
is dried
up by coriander, and it increases milk flow, urine, and menses. It is
particularly
useful when a person
has a cold. The oil of coriander is a
treatment for baldness and scalp problems,
and prevents gray
hair. The
smoke of the burning seeds is an insect repellent.
Chicken
(dajcj)-Light
on the stomach and easy to digest, chicken is the best
of fowl meats. It corrects and balances all the essences, is a food that is good
for the brain, and improves
the complexion. However, overconsumption of
chicken leads to gout. The best chicken is a hen that has never laid an egg.
Cinnamon
(darchinil-Cinnamon
is hot in the third degree. Its volatile oil is
a
great
medicine for indigestion. It forms an ingredient in spice blends used
as the basis of cooking in almost three.fourths
of the world.
Citron
(rfruj)-The
Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
is reported to have said,
"The
citron is
like a true believer: good
to taste and
good
to smell." Citron strengthens the
heart, dispels sadness, removes freckles, satisfies hunger, and slows the
flow of bile. The wife of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
used to treat blind persons
with citron dipped in honey. Citron is best taken about ten minutes after
the conclusion of meals.
sa I Thc Book ol Suli Hcalhq
Cucumber
(qrff)-Ripe
cucumbers dispel heat and are diuretic. Eating dates
with
green
cucumber is said to cause weight
gain.
Cumin
(kammitn)-Cumin
is very hot. It is reported to be the only spice or
herb that travels through the stomach unaffected by digestion, until it
reaches the liver. Cumin soaked in water, which is then drunk, is excellent
for colic.
Dates, Dried
(lazr!-The
Prophet
"(s.a.w.s.)
is reported to have said,
"A
house without dates has no food." Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
used to
plant date trees himself. Dates should be eaten with almonds to annul any
adverse effects. Fresh dates were the food eaten by Mary
(r.a.),
at the time
of her delivery of the infant
Jesus
(a.s.).
Said the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.),
"He who
finds a date, let him break his fast on that. If he finds no date, let him break
it on water. For verily that is purity."
Eggplant
(b:adhinj1n)-The
dark variety of eggplant causes
production of
bile. Small amounts of it help
piles.
Eggplant' s tendency to produce bile is
corrected by eating it with meat dishes.
EgEs
(bayy'rahl-The
best eggs are those of chickens, eaten soft, not hard-
boiled. Egg white relieves
pain
of sunburn, aids healing of burns, and
prevents scarring. Eggs are aphrodisiac.
Endive
(hindib|)-The
effects of endive change according to the season.
Endive at the earliest time is best, and at the end of the
growing
season,
virtually useless. The Hadith states: "Eat endives and do not belch, for
verily there is not one day that drops of the water of Paradise do not fall
upon them
[endives]."
Fenugreek
(hulbahl-lt
is reported the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
once said:
"If
my
people knew what there is in fenugreek, they would have bought and
paid
its weight in gold." Fenugreek is hot and dry. As a tea it aids menstrual flow
and is useful in colic and as a cleansing enema. Fenugreek strengthens the
heart.
Fig
(#z)-Fresh
figs are preferred to dried. Although quite nourishing, they
are very hot. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) is reported to have said,
"If
you say that
any fruit has come from Paradise, then you must mention the fig, for indeed
it is the fruit of Paradise. 5o eat of it, for it is a cure for piles
and helps gout."
Foods of the Propfut
(s.a.w.s,l
I 59
Fish
(sarae&)-Fresh-water
fish are best, and those which feed on
plant
life,
not mud and effluvia. Uncooked fish is hard to digest and produces
imbalance
of
phlegm.
Gatlic
(thawm)-Garlic
is hot in the third degree. It is used to dispel
gas,
promote
menses, and expel afterbirth. It is excellent to correct cold intem-
perament, for dissolving phlegm, and the oil is used to treat insect bites. The
eating of raw garlic
and then visiting the mosque has been forbidden by the
Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.).
Ghee
(clarified
butter)
(sann)-Ghee
is the most fatty of all condiments. It
is to be considered a medicinal additive to foods. Mixed with honey, ghee
is
said to be an antidote to
poisons.
Ginger
(zanjabi[r-Cinger
is mentioned in the Holy
Qur' an
(76:17).
It is hot
in the third degree, and is best for softening phlegm. It also aids digestion
and strengthens sexual activity.
Henna
(tinnn' )-One
Hadith reports that nothing is dearer to Allah than
henna. The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
recommended it for many conditions:
bruises, pain
in the legs, infection of nails, burns, and to beautify the hair.
Henna is noted for its great heat and its ability to excite the
passions
of love-
The perfume
made from henna flowers is considered to be one of the finest
in the world. The dyeing of hands, nails, and feet is a common practice in
the East, especially for weddings and feasts.
Honey
(ccsal)-Allah
has said:
"There
comes forth, from within
[the
bee], a
beverage of many colors in which there is a healing for you."
Mixed with
hot water, and taken in several small doses, honey is considered the best
remedy for diarrhea.
The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
once said,
"By
Him in whose hand is my soul, eat
honey. For there is no house in which honey is kept for which the angels
will not ask for mercy. If a
person
eats honey, a thousand remedies enter his
stomach and a million diseases will come out. If a man dies and honev is
found within him, fire will not touch his body
{i.e.,
he will be immune from
the burning of helfl." The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
himself used to drink a
glass
of
honey and water each morning on an empty stomach.
Honey is considered the food of foods, the drink of drinks, and the drug
of drugs. It is used for creating appetite, strengthening the stomach, and
eliminating phlegm;
as a meat
preservative,
hair conditioner, eye salve, and
mouthwash. The best honey is that produced in the spring; the second best
is that of summer, and the least quality is produced
in winter.
oo I
Thc Bcok of Suli Hwling
Lentils
(cadas)-All
lentils produce dryness. Small amounts should be eaten,
as a side dish, for in quantity they are
generally
bad for the stomach. Hadith
say that the eating of lentils produces a sympathetic heart, tears in the eyes,
and removes
pride.
Lettuce
(tftass)-Although
cold, lettuce is considered the best nourishment
of all vegetables. It softens a hard constitution and helps those who suffer
delirium. It contradicts the sexual energy and dries up semen. Excess con-
sumption of lettuce weakens the eyesight.
Marjoram, Sweet
(mananjfisft)-The
Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
is reported to have
said that sweet marioram is most excellent for anyone who has lost the
sense of smell.
Meat
(latnr)-Allah
has said in the
Qur'an
(52:zz):
"And
we will aid them
with fruit and meat, such as they desire." The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
reportedly
said that one who does not eat meat for forty consecutive days will waste
away, whereas to eat meat for forty consecutive days will harden the heart.
In other words, one should moderate the intake of meat.
The most desirable of all meats is mutton, which is hot and moist in
temperament. The best mutton is that of a male
yearling; the best cut is a
shoulder roast. Mutton should be cooked in some liquid, or it tends to dry
out.
Beef fat mixed with
pepper
and cinnamon acts as a tonic medicine. The
meat of
pigs
is forbidden to eat. The consumption of horse flesh as a food is
disputed. Avicenna said the flesh of camels, horses, and asses are the worst
of all meats. Also prohibited for human consumption are beasts of prey,
animals that possess canine teeth, and birds with hooked talons.
Said the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.):
"Do
not cut up meat with a knife upon the
dish, for that is the way of non-Muslims. But
grasp it in your fingers and so
it will taste better." And, he said:
"One
sheep is a blessing; two sheep are
two blessings; three sheep are wealth."
Melon
(baffiftfi)-Said
the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.): "Whenever
you eat fruit, eat
melon, because it is the fruit of Paradise and contains a thousand blessings
and a thousand mercies. The eating of it cures every disease." Generally, the
sweeter a melon, the greater its heat. Green varieties tend to be cold;
the yellow, hot. The Prophet took melons with fresh dates. Melon
purifies
the bladder and the stomach, and improves the spinal fluid and eyesight.
Melons should not be eaten first in a meal. Said the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.);
"None
of
your women who are pregnant and eat of watermelon will fail to
produce offspring who are
good
in countenance and
good in character."
Foods ol thc Ptophet
ls.a.w.s.l I 6l
Milk
(lalar)-Allah
has mentioned milk to us, saying,
"Rivers
of milk,the
taste whereof does not change"
(Qur' an
47:15). And again He said,
"Pire
milk, easy and agreeable to swallow for those who drink"
(Qur' an
16:66).
The Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
is said to have remarked that milk is
irreplaceable and that he himself loved milk.
Milk is composed of fat and water and milk solids
(cheese).
Together,
these components are well suited to the constitution of humans. However,
we should not take the milk of animals whose pregnancy
lasts longer than
that of humans. The milk of cows is best, for they feed off
grasses.
Said the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.): "Drink
milk, for it wipes away heat from the
heart as the finger wipes away sweat from the brow. Furthermore, it
strengthens the back, increases the brain, augments the intelligence, renews
vision, and drives away forgetfulness."
A milk diet is the best treatment there is for dropsy; however, anyone
with fever must avoid milk.
Mint
(ndnac)-The
most subtle and refined of
pot
herbs, mint is heating and
drying. Mint strengthens the stomach, cures hiccups, and encourages sexual
activity. Placed in milk, mint will
prevent
it from turning to cheese.
Myrtle
(ns)-Cold
in the second degree, myrtle is most used to stem diarrhea.
Smelling the oil will cure headache caused by overheating. Myrtle tea with
quince
added is used for coughs.
Narcissus
(naryis)-One
Hadith says,
"Smell
a narcissus, even if only once a
day or once a week or once a month or once a
year
or once a lifetime. For
verily in the heart of man there is the seed of insanity, leprosy, and
leukoderma. And the scent of narcissus drives them awav "
Olives and Olive Oil
(nyt
and zsytfinl-The older olive oil is, the hotter it
becomes. Olive oil is an excellent treatment for the skin and hair, and it
delays old age.
Allah has said of the olive tree:
"And
a tree that grows
out of Mount
Sinai which produces
oil and a condiment for those who eat. For olive oil is
the supreme seasoning." Allah has also' called it the Blessed Tree
(Qur' an
24:35).
Creen olives are the most nourishing, and counteract autointoxication.
Black olives cause the spleen to overproduce bile and are hard on the
stomach. Olive leaves can be chewed as treatment for inflammation of the
stomach, skin ulcerations, and eruptions of herpes and hives.
Onion
(bafal)-Quite
hot, the onion is a
good
corrective for all excess
wetness. Onion improves the flavor of foods and eliminates phlegm. Raw
62 | The Bcrk of Suli Huling
onions cause forgetfulness. An excess of cooked onions causes headache
and forgetfulness.
Parsley
(karnfsYA
Hadith states that eating
parsley
just
before sleep will
cause one to awaken with sweet breath and will eliminate or
prevent
toothache. Parsley stimulates sexual activity.
Peach
(kftr'lrfi)-Peaches
generate
cold, relax the stomach, and soften the
bowels. A good laxative, peaches
should be eaten before, rather than after, a
meal.
Pistachio
(fusfuql-lt
is said that to eat the heart of a
pistachio
nut with egg
yolk will make the heart grow strong. The reddish skin stems diarrhea and
vomiting.
Pomegranate
(rumtnin)-Sweet
pomegranates
are
preferred
over the sour.
The
juice
stems coughs. All kinds of
pomegranates
settle
palpitations
of the
heart. Hazrat
cAli
(r.a.)
said that the light of Allah is in the heart of whoever
eats pomegranates. It is also reported that one who eats three pomegranates
in the course of a year will be inoculated against ophthalmia for that year.
Said the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.):
Pomegranate
"cleanses you
of Satan and
from evil aspirations for forty days."
Quince
(safejal)-lt
is said that to eat quince
on an empty stomach is
good
for the soul. Cold and dry, quince is astringent to the stomach, and it checks
excessive menstrual flow. A few seeds placed in water will, after a few
minutes, form a mucilage which is an excellent remedy for cough and sore
throat, especially in the young.
Quince
is also excellent for pregnant
women,
gladdening
their hearts. The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
said:
"Eat quince,
for it
sweetens the heart. For Allah has sent no prophet as His messenger without
feeding him on the quince
of Paradise. For
quince
increases the strength up
to that of forty men."
Rhubarb
(rfrwanill-Rhubarb
is hot and dry, and best when picked fresh. It
opens blockages of the liver and resolves chronic fever.
Rice
(rruzz)-Next
to wheat, rice is the most nourishing of whole
grain
,,foods.
It is said eating rice increases pleasant dreams and the production
of
semen. Eating rice cooked in fat from sheep' s liver is better and more
effective than a maior
purging.
Foods of thc Proghel
(s.t.tD.s.,
I
6s
Satfrcn
(zncfarfrn)-Hot
and dry, saffron is excellent for the blood and
strengthening to the soul. It eases pains in the
joints,
but can cause grear
increase in the sex drive of young men.
Salt
(nilt)-Hot
and dry in the third degree, salt, when taken moderately, is
beautifying to the skin,
giving
it a soft glow.
Salt causes vomiting when
purging,
and stimulates the appetite. Excessive use causes the skin to itch.
The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
recommended beginning and ending each meal
with a pinch
of salt. He said: "From the one who begins a meal with salt,
Allah wards off three hundred and thirty kinds of diseases, the least of
which are lunacy, leprosy, bowel troubles, and toothache. The rest is pre-
scribed in the supreme knowledge of Allah."
Senna
(sanii)-The
best species of henna is that from the blessed city of
Medina, where it grows plentifully. The chief property
of senna is that it
strengthens the heart without harshness. Its nobility has caused it to be
referred to by the
fuakims
as the Glory of Drugs. Its uses are many-in
purgative
infusions, decoctions, pills, enemas, and powders.
Senna causes
the bile to flow, and reaches to the very depths of the
joints
to balance the
essences therein. The most effective use is as a tea, which can be made even
more efficacious by adding violet blossoms and crushed red raisins. The
Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
recommended senna most highly, making a statement
similar to the one about coriander: that it cures every disease except death
itself.
Spinach
(asfAndkhl-Spinach
is cold and moist, causing irritation to the chest
and throat. Still, it softens the bowels.
Sugar
(snktar)-Sugar
is cold and moist. It is most of ten used in combination
with other medicinal herbs, which carry the effects to the furthest point
of
an organ. Eating too much sugar creates disease of moisture.
Thyme
(gacfnr)-ln
the time of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.),
it was customary to
fumigate houses by burning frankincense and thyme. Thyme is cold and dry
in the third degree. An excellent digestiw aid to heavy foods, thyme beauti-
fies the complexion, annuls intestinal gas,
and benefits coldness of the
stomach and liver. When drunk as an infusion, it is said to kill taDeworms.
Vermicefli
(i?iWnh)-This
food is hot and excessively moist, thus hard to
digest. For those with very strong constitution, it
provides
excellent
nourishment.
64 I
Thc Book ol Suli Hcaling
Vinegar
(&/rall)-The
Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
was reported to have
once remarked that vinegar was the seasoning of all the
prophets who came
before him. Vinegar is both cold and hot, nearly balanced between the two.
Mixed with rose water, it is an excellent remedy for toothache and headache.
Vinegar dissolves
phlegm. Another Hadith states that a house containing
vinegar will never suffer from poverty.
Walnut
(raaz)-Walnut
is the hottest of nuts. Although hard to digest,
when eaten with raisins it is the best remedy for winter cough. Avicenna
said that walnuts cure the effects of
foisons.-
Water
(rnii' )-The
Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
reportedly said:
"The best drink in this
world and the next is water." Water is moist and, because of this, slightly
cooling. It extinguishes thirst and
preserves the innate moisture of the body.
It assists digestion of foods and absorption of nutrients. Said the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.):
"When you
have a thirst, drink
lwater]
by sips and do not
gulp
it
down. . . . Gulping water produces sickness of the liver."
Wheat
(hintahl-Wheat
is somewhat hot, and balanced between dryness and
moisture. The eating of raw wheat
produces intestinal worms and
gas.
Wheat flour should be
ground during the daytime.
So praise be upon this unlettered Prophet who
produced for us this
marvelous knowledge which makes us see and understand and dazzles the
wisest minds. Herein are
proofs
of God' s kindness and benevolence upon
His creatures, for He is the most kind and allJoving. May we serve Him
with true vision.
Al-lpmitu lr-Uhi Rebb il-Alsminl
So all
praise be to Allah,
Lord of the
t.r'Jorldsl
Amin!
Herbal
Forrnulas
for
Common Ailments
O manhind! Thete hath come to
lou
a direction
Jrom
your Lord
And a healing
Jor
the diseases in
your hearts-
And
Jor
those who believg
a Guidance, and a Mergr.
Qgr'an
IO:57
It.is the custom of the shaykhs to first of all resort to some form of dietary
advice to effect the cure of simple imbalances.
This dietary reform may
include
adiusting the use of various herbs and spices in cooking.
The herbal formulas given
in this chapter make use of the foods, herbs,
and spices presented
in the foregoing
chapters. They are usually easy to
obtain and require
very little effort to prepare.
These remedies aie formu-
lated according to the qualities
of heat and coldness
Qarmi
andsnrli) of each
substance and
work primarily
by rebalancing the temperament of one or
more of the four
essences of the body. Despite their simplicity, these herbal
formulas are quite
effective.
Preparation
of Remedies
1. Formulas
should be prepared
according to instructions.
2. When a formula
calls for pouderetherbs,
they should be ground
to a
fine powder
and sieved through a muslin cloth or a sieve of 100 mesh
(unless
formula
says a coarse powder
may be used).
3, When herbs are to be made into a decoction
(boiled
in water), as soon
as the water starts to boil, the vessel should be removed from the fire
and allowed to sit for five minutes; then the liquid should be strained
and drunk warm.
4. When a formula calls for a liquid to be red.uerl to half
,
the vessel should
be kept on a medium fire until about half the water has evaporated
by boiling.
DOSAGE
Adults
(above
age fifteen) should be
given
a full dose. Children may be
gi ven the fol l owi ng amounts accordi ng to age:
Up to one year
3-4 years
5-6 years
7-9 years
10-15 years
Consult
physician
1/6 of adul t dose
1/4 of adul t dose
1/3 of adul t dose
i /2 of
"drrl t
do""
3/4 of adul t dose
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
l tablespoon
1 cup
1 pi nt
l quart
l gal l on
l centi l i ter
l deci l i ter
l l i ter
l decal i ter
Less than
a teaspoon
l teaspoon
l tabl espoon
1 teacup
3 teaspoons
8 fl ui d ounces
2 cups
2 pi nts
4 quarts
0.34 fl ui d ounce
3.38 fl ui d ounces
1.06 quarts
2.64 gal l ons
a few grai ns
1 dram
4 drams
7 ounces
56 |
Thc Book ol Sufi Hwling
Sugar, if it is to be added to a formula, should be a fine powder of
pure, raw, unrefined sugar, such as that from Mexico. If unavailable,
use honey in its place.
In some cases, the instructions sdy to soak an herb overnight. If this
cannot be done, the herbs may be soakdd for three to four hours, and
then simmered five to six hours before using. This method would also
be used in winter.
When instructed to make a "water"
(e.g.,
ginger
water, lime water),
soak one to two ounces of the herb or other substance in one
pint
of
pure water for four to six hours. Strain before using.
L
6.
Herbal Fotmulas
for
Common Ailmcnls
I 67
8. Formulas that are to be preserved
and used for more than one day
may also be prepared in reduced or lesser quantities
than called for,
The ratios of each ingredient must be carefully adjusted in such cases.
9. When equal pnrts of herbs are to be used, each herb should be equal
by weight or volume. The quantity
to be taken should be decided in
light of the dose recommended and the number of davs for which the
formula is to be prepared at one time-
Storage
1. Decoctions are to be
prepared
fresh for single doses. Doses should
not be made in the morning for evening consumption,
or vice versa.
2. Do not expose remedies to direct sunlight, unless that is part
of the
method of prepara
tion.
3. Containers should be cleaned and dried completely in the sun before
formulas are stored in them. Never store herbal formulas in open
containers.
4. If a formula is to be kept for more than one day, store it in a well-
sealed glass
bottle.
5. Label all
formulas,
especially those that are for external use only. Keep
all herbal formulas out of the reach of children. Safetv caos are
advised for all bottles.
Administration
1 Remedies are usually taken twice daily, unless otherwise stated.
Morning dose should be taken after a light breakfast, and evening
dose between 4:OO and 6:00 P.M.
2. Remedies to be taken in the morning should be taken on an empty
stomach, immediately after rising and performing
toilet and cleansing.
3. Herb preparations
to be taken after meals should be consumed five
to fifteen minutes after eating a main meal.
4. Formulas to be taken at bedtime should be taken two hours after the
evening meal.
5, The
quantity
indicated to be
"taken
as such" is meant to be a single
oose.
6. Vehicles such as milk, water, soda water, and tea have been men-
tioned for some formulas. In s"uch cases, the vehicle usually is one
cup, unless stated otherwise.
7. Where no vehicles are mentioned, the remedy should be taken with
water
(in
winter, with lukewarm water).
Caution: Some of the formulas use rose petals.
Almost all commercially
grown
roses are treated with toxic chemicals.
Use only organically
grown
roses in these formulas. If in doubt, use another formula
68 I Thc Blr,k ol 5uf Hcaling
THE FORMULARY
ANEMIA
Paleness of whole body, eyes, and fingernail beds. Swelling of face and feet,
especially in the morning. General weakness,
giddiness, loss of appetite, and
sometimes diarrhea.
Instructions: Light diet, with fresh fruits and foods such as chicken soup,
liver extract, beets, carrots, spinach, and fenugreek, is advised. Avoid fatty
foods.
FORMULA 1
6 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
6 teaspoons red rose petals
Preparation: Boil in 1 112 cups water and strain.
Dosage: Twice daily.
FORMI.JLA 2
4 teaspoons
ground Indian cinnamon
I teaspoons honey
I cups pomegranate
iuice
Preparation: Dissolve cinnamon and honey in
pomegranate
juice.
Dosage: 2 teaspoons in 1i2 cup of water, as needed.
FORMI,JLA 3
1 teaspoon purslane
1 teaspoon sweet basil
1 teaspoon gum arabic
9 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup rose water
Preparation: Fry first three ingredients in olive oil for ten minutes.
Remove and soak in rose water for one hour.
Dosage: 1 teaspoon several times per day.
ANGINA PECTORIS
Pain in the chest muscles in the area of the heart, due to cold
(snrli)
imbalance.
Instructions: Avoid exposure to cold air.
Herbal Fotmulas
for
Cornmon Ailfients
|
69
FORMULA
1.
1 teaspoon fenugreek
2 teaspoons honey
Preparation: Boil fenugreek in 7 ll2 cups of water, strain, and
add honey.
Dosage: Twice daily.
TORMULA
2
1 teaspoon rose oil
4 teaspoons sweet almond oil
Preparation: Thoroughly mix two oils together.
Dosage: Rub on chest, morning and evening.
ARTHRITIS
There i s pai n
and/or sti ffness, wi thout swel l i ng, i n one or more
j oi nts.
Someti mes fever.
Instructi ons: Avoi d sour and spi cy
(garrni )
foods. Take wal ks i n the morni ng,
but avoi d exposure to very col d ai r.
External Treatment: Rub wi th oi l of amber and franki ncense.
FORMULA 1
1 teaspoon powdered val eri an root
1 t easpoon chamomi l e
1/2 teaspoon hops
1 teaspoon hay saffron
Preparati on: Mi x fi rst three i ngredi ents i n 3 cups water and bri ng
to boi l . Remove from heat at fi rst si gn of boi l i ng. Add saffron and
steep for twenty mi nutes. Strai n.
Dosage: 1/2 to 1 cup before bedti me.
FORMULA 2
6 teaspoons gi nger
6 teaspoons caraway seeds
3 teaspoons bl ack pepper
Preparati on: Combi ne i nto a fi ne powder and preserve.
Dosage: 1/2 teaspoon wi th water, twi ce dai l y.
70 I Ttu Book ol 9ufi Huling
ASTHMA
Asthma occurs in spasmodic attacks of difficult breathing. When experi-
encing the asthma attack, the
person
should sit forward with the head
resting on the hands
and elbows on the knees. The face turns
pale,
and
there is a wheezing sound in the breath. After extended coughing, the
person
usually emits a small amount of phlegm.
Instructions: Avoid exposure to cold air. Avoid cold
(sanfi)
and sour foods.
External Treatment: Rub chest with oil of sweet almond.
FORMULA 1
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Preparation: Pour 1 1/2 cups hot water over the ginger.
Dosage One teaspoon, lukewarm, at bedtime.
FORMULA 2
1i 2 teaspoon skunk cabbage
1/2 teaspoon horehound
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon bayberry barL
1/2 teaspoon powdered
valerian root
3 ounces molasses
Preparation: Grind all herbs fine and mix with molasses.
Dosage: 1 teaspoon in cup of hot tea, as needed.
BEDWETTING
FORMULA 1
1 teaspoon pomegranate
flowers
1 teaspoon ground
sesame seeds
1 teaspoon gum
acacia
1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
Dark brown sugar
Qur),
as needed
Preparation: Fry coriander seeds in a cast-iron skillet until they
are lightly burned. Mix in other ingredients, except brown sutar,
and make a fine powder.
Add brown sugar to equal the amount of
powdered
herbs.
Dosage: 1 teaspoon at bedtime.
Herbsl Formulas
for
Cornmon Ail cnts
I
7l
FORMULA 2
3 teaspoons ground
dried water chestnut
3 teaspoons raw sugar
Preparation: Make a fine powder
of dried water chestnut and
mix with sugar.
Dosage: 1 teaspoon, twice daily.
FORMULA 3
1 teaspoon cumi n
1 teaspoon
ground
cloves
1 teaspoon masti c herb
3 ounces honey
Prepqration: Crind and mix the first three ingredients, add honey,
and mi x wel l .
Dosage: 1 teaspoon, morning and evening.
BRONCHITIS IN CHITDREN
Breathing is rapid, and there is a hollow sound beneath the ribs while
breathing. Cough,
pain,
and high fever are often present. Face becomes red
and nostrils dilate while breathing. Child becomes restless.
Instructions: Avoid exposure to cold air. Take liquid diet.
FORMULA 1
2 teaspoons cut licorice root
2 teaspoons linseed
12 teaspoons honey
Preparation: Boil the first two herbs in 7 Ll2 cups water for ten
minutes. Strain and sweeten with honey.
Dosage Two to three times per day.
FORMULA 2
1/8 teaspoon aloe
Preparation: Dissolve in mothert milk or cow's milk.
Dosage:
(1)
Administer to child as such.
(2)
Dissolve aloe in
lukewarm water and apply on the chest.
72 I Thc Book ol Stli Hallng
FORMIJLA 3
1 teaspoon oil of
garlic
3 teaspoons honey
Preparation: Mix ingredients together.
Dosage: Allow child to lick up a small amount with tongue, three
times per
day.
BURNS AND SCALDS
FORMI.'LA 1
Pomegranate flowers, as needed.
Preparation and Administration: Grind with water to make a
paste and appl y on affected part.
FORMI,JLA 2
4 teaspoons lime water
4 teaspoons coconut oil
Preparation and Administration: Combine and rub until mixture
turns white; then apply on affected parts.
FORMI.JLA 3
I egg white
Preparation
and Administration: Apply to affected parts.
Espe-
cially effective if blister has appeared.
COLIC
Acute pain in abdomen and constipation, Abdomen is distended. Flatulence
and
gurgling
sound are present.
External Treatment: Massage body with rose oil or sweet almond oil.
Recommended Foods: Green
pea
soup, chicken soup.
FORMULA 1
2 teaspoons wild basil
Preparation and Administration: Grind with water to make a
paste,
and apply to abdomen.
Hefiel Formuhs
lor
Commot Ailments
I
73
FORMULA 2
1 drop oil of peppermint
0r
1 teaspoon
peppermint
leaves
Preparation: Mix
peppermint
oil in 6-8 ounces water; or boil leaves
in 1 cup water for three minutes.
Dosage Drink
glassful
twice daily.
FORMI,]LA 3
6 ounces rose water, honey water, or fennel water
Dosage: Drink once
per day.
COMMON COLD
Attacks of sneezing, watery discharge from nose, headache, cough, malaise,
sometimes mild fever.
FORMULA 1
1 teaspoon violet flowers
Preparation: Boil for three minutes in 1 cup of water and strain.
Dosage: Twice daily on empty stomach.
FORMULA 2
1 teaspoon wheat husk
5 black peppercorns
1/6 teaspoon salt
Preparation: Boil ingredients in 1 cup water for three minutes,
and strain.
Dosage: Twice daily.
FORMULA 3
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon bark, broken into bits
freparation:
Boil in 1 1/2 cups water for ten minutes, strain, and
sweeten with honey.
Dosage: Twice daily.
74 I
The Bmk of 1rfi Hcaling
CONSTIPATION
Instructions: Consume leafy
green
vegetables, fruit
iuice.
and plenty
of
water. Avoid sugar, candies, and all sweets. Avoid straining the bowels.
Establish habit of
going
to toilet at regular tirnes.
FORMULA 1
5 teaspoons minced dried dates
5 teaspoons almond, mashed into a
pulp
10 teaspoons honey
Preparation: Grind the first two ingredients separately, combine,
and add honey.
Dosage: 3 teaspoons twice daily.
Note: Thrs formula also useful for hemorrhoids and chronic constipation.
FORMI.ILA 2
1 teaspoon senna leaves
1 teaspoon
ground ginger
(dried
or fresh)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon rock salt
Preparation: Make a fine powder
of all ingredients.
Dosage: I teaspoon with water at bedtime.
COUGH
FORMULA 1
1 cup
ginger
water
2 teaspoons honey
Preparation: Mix ingredients together.
Dosage: Two or three times
per
day.
FORMULA 2
2 teaspoons poppy
seed
3 teaspoons cut licorice root
Preparation: Boil in 1 cup water for ten minutes and strain.
Dosage: Twice daily.
Hrbtl Formuhs
for
C.ommon Ailmcnts | 75
OTHER
Use Formula 2 under' Asthma heading.
Dosage: 1 teaspoon, three or four times daily.
DIABETES
Frequent and excessive urination, excessive thirst, weak appetite, and gen-
eral debility are common signs. Sugar is present
in the blood and urine. The
presence
and amount of sugar in the urine should be determined by a test
administered by a
physician.
Instructions: Avoid sweets and sweet fruits. Avoid such carbohydrates as
white potato,
sweet potato,
and rice. Mild exercise is advised.
FORMI,JLA 1
I teaspoons crushed cumin seeds
Preparation: Make a fine powder.
Dosage: 1/2 teaspoon, with water, twice daily.
DIARRHEA
Instructions: Eat a light diet. Avoid chili
peppers
and spicy foods.
FORMULA 1
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon powdered
cumin
1 teaspoon powdered
cinnamon
Preparation:
Combine all three powders,
add honey, and mix into
a thick
paste.
Dosage 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, three times daily.
FORMULA 2
3 teaspoons powdered ginger
5 teaspoons fennel seed
honey, as needed
Preparation: Grind
ginger
and fennel into a powder.
Add honey
to make thick
paste.
Dosage: 1 teaspoon in tea, three times daily and before bedtime.
76
|
Thc Book of 1tfi Haliag
FORMULA 3
6 ounces Madlool dates
3 teaspoons myrrh
rose water, as needed
Preparation: Make a fine powder
of first two ingredients,
then
mix with rose water to moisten.
Make fingernail-sized pills.
Dosage: Two pills,
twice daily.
DYSENTERY
Frequent
bowel movements,
sometimes mixed with mucus and blood, grip-
ping pain, and pain in abdomen.
Instructions: A diet of yogurt
and rice is advised.
FORMI.JLA 1
10 pomegranate
flowers
Preparation:
Grind flowers with 1/2 teacup water. Strain.
Dosage: Twice daily.
FORMI,JLA
2
2 teaspoons green
leaves
of rose bush
Preparation:
Grind with 1/2 teacup of water. Strain.
Dosage: Twice daily.
FORMULA
1
3 teaspoons lavender flowers
3 teaspoons
coriander seeds
5 black peppercorns
Preparation:
Grind all ingredients into fine powder.
Dosage: Take one-half of dose with water, early in the morning,
then rest in bed for thirty minutes.
HEADACHE
Headache is of different types, sometimes felt in different parts,
or all over
the head. Nausea and vomiting may also be present.
Hcrbal Formuhs
for
C.ommon Ailmcnts
| 77
FORMULA 2
1 teaspoon Spanish saffron
1 teaspoon gum
myrrh
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preparation: Make a fine powder of all ingredients, add a little
water, and mix well into a
paste.
Adrninistration: Put the paste onto a
piece
of clean cotton cloth,
and apply to one or both temples.
FORMULA 3
6 teaspoons
jasmine
water
%
teaspoon sea salt
Preparation: Dissolve the salt in the
lasmine
water and preserve
in a clean
glass
dropper bottle.
Dosage: Two drops in each nostril, twice a day or as needed.
FORMULA 4
(for
migraine)
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Preparation: Grind with 3 tablespoons water and strain.
Dosage: One or two drops in nostrils.
HEMORRHOIDS
Constipation,
passing
of hard stool with blood, burning and irritation in
anus, and discomfort in sitting. Presence of pile mass in anus. Blood may
ooze out after bowel movement.
Instructions: Exercise lightly. Light diet with
green
vegetables is advised.
Avoid hot spices.
External Treatment: Rub anus with rose water or other flower water to
soothe.
FORMULA 1
1 teaspoon henna leaves
Preparation: Crind henna leaves into powder
with 1 cup water.
Strain and let sit for twenty minutes.
Dosage: Drink 1/2 cup twice daily.
78
I
Thc Book ol Suli Huling
FORMULA 2
1i 8 teaspoon cori ander l eaves
1i 8 teaspoon red cl ay earth
Preparation: Grind to make a
paste and apply to anus.
FORMULA 3
3 teaspoons marshmallow
3 teaspoons dill
Preparation: Put herbs inside a clean sterile cloth; wet with warm
water.
Application: Apply to anal area for half-hour at a time.
INDIGESTION
Feel i ng of heavi ness i n stomach after eati ng. Lack of appeti te, nausea,
fl atul ence, and vomi ti ng. Thi s condi ti on i s usual l y due to faul ty, i rregul ar
di et, especi al l y eati ng before the previ ous meal i s ful l y di gested.
FORMI,JLA 1
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
Preparation: Make a fine powder
of the seeds.
Dosage: 1/6 teaspoon with water twice daily after meals.
FORMULA 2
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon dried
ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
Preparation: Grind fennel,
ginger,
and cloves into a fine powder.
Add honey to make a thick paste.
Preserve in a
glass
lar.
Dosage: 1 teaspoon fifteen minutes after each meal and at bed-
time.
FORMI.JLA 3
1 teaspoon rock salt
1/2 cup
ginger
water
1/2 cup lime water
Hefiel Formulos
lor
Common Ailmmts
I 79
Preparation: Mix, preserve in
glass
bottle, and expose to sun for
three or four days.
Dosage: Mix 1 teaspoon with 1/2 cup of water. Take twice daily,
after meals.
FORMULA
4
1-3 drops peppermint
oil
Preparation: Mix 1-3 drops of
peppermint
oil with 8 ounces water.
Dosage: Drink as needed.
INFLAMMATION
OF GUMS AND TOOTHACHE
Swollen, reddened, painfuI gums.
Person may become restless and agitated
because of toothache.
FORMULA 1
1 cup ginger
water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preparation: Mix salt with
ginger
water.
Administration: Apply by dipping finger in water and rubbing
on
8ums.
FORMULA 2
Oil of clove, as needed
Administration: Apply to gums
or aching tooth.
FORMULA 3
3 teaspoons vinegar
6 teaspoons rose water
Preparation: Mix vinegar and rose water in glass.
Administration: Gargle with solution three times per day.
IAUNDICE
The color of urine and eyes is yellow. Skin is pale. Stools may be white or
grayish.
Generally nausea, vomiting, fever, and weakness.
ao I Thc Book ol Sufi Haling
FORMULA 1
1 teaspoon henna leaves
Preparation: Crush leaves, boil in 1 1/2 cups water, strain.
Dosage: Take as such in the morning.
FORMULA 2
1 teaspoon roasted chickory root
Preparation: Soak in l cup water overnight; strain in morning.
Dosage: Drink whole cup in morning.
TORMT.JLA 3
1 teaspoon chickory seeds
1 teaspoon cut licorice root
1 teaspoon rock salt
Preparation: Make a fine powder of all ingredients.
Dosage: 1/2 teaspoon with water twice daily.
LOSS OF HAIR
FORMULA
2 cups roots of fig tree
1 quart
coconut oil or olive oil
Preparation:
Dry out fig roots in shade for three days. Then crush
roots and immerse in oil for fifteen days. Strain and preserve
in
glass
bottle.
Administration:
Massage on scalp at bedtime. Leave on overnight.
OBESITY
FORMULA 1
(to
curb excessive appetite)
1 teaspoon valerian root
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Preparation: Grind the two herbs into fine powder.
Dosage: 1/6 teaspoon, thirty minutes before meals, with water.
Hcrbtl Form as
for
Ctmmon Ailmmh
| 8l
FORMULA 2
1 teaspoon lime
juice
Dosage: Take with 1 cup water in the morning on an empty
stomach.
PAINFUL MENSTRUATION
This condition is preceded
by severe pain in the thighs, pubic region, and
groi n.
Someti mes heavy nausea and vomi ti ng occur. Usual l y bl ood fl ow i s
very scanty.
FORMI,JLA 1
1 teaspoon gum myrrh
1 teaspoon
iuniper
berries
Preparation: Boil in 1 cup of water. Strain.
Dosage: Take in morning for seven to ten days after menstrual
period
has ended.
FORMULA 2
1 3/4 teaspoons
powdered rhubarb
Preparation: Dehydrate and make into a fine powder.
Dosage: 1i 8 teaspoon of rhubarb powder with water twice daily,
for one to two weeks following end of
period.
FORMULA 3
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon wild rue
1 teaspoon wormwood
1 teaspoon rose hips
1 teaspoon chopped figs
4 teaspoons honey
Preparation: Boil all ingredients in 1 cup water for five minutes.
Strain and preserve.
Dosage: Consume in tablespoon doses twice a day for three days.
Stop for three days. Then repeat dose.
82 |
Thc Book of Sufi Huling
SKIN ULCERS AND BOILS
FORMULA 1
Linseed as needed
Preparation: Grind with water to make a
paste.
Administration: Apply to boil
(which,
after it is drawn out,
should be lanced).
SLEEPLESSNESS
FORMULA 1
1/2 teaspoon
poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon lettuce seeds
Preparation: Boil in l cup water, strain, and sweeten with honey.
Dosage: Twice daily.
FORMULA 2
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon stick
Preparation: Boil in 1 cup water for five minutes, strain, and
sweeten with honey.
Dosage: Twice daily.
FORMULA 3
3 drops rose oil
3 drops violet oil
1 ounce sweet almond oil
Preparation: Thoroughly mix the three oils and
preserve.
Administration: Apply to scalp, ears and soles of feet before
retiring. A small amount can be applied to the anus as well.
VAGINAL ITCHING
Itching and burning in vagina; burning sensation while urinatinS. Rest-
lessness.
Instructions: Avoid close, tight-fitting underwear, especially made of nylon
or other synthetic fabrics. Acute cleanliness of the vaginal area is required.
Bathe immediately after urinating and after sexual intercourse'
Hrbal Fornths
fot
Comnon Ailncah I 83
FORMT,JLA 1
3 teagpoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons lily-of-the-valley root
1/2 teaspoon
pomegranate
flowers
1/2 teaspoon rosehips
Preparation: Pound and
grind
into powder.
Sift.
Dosage: 1 to 2 teaspoons daily with buttermilk or a
glass
of
iuiced
green graPes.
FORMULA 2
1/3 teaspoon camphor herb
6 teaspoons rose water
Preparation: Grind camphor in rose water.
Administration: Soak a tampon in solution and apply to vagina
for thirty minutes. Repeat as necessary.
Fasting:
The
Best
Medicinle
Every act oJ the son oJ Adom is
Jor
him
except
Jasting,
It is done
Jor
My sake, and I will give
as mucA reward
Jor
it as I lihe.
Allah, the Mojestic and the Exabed
Fasting is the oldest known form of natural healing.
The methods
employed
range from discontinuance
of a single food for a short period
of tim",-up
through total abstinence
from all foods and liquids
for extended periods.
'
For many people
who have never fasted, the idea seems stringe,
and
some evn
consider it quite
dangerous.
These conceptions
are not utterly
unfounded,
because incorrectly
applied fasting
can result in severe disorders
of the body,
and even death.
.
The
Sufis probably
have more experiince
.than
any other group
of
\uma.ns
in_ performing
fasts. The accounts are legion
of'Sufi shaykhs
and
disciples
who endured
fasts of varying durations, frequently
with miraculous
results. As has been noted, the
Sufi does not take upany physical procedure
relating to health for any reason
except to earn tle pi""rr."
oithe Most
High
God. Allah has informed
us in the Holy
eur,an:,,O
ye
who believe!
Prescribed
unto you is fasting even as it was prescribed
unio those before
you,
that perhaps
you
may become God-conscious,,
(2:1g3).
65
a5 I
Thc Book ol Suli Healing
All of the creation, except man, follows the dictates of God derived frog-
natural lawsJAnimals do not have to be restrained from overeating and
' t
ldietary
abuses. But for humans, the love of material life and the temptations
I
iof the
physical desires are responsible for the vast maiority of illnesses.
I
j
Therefore, Allah the Most Kind has provided guidance
to control and annul
I
ithese
appetites by the mechanism of the fast.
)
-
The
Qur' an
states that a human cannot attain salvation unless the low
desires are restrained: "And as for him who fears to stand before his Lord
and restrains himself from low desires, the
paradise is surely the abode"
(79:40-4D.
The exercise of abstaining from things that are ordinarily lawful and
permitted in life, solely for the sake of Allah, strengthens morality and self-
control and deepens awareness of Allah. This is what distinguishes fasting
in Islam and Sufism from ordinary fasting for health.
The primary fast to be taken up is that
generally
called Ramadan in
Islam. Ramadan is one of the months of the Islamic calendar
(see
Appendix I
for Islamic months)-the month during which the
Qur' an,
as well as the
Torah, the Psalms of David, and the New Testament, all were first sent
down from Allah.
The excellence of fasting is known from these two statements of the
Prophet
(s.a.w.s.).
By the one in whose hand is my life, the fragrance of the mouth of a fasting
man is dearer to Allah than the fragrance of musk.
Paradise has a gate named Rayyin. None except a fasting person will enter
Paradise by that gate.
Allah has promised a vision of Him as reward for fasting.
.-
The word rama(an does not actually mean "fast."fthe technical term for
\
lfasting is
qiyirn,
whose root word means
"to
be at rest." By abstaining from
I
lfood,
drink, and sexual intercourse, these functions of the body are
granted
I
frest,
and an opportunity to become revivified.
_)
The
general
fast during the month of Ramadan is enloined upon the
whole humanity; those who actually do it are Muslims. Many
persons
who
have close contact with Muslims also engage in this form of fast and derive
some of the benefits from it. But there are several regulations which must
be followed for any fast to be valid.
First, one must clearly state the intention to fast. Since Allah has said
that we will be
ludged
according to our intentions, one cannot
get
the
benefits of
good
actions which occur entirely by accident. For exampleJiF)
Fie
was deprived of food by being lost in the wilderness, this would not
I
constitute a formal fast, because one would have eaten if the opportunity
I
tCJ-.re
present. This formal declaration to
perform
an action is termed riyyat.
J
It is preferably stated in Arabic, but is
iust
as valid in any language. One may
Fesring: Tb Brrt Mdkin I t7
simply state:
"l intend to offer fast this day, for the sake of Allah and only
for the sake of Allah."
Having entered into this formal
pledge
with Allah, having made this
promise, if one intentionally breaks the fast during the avowed
period, one
is liable to compensate for the fast by making up one or more days-
Generally, to
perform a fast day the following conditions must all be
met:
L The niyyat, or intention to fast, must be made, aloud or silently.
2. The period of the fast must extend from the time
iust
before sunrise
_(foir)
until
iust
after sunset
(maghrib)."
f-During
the
period
of the fast, iotal abstinence from the following is:
J
required: food, drink
(including
water), smoking or consumption of
I
tobacco, sexual intercourse, and any form of negativity, backbiting,
l__
fighting, cursing, arguing, and similar behaviors.
T SJ*"r,-.r,"y ,,oI bu-d"li6"."tely emitted, nor may one deliberateb'
vomit.
5. Pregnant or lactating women, the seriously ill, the aged, and the
insane are exempted from fasting, but in some cases may be liable to
make up missed days. A woman does not fast on days when she is
menstruating, but must make up the missed days. When her period
ends, she must resume fasting. Children under the age of twelve
generally
are excluded from the fast, but may fast part of the day or
-for
some of the days.
wi th a date or a
gl ass of water,
]
i
. The fast is broken after sunset
I followed bv a modest meal.
There are several dozens of special cases which apply to the fasting man or
woman, and the advice of a
practicing Muslim shaykh should be sought to
resolve any
question.
T\: special nature of fasting is that it engenders forbearance and sacri--
fice.lFasting occurs in the mind
primarily, and so it is hidden from all human
leyes,
visible only to the Eye of God: it is a secret action.
*
During the time from midnight to the beginning of the fast, it was the
practice of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
to eat a meal, called safiir. This may consist
of any lawful foods. The fast is usually broken by eating one or a few dates,
followed by some water, which must be done
prior to offering the sunset
(maghrib)
prayer. Even though cleaning the teeth is
Permitted,
it is more
meritorious
if one does not do so after midday.
In addition to these iniunctions, one should be engaged as much as
possible in reading and reciting the Holy
Qur'an,
and should distribute as
much charity as one is capable of.
*See
Chapter e, "$alit," for cornputing sunrise and sunset correctly.
86 I The Book of Sufi Huling
All of the creation, except man, follows the dictates of God derived fro4g-
natural lawsJAnimals do not have to be restrained from overeating and \
ldietary
abuses. But for humans, the love of material life and the temptations
I
fof
the physical desires are responsible for the vast maiority of illnesses.
J
{Therefore,
Allah the Most Kind has provided guidance
to control and annul
I
ithese
appetites by the mechanism of the fast.
)
--
The
Qur' an
states that a human cannot attain salvation unless the low
desires are restrained: "And as for him who fears to stand before his Lord
and restrains himself from low desires, the
paradise
is surely the abode"
(zg:+o-+t\.
The exercise of abstaining from things that are ordinarily lawful and
permitted in life, solely for the sake of Allah, strengthens morality and self-
control and deepens awareness of Allah. This is what distinguishes fasting
in Islam and Sufism from ordinary fasting for health.
The primary
fast to be taken up is that
generally
called Ramadan in
Islam. Ramadan is one of the months of the Islamic calendar
(see
Appendix I
for Islamic months)-the month during which the
Qur'an,
as well as the
Torah, the Psalms of David, and the New Testament, all were first sent
down from Allah.
The excellence of fasting is known from these two statements of the
Prophet
(s.a.w.s.).
By the one in whose hand is my life, the fragrance of the mouth of a fasting
man is dearer to Allah than the fragrance of musk.
Paradise has a gate
named Rayyin. None except a fasting person
will enter
Paradise by that
gate.
Allah has promised
a vision of Him as reward for fasting.
,-
The word ramalan does not actually mean "fast."fhe technical term for
\
lfasting is
1iyEm,
whose root word means "to be at rest." By abstaining from
I
lfood,
drink, and sexual intercourse, these functions of the body are
granted
I
[est,
and an opportunity to become revivified.
_)
The
general
fast during the month of Ramadan is enjoined upon the
whole humanity; those who actually do it are Muslims. Many
persons
who
have close contact with Muslims also engage in this form of fast and derive
some of the benefits from it. But there are several regulations which must
be followed for any fast to be valid.
First, one must clearly state the intention to fast. Since Allah has said
that we will be
iudged
according to our intentions, one cannot
get
the
benefits of
good
actions which occur entirely by accident. For exampleffi
Fie
was deprived of food by being lost in the wilderness, this would not
I
iconstitute
a formal fast, because one would have eaten if the opportunity
I
i.1g.9re
present.
This formal declaration to perform an action is teried, niyyfi)
It is preferably
stated in Arabic, but is
just
as valid in any language. One may
Festing Thc Best lvledicine I 87
si mpl y state: "I i ntend to offer fast thi s day, for the sake of Al l ah and onl y
for the sake of Al l ah."
Havi ng entered i nto thi s formal pl edge
wi th Al l ah, havi ng made thi s
promi se, i f one i ntenti onal l y breaks the fast duri ng the avowed peri od, one
i s l i abl e to compensate for the fast by maki ng up one or more days.
Generally, to
perform
a fast day the following conditions must all be
met:
l . The ni yyat, or i ntenti on to fast, must be made, al oud or si l entl y.
2. The
peri od
of the fast must extend from the ti me
i ust
before sunri se
_Aaj r)
unti l
l ust
after sunset
(maghri b).'
\3.
Duri ng the
peri od
of the fast, total absti nence from the fol l owi ng i s
I
I
requi red: food, dri nk
(i ncl udi ng
water), smoki ng or consumpti on of
!
tobacco, sexual i ntercourse, and any form of negati vi ty, backbi ti ng,
'
l _
fi ghti ng, cursi ng, argui ng, and si mi l ar behavi ors.
ts SJ*"n--"y ,roi b"-duli"b".utely emitted, nor may one deliberately'
vomi t.
5, Pregnant or l actati ng women, the seri ousl y i l l , the aged, and the
i nsane are exempted from fasti ng, but i n some cases may be l i abl e to
make up mi ssed days. A woman does not fast on days when she i s
menstruati ng, but must make up the mi ssed days. When her peri od
ends, she must resume fasti ng. Chi l dren under the age of twel ve
generally
are excluded from the fast, but may fast part of the day or
-for
some of the days.
15,
The fast is broken after sunset with a date or a
i followed bv a modest meal.
glass
of water, )
There are several dozens of special cases which apply to the fasting man or
woman, and the advice of a practicing Muslim shaykh should be sought to
resolve any question.
The special nature of fasting is that it engenders forbearance and sacri-
fice.JFasting occurs in the mind primarily, and so it is hidden from all human
leyes,
visible only to the Eye of God: it is a secret action.
-.
During the time from midnight to the beginning of the fast, it was the
practice of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
to eat a meal, called salyr. This may consist
of any lawful foods. The fast is usually broken by eating one or a few dates,
followed by some water, which mustte done prior to offering the sunset
(naghrib)
prayer. Even though cleaning the teeth is permitted, it is more
meritorious if one does not do so after midday.
In addition to these iniunctions, one should be engaged as much as
possible in reading and reciting the Holy
Qur'an,
and should distribute as
much charity as one is capable of.
'See Chapter 9,
"|alat,"
for computing sunrise and sunset correctly.
e8 I Thc Book ol Suli Huling
Such are the minimum regulations for fasting. It is the fast of the
general people,
and entered into for the purpose of restraining oneself from
eating and drinking and sexual passions. A higher form of the fast consists
of
(in
addition to the above) refraining from wrong actions of hands, feet,
sight, and other limbs or organs of the body.
The saints perform
the very
greatest
kind of fast, a fast of the rirind. In
other words, these people do not think of anything except Allah. They
consider their existence in this world only as a seed for growth into the next
world. This fast also includes restraining the eyes from any evil sight, and
shunning useless talk, falsity, slander^ obscenity, and hypocrisy. In short,
the fasters keep silent, and when they do speak, it is only to remember God.
This fast is so strict that one cannot even listen to forbidden speech coming
from others. One must leave the
presence
of the person who violates these
prohi bi t i ons.
--
Moreover, the Sufis, when they do break the fast, eat only the minimum '
amount required to stem hunger. The correct meal following this fast is
I
the one being eaten by the poorest people in one's community.
_-j
In addition to the obligatory fast of the sacred month, the Sufis engage
in various optional fasts, which are called nafil fasts. Some of these occur
every year, some every month, and some every week. The accompanying
list summarizes the entire spectrum of fasts engaged in by the Sufis.
Although the main intention and desired effects of fasting occur in the
realm of the soul and its evolution, it nonetheless remains a fact that most
people
achieve
physical
results of the fast as well.
As discussed earlier, disease frequently is attributed to incomplete diges-
tion of the nutrients at one or more stages of digestion. During a fast, the
ordinary work performed in the digestion of foods is reduced, thereby
allowing the body to eliminate superfluous matters and to repair damage
done by long-term dietary abuses.
When this occurs, the body responds in special ways. The first action the
body takes, when given
the opportunity, is to
generate
the strange heat of
fever. This special kind of heat causes a very rapid processing
("cooking"
down) of the excess matters, regardless of what they may be. The substances
are thus refined into a form which can be eliminated by the body. The
elimination occurs in one
(and
sometimes more) of five ways, which are
called the five forms of healing crisis: nosebleed, vomiting, diarrhea,
per-
spiration, and urination.
By saying that this elimination occurs in a healing crisis, I mean that the
body is
putting
out the excess, frequently harmful and toxic by-products of
abnormal, incomplete digestion. A healing crisis by urination is not the same
thing as normal urination. The volume and frequency may be as high as five
or more times an hour for several hours. A healing crisis by diarrhea could
consist of fifteen or more motions in several hours.
Fat ing: TIE B6t Mdiliw l
g,
FAST DAYS OF THE SUFIS
Rama{an: The thi rty-day fast obl i gatory upon al l Musl i ms.
Other Annual Fasts: The days of
cArafet
(during
the month of Dhul-Hiiiah);
the days of
cArshurah;
the first ten days of Dhul-Hiijah; the first ten days of
the month of Moharram; and as much of the month of Shacbin as possible.
(Note:
It is not permitted io fast the three days prior to the beginning of
Ramadan, nor the feast days of
ci d
al -Fi tr and
cl d
al -Adhe).
Monthly Fasts: The best days to keep fast during any month are the first
day, the middle day, and the last day of every month. In addition, there is
fasting on the ayyim bayid-the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days
of the moon's cycle.
Weekly Fasts: While fasting any week, one should endeavor to fast Thursday,
Friday, and Monday, which are the days of excellence.
Dai l y Fasts: The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
forbade fasti ng every day. The best way
to maintain maximum fasting is to fast every other day. The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
sai d, "The treasures of the worl d were presented to me. I rej ected
them and sai d: I shal l remai n hungry for one day and take food on the next.
When I take food I shall praise Thee, and when I remain hungry I shall seek
humi l i ty from Thee." And then he sai d: "There i s no better fast than thi s."
Oddly enough, these healing crises are precisely the events that Western
medicine labels as illness and disease. Consequently, the efforts to arbitrarily
block or end these normal eliminative functions cut short the most ef fective
inherent health-building mechanisms the body possesses!
The forms of healing crisis are mentioned because during fasting-
especially for one who has never taken it up before-one or more of these
are likely to transpire after the third or fourth days
(sometimes
even within
a few hours). A pounding headache,
perhaps a slightly elevated temperature
or fever, sweating, and similar signs show that the body is moving into a
corrective mode. When the diarrhea or vomiting begins, one who is un-
acquainted with the benefits and effects of fasting may conclude that he has
contracted the flu or a respiratory
problem, having become "weakened" by
fasting!
Many people are unwilling to endure any discomfort or unpleasantness
whatsoever, and thus resort to various chemical drugs, which will unfor-
tunately
put an immediate end to any healing actions of the body. This may
suffice to
get
a person back to work, or prop him or her up to attend an
important function; but over years and years of suppressing these elimina-
90 I Thc Bor,k ol Sufi Healiag
tions, the toxic matters back up within the system, until organ damage
occurs and there is no hope for a cure, except by the most drastic means.
Even then it is difficult and
gruesome.
Effort and discipline are required to make it through these recommended
fasts. I suggest
persons
with no experience begin with
iust
one day, or
part
of a day, and
gradually
extend it to the desired level of performance.
Muslims have a special advantage, for they are strengthened and helped by
Allah to complete a full thirty days each year. One of the
great
Sufis was
said to have fasted on alternate days during the last forty years of his life.
And, at that, when he did eat, if he
discovered
he was deriving any pleasure
from the food, he would immediately spit it out half-chewed. He lived to be
ninety-six
years
old.
Allah the Almighty has promised uncountable rewards for those who
fast. One such reward for the fortunate ones occurs during the last ten days
of Ramaddn. This is known as Laylat al-Qadr
(Night
of Power). For one
who has performed
the fast
perfectly
and according to the strictest criteria,
Allah sends an angel to personally meet this
person, and any wish what-
soever the
person
may make is
granted.
Yfr llayya! Ya
Qdyyln!
Fasting is
prescribed
by the Most High God as a
great
blessing upon His
humanity. As the Maker of human bodies, He knows the best techniques
and practices for maintaining its health. And not only is fasting the best and
safest means of protecting the physical health, but it also carries immense
spiritual rewards.
One other aspect of physical life bears significantly upon human health.
It is the cornerstone of all Sufi activities, the
galil,
which serves as the ladder
by which one may approach God.
$aldt:
The Postures
of the Prophets
The Great and Glorious Gd
does not insist upn the
prJormance of any other devotion
as much as He does on the
perfonnance oJt
Faht.
Hazmt Khw6|t Ghafib Nawtu (r.a.)
Snrat al-Fatihah, the Opening of the Holy
Qur' an,
is in one sense the most
condensed and concentrated prayer one can utter. It is said that the whole
of the
Qur' an
is encapsulated in this opening sitrah.
"fwo
of its verses are a
special imploring by the servant to God Almighty for His
guidance:
Ihdin;q-9irat al-mustaqim
$iri!
alladhina ancamta
calayhim.
Show us the straight path,
The path of those whom You love and have favored.
Not onl y as the Most Ki nd God
provi ded humans wi th the best possi bl e
i nvocati on to Hi m, but i mmedi atel y after He hears thi s si ncere request, He
i nforms Hi s creatures of the means of attai ni ng i t-by reveal i ng the enti re
Qur' an
for the
perfect
and total
gui dance
of humanki nd.
However, in the very first verses of the iecond slral of the
Qur'an,
Allah
establ i shes the onl y keys that wi l l open the bl essi ngs of thi s book:
Dhalikal-kitEbu li rayba fih
Hudd lil-muttaqin;
Alladhine
yu'minina
bilghaybi
wa yuqiminaq-qalita wa mimma
razaqnihum yunfiqin.
9l
92 |
The Book ofSufi Hwliag
Thi s i s the Scri pture
wherei n there i s no doubt,
A
gui dance to those who shun evi l ,
Who bel i eve i n the Unseen,
and establ i sh s-nl at, and
spend of that whi ch We
have bestowed upon them.
The word
gal i l i n Arabi c i s transl ated as prayer or worshi p, and al so suppl i ca-
ti ons for forgi veness, compassi on, and mercy.
(In
Persi an, Turki sh, and
Urdu, the term i s nami z.)
Western schol ars have unfortunatel y mi srepresented the true concepti on
of s.al dt by transl ati ng the word si mpl y as
"prayer"
or
"worshi p."
In fact, the
practi ce of
2nl -at
i s very speci fi c and forms the most uni que and central
feature of rel i gi ous l i fe i n Isl am and Sufi sm. The Hol y Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
i s reported to have sai d,
"The
di fference between a bel i ever i n God
and a di sbel i ever i n Hi m i s the
performance of
gal i t."
The
great sai nt Hazrat Khw6j a Ghari b Nawdz
(r.a.)
commented on the
i mportance of the snl i t wi th the fol l owi ng statements:
Wi thout
performi ng
l l i i l ,
none can approach God, because
qnl al i s the cl i max
i n the
process of such approach for the pi ous.
sdl ;l
i s the l adder l eadi ng to the proxi mi ty
l qurbl
of Cod.
Srl al
i s a trust commi tted to human care by Al mi ghty Cod, a secret rel ati on-
shi p exi sti ng between the worshi per and the Worshi ped,
The Indi an mysti c musi ci an Hazrat Inayat Khan, who brought some Sufi
i deas to the West i n the earl y part of thi s century, sai d,
"A person who
never accompl i shes
[snl nt]
has no hope of ever advanci ng any other way, for
every
posture has a wonderful meani ng and a parti cul ar effect .
'
i t i s to
be
prescri bed before further sacred teachi ngs. l f he fai l s to advance i n thi s,
there i s no hope for hi s future."
Sal l t
i s at once an external and an i nternal
practi ce: a set of physi cal
exerci ses
(some
have compared them toyoga asanas), and the ri chest spi ri tual
nouri shment. By consi deri ng each of these aspects i n some detai l , we can
l earn why the Sufi s have consi dered i n many cases that they woul d rather di e
than forgo the\r s.al at. Ma sha' Al l ah!
The
practi ce of
qnl i f i s performed at fi ve regul ar i nterval s throughout the
day as a mi ni mum and can be done ai other ti mes accordi ng to the capaci ti es
of the worshi per. The ti mes of
performance are fi xed accordi ng to the
j ourney
of the sun and pl anets across the heavens. These ti mes are as
fol l ows:
Faj r: Begi ns approxi matel y forty-fi ve mi nutes before sunri se and extends
up to the ri si ng of the sun.
$alat:
The Posttres ol thc Prophcts I 9t
fuhn
Begi ns after the sun has passed the medi an poi nt i n the sky and
has
i ust
begun i ts downward arc.
cAgr:
Begi ns when the sun has crossed a bi secti on of the arc made by the
sun, mi dpoi nt between noon and the l i ne of the hori zon; or when the
body' s shadow i s equal to two body l engths.
Maghri b' .
Begi ns
j ust
after the sun has set bel ow the hori zon and no l i ght
i s l eft refl ecti ng off the cl ouds
(i .e.,
there i s no more redness).
cl sfti :
Begi ns when ni ght has ful l y fal l en, approxi matel y one hour and
twenty mi nutes after the ti me of maghri b, or sunset.
By fol l owi ng these prayer ti mes, one i s perfectl y attuned to the moti ons of
the pl anets, seasonal changes, and geographi c vari ati ons. In so doi ng, one
becomes harmoni zed wi th al l of the natural cycl es of the uni verse.
There are three aspects to the
qal i l : thought, word, and acti on. Before
begi nni ng the
qal At,
one must cl ean onesel f of any physi cal di rt on the body
or cl othi ng, or on the
pl ace
where one i ntends to
pray. At thi s same ti me,
one must dri ve out al l negati ve or evi l thoughts and cl eanse the mi nd to
concentrate ful l y upon the gl ory of Al l ah the Al mi ghty. Thi s preparati on,
cal l ed wufa' , consi sts of washi ng the hands, ri nsi ng the mouth
(and
brushi ng
teeth i f necessary), snuffi ng water up the nose, wi pi ng the face from brow
to chi n and from ear to ear, washi ng the forearms from the wri sts up to the
el bows, wi pi ng over the head and the back of the neck, and, fi nal l y, washi ng
the feet up to the ankl e bone. Each of these washi ngs i s repeated three
ti mes and must be done i n the sequence descri bed.
When these acti ons have been careful l y compl eted, one
goes
to the
pl ace
of
prayer and, assumi ng a humbl e atti tude, wi th head down, hands at si des,
and feet evenl y spaced bel ow the shoul ders, utters the i ntenti on to offer the
palfrf,
as follows:
I intend to offer
fthe
obligatory number ofl rn(tats of s.al-at, and face the
qiblah,
the Exal ted Kacbah, for the sake of Al l ah and Al l ah al one. I take refuge wi th
Al l ah from the rej ected and evi l satan, and I begi n i n the Name of Al l ah,
Most Craci ous. Most Merci ful .
Thi s i nvocati on may be made i n Arabi c, but any l anguage wi l l suffi ce as
wel l . However, the remai nder of the
qafi t
must be reci ted enti rel y i n Arabi c.
(Later
chapters di scuss the Arabi c vowel s, sounds, and breath patterns.)
The one offeri ng
prayer must be faci ng i n the di recti on of the ci ty of Mecca,
Saudi Arabi a.
(In
the Uni ted States, thi s woul d mean faci ng
general l y
eastward.)
The
qaldt
is done by assuming eight separate positions of the b ody
(ark-anl,
and reci ti ng vari ous
Qur' ani c
verses wi th each posture. These
postures are
i l l ustrated i n turn, and a bri ef descri pti on i s gi ven of the benefi ts ascri bed to
each.
94 I Thc Bcrk of Sufi Healing
POSTURE 1
Bri ng hands, pal ms
open, up to ears, and pl ace
thumbs behi nd earl obes, as
"
Al l 1hu akbar"
(God
i s Great) i s uttered.
Name of Posture: Niyyat
Time to fu Held: 5 szconds
fucitation: Allabu akbar.
Beneficial Effects: Body feels relieved of weight owing to even distribution
on both feet. Straightening back improves posture.
Mind is brought under
control of intellect.
Vision is sharpened by focusing upon floor, where head
will prostrate.
Muscles of upper and lower back are loosened. Higher and
lower centers of brain are united to form singleness of purpose.
Salct: Thc Pwluns ol tlu Prophds I cs
POSTURE 2
Place hands, right over left,
lust
below navel.
Name of Posture:
Qiitm
Durstion: 40-60 seconds
Recimtion:
Bismi Lldh ir-fuhnon ir-Rahin
Al-lnndu li-lJah rabb il-c6lamin.
Ar-Rolnan, ir-Aolin.
Milihi yawn
id-Dn.
Iyyaka na
cbudu
wa iyyako nasta
cin.
lhdinas-gi rr4 al-mustaqim.
$ira1
alladhino ancamta
calayhim
Ghayril-maghlibi
c
olayhin
wo )ai.lithn.
Ami n.
(ln the Name oJ A oh, the knefcent,
the Merclful .
All proise be to Allah, Lord oJ the Workls.
The kneficent, tbe Mercif .
Master of the Doy of
Judgnent.
Thee only do we worship.
Thee olone we ask
for
help.
Show us the stra$ht path.
The path of those
whom You lone and
favor,
Not he path oJ those who have eamed
Thine anger, not are leoding astray.
k it so.)
Following these words, a short chapter of at least three verses should be
recited from the Holy
Qur'an
(see
Appendix II for suitable examPles).
Beneficial Effects: Extends concentration,
causes further relaxation of legs
and back,
generates feelings of humility, modesty, and
piety. In the recital of
the above verses, virtually all of the sounds that occur in Arabic are uttered,
stimulating dispersal of all of the ninety-nine divine attributes
in perfectly
controlled degrees throughout the body, mind, and soul. The sound vibra-
tions of the long vowels i, 1, and i stimulate the heart, thyroid,
pineal gland,
pituitary, adrenal
glands,
and lungs,
purifying and uplifting them all.
96
I
Thc Book ol1rfi Hullry
POSTURE 3
Bend at waist, placing palms
on knees with fingers spread. Back is parallel
to
ground,
such that if a glass
of water were on the back, it would not spill. Eyes
are looking down, directly ahead. Do not bend the knees.
Nome: Aukuc
Durction: 12 seconds
fucitotion: Whlle bndiry at
tlrc wdist, recite Allihu akbar,
then:
Sublzana Robbl d-cA7in
Subfiano RobbT ol-cAvin
Subldna Robbi d-cA7in
(Holy h ny Lord,
the Magnifcent)
Beneficial Effects: Fully stretches the muscles of the lower back, thighs,
and calves. Blood is pumped into upper torso. Tones muscles of stomach,
abdomen, and kidneys. Over time, this posture improves the personality,
generating
sweet kindness and inner harmony.
Salct: Thc Pwturcs ol thc Prophcts I 97
POSTURE 4
While rising from the bending position of rukut, recite Samica Llfrhu li-man
fianidah.
Rabbani wa lakal-fiamd
(Allah
hears the one who
praises
Him; Our
Lord, Yours is the praise).
Then return to standing position,
arms at side.
Name:
Qauma
Duration: 6 seconds
Aecitation: AJnr holdng
for
six seconds, say:
Allahu akbar
and move to next position,
Beneficial Effects: The fresh blood moved irp irtto torso in previous posture
returns to its original state, carrying away toxins. Body regains relaxation
and releases tension.
e8
I
Thc Buk of iuli Hrr,ltng
POSTURE 5
Place both hands on knees and lower yourself
slowly and easily into a
kneeling position.
Then touch the head and hands to the
ground.
The
following seven body parts should be in contact with the
ground: forehead,
two
palms,
two knees, toes of both feet. The end
position
of this
posture
is
given
below.
Nome: kjdah
Durotion: 12 seconds
Recitation:
Suphbno Robbi aL-cAld
Sulhono Rabbl ol-cAla
Sulhina RabbT al-clir
(Glory
k to my Lord,
tlv Most Supreme)
Beneficial Effects: Knees forming a right angle allow stomach muscles to
develop and
prevents growth
of flabbiness in midsection. Increases flow of
blood into upper regions of body, especially the head
(including
eyesr ears,
and nose) and lungs; allows mental toxins to be cleansed by blood. Maintains
proper position
of fetus in
pregnant
women. Reduces high blood
pressure.
Increases elasticity of
toints.
Annihilates egotism and vanity. Increases
patience
and reliance upon God. Increases spiritual stations and
produces
high
psychic
energy throughout body. This
posture
of supreme submission
and humilitv is the essence of worship.
Saht: Thc Poshtr* of thc Pmphcts
| 99
POSTURE 6
Reciting Alldhu skbnr, rise from Position 5 and assume the sitting posture
shown here.
Name:
Qtcil
Durotion: 6
yconds
Redation: At end oJ 6 seconds,
Allihu akbar ond
rcfot actiorid of
Puiion 5 exoctly.
Beneficial Effects: For men, the h6el of the right foot is curled up and the
weight of the leg and part of the body rests upon it. This aids detoxification
of the liver and stimulates
peristaltic
action of the large intestine. Women
keep both feet, soles up, underneath their bodies. The body returns to even
greater relaxation, and the posture assists digestion by forcing the contents
of the stomach downward.
roo I Thr Book ol Suf Haling
POSTURE 7
kpeat motions of
Posture 5 exactly.
Then, reciting Allahu akbar,
rctum to sitting as in
Posture 6.
Beneficial Effects: Repetition of the deep prostration
within a few seconds
cleanses the respiratory,
circulatory, and nervous systems. Gives experience
of lightness of body and emotional happiness. Oxygenation of entire body is
accomplished. Balances sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Solrt Thc Postures ol lhc Pmphcts I lol
POSTURE 8
From Posture 5, with head in prostration, lift the head away from the floor
and bring the torso backward. Placing hands on knees, reverse the
procedure
for going
down, and, while again reciting / Ildhu akbqr, return to the standing
position. This completes one rackat of
prayer.
1O2 I Thc Book ofSt!fi H.aling
The
galAt
is done in either two, three, or four rackats, according to the time
of day:
Fajr: 2 nckah
fuhr:
4 rackah
ct*r:
4 rockah
Maghib: i rackah
Isha: 4 llccka/s
At the end of each two units of
prayer, the following supplication is added:
At-talriyyaiu li-Llahi waq:qalawetu wat-tayyibat
As-salirnu' alayka ayyuhin-Nabiyyu
Wa rafrmatu Llihi wa barak5tuhu
Was-salamu
calayni
wa
cali cibidi
Llihig-galilrin
Ash-hadu an li iliha illa Llih
Wa ash-hadu anna Mul.rammadan
cabduhu
wa rasrlluh.
This supplication is recited as a re-creation of the celestial conversation
which was held between Allah the Almighty and the Holy Prophet Mu-
hammad
(s.a.w.s.)
during the night of the Heavenly Ascent
(Mirrij)
of the
Prophet. The lines were spoken as follows:
Muhammad: All greetings, blessings, and
good acts are from You, my Lord
Allah: Greetings to you,
O Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allah.
Muhammad: Peace be unto us, and unto the righteous servants of Allah.
I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah.
Allah: And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
If the required number of ratkats is but two, the
galil would proceed to the
next recitation. Otherwise, one or two more rackats are due. These are done
exactly as the first two, except that no recitations occur after that of Srlrat
al-Fatihah.
The recitations of the first two rackats are done aloud during the
altf
of
fajr
and maghrib and
cishs.
At other times, all are recited silently.
When the proper number of two, three, or four ratkats are completed,
another
prayer is said silently,
praising and offering
greetings and blessing
upon the prophets and their families.
Allihumma salli
cala
sayyidini Mulrammadin
wa
cali
ili Mulrammadin
kama
gal l ayta
cal a
l bri hi ma
wa
cal ;
5l i l bri hi ma
Innaka
$amidun
Majid.
Allihumma barik
cali
Mulrammadin
wa
caE
eli Mulrammadin
kamS barakta
cal a
l brehi ma
wa
cal a
al i l bri hi ma.
lnnaka
$amidun
Maiid.
Sslat:
The Postttrcs ol the Prophcts
I tO3
(O
Al l ah, bl ess our master Muhammad
and the fami l y of Muhammad
as
you
have bl essed Abraham
and the fami l y of Abraham.
Surel y You are the Prai seworthy, the Gl ori ous.
O Al l ah, be
graci ous
unto Muhammad
and unto the fami l y of Muhammad
as You were
gracious
unto Abraham
and unto the fami l y of Abraham.
Surel y You are the Prai seworthy, the Gl ori ous.)
At the end of thi s reci tati on, the head i s hung l ow, then turned sl owl y to ful l
extensi on to the ri ght, so that the eyes can gl ance
back over the shoul der,
and one reci tes:
As-salimu
calaykum
wa ralrmatu Llah
(Peace
and blessings of Cod be upon you).
Whi l e turni ng the head to the l eft, one repeats the phrase:
As-sal Smu
cal aykum
wa ral rmatu Ll ah.
These l ast statements are addressed to the two recordi ng angel s, each of
whom si ts poi sed
over the shoul der, recordi ng respecti vel y the
good
and
wrongful actions. subhan Allah!
Another i nteresti ng feature of the
qcl at
i s that i n the course of assumi ng
three mai n posi ti ons
(qi \dm,
rukat, and snj dah), one makes the physi cal shapes
of the Arabi c l etters al i f dal , and mi m. These l etters spel l the word,4dam,the
name of the fi rst created human and the fi rst prophet
(a.s.).
The i l l ustrati ons
on the fol l owi ng page show the body
posture
and l etter correspondence.
The angel s-who were created sol el y to worshi p Al l ah and do so as
thei r natural behavi or-perform al l of these postures
of worshi p. Al l the
prophets of hi story
(peace
be upon them al l ) al so used one or more of these
postures. The prophet
Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
was granted the
grace
of
conveyi ng to humani ty the synthesi s of al l of the postures of al l the
prophets. Al -fi andu l i -Ll ah i l -Hayyni l -Qayy n!
Another i mportant poi nt regardi ng thi s practi ce, si mpl y as a physi cal
acti vi ty, i s that persons
of al l ages can dg i t. It i s smooth, fl owi ng, and easy,
and i n ti me becomes the greatest physi cal devel opment that i s possi bl e.
In the course of one day, the mi ni mum performance consi sts of seven-
teen uni ts of prayer, composed of ni neteen separate posi ti ons duri ng each
ratkat. Thi s i s a total of 1l e
physi cal postures per
day, or 3,570
postures
monthl y, or 42,840 postures yearl y.
In the average adul t l i feti me of forty years,
7,773,600
postures are
performed. Anyone so doi ng i s
protected
and i nocul ated agai nst a host of
ai l ments and di seases, such as heart attack and other cardi ac
probl ems;
emphysema; arthri ti s; bl adder, ki dney, and bowel
probl ems; vi ral and bac-
na I
Thc Baok ol S{i Hedtug
SALAT
POSTURES CORRESPONDING
TO THE WORD
ADAM
POSTURE OF
QIUMA
LETTEA ALIF (A)
POSTURE OF RUI<O
LETTEA
DAL (D)
LETTER
MiM
(M)
POSTUAE OF SAJDAH
Salat Tlu Postnrcs of th. Pmlvt I tos
terial infections; eye diseases; loss of memory and senility; sciatica and
spinal ailments; and many, many others. This practice can be done virtually
anywhere, requires no special equipment, and costs nothing at all.
For the Sufis, the
qalit
has even
greater
import in their lives because the
carpet at the
place
of prayer becomes the stepping-off point for entering
the divine reality, the
laqiqat.
The shaykhs generally
state that there are four stages of
practices
for
the aspirants to God: shnricat
(law),
tariqat
(path),
f;aqiqat
(truth),
and mafilat
(ecstasy).
The first requirement is to adopt and follow the sharit
,
the divine laws
of human life, which in due course leads one onto the
ir|t
al-mustaqim, the
path.
The enterprise of Sufism is frequently referred to as following
tarlqat. This path leads one to the
laqiqat.
Let me try to define this complex
term.
flaqiqat
is the final, incontrovertible and absolute truth of all ex-
istence. For example, some people believe God exists, some do not. Both
cases cannot be true. The
haqq
(or
truth) of this matter is absolute. And we
will all have this matter resolved with finality at the time of death. All
hidden knowledge belongs to the realm of
ftaqiqat.
When one attains this
status of insight into the divine truths, there follows the stage called
macrifat-lhe overwhelming ecstasy of being a favored and chosen friend of
the Beloved, Almighty God.
The
performance
of
pl6t
is required to attain any of these stations
(which
are sequential). But merely voicing sounds and standing in one
place
will not produce
the desired effects. Several internal conditions must
be present.
One must first of all approach the
prayer
with a sense of humility, with
a recognition of the dependent position of the worshiper in relation to the
Worshiped. Allah has informed us that we were
"a
thing unremembered,
until I remembered you." There is not a single living person in the history
of the world who was responsible for his or her own conception of life. Not
only did we not exist: we did not even knoar that we did not exist!
We should put
all thoughts except those of our merciful Creator out of
our minds as we prepare to address Him. Worldly affairs must be shoved
aside, with the understanding that the prayer is the means of stepping into
the next world, of drawing near to God. If the mind is already filled with
mundane thoughts, there will be no space for remembrance of God.
Another condition of prayer is that the meaning of the words uttered
be as complete as
possible.
Even though they are spoken in Arabic, one
should know the translated meanings in one' s own language and should
contemplate these meanings as deeply and sincerely as possible.
It is narrated in the Hadith that God said to Moses: "O
Moses, when
you
want to remember Me, remember Me in such a way that
your limbs
tremble and that
you
hold Me dear at the time of remembrance and rest
satisfied. When you stand before Me, stand before Me with a fearful mind
7O5
I The Book of Stfi Heoling
Iike the poorest slave, and speak with Me with the tongue of a truthful
man."
And then God revealed to him: "Tell your disobedient followers to
remember Me. I took oath upon Myself that I shall remember one who
remembers Me. When Abraham stood for prayer, the voice of his heart
was heard from a distance
of two miles. An individual willbe forgiven in the
next world according to the qualities
of his mind, and not of his body."
Some people
may wonder about the suggestion that we must fear God,
asserting instead that we only need to think of God as kind and allJoving.
A verse in the Holy
Qur' an
that makes this clear is found in Sirat al-
Baqarah
(z: t t z):
Bal i man asl ama waj hahu Ii -Ll ahi
wa huwa mu!rsi nun
fal ahu al ruhi
ci nda
Rabbi h
wa la khawfun
calayhim
wa l i hum ya\zanun.
Nay, but whosoever gi ves
up hi s own desi res
while serving Allah and does good
acts,
hi s reward i s wi th hi s Lord;
They shall have no fears
And nei ther shal l they gri eve.
In other words, i f one gi ves
up one' s own sel fi sh desi res and serves humani ty
sol el y for the sake of
pl easi ng
Al l ah, the reward i s the total l y and unre-
stri cted protecti on, grace,
and favor of Al l ah. When one has Al l ah, the
Creator, Sustai ner, and Rul er of the creati on, as one' s Protecti ng Fri end,
how coul d one ever be afrai d or suffer sadness?
The ailments people experience in the
1alit
are mainly concerned with
di stracti ons. These are both
physi cal
and mental . One i s often di stracted
from deep concentrati on i n prayer
by room noi ses, conversati ons, muffl ed
sounds from the street, and other goi ngs-on.
The medi ci ne to correct thi s
di sease of s.sl i t i s to cut off from the source of these di stracti ons.
The Sufi s fi nd they can
perform
thei r di vi ne servi ces much better i n
dark, smal l , secl uded rooms. If thi s i s not possi bl e,
one must set apart a
speci al pl ace for worshi p and remembrance of Al l ah. Cl ose the eyes, i f
necessary, because the eye i s the fi rst source of di stracti on.
The second cause of di stracti on i s the mi nd i tsel f: As each thought
ari ses, i t l eads to another thought. In the earl y days of Isl am, a camel dri ver
came to Abn Bakr
(r.a.),
who was a very pi ous
Musl i m, and sai d,
"I
don' t
believe
you
can make two rackats
of
t4lat
without thinking of something
other than Al l ah." Abn Bakr asserted that he bel i eved he coul d do i t. The
driver said that if Abn Bakr could perform
two rsckats without a single
Saldt:
The Postwes ol the Ptophcts
I
lo7
distracting thought, he would make him a
gift
of a camel, and he gestured
to
two camels nearby, one black and one brown.
Ab! Bakr commenced his
gldt.
When he finished, the camel driver
looked at him anxiously. Abn Bakr, being a scrupulously honest man in-
capable of deception, confessed, "You were right, I couldn' t make it through
the s.slat.l was distracted." The camel driver was relieved that he had not
lost a
precious
camel. Then the camel driver curiously asked,
"But
what was
it that distracted you? What did you think about?" Abi Bakr answered,
"l
was trying to decide whether I would take the black camel or the brown
one. "
It is very difficult to cut the root of internal mental distractions. The best
method is to concentrate as fully as possible on the meanings of what is
being recited. If the mind does begin to wander, force it back to the
Qur' anic
meanings.
The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
recommended that one make
2al7t
in a room with
no variegated colors, pictures, or extensive designs on the prayer carpet,
and avoid wearing any kind of rings or other
jewelry.
The Hadith state that when one stands in prayer, Allah lifts up the
screen before Him, so that His servant faces him. The angels climb upon
his two shoulders and pray in unison along with him and say t4nir at the
end of the prayer. Then they spread virtues out from the top of the
worshiper' s head to the end of the horizon. Then an angel proclaims: "lf
this servant had known Whom he had been invoking, he would not have
looked around, distracted. The doors of heaven are thrown open for a
praying person, and Allah takes pride before His angels for him, and the
Face of God comes before his face." This opening of the doors to the
Unseen is called kashf.
There are unfortunately some persons parading as pseudo-Sufis in the
West, who foolishly assert that
{rlrt
is unnecessary. They make the strange
claim that such formal actions as
qldt
are mere rituals, which the true
spiritual aspirant can dispense with. Such misguided
persons give the
examples of Ibn
cArabi
(r.a.),
MawlSni Rnmi
(r.a.),
Imam al4hazzali
(r.a.),
and Maqs0r al-$allai
(r.a.)
as examples of truly liberated, free-thinking
"Sufis." And they disdain anyone who makes qalil or suggests its necessity
as a backward-thinking "fundamentalist." I hope that the foregoing
pre-
sentation of only some of the deepenaspects of the practice of
qalat wtll
inspire people to learn and practice the
yldt
to learn its truly marvelous
effects. The
great
ones mentioned above, such as Rimi and Ibn
cArabi,
were in fact the most ardent and sincere followers of the
pldt.
One December in Konya, Mawldni Rimi
(r.a.)
had
gone
into his llujrnh
(meditation
cell) to
perform his nighttime prayers. When the time for the
/ajr
(morning)
prayer
arrived, he did not appear. His followers became
worried because in twentv vears Mawlini had never failed to ioin them in
lOB I
Thc Bcrk ol Sufi Healing
congregational
prayer.
As time
passed and the narids' alarm
8rew,
someone
finally decided to force the door open. Inside, they were startled to find the
Mawlini with his beard frozen to the
ground,
struggling to set himself
free. In his supplications, he had begun weeping so copiously that a pool of
tears had formed, and his
prostration in the cold was so
prolonged
that the
tears froze, trapping him by his beard!
Ma4srir al-$allaj
(r.a.)
became famous in the history of Sufism for his
alleged crime of offending the so-called orthodox clergy. However, he
actually was tried and convicted on the charge of divulging divine secrets,
which he had overheard while eavgsdropping on his sister, who was a Sufi
saint. The trial lasted over eight
years.
As Ma4sir al-FJallii sat awaiting his
execution during the last week of his life, he passed his time by
punctually
offering h\s
qalit,
and on the last day of his life he
performed 5oO ratkats of
s.alatl
The Sufis are the most strenuous supporters of qalal. There is a story of
Hazrat
cAbdul-Qadir
Jilani
(r.a.),
who one morning was about to miss the
time of the morning prayer. A cat came over to his side as he lay asleep and
began nudging him until he awoke. Noticing the lateness of the time,
cAbdul-Qadir
(r.a.)
quickly offered his two rarlcts of
prayer. When he had fin-
ished, he looked at the cat, and with his spiritual insight, he saw that the
cat was actually a satan. This
puzzled the
great
saint, as to why a satan
would wake him up for prayer.
So he asked, "l can see
you are a satan but
why on earth did
you
wake me up for the
fajr
prayer?"
The cat answered,
"You
are
just
as
pious and clever as my fellow satans
said you were. Since
you' ve discovered me, I might as well tell you. I knew
that if you missed your obligatory prayer, you would have offered one
hundred racksts as compensation, so I woke
you
up so that you would only
get
the benefits of two."
In the course of Sufism, the shaykh assigned the murid many practices
that extend and enhance the basic
practices
of
Qaldt.
First, added to the
obligatory
(fnrd)
ylht, are the extra prayers that the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
used to do. These are called sunnah, and add several dozens more
to the activities of worship of the murids. Later, the
postures are held for
varying
periods-up to an hour or more-and verses from the
Qur' an
that
are replete with mystical meaning are recited.
Sdlat
is both the first and the final step for the true believer. It is the real
means of uniting one with the whole of humanity, and with Almlghty God.
It is never altered in its essential features
(and
never has been for 1,400
years) and thus becomes the foundation upon which the more refined
spiritual
practices
are built. For anyone who desires to enioy the most
excellent health, harmonizing the
physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual
life, there is no better medicine than the
qallt.
As Hazrat Khwdia Gharib
Nawiz frequently remarked to his followers: "Hurry up and
perform the
qalit, before the Final Hour
passes!"
Sddt: The Posluru of thc Prophds
|
1O9
It i s i ncorrect
to say, as some do, that when a seeker gai ns
hi s desi res,
worshi p and devoti on are no l onger i ncumbent
upon hi m; for the Chi ef of
the Worl d, bl essi ngs
and peace
of God be upon hi m, was al ways prostrati ng
i n worshi p and devoti on before God. Al though he had reached
the summi t
of devoti on, he woul d say, "O
Lord, I am ashamed, for I di d not worshi p
You as I ought to have done "
The fol l owi ng chart provi des
the correct number of obl i gatory and
optional racksts for the five daily prayers
of
galil.
NUMBER OF RACIC{TS IN
5/IAT
Prayer Sunnah
Before
(Oplion.l)
Fa4
(Obligrtory)
Sunnah
Aftr
(Option.l)
Nafit
(Optionel)
Witr
(Hi shl y
Recommended)
Fai,
(Recitation
aloud)
2
t
Zuhr
(Silent)
4 4
,Al,
(Silent)
4 4
Maghrib
(First
two
rqckats aloud)
3 2
clshn
(First
two
rq'kats
aloud)
4 4 2
,
3
LO
The
Soul
of the Rose
There are thrce things oJ tbis wo d
that I have been nnde a preJer
pra)rc\ women, and scents,
Prophet M ulmmmad (s.a.w,s.
)
The prophet
Sulaymin
(a.s.)
was the one who first learned the healing
properties
of herbs and flowers. One day as he was standing for prayer
in
the mosque, a flower sprang up before him and said,
"
As-sslsm
taliykum,
Hazrat Sulayminl" Hazrat Sulayman returned the greeting
and then asked,
"What
are you doing here? What are you for?" And the flower answered
him that it was a remedy for such-and-such a disease. The next day, a
different flower sprang
up and told Hazrat Sulaymin the disease for which
it was the remedy.
Over a course of time, all of the medicinal flowers
appeared and told Hazrat Sulaymdn their healing properties.
And he was
the first to have this knowledge, which is of divine origin.
The absolute of the essence of Allah is called dhAt. We express this
unfathomable absolute with the pronoun
Hn. Our human minds are in-
capable of conceiving
of or expressing the full reality of Allah. And in
considering the nature of God, we must look to the manifold forms of His
creation and know Him by His signs.
Each of the divine attributes has a dh-at, which is its totality. For example,
ar-Rafimin is the totality of every kind of mercy that exists, has ever existed,
and will ever exist, in all forms, whether physical,
mental, or spiritual, and
whether we know of it or do not. Allah,tn His mercv, has bestowed untold
forms of this mercy throughout the human, angelic, and animal creation.
Yet all these untold numbers of manifestations are still only a small part of
the dhAt, or totality, of Allah's attribute of ar-Rafumdn.
This notion of an absolute essence also applies to the human being in
relation to the soul
(rtl).
This intimate relationship
between absolute essence
and manifold forms
of that essence is duplicated in all of nature. Each
flower, tree, and shrub has its physical form and also its essence. The seed
of an oak will not produce
a willow. All of the specific characteristics of the
7tl
ll2 I
Thc Book of Sufi Healing
flower are contained within the seed, within its essence: the height of the
plant, the shape of leaves and flowers, the
plant' s periods of dormancy,
color, fragrance, and even its healing characteristics. We learned of some of
these essential attributes when we studied the relationship between foods
and health.
Our own human absolute essence, or soul, is extracted at the moment of
death. Allah has inspired various of His prophets
(peace
be upon them all) to
discover the methods of extracting the souls
lrrth)
from flowers, and this
knowledge has been
preserved in Sufism.
A prominent example is what is called ruh-i guldb, or soul of the rose. It is
considered that the absolute perfected essence of the rose exists within the
flower itself,
iust
as the perfected essence or soul of a human exists within
the body. These essences of flowers are of inestimable value in correcting
imbalances in the human being.
The symbol of Sufism itself is the rose, because this flower is considered
to be the Mother of Scents and the
Queen
of the Garden. The placement of
the rare and refined beauty and sweetness of the rose blossoms-at the end
of a long, stern stem full of prickly thorns-aptly symbolizes the mystic
path to Allah the Almighty.
The 124,000 prophets
Allah has sent to the world with His Guidancd had
different bodies but the same soul. Their message to humanity was the
same regardless of the physical form they had, the color of their skin, or the
language they spoke.
Allah said that the first thing He created in the universe was the soul of
prophecy.
He said that He made it from the absolute of His own light, called
nirr. Allah further stated that if He had not created this soul of
prophecy, He
woud not have created the unrverse.
After Allah the Almighty made this magnificent soul, it was of such
luminous nature and so burning with light that it began to shed drops of
perspiration. And from this sweat of the soul of prophecy, Allah made the
soul of the rose. This is the actual origin of the art and science of aroma-
therapy.
Every
prophetic
tradition uses flowers and their oils in healing. If we
consider the nature of flowers themselves, we realize that they are stimu-
lated into
growth
and subsist
primarily
by virtue of their relationship with
the light rays from the sun, and by means of the process called photo-
synthesis
give
off the components of oxygen and air that we use for breath.
Flowers require this nourishment of light, as well as that of the soil and
ratn.
It is said that people used to follow the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
and collect the drops of his perspiration, finding them to be the very
sweetest smell and fragrance of all, superior to any flower' s scent. The
reason these droplets were of such elegance is that they contained the
essence of his soul.
Thc hul of lhc Rox I rt3
That magical moment of interconnection between life and nonlife-the
moment of birth-is when the soul is activated within the body. Our life
span is measured between the first breath and the last breath. At the
moment of that first breath, one can find the model for all scents, coming
from the skin and breath of infants
lust
after they are born.
The scent of an infant creates the deepest and most profound love and
affection in the heart and mind and soul of the person who receives it.
There is no one who does not appreciate the intimate fragrance of a
newborn. It is an irreplaceably unique smell, and one simply cannot
get
enough of it. It is of an absolute clarity and purity, and it somehow embodies
all of the feelings
of helpless trust and reliance upon one superior to the
infant, which encapsulates our whole relationship with the Creator, exalted
is He.
Babies are born pure
and sinless, having within them the divine light and
peace; the very essence of the soul of prophecy is within them. No doubt, as
they
grow
into consciousness of the world, they lose their innocence, and
the scent dwindles and disappears as they become immersed in the life of
the world-in the maqim an-nafs.
So it must be remembered when we talk about the essence of flowers
that they are imitating the superior scents of the soul of
prophecy,
from
which they are derived.
The soul of a flower may be extracted in several ways: by pressing the
oils out of the petals;
by distilling water through the
petals;
or by bonding
the oil to a base oil. In all cases, the essence of the flower is drawn out by
this process.
The word for these essences
(or
oils containing the essences) is
"attar"
(from
Arabic
titr).
In the West, these are called essential oils, fra-
grances,
absolutes, and sometimes perfumes.
'
The addition of alcohol to the essence of a flower will kill that essence,
and so those oils or remedies containing alcohol are unsuitable for Sufi
healing purposes.
When applying attars or essential oils,
great
care must be exercised
because they are in such a concentrated form-not only the active physical
ingredients, but also the essence is very strong. For this reason, some attars
are diluted before use, in a
pure
base oil such as olive, sandalwood, or sweet
almond.
Ideally, one should use the fresh b'lossoms of the rose
(or
other flower),
and
place
a few ounces in a small bowl of spring water for several hours at
midday. This will extract the essence, and one need not worry about purity or
additives.
Or one may eat a few of the fresh petals
themselves, as this admits
of the least alteration of all. But for the sake of convenience and availability,
it is sometimes prudent
to keep a supply of a high-quality pure
oil on hand.
Because the rose is considered to have the most refined essence of all
flowers, it is often used to absorb and convey lhe baraka
(blessing)
of a saint.
People who visit the resting places
(dargahs)
of saints often
place
the rose
714 I Ttu Bok ol Suli Heoling
petals on the tomb itself, then retrieve them for later use in healing. Since
the soul of the saint is living, the rose essence will imbibe the essence of the
saint, which can then be consumed and conveyed into any person
with
uniformly positive results.
Many Sufi hhanagahs
(monasteries)
have rose gardens growing
nearby.
The Sufis also recite various verses of the
Qur' an
over rose petals,
charging
them with even greater
healing powers
(see
following chapters).
Sufi Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat Ali
(may
Allah be
pleased
with him),
at his spiritual retreat in Pakistan, makes his own soul remedies according to
the above methods. From a nearby rose garden, he gathers
up fresh petals,
over which constant prayers
and remembrance of Allah are carried out.
These same petals
are dried out in a special room in which there are more
than 25o,oO0 copies of the Holy
Qurin,
as well as one of the four oldest
Qur' ans
in existence, dating from the time of Hazrat
cUthman
(r.a.).
The
room, which is called the
Qur' En
Malrall
(House
of the
Qur' an),
vibrates
with the divine presence.
The petals are laid out and arranged so as to form
the shape of the word Allah, and various verses are recited over them for
some time, thus maturing them for healing. Even one or two petals of the
medicines prepared
thus have been demonstrated to effect a cure, as it
pleases Allah.
Anyone can utilize this method. Take a clean cloth, preferably
of forest-
green
color, and if not that, blue or white, of large enough size to hold the
shape of the word
(about
three feet by four feet). After reciting Bisni Ll:ah
ir-Raftmin, ir-Raftim
(In
the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful),
spread out the petals to form the word Allah, following exactly the sequence
shown in the illustration.
After completing the shape of the word Allah in the order indicated,
recite over it 786 times, Bisni Lldh ir-Raftmin, ir-Rafiim. If
you have the
time and inclination, this formula can be recited any number of times.
After completing this procedure, you may use the petals for healing.
11
10
Shape and sequence of writing the word AlI6h.
Thc Sorl,l of ahc Rcg
I 115
I a
Fayyu, va unvvum:
ut t ahs l t a ant a
va
ar \ am Rr - r a\ t mt n: Amt n: \ ) t ne
Living,
O the Everlasting! There is none except You, O the Most Merciful of
the Merciful! Trninl
Although there are perhaps fifty or sixty thousand different plants from
which essential oils can be extracted, the Sufis use
primarily
those which are
recommended upon divine information. The attars that will be discussed are
amber, frankincense, myrrh, violet, sandalwood, musk, rose,
iasmine,
hina,
cud,
and
jannat
al-fardaws. All are pure
oils except the last, which is a
blend.
It is more important to learn to use a few oils very well than not know
much at all about hundreds of oils. Even
just
with these ten oils, there are
more than one hundred trillion combinations!
Amber
Oil of amber
(kshrabah
in Persian), or liquid amber, as it is sometimes called,
is derived from a species of
pine tree
(Pircn
sutdxt'era). Many
people have had
contact with amber stones and beads, and it is this same basic substance that
is used in healing. But the stones have hardened for several million more
years than the resin, which is used to manufacture the oil
There are only three locales in the world where authentic amber can be
found. Its color varies anywhere from a light, translucent pink to a heavy,
dark brown. When we realize that the essential sap of these trees, to
become amber, has been
preserved for one to six million years,
we under-
stand that we are tapping into a very ancient healing energy.
Some
people
use the sap from trees and distill out the essence. But
others, realizing this ancient energy within,
prefer
to
grind down the stones
into powder
and then heat it to retrieve the essence. This latter form of
amber is better for healing, but very, very difficult to locate.
Amber has been fossilized for so long that we even have no way of
knowing what other life forms were
present.
But we do know that the
prophets
(a.s.)
who lived long ago had extraordinary
powers
of
perception
and healing. It is said, for example, that one
prophet
was able to overhear a
conversation of ants, at a distance of more than ten miles! It is likely that in
addition to being endowed with spiritual powers,
they had hidden knowledge
of healing plants.
Many of these species are now extinct.
Although the best amber comes orily from the Near East, Russia, and the
Dominican Republic, frequently it is taken to other parts
of the world for
processing
out its essences, for making it into attar. Amber processed in
Tunis and the Sudan is remarkably pure,
clear, and healing. The Sudanese
variety is much hotter than the Tunisian, and thus stronger in effect. It is so
thick that it will not
pour and must be heated to
get it out of the bottle.
A cake amber available from Afghanistan is the best in the world, and
not so expensive if purchased in that country. Unfortunately, it is difficult
to obtain it at
present.
116 | Thc Book ol Stft Heditg
Amber is recommended specifically for any kind of disease or
problem
associated with the heart. While the rose is considered the Mother of
Scents, amber is called the Father
(or
King) of Scents.
Very little use is made of amber in Western healing today, although it
used to be commonly
prescribed
for heart conditions by medical doctors in
the 1920s.
An excellent method of using amber is to
put
one drop on the tip of the
finger and apply it to the point of the "Third Eye"
(not
in the
physical eyes,
of course). This is absorbed by the body and stimulates the
pineal gland,
which activates many of our
physiological functions.
Frankincense
The word inrerse comes from the French enens and originally meant
"frank-
incense," but it now refers to any kind of fragrant vapor. Frank was ap-
pended
to the word incens, to add the meaning of "luxurious" or
"expensive."
So, to the French,
frankinrcrss
means the very best fragrance.
The original Latin word for incense was par
fumum,
meaning
"through
smoke." The burning of the oils is a common mode of application, because it
further refines the essence, releases it into the air, and makes it easy to
disperse over a wide area. It is an effective means of administering scent to
the insane, children, or others who cannot or will not participate in smelling
the scents.
When an essence is taken in its vaporized form, it travels into the body
via the networks of the essences and reaches its goal more easily; whereas if
it is swallowed or rubbed on the skin, there are many possibilities that it will
not arrive at the desired destination, especially if it goes via the stomach.
Digestive
juices
may annul the healing effects, because alcohol is one of the
by-product s of normal di gest i on.
Frankincense is hot in the second degree, but is not quite so hot as
amber. It is a little less drying, too.
Frankincense is to this day used in the religious ceremonies of the
Catholic Church, and was one of the scents presented to the infant
Jesus
(a.s.).
This is so because frankincense is a verv oowerful cleanser of the aura
and psychic planes.
Myrrh
Myrrh is hot and drying. lt was one of the oils commanded by Cod to Moses
(a.s.),
and also to
Jesus
(a.s.),
to be one of the ingredients in their healing and
holy anointing oil. In ancient times it was used to convey to people a certain
internal esoteric teaching, to
purify
their spiritual environment so that the
teachings would have a proper soil in which to be planted.
Myrrh is mentioned in the
Qur' an
as having specific healing properties.
Again, there are several varieties, but that from Tunis and Morocco seems
to be of first quality.
Th. Sorl.l of tfu Rolr I r77
Violet
Violet is cold and moist in the first degree, and thus can be considered mild
in its action. Violet leaves, flowers, and oils are featured in a
great
number
of healing formulas.
Sandalwood
Sandal is cold and dry in the second degree. The best and most famous oil of
sandal comes from Mysore, India. It is used in many conditions, frequently
for genital
and urinary tract infections. Sandal is also used as the base oil
into which other oils are extracted or blended. It is a very good
base because
it evaporates very slowly and does not spoil over time. In fact, aged sandal-
wood is better than fresh.
Sandalwood is recommended
whenever serious meditation and soiritual
practices
are being undertaken, because it is quieting
to all of the egotisms
of the body, especially those relating to sexual energies.
Musk
It was reported in the Hadith that the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
was
particularly
fond of musk oil. True musk oil is derived from the sexual
glands
of a kind of deer, found only in remote regions of the world. Musk is
hot and dry. Some
people
refuse to use it because they object to using any
animal substance, for anything. Musk, however, does have a definite place
in medicine, particularly
in healing heart and sexual problems.
Rose
Rose is cold and dry in the second degree. There are perhaps three hundred
different species of roses used in aromatherapy. The finest is said by some
to be the attar of Bulgarian rose, which retails at about
$3SO
per
ounce. Few
people
stock it.
Others consider that some of the first-pressing rose oils
from India are superior even to the Bulgarian rose. Their price is Jout
$450
per pound in India. It requires almost 60,000 pounds
of rose petals
to
produce
one kilogram
(Z.Z
pounds)
of first-pressing rose oil.
The Indians reportedly discovered rose oil at the time of the wedding of
Shah
fehan,
the one who built the Taj Mahal and Shalimar
gardens
as a
testament of his unyielding love for
his wife, Noor
Jehan.
For the wedding
day, the emperor had filled the moat surrounding his castle with rose water,
over which the wedding guests
were to be ferried. As the sun beat down its
heat on the rose water, it caused a natural distillation of the oil, which
separated off and floated on top of the rose pond.
This was skimmed off,
and the Indians have excelled at producing
rose oil ever since.
The rose is the most superior of all scents in the floral realm. Rose works
simultaneously
on the physical,
emotional, and spiritual bodies, purifying
and uplifting all three. It is the least toxic oil. One can make a delicious
summer drink by adding one drop of rose oil to a gallon
of water. Shake it
ll8 I Ttu Book of Sufi Hwling
up, and then take one drop of that l i qui d and add i t to another fresh
gal l on of
water. The resul ti ng mi xture i s hi ghl y refreshi ng. Thi s si ngl e drop sti l l
carri es the
power
to scent the water, even though i t has been di l uted al most
a mi l l i on ti mes.
Jasmine
Jasmine
is cold and dry. The flowers of
jasmine
are cold, but the essential oil
i s heati ng. Thi s i s an i mportant consi derati on: that not al l substances work
i n the same way i n al l forms,
j ust
as water and i ce are chemi cal l y the same
but qui te di fferent i n thei r effects. It i s al so true that fl owers and thei r oi l s
do not work the same way i n humans as they do i n ani mal s:what i s heati ng
to a human may be cool i ng to a fi sh. Thi s fact makes random experi ments
on ani mal s a
questi onabl e practi ce at best.
Jasmi ne
i s the scent favored by the
shaykhs of the famous whi rl i ng mysti c dancers of Turkey. Its speci al
qual i ty
i s i ts unparal l el ed abi l i ty to upl i ft the mood and l essen mental depressi on.
Hina
Hi na
(pronounced
huna) i s the oi l extracted from the fl owers of the henna
pl ant. Hi na i s very di ffi cul t to obtai n i n the Uni ted
States. It i s consi dered
one of the fi nest and most refi ned oi l s i n the worl d, and i ts pri ce refl ects
that. In Indi a, a dram of fi rst-qual i ty hi na oi l
(about
a teaspoon) costs about
$100.
Thi s i s because i t i s usual l y aged over a l ong ti me, and i mproves wi th
agi ng. I have seen catal ogues adverti si ng i t for as much as
$1,ooo
a pound.
But one can obtai n vari ous hi na oi l s that are bl ended, thus bri ngi ng the
pri ce
i nto reach of the average
person.
The curi ous thi ng about hi na
(and
some of the other oi l s as wel l ) i s that
the l i ki ng for i ts fragrance i s an acqui red one: many
peopl e on fi rst srnel l i ng
i t fi nd i t repul si ve.
cud
The rare and costly oil known as
cfrd
is taken from the wood of the
aloeswood tree. The best
cird
comes from India. Its cost can be as high as
$8oo
per
dram. However, those familiar with its effects do not find the
price
a consideration.
It could be stated that
cid
is enioyed only by those of the higher evolu-
tions of the soul; indeed, its application is usually restricted to imbalances of
the last three stations.
fannat
al-Fardaws
Although a blend,
jannat
al-fardaws is very
popular among the Sufis. It is
said that a Sufi
tattir,
or
perfumer, one day entered the Fardaws-the
Highest Heaven-in his mystical exertions. Once there, he experienced a
particular fragrance. Upon recovering his normal state of mind, he repro-
duced this fragrance, thus the name: Gateway to the Highest Heaven.
The Sosl of thc Rts I 179
APPLICATION
OF OILS
The most common method of using essential oils among the Sufis is to rub a
small amount of oil over the extended right hand, palms down. This is the
etiquette of receiving an oil offered by a shaykh. Then the oil is rubbed over
the beard or chin, across the front of the shirt, and onto the wrists.
A second method of applying the oil, particulariy
when a mental or
emotional condition is being treated, is the following. Put one or two drops
of the oil onto a piece
of cotton about the size of the end of a cotton swab
stick
(do
not use the stick, however). Then insert the cotton wad into the
ridgelike ledge of the ear,
lust
above the ear opening
(not
inside the ear). The
illustration shows the correct placement of the oil. This must be done in the
right ear, not the left. In the right ear, at this point
of placement, five cranial
nerves come together to form a nerve mass, or
ganglia.
This is an important
point in other systems of medicine as well, such as Chinese acupuncture,
where it is called sfter wen, one of the important life-regulating points.
Now that we understand something about oils, we can assign the oils to
be used in each of the stages of the soul' s evolution-the stages of egotism,
heart, soul, divine secrets,
proximity,
and union. Each of the stations, their
imbalances, and resulting conditions are
given
in the next section, with the
proper
oil to be used for each
Some readers may wonder why I do not suggest applying the oils
internally for physical
diseases. Although there is a science of utilizing
attars and essential oils in this way, I present here the applications which are
intended to affect the emotional and spiritual centers because that is where
the disease conditions originate. Another book presenting
the applications of
oils for physical
conditions is in preparation.
Generally speaking, the oils may be simply smelled for effect in all of the
stations of the soul and their imbalances. However, one will find them also
effective when added to massage oils and rubbed over the entire body, in
the stations of egotism and the heart. The other stations require simply
inhalation of the fragrance.
LOCATION
OF COTTON
Applying oil drops on colton lo e .
^irl
AT-I.,AH
(GoD)
VACUUM
DI V I NE UNI ON
ix;
(/.&)
".V*f
\\-.P,
'oY,
\
' Yor
t t l 9
a
7\ v(. vl E
'+SL-/-S
. "t or ' ,
'"^ti!:zf,.d
.
- ' t Xt s19'
,
r22 I Thc Bmk of Sufi Heding
It should be remembered that the intended result is not to attack a
disease, but rather to create an irresistible invitation of kindness and sweet-
ness to the next stage of evolution.
The final thing to remember is that when working with emotions and
spiritual actions, the results are in accord with nature; that is, they work in
conformity with the body's own healing energies, and not abruptly. As a
great
Sufi once said,
"Patience is the key to
joy."
LL
The Univerce
of the Breath
Anit rememr*r whcn thy Lard said unto
thc angels:
Lol I am creatin| a mortot
out o.f poa'!r" cla! oJ black mud ahered,
So, when I have made him
dnd hare bnathed into him o! My
rpirit . . .
Qgtbn
I 5:28-29
The
Qur'anic
verse above reveals in a very condensed
form the-entire
mystic relationshiP
between Cod and Hir human creation He says that He
mide the human beinS out of the elements and then breathed Iife into the
body, The
Qur'anic
words used here are significant.
AUah uses the word nnlns for His own breath, and He uses the word rnl
for His own soul. These same wotds are used to mean the human breath
and human soul-confirming
the fact that we are oriSinally from Allah, of
Allah, for Allah, and in the end will return to Allah
Of
all of the physical realities that have a bearing upon health, that
which is least oftin considered
in medicine and healing is the breath The
breath has the following
important relations with health:
1. lt is the agent upon which the divine permission
(idln)
is borne'
2. Breath
i9 responsible for conveying the divine attributes
from the
heart to the various centers of the mind, body, and soul
3. Breath creates the equilibrium and harmony of the temPeraments
of the body.
4. Breath cat;ies life_supPorting
elements
from the exterior of the body
to the interior
physiological [unctions
t 23
12a I The Book of S'1f Hetling
Breat h i s not synonymous wi t h ai r, norwi t h oxygen. Breat h i st hat whi ch
emerges from the divine origin and has as its essence the temperament of
the celestial realms. Breath is a luminous substance, a ray of light; breath is
the life force of God Himself!
Breath is the regulator of
joy,
sadness, delight, anger,
iealousy,
and other
emotions. Both the quantity and quality of breath have a definite and direct
effect upon human health. This i9 so because various
physical events can
alter or in a sense cover over the divine essence that is being conveyed on
the breath. Industrial pollutants, alcoholic beverages, and various foods can
al l i nt ermi ngl e wi t h t he breat h and di st urb i t s i nt ended puri t y of act i on.
All of these actions are changed by age, climate, and habits. An example
will make this clear. When one experiences
great depression, there is a
weakening of the natural powers and a concentration of the breath. This
concentration cauges a violent aggregation of the breath, which consequently
obliterates
part
of the natural heat and
gives rise to an imbalance ofcoldness.
Depending upon how prolonged the depression is, the cold imbalance can
extend into one or many organs of the body, thus
producing varying
degrees of disease.
The emot i ons of dread and t he ef f ect s associ at ed wi t h
Sreat
and i mpend-
i ng danger al so di ssi pat e t he nat ural heat . Anger wi l l cause an i ncrease i n t he
amount of yel l ow bi l e essence creat ed. I f t he anger i s sust ai ned, t he di seases
aseociated with excess
yellow
bile will occur.
Therefore, medicines must be chosen for their effect on the breath and
i t s t emperament
(or
i t s al t ered t emperament ). Thi s i s why compound medi -
cines are frequently used, to balance not only the phygical symptoms but
al so t he underl yi ng t emperament s of t he physi ol ogi cal egsences and t he
essences of t he breat h.
Thi s i s al so why f l ower essences, i n t he f orm of at t ars, are so ef f ect i ve i n
produci ng cures. I t i s vi t al t hat t hey be
gi ven at t he same t i me as medi ci nes
t hat st ri ct l y af f ect t he physi cal sympt oms. Fl owers have t he
Sreat est
capaci t y
t o rebal ance t he breat h and t he i nt ernal essent i al t emperament s.
The breath is the nexu6 between our Creator and ourselves. The healing
methods of the Sufis have placed more importance upon the breath than on
any ot her f act or of l i f e.
In February 1979, I received a letter from my old friend Yunus Maharal,
t he head of t he f ami l i es who at t end t o t he daryal of our Chi sht i headquart erg
at Ajmer. "Man does not come to earth to stay forever," he wrote, My heart
was
pounding,
knowing what was to follow. "HazratMaulana Sufi Darveesh
Wahiduddin Begg completed his breathing practices on the 12th of Rabicac
al -Awwal , e. n 1400. I t was an aurpi ci ous t i me,
j ust
af t er sunset . The day
was more auspi ci ous st i l l : i t was t he bi rt hday of t he Prophet
(s. a. w. s. ). "
Although there were many feelings I expelienced in association with the
passing of my shaykh
(may
Allah cover him with mercy), I was struck by the
unique view Yunus Maharaj had expressed to mer that life, considered from
Th. uniw?r. ol th. Bftatt l12s
its beginning to end, is one continuous
get
of breathint
Practices.
This is the
view of the Sufis.
The Holy
Qur'an,
in addition to all else that it may be, is a set of
breathinS practices. In fact, the very first command of Almighty God was to
recite the
Qur'an.
The first verses that were revealed by Gabriel to Prophet
Muhammad
(s. a. w. s. )
were as f ol l ows;
lqra' bisrni Rabbik alladhi khalaq
Khal aqal i nsi na mi n
cal aq
lqra' wa Rabbukal-Akram
AUadhi ' al l ama bi l -qal am
'Allamal insana mi lam
yaclam.
Recite! ln the name of Thv Lord
Who createth man from a drop of sensitized blood
Rcitel And thy Lord is Most Bounteous,
Who teacheth by the
pen
Teacheth man that which he knw not
The Arabic word i4ra' is lendered here as "recite" because it means to read
from some book, from actual letters. Now, the Prophet
(s.a.w g.)
was an
I l rnf l i , an unl et t ered one who coul d not read or wri t e, so t he command
seemed
puzzlinS, even terrifyinS, to him at the time But the Holy ProPhet
(s. a. w, s, )
was abl e t o memori ze each of t he verses as i t came t o hi m, and
thus could "read"
it from his memory, althouth actual
physical written
copi es were produced duri ng t he l i f et i me of Muhammad
(s. a. w. s. )
One of the Companions of the Prophet related this comment by Mu-
hammad
(s.a.w.s.)
on the value of reciting the
Qur'an:
"Recitint the
Qur'an
out of memory catries one thousand degrees of religious merit, while
reading the
Qur'an
from the Book itself increases
lthe
merit] up to two
t housand degrees. "
Thg benefits and effects of Eading the
Qulan
are like a seed that
eventually 6ends
out twi8s, branches, loots, and leaves of 6ustenance in
every dircction.
The Hadith state: "Whoever
reads the
Qu/an
and acts
upo;
what is contalned
in it, his
Parents
will be made to wear a down
on the Day of
Judgmnt,
the brilliance of which wil exceed that of the
sun, if it were brought down into your houses." So, if that is the rward
for the
palents, what do you think is the leward fo! the
Pe$on
who
acts upo! it him6lJ?
The most important consideration regarding the
Qur'an
is that Allah
states in the Book that it is not of human origin; it consists of the actual
pre-
eternal, uncreated speech of Allah Himself As such, no other book exists
which carries the degree of pedection and balance in its words. Even the
most disinterested observer cannot fail to be impressed upon hearing the
Qur'an
recited. lt is of surpassing beauty, melody, and majesty.
Another important
point about the
Qur'an
is that within the first seven
a26 I Th. B@k ol Saf H.alins
lines, virtually all of the sounds that occur in Arabic are uttered. One of
these letters is grdyfl,
which when uttered cauges a kind ofgrowlinS,
Suttural
sound in the back of th throat. Each letter sets off a vibratory pattern that
travels in a specific direction, lasts a specific duration, and produces specific
physical, mental, and spiritual effects. The sound of the letter
3/rayn
(and
also kli',
rayr,
and others) is usually not made in the English language. This
means that the effects associated with such letters are not felt unless one
recites the Arabic. It is a bit curious that most of the sounds that occur in
Arabic and not in English are associated with the sounds of choking in
Engl i sh!
Even more important, the various combinations of vowels and con-
sonants combine to stimulate and disperse the divine attributes throughout
t he body of t he reci t er i n perf ect measure. One of t he at t ri but es i s al -Chof nr
(the
Forgiver), which contains the letter grayn.
One who never recites this
letter is deprived of the fr.rll measure of forgiveness in his or her own soul.
There are three basic vowel sounds in Arabic: the letters fllil, Dnrr, and
rA'.
Name of Vo
,l
Sound
At{
YA'
Wdu
Pronunciation
a as t ^
f st ht r
i as i n machi ne
, as i^
lou
Symbol
I
I
(J
All languages utilize these three basic long vowel sounds, and they can be
t hought of as uni versal harmoni c const ant s, ut t ered not onl y by humans,
but by every bei ng i n Creat i on, Once one has become at t uned t o t hese
sounds, one can l i st en i n on t he conversat i ons of al l of nat ure!
The vi brat i ons of t hese t hree sounds have di f f erent ef f ect s, The l ong
vowel sound of i t ravel s downward and st i mul at es t he heart , t he reposi t ory
of di vi ne at t ri but es. The l ong i t ravel s upward and st i mul at es t he pi neal
gland, which is not fully understood by Western science, but is felt to be
responsi bl e f or act i vat i on of t he l i f e f orces. And t he l ong sound of i ! eso-
nates on the outer rim of the pursed lips, and intermingles with the i.lfin of
Al l ah, as Hi s permi ssi on f or our l i ves uni t es wi t h our i nhal ed and exhal ed
breaths.
These sounds are not particularly sunt or spoken, but are explessd in a
special recitation, which is achieved correctly after some time of readinS
from the
Qurhn.
ln time, these sounds resonate their essence in the tone
box of the soul. This may seem a vague manner of expresring such things,
but unt i l and unl ess one experi ences i t , such descri pt i ons must suf f i ce,
In addition to the foregoing considerations of sound and breath, the
Qur'an
contains yet another unique feature that transforms it into a full set
of bleathing practices.
RI M OF LI PS
The illustralion ihou ahows the poifll
ol origifl afld direcliotl ol tralrcl oJ lhe
nibralory lones associaled u,ilh each 1)outl ;ound.
Appearing as punctuation marks in most editions of the Holy
Qur'an
(although
not in editions for native Arabic speakers, who already know
them) are various marks in the text. One set of these markinSs i9 called uaqf,
which means "pause" and indicates where the reciter must stop and take a
full breath. The main udql marl is a small circle, as shor /n by an arrow in the
followine line:
\rijrr.rql6t*,
a26 I Th. Book ol Stlt H.elint
a;n9lv,9l;dl,V,
.?
6*3t4sJl
6i-EvugY
6,({i5'nU-6'^;:,\ltJ
6.,i*Atv,WrU;v
(!
Mah Waqf Ma*s in Satut al-Fdtihth
As an example, in Sirat al-Fetibah, which opens the
Qur'an,
there are seven
of these marls,
placed after each of the seven ayals, or verses One who is
reciting at the elementary stages n!51
gtop
wheneve! cominS to this mark.
This pause forces each line to be of a specified length, which is the same
length as it appeared in the original form revealed to the Prophet Mu-
hammad
(s. a. w. s. ).
However, realizint that some persong have greate! caPacity than others,
Allah has allowed several forms of recitation of the
Qur'an,
each appropriate
to a different capacity for breath and spiritual evolution. Thus, additional
marks occur, allowing several oI lhe avaL to be recited without the main
pauses. Thus, the lentth of time of recitation may be as short ae a few
seconds or as long as two minutes,
The correct
geven
main breath pau3es for the opening sira, are repro-
duced in the accompanying illustration. Anyone who is learning the
Qur2n
does so by initially following these main breath pauses.
The sEns inside the circles indicate the numb$ of the 4yaf, The 6a!ks above
the ctcles designate which of the stops ale cornpulsory to obey and which can
be gone past. The sign ot latn"olil (
I
)
means that to stop is necessatt although
it can be optional. When encountering this sign, one may continue on past all l4lt-
alfs, until one affives at the sign of
lt
(
l. ),
which marks the compulsory
Th. Unl,.ttr ol th. Bt.alh I 129
gtop
for the second
level of reciting
Another mode of reciting
allows
' ". i l "g
pr. i t he
4i
as wel l , s t oppi ng
on l y when t he si gn
-of
' *!
i -. l , '
aDoears over t he ci rcl e Thus, one may reci t e t he ent i re 5urat al -! arl r' ! an
usi ng seven b. eat hs, t hree
breat hs, or one breat h l n some of t he dyal s' t hese
; ; ; ; l h ou""t
al l ow
f or reci t at i ons
l ast i ng al most t wo f ul l mi nut es l t i s
i ndeed i st oni shi ng
t o hear t he
Qur' an
reci t ed
i n t hrs manner'
'-
iurth".*o.",
'ih"re
are additional
levels of recitation
which involve
proionging the breaths and focus upon
certain vowels and consonants'
One
woul d of necessi t y requi re
yeal s t o at t ai n comPl et e
mast ery of t he. m-odes
of
reci t i nB t he Hol y
Qur' an
Persons
at t ai ni nt t hi s. masl ery
are cal l ed
44l I
'
ano
have committed
the entire
Qur'an
to memory
by this stage'
For the Sufi aspirant, the fiist requirement
is knowledSe
of the correct
modeg of reci t i nS i he verses of t he Hol y
Qur' an
The ascensi ons
of ecst asy
produced t hereby can onl y be i magi ned There
are more t han a l ew rePort s
i i -"i rur. f r.
""oi i i t e
*hi l " eng"ged
i n l i st eni ng t o a recrt at i on of ' or t hem-
sel ves
reci t i ng, t he Hol y
Qur' an.
Shaykh
Bayazi d Bi st ami
(r' a l
once, not ed
t hat i t wae t he
Ereat est
myst ery t o hi m t hat t he
Person
who recrt ed t ne cal l
to prayer did not die from it
' Obvi ousl y,
not every
Person,
part i cul arl y a novi ce' can achi eve
f ul l
reci t at i on of t he
Qur' an
wi t hi n
a short t i me l n order t o accel erat e t he
"i i ". i r
of t f t "
Quri n-i n
i t s ef f ect s uPon body, mi nd, and soul -t he, Suf i s
reeort t o use of t he di vi ne names,
whrch condense
and compress
t he el f ect s
of l onser reci t at i ons
i nt o a bri ef sPace
-'
ii i. i"* tf,ut we step off into the realm of the divine realities' where
onl y t rue and
great f ai t h wi l l sust ai n one'
L2
Ib'wrdh:
The Merciful
Prescriptions
We send dowD stage by stage in the
.l'r'an
tlut which is a healing and
a mercy to those who believe. . .
Qtrhn
17:82
The Sufi s use four thi ngs i n thei r treatment of di seases: prayers,
medi ci nes,
practi ci ng certai n thi ngs, and gi vi ng
certai n thi ngs up.
The practi ci ng
and
gi vi ng
up of certai n thi ngs deri ve from the
pri mary
rel i gi ous i ni uncti ons of the Hol y
Qur' an.
They i ncl ude abstai ni ng from pork
and al cohol , performi ng
dai l y prayers,
cl eansi ng the body by abl uti ons, and
many other thi ngs. The use of medi ci nes
(i ncl udi ng
foods and herbs) has
been noted as acceptabl e, and even encouraged, by the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.).
Al though al l of these acti ons are necessary, even compul sory, for
heal th, the Sufi s consi der prayer
to be the most superi or ki nd of medi ci ne.
In addi ti on to the vari ous prayers
that the Sufi s perform dai l y, they have
knowl edge of speci fi c verses of the
Qur' an,
and the names of vari ous
attri butes of God, whi ch are combi ned i n parti cul ar
ways to effect cures.
This form of healing is called the science of tacnidh. The word is derived from
the verb
ti dha,
"to fl ee to God for rgfuge."
The sci ence of tstwi dh combi nes al l the aspects of
prayer,
breath, and
sound. The procedures i nvol ved i n maki ng these formul ati ons may become
compl ex. The reason these formul as work wi l l be taken up i n Chapter 14,
"The
Ori gi n of Mi racl es." But the actual mechani cs of maki ng farzri dl r can be
demonstrated to some extent.
In the writing and utilizing of the sacred tacwidh, numbers often form a
central part
of the fi ni shed tncwi tl h. To the casual observer, these numbers
seem somewhat i ncomprehensi bl e, wi thout any sequenti al or other si g-
ni fi cance.
131
82 I
Thc Blr,k ol Stfi Huling
NUMERICAL VALUES FOR ARABIC ALPHABET
Letter
(Basic
Form)
Numerical
Value
Name and
Transcription
alil
2
bg: b
400 ld: t
a
500 thi: th
7
(:
5
ttrn: t
7
I
ha' h
7
600 kh:a: kh
4 cql: d
700 dhdl: dh
200 fa: f
7 zc: z
d
60 stn: s
a
!r
300 shin: sh
, t A 90 s.idt
q
Letter
(Basic
Iorm)
Numerical
Value
Name and
Transcription
, , -
800
da4, d
J"
9
ta, t
t.
g
900
4A: .Z
?
70
cayn: c
?
7,000
ghayn: gh
19
80
la: I
, q
100 qEf: q
.tJ
20
ral: K
J
30
Fam: I
,
I
& mtm: m
tJ
flun: n
A
5 h6: h
a
6 oa@: w
rt
70
va: y
To'widh: The Merciful Pftsciptions
I l,g3
Affiliated with the Arabic alphabet is an elaborate system of numerology
through which each letter is assigned a numerical value, thus making
possible
the expression of any written statement by a corresponding number
or set of numbers. This science is called abiad. The use of numbers has
several practical reasons.
Often the verse of the
Qur2n
intended for use
may be so long as to preclude its being written out entirely in longhand.
Second, there may not be time to write it out, if a formulation is needed
within minutes rather than hours or days. A third reason is that, although
the Sufis disseminate their healing missions among all humankind without
distinctions of any kind, the actual text or letters of the
Qur' an
have a
special sanctity and deserve special forms of care and respect. This being the
case, one who does not know the special modes of respecting the
Qur' an
should not be allowed contact with it. In such cases. numbers can be
substituted for the actual verses of the
Qur' an
without concern for the
possibility
of loss of or damage to the divine verses.
Thus, the
Qur'anic
verse Bismi Lldh ir-Raftman, ir-Rafuln may be expressed
as the number 786. The name Allah is represented by the number 66. The
assiSnation of values to each letter is according to the accompanying table.
There are several ways in which these letters may be represented in
transliteration, depending on the original language, whether Arabic, Turk-
ish, Persian, or whatever. The number values are the same, regardless of
the symbols used for transliteration.
Applying the values for each individual letter above, we can now com-
pute the number of Allah as 66 by the method illustrated on the following
pa8e.
It should be noted that some vowel sounds
(atftnh,
kaqrah,
flammah)
are nol
written in Arabic script, but are sounded when recited. These vowel sounds
are not computed in the numerical values.
In the realm of healing, some of the full
Qur' anic
verses are written out
in number form, as are some of the divine attributes. For example, Sfirat
al-Fatifrah is represented by the numerical chart below:
2340
-
ZJ+J
2348
2337
2346
2339
2347
2335
2344
2338
2344
2342
Clearly understand that it is not the piece
of
paper
or numbers or
symbols that do any healing. Such a concept is as erroneous as it is dan-
gerous,
for it undermines the exclusiveness
of God. lt is Allah the Almighty
alone who has conceived, designed, and made these formulations available,
and it is by His Permission alone that they have effect in human affairs.
734 I The Book ol Sufi Heqling
The formulations are constructed in several ways: they may be written
on a piece of
paper, voiced as a silent prayer, spoken aloud as a
Prayer,
written on
glass and the ink washed off and drunk as medicine, affixed to
some
part
of the body, or buried in the
ground, among other methods.
Sometimes they are recited within the shaykh and dispersed on his breath,
whence, upon arriving as a vibratory
pattern on the breath of the
patient,
they have their effect.
As many as several thousand of these formulas are in use, and one must
receive special training in the methods of writing and
preparing them
coruectly. This special training would include, besides knowledge of Arabic,
a solid
grounding in the external teachings of the Holy
Qur' an,
the identities
of the angelic servants whose duties are
particular to healing, the
proper
times of
prayer, and, of course, an ability to correctly diagnose the root
AJJI
!ul"i!'fi'1"*l:#*'o
*
The number for Bismi Llith ir-Rahman, ir-Rallim is computed
as follows:
The totals:
Bi smt 2+ 60+ 40= l o2
Al l nh: 1- t 30+30+5=66
ir-Rafumdn 1 + 30 + 200 + 8 + 40 + 50
:
329
ir-Ralpm 1 + 30 + 2oo + 8 + 10 + 40
=
289
Tot al : 786
{0 60 2
I
MiM siN BA
f,o I
A
I
I
I
HA LAM IAM AUE
50 {0 8 200 30
I
I
7
, I
I
NiN MlM HA R/{ IAM AUF
{0 10 I 200 30 I
I
i'
7 !
MiM YA'
HA
RA TAM ALIF
T{widh: fic Medful Pretcdttiont
I
t3S
cause of the disease on the spiritual realm so that the remedy will have its
desired effect.
Not all shaykhs possess
the same knowledge,
Some specialize in one or
several disease conditions, such as
jaundice,
blindness, insanity, or others. A
patient
may go
to one shaykh for
Buidance
and then be referred by him to
another shaykh,
one who has the requisite formulas to heal the person.
The shaykh writing out tactDidh must be very pious,
devoid of miterialistic
intent. The writer must also be maintained in the state of
purity,
or wuflu.
The formulas are written in India ink, and sometimes with vegetable inks of
red or
green
color. Once the tatwidh is prepared,
it is placed
inside a metal,
cloth, or leather container and worn on some
part
of the bodv. Some of the
ta(widh are for a limited time, while others are worn for years.
Once their
effect is achieved, they must be buried in a safe
place.
Because many phyiical diseases have their origin in emotional imbalances
or conditions affecting life-style, the tacwidh cover a very wide range of
apiplications. For example, if a man is sick because of worry over debts, the
healer would provide
the patient with a tatwrdh that would increase liveli-
hood, which is the cause of the disease, in the end. Tacwidh also exist for
improving crop output and honey production
of bees, to avert calamities, to
annul the plots
of enemies, for virtually any disease, and for satisfaction in
interpersonal relationships.
The following pages reproduce some authentic taruidl formulas from the
Naqshbandiyyah and Chishtiyyah Sufis in Afghanistan.
(lt
is not permitted
to reveal all of the existing tacwidh or to make the effects available to the
general people,
lest someone misuse them.)
136 I
Thc Book ol 9ufi Hcditg
TAcWIDH:
The Merciful
Prescriptions
1^1
,4)lL
'41ilt,
'ailru
a
TtlL.
rttu-
' al t .
'atlt,
' ut U
'ajjtt,
For headache affecting entire head. Worn around neck.
aA
i ,(
i t *
i t*
1q
i,(
-------c-
\ -
,(
A
-)t
-il
\ -
l r
L
o
Y
-r'
I
-.1
f-
I F
f
g
(
=. P
-.1
P
htt
/tlL
,&l! ,rbrt
,
&t !
For babies with measles. Worn on throst.
fM
t'.,
brp,t-
f
rPt l
;t\ ir
Uo
rh
For eye pain. Plated ooer aflected eye.
L
A.I
-go
t-
-rbU
*u
_*u
-e6a
_*u
_Pa
_*u
-*u
_*a
-g.bu
-rbU
_ea
_*u
-*u
- *\
For eoi l eye or
j i nns.
Worn on the outer cl othi ng.
LA' I
ib
,to 6b
/b 6l@
6b
/b
alo tb 6b 6b
6b 6(o
6(o
6lo
6Lo
6lo
6le
6b
6b 6b
6le
6l o 6l,o
6lo
6b
6lo 6(o
llp
6[o
6l o
6to 6b
6@ 6b
For women who cannot conceioe. Wrilten in oegelable ink, washed off, and drunk.
7t7
i ?
(2
- r t
\ r
\
N)
-rl
\.
3\
t\)
r\l
\
\
l ( \
cr
. \
l F
7
r *L
Lttt-
i 7a
i
7t2
c\
.\
I F
c\
r\
I F
- r l
\ o
\)
? t *L
ett
L-
LAl
For inflamed eyes. Written on a s nrly day. Worn sround throat.
LAl
,i$t
1
l 6
2
2i-
'tt
v
\
cr
\
l r
, l ?*L
n
eu!.
t
Lt t !
t
?:tL
t a4
rf
QtL-
r
a+!
1t t l
I
u:t
t r
U4!
ta
U,tL-
6
att
fi
A4L.
r
O+!
v
Ut L
r
Utl
\
rJ
-t
*2
L
r *
I Jril'
v'
n//
For ulamities, disasters, legitimate good deeds, unknown and incurable diseases.
134
Written on a Friday. Wort around neck.
Tacriulh: The Mcrciltl Prc*ilfio.s I 139
/,lv' l
)t-tsY' )!
t)$+tSYrttto
9yluttvbvttt
rS99gts$!,tr
t {,tr"'J{tt-
I
r l l l n| |
l ' , t
I
l l | |
|
|
v,
'/t
. N
\I
I
I |
|
| | r ' r I
r l l | l l
A
page
lrom
a book of tatwldh illustrating seDefl dift'elent tacwidh
for
physical disenses.
r4o I Th. Book of Srfi Hccling
Let us now turn to the most concentrated and condensed healing formula
that exists, the Divine Remembrance, the Celestial Conversation, the Fa-
vorite of Allah and the lifeblood and life breath of the Sufis: dfriLr.
Al-fiamilu li-Lldh illeilhi tawd{ a k lu shay'in li'cazmatihi.
Wal-fiamilu li-Llah iileilhi dhalle kullu shay'in li-ciz.zatihi.
W
-f;amdu
li-Llsh illadht khedaca hullu shay'in li'nilkihi'
Wal-f;amilu li-Ll6h illailht astaslama kullu shey'in li-qdmtih.
All praise is due to Allah,
before Whose
grii,rdeur everything
is humbled.
All praise is due to Allah,
before Whose
greatness everything is subdueo.
All praise is due to Allah,
before Whose dominion everything
is abased.
All
praise is due to Allah,
before Whose strength
everything surrenders.
1,3
Dhikr:
Divine
Remembrance
And men who temember Allah much
and women who remember Allah much,
Allah In rt prepred
Jor
them
Jorgivenes
and a vast rcwatd.
Ql,r'an
33:jS
The intimate relationship
between the Sufi and Allah is contained in the
memorable verse from the
Qur'an:
"If you
remember Me, I will remember
you" (2:1,52).
This form of mutual attraction and devotion
bespeaks an ulterior form
of love which says, in effect, I will relinquish every aspect of my own self
and devote myself wholeheartedly and absolutely exclusively to Your
pleasure.
At any rate, this is the condition in which the Sufi finds himself.
The word used to mean this exclusive and intimate dwelling upon, is
dlikr
(sometimes
transliterated as zilr). Allah has frequently used this term
when revealing the superior forms of worship:
Remember thy Lord much, and praise Him in the early hours
of the ni ght and rnorni ng.
(3:41)
After you have performed
the act of worship
lsalill,
remember
Al l ah standi ng, si tti ng, and l yi ng down.
(l :103)
Lo! Even I am Allah. There is no glod
""."pt
Me. So serve Me and
establ i sh worshi p for My remembrance.
(20:14)
But verily, remembrance of Allah is more important.
(29:45)
O
ye
who bel i eve! Remember Al l ah wi th much remembrance.
(gz:zs)
There are dozens more verses i n the Hol y
Qurhn
that contai n si mi l ar
testaments to the exal ted posi ti on i n whi ch Al l ah hol ds the dhi kr.
141
ttz I
The Book of Stfi Heeling
Of course,
remembrance in one sense simply could mean any kind of
formal
thought
process alighting upon Allah or His attributes'
However,
men and wJmen of
piety approached
the Prophet Muhammad
(s
a' w s' )
after these u"rr", *"i" descended
and asked for a clarification of the term
dhikr.
It is reported
in the pure Hadith that the Prophet
(s' a.w
s' ) said:
"U
itaha illa Llaiu is the most excellent of all forms of remembrance of Allah the
Almighty." He is also reported to have said that the end
of the world will
not airive so long as there is one
person left alive reciting ll ilaha illd lJnhu'
One of the
great shaykhs has sai4: "The ecstasy
produced in the heart of
the dervishes
in their dlritr is a kind of turbulence,
which
is the cause of the
waves foaming
and breaking upon the shore."
The
prophlt Moses
(a.s
)
was told by Allah that dhikr is the most
pre-
ferred of special
prayers. Because of its ability to inculcate
deep sincerity in
the heart of u b"li"tt"., U ilnhs ill| Llihu is also termed the Purification of
Souls.
This sacred formula is also called the Key to Paradise,
because the
Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
stated in one of his sermons that the
gates of
heaien would open for anyone who recited
it even once in a lifetime with
true sincerity. The word
"gates" in the
plural was used because there are
many
gates in heaven, and this formula is the key to all of them.
tn short, there is nothing
greater in the sight of Allah than this remem-
brance of Him, exalted is He: Li ilnha illd Llnhu'
One
may conduct this remembrance
in thought or word and at any time'
However,
the Sufis have evolved certain congregational
practices for this,
which have come to mean the sitting in the circle of dhikr' ll is perhaps this
practice that has
gained more attention than all other activities
of the Sufis
in various
parts of the world.
The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) gave an account of what transpires
in the congre-
gation of dhikr.
The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
has said that a
Sroup
of angels is
given a
special duty by ell"h to
perform a patrol of the entire earth, looking for
tirose who are engaged in remembrance of Allah the Almighty, chanting His
name. When such assemblies are discovered, the angels are so amazed and
pleased that they call more angels to
join
them and,
placing their wings
iogether in embrice, they make a column that reaches up into the Heavens'
When the assembly of dhikr has ended, these angels return to Heaven,
and Atlah asks them where they have been.
(Even
though He is already
aware of what
has transpired, He is pleased to hear of it.)
The angels tell Him that they are returning from an assembly of
persons
engaged
in remembrance of Him and that they were
glorifying and
praising
Hi;. AUah asks the angels,
"Have they seen Me?" The angels
reply, "No,
Lord, they have not." Allah the Almighty then asks the angels,
"What would
Dhifu: Dbinc Raacmb'l;a,tr I 1.43
those people
think if they had seen Me?" The angels reply that in such a
case, they would have been engaging themselves
even more in His worship.
"What
do they ask of Me?" Allah the Almighty then asks.
.'They
long for
Your Paradise,"
the angels respond. "Have
they seen My Paradise?,' Allah
agk?. "No,
they have not seen it," the angels respond.
"What
would happen
if they had seen it?" Allah inquires of the angels.
,.They
would lon!-for
it all the more," is their reply.
Then Allah the Almighty asks the angels, "From
what were the people
seeking protection?"
The angels inform Him that the people
were seeking
protection
from the hell.
"Have
they seen My hell?" Allah inquires.
,,No,
Lord, they have not," the angels reply. "What
if they had seen My hell?,'
AIlah the Almighty asks of the angels, who reply that the people
would have
even more sought refuge and protection
from it.
Then Allah the Almighty commands each of the angels present
that He
has forgiven all of those who were engaged in remembrance
of Him. One
angel says to Allah,
"But
Lord, there was one among them who only
accidentally sat down and did not belong there"
(that
is, he was insincere).
Allah the Almighty replies, "Even
that one have I forgiven, so exalted is the
assembly that even one on the edge is not deprived
of My reward."
The dhikr assembly takes many forms and is called dhiir-fualqah, samhc, or
simply dhikr. Each Sufi order may have its particular
form and sequence of
performing
the dhikr, but these differences
are so minor as to be incon-
sequential. The dhikr ceremony of the Chishti is composed of four parts,
each Iasting approximately
one hour, although
the shaykh pr"r"r,i
^"y
extend the ceremony to five or more hours, depending
upon the stations of
those present.
Pir Syed Daoud Iqbali, leader
of the Naqshbandiyyah
Sufis of
Afghanistan, once remarked that any dhikr that lasts less than lour or five
hours is
lust
"fooling
around."
For anyone seriously interested in deriving the ultimate benefits of the
Sufi dhibr, a true shaykh
(or
murshid) is an absolute necessity. As the one of
the great
Sufis commented: "He
who has no shavkh and follows himself has
taken satan as his guide."
Furthermore, Allah has warned us in the
Qur' an
that one who has no
marslid becomes totally lost.
Generally, the dhilcr ceremony is held on Thursday
evenin& which the
Sufis consider the beginning
of Fridan the day of community prayers
in
Islam.
Usually the dervishes will arrive for dinner or shortly thereafter and
pray
the final night prayer (cishd)
together. Then they await the signal from
the shaykh to begin.
The seated dervishes form a circle, and the shaykh begins by reciting
praises
upon the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
and various other supplica-
tions. Then the sacred formula of Ln ilnha illi llAhtl is intoned. This recitation
follows the lead proposed
by the shaykh. It may be swift or slow, loud or
144 I
ThcBook ol Stfi Heding
soft. In any event, the real object of the dftikr-intense as it may be-is not
to
get "high" or to become disoriented; rather, it is to ascend the ladder of
stations of the soul, so that one may arrive ai the Threshold
and attain a
glimpse
of the Divine. When this happens
(which
is by no means uniformly
achieved), the person may fall into a state of arajl
(ecstasy).
As a mark of
respect, all present rise until this condition departs the dervish.
The shaykh signals the end of one phase of the dlitr and the beginning of
the next. In the Chishtiyyah, the initial
phase of the tlhikr consists of
recitation of Ii iliha illa Llahu, with a breath break at a particular place' The
second, third, and fourth parts of thg tlhikr are composed of segments of
the sacred formula
(illa
llahil, nothing except Allalr; Allah, God; and Hi, the
One). Amendments to the dhikr may be made at the discretion of the
shaykh, by adding various of the divine attributes
(y' il)
at various
places in
the dhikr.
After the term of the clhikr,long or short, the shaykh or other dervish
recites from the Holy
Qur' an.
There then follows extended supplications
for the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.),
his family and followers
(may
Allah
have mercy on them all), the other prophets
(a.s.),
the
pious ancestors in the
order, and others.
The
posture and motions of the head are done in a specific manner by
the Sufi orders and constitutes the main differences among them.
In the Chishtiyyah Order, the dhikr is ordinarily accomplished in the
following manner:
br ilAha illA Llihu: First one must have ablution. Begin in a sitting
posture
as in
prayer, the legs folded under the body. If the legs are crossed tailor-
style, the vein in the
juncture
of the left leg behind the knee must be
grasped with the big toe. This
posture dispels evil insinuations and also
dissolves fat around the area of the heart, which is the abode of the
"sneaking
whisperer"
(sl-khannis),
one of the forms of the Devil.
WhilJ reciting, the head is moved in the motion of an arc, starting
with the left cheek resting upon the left shoulder. The head is then
swung downward across the chest, and a
pause is made with the face
looking upward. This is done as Ld ilila is uttered. Then, as the syllable ill
is voiced, the head is thrown rather forcefully downward
in the direction
of the heart. The recitation concludes by raising the head again, looking
upward as
"
Allihn" is said. These motions are summarized in the accompany-
ing illustrations.
There is no harm if one takes up this
practice in moderation-a
few
dozen times-alone. However, the Sufis have organized their students into
the tariqats, so that close supervision can be maintained over those
perform-
ing the various
practices. Whenever making recitation of formulas to treat
disease, it is important that the number of recitations end in zero
(e.g.,
SO,
60, 1OO, 3OO). This is so because the desire is for the result to end with
nothing.
Dhikr: Dloine Rcmcmbrsnce I l4S
As blithe as people may wish to be about taking up
practices
on their
own, at the least severe mental confusions can result, and at the worst
deaths have occurred.
The reason the dhikr is so effective is that the long vowel sounds of the
words Li ilAha illA IJhhu are primarily resonating in the heart, causing a
Ini ti al head posi ti on,
LA
Second position,
uqna
Thi rd posi ti on,
ill
Fourth posi ti on,
AllAha
l+6 I
Thc Book of Sufi Hcoling
tremendous dissemination of divine attributes in a very short time. More-
over, the breath is comPressed and condensed
in a manner that
Senerates
a
high degree of heat, which itself burns out many
physical impurities in the
body. It is common to see dervishes drenched in sweat at the conclusion of
the ceremony.
It is sometimes
permitted to conduct short iirlitr ceremonies without
having a shaykh
present. However, true dervishes
always
prefer to have
one or more shaykhs
present, owing to the channeling
of bnrsknh, or divine
blessing, which only the shaykhs can accomplish.
I once attended a rlhikr in the nortlrern
part of Afghanistan.
About forty
men were
present. This
particular Sufi order had conducted
dfiikr ceremonies
every Thursday evening for almost 1,200 years without one interruption.
Ma shn' Allnh.
As we were seated and beginning the initial recitations, the shaykh
paused for a few seconds, and a loud
grinding and whooshing
sound roared
ihro..,gh the adobe room. As I looked up, I
perceived that a cleft had
appeared in the far wall of the room, which sealed up in an instant. Later, at
tht end of the dhikr, the shaykh spent almost an hour reciting salams of
greeting to all of the
pious souls who had slipped in through that cleft Yi
Allnh !
The shaykhs also advise and conduct another form of remembrance,
which utilizes one or more of the ninety-nine
divine attributes. These
ninety-nine attributes are reproduced
in Appendix III.
Not all of these attributes are used at all times. In the Chishtiyyah
Order,
five of these attributes have special significance and
power. The
specific attributes and the manner of utilizing them cannot be stated here.
But to recite them in a particular manner, so many times, will convey the
following effects:
(t)
prevent any enemy from doing any harm to one;
(z)
brlng any sum of money desired;
(g)
compel everyone to treat one with
kindness and to do any helpful thing;
(4)
remove all anxiety from the heart;
and
(s)
end any disagreement or
quarrel between two
people. Such
powers
clearly must be
guarded and
preserved from falling into the hands of people
of bad intentions.
I have seen many serious diseases driven out from those who sat among
the circle of dhikr-and these
people attempted no other treatment' The
nature of Allah is not one of limitation or sickness, and one who fills the
mind and heart with thought and consciousness of Allah will find that all
things other than Allah are vanquished.
The dftikr accomplishes the following: drives away evil forces and defeats
them;
pleases Allah the Almighty; attracts livelihood; makes the
personality
impressive and
prestigious; gives access to Allah the Almighty;
revives and
resuscitates the heart; banishes flaws and faults; saves the speech from
gossip and backbiting; remedies all ailments of the heart; removes all fear
and fright from the heart;
prohibits hypocrisy.
Dhibr Dioinc Rcmembrsacc I \47
Moreover, there exi sts one corner of the heart
(and
therefore certai n
di vi ne potenti al i ti es
wi thi n) that i s not opened except by dhi kr.
Dhi kr of Al l ah the Al mi ghty i s the touchstone of al l mysti cal
practi ces
of
al l Sufi orders. When one arri ves at the state of
performance
of dfti kr, wi th
si nceri ty, one i s at that famous stage when knowl edge gl eaned from books
i s of no further use. Al l owed to fl ouri sh and unfol d, the dl ri tr l eads one, as
He may deci de, to the hi ghest stages of human evol uti on, and one
gai ns
access to the ori gi n of mi racl es.
ALUHUI ALIAHU! ALUHU!
14
The
Origin
of Miracles
But His command,
when He intendeth
a thing,
is only tlnt He sith unto it:
k! and it is.
Qyr'an
j6:82
A miracle is an event that happens outside
of natural laws and beyond the
ability
of the human
mind and reason
to explain
it. There are two words
that mean "miracle"
in Sufi healing,
and the distinction
between them is
very important
to understand.
The first word is mutiizah,
which refers
to an
intervention
directly
by God Himself in human
and natural laws. The
second word is kar|mah,
which means the use of a human as agency for a
divine intervention.
The distinction
may seem subtle. The muciizah mav be
any action that no human
has requested
or has any hand in its doing. For
example,
the virgin conception
by Mary, mothei of
Jesus
(a.s.),
was a
nucjizah of Allah, exalted is He. An example
of akardmah
would be the raising
of the dead body
by Hazrat
Jesus
on his own command. However, in &oll
cases,
ii
is actually
the power
of Allah that causes these things to occur.
Abdullah
Yusuf Ali
(may
Allah be pleased
with him), writing in his
commentary
on the Holy
Qur' an,
said:
,,It
is the privilege
of the men of
Allah to see the sublimest
mysteries
of the spiritual world and instruct men
in righteousness;
they warn and shield men against evil. But nothing
can
lessen each soul's responsibility
for its own deJs. Each one carries hiJ fate
around his neck. Allah' s gifts
are for alll but not all receive
the same gifts,
nor are all gifts
of equal dignity or excellence.,,
_
The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.),
speaking of the type of person
whom Allah
favors with these mysteries, said:
"Verily,
Allah
Most High hath a wine that
He prepared
for
His
friends
[awliyd'l;
when they drink it they are purified,
and.when
they are purified
they become nimble,
and when they^become
nimble they soar, and when they soar they reach,
and when they reach they
unite, and.when
they unite they separate, and when they separaie they pass
away, and
when they pass
away they abide,
and when ihev abide ihev
lso I
The Book of Sufi Heding
become kings; then they are in the Assembly
of Truth in the
presence of a
Sovereign
Omnipotent."
The venerable shaykh al-F.Iabib
(r.a.)
says of man,
"lf he but knew the
secret of his mystery,
he would shed a tearwith
every breath
he breathed'
'"
Accounts of th" liu"t of Sufis are full of descriptions of what we would
call miraculous
experiences-travel
into space, raising of the dead, healing
the sick and other
phenomena. Of course, the most impressive account is
the ascension
into heaven by the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w' s
)
During
that visit, he learned many divine mysteries and met with the souls of many
prophets and holy people, and he received
instructions
from Allah the
Almighty Himself.
Hazrat
Ibn
cArabi
(r.a.),
the
great
Sufi theologian of some eight centuries
ago, reported visiting the moon and wrote out
extensive accounts of charac-
teristici of the environment to be found there-all
of which was only
recently confirmed by U.S. space explorers.
When he was but a child of six years old, Hazrat Mawlana
Rnmi
(r' a
)
terrified his
playmates by leaping up into the sky and disappearing for an
afternoon, while he was taken on a tour of the zodiacal constellations'
Such accounts may seem phenomenal, but they have occurred
with such
frequency
and with io many eyewitnesses
that they cannot
be discounted
simply because science at
Present
may lack understanding
of them.
tonslder
the existence of radio waves' For many thousands of
years
such waves have existed, but only in this century
has man been able to
identify, measure, and use them. The divine
realities extend
far beyond the
capacity of the mind to view them, and humans can only
glimpse these
things when Allah allows it.
To the average
person, miracles seem incomprehensible.
However,
in-
effable as miracles are, they are real. One
may legitimately
wonder how
miracles occur.
The mucjizahs, or direct miracles of Allah, are not so difficult to under-
stand. When we realize that God created the entire universe and a
great
deal more, we should not falter in allowing any action to be within His
capacity. However, when we hear of humans effecting such things, we are
skeptical, Sufi or no! An analogy from our
present society may cast some
light on this complex and unfathomable
subject.
We all use the telephone to reach across vast distances. By means of this
rather simple device, we can dial a number of seven digits and reach another
person in iny
part of our city. By adding
iust
three more digits, we can reach
anyone in the country. And
just
a few more numbers expands
our reach to
the world. People do this all the time. By using the telephone with a
computer, the
possibilities are
greatly enlarged,
and one can set in motion
vastiy complicaied
procedures. For example,
if one had the knowledge of the
correct numerical sequence, one could transfer
millions of dollars from one
bank account to another, even accounts thousands of miles away' Yet, if
vou Dresented
the same fifteen-digit number to a
person who did not
The Origin of Miradcs
I
tll
possess
the correct access code, nothing would happen. In a sense, what the
Sufi does to instigate miracles, is analogous to the computer' s work.
Allah the Almighty has said that the
Qur' an
is the Book of Guidance;
moreover, He has said that there nothing is left out of the
Qur' an.
This
claim may seem overdrawn to some, but it is true, on the authority of the
Lord of the Worlds.
The shaykhs have recounted that each verse, or ayal, of the
Qur' an
has
at ieast 18,000 meanings.
Obviously, the human mind cannot affix 18,OOO
meanings to each verse.
What this means is that there are in each ayal a vast
number of meanings, which are perceived
on unseen and unknown levels-
the cellular, atomic, and subatomic levels-in ways that present
technology
and insight cannot witness or measure.
We have reviewed some of the considerations of vowel sounds and
vibratory effects in reciting the Holy
Qur' an.
But each letter of the Arabic
alphabet is assigned a relationship between the divine realm and the human
world. The following list reveals the correspondence
between each letter of
the Arabic alphabet and the regions of the hierarchy of the universe.
alif
(a) =
1
=
sl-Bdri': the Creator
be
(b' )
=
2= al-caql: Intellect
iim
(il
=
3
=
tn-nafs: Soul
dal
(d)
=
4
--
al-labi'th: Natve
he
(ft)
=
5
.
fll-Bai'bil-iCafaft: Creator in relation to what is below Him
waw
(o)
=
6
=
El-cAql bil-idifah: lntellect in relation to what is below it
ze'
Q)
=
7
=
an-nafs bil-i(Afdh: Soul in relation to what is below it
ha
(t)
=
8
=
at-tabi'ah bil-idafah: Nature in relation to what is below it
te
(t)
=
9
=
al-hayitli: Material world, having no relation to anything
below it
ya' tg)
=
lO
=
al-ibd|': Plan of the Creator
kaf
(k)
=
2O
=
at-talcwln: Structuie transmitted to the created realm
lem
(l)
=
3O
=
al-amr: The Divine Commandment
(kun
fa-yakAn)
mlm
(ra)
=
lO
=
sl-khalq: The created universe
niin
(z)
=
5O
=
al-wujitd: The twofold aspect of being
sin
(s)
=
50
=
The doubled relation between khals and taktnin
cayn
(c)
=
70
--
nl-tafib:The chain of commands being impressed upon the
universe
r52
I
Thc B&k ol ilr.fr Hcal@
qfd (+)
=
9o
=
The tripled relation between amr, khalq, a d takuin
qef
(4) =
1.oo
--
ijfimal al-jumlah
fil-ibdn':
The assembly of all things in the
plan
of the Creator
ri
(r) =
200
=
at-tawhid:Unity, the return of all things to the One, which
is their principle
and reason for existence
By assigning these cosmic values to each letter of the word z{llal, it can
now be stated that certain events are being activated in the unseen realms,
as follows:
ALLAH
A
=
The Creator
(the
absolute Owner of all existence)
L
=
The divine commandment
H
=
Creator in relation to what is below Him
(the
divine essence
[dhit]
in relation to His manifestations['asna-'])
To say the word
Qur'an
sirnilarly invokes overtones in the divine realms:
AL.QOR' AN
A
=
The Creator
(the
absolute Ownet of all existence)
L
=
The divine commandment
Q
=
The assembly of all things in the plan of the Creator
(the final code
covering and ordering all of eistence)
R
=
The retum of all things to the One
(the divine purpose in creation)
A
=
Creator, Who by ordering sets in motion the foregoing Intention
N
=
The twofold aspect of being
(the
separation
from the Creator: man
and God)
Thus, for the Sufi when the word Allah is spbken, a sequence of stirrings
are ignited within the deepest recesses of his mind and soul, which remind
(dh*r) the rememberer of the One remembered.
The very essence of the human being, when saying the word, Alldh, is
impressed in this manner: the Creator, the Absolute Lord and Master of all
existence, in sending a soul into human li[e, imbues the soul with an inherent
knowledge of and obedience to the divine commandments. These exist and
are interwoven in an inexpressibly refined manner within the body/mind/
soul of the human being. Then the Creator issues the order to the soul to
inhabit a particular drop of sensitized blood
(ovum),
and life begins. From
that moment, human life is nothing except a reflection of the Creator.
A similar soliloquy is suggested with the word
Qur'an:
The Book" al-Kitab.
