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Yā-Sabūr
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Yā-Sabūr,
(pronounced Saboor)
The most patient, the long-enduring and forbearant; patience1. God always is in a state
of limitless forbearance, compassion, patience, and justice toward each of His
created beings1.
Saboor: Inner
patience; to go within patience, to practice it, to think and reflect within
it. Saboor
is that patience deep within patience which comforts, soothes, and alleviates
mental suffering1.
The next stage is Shukoor, normally called contentment. Shukoor is deep within Saboor, pacifying and comforting. Even deeper within shukoor, still soothing and comforting, is tawwakal-Allāh (absolute trust in Allah). And deep within tawwakal-Allāh, giving comfort and contentment, is Alhamdullillāh, surrendering all responsibility to Him. There is nothing left in my hands. Total surrender. I have given everything, I am helpless, I am undone1.
Saboor, shukoor, tawwakal-Allāh, Alhamdullillāh; these are the treasures of Īmān (Absolute faith, certitude,
determination). The wealth of patience is the preface to Īmān and is the exalted wisdom in the life
of a true man (Insān)1.
Nobody is more patient than Allah (Koran).
“Seigneur fortifie-nous de patience et reçois-nous en croyants soumis à Ta Volonté” (Koran 7:126). “…Our Lord, pour out on us patience and cause us to die in submission (to Thee)!” (7:126)
“Dieu est pardonneur
et patient” (Koran 2 :225). God is forgiveness and
patience.
“O vous les croyants, cherchez secours dans
la patience et la prière car Dieu est avec ceux qui patientent” (2 :153).
“O you who believe, seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient.” (2:153)
Those who withstands (curses) with patience and forgive, those are act of wisdom on their part (42:43). “And whoever is patient and forgives – that surely is an affair of great resolution.” (42:43)
“And seek assistance through patience and prayer, and this
is hard except for the humble ones,” (
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Suratul’Asr3
Bismillaah ir-rahmaan ir-raheem. In
the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most
Merciful.
Wal-‘Asr. By
time.
Innal-insaana lafee khusr. Verily,
mankind is in loss.
Ilal-latheena aamanoo wa ‘amilussaalihaa-ti Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds,
wa tawaasaw bil-haqqi and
they mutually advise each other with truth,
wa tawaasaw bis-sabr. (103: 1-3) And
they mutually advise each other with patience.
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Ya Sabur – O Patience! PATIENCE4
GATHA
(Hazrat Inayat Khan): Patience is, in other words, control, and one can say
that the will should control the activities of the mind and hold it in check.
To be patient is sometimes extremely difficult, for great energy is
required
to control the activity of the mind.
This
also involves increase in energy and for this all the esoteric practices and
disciplines help particularly those in Concentration. Concentration in turn is
helped by controlling the rhythm of the breath and elevating the consciousness
through the repetition of sacred phrases.
GATHA:
We may picture Patience as a wall against which the tides beat, the wall must
be strong to resist
the
waves, and so it is with Patience.
TASSAWUF
(Samuel L. Lewis): Patience is, in a sense, the application of the virtues of
Eternity into the processes of time. It is basically a holding back of
temptation. There are several kinds of temptation but the ultimate thing is to
learn how not to react, not to be moved by every wave that may disturb a person
or atmosphere. It is not sufficient to have a philosophy about this. It is
important to develop each virtue. For instance if a person learns to draw in
long breaths rather than short ones; and fine breaths rather than coarse ones, this
helps to develop patience.
RYAZAT
(Wali Ali Meyer): There it is important to practice both the long breathing and
the refined breaths in class as well as when one is alone.
GATHA:
There are four different kinds of patience; patience in action, in thought,
in word, in the inner feeling.
TASSAWUF:
One can stop action by will-power. But the same effort can be applied to
thought, word and inner feeling. This is done by Zikr
and other practices and attention on God (Allah) rather than on self (nafs).
RYAZAT:
The practice of Fikr which keeps the attention of man
on God enables man to assimilate the Divine Attributes. Along with this is a
sense of living beyond immediacy into the eternal and we can say that patience
is an application of this attitude.
GATHA:
There are two different sets of patience. The first is to stand firm against
the activity of another person, the second against one’s own activity.
TASSAWUF:
The first is found in the teaching on skandas and samskaras in the Indian teachings. Even by strengthening
the attention on breath this can be done. Also by more heart-concentration. If
one reacts in any way to efforts of others he adds to the storehouse of samskara, and to argue on this point increases the samskaric activity even more.The
control of one’s own activities comes through applying the lessons of esoteric
practices.
GATHA:
Not to resist the activity of another person is an act of patience of the
former sort, and to control oneself when one wishes to do or say a certain
thing is an act of patience of the latter sort. The most difficult test of
patience is to have to wait for something one wants at once.
TASSAWUF:
No doubt we find more in Oriental literature about not reacting towards others
and in Western literature about the value of controlling one’s own desire
nature, but this is a relative difference. In the lessons on the Cobra, etc.,
one learns how to look to nature for examples.
The
hardest and most valuable aspect of Patience is to work beyond time, to
concentrate on a goal but pay no attention to the time-processes involved. This
makes one truly live in Eternity and in Eternity is all strength, all virtue.
The
practice of Meditation is the best means of changing from the temporal
life—i.e., life in time to the everlasting.
GATHA:
The symbol of Patience is the cross. The vertical line indicating activity, the
horizontal line control. Patience is, for the saint and the sage, the first
lesson and the last.
RYAZAT:
Concentration on the cross must therefore be a practice for all disciples but
mostly for those who are nervous, who find it difficult to wait. And if when
one pictures a cross the horizontal lines are not strong, one should use the
balanced, not the traditional Christian cross.
TASSAWUF:
In other words, Patience is a sign of selflessness, fana. The greater the
advance on fana the more easily one can assimilate the Divine virtues. But for
this an accommodation may be made and each time there is accommodation there
may be accompanying pain and hardship. It is not that God is testing us, it is that He is showing that all growth may be
accompanied by sorrow.
GATHA:
The more one learns to hear the more one has to hear, such is the nature of
life. Yet in reality Patience is never wasted, Patience always wins something
great, even when to all appearances it loses.
TASSAWUF:
Patience is the movement out of time- here [sphere?] to eternity, from samskara to what might be called ‘nirvana’. It is not true
that samskara and nirvana are identical. If so, words
lose all their meaning.
GATHA:
Sometimes a patient person seems a vanquished one, but in reality the victory
is his. In the path of mastery, as in the path of renunciation, Patience plays
the greatest part.
TASSAWUF:
In the path of mastery Patience is needed because only so can one exert one’s
greatest effort. We find the same law in physics of the application of force
toward movement. It is in this way that friction and inertia are overcome.
On
the path of renunciation one gradually merges into the attitude that God is the
Actor. But God only becomes the Actor when the divine attributes participate in
the deed.
GATHA:
Every faculty has a tendency to act more and more quickly. Every activity
starts from a rhythm that is productive, and when the activity is increased the
rhythm becomes progressive, and if it is increased still more, the rhythm
becomes destructive.
TASSAWUF:
This is not only a teaching of Sufic mysticism and
metaphysics, it is also a law of nature, it is found
in Newtonian physics. And even naturalists are not unaware that if they do not
apply a law to all things either it is not a Law or there is some mistake in
their philosophy.
GATHA:
These three rhythms are called in Sanskrit, Sattva,
Rajas, and Tamas. It is only by control that one can
keep the productive and progressive nature, lack of
control allows destruction to set in.
TASSAWUF:
Much has been written on this subject both in sacred literature and in the
commentaries on sacred literature; also sometimes in speculative writings. But
these do not apply any teachings into the daily life and until the teachings
are applied, their value is very limited.
We
say the Sattvic faculty is productive and many people
think they follow Sattva who produce nothing at all.
We say the Rajasic faculty is progressive. It
certainly manifests wherever there is civilization, also technology, science
and art, as well as music. But there are some people thinking that if they are
fulfilling life’s purposes [sic.] This is nothing but Tamas.
Laziness, ennui, and depending on others are signs of Tamas.
GATHA:
Then Will alone has the power to control each
activity, either of the body or of the mind.
TASSAWUF:
The Gita teaches that the wise are above all these gunas. The unwise praise one faculty and may decry the
others but this very attitude shows that the person is still in ignorance. And
the control of the gunas means control, not to be at
the mercy of any of them. The servant of Sattva is
not servant of Sattva, for this would be a negative
attitude.
GATHA:
When a person walks he wishes to walk faster, when he speaks, to speak more
quickly. It is the nature of activity to tend to increase its speed, and if
this increase is permitted, very soon the destructive element comes about. The
stronger this faculty of control becomes in a person, the stronger the person
becomes, and the more one loses the power of control, the weaker one becomes.
TASSAWUF:
This also is an element in disease. Self-exoneration does not effect Nature. To become master, one may master through
breath and will-power, but never through personality-justification. So it is
necessary to observe and learn the laws of nature and of life.
This
is also presented in Newtonian physics, that there is a tendency towards
constant acceleration; not toward constant motion but toward constant
acceleration. And it is this which brings on old age and death and all
weaknesses. When one can control the acceleration which is also called Urouj by
the Sufis, one becomes a true master.
GATHA:
There is no doubt that Patience often seems a crucifixion, but one must
remember the resurrection is always reached through crucifixion. Patience often
seems like the effacement of self and it is true that it is self-effacement,
and yet nothing is lost, for by this practice of control far greater power is attained.
TASSAWUF:
We have before us all the power and wisdom of the universe once the ego is
subverted. Jesus has said, “To him that hath will be given and from him who
hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.” This refers to all the
ego-accumulations. They belong to time and samskara,
not to reality. This does not mean that anything need be lost; it is only that
the self, the ego must be controlled and when the ego is controlled one becomes
like the Dervishes who, in a sense, are the emperors of the world.
