The foundations of Shaykh Ahmad Zarruq’s spiritual path

By: Shaykh Ahmad Zarruq If someone is asked about the fundamentals of the spiritual path, he should answer: The fundamentals of our path are five:

  1. Taqwa – To have full reverential awareness of Allah, in private and in public
  2. Adherence to the Sunnah in word and deed
  3. Indifference to whether others give us their approval or rejection
  4. Contentment with Allah in times of hardship and ease
  5. Turning to Allah in Prosperity and Adversity

The realization of full consciousness of Allah is attained through conscientiousness and righteousness.
The realization of adherence to the Sunnah is through caution and excellent character.
The realization of indifference to the acceptance or rejection of others is through patience and trust in Allah.
The realization of satisfaction is through accepting what is given to us and handing over control of our affairs to Allah.
The realization of turning to Allah is through praise and gratitude in times of prosperity and taking refuge in Him in times of affliction. The foundations of the previous five are found in the following five:

  1. Have high aspirations
  2. Maintaining reverence for Allah
  3. Giving of oneself in excellent service to others
  4. Fulfill resolutions
  5. Magnifying the Blessings We Are Given

He whose aspirations are exalted rises in rank.
Allah maintains the respect of the one who preserves His reverence.
He who serves others is ennobled by this.
He who does what he resolves to do is assured of continuous guidance.
The one who considers his blessings to be great has shown gratitude.
And the thankful one secures and increases the blessings of the gift-giver in accordance with the promise of the True One. The foundations of good conduct are five:

  1. Seeking Sacred Knowledge to Fulfill the Commandments of Allah
  2. Maintain the company of spiritual guides and fellowship with aspirants to gain understanding of our own faults
  3. Abandon dispensations and interpretations relating to the obligations to form a precautionary measure for one’s own protection
  4. Organizing our time with the remembrance of Allah to maintain the presence of the heart
  5. Suspecting that our egoistic soul (nafs) is in everything to free itself from its capricious desires and be safe from destructive circumstances

The trap of seeking knowledge is the company of people who do not put effort into it, either because of their age, intellect, or poor religious practice; in other words, those that do not refer to sound guiding principles in their actions.
The trap of keeping oneself in the company of spirit guides and fraternity people is elitism, deception, and interreference in the affairs of others.
The pitfall of previous dispensations and interpretations regarding obligations is self-pity due to hardship.
The pitfall of organizing one’s time with devotional works is ostentatious practice and ritualized superficial devotion.
The trap of constantly suspecting the selfish soul is to think that it is inclined towards its righteous states and goodness, but Allah says: “And even if I wanted to compensate him with all kinds of compensation, I would not accept him.” (Qur’an 6:70).
Moreover, the noble son of the nobleman, Joseph, the son of Jacob, peace be upon them both, says in the Qur’an: “And I do not say that my soul is innocent, for it is true that the soul insistently commands evil, except when my Lord has mercy.” (12:53). The foundations of what will cure the diseases of the soul are five:

  1. The moderation that is achieved by relieving the intake of food and drinks from the stomach
  2. Taking refuge in Allah from harm when it actually occurs
  3. Vigilant avoidance of places where you fear committing faults
  4. Continually asking for forgiveness from Allah along with devotional prayers upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, both in solitude and in gatherings
  5. Keeping one’s company with one who guides Allah.
    Unfortunately, such a person no longer exists!

Abu Hasan Shadhili, may Allah be pleased with him, said: My beloved advised me not to set my feet anywhere except where I expected Allah’s reward, not to sit anywhere except where I was safe from disobedience to Allah, not to accompany anyone except someone in whom I could find support in obedience to Allah, and select no one for me, except those who will increase my certainty, and how rare they are to find!
He also said, may Allah be pleased with him: Whoever leads you to this world has deceived you; the one who directs you to actions has tired you; but the one who directs you to Allah has advised you indeed.
He also said, may Allah be pleased with him: Make the reverential consciousness of Allah (taqwa) your abode, and the delight of your selfish soul will not harm you as long as you are dissatisfied with your faults and do not persist in acts of disobedience or abandon the consciousness of Allah in solitude.
I say that being content with self, persisting in disobedient acts and abandoning the consciousness of Allah are the foundations of all diseases, tribulations and difficulties. I have also seen that seekers of this time are afflicted by five things:

  1. The preference of ignorance over knowledge
  2. Being deceived by any spiritual imposter
  3. The inability to prioritize important issues
  4. Using the spiritual path as a means to inflate the egoistic soul
  5. Attempting to hasten a spiritual opening without meeting prerequisites

This has resulted in five other afflictions:

  1. Preferring innovations as opposed to proven and true prophetic practice (Sunnah)
  2. Following people of claims and deception in the face of truth
  3. Acting on the basis of capricious desires in all matters, even the highest
  4. Preferring fantasies to realities
  5. The manifestation of states without sincerity.

