Al Muttaqeen....Sufi Rehman Muhaiyaddeen

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Al-Muttaqeen – The people with devotion and self-realization

Sufi Rehman Muhaiyaddeen

In the Holy Quran – the everlasting guidance (hidayah) for the mankind – Allah (swt) has used different words for different groups of people which include muslimeen, mo’mineen, muttaqeen and muhsineen etc. Each word has its specific meaning and specific conception. Although many times the people in one category also fall in the other yet not always. It is very important therefore to distinctively explain the meaning and conception of each category to have clear insight. Here we would discuss the Quranic concept of Muttaqeen.

Allah (swt) has described the Muttaqin in different surahs as His pious servants, devoted worshipers, sincere and caring for others and those who spend money as charity for the needy, whom He promised tremendous rewards. Only to those the Holy Quran reveals Its inner meanings and only those can get the Divine guidance.

002.002
“This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqoon (the pious and righteous persons who have peace in their minds and hearts), fear Allah much, (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden and love Allah much, perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained).”

002.003
“Who believe in the unseen and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and spend out of what we have provided for them (i.e. give Zakat - charity to the poor and needy).”

002.004
“And who believe in the Revelation which has been sent down (revealed) to you (Muhammad Peace be upon him) and in (the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.) which were sent down before you and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter (Resurrection, recompense of their good and bad deeds).”

002.005
“They are on (true) guidance from their Lord, and they are the successful.”

If we study the religion Islam, we find it imperative for the followers’ lives in two ways. Although both the aspects show close similarity and connection at numerous occasions yet we can clearly differentiate between the two. The first aspect belongs to the collective sense and provides basis to the sense of identity and distinctiveness and recognizes itself by the formation of group. This aspect of religion emphasizes mainly on the strict performing of religious rituals and relates all the virtues only to the performance of worship (Ibadah).

The second aspect of religion Islam belongs to the inner life of a seeker, which arouses on to him as a great intuitive force and dignified spiritual wisdom. This is a wonderful experience, which gratifies the innermost and unconscious feelings as devotion to Allah – the supreme reality of the universe. This aspect is called mystical part of Islam which demands purification and perfection of human soul and in this regard this aspect is the purified form of Islam. Apart from the more distinct cases of mystical experience, it can clearly be established that all the genuinely religious persons enjoy some kind of mystical experience in the form of a deep consciousness of Allah’s presence and true devotion for a Divine relation.

The Holy Quran clearly reveals that only the people with pure devotion and true sincerity can reach to the depths of the Divine knowledge hidden in the Divine Scripture. This verse of Surah Al-i-’Imran gives the description of Muttaqeen:

003.016
Those who say: Our Lord! surely we believe, therefore forgive us our faults and save us from the chastisement of the fire.

003.017
The patient, and the truthful, and the obedient, and those who spend (benevolently) and those who ask forgiveness in the morning times.

The life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is full of devotion to Allah. He spent life as a highly dignified mystic and an exemplary Muttaqee. He used to wear very simple dress and shoes mostly with many patches. He used to remain in the state of frequent fasting with one or two stones tied on the abdomen. He used to donate His food to a needy person even in the state of such hard fasting. He used to cry in the prayers to Allah for whole the nights in a superlative state of devotion. And He kept on keeping the same living standard even when He was the ruler of the whole state of Arabia.

His Sahaba (close associates) had received such dignified spiritual training directly from Him. The openness of the highly distinguished teachings of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) paved the way for them to come forward into the world without the interference they had previously experienced, and a mystic order called the Saheba-e-Safa (Knights of Purity) was inaugurated by the Prophet (PBUH) himself. Afterwards the same purified way in Islam was carried on by Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (rta) and Hadhrat Ali Murtaza (rta) the two renowned Caliphs of Islam. The lives of these pious personalities were extraordinary in their wisdom, piety, humbleness, spirituality, and great charity of heart. This order was carried on by their successors, who were called Shaikhs or Sufis etc.

The spiritual bond between them is a miraculous force of divine illumination, and is experienced by worthy initiates of the Sufi Order; just as the electric current runs through all connected lamps and lights them. By this means the higher development is attained in association with the Shaikh. Sufism was unostentatiously practiced in Arabia during the period of Sahabis, Taba'in, and Taba'-i-taba'in. Charity, piety, spirituality, and unconditional love to humanity and coexistence are the real characteristics of Sufi advancement.

Religion without devotion is simply a shell without inner essence. Devotion seems to be the major characteristic which differentiates common follower to a Muttaqi (Devotee) and which is for true lovers. Rumi says, 'Man may be the lover of man or the lover of God; after his perfection in either he is taken before the King of love.' True devotion is the heavenly way, which intoxicates the devotee until his heart becomes purified from all infirmities and there remains the happy vision of the Beloved, which lasts to the end of the journey. 'Death is a bridge, which unites friend to friend'.

What my Murshid Hadhrat M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (ra) syas abou a Muttaqi is stated here:

“If a man performs taubah, repentance, and transforms those qualities, he becomes an insãn, a human being. When man becomes insãn, and washes his ensãn surah, his eight span body, with the kalimah, the praise of Allah and ‘ilm, and makes it clear, when he strengthens it with the faith, determination and certitude of imãn, he becomes a Muttaqi- Insãn e Kãmil, a perfected human being. When he becomes an Insãn Kãmil, he becomes a representative of Allah It is with him that the angels speak. Allah advises such a man through these angels. All of the actions of such a man will be performed according to the asmã’ul-husnã, the ninety-nine beautiful names of Allah, the actions of the ninety-nine wilãyãt, powers of God; his speech, his words, his actions and his demeanor will be the qualities of Allah His qalb, his heart, will open and become the ‘arshulmu’min, the throne of a true believer. His qalb will be the dhãhut, the throne, of Allah In that qalb, only Allah, His representatives, His lights, His qutbs, the auliyã’, the messengers, and the ambiyã’, the prophets, will exist performing tasbih, offering prayers to God. His breath and his words, his demeanor and his actions will be the actions of Allah Other lives will be like his own; the hunger of others will be like his own; the sadness of others will be like his own; other lives will be as valuable as his own. That understanding will remain within his awareness, his wisdom and his consciousness, always.”

At this stage a devotee gets the status of self realization. And the people with the quality of self realization are the ones who can really understand and implement the Divine wisdom in the Holy Scripture.

In surah Al-Anaam Allah (swt) denotes the Holy Prophet (PBUH) about the people, who are spiritually alive, could really understand and listen to the Divine message.

006.037
“The only people who shall accept and answer (your call) are the people who (spiritually) hear you and as for the (spiritually) dead, Allah will raise them, then to Him they shall be returned.”

In Surah Al-i-’Imran Allah (swt) reveals that onlt the men of understanding can grasp the hidden meaning of the Divine scripture:

003.007
“He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: “We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:” and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.”

At another place in the Holy Quran, the people without devotion, love and peace are referred to as having a sick heart and due to their sick heart (and no desire to change), Allah adds to their sickness:

002.010
“In their hearts is a disease (and due to their obstinacy) Allah has added to their sickness.”

Those people who do not have peace in their hearts and minds and who do not have the fear of Allah within themselves have been introduced as people possessing hearts of stone – rather, their hearts are even harder and firmer than stones:

002.074

“Then your hearts hardened after that, so that they were like rocks, rather worse in hardness,”

**********