Immersion in Allah
Bismillahirahmanirahim
Beloved Companions,
Blessed Ramadan! Ramadan Mubarak! Ramadan Kerim!
I want to share with you a hadith from the 101 Diamonds which we opened to last evening in our communal gathering on the threshold of the Ramadan. It feels particularly relevant to this month.
Nur gave it the title,
I Will Protect You From the Fear of Poverty
Hadith 39
Muhammad the Messenger, may Divine Peace embrace him, once conveyed these words directly from Allah Most High:
O children of Adam, give your entire being to the worship of Me. I will fill your heart with riches, and I will protect you from the fear of poverty. If you do not immerse your being completely in Me, I will fill your hands with the vain labors that can never protect you from the fear of poverty.
This hadith comes from the transmission of the intimate companion Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him.
Allah calls us in the Ramadan to immerse our self entirely in Allah’s Self. This is why we fast, this is why we read Quran, this is why we give Sadaqa, this is why we praise Allah through our tasbih. Continuous worship cannot come from Salat or reading Quran or Sadaqa as we cannot do those continuously, although they help to open our heart to continuous immersion. The fast is closer to complete immersion as the fast itself is a form of continuous worship. But we only fast half of the time and we can also become accustomed to the fast. Tasbih is the closest. Tasbih and gratitude. Through the tasbih which Hazreti Pir has given us we strive to come to continuous remembrance of Allah. We attain to consciousness of Allah and praise of Allah with our whole being. Tasbih brings peace and joy to the heart. And gratitude wells up from the heart. And then Allah gives us more. For when we are grateful Allah rewards us with more. And the riches are bestowed. “I will fill your heart with riches.”
Cultivate continuous presence with Allah and Allah will be present with you.
Cultivate continuous gratitude, which is a state of the heart, and you will find Allah present with you and grateful to you. Strive not to complain within your self. For when we are in a state of complaint, however subtle, we veil our self from Allah. Although we can complain directly to Allah, for that is a form of prayer. But the indwelling mind of complaint and judgment is a state of separation.
“Praise Me and I will praise you. Be grateful to Me and turn not away from Me.”
Cultivate consciousness of your moments, and know that every moment is a gift from the Beloved. Bring your focus to the present. Dwell neither on the past or the future. Be present with Allah and grateful to Allah.
This is the month of our Lord, Lord of all the worlds and Lover of all the hearts.
Fariha