Dhikr, dhawq and knowing the flavour of spiritual ecstasy

Time of India

13 hours ago

When a man traverses the journey seeking closeness to God, the path transforms the man. The seeker does not remain the same man who started out on the journey. As he nears his destination, his search renews him from within. Thus it is that through the centuries, Sufi masters have embodied the most beautiful and the most cherished qualities admired by mankind.
Sufi saints are known as individuals of deep humility, revered by one and all for their unconditional love, for their selflessness and detachment from materialism, and for their profound peacefulness and compassion that envelops all those who seek their blessings. What is the alchemy that brings about this miraculous and joyful transformation? The reason is their love of God the Almighty, their constant endeavour to seek the closeness of God and their complete surrender to God's will. Those who are committed to the glorious search for God are blessed to become vessels of his divine grace and guidance and personify the high attributes of al-Insan al-Kamil (the Perfect Man).
Egyptian Sufi master Ibn ʿAṭā Allāh al-Iskandarī (1259-1310), the third murshid (spiritual guide or master) of the Shadhili Sufi silsila, wrote in his Kitab al-Hikam (The Book of Wisdom), 'When divine spiritual experiences come over you, they destroy your habits. Indeed, when kings enter cities, they ruin them. [Qur'an 27:34].'
The old habits of the material world die through dedicated adherence to spiritual discipline which involves dhikr (remembrance of God), meditation, contemplation on divine grace, and cultivating the path shown by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Through complete devotion towards the divine path, man can learn to conquer vices like ego, greed, pride, envy and lust. When this journey of personal transformation is complete, the seeker is blessed with fana (complete annihilation of the self) and baqa (subsistence in God).
Persian Sufi saint Hazrat Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058–1111), revered with the title Hujjat al-Islam (Proof of Islam) for his immense contribution to the development of Islamic philosophy, theology, and the understanding of Sufi mysticism, said this of Sufis: 'I learnt with certainty that it is above all the mystics [Sufis] who walk on the road of God; their life is the best life, their method the soundest method, their character the purest character. It became clear to me, however, that what is most distinctive of mysticism is something which cannot be apprehended by study, but only by immediate experience (dhawq – knowing the taste or flavour), by ecstasy and by a moral change.'
Many Sufi stories – both old and contemporary ones – carry the message that when a man loses himself in the pursuit of the Almighty, his lower impulses are eradicated and are replaced by virtues befitting a seeker. An old Sufi story which delivers this powerful message is of a man who was known for his love of the debauched pleasures of life. One night, he was swaying on the streets in a state of drunkenness when he saw a Sufi saint guiding his followers into dhikr and the recitation of the beloved names of God. The drunken man felt intrigued to see what was going on. He joined the gathering and sat in a corner, observing all that was happening. As the saint's followers continued to recite God's names in joy and rapture, the man felt himself enveloped by a deeply powerful spiritual ecstasy. As he surrendered to the divine grace filling his mind and heart, he found his being flooded with light, and his tears flowed unhindered. The experience transformed the man. He did not touch wine again and he lost the desire for all material pleasures. God's light entered him and everybody saw him shining with God's glory.
Those who have tried to explain the ecstasy of a Sufi have called the mystical experience as 'truth without form.' The search of the Sufi, they say, is to become so lost in his love for the Almighty that he himself may become 'featureless and formless.' The seeker desires that his search should be so complete that only God the Almighty remains, and the seeker attains fana. Travellers on the path of divine love exhibit similar attributes. They are shaped by their divine search.
Hazrat Abu Said Abul Khayr (967-1049) the first Sufi writer who extensively used love poems as a way to express and illuminate mysticism and played a significant role in the foundation of Persian Sufi poetry, believed that a Sufi is so immersed in his love of the Almighty that he has no desire and no reason to worry. He said, 'To be a Sufi is to give up all worries and there is no worse worry than yourself. When you are occupied with self, you are separated from God. The way to God is but one step: the step out of yourself.' Hazrat Abul Khayr was so immersed in love of the Almighty that when someone asked him what is Sufism, he explained it by way of complete annihilation of the self and existing totally by the grace of divine will. He said about Sufism, 'Whatever you have in your mind— forget it. Whatever you have in your hand—give it. Whatever is to be your fate—face it!'
Hazrat Sahl al-Tustari (818-896) was an early classical Sufi mystic who founded the Salimiyah Muslim theological school. It is said that he instructed a disciple to repeat the name of Allah continuously for days until it became a habit, even during sleep. It is said that the impact of the constant repetition of God's name immersed the discipline in divine remembrance at all times. Once, a heavy piece of wood fell on the disciple's head and he started bleeding. As he bled, the drops of blood formed the word 'Allah.' This story is a powerful reminder of how the divine experience of dhikr can completely transform a seeker to the extent that even his most mundane actions and patterns get suffused by the loving remembrance of God's name.
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