Guidance for Travelers on the Path to God : Shaykh Masum Naqshbandi - Translated by Alan Abd al-Haqq Godlas- Sufi Illuminations Journal 1996

 Guidance for Traveler on the Path to God ( Rahnama'i-yi Ravandgan-i Rah-i Haqq ) : Shaykh Muhammad Masum Naqshbandi, Eminent Scholar from Kurdistan, Iraq, Translated from Persian to English by  Alan Abd al- Haqq Godlas Ph.D. Assistant Professor, University of Georgia

Bismillah ar - Rahman ar - Rahim

       All praises is due to God, Who is Sufficient unto Himself and Infinitely Generous. It is God who has expanded the hearts of the scholars who strive to travel the straight path; through them, He has illuminated the avenues salvation. And may blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad ﷺ , the seal of the Prophets and master of the Divine messengers. I am grateful to God for his unlimited bounties, and I affirm that there is no god but God, He is One, there being none beside Him; and I affirm that Muhammad  ﷺ  is His servant and messenger --may God send blessings and peace upon him, his entire family and upon his brothers ( the Prophets), and rest of the righteous people

       We are grateful to God and thank him for endowing us and all who are attending this gathering with another opportunity to celebrate the splendorous festival of the birthday of the " seal of prophets", Muhammadﷺ , the chosen one by God. I hope that at all times-- in this world and in the hereafter-- we will be able to partake of and benefit from the spiritual blessings and brilliant light of Muhammad ﷺ   , since the Divine benevolence is continually radiating for the sake of seekers of the way to God -- the Ultimate Reality and Truth.                                                                                                                               

      We are informed by a hadith qudsi that God, in speaking to the Prophet  ﷺ , has declared; "Were it not for you , were it not for you, I would not have created the Universe."  In addition, with the following word a poet has sung of the Prophet's  ﷺ   greatness, his love and his closeness to God: 

No one remains caught in rebelliousness to God                                                                                              who has such a master as a leader ﷺ  

Hence, God willing, all those who have worked hard and taken pain to make this festival a reality will receive divine compensation, each according to his or her own state, love, and desire.

     My dear friends, the greatest gift with which God endowed Muhammad ﷺ   is the Qur'an , which is a continuous and constant miracle, available to all. Reciting and contemplating the words of this gift of salvation and acting in accordance with it -- which is the most important [ thing one can do ] -- must be viewed with complete seriousness.                                                                                                                    First in reciting the Qur'an, to the degree that is possible one must try to completely and correctly pronounce its letters, words and expressions, since its miraculousness rests in in the structure of its words and the composition of its sentences. Second, contemplating the meanings of its words and sentences is also of great significance. Third, and most importantly, one must act in accordance with Qur'an. It is not sufficient to simply pronounce the words and understand their meanings, one must carry out the instructions of the Qur'an, fulfill its commands, and refrain from its prohibitions.                                                 Concerning the contents of the Qur'an, the three most significant objects of faith are first, the affirmation of unity (  tawhid ); second, the return to God (  ma'ad ), and third, prophethood (  risalat ).        "Affirming unity" ( tawhid ) consists of faith in one's heart that there is nothing worthy of worship but God, the Real; and one should not ascribe the one God's essence, attributes, and actions to anyone [ but God ]. In the totality of the affairs of all created beings, this is the meaning of La ilaha ill Allah ( there is no god but God ). As God states, " Had there been in heaven or on earth any deities other than God, both [ those realms ] would surely have fallen into ruin!" [ Q. 21:22 ]                                                                             The return to God ( ma'ad )  consists of affirming faith in the return of humankind to God and faith in   their revival after their death , as well affirming faith in their receiving just compensation for all their words and deeds ( whether good or evil ) and that they enacted during their life in this world. As God states, " Not even a word can he utter, without there being a watcher with him, ever-present" [Q. 50:18].     And also , " Whoever does an atom's worth of good shall see it, and whoever does an atom's worth of evil shall see it." [Q. 99:7-8].                                                                                                                                           Belief in prophethood ( risalat ) consists of affirming faith in all the prophets that have been sent by God to guide the humankind. The Qur'an consists of 6666 verses that comprise stories, injunctions, affirmation of God's unity ( tawhid ), prophethood ( risalat ) and the return (ma'ad ); verses dealing with the macrocosm ( afaqi ) and microcosm ( anfusi ), verses that advise and council; verse that show the way of purifying the self ( tazkiya-i nafs ) and verses that guide people towards transforming their behavior into noble qualities of character ( makarim-i akhlaq ).

