The Way of Love

Overflows a Sufi Heart
Taoshobuddha
1|Page
The way of Love – Overflows from a Sufi Heart
MEDITATION LEADS TO ULTIMATE FLOWERING
The Way of Love

Overflows a Sufi Heart
© 2010, Taoshobuddha
All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written
permission of the original publisher TAOSHOBUDDHA MEDITATIONS.
Printed and Published by TAOSHOBUDDHA MEDITATIONS
Cover design and graphics: Anand Neelamber
Photography: Taoshobuddha
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TAOSHOBUDDHA
The word Taoshobuddha comes from three words, ‘tao,’ ‘sho,’ and
‘Buddha’. The word Tao was coined by the Chinese master, Lau Tzu.
It means that which is and cannot be put into words. It is unknown
and unknowable. It can only be experienced and not expressed in
words. Its magnanimity cannot be condensed into finiteness. The
word Sho implies, that which is vast like the sky and deep like an
ocean and carries within its womb a treasure. It also means one on
whom the existence showers its blessings. And lastly the word
Buddha implies the Enlightened One; one who has arrived home.
Thus, Taoshobuddha implies one who is existential, on whom the

existence showers its blessings and one who has arrived home. The
Enlightened One!
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THE WAY OF LOVE

OVERFLOW OF THE
SUFI HEART
S ufism is indeed a path of love. The Sufi is a traveller on

the path of love. A wayfarer journeying back to God
through the mysteries of the heart is a Sufi. A Sufi views the
relationship to God as that of lover and Beloved. Sufis are
therefore known as lovers of God. The journey to God takes
place within the heart. Indeed for centuries Sufis have been
travelling deep within themselves, into the secret chamber of
the heart where Lover and Beloved share the ecstasy of
union of formless to formless.
Sufism is the ancient wisdom of the heart. It is not limited by

time or place or form. It always was and it always will be.
There have always been lovers of God, long before they were
recognized as Sufis. The path of seeking God within have
always existed even before man has discovered the path as
Sufism. There is a story about a group of mystics, a band of
lovers of God, who were called the ‘Kamal Posh’. ‘Kamal
Posh’ actually means blanket wearer. Their only possession
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was a blanket which they wore as a covering during the day

and used as a blanket at night.
As the story goes they travelled throughout moving from

prophet to prophet but no one could satisfy them. Every
prophet told them to do this or to do that and this did not
satisfy them. Then one day, at the time of Muhammad, the
Prophet was seated together with his companions when he
said that in a certain number of days the men of the Kamal
Posh would be coming. So it happened that on the specified
day this group of Kamal Posh visited the Holy prophet. And
when they were with him, he said nothing, and the people of
Kamal Posh were completely satisfied. Why were they
satisfied? When the Holy Prophet invoked love in their hearts,
and love began to overflow, what dissatisfaction can there be?
The ‘Kamal Posh’ recognized that Muhammad knew the

mysteries of the heart. They stayed with the Prophet and were
assimilated into Islam. According to this story the Kamal
Posh became the mystical element of Islam. And later
these wayfarers came to be known as Sufis, perhaps in
reference to the white woollen blanket, ‘sûf,’ which they wore,
or as an indication of their purity of heart, ‘safâ’, for they were
also known as the pure of heart. Over the centuries Sufism
spread throughout the Islamic world and beyond, with most
Sufis being strict followers of Islam, though some were
persecuted by the Islamic orthodoxy as well.
In the early days of Sufism very little was written down; there
were just luminaries, saints, friends of God, wali, who lived
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their own spiritual passion, and their deepest devotion. One

such saint was Râbi'a, a woman who was born in the eighth
century into slavery, but whose owner was so impressed by
the intensity of her devotion that he gave her freedom. She
became known for stressing the love that exists between the
mystic and God. Always looking towards God, she cared for
nothing that might distract from or interfere with this
relationship. She was once asked,
‘Do you love God?’

‘Yes,’ Rabia replied.
‘Do you hate the devil?’
‘No, my love of God gives me no time to hate the devil’ was the
reply of Rabia.
Like many early Sufis Râbi’a practiced severe renunciation

and austerities. The great ninth-century saint Bâyezîd Bistâmî
also practiced severe mortification, but he stressed that the
real renunciation was of the lower self:
I shed my ‘self’ (nafs) as a snake sheds its skin, then I looked at

myself and behold! I am He.
Through the subjugation of the lower self, or ego, the lover
realizes his essential unity with the Beloved. Bâyezîd
expressed his experience of unity with intoxicated utterances
that could be considered heretical:
Praise be to Me, how great is My majesty!
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Bâyezîd Bistâmî was known as belonging to the school of

intoxication, as was the tenth-century mystic al-Hallâj, who
passionately exclaimed the oneness of lover and Beloved:
I have become the One I love, and the One I love has become
me! We are two spirits infused in a (single) body.
Al-Hallâj’s seemingly blasphemous statements, including the

famous ‘anâ'l-Haqq’ (I am the AbsoluteTruth), cost him his life
on the gallows of Baghdad. But through his death he became
immortalized as the prince of lovers, as the one who was
prepared to pay the ultimate price for love, his own blood. In
contrast to these intoxicated Sufis, al-Junayd of Baghdad
advocated the state of sobriety. Junayd stressed the state of
fanâ, the annihilation of the ego, and unlike al-Hallâj, whom he
supposedly rejected from his circle as a madman; Junayd felt
that it was dangerous to speak openly of mystical experiences.
The early Sufi mystics lived their mystical passion. Their

teaching was their life and although their sayings were
collected by their followers there was no mystical doctrine.
But by the twelfth century Sufi teachings began to be
organized into a mystical system. In 1165 one the greatest
exponents of metaphysical doctrine, Ibn 'Arabî, was born in
Spain.
The core of Ibn Arabî’s mystical teaching is known as ‘Wahdat

al-Wujûd,’ unity of being. Ibn 'Arabî replaced the idea of a
personal God with a philosophical concept of Oneness. Only
God exists. He is the One underlying the many and is also the
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many. He is the cause of everything, the essence of everything,

and the substance of everything:
He is now as He was. He is the One without oneness and the

Single without singleness. He is the very existence of the First
and the very existence of the Last, and the very existence of
the Outward and the very existence of the Inward. So there is
neither first nor last; no outward or inward, except Him,
without these becoming Him or His becoming them. By
Himself He sees Himself, and by Himself He knows Himself.
None sees Him other than He, and none perceives Him other
than He. His veil, that is phenomenal existence, is a part of His
oneness. There is no other and there is no existence other
than Him.
Because there is no one other than He, through knowing our

self we come to know God.
‘He who knows himself knows his Lord.’ This is not a

philosophical concept but a mystical experience. ‘When the
mystery of realizing that the mystic is one with the Divine is
revealed to you, you will understand that you are no other
than God and that you have continued and will continue.
When you know yourself, your ‘I-ness’ vanishes and you know
that you and God are one and the same.’ Fanâ, the loss of
one’s ‘I-ness,’ is a state of realizing one’s essential oneness
with God. Nothing becomes God or even unites with God
because everything is He.
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The greatness of Ibn 'Arabî is not in the originality of his idea,

instead in formally organizing ideas that until then, had only
been expressed orally. The theory of Wahdat al-Wujûd, unity
of being, was already part of Sufi metaphysics. Later Sufis
valued the work of the greatest sheikh for systematizing what
they regarded as the real essence of Sufism.
Ibn 'Arabî became known as ‘the pole of knowledge,’

Jalâluddîn Rûmî came to be known for one of the world’s
greatest writings on mystical love. Four years after Ibn
'Arabî's death in 1240, Rûmî, a theology professor, was
walking home from school when he met a ragged dervish,
Shams Tabrîz. According to one story Rûmî fell at Shams' feet
and renounced his religious teaching when the dervish recited
these verses from Sanâ'î's Diwân:
If knowledge does not liberate the self from the self then
ignorance is better than such knowledge.
Shams Tabrîz was the spark that ignited the fire of divine love
within Rûmî, who summed up his life in the two lines:
And the result is not more than these three words: I burnt,
and burnt, and burnt.
Shams had awakened in him a fire that could only be satisfied

with union, with the ecstatic loss of the self in the presence of
the Beloved. ‘Shams’ was the divine sun that lighted Rûmî's
life. But one day Shams disappeared, possibly murdered by
one of Rûmî’s sons who was jealous of his father’s intense love
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for the wandering dervish. Without Shams, Rûmî was

consumed with grief, lost alone in the ocean of love.
But from the terrible pain of outer separation and loss was
born an inner union as he found his beloved within his own
heart. Inwardly united with Shams, the theology professor
was transformed into Love’s Poet. Rûmî knew the pain of
love and the deepest purpose of this fire within the heart, how
it empties the human being and fills him with the wine of love:
Love is here like the blood that flows in my veins and skin. He
has annihilated me and filled me only with Him. His fire has
penetrated all the cells of my body and now only my name
remains; the rest is Him. Rûmî became the poet of lovers,
expressing the crazy passion of the soul’s yearning for God.
Rûmî's words, though spoken centuries ago, continue to linger
in the soul of every lover, every wayfarer who seeks to follow
this passion that is in the innermost core of our being, as the
pathway in the soul that leads back to the Beloved. His major
work, the ‘Masnavi’, became known as ‘The Quran in Persian.’
And today he is the world’s most popular poet, who speaks of
the need for love. We have to hear these stories of divine love,
and also hear from a master of love how the heart can sing,
cry, and burn with passion for God.
Rûmî is known not only as a poet but also as the founder of

the ‘Mevlevî or Maulvi Order’. While the work of Ibn 'Arabî,
Rûmî, and others established a literature for Sufism, the
founding of the different Sufi orders, or tarîqas, was an
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important development in the practical application of Sufi

teachings.
By the eleventh century the small groups that gathered

around a particular teacher had begun to form into tarîqas,
each one bearing the name of its initiator. The essence of each
order is the tradition transmitted from teacher to disciple in
an uninterrupted chain of transmission. Different orders can
be distinguished by the basic practices and principles which
they inherit from their founder. Sufism, which has been
defined as ‘Truth without form,’ has at its core the mystical
love of God. But it also developed according to the need of the
time and the place and the people, and different tariqas reflect
different facets of mystical love.
For example, the first order to emerge was the Qâdiryyah. It

was founded by Abdu’l-Qâdir Gîlânî (d. 1166) in Baghdad.
Abdu'l-Qâdir was an ascetic, missionary, and preacher who
became one of the most popular saints in the Islamic world,
and his tomb in Baghdad is a place of pilgrimage. The
followers of this order believed in both the dhikr khafî, the
silent repetition of the names of God, and the dhikr jalî, the
vocal repetition of His names, and emphasised the realization
of moral qualities, like charity.
At about the same time, the Rifâ'iyya order was founded by

