Dr. Visier Sanyü *
Bear good tidings to those who believe and do good works that they shall inherit gardens beneath which rivers flow. So often as they are fed in that life with fruits they shall say: ‘These are the fruits which are given us formerly,’ because they shall find the fruits after life resembling the fruits which were given them here. Holy Quran
This esoteric dimension is in all religions and in Islam it originated with the tradition of Prophet Muhammad. Mysticism in Islam is termed as Sufism. The mystic is a Sufi. Fatima Bint (608-633A.H) is one of the first women Sufis we trace in Islamic mysticism. There is an interesting transition that you
*[Dr. Visier Sanyü is a renowned Scholar and an Officer Responsible for Protection of Refugees - Act for Peace - National Council of Churches in Australia. Address: Level 4, 306 Little Collins Street Melbourne 3000, AUSTRALIA Email: nukpao@gmail.com ; vsanyu@vcc.org.au Phone: 61+3- 96504511
0405170924
]
notice in her personality. While mourning the Death of Prophet Mohammad she said, “It is not surprising that whoever catches the fragrance of Muhammad’s tomb will never know another perfume. Destiny injured me with bereavement so sorrowful, and so dark, that if it had fallen on the days they would have been turned into eternal nights.”
Her expression of this utterance is Tasawuf. Poetry and love (Ishq-i-Haqiqi) are the important languages of expression in Tasawuf.
While traversing on the path for attaining the status of Sufi when the self undergoes certain transitions it acquires an ecstasy and the expression of that ecstasy is Tasawuf.
As the Quran reveals that within the human self there are seven selves within each soul. First is Nafs-i-ammara, the physical self - the spirit of self prone to evil, the second is Nafis-i-lawwama - the moral self or the self accusing spirit or conscience and the third is Nafs - i-Mullahama, the inspired self, the fourth is the Nafs–i- mutmainnah, the self tranquil the spiritual self. The fifth is Nafs-i-Radiyya the contented self, the Nafs-i-Mardiyya the soul satisfying, the last is the Nafs-i- Safiyya wa Kamila, the self clarified and perfect.
The attainment of the Nafs-i-mutmainnah is described in the Holy Quran thus, “O thou soul that art at rest (and restest fully contented with thy Lord), return to thy Lord, thou being pleased with Him and He pleased with thee; so enter among my servants and enter into My paradise.” (Holy Quran Lxxxix28-30)
When a human being pursues the path of spirituality he gets transformed from grossness to virtue this process purifies the spirit of his conscience and he acquires the control over unbridled passions, sensual desires and bestial appetites. He gets freedom from all weaknesses, material and other worldly attachments- thus attains Nafs-i- Safiyya wa Kamila.
These transitions are summed up by Maulana Rumi in the following words:
At the moment you entered this world,
A ladder was placed in front of you to escape.
First you were a mineral, and then you became plant,
Then you became an animal: how could you ignore it?
Then you were made into human being
Gifted with knowledge reason and faith;
Observe this body drawn from dust what perfection it has acquired!
When you have transcended the condition of human hood, no doubt you will become an angel.
Then you will have done with this earth, your dwelling will be in heaven
Go beyond the angelic condition; drive into this ocean, so that drop of water that is you can become sea.
MASNAVI: MAULANA RUMI
But we must remember that all these stages physical, moral and spiritual are intertwined. Whatever a person gives to his/her physical self influences his moral and spiritual self. This is the reason that Holy Quran always lays great emphasis on internal purification, external cleanliness, purity of thoughts and deeds. For example tears come when we are in grief but they also come when our happiness touches extremity and joy brings laughter. This clearly shows that there is a mysterious correspondence between physical, moral and spiritual. By disciplining physical, morality transcends and that sprouts spiritual self. Virtually nothing comes from outside everything is within us but it is a matter of cultivating thy own self. When this process reaches to fruition the soul achieves glory because its purpose is fulfilled.
Sufi Rabia al Adwiyya said:
O God another night is passing away,
Another day is rising-
Tell me that I have spent the night well so I can be at peace,
Or that I have wasted it, so I can mourn for what is lost.
I swear that ever since the first day you brought me back to life,
The day you became my friend,
I have not slept-
And even if you drive me from your door,
I swear again that we will never be separated.
Because you are alive in my heart!
In Quran this process is revealed in the following words:
“When I have formed the Body of it and set right all manifestations of glory and breathed into it My soul, prostrate, yourselves (in obedience) before it.”
(Holy Quran Xv: 29)
The whole self partakes of spiritual nature because it is solely attracted towards the manifestation of Tawhid (divine oneness) which gets reflected in all good things in universe around us. Rabia al Adwiyya said:
O God, whenever I listen to voice of anything you have made
The rustling of trees
The trickling of water
The crises of birds
The flickering of shadow
The roar of wind
The song of thunder, I hear it saying:
God is one
Nothing can be compared with God.
Rumi also believes that his real self was not what his parents or environment had grown in him, but what the universe had created in him. He felt that it was wrapped in one’s consciousness. To him real can be thought of as the crown of unconscious, which is potentially conscious existence, the goal in Tasawuf. This is how Rumi situates his source of self in one of his poems from Masnavi.
