# Tafakkur Noorani — Sufi Teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi
> Contemplative writings on Sufism, Muraqabah and Divine Knowledge, drawn from the teachings of Sufi Master Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) and the Silsila Azeemia spiritual school of thought.
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## An Introduction to the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi

Born from a quest to understand the true purpose of life, this digital publication is a contemplative space—a meditative read for the modern-day seeker. It invites the reader on an inner journey to unveil their own Truth, and serves as an introduction to the spiritual teachings of renowned Sufi Master and scholar, Al-Sheikh Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA).

With a collective view of humanity, his teachings emphasize that all Divine Books come from one Source—and that all of creation is encompassed by that Source. He introduces complex spiritual concepts like parapsychology and metaphysics offering them as practical wisdom that is accessible, approachable, and attainable—guiding the seeker toward a deeper connection with The Divine. 

This space honours and carries forward his Spiritual Mission by sharing his teachings—to illuminate the hearts of humanity with Divine Light and to foster a collective unity that reflects our shared Origin.
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### INTO THE BELOVED
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This blog series is a heart-to-heart. A reflection of the love and guidance I’ve received. It is, in its simplest form, an expression of my gratitude to God for blessing me with my Beloved *Murshid*, Al-Sheikh Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA). 

My Beloved Murshid (RA), whose life’s mission has always been to guide humanity to Allah ﷻ, has touched millions of people around the world in countless ways through his knowledge, his presence, and his service.

By his grace, this series is a small taste, a glimpse of the flavour of the unlimited treasures of Knowledge and Divine Light he has blessed this world with, and continues to share through his *Nisbah* to his Beloved Murshid, Hadhrat Qalander Baba Auliya (RA), to Rasool Allah ﷺ, and ultimately to Allah ﷻ.

This reflection is seen in the way he lived, the way he served, and in the many books, articles, and lectures that form part of his living legacy—a gift to humanity and a Light that continues to illuminate hearts.

I pray this series ignites something within you—something that leads you to explore and discover the True Treasure that Allah ﷻ has bestowed upon us through him: to re-breathe the Reality of Islam as a modern-day seeker, and to reconnect with the timeless Spiritual Teachings of Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and The Holy Quran.

(اتقوا فراسة المؤمن؛ فإنه ينظر بنور الله‏) 

Be conscious of the insight of the believer, for he sees with the Noor of Allah. 

—The Messenger of Allah ﷺ 

This series is dedicated, first and foremost, to Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA). After he departed his temporary body, he continued to bring me solace during days and nights of longing—through his company, the company of his Teachings, and the company of The Holy Quran.

This series is also dedicated to humanity as a whole—not to any specific gender, race, sect, doctrine, or religion.

Regardless of what may appear to be differences, we are all the magnificent creation—the best and finest of Allah ﷻ’s Handiwork—all from the same Source. 

Whatever our backgrounds, religion, class, gender, lineage, or anything else that gives us an identity on this earth, we are, in truth, one and the same: connected by The Divine Breath of Allah, God, Bhagwan, Jah…
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#### ****What is** ***Tafakkur** ***Noorani** **?**

“**Tafakkur*—contemplation—illuminates the depth of thought. In the depths are treasures of Creative Mysteries, access to Self-realization, and Divine Knowledge.” 

**— Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi*

**Tafakkur Noorani* is a contemplative space born from a quest to understand the true purpose of life—a meditative read for the modern-day seeker. Through a growing circle of contributors, it invites the reader on an inner journey to unveil their own Truth, serving as an introduction to the spiritual teachings of renowned Sufi Master and scholar, Al-Sheikh Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA).

Rooted in his teachings, **Tafakkur Noorani* reflects a collective view of humanity: that all Divine Books come from one Source, and that all of creation is encompassed by that Source. Through these teachings, complex spiritual sciences such as parapsychology and metaphysics are presented as practical wisdom that is accessible, approachable, and attainable, guiding the seeker toward a deeper connection with the Divine.

This space honors and carries forward his spiritual mission by sharing these teachings to illuminate the hearts of humanity with Divine Light and to foster a collective unity that reflects our shared Origin.

  
#### ****Who is Al-Sheikh Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)?**

Al-Sheikh Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) is a renowned Islamic scholar and Sufi Master specializing in **Tasawwuf* (Islamic spirituality). He is the spiritual successor of **Silsila Azeemia*, the spiritual order founded by Hadhrat Qalandar Baba Auliya (RA)).

For decades, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) has dedicated his life to the service of humanity through the revival and teaching of the spiritual sciences of Islam. His work focuses on reminding people that the teachings of Islam are not limited to ritual practice alone, but encompass a deeper understanding of human consciousness, the Soul, and the relationship between the Creator and creation.

A central theme of his teachings is that the knowledge of the Soul is one of the greatest blessings granted to the human being. When a person comes to recognize their own reality, they begin to understand their relationship with their Creator.

He is the author of numerous books on spirituality, consciousness, and the metaphysical dimensions of the Holy Quran. His writings explore the relationship between the human being, the Soul, and Divine Reality, and are studied by seekers of spiritual knowledge around the world. Many of his works have been translated into several languages and studied internationally, and some have been included in global university programs in Islamic Studies.

Alongside his scholarly contributions, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) actively served society with the intention of making spiritual knowledge accessible and serving humanity. Through the Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi Educational Society, he established institutions dedicated to public welfare and education, including Al-Azeemia Public School, Azeemi University Press, Barkhiya Hospital, and Al-Azeemi Mosque.

Under his guidance, more than ninety Muraqabah halls have been established around the world, where individuals gather to learn and practice the spiritual sciences of Islam.

Through his work, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) presents the spiritual teachings of Islam in a way that resonates with the modern mind—bridging classical Islamic knowledge with contemporary discussions of consciousness, metaphysics, and the deeper realities described in the Holy Quran, all with the intention of guiding humanity toward a conscious relationship with God.

#### ****What is** ***Tasawwuf** **(Sufism)?**

“**Tasawwuf* is a knowledge through which a person comes to know their True Origin. Our Origin (اصل) is the **Rooh* (Soul). And what is the **Rooh*? The knowledge of this is **Tasawwuf* (علم الروح).”

**—Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)*

By attaining the knowledge of the **Rooh* (Soul), a person comes closer to their Creator, begins to recognize Him, deepens their relationship with HIM, and lives in nearness to Allah ﷻ.

A Sufi strives to purify the heart, refine perception, and develop inner awareness through which deeper realities are understood. It is to recognize that physical life is governed by the Soul, and without the Soul the physical body is just a lifeless body.

Sufism is the path of Love toward the Oneness of God, traveled through piety and self-awareness. The aim of this path is to attain Irfān Allah ﷻ, to know one’s Creator, and to serve HIM and HIS creation.

The Holy Quran is rich with guidance toward the Essence of Allah ﷻ and HIS Knowledge, passed down to us through Rasool Allah ﷺ. In order to preserve this sacred Spiritual Knowledge and protect it from distortion through worldly interpretations and influences, spiritual lineages were established.

A Sufi practices under a Mentor (Murshid) who carries a **Nisbah—*a spiritual connection to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. When a person finds a true teacher, inner knowledge begins to awaken through this connection, and the seeker gradually comes to observe the reality of the Soul within himself as he progresses on the path of nearness (قرب) to Allah ﷻ.

#### ****What is** ***Muraqabah** **?**

Within every human being exist extraordinary capabilities. Yet the knowledge of the Soul remains dormant because the power of mental concentration is rarely used.

**Muraqabah* is the art and science of concentration. It is the practice of focusing the mind on a single thought until all other thoughts disappear.

In our daily lives, the mind is constantly shifting under the influence of emotions, thoughts, and impulses. Because of this continuous influx of thoughts, we rarely perceive the deeper aspects of our own being or the Source of our origin. When the mind is scattered across countless thoughts, its deeper abilities remain dormant. Al-Sheikh Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) explains that when attention is gathered and focused on a single thought, the hidden capacities of the human being begin to surface. 

Concentration is the act of focusing the mind on a single point or thought. Through **Muraqabah* we are able to achieve this state and become thoughtless within a single thought.

Achieving this state is the point through which the spiritual senses become activated. Through this practice, the seeker gradually becomes aware of the Soul—the subtle reality within the human being that remains connected to Allah ﷻ.

**Muraqabah* trains the mind to move beyond the limitations of the physical senses and awaken the deeper faculties of perception that exist within the Soul.

Through consistency and sincerity in this practice, the seeker develops a greater awareness of their inner reality and their connection to the Divine.
### REFLECTIONS
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### LETTERS FROM A SĀLIK
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*In the Name of the One who awakens the heart to what it has always known.*

Sālik; the soul that walks the path of love back to its Origin. Not just a traveler but a passionate “*seeker*” in continuous search of the Beloved. 

As a Sālik from an early age, I carried a longing whose origin I could not trace. It did not belong to the world, nor was it satisfied by it. It kept turning me inward, as though the heart was being taught to remember what it once knew.

I began writing these letters as a way to remember. They traverse the inner stations of the path; from a sudden longing awakening, knowing the heart, meeting of the Guide, the breaking and refinement of the self—reflections and lessons that shape the seeker as they are drawn nearer to the Beloved.

I am writing to you from the same caravan returning to the Source of love. May these letters serve as a companion to you as we walk back to the One. 

*Do not think you chose this path of flame,* 
*The Beloved lit it beneath your feet.* 
*Every step you take toward His door* 
*Is a step He first took toward you.*
## Posts
### LETTER FOUR: WEARING THE GARMENT OF ADAB
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/letter-four-wearing-the-garment-of-adab/
Last updated: 2026-10-07T10:43:47.000Z
*In the Name of the One who clothed the soul in the light of His recognition.*

Dear Sālik,

So, I had entered the School of Love. The Master had accepted me as a student, and for a moment, the heart felt a triumphant surge—the relief of finally being found. But as the initial dust of the journey settled, I realized that the path was not simply about arriving; it was a process of unraveling. I stood at the threshold, officially a seeker, yet the first lesson awaited me. It was not a lesson of adding new knowledge, but of understanding the invisible architecture of my own soul.

For no one enters the school of love as an empty vessel.

We arrive heavily clothed.

O young Seeker, look carefully within yourself and you will see the same truth. We walk around in this world wrapped in the stiff garments of our social identity, the heavy wool of our opinions, and the old borrowed rags of past generations. Some of these garments appear noble; the robe of learning, the cloak of reputation and worldly ambition while others are coarse and hidden: fear, pride, jealousy, and the restless whisper of the nafs that seeks recognition and control. They cling to us so tightly that a person eventually mistakes them for their own identity.

The soul beneath these layers can barely breathe.

The Masters of the Path have long described these coverings as veils. Sufi traditions speak symbolically of *seventy thousand veils of light and darkness*standing between the human heart and the full awareness of the Divine Presence.

This image echoes a well-known Prophetic narration:

*“Allah has seventy thousand veils of light and darkness. If He were to remove them, the radiance of His Face would burn everything perceived by His sight.”*

These veils are not separations created by the Divine. Some of these are garments slowly woven by the human self—formed through years of inherited beliefs, emotional memory, and forgetfulness.

Dear friend, what we call “the self” is often not a single identity at all. It is a being layered with impressions gathered across a lifetime; beliefs absorbed from family and culture, emotional patterns carried through generations, and subtle traces left upon the soul by experience.

The seeker enters the path wearing all of them.

In the early stages of the journey, the traveler is wrapped primarily in what the masters call the veils of darkness—the dense coverings of heedlessness, attachment, jealousy, fear, and pride. As awareness grows, these heavy garments begin to loosen.

Yet even then, more subtle coverings remain. These are the veils of light—formed by spiritual insight, knowledge, inspiration, and the subtle gifts granted to the human spirit. A person may become enchanted by the beauty of these experiences and forget the Beauty of the Source from which they arise.

The work of the guide is not to replace the seeker’s soul with something new.

It is to help the seeker begin removing the garments that conceal the original light placed within them by the Creator.

Before the Sālik enters the school and the lessons can be taught, first a pledge of the soul must take place—the *Bayah* or initiation. We must view this initiation not as a sacred ritual, but as the formal entrance into the spiritual school of the Master—a total, metaphysical immersion into a new lineage of Being.

At the threshold of this initiation, a profound "unclothing" occurs. The Master, acting as the authorized representative of a Prophetic lineage, initiates a transfer of *Anwar* (lights). In the lineage through which these teachings reached us, the *Leader of the Caravan of Inner Knowledge, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)*, illuminated this process with radiant clarity. He spoke of how each human being carries subtle impressions within their inner field—traces of ancestral memory and accumulated patterns that quietly influence our perception.

It is here in this process of *Bayah*—a synchronization where the "ancestral light"—the auric field of the student, cluttered with the stagnant memories of our lineage and the "noise" of our past—is gently dampened. As you place your hand in the Master's, his refined spiritual frequency begins to overwrite your internal code. It is a transfusion of light where your DNA, once vibrating to the pulse of survival and pride, begins to echo with the memory of its Divine origin.

The rhythm of the guide’s awareness begins to influence the disciple’s inner state. Old layers do not disappear overnight, but they gradually lose their authority.

My Master, recounts that when he first entered the spiritual training of his own Master, Qalandar Baba Auliya (RA), one of the first lessons given to him was a phrase written and embedded in him, simple in wording yet immense in meaning:

***Ba* *Adab*, *Ba naseeb*.** 
***Be Adab*, *Be naseeb*.**

*With Adab, you are gifted fortune.* 
*Without Adab, you are deprived.*

I spent a long time searching for the depth of this foundational law of our school. For it is the very ethos of the path. At first hearing, these words may appear to refer only to manners or outward respect. But in the language of the Sufis, *Adab* reaches far deeper than etiquette.

It is the inward humility that allows knowledge to descend without distortion. Adab is the correct positioning of the soul before truth.

My fellow companion, this lesson becomes clearer when one begins to understand that for the light of the Master to take root and remain, the seeker must practice this law.

The saints often say that the entrance to the door of Truth is intentionally low. No one can pass through it while standing upright in the pride of the self. To cross that threshold, one must lower the head, inwardly and outwardly, allowing humility to become the first step inside.

This bowing in love is liberation from the exhaustion of defending a false identity.

And in the companionship of the Murshid, this bowing gradually becomes the natural posture of the heart. One begins to listen more deeply, to speak more carefully, and to observe the subtle movements of the ego that once went unnoticed.

This is the first step of submission. By bowing in *Adab*, you signal to the Unseen that you have surrendered the height of your pride. In this humility, you find the space to finally pass through the doorway of Grace.

Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) often described this transformation as the development of a new *Tarz-e-Fikr*; a new pattern of thinking. As remembrance deepens and *Adab* settles within the heart, perception itself begins to change. Old reactions soften, awareness widens, and the seeker begins to rediscover the original pattern of consciousness placed within the human being by the Creator. This happens when the Master’s light is no longer just something you visit, but something you wear.

The Creator describes this transformation with a simple yet profound image:

*“And the garment of God-consciousness — that is best.”*(Qur’an 7:26)

So if,Taqwa is the garment of the soul, then *Adab* becomes the way in which each thread is woven.

Without Adab, the garment cannot hold together. 

It is here that the meaning of being clothed begins to reveal itself. My Master stitched the thread of Adab into my soul, showing me how to wear God-consciousness as my second skin. But this discipline does not begin in abstract theory; it is learned through a lived transmission. 

It is through Adab with the Guide that the seeker first learns how to be in true Adab with Allah. 

Left to ourselves, our ego tries to approach the Creator on its own terms—demanding, intellectualizing, or bringing its loud opinions into the Divine Presence. The Murshid acts as the sacred mirror, teaching us how to quiet the restless noise of the self, how to bow the intellect, and how to stand in deep, eager stillness. The Master teaches us how to approach Him—showing us the reverence, humility, and purity of intent required to step before the Divine Majesty. 

Once the heart learns this posture at the feet of the Guide, it finally understands how to stand before the Creator. 

Adab with Allah then becomes a living reality—an inward consciousness that every breath comes from the Divine Presence, yielding sincerity in prayer and humility in worship. 

And once you learn how to stand rightly before the Creator, that reverence naturally overflows into how you move through the world. Adab with Creation becomes effortless. You begin to recognize the Divine imprint in every soul, moving gently through life, aware that every creature carries a secret belonging to the Beloved. 

But O young Sālik, the journey does not end when the seeker is clothed in this garment.

The greater responsibility begins there.

For the garment must be kept clean. It must be washed daily in the waters of remembrance—through *dhikr*, humility, and sincere attention to the Divine presence. Every careless thought, every moment of arrogance, every act done without awareness can leave a stain upon it.

And so, a true devotee learns to live in muraqabah, a quiet inward watchfulness. For Allah reminds us:

*“He has succeeded who purifies it, and he has failed who corrupts it.”*(Qur’an 91:9–10)

Looking back upon the early steps of the path, one begins to see the very first lesson (*sabaq*) as a blessing on the journey. 

It is learning how to remain in the state of *Adab*.

For without *Adab*, even knowledge becomes another veil.

But with *Adab*, even the smallest act of remembrance becomes a doorway through which the light of Truth begins to enter the heart.

And so, my fellow traveler, if there is one counsel to carry from this chapter of the journey, it is this:

Guard the garment of *Adab* that has been entrusted to you. Wear it with humility. Wash it often in remembrance. And never forget that the doorway through which you first entered the path, remains low.

And each day the seeker must bow.

In shared humility,

Your fellow Sālik. 

---

*The Master’s doorway is too low for a stubborn tall will.*

*So, I shed the stiff cloak of my name at the sill;*

*In bending the bow, I was suddenly set free,*

*Exchanging old rags of my “me” to "He"* 

*Now Adab is the garment, God-conscious and wide;*

*The soul finally breathes with the Master beside.*

[Previous Letter](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/letter-three-meeting-the-mirror-guide/)
### 11. WHAT PATTERN ARE YOU LIVING FROM?
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/what-pattern-are-you-living-from/
Last updated: 2026-10-06T19:41:23.000Z
### What We Inherit

When a child is born, the parents eagerly anticipate the moment they can see their little one, each hoping to catch a glimpse of their own features in the newborn. Playful debates often arise about who “wins” the genetic lottery based on the child’s features. Will the child have the mother's eyes or the father’s distinctive nose? The hue of the mother’s hair or the father’s? The stature of one side of the family or the other? Or perhaps a blend of both. 

These resemblances stretch through previous generations, with children often taking on features of uncles, aunts, and grandparents. Just as physical features are passed down, so too are other aspects, such as our thinking patterns, behavioural patterns, emotional traumas, and spiritual states. We inherit ways of perceiving the world, responding to challenges, and navigating emotions. 

When a child is born into an Arabic-speaking family, they adopt that language just by being in the presence of those who speak it. If they are born into an English-speaking family, they will pick up English. Similarly, if surrounded by Chinese speakers, they will learn Chinese. This highlights the adaptability of *Insān* and the influence of their surroundings. Children are like sponges, and the first years of their lives are when they absorb the most from their atmosphere. 

There are two aspects that influence our pattern of thinking: ancestral lineage and our environment. When we are surrounded by people with negative thinking patterns who practice harmful behaviours, we tend to adopt those habits. Conversely, when we are with individuals who have positive thinking patterns and demonstrate good behaviour, we are likely to adopt those habits as well. For instance, if we frequently shout at our children, they will grow up to be hot-tempered. If we lie in front of them, they will do the same. However, if we demonstrate generosity, they will learn that value. Similarly, if we are empathetic towards them, they will also learn to be empathetic. The same principle applies to our friendships. If your group of friends engages in gambling, you are most likely to become a gambler yourself. On the other hand, if your friends are pious, their behaviour will likely influence you. 

When Allah ﷻ wanted to create the universe, HE first conceived it in HIS Mind and then HE commanded it to come into existence, and everything manifested. Everything begins with our pattern of thinking. When we think about accomplishing anything, we must first visualize it in our mind, even if only for a split second. This means that we have the ability to set an intention before we act or react. When we establish ourselves in certainty, faith, and trust, these attributes serve as a foundation for inspiration and motivation. If we dwell on worry, disappointment and a lack of faith, we naturally fall into doubt and begin to feel discouraged.

### The Inner State

Once, there was a wise merchant who received news that his ship, carrying valuable treasures and goods, had sunk in a storm. When the messenger delivered this news, he calmly responded, “*Alhamdulillah*.” The messenger was surprised by this reaction, expecting the merchant to be distraught.

A few days later, the merchant learned that the initial report had been incorrect. His ship had arrived safely, and its goods were being unloaded. He again said, “*Alhamdulillah*.” This time, the messenger was confused, wondering why the merchant had said “*Alhamdulillah*” both when he believed his ship had sunk and when he learned that it had arrived safely. So he asked the merchant, “When you heard that your ship had sunk, you said *Alhamdulillah*, and when you learned that it had arrived safely, you said *Alhamdulillah* again. How come?”

The merchant explained that when he heard his ship had sunk, he looked within himself and saw that his inner state with Allah ﷻ remained unshaken. The state of his heart had not shifted with the news, so he said, “*Alhamdulillah*.” When he learned that the ship had arrived safely, he looked within himself once more and recognized that its safe arrival had not shifted his inner state or changed his relationship with Allah ﷻ. So he said, “*Alhamdulillah*” again.

Neither the loss nor the return of his belongings changed what mattered most to him: the constancy of his relationship with Allah ﷻ*.* He believed that there is wisdom within every circumstance, whether good or bad. Everything belongs to God, which is why we should remain grateful in all matters. 

Some people ask, “Why has God given me this hardship?” This type of thinking pattern is what controls their state. For example, if someone sees themselves only as a victim and sees their hardships only as misery, that is what they will experience. On the other hand, if a person sees hardship as an opportunity to learn a valuable life lesson, their approach to challenges transforms. 

Likewise, when one is blessed with moments of joy and pleasure, it is important to view them with the same awareness, so that one does not become heartbroken when those moments pass. Every event in life carries a lesson within it. In this way, we begin to read between the lines rather than focusing solely on misery or pleasure. We come to understand that even the greatest hardships are disguised as blessings.

Instead of sulking in despair or becoming overly exuberant about worldly affairs that are by nature unstable, we begin to see life from an elevated perspective. Circumstances are not done directly to us; they happen around us, and our mindset and perspective determine how we let them in and experience them. 

### The Prophetic Pattern

The whole purpose of the Divine Books is to guide people out of the negative patterns in which they find themselves. As harmful traditions and ways of life—*riwāyāt*—develop through generations and are followed blindly, Allah ﷻ sends down HIS Mercy through HIS Prophets (peace be upon them). 

The Prophets (PBUT) break away from the destructive habits and patterns of the societies they live in, challenging the dominant ways of thinking and conduct within them. They pave the way for a different pattern of thinking—one that introduces contemplation, faith, certitude, and deep trust in God, and cultivates compassion, knowledge, and reflection, fostering a constructive thinking pattern. 

*Deen* is essentially the Thinking Pattern that brings us towards Allah ﷻ—it *is* Allah ﷻ’s Thinking Pattern. 

When Allah ﷻ Commanded the Angels (AS) to bow down before Adam (AS), they all complied except *Iblīs*. Iblīs, filled with arrogance, believed himself superior to Adam (AS). In his arrogance and defiance of Allah ﷻ, he asked to be given time until the Day of Judgment to lead humanity away from the Path through disobedience. 

This highlights two distinct patterns of thinking that one can adopt: the *Raḥmānī Pattern* and the *shayṭānī pattern*.

### What We Receive

We receive *khayāl* through waves, acting as receivers of what is being broadcast. Depending on the frequency to which we are attuned, we can capture thoughts at different levels. A higher frequency allows us to receive them in a purer state, while a lower frequency results in receiving the *khayāl* at a stage when it has become polluted.

Just as a television broadcast travels through waves to reach the device and appear on the screen, our thoughts operate in a similar manner, appearing on the screen of the mind. If other electronic devices interfere with the signal, they can cause distortion or loss of clarity, affecting how the information is transmitted.

All *khayāl* begins as pure thoughts from One Source: Allah ﷻ. We can either receive it in its pure state, or, as it descends, it can be interrupted by another agency (*shayṭān*), which lowers its frequency and causes us to receive it at a distorted level.

There are forces that either bring us closer to reality or take us further away from it. Everything is created by Allah ﷻ, including both negative and positive energies. Allah ﷻ has made it clear that there are forces that oppose HIS way and those that align with it.

As receivers of *khayāl*, we decide which thoughts to engage with and explore, and which ones to let pass by. It’s like scrolling on your phone; you can spend hours heedlessly scrolling through so much content, interacting only with what attracts your attention. When you encounter content you don’t like, you skip it or simply unfollow. Over time, the algorithm learns not to keep placing it in your feed. Similarly, when we overcome such thoughts rather than continuing to feed them with our attention, we weaken their hold on the mind. The quality of the thoughts we feed ourselves daily affects our mental state. 

Once we become aware of these patterns within us, it becomes our duty to correct them so that they are not passed on to the next generation, as part of their inheritance. We should not allow harmful habits to persist because, with time, they become more ingrained. Changing them becomes increasingly difficult the longer we practice them. Making a meaningful change requires significant willpower and determination. 

### The Hidden Knowledge

*Khayāl* comes from *Ghayb*. When we act upon it, it becomes *ẓāhir*—it manifests. Once the action is completed, it returns to *Ghayb*, where it is recorded in our record.

*Al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ* is like a motherboard, containing all the information of the universe. As information descends from *Ghayb*, it is broadcast, allowing us to receive it and fulfill it through action. In this way, it becomes manifest and is then sent back to *Ghayb*. After completing its cycle, it is recorded as a completed task.

At each step, we draw from this motherboard, select options, and send them back to be inscribed in our individual records. We should be mindful of how we send our deeds back, as this influences our lives in *dunyā* and in *al-Ākhirah*. We are constantly accumulating energy that affects us, our lives, and our relationship with Allah ﷻ.

We should aim to break the negative thinking patterns within the *riwāyāt* that we have inherited and connect our thinking pattern to the one found in the Divine Books and the Teachings of the Prophets (AS).

Prophets (AS) have been sent with the Divine Books as a mercy to mankind, guiding humanity towards the Truth. Through their patterns of thinking and conduct, they illustrate the wisdom that has been bestowed upon *Insān* by Allah ﷻ. They made this knowledge practical and the Path to Allah ﷻ achievable. 

When we study the stories in the Holy Qurʾān, they are not presented merely for the sake of storytelling. These accounts recount historical events whose patterns continually recur throughout time. For instance, when we examine the story of Firʿawn, who sought dominance through power and greed, we can recognize similar patterns in our time. 

When we look at the story of Prophet Sulaymān (AS) and the throne, we see that Allah ﷻ mentions a man with the Knowledge of the Book who surpassed even the knowledge of the jinn and brought the throne of Sabaʾ in the blink of an eye.

According to the teaching being reflected upon here, this was a regular man—not a Prophet or a *Nabī*—but one of Sayyidunā Sulaymān’s (AS) followers who possessed the Divine Knowledge through which he could perform miraculous feats beyond the comprehension of our limited worldly knowledge. 

Just as Firʿawn’s story can be seen in our time, so too can we relate the story of the man with the *Knowledge of the Book*. We cannot pick and choose which aspects of these narratives we believe can exist; our limited minds cannot accept some elements of the Holy Qurʾān while dismissing others, because it is timeless.

Logic has its place, but spirituality transcends logic. To experience spirituality, we must allow ourselves to go beyond logic, because it is limiting. For example, science explores that which can be observed and measured within the physical world, through the physical senses, yet these limited eyes do not perceive everything.

Spirituality invites us to explore beyond what we can physically see. If the heart recognizes a reality that the physical senses cannot grasp, we should follow that curiosity and explore until the spiritual eye sees it. 

We should not dismiss what we wish to explore simply because it lies beyond what science can observe or what society readily accepts. What about the heart that feels and seeks to follow that sensation to free itself from the confinement of physicality? Should it suppress its vision? Or should we recognize that there is immense beauty to be experienced beyond logic and the physical world?

When someone takes the steps to discover what lies beyond the physical, and begins to explore the Knowledge of the Soul, they begin to nurture their hearts and souls. They attain a deeper understanding of their origin and their reason for existence. Entering the Life of *Ghayb*, result in *Sukūn* in this world. We usually get glimpses of this tranquillity, but for one to attain a consistent state and to know the fullness of that *Sukūn*, one must experience the Knowledge of the Soul. 

### Beyond Duality

Happiness is the conscious state of the Friends of Allah ﷻ. They remain happy in every situation, seeking the beauty in all things. When we remain happy and content regardless of the circumstances, we begin to awaken the *Raḥmānī Thinking Pattern*, which gradually diminishes the *shayṭānī pattern of thinking*.

This movement takes us away from the pattern of *doubt* and into the pattern of *Yaqīn*. As we learn to distinguish between the dual patterns, we realize that beyond them lies a neutral pattern of thinking: a state in which one sees that Allah ﷻ is the Creator of all that appears within HIS system.

The friends of Allah ﷻ see through this neutral pattern of thinking. Their alignment with Allah ﷻ becomes so one-pointed that they negate everything other than HIM and see only Allah ﷻ in all things. This is *Qalandar* Consciousness: the *ṭarz-e fikr* of Allah ﷻ, borrowed by HIS *Awliyāʾ*.

---

### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi(RA)

[Previous Chapter](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/destined-to-be/)
### THE BREATH OF THE BELOVED
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/the-breath-of-the-beloved/
Last updated: 2026-07-29T16:35:57.000Z
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ   
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

(أَلَآ إِنَّ أَوۡلِيَآءَ ٱللَّهِ لَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُونَ) 

*“Indeed, the friends of Allah shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.”* 
*\[Yūnus: 62\]*

Indeed, it is a verse that evolves within us as *mureedeen* journeying through  
the path of love and remembrance.

There comes a point in life where a series of events begin to reshape a person from within.  
And because of those changes, one may enter a state of uncertainty, restlessness,  
and the loss of inner stillness.

The journey towards the straight path  
slowly turns into wandering.

The soul begins to play  
what I once called  
“the numbers game”  
searching for a way to feel whole again,  
as though life itself  
must begin all over.

As one begins settling for passing satisfactions,  
the soul slowly weakens beneath the weight of forgetfulness.

And the more we chase these momentary comforts,  
the more we begin to realize  
that life itself is constantly changing.  
I know I did…

In such moments, I return back to the simplest teachings of my Beloved Murshid Kareem (RA)

The teachings that were passed to him by his Beloved Murshid.

There is a plant known as the bamboo tree.

From this bamboo, the flute is formed.

A wind instrument which, as Murshid Kareem once described,  
becomes a voice for the soul’s longing to reunite with its Creator.

Every bamboo grows differently.  
Each carries its own shape,  
its own measure,  
its own stories.

And even if two flutes are carved in the exact same way,  
their melodies will still differ slightly from one another.

Yet despite their differences,  
they serve the same purpose.

My dear souls,  
we are that tree,  
and we are that flute.

For just as we all came from Adam (AS),  
we too carry different measures,  
different stories,  
and different ways of perceiving life.

And by the grace of God  
we all share the same destination:

Returning to Allah ﷻ.

And the most beautiful part of this journey  
is the One who shapes the flute  
and breathes life into its melody.

That is none other than the spiritual guide—Beloved Murshid Kareem.

A true musician understands his instrument.  
He knows where to soften it,  
where to hollow it,  
where to place his fingers,  
and how to draw from it the melody it was always meant to carry.

And as true Awliya of Allah,  
connected through the beautiful Prophetic lineage of divine light and love,  
they nurture within the sālik the hidden potential Allah ﷻ has already placed there.

The Murshid does not create the light within the seeker.  
Rather,  
he helps remove the layers  
that prevented the heart from witnessing  
what was always present.

As the Spiritual Mentor breathes within the flute,  
the voice of remembrance begins to emerge,  
and the Divine light and Attributes of Allah ﷻ slowly but surely illuminate the inner being.

The question now becomes:

Why do we allow such hits to take place within our journey?

Why must the soul go through the process of being hollowed and slowly formed into a flute?

One owes it to oneself to discover the reason.

Because the journey of remembrance  
can be difficult,  
yet deeply rewarding.

For the human being carries both:

the possibility  
of falling lower than the ego,

and the possibility  
of rising beyond angels.

For the hollowing of the flute  
is not meant to destroy the bamboo,  
but to awaken the melody hidden within it.

Thus, your reason must become deeply anchored (رَاسِخ) within your heart,  
so that when the hits arrive,  
they do not shake your direction,  
but instead deepen your surrender.

For without anchoring oneself in the remembrance of Allah ﷻ,  
the storms of life can easily cause the traveler to lose sight  
of why he began the journey in the first place.

Therefore, I question once more:

What is your why?

And why place your trust in the hand of the Beloved?

Perhaps because amidst everything that is constantly changing,  
the human being endlessly longs for what is everlasting.  
For stillness.  
For peace.  
For something that does not perish.

And so, the heart returns to the Divine Words:

أَلَاۤ إِنَّ أَوۡلِيَاۤءَ ٱللَّهِ لَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَیۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ یَحۡزَنُونَ

*“Indeed, the friends of Allah shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.”*

ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَكَانُوا۟ یَتَّقُونَ

*“For those who believe and are conscious of God,”*

لَهُمُ ٱلۡبُشۡرَىٰ فِی ٱلۡحَیَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡیَا وَفِی ٱلۡـَٔاخِرَةِۚ لَا تَبۡدِیلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِیمُ 

*“For them there is glad tidings in this worldly life and in the Hereafter. There is no changing the Words of Allah. That is truly the supreme triumph.”*

Dear loving souls,

With everything in life constantly changing, from love, relationships, health, careers, and even the identities we once thought would remain forever.

Everything in this life carries an expiration.

Jibreel (AS) once said to Rasool Allah ﷺ:

أَحْبِبْ مَنْ شِئْتَ فَإِنَّكَ مُفَارِقُهُ 

*“Love whoever you wish, for surely you and the other shall part.”*

And as one grows older,  
the weight of these words begins to unfold differently within the heart.

Therefore, do it for the One thing that does not change.

The One Reality that remains with you regardless of which realm you pass through.

And no matter how deeply the hits of life may wound the flute,  
know deep within yourself  
that the truest victory has always been Allah ﷻ.

And I sincerely say this from the depths of my soul,  
that realization alone was what carried me through my darkest nights,  
gazing at the infinite sky,  
knowing somewhere within the quiet whisper:

فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ   
*“Indeed, I am near.”*

\[Al-Baqarah: 186\]

Allah knows what you are going through.  
Yet through every hit,  
every hollowing,  
and every moment of uncertainty,  
He wishes to unveil to you the beauty of His Mercy (رَحْمَة).

And the more we surrender to these beautiful transformations,  
we slowly enter the station described in the Hadith Qudsi:

*“When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. If he asks of Me, I will surely give him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely grant him refuge.”*

And somewhere within this path,  
the embracing of such hits begins to take place,  
because the soul simply knows.

I recall a moment while praising my Beloved Murshid Kareem (RA),  
when with such humility and gentleness,  
he softly replied with a loving smile:  
*“I am nothing but a flute through which the presence of my Murshid breathes.”*

What a sacred form of love and devotion that is.

And perhaps this is what every *sālik* is truly seeking through  
the unseen journey of remembrance and truth.

For within this path,  
one encounters fears,  
uncertainties,  
and the weight of inner storms.

And in such darkness,  
a Mentor becomes among the greatest of blessings:

One who allows the traveler to hold his hand,  
and walks with him through the infinite paths of divinity,  
to show him the way to Allah ﷻ.

For what we, as *sālikeen*, are truly striving for  
is to walk in the footsteps of the Awliya of Allah (the Friends of God).

Because they are the ones who most closely walked in the footsteps of Rasool Allah ﷺ.

And the footsteps of Rasool Allah ﷺ   
are the path that leads Home.

It leads to peace.  
It leads to truth.  
It leads to you.

And ultimately…

It leads to Allah.

---

[Previous Reflection](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/when-you-become-silent-what-awakens-within-you/)
### 10. DESTINED TO BE
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/destined-to-be/
Last updated: 2026-10-09T16:33:02.000Z
### The Divine Record

A question that many ponder is whether we are driven by destiny or by choice (مسير أو مخير). To understand how Allah's ﷻ System works in relation to this, we must consider the creation of the universe. When Allah ﷻ created the universe, HE inscribed everything on *Al-Lawh Al-Mahfūẓ*. Nothing exists in the universe without first being recorded there. If something is not recorded on *Al-Lawh Al-Mahfūẓ*, it cannot come into existence or manifest. All of existence—past, present, and future—is inscribed on it. We exist because we are recorded there. Every thing is preordained, including the resources allocated for our provision.

### How Rizq Reaches Us

Since *rizq* is already predetermined for us, one person may choose to receive it through lawful means, while another, despite his conscience urging him otherwise, might obtain it through unlawful methods.

There is a famous story about Sayyidnā ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him). Once, while he was in the desert and wanted to offer his prayer, he found no place to tie his camel. He asked a man standing nearby to hold the camel for him while he prayed. After finishing his prayer, he turned around and discovered that the camel’s saddle had been stolen. Later, in the market, one of his companions saw Sayyidnā ʿAlī’s (RAA) saddle being sold and asked the seller for the price. The man replied, “Two gold coins.” He bought it and took it back to Sayyidnā ʿAlī (RAA).

Eventually, Sayyidnā ʿAlī (RAA) encountered the man who had stolen his saddle and said to him, “You received two gold coins for selling the saddle you stole. However, if you had been patient enough to wait for me to finish my prayer, I would have given you two gold coins for helping me hold my camel.” 

Our *rizq* is predetermined for us; however, the way in which we receive it depends on the pattern of thinking and conduct we adopt. All possibilities are predetermined by Allah ﷻ—whether we choose the lawful or unlawful path—the outcome of that choice is already established. As *Insān*, we have been given the capacity to choose between lawful and unlawful, with all the potential pathways set by HIM. Ultimately, even when we appear to make a decision, it is an integral part of a destiny that HE has written. 

### What Do We Truly Control?

Upon deeper reflection, we realize that the assumption we have of choice is, in essence, HIS Will. We do not choose to be born into this world, yet each one of us arrives here for a predetermined time, as it is HIS ﷻ Will. We do not choose to grow from youth to old age, yet it happens. We do not choose to die, yet it happens to everyone. 

A force moves the cosmos within a Divine System, where every thing is interconnected and governed by Allah’s ﷻ Will. Ḥaḍrat Qalander Bābā Auliyā (RA) has stated, *“People are misguided in believing they control their circumstances. In reality, humans are like toys, moved by forces beyond their control. If they truly held sway over their fate, no one would remain poor.”*

All of us are destined to meet Allah ﷻ again; we make that choice either willingly or unwillingly. We can be conscious of it or unconscious of it. We can move with the Divine flow of life, or we can struggle against it. When we consciously choose the Path toward the Creator, we align our *irādah* with HIS *Irādah*. As we navigate through choices, believing them to be our own, the friends of Allah ﷻ, those firmly established in HIS Knowledge, are described in Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem as follows:

(وَالرّاسِخونَ فِي العِلمِ يَقولونَ آمَنّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِن عِندِ رَبِّنا وَما يَذَّكَّرُ إِلّا أُولُو الأَلبابِ‏) 

And those who are firmly grounded/established in Knowledge say, “We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord. And none will grasp the Message except people of understanding.” 

\[Āli ʿImrān: 7\] 

The friends of Allah ﷻ know with certainty and are established in Knowledge that everything is from HIM. Their desires become aligned with HIS Desire, and they live contentedly in this realization. Whether they turn left or right, it is from Allah ﷻ . Their will is so aligned with HIS that, for them, the concept of choice is no longer about choosing between outcomes, but about choosing Allah ﷻ. This is true perception. They recognize that their ultimate destiny is to be with HIM. They have truly tasted the tranquility found with Allah ﷻ. As a result, they naturally choose to return to HIM, or rather, to remain with HIM; they live in the awareness that they are never apart from HIM. 

### Effort Without Anxious Control

This does not imply that mankind should become stagnant and say, “Since it is all from Allah ﷻ, I do not need to do anything.” Movement is essential; effort and striving are indispensable because they prevent stagnation and keep our faculties active within the system of Allah ﷻ. Yet the outcome must be left completely to Allah ﷻ .It is more about relaxing into the state of dependency on HIM than trying to anxiously control situations and outcomes, knowing without a doubt that whatever is destined for us will reach us. 

We may not know what circumstances will arise or how they will unfold, but amid the inevitable and predetermined highs and lows of life, the one thing we can be certain of is our inner state. We can achieve a level of neutrality that prevents circumstances from swaying us, allowing us to rise above being controlled by emotions. We do not become overly excited by pleasure or too disappointed by pain, recognizing that both are fleeting; the best of times pass, as do the worst. We establish ourselves in such a way that our inner state remains consistent and unaltered.

This consistency results from consciously aligning our will with the Will of Allah ﷻ. To go with the flow means to accept circumstances as they are without being affected by them. Our inner state remains rooted in our will, and our will stays focused on a single point, grounded in unwavering Reality. 

### Tawakkul & the Divine Order

Through spiritual observation and insight, one gradually develops *tawakkul*. The *tawakkul* practiced by those established in Knowledge, goes beyond the surface; it establishes and cultivates certainty in the vision that everything, big or small, is from One Source—Allah ﷻ. They see that the whole universe is governed by One Supreme Being, and this captures their full focus. The *yaqīn* that all things are from Allah ﷻ fosters tranquility, and when the mind is directed toward HIM, one gains the ability to perceive *Ghayb*, enabling deep conviction. Without this vision, true peace can never be attained. 

Every event of life, whether large or small, through hardship or ease, is part of a Divine Order. The friends of Allah ﷻ observe and affirm that everything in the cosmos—past, present, and future—directly correlates to the Divine Programme, all aligning with HIS ﷻ Decree. With this understanding, and complete *tawakkul* upon Allah ﷻ, a distinct pattern of detachment from worldly means emerges, allowing one to live within worldly life while, in parallel, living through the Soul in direct connection with Allah ﷻ.

---

### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi(RA)

[Next Chapter](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/what-pattern-are-you-living-from/)

[Previous Chapter](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/a-single-point/)
### LETTER THREE: MEETING THE MIRROR GUIDE
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/letter-three-meeting-the-mirror-guide/
Last updated: 2026-10-07T05:45:51.000Z
*In the Name of the One who reflects His Beauty in the face of His friend.* 

Dear Sālik, 

How do I even begin to tell you what it feels like to have your hand held, by the hand of mercy through the dark? 

For so long, I thought I was moving towards something, making progress just because I was contemplating the heart and seeking the depth of my soul. But looking back, it was like trying to find the way through a forest at night by the light of a single match. It would flare up for a moment, only to die out and leave the darkness feeling even longer than before. A quiet helplessness takes hold of you when you finally admit that you cannot find the way Home on your own. 

*Then came the meeting that changed everything*.But it didn’t happen right away. The heart has to face many mirrors, learning through scattered reflections before it could bear the clarity of the One True Mirror. 

Before that happened, I wandered alongside the birds in Attar’s *Conference of the Birds*, and I saw my own reflection in their wavering. We all set out with grand intentions to find the King, yet how quickly we are distracted by our own petty attachments. The nightingale trapped by the beauty of the rose, the hawk by its own pride—much like I was trapped by my own "spiritual experiences." The birds would never have crossed the Seven Valleys if it weren't for the Hoopoe. He was the one who had already survived the valleys of Search, Love, and Annihilation. And he not only gave them a map; but he held them in his presence through the entire journey. 

We speak so confidently of love, but my friend, we forget that love is a craft. An apprentice may have the capacity to learn, but without the Master to guide the heart toward perfection, our love remains lackluster. In this spiritual apprenticeship, our souls are the raw material, and our ego is the rough edge that needs smoothing. I realized that if left to my own wandering I would never reach the True Beloved. 

This "waiting on tiptoe" is the hallmark of the true seeker. It is the exhaustion of the solitary ego that finally allows the Murshid to appear. Finding him is the ultimate necessity. The masters tell us that "*he who has no Sheikh, his Sheikh is Shaytan."* 

Do not be frightened Young Sālik! This is only to remind us that the ego is a clever master of disguise. It can take our very passion for the Divine and turn it into pride, making us believe we are soaring to heights when we are merely spinning in circles. 

In the patient waiting I found a radiant pearl illuminated before me; Data Ganj Bakhsh Ali Hujwiri echoing the same in his *Kashf al-Mahjub*: *"The disciple is a seeker, and the Murshid is the desired one... the traveler who has no guide is like a tree that grows in the wilderness, which may produce leaves but never bears fruit."* For truth is not learned only through book—it is transmitted through presence. 

*"Dil ba dil rah darad"* 

*(From heart to heart, there is a way).* 

A seeker may ask: How does one meet such a soul? For it is rarely a matter of mere chance; it is a destiny woven by the One. As the longing grows, the soul begins to cry out for a specific kind of mercy. It seeks the Pure Mirror. 

Then how does one recognize the True Mirror Guide when they appear before him? 

In a world where you’ll find a thousand teachers, remember that the Murshid-e-Kaamil is the one who does not reflect himself at all. A true Sheikh is a soul that has been ground down through *Fana* (annihilation) until he has no color of his own. When you stand before him, you are looking at a vessel of Prophetic Light. He reflects you back to yourself with such startling honesty that you finally see the difference between your true essence and the masks of your ego. 

The Prophet ﷺ said, *“The believer is the mirror of the believer.”* I remembered all the mirrors that came into my life before the Murshid—if my fellow companions were a mirror, imagine the clarity of the one who has been perfected to be a "Mirror of the Prophet ﷺ.”

And so the *Leader of the Caravan*, the one who has already reached the Presence is sent to the edges of the desert to collect the lost wanderers. 

***The Meeting*** 

My friend, it was not a meeting of two bodies, the soul began to recognize the light it was composed of. 

Standing before the Mirror Guide is unlike standing before any other human being. One does not feel observed or looked at, one feels unveiled. It is as though the surface of your being—the identities, defenses, and performances begin to dissolve under his gaze. His very presence makes concealment impossible. It reminded me of what elders say: *“The glance of the guide is a lamp placed inside the chest.”* And when that lamp is lit, the seeker begins to see themselves with unbearable clarity. I remember the terror and relief of this simultaneously. Love had brought me to him but standing before him, I realized how much of my love was still entangled with self. 

There is no choice but to surrender when you stand so inwardly naked. It was a kind of nakedness which was not imposed; it arises naturally when love has seasoned enough to trust revealing. You begin to feel every hidden chamber within you being illuminated. For what remains unseen cannot be purified. *Ishq* had crossed the threshold as my soul began to say: *See me as I am. Refine me as I am. Break what is false within me.* 

It is an existential offering of your entire being. This was the start of my 'becoming'—the moment I was handed over to the Master to finally learn the true craft of Love. 

Over the years, being in the presence or Suhbah of the Murshid—an otherworldly connection was strengthened—the inner atmosphere began to change and realign. 

Just entering the space where the Mirror Guide resided, the air itself feels like coming from another subtle reality. My heart always began to involuntarily resonate with a rhythm I did not teach it: *Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyum... Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyum...* It is as if his very presence is a tuning fork for the soul, pulling my pulse back to the Living, the Sustaining. 

My fellow companion! By keeping the company of an awake heart, your own heart begins to learn the rhythm of wakefulness. This is how the *Nisbat* (the spiritual connection) is transferred. The Sheikh does not give you more "knowledge"; he gives you his "state." 

In this state of *Suhbah*, the Divine Attributes of Allah—the *sifaat* begin to emerge from the realm of theory and entering the realm of essence. You begin to see *Al-Hayy* (The Ever-Living) in the way his heart seems to pulse with a vitality that does not belong to the flesh. He reflects these attributes because he has vacated himself; he is a hollow reed through which the Divine Breath flows. You find yourself seeing the King’s face through the window of the servant’s heart. 

This connection facilitates a subtle alchemy. A dormant coal, when placed next to a glowing ember, eventually absorbs the heat and begins to glow with the same fire. This is how the spiritual state of the teacher is transferred to the student. 

With the Murshid by your side, through all the storms of transformation, you are never alone. An elder once told me that the Murshid feels his *mureed* (disciple) like the pores on his own skin. If a single hair is pulled on the disciple, the pain is felt by the Murshid. And once you have taken *Bayah* (the pledge of submission to the teacher), you no longer live outside him; you live within him. He carries you; he is the one who holds the lamp when your internal world goes dark during the "Night of the Soul." His heart and your heart enter into a union where words are no longer necessary and distance has no meaning. 

I began to ask “How may I remain in this union and keep gazing at the True Mirror always beholding the Beloved? 

And so the Murshid led me to the reality of *Tassawur-e-Sheikh*. While it is given as a "practice"—a visualization, it eventually becomes the very way you exist. Tassawur became the alignment of my vessel with a source of Light. 

Think of it like this: if you wish to capture the light of the sun in a dark room, you place a mirror in the doorway to reflect the rays into the corners. The Murshid is that mirror. He has no light of his own, but he is positioned perfectly to reflect the Prophetic Sun into the dark chambers of your heart where you cannot yet see. 

You are hitching your wild, wandering heart to a heart that is at rest with the Beloved. You begin to live always in his presence, as if he is standing before you at every moment, watching your every thought and movement with a look of immense love and correction. You find your heart constantly speaking to his, engrossed in an inward exchange that never ceases. 

As I began to dissolve in his reality, Bulleh Shah reminded me of this total absorption: 

*"Ranjha Ranjha kardi hun main aape Ranjha hoyi."* 

(Repeating the name of the Beloved, I have become the Beloved myself.) 

Dear Seeker, as you move along this journey, remember that the search for the Guide is, in truth, the first sign that the Guide has already found you. It is the magnetic pull of the Murshid’s heart reaching out to yours across the distances of the world. 

Wait for that reflection. And when the Mirror is placed before you, have the courage not to look away. My dear friend, do not let your passion be scattered like dust in the wind. Seek the Mirror. For it is preparing you to face the Beloved. 

Always walking beside you, 

Your fellow Sālik. 

[Next Letter](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/letter-four-wearing-the-garment-of-adab/)

[Previous Letter](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/letter-three-meeting-the-mirror-guide/)
### 09. A SINGLE POINT
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/a-single-point/
Last updated: 2026-06-21T07:19:26.000Z
### The Hidden Point

There is a single point that, if one manages to access it through their pattern of thinking, contains within it eternal *Sukoon*.

This point contains all the secrets of the universe, and it is through this same point that one finds the gateway to the Creator. 

When we gain access to this point, we gain the ability to return to it and remain within it, exploring and expanding our consciousness.

It becomes a point of refuge, a true source of stable serenity—where there is no disturbance, only the Knowledge of Allah ﷻ and HIS Presence. 

As Hudhoor Qalander Baba Auliya (RA) explained, the Knowledge of the Pen (علم القلم) is distinct in that its attribute lies in the tip of the pen.

When it touches the paper, the first thing it does is create a point.

This point is the Essence of all knowledge.

From this point emerge *Alif, Baa, Taa,* and so on, but the true distinction lies within the point itself. 

### The Invitation

There is no love like the Love of Allah ﷻ. 

HE ﷻ continuously showers HIS blessings upon all of creation. HIS Love is limitless and unconditional.

Even the atheist who claims that God does not exist is still enjoying Allah ﷻ’s Mercy. They have no choice; they breathe HIS air, drink HIS water, bask in HIS sunshine, and enjoy HIS fruits that HE sweetens beneath HIS moonlight.

The Mercy and Knowledge of Allah ﷻ are not limited to Muslims alone; they encompass all of humanity, for all are HIS creation. 

The blessings of God are upon everyone.

If Allah ﷻ were not thinking of you, you would not exist.

It is HE who fashioned you, gave you eyes and sight, and determined your characteristics and how you thrive.

It is HE Who chose you to be a part of HIS creation. Whether you want to appreciate the beauty of it or not, you are a part of it.

It is HE Who sustains you and keeps you alive. What a profound privilege it is that HE even thinks of us and desires us to be alive.

It is now up to each of us to decide how we want to take part and engage with this Reality, and how present and conscious we want HIM to be in our lives.

Allah ﷻ says:

(ادعوني أَستَجِب لَكُم‏) 

Call on Me, I will answer you. 

\[Ghāfir: 60\] 

This is an invitation.

Allah ﷻ is saying: invite ME into your lives. Ask from ME to be conscious of ME. Invite ME, and I will come and accept your invitation.

We often think that this *Ayah* is limited to asking Allah ﷻ to fulfill our needs and desires within creation.

However, at a time when Murshid Kareem (RA), Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi, had no desire in his heart to ask anything from Allah ﷻ, Huzoor Qalander Baba Auliya (RA) advised him, 

*“Ask Allah for Allah!”*

We must have the *iradah*—a sincere inner willingness—to want HIM to be a conscious part of our lives.

This is the ultimate choice one must make.

There is often a sense of fear instilled in people through cultural understandings of Islam, causing them to shy away from developing a close relationship with Allah ﷻ, believing that intimacy and closeness with Allah ﷻ are not possible while still in *duniya*—as though this conscious, two-way relationship can only be experienced after we pass away. 

People often imagine that closeness to Allah ﷻ means living beneath constant judgement, feeling ashamed each time they fall short or make mistakes.

HE knows what you are thinking. HE knows what you are feeling, whether you express it out loud or not.

What do we have to hide from HIM?

HE knows us better than we know ourselves. HE created each of us and knows every detail of who we are.

Even if you are doing the worst thing in the world, if you sincerely have Allah ﷻ on your mind, HE will make a way for you out of it.

Allah ﷻ is the Most-Forgiving; even if we make mistakes as vast as the ocean HE would forgive us and honour us time and again.

If we perceive Allah ﷻ through feelings of fear and judgement, that is how HE would be revealed to us. Conversely, if we see Allah ﷻ as loving, forgiving, and compassionate, that is how HE will reveal HIMSELF to us.

We make approaching HIM feel so daunting that we begin to believe we can only come to HIM in a certain state—according to our own definitions of purity and piety.

There is no benchmark for approaching HIM, just a sincere heart. Not for HIS resources, but for HIM.

The truth is, Allah ﷻ is with us at all times, even if we are in the gutter.

Everything you love and enjoy, everything that gives you pleasure and makes you happy is a part of HIS creation—so why not experience it with HIM?

The moment we think of Allah ﷻ, HE is already there with us.

A beautiful *Hadith Qudsi* expresses this:

(قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ: يَقُولُ اللهُ ﷻ: أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي، وَأَنَا مَعَهُ حِينَ يَذْكُرُنِي، إِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي نَفْسِهِ، ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي نَفْسِي، وَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي مَلَإٍ، ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي مَلَإٍ هُمْ خَيْرٌ مِنْهُمْ، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ مِنِّي شِبْرًا، تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ ذِرَاعًا، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ ذِرَاعًا، تَقَرَّبْتُ مِنْهُ بَاعًا، وَإِنْ أَتَانِي يَمْشِي أَتَيْتُهُ هَرْوَلَةً.‏) 

The Prophet ﷺ said, "Allah ﷻ says: 'I Am as my servant expects Me to be, and I am with him when He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering that is better than it. And if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him. And if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go an arm’s length nearer to him. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.'" 

Imagine you are a tech fanatic, and a new, incredible device has just been released. You are so amazed by how it works and deeply curious about its inner workings, the details of its creation, and the knowledge behind it.

You constantly use the device and enjoy it.

Now, imagine that tomorrow, you get a call from someone telling you that the person who created this device wants to spend time with you and offer you an internship where you can learn from him personally on a daily basis. You would have the opportunity to know him and understand the mechanisms behind the device.

Would you not want to accept that offer? 

### Care of Allah ﷻ 

Let us consider the example of a mother. 

When a mother gives birth to her child, she does everything for him. She prepares for the child even before his arrival. She decorates the child’s room, prepares his clothes, making sure everything is ready, all the while taking care of her health to ensure the child is healthy.

Once the child is here, she sacrifices her time and comfort to nurture him—feeding him, cleaning him, and soothing him to sleep.

As the child grows and makes mistakes, it is often the mother who holds him dearest and nearest. She pardons him and continuously supports him, believing he can become his best self regardless of how many times he errs.

It is her love that consoles and protects; it is her love that instills the confidence and support he needs to change.

Her warm embrace provides comfort and safety. 

Now, what can we say about our Creator, our *Rabb*—the One who created the mother as a means of expressing love to us?

This magnitude of love is not even close to how Allah ﷻ loves us.

How can we remain so oblivious and ignorant, believing that we are the ones doing everything, depending mainly on ourselves, people, and resources? 

The human mechanism operates in a way that is beyond our knowledge and control.

You breathe without consciously telling yourself to. Your heart beats, pumping and circulating your blood. 

Once, you were just a drop of sperm in your mother’s womb, transforming into a clot as your organs and body parts began to form. Were you in control of this process?

You floated in the womb, being fed and nurtured without a single worry in the world.

When your mother delivered you, her blood transformed into milk to nourish you.

Who governs this transformation, and what role do you, as a human being, play in it? 

We rely on Allah ﷻ for all our primary needs, making it irrational and contradictory to assert dominance over secondary needs.

In our constant worry about sustenance, clothing, and shelter—driven by a desire for higher living standards—we often forget that it is Allah ﷻ who sustains us and blesses us with *rizq*.

HE is not somewhere far away or distant from us; rather, the whole universe exists within HIM. 

All our needs are met, just like the bird that flies off in the morning and finds its food before its claws touch the ground—preplanned and provided for by Allah ﷻ. 

Animals, like birds, demonstrate more *tawakkul* in Allah ﷻ than we do. Their *yaqeen* that Allah ﷻ is their Sole Provider leads them to receive sustenance effortlessly.

In contrast, our lack of *tawakkul* and *yaqeen* often results in disappointment because we focus on our desires, outcomes, and material gains rather than trusting in and focusing on the Source that provides for us.

Nothing that happens is because of our own intellect and accomplishments.

We forget that, just like a seed carries all the information needed to become a tree, we too are supported by a Higher Power.

It is an illusion to believe that we are in control or solely responsible for our own care or the care of others. 

### Turning Towards the Source

One of the most emphasized teachings that Murshid Kareem (RA) repeatedly shares is from *Surat Al-Ikhlas*, where Allah ﷻ describes HIS Attributes.

This *Surah* highlights the distinction between *Al-Khaliq* and *makhlooq*. Allah ﷻ is *Al-Ahad*—beyond oneness—while everything in creation exists in duality.

Allah ﷻ is *Al-Samad*—Self-Sufficient—relying on no entity but HIMSELF, completely independent of external support.

Allah ﷻ is neither begotten nor does HE beget, whereas we are born into families and continue our lineage through our children. 

There is nothing in creation equivalent to Allah ﷻ. 

However, one attribute that *Insaan* can share in reflection of Allah ﷻ is the application of *Al-Samadiyyah*. This means that a person can become independent of reliance on others and direct all their needs and dependencies upon Allah ﷻ.

*Tawakkul* and *Istighna* imply surrendering all matters to Allah ﷻ, embodying this principle with certainty and practicality rather than merely claiming to do so superficially without truly implementing it in one’s life.

Why ask anything from *duniya*? Where does it come from in the first place?

When we allow the influence of worldly needs to enter our hearts, we remain distant from truly practicing this.

As Murshid Kareem (RA) has said:

*“Ask Allah ﷻ even for shoelaces.”*

When one becomes childlike with Allah ﷻ, knowing that HE is taking care of all their needs, this begins to strengthen and deepen their relationship with HIM.

They become aware through experience that it is Allah ﷻ who provides for them, supports them, and withholds from them. 

How beautiful is our religion, filled with metaphors and examples that invite contemplation.

The simplicity of our faith, and the first steps into spirituality, begin with *tawajjuh*—sincerely turning towards Allah ﷻ, not for HIS blessings, but for HIM alone.

This sincere intention opens the door to HIS Knowledge and draws us closer to knowing HIM.

### The Heart as a Home

The focal point of *Al-Kaabah Al-Sharifah* exemplifies this. No matter where we are in the world or which direction we face, we must turn towards it to establish *Salat*.

This metaphorically illustrates how our pattern of thinking should be directed towards a single point.

Similarly, in any situation or circumstance we find ourselves in, we have the capacity to consciously redirect our attention towards Allah ﷻ instead of becoming consumed by the situation or its outcome. 

Once, after my trip to *Umrah*, I visited Murshid Kareem (RA).  
During his conversation with me, he asked me, 

*“Does Allah ﷻ live in Makkah? Is HE only found in the Kaabah?”*

HE looked at me with his deep, dreamy eyes, and my only response was to point towards my heart.

He smiled widely, his entire face lighting up, especially his eyes—that familiar, signature smile. 

Then he confirmed assertively:

*“Yes! Your heart is the abode of Allah ﷻ; it is HIS true home. So, if you want to see and be with HIM, that is where you must look.”* 

And this is the truth: I found Allah ﷻ in my beloved Murshid’s heart—a true believer, a friend, and lover of Allah ﷻ. 

When I sought Allah ﷻ, I looked everywhere—in books, classes, talks, people, lectures, practices, religions—but I never found HIM.

However, when I looked into my beloved Murshid’s heart, I found HIM there.

When his students focus on understanding how he loves Allah ﷻ, what his vision of Allah ﷻ is, and his relationship with HIM ﷻ, he graces them by opening their hearts and piercing it with this point of love.

In one discussion about how everything in the universe is praising Allah ﷻ—every creation, from the birds to the mountains, the trees, and to the wind, all are glorifying and celebrating Allah ﷻ, chanting,

*“Allah-Hu, Allah-Hu, Allah-Hu”*—

he mentioned that humankind is the only creation that remains ignorant of this language and does not understand it.

He then said: 

“Close your eyes, focus, listen to your heartbeat… what does it say?” 

### The Fuad

When Rasool Allah ﷺ was going through the most difficult time in ʿ*Aam Al-Huzn* (The Year of Sadness), having lost the people closest to Him—His beloved wife Sayyidah Khadijah (RAA) and his dear uncle, Abu Talib (RA)—Allah ﷻ took Him ﷺ on the Journey of *Al-Israa wal Al-Mi’raj*.

During this blessed journey, He reached the *Maqam of Adnaa*—the closest point to Allah ﷻ, in Divine embrace.

At this station, Allah ﷻ revealed HIS secrets to Rasool Allah ﷺ, confirming in *Al-Quran Al-Kareem* that the *Fuad*—the Spiritual Heart—did not falsely perceive what it had seen.

This *Fuad* represents the single point within our hearts that holds the vision of Reality. It contains the vision of all the formulas and secrets of creation, and it is the point in which we can cognize our Lord, the Creator.

Dearest readers and thinkers, please explain to me why Allah ﷻ would send HIS Beloved Prophet ﷺ to experience all this Majesty, Beauty, and Closeness, and convey it to us through the Knowledge of the Holy Quran, if it were not something *Insaan* was capable of experiencing.

HE ﷻ could have just left it between the two of them. Why would HE share it openly if it was not the guidance we are meant to follow?

Why do we limit our focus to rules and regulations of *duniya* while the Holy Quran repeatedly directs our attention towards *Al-Akhirah*?

It is noteworthy that the fewest number of *Ayat* in *Al-Quran Al-Kareem* concern conduct in the *duniya*, yet this remains the primary focus of many people.

What about the countless other *Ayat* that speak about the formulas of creation, the *Ma’ad*, and knowing Allah ﷻ? Why do we not spend more time exploring those? 

We often fail to understand how the *Ayat Al-Kareemah* benefit us, perceiving them as beyond our reach and comprehension because they do not align with the agenda of worldly life.

Yet many of these *Ayat* are clear proof of a Spiritual Life and Existence.

The challenge lies in how we approach the *Ayat*.

Once, in my desperation to confirm and justify my own imposed understanding of something, I relentlessly searched for answers in *Al-Quran Al-Kareem* that would support my desired outcome.

When Murshid Kareem (RA) saw this behaviour in me, he said to me:

“When you engage in tafakkur on Al-Quran Al-Kareem, don’t seek the answers you want; seek Allah in each Ayah.” 

If Allah ﷻ sent HIS most Beloved Prophet ﷺ to guide us back to HIM, we must recognize that we will never be able to reach HIM while solely focusing on this physical body, which will ultimately be buried in the ground.

We will never be able to attain the full Knowledge of the Messenger ﷺ, as He is Allah ﷻ‘s Beloved.

However, by truly following Him ﷺ, we should sincerely and wholeheartedly focus on the spiritual aspects of His teachings in order to activate our inner vision.

His teachings prove that there is an aspect within us that is the True Essence of who we are, and that we can connect with it now to begin our journey of *Ma’ad* towards Allah ﷻ.

We don’t have to physically die to embark on this journey; we simply need to detach from relying solely on the body.

(وَمَن كانَ في هذِهِ أَعمى فَهُوَ فِي الآخِرَةِ أَعمى وَأَضَلُّ سَبيلًا‏) 

Those who are blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter,  
 and even further astray from the Path. 

\[Al-Isrā’: 72\] 

When we leave this earth, none of our material accomplishments will come with us. We will leave everything behind.

This *Ayah* proves that there is something profound we need to unveil. We must activate our inner vision so that, when we leave this temporary world behind, we are not unaware of Reality.

We need to discover who we truly are instead of staying focused on something temporary and illusory that distracts us from searching for and comprehending the true meaning of life.

Rasool Allah ﷺ says:

“موتوا قبل ان تموتوا—*Die before you die*”

This means that we must detach from the constraints of this worldly life and witness the Other Life before we depart from our bodies; otherwise, we will remain in density even on the other side. 

Whatever discovery you pursue, at the core of it, you will ultimately find Allah ﷻ.

Those who are established in Knowledge know that at the depth of everything is the Reality of Allah ﷻ.

These individuals turn to Allah ﷻ in every state. If Allah ﷻ grants them fine clothes, they wear them contentedly; if HE ﷻ provides a simple garment, they accept it with gratitude.

If HE ﷻ gives them a feast, they enjoy it gratefully, and if HE ﷻ offers them a slice of bread, they will remain thankful.

They are content in all circumstances because they know that everything comes from Allah ﷻ.

Every movement they make is an act of gratitude, and each breath is connected to their Beloved, Allah ﷻ, serving HIM day and night.

They attribute all matters to Allah ﷻ, knowing that their every need and desire, as well as the entire functioning of the universe, is rooted in the ***Care of Allah*** ﷻ.

They live in a tranquil state filled with love and servitude, experiencing an eternal, blissful expansion as they continuously practice Care of Allah ﷻ while serving HIM in HIS Presence and Closeness. 

---

### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) 

[Next Chapter](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/destined-to-be/)

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### حين تصمت.. ماذا يبدأ فيك؟
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/when-you-become-silent-what-awakens-within-you/
Last updated: 2026-07-29T16:35:25.000Z
أيها القارئ الذي لا يكتفي بالسطح…

إن أردتَ أن ترى الحكمة فيما يجري في حياتك… فابدأ بالصمت…

ليس صمتَ اللسان فقط… بل صمتًا أعمق… صمتًا يكفُّ فيه العقل عن الضجيج… عن التحليل المستعجل… عن إطلاق الأحكام قبل أن تكتمل الصورة… صمتٌ يفسح المجال… لما هو أوسع من إدراكك… وأرحب من تفسيرك.

ولهذا… حين أراد موسى عليه السلام أن يتعلّم من الخضر عليه السلام… قيل له:

﴿قَالَ فَإِنِ ٱتَّبَعۡتَنِي فَلَا تَسۡـَٔلۡنِي عَن شَيۡءٍ حَتَّىٰٓ أُحۡدِثَ لَكَ مِنۡهُ ذِكۡرٗا﴾

لأن هناك أمورًا… لا يفسّرها العقل في لحظتها… ولا تستوعبها مقاييسك المعتادة… ولا تقاس بما اعتدتَ عليه من ظاهر الشريعة أو الأعراف أو المنطق القريب…

كخرق السفينة… وكقتل الغلام… أحداثٌ تُربك الفهم… لكنها… لم تكن عبثًا يومًا.

ولذلك قيل له:

﴿إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبْرًا﴾

لماذا؟

لأنه لم يُحِطْ بالشيء خبرًا… لم يرَ كامل الدائرة..! لم يرَ الصورة كاملة…

وسيحكم كما نحكم نحن… من زاوية واحدة… من خلفيةٍ دينية… أو ثقافية… أو أخلاقية… بينما الحقيقة… أوسع من كل ذلك!

كم من أمرٍ نفرَت منه نفسك… وكان في باطنه خيرٌ كثير…

وكم من حدثٍ ظننته كسرًا… وكان في حقيقته إعادة تشكيل…

هنا… يحتاج الإنسان إلى ركنين:

الصمت… والصبر..

لكن الصبر… ليس مجرد تحمّلٍ ظاهري… بل حالٌ أعمق…

فالصبر الحقيقي… لا يُنال إلا بالله:

﴿وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ﴾

أي… أن تتعرّف عليه… أن تقترب… أن تُدرك أنه السميع… البصير… المحيط بكل شيء…

فكلما ازددتَ معرفةً به… خفَّ حكمك على ما يحدث… وهدأت مقاومة قلبك… واتّسعت رؤيتك..

لذلك يقول الله تعالى: ﴿وَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا﴾ هو يرى كل شيء.. فإذا أوقفت تفكيرك وجاهدت نفسك أن يكون فكرك فيه ﴿وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا﴾.. ستكون محايد الفكر — صابر!

فالصبر هنا… ليس صراعًا مع المشاعر… ولا قمعًا لها… بل هو… تحرّرٌ منها!

أن تخلو… حتى يصل ذهنك إلى سكونٍ صافٍ… لا يُعكّره خوف… ولا يُثقله اعتراض…

﴿فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ﴾

﴿لَّوْلَا أَن تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالْعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ﴾

﴿فَاجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ﴾

ففي الطريق… قد يضيق صدرك… وقد تشتدّ بك اللحظة… لكن إن أمسكتَ بالصمت… وتعلّمتَ الصبر بالله…

سترى… أن كل ما كان يحدث لك… لم يكن ضدك… بل كان… يُعاد ترتيبك بهدوء…

ليليق بك ما كُتب لك…

---

[Next Reflection](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/the-breath-of-the-beloved/)

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### LETTER TWO: THE HEART THAT SEES
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/letter-two-the-heart-that-sees/
Last updated: 2026-10-06T22:15:32.000Z
*In the Name of the One who made the heart a mirror of His Light.*

My dear companion on the path,

What is this *heart* that we speak of so often?

It is a strange realization… that I claim ownership of something I have never truly seen. I call it *my* heart, yet its rhythms are not under my command. It beats… it aches… it turns… without asking my permission.

I have spent years looking outward at the world, but how much time have I spent looking at the very faculty that allows me to experience it? 

In search of what the heart truly is… I found myself turning toward what the Creator of hearts Himself has said.

In my quest, the very first message that reached me, revealed:

**“Neither My heavens nor My earth can contain Me—but the heart of My believing servant contains Me.”**  
(Hadith Qudsi)

I sat with this for a long time.

If this heart is not merely the finite pump of flesh; though even that is a miracle of Divine artistry! And if it can contain what the heavens cannot…

Then which heart is this?

Where is this limitless space within me that many seekers before us have called the Home of the Beloved?

How does one arrive there?

Getting to know the heart is like befriending a wild, beautiful creature. You cannot force it to be still; you can only sit quietly enough so you can begin to notice its real nature. In Muraqabah, we are not trying to change or alter the heart's movement and condition, but to focus right upon its state. To notice its direction.

For the very word the Creator chose for heart—**Qalb*—*means ‘*that which turns’*.

But what does it turn between?

Closing my eyes, journeying inwards once again, I began to sense a rhythm to this turning… a movement that echoed the wider cosmos.

Just like the Breath entering and leaving.  
Tides rising and receding.  
Planets held in orbit around their suns.

Even our sacred movements carry this knowing. When pilgrims circle the Kaaba, they move in a direction that brings the left side; the side of the physical heart—closest to the Divine axis. As though the body itself remembers that the center must face its Source.

This is not ritual alone. It is the cosmic choreography of constant return. The heart seemed to be a vessel in perpetual motion, swaying between the seen and the unseen.

And I began asking myself quietly:

In my own turning… where is my heart facing?

Is it scattered among the multiplicity of the world—pulled by desire, fear, identity?

Or is it gathering itself toward the Singularity of the One?

Fellow seeker! We are living in an age that has crowned the mind as sovereign. We are taught that consciousness resides in the brain… that knowing is the product of thought alone.

But Revelation from the Creator speaks differently.

**“They have hearts with which they do not understand.”**  
(Qur’an 7:179)

Understanding, then… belongs to the heart.

Have you noticed how the heart senses truth before thought arrives?

How it tightens at falsehood… even when logic defends it?

The heart recognizes departure from its original nature—its *fitrah,* even when the mind is confused.

Over years of navigating the reality that existed within my chest, another unveiling began to slowly appear.

Until that point, I had thought the heart only *felt*. But I began to sense it was doing something far more subtle.

It was seeing.

Not with images… not with form… but with a knowing that arrived whole… without fragments.

Have you ever felt this? A moment where something became true inside you before you could explain it?

Where recognition rose from the chest… not the mind? How certain unveilings did not pass through thought at all.

A reflected truth in its utmost stillness and clarity. 

And it was then that this āyah returned to me resonating, no longer as recitation, but as lived meaning:

**“Mā kadhaba al-fu’ādu mā ra’ā.”**  
The heart did not lie about what it saw.  
(53:11)

I lingered onto the word **Fu’ād**.

Not *qalb—*the turning heart we had come to know. But *Fu’ād—*the heart that sees… when perception is so clear… that seeing is no longer searching, but witnessing.

If Allah Himself affirms the truthfulness of what the heart sees… then what kind of sight is this?

It is not the sight of the eyes, for eyes can be deceived.

It is not the conclusions of the mind, for the mind can doubt.

It is a seeing born of stillness and nearness to the Beloved… of polishing… of light harvested within the chest through *zikr*.

Young Seeker! You will find moments in muraqabah and remembrance… fleeting but unmistakable… where something will unveil inwardly. Not just as vision but as certainty. A recognition that does not ask permission from thought. Begin to trust that when the heart is clear—its witnessing is true. And when you feel that subtle knowing arise within you… do not dismiss it. For the heart… when polished… does not lie about what it sees.

But this trust brings with it a quiet responsibility. For if the heart can see… then what we allow it to face matters deeply.

Where it turns… what it loves… what it contemplates…

All of it shapes its sight.

May the Turner of Hearts turn ours toward Him completely and keep them firm in His sight.

---

I asked where this seeing came from—   
this perception without eyes.  
No answer arrived in words.  
Only a nearness…  
as if the One who sees all things  
had leaned closer  
and allowed the heart  
to borrow His gaze. 

Your fellow Sālik

---

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### 08. IS VISION WHAT WE THINK IT IS?
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/is-vision-what-we-think-it-is/
Last updated: 2026-10-09T16:31:38.000Z
You see yourself flying over a valley of green fields.  
The cool wind rushes through you, and a feeling of freedom takes over—a sense of lightness, of complete ease and happiness.

In the distance, something catches your attention.  
A burst of colour.

You begin to fly towards it and descend into a field of beautiful pink roses, their fragrance unlike anything you have ever known, a sweetness that gently draws you inward. You stand there in awe, taking it all in, your arms stretched out to the sides, feeling the soft breeze as the warmth of the sun rests gently upon your skin.

A moment so tranquil, so serene, so complete that everything else disappears.

Then—  
You open your eyes.  
You realize… you were dreaming.

The question is:  
If your eyes were closed, how did you see all of that?

Not only did you see—you experienced.  
You felt the wind, the warmth of the sun, the fragrance of the roses. You moved, you witnessed, you felt the sensations, you existed within a complete scene.

This realization begins to shift our understanding of what it means to see.  
We are accustomed to believing that sight belongs to the physical eyes, that only what appears before them can be seen. If something is not in front of us physically, then it cannot be perceived.

And yet, in the dream state, without the use of the physical eyes, entire worlds unfold before us.

This shows us that sight is not dependent on the eyes themselves.  
Even in wakefulness, when our eyes are open, the physical eye is only a medium.

Light reflects from an object; when the eye meets that target and blinks, it captures the image, which is then formed on the screen of the mind.

In this way, the eye functions much like a camera. A camera has a lens and an eye, yet the image is not captured until the light reflects from the target, the shutter opens and closes, and the image is then recorded, appearing on film or, in our time, on a screen.

What is actually received is a reflection of that target, and that reflection is projected onto the inner screen of the mind, where it becomes visible.

The eye does not independently see; it receives and transfers.  
True sighting occurs where that reflection appears within the screen of the mind, in our awareness.

When attention is directed toward a specific thing, it is then that sighting begins to take place.

### Where Attention Goes

Even in wakefulness, we pass through countless moments that remain unregistered. They slip by so fleetingly that we retain nothing of them, simply because our attention was not present.

For example, you are sitting in a classroom. In front of you, the teacher is explaining the topic, drawing diagrams on the board, outlining the homework, while the classmates move about. Yet your attention is not engaged in what is going on.

When you leave the classroom and a friend who was absent asks you what was covered, what the homework was, or what took place during the lesson, your response is that you do not know, because you were not paying attention.

And yet, you were present.  
Your eyes were open.  
Everything unfolded in front of you.

But the impressions did not register within your mind, because you did not accept them. And so, that moment passes just like a dream you cannot remember.

On the other hand, if your attention had been fully present, you would not only recall the lesson, but even the finer details—the colour of the teacher’s shirt, the chalk used on the board, the movement within the room—all of it would remain imprinted within your awareness.

Without conscious attention, experience does not leave a lasting imprint. It simply passes through unawareness.

At times, a dream can leave a deeper impression than a supposedly waking moment, simply because it was felt, received, and registered with attention.

What we must realize is this:  
Where attention goes, sighting takes place.

If we are not attentive to something, we are unable to perceive it.

### Nocturnal Senses

When we go to sleep, as the body begins to relax, the eyeballs grow heavy. As their movement comes to a halt, a state of drowsiness takes over. At this point, when the movement of the eyes stops, the subconscious senses—the nocturnal senses—begin to take over the conscious senses, and one enters the dream world.

The act of sleeping becomes a means through which we can study the capabilities of the Soul, allowing the nature and capacity of the *Rooh* to be known. 

We cannot deny that the Soul can move without the body, as this is something we experience every night.

A significant portion of our lives is spent in the state of sleep, yet we rarely seek to understand its mechanism.

We spend our lives in two states. One with our eyes open, which refers to the outer sensory mode, where the garment of the Soul, the physical body, is in motion.

The other is the state of sleep. In this state, we are still in motion, moving, feeling, and seeing, yet the Soul’s garment is no longer in movement.

From this, we begin to understand that the *Rooh* is not bound by the physical body, and that true sighting does not depend on the physical eyes. 

We see because there is a light within us that powers the physical eyes. When this light is stripped away from the body, the eyes are no longer able to see. Despite the presence of the organs of the eyes and the brain, we are unable to see anything.

Since the physical eyes are not used in the dream world, they are not the source of true vision. It is through this inner light that vision takes place.

Sleep is a state we usually enter into unconsciously. Yet, as it occupies nearly half of our life, it carries great significance and calls for a deeper understanding of our nocturnal senses.

Once the spiritual seeker begins to tread the path, they come to realize the significance of the dream state through the practice of *Muraqabah*.

With the guidance of the Spiritual Mentor, as the student comes to consciously enter the subconscious, or in other words, enters the dream world while awake and remaining aware, they come to realize that this practice itself is a gateway into *Ghayb*.

As one sits for *Muraqabah*, when the movement of the eyes ceases, external sighting fades, and internal perception becomes active. In this state, one is no longer distracted by physical forms. The nocturnal senses are awakened within the student, making it easier for them to relax the nerves and intentionally, and willingly, enter the subconscious—the state of *La Shuoor*—while remaining fully awake and aware.

In this process, the student comes to recognize the different layers of perception and begins to familiarize themselves with true vision, a vision that is not limited to the physical eyes or the surrounding environment.

They come to understand that the inner mechanism of sight is one and the same, whether the physical eyes are open or closed. They also realize that the state of wakefulness has nothing to do with the opening and closing of the physical eyes; it has everything to do with where our attention is awake and aware.

As mentioned in previous chapters, knowledge limited to the body or mind is not able to access the wisdom of the Soul. Each aspect holds a capacity for knowledge that serves its own level of existence, while the Soul encompasses the deeper reality behind them all.

The more we are able to access the perception of the Soul, the clearer our vision becomes, bringing us closer to truth and away from illusion.

Knowledge itself guides vision. To know that something exists, to feel its presence, to recognize something deeper than what is apparent, is itself proof of its existence and that it can be seen.

Many times, people say, “we feel something, but we do not see.” If we were to tune into this feeling with depth, it would reveal itself.

When knowledge of existence is known with certainty, it leads to sighting. And when that sighting takes place through experience, one enters into the certainty of its reality and truth.

### Three Stages of Certitude

The exploration of knowledge unfolds in three stages: to know that something exists, to witness its existence, and to live in the reality and certainty of its truth. In the language of the Holy Quran, this is expressed as *ʿIlm al-Yaqīn* (knowledge of certainty), *ʿAyn al-Yaqīn* (eye of certainty), and *Ḥaqq al-Yaqīn* (truth of certainty).

For example, we feel thirst. Thirst is a form of knowledge that directs us toward quenching it. With thirst comes the realization that the means to quench it exists.

When we see water before us, we gain visual certainty that our thirst can be quenched. And once the water is consumed and the thirst is quenched, we enter into the lived experience of that knowledge—it becomes reality.

In this sense, knowledge is brought to completion. 

When vision follows a specific knowledge with certitude and moves through its stages, it begins to absorb whatever it sets its attention upon. Through this absorption, as it draws closer to its reality, it begins to embody that knowledge. And when that specific embodiment becomes complete, it reveals itself.

If we are able to follow knowledge through this inner vision—through the stages of knowledge, sighting, and reality—and to practically apply this way of exploration, we come to realize deeper and deeper truths each time we direct our intention and attention toward experiencing that reality.

The quality that must activate within us to reach completion is certitude. 

### The Lenses of Perception

Consciousness itself has layers through which knowledge is experienced and seen. There are three main layers to the Soul, known in Sufism as *the Animal Soul*, *the Human Soul*, and *the Great Soul*.

The consciousness shifts from the Animal Soul to the Human Soul to the Great Soul. This does not mean that we need to go anywhere or wait until we depart from the physical body to experience higher realms of consciousness. Rather, it is the elevation of our conscious perception that activates and refines vision.

In reality, vision is one. Yet, at each level of consciousness, it is either distorted or clarified according to the lens through which we see.

The knowledge already exists within us. It is the type of light we activate within ourselves that determines how we comprehend, understand, or witness that knowledge.

If the light of the Animal Soul is activated within us, we perceive knowledge limited to the physical and worldly senses, bound by individualism. If we activate the Human Soul, we perceive knowledge according to that level. And if we activate the Great Soul, then we are able to reflect Divine Knowledge, through which the view of the entire universe becomes collective, seen as one creation.

Each level of knowledge is accessed through the light that reflects it.

This is how the *Lataif* function. In common language, they are referred to as chakras. In Sufism, they are known as *Lataif*. Each level of the Soul has two *Lataif*: one holds the information of that level, while the other is the light through which it is processed and viewed.

They can be understood as points of activation, where each influences the depth through which knowledge is perceived.

When something is transferred, it means that whatever it is being transferred to already has the capacity to receive and recognize it. Without that capacity, the transfer would not be possible.

Take, for example, a device. When data is transferred from one phone to another, the receiving device already has the internal system and structure required to read, decode, and make that information visible and accessible. If that capacity were not present, the data would not be understood or seen.

Likewise, because we already have Allah ﷻ’s *Rooh* within us, when the awareness of this is reawakened, we are able to recognize through it.

What we perceive as unseen or hidden is not absent; rather, it is seen through a different lens of perception that already exists within us.

Each aspect reflects according to its own capacity, and the capacity of the Soul is directly connected to Allah ﷻ. 

 In his book *Parapsychology*, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) states:

*“Since it is desired by God that man should witness HIS craftsmanship after entering Ghayb (the hidden realm), and cognize HIM, and have discernment of HIS Attributes, therefore it becomes necessary that man should be ordained with those faculties which could enable him to fulfill the purpose of the Lord Creator.”*

If we were only the body and the mind, we would not have the capacity to see Allah ﷻ. But because HE has given us a part that is directly connected to HIM, and through that has granted us HIS Divine Knowledge and Attributes, it is through this capacity that vision becomes possible.

The more refined our perception becomes, the closer we come to seeing reality as it is.

How we think is how we see. Our *taraz fikr* is the pattern through which we interpret and engage with what is before us. It is this pattern that shapes our perception and ultimately determines how we see.

That is why it is important to adopt a neutral and unbiased pattern of thinking, through emptying the mind, so that we are able to see reality as it is, unfiltered.

We wear many different lenses—at times, the lens of worry, fear, anxiety, judgment, greed, jealousy, or competitiveness. These qualities distort our vision and shape how we perceive what is before us.

The Spiritual Mentor works to clear the lenses through which we view. Through guidance, he helps us remove these distortions, refining and purifying our vision so that we may directly see reality as it is.

### The Inner Screen

Everything has a *maqdar*—a specific quantity. When something comes before our sight and our attention is directed toward it, its *maqdar* reflects. That reflection takes form on the inner screen of the mind, and it is there that it is seen. This is where true sighting takes place.

When a candle is mentioned, its *maqdar* reflects, and its image appears on the inner screen. When a rose is mentioned, its *maqdar* replaces the previous one, and the image of the rose appears instead.

It is the same inner sight that perceives all these forms.

Only when we are able to absorb the qualities of that which is before us does it appear to us. We must embody it, and in that embodiment, it reveals itself.

We see things as they appear to us. Every thing and every layer has a mode of being that transfers to us—that is what we see.  
When we absorb something, it reveals itself to us according to the light through which we have absorbed it. If we absorb through the physical, that is the aspect we see. And if we absorb through *Noor*, that is what becomes visible to us.

This is only possible because all knowledge already exists within us, along with the means to perceive it. We see because we reflect that knowledge, and it appears as vision on the screen of the mind.

As Allah ﷻ says to Rasool Allah ﷺ:

(وَتَرَاهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ وَهُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ‏) 

“And you see them looking at you, but they do not see.” 

\[Al-Aʿrāf: 198\] 

Why is this? Because they were looking at Rasool Allah ﷺ, but remained focused on the physical form, and that was the only aspect they perceived. They were unable to see His ﷺ reality, because they could not absorb the knowledge of His ﷺ reality within themselves.

If we do not absorb, we do not truly see. It is through this mutual absorption that perception takes place. When we are absorbed in something, and it is absorbed in us, it becomes visible.

As stated in the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA), it is a law that everything absorbs the other, and after absorbing it within itself, it displays it to be viewed by the other.

That is why the Sufi Masters give the example of the mirror. When we look into a mirror, we become so absorbed in the image of ourselves that we forget we are not seeing directly. We are seeing the mirror’s seeing.

Likewise, the entire universe appears before us like a mirror. We think we are seeing directly, but in reality, we are seeing through another’s seeing.

It becomes visible to us because Allah ﷻ is sighting it, and because HE sees it, we are able to see through HIS Vision.

Vision is not an external act of looking with the eyes; it is something that happens internally. It is through inner focus that true vision is activated.

The mechanism of vision is that everything we perceive is experienced on the inner screen of the mind. Whatever we direct our attention toward is what we come to see inwardly. The form that appears depends entirely on where our inner attention is placed.

Wherever the inner *gaze* goes, vision follows, and that becomes our inner sight.

We see according to the level of our attention and absorption. Our depth of engagement with reality determines what is revealed.

The difficulty, however, is that we remain absorbed in the crowd of our immediate environment, without giving ourselves the opportunity to empty the mind and reflect the programme of Allah ﷻ in its entirety.

We cannot enter these realms easily because of constant sensory input, mental noise, scattered attention, and environmental clutter. Our consciousness is continually drawn outward. To enter *La Shuoor*, we must release that outward grip.

This is the foundation of *Muraqabah*: to realize that true sighting is not limited to what we assume the eyes can see, but that true sighting takes place internally.

Existence is not limited to what is visible in front of us. Attention is the doorway to seeing and entering the hidden realms through spiritual perception.

Vision depends on our *tawajjuh*, our state of awakened consciousness, and our connection to the Soul.

One sees just the tree, while another sees the seed that contains all the information that made the tree. Murshid Kareem (RA) explains that when we see in this way, the distance between creation and its Origin begins to disappear.

When the mind becomes one-pointed, *La Shuoor* and *Shuoor* are no longer separate, the inner layers open, and the hidden becomes visible.

We see the whole universe through this same Light, and in reality, all that we see is the sighting of another.

### Vision Is One

In the end, we come to realize that vision is one.

(لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ‏) 

“Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives all vision; and He is the Subtle, the All-Aware.” 

\[Al-Anʿām: 103\] 

Allah’s Divine Attributes are reflected within us, and for us to see them, we must reflect them back.

We are so accustomed to the density of solid forms, so disconnected from our Souls, that we miss the subtlety of becoming aware of Allah ﷻ’s Presence.

When we align with the part of us that is connected to Allah ﷻ, and use that as the lens through which we see, we are able to perceive Reality. It is through that very alignment that HE becomes visible.

HE becomes the Vision through which we see HIM.  
HE becomes the Awareness through which we know HIM.

---

### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)

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### LETTER ONE: THE AWAKENING OF LONGING
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/letter-one-the-awakening-of-longing/
Last updated: 2026-06-10T14:45:28.000Z
*In the Name of the One who made the ache of the heart the first step of return.*

Dear Sālik,

To begin the journey is to first endure a breaking. We often imagine that the spiritual path is a series of acquisitions; more knowledge, more peace, more light, but the souls journey takes a different course. Before a flower can bloom, the tight, protective casing of the bud must fracture. This is the first labor of the heart. It is a slow, silent stretching of the inner walls, a painful ripening where the soul outgrows its own shell. We feel this as a strange, deep ache: a longing to be seen by an Eye we have not yet met, and to see a Face we cannot yet remember.

I remember in the tender days of my youth, I started to live in a state of constant, quiet suspension. It was the pain of a love that had no object in this world, a thirst that no water could reach. I did not yet have a name for this pulling; I only knew that my heart was being forced open from the inside. This is the stage where the heart is disturbed, not by some worldly sorrow, but by its own awakening. Before the heart recognizes "Love," it recognizes "Thirst." You find that you can no longer quench it from any other source and can no longer belong in the spaces you once called home. The conversations, the ambitions, the very identity you wore so comfortably—everything begins to feel tight, like a garment that has become too small for the growing spirit.

Before this awakening, we live dispersed, our energy scattered across a thousand attachments. We imagine we are complete, even as we orbit our own individual self—our egos. Then, by a Mercy that feels like a wound, the Light begins to press against our darkness.

***“Allah is the Ally of those who believe, He brings them out of darkness into light.” (Qur’an 2:257)***

This movement is rarely a sudden burst; it is just like the subtle persistence of dawn. You begin to realize that the world as you knew it was only a shadow of a greater Reality. This realization brings with it a specific kind of loneliness; not the kind that is empty, but that which is a kind of “turning away” from what is false in order to “turn towards the true source”. What I had known as unfulfillment or restlessness was actually an invitation. The Beloved was emptying my heart of multiplicity so that it might hold only His remembrance fully. Reminds me of the saying of the wise, “to know the One and Only, one must become alone and lonely."

***“Neither My heavens nor My earth can contain Me, but the heart of My believing servant contains Me.” (Hadith Qudsi)***

We often think that we are the ones seeking God. But the people of the heart know that every impulse to turn toward the Source is actually a response to a call that was issued before time began. In the Qur'an, Allah asks the souls of all humanity: *“Am I not your Lord?”* and we all replied, *“Yes, we bear witness.”* (7:172). This calling out to us was initiated from the source of real love. 

Longing is simply the echo of that calling vibrating in the seen world. 

In this first phase, the Beloved lovingly educates us through *Ayat—*His signs. He does not reveal Himself directly, for the heart is not yet strong enough to bear the Unveiling. Instead, He hides His beauty behind the horizons and within our own being. A flower soaked and alive in the dew of *dhikr* all night, the sudden arrival of a tear, the way light pierces the density of a dark forest; these become transmissions from the Infinite. They are gestures pointing beyond themselves. The Sālik begins to realize that the world is not the real destination, but a kind of language. We begin to learn how to read the alphabet of the Divine.

***“We will show them Our signs on the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the Truth.” (Qur’an 41:53)***

However, this "*seeing*" brings a specific kind of pain. The more beauty we see in the signs, the more we realize the distance from the One who made them. You find that your old comforts no longer soothe you. The conversations that once entertained you now feel like empty noise. 

Young soul on the path! Do not be afraid of this emptiness. This is the sacred clearing of the ground. The Beloved is removing the clutter from the table of your heart so that He may sit there alone. He is making room. If you did not experience the ache of the void, you would never seek the Fullness.

I remember the bewilderment of this stage—the feeling of being suspended between two worlds. I was no longer of the world of forgetfulness, but I was not yet admitted into the world of Presence. I was a traveler in the middle of a bridge, with the shore I left behind fading into the mist and a new shore ahead, not yet visible. This is where you must be patient with your soul. Longing is the "inner compass of the soul," as Rumi says. 

If you try to dull the ache with distractions, you lose your direction. If you try to define the love before it has fully bloomed, you limit its power.

For now, it is enough to say: *I am thirsty.* It is enough to acknowledge that there is a Love whose source you do not yet see, but whose fire you can already feel burning. This is the ripening of the soul. Like a fruit that must stay on the branch through the heat of the sun to become ripe, you must stay in the fire of your longing.

This is the beginning of the path. If you find yourself in this state of longing and restlessness, I encourage you to drown yourself in it. This ache of longing is your most honest teacher. It is the "love unknown" preparing to make itself known. Do not seek to define the fire while it is still just a spark; let it burn away the distractions. Let it strip you bare of all that is not true. For the One who caused the seed to stir is the same One who will bring the rain.

In shared longing and love,

Your fellow Sālik

---

[Next Letter](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/letter-two-the-heart-that-sees/)
### 07. INTELLECT VS PRESENCE: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/intellect-vs-presence/
Last updated: 2026-10-09T16:28:45.000Z
### Ilm al-Husooli: Acquired Knowledge

There are two types of knowledge. The first is knowledge of acquisition—*Ilm al-Husooli*—which is attained through personal effort using external, material means. This type of knowledge relies on physical tools and resources and is connected to worldly gain. It is dependent on the intellect and is hypothetical, constantly varying and changing over time. It is limited by reason, rationality, and sensory perception. 

A clear demonstration of this type of knowledge can be seen in the evolution of transportation. Humans were inspired by walking, swimming, riding animals, and the flight of birds. They harnessed their creative abilities to develop bicycles, boats, cars, trains, and planes. The evolution of these vehicles continues; they are constantly improving in their features and durability.

When someone wishes to enter this field, they study mechanical engineering, often through books, universities, and the guidance of a teacher with whom they are in physical contact, eventually earning academic degrees that qualify them to work in the industry. This education involves hands-on materials, physical tools, and resources. The technologies and processes continue to evolve, demonstrating constant change and variation.

This entire process demonstrates knowledge acquired through effort, structured instruction, and material resources, defining the characteristics of this type of knowledge.

### Ilm al-Hudhoori: Knowledge Through Presence

The second type of Knowledge is *Ilm al-Hudhoori*—Knowledge through Presence. This type of Knowledge is an immediate awareness of what *is*; it arises through direct presence and recognition rather than intellectual acquisition. It is devoid of assumptions, rooted in reality, and is unchanging. It does not require physical resources and is not dependent on physical company.

We do not rely on our intellect to acquire it; instead, it is gained by spending time in *Hudhoor*, awakening the Knowledge that is already inherent within us.

It is a state of *being*.

The presence of an entity awakens within us the recognition of its qualities and characteristics. For example, when the sun is mentioned, its luminosity and warmth are inherently felt and recognized. This form of knowledge does not arise through analysis or instruction, but through direct presence and recognition. 

To further understand this, we must reflect on how we first became aware. 

Allah ﷻ says in Al-Quran Al-Kareem:

( وَإِذ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَني آدَمَ مِن ظُهورِهِم ذُرِّيَّتَهُم وَأَشهَدَهُم عَلى أَنفُسِهِم أَلَستُ بِرَبِّكُم قالوا بَلى شَهِدنا أَن تَقولوا يَومَ القِيامَةِ إِنّا كُنّا عَن هذا غافِلينَ‏) 

When your Lord drew forth from the children of Adam, from their loins, their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves: “Am I not your Lord? They said: “Yes, we testify!” Lest you should say on the day of judgment: “We were unaware of this.” 

\[Al-A‘rāf: 172\] 

This signifies that all of *Bani Adam* have already witnessed Allah ﷻ. When Allah ﷻ desired to be acknowledged by creation, HE Proclaimed, “أَلَستُ بِرَبِّكُم—*Am I not your Lord?*” The Divine Proclamation activated our senses of hearing, sight, and acknowledgment, leading us to respond, “بَلى شَهِدنا—*Yes, we testify*.”

This Divine address granted creation awareness and vision of themselves and their Creator, establishing the relationship between *Al-Khaliq* and *al-makhlooq*. In that moment, every Soul stood in witness and acknowledgement: 

*I bear witness that the Presence of my Creator, my Khaliq, is before me; thus, I acknowledge and witness that I am HIS creation.* 

This moment represents the first instance in which we had *Idraak* of anything. 

Our first conscious knowledge was of *Al-Khaliq* and *al-makhlooq*. 

---

### The Trust We Carry

When Allah ﷻ presented the Trust (الأمانة) to creation, it confirmed that every particle in the universe possesses consciousness. The heavens, the earth, and the mountains declined the responsibility of carrying it, while *Insaan* accepted it; yet he continues to live in ignorance, foolishness, and injustice toward this truth. 

Allah ﷻ refers to this Trust in the Holy Quran when HE Says:

(إِنّا عَرَضنَا الأَمانَةَ عَلَى السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ وَالجِبالِ فَأَبَينَ أَن يَحمِلنَها وَأَشفَقنَ مِنها وَحَمَلَهَا الإِنسانُ إِنَّهُ كانَ ظَلومًا جَهولًا‏) 

Indeed, We did offer the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to undertake it and were afraid of doing so; but man undertook it. Surely, he is unjust and ignorant. 

\[Al-Aḥzāb: 72\] 

Allah ﷻ breathed into *Insaan* from HIS *Rooh*,

(وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي‏) 

And I breathed into him of My Spirit. 

\[Ṣād: 72\] 

This signifies that we are connected to HIS Essence (ذات). Along with this, we were endowed with HIS Divine Attributes (صفات). The recognition of the Knowledge of the Divine Attributes (علم الاسماء) elevates Insaan above all other creation and enables him to represent Allah ﷻ throughout creation. 

The inability to recognize our role in Allah ﷻ’s programme of caring for and serving HIS creation is truly disheartening. When we observe the state of the world today—the destruction and suffering of humanity and nature—it becomes imperative for each person to reflect on how they are affecting God’s creation and what role they wish to play. Through self-reflection and internal realization, even a single person’s change can ignite a spark of transformation within the community. 

We cannot sit back, observing and judging the state of the world, expecting change while continuing to live our lives as we always have. True progress requires us to reflect on ourselves and actively participate in the process of change. Each individual plays a role in the state of the collective.

When our attention turns toward something with genuine interest and focus, the knowledge related to it begins to awaken within us, allowing us to understand what it truly means to have accepted Allah ﷻ’s Trust. 

When Allah ﷻ created the universe, everything first existed in HIS Mind. When HE Willed it to manifest, HE Proclaimed, “KUN!” and all things came into existence. Consequently, every thing from *Azal* to *Abad* is recorded. Our entire narrative of life—from the moment we recognized Allah ﷻ to the moment we return to HIM—is documented, and humanity has been granted access to this record. 

It is akin to watching a movie in which the entire film already exists. One can rewind, fast-forward, or even watch the end at the beginning. Similarly, the record of our lives is already written by Allah ﷻ, and we, as *Insaan*, have been endowed with the capability to perceive and access this record. More importantly, we have been bestowed with the ability to attain the Knowledge of the Soul and fulfil our role as HIS *Khalifah*.

In general, representing someone requires knowledge of that person and the ability to act on HIS behalf. This highlights the importance of recognizing the depth of Allah ﷻ’s Knowledge and Attributes, so that we may acknowledge the responsibility we carry as *Insaan*, instead of living in ignorance. 

The idea of transcending time and space can be illustrated by watching live television. For instance, while sitting in Bahrain, I can turn on the television and watch live news from India, China, the UK, or America. Distance is entirely negated; I can observe events as they unfold.

As mentioned in previous chapters, advancements in technology often provide physical examples that point toward spiritual realities. When someone invents something, it is not created purely through intellectual ability; rather, it is because that idea already exists within the universal field of knowledge. They tune into those waves of knowledge and focus on them, allowing the idea to reveal itself until it manifests in physical form through the resources provided by Allah ﷻ.

If the whole record already exists, we can travel to any part of the film, negating time and space and journeying within it or beyond it. We have already seen Allah ﷻ, which means we are capable of witnessing that moment again—re-experiencing the moment of ‘أَلَستُ بِرَبِّكُم—Am I not your Lord?’ 

This Knowledge exists within the memory of the Soul; when we were brought into this body, we simply forgot this experience. The purpose of spirituality is to remember that moment and re-awaken a conscious relationship with Allah ﷻ.

### The Divine Attributes

What is so marvelous about Allah ﷻ’s creation is that the foundation of the entire universe is HIS *Divine Attributes*, all of which are embedded within HIS *Noor*.

Since Noor permeates all of creation, it follows that HIS ﷻ *Creative Attributes* are reflected within creation.

*Insaan*, who has been honoured with the role of *Khalifah*, has the ability to recognize this potential and put it into practice.

However, we often go about our daily lives unaware of the marvel of our own functioning. 

*Insaan* possesses the capability to create, but the difference lies in our reliance on Allah ﷻ’s resources, while Allah ﷻ is independent of all needs; HE is the Source and the Sole Creator of all resources.

By understanding Allah ﷻ’s Attributes, we begin to familiarize ourselves with HIM. HIS Names are HIS Attributes, and these Attributes serve as the foundation and principles of all creation.

Yet, HIS Attributes are not HIS *Dhaat*.

For example, consider a friend named Ahmed. He is friendly, kind, funny, and empathetic. These qualities are Ahmed’s attributes, but they are not Ahmed himself.

Of course, we can never fully comprehend Allah ﷻ, as HE is *Al-Khaliq* and we are *makhlooq*. We are limited, while HE is Unlimitedness.

When Allah ﷻ Said, *“Am I not your Lord?”* HE ﷻ granted *Insaan* the ability to see and acknowledge HIM ﷻ. This single witnessing bestowed upon creation the Knowledge of HIS Existence.

This focused attention toward Allah ﷻ is the granting of the Divine Knowledge of HIS Presence. Hearing HIS Divine address granted us sight of HIM, and with that witnessing came the recognition of HIS Attribute of *Rab*, our Sustainer and Caretaker. 

If I introduce myself to you for the first time by saying, “Hi, my name is Noora,” then from this encounter you gain knowledge of my existence—you know me.

While you might not know everything about me, you are certain that I exist. If someone asks you, “Do you know Noora?” you will say, “Yes, I do.”

How deeply you know me depends on how much time we spend together, the effort you put into getting to know me, and the extent of my openness toward you. 

The starting point of Divine Knowledge is knowing Allah ﷻ—to recognize HIS Presence and Existence. 

This Knowledge is not merely theoretical; it is a personal relationship that is experienced directly between *Al-Khaliq* and *al*\-*makhlooq*.

It is not possible for *Insaan* to know Allah ﷻ fully, as we cannot behold or encompass HIS Infinite Nature, HIS Completeness, and HIS Greatness.

Rather, it is to know with certainty that HE ﷻ is Ever-Present. 

### Ghayb: Hidden, Not Absent

When we refer to something as *Ghayb*, it does not mean that it is nonexistent. *Ghayb* signifies that something is unseen from our perspective.

For example, if I hide in another room and you are unaware of my presence, you may assume that I am not there. However, in reality, I am there; you simply cannot see me through the walls.

You would need to get up and check the other room to confirm that I am indeed there. 

Similarly, just because something cannot be seen with our physical eyes does not mean that it does not exist. It is simply veiled from our vision.

To deny the existence of what is hidden would be limiting and unjust toward Allah ﷻ’s Creation and the Creator HIMSELF.

*Ghayb* is mentioned numerous times in the Holy Quran because Allah ﷻ wants us to know that it exists. HE encourages us to consciously explore it so that it may be unveiled, allowing us to witness its reality. 

### Become Spiritual Scientists

Following without questioning or experiencing becomes a form of adherence built on fear.

We often focus on specific aspects of Islam and obey or disobey them out of fear or for show, driven by concern for what others might think. 

When Murshid Kareem (RA) was a child, he would ask his mother:

*“Most people are concerned about what others think. Does anyone consider what Allah ﷻ thinks?”*

By limiting ourselves in this way, we miss the entire process of learning and discovery.

Islam is an experiential religion; Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) encourages us to experience for ourselves—to question, think, test, and seek the reality of things. 

Become spiritual scientists!

This approach opened my heart and allowed me to see my religion as something to explore and experiment with, rather than obeying blindly out of fear, instead of love.

*Tafakkur* is not limited to someone else’s thoughts and analysis; we should be able to explore it on our own and discover for ourselves.

Al-Quran Al-Kareem is limitless, inviting us to engage in *tafakkur*. Just as each of us has our own experiences, the Holy Quran speaks to each of us directly, revealing greater depth each time we expand our capacity to understand.

If we each embrace and embody this, we would collectively become a more united and resilient *Ummah*.

The essence of spiritual practice lies in this: to explore God’s creation as spiritual scientists. Curiosity is the force that activates what lies hidden within us, directing us toward true *tafakkur* that leads to witnessing, and through that witnessing, activates *Ahsan Taqweem* within us.

*Tafakkur* requires concentration and stillness. To delve deeply into something with *yaqeen* and understand its characteristics, its mechanisms, and its true purpose, we must cultivate an undisturbed and focused mind. 

We are functioning through Divine Attributes, yet we often remain unaware of how they operate within us. We forget that a Higher Source enables every thing to occur and has created such a remarkable system for us to operate within.

Humanity tends to utilize this capability in two ways: construction or destruction. We either use it to build or to harm. 

For example, Allah ﷻ has created iron, which we can use to make useful tools, building equipment, and vehicles, or we can choose to employ it for destructive purposes such as weapons, bombs, and missiles. We assign meaning to things. If we orient ourselves toward construction, our consciousness elevates; but if we incline toward destruction, we remain in the lower realms. 

It is the self-imposed meanings and interpretations we assign to things that hinder the way we perceive them. We tend to take circumstances and assign them personal significance, diverting them from their true nature. Giving meaning to something is one thing; seeing it as it truly is is another. We must become conscious of our intentions, for where we place them can elevate or lead us toward harm.

For instance, Allah ﷻ has created fire. We assign meaning to fire through how we choose to use it—whether for constructive purposes, such as cooking or warming our homes, or for destructive purposes, such as burning down houses and forests. 

If our perception is shaped by the meanings we impose, then we must ask: what must be removed for us to see things as they truly are? 

A significant part of spirituality, and one of its most challenging stages, is the process of unlearning worldly knowledge. The idea that there is another way to receive knowledge often does not cross people’s minds; it is either frowned upon or dismissed as irrational or as mere illusion. 

Knowledge limited to the body or the mind cannot access the wisdom of the Soul and the Knowledge of Allah ﷻ. Each aspect has its own capacity for knowledge essential to its survival, while the Soul encompasses the ultimate truth that underlies them.

Understanding what causes something to appear, act, or react as it does is crucial. We must recognize that deeper truths exist beyond what meets the eye. To truly experience what Real Life is, we must emerge from ignorance and open ourselves to these deeper realities. 

### Soul to Soul

My beloved Murshid Kareem (RA) and I did not speak the same language, nor did we live in the same country. He spoke Urdu, while I spoke English and Arabic.

Yet, somehow, I accepted him as my teacher. I felt a deep sense of belonging and familiarity. I understood him, and he understood me.

I recognized something within him that spoke directly to my heart. I did not rely on my intellect for this—there was an inner knowing, a magnetic pull grounded in the Knowledge he shared, the way he served creation, his humble lifestyle, and the presence I felt in him. 

This connection transcends the physical realm; it is not limited to spoken words. I did not even need to be in the same place for transformative changes to occur within my pattern of thinking. This connection is purely Soul to Soul.

This is how the True Knowledge, the Spiritual Lineage, and the blessed Mission of Rasool Allah ﷺ continue to live on.

We are constantly asking Allah ﷻ‎,   *“صل الله تعالى على حبيبه محمد و سلم”* Where exactly are we asking Allah ﷻ to connect us to HIS Beloved ﷺ?

Are we asking Allah ﷻ to connect us to Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah 1,400 years ago? Or are we asking to be connected to His ﷺ blessed resting place?

Or to Rasool Allah ﷺ only when we depart from this body and, if we are fortunate, are admitted into *Jannah* to be with Him ﷺ? 

Or are we asking HIM to connect us to His ﷺ *Rooh* and His Knowledge now, so that we may live our lives in His ﷺ direct and conscious Presence and *Sohbah*, from Al-duniya to *Al-Aakhirah*? 

The perfect example is Sayyidnah Owais Al Qarni (RA), who embodied the spiritual connection with Rasool Allah ﷺ. He was a man of deep love for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, despite never having met Him ﷺ in person.

Sayyidnah Owais (RA) cared for his sick mother. He sought her permission to go and meet Rasool Allah ﷺ; she agreed on the condition that he would return that same evening.

When Sayyidnah Owais (RA) arrived in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, he found that the Prophet ﷺ was not home. After traveling such long distances, he was heartbroken; yet he turned back and returned home, honouring his promise to his mother.

Upon returning, Rasool Allah ﷺ sensed the presence of Sayyidnah Owais (RA) as soon as He ﷺ entered His home. In that moment, He ﷺ faced toward the direction of Yemen, where Sayyidnah Owais (RA) was traveling, and spiritually transferred Knowledge to him.

The Prophet ﷺ expressed profound appreciation for Sayyidnah Owais (RA), sending His ﷺ cloak to him through His ﷺ companions, symbolizing their connection.

This story reinforces the idea that true connection with Allah ﷻ’s Messenger ﷺ transcends the physical realm. After receiving Knowledge spiritually from the Prophet ﷺ, Sayyidnah Owais (RA) used it to guide others and serve the *Deen*.

To Understand the reality of spirituality, we must reflect on the story of Sayyidnah Owais Al Qarni (RA).

How can we explain such deep love and the transmission of Knowledge if we deny the ability of Souls to interact?

We often focus on trivial things that lead to misery, constantly second-guessing ourselves and falling into this pattern.

During my search for Reality, I encountered the Knowledge of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA). Despite facing various comments, judgments, and distractions that attempted to pull me away, there was an undeniable magnetic pull that continued to draw me in.

In some parts of the world, this type of Knowledge is frowned upon because discovering the *Rooh* is not part of the conventional Islamic framework. Many are unaccustomed to the idea of having a teacher to spiritually guide them to God, even though we seek teachers for everything else we desire to learn.

Before encountering his Knowledge, I rarely benefited from what I learned; everything felt surface-level and did not resonate deeply with me. Many were not practicing what they preached.

Each contemplation seemed to reach a limit, and although my inner state often revealed deeper meanings of an *Ayah* to me, discussing them with others always felt constrained. I yearned to go deeper, as my *thameer* constantly urged me that there was more to explore.

Determined to find the truth, I focused my attention on my Mentor, who had already walked the Path. Regardless of what anyone thought, I was resolved to follow my heart.

If I could waste my time focusing on so many useless things that only brought me misery, what harm was there in turning my attention toward a Soul of Truth, a Soul full of Knowledge, and a friend of God who never needed to convince me—his Truth spoke for itself?

His Knowledge was clear and spoke for itself. His humility, his way of life, and his acts of service resonated more deeply than anything I had ever encountered.

He never discriminated; his Knowledge and company were, and continue to be, accessible to everyone, regardless of their past or their faith. His students came from diverse backgrounds, reflecting his inclusive approach. 

The transition through his Knowledge—from theoretical concepts before becoming his student to practical application after initiation—was beyond anything I could have imagined, opening doors to a life I never knew existed—not only for me, but for all his students.

There is an entity that expresses, shares, and interacts beyond the confines of physical interaction and words.

When we seek a Mentor to guide us on our way back to Allah ﷻ ‎(معاد), we must turn to someone who has already walked the path, seen the way, and reached the Divine. Someone in whom we can place our trust, even if we do not fully understand the way, for they see far beyond what we can. 

By focusing on the qualities activated in our Mentor through the *Nisbat* of Rasool Allah ﷺ, and by being in his spiritual presence, these qualities are awakened within us.

The Murshid, or Mentor, does not give something new; his role is to awaken and activate the capacity already present within every student. This enables us to gain the spiritual Knowledge, access our own spiritual journey, and attain our Souls, allowing us to be blessed with the *Sohbah* of our Prophet ﷺ and with Allah ﷻ through consciously *being* in Presence.

The Light and the Destination are already present within us; a True Teacher simply helps us see it. 

(وَفي أَنفُسِكُم أَفَلا تُبصِرونَ‏) 

And in yourselves, do you not see? 

\[Adh-Dhāriyāt: 21\] 

---

### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)

[Next Chapter](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/is-vision-what-we-think-it-is/)

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### WHERE THE CHANGE BEGINS
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/where-the-change-begins/
Last updated: 2026-07-29T16:32:30.000Z
*Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem,*

Dearest brothers & sisters, 

*Al-Salamu Alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh,*

At a time when the world feels immersed in deeper chaos, we find ourselves distracted by land, ethnicity, cultural beliefs, power, division and suffering. Yet the nature of this world is material—a world of *fasaad*. If not distracted by entertainment, we are distracted by war. 

In times of war, we feel it more intensely. We sit helplessly, at the “mercy” of a world governed by power and greed. We are left speculating, consumed by conspiracy theories, staring at the news and waiting for the next incident, whether on the television or on our phones. 

This first affects our own wellbeing, then the wellbeing of our families, friends, and most of all, our children, who inherit the state we normalize. 

What is the benefit of this? Why do we not realize that sitting endlessly before the news does nothing but further disturb our inner state? Yes, we should not be ignorant of what is taking place in the world. At the same time, we must remember the capabilities of technology today and remain aware of how easily information can be misrepresented and manipulated across media. We can quickly fall into loops, endlessly trying to uncover the “true story” in a world that is not even grounded in Truth.

Where will we find certainty amidst illusion? Where do we search for Truth when we have disconnected from the Source of Truth?

If we continue living in the same mental patterns we have adopted from the world, nothing will ever change. 

(إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا۟ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ۗ وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوٓءًۭا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥ ۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍۢ‏) 

Verily, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own inner selves. And when Allah wills to afflict a people with misfortune, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides HIM, any protector. 

\[Ar-Ra’d:11\] 

As we sit and watch the state of the world helplessly from the comforts of our couches, there is something much deeper humanity can do, especially if we want our children to grow up in a world different from the one we are witnessing today. 

It is alarming to realize that the condition of the world reflects the mental condition of its people. While we sit on our sofas judging, feeling helpless, scared, and distraught, we are once again distracted from the deeper reality. 

Allah ﷻ is clear in the Holy Quran: HE does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within their own *Nafs*. Brothers and sisters, this is urgent. The condition of humanity is directly affected by the condition of our inner selves. Only when we change the patterns of our own *Nafs* will the condition of a people change. 

Look within. What does the condition lean toward? Fear? Worry? Overthinking? Authority? Reactivity? Judgement? Annoyance? Attachment? Greed? Anger? Hatred? Revenge? 

That is the condition that reflects outward into the world. 

Each of us has a role to play. We do not need to stand on battlefields to participate. We should absolutely support those who suffer materially when we are able to, but the true battle is not with what appears to be the enemy on the other side. The real struggle is with our own *Nafs,* and how we shift its condition to impact the greater whole. 

We say we feel helpless. But the truth is, the help the world needs begins *within* us when we align with Allah ﷻ. Even from the comfort of that same sofa. Switch off the external and switch on the internal. The impact of this inner work is not small; it is essential to the healing of humanity.

We can send a thousand prayers, and we should. But the prayer that transforms fate is the prayer of the one whose will, thought, and *Nafs* are aligned with the Will of Allah ﷻ. Such a *Duaa* transcends beyond the boundaries of the Heavens and Earth and reaches Allah ﷻ.

If we want to make the world a better place, we must make ourselves a better place first. A place where we feel at peace, where we feel safe, and where clarity remains steady within us. Allah ﷻ clearly states in the *Ayah* that there is nowhere to turn except to HIM. To truly reach Allah ﷻ, to experience the true meaning of *sukoon*, to wholeheartedly know what it means to be in the care of Allah ﷻ, and to impact the condition of the world, **there is no other way but to know your own *Rooh***.

When one knows the Soul, two distinct patterns become clear: one aligned with what Allah ﷻ loves, and one that steers away from it. The perception of the Soul is not one based on theories, assumptions, opinions, or claims; it is a direct seeing—Reality as it *is,* without a thread of doubt. And when we see clearly, we recognize how our own mental activity feeds the very condition of the circumstances we complain about. 

Every thought has a frequency, and those frequencies create ripples. 

If humanity feels helpless everywhere else, let it unite here. The power behind what is manifested before us, the circumstances we see in the world, will shift. The inner work each of us does internally has an effect; it shifts the collective whole. 

We should be aware and understand how to steer our *Nafs* away from lower tendencies and into a state that empowers humanity. 

Do not think your inner work is ineffective.

Imam Ali (RAA) Says, *“Do you think you are a small entity, while within you is enfolded the entire universe?”*

Mawlana Rumi (RA) Says, *“You are the whole universe in ecstatic motion.”*

And Allah ﷻ Says:

حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا۟ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ…

*…Until they change their own inner selves.*

The ability to change the condition of the world exists within each of us.

The world is not run by material forces. No matter how much materialism is imposed on us, the Holy Books are constantly pointing us beyond it. Before anything appears in form, it exists in *Ghayb*—the Hidden realm, the inner. Yet we have neglected this inner dimension, and so we find ourselves in this condition.

Not every form of support must be material. What stops us is believing that it must be. Allah ﷻ HIMSELF Says that changing what we focus on within, changes the condition of a people. 

The mind tends to define us by form—flesh and bone. If this is how we see ourselves, we will remain extremely limited in our impact. But Allah ﷻ’s creation is not confined to the physical; it is not bound by time and space. When we shift how we identify ourselves, we move from individual thinking to Collective Consciousness, and it is through the Soul that true change occurs. 

If our practice revolves only around bodily movements and material thoughts, it becomes empty. Physical forms are like shells—hollow. The body is just the outer form; it is not the essence. The Soul is the reality upon which our whole existence stands. That is what we must connect to. The *Nafs* must be directed toward it. That is *Taqwa*.

The *Nafs* fluctuates between two patterns: *Rahmani*—aligned with what Allah ﷻ loves—and *Shaytani*—aligned with what distances us from HIM. *Rahmani* thoughts bring humility, compassion, gratitude, generosity, and trust; they cultivate a Collective Pattern. *Shaytani* thoughts feed the ego, fear, grief, greed, envy, and division, keeping one confined to an individualistic pattern.

Al-Sheikh Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) reminds us:

*“The real reason for mental conflict and breakdown in the human race is that the reflection of the Prophets’ (AS) way of thinking is diminishing, and man’s own self-conceived assumptions have deprived him of true awareness.*

*When the Prophets (AS) thought about something, they did not establish a direct relationship between themselves and that thing.*

*Their way of thinking was always that Allah Almighty is the Owner of the universe and all things, HE is our Master.* 

*Our relationship with anything is not direct; rather, every relationship is a means to recognize Allah ﷻ.* 

*Because humanity today is devoid of the Prophets (AS)’s way of thinking and is overwhelmed by self-conceived assumptions, belief in matter dominates, while belief in the Creator of matter is weak.* 

*If we wish to achieve closeness with Allah ﷻ, we must do what Allah ﷻ does.* 

*Allah ﷻ is constantly engaged in the service of HIS creation and protects them, yet seeks no reward in return.* 

*Every task should be performed with full effort and struggle, but the results should be left to Allah ﷻ.”*

This is the way forward. 

With my deepest prayers and love—and what some may call a naïve wish to see humanity united in its best state—let us turn inward and reflect with honesty amongst ourselves. Where does the *Nafs* lean? If it is 50/50, we are already in better state. But if it leans even slightly more toward the material than the Soul, toward worldly life instead of being oriented toward Allah *ﷻ,* even by 1%, then we must acknowledge where the deviation truly begins. In the same way, a population may remain steady at balance, but the moment even 1% tips beyond it, the condition of the people begins to decline. 

I pray we have the courage to examine our inner selves and to do the inner work, so that we may truly make a difference, first to ourselves, our families, our communities, our nation, and humanity as a whole. 

With prayers of peace, love, and light to the ends of the Earth & Beyond,

*Allah Al-Hafidh*,

Noora Azeemi 

\--

**To learn more about the nature of the Soul, read the series** [***Into The Beloved***](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/into-the-beloved/)

---

[Next Reflection](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/when-you-become-silent-what-awakens-within-you/)
### 06. THE PRACTICE OF MURAQABAH
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/the-practice-of-muraqabah/
Last updated: 2026-10-09T16:23:58.000Z
### Shuoor & La Shuoor

There are two faculties of sense operative within us. One is *Shuoor*, the conscious aspect that relies on sensory perception and focuses on the external world. The other is *La Shuoor*, which pertains to the inner senses and the subconscious, and is oriented toward the inner dimensions of creation. 

What we focus on during our conscious state is reflected in our subconscious. For example, if we entertain many worrying thoughts, they tend to appear in our dreams. On the other hand, if we are at peace, that tranquility is reflected there as well. 

The problem lies in preventing our higher states of existence from influencing our conscious state. By focusing solely on the lowest dimension, we create barriers that block inspiration. We tend to view life from a bottom-up perspective, assuming that the lowest state contains everything and is the point from which we are elevated. This perspective is limited and prevents us from reaching Reality.

What is needed is a reversal of perspective. Rather than allowing our conscious state to dictate our well-being, we must create space for the subconscious to shape and influence our conscious experience. By adopting a top-down approach, we begin to understand how Reality manifests from Allah ﷻ’s Mind, through the zones and layers, and into manifested form. This shift in perspective deepens our comprehension of Reality and allows our higher selves to influence our well-being, rather than remaining confined and limited to the lowest and narrowest point of perception. 

### Dreaming While Awake

Dreams hold significant importance in spirituality. Many religions emphasize their value, and in the Holy Quran, dreams are seen as a form of Divine Communication. We cannot deny their significance, as illustrated by the story of *Nabi* Yusuf (AS), where dreams convey important messages. 

It is essential to understand that our inner senses—our subconscious—are directly linked to the state of dreaming. When we sleep, we enter the dream state unconsciously, while our bodies remain at rest. An inner entity within us travels beyond the constraints of time and space. 

During *Muraqabah*, we attempt to enter a similar state consciously. We strive to experience the dream world while remaining fully aware. *Muraqabah* allows us to disengage from the chatter of the mind and enter the dream realm in a state of wakefulness and awareness.

This creates space for *tafakkur* (contemplation), enabling us to perceive heightened states of Reality and deeper truths by engaging with the spiritual realms as we gradually become conscious of the subconscious. In the dream state, we are free from the constraints of time and space, whereas in the physical realm, we are completely bound by them.

As we shift our attention inward, we disengage from the external senses, effectively switching off our sensory perceptions. This activates and awakens *La Shuoor*. As we gradually become conscious of the subconscious senses, we begin to recognize the capability within us to transcend time and space, freeing us from their limitations. It is akin to falling asleep, but consciously. As Hudhoor Qalander Baba Auliya (RA) has said, “*Muraqabah is the practice of dreaming while awake.*”

### The Spiritual Mentor

When we have a problem with our bones, we consult an orthopedic specialist, as they are experts in that area. If we need heart surgery, we seek an expert heart surgeon. Similarly, when we want to study a subject, we look for an expert in the field who has the experience to teach us.

Likewise, when someone seeks the path of Reality through spirituality, they should seek a Mentor who has already walked the Path, reached the Destination, and knows the ins and outs of the spiritual path and the nuances of the journey. The Mentor can guide with wisdom, direct the seeker, and oversee their spiritual transformation, which can sometimes be overwhelming. 

It is through *Muraqabah* that we come to recognize and experience two faculties operative within the human being. One is confined and limited to the physical aspect, while the other is liberated, transcending the limitations of the body. This liberated entity within us draws us closer to the senses of the Soul, enabling us to experience and interact with the spiritual dimensions of existence, bringing us into the Divine. 

To help visualize this, consider how daylight in Earth’s atmosphere appears light blue. If you travel beyond this atmosphere into space during the day, you will find yourself floating in an endless black expanse. In the same way, the vision of *Shuoor* is limited. When you move beyond this atmosphere, you begin to traverse the boundless consciousness of *La Shuoor*.

The concentration achieved through *Muraqabah* takes us beyond the constraints and restrictions of the waking world into the liberated and free senses of the dream world while maintaining full awareness. This process brings forth Divine Knowledge and Attributes, enlightenment, deeper realms of existence, and self-exploration. Eventually, *Muraqabah* becomes a state of being. Whether your eyes are closed or open, you have the ability to see beyond the physical. 

### The Single Point

Within every human being exist extraordinary capabilities. Yet the knowledge of the Soul remains dormant because the power of mental concentration is rarely used.

*Muraqabah* is the art and science of concentration. It is the practice of focusing the mind on a single thought until all other thoughts disappear. As Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) explains in his book *Muraqabah*, when the mind is scattered across countless thoughts, its deeper abilities remain dormant. But when attention is gathered and directed toward a single point, the hidden capacities within us begin to surface.

In our daily lives, the mind is constantly shifting under the influence of emotions, thoughts, and impulses. Because of this continuous influx of thoughts, we rarely perceive the deeper aspects of our own being or the source of our origin.

Concentration is the act of focusing the mind on a single point or thought. Through *Muraqabah*, we are able to achieve this state and become thoughtless within a single thought. Achieving this state is the point through which the spiritual senses become activated.

The concept of meditation dates back centuries and serves various purposes, including mindfulness, tranquility, healing, and more. In today’s fast-paced world, as people constantly seek well-being to alleviate their miseries, spirituality and meditation have increasingly become commercialized. 

*Muraqabah*, however, is a practice that lifts us out of our miseries while revealing the truth—without cost. It connects us with our innermost Self, which naturally heals all other aspects of our being. It is a practice of concentration, the first class given to any spiritual student. Its aim is to disengage us from the external senses and awaken our inner senses. 

Some are content with attaining peace of mind and relief from restlessness and inner turbulence. Others feel a deeper pull, a curiosity that urges them to dive into ultimate Reality. *Muraqabah* accommodates both. It grants stability to those who seek peace and depth to those who seek Truth.

The practice begins with finding a comfortable place with a suitable temperature and a relaxed body, preferably a dark, quiet space that supports stillness. The external senses must gradually quieten, allowing attention to shift from the body to the mind and eventually beyond it. 

Breathing exercises and *Dhikr* propel and guide us toward a single point of focus. The mind is directed toward one thought, which can be challenging at first, as neither the body nor the mind is accustomed to such discipline. Yet with determination and consistent practice, it becomes attainable for anyone.

The difficulty lies in our impatience; many expect immediate results and abandon the practice before its effects are felt. 

Often, people complain, “My body cannot stay still,” or “My mind wanders, and I cannot focus.” Others conclude, “Meditation just isn’t for me.” The first step is simply to sit. Choose a time that suits you and commit to sitting at that same time every day. With repetition, the body adjusts and learns how to relax. Determination and consistency are essential; it will not happen after only a handful of attempts. 

Initially, your mind will wander, and that is completely normal. What matters is gently guiding it back to a single point of focus.

For example, if your visualization during *Muraqabah* is blue rays descending from the sky, visualize absorbing them through the crown of your head and into your heart. This visualization becomes your focal point during the practice. 

Whenever your thoughts drift and you become aware of it, gently return to your point of focus. There is no need for agitation; simply acknowledge the distraction and redirect your attention. 

Think of it like driving from your home to the office. Along the way, you will see signs, shops, schools, parks, and malls. Yet because they are not your destination, you pass them without stopping, remaining focused on reaching the office. 

In the same way, through practice, we observe the state of the body and mind. We notice what distracts them and how they shift, gradually training them to align with the influence of the Soul. 

### Temporary Relief

As today’s world continues to modernize, countless quick fixes promise to temporarily elevate how we feel. Through substances such as alcohol, drugs, and prescription pills, some seek to numb their emotions, others chase a trance-like state, an altered perception, or a fleeting high. 

Yet these methods often work against humanity rather than elevating our experience. They rob us of true awareness, offering only temporary relief, masking pain without addressing its root or understanding the mechanism behind it.

While such practices or substances may provide brief moments of calmness, realization, or heightened awareness, these sensations typically fade within hours or days, leaving one in the same restless state. You might feel elevated for a short time, but as the feeling wears off, the desire for another quick fix returns. 

In fact, such practices or substances exist on the opposite end of the spiritual spectrum. They can be harmful and painful, serving as a means of escape rather than an invitation to confront the states we find ourselves in. 

They fall under the category of *istidraj*—a state of spiritual decline—lacking lasting truthfulness or tranquility. Though they represent a form of knowledge, for everything in this universe is established upon knowledge, they can mislead us into perceiving them as beneficial rather than guiding us toward what is truly transformative. Without a true Guide who oversees and directs the seeker, one may enter territories for which they are unprepared. Such exploration, without proper grounding and guidance, can lead to confusion, imbalance, or psychological distress, in some cases resulting in addiction or substance misuse.

### Polishing the Mirror

Many seek immediate relief, but true transformation requires process. Growth demands a willingness to be uncomfortable, to unlearn what we have adopted over the years and to confront what we would rather escape. We must come face to face with our own shortcomings and break the patterns we have adopted and grown accustomed to. This process requires courage and can be painful. Yet it is a necessary step, as one begins to see within and enters the process of *tazkiyah*. It must happen if one seeks to know their True Self.

It is like polishing a mirror. When it is stained, dusty, or clouded, it cannot reflect the image clearly. Likewise, for Reality to reflect within us, we must purify and polish the mirror of the mind. 

When substances are used to reach heightened states of consciousness, the experience is momentary and leaves no lasting result. They are temporary and must be repeatedly consumed to be felt. If something depends on repeated consumption, it is not a state that has been established within. 

Ultimately, they foster dependency. Whether in substances or in the commercialization of spirituality, they arise from the same distortion—the underlying motivations often stem from material gain, dominance, greed or fame.

In contrast, a true state of peace and *sukoon* is independent of any external resources. It is sustained by a pure and sincere desire to attain the Knowledge of *Al-Haqq*.

*Muraqabah* cures and nurtures us from the inside out. It teaches us to become independent of all external means, gently guiding us toward higher states of being. This gives rise to a peace that cannot be taken from us or tied to dependency.

The knowledge gained through *Muraqabah* becomes *raasikh*. As we continue to practice, our consciousness expands, allowing us to rise into deeper states of Reality once our present state has stabilized. There is no need for impatience or haste; slow and steady paves the way.

This practice activates our inner senses; it is through focus and concentration that they awaken. It is a beautiful journey toward Reality, one that is ever enlightening and sustaining. 

As Murshid Kareem (RA) has said, for a flute to produce a beautiful melody, the piece of bamboo must first endure the pain of cutting, burning, and carving.

When we gain true focus oriented toward Allah ﷻ, nothing can be taken from us—no peace of mind, no experience, no bliss. So long as our intentions remain sincere, the path unfolds, and the capacity to withstand and comprehend is granted. We become established in these higher states, driven solely by the persistent desire to know our Creator. 

---

### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)

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### 05. ESSENCE OF BEING
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/essence-of-being/
Last updated: 2026-10-09T16:22:09.000Z
The moment of disobedience in *Jannah*, reflected upon in the previous chapter, sheds light on the way we came to be in this *duniya*. As we are all descendants of Sayyidnah Adam (AS) and Sayyidah Hawa (AS), we have inherited and undergone the same process, and thus ended up here. It was through repentance that Allah ﷻ accepted and forgave Sayyidnah Adam (AS) and Sayyidah Hawa (AS). They acknowledged their wrongdoing and turned to Allah ﷻ, seeking HIS forgiveness. Allah ﷻ forgave them and granted them the knowledge that allowed them to transition out of density, back to lightness, and back to HIM while still present in this *duniya*.

### The Illusion of Distance

What appeared to be distance from Allah (بعد) ﷻ ‎ was perceived through density. We can apply this understanding to our pattern of thinking. As the saying goes, “Heaven is a state of mind.” It is the state of mind we embody that ultimately leads us to the destination itself. When our thoughts are dense, they create the illusion of distance from Allah ﷻ, often formed during times of disobedience. Conversely, when our thoughts are light and pure, we experience a sense of bliss and closeness (قرب) with Allah ﷻ, resulting from obedience.

Let’s consider a modern-day example: listening to the radio. As we tune into different channels, the content of each channel begins to play. Each adjustment of the dial makes a difference in clarity. When we tune in to the exact channel, we hear whatever is being broadcast.

Similarly, the universe operates on waves, and sound waves serve as a clear analogy. For instance, an ultrasound during pregnancy creates an image based on vibrations generated by movement within the womb. Likewise, we must tune in to the right frequencies to manifest *Ahsan Taqweem* or *asfal safileen*.

### The Nature of Noor

Understanding the concepts of individuality and collectiveness is essential, as they play a major role in grasping the Attributes of the Soul and in drawing closer to God-Consciousness. 

The innermost reality of all creation is *Noor* (Divine Light). One of *Noor’s* Attributes is that it is all-inclusive. What is in me is in every single particle in this universe—there is no differentiation. The foundation of all manifestation is Allah ﷻ’s Attributes (*Asmaa Allah al-Husna*); they are the ingredients of all creation and consist of *Noor*. 

Let us visualize this together. Allah ﷻ willed to create the universe. HE ﷻ first envisioned this manifestation in HIS Mind. When HE desired it to manifest, HE commanded it to *“Kun!*—*Be!”* and the manifestation took place from HIS Mind into various layers, each giving birth to the other, all from and within Allah ﷻ . 

(اللَّهُ نورُ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ‏) 

(Allah is The Divine Light of the heavens and the earth) 

\[An-Nūr: 35\] 

![A diagram of The Metaphysics of Manifestation.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6c/2c/6c2c5857-92f2-47d9-a668-4e515985ac5b/content/images/2026/01/Chapter-5-Diagram.svg)

Imagine a circle filled with *Noor*. Within this circle is another circle containing *Al-Samawaat* (the Heavens). Within it, there is an even smaller circle with *Al-Arth* (the Earth)—like layers within one another, all encompassed within Allah ﷻ. All are illuminated with the Essence of Allah ﷻ.

On deeper contemplation, we can connect these aspects to our own creation, following the advice of *Murshid Kareem (RA)*, who suggests that when we read *Al-Ayat Al-Karimah*, we must relate them to our own being in order to understand them more deeply.

If we relate *Arth* (Earth) to our bodies, the manifested features and forms; *Al-Samawaat* (the Skies) to our minds, or what may be understood as our ethereal bodies, the intermediary carriers of information that project these waves onto the screen of the mind; and *Noor* to our Soul, upon which all vision and the movements of life depend, a deeper understanding begins to unfold. 

We must contemplate these teachings deeply, without setting any barriers, until we arrive at the depths of knowledge. 

### The Projector & the Screen

A metaphorical example helps clarify this understanding: We have all been to the cinema. Visualize an old-school projector facing a screen, where we become so absorbed in the film that we may find ourselves in tears or laughing hysterically, feeling as though we are part of the story for those two hours.

The projector hanging on the wall holds film reels containing all the scenes of the movie. Behind the film reels is a light bulb. When the light turns on, the reels begin to move, and as the light passes through the film, the images are projected onto the screen. If we look up, we can actually see the rays through which information travels from the reels to the screen, creating the moving images. 

All the components exist in one place. When the light is activated and movement occurs, an illusion of distance is produced through the projection. Yet the reality is that everything is happening from and within a single source. 

To understand the metaphor of the projector, we must also understand the mechanism of seeing. When we look at something in front of us, such as a glass of water, sight occurs as light strikes the object, is reflected, and is perceived on the screen of the mind. 

For example, if I say “apple,” you can immediately see an apple on the screen of your mind, even if there isn’t one physically present in front of you. Thus, the actual place where sight occurs is within the screen of the mind.

