Speech By Hazrat Imamul Arifin Pir Aftab Ahmad Qasmi

Hazrat Pir Aftab Sahib was the eldest son of Hazrat Pir Khan Sahib.

He spent 35 years of his life in travel propagating the sufi message of Mohra Sharif. He was very strict on the rules of Silsila-e-Naqshbandia. He maintained the order according to the founding forefathers. He propagated the Khatm-e-Khwajgan and Zikr of Allah. He was very well known among sufi orders in Europe. Hazrat Peer Aftab Sahib converted many non Muslims to Islam by his spiritual power given by Allah. He was the first sufi from Pakistan to introduce Sufism in Denmark. In 1972 Hazrat Sahib accompanied by Makhdoom-e-Tariqat Hazrat Pir Aurangzeb Badshah was the first sufi in many years to have recited the Azan and performed Salat ul Zuhr and also the recitation of Zikr in the famous Qurtaba Masjid in Spain with a group of 50 followers. During his tours Hazrat Sahib attracted many different type of people both rich and poor, even the royal family of Libya were followers of Hazrat Sahib.

Hazrat Pir Aftab Sahib was a true Ashiq (lover) of Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH). Hazrat Pir Aftab’s life and his speeches and his preachings can be summarized in a few words which are “He always stated that you should fear your lord to an to such a point that when you pray in your mind it is Him who is standing in front of you and it is Him you are bowing to and you should love the prophet to such an extent that nothing in the world matters but the Rasool (PBUH)”. Wherever he went he preached the Zikr and Ishq for the Rasool (PBUH). That was his mission and wherever he went he definitely left his mark.

Hazrat Pir Aftab Sahib left this mortal world in the year of 1992 on the 24th of May. He was buried in Mohra Shareef. The light that was shining from his face on the day of funeral was a sign for all of us that the Ashiq of Muhammad (PBUH) will never leave this world without being recognized. Hazrat Pir Auliya Badshah stated at the funeral that the Imam Ghazali of our times have passed away from this mortal world.

Dua by Dr. Pir Fazeel Ayaz Qasmi

11 Principles Of The Naqshbandi Sufi Order

The following eleven principles show the exercise aims of the Tariqat Naqshbandiya. The first eight were formulated by Khwaja Abd-al-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani and the last three were added by Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshband.

01-Yad Kard
Remembrance or making mention, both oral and mental, be always repeating the Zikr imparted to you so that you may attain the beatific vision. Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshband said, “The aim in Zikr is that the heart be always aware of Al-Haqq[The Truth, a Beautiful Name of Allah], for its practice banished inattention.”

02-Baz Gasht
Restraint: The person saying the Zikr when engaging in the heart repetition of the blessed phrase [shahada] should intersperse it with such phrases as “my God you are my Goal and your satisfaction is my aim”, to help keep one’s thoughts from straying. Other masters say that it means ‘return’ or ‘repent’ i.e. return to Al-Haqq by way of contrition [inkisar].

03-Nigah Dasht
Watchfulness: Over wandering, passing thoughts when repeating the blessed phrase.

04-Yad Dasht
Recollection: concentration upon the Divine Presence in a condition of Dhawq [zoq], foretaste, intuitive anticipation or perceptiveness not using external aids.

05-Hosh Dar Dam
Awareness while breathing: the technique of breath control. Khawaja Bahauddin Naqshband said, “The external basis of this tariqa is the breath.” One must not exhale or inhale in forgetfulness.

06-Safar Dar Watan
Journeying in one’s homeland: This is an interior journey, the movement from blameworthy to praiseworthy qualities. Others refer to it as the vision or revelation of the hidden side of shahada.

07-Nazar Bar Qadam
Watching one’s steps: Let the salik [pilgrim] ever be watchful during his journey whatever the type of country through which he is passing that he does not let his gaze be distracted from the goal of his journey.

08-Khalwat Dar Anjuman
Soltitude in a crowd: The journey of the salik though outwardly is in the world, inwardly it is with God. Leaders of the Tariqa have said, “In this tariqa association is in the crowd [assembly] and disassociation in the khalwa”. A common weekly practice was to perform Zikr in the assembly.

09-Wuquf-e-Zamani
Temporal pause: Keeping account of how one is spending his time, whether rightly and if so give thanks or wrongly and if so asking for forgiveness, according to the ranking of the deeds, for “verily the good deeds of the righteous are the equities of those who are near [to God]”.

10-Wufuf-e-Adadi
Numerical pause: Checking that the ‘heart Zikr’ [said in the heart, silently] has been repeated the requisite number of times, taking into account one’s wandering. Bahauddin Naqshband considered numerical awareness the first stage of esoteric knowledge.

11-Wuquf-e-Qalbi
Heart pause: Forming a mental picture of one’s heart with the name of Allah. Engraved thereon, to emphasize that the heart has no consciousness or goal other than Allah. This is the meaning of “Naqshband”.