Thc Origin ol Mbtclr I l.5g
The
Qur'an
is the collection of the information
of
"all
things in the plan of
the Creator." Allah has said that nothing has been left out of the
eur,ary
and
that if all the tlees were pens and all the oceans ink, and all of this doubled,
we could not write down the knowledge contained in the
Qur'an,
With the utterance of the first letter of the
Qu1an,
we are stirring within
the deepest parts of our mental and psychological
world. As we continue the
word maldng the sound of the letter rd, our souls are beckoned to the return
of all things to the One." As the first three letters ignite the unimaginably
immense totality of the Plan of the Creator and our purpose in human life,
the fourth lettet,
aliJ, stirs again remembrance
of the Creator, declaring the
reality of our present situation of duality, of separation and absence of union
with our Lord. Indeed this is the eternal condition of life. This is not an idea.
The science of Sufism is conducted within a closed society, an esoteric,
private
Broup.
The knowledge possessed
by the Sufis is derived from the
deep immersions in the nature of existence referred to above, Allah has
provided
the"access codes" to utilize these knowledges
to effect miracles on
the human plane.
Examples have been given of reciting a particular
divine attribute a
particular
number of timesf to prevent harm from one's enemy. Other codes
exist to utilize a great many tvats of the
Qur'an.
(The
word ayat, incidentally,
means both "verse"
and
"miracle.")
One Sufi practice
creates an effect upon
the soul equal to performance
of salat tor seven hundred years. The practice
itself requires only about five seconds of recitation,
Now, not everyone could
endure such a practice.
For some, it would be like giving a full syringe of
penicillin to a fly suffering from a cold!
By adding practices
together, the effects are extended to a point that they
cannot be expressed even using mathematical abstract concepts. Some Sufis
have accomplished recitations of these formulas running into the tens of
millions
of times,
One of the problems
of expressing concepts of Sufi healing is that one
who may witness a healing, even a miraculous one, can perceive very little
going
on. Someone appears before the shaykh, the shaykh seems to mumble
something and blows a breath toward the patient, and the patient is healed
of a crippling disease. Yet one cannot witness the decades of preparation
required for the shaykh to perform that act. It may have been that the shaykh
sat in seclusion for thirty years, reciting a formula fifty million times, to be
able to heal that one person. And that healing may have been the shaykh's
main purpose in life.
Some people would like the Sufis to provide a list of diseases and the
specific formulas that would miraculously cure them. However, it is not the
formula per se but the utilization of the formula
by means of the agency of
the purified breath and soul of the shaykh that causes the effects. The formu-
las by themselves would be rather useless to the lay person.
The human mind and body become clouded and covered over with
ls4 I The Book of Stfi Heallng
impurities, making the exercise of true reason difficult. In addition to these
impurities, the influence of various societal and familial indoctrinations
ultimately succeed in making a human being a mere shadow of the exalted
and maiestic being that the God the Most High
granted as each person' s
birthright.
It requires a vast and difficult blend of medications to cleanse the condi-
tions of those in states of imbalance. No two illnesses are exactly the same,
so the remedies must be formulated individually for each
person, with
attention to harmonizing the treatments for body, mind, and soul. The
obiective of the Sufi shaykh, as physician, is not merely to relieve a person
of some
physical pain or inconvenience, but to see a total reformation of
each persont life in accord with the Divine Blessings and
plan
of the
Creator, exalted is He.
Sufi Barkat Ali
(may
Allah grant him the choicest blessings, as many of
such things as there are) once remarked:
"Only
hearts can impart knowledge
about hearts. And this knowledge is bestowed, not acquired."
Initially these assertions may have to be taken on faith. But anyone who
cares to
put
them to the test will find that faith transformed into belief,
t n sna , nuQn.
The fi nal chapters of thi s book present several
practi ces
that are hi ghl y
charged wi th di vi ne grace and bl essi ngs. One of these
practi ces has, as onl y
one of i ts effects, the protecti on agai nst any di sease for the day one
performs
i t. The second practi ce i s known to cure any di sease.
Ya Hayyul Ye
Qeyyim!
L5
The Keys
of the Treasures
of the Heavens
and the Earth
lf ye count the
Javors
of Allah,
Never will ye be able to number them,
Qtr'an
14:33
Some of the concepts and ideals expressed in the
preceding pages may be
difficult for the novice to apply. However, the practice I shall
present now
can be done easily by anyone and encompasses all of the material that has
been presented
thus far. As far as I am aware, this is the first presentation
of this
practice
of the Sufis to a
general
audience in the West.
A prerequisite for any Sufi healing formula to work is a particular
recitation. Therefore, the following profession is provided, which will open
the
gates
of the oceans of Mercy of Allah the Almighty, insha Allah. The
formula is:
Li iliha illd Lldh; Muhammadun Rasulu Llah.
This
profession should be recited once before attempting any Sufi
practice,
lest malevolent forces be brought into
play.
It is also wise to utter the verse
that seals off any satanic
participation, as follows:
Acndhu bi-Llahi min asli-shay!5n ir-rajim.
If
you
are unacquainted with the Arabic language, read the transliterations
carefully and try and say the words as best as you can-and hope that
you
have said it correctly.
Although there are thousands of prayers, supplications, and practices
used by the Sufis, several are considered to be superior. Such is the one here
presented, called Maqalad as-Samawati wal Ard, the Keys of the Treasures
of the Heavens and the Earth. Although it is specific to healing-conveying
protection against any illness for the day it is recited-the benefits attached
155
ts6 I Thc Book of 9ufi Hcaliry
to its recitation are not limited to
physical health, as one can
glean for the
following account
from the Hadith:
It is ieported that
cUthmin
ibn
cAffin,
may Allah be pleased with him,
requested
further information about Allah' s iniunction of the Keys of the
Treasures of the Heavens and the Earth
(mentioned
several times in the
Qur' an).
The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
said to him:
"You have inquired of me
something which nobody has ever asked me before. The Keys of the
Treasures of the Heavens and the Earth are as follows":
';AA6"a'.ilrwi5
t
f
l t . ?. . '
L. / ( t t t u
)
!).t)eJt29!lgt-+''f
a- / |
/ a
, 1
at
t
, a ,
Y,t
+ltY
6
uJ
I
aj.r
uii':*,1
|
- ' v
/ t l ,
a
t aat . t
.,'.,9[bllr>-)l:
cji)lP
. t
.
t
,
t
/ t
t
I
l t
l t t '
'9tW->stg
ebtrltr
"'l+.;,lo.,ri,6;A9'i,
Jj-$,,;,;9["';;
La i l i ha i l l S Ll Ehu wa-Ll i hu akbar.
Wa subl.rin Allahi wal-hamdu
li-Llahi
wastaghfiru Llih alladhi li il5ha illi Hn
wal-Awwalu wal-Akhiru w aq-llhitw wal-Betinu
yulryi wa yumitu wa huwa
$ayyan
15 yam0tu.
Bi-yadihil-khayr wa huwa
cali
kulli shay'in
Qadir.
There is none worthy of worship except Allah.
Allah the Almighty is the
greatest.
Allah is the
glorious and praiseworthy
and I ask Allah for forgiveness
There is no power to do
good
and no strength to be saved from evil
except wi th the
grace of Al l ah.
He i s the Fi rst and the Last'
He is the Apparent and the Hidden.
He is the Ever-Living Who never dies.
He imparts and takes awaY life.
There is blessing with Allah the Almighty.
He i s the Rul er over everythi ng.
The Kcys ol the Treasures of the Hetoms ond thc Ecrth
I
157
The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
conti nued:
"O
cUthmdn!
Whoever reci tes i t one
hundred times every day will be rewarded by ten
graces.
First, all his previous
si ns wi l l be forgi ven. Second, hi s sufferi ng from hel l fi re wi l l be wri tten off.
Thi rd, two angel s are appoi nted to guard hi m day and ni ght from hi s
sufferi ngs and di seases. Fourth, he i s granted a treasure of bl essi ngs. Fi fth,
he wi l l reap as much bl essi ng as someone who woul d have set free one
hundred sl aves from the offspri ng of the prophet Ishmael
(a.s.).
Si xi h, he
woul d be rewarded of bl essi ngs as i f he had read the enti re
Qur' an,
the
Psal ms, the Torah, and the Bi bl e. Seventh, a house wi l l be constructed for
hi m i n the Heaven. Ei ghth, he wi l l be marri ed to a pi ous Heavenl y mai den.
Ni nth, he wi l l be honored wi th a crown of honor. Tenth, hi s recommenda-
ti on
(for
forgi veness) of seventy of hi s rel ati ves wi l l be accepted.
"O
cUthmi n!
If you were strong enough you woul d not mi ss thi s re-
membrance on any day. You wi l l be one of the successful ones and you wi l l
surpass everybody before and after you."
One of the
great
contemporary Sufi s, Hazrat Abu Anees Barkat Al i of
Dar-ul -Ehsan, Paki stan, has achi eved a uni que posi ti on among the men of
pi ety by reci ti ng thi s sacred formul a. He has erected a l arge si gnpost at the
entranceway of hi s spi ri tual sanctuary, upon whi ch the words of thi s
i nval uabl e formul a are i nscri bed. Hi s own l i fe bears ampl e testament to the
effi cacy of these words, as he has personal l y adopted more than ten thousand
Hi ndus of the l owest caste and provi ded them wi th a compl ete trai ni ng and
educati on i n l i fe. Moreover, he mai ntai ns a cl i ni c that provi des medi cal care
and that has restored the si ght of more than three thousand persons
go
far,
wi thout charge of any ki nd. He has wri tten more than three hundred books
on Isl am and Sufi sm, al l of whi ch have been di stri buted free of charge
(the
j acket
of one reads:
"These
books are wri tten for oursel ves and you to read,
but not for sal e. They have al ready been sol d to Hi m for Whom they were
meant"). A countl ess stream of devotees arri ve at the wel l -known Dar-ul -
Ehsan sanctuary and recei ve, by Hi s grace, spi ri tual i nstructi ons from among
the fourteen Sufi orders of whi ch Barkat Al i i s a teachi ng master, or
shaykh. Ma sha' Al l ah! The
qual i ti es and attri butes of Sufi Barkat Al i coul d
be enumerated further, but anyone who vi ews hi s l i fe wi th an open mi nd
must concl ude that he has exceeded the usual range of human accompl i sh-
ments. He i s now i n hi s seventy-si xth
year.
The formul a for the Keys of the Treasures of the Heavens and the Earth
may be reci ted twenty-one ti mes after each dai l y prayer and requi res not
more than three or four mi nutes to do so.
As Al l ah says: "As for those who stri ve i n
Us, surel y We
gui de them to
Our
paths"
(Qur' an
29:69).
On the ni ght of fi fth Rai ab,
^.H.
633, the
great
sai nt Hazrat Khwi j a
Muci nuddi n Chi shti
(r.a.)
as usual reti red to hi s medi tati on cel l after the
night prayer
(ckha).
He closed the door and commenced his practice, as he
had done for the past thi rty years, of constant and i ncessant reci tati on of
the above verses. The KhwSi a i nstructed hi s mrri l s not to di sturb hi m that
l.ss I Thc Book ol Sufi Hceling
night. They stayed away, but heard through the door a sound expressing
unparalleled
ecstasy throughout the night. In the early hours of the morn-
ing, this sound ceased. When the door of his cell did not open at the time of
morning
prayers
(ajr\,
anxiety was felt by everyone. Ultimately,
the door
wus fo.."i open by his students, who, to their astonishment,
found that the
soul of the
great saint had relinquished
his mortal body' The following
sentence was radiantly
glittering upon his forehead, as light:
Hs.lha hab'ibu Lldh
Matu
fi
hubbi Llah
He is the beloved of Allah
And he died in Allah's
Love.
L6
The Infallible Remedy
Once I saw the lrlost High M
in a drcam.
He asked me,
"kyazid, wlnt do you
want?"
I replied,
"I
want what You want."
The Most High Gd was pleavd
and vid,
"I
am yours and you are Mitp."
Slnykh tuyazid Eisami (r.a.)
The Holy Prophet of Allah the Almighty
(s.a.w.s.),
whose virtues are the
most excellent, was the most trustworthy person of all creation. Even prior
to his mission as Prophet, he was called Amin, the trustworthy, and was
never known to have spoken anything except the truth.
The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
said: "ln
Snrat al-Fatihah there is a balm for all
ailments." He went on to
provide
the specific instructions for utilizing this
most treasured remedy.
The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
also said: "I tell you
of a s-urah that is the
greatest,
the most virtuous, in the Holy
Qur'an.
It is Sfrrat al-flamd
[the
opening
sfirah, al-Fitifrahl, which has seven verses. These are the sabcah msthLni
[the
Oft-Repeated Seven] and represent the Grand
Qur' an."
In another Hadith, the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
is reported to have said: "By
Him Who is in possession of my life, a s rah like this one has been revealed
neither in the Torah nor in the Bible, nor even in the rest of the
Qur'an."
The accumulated experience of the Sufis confirms that the reading and
reciting of Sirat al-Fatihah with true faith and sincere conviction, cures all
maladies, whether spiritual or worldly, external or internal. The Sffrat
al-Fatibah enters into the writing of almost all tacwidh; it is also written in ink
made of saffron and rose water, and consumed. All six books of authentic
Gotill)
Hadith report that the Companions
(r.a.a.)
used to read it for treat-
ment of diseases, both physical
and mental.
The satan lamented, wept, and tore his hair out on four occasions: when
160 I Tlu Bor,k ol Sufi Hmling
6b9t'dsJl
A'i.;tVs-gy
6f,ft5'!u!'I!'AUS
dt';;i.Arvpr\t$J
-,HWi'&GX:i(rrrtg;e
aafel,64b
Bismi Llih ir-Ralrmin ir-Rahim
l l -hamdu l i -Ll i hi rabb i l -cel ami n
Ar-ra!rmin ir-Rahim
Maliki
yawm id-din.
Iyyika nacbudu wa iyyika nastacin.
lhdinaE-9ira! al-mustaqim
$ira;
alladhina ancamta
calayhim
Ghayril-maghdibi
calayhim
wa lid-dilin.
1. In the Name of Al l ah, the Benefi cent,
the Merci ful .
2. Prai se be to Al l ah, Lord of the Worl ds;
3. The Beneficent, the Merciful;
4. Master of the Day of
Judgment!
5. Thee only do we worship;
Thee alone we ask for help.
6. Gui de us on the strai ght
Path;
7. The path of those whom You love;
Not the
path of those who earn Thine anger,
nor of those who
go astraY.
Thc Infelliblc Rcmdy I
r5r
he was cursed, when he was thrown out of Heaven, when Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
was given
Prophethood, and when SUrat al-FEtihah was revealed.
Hazrat Khwdja Mucinuddin Chishti
(r.a.)
has said, "The incessant recita-
tion of Sirat al-Fitil,' ah is the infallible remedy for one' s needs."
The recitation of Sirat al-Fetihah is among the most frequent of the
practices
of the shaykhs of the path.
The Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
suggested the following mode of recitation and said that this practice will
succeed in curing any disease.
Read Sirat al-Fatilrah forty-one times for forty consecutive days, during
the interval between the sunnah
(optional)
and
irrl
(obligatory)
rarfats of the
/ajr
(early-morning)
prayer.
In this recitation, it is necessary to onif the
breath pause
usually taken between the first two verses. In other words,
the rrirn of ir-Ralim is
loined
with the lam of al-fuamdu li-Llnfti, which then
becomes mil-fiamdu li-Lllhi. The rest of the sitrah rnay be done following the
usual breath pauses.
If the person is possessed of madness, or for other reasons cannot
perform
the recitation, the words should be recited and blown on water,
and
given
to the patient
to drink.
We reproduce again Sirat al-Fetilrah on the facing page,
for anyone who
may wish to make use of its miraculous healing effects.
For some, even this recitation may prove
to be difficult, or impossible for
some reason or another. The mercy of Allah is infinitel If, after trying with
absolute sincerity to learn and apply anything in this book, one fails to do so,
the following will cure any disease. Simply recite eleven times: Bisni LlAh
ir-Ralyin, ir-Rafiim. This verse is the Greatest Attribute of Allah the Al-
mighty, and whatever endeavors
to intrude upon the absolute sanctity of
His
grace
is burnt to ashes.
Once Hazrat Abn Bakr
(r.a.)
was ill. The people came to visit him and
seeing his obvious distress, asked him, "Why
don' t you
call the doctor?" Abu
Bakr answered, "l already called the doctor." His friend asked,
"What
did the
doctor say?" Abrl Bakr replied, "He said,' I am Mighty in what I intend."'
There is nothing that can defeat the love of Allah the Almighty for His
beloved friends.
And after this, there remains nothing further that can, or should, be
sai d.
Allihu aclam!
As-safamu
calaykum
oa ralmatt Lllahi ua barak&uht!
Rabbi qad
-ataytani
min al-mulki
tm
catlamtani
min ts'wil il-ahldith
F-elir as+amdtfrti
wal
-a
r{ f
Anta waliyi
fid-dunyE
aal-dkhirah.
Tawnffani muslimen wa nlhiqni bi1-s.dlihm.
Ashtudu an fa ilnha illi Llih;
Wo ashhadu snns Muhsmrnadan
cabihht
ua raslhh,
''$nin!
t62 I Thc Book ol Srft Hcahng
O mY Lordl
Thou hast
given
me something of sovreignty
and hast taughl me something
of the interpretation of events-
Creator of the Heavens and the Earth!
Thou art my protecting Friend
in this world and the Hereafter.
Make me to die submissive unto Thee
and
ioin
me to the righteous.
I bear witness
that there ii no dtity except Allah
and I bear witness
That Muhammad is His servant and Messmger' Be it so!
As-selimu
celaykum
ue ra$matu dhi wa bcraketuhul
May the
peace and blessings of God be upon
you.
APPENDD(ES
I
The Islamic
Calendar
The Muslim year is based upon a lunar cycle of 3S4 days, consisting
of 12
months
of 29 or 30 days. This calendar commenced in the year
622 of the
common era
(c.e
.), when the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
migrated from
Mecca to Medina. The 12 Islamic months are as follows.
Muftarram: The loth of this month is called
cAshurah,
commemorating
the martyrdom of Husayn ibn
cAli,
who died ar Karbalah on the l0rh
Mulrarram
680 c.r.
gnfar
Rabic sl-Auwal: The 12th of this month is the birthdav of the
prophet
Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.).
RabTc sth-ThAfi: The 11th of this month is the birthday of
cAbdul-eidir
Jrl am
(r. a. r.
lunada
at-Uta
lumaila
at-Akhirch
fujab: The 27th of this month is the anniversary
of the micrij, the
ascension of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
to Heaven. The 6th of this month
celebrates the death anniversary
of Hazrat Khwija Mucinuddin
Chishti
(r. a. ).
Shdbin: The 14th-15th of this month is Shab al-Bariht. when the
destinies for the coming year
are assigned.
Ramalin: The Sacred Month of Fasting.
On either the 23rd, ZSth, or
27th night,
the Laylat al-Qadr
(Night
of Power) occurs. During this
month, the
Qur' an,
as well as all other revealed
books, first descended
from Allah the Most High.
Shautml: The first day is
cld
al-Fi1r, the feast celebrating the breaking of
the fast.
DhilI
Qacdah
Dhul-Hiijah: The pilgrimage
to Mecca
(lal)
is completed during this
month. From the lOth to the 1zth, the sacrifice of
cld
al-A{lrd is celebrated.
As the dates are based upon lunar cycles and the sightings
of the new
moon, each year
the calendar backs up by approximately eleven days.
165
il
Some Useful Short
Sflrahs
of the Holy
Qur'an
ll2: Sitrat al-Ikhlis (The Unity)
o;;91,:i:Jvnt;.
63;iabErai
6d;-glraii
6(;,j-lfiw-t
6A$rS&Atk
Bismi Llah ir-Rafman ir-Rafim.
1.
Qul
Huwa Llahu Alad;
2. Al l ahuq-gamad;
3. Lam yalid, wa lam ytrlad;
4. Wa lam yakul lahl kufuwan a[ad.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
l . Say: He i s Al l ah, the One!
2. Allah the etemally besought of all!
3. He begetteth not nor was begotten
4. And there is none comoarable to Him.
167
168 I
'Ihe
Brr,k
d
Sufi Heoling
rfr)
tfis
w)g
,tr
l s
/ h
2a
' tt/a.
,r
t 1'
".v-
Ert
l .
,\t
6
L
o
xuq.u
,ehlll
wu
' . ' t l
r i ,
t9r'
:t!l
6.
^r
g-6J
Il3:
Sirat
aI-FaIaq
(The
DaYbteak)
o;i'--itc/$$g!,t;,
6$3)ro,iilJ$
6{'l1y*,
/ 3
+
l l
Bismi
Llah ir-Rahmirn
ir-Ra[im'
l.
Qul
a'idhu bi-rabb
il-falaq'
2, Min sharri m?r
khalaq'
3. Wa min sharri
gh?siqin
idha waqab'
4. Wa mi n sharri n
naffi thi ti
ftl -cuqad,
5. Wa min sharri
|isidin
idha
fasad'
In the name of Allah,
the Beneficent,
the Merciful'
l. Say:
I seek refuge
in the
Lord of Daybreak
2. From
the evi l of that
whi ch He created'
3. From the evil of the darkness
when it is intense'
4. And from the evil of malignant
witchcraft,
5. And from the evil of the envier
when
he envieth'
Somc Uselul Short S:urehs of thc Holy
Qrt'an
|
169
114: Srtrut on-Nas (Manhind)
o;f)td.3jgtAr;,
6g[gl':i,r"!Yl$
d,r2Uttg5:
6t,lHrd)
br;fiJrtt
rVJtgitt
6"lgri!"rar]rr';e;r3l
6u;ur6teJki
i.
Bismi Llih ir-Rafman ir-Rafim.
l.
Qul
a'udhy bi-Rabbin-nas,
2. Malikin-nas,
3. Il ahi n-nas
4. Min sharr il-waswas il-khannis,
5. Alladh-i yuwaswisu fi
gudtuin-n6si,
5. Mi n al -j i nnati wan-nas.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
l. Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
2. The King of mankind,
3. The God of mankind.
4. From the evil of the'Sneaking Whisperer,*
5. Who whispereth in the hearts of mankind,
6. Of the iinn and mankind.
tAn
epithet of Satan.
III
The Divine Attributes
Allah the Almighty is, in the end, unknowable. Regardless of how we may
try, we are left with an incomplete and partial
understanding of Him. Allahu
akEnr is the frequent utterance of the Sufis. It means:
"Allah
is Greater than
all that we ascribe to Him."
So that we may begin to have a mental concept of Him, Allah has set
forth, in the Holy
Qur' an,
ninety-nine of His divine attributes. Considered
together, they provide a concept of His all-encompassing, all-pervading, all-
powerful nature. These attributes, called al-asmq' al-husni
(The
Beautiful
Names), enter into Sufi
practices
called ua4ifahs.
171.
r72 |
The Book ol Sufi Heding
I. AR.RAHMAN
The Gtacious;
The Bneficent;
Th Compa$ioBate
'#i-lgl
l t. AL-KHALIQ
The Cr.eator
6. AL-MU'MTN
The Keeper
of Faith;
The Bestower
of SecuritYi
Th Faithful
2. AR-RAHIM
The Merciful
qt
4u-
.l
I
-?
?
L
--Lhl
- -
- at
,
3. AL-MALiK
Tbe King;
Th Sovcreign Lord
7. AL-MUHAYMIN
The Protector;
The Guardian
12. AL-BARI'
Th MakeFout-of-Naoght
^%9[s
tl . ALMU$AWWIR
The Fashioner
8. AL-cAzlz
The Mighty
t r l l
z
, Ll - I f
ei l
. . ) |
f
--t
t
--
tt
--'i/
aa
9. AL-JABBAR
Th ComPller
IO. ALMUTAKABBIR
.
The Mai6tic;
lre
Superb
l
^tl,ns
4. AL{UDDOS
The Holy
J. .
- ( =
t / t )
, F- - I I . ^r l I
- / -
s. A5-SALAM
The Peacc
!4. AL-GHAFFAR
The Forgiver
il
rs. AL-eAHHAR
The subduer;
The Almightyi
The Conque
ng
/-
t6. AL-WAHHAB
Tb Bdtower
18. AL-FATTAH
Thc Op.ner;
The Reliever;
The
Judge
t9. Al-cALlM
The All-Knowingi
Thc Knower
20. AL-QABTD
The Rcitainer;
Thc Withholde'
2!. AL-B,{SIT
Thc Dxtender;
The Enlarger;
The Spreader
22. AL-KHAF|p
The Abarer
23. AR-Rlfrc
The Ex.lter
21. A''-tnuctzz'
The Honorcri
Ihe Streqgthcner
The Dioine Attibutes
I
173
27. AL-aASIR
The All-Seeing;
Ihe Perceiver
2t. AL-HAKAM
The
Judge
29, AL-CADL
Th
Just;
The Equitable
xr, AL-utTfF
The Subtle;
Thc Gracious
4UJtgJ
17. AR-RAzzAe
The Providcn
The suitainer
*1@lr
'frtra'l
il
o
t
25, AL.MUDHILL
Th Dirbonerer;
The Humiliator
5:
a
a
,0v'
l/.
-
Ft
, t
va t
The Book ol 5tfi
Hcaling
- l
al : | . , - ^ f I
v, .t .E
t .]V a
3I. AL.KHABIN
The Aw.re
0
I
. o
C
yL
W
12. AL-HALIM
Tbe forbcaring;
The clement
t,
I
t3. ALcA?lM
The Magnificent;
The Trernendou6
14.
AL-cHAFiiR
The forgiving
15. ASH-SHAKOR
The Gratcfuli
ThG Rcpayer
of Cood
t6. AL-CALI
The High;
The sublimc
r r - f \
'.
AL-xABIR
The CFeat
rs. AL-HArl?
The Prc:erver;
Th
Protctor;
The Guardian
t9,
AL-MUQIT
The Fceder;
The Suctainer;
The Str.engthener
r
a.
\ e
40. ALTJASIB
The Reckoner
4r. AL-JALIL
The M.ie6tic
42,
AL-KARIM
The Bountiful;
Th Gderoug
43. AR-nAQIB
Thc
Watcher;
The W.tchful
'yiA
hffi\
t i - .
44.
AL-MUJIB
The RsPonsive;
Th Hearkener
(to prayet)
!,"A*\t
"E@U)
45. AL-WASIG
The Vast;
The All-Embiacing;
The Comprehensive
uyn
\ t
!-
r\
.
,r#z
tyK
u#K
tv
'*(:<
lE :,
The Dioine Attib cs I 175
s6. AL-HAMID
The Prai6eworthyi
The Laudable
45. AL-HAKIM
The wir
,17.
AL-WADOD
The lrving
48. AL-MAJID
The Glorious
49. AL-BACITH
The Rairer
(from
death)
50. ASH.SHAHID
fhe Witne!3
5I. AL-HAQQ
The Truth
52. AL.WAKIL
The Truttee;
The Advocate;
Th RepresDtative
5r. AL-QAwl
The Strong
5,1. AL-MAI|N
The Firm;
The. Steady
55. AL.WALI
The Protecting Friend;
The Patror
,t)
)t
,,L
"E
g,.r/.
't*1lz
\
2'
s7. ALMUTJSI
The Accountanti
Ihe Counter
s8. AL-MUBDI'
The Originatori
The Producer
59. AL.MUCTD
The Reproducer;
The Reitorcr
Go. AL-MUHYI
The
Quickener
'#yY'i
lr
,
,,
'et
v
V
726 I The Bnk ol Srfi Heoling
5I. AL.MUMIT
The Ciuser of Deathi
Thc Dstroyer
1. . / .
#82
"
tl'
62. AL-HAYY
The Ever-Living;
The Alive
G3. AL-eAYYOM
The f,tertral;
Thc Self-Subcirting
6,r. AL-WAJID
The lllu6triou.;
The Noble
5s. AL-MAJTD
Thc Gloriour
6G. AL-WAHID
The Unique
57. AL.AHAD
Thc One
68. AS-SAMAD
The
Fter.nel
Support of Crcation
, r \ ' - r l
^
) . ,
)-fKl-*ll
@,v))
69.
AL-QADIR
Th Ablei
The Cipablc
70. ALMUQTADTR
ThG Prcvailing;
The Dominant;
Thc Powerful
71. AL-MUQADDTM
The Promotcr;
The Expditer;
fhe BringeFForward
72. AL.MU.AXHKHIR
The Defeder;
The Retarder;
The Postponer'
'rffi)
'yffi\
7I. AL-AWWAL
The fir6t
t . a r
.J)?.
/.
\ ).|.
-;{_r-
--\
J
/
^- xl
v . / 9/
7,a. AL-AKHIR
The la.t
?s. AT.?,AHrR
The M.nifcst;
The Ourrvard
t*u,
A# rG
4Y2127
"$
t
2l't
59DJ
76. AL-BAT|N
Th Hidden;
The Inrvard
7?. AL-wALi
The Govcrnor
78. AL-MUTACALI
The High Exalted
79. AL.BARR
The Righteou.
80. AT-TAWWAB
lhe Acceptel of Rpnt.ncci
The Relenting
8I. AL-MUNTAQIM
The Avengel
Thc Dioin. A,tibutes I 177
86. ALMUQSTT
The Equitable
E7. AL-JAMIG
Thc Gatherer;
The Collector
89.
AL-MUGHNI
The Enricher
'tns
82. AL-GAFO
The Pardoner;
Tbe Undulgent;
ThG Mild
' 4Y. t Lt 7
|la r. I I I
L'29-78 |
-.<-11-
I
8t. AR-RA'OF
The Comp..sionatc;
The Full of Pity
84. MALIK AL-MULK
The owner of Sovereignty
85. DHOL-JALAU WAL.IKRAM
The Isrd of M.ie6ty and Bounty
778 I Thc Book of Sufi Hmling
1. ) t . l / '
^
d)l .-l )l -[
[
e(at),1
V- t
90. AL.MANIC
Th Withholderi
Ihe Pr.eventcr
el . AD-DAR
The Di.trc66r
al r l , ^l r l l
ar r D
v
\ - ! I
. 4. . . - , t |
- l
I
ft).vrl
94. AL-HADI
The cuidc
93. AN-NOR
The Light
99. A$-SABIiR
The Patient
,&AY}I
92. AN. NAFI C
The Ploliter;
Th Prcpitiou6
9. AL.WAR|TH
The Heir;
The lnberitor
9t. AR.RASHID
The Guidc to the Right P.th;
The Dircctor
IV
Glossary
Abjad-Also called
jnfr;
the science of numerical value configurations of the Arabic
alphabet.
Akhl nt
Gi ng.
l l i l l
)-Essences;
humors; temperaments,
AIIAh-The Arabic proper noun for the One True Cod
(ql-ilsh:
the Divinity).
il^tn-"Be it so." Recited at the conclusion of prayers and supplications.
cAql-Creative
reasoning; reasoning power; the mind.
cArsh-The
Throne of Allah; the Ninth Heaven.
a.s.-Abbreviation of
talayhi
as-salfim, "peace be upon him," the benediction invoked
when the name of a prophet
is mentioned.
c
Asr-The midafternoon obligatory prayer
Gllat\.
Atlar-An expressed true oil of a flower, wood, or bark, said to contain the
essence of i ts soul .
Bisni LIih ir-Raftnan ir-Raftim-"ln the Name of Cod, Most Gracious, Most Mer-
ciful"; the opening words of the
Qur'an,
frequently used as an invocation at the
commencement of any word or action.
Chilla-A secluded room for spiritual practices; a forty-day retreat.
Dargah-A spi ri tual shri ne or meeti ng pl ace for l i vi ng Sufi masters.
Dayo
paree-Chosts,
Qammah-A
mark used in the Arabic language to denote the long vowel sound of r.
Dhikr
(also
spelled zikr, which signifies the Turkish and Persian pronunciation)-
"Remembrance";
the Sufi ceremonies of liturgical recitations of sacred formulas
and di vi ne names.
Fajr-The predawn obligatory Islarnic prayer; the time for this prayer.
Fq,rr' -Anni hi l ati on; effacement; passi ng away.
Fntllah-A mark used in the Arabic language to denote the long vowel sound of a.
al-trotiftnh
('fhe
Opening)-The first chapter of the
Qur'an,
said to concentrate
within iiself the whole
Qur'an.
Filrr-The world of thought; deep meditation; remembrance
of God by mental
means.
Furjah-The human kingdom; the fourth interspace in the hierarchy of creation.
Garzi
(Persian)-"Warm";
term used in reference to the metabolic values of foods.
al-Ghofur
(The
Forgiver)-One of the divine attributes.
Ghnyb-The Unseen as described in the
Qur'an;
includes the worlds of
jinns,
angels,
disembodied souls, and other
planes
of existence.
179
l8o I The Book of Sufi Healing
Hadith
(or
hadithl-A
report embodying a sunnsh of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.)
or of the
early Muslim community.
Hakim-"r{ise"; a physician who treats physical, mental, and spiritual illnesses.
Hqqtqah
(or
llaqiqat; from haqq,
"
truth")-One of the four degrees of mystic exPeri-
ence i n Sufi sm; the di vi ne real i ty.
Himmah-Meditation; concentrated attention.
flujrah-A
shaykh's meditation cell.
If;sin-"Blessing"; the interior or internal conditions that result from performance
of Isl ami c behavi ors.
cilz-Knowledge.
Inin-Faith in God.
lnshtr-The created world; life; human being.
clsha-The
nighttime, or fifth, obligatory Islamic prayer of the day.
Islira-"submissio n,"
"peace"; the way of life contained in the doctrines of the
Qur'an
and suggested in the statements and actions of the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.)
Idhn-The
permission of God.
Jinn-A
creation of Allah, made of smokeless fire; regulated by order of the
Qur'an.
Kncbqh-The
precincts of the Holy House, the first place of worship built by the
prophet Abraharn
(a.s.)
forworship ofthe one God; located at Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
K.qrimah.._A miraculous experience instigated by a Sufi shakykh
(See
also mucjizah.)
Ko1rah-A mark used in the Arabic language to denote the short vowel sound of i.
Khnaaqoh-A building used for spiritual retreat and training, usually occupied by
three classes:
people of seclusion, people of society, and travelers.
Lit iliha illA IJ-ah, Mullammadun rnsiiu Uih-The kolimah ot Muslim profession of
faith, translated: "There is no deity except Allah
(God);
Muhammad is the Messenger
of God.
MA shn' Allnh-"May it please Allah"; alternately,"As
it pleases Allah."
Matrilah
(or
macrit'at)-One of the conditions of Sufi experience,
in which one is
granted a glimpse of the divine reality; the knowledge that exists is that state.
Majdhirb-One experiencing the state of divine intoxication.
Mslal-House
or level.
Maghrib-The
after-sunset obligatory
prayer of Islam'
MalE' ikqh
(sing.
rnalak)-Angels.
Maqdn-Stopping or resting place; station; stage.
Miswik-A type of twig from the pelu tree recommended for brushing the teeth and
cleansing
the mouth.
(Sometimes
a licorice or olive tree twiS is substituted.)
Clossdry
I
7al
lllycjizah-A divine miracle, which admits of no human activity or agency; an act
beyond natural l aws and reasoni ng power.
Murid-A novice; a student of a shaykh.
Murshid-Cuide; a Sufi shaykh; teacher.
Muslim-One who adopts and follows the way of life of Islam; a believer in God.
Ni/il-Superogatory or optional; distinct from obligatory
(/nrd
)
worship.
Narniz
(Persian,
Urdu, Turkish)-Salit;
prayer; worship.
Niryah
(or
niyyaf
)-lntention;
formal declaration to do something.
Nr.rr-The Lieht of Allah.
Na/s-The appetitive drives of the body, such as hunger, desire for wealth and fame,
sexual urgings, etc.
Nc/as-The breath of the spirit; pulse.
rUl-An
attar or essential oil made from the wood of the aloeswood tree.
Qalb-Heart;
mind; soul; choicest parti genuine; pure.
Qiblah-The
direction faced when offering Islamic prayers; the direction, from
wherever one rnay be, facing the Kacbah at Mecca.
Qiyim-One
of the postures of
qclil, assumed by standing straight, with hands
either held down at the sides or folded right hand over left and held
just
below the
navel.
Qlr'cn-"Recitation",
ths revealed scripture of the Islamic faith, conveyed by the
angel Gabriel
(a.s.)
to the Prophet Muhanmad
(s.a.w.s.)
over a period of twenty-
three
years.
Qrr}-Nearness;
proximity; approach; neighborhood.
r.a.-Abbreviation of ra\matu ih alayhi, a phrase meaning
"May the blessing of
Allah be upon him," the benediction invoked when the name of any deceased Sufi is
mentioned.
r.a.a.-Abbreviation of raliy Allihu
tonhu,
"May Allah be pleased with him," the
benediction invoked when the name of a Companion of the Prophet is mentioned.
Rackat
(or
raFah\-One unit of the
galif, lslamic prayer.
Ramnlin-An Islamic month, signifying the days when the initial scriptures were
sent down by God, including the
Qur'an;
the Islamic month of fasting.
Rasrl AllAh-The Messenger of God
(s.a.w.s.);
the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.).
Rn[-The soul; essence; breath of God; revelation.
Rrkr(-One of the postures of Islamic obligatory prayer, assumed by bending at the
waist with hands placed upon knees.
$alit-'fhe
five-times-per-day obligatory lslamic prayer.
Sajdah-The
posture of prostration in the Islamic prayer.
5arni'-Heaven.
182 I
The Book ol9ufi Heeliag
Samic -Ecst a tic contemplation; audition.
Sardi
(Persian\-"Cold";
term used in reference to the metabolic values of foods
Shaykh-Sufi master;
guide; teacher.
Shajarah-The listing of the names of shaykhs of a silsilah.
Shari cqt
(or
shari cah\-The di vi ne l aws and codes for human l i fe, conveyed by al l
prophets, but corrected and compl eted and seal ed i n the fi rst of the Last Message,
the Hol y
Qur' an.
Si l si l nft-Li ne of transmi ssi on from master to master of the spi ri tual power and
teachi ng of a
{ari 4at.
as.-$i rat. nl -mustaqi m-The strai ght path; the path of ri ght
gui dance ordai ned by the
Hol y
Qur' an.
Si rr-Di vi ne secretsi the
greatest mystery; root; ori gi n.
$i ynn-A
fast, parti cul arl y the Isl ami c fast conducted duri ng the month of Rama{i n.
Subhan Al l nh-" Al l Prai se bel ongs to Al l ah."
Sunnoh-The behavi ors
(someti mes
i ncl udi ng the reports of others regardi ng Isl ami c
l i fe) performed by the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.s.).
Sirat
(or
s rah)-One chapter of the
Qur'an.
The Holy
Qur'an
is composed of 114
raral rs of varyi ng l ength.
l ari qat
(from
l ari q,
"path")-The Sufi path; a stage of devel opment i n Sufi sm.
Tatuidh-A written or spoken religious amulet containing verses
(and
sometimes
numbers) from the Hol y
Qur' an;
frequentl y constructed by shaykhs for heal i ng
purposes.
Wnl rr-l magi nati on; the power of concei vi ng what i s not present; the deci si on of
Al l ah.
Wal i
(pl .
nwl i ya' \-Fri end of Cod; sai nt.
Waqf-A pause for breath marked i n a wri tten copy of the
Qur' an.
Wi qi l -Uni on; weddi ng; uni ty.
Yi
Havyu!
Ya
Qayy
n!-Literally, "O the Living! O the Ever-Lasting!" According to
some Sufis, these two attributes together comprise the Greatest
Narne of Allah.
Yowm al-Qiyomah-The Day of
Judgment.
v
Bibliography
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The Mysleries of Purity. Lahore: Ashraf Press, 1970.
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-.
Fundqmentals of Medkal Terminology
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Elgood, Cyril
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Tibb-ul-Nabbi
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Nabbi of Mahnud bin Mohomed al-Chaghhnyni, Together wilh Introdudion, Noles & Glossary.
Publication data not available
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Sufi as Saint, Curer and Exorcist in Modern Pakistan."
Paper delivered at Association for Asian Studies Conference. Los Angeles, Calif.,
April 1, 1979.
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york
Pr ess. 7974.
Gruner, O. Cameron, M.D. A Trealise on the Canon of Medicine of Aoicenna, lncorporoting a
Translalion of the Firsl Boot. New York: Augustus M. Kelly, 1920.
183
$a I Th. Book of Stfi Hcaling
Hashmi, El Sheikh Syed Mubarik Ali
Jilani.
,4n Inlroduclion to Psychiatry, Based on
Teachings of the Holy
Quran
and Practice; Also Contains Results of Scientific
Demonstrati on of Curi ng Incurabl e Mental Di seases i n the Psychi atri c Insti tute
Taif, Saudi Arabia-1976-77. Lahore: Zavia Books, 1978. Revised 1979 and 1981.
lbn Sina,
Qanrns
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Kamal, Dr. Hassan- Encyclopedia of Islonic Medicine. Cairo: General Egyptian Book
Organi zati on, 1975.
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The Book of Consfructioe Virtues,ParIl. Dhcca, Pakistan: F. K. Islam Mission Trust, 1971.
Ktran, Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan
(vans.l.
Sahih al-bulJni, vols.1-9. Al-Medina
al-Munauwara, Saudi Arabia: Kazi Publications, Chicago, 1975. Revised 1976.
Khan, Sayed Mohammad Husain.
Qornbaadin-e
kabir
(in
Persian). Bombay: Munshi
Nool , n.d.
Lawrence, Bruce B. "Heal i ng Ri tual s among North Indi an Chi shti Sai nts of the Del hi
Sultanate Period." Paper delivered at Conference of the Association for Asian
Studi es Conference. Los Angel es, Cal i f ., Apri l L,7979.
Levey, Martin, and al-Khaledy. The Mdiel Formulary ol al-Samarqandi and the Relalion ol
Early Arabk Simples lo Those Found in The Indigenous Medicine ol lhe Nesr Eqsl and lndiq.
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Macey, Ann; Pam Hunte; and Hassian Karniab. Indigcnous Hwlth Prattilioners in
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Ni chol son, R. A.
(trans.).
Kashf al -Mahj ub ol al -Huj ui ri . London: Luzac &Co., 1970.
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Pel t,
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Muhammad Abul. Tle
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"Adapti ve
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lnternofional
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Index
Admi ni st rat i on, remedi es, 67
Al cohol i sm, 2S
Al l ergi c react i on, 41
Al phabet , Arabi c, 132
ano numerol ogy, rJz-rJ)
and r eSl ons ot unl ver se, l 5l - 15/
Amber, 115-116
Anemi a, 68
Angel s, 21
Anger , 28
Angi na pect ori s, 66-69
Ani mal s, real m of , 20
Anl Seeo
\ 4/ t r5rI r,
Jo
Appet i t e, corrupt ed, 30
Apple
(tuffah),
s6
Appl i cati on, of essenti al oi l s, a79-' 122
Arabi c al phabet, 132 135
and r egi ong ot unr ver se, l 5l - l 5z
Arrogan.ce,28,29
Ar t hr i t i s, 69
Asparagus
\hi yaor' ),
56
Ast hma, 70
Atrabi l i ous essence, 45
Attars, 113
Auto-i ntoxi cati on, 30
Azrael , Angel of Death, 21
Babbl i ng, 3l
Banana
(mowz),
56
Bar l ey, 56
Basi l , sweet, 56
Bedwetti ng, 70-71
Bi l i ous essence, 45
Bl i ndness, 26
Bl ood essence, 45
Body
and apperttes \nal s), rt- r3
essences, 43- 47
Boi l s, 82
Br ead, 56
Breath
(nnl as),
unj verse of, 123-129
Breathi ng, di ffi cul ty i n, 32
Breath of l i fe
(i ,l l r),
13-14
br oncnr s, l n cnl | or en/ / 1- l z
Dt l r ns, 1z
But t er , 56
Cal endar, I sl ami c, 165
Cancer , 28
Carrot s, 42-43, 57
Lau Ol ver , 5T
Ceremony, dhikr, 743-146
Lnamoml t e, ST
L nr cKen, S/
Ln, f or en, or oncnt f l s t n, / r - / z
Chl or i des, 53
Chyme, 44
! t nnamon, J7
LI TTON, J7
LOCOnUI , 5/
Lot t ee oean, J7
Col d
( ai l ment ) ,
73
Cold, food, 4-1, 43-44, 48
Col l c, 72- 73
Common col d, 73
Concent r at i on, l ack of , 28
Const i pat i on, T4
Cor i ander seed, 57
Cough, 74- 75
Lr eat ' on, nr er ar cny or , l / zJ
Cr i mi nal behavi or , 26
Cr yst al l i ne heaven, 22
Cr . r cumber , 58
LUml n, 56
Dates, dri ed, 58
Depressi on,23
Devi l s
(sl nyal i n),33
Dhi kr, di vi ne remembrance, 141-147
l rraoetes, T5
Di arrhea, 29,75 76, 8a, A9
Di gesti on,39-44
LJl Vt ne a t r r l ou t e5, l / l
Divine remembrance
(,lhikr),
141-147
Di vi ne secrets, statl o of
(mi qan
as-si rr),25,
30-32
Dosage, remedi es, 66
Drug abuse, 28
Dysentery, T6
Ear t hl y l i f e, l ack of i nt er est i n, 31
Ecst asy, 2S
excessi ve,32
Eggpl ant , 53
Eg8s, 56
Egoti sm, stati on of
(naqdm
an-nal s),25,
27 -28
Ei ghth heaven, 22
El emental spheres, 17 20
El eventh heaven, 22
Empyrear., 22
Enot ve, )at
Enzymes,44
Essences
body, 43- s0
flowerc, 117-122
787
78A I
Thc Book ol Suli Heding
Essenti al oi l s, 113
appl i cati on, 119-122
Eye probl ems, 26
Fai l ure, fear of, 28
Fast days, 89
Fast i ng
( f i ynn) , 65- 90
Fat i gue, 30
Fenugr eek, 58
Fever , 29, 30, 32, Aa, E9
Fi g, 58
Fi sh, 59
t t ower s, meot ct nat , r 1I l zz
Fl u, 41
Food
eat i ng, 43
and heal t h, 39-43
met abol i c val ues, 48
pr epar at i on, 42- 43
of Pr ophet . 5l - 64
sel ect i on, 4l
Forget f ul ness, 26
For mul ar y, 68- 83
Franki ncense, 116
Fr i vol i t y, 29
Cal l bl adder , 29
Car l i c, 59
Chee, 59
Chost s
(, l nyo
pnree),
33
Ci ddi ness, 29
rJrnger, sw
Cums, i nf l ammat i on, 79
Hai r l oss, 80
Headache, 29, 76- 77, 89
Heal i ng
cri si s, 88 90
OWer S ano or 9 t ot , Lr r Lzt
Heal t h
and f ood, 39 43
qe
neo, r t - r o
Heart
(4nl r),
14
at t ack, 28
bur ni ng, 3l
pai n, 31
st at i on of
(maqdm
al -qal b), 25, 2a-29
Heat, food, 43-44, 48
Heavens, 17
and Ear t h, Keys of Tr easur es of , 155- l 5E
rcalrr. of
,
2o-zz
nemor r no, os, TT- l t t
Henna, 59
Herbal f ormul as
admi ni st rat i on, 67
preparat i on, 65-67
st orage, 67
Hi na, 118
Hol i sti c heal th, 12
r1oney, Jv
Humans, real m of , 20
Hydrochl ori c aci d, 44, 53
Hypocr i sy, 26
Hypogl ycemi a, 2S
I l l ness. as cl eansi nB mechani sm, 11-12
I nconsi derat eness, 28
I ndi gest i on, TS-79
l nf al l i bl e remedy, 159-162
I nf l ammat i on of gums and t oot hache, T9
I nt oxi cat i on, di vi ne, 32
I rrat i onal i t y, 31
l rri t abi l i t y, 29
I sraf i l , Angel of Resurrect i on, 21
I t chi ng, vagi nal , 62-83
Jannat
al -Fardaws, 118
Jasmi ne,
118
l a' r
di ce, 28, 79-80
Ji ^
s, 27, 32, 33
Joy,
z8
Jupi ter,
real m of, 21
Key(s)
to Paradi se, 142
of Treasures of Heavens and Earth,
Ki dneys, 29
Lent i l s, 60
Let t uce, 60
Li ght of Hi mmah, 21
LUnacy, JU
Maqal ad as- Samawat i wal Ar d, 155- 158
Marj oram, sweet , 60
Mars, real m of , 21
Meat , 60
Mel on, 60
Menst ruat i on, pai nf ul , Et
Mental world
(fikr),
12-13
Merci f ul prescri pt i ons, 131-140
Mer cur y, r eal m of , 21
Met abol i c val ues, f oods, 47-49
Met abol i sm, 46
Mi chael , archangel , 21
Mi 8r ai ne, 29
Mi l k, 61
Mi nt , 61
Mi racl es, ori gi n o(,
"149--1, 54
Moon, real m of , 2o
MusL, 117
Myrrh, 116
Myr t l e, 61
Nar ci ssus, 6l
Nausea, 29
Nearness
t o Al l ah, st at i on of
(maqam
al -qurb), sz-31
Ni nt h heaven, 22
Nosebl eed, 6E
Numerol ogy, and al phabet , 132, 135
Obesi t y, 28, 8O-81
Oi l s, of f l owers, f or heal i ng, 112, 122
Ol i ve oi l , 61
Ol i ves, 6l .
Oni ons, 41, 42, 67-62
Pai nf ul menst ruat i on, 81
P arsley, 62
Peach, 62
Per spi r at i on, 86
Phl egm essence, 45 46
Pi st achi o, 62
Pl anet s, real m of , 20-21
Pomegranat e, 62
Post ures, of Prophet s, 91-109
Prayers, over rose pet al s, 114
Preparat i on, remedi es, 65-67
Prescri pt i ons, merci f ul , 131-140
Pri de, 29
Proxi mi t y t o Al l ah, st at i on ot , 25, 30-34
Pure spi ri t , st at i on of , 25, 29-30
Qui nce, 62
Ramadan, 86
Reason
(rn4i ),
20
Reasoni ng power, of humans, 20
Rei ncar nat i on, 2l
Remedi es
admi ni st r at i on, 6T
i nf al l i bl e, 159 162
preparat i on, 65-67
st or age, 6T
Remembrance, di'rine
(ihikr),
741-747
Rhubarb, oz
Kr ce, oz
Rose, soul of, 717 722
Saf f r on, 63
Saldt
,
97-709
Sal t , 53, 63
Janoal wooo, r r l
Sat urn, real m of , 2L
Sayi ngs, of Prophet , 54-55
DCal os, Tr
Scal p probl ems, 29
Scent , and cooki ng, 42
Indu
|
789
Secret s, di vi ne, st at i on of , 30-32
Sel f -decept i on, 29
Sel f -i l l usi on, 30
Senna, 63
DKrn erupt rons, 29, 6l '
Sl eepl essness, 62
9od
(ruh
mtrks), 13
di sembodi ed, 2l
esse^ce
,
25-27
of rose, 11-l--IZ2
st at i on of
l msqdn
ar-ruh\ , 25-32
Spi nach, 63
Spirit
(nafss), -13,
26
St arl ess heaven, 22
St at i ons, of sol o| , 25-37
St orage, remedi es, 6T
Subl unary worl d, 17
Suf f ocat i ng, sense of , 32
Sugar , 63
Sun, real m of , 21
Sur at al - Fat i hah, 159 162
Ta(t,'i,lh, 13"1-14o
Tent h heaven, 22
Thyme, 63
Toot hache, Tg
Toxi ci t y, 29
Treasures of Heavens and Eart h, Keys of ,
155 158
Tr emor s, 30
cud,
118
Ul cers, ski n, 82
Uni on wi t h Al l ah, st at i on o(
(naqan
.|l-wisnl)', 25, 34-36
Uni ver se( s) , 22
of breath, 123-129
r egi ons, and Ar abi c dl phabet , 151- 153
Uri nat i on, 36
Vagi nal i t chi ng, 82 83
Vener eal di sease, 28
Venus, real m of , 21
Ver mi cel l i , 63
Vi negar , 64
Vi ol et , 117
Vomi t i ng, 88, 89
Wal nut , 64
Wat er , 64
Weddi ng of Cod Al mi ght y
(I "i t al ), 23
Wei ght s and measures, 66
Wheat , 64
Zodi acal heavens, real m o(, 20-22
The Traditional
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