GATHA:
The Persian poets have called Patience death. Doubtless it is to all
appearances death, for it causes activity to cease, but in reality it is a
greater life.
TASSAWUF:
Spiritual activity is self-sustaining, self-renewing. There is what the Hindus
call niskama karma, which is activity without
ego-self, without desire. This kind of activity is actually more effective than
ego-activity which depends upon the faculties of the limited personality.
The Gita also teaches that there are forms of activity which
are really non-action and forms of non-activity which are really actions. But
to accept this blindly and negatively as philosophy is useless. It can even be
harmful as it increases delusion. It is only when one is aware of the loss of
ego-self and dependence on God that this lesson is learned.
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It is
very hard to learn that what man calls ‘goodness’5 does not assure
success. This has even lead to
absurdities
that success itself establishes goodness. Success always rises out of
application. The Sufi
metaphysics
teaches that patience, endurance and such qualities are most helpful, but a
belief that they are
most
helpful does not help at all. These qualities are to be awakened in man, and
they can only be aroused
by the use of will-power.
Another
aspect of this comes in the Bodhisattvic Oath5 wherein man takes
upon himself the burden of the
human
race. That is one way, in the Oath. Another is by identification with any
actual Bodhisattva, be
this a historical or archetypal character. Then one
assimilates the perfection of qualities such as mercy,
compassion,
patience and all noble features. One may seem to be imitating an external
being; what one is
doing
is awakening the soul in one’s own heart so that the functions become cosmic
rather than personal.
Another
is the Mushahida itself. SHAHUD is very important in
both the external and internal aspects of
Islam.
Every Muslim constantly repeats ASHADU. Many do not now what it means; even
those that
speak
Arabic do not always know. It means bearing witness from direct experience. One
testifies because
one
knows. And the more one tries it the greater the vista, the more one
understands and apprehends as
well as comprehends.
The
Sufi6 learns not only by the study of books but by the study of
life. The whole of life is like an open book to a Sufi and every experience is
a step forward in one’s spiritual journey. A Sufi would rather team than teach.
A Sufi begins one’s life by discipline and resignation, realizing that the path
that leads to the goal of freedom is the path of self-control, patience,
resignation, and renunciation.
In
this mystical path6, courage, steadiness, and patience are the most
necessary things, but besides this, trust in the
teacher in whose hand initiation is taken and understanding
of the idea of discipline.
Patience6
is also necessary in the path. Perhaps it will surprise you if I say that after
my initiation in the Order of the Sufis and six months continually in the
presence of my Murshid, only then did he say a word on the subject of Sufism.
It will amuse you still more that as soon as I took out my notebook, he went on
to another subject; it was finished.
The
method of the Sufi6 is quietude and silent progress, in order to
arrive at the stage where you can see for yourself. You may say that patience
is needed. Yes, but the spiritual path is for the patient; patience is the most
difficult thing.
The
special6 characteristics of a human being is
consideration, refinement, patience, and thoughtfulness. Once one has practiced
these, that leads to the practice of self-sacrifice,
which leads to divine action. When one sacrifices one’s time and one’s
advantage in life for the sake of another one loves, respects, and adores, this
sacrifice raises one higher than the standard of ordinary human beings. This is
the divine nature, which is not human, because the human being begins to think
as God thinks and because his or her actions become more and more divine, until
they become the actions of God. That person is greater than the person who
merely believes in God, for his or her own actions have become the actions of
God.
Besides6,
the Sufi Order is a mystical order, and there are certain thoughts and
considerations which should be observed. First, when once a certain secret is
entrusted, it must be kept as one’s most secret and sacred trust. Second, take
all the teachings that will be given, whether a bitter medicine or a sweet medicine,
to the patient. Everything including illumination has a time; real progress
depends upon the patience of the pupil, together with his eagerness to go
forward.
No
doubt there is a danger of being too enthusiastic6. That nature that
is too enthusiastic may, instead of benefiting, harm itself in its worldly or
spiritual work. For everything there is a time, and patience is necessary in every strife. A cook may bum food by giving more fire to
it in order to cook it quicker; in all things this rule applies. With little
children the parents are often anxious and enthusiastic. They think their
children can learn and understand every good and interesting thing on earth.
Too much enthusiasm is not right. We must give time to all things. The first
and most important lesson in life is
patience; we must begin all things with patience.
There
are many imaginative and intelligent people who6, day after day,
read the newspapers and draw the conclusion that there must be a war. Every
little struggle they read about gives them the idea that the world is going to
pieces. Other people interested in astrology, who have gone further than
ordinary astrology, expect the end of the world year after year, month after month.
It gives people a topic to speak about at the dinner table, and at the same
time it gives a shock to those who wish to live a little longer than the
world’s end. Many such dangers of world destruction have passed, but the
prophecy and expectation still remain and it will continue. What I mean to say
is that the best thing is to go through every condition that life presents with
patience, understanding, open eyes, and to try to rise above it with every
little effort one can make.