Of these last five, five more have emanated:

  1. Obsessive-compulsive thoughts during acts of devotion
  2. Laxity in terms of usual practice
  3. Devotional Gatherings of Invocation and Singing That Lack Inspiration
  4. Leaning toward people of rank and authority
  5. The companionship of those immersed in worldly affairs, including mixing with the opposite sex and childish companions, based on exaggerated rationalizations that extrapolate by witnessing similar things between people who are truly committed to the path.
    They will even mention the states and seasons of such people as a justification.
    On the other hand, if they had had true enlightenment, they would have understood that seeking one’s provision is a dispensation for those who lack certainty, and that includes only the necessities of life without exceeding what is necessary.
    Someone who is relaxed in these matters is far from Allah.

As for devotional gatherings, they are permitted for people dominated by their states or as a respite for people of excellent character.
In fact, such a practice is akin to being laid down on the carpet of truth if it is done according to the required conditions, among the right people, and in an appropriate place, and this is not to mention the observance of the required courtesies and protocols.
Obsessive-compulsive thoughts arise from innovation, the basis of which is in ignorance of prophetic practice or in some psychological affliction.
Any propensity toward creation is, by nature, the lack of propensity toward truth.
This is especially true of an obsequious singer, a carefree tyrant, or an ignorant Sufi.
The company of the immature is harmful, as well as a worldly and otherworldly flaw, and the acceptance of such company is even worse.
Shaykh Abu Madyan said, “‘Immature means anyone who is not in conformity with the spiritual path you are on, even if it is someone who has reached the age of ninety.’
I say that the immature are those who are not firmly rooted; they accept things at face value and are passionate about them.
The vast majority of these people are those who are pretentious in their associations with a spiritual group and prefer conversations to actual spiritual work.
Avoid them to the best of your ability. Anyone who claims to have a station with Allah while any of the following five succeed from him is a liar or is deceived:

  1. Allowing any of its members to fall into sinful disobedience
  2. Affectation in their devotional practice
  3. Expectations of creation
  4. Speaking ill of the people of Allah
  5. Lack of due respect for Muslims in accordance with Allah’s commands.
    In fact, such people rarely die in the state of grace.

The qualifications of the spiritual guide on whom the seeker can rely are the following five:

  1. Unadulterated spiritual experience.
  2. Correct external knowledge
  3. High aspirations
  4. A pleasant state
  5. Penetrating Inner Perception

Anyone who has any of the following five cannot be a true spiritual guide:

  1. Ignorance of religion
  2. Contempt for respect for other Muslims
  3. Getting involved in matters that don’t concern you
  4. Follow their whim in matters
  5. Unashamed display of bad manners followed by a lack of remorse.

A student’s spiritual courtesies with his spiritual guide and companions along the way are also five:

  1. Follow the guide’s instructions, even if it is contrary to one’s preference
  2. Avoid what the guide forbids, even if it appears to be highly adverse to the student
  3. Maintain the utmost respect for them in their presence and absence, during their lives and after their death
  4. Give them what corresponds to them according to the possibility of each one without restriction
  5. To renounce one’s own understanding, knowledge, and leadership by the teacher, unless in agreement with the teacher

If the seeker does not find a guide teacher or finds one who does not have any of these five conditions, he must depend on him only on those conditions that the master fulfills.
As for the areas in which he is lacking, you should treat him as a brother with respect to them.
Thus the five foundations of the spiritual path end with the praise, help, and perfect success of Allah.
It is necessary to read this every day, once or twice, and if that is not possible, at least once a week until its meanings are imprinted on the soul and manifest in our behavior.
In fact, it contains what allows us to do without many books and many advices, and it is said: “Surely they have been denied arrival because of their neglect of the fundamentals.”
Whoever reflects deeply on what we have said will recognize his truth and continue to draw on it, using it as a reminder to him.

Source: http://malikifiqhqa.com

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