The Blessed Prophets (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) Physical Attributes

There is absolutely no way to conceal the fact that the Prophet is the worthiest of all mankind, the greatest of them in position and most perfect of them in good qualities and virtue. I am setting out to detail his qualities of perfection in the best way I can, which has filled me with longing to call attention to some of his attributes, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Know, may Allah illuminate my heart and yours and increase my love and your love for this noble Prophet! - that if you were to look into all those qualities of perfection which cannot be acquired and which are part of one's constitution, you will find that the Prophet has every one of them - all of the various good qualities without there being any dispute about it among the transmitters of the traditions.

The beauty of his form and the perfect proportion of his limbs are related in numerous sound and famous traditions from 'Ali, Anas ibn Malik, Abu Hurayra, Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib, 'A'isha, Ibn Abi Hala, Abu Juhayfa, Jabir ibn Samura, Umm Ma'bad, Ibn 'Abbas, Mu'arrid ibn Mu'ayqib, Abu't-Tufayl, Al-'Ida' ibn Khalid, Khuraym ibn Fatik, Hakim ibn Hizam and others.

He had the most radiant colouring, deep black eyes which were wide set and had a sort of red tint to them, long eyelashes, a bright complexion, an aquiline nose, and a gap between his fronth teeth. His face was round with a wide brow and he had a thick beard which reached his chest. His chest and abdomen were of equal size. He was broad-chested with broad shoulders. He had large bones, large arms, thick palms and soles, long fingers, fair skin and fine hair from the chest to the navel. He was neither tall nor short, but between the two. In spite of that, no tall person who walked with the Prophet seemed taller than him. His hair was neither curly nor straight. When he laughed and his teeth showed, it was like a flash of lighting or they seemed as white as hailstones. When he spoke, it was like light issuing from between his teeth. He had a well-formed neck, neither broad nor fat. He had a compact body which was not fleshy.

Al-Bara' said, "I did not see anyone with a more beautiful lock of hair resting on a red robe than the Messenger of Allah."

Abu Hurayra said, "I have not seen anything more beautiful than the Messenger of Allah. It was as if the sun was shining in his face. When he laughed, it reflected on the wall."

Jabir ibn Samura was asked, ''Was his face like a sword?" He replied, "No, it was like the sun and the moon. It was round." (In al-Bukhari and Muslim and elsewhere)

In her description, Umm Ma'bad said, "From afar, he was the most beautiful of people, and close up he was the most handsome." (Al-Bayhaqi)

Ibn Abi Hala said, "His face shone like the full moon."

At the end of his description, 'Ali said, "Anyone who saw him suddenly was filled with awe of him. Those who kept his company loved him."

All who described him said they had not see anyone like him either before or since.


-Ash-Shifa Of Qadi 'Iyad

Views of some scholars about Sufism

Imam Abu Hanifa (85 H. - 150 H) "If it were not for two years, I would have perished." He said, "for two years I accompanied Sayyidina Ja'far as-Sadiq and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a gnostic in the Way." [Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, vol 1. p. 43]

Imam Malik (95 H. - 179 H.) "whoever studies Jurisprudence (tafaqaha) and didn't study Sufism [tasawwafa] will be corrupted; and whoever studied Sufism and didn't study Jurisprudence will become a heretic; and whoever combined both will be reach the Truth." [the scholar'Ali al-Adawi , vol. 2, p 195.)

Imam Shafi'i (150 - 205 AH.) "I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three knowledges: ... how to speak; .. how to treat people withleniency and a soft heart... and they... guided me in the ways of Sufism." [Kashf al-Khafa, 'Ajluni, vol. 1, p 341.]

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (164 - 241 AH.) "O my son, you have to sit with the People of Sufism, because they are like a fountain of knowledge and they keep the Remembrance of Allah in their hearts. they are the ascetics and they have the most spiritual power." [Tanwir al-Qulub p. 405]

Imam Nawawi (620 - 676 AH.) "The specifications of the Way of the Sufis are ... to keep the Presence of Allah in your heart in public and in private; to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) ... to be happy with what Allah gave you..."[in his Letters, (Maqasid at-tawhid), p. 201]

Ibn Khaldun (733 - 808 AH.) "The way of the Sufis is the way of the Salaf, the preceding Scholars between the Sahaba and Tabi'een of those who followed good guidance..." [Muqaddimat ibn al-Khaldun, p. 328]