    I will now discuss matters related to heartfelt closeness and love among ones fellow believers and I will also speak of purifying the self ( nafs ). In a sound hadith related by both Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet  ﷺ  declared , " Be servant of God and brothers."  in addition God declared, " And do not be among those who worship others beside God, those who have broken the unity of their faith and have become sects" [ Q.30:31-32 ]. In other words do not be like who finding differences among their brethren, called one another unbelievers, and as a result lost their grandeur, strength and unity.                                                  Also we hear God stating: " O humankind! We created you all from a male and a female and have made you into nations and tribes, so that might come to know one another" [ Q.49:13 ]; that is to say , not so that  you can boast about or claim the superiority of your lineage and one another feel bad. You should know that one's racial origin and lineage are nothing to be proud of. As God says, " The noblest of you, from God's perspective, are the most conscious of God" [ Q. 49:13 ].                                                                 O my honorable brethren, in the Glorious Qur'an the degrees of the human self are described in the following manner: 1) The   first degree of the self is the " compelling self " ( al- nafs al- ammara ), to which God refers in the following words of Yusuf in the Qur'an, " And I am not trying to absolve myself ;  indeed, man's self does incite [him] to evil." [Q. 12:53]. 2) The second degree of the self is the " blaming self" ( al- nafs al- lawwama ), " I call to witness the day Resurrection! I call to witness the blaming self!"  [ Q. 75: 1-2 ]. This verse indicates that the human self will ask itself why it has committed crimes and displayed rebelliousness [to God ]. 3)  The third degree of self is the " self at peace " ( al- nafs al- mutma'inna ). As God states in the Qur'an, "O self at peace, return to your Sustainer, He being content with you and you content with Him. Enter among My servants , enter My paradise" [ Q. 89:27 ].                    The first generations of Muslims, including the generation of the "followers" ( tabi'un  ), the scholars , the servants of God in general, the ascetics, and righteous all paid particular attention to these three degrees and stages of the qualities of the self of which the glorious Qur'an speaks. By striving to model their behavior after the example of the Prophet ﷺ   and assimilating his character into their own, they engaged in the purification of their selves. In the words of glorious Qur'an, "Those who achieve salvation will be those who become purified, who remember the name of their Sustainer, and who pray" [ Q. 87: 14-15 ]. And also God declares, " Those who attain salvation will be the one who purify their selves" [ Q. 91: 9-10 ]. While in private or in public, while traveling or at home, these early generations of Muslims who were careful to model their behavior after the Prophet  ﷺ   were watchful of their selves, continually restraining the rebelliousness of their selves.The people of those times called these Muslims "Sufis".               In following the example of the Prophet  ﷺ  , they were not not devoted to physical pleasures and idolizing their bodies, and they preferred over everything the purity and the light of heart as well as the remembrance and knowledge of God ( ma'rifa ). In addition by the light of their spiritual vision, they saw what little value lay in the all unstable and transient vicissitudes of the world; and they called for the fulfilling of human obligations to God,  the putting into practice of the divine commands, and the implementing of social justice for the community of Islam. Also, they were opposed to the decadence of the Muslim world: namely oppression, tyranny, corruption, the lack of self-restraint among individuals, the ignorance, materialism, and debauchery-- circumstances that are now common among ruling elites in Muslim countries. The corrupt and oppressive elites of those time , along with world-worshipping superficial scholars whose hearts were hardened and without vision, harassed and attacked  many Sufis, justifying their attacks on the basis that they were rooting out innovation in religion, that they were elimination bid'a. The truth of the matter is that all of the behavior, actions, and words of the Sufis were in accord with the Sunna of the Prophet  ﷺ , harmonious with his way of being.                                                        