Question
Assaalamu alykum warahmatullahi wa barakatuhu Mufti Saab I have an enquiry about a certain type of zikr. My shaikh who is a shaikh in the Naqshbandi Silsila prescribed for me muraqabah, which is to sit in solitude with one's head down and to think that nobody is in the world except me and Allah Subhanahoo, then to imagine a beam of noor is coming from the Arsh of Allah into the heart, and all evil and filth of the dunya is being extinguished from the heart and the heart is replying by saying ALLAH ALLAH ALLAH, not with the tongue, but just with the heart. Then after doing this exercise regularly the spiritual heart begins to vibrate then it begins to say ALLAH ALLAH itself all day and all night, then it flows with the name of ALLAH. This is the zikr of the Naqshbandi Silsila Besides the heart, there are 6 other points in the body known as lataaif, the same exercise is then done on all of these. Can you shed some light upon this please? Is doing zikr on the heart jaaiz? Is it not bid'at? If I start this will I be doing bid'at? And are the 7 lataaif also rewardable? May Allah reward you with the best in the dunya and akhirat.
Answer
The Muraaqbah is correct. There are six Lataa-if in the human body, and according to some Auliya there are eight.
While the muraaqabah is correct, it is improper to prescribe it for a beginner. If the Naqshabandi shaikh to whom you are connected is Zulfiqar Ahmad, then know that he is not a reliable Shaikh of Tasawwuf. He is not a staunch upholder of the Sunnah. In fact, he flagrantly perpetrates fisq and fujoor. It is therefore not permissible to be related to such a person. You are liable to stray from the Shariah.
A qualified Shaikh of Tasawwuf will first prescribe Taubah and emphasize observance of the Shariah and adoption of the Sunnah. It is improper and not permissible to involve a beginner in practices which have no relationship with the Sunnah and the Shariah. Many people have gone astray and were ruined in bid'ah and self-conceit with these types of acts prescribed by miscreant so-called 'shaikhs'. These occult acts are not acts of ibaadat. They are not deeds for which there is thawaab (reward). They are spiritual remedies to treat ailments. But quacks regard these practices as the highest form of ibaadat. This is bid'ah and dangerous. They prescribe such practices for all and sundry.
Our advice is that you should not engage in this type of Muraaqabah. Rather engage in the Muraaqabah which Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) himself had prescribed for the entire Ummah, and that is Muraaqabah Maut and Muhaasabah. At night spend a few minutes in solitude and reflect on Maut and the Qabr. Muhaasabah is to reflect on the day's events – your deeds and statements during the day. Reflect on this and recite Istighfaar. Do not at this stage become involved in practices bordering on the occult. It could be spiritually detrimental.
Furthermore, our advice is that you should politely and respectfully sever your relationship with the person who is supposed to be a Naqshabandi shaikh, but who has not as yet smelt of the frangrance of Naqshabandiyyat, leave alone having set foot in the spiritual Path of the Naqshabandi Sufi Tariqah. He is astray and engages in such practices and acts which detract not only from the Office of Masheekhat, but from
the Shariah itself.
Should you accept this advice, then after having terminated your bay't, do not be disrespectful. Do not speak ill of the person. While we criticize the man in order to save Muslims from falling into the trap of dhalaal (deviation), the mureed who terminates his relationship should not speak ill of his former shaikh even if he is a bid'ati. May Allah Ta'ala guide you and protect our Imaan.
- Source
- themajlis.co.za
- Published in
- The Majlis Vol 23 No 02
- PDF page
- 1
Appears under BEWARE OF THE OCCULT STUNTS (approximate).