The Autobiography of The Devil (Ibless) Ep #2

There was one very special Noor (Luminous Light) which I was taught about. It was explained to me that this was the Noor of the Final Messenger and Prophet of all time. I was fortunate enough to have witnessed this Noor over and over again; this was at the time when I was arrested and taken up to the heavens.

Ah Yes! The situation was that at this moment in time there was nothing else in the universe, only the Noor of the Lord God was prevalent and illuminating in every direction. And so for His recognition to create the universe.

The Lord God then divided this Noor into two halves. The first half contained a secret which the Lord God kept confidential only to Himself. This first half was more bright and abundant in splendour; the Supreme Creator Himself gave in the name 'Noor'.

The second half was equal in quantity but was not of the same grade as the Supreme Noor and it had specific quantities of the splendour of the first half removed from it.

The second half was again further divided into two portions. The first portion was especially converted in order to give it superiority over the second portion. This first portion was prescribed the name 'Nar' and from it the nation of Jinn was created. The remaining second portion (which contained even fewer qualities of the Supreme Noor) was set aside for the creation of the souls of the devils and the animal kingdom.

And thus the division was such that the first half was pure a Noor and had the exclusive splendour in it, it was specified for the Holy Souls, the angels and likewise creatures and the heavens etc. and so the first Soul to be created from it was that of the Last Prophet. Next the Pen and Scriptrum, intellect and all the dimensions and bodies came in to being.

The second half of he pure Noor had the particular specific illuminations removed from it was then split into two portions. One portion was altered to give precedence over the other portion. The first portion was specifically set aside for the creation of the souls of the Jinn and the second portion was specified for the creation of the souls of the devils.

From the first division of the Noor, the creatures that came into being from it were bound by the obligation of worship; this is because they were created from the specific pure Noor. As a result the duty of obligation became part of their nature and they remained innocent. Also because these creatures were created from pure Noor they did not reflect a shadow.

The second division had the spcific qualities of radiance taken out of it but still contained one part of Noor, this portion was specified for the nation of Jinn. And hence the shadow of the Jinn did not reflect on the earth either. Nar (Fire) was dominant in them due to the lesser quantity of Noor.

Due to the dominance of Nar the creatures created from it led themselves onto a destructive path. There were instances where some of the individuals of this nation were completely void of any faith or any belief and this too was a result of the Nar being prevalent in them. Yes, there was a glimmer of Noor present in these creatures but as I have said, the Nar was more domineering in them and so the nature of destruction was more widespread in this nation.

However, these were the circumstances regarding the creation of the universe and I have narrated these very briefly. Let me skip over all other stories and events and go straight to the point where my life began. Many foolish humans think that I am an angel, and some of the most intelligent and educated people share this view too. There are some who believe that I am the 'Head Angel' and for this reason I am famous for being the teacher of the angels. It is a well-known fact that the people of the world know very little about me, as to who I am, and how I came in to the situation that I am currently in. They have very little understanding of this. Due to the limited knowledge of man and his imperfect intellect, his specific individual nature, his mischievous mind, I swear the events that I am narrating are true and correct. At the time when I was born, 124000 years had lapsed since the universe had come into formation.

(To Be Continue....)

The Autobiography Of The Devil (Iblees) - Ep #1

Before I commence with my autobiography I would like to request that at this moment in time I do not have a translator present who can write my sequence of events as I dictate them. It is evident that I will not be able to participate in both events simultaneously, I do not have the time and not is there a need for me to do so. My objective is to bring into light the events of my life and my biography and for this it is not necessary for me to worry about or be concerned about precedence and delay. The only thing the readers of the events of my life need to question is: why did I not keep this secretive system hidden and intact?

BIRTH

The time of my birth and the situation prior to it is so vast and immense that the intellect of mankind cannot begin to comprehend even the most outer boundaries of this knowledge. In order to get this naive man to understand the situation I have to write every-thing systematically in detail. Because man is a clay statue of inadequate intellectual capacity and due to his restricted intellect and wisdom he is never prepared to believe and accept. And so in order for me to get this immature man to comprehend. I have to meticulously describe the incidents that occurred  prior to my birth and explain as to why the situation on earth is in the current state that it is in.

The first thing that I need to explain to you is why the universe was created and how it was created.

How did the universe come in to existence? I am very well versed with the answer to this question and indeed I was taught the knowledge of the universe. But why did the universe come into being? I only have one answer to this question and no one has the nerve to dare to refute the answer.

The Loard Creator was asked:
"O Loard what is your purpose for creating the universe?  Why was this whole story play enacted out"?

The reply received from the Most Wise was:
"I was a Hidden Treasure; it correctly came into my knowledge that I be recognized, so I created the universe."

