CHAPTER VIII
STAGES AND KNOWLEDGE OF MEDITATION
What is meditation? It is to keep the mind towards Him who keeps watch and to keep all thoughts engaged to Him. Meditation is a state of mind which gives fruit named Marfat and that state of mind raises an action on bodily limbs and heart.i Meditation therefore means a state of mind and Marfat. The state of mind means turning of heart towards the great Watcher and to keep it engaged in His thoughts and attributes. Marfat is the fruit of this state of mind. The meaning of Marfat is the knowledge that God watches the state of mind, knows its secrets, sees the actions of man and well know what each man does. People see outward actions but God sees inward thoughts and outward actions. This becomes powerful in mind which it turns into a sure faith.* There are many knowledges free from doubt which do not become powerful in mind, just as the knowledge of death. Those who have firm belief in this knowledge are the near ones of God.
They are of two classes - Siddiqs, who are owners of good fortune. The meditation of a Siddiq or a great truthful man is about His honour and glory. He is immersed in these thoughts of Allah. When mind is engaged in divine thoughts, the bodily limbs also follow it and do divine service and take trouble for divine pleasure. He who reaches such a stage, keeps himself aloof from society, does not even see those who are present before him and does not even hear them. Take for instance the servants of a king. They are immerged in his service in such a way that they don't see what happens in his Darbar. Once Abdul Waheed was asked: Are you aware of such a person in this age who is engaged in His thoughts living in society? He said: I know of one man only who is of such a description. He will soon come to you. Soon after, Otbatul Golam came there. He asked him: Wherefrom have you come? He said: From a certain place. He again asked him: Have you met any person on the way? He replied: With nobody. He passed then by the market and hundreds of people passed by him. It is reported that the Prophet Ihya while passing by the way fell upon a woman whereupon she fell down on the ground. The people asked: Why have​you​done​this?​He​said:​I​considered​the​woman as a wall.
It is reported of a certain saint that he said: While passing by some people, I found them playing with bows and arrows. I found a man among them with whom I wished to talk. At this he said: Remembrance of Allah is better than conversation with the people. I asked him: Why are you sitting alone, here? He said: Why alone; My Lord and two angels are with me. I asked'him: Who is the best of the people? He said: He is the best whom Allah has pardoned. I asked him: Towards which direction i$ the path? He hinted at the sky. Thereafter he went away from that place and said: 0 God, most of the people have turned away from Thee. This is the message -of one who immerged himself in God. He does not speak but through Him and does not remember but through Him. Once the saint Shibli went to see the great saint Abul Hussain Nuri and saw him in such a deep meditation as if he was dead. The saint Shibli asked Nuri: Wherefrom have you, got this meditation and silent posture? He said: From my cat.The sage Abu Abdullah Khalif said: I started from Egypt towards the desert in order to meet Abu Ali Rozbari. The great saint Isa- b-Unus the Egyptian said to me that one old man and a young man are engaged in meditation at a place called Sur. If you see them once, you may get benefit from them.' Thereafter I started for Sur and on the way I got fatigued owing to hunger and thirst. Round my waist there was a piece of cloth with nothing on the body. As soon as I entered the mosque, I found two men seated towards the Ka'ha and saluted them but they did not reply. I repeated it twice or thrice with no reply. Then I said: I ask you swearing by God as to why you did not reply to my salutation. The young man raised his head looked towards me and said: 0 Ibn Khalif, life is very short and most of it passed away. You have taken a portion of the rest of life. 0 Ibn Khalif, your divine service is very little. Have you found time to meet us?" He said: I will adopt fully your way of life. Thereafter he lowered his head and sat silent.
I prayed Zohar and Asar prayer after staying with them and in the meantime I felt no hunger and thirst. When the prayer for Asr came, I said to him: Give me more admonition. He raised his head towards me and said: 0 son of Khalif, we are in danger and have got no language for admonition, I stayed with them for thee days wherein I took no food and drink and I did not also find them taking food and drink. On the third day, I thought, I will make them to promise to advise me so that I may get benefit. Then the young man raised his head and said to me: 0 son of Khalif, keep company with the man who can remind you of the remembrance of Allah, who can enkindle in you fear of God, who can give you admonition by his actions and who will not give you admonition by his tongue. Salam to you. Now leave us. This is the rank of those who meditate.