Your
object of attainment7 should be decided and settled in your own
mind, and then there should be no change. Any difficulty in obtaining it must
not frighten you. With patience, faith, and trust you must pursue your object.
Evil
motives and deeds take much less time to accomplish their purpose and less
trouble, while good things are accomplished with great patience7 and
perseverance.
The
greater7 the object of your pursuit, the greater patience it
requires, and there is a side in human nature which keeps one impatient and which
makes one feel that he should mount to the top immediately; and therefore when
he rushes impatiently toward the accomplishment of his object, he often falls.
In climbing there are steps, and one should climb gradually. One must hold
before one’s mind the object, but one must at the same time see the steps that
one has to climb.
If
patience7 will not help in climbing the steps and in journeying the
necessary distance, there will come a fall. This shows that there are three
chief things in the path of attainment: Steadiness of concentration in holding
the object of concentration firmly
before oneself; at the same time noticing with open eyes the many steps that
one must climb to reach the object; and the third thing is patient
perseverance.
Patience7
is the most difficult thing in life, and once this is mastered, man will become
the master of all difficulties. Patience, in other words, may be called the
power of endurance during the absence of the desired things or conditions. They
say death is the worst thing in life, but in point of fact, patience is often
worse than death. One would prefer death to patience, when patience is severely
tried. Patience is a life power; it is a spiritual power and the greatest
virtue that one can have, for it is a cross, and on this the patient one is
crucified. And as resurrection follows crucifixion, so all success and
happiness must follow the trying moments of patience. Noticing the steps toward
the goal is the work of intelligence,
and
this helps to make the work of patience fruitful. But patience and intelligence
both become wings to the power of concentration. This is a power to hold the
desired thought firmly, so that it may not change.
The
first thing7, therefore, the Sufis do is to acquire steadiness of
pose and posture, and steadiness of mind, besides deep interest and patience
learnt in everyday life, together with hope.
Give
me the patience8 of the green trees that stand still, awaiting
Thy command.
GATHA9:
Does it not very often happen to an intelligent person that immediately after
having expressed his opinion he finds out how foolish he has been in expressing
his opinion? Often through nervousness, through lack of control over oneself,
or through lack of patience one expresses one’s opinion.
GATHA9: By this knowledge one develops patience, for very often it is the lack of patience which becomes the cause of destruction. An impatient person tries to reach too soon that culmination which causes destruction; and, by patience, the one who is able to control his activities in life will become the sustainer of life and will make the best of life. In the Hindu mythology Vishnu is the Sustainer, in other words the king of life.
TASSAWUF9:
The subject of patience is considered in earlier Gathas. There is a vast difference
between having a philosophy about patience and being patient; or even between
being patient and being patient with wisdom. Solomon has said there is a time
for all things and this is presented variously in the literature. But when one
comes to understand the laws of rhythm and timing then there is no longer any difference
between patience and wisdom.
In
this way10 finer vibrations may be absorbed by the body of man, so
when the disciple is told to repeat “This is not my body, this is the
In
practices of meditation10 and concentration10 the breath
becomes more refined and as it becomes more refined it becomes more
penetrating. Therefore meditation often helps restore health from many diseases,
especially if there be patience. And carrying the thought by the breath helps
one to direct energies to all necessary places within and without the body.
The
true11 teacher’s only pride beside his pride or satisfaction in
Allah comes when his pupils rise in what Sufis call hal
and makam, or state and station. While the hal-experience comes from Divine Grace, the makam or station is the result of effort, and effort and
patience often result in the grand development. Besides, one can see in the
light of the eyes and countenance of the pupils of the true teachers11
that something is happening, has happened in the direction of
transformation.
GATHA12: It takes all the patience one has to arrive at this realization, but it is for this realization that God created the world, that man may enjoy fruitfulness therein.
TASSAWUF12: We may bear in mind here that patience as well as other virtues are carefully explored in the early Gatha studies. It is not so difficult to regard the spiritual path as one up a mountain or a range of mountains. Intellectualizing a view which one has not experienced is of no value. But when one enters the path of fana-fi-Sheikh and has before him a living teacher, and also studies the lives of saints and sages, not only of the distant past but also of the recent past and also of his own day, he can take full advantage of both their accumulations and their wisdom.
GATHA12: It is the absence of faith and lack of patience which deprive man of this bliss; if not, every soul is purposed for this.
TASSAWUF12: One of the most difficult problems with disciples in the earlier stages was their claiming to know the subject matter of lessons. It is not a question of any intellectual knowledge. Ethics has failed as a science because only too often it has not been concerned with the moral standard and behavior patterns of speakers, teachers, audiences, and pupils. Words obtain a value when they mean something to us in our daily life.