Now tell me who can argue against this and what room is there left for dispute when the Creator has Himself told you that 'it perfectly came in to My knowledge that I be recognized and for this reason I created the universe?'. Then what right has anyone got to raise another question? Thank God that the Creator has Himself answered this question Himself.

Next remains the question as to how the universe was created. Let me tell you that I know the answer to this question very inherently. Why don't I just clearly tell you that my Lord Creator has explained this to me in various times and stages. Some of the answers were explained to me without me having to find out and some were taught by virtue of the cognition of the Lord God by the angels. I have been granted this education and thought it necessary to explain to you how the universe came into fashion before I commence with the events of my life. The situation was as follows:

(to be continue....)

The Children of the Orient [Ep #1]

Liewellyn Vaughan-Lee is a Sufi mystic and lineage successor in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order. He is an extensive lecturer and author of several books about Sufism, mysticism, dream-work and spirituality.

www.goldensufi.org and www.workingwithoneness.org

Yet we long to hold life static and so save ourselves form the darkness and chaos that are around us. We have built so many walls and concepts to protect ourselves from life’s unending metamorphosis. We even try to remain young, to keep our bodies in some idealized image of youth or beauty. Our goals and ideals offer a crystallized view of the future, frozen into an image for which we work and aspire. And so we deny the very reality of life, which becomes a monster from which we try to escape. Are we so frightened of what life has to offer us that we need to deny its essential nature of change?

If life does not change, it dies, and yet paradoxically we are so frightened of death that we try to hold back the flow of Life. Without knowing it, we are caught in a masculine idealized image, a longing for perfection that denies the feminine with its understanding of darkness, decay and destruction. Without darkness there can be no birth: nothing creative can take place. Without destruction there can be no cycle of life, only a sterile environment in which nothing grows. If we do not accept the darkness, life will lose whatever meaning it has left. If we do not allow ourself to live in the darkness, the doors of revelation will remain closed.

Initiates have always known that rebirth only happens in the darkness. In the moist darkness  of the feminine, new life is conceived and carried. Should our culture be different, reborn only in the light,  in the brightness of consciousness?

When we envisage a future of technological or scientific progress, we avoid the darkness, just as we have turned away form the primal power of the feminine that is the real giver of life. And so the sterility of our disbelief surrounds us, because we do not dare to welcome the darkness, the unknowing, the wisdom of the feminine.

Life demands darkness: just as the river surface sparkles in the sunlight, so does it have its depths. In the depths there is silence, there is slow-moving balance to the myriad reflections of the surface. The depths carry a quality of life that is essential, even if it is unknowable. We cannot afford to live much longer only on the surface of life. The real promise of our future demands that we accept the darkness of our own destruction and greed, and discover within this darkness the seeds of our own unhappiness: how we have denied ourself something essential to life.

Yet our fat-moving culture seems to have little time for introspection or descent. We are continually bombarded by demands, by the problems or achievements that require our immediate attention. The darkness is an outsider, unwanted, rejected. We see only the destructive powers of darkness, the way it can disturb our ambitions, deny us what we want. The darkness holds a gun or knife to rob us of our possessions. Its potential for rebirth, for resurrection, for revelation, has been long purged from our collective thought –forms. When the priests came with their soldiers and swords to destroy the temples of priestesses and cut down their sacred groves, the potency of darkness was trampled underfoot. For a while this wisdom was carried by the Gnostics and alchemists, but the religious hierarchies of masculine power were thereatened by something they could not control, and persecution followed. Yet the flow of life needs darkeness, needs the depths; and the feminine carries the instinctual wisdom ofo what is. She knows the simplicity of life, how it comes into being and is always a mystery and wonder. She holds this knowledge in her body, in her very nature.

The Feminine Carries The Connections Of Life

 In the bright light of masculine consciousness, each object stands our clear and distinct. In the diffuse consciousness of the feminine, the patterns of relationship are more visible.

The feminine carries the connections of all of life within her, and for many centuries this has been her secret. Even when the masculine degraded and punished her, abused and rejected her instinctual understanding, she still carried this wisdom; even as it became hidden from their own conscious knowing. Now this wisdom is needed. It can no longer be hidden, but needs to become conscious.

The connections of life are all around us. But while men may know this is abstract, women carry this understanding in the cells of their body. They feel the pulse of life in a way that is inaccessible to men. Cells of woman’s body carry a light that is not present in a man’s body. This is because she is a part of the sacred mystery of creation. She is always a part of the whole of life. Her knowing is not abstract but lived.

The connections of life carry the seeds of the future, of what is being given to humanity. It is through these connections that the energy of life flows. Our understanding of the energy flow of life depends upon our knowledge of the interconