Voices of Islam (106 page)

This was how our
zawiya
was in my honored father’s time: The spiritual life there was sweet with worship, remembrance, mysteries, and divine illumi- nations. Winds of grace and holiness swept through the realms of religious learning, both outwardly and inwardly, during the meetings of
dhikr,
in lessons of literature and the arts, during meditation, and in singing spiritual songs. This holy breeze wafted throughout the atmosphere of the Sufi, for although Islamic learning has many aspects, it is in essence a spiritual education that can be reduced to the acts of worship and remembrance of God. Every evening, study circles were held in our
zawiya
where lessons of Islamic Law, Hadith, Qur’an commentary, and Sufism were taught as well as other aspects of the sciences of the outer law and inner truth. In those days, the
zawiya
resembled an institute of learning that was attended by various groups of people, not only for the purpose of following a spiritual path and seeking enlightenment, but also to benefit from the sacred spring of wisdom, each to the extent of his desire and need for religious education and spiritual direction.

Adherents of both exoteric and esoteric knowledge attended the sessions of
dhikr.
They included men of authority, the rich, and the poor. Sometimes it happened that a person could not find a place to sit in that great sanctuary on account of the multitude of people who used to come to listen to our Shaykh. My honored father performed the five daily prayers in the
takıya
along with his representatives (sing.
muqaddam
), elder disciples, visitors, disciples in retreat, and those living nearby, who also came to pray with

Fatima al-Yashrutiyya
193

him. The great number of visitors to the
zawiya
fi one with awe and reverence. The rows of men at prayer were often so numerous that they even overflowed into the outer hallways of the mosque. The practice of invocation is mentioned clearly in several places in the Qur’an, such as in the following verses: ‘‘Remember God with much remembrance, and glorify Him morning and evening’’ (Qur’an 33:41–42); ‘‘
...
Those who remember God standing, sitting, and lying on their sides’’ (Qur’an 3:191); and ‘‘Is it not in the remembrance of God that hearts find peace?’’ (Qur’an 13:28). There are also many
ahadith
that speak of the right to invoke and to hold sessions of
dhikr.
Of these, the following was transmitted by Tirmidhi: ‘‘The Messenger of God said: ‘Whenever you pass by the meadows of Paradise, graze therein.’ They asked, ‘O Messenger of God, what are the meadows of Paradise?’ He replied, ‘The circles of
dhikr
.’ ’’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: ‘‘Verily God has angels who travel about seeking out the circles of
dhikr
, and whenever they come upon one, they surround it and God says to them, ‘Enfold them in My mercy, for they are of those who sit together (to invoke) and whose sitting thusly will not cause them sorrow.’’’

The Sufi disciple who is attached to God’s path may be in isolation from the world, or he may work and earn his living as others do. The one in isolation must cut himself off from that which is apart from God, and devote himself completely to Him. The other, for his part, enters the Path while continuing in his outward life, working to earn his living and performing his worldly duties. In this respect, disciples are divided into two groups, yet they are all united in a common path under the direction of a realized Shaykh who has been given the authority to guide. For the aspirant who follows a spiritual path under a perfected Shaykh, all of his experiences and states exist only as a reflection of those of his master, and come about by means of him. This is what is meant when it is said that the Sufi state of extinction (
fana’
) is divided into three stages: The first extinction is in the Shaykh, the second extinction is in the Muhammadan Essence, and the third extinction is in God, the Mighty and Exalted. The attainment of the second level of extinction should not sever the fundamental link between the disciple and his Shaykh, for the successful and joyful disciple is he who never forgets his master, regardless of his spiritual state or station. Those who work in the world are divided into three subcategories: fi those who earn their livelihood in their own countries and who come to visit their Shaykh and return home again; second, those who work and live in the town near the
zawiya;
and third, those who emigrate from their country in order to be near their Shaykh or to find work for themselves in the nearby town.