When we watch a movie, we become so engrossed in the scenes that we forget everything that makes them appear in the first place. The Earth is like the screen upon which we witness the scenes of our lives, often mistaking it for the entirety of reality. Yet there is an entire mechanism behind it that allows these shapes and forms to appear.

When we look up and observe the rays of light traveling from the projector, carrying all the information that creates the scenes, we realize that the film is projected through them. 

If we move closer to the projector, we discover that the film reels are useless without the light shining through them. If the light bulb goes off, the film will not appear, even if all the other components are present. 

Similarly, when we depart from this world, our bodies remain here, motionless and lifeless, ready to be buried in the ground. This indicates that the entity which sustained the body is no longer present within it. 

Does this not stir curiosity within us to know and explore that aspect of ourselves which enables our presence in the body, yet is not the body itself?

Allah ﷻ says in Al-Quran Al-Kareem:

(يا مَعشَرَ الجِنِّ وَالإِنسِ إِنِ استَطَعتُم أَن تَنفُذوا مِن أَقطارِ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ فَانفُذوا لا تَنفُذونَ إِلّا بِسُلطانٍ‏) 

O assembly of jinn and mankind! If you have the ability to go beyond the boundaries of the heavens and the earth, then pass! You will not be able to pass except with authority. 

\[Ar-Raḥmān: 33\] 

### Manifestation or Reality?

The foundation of all creation is the same. *Insaan* holds the key to go beyond the boundaries of the body and the mind to explore the Divine. The key lies within the Soul. The Soul is the entity within us that is bestowed with the Knowledge of Allah ﷻ and is directly connected to HIM. It is the Authority within us, linked to the *Amr* (Command) of Allah ﷻ, governing all other aspects and layers of our creation. 

This is what differentiates *Insaan* from all other creatures: the capacity for conscious recognition through *Ilm Al-Asmaa*, the Knowledge of the Attributes of Allah ﷻ entrusted to him. This knowledge of Allah ﷻ, through which *Insaan* is granted awareness, is the essence that makes all of creation appear. The entire universe is the manifestation of Allah ﷻ’s Knowledge. If several scientists were each to attempt to prove different hypotheses about creation, each would be examining a particular manifestation of it. In truth, they would be studying the manifestation—the result—of Allah ﷻ’s Knowledge as it appears through form, rather than the process by which it appears and the Source from which it emerges. Their focus would remain on the external, apparent aspect, rather than on the essence itself. In this sense, they would be exploring manifestation, not Reality, and would remain within the limitations of the physical, or apparent, realm.

If, however, they were to move beyond the physical forms and turn inward toward the essence of what is manifested, they would all arrive at the same truth: that at the core of all manifestation lies the Knowledge of Allah ﷻ. This realization leads directly to HIM. At the end of all inquiry, they would encounter the Presence of Allah ﷻ.

Thus, we may choose to remain within the limitations of examining manifestation alone, or we may go beyond it—beyond form and appearance—into Reality. 

Let me offer another example to help illustrate the process of creation. Imagine a blank white canvas—relate it to *Noor*. This canvas is the foundation that allows any painting to exist. Suppose I decide to paint a scene of a lake surrounded by mountains. I begin by drawing the lines that shape the space on the canvas, creating balance, proportion, and symmetry. These lines give structure and direction, allowing different areas of the canvas to emerge. 

From these lines, forms begin to take shape, giving a sense of individuality to the different elements I wish to depict or bring into appearance. Finally, I add colour, texture, and detail, and you marvel at the beautiful scene, forgetting that the blank canvas is what makes the entire painting appear in the first place. 

### Beneath Every Form

Likewise, we are all the same—our Essence is One. For the sake of recognition, Allah ﷻ has given different *maqadeer*, through which *Noor* appears and expresses itself in various forms. When Noor enters different proportions, it manifests accordingly. If it takes the proportion of a goat, we see a goat. If it takes the proportion of a tree, we see a tree. If it takes the proportion of a human being, we see a human being, and so on. 

We often become so caught up in forms and features—the differences that create a sense of individuality. An exclusive focus on individuality becomes the root of many troubles and pains, often leading to discrimination. In contrast, the nature of *Noor* is Oneness—an all-encompassing, all-inclusive, collective unity. 

There’s an *Ayah Kareemah* that says:

(يا أَيُّهَا النّاسُ إِنّا خَلَقناكُم مِن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثى وَجَعَلناكُم شُعوبًا وَقَبائِلَ لِتَعارَفوا إِنَّ أَكرَمَكُم عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتقاكُم‏) 

O mankind! We created you from a single male and female, made you into nations and tribes, so that you may know one another. Verily, the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most God-Conscious. 

\[Al-Ḥujurāt: 13\] 

Allah ﷻ created us in duality and diversity not as a means of division, but so that we may explore and come to know one another, and through this knowing, recognize the deeper essence of life. It is a beautiful creation that Allah ﷻ has brought into being—why should we not appreciate it and seek its exploration? To travel, to learn, to meet, to discuss, to share, and to exchange.

Spirituality is not an escape from living or exploring the physical aspect of life. Rather, it is a way of living with understanding—one that deepens our appreciation for creation. It allows us to understand how life came to be, while helping us transcend unhealthy attachments to the material world. 

Ultimately, within all the differences, we will find that the most honourable among human beings is the one who is most God-Conscious. This points to the quality of the Soul within each of us, whose nature is *Noor*, all-encompassing, dissolving separation. When two God-Conscious individuals meet, they will recognize one another not by the colour of their skin, nor by nationality, language, culture, social status, or outward appearances, but through the realization that the *Noor* within them is one and the same—they share the same Essence. Conversely, when God-Consciousness is absent, discrimination arises in one form or another, as human beings begin to claim superiority over one another, forgetting what it is that unites them. 

### The Screen of the Mind

The screen of the mind is where we display images of doubt, worry, anxiety, and overthinking. Often fixating on things that are not real or have not happened, we waste time over-analyzing and misinterpreting. Over time, we become so accustomed to these patterns that we allow them to persist.

What appears on the screen of the mind is shaped not only by what is before us, but by what we choose to give attention to. 

Yet this screen can also display images that evoke feelings of happiness, peace, and tranquility, giving rise to beautiful inner visualizations and realizations. Beloved Murshid (RA) always says, “خوش رہو—*Khush rahoo*!” the Urdu expression for *be happy*! By embodying happiness, we can arrive at a neutral state, where the mind becomes still and where we experience blankness, leading us into a deeper reality. 

When we wear spectacles, if the lenses are coloured, we see the world through that colour. If the lens is red, everything appears red; if it is blue, everything appears blue. Only with transparent lenses do we see the original colours.

When light goes through a prism, it disperses into various colours. For light to shine clearly through a lantern, the glass surrounding it must be clean; if it gathers dirt and dust, the light appears dull or may not shine through at all. In the same way, we must dust off and purify our minds and patterns of thinking through the practice of *Muraqabah*. Only then can our True Essence shine through and reflect its origin. 

---

### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)

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### 04. WHO IS THE TRUE SELF?
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/who-is-the-true-self/
Last updated: 2026-10-09T16:19:56.000Z
Who is the True Self within me, and how does realizing it lead me to true happiness? 

### The Garment of the Soul

Hudhoor Qalander Baba Auliya (RA) explains this very clearly through a simple but profound example: If you are wearing a shirt and you move your arms, the shirt will naturally move along with you. But if you take the shirt off and place it on the bed, and ask it to move, it has no ability to do so.

Similarly, the body is merely the *libas* (dress) of the Soul. When the Soul enters the physical realm (*dunya*), it takes the form of a physical body. This means that the entity that is in control of our physical existence is not the body—it is the Soul. 

The body feels, moves, reacts, and experiences *because* of the Soul. Without the Soul, the body has no motion, no perception, and no life. 

### Three Layers

To simplify, we can say there are three main layers to our existence. The lowest aspect is our physical body or form. When this aspect leads our lives, we tend to live in a very animalistic way, constantly operating on survival mode. Our focus revolves solely around material needs and physical pleasure.

In this state, happiness becomes very temporary and unstable. It fluctuates—it rises when our physical desires are fulfilled, and it fades the moment they are not met, or as soon as new desires and needs appear. 

The second layer is related to the mind, which is the ethereal energy body (the zone of the *nasma* or the aura). It is a body of light that acts as a medium between the Soul and the body. Modern science has been able to produce cameras that detect the aura. When its colours are balanced, it reflects positively on our physical and mental state through health, clarity, and well-being. Conversely, when it is imbalanced, those disturbances become evident in both the body and the mind. 

The mind is constantly bombarded with thoughts, this is its very nature. If we are not receiving thoughts, we would be dead. Without control over this aspect, the mind can lead us into overthinking, doubt, and worry. It shifts from one state to another, leaving us in patterns of inconsistency and instability. 

### What Governs Our Being?

The final layer is that of the Soul, which is the True Self. The Soul is the aspect that governs our entire existence. It represents our *fitrah* and is the part of us that is directly connected to Allah ﷻ. This aspect is ageless and genderless, identifying with the oneness of *Noor*.

When we familiarise ourselves with the nature and characteristics of the Soul, we begin to see that both the mind and body are simply tools, layers through which the Soul expresses itself. But when we do not understand how these layers function, we unconsciously hinder the expression of the Soul. 

Let us consider the need for thirst. This need must be fulfilled by quenching it, so I decide to get some water from the kitchen. First, on the screen of my mind, I see myself walking to the kitchen, opening the cupboard, taking out a glass, pouring water into it and finally drinking it. Then my body follows this mental image in the physical act of getting a glass of water. 

There is an entity within us that gives the command. This command first appears on the screen of the mind, before manifesting as movement in the physical body. Beyond the body and the mind, this same entity drives both of these aspects to move—the Soul. The Soul governs all aspects of our being. For each zone it enters, it creates a different *libas* (dress) through which it expresses itself. Referring to the three layers mentioned above: the Soul is composed of *Noor* (Divine Light), *nasma* (aura) is made of light, and the body is made of clay. 

### Beyond the Physical

The reason we often fail to realize this is that we believe our existence is limited to the physical body. We identify our whole existence with the body and our worldly identity. Even when we read about and intellectually accept the concept of the Hereafter, we often comprehend it only in theory. We do not truly understand it, nor do we experience it. 

When *Al-Akhirah* is mentioned, we commonly assume it refers to “the end," that after we depart from this world, we will enter the Hereafter. In reality, *Al-Akhirah* means another life, one that exists parallel to this worldly life. This implies that when we transcend the limited and illusory senses of the body, we begin to perceive and comprehend a deeper truth.

As our perspective elevates, we no longer remain dependent on the physical aspects of life for meaning or fulfilment. Yet, we continue to live in this world, without being attached to it. 

Our Beloved Prophet ﷺ has said: “موتوا قبل أن تموتوا—Die before you die.”

At this stage, the point to ponder is this: when we depart from this body, which aspect of us is left behind to be buried in the soil, and which aspect of us moves on to another life?

We can even ask ourselves a similar question every night when we go to sleep and dream. As the body lies resting in bed, which aspect of us is able to eat, travel, meet people, walk, or even fly? At times, our dreams feel so real that when we awaken, we remain in the *ihsas* of the dream with full awareness, often experiencing its effects physically within the body. When we are being chased in a dream, we often wake up panting and anxious. And in the case of a wet dream, its effects become evident in the physical body upon waking. 

### The Mind as a Tool

There is a part of us that experiences, and another part that observes.

We can view the mind as a mediator, positioned between the body and the Soul. When the mind becomes attached to the density of the physical aspect of life, it keeps us anchored there, looping within those limitations. Its thoughts will remain dense, and our lives will revolve primarily around the lowest realm of existence—the physical. 

The mind is a tool; if we can learn to use it for our betterment, we can take control rather than allowing it to control us. Often, the mind wanders, shaping our moods and emotions based on its perceptions of circumstances rather than on truth.

On the contrary, when the mind is redirected away from the physical body and begins to seek the Soul, we can, through repeated practice, shift our focus from the limited and temporary aspects of life toward exploring and entering the unlimited life of the Soul. This active transition moves the mind away from density and into lighter realms of awareness. With continued and consistent practice, through repetition, we can influence our thinking patterns and allow the mind to return to a state of alignment. 

### The Aerial View

Accomplishing this means that *sabr* needs to become our new best friend. *Yaqeen* is the driving force that allows us to uncover the mysteries of Allah ﷻ, our Souls, and HIS creation. *Sabr* should be our constant companion, sitting in the passenger seat.

We are often quick to react, assume, and assign meaning to everything that happens to us. Yet sometimes, if we simply ride the wave, observing and acknowledging a thing for what it is, we begin to discover something deeper. We start to uncover the inner knowledge of a thing and allow ourselves the space to rise above the limited emotions that overtake our thinking. 

This shift gradually elevates our perspectives to an aerial view, and believe me, things look a whole lot clearer from there. 

Allowing patience to guide us to that perspective changes our perception, expands our knowledge, and prevents our emotions from overtaking us. How often does something not go our way, and we try so hard to control the circumstances? We want to react immediately.

What if we paused, took a step back, and befriended the circumstance, allowing it to reveal what it is trying to teach us? 

Fear and sadness (خوف و حزن) are the key elements that create distance between us and reality; they rob us of presence. With fear, we live in the future, and with sadness, we remain in the past. If we learn how to master surrender, we begin to see that life always holds our best interests at heart, even if we cannot perceive the full picture in that moment.

The present moment is a gift. Within it, we are invited to move with the current of life rather than resist it or swim against it. We must rise above the illusion of control based on our expectations and enter the natural flow of life. 

Loss—if we increase our capacity to bear it just a little more—can activate *sabr* in its true characteristics. We begin to see that the way we wanted things to unfold was not what was best for us, and eventually find ourselves saying, “Thank God that didn’t go the way I wanted.” 

We are often hasty, seeking instant gratification rather than knowledge, experience, and truth. We lack *sabr* and the *Yaqeen* that Allah ﷻ always wants what is best for us, even when HE takes something away. Instead, we tend to apply these qualities superficially, seeking things not to comprehend their reality, but for the pleasure and satisfaction they bring.

Sorry to break it to you, but that instant gratification never lasts. It is all momentary. We are all witnesses to this. 

If we bear the pain—whether a little or a lot—with the intention of uncovering the truth within a situation, the way we live our lives would transform. What we seek would change, and our desires would no longer control us or lead us into useless endeavours. Instead, our desires would become a constant search for truth and reality.

Pain propels us into higher zones, forcing us to overcome current states that are holding us down. When we remain in our comfort zones, we prefer to stay there, seeking ease and familiarity. Yet it is truly a blessing in disguise to be placed in situations that force us out of our comfort zones. These challenges propel us to elevate our patterns and seek higher truths, if we are aware and conscious. 

Why would we want to live a life that is not truthful, or one based on illusion? Rather, we would befriend *sabr* and discover the beauty within it. Shams Tabrizi (RA) has a beautiful metaphor that can truly help us grasp the meaning of patience, if we take the time to reflect upon it:

*“Patience is not sitting and waiting; it is foreseeing. It is looking at the thorn and seeing the rose, looking at the night and seeing the day. Lovers are patient and know that the moon needs time to become full.”*

This is a profound example that highlights the inner teachings of the following *Ayah:*

(فَصَبرٌ جَميلٌ‏) 

(So patience is beautiful) 

*\[Yūsuf: 18\]* 

Murshid Kareem (RA) has said to me that when Allah ﷻ takes something away from you, it is because HE wants to replace it with something better. From this, I have learnt that beauty truly lies in patience. What we must understand is the proper manner in which to practice patience at its depth.

Al-Quran Al-Kareem beautifully explains this concept in the following *Ayah*: 

‏(وَلَنَبلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيءٍ مِنَ الخَوفِ وَالجوعِ وَنَقصٍ مِنَ الأَموالِ وَالأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَراتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصّابِرينَ ۝ الَّذينَ إِذا أَصابَتهُم مُصيبَةٌ قالوا إِنّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنّا إِلَيهِ راجِعونَ ۝ أُولئِكَ عَلَيهِم صَلَواتٌ مِن رَبِّهِم وَرَحمَةٌ وَأُولئِكَ هُمُ المُهتَدونَ )‏ 

*And we will surely test you with something of fear and hunger, and with some loss of wealth, lives, or fruits. But give glad tidings to those who remain patient—those who, when afflicted with a calamity, say, ‘Indeed, to Allah we belong and to HIM we shall return.’ They are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and they are the rightly guided.* 

 *\[Al-Baqarah: 155-157\]* 

### The Glad Tiding

Life tests us in various ways, this we all know to be true. We cannot deny that we all go through difficult circumstances that distract us, cloud our thoughts, and affect our emotions and well-being. Yet, the first *Ayah* ends with a *bushra*—a glad tiding, beautiful news.

Allah ﷻ says, “Give glad tidings to those who are patient,” and then HE ﷻ describes them: “Those who, when faced with hardship, say, إِنّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنّا إِلَيهِ راجِعونَ—To Allah we belong, and to HIM is our return.”

We commonly use this *Ayah* assuming it applies only when someone departs from this body. However, if we delve deeper into these *Ayat*, we begin to understand that when a person faces difficulty and fully surrenders to Allah’s ﷻ Decree, they return to Allah ﷻ without attempting to control the situation. Their attention is no longer fixed on the circumstance or hardship, but is truly directed toward Allah ﷻ.

When this surrender is practiced repeatedly, the mind becomes trained to focus on Allah ﷻ, the Highest. We practice the death of the personal ego and the negation of the self. This practice allows us to connect with the senses of the Soul and align our will with the Will of Allah ﷻ.

The following *Ayah* emphasizes that Allah ﷻ connects and draws near to those who turn towards HIM, blessing them with HIS *Rahmah* (Mercy) and guidance. 

*Rahmah* itself expands our understanding through knowledge. When we don’t know or comprehend something, it can be difficult to bear. However, when Allah ﷻ showers us with HIS Mercy and the knowledge behind something starts to reveal itself, a sudden expansion takes place, and the vastness of Mercy unfolds. In that moment, an overwhelming sense of gratitude overtakes us, causing things to feel lighter and more expansive before our very eyes. 

The aspect of *Ihsaan Taqweem* is the part within us that is constantly connected to Allah ﷻ. We are only able to experience this state when we transcend the limited senses of the body and mind, allowing the senses of the Soul to become conscious.

And just to reassert the importance of patience in accomplishing this—perhaps I didn’t emphasise it enough—Allah ﷻ says:

(إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصّابِرينَ‏) 

(Allah is with the patient) 

*\[Al-Baqarah: 153\]* 

HE says that HE is *with* those who are patient—*present tense*. 

### The Knowledge Within

To do this, we must have an understanding of the nature of the Soul. The Soul, first and foremost, originates from Allah ﷻ’s Rooh: 

(وَنَفَختُ فيهِ مِن روحي‏) 

(And I breathed into him from My Spirit) 

*\[Al-Ḥijr: 29\]* 

This means that Allah ﷻ transferred an inseparable aspect of HIMSELF that contains HIS Knowledge, which we refer to as *Rooh*. The Soul is the entity within us that holds the Knowledge of Allah ﷻ, and the only aspect within us that can cognize HIM. This realization is what differentiates Human-beings (*Insaan*) from man (*Adami*). 

In the context of the Holy Quran, the story of the creation of Sayyidnah Adam (AS) sheds light on this reality. When Allah ﷻ created Sayyidnah Adam (AS), HE states that HE taught Adam (AS) all the Names (وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا). 

In a limited understanding, these Names are often interpreted as merely referring to the names of things that exist in the universe, such as the moon, sun, tree, star, earth, and so on. However, this is not the case. 

On a deeper intellectual and spiritual level, Beloved Murshid (RA) invites us to ponder further, explaining that *Al-Asmaa* (the Names) are, in reality, the Attributes of Allah ﷻ. Within these Attributes lie the Formulas of creation, through which Allah ﷻ created the whole universe. The Knowledge related to the exploration and manifestation of the universe is bestowed upon us by Allah ﷻ.

Again and again, this reality is emphasized in Al-Quran Al-Kareem:

تفكّرون… تعلمون… يا أولي الألباب… فبأيّ آلاء ربكما تكذّبان 

*So that you may reflect… If only you knew… O people of understanding… Then which of the favours of your Lord would you deny…* 

Allah ﷻ constantly encourages us to contemplate, to think for ourselves, and to remain open to the truth without denying it.

When Allah ﷻ created Sayyidnah Adam (AS), HE commanded the Angels to bow down to Adam (AS). They all complied, except for Iblees. This raises an important question: why would Allah ﷻ ask the Angels—beings created from Divine Light—to bow to Sayyidnah Adam (AS), unless there was something so divinely profound placed within Adam (AS)? That reality is the Knowledge of Allah ﷻ. 

We are all the descendants and inheritors of Sayyidnah Adam (AS) and Sayyidah Hawwa (AS). Regardless of our faith, this is a truth we all share, the truth that unites humanity. 

### The Tree of Inconsistency

So, what happened? How did we end up in *asfal safileen*? 

When Allah ﷻ instructed Sayyidnah Adam (AS) not to go near the tree, described by Murshid Kareem (RA) as a tree representing inconsistency and change. It was mesmerizing, constantly shifting in colour. It might appear blue one moment, red the next, then purple, and so on. Before one could fully grasp a colour, it had already transformed into another.

When Sayyidnah Adam (AS) and Sayyidah Hawwa (AS) disobeyed Allah ﷻ and approached the tree, this disobedience gave rise to feelings of guilt and *shakk* (doubt) began to surface. As a result, they lost the state of happiness, freedom, and bliss they had been experiencing in Heaven.

The emerging of *shakk* was born from a state of inner inconsistency. Their mind shifted from the state of *yaqeen* they were enjoying in complete closeness with Allah ﷻ to a state of instability and fluctuation, creating a sense of distance from HIM. This inner shift altered their energy and frequency, transforming it into a denser state.

According to the laws governing Allah ﷻ’s creation, the lightness of their beings in *Jannah*—which was the source of their happiness, could not coexist with this density. Feelings of guilt and doubt prevented them from remaining in Heaven. The forbidden tree, therefore, symbolizes disobedience. Heaven rejects unhappiness; it does not accommodate it. Thus, they transitioned from *Ahsan Taqweem* to *asfal safileen*.

This illustrates the difference between *Insaan* and *adami*. *Insaan* is God-Conscious, aware of the profound Knowledge within, and remains in the consciousness of the Soul, a collective consciousness, dwelling in an unlimited, heavenly state of pure happiness with his Lord internally, regardless of external circumstances and constraints. In contrast, *adami* is confined to physical existence, trapped in individual consciousness and limited perception, residing within the limited realm of *fasaad*, having forgotten his true nature. 

---

### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)

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### 03. ​YOU’RE CONNECTED
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/you-are-connected/
Last updated: 2026-10-09T16:16:50.000Z
### Salat is Connection

Murshid Kareem (RA) says, “الصلاة معراج المؤمنين” (*Prayer is the ascension of the believers*). It is through Salat that we open the path towards knowing Allah ﷻ. It is not merely a series of bodily movements and routines; *Salat* comes from the word *Silah*—connection. To connect, we must first and foremost have the ability to focus.