It is obvious that there can be no co-existence of the opposites of light and darkness, knowledge and ignorance, innocence and corruption' and justice and oppression. One must take note of criticism and opposition voiced against Mu'awiya   رضي الله عنه (d.60/680),  by the exalted , ascetic, and beloved companion of the Prophet ﷺ  , Abu Dharr al-Ghifari   رضي الله عنه (d. 31/ 651-52). During the time of the Caliphate of Uthman   رضي الله عنه   ,   ( d. 23-35/644-55) , Abu Dharr   رضي الله عنه  was critical of the establishment of the monarchy of Mu'awiya  رضي الله عنه , an institution that was contrary to what had been established by the Prophet ﷺ   and the first two caliphs, Abu Bakr   رضي الله عنه  (d.13/634) and           Umar   رضي الله عنه (d.23/644). His opposition was recorded in works of history and is well-known.                         In the end we come back to a basic fact: The Truth ( al-Haqq ) is superior and is never inferior .        God willing until the blast of Israfil's trumpet--signaling the beginning of the resurrection -- that light will remain in the hearts of the elect of the Prophet's    people. Confirming this is sahih hadith that records that the Prophet  ﷺ  declared, " There will always be a group of my community who will be victorious on the path of Truth-- until the Divine Command manifests [ at the end of time ].                                                               Those lesser minds-- who --with their false conjectures--consider Sufism to be bid'a (innovation) in religion are grossly mistaken. Their mistaken and oppressive judgement goes against God's praise of Sufis in the Qur'an: " They are people whom neither worldly commerce nor striving after gain can distract from the remembrance of God, from performing prayers, and giving alms (  zakah ); [ they are ] people who are filled with fear of the Day on which all hearts and eyes will be convulsed; [ people who hope ] that-- out of His bounty-- God may reward them in accordance with the best that they ever did and give them more [ than they deserve ], for God grants sustenance-beyond all reckoning--unto whom He wills" [Q. 24:37-38]            God in the Qur'an states: " You should know that God alone possesses true religion" [Q. 39:2] , namely religion that is devoid of the defects of personal desires and hypocrisy , entailing worship solely for God's sake.  And just prior to this, God declares, " So call upon him, sincere in your faith in Him alone!" [Q.39:2 ]. In other words, religion and worship of God should not be for gathering up the goods of the world and attaining worldly positions. Furthermore, God says, " Indeed, your Sustainer is ever watchful" [ Q. 89:14 ], that is to say that God is aware of your actions. And finally God, referring to Himself, states, " Indeed, He is aware of what is in people's heart" [Q. 11:5 ]                                                         My dear brothers and sisters, heed these words of the second Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab     : " WE are people whom God has exalted through Islam. So however much we desire to be exalted beyond which God has exalted us, God humbles us." Thus, as God declares: " Hold fast, all together, unto the bond with God" [ Q.3:103 ]. That is to say: Cling the the Qur'an! It is firm rope between us and God's grace. So we must firmly hold on to it. And holding onto the Qur'an consists of having faith, adhering to the commands, and putting into practice its exalted and wise instructions.                                                                                     The way to salvation for the Muslim community, the community of the Prophet    , is unity, fraternity, love, cooperation and sincerity in what one does for one another, on one hand; and avoiding pride, self-centeredness, being scattered, and love of self-exaltation, on the other, one must  be-aware of  following the compelling self ( al-nafs al-ammara ),since as God declared, " Indeed the self compels one to evil."     Thus the greater struggle, the jihad-i akbar-- even more significant than fighting one's enemies in the world -- is the struggle with one's self. And as God states in the Qur'an  ,  " One who purifies the self, will achieve salvation, while one who does nothing with it , will be lost" [ Q.91:9-10 ].  In other words , one who purifies himself of his unworthy lower qualities will become saved, while one whose self is sullied and polluted will have no hope.                                                                                                                                  