Because
of intellectual and ego intervention12, the bliss which is the
natural state of the soul is covered. It has to be uncovered. Mental
Purification12 no doubt removes all obstacles, hindrances, faults, weaknesses,
“sins”, etc. But there is no content here. The content has to be supplied. This
often comes through concentration and spiritual exercises, along with internal
and external study12.
GATHA13:
Man can train his ego by patience with all around him that has a jarring effect
upon him, for every jar upon the soul irritates the ego. When man expresses his
irritation he develops a disagreeable nature; when he controls it and does not
express it then he becomes crushed inwardly. The idea is to rise above all such
irritation.
TASSAWUF13:
This is a difficult path. Patience is the subject-matter for Gatha 4, Series 1, Metaphysics. Vadan says: “Let courage be thy sword and patience they
shield, my soldier.” Then there is the practice of the Divine Presence and this
must begin with appreciation of a
GITHA14:
With patience, faith, and trust you must pursue your object.
TASSAWUF14: By patience one becomes enabled to withstand
those difficulties caused by time. Some time usually must elapse before the
heart is settled with regard to the object of attainment, more time is needed
for the mind, and still more in order to accomplish what is necessary in action
upon the earth plane. When there is tension, it is more difficult to draw the
object toward one, while when the personality is relaxed, it becomes much
easier to attain one’s desire. One reason for this it that the tenseness is the
sight of the ego, the nufs, which has no control over spiritual attainment.
Relaxation shows a loosening of nufs and this is called patience, which enables
one to master all things and all conditions.
GITHA14: If patience fail you, then there is no sustenance.
TASSAWUF14: For this not only breaks the time process, it
interferes in the interaction between the mental and spiritual world. Patience
and meditation prevent any sort of agitation which would sooner or later
interfere with any process of life. By becoming calm, one pacifies the sea upon
which the ship of hope is sailing and this brings the vessel into port sooner.
GITHA14:
The greater the object of your pursuit, the greater patience it requires; and
there is a side in human nature which keeps one impatient and which makes one
feel that he should mount to the top immediately; and therefore when he rushes
impatiently towards the accomplishment of his object, he often fails.
TASSAWUF14: For successful achievement through
concentration it is first necessary to make the mental capacity. In Sufism this
is done through feeling, for it is only when the heart feels the need that one
can be sure that the intellectual faculty will give enough thought to a
subject. This is because thought is that portion of the mind through which the
will naturally acts and if the heart is not in it, the will can not be expected
to keep the mind occupied. There will not be enough interest and consequently
there can not be enough concentration. Love and devotion help very much toward
creating and preserving this interest.
The
next stage14 is to keep the mind in rhythm. To do this one should
either consciously watch the breath and control it, or
should practice Fikar regularly and often, which practice also helps regulate
the mental rhythms. These rhythms help focus the mental atoms so that the
thought is well formed. The thought must grow and the best way to make it grow
is through rhythm. If there is too much intensity of feeling, then the thought
will grow rapidly and if there is too little interest the thought will grow too
slowly. In either case there will be difficulties and in some respects these
troubles will resemble those, on one hand, of a physically precocious child,
and on the other hand, those of one who is under-nourished. In neither case
will there be balance and so in the application of this principle to the world
of thought, one may be sure that according to the nourishment of his thought,
so will the object of attainment manifest. The physical life of everyone is in
many respects nothing but the reflection of his mental life, his inner life.
Thus14
it will be seen that the same balance is needed and the same moral qualities
are needed to be successful on the path of attainment as in the spiritual life
generally. Indeed it would not be wrong to say that Sadhana
is one aspect of the spiritual life, the way to act when acquisition is
beneficial.
TASSAWUF14: Patience is nothing but the spiritual
requisite for the right utilization of time. Although patience is a moral, it
is more than a moral. It cultivates mental control and by keeping the mind
quiet and passive, it sometimes can be receptive. And from the Sufic point of view no form of Sadhana
is right unless there has been spiritual confirmation and this confirmation comes
in the way of dreams, visions, deeper intuitions and impressions, or by gifts
or offers or
opportunities
in the daily life.
If
one has a distant object, a great goal, then more time is necessary14.
One is not to use concentration in order to avoid physical work. For according
to the spiritual principles, if one does not or cannot work in the material
manner, then one is obliged to labor mentally. There are no spiritual practices
which encourage laziness although there is much in sacred instruction which is
imparted to enable the traveler to avoid pain. There is much difference between
these terms and it is a pity that some persons consider metaphysics as an art
whereby they may accumulate objects of desire by requiring God to do their
work. This is sin and sooner or later leads to failure or obsession or both14.
GITHA14:
Patience is the most difficult thing in
life, and once this is mastered, man will become the master of all
difficulties.