Ahmad ar-Rifâ'î (d. 1182) and the path spread from Iraq
through Egypt and Syria. Until the fifteenth century it was one
of the most popular orders. The Rifâ'iyya dervishes were
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known as the Howling Dervishes because they practiced a

loud dhikr.
Rûmî's Mevlevî order became known as Whirling Dervishes

on account of their mystical dancing to the sound of the reed
flute and drums.
In contrast to the Mevlevi are the silence and stillness

associated with the Naqshbandiyyah, named after Bahâuddîn
Naqshband (d. 1390), but started by Abdul Khâliq Ghidjwânî
(d. 1220). The Naqshbandis are also known as the Silent Sufis
because they practice a silent rather than vocal dhikr. They do
not engage in sama, sacred music or dance. They value of
psychological work and dream interpretation along with their
spiritual practices, and emphasize the suhbat, the close
relationship of master and disciple. The order was very
successful in Central Asia, and spread throughout India due to
the work of Ahmad Sirhindî (d. 1624), who was also known as
the Mujaddid (the renewer).
The Indian branch of the Naqshbandi order became known as

the Naqshbandiyya Mujaddidiyya. And with the advent of
Hazrat Mazhar Mir Jane Jana the word ‘Mazaharia was added.
Now this is known as Naqshbandi – Mujaddadi – Mazaharia.
Naqshbandi Path And

Indian Continent
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I am sending you to a distant land whose very texture is soaked in

spirituality. It is the land sanctified, nourished and nurtured by such forces
from times immemorial. A land which is ready to explode any path! A land
whose very being is not only ready but has the capability to infuse life
even in a dead heart. I am sending you to INDIA.’
Muhammad Khwaja alAmkanaqi (q)
Naqshbandi path evolved in the Middle East region. As the

noor was spreading other regions were also prepared. Islamic
influence was spreading in the sub-continent. It was for the
preparation of the advent of the new millennium that
Hazradth Sheikh Mohammad Al Baqi Billah was sent to India.
This was the beginning of the tariqat in Indian sub continent.
The land was already soaked in rich spiritual tradition. Just a
spark was necessary to set the flame ablaze.
Muhammad Al-Baqi Billah

He went to India in the first instance on personal business. There he
was attracted to an attraction from God's attraction.
Introduction to Baqi Billah:
Hadhrath Baqi Billah is the first Naqshbandi master to settle

in India in preparation for the second millennium or the
advent of Naqshbandi Sheikh Ahmad Farooqui Al Mujaddadi
Alif Thani Sirhindi.
ALlah Agr taE)Ik n de #Nsan ke bs ka kam nhI<,
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)Ejane muhBbt Aam hE #r)ane muhBbt Aam nhI.
ALLAH AGAR TAUFIK NA DE INSAN KE BAS KE KAAM NAHI

FAIZANE MUHABBAT AAM HE IRFANE MUHBBAT AAM NAHIN!!
IF ALLAH DOES NOT MAKE YOU CAPABLE REMEMBER IT IS NOT IN

THE HANDS OF THE FINITENESS OF MAN ORDINARY LOVE IS
COMMON BUT THAT LEADS TO DUALITY AND CONFLICT ETERNAL
LOVE OR LOVE DIVINE IS NOT COMMON!! ONLY AN ENCHANTED
HEART IS FILLED WITH THIS ENERGY –THE SUBLIME AND
SANCTIFIED!!!
Birth and Life:
He was born in 972 H. in the city of Kabul in the land of Ajam

which was a colony of the Sultanate of India. His father was
the judge Abdu-s-Salam. He went to India in the first instance
on personal business. There he was attracted to an attraction
from God's attraction. He left this worldly life behind and
sought spiritual knowledge from the Master of the century. He
kept company with masters and saints, until he himself
became an ocean of intellect and a saint of spirituality.
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SHRINE MOHAMMAD AL BAQUI BILLAH PAHAR GANJ, OLD RAILWAY STATION, DELHI,
INDIA
He travelled continuously until he reached the city of

Samarqand. There he associated himself to the Master of his
time, Muhammad Khwaja alAmkanaqi (q). He received from
him the Way of the Naqshbandi Order. In a very short time he
received what most seekers require a lifetime to receive. He
was elevated also through the spiritual care of Ubaidullah al-
Ahrar (q). His honor became known everywhere.
His sheikh, Muhammad Khwaja al-Amkanaqi, authorized him

to take followers and to train them in the conduct of the
Order. He ordered him to go back to India. He predicted, ‘You
are going to have a follower who will be like the sun.’ This
prediction was for Imam Rabbani Ahmad al-Farooqi (q).
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Journey to India and Works:

Baqi Billah was the first Naqshbandi master to come to India.
Later he settled in New Delhi. His shrine is in old Delhi behind,
Pahar Ganj railway station inside the Mohammaden cemetery.
Inside anyone can direct you to the shrine. Lucky are those
who can pay the visit to the shrine. And those who cannot
reach there for such aspirant meditation considering the
picture as shrine will work. This is my trust. This work is the
link between you and the master. Only you have to be
available. His sheikh, Muhammad Khwaja al-Amkanaqi did not
make any changes in the technique or tariqat, however he
instructed Baqi Billah to bring even the ordinary ones into the
fold. Make this spiritual awareness available to the people
who are still not on the path, was the trust and the instruction
of his master.
Once Baqi Billah visited a master who told him it is good that
you have brought so many into this fold. Nearly half of these
are incapable on their own. Transform these people. Bring the
light divine or Noor into their hearts so that it begins to shine
with the Light Absolute and can kindle up the dark being.
Sheikh Amkanaqi asked him not to look at the inner capacity
of the individual. This way you will never find aspirants. Had
Baqi Billah not brought such relaxations in the tariqat a vast
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cross section would have remained deprived of this inner

treasure.
Amkanaqi said,
“I am sending you to a distant land whose very texture is

soaked in spirituality. It is the land sanctified, nourished and
nurtured by such forces from times immemorial. A land which
is ready to explode any path! A land whose very being is not
only ready but has the capability to infuse life even in a dead
heart. I am sending you to INDIA. India has been the
University of Meditation and the BEACON LIGHT not only now
but from TIMES IMMEMORIAL. It has created many Buddhas.”
He moved back to India and stayed in the city of Delhi, which

he filled with faith and knowledge and secrets and lights.
Through him the Naqshbandi Order was spread with great
swiftness throughout the Indian Subcontinent and millions of
people were connected to him through his various Khalifas.
All nations in the Subcontinent were attracted to his
knowledge and his ENERGY FIELD or tawwajzoh and to the
Prophetic Characteristics dressing him. It became known
throughout the Indian Subcontinent that anyone coming to
him and looking in his eyes, or sitting in his proximity doing
dhikr, would enter a state of Self-Effacement and intoxication,
through which he could reach a state of Annihilation, in a
single meeting. By this miraculous power he attracted
millions of people, until this Naqshbandi Order was on the
tongue of everyone.
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He passed the Secret of the order to his successor, the Sheikh

of this order, the Sheikh Ahmad Farooqui Mujaddadi Alif
Thani. Thus the name Mujaddadi was added to the already
known Naqshbandi order. Later on another name was added
to the Shajarah of Naqshbandi order. And now it is known as
NAQSHBANDIA MUJADDADIA MAJAHARIA!
Sheikh Ahmad Al Farooqui

Mujaddadi Alif Thani
Sheikh Ahmad al Faruqi is The 25th Sheikh from Silsila

Auliya Naqshbandia. He is the master of the second
millennium.
With him the tariqat attained a new dimension and a new

impetus. Earlier the tariqat was known as Naqshbandi one
who designs the path of growth and transformation of the
consciousness of the aspirants. With Sheikh Ahmad a new era
was ushered into the Naqshbandi tariqat. Accordingly
Mujaddadi was added to the path. Now the tariqat is known as
NAQSHBANDI MUJADDADI.
He is the Diamond of the Crown of the Masters. And the

treasure of those who came before and also of those who
came after and those who are yet to come as well! In him were
combined all their favors and generosity. He is the Sinai of
Divine. Manifestation, the Furthermost Bodhi Tree of the
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Knowing, awareness, and understanding is Sheikh Ahmad al

Farooqi.
Shrine Sheikh Ahmad Faruqi Mujaddadi Alif Thani Sirhindi, India
Taoshobuddha at Shrine Sheikh Ahmad Al Faruqi Mujaddadi Alif Thani (26th June1564 -
10th Of December 1624)
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Also he is the Fountain of the Hidden Prophetic Knowing. The

Genius of Scholars is Sheikh. And the Sultan of the Earth,
which smiled when he was born and was honored by his
existence! He is the perfect Perfected Guide.
He was the Caller to Allah’s presence, the One Qutb and the
Unique Heavenly Imam. He was the Reviver of the Second
Millennium, Sayyidina and Maulana (our Leader and Master)
Sheikh Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi. He is regarded as having
rejuvenated Islam, due to which he is commonly called
‘Mujaddidi Alf Thani,’ meaning ‘reviver of the second
millennium’, referring to the Islamic tradition of Mujaddid. He
is said to have had considerable and long lasting influence in
India, and to have given ‘to Indian Islam the rigid and
conservative stamp it bears today.’
Numerous Naqshbandi suborders, such the Mujaddidi, the

Khalidi and the Haqqani sub-orders, trace their spiritual
lineage through Sheikh Sirhindi, referring to them as
‘Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi’. Sirhindi’s shrine is located in Sirhind,
India and is referred to as ‘Rauza Sharif’.
Birth and Life:
It has been related that the blessed day of the Sheikh’s arrival
into this world was Thursday the fourteenth of Shawwal 971
Hijri, or twenty-sixth of June 1564. His place of birth, also the
place from where the Sheikh enlightened the world with his
presence, was a town called Sirhind. At the time of his birth,
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some extraordinary events were recounted. His mother

relates, ‘After the birth of my son Sheikh Ahmad, I fell
unconscious whereupon I had a vision, and saw that my home
was full of Awliya’ Allah who was all congratulating me on the
birth of my son’.
The Sheikh’s father Makhdoom Abdul-Ahad relates, ‘On the

day of the birth of my son, I had a vision in which I saw Allah’s
Messenger Holy Prophet-sallallahu alayhi wa sallam reciting
first the Adhaan and then the Takbir in the ears of my son.’ In
addition, the khalifa of Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Quddoos Gungohi,
namely Sheikh Abdul Aziz, was present in Sirhind on that day,
and in a state of Kashf he saw a huge gathering of angels.
Sheikh Ahmad was bestowed by Allah subhana wa ta'ala with

natural adherence to the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam (another name of the Holy
Prophet) right from his first days. He was born with the
physical requirements of the Sunnah already fulfilled, and as
an infant he was unlike other children. He would not cry,
would always have a smile on his face and would never be
seen naked. When Shah Kamal Kaythli saw the child, he said,
‘A huge number of practicing scholars and kamil Sheikhs will
obtain faiz from this child. The light of his guiding words and
instructions will shine until the day of Qiyamath. He will rid
the land of innovation and falsehood, and will revive the
Sunnah of Allah's Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.’ After
saying this, the Sheikh placed his tongue in the baby's mouth,
and Hazrat Sheikh Mujaddid Alf Thani suckled on it.
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When Sheikh first went to school, he memorized the Quran in

a very short space of time. He received his early education
through his father and through many sheikhs of his time. He
made progress in three tariqats: Suhrawardiya, Qadiriyyah,
and Chistiyya.
He was given permission to guide followers in all three

tariqats at the age of 17 years. He was busy in spreading the
teachings of these tariqats and in guiding his followers, yet he
felt that something was missing in him and he was
continuously searching for it. However he felt an interest in
the Naqshbandi Sufi Order, because he could see by means of
the secrets of the other three tariqats that it was the best and
highest. His spiritual progress eventually brought him to the
presence of the Ghawth and Qutb of his time, Sheikh
Muhammad Baqi Billah who had been sent from Samarqand
to India by his Sheikh, Muhammad al-Amkanaqi. He took the
Naqshbandi Order from the sheikh and stayed with him for
two months and some days, until Sayyidina Muhammad Baqi
Billah opened to his heart the secret of this tariqat and gave
him authorization to train his murids in the Order. He said
about him, ‘He is the highest Qutb in this time.’
Shamshuddin HabibUllah Mirza