Tajuddin as-Subki (727 - 771 AH.) "May Allah praise them [the Sufis] and greet them and may Allah cause us to be with them in Paradise. Too many things havebeen said about them and too many ignorant people have said things which are not related to them. And the truth is that those people left the world and were busy with worship. ... They are the People of Allah, whose supplications and player Allah accepts and by means of whom Allah supports human beings" [Mu'eed an-Na'am p. 190, the chapter entitled Tasawwufl

Jalaluddin as-Suyuti (849 - 911 AH.) "At-Tasawwuf in itself is the best and most honorable knowledge. It explains how to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and to put aside innovation." [Ta'yid al-Haqiqat al-'Aiiyya,p 57]

lbn Qayyim (691 - 751 AH.) "We can witness the greatness of the People of Sufism, in the eyes of the earliest generations of Muslims by what has been mentioned by Sufyan ath-Thawri (d. 161 AH), one of the greatest imams of the second century and one of the foremost legal scholars. He said, "If it had not been for Abu Hisham as-Sufi (d. 115) 1 would never have perceived the action of the subtlest forms of hypocrisy in the self... Among the best of people is the Sufi learned in jurisprudence." [Manazil as-Sa'ireen.]

Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (1115 - 1201 AH.) "My father Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab and I do not deny or criticize the science of Sufism, but on the contrary we support it, because it purifies the external and the internal of the hidden sins, which are related to the heart and to the outward form. Even though the individual might externally be on the right way, internally he might be on the wrong way. Sufism is necessary to correct it." [ad-Dia'at mukathaffa did ash-Shaykh Ibn Abdul Wahhab,p.85 ]

Ibn 'Abidin (1198 - 1252 AH.) "the Seekers in this Sufi Way don't hear except from the Divine Presence and they don't love any but Him. If they remember Him they cry, and if they thank Him they are happy; ... May Allah bless them." [Risa'il Ibn'Abidin p. 172 & 173]

Muhammad 'Abduh (1265 - 1323 AH.) "Tasawwuf appeared in the first century of Islam and it received a tremendous honor. It purified the self and straightened the conduct and gave knowledge to people from the Wisdom and Secrets of the Divine Presence." (Majallat al-Muslim, 6th ed. 1378 H, p. 24].

Abul Hasan 'Ali an-Nadawi (1331 AH b.) "These Sufis were initiating people on Oneness and sincerity in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and to repent from theirsins and to be away from every disobedience of Allah 'Azza wa Jail. Their guides were encouraging them to move in the way of perfect Love to Allah 'Azza wa Jail. "...In Calcutta India, everyday more than 1000 people were taking initiation into Sufism. "...by the influence of these Sufi people, thousands and thousands and hundreds of thousands in India found their Lord and reached a state of Perfection through the Islamic religion."[Muslit-ns in India, p. 140-146]

Be Content with the Opposites of your Desires

Things are hidden in their opposites without a doubt. Finding in loss, giving in withholding, might in abasement, wealth in poverty, strength in weakness, expansion in constriction, elevation in descent, life in death, victory in defeat, power in incapacity, and so on. Whoever wants to find should be content with loss. Whoever wants a gift should be content with refusal. Whoever wants might should be content with abasement. Whoever wants strength should be content with weakness. Whoever wants expansion should be content with constriction. Whoever wants elevation should be content with descent. Whoever wants life should be content with death. Whoever wants victory should be content with defeat. Whoever wants power should be content with incapacity. In brief, whoever desires freedom should be content with slaveness as his Prophet, beloved, and master, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was content with it. Let him choose it as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, chose it. He should not be arrogant or proud and exceed his attributes, for the slave is the slave and the Lord is the Lord. They Shaykh Ibn 'Ata'Illah, may Allah be pleased with him, said in his Hikam, "He forbids you from claiming anything that is not yours from that which creatures possess. Then how can it be permitted for you to claim His attributes when He is the Lord of the worlds?" The people, may Allah be pleased with them, say, "This Path of ours is only useful for people who sweep the rubbish heaps with their spirits."

-The Darqawi Way; The Letters of Shaykh Mawlay al-'Arabi ad-Darqawi

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.

Supplication for Forgiveness

In the Name of God I begin, with all my respect,And all praise belongs to God, for my strength and maturity.

I seek the forgiveness of God, our Lord and Creator,For all mankind and for the evils of my [soul’s] turmoil.

I seek the forgiveness of God, motivator of the heavenly spheres in the darkness, For our failure to thank Him enough for His bounty.