Those who have been placed by their Lord, the Glorified and Most High, in the station of isolation from the world (
khalwa
) live in the
zawiya
near the master. Having devoted themselves to God in this way, they no longer turn toward the world. There were a great number of these disciples in our

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Voices of the Spirit

zawiya,
men who came from all social classes and ethnic origins. Among them were Arabs, Turks, Moroccans, Indians, Persians, and Sudanese. These disciples were outwardly and inwardly brethren in God: men who conformed to the Muhammadan Sunna in order to purify their souls and polish their characters, to efface their lower selves, and become immersed in the consciousness of the essence of God Most High.

Advancement on the path of the Sufi masters is not obtained by holding circles of
dhikr
openly, for this is something that everyone owes to God. Rather, it is obtained by practicing the remembrance of God in secret through repeating the Supreme Name,
Allah.
This is the second pillar of the Path of the Masters of the Shadhiliyya, the first being the existence of a realized and perfected Shaykh, for without him the one who practices remembrance (
dhikr
) would not be able to attain the peace and fulfi lment contained in the invocation. The disciple who wishes to practice the invoca- tion should choose a peaceful, quiet place, during the night or the day, but more often at night, where he can sit to remember God, with knees either drawn up, as a sign of humility, or cross-legged and in both cases wrapped in a cloak. It was related that the Prophet Muhammad used to sit with his knees drawn up, holding a garment wrapped around him. The most important invocation is the invocation of the Supreme Name,
Allah.
Without this Name, no victory will come to the aspirant, nor will he attain to the station of sainthood save by invoking it. Moreover, he cannot truly invoke unless he cuts himself off from everything other than the One Invoked.

The Shadhiliyya Sufi method is founded on the Holy Book and the Sunna of the Prophet Muhammad, the search for knowledge, and the frequent practice of invocation in an attitude of worshipfulness and consciousness of the divine. This means of calling upon God is the easiest and most direct of spiritual paths, for it does not entail great hardship or much strenuous effort. The primordial light lying dormant within the soul gains strength through the light of knowledge and through the light of invocation, so that the soul is rid of its defects and impurities. It can then draw nearer to the Divine Presence until it is completely absorbed and the invocation burns away all thoughts of anything other than the One Invoked.

People are often heard to say that the occupants of Sufi dwellings live a life of indolence and ease, but in our
zawiya
it was not thus. Each disciple had duties that he performed to the best of his ability, depending on his prepara- tion and education. These duties were not a burden for him, but were part of life in the
zawiya
and were done in an attitude of friendship and affection toward others. All of the disciples were equal before God; the wise and learned taught the illiterate and the common man, striving to teach the doctrinal knowledge that makes the Muhammadan initiation accessible to him. The strong dealt gently with the weak, and the elevated man gave guidance to his humbler brother.

Fatima al-Yashrutiyya
195

The Shaykh appoints a representative (
muqaddam
) in the
zawiya,
who is authorized to initiate others into the Yashrutiyya order, to educate disciples, to lead the sessions of
dhikr,
and to teach religious studies. This representative must be someone who is well educated and eloquent, possessed of an excellent character, and endowed with wisdom and understanding. He must combine in his person knowledge of both legal and spiritual matters. He could be chosen either from those who live in isolation from the world or from those working in the world, for neither is more worthy than the other for this position. Concern for health and cleanliness was of the greatest importance in our
zawiya,
indeed to a degree that surpasses description. If my honored father fell ill, the doctor was summoned immediately, and thus it was with his wife and family or any of his disciples. If someone needed to be under a doctor’s supervision, he was sent to the hospital in Acre. If he had to undergo surgery in one of the bigger hospitals in Beirut, he was sent there. If he needed a change of climate he went to the mountains, and whenever someone was afflicted with an infectious disease he was isolated from the rest of the disciples. Thus, in spite of the great numbers of visitors, whether nomads or settled folk, the concern for health and cleanliness was paramount. In reality, life in our
zawiya
was not like the life of dervishes, but instead was a life of spiritual progress combining invocation, learning, worship, and realization. Through carrying out our human duties and diligently striving to attain the levels of perfection—and by this last I mean the spiritual stations—one could arrive at the station of proximity to God Most High.