Mazhar Mir Jane Jana
The path that was known as Naqshbandiyah initially came to
be known as Naqshbandiyah – Mujaddadiyah with the advent
of Hadhrath Sheikh Ahmad al Farooqui Mujaddadi Alif Thani.
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The Journey continued Through the Mujaddadi era and the

advent of Sheikh Ahmad al Farooqui, Sheikh Hadhrath
Khawaja Muhammad Masoom, Hadhrath Sheikh Safuddin, and
Sheikh Noor Mohammad Badayuni as Sheikhs in the order
and then another pause came into tariqat.
This pause came because of Sheikh Shamshuddin HabibUllah

Mirza Mazhar Mir Jane Jana. As a result the path came to be
known as NAQSHBANIYAH-MUJADDADIYAH-MAZHARIYAH.
This is the continuation of the Golden Chain of the path.
Naqshbandi Sufi Brij Mohan Lal is the 38th sheikh of the
tariqat-i-Naqshbandiyah-Mujaddiyah-Mazhariyah.
His full name is Saidyana Shamsuddin Shaheed Feesawi Lillah

Hazrat Shah Mahboob Habibullah Mirza Mazhar Mir Jane Jana.
He was the Sun of Eternal Happiness. He was the Beloved of
Allah, Almighty and Exalted. He was the Spirit of the People of
Truth, and he was the Essence of the Spirit of the People of
Taste. He was the Kaaba of the Godly and one of the Flags of
the Noble Messenger. He elevated the Knowledge of the
Religion of Muhammad. He revived the Way of the
Naqshbandi Order.
Birth and Life: Birth and Life:
He was born in 1113 H /1701 AD in India. From his childhood

the light of Guidance and the Traces of Piety shone from his
forehead. His features (Mazhar) were molded with the
Manifestation of heavenly beauty or tajalli-l-Jamal. He was
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famous, like the Prophet Yusuf, for his beauty. And everyone
loved him because he represented beauty both inner and
outer. That is the attribute of God, about whom the Prophet
said: “God is beautiful and he loves beauty,” and it is also the
attribute of the Prophet, about whom Anas said, “Your
Prophet was the most beautiful in appearance and had the
best voice of all prophets.” Because of this, Sheikh Abdur-Rauf
al-Munawi said, “The Prophet has no comparison in his
beauty.”
When Sheikh Mazhar was nine years of age, he saw Sayyidina

Ibrahim, who gave him miraculous powers through spiritual
transmission. At this age, if anyone mentioned Abu Bakr as-
Siddiq in his presence, he would see him appear with his
physical eyes. He was also able to see the Prophet and all the
Companions of the Prophet as well as all the Sheikhs of the
Naqshbandi Order, especially Sayyidina Ahmad al-Farooqui
Mujaddadi.
His father was one of the jewels in the court of Moughal

emperor Aranguez. Every one used to call his father MIRZA
SAHAB out of respect. Once Mazhar accompanied his father to
court of the emperor, someone asked his name. At this
Aranguez responded by saying, ‘The child is the life essence of
the father. Therefore this boy is JAANE JAANA.’ Thus Mirza
JANE JAANA was added to his name.
He was a poet who composed in Arabic and Persian

languages. His father raised him and educated him in all
branches of religious knowledge. At a young age his heart was
2 The Sufi Series
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attracted to the spiritual light coming from his Sheikh, as-

Sayyid Nur Muhammad Badayuni. His Sheikh opened the eyes
of his heart and fed him from the nectar of the flower of the
Hidden Awareness and Understanding. The Sheikh took him
out of the state of self-awareness and lifted him up to the
Highest Realms, which produced in him great astonishment
and caused him to faint. When he awoke up he accompanied
Sheikh Nur Muhammad in further ascension. The Sheikh
allowed him to observe the Mysteries of the Hidden World
and gave him gifts from his miraculous Powers and realms.
One look of his Sheikh opened in him the Nine Points, the loci
of the Naqshbandi Secrets. From the knowledge of the nine
points, he delved into the secrets contained in the five of the
more powerful points, until his Sheikh authorized him to
‘activate’ the Nine Points at any time and to use them. Then he
brought him back down to be in his presence and only in his
presence. He brought him up and down, from one stage to
another, and enveloped him with his light and protected him
with his gaze, until he achieved the ultimate fruition and
awakened himself from Ignorance and inertia.
He stood fast in serving his Sheikh with complete truthfulness

and sincerity. He continued to progress by entering seclusions
in the desert and in the jungle at the instructions of his Sheikh.
In these seclusions, his only food was grass and the leaves of
trees. During his period of asceticism in the desert and jungle,
he wore only what would cover his nakedness. One day, after
many of these seclusions, he looked in the mirror and didn’t
see himself instead, he saw his Sheikh.
2 The Sufi Series
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At this stage the Sheikh authorized him to guide Allah’s

servants to their destinies and to the Straight Path, and he put
him on the Throne of Succession, and by him the Sun of
Guidance ascended the Tower of Happiness.
When his teacher passed away, he continued to visit his

shrine and for two years he received whatever lights and
knowledge his master was able to transmit to him from his
shrine. Then he was ordered through his spiritual connection
to his Sheikh to connect himself with a living master.
He reached the Door of the perfect Saints of his time, Sheikh

Muhammad Afzal, Sheikh Safi Sadullah, and Sheikh
Muhammad Abid. He attached himself to Sheikh Shah Kalshan
and to another Sheikh by the name of Muhammad az-Zubair.
He used to attend the session of Sheikh Muhammad Afzal, one
of the khalifas of the son of Muhammad Masoom. He visited
and studied with Sheikh Abdul Ahad and received from him
knowledge of the Prophetic Hadith. During this class,
whenever the Sheikh would mention a Hadith, he would
disappear through Self-Effacement, and a vision would come
to him in which he would find himself sitting with the Prophet
and hearing the Hadith directly from the Prophet. He would
correct any mistakes that might occur in the Sheikh’s
narration of the Hadith, and was acknowledged as a genius in
the science of Hadith.
He kept the company of these Sheikhs for twenty years. He

progressed further and further in the States of Totality, until
2 The Sufi Series
6
he became an Ocean of Bliss and Knowing. He rose in the

Firmament of the Qutbs until he became the Qutb of his time,
shining like the sun at high noon. Sheikh Muhammad Afzal
said, “Sheikh Mazhar Habibullah was given the state of Qutb
and he is the central pivot of this tariqat at this time and will
remain so in times to come.”
His spiritual understanding and awareness attracted people

from all reaches of the Subcontinent. In his presence, each
seeker would find what he needed, until through his blessing
the Indian Subcontinent became like a Kaaba encircled by
flocks of angelic beings.
In his noble person were combined the energy of four

tariqats. He was a master of the Naqshbandi, Qadiri,
Suhrawardi and Chishti Orders. He used to say, “I received the
secrets and knowledge of these orders from my Sheikh,
Sayyid Nur Muhammad Badayuni, until I attained a very
distinguished awareness in these Orders. He lifted me from
the Ibrahamic Stage to the Mohammaden Stage, which caused
me to see the Prophet sitting in my place, while I was sitting in
his. Then I disappeared and I saw him sitting in the two
places. Then I saw him disappearing and I saw myself sitting
in both places.”
Alame Ghaib
Bayazid Bistami explains ghaib as that realm of eternity

where a master rests after he relinquishes the finite world
2 The Sufi Series
7
after leaving the body. All that comes from this realm is not
only sublime but transforming as well.
About ghaib many misconceptions exist. It is argued that after

the master is no more, how can the disciple be nourished and
nurtured. Master is the connection or the link between the
murid and the realm of ghaib. So when the master is no more
how can this link remain. Just as before the birth of child milk
descends in mother’s breasts so too with the inner connection
with the master the treasures of this unknown and
unknowable realm open for the disciple.
What is needed for this? For this unwavering love and trust as
the outcome of love for the master is the first criterion. With
adab comes in love for the master. Love is the key to treasure
realm of ghaib. For an ordinary consciousness this is very
difficult to understand. There is no inner connection. Once the
realm doors are unlocked you are connected to all the masters
that happened in the past and also those who are to happen at
some future date. With this inner connection all the inner
states of awareness, tariqat and all that is needed for
transformation becomes available.
It is said that with Mazhar Mir the Naqshbandi tariqat

attained to its totality. This should not mean the tariqat was
incomplete or faulty. He emphasized that one can be in the
world and still follow the path to inward journey. One can
continue totally in the outer and its affairs and deep within
flows the stream of benediction and awareness. With trust
and adab one remains connected with the realm of masters.
2 The Sufi Series
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Remember trust and adab is not an outward exposition

instead it is an understanding. And for this no external
expression is needed. Then one realizes that that the energy
field of the master is always envelops the aspirants.
#nayt ka r<g Aaj bdla huAa hE,
vh hE< ya< jama bdl kr bEQe hu@.
jra Apne cZme hkIkI se deoae ,
n yh jam oalI n vh jam oalI.
INAYAT KA RANG AAJ BADLA HUYA HAI,

VOH HAIN YAN JAMA BADAL KAR BAITHE HUYE;
JARA APNE CHASME HAQUIQUI SE DEKHO;
N YEH JAAM KHALI N VOH JAAM KHALI!!!
TODAY THE FORM OF GRACE AND COMPASSION IS DIFFERENT,