I seek the forgiveness of God, the Savior of one who seeks His aid,Whenever he suffers misfortune or calamity.

I seek the forgiveness of God, Forgiver of the sins of one Who comes to Him broken, humiliated, and full of remorse.

I seek the forgiveness of God, Concealer of the faults of The morally deficient, and their Savior from adversity.

I seek the forgiveness of God for my secret thoughts and overt acts,For the fickleness of my heart and for the smile upon my lips.

I seek the forgiveness of God for my speech and my behavior,For my evil character, type, and nature.

I seek the forgiveness of God for my words and deeds,For my vain strivings, and the exhaustion of my abilities.

I seek the forgiveness of God for my ignorance and transgressions,For the greatest of my conscious sins, and the minor ones I have committed.

I seek the forgiveness of God for what my hand has wrought,For my errors and [the sins] toward which I was inclined.

I seek the forgiveness of God for that which my hand did not earn,And for that which I earned upon attaining adulthood.

I seek the forgiveness of God for saying ‘I’ and ‘with me’,[For saying] ‘belonging to me’ and ‘mine’, and for my suspicions and my [limited] understanding.

I seek the forgiveness of God for that which I did not know,For that which I knew, and for that which I wrote by pen.

I seek the forgiveness of God for my sleep, my lethargy,And my wakefulness, and for that which has maintained me [in life].

I seek the forgiveness of God during the day, its night,And, its morrow, before it is created from nothingness.

I seek the forgiveness of God for that which occurred during my youth,And for my disagreements with the aged and mature.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as I have feared what He has bestowed,And [as often as] the clouds have rained on the plains and hills.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of pilgrims, goingToward lands characterized by purity and sanctity.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the breaking of dawn, and as oftenAs the doves coo their songs in the branches.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of letters [in the Qur’an] and multiplicity ofQur’anic verses and aphorisms recited during invocation.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of riding animals,Worlds beyond the horizons, and landmarks in the earth.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of plants andSheep on the land and [the amount of] bounty in the sea.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of heavenly bodiesEncompassed by knowledge, and for everything that is apparent and hidden.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of [grains of] sand,And the [amount of] rain that falls continuously on the earth.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of created things—Of human beings and jinn, or Arabs and non-Arabs.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of thoughts inThe breasts of those endowed with trust, authority, and wisdom.

I seek the forgiveness of God—all majesty be to God, our Creator,Creator of mankind and the One who brought us forth from nothingness.

I seek the forgiveness of God—all majesty be to God, Who provided for usPrior to physical existence, and Who apportions all the shares [of worldly destiny].

I seek the forgiveness of God, Whose bounties are without number,The All-Encompassing, the Most Excellent, [the One] noted for generosity.

I seek the forgiveness of God—all majesty be to God, Who gathers us in [at death],The annihilator of centuries, and annihilator of all nations.

I seek the forgiveness of God—all majesty be to God, Who resurrects usAfter death, and Who gives life to decaying bones.

I seek the forgiveness of God, innumerable times,As often as the number of known species and breaths of life.

I seek the forgiveness of God—on Him be praises without number,[For] He causes Himself to be praised pre-eternally.

I seek the forgiveness of God, the Forgiver of sins Who, wheneverThe slave disobeys, forgives him with indulgence and generosity.

So forgive me the greatest of my transgressions, and[On] the Day of Judgment, when my feet are about to stumble.

Then may blessings be on the Chosen One from Mudhar,The Best of Mankind, among those who weep or smile.

And may his family and companions be preserved

By our Lord, along with all of [their] followers.

-Shaykh Abu Madyan

The Sufi

“The Sufi is one whose heart is pure (safa), free from attachment to his physical existence (wujud). His heart is an ambassador between him and his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). He cannot be a Sufi until he sees his Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in his dreams, educating him, telling him what to do and what not to do. His heart will make progress and his innermost being (sirr) will be purified (yasfu) at the door of the King, while his hand is in the hand of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).”

-Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani

Futuh al-Ghayb

A Parable

A person who is concerned for himself is like a servant whose master has dispatched him on a mission. The master has sent him to some land that the master owns in order to procure some cloth there for him. When the servant arrives in that place, he begins to say to himself, “Where will I reside? Whom will I marry?” He gets preoccupied with these questions, expending all his energy on anxiety about these concerns, until he is delinquent in executing the commands for which his master had sent him. When his master calls on him, his reward from the master will be that the master cuts him off and separates himself from the servant, since he was totally preoccupied by his own affairs rather than observing the prerogatives and rights of his master.