Our
zawiya
offered food to visiting disciples, and we often had no less than 400 or 500 visitors every day, apart from those living there in retreat with their wives and children. These visitors stayed in the
zawiya
and at mealtimes the tablecloths were laid and the disciples sat in groups to eat, while some helped to serve, carrying jugs of water and singing spiritual songs. During the feast days the number of visitors could reach between 1,000 and 2,000 each day. Whatever money accrued from religious charities was spent on the
zawiya,
as well as any other money and gifts the disciples offered to it. The Shaykh’s money, when he had any, was also spent on the
zawiya
and thus everyone participated in its upkeep. If the
zawiya
happened to own some farmland or olive groves, farmers who were in retreat would cultivate it, till it, gather the harvest, pick the fruit, and put the olives in a press to extract the oil. They also worked at transporting provisions and raising livestock. Some worked at weaving clothing, combing cotton from the beds, buying necessities from the market, sweeping, cleaning, polishing, and whatever else was necessary for the maintenance of the
zawiya.

The majority of those in retreat in our
zawiya
in my father’s time were from elite and very old families. My father used to exhort them to give wholehearted devotion to their spiritual practices and to extinguish themselves in the love of God and His Messenger. He treated them as a father would his children, never differentiating between them and my

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brother Sidi Muhyiddin. In fact, he often said, ‘‘If Muhyiddin were not a disciple, I would not be disposed to love him.’’ My brother Sidi Ibrahim came from Tunis, bringing his wife and children after the death of our brother Muhyiddin. Although at that time our master had no male children other than Sidi Ibrahim, he ordered him to follow the Path as if he were in isolation from the world for some years along with the other disciples before coming to live in his father’s house. Sidi Ibrahim slept with the disciples and assisted them by helping to construct buildings, carrying clay with his hands, and wearing dyed linen garments. My sister’s son Sidi Hasan led the same life. Our brother in God Sidi Mahmud al-Lahham related the following account from his brother Sidi ‘Abdallah—both of them were sons of the great Shaykh Muhyiddin al-Lahham: ‘‘We were in the
zawiya
and heard news of the arrival of Sidi Ibrahim, the son of our great master, in Haifa. I was with a group of our disciples from Damascus, and we all decided to go to Haifa and take the rest of the disciples to the
zawiya
to welcome him. Now our Shaykh was nearby and when he saw our group he said, ‘Do not behave with Sidi Ibrahim as the disciples of Shaykh So-and-So behave with his sons; they pamper and entertain them and dress them in silk. As a result, the children start to walk about and look at themselves and become cut off from closeness to God.’ So we remained in the
zawiya
, and not one of us went to welcome the Shaykh’s son. He came with his family and entered the
zawiya
unaccom- panied.’’ My father also said to some disciples after my brother’s arrival in Acre, ‘‘Leave him to be taught by the members of our order.’’ Our Shaykh was ascetic in the true sense of the word. He avoided the things of this world in spite of the fact that he was always being offered them. If he were given something he would spend it in God’s name.

The disciples were extinguished in their love for their master, and pre- ferred a life of isolation to that of work in the world so they could be near him at all times. However, the Shaykh did not order any of his disciples to leave their professions, businesses, or posts; the perfected one is he who moves among ordinary people while performing his duties. There is no work that God has made lawful that does not help the servant draw nearer to His presence. It only deters those who lack pure intentions in their work, whether it is in the field of learning, labor, or a professional career. A disciple once came to our master and asked permission to leave his work and give himself up completely to worship. The Shaykh said, ‘‘Remain in your shop and work and pray to your Lord. That is better for you than begging for food from people.’’ The disciples were proud of their affiliation and used to boast of having visions of our noble Shaykh. They would