TASSAWUF14:
Because patience is a method by which
the will controls all the vibrations, stopping the forces of instinct and
passion and emotion, promoting peace. This is the sign of Nufs Selima, which is really a stage of mastery. By this means
one brings peace to oneself. Besides that, it really places things in God’s
hands. The real prayer, “Thy will be done,” comes when one is patient, for then
the personal will cannot interfere with the divine will. When to this is added
the prayer of satisfaction, or the prayer for daily needs, one opens up the
capacity to receive help from everywhere. This is a great blessing, for the
divine light is there, was always there, and it is the self-will which has been
hindering its direct
manifestation.
GITHA14:
Patience, in other words, may be called
the power of endurance during the absence of the desired things or conditions.
They say death is the worst thing in life; but, in point of fact, patience is worse
than death. One would prefer death to patience, when patience is severely
tried.
TASSAWUF14:
Patience my be
severely tried under two states, one of which may be called the state of death
and the other the state of insight. To the man of insight it is possible to
stay in a state of perseverance either because of trust in God or optimism,
which is really another form of trust. The blind person, the one with little
faith, he can not see into the distance, he does not know the future, and he does
not feel the coming of a blessing. So he acts in his blindness and goes to
extreme measures of suicide or crime.
GITHA14:
Patience is a life power; it is a
spiritual power, and the greatest virtue that one can have.
TASSAWUF14:
This was the faculty of the Buddha and
of all the Buddhas and sages. For patience shows control
of all vibrations as well as mastery of time. Control of vibrations aids in the
attainment of peace, and this peace is so marvelous that it helps to attract
whatever is needed. If one can keep perfectly quiet, stilling the heart and
mind, then, when the will is directed toward something, it seems that an area
of accommodation is made, so to speak, in this placid lake, and whatever is
desired is then drawn into this accommodation.
For
this reason14, one practices meditation for long periods of one’s
life and, by this means, the body, mind, and heart are purified. This enables
the will to act as it will and not to be influenced or controlled by any
selfish desire, thought, or passion. The whole universe in a certain sense is
within man and by this method he can learn to attract anything which is in the
universe.
GITHA14:
For it is a cross, and on this the
patient one is crucified. And as resurrection follows crucifixion, so all
success and happiness must follow the trying moments of patience.
TASSAWUF14:
The trial is to avoid being intoxicated
by the glamour of life. One of the main reasons for trying to overcome the
attractions of the world is that when under their spell the magnetism of the personality
is so divided, so much energy is spent in every direction, that
never enough is collected. The person does not know what he wants, he thinks he
wants something, and the gaining of the object does not bring satisfaction.
The
Sufi practices14 enable one to unify the personality. Besides
stilling the mind and bringing peace, this enables the personal will of man to
come to self-understanding. This is one of the most important processes in
life. In the state of attaining patience one practices self-denial,
and this finally brings self-understanding. It is even so as in Zikar; first
denial: LA ILLAHA, then affirmation and attainment: IL ALLAHU.
Even
Zikar14 can be used in attainment for it helps to make the proper
accommodation in the heart. It is the attunement of the heart to God which
completes the work in Sadhana. Even from the
standpoint of common sense, the spiritual practices are most valuable for they
enable man to find his way through the battles of life and to gain success in
this every endeavor. So the end of patience is success and happiness.
GITHA14:
Noticing the steps toward the goal is
the work of the intelligence, and this helps to make the work of patience
fruitful. But patience and intelligence both become wings to the power of
concentration. This is a power to hold the desired thought firmly, so that it
may not change.
TASSAWUF14:
Intelligence is increased by our
observations of our own life, noting the successes as they come and counting
the failures. By this method one will gradually learn that there is a constant
factor in failure, and that is the ego. One will also discover that before each
success there was a certain feeling and before each failure there was another
feeling and through this experience develop that faculty of insight which will
discover success and thus prepare one for it and also discover failure and
enable one to avoid it. This surely is a sign of intelligence. It grows through
insight and intuition.
Thus14
it may be said that patience is a faculty which is most valuable in preventing
man from doing wrong, in keeping him from trying anything which will lead to
failure or engage him in useless effort. It is the faculty of purification.
While intelligence is that faculty which will show him how to accomplish the
right thing, teach him the right action, lead him when he has to be led, and
assist him when he is leading. In this respect they are the very two wings of
the soul as in the Sufi symbol, and the heart with its star and crescent
complete the symbol, for the heart is the center of the concentration of
desire. The star is its expressive faculty which is the symbol of intelligence
in the instance, and the moon is the symbol of reception and quietude which is
related to patience along the line of Sadhana. And even
as the light filleth the crescent moon, so will all
things be drawn to the heart of the patient and loving one who is willing to
take a step forward into the unknown because of his trust in Allah14.
It is
a thing15 which every soul desires, but none can accomplish it, save
a mystic, who by patience and perseverance has conquered self and by conquering
himself has mastered the whole life.
There
are two stages16 of progress when one has reached the abstract
plane. One stage of progress is to rise at will to the abstract plane without
the help of Shaghal and to attract the experience,
audible or visible, by the will. The next stage of progress is after attracting
that experience to hold it at will. In Sufic terms16
the first stage of Shaghal is called Sultani Nasurah, and the further
stages are called Sultani Mahmuda
and Sultani Laskar. It is
the work of a long time, with patience and perseverance, to attain to the later
experiences of Shaghal.