So it is with you, my fellow believer. The True One has dispatched you to this world and commanded you to serve in it faithfully, and has undertaken to support and sustain your existence contingent on your service. If you become engrossed in worrying about your own concerns for yourself and neglect the rights held over you by your master, then you have turned aside from the path of right guidance and slid down the low road to ruin.

-Imam Ibn ‘Ata’Allah al-Iskandari

On Opposing the Ego (Mukhalafat al-nafs) and Remembering One's Faults (Dhikr uyubiha)

God Most High has said, "As for him who fears to stand before his Lord and restrains the ego [animal soul] its desires, the garden is shelter" (79:40)

Ali bin Ahmad bin Abdan informed us through Jabir that the Messenger of God said, "The worst of what I fear for my community is the pursuit of passion and ambition for the future, for the passions leads away from the truth, while ambition makes one forget the next world." So know that opposing the ego (nafs ammarah, the animal soul, the passions throughout the chapter) is the beginning of worship.

The shaykhs, asked about submission to God - Islam - have said that it means to slaughter the ego with the swords of opposition to it. You should know that when the disasters of the ego rise in a person, the glories of intimacy with God set.

Dhu-l-Nun al-Misri said, "The key to worship is reflection. The sign of attaining the mark is to oppose the ego and its desires. To oppose the ego is to abandon what it craves." Ibn Ata said, "The ego is disposed to bad conduct while the servant is commanded to observe the rule of behavior, so the ego falls by its nature into the arena of things to be actively resisted, and the servant with effort can turn it back from the evil of its wishes. He who gives it free rein is partner to its corruption."

I heard Abu Abd al-Rahmah al-Sulami say Junayd said, "The ego [animal soul] summons to dangers, assists enemies, pursues whims, and is to be suspected of every sort of wickedness." Abu Hafs said, "Whoever does not suspect his ego at every moment, oppose it in all circumstances, and drag it toward what it hates for all his days, has been fooled. Whoever looks at it expecting any good from it has caused his ruins."

How can an intelligent person be satisfied with himself while the noble, son of the noble, son of the noble, son of the noble - Joseph the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham the Friend of God - says, "I do not absolve myself, for the ego [animal soul] commands to wrongdoing" (12:53)!

I heard Muhammad bin al-Husayn say that Junayd said, "One night I could not sleep. I got up to make my private devotions but was unable to find the sweetness and delight I usually find in conversations with my Lord. I was troubled and amazed. I wanted to sleep but was not able. I sat but could not endure the sitting. So I opened the door and went outside. There in the street lay a man wrapped in a cloak. When he felt my presence he raised his head and said, 'O Abu-l-Qasim, finally!' 'Sir,' I said, 'no appointment was made.' 'Rather I asked the Mover of the Hearts to move your heart towards me,' he replied. 'He has done that,' I told him. 'What is your need?' 'When does the disease of the ego [animal soul] become its cure?' he asked. 'When the ego [animal soul] opposes its desire, its disease becomes its cure,' I answered. Directing himself to his ego, he said, 'Listen! I have given you this answer seven times and you refused to hear it except from Junayd. So now you have heard it!' He turned away from me. I did not know him, and I have never come across him again."

Abu Bakr al-Tamastani said, "The greatest blessing is to escape from the ego, because the ego is the greatest veil between you and God Almighty and Glorious." Sahl ibn Abd Allah said, "There is no way to worship God equal to opposing the ego and its caprice."

I heard Muhammad bin al-Husayn say that Ibn Ata was asked what thing most quickly brings on God's wrath. He said, "Looking upon the ego and its states, the worst of which is the expectation of compensation for its acts." And I heard him say that Ibrahim al-Khawwas said, "I was on the mountain of al-Lukam [in Damascus] when I saw some pomegranates and wanted them. I came up, took one, and broke it open, but finding it sour I went away and left them. Then I saw a man lying on the ground. He was covered with hornets. 'Peace be upon you,' I greeted him. 'And upon you be peace, Ibrahim!' he replied. 'How do you know me?' I asked. 'Nothing is hidden from one who knows God Most High,' said he. 'I see that your state is with God Most High,' I said. 'If only you would ask Him to shelter and protect you from the torment of those hornets!' 'And I see that your state is with God Most High.' He returned. 'If only you would ask him to protect you from the desire for pomegranates! For a man but finds the pain of the sting of hornets in this world, while he finds the pain of the sting of pomegranates in the next!' So I left him and went away."