God in the Qur'an has stated, " And do not be among those who worship others besides God, those who have broken the unity of their faith and have become sects, each group delighting in what they themselves believe" [ Q. 30: 31-32 ].                                                                                                                          I hope that we can put to good use our God-given outer and inner powers, which are our intelligence, knowledge, and strength, as well as the remainder of our God-given natural gifts; I hope that we can put these to use in a way of service to the religion of Islam and in defeating the adversaries of God and the Prophet ﷺ   , not for bringing about opposition, argument, and mutual disgust.                                          And we seek God's grace in accordance with His words in the following four ayat: " No success can I attain except through God; in Him do I trust; and to Him do I turn" [Q. 11:88]; " If you assist God, He will assist you and affirm your steps" [Q.  47:7] ; " O our Sustainer, forgive us our sins and our lack of moderation in our doings! And make firm our steps, and succor us against ' people who deny the Truth'      ( al- kafirin )" [Q. 3:147 ] [6] and finally  [we seek grace] through God who knows the unmanifest         (alim al-ghayb ):" Not an atom's weight [ of whatever there is ] in the heavens or on earth escapes His knowledge and neither  is there anything smaller than that, or larger, but it is recorded in [His] clear decree" [Q 34:3].  In other words , God knows all that is unmanifest and hidden. Everything is preserved   and unveiled in God's knowledge and on the hidden tablet ( Lawh al-mahfuz ).                                                       At all times in the presence of God and his worshippers, it is necessary for travelers on the spiritual path to be aware of and to observe one's person and one's self with total sobriety. As the Arabic saying goes, " Be sincere with God , and comport yourself correctly with people." Here correct comportment consists of upright and kind acts.                                                                                                                                 And finally , one must keep in mind and following two ayat: "  Do not let Satan hinder you; indeed he is an outright enemy of yours" [Q. 43:62] and " O humankind , indeed,God's promise is true, so do not let the life of the world delude you and do not let your deceptive thoughts of God delude you! Behold , Satan is an outright enemy of yours; so treat him as an enemy. He only calls on his followers so that  they might be among those who are destined for the blazing flames" [Q. 35:5].                                                                Concluding Supplication: O God help us to continually remember You, to contemplate You, to refine our worship of You, to be graced by obedience to You, and to be grateful for your bounties!                  O Lord , increase my knowledge and admit me among righteous! O God I seek from You the reward of those who are thankful, the grace of those drawn near, the company of prophets , the certainty of those who have verified the truth, the self-abasement of the God-conscious, and the humility of the certain:I seek these until You cause me to pass away with these qualities, O supremely merciful Lord!                         O God I seek refuge from useless knowledge, from the heart that does not fear, from a prayer that is not heard, and from a self that is not satiated, O God, bestow me with the wealth of knowledge, adorn me with forbearance, bestow upon me God- consciousness, and beautify me with well-being.                                      O God, forgive me and have mercy on me, and admit me into the highest paradise ( al-rafiq al-ala )             Transcendent is your Sustainer, the Sustainer of exaltedness, transcending whatever descriptions people make of Him. And peace be upon God's messenger  ﷺ , and all gratitude is due to God, the Sustainer of all worlds. And may the blessings of God be upon our master, our leader, and our intercessor, Muhammad ﷺ   and His pure and untainted family. Amin.  *** Notes not included.

Source: Risala-yi Anwar as-Sufiyya  Sufi Illuminations , A journal dedicated to Islam and Tasawwuf Special Milad an-Nabi ﷺ Edition , Proceedings of Second Annual International Milad an-Nabi ﷺ Conference, Chicago, 1995,  Vol 1: August, 1996,  Part 2.  Edited by Arthur Buehler Ph.D.                          Published by Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE)  

YouTube Video:  Guidance for Travelers on the Path to God : Shaykh Masum Naqshbandi, NFIE Mawlid 1995 - https://youtu.be/JMd61Uy9qks?si=qnrnO_PJQvWOA5Rp