Qoshairi Manifest   


Chapter 32: Freedom

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Allah Almighty has said, “And give them (emigrants) preference over themselves even though they were in need of that.” (Koran [59:9]) i.e. they sacrificed diverting the goods to the emigrants Muslims who left Makkah to Madina with nothing, although the people of Madina were in abject poverty themselves. And they were freed by what was given away to the emigrants. (Dervish if you wish to be set free from this world, then give away willingly what you have rights to, even if you need it much, since that sacrifice manumits you from the bondage of this world.)

Ibn Abbās narrated the Prophet peace be upon him saying, “Suffices for each one of you taking (from this world) frugally that which is needed for his person and your return is accompanied only by a small grave and every affair returns to its finality”.  (Lacking the Arabic text this Hadith is not properly translated. All we take to the next world is our little grave and nothing else. Everything we set in motion in this world or anything that we owned has an end, hence a judgment. Therefore the Prophet recommends to take frugally that much we need for sustaining our life e.g. food, water, shelter, funds and leave the rest, since the rest is the bondage to this world and brings us to an end that requires accounting and judgment.)

Ostād Imām said, “Freedom is to abolish servitude for any member of the creation and eject from the heart whatsoever is not the Lord”. The sign of trueness for this freedom is that the heart rises pure from amongst all things and to the free person the noble and the lowly are the same as was said by the Prophet, “I have stopped my Nafs (Self, Psyche) from this world and for me the gold and the dust are the same”.

I heard Ostād Abu Ali saying, “Whoever is born and is free from this world, he shall leave the world free”. (I guess leaving free means no accounting on the Day of Judgment or leaves happy and free from attachments in this world.)

Doqqi narrates from Zaq-qāq, “Whoever is free in this world is free from its bondage as well”. (If you are not tied to anyone or anything in this world i.e. you can live with or without them, then nothing in the universe can defeat you and take you as a slave.)

Ostād Imām said, “True freedom is the Kamāl (Perfection) of ‘Ubudiyat (Servitude & Serfdom for the Divine). If this ‘Ubudiyat (Servitude & Serfdom) is true (for IT only), then he is freed from the bondage of other than IT (i.e. the rest of the universe). And when the slave steps out of this servitude for the Divine, even one step at that, and for slightest moment violating the borders of the Divine Amr (Governance) his burden becomes discernable and has deviated from the Din (Way or the Path, religion).  Allah Almighty told the Prophet, “And serve your Lord until there comes unto you Yaqin (Certainty)” (Koran [15:99]) i.e. worship Me (Allah) until the arrival of death. And death is the Ishārat (Paradigm to hint) at freedom i.e. man is under the slavery of no one and nothing in the creation, not in this world nor in the world after, desires lusts longings wants needs and wealth have/own no part of him”.

Shebly was asked, “Don’t you know about the Ar-Rahmān (Beneficent One)?” (Rahmān is one of the beautiful Divine Names) replied, “Yes I do, but since I know about ITs mercy I do not (need to) ask IT for mercy for me.” (Shebly means that ITs mercy applies to Mankind whether they ask or not, and if they ask more or they ask less or not ask at all, bears no control on the infinite measure of ITs mercy)

And the rank of freedom is lofty & honorable.

Abul-‘Abbās Say-yāri said, “If one could perform Salāt (mandatory prayer) without Koran, then this poem would be true:


I demand from the time an impossible wish
To let my eyes glance upon one who is free”

But the Sufi sheikhs have said many things about the freedom.

Hussein Ibn Mansur said, “Whomever yearns for freedom should make their ‘Ubudiyat (Serfdom & Servitude) constant.” (The problem with ‘Ubudiyat is that we have gaps in it in our lives)

Jonaid was asked, “What would you say to a person that nothing is left for him in the world except a date stone (seed)?” replied, “He can never buy himself back from the world if he still owns a little coin!”

Besher Hāfi said, “Whomever wants to taste the freedom tell him to clean up his Sirr (Observatory for Divine Secrets) with his Lord!” (Did we really make sure we unearthed what is within us for IT? Somehow we throw curtains of excuse when we are alone with IT thinking we can hide something from IT! Don’t we? Or if we allow ourselves to forget then IT may not know as well.)

Hussein Mansur said, “Whomever reaches the state of ‘Ubudiate (Serfdom & Servitude) shall be free from the hardships of ‘Ubudiyat (Serfdom & Servitude) i.e. he feels no exertion of effort for being ITs slave. This is the rank of the Auliā (Divine Patricians) and Saddiqān (The folk endued with veracity), thus he becomes Mahmool (Carried) and no suffering shall reach his heart even if it is from the Divine Shari’ah (Law). (Even he mistakes under the Shari’ah subject to fines or punishment wont hurt.)

Mansur Faqih (the Egyption) was true to verse these:

No freedom amongst the Men remains
No! And not any left amongst the Djin

Already the freedom vanished in two ways
The sweetness of the livelihood embittered


Know that the grandest of all freedom is to serve the Dervishes (Pauper & Mendicant).

I have heard from Sheikh Abu-Ali that Allah Almighty sent a revelation to Prophet David peace be upon him, "If you see a slave that is seeking Me (Allah) become his Khadem (Servant)". And our Prophet peace be upon him has said, “The chieftain of a nation is their Khadem (Servant)”. (Here the word Sayyed or chieftain does not mean a ruler or politicians. It means the highest ranking or the best of the most preferred, in the eye of Allah, is the one that serves the people.)

Yahyā Bin Mo’āz said, “The people of this world pay with the currency of money to acquire services, and the people of the other world pay with the currency of service to acquire freedom & righteousness”.

Ibrahim Adham said, “Exits this world the man that is free before he is thrown out (by death). And do not speak unless to a free man that listens and speaks not.”

End.



Photo Courtesy of Janice.  




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