It is told that Ibrahim bin Shayban said, "I did not sleep under my own roof or in any place that had a lock upon it for forty years. Many times I desired to eat a meal of lentils, but it did not come about. Then one time in Damascus, an earthen vessel full of lentils was presented to me. I ate out of it and was leaving when I saw glasses to which were clinging what seemed to be drops of liquid. I had thought the vessel clean, but somebody said to me, 'What are you looking at? Those are wine dregs, and that jug is a wine jug!' 'I must carry out a duty.' I said to myself. So I went into the wineseller's shop and kept pouring out that jug. He supposed I was emptying it by order of the Sultan. When he knew that it was not so, he dragged me to the judge Ibn Tulun who ordered that I be flogged with 200 lashes and thrown me into prison. There I stayed for awhile, until my teacher, Abu Abd Allah al-Maghribi, came to that city. He interceded for me. When his eyes fell upon me, he asked me 'What have you done?' 'A meal of lentils and two hundred lashes,' I said. 'You have been protected by shields against the true punishment,' he told me."
I heard Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami say that Sari al-Saqati said, "My ego has been pleading with me for thirty or forty years to dip a carrot into date syrup, and I have not fed it!" And I heard him say that he heard my grandfather say, "The bane of the servant is his satisfaction with himself as he is." I also heard him say that Husayn bin Ali al-Qirmisini said, "I am ibn Yusuf, the Amir of Balkh, who sent a gift to Hatim al-Asamm, who received it from him." Asked why he did so, he said, "In accepting it I found humiliation for me and honor for him, while in returning it was honor for me and humiliation for him, so I chose his honor over mine and my humiliation over his."

Someone told a Sufi, "I want to go on the pilgrimage free of material support." He answered, "First free your heart from distraction, your ego from frivolity, and your tongue form nonsense - then travel however you wish!"

Abu Sulayman al-Darani said, "Whoever does good at night is rewarded during the day and whoever does good during the day is rewarded at night. Whoever is sincere in abandoning a desire is saved from catering to it. God is too noble to punish a heart that has abandoned a desire for His sake."

God, glory to Him, revealed to David, "O David, beware! Warn your companions about devouring the objects of desire. When people's hearts are tied to the desires of this world, their intelligence is veiled from Me."

A man was seen seated in mid-air. Someone asked him, "Why were you granted this?" "I gave up idle desire (hawa)," he said, "and the air (hawa; a play on words because hawa means both) became subject to me."

It is said that if a thousand desires were presented to a believer he would drive them away through fear of God, while if a single desire were presented to a libertine, it would drive fear of God away from him. It is said, "Do not give your bridle into the hand of caprice, for it will lead you into darkness."

Yusuf bin Asbat said, "Nothing will extinguish desires from the heart except an unsettling fear or a troubled yearning." Al-Khawwas said, "Whoever gives up a desire and does not find the recompense for it in his heart is lying about having given it up."

Jafar bin Nisar said, "Junayd gave me a dirham and said, 'Go and buy me Waziri figs.' I bought them, and when he broke fast he took one and put it in his mouth. Then he spit it out, wept, and said, 'Take them away!' I asked him about this. He said, 'A voice spoke in my heart saying, "Aren't you ashamed? A desire you gave up for My sake - now you are returning to it!"'"

They recite:

The last letter of disgrace has been stolen from desire.

The victim of every desire is a victim of disgrace.
Know that the ego possesses contemptible characteristics, and one of them is envy.

-Imam Abu-l-Qasim al-Qushayri

Risalah Qushayriyyah (Principles of Sufism)

Demolish this house

Demolish this house,
for a thousand houses
may be made from this carnelian.
A treasure lies beneath the house,
So don’t stand still,
for there is no other way.
Don’t be afraid of destroying the house,
because with its treasure in your hand
you can builda thousand houses without toil and pain.
In the end this house will fall into ruin,
and the treasure beneath it will be revealed;
But it won’t be yours,
since your soul receives that divine gift
as wages for destroying the house.
If it hasn’t done the hard work,
it earns nothing:
There is nothing for the human being hereafter
but recompense for that which she has wrought here.

-Rumi
Mathnawi IV

Ibn Arabi on this world

Indeed the whole world is imagination.

Only He is the real in Reality.

Whoever understands this

knows the secrets of the spiritual path.

-Ibn Arabi

Chechen Sufi's