In today’s world, one of the most relied-upon services is the internet. When the connection is excellent, you can connect instantly, explore the World Wide Web, call someone on the other side of the world, or download various apps on your smartphone, each serving a different function. The biggest frustration of the modern-day era is when “the internet is down” or “the Wi-Fi sucks” or even worse, “there is no Wi-Fi!” In such cases, all of your devices become nearly useless to you and cannot function or perform as you’d like. 

Even when Wi-Fi or electricity is present, if you aren’t connected to it or don’t plug something in, it remains useless to you, even though the signal is constantly broadcasting. The connection only works when it runs both ways; without that mutual link, nothing functions as it should. True communication is never one-sided. 

### When Attention Wanders

Sadly, the same can be said for much of society today, as we are often more familiar with our devices than our own selves. It becomes daunting to be alone without being online. 

If the mind is not still, if it is not focused, it lacks the ability to concentrate. If the mind is constantly occupied with worldly affairs and distractions, it no longer finds space for inner introspection and connection. Let’s reflect on our prayers: how many of us, as soon as we say *Allahu-Akbar*, are thinking about what we will have for dinner, what we will wear when we go out, our plans for the day, or how we will get back to that person who upset us? Without even giving ourselves enough time to finish what we are reciting in prostration before rising, we are scattered in our thoughts, one after the other, and by the time we say *AlSalamu-Alykum*, we can barely recall a single moment of true connection. 

Most of the time, we are simply ticking the box for *Salat* to satisfy the feeling of completing it on our to-do list. Consequently, even the practice of *Salat* becomes redundant. Often, we don’t even understand what we are reciting, which makes it very difficult to connect during prayer. Unless and until the mind learns how to focus on a single point through the practice of *Muraqabah*—essentially, the art of concentration—we will never truly enjoy or taste the real flavour of *Salat*, reap its benefits, or enter the state of *Ahsan Taqweem*—our ultimate state as human beings. As Murshid Kareem (RA) has taught, there comes a point when *Salat* becomes *Muraqabah*, and *Muraqabah* becomes *Salat*.

*Salat* is a beautiful act, beyond a mere ritual, one that must be experienced in such a way that it becomes an act of love. To pause your daily tasks and routine to establish a connection and converse with your Lord, your Creator—who loves you more than seventy mothers—is a profound privilege.

### Keeping the Connection Alive

These five prayers a day serve as a spiritual recharge, keeping you focused, in contact with, and in a state of peace and bliss during and inbetween prayers. It keeps you online with Allah 24/7\. We must note that in *Al-Quran Al-Kareem*, it is stated that we must *establish* prayer, not just recite it. Allah ﷻ is always with us—the question is, are we with HIM?

Another modern-day frustration is the smartphone battery depleting—what a panic this causes! When we’re at five percent, the restlessness to find a charger is consuming. At fifty percent, the awareness of the impending panic starts to surface. However, when we are at one hundred percent, we feel care-free and at complete ease, convinced that everything we need or want can be managed through that little device in our pocket. 

### Connected to Information, Disconnected from Ourselves

In today’s world, science and technology have advanced at an incredible pace. While these advancements have helped humanity progress materially, they have also led people to cling more to the physical aspect of life, distancing themselves from their true selves and distracting them from seeking the truth. Consequently, the true essence of spirituality is often forgotten. Everything created by man is essentially inspired by God’s creation. No one in this universe can create anything without using the resources provided by Allah ﷻ. People seek the pleasures in man-made devices while forgetting to explore the most magnificent creation of all—themselves—the best of Allah ﷻ’s creation: *Insaan*.

Today’s generation is so accustomed to speed and has access to an endless stream of information, literally at their fingertips. If something doesn’t load within five seconds, impatience sets in. Why is it that we are so enticed by the external senses, yet rarely take the time to develop our inward sense? We connect to information, but not to the Source of information. 

Another example lies in the way all the images and files stored on our smartphones are inspired by the human mind—through which we can go back in time, revisit countless moments of our lives, and remember them. We can even recall the touch, the smell, and the feelings tied to each memory. 

When we buy a new iPhone, it asks us if we want to transfer all the memory or data from our old phone to the new one by simply placing the two devices in front of each other. This process is inspired by telepathy—the transfer of information through waves, through focused connection without any physical means. And then there’s the feature that we all appreciate: silent mode or do not disturb. How wonderful would it be if we spent enough time with ourselves to activate the same mode within our own minds?

The human mechanism is the inspiration behind all of this. Unfortunately, we have neglected the magnificent creation made by Allah ﷻ. We have stopped exploring our own capabilities as *Insaan* and have become glued to—distracted by—man-made products that are, in essence, inspired by our very own creation. What a paradox! These devices hold no power to provide us with true happiness; they offer only temporary joy, with no lasting impact on our well-being. In contrast, getting in touch with and understanding the workings of our true selves allows us to experience ever-lasting happiness—a happiness that cannot be taken away by any circumstances. 

Fortunately, in this day and age, if reflected upon in the right manner, these advancements can actually work in favour of helping mankind better understand their own abilities and the wonders of creation. They encourage us to reflect on important aspects mentioned in the Holy Quran and allow the modern era to grasp the reality of Islam through contemporary scientific discoveries, using them as examples and metaphors, linking them to nature and to the Signs of Allah ﷻ. This gives us the freedom to think, contemplate, and understand how these examples can direct our awareness to the Elohistic Knowledge.

### Beyond the Apparent

One of the major problems we face in our world today is that when we read the Holy Quran, we limit our understanding to only what the physical eye can see—the physical, *thaher* (ظاهر), the outer aspect—the apparent meaning. The inner, *baatin* (باطن) aspect—the hidden meaning—seems almost beyond our comprehension, or worse, we reject it altogether, to the point of believing that it doesn’t exist or is impossible. When someone receives *ilhaam* (inspiration) to perceive it, we often stop them and correct their understanding based on what we assume to be the only possible interpretation.

This mindset prevents us from being among those who believe in *Al-Ghayb*, as we deny the possibility of a witnessed revelation of an *Ayah* simply because we haven’t experienced it ourselves. In doing so, we limit the Holy Quran and restrict the way it communicates with us directly. Even the interpretation (*tafseer*) of a particular writer is confined to what they have understood, seen, or experienced. 

The sciences of the modern era have provided many examples that can be used to decipher spirituality. Although science will never fully capture or catch up with spirituality itself— since it is based on the physical aspect of creation, while the essence of spirituality seeks to take us beyond the physical senses to connect with the Soul and to know our Creator—humanity’s consciousness has expanded, allowing us to physically see and comprehend what previous generations could only perceive through the actual practice of spirituality.

### The Forgotten Essence

This calls for a renewed, modern way of looking at the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, as introduced by Hudhoor Qalandar Baba Auliya (RA) and Al-Sheikh Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA) for our times. These teachings are unchanging and have always remained the same; we have simply forgotten how to appreciate their essence. We focus so much on the outer forms, that we forget to see that there is an internal aspect that makes them appear. It is within these inner teachings that the true beauty and depth of *Al-Quran Al-Kareem* and the *Sunnah* of Rasool Allah ﷺ unfold. Modern advancements help humanity expand our limited perspective on these teachings, allowing us to understand how beautiful and timeless the Noor of the Holy Quran is, and how radiant the Noor of Rasool ﷺ remains—both ever alive, pulsing as the heartbeat of creation. 

---

### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)

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### 02. YOUR TRUEST COMPANION
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/a-true-companion/
Last updated: 2026-10-09T16:12:55.000Z
### The Pull of Love

To befriend anyone, there must be a strong attraction. Strong relationships revolve around love. The deeper we go in love, the more we bond with the other. 

Recall the feeling of being in love—how that person becomes the center of your attention. All you want is to be in their presence: glued to your phone all day, distracted from all else, and ready to drop anything just to spend time with your beloved. You find yourself constantly thinking about what you love about them, and all the things you want to do for or with them.

You’re completely focused; your attention is fixed toward one direction. The deeper you go, the more you share—and the more intimately you connect with your beloved. The bond strengthens, trust grows, and you do everything in your power not to hurt them, longing to keep the relationship just as it is. You yearn to become one with the other. 

We long for these relationships, hoping they will stay stable and unchanging. But the reality is that this world is constantly changing—everything shifts from moment to moment, beyond our control. And still, the heart yearns for love, trying to fill the void within by clinging to one thing after another, always searching for something lasting. 

If we truly want to know someone, if we are genuinely longing for them, we manage to divert all our attention and focus toward them. We rearrange our priorities to make time for them. So why can’t we do this with the One who is the Source of Love, the One who created the whole universe with it? You and I are both created with this Love, and our constant seeking to fulfill it is part of our very nature—we often mistake it for other things.

As soon as someone seeks to know God with love, HIS magnetic field unveils—suddenly wide open—attracting those who are searching for HIM. At a time when every aspect of my life was turning upside down, when everything I believed would remain constant was changing, Murshid Kareem (RA) said to me, *“Everything in this dunya is constantly changing; nothing remains the same. The only constant is Allah ﷻ and His Rasool ﷺ*.”

### Worship as Love

The problem is that religion has become overly focused on rules and regulations, right and wrong, good and evil. As a result, it has either turned into a taboo or created rigidity among its followers. However, this is the practice where true freedom is found—if done right. We often forget the main purpose of *Deen:* to divert our attention toward our Creator and build a genuine relationship with HIM. Through this Divine friendship, we can begin to know Allah ﷻ and explore the secrets and mysteries of HIS creation. Yet worship has become something we do while disconnected—out of fear, for the expectation of reward, or for show—making it challenging to cultivate a personal, intimate relationship with God.

As we journey through love, we come to realize that similarity becomes the bridge of closeness. The more we are like the one we love, the more our thoughts, actions, and intentions align with theirs—the nearer we feel to them. Hearts are not drawn to each other by force; they move through resonance, through a natural gravitational pull.

When our inner patterns begin to reflect theirs, we start to experience the very essence of connection. And through this reflection, we learn that love itself becomes an act of worship. 

Worship, as defined by scholars, is the highest expression of love and devotion. To be a servant (عبد) is considered the highest station (مقام) with Allah ﷻ. Think of your own relationships—the ones you gravitate toward and feel comfortable in are those based on love. These relationships lift you higher, allow you to feel vulnerable, to be yourself, to share intimately, and remain open and free. You feel liberated. You are genuinely happy to serve the other and to spend your time in these connections. 

In contrast, some relationships are rooted in fear, defined by feelings of force, uneasiness, shame, and discomfort. You may feel ashamed to be vulnerable, afraid of being judged for who you are. In these situations, you don’t want to invest time; instead, you simply try to get through them as quickly as possible, often going through the motions out of fear or guilt. 

So, the question to consider is this: how can we worship a God we don’t truly know or have made acquaintance with? A God that someone else has painted for us—a God who judges, punishes, and burns? Someone else’s perception will never be enough. As with anything in life, you only truly come to know through experience—you must go through it. 

The distinction between theory and practicality lies in *experience*. 

It is only when we truly know someone that the bond of love grows, allowing us to feel connected to the person and experience a sense of closeness. Worship without focus becomes redundant; to focus on something, it must first attract your attention and spark your interest. Once interest is established, you begin to know it. This is the fundamental law for understanding anything.

If a scientist wants to discover something, their intense focus (توجه) and contemplation (تفكر) allow them to explore it. They read about it, imagine its possibilities, visualize its potential, experiment with it, and spend time in its discovery. Through focused attention, it reveals its characteristics, and they come to know it. 

When we are deeply in love, the pain of everything fades away. We forget everything and simply long to be in the presence of the person—whether physically or in our thoughts. We long to know everything about them, willing to give up even parts of ourselves—perhaps even fully—to know them more deeply, to be like them, and to be close to them.

### Negation & Turning Inward

This is the concept of *Nafi*. Fourteen hundred years ago, when our Beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was reflecting on life in *Ghar Hira*, on *Jabal al-Noor*, He withdrew from society. He distanced Himself from the chaos and noise, secluding Himself for a specific period with food and drink to sustain Himself during His temporary retreat before returning to engage with the affairs of the world—this was His first *Sunnah*. It marked the first act of negation in His practice. He negated His entire environment, the practices and traditions of His society and ancestors. He negated His external senses. 

In the silence of the cave, with His external eyes—or rather, His external senses—closed, He withdrew and turned inward. He began His journey into Himself. This activated His inner senses, and as He traveled deeper within, He continued to negate everything that was not *al-Khaliq*—*la illaha, la illaha, la illaha* (لا إله).

Until, at last, the spectacular experience of *Wahi* occurred—“*Iqraa!*” (*Read!*). His immediate response was to negate Himself, ”ما أنا بقارئ“ (*I will not read*).

Again, Jibreel AS said to Him, “Iqraa!” and once more, His reaction was to negate Himself, ”ما أنا بقارئ“ (I will not read). The deeper He went, the more He continued to negate.

He even had to negate Himself for the transfer of “ اقرَأ بِاسمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذي خَلَقَ” (Read in the Name of Your Lord Who created) to occur—to realize Allah ﷻ. His negation led Him to cognize *Khaliq al-Koun* –*illa Allah*! (الا الله).

It is without a doubt that Rasool ﷺ lived the most honorable life, as the *Insaan* with the best character. He is Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, the *Waseela* to lead us to Allah ﷻ. *La illaha il Allah* (لا إله الا الله), *Muhammad Rasool Allah* (محمد رسول الله). For this reason, we follow His guidance and look to His *Seerah* to understand His pattern of thinking that informs His pattern of conduct.

Why is it that we are so focused on the little details of His everyday life, but forget to examine how He came to truly know Allah ﷻ? What was He practicing in that very moment when He cognized the Creator? He is our Beloved Prophet ﷺ, whose task is to lead us to Allah ﷻ.

Regardless of our backgrounds, or the religions into which we were born, Muhammad Rasool Allah ﷺ has been sent as a Mercy for the entire universe (رحمة للعالمين). All the Prophets (AS) came with the same message: the message of monotheism—that there is only One Creator. A single message from the same Source, sent down in succession. And each time it began to deviate among the community of that era, a new Prophet—with the same message—was sent. 

The completion of the Knowledge that Allah ﷻ intended for humanity was sealed with Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who is connected to 124,000 Prophets (AS). He ﷺ is *Khatam al-Nabiyyeen*, the one who reached *al-Maqam al-Adnaa* in an embrace with Allah ﷻ—guiding all of humanity to HIM as the *Waseela*.

If we follow in His footsteps and adhere to His guidance, wouldn’t we be able to develop a personal, one-on-one conscious relationship with our Creator? Isn’t that the very purpose of every Divine Book sent to us—to explore the possibility for ourselves, to see if it is indeed attainable, without someone dictating that it is out of bounds? Imagine how different life could be if we connected with the Source instead of the resources. 

### The Practice of Muraqabah

If we reflect on that instance, it becomes clear that while Rasool Allah ﷺ was practicing negation, He was also engaging in what is known as the practice of *muraqabah*. He withdrew His attention from His external senses and went within Himself to observe and discover Reality. He sat in a quiet, dark cave and delved into the cave of His ribs, exploring the depths of His own heart to find out who makes it beat. 

*Muraqabah* is essentially the practice of concentration—stilling the body and quieting the mind to focus on a single point. Through this singular point of focus and concentration, Allah ﷻ revealed HIMSELF to Rasool Allah ﷺ, allowing Him to cultivate an intimate relationship with HIM—beyond creation.

From this depth of communion, He conversed with Allah ﷻ and received not just what appears to be words of the Holy Quran, but the *living experience* of Allah’s Command (امر). The Holy Quran is not mere words written in a book; it is a vibration, a frequency of Life. If it existed without the example of Rasool Allah ﷺ—living as *a walking embodiment of the Holy Quran*— would we ever truly unlock its depths?

### The Qur’an as Living Guidance

The Holy Quran was revealed not merely as words for us to read and memorize, but as experiential Formulas of Creation—translating the Pattern of Thinking (طراز فكر) of Allah ﷻ, revealed and transferred to Rasool Allah ﷺ. The Holy Quran is the transfer of Noor upon Noor (نور على نور)—a continuous transmission of Divine Light. Allah ﷻ says in al-Quran al-Kareem:

(قَد جاءَكُم مِنَ اللَّهِ نورٌ وَكِتابٌ مُبينٌ‏) 

There has come to you from Allah a Divine Light and Book clear. 

\[Al-Mā’idah: 15\] 

Allah ﷻ tells us that this Holy Quran and Divine Noor are clear, manifest—and can be seen. Revealed to Rasool Allah ﷺ to pass on to His *Ummah* as an inheritance, it holds the secrets of creation as well as the Knowledge of Allah ﷻ and HIS *Irfan*. As *Khatam al-Nabiyyeen*, He opens the way and leads humanity—with the Knowledge of *Siraat al-Mustaqeem*—to follow the Path to the Creator.

This Guidance and Knowledge is not meant for another time or space—time and space must be negated too. It is meant for the *here* and *now*. We cannot assume that we will only come to truly know our Creator after physical death or upon leaving this earth—that is a limiting belief, and, in truth, a form of ignorance. Rasool Allah ﷺ was sent to reveal to us Allah ﷻ’s *Ayat*. To truly comprehend this, we must be purified of all misconceptions, misinterpretations, doubts, and the negative thinking patterns that lead to negative patterns of conduct—patterns we’ve inherited and adopted. 

### Purifying the Body & Mind

It is not a purification that is meant only for the physical aspect of life, as we often base much of the *Sharia’ah* on these days. Rather, the *Sharia’ah* serves to purify the body and mind, preparing us to enter the realm of the Soul and encounter our True Selves. *Sharia’ah* is not merely about *halal and haram*, nor is it simply a system of reward or punishment by Allah ﷻ. Instead, it cleanses our energy, making us lighter, bringing us closer to Reality—and ultimately, to Allah ﷻ. 

Allah ﷻ mentions in al-Quran al-Kareem:

(‏لَقَد خَلَقنَا الإِنسانَ في أَحسَنِ تَقويمٍ ۝ ثُمَّ رَدَدناهُ أَسفَلَ سافِلينَ‏) 

We created the human being in the best state.  
Then we reduced him to the lowest of lows. 

\[At-Tīn: 4-5\] 

These *Ayat* illustrate two distinct states of *Insaan*. The first—*Ahsan Taqweem*—is your True Self in its original form as Allah ﷻ intended. The second is the result of disobedience. When we align our thoughts and actions with what Allah ﷻ loves—and in the way HE loves—it purifies the body and mind, protecting us from overthinking, stress, and doubt.

When we align ourselves with what Allah ﷻ loves, we enter a safe zone and elevate our vibrations—allowing the mind to be in a state of *sukoon*—clear and receptive to deeper realities. But when we act contrary to what Allah ﷻ loves, it scatters our thoughts, lowering our vibrations and energies, making it difficult to access higher or deeper zones of Reality. We remain on the surface, trapped in *shakk*, and this doubt creates distance between us and Allah ﷻ. 

However, when we practice the way of Rasool Allah ﷺ, there is nothing to doubt. We enter the domain of *Yaqeen*, which allows us to experience firsthand what it means to be close to Allah ﷻ.

Let’s illustrate with an example: suppose I steal or lie today. Immediately, guilt surfaces and doubt creeps in. I overthink the situation—trying to come up with a cover-up story that I must keep revisiting just to remember. Inevitably, my energy drains, my focus scatters, and my conscience (ضمير)… keeps tugging at me. 

When I go against *Sharia’ah*, I’m left uneasy, in a state of guilt and doubt, which creates distance between Allah ﷻ and myself, hindering my closeness to HIM. 

Now, suppose today I tell the truth—even if it is very difficult. Later, when I rest my head on my pillow, my conscience is clear and I remain in a peaceful state of mind. Even if it was painful, I spoke honestly; there’s nothing to hide. I am at peace with my choice of action, and so my mind is at ease—no worry, no restless looping thoughts. My energy is stable, neutral, and centered; I can focus without anything clouding my thoughts or conscience. 

Therefore, yes—*Sharia’ah* is designed to maintain order in society. But for the seeker on the spiritual path, striving for Allah ﷻ‘s *Irfan*, it becomes clear that *Sharia’ah* is the very foundation: clearing the way, purifying the *nafs*, and preparing us to enter higher states and realms of Reality.

With prayers 🤍

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### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)

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### 01. ​WHAT’S THE PURPOSE?
URL: https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/purpose/
Last updated: 2026-07-29T16:27:55.000Z
What is the purpose of life? A question I have always wondered about for as long as I can remember, sometimes in the foreground, and sometimes buried in the background, but always there, quietly urging. 

In the noise and chaos of this world, its mundane routines for survival, its lack of focused human connection, its dependency on wealth and technology, its competitiveness and greed, its disconnection from nature, its endless distractions, and its absence of depth or meaningful love—there it was, a constant void that never seemed to settle. 

No matter what experiences I chased in hopes of fulfillment, I never found it.

Until I was blessed to cross paths with my Beloved *Murshid*, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA), and join his caravan on a one-way road to self-discovery and ultimately, to Reality.

I won’t bore you with the details of *how*, *where*, *when,* and *who*. But I will delight you with the *what* and shed light on the *why—*because it was his words, spoken from his lips to my heart, that became my guiding force.

The only words that ever guided me toward my destination, and began to fill, that void I was telling you about.

In my very first meeting with Murshid Kareem (RA), he generously shared with me the ultimate purpose of life by narrating the beautiful *Hadith Qudsi*  in which Allah ﷻ says to HIS *Habeeb*  Muhammad ﷺ:

كنت كنزًا مخفيًا، فأحببت أن أُعرف، فخلقت الخلق، فبي يعرفوني.‏ 

I was a Hidden Treasure, and I loved to be known; so I created creation, that through Me they may come to know Me. 

After this, his words to me were as follows: *“Allah will give you everything that you wish for... but the greatest Treasure is Allah HIMSELF!”*

In that moment, and in many reflections that followed, I began to see that the beauty of every thing, every speck in this marvelous creation we call the universe, is created with the Attributes of One Source: **Allah.**

The main ingredient? **Love.** 

And the entire purpose of this wondrous universe, created for me, and for you, with *Love—*is to lead us to one ultimate Truth: to cognize, to know, and to befriend our Creator—consciously. 

Of course, with our limited bodies and minds, this profound purpose can be difficult to fully grasp in its depth. That’s why the first teaching of Murshid Kareem (RA) is:

*“The greatest reward (الاجر العظيم) is that… besides learning the physical sciences, one should attain utmost certitude that this physical body is nothing but a costume of the Soul. Life doesn’t depend on physical existence; everything is exclusively driven and controlled by the Soul.”*

It is only when we accept that our Essence is not confined to physical features and forms that we can truly begin to embrace the purpose of life. 

We must accept this Truth in order to explore Reality. 

As our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has said: "من عرف نفسه، فقد عرفه ربه" — He who knows himself, knows his Lord.

The question we must all ask ourselves is: how truly, how deeply, do we know our True Self?

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### Based on the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (RA)

[Next Chapter](https://www.tafakkurnoorani.com/a-true-companion/)