Sufi_Path

”May God place us upon insight in our affairs and not allow us to transgress that which is demanded by our station!….May He preserve us from His deception and not place us amongst the people of imperfection (ahl al-naqs)! May He provide us with increase (mazid) and advance (taraqqi) in this world and the next!” Shaykh al-Akbar, Sayyidi Ibn al-Arabi

"By maintaining your Șalāh (prayer), everything will become easy. If you neglect your prayers, everything you do will become worthless." - Shaykh Muhammad Saīd Ramadãn al-Buti

Do not lose hope or assume you have been defeated just by looking at the environment around you. With the endeavours of his sincere servants, Allah is capable of changing the course of our struggles in an instant! - Shaykh Mahmud Efendi 🌸🌿

What is Meant by Fighting Against the Nafs? When scholars talk about fighting against the nafs (lower self) this is not meant literally. Harming the nafs is not what is intended. What is meant is purifying it and elevating it. Fulfilling its desires and following its whims is what really harms it. Doing the opposite, although it may be difficult, is what really benefits it. Any dhikr performed with presence of heart also helps to purify the nafs. - Sayyid Habib Umar bin Hafiz al-Husayni 🌸🌿

The true nature of what is to happen in this life and the next was known by him ﷺ yet the companions would never see him but that they saw him smiling. The natural concerns for his ummah were seen on his blessed faceﷺ but the pure beauty of his being only brought out a True beautiful smile. The smile of the beloved prophetﷺ was a reflection of his beautiful being, he was always giving to others. The blessed smile of the prophetﷺ - Habib Umar bin Hafiz

"It is given in an account that there was a king who ruled the entire earth except for small place wherein there was a minor king. The greater king attempted many times to gain control over the lesser king’s region so as to have control of the entire earth but was not able to succeed. After some time the greater king fought the smaller king until the latter had custody of the greater king and held him for seven days shackled. He didn’t eat nor did he drink. The minor king prepared a house he had and had all his possessions were placed on the carpet. He put water into a dog’s bowl and placed a dry scrap of food in the house and said to his servants, ‘Bring him in’. Once the major king was brought inside the house he drank the water and then looked at the scrap and ate it. The minor king then said to him, ‘Why is it that from all things in this house you only partook of what you did’. He said, ‘Out of the entire earth, this is the only thing I want’ (due to his extreme hunger). The minor king then said to him, ‘One who is satisfied with this small scrap should also be satisfied with all of the earth with the exception of this place’. The major king then said, ‘If you set me free I will never dispute with you again’. So, the minor king freed him. Thus everyone finds sufficiency in the world in having something to eat and drink. However the illness lies in greed. I ask Allah to grant us success in what He loves and is satisfied with and, through His strength, cure sick hearts, and to guarantee us with faith and that our children will also believe in Him. Peace." — Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse

Every spiritual guide from whom you do not receive graces from behind the veil, is not a true guide.’ Perhaps he means that the true spiritual guide gives aid to his disciple even when he is physically far from him. He also said: ‘By God, I can bring a man to God in a single breath...Shaykh Abu ‘l-Hasan ash-Shadhili

Wisdom is the table, not bread or meat. Wisdom is the light, food for the soul. No nutriment can compare to the nourishment of light. Nothing can nourish the soul but light. Rid yourself of material needs and be set free. Taste the original victual, the dainty morsel of light. - Rumi

“Whoever wants to be a leader should educate himself before educating others. Before preaching to others he should first practice himself. Whoever educates himself and improves his own morals is superior to the man who tries to teach and train others.” — Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib

Tawhid, as the greatest of graces, is the one that yields the most benefit in this world and the next. The one blessed therewith by Allah must know the value of such a gift. He must strive to guard and protect it, and to be constantly thankful and full of joy to have received it, and try hard to strengthen it within himself by being always of good character and righteous actions, both of which are among the branches of Tawhid and the fruits of faith. Similarly, he must avoid their opposites, which are bad character and sins. -Al Qutb, al Ghawth, Sayyiduna Imam Ahmad Mashhur b. Taha al Haddad radiAllahu anhu wa Nafan Allahu bih fid darayn.

The final purpose of self-discipline is to find one’s heart constantly in the presence of Allah. - Imam al-Ghazali

“Ad-Deenu al-Mu‘amala.” الدين المعاملة The Deen is Mu‘amala, the Deen is Behaviour. If the Deen is nothing but correct manners and correct behaviour, it is therefore the responsibility of every Muslim to know what that is and what is expected of him. الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ خُلُقٌ فَمَنْ زَادَ عَلَيْكَ فِي الْخُلُقِ زَادَ عَلَيْكَ فِي الدِّينِ" The Deen itself is entirely good character, so whoever surpasses you in character has surpassed you in Deen" "I was with my Shaykh, Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib, rahimahullah, in the little room at the top of his tower in his Zawiya, and there was a very poor man from the desert who had some need to go to Marrakesh, which is on the other side of Morocco from Meknes, and with him were one or two of the Shaykh’s Fuqara from Meknes. The Shaykh said, “You must go to Marrakesh,” but then he saw that the man had no money, nothing. So he turned to one of his Fuqara and said, “Give him the money for his fare to Marrakesh,” and the Faqir said, “Bismillah,” and took out his purse and gave the money to the man. The poor man was overwhelmed and crying and he took the money and fell on his knees and started to kiss the man’s knee and his foot, and the Faqir exclaimed, “No, no! Stop, stop!” Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib became very angry and said, “Leave him be! Let him do it!” The Faqir was taken aback because he had done this good action, but here he was, being rebuked! The man again kissed his foot and said, “Thank you, thank you!” and then left. Then Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib turned on this poor fellow who had handed over the fare and said, “How dare you do that! You must not take away from him the right to cover his shame about his poverty.” This made me see that the REAL Adab was not the giving of the money. The real Adab was knowing how to behave when you gave the money". Shaykh Abdalqadir as-Sufi, رحمه الله

"The heart of the Sufi needs maintenance. We need to go and do random acts of kindness without any expectation of recognition. Don't ever ever ever prioritize wird over the Qur'an . . . there is no wird better than the Qur'an. You read the Qur'an, then you do the wird." ~Shaykh Sayyid Muhammad bin Yahya al-Husayni al-Ninowy~

As-Salaam-Alaikum! This is lines 5-10 of the poem, Ruhul Adab, with Shaykh Hassan's commentary.

Do not be deceived by knowledge from one who claims to be a sufi before he has become a sufi.The one who claims to be a sufi before he is sufi is the one who has not realised his attribute... Shaykh Mawlay al-'Arabi ad-Darqawi

Wealth may constitute an impediment, while poverty may promote connectedness. For poverty compels you to implore God with humility. And poverty that connects you to God is better than wealth that cuts you off from Him. Imam Ibn Ataillah

Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The similitude of someone who remembers his Lord and someone who does not is like that of the living and the dead.” (Al-Bukhari)

Imam Jalaluddin al-Rumi, Allah sanctify his secret, said: "If the knight during the battle of Khaybar, who spat in the face of Mawla Ali bin Abi Talib, Alayhis Salam, represents the beginning of the spiritual path, then Sayyiduna ‘Ali himself represents the end/the ultimate goal of the spiritual path for forgiving the knight.” [Source: Mathnawi of Mawlana Rumi]

The Bandit who Became a Saint in an Instant: The Amazing Story of Sidi Za'nūn "Counted among the companions of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani is the the esteemed muqaddam, noble role model, and leader amongst the saints, Abū Abdullāh al-Sayyid Za'nūn, of Algeria. He took the tariqa from our master [Shaykh al-Tijani], may Allah be pleased with him, who appointed him as a muqaddam to propagate his Muhammadan path... Before he took the tariqa from Shaykh al-Tijani, Sidi Za'nūn was a brigand and highway robber [of such infamy] that all of creation complained about him. None was able to defend himself from his approach, and he was not known to have ever done a good deed in his entire life. It so happened that one day the muqaddam of one of our master's zawiyas passed away. The disciples [of this zawiya] gathered and informed the Shaykh, may Allah be pleased with him, that their muqaddam had died, and they wanted him to appoint another representative for them. The Shaykh said to them, 'I appoint Za'nūn as your muqaddam.' They departed, bewildered by the shaykh's response. They made their way towards the place where Za'nūn was known to lie in wait with his comrades to ambush [those travelling on] the road. They arrived there and found him in the company of several other outlaws. They said to him, 'Our Shaykh, Sidi Ahmad Tijani, has made you the muqaddam of our zawiya.' As soon as Za'nūn heard these words, a powerful spiritual state seized him, and he began to weep. He instantaneous attained illumination (fatḥ), despite having never done a good deed until that point. This did not come about except through the merciful gaze of our master, may Allah be pleased with him, and his intense and penetrating spiritual resolve (himma nāfidha)." (Translated from the Kashf al-Hijāb of Shaykh Ahmad Sukayrij)