Vision16
is generally vouchsafed to the keen-sighted. By keen-sighted16 I
mean those whose heart can see. Vision mostly comes to the pious, to the
innocent, to the loving, to those who have suffered in life, who have had
patience and are tender-hearted, who are on the path of goodness. It generally
comes when they are fast asleep, but sometimes it comes when a person is half
asleep. Sometimes it comes through meditation. Sometimes16 when the
eyes are closed it comes as a glimpse and disappears. It also comes to those
who have gone through a long illness, who are perhaps abnormal in mind or weak
in body.
The
first thing17,therefore,the Sufis do is to acquire steadiness of
pose and posture,and steadiness of mind,besides deep interest and patience learnt in everyday life,together with hope.One who
has the inclination to move,who has the inclination
of changing thought,speech and action every moment,
whose attention is constantly attracted from one object to another,whose
faculty of interest is as dead,will always lack concentration.But he who is steady-minded,balanced
in the physical movements,patient,alert,and keen in
his observation,is the person who will concentrate well.And good concentration gives promise of success in all
aspects of life.
It is
a thing17 which every soul desires,but none can accomplish it,save
a mystic,who by patience and perseverance has
conquered self and by conquering himself has mastered the whole life.
GATHA18:
No doubt it needs no end of endurance to consider everybody and to be
considerate always, it wants no end of patience.
TASSAWUF18:
That is why the mureed is instructed in this regard, and although he thinks he
understands these qualities, if he understood them he would already be a
teacher, for they are most difficult to understand. From the point of view of
the wise knowledge and morality are certainly not separate. So in showing one’s
consideration, while it may be said that this is a sign of kindness, it is just
as true that this is a sign of knowledge of truth, or as the Sufis call it,
attainment of Hakikat.
Ya Sabir19, to develop the faculty of patience.
For
the next stage19, which is the stage of assimilation, patience is
most necessary. Very few can imagine how long it takes for the spirit to
assimilate knowledge of truth. One assimilates it by the power of contemplation;
by pondering over the subjects that one hears, by practicing the teachings in
one’s life, by looking at the world from the point of view which has been told,
by observing one thing in its thousand different positions, one assimilates.
Many before assimilating the knowledge wish to reason it,
wish to discuss it, wish to justify it and see how it fits in with one’s own
preconceived ideas. In this way they disturb the digestive fire of the spirit,
for as the mechanism of the body is always working to help assimilate the food,
so the spirit is constantly working to assimilate all that one learns through
life. Therefore19 it is a matter of patience and it is taking life
easily without troubling the mind too much over things and allowing the knowledge
which one has received as a food of the spirit to have time to assimilate. By
trying to assimilate knowledge before the time man loses his normal health,
just like taking a drug to help digest food, which is not beneficial in the
end.
Then the wise20 course would be to investigate the truth of belief instead of giving up one’s belief, also to be patiently tolerant of the belief of another until one sees from his point of view the truth of his belief.
TASSAWUF20:
Lord Buddha has given the teaching that no one must accept anything unless it
is clear to himself. It is unfortunate that many who call themselves Buddhists pride themselves because Lord Buddha
said it. They do not put it into practice. They establish and accept an orthodoxy the same as others. This has resulted in the
establishment of various religions, schools, and sects dividing mankind. The
wise test their teaching. The other aspect often comes through patience, to be
tolerant of others whether there is agreement or not. This tolerance often
proves to be the way to greater understanding.
GATHA20: Christ has taught, “Resist not evil” and “If one sue Thee for thy coat, give him thy cloak also.” This teaches the same lesson, that life becomes difficult without regard and consideration for the primitive nature. By resentment one partakes in it, by rebelling against it one gives fuel to that fire. One should soften it in oneself and in another by wisdom, patience and gentleness.
TASSAWUF20:
This teaching which is also found in many scriptures has not become important
in religion. One of the differences between Sufism and Orthodoxy is that in
Sufism the ego must be overcome and mastered but not destroyed. Religion has
the tendency either to bolster the ego or to blanket it out entirely. Asceticism
no doubt served its purpose and there are aspects of restraint and Brahmacharya which can be most helpful. But the whole of
the body is the temple of the divine spirit. There is not one part of it that
did not manifest excepting because of divine wisdom.
TASSAWUF20:
It is here also that there is a difference between ordinary philosophy or
metaphysics and mysticism. The metaphysical person will see the words and
accept them but cannot always practice them. And if we study the lives of those
who accumulated fortunes (material) we see that they have not only practiced
forms of concentration, they have been very one-pointed, they have used
patience, endurance, and many virtues. And in this respect some of the wealthy
are better equipped to become mureeds than some of
the poor. They already have some of the equipment. The repetition of Wazifas
and other disciplines help one in the external pursuit but Murakkaba
helps both in the internal and external pursuit. It no doubt requires
considerable patience to reach the state of conscious perception and activity
wherein the worlds unseen are as important as the visible world.
GATHA21:
Shortness of breath gives man impatience, lack of endurance.
TASSAWUF21:
We can therefore work on the moral side of man by teaching him to take slow,
slow rather than long breaths and this will bring about some emotional
corrections. Besides if we carry God in the breath, by thought, by Wazifa, by a
sacred phrase, it will attune man either to the magnetism of the sphere at the
moment, or to the divine purpose behind all things. We can see this in
underdeveloped people, that they breathe more rapidly, show more impatience and
have
not peace of mind. Therefore for peace of mind and also in meditation one
cultivates a slower breath and refines it.
Therefore22
while adversity is not the season for optimism or for worldly success, it can
be the time for great inspirations. Inspirations mostly come through pain and
again from these inspirations one draws both the wisdom and the knowledge which
will help himself or the generality to rise above the
disturbing conditions. But22 this all is a great process which
sometimes takes considerable time, and for that reason patience is always
practiced, and practiced still more, so that one sooner or later discovers the illusion
in both success and failure and this discovery marks the greatest advance along
the path of Sadhana.
The
initiate22 has before him the many examples of holy men and saints,
so he need not want for an ideal. The higher life is always justifiable. The
higher life means an increasing life, a growing life, an expanding
consciousness, an augmentation of life, a development of sympathy, a broadness
of spirit, an ever widening horizon and unlimited patience and consideration
for human beings. These22 are the elements of the higher life, the
spiritual life.
Ibn Arif in “Mahasin
Al-Majalis” talked about the three degree of
patience: first the effort to be patient (tasabur),
patience itself (Sabūr) and the state of
resignation or better acceptation (istibar)
-------------
1. Asma’ul Husna, the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah, M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen.
2. De la Patience dans l’Islam, Amadou Makhtar Samb, Al-Bustane,
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3. Le Saint Coran.
4. Commentary on Sangatha,
TASSAWUF: METAPHYSICS, Series I of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan by
Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti).
5. Sangatha Commentary on
COSMIC LANGUAGE of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan by Murshid
Samuel L. Lewis
(Sufi
Ahmed Murad Chisti).
6. GATHEKAS FOR CANDIDATES by
Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan The Sufi Islamia
Ruhaniat Society wishes to thank the Sufi Order for permission to distribute
these gender inclusive Gathekas.
7. GITHA Series I of
Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan.
8. The Nature Meditations of
Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan.
9. Commentary on Sangatha
TASSAWUF: METAPHYSICS Series 3 of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan by
Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)
10. Commentary on Sangatha
PASI ANFAS: BREATH Series I of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan by Murshid
Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)
11. Commentary on Sangatha
ETEKAD, RASM U RAVAJ: SUPERSTITIONS, CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS Series II of Pir-o-Murshid
Hazrat Inayat Khan by Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)
12. Commentary on Sangatha
NAQSHIBANDI: SYMBOLOGY Series II of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan by
Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)
13. Commentary on Sangatha
SALUK: MORALS Series 2 of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan by Murshid
Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)
14. Githa
Commentary SADHANA: The Path of Attainment Series I of Pir-o-Murshid
Hazrat Inayat Khan by Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)
15. GITHA Series II of Pir-o-Murshid
Hazrat Inayat Khan
16. GITHA Series III of Pir-o-Murshid
Hazrat Inayat Khan
17. Githas
of Hazrat Inayat Khan on CONCENTRATION
18. Commentary on Sangatha
SALUK: MORALS Series 3 of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan by Murshid
Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)
19. SANGITHAS Series I of Pir-o-Murshid
Hazrat Inayat Khan
20. Commentary on Sangatha
ETEKAD, RASM U RAVAJ: SUPERSTITIONS, CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS Series I of
Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan by Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad
Chisti)
21. Commentary on Sangatha
PASI ANFAS Series II of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan by Murshid
Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti)
22. THE BESTOWAL OF BLESSING
by Murshid Samuel L. Lewis Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti (One Who is Drawn to God by
Grace) Dedicated to Rabia A. Martin on her birthday,
23. Les noms divins en Islam, Daniel Gimaret, exégèse
lexicographique et théologique, 1988, Editions du cerf.
24. Ar-Râzî, traité sur les
noms divins, by Maurice Gloton, Editions Al Bouraq.
25. Mureeds’ Manual of the Sufi Ruhaniat International
26.
Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth, Al-Ghunya
li-Tālibī Tarīq
al-Haqq, Volume Five, Shaikh ‘Abd
Al-Qādir Al-Jīlānī.
27. Maulana Muhammad Ali , The Holy Qur’an,
Arabic text, English Translation and Commentary, Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Isha’at Islam, Lahore,
Inc. USA, 1995.
28. Ninety-nine
names of Allah, Shems Friedlander with al-Hajj Shaikb
Muzaffereddin.
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