Cross and Christians from end to end
I surveyed; He was not on the cross
I went to idol-temple, to the ancient pagodas
No trace was visible there
I went to mountains of Heart and Qandhar
I looked; He was not in that hill and dale
With set purpose I fared to summit of Mount Qaf
In that place was only Anqa’s Habitation
I bent the reins of search to Ka‘ba
He was not in that resort of old and young
I questioned Ibn Sina of His state
He was not within Ibn Sina’s range
I fared towards the scene of two bow lengths distance
He was not in the exalted court
I gazed into my heart;
There I saw him; He was nowhere else.
MASNAVI: MAULANA RUMI
The path that Sufis follow is called Tariqa and ultimate truth is Haqiqa between the path and the ultimate truth there is a process of realizing, pursuing, reflecting, attributing and that is Tasawuf. Tasawuf is both the beginning and the end. Sufi Khwaja Abdullah Ansari said:
“The heart enquired of the soul
What is the beginning of this business?
What its end, and what its fruit?
The soul answered:
The beginning of it is
The annihilation of self,
Its end faithfulness,
And its fruit immortality.”
It is the candle that you hold while on your journey towards ultimate reality. You can choose Tariqa as the road but you cannot walk unless you see that path through the light of candle i.e. Tasawuf. It is through this light that Rumi saw the creative essence of almighty in every thing everywhere when he said in Dewan-i-Shams;
When I talk of chiefs he is the master;
When I search the heart he is the beloved
When I seek peace he is the mediator
When I come to battlefield, he is the dagger
When I attend my party he is the wine and comfit
When I go into the rose garden he is elegant
When I go into the mine he is the carnelian and ruby
When I go into the sea he is the pearl
When I am on the plains he is the garden rose
When I come to heaven he is the star
When I come to the upper ranks he is the Pinnacle
When I burn out sorrow he is the censer
When I prepare to fight in time of battle, he is both the officer on duty and the general
When I come to a feast in time of Joy he is the Cup Bearer, the minstrel and the cup
When I write letter to the beloved, he is the ink, the ink well and the paper
When I awaken he is my intelligence
When I go to sleep he is my dream
When I search for a rhyme in lyric, he is the rhyme giver in my memory
Whatever image you think of He,
Like a Painter is the brush in hand
If you still look for superior He is better than the better
Go leave speech and book for
It is far better that he be the book
Be silent, for all six sides are his light.
And when you pass these six sides, there he is-judge!
When one is possessed by Tasawuf his journey is complete but it is then that he returns to source. It was at this stage when that Mansur al Hillaj expressed Anal Haq I am the reality and Said:
I am He whom I love, and whom I love is I
We are two spirits in one body
If thou seest me, Thou seest him
And if thou seest him, thou seest us both.
Similar views are expressed by great saints in all other religions world over in different forms. Yet still each one of these saints carry the same fragrance deep within.
When Dhu an –Nun al-Misri (861 A.H.) met a woman sufi on the coast of Syria and asked her where she is coming from and where she is going Aisha (612-678A.H) is another great mystic who defined basic rules of Islamic ethics in the Arab world. She always emphasized that nobleness comes from honesty of speech, reliability, truthfulness and steadfastness in misfortune the provision of protection for friend and neighbor, readiness in giving up aid for helpless and in showing kindness to slaves and reverence to parents.
Tasawwuf has its own radius and circumference within Sufism. The nature of that form of the radius and circumference is determined by various things including the geo-physical, and other regional specificities in this world but the content remains same.
I am thankful to my friend Professor Hangloo and Taoshobuddha for this rare opportunity to write an introduction to TASAWUFF –THE SPIRIT OF SUFISM.
The poets are very often connected to the Absolute Consciousness or Christ Consciousness and in those moments such compositions happen. When I looked into the planning, structure, language, clarity of thought, style of the book it was indeed my pleasure and privilege to acknowledge that such meditations could be created around these and many more compositions like these.
This book of TAOSHOBUDDHA has come at very crucial time as we live in a deeply divided world caused by misconception of religions, particularly of Islam. September 11 changed the history of Islam or at least the view of the western world on Islam changed. The depth and beauty of these compositions and the meditative insights of the writer shows how all religions are in search of the true meaning of love. It is humanity’s deepest longing for God.
While acknowledging works of such a nature which is not only innovative instead comes like a fresh breeze of awakening and insights into the message of the masters I urge Taoshobuddha to create more such meditations around the message of masters like Nanak, Jesus, Rumi, Buddha etc. And I can assure you that with the insights and command of language Taoshobuddha will certainly do this. This is an effort to bring more serenity and harmony within. And certainly the light will reflect in the outer world.
To compliment these compositions is the mystical voice of Taoshobuddha that creates meditative channels as Buddhist calls these in their temple or groves in your consciousness for the process of transformation to continue.
Thank you very much for reading this introduction. And now is the time to enter the realm of Tasawwuf along with TAOSHOBUDDHA and his mystical voice.
With love in the name of this is OMNIPRESENT, OMNISCIENT, and OMNILOVING ONE!
DR. VISIER SANYÜ
Scholar and Officer, Responsible for Protection Refugees – Act for Peace-National Council of Churches in Australia.
Email:nukpao@gmail.com
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