TODAY HE IS AMONG US IN A DIFFERENT GARB!
FORGETTING YOUR PHYSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF COGNITION,
LOOK DEEP WITHIN THROUGH YOUR CELESTIAL VISION;
NO REALM OR PLACE IS EVER DEVOID OF THY PRESENCE SOLEMN
AND SUBLIME!!!
The life of Mirza Mazhar is full of anecdotes and incidents. All

of these cannot be mentioned. He was quite young when his
master Nur Mohammad passed away. Once he had a vision
that a congregation of masters descended from heaven. And
one the masters resembled Nur Mohammed! At this he sought
2 The Sufi Series
9
the confirmation from the master. At this the master

responded I am your thought not your master. At this Mirza
expressed agony that it was for the first time I have been
inclined towards another master. At this the master in
question appeared in his true form. He was in fact his master.
This he thought was due to any weakness. Thus he attained to
the association of 17 masters.
SHRINE HAZRAT
ZRAT MAZHAR MIRZA MIR JA NE JANA, TURKMAN GATE NEW DELHI,
INDIA
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TAOSHOBUDDHA IN MEDITATION AT THE SHRINE MIRZA MAZHAR MIR JANE JANA, NEW
DELHI, INDIA
kae$ naja< hE tIrae tegaE zmzIr ke dm pr
muHe hE )k& dage #Zk kI tnvIr ke dm pr
hU ALlah ke isva kuD _aI inklta hI nhI< mu<h se
yh takt Aa gyI dIvane kae jNjIr ke dm pr
grIbe rahe %L)t zad hU< duinya se Kya mtlb
bjata cEn kI b<sI hU< Apne pIr ke dm pr
KOI NAZA HAI TEERO TEGO SHAMSHEER KE DAM PAR

MUJHE HAI FAKR DAGE ISHK KI TANVEER KE DAM PAR
HOO ALLAH KE SIVA KUTCH BHI NIKALTA HI NAHI MUH SE
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YEH TAKAT AA GAYEE DEEWANE KO ZANZEER KE DAM PAR

GARIBE RAHE ULFAT SHAAD HUN DUNIYA SE KYA MATLAB
BAJATA CHAIN KI BANSHI HUN APNE PEER KE DAM PAR
SOMEONE EXISTS AS THE OUTCOME HIS OWN EGO THE FALSE,

I REALLY BOAST ON THE INNER STRENGTH OF LOVE ETERNAL;
WITH LOVE ETERNAL ‘HOO ALLAH’ ALONE ECHOES
MY EXISTENCE MY BEING!
AND NOW BINDS MY EXISTENCE EACH FINTE AND INFINITE MOMENT,
WITH LOVE ETERNAL
EVER INTOXICATED I DWELL IN MY MASTER UNCONCERNED OF THE
FINITENESS AND DUALITIES:
INTOXICATED! NOW EACH PARTICLE OF MY BEING ECHOES THE SONG OF
BLISS AND HARMONY!!!
Before beginning the Shazrah or anything sublime one must

begin with prayer. Such is eternal etiquette or adab. Never
consider this a mere tradition. Something that springs forth
from deep within the inner sanctum is not tradition. Know this
as your being. Pointing toward this I now begin this overflow.
Each finite moment life is plundered with what appears to our

individual ego as benediction and at other times as obstacles.
All this happens because of the cosmic energy field or what
we know as God. The source of all this ever remains hidden
from human cognition! From an unknown source it springs
forth. Sufis call this as ghaib.
Guided by an energy field within we interact. Undergo pain

and pleasure! Continue to blame others for all states of
unpleasantness. Thus moves on life and living. This we
consider as our destiny. Ecstatic Umar Khayyam laments:
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Moving finger writes and having writ, moves on!

Nor all thy wit nor piety shall lure it back to cancel half a line!!
Such are the ways of human understanding. However this is
not Sufi understanding. Generally ghaib refers to the realm
that contains within its womb all that is hidden and remains
unknown to human understanding. To a Sufi ghaib refers to a
state of awareness. It is a storehouse of various energy fields
that are capable to transform human consciousness.
Bayazid Bistami explains ghaib as that realm of eternity

where a master rests after he relinquishes the finite world
after leaving the body. All that comes from this realm is not
only sublime but transforming as well.
Man ultimately gets all that he has earned for. Hindus call this
as the law of Karmas. Because of our accumulated actions we
assume human form. Each moment we continue to
accumulate new actions. With awareness and meditative
insights each action exhausts the web of past actions and
impressions on our consciousness. And in this process never
accumulates any more impressions. Such are the ways of a
spiritual life. A life of Awareness! Only benediction happens!
Even amidst all vicissitudes and turmoil that life presents.
Awake and arise therefore! O Fool! Laments an ecstatic
Shankar through Bhaja Govindam – an immortal epic of the
being!
It is said that at the time of initiation or what Sufis call as

bay’at the aspirant once again becomes childlike. Like a
mother the master nourishes and nurtures the disciple even
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when he is no more in physical form. What flows from a

mother’s heart as love towards her child flows from the being
of a master towards the disciple or murid as compassion or
spiritual energy or faiz. This can happen no other way. This is
the reason that mother is considered second after God as
replica. So too a master is replica of the Whole in finite form.
This all happens because of this indomitable unknown and
unknowable energy-field or ghaib. All that one attains this
way can happen no other way.
Initiation is like a mother feeding the child. Unless the mother

breast feeds the child the child cannot grow. So too without
initiation and its conscious recognition by the disciple no
progress is ever possible along this path.
Hindu and other Influences
I am sending you to a distant land whose very texture is soaked in

spirituality. It is the land sanctified, nourished and nurtured by such forces
from times immemorial. A land which is ready to explode any path! A land
whose very being is not only ready but has the capability to infuse life
even in a dead heart. I am sending you to INDIA. India has been the
University of Meditation and the BEACON LIGHT not only now but from
TIMES IMMEMORIAL. It has created many Buddhas.
Sheikh Mohammad Al Amkanaqi RA-to Sheikh Mohammad Baqi
Billah
Naqshbandiyah tariqat was the part of the fundamentalist

Islamic tradition until it came to Indian sub continent. It
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evolved, grew and flourished as an oasis amidst the deserts of

the Middle East. However, it was entering a new climate of -
political, religious and social fabric. Therefore it could not
separate itself from the prevailing influences.
Politically Muslim invasions continued from the North West

part of the continent. After the invasion Moughal rule of Babar
was established because of political disunity and fractions
among the Hindu rulers. Because of atrocities of the Islamic
rulers there was social, cultural, and political unrest. In the
name of religion conversions were imposed. All this was
causing unrest. Babar imprisoned Sikh preceptor Nanak.
Atrocities were tremendous. As a result Hindu and Sikh
influence continued to filter into main
On the other hand Bhakti movement was at its pinnacle. In

north and South many streams and tributaries were
flourishing. A Sheikh of this Golden chain Hadhrath Al
Amkanaqi realizing it to be the will of Allah Subhan wa Taala
sent Hadhrath Al Baqui Billah to India. Before he actually did
he spoke of these words about the land and the climate where
this sacred chain was now being sent.
Hadhrath Amkanaqi said:
“I am sending you to a distant land whose very texture is

soaked in spirituality. It is the land sanctified, nourished and
nurtured by such forces from times immemorial. A land which
is ready to explode any path! A land whose very being is not
3 The Sufi Series
5
only ready but has the capability to infuse life even in a dead
heart. I am sending you to INDIA.’
India has been the University of Meditation and the BEACON

LIGHT not only now but from TIMES IMMEMORIAL. Truly its
cultural heritage is older than any of the oldest civilizations.
Indus valley civilization is even older than the Egyptian or
Babylon civilization. Scientific and astrological researches
have proved the existence of scriptures that mention of
constellation of stars that happened nearly 90,000 years ago.
It has created many Buddhas, saints, sages, incarnations and
masters.
It has absorbed many religions and paths for spiritual

development.
And in the process has lent its texture to all that once
appeared to be alien.
Hadhrath Baqui Billah moved back to India and stayed in the

city of Delhi, which he filled with faith and knowledge and
secrets and lights. Through him the Naqshbandi Order spread
with great swiftness throughout the Indian Subcontinent and
millions of people were connected to him through his various
Khalifas.
All nations in the Subcontinent were attracted to his

knowledge and his ENERGY FIELD as tawwajzoh and to the
Prophetic Characteristics dressing him. It became known
throughout the Indian Subcontinent that anyone coming to
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6
him and looking in his eyes, or sitting in his proximity doing

dhikr, would enter a state of Self-Effacement and intoxication,
through which he could reach a state of Annihilation, in a
single meeting.
By such miraculous energy-field he attracted millions of

people, until this Naqshbandi Order was on the tongue of
everyone. And the tariqat blended with the existing spiritual
trends and textures.
His spiritual understanding and awareness attracted people

from all reaches of the Subcontinent. In his presence, each
seeker would find what he needed, until through his blessing
the Indian Subcontinent became like a Kaaba encircled by
flocks of angelic beings.
The journey of the tariqat continued through various Sheikhs
of the Naqshbandiyah tariqat. Along with also developed
other tariqats – like Quadriyah, Chistiyah, and Sohrawadiyah.
The Naqshbandiyah path traversed through the Mujaddadi
era for which Hadhrath Baqui Billah was sent. The journey
passed through Sheikh Ahmad Farooqui Mujaddadi, Hadhrath
Mohammad Masoom, Hadhrath Sheikh Safuddin, Hadhrath
Nur Mohammd Badyuni and reached another juncture at
Hadhrath Mirza Mazhar Nir Jane Jana.
In the noble person of Hadhrath Mirza Mazhar Nir Jane Jana

were combined the energy of four tariqats. He was a master of
the Naqshbandi, Qadiri, Suhrawardi and Chishti Orders.
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Hadhrath Mazhar Mir Jane Jana used to say, “I received the

secrets and knowledge of these orders from my Sheikh,
Sayyid Nur Muhammad Badayuni, until I attained a very
distinguished awareness in these Orders. He lifted me from
the Ibrahamic Stage to the Mohammaden Stage, which caused
me to see the Prophet sitting in my place, while I was sitting in
his. Then I disappeared and I saw him sitting in the two
places. Then I saw him disappearing and I saw myself sitting
in both places.”
Although the tariqat was blending within the social and

religious fabric of the continent yet still the custodians of the
various paths maintained their separate identities and
rancour against one another. Religious narrowness continued
among the fundamentalists and those who considered
themselves the custodians of the path of inner transformation.
In the name of religion and conversions many atrocities were

inflicted upon the common masses. As a result many revolted.
On one hand these custodians (the combination of the priestly
communities and the polity) spoke of religiousness, however
their hearts were all filled with ignorance and the lack of the
understanding of the message of Allah Subhan wa Taala and
the masters. Religious intolerance remained the order of the
day.
As the journey continued the Naqshbandiyah tariqat that once

wore a totally Islamic texture began to have other color and
hue. Some resented these while others welcomed this as the
setting of a new trend.
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Constant atrocities by the Moughal emperors on the other

religious sections especially Hindus in the name of religions
saw the emergence of Sikh religion. The masters maintained
the spiritual values of both Hindu and Islam and incorporated
these as integral part of their religious teaching. Yet still their
survival made the Sikh Gurus follow the road to become
militants. This was once again the revival of the era of the
Holy Prophet when for survival he had to take the sword in
his hand.
Saints like Tulsidas, Mira, Sahjobai, Tukaram, Kabir, Nanak,

and all the remaining nine gurus came on the spiritual horizon
along with Sufi Masters like Moin Uddin Chisti, NizamUdin
Auliya, Amir Khushroo, Raskhan etc rose to the occasion. All
these different traditions and faiths blended in the main
stream of Indian spirituality that was at its pinnacle from
times immemorial. Thus, evolved new poetry, values, and
many influences!
Naqshbandiyah tariqat could not keep itself separate from

these trends. Both Hindu and Muslim followed the tariqat. Yet
still religious narrowness continued. It was in such an
environment one of the Sheikhs of this Golden Chain of
Naqshbandiyah tariqat made predictions for the setting of a
new trends and influence in the tariqat.
Shah Bahauddin Naqshband is the 17th Sheikh of the Golden

Chain. Therefore I have given the chain in that order. This
does not mean there has been no one else who carried on the
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tariqat. Each sheikh had many khalifas. However the chief

among them was handed over the golden chain of the tariqat
while others worked in harmony with the main stream. Yet
still there were a significant numbers who cut off the links for
various reasons and started their own work under the false
banner of truth. These I will not mention as this is not the
work of the one who seeks light or Noor. And since this is
happening it must have the sanction of Allah Subhan wa Taala.
Nothing ever happens without the Supreme will. May the
masters guide those who have deviated along the path?
There has been many other khalifas who have done

tremendous work in the process of transformation as part of
the main stream. Still they are not the part of the golden chain.
Following is the actual chain from Shah Bahauddin
Naqshband.
1. Kwajah Bahauddin Naqshband r.a. (d. 2 Rajab al-Murajjab,

791AH) - Qasr-e-Aarifan (Bukhara)
2. Hadhrat Alaa’uddin Attaar r.a. (d. 20 Rajab 802AH) -
Jafaaniyan (Mawralnahar)
3. Hadhrat Ya’qoob Charkhi r.a. (d. 5 Safar, 851AH) - Charkh
(Bukhara)
4. Hadhrat Ubaidullah Ahraar r.a. (d. 20/29 Rabi al-Awwal,
895AH) - Samarqand (Mawralnahar)
5. Hadhrat Muhammad Zaahid r.a. (d. 1 Rabi al-Awwal,
936AH) - Wakhsh (Malk Hasaar)
6. Hadhrat Darwesh Muhammad r.a. (d. 19 Muharram,
970AH) - Samarqand (Mawralnahar)
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7. Hadhrat Muhammad Waaqif Amkanki r.a. (d. 21/22

Sha’baan, 1008AH) - Akang (Bukhara)
From here the tariqat came to India and became the part of
Indian Sub continent. There has to be a reason for this. And
when it came to Indian Subcontinent that was predominantly
a Hindu community how could it keep itself separate. Such is
the will of Allah Subhan wa Taala. Yet still fundamentalists
maintain the Islamic texture and negate the will of Allah
Subhan wa Taala, and go on calling themselves to be on the
path. It is time to rise beyond narrowness of all kinds. Only
then you will seek the realm of spiritualism.
8. Hadhrat Khwaja Baqui Billaah r.a. (d. 25 Jumaad al-

Aakhar, 1012AH) - Delhi (India)
9. Hadhrath Imam Rabbani, Mujaddid Alif Thani,
Hadhrat Sheikh Ahmad Farooqui Sirhindi r.a. (d. 28 Safar,
1034AH) - Sirhind (India)
10. Hadhrat Muhammad Ma'soom Farooqui r.a. (d. 9 Rabi
al- Awwal, 1079AH) - Sirhind (India)
11. Hadhrat Sheikh Sayfuddeen Bin Ma'soom Farooqui
r.a. (d. 19 Jumad al-Oola, 1095-1096AH) - Sirhind (India)
12. Hadhrat Nur Muhammad Badyooni r.a. (d. 11 Dhul
Qa'dah, 1135AH) - Dehli (India)
13. Hadhrat Mirza Mazhar Jaan-I-Jaanan r.a. (d. 10
Muharram, 1195AH) - Khanqah Mazharia Turk Man gate
Delhi (India)
14. Hadhrat Abdullah Shah Naimullah r.a. (d. 22 Safar,
1240AH) - Behraich U.P.(India)
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15. Hadhrat Mawla’na Muradullah r.a. (d. Dhul Qa'dah,

1248AH) - Lucknow U.P.(India)
16. Hadhrat Sayyed Abul Hasan Sa'eed r.a. (d. Sha'ba'n,
1272) - Rai Bareli U.P. (India)
17. Hadhrat Mawla’na Khalifa Ahmad Ali Khan r.a. left on
04.11.1904(AD) Kaimganj, Distt. Farrukhabad (Uttar
Pradesh)
18. Hadhrat Mawla’na Shah Fazl Ahmad Khan r.a. (1857-
1907 A D) Qusba- Raipur Distt. Farrukhabad (Uttar
Pradesh)
19. Hadhrat Mawla’na Abdul Ghani Khan r.a.(1867-1952
AD) Qusba- Bhogaon, Distt. Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh)
20. Hadhrath Sheikh Ramchandra (Lalaji) Ji Maharaj
(1873-1931 AD) r.a. Fatehgarh (Uttar Pradesh) India
21. Hadhrath Sheikh Raghubar Dayal (Chachaji) Ji
Maharaj (1875-1947 AD) r.a. Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh India
22. Hadhrath Sheikh Brij Mohan Lal (1898-1955 AD) r.a.
Lucknow Uttar Pradesh, India
23. Hadhrath Sheikh Onkar Nath (1935-2008 AD) r.a.
Lucknow Uttar Pradesh, India
As I have mentioned earlier it was from Sheikh Baqui Billah

that the tariqat came to Indian Sub Continent. With Imam
Rabbani Sheikh Ahmad Mujaddadi a new era was ushered in
the tariqat. And then with the advent of Hadhrath Mazhar Mir
Jane Jana the existing tariqat entered a new phase.
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Advent of Naqshbandi
Ramchandra (Lala ji) R.A.
And once again after the advent of Mazaharia Nisbet the path
underwent another major influence. It was the advent of the
Naqshbandiyah Sheikh beyond the Islamic religion, instead
from Hindu religion. About this advent a prediction was made
by one of the Sheikhs nearly 100 years before the actual
happening of the event.
It was the 33rd Sheikh Hadhrat Sayadina Hazarat Kutub-i-

alam Abul Hasan Naseerabadi who made the following
prediction to his Khalifa. And in the process each sheikh
waited and then passed on the forecast to the next Sheikh. It
was Hadhrath Abul Hasan Naseerabadi who mentioned of this
forecast to his khalifa – the next Sheikh Hadhrat Mawla’na
Khalifa Ahmad Ali Khan Kaimganji, who left the body on
04.11.1904(AD). The forecast meant,
‘I am witnessing the lack of interest among the Muslim

community towards this Naqshbandiyah tariqat. I am
seeing two persons from Hindu religion will come to you.
They are the true inheritor of this Nisbet. Do not hesitate
in transferring the secrets of this tariqat and the Golden
Chain to these two persons.’
This was the time of ‘tassubi’ or spiritual narrowness, division

on the basis of religious beliefs and many atrocities in the
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name of religion. There was division and ignorance as far as

spirituality or ‘roohaniyat’ was concerned.
However with this Nisbet came to Hindu Sheikhs beyond the

narrowness of religions and religious belief.
Spirituality is beyond religions and narrowness of any kind.

Yet still people go on living in narrowness and confine
spirituality within the narrow boundaries of religion, caste
and creed.
Almost one hundred years ago a forecast was made by

Sayadina Hazarat Kutub-i-alam Abul Hasan Naseerabadi. Who
in turn mentioned of this to his khalifa Sufi Ahmad Ali Khan
(Khalifa Sahib) Kayamganji.
Sufi Ahmad Ali Khan too waited lifelong for these two people.
No one came. So when it was the time for Sufi Ahmad Ali Khan
to leave the finite realm he spoke to his chief khalifa, Sufi
Maulana Fazl Ahmad Khan, who became the next Naqshbandi
master:
‘Maybe my master had seen your reflection through me.

And this forecast is for you. Take care and be ever aware
about this forecast. Maybe these people will come to you.’
All along Sufi Fazl Ahmad Khan waited. The destined time of
the meeting was coming closer. Then one day the destined
occasion came.
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‘It was rainy day! Thunder and lightning! Amidst such an

atmosphere when serenity prevailed amidst turmoil
indicating that at the center of cyclone there always exists
tremendous serenity. The destined meeting happened! A
person named Ramchandra came to the company of the
sheikh wading through the external turmoil.
This was followed by his younger brother Raghuber Dayal.

These were the two destined ones about whom the forecast
was made nearly one hundred years ago. Ramchandra and
Raghuber Dayal later came to be known as Naqshbandi Sufi
Ramchandra or Lala ji, and Naqshbandi Sufi Raghuber Dayal
or Chacha ji.
The entire system of roohaniyat is based on such forecasts or

‘wisharads’. Thus came the dawn of a new era in Naqshbandi
order of Sufis. This was the beginning of the Hindu influence
into tariqat.
Although the outer appearance may differ, beliefs too may

differ but the inner state of awareness or truth or Nisbet
never changes. And if there is any change in that state then it
is not truth. Truth is sublime and most auspicious.
Truth is Alham Dil Allah, Subhan Allah. OR what Hindus say it

Satyam, Shivam, Sundram. Let us dwell in the realm of truth or
haquiqat beyond narrowness of all kinds. Remember the
words of a Sheikh of this Tariqat Sheikh Ramchandra, LalalJi.
‘BETASSUBI SADAKAT KI JAAN HAI!’
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‘TO RISE ABOVE NARROWNESS IS SPIRITUALITY!’
From here the tariqat came to India and became the part
of Indian Sub continent. There has to be a reason for this.
And when it came to Indian Subcontinent that was
predominantly A Hindu community how could it keep itself
separate. Such is the will of Allah Subhan wa Taala. Yet still
fundamentalists maintain the Islamic texture and negate
the will of Allah Subhan wa Taala, and go on calling
themselves to be on the path. It is time to rise beyond
narrowness of all kinds. Only then you will seek the realm
of spiritualism.
This Sufi order was brought to the West in 1967 by Irina

Tweedie, author of ‘Daughter of Fire, Diary of a Spiritual
Training by a Sufi Master’. After the death of her husband,
when she was in her fifties, she had gone to India where she
met a Sufi master, Bhai Sahib Sufi Radha Mohan Lal1. Bhai
Sahib means elder brother, because traditionally the Sufi
sheikh is ‘without a face, without a name.’ Sufis do not believe
in personal worship, or in idealizing the teacher. The teacher
is just a guide, a stepping stone from the world of illusion to
the world of reality. Bhai Sahib trained her according to the
tariqat, and she was probably the first Western woman to be
given this ancient spiritual training of the Naqshbandis.
She stayed with him for a number of years, undergoing an

intense spiritual training, which she recorded as a diary.
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When she met him he told her to keep a diary of her

experiences, and to keep a record of her dreams. Later he said,
‘I am not going to teach you anything. If I teach you things you
will forget them. Instead I will give you experiences.’
Sufism is a path of experiences, in which the very inner

substance of the individual is totally transformed. Later, her
diaries became a book, Daughter of Fire (Chasm of Fire in its
abridged version), the first written record of this spiritual
training. It tells of how first of all love is created within the
heart, the process of transformation of love and then the
process how divine love is experienced as burning longing,
and of the slow and painful process of purification that grinds
down the ego until the disciple surrenders totally to the
Beloved, to the currents of love that take her Home.
THE MARAQBA OF THE HEART

The two central practices of the Naqshbandi path are the
silent dhikr and the silent maraqba of the heart. Repeating His
name, we bring the remembrance of the heart into
consciousness and connect our everyday life with the eternal
moment of the soul. Whatever our outer situation, the heart
can hear the name of its Beloved and our whole being
becomes attuned to love. But in our everyday life we are still
confronted by the veils of illusion. Only when we close our
outer eyes can we turn our whole attention to the Beloved.
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I have heard once Râbi’a was sitting in a darkened room in

meditation on a beautiful spring day. Her servant called to her
to come out and see what the Creator had made. From within
her room Râbi’a replied, ‘Why not come in and see the
Creator? Contemplation of the Creator so much preoccupies
me that I do not care to look upon His creation.’
In meditation we learn to feel the stillness of the mind and the

senses so that we can directly experience the inner reality of
the heart. At another occasion one friend had a dream that
gave her a glimpse of the sweetness beyond the mind.
I am sitting in a congregation and the teacher silently speaks

to me, saying, ‘I will show you what this meditation can offer
you.’ The congregation begins to meditate and when I fall into
meditation I hear the sound of the most beautiful chord of
music whose notes become louder and whose vibration fills
my whole being until its essence absorbs me in an intense
sweetness and bliss which I can only describe as a glimpse of
heaven. The notes cease as the meditation ends.
Such bliss is the substance of the Self which cannot be

experienced at the level of the mind. The mind is known as the
‘slayer of the Real’. Mind separates us from spiritual Truth
which is found within the heart. The mind understands
through duality, - the differentiation of subject and object.
Truth is always a state of oneness: the knower and the
knowledge are one, and the lover and Beloved are united.
Meditation is the technique to take us from the world of
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duality to the oneness within the heart. Muhâsibî, a ninth-

century Sufi from Baghdad, stresses its importance:
Meditation is the chief possession of the mystic, that whereby

the sincere and the God -loving make progress on the journey
to God.
Different Sufi paths use different meditation techniques. One

practice developed by the Naqshbandi order uses the energy
of love to go beyond the mind. Love, ‘the essence of the divine
essence,’ is the most powerful force in creation. Coming from
the dimension of the Self, love has a faster vibration than the
mind and it has the ability to overcome the mind. We taste
this in the experience of ‘falling in love’ when we find that we
cannot think clearly or rationally. When we give our self in
love to the Beloved this experience is amplified many times,
that is why Sufis are often referred to as ‘idiots of God.’ In the
words of Attâr, ‘When love comes reason disappears. Reason
cannot live with the folly of love. Love has nothing to do with
human reason.’
Rather than attempting to still one’s thoughts by focusing on

the mind, through focusing on the heart and the feeling of love
within the heart one leaves the mind behind. Thought vanish
slowly and our emotions are also stilled in the same
proportion. The ‘meditation of the heart’ is a practice that
drowns the mind and the emotions in love’s ocean.
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For the heart meditation, as long as the body is relaxed the

physical position does not matter: one can sit or even lie
down. Relaxation of the body is foremost.
The first stage in this meditation is to evoke the feeling of

love, which activates the heart chakra. This can be done in a
number of ways, the simplest of which is to think of someone
whom we love. This can be God, the great Beloved. But often
at the beginning God is an idea rather than a living reality
within the heart, and it is easier to think of a person whom we
love, a lover, and a friend.
Love has many different qualities. For some the feeling of love
is warmth, or sweetness, or softness or tenderness, while for
others it has a feeling of peace, tranquillity or silence. Love
can also come as a pain, heartache, and a sense of loss.
However when love comes to us we immerse our self in this
feeling; we place all of our self in the love within the heart.
When we have evoked this feeling of love, thoughts will arise.

Thoughts intrude into our mind about the past that is no more
and the future that is not yet. Memories float by and images
appear before the mind’s eye. We have to imagine that we are
getting hold of every thought, every image and feeling, and
drowning it, merging it into the feeling of love.
Every feeling, especially the feeling of love, is much more

dynamic than the thinking process, so if one does this practice
well, with the utmost concentration, all thoughts will
disappear. Nothing will remain. The mind will be empty.
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This meditation is practiced both individually and as

congregation. In a congregation the energy of love is increased
by all those participating. Those stronger inwardly help
others who are less experienced. A few hearts longing for God
magnifies the energy field of love present at the congregation
many fold. Individually this meditation should initially be
practiced for at least half an hour a day. Early morning is
usually the best time as there are fewer thought-patterns in
the air and we are not saturated by the activities of the day.
Meditating before falling asleep is also a good practice. But
this meditation is not a rigidly prescribed discipline. It should
not be forced. As in all Sufi practices if there is too much effort
it is not spiritual. And sometimes one is unexpectedly drawn
into meditation. The heart, awakened from within, calls one.
Then if possible one turns away from outer activities and sits
in silence for a few minutes or even hours, called by love into
the innermost chamber of the heart.
In time we make the meditation our own way of life. We find

the time that suits our schedule and inner nature. There are
also different ways to initially evoke love and still the mind.
While some practitioners just instinctively awaken the love
within their heart, others may begin by thinking of their
sheikh, or placing themselves in his presence. Others begin by
saying the dhikr, repeating Allâh a few times, in order to
inwardly align themselves with the currents of love. You can
use any word.
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Usually we just let the thoughts come and go as we focus on

the love. Fighting or arguing with the mind just gives it more
energy. The mind enjoys a good argument. But there are also
times when we need to use our will power to stop the mind, to
cut its incessant chatter and never-ending discussions.
However, the mind does not like to be controlled, or lose its
power and autonomy. So it will often fight back, creating the
thoughts that it knows will engage us totally. Thus in every
way mind tries to distract us from our focus on love. It is best
to just let love do its work, or allow its power to conquer the
mind.
Surrendering the mind in the heart, we offer to the Beloved

our own individual consciousness, as spark of His Divine
Consciousness which is His gift to humanity. Myriad wonders
and evils too have been enacted with His gift of consciousness.
But to make the journey back to God we need to return this
gift, this source of our illusion of self-autonomy. Each time we
go into meditation we sacrifice our individual consciousness
on the altar of love. In so doing we give space for Him to
reveal Himself.
Go in you, clean the inner sanctuary of your heart. Prepare it

to be the abode and home of the Beloved. When you go out He
will come in. Within you, when you are free from self, He will
show His Beauty.
Emptying the mind, we create an inner space where we can

become aware of the presence of the Beloved. He is always
here but the mind, the emotions, and the outer world veil us
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from Him. He is the silent emptiness, and in order to

experience Him we need to become silent. In meditation we
give our self back to Him, returning from the world of forms to
the limitless ocean of love within the heart.
INNER SILENCE - BASIC

EXPERIENCES:
The lover longs to go far beyond the mind and the ego, to be
absorbed in love’s limitless ocean. Drowning the mind within
the heart, we wait to be taken, to be absorbed in love’s
emptiness. However, this complete giving of oneself takes
time, patience, and practice. The initial stages of meditation
are often the work of stilling the mind and the emotions,
creating an empty space where we can be attentive to love
and listen to the voice of our Beloved.
He reveals Himself to those who love Him, and it always

comes as an act of Grace. The work of the lover is to be
waiting, always listening for His call. ‘Catching the divine hint’
is an important Sufi practice in which we learn to be
continually attentive to our Beloved in order to serve Him. But
only too easily does the clamor of the world deafen us and the
noise of our own mind distracts us. In order to hear the
guidance that comes from within, we need to attune our self
to the frequency of the heart and be sensitive to the still, and
the small voice of the Self. We need to learn to focus our
attention on the inner world and cultivate stillness.
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Shiblî tells a story of going to see the Sufi master, Nûrî, and
seeing him sitting in meditation so motionless that not even
one hair moved. He asked Nûrî, ‘From whom did you learn
such deep meditation?’ Nûrî replied, ‘I learned it from a cat
waiting by a mouse hole. The cat was much stiller than I.’
Within the silence of the heart, the attention of the lover is

receptive, waiting for the Beloved. Meditation is a state of
receptivity which is a container of communion with God. Later
the lover learns to carry this state of inner attention at all
times, always keeping an inner ear attentive to the voice of
the Beloved, always receptive to His hint. But in the early
stages of the path it can be difficult to hear His voice when we
are engaged in the activities of our outer life. We need the
sacred space of meditation to withdraw into silence and keep
our attention focused on the heart. Meditation also attunes us
to the higher frequency of the divine hint, for the hint from
God is ‘faster than lightening.’ Through the continual practice
of meditation, the mind is purified and disciplined, made more
accessible to the voice of the Beloved.
At the beginning we have to learn the art of listening, the art

of being inwardly present, attentive and empty. We have to
learn to be silent, because listening is born out of inner
silence. It is only in silence can we catch the voice of our
Beloved. We can also learn to ask, to seek guidance for our self
or others. Immersed in the silence of the heart we can speak
more directly to the source, ask without the distortions and
disturbances of everyday consciousness. And in this silence,
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surrendered to the emptiness, we are receptive to any answer

that may be given. Often we sit in meditation and even when
we ask there is neither guidance nor hint and we remain alone
in the empty space of our listening. But the listening of the
heart is always an act of love. It is coming together, even when
nothing is heard. Listening is a wisdom so easily
overlooked. It is feminine, receptive, and hidden.
However, our culture values only that which is visible. But
Rûmî knew how central a part it plays in our loving and in our
wordless relationship with our Beloved.
Make everything in you an ear, each atom of your being, and

you will hear at every moment what the Source is whispering
to you, just to you and for you, without any need for my words
or anyone else’s. You are - we all are – the beloved of the
Beloved, and in every moment, in every event of your life, the
Beloved is whispering to you exactly what you need to hear
and know. Who can ever explain this miracle? It simply is.
Listen and you will discover it every passing moment. Listen
and your whole life will become a conversation in thought and
act between you and Him, directly, wordlessly, now and
always. Through our meditation we learn the art of being
silent, receptive, empty, and attentive. We learn to listen with
the inner ear of the heart which is attuned to the voice of our
Beloved. Surrendering the mind in meditation, we also learn
to give our self to a reality that is not limited by reason, and
this helps us to unconditionally follow the divine hint.
Immersed in love, the mind becomes more malleable, less
crystallized, and learns to accept a higher authority that does
not follow its laws of logic. Meditation floods the mind with
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light and love, changes its texture, making it more accessible

to the wisdom and guidance that come from a dimension of
oneness.
The lover is the servant of the Beloved, and it is within the

heart that He makes known His needs. When the ego and
mind have become subservient to love, we are able to be
attentive to Him whom we love. In being attentive to the heart
we are able to fulfil the deepest purpose of our being, to ‘be
here for Him.’
There was a ruler who had a servant for whom he cared more
than his other servants. None of them was more valuable or
more handsome than this one. The ruler was asked about this,
so he wanted to make clear to them the superiority of this
servant over others in service. One day he was riding with his
entourage. In the distance was a snow – capped mountain.
The ruler looked at that snow and bowed his head. The
servant galloped off on his horse. The people did not know
why he galloped off. After a while he returned with some
snow, and the ruler asked him, ‘How did you know I wanted
snow?’
The servant replied, ‘Because you looked at it, and the look of
the sultan comes only with firm intention.’
So the ruler said, ‘I accord him special favor and honor,

because for every person there is an occupation, and his
occupation is observing my glances and watching my states of
being attentively.’
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Meditation prepares us for the work of servant hood. It

attunes us to the higher frequency of His hint, and takes us
into the inner chamber of the heart where lover and Beloved
commune. Meditation helps us to live in His presence and
follow His will.
STAGES: DHYANA AND

SAMADHI
The regular practice of meditation prepares a place for the
lover and Beloved to meet. Within the heart the lover and
Beloved are always united, but in order to realize this both
ego and mind have to be drowned in love. The ego’s world of
separation is dissolved in the currents of love that are
activated through the meditation of the heart.
Technically the act of focusing on the feeling of love within the

heart activates the heart chakra, the psychic center which
experiences and generates love. The heart chakra comes in
motion and begins to spin. This generates a greater feeling of
love and one feels more love, which further helps to still the
mind. As the mind becomes more still the heart spins faster,
which, like a chain reaction, further stills the mind. Eventually
love completely overwhelms the mind. This is the first stage of
Dhyana, the complete abstraction of the senses.
The experience of Dhyana rarely happens during the first

practice of meditation. It may take months, even a few years
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to reach this stage. Then when we initially experience Dhyana

it is usually for a split second, and the mind does not even
know it was absent. For a moment the mind dips into the
infinite and there is little or no conscious awareness of what
has happened. Just for a moment we were not present.
Gradually the mind goes for longer periods, which can seem
like sleep; because this is the nearest equivalent we have ever
known to this mindless or no – mind state. But it is not sleep,
and if one is observant one sees that coming out of Dhyana
has a different quality than waking from sleep.
There can be a sense of being or clarity different from the

‘fuzziness’ of sleep. Or we emerge with sweetness within the
heart, softness, tenderness, or deepened feeling of longing.
Sometimes it can seem that one is gradually returning as if
from a great distance. In fact during the state of Dhyana the
individual mind is thrown into the universal mind. One is
merged into the source.
But the mind does not take easily to this loss of control. Often
it fights back, generating all sorts of thoughts. It can also
evoke fear, patterns of anxiety, and even panic. For most of
our life the mind has been dominant, and now it is losing its
control. Sometimes, just before it is about to dip into the state
of Dhyana, the mind becomes frightened because now it is
reaching the experience in which it does not exist. It may pull
us back from the brink. And we are caught again in the grip of
its self – generating thoughts. But through perseverance the
energy of love triumphs, and gradually the mind becomes
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used to this transition, and surrenders to its own non –

existence.
Dhyana is the first stage in the meditation of the heart. There

are different levels of Dhyana as the lover is immersed deeper
and deeper into a reality beyond the mind. More and more
one feels the peace, stillness, and deep sense of well – being
that comes from being immersed somewhere where there is
no duality, or the limitations of the mind and the senses. For a
few minutes, maybe an hour each day, one is allowed to
merge into a vaster reality, where the problems that surround
us so much cease to exist.
Dhyana is the process that changes the level of

awareness. The states of Dhyana gradually lead to the
states of Samadhi, where a higher level of consciousness is
awakened. Dhyana is the first stage after transcending the
thinking faculty of the mind. And from the point of view of the
intellect it must be considered as an unconscious state. It is
the first step beyond consciousness as we know it, which will
lead eventually, by easy degrees, into the state of Samadhi, the
Super-Conscious state. The highest stages of Dhyana are
gradually transformed into the lower stage of Samadhi, which
is still not completely conscious. The higher state of
Samadhi represents a Total awakening of one’s own
divinity.
The states of meditation slowly change. The heart is activated

and the energy of love slows down the mind. The mind loses
its control and individual consciousness is lost, at first for an
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instant and then gradually for longer periods of time. The

lover becomes absorbed, drowned in the ocean of love.
Then in this state of unconsciousness a higher level of

consciousness begins to awaken. At first there may be a sense
of being not an ego identity, because this ‘being’ is not
separate, but contains everything within it. It is our true,
unique self that is not separate from the whole. This
awakening sense of being may be accompanied with peace or
bliss. This is the peace that belongs to the Absolute, the bliss
that is the sheath of the soul (Anandamaya Kosha or Bliss
Sheath).
The difficulty of describing the experiences of Samadhi is that

they belong to a different level of reality, beyond the mind and
its quality of distinction. This is a dimension of unity in which
different states interpenetrate. In Samadhi we begin to
experience our true nature which is a state of oneness. We are
what we experience. Gradually we glimpse, and are infused
with, the all – encompassing unity and energy of love that
belong to the Self and underlie all life. And this oneness is not
a static state; instead a highly dynamic state of being that is
constantly changing. Also our experience of it changes. No two
meditations are the same and our experience becomes deeper
and richer, more and more complete. On this plane of unity
everything has its own place and fulfils its real purpose. Here
the true nature of everything that is created is present as an
expression of divine oneness and divine glory. In the outer
world we experience only a fragmented sense of our self and
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our life. Here everything is complete and we come to know

that everything is just as it should be.
Each wayfarer will have his/her own experiences as one

glimpses the oneness and the true nature of divinity. There
are also different levels of reality beyond the ego. In different
states of meditation one can be taken to these different levels.
There is the plane of pure consciousness, Buddhi, (or the
‘higher mind’) which functions without the limitations of
duality. This clear light of consciousness, undistorted by ego
or desires, sees things in their real nature, in which their true
purpose is revealed. Here the knower and the knowledge are
one, in a knowing that belongs to our inner nature and its
interconnectedness with all of life. Here the knowledge that
we need is instantaneously accessible. For most people this
quality of ‘knowing’ is experienced as intuition, in which we
suddenly know something without any process of thought.
Pure consciousness is also a state of being in which awareness
is present in its essential nature the individual is a state of
awareness.
And then the wayfarer can travel deeper, drowned into the
limitless ocean of love, which can seem like nothingness to the
mind, but a nothingness that loves and cares for you with
infinite tenderness. The love that is experienced beyond the
mind is total and intoxicating beyond all borders and
limitations. The love that belongs to the outer world becomes
just a pale, distorted reflection of this real love on the level of
the soul. One is loved so completely and one realizes it was
always like this only one has forgotten it. And this love and
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bliss become deeper and richer. The oneness of lover and

Beloved, the meeting, merging, dissolving in love ‘like sugar in
water,’ can only be hinted at.
Kabir says, ‘It cannot be told by the words of the mouth. It

cannot be written on paper. It is like a dumb person who
tastes a sweet thing. It cannot be explained.’ Awakening from
these states, dazed and bewildered, one would gladly give
everything for just another sip of this intoxicating wine.
And then further, beyond the realm of the known, is the realm
of non-being, the frontier from which no news returns. Here
all traces of the lover are absorbed, and one returns from
these states knowing nothing except that one was taken. This
is the true resting place of the mystic. In the words of 'Abdu'l-
Qâdir Gîlânî:
Then the pilgrim returns home, to the home of his origin that
is the world of Allâh’s proximity, that is where the home of the
inner pilgrim is, and that is where he returns. This is all that
can be explained, as much as the tongue can say and the mind
can grasp. Beyond this no news can be given, for beyond is the
unperceivable, inconceivable, indescribable.
INTERPRETATIONS AND
IMPLICATIONS
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The Sufi meditation of the heart is a simple practice that uses

the energy of love to take the seeker Home. The lover
gradually passes from the stage of fanâ, the annihilation of the
self, to the stage of baqâ, abiding in God, or ‘abiding after
passing away.’ Through the power of His love for us, which is
hidden within the heart, we are awakened to love’s unity that
underlies all of life. Leaving behind the mind and the ego, we
are able to enter the innermost chamber of the heart where
lover and Beloved are one. Surrendering our ego-
consciousness, we gradually become acclimatized to the inner
dimensions of oneness, and at the same time create a vessel
that can contain this higher consciousness. At first we may be
frightened of a reality beyond the mind and the ego. But as the
states of meditation change we become familiar with this
state of absorption. Thus one is no longer fearful of being in a
state where the ‘lover,’ annihilates in love.
Love has moved in and adorned the house, and the ‘Self’ has
left. You imagine that you see me, but I no longer exist: what
remains is the Beloved.
Meditation both takes us into the oneness of love and

prepares us for this experience. T.S. Eliot wisely remarked,
‘human kind cannot bear very much reality,’ and the
tremendous experience of the eternal emptiness that lies
beyond the mind and the ego can be terrifying. We are
conditioned by the basic belief that we exist as an individual,
separate entity. The ego is the center of our conscious
awareness. In meditation we begin to glimpse a deeper truth,
that the ego is an illusion and the outer world as insubstantial
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as a dream. In Shakespeare’s words, ‘We are such stuff as

dreams are made on.’
Of course many times when we meditate, even after years, the

mind and its thoughts remain present. But then there are
those times when we are taken, drawn by love into the vaster
dimension of our self. To awaken in the emptiness of the ego’s
annihilation is blissful. However, when we return to ordinary
consciousness we can be dazed and confused, as we are left
bewildered at the roadside of life. We do not know what we
have seen. The mind cannot comprehend the Truth told by the
heart. And reports of those who have travelled along this path
only emphasize that the mind and ego cannot grasp what is
experienced. Al-Junayd describes this state with paradoxical
clarity: ‘Being wholly present in God, he is wholly lost to self.
And thus he is present before God, absent in him; absent and
present at the same time. He is where he is not and he is not
where he is.’
We have to learn to contain the dynamic experiences of the

inner worlds without being overwhelmed. To realize that
‘there is nothing but nothingness’, and at the same time to live
one’s daily life, coping with the responsibilities and problems
of the world, takes years of preparation. Meditation both
opens the inner eye and creates a quality of consciousness
that can contain what we experience. Slowly the veils of
illusion that separate us from the dazzling darkness of the
Beloved are removed.
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A friend once had a dream in which she met her teacher and
he had curtains falling from his hands. He said to her, ‘There
are such mysteries here that it would blow away your mind if
you were to glimpse them.’ Then he pointed out a path for her
to follow that led into the distance.
Spiritual Truth is confusing to the mind. It vibrates at a higher

frequency. Spiritual life is a question of speed. We need to be
able to contain the dynamic vibrations of the Self; otherwise
we would become dangerously unbalanced. Meditation
creates an inner structure of consciousness that enables us to
operate at a higher frequency. Through years of disciplined
meditation we attune our whole being to the higher
frequencies of divine love so that this intoxicating energy can
flow through us.
Faster flows the currents of love, in the same proportion

heart too spins. If we resist this energy we could be
dangerously battered. If we were not centered we would be
thrown off balance. The ego cannot provide any stability and
the center that we need. It must be surrendered so that we
can stand on the rock of the Self. Surrender allows us to spin
the dance of total devotion. And the totality of love that thus
happens, in which every cell of the body knows that it is love
that creates a sense of security, cannot be shaken.
As we learn to lose our mind in the empty spaces of the

beyond, we long to be drawn deeper and deeper into this
totality of loving, and this bliss of abandonment. But we also
need to be able to come back to our everyday world. The inner
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world with its intimacy and freedom from restraints is

intoxicating, and it can make the outer world appear as cold,
alien prison, and a place where one can be known and loved
only partially. The veils of this world, full of distortions and
half truths can be heavy and depressing after they have lifted
even for just a moment. But one must not allow states of
meditation to interfere with everyday life and work. One
needs to be able to focus on the outer world and function on
the level of the mind whenever necessary. Inwardly lost in
love we always remain His servant, living in His world for His
sake.
There was a disciple who, while sitting in the presence of his

teacher, slowly fell into meditation. Just as he was going into
the state of Dhyana, his teacher suddenly enquired about his
mother? Coming painfully back to his senses, the disciple
answered, ‘Thank you, master, ‘She is very well.’ His head
dropped back into the bliss of meditation when again his
teacher asked a second time, ‘How is your aunt?’ Awakening
again, he respectfully answered, ‘Very well, thank you.’ Once
again he fell back into meditation, only to be brought back by
another question from the teacher. So it continued until finally
the sheikh allowed the man to meditate undisturbed. Later
someone asked the sheikh why he interrupted the disciple’s
meditation. The sheikh replied, ‘He has to be able to come out
of meditation at a moment’s notice. We must not be attached
even to our meditation.’
Sufism is not a monastic or ascetic path. The Sufi wayfarer

lives in the inner world of the heart as well as functioning
6 The Sufi Series
6
responsibly in everyday life. Immersed in love’s unity, we

come to know our essential nature wherein the deeper
purpose of our life is hidden. Returning from meditation we
bring the fragrance of this inner reality into our everyday life.
And we are able to live grounded in the deeper roots of our
being. Access to the plane of unity allows us to participate in
life in a new way. We are able to live from the center of our
being, and thus realize our deepest potential as human beings.
We begin to see the way our life reflects the divine, and how
His name imprinted within our heart is reflected in our daily
life. Knowing our own essential unity and how this unity is a
part of the whole of life gives us a dynamic sense of purpose.
We are no longer an isolated individual but an integral part of
life’s unfolding.
The journey of the Sufi is the journey of the lover returning to

the arms of the Beloved, a journey of love in which we die to
the limited ego bound perspective of our self. Drowned in
love, in the formless emptiness that is beyond the mind, we
discover within us that which is eternal, and awaken to the
life within the heart. In this dynamically unfolding oneness
the path and the seeker are forgotten. Only His Formless
Presence is real:
In God there is no duality. In that Presence ‘I’, ‘We’ and ‘you’

cease to exist. ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘we’ and ‘He’ all become one. In the
Unity there is no distinction, the Quest and the Way and the
Seeker become one.
6 The Sufi Series
7
Knowing and living this unity, the lover reflects the light and
love of the Beloved into his daily life. The secret of love’s
oneness becomes the ground upon which we walk the essence
of the air we breathe. Inwardly merged in our Beloved, we
impress the stamp of His reality into each and every moment.
Outwardly we see His oneness reflected in the world; we
come to know the hidden face of creation, what the Sufis call
the secret of the word Kun! (Be).
Attentive to Him, we are here to serve Him. The lover who has
given himself in love has embraced the poverty of the heart,
‘having nothing and wanting nothing.’ Surrendered to our
Beloved, we want nothing for our self, not even the states of
meditation. But through the mercy of His love for us He comes
to us and takes us to Him. We become nourished from within,
from the love and guidance that flows into the heart. Through
the practice of meditation we are given access to the secrets of
love, and can help to bring these secrets into the world.
[Ref: 1. BhaiSahab is the way the disciples and followers called the Sufi
Radha Mohan Lal. He is the second son of Sufi Raghuber Dayal RA and Jai
Devi and the younger brother of Sufi Brij Mohan Lal RA with who the
Golden chain of the Tariqat remained.
Sufi Radha Mohan Lal is not the part of main golden chain. However he had
permission from his father Sufi Raghuber Dayal but not from LalaJi. When
Irina Tweedie visited BhaiSahab Sufi Raghuber Dayal and Sufi Brij Mohan
Lal had entered Samadhi. The family of Sufi Brij Mohan Lal was not living
there as long before Samadhi Sufi Brij Mohan Lal had moved out of the
property that he built at 8/223 Arya Nagar, Kanpur, India because of the
family conflict created by Bhai Sahab. The entire building was occupied by
BhaiSahab and the younger brother Sufi Jyotindra Mohan Lal. This is the
reason there is no mention of Sufi Brij Mohan Lal and other masters in her
6 The Sufi Series
8
work. This she was deliberately kept deprived of. Sufi Brij Mohan Lal
entered Samadhi in 1955. It was somewhere 1967 that the son of Sufi Brij
Mohan Lal the next Sheikh of the Golden Chain Sufi Onkar Nath was
transferred to Kanpur. Therefore while settling in the work, in
consultation with his mother Sufi Shakuntala Devi he claimed the property
rights that legally belonged to him. Around the same time as part of
peaceful settlement the property was divided among the descendants of
the three brothers. The two elder brothers Sufi Brij Mohan Lal and Radha
Mohan Lal had already left the world however the youngest one was still
alive. Thus the property was legally divided among the three brothers and
the portion that came in the share of Sufi Onkar Nath became the active
center of Sufi Tariqat. The sun that was hidden on the compound began to
shine once again.
From 1966 the regular meditation began at the third portion occupied by
Sufi Onkar Nath which grew in proportion in a short period.
Taoshobuddha is the grandson of Sufi Brij Mohan Lal and lived with his
uncle Sufi Onkar Nath afrom 1968 to 1980 before migrating to Trinidad. I
do not recollect and such event pr person visiting the place. However
humanity shall remain thankful to Irina Tweedie for introducing the path
to the western world. As a small boy growing up I had heard several
stories of the French Lady being the disciple of Sufi Radha Mohan Lal who
was also known as Munshi Chacha or BhaiSahab depending on the relation
with the person. However I never met her.]
6 The Sufi Series

The Way of Love - Overflow From A Sufi Heart

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Overflows a Sufi Heart

MEDITATION LEADS TO ULTIMATE FLOWERING

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

Printed and Published by TAOSHOBUDDHA MEDITATIONS

Cover design and graphics: Anand Neelamber

2 The Sufi Series

Thus, Taoshobuddha implies one who is existential, on whom the

3 The Sufi Series

THE WAY OF LOVE

S ufism is indeed a path of love. The Sufi is a traveller on

Sufism is the ancient wisdom of the heart. It is not limited by

4 The Sufi Series

was a blanket which they wore as a covering during the day

As the story goes they travelled throughout moving from

The ‘Kamal Posh’ recognized that Muhammad knew the

5 The Sufi Series

their own spiritual passion, and their deepest devotion. One

‘Do you love God?’

Like many early Sufis Râbi’a practiced severe renunciation

I shed my ‘self’ (nafs) as a snake sheds its skin, then I looked at

Praise be to Me, how great is My majesty!

6 The Sufi Series

Bâyezîd Bistâmî was known as belonging to the school of

Al-Hallâj’s seemingly blasphemous statements, including the

The early Sufi mystics lived their mystical passion. Their

The core of Ibn Arabî’s mystical teaching is known as ‘Wahdat

7 The Sufi Series

many. He is the cause of everything, the essence of everything,

He is now as He was. He is the One without oneness and the

Because there is no one other than He, through knowing our

‘He who knows himself knows his Lord.’ This is not a

8 The Sufi Series

The greatness of Ibn 'Arabî is not in the originality of his idea,

Ibn 'Arabî became known as ‘the pole of knowledge,’

Shams had awakened in him a fire that could only be satisfied

9 The Sufi Series

for the wandering dervish. Without Shams, Rûmî was

Rûmî is known not only as a poet but also as the founder of

1 The Sufi Series

important development in the practical application of Sufi

By the eleventh century the small groups that gathered

For example, the first order to emerge was the Qâdiryyah. It

At about the same time, the Rifâ'iyya order was founded by

1 The Sufi Series

known as the Howling Dervishes because they practiced a

Rûmî's Mevlevî order became known as Whirling Dervishes

In contrast to the Mevlevi are the silence and stillness

The Indian branch of the Naqshbandi order became known as

Naqshbandi Path And

I am sending you to a distant land whose very texture is soaked in

Naqshbandi path evolved in the Middle East region. As the

Muhammad Al-Baqi Billah

Introduction to Baqi Billah:

Hadhrath Baqi Billah is the first Naqshbandi master to settle

1 The Sufi Series

)Ejane muhBbt Aam hE #r)ane muhBbt Aam nhI.

ALLAH AGAR TAUFIK NA DE INSAN KE BAS KE KAAM NAHI

IF ALLAH DOES NOT MAKE YOU CAPABLE REMEMBER IT IS NOT IN