(2) The second stage is the meditation of the fortunate. There are two methods of meditation at this stage, first before action and second during action. With regard to the method of meditation before action, examine whether you intend to do the work sincerely for Allah or you will do it owing to the dictates of yourself or the devil's machination. If it is solely for Allah, do it, and if it is other than for Allah, be ashamed of it and be off from it and rebuke yourself for intending to do it. There is a saying of the Prophet: A man will be questioned three things if he moves his body to do an action. First question: How have you done it? Second question: Why have you done it? Third question: For whom have you done it? The meaning of the first question is that you should have done every act for the sake of Allah. Why did you do it owing to the dictates of your baser self? The meaning of the second question is that of every action there are ways and meags fixed by Allah and whether you have done it after applying those ways and means. The meaning of the third question is whether you did it out of sincere desire to please Him or for any other body or for show. If it was done for show of the people, God will say: Take rewards from the people. Have you not read My verse? - Those whom you' invoke besides God are themselves servants like you - 7 : 194. Allah says: Those who worship other than Allah, are not masters of your provision. So invoke provision from Allah and worship Him only. Have you not heard My Word - Religion is only for Allah? The Holy Prophet said to Mu'az: A man will be asked even about his application of antimony to his eyes, of his raising earth by his fingers or of his touching the cloth of his brother Hazrat Hasan Basri said that if among them, some one wished to make a gift he pondered over the fact whether it was intended for the pleasure of Allah. If it was for Allah, he would have gifted it. So every one should fix his Niyyat or intention for doing an act. If it is for Allah, it is good. If it is for any other thing, he should avoid it. The Prophet said: He who commits sin loses his wisdom which never comes to him. Jesus Christ said: Actions are of three kinds - (1) such an action which is expressly good, follow it. (2) such an action which is expressly bad, avoid it, (3) such an action which one cannot ascertain whether it is good or bad. Entrust it to one who knows it.
Hazrat Ali said: Passion is partner of darkness. Introspection at the time of admonition is included within Taufiq or grace, sure faith removes stray thoughts. The fruit. of falsehood is repentance. There is security in truthfulness. There are many persons unrelated who are nearer than relatives. He who has got no friend is not known. The great truthful man is he who shows the secret matters as truth. Don't turn your face from your friend owing to bad conjecture. Generosity is a good conduct. Shame is the root of all beauty. Hold fast by God. The maintainer of firm tie between you and Allah is steadfastness. What is good for your permanent abode is sufficient for you in this world. Provision is of two kinds, the provision which you seek and the provision which seeks you. If you do not get it, it must come to you. If any disaster comes to what is in your hand and you become sorry for that, dcn't be sorry for that which has not come to you. Don't stretch your hand what has not come to you in. lieu of what is in your hand, because the affair is the same. Man becomes happy in getting a thing which never perishes. Mind becomes disquiet for losing a thing which is never available. So don't be happy for what you gain in this world and don't be grieved for what you lose in this world. Be happy for what you send for yourself in advance and don't be sorry for what you leave behind. Be busy for your next world.
The Holy Prophet said: The faith of one who has got these three qualities is perfect - (1) He who does not fear the slander of a slanderer in the cause of Allah, (2) he who does not do divine service for show of people, (3) and when who affairs come before him - one worldly and the other next worldly, he selects more the one next worldly in preference to the worldly one. If anything is disclosed as lawful in his movements even he gives it up as unnecessary, as the Prophet said: It belongs to good Islam that a man gives up what is of no use to him.
(2) Second matter - Morakaba or deep meditation. The second method of self-introspection is meditation before an action, in other words to examine whether the action is done regularly, lawfully and in right manner. When he keeps watch over the divine laws in every action, he is able to make his intention good in divine service. When he sits, he sits facing the Qibla. He does not sit cross- legged as to sit in such a way before the Highest Power is not at all proper. Hazrat Ibrahim Adham said: Once ).§at cross-legged when I heard a voice from heaven: Kings sit'in such a fashion. Thereafter I gave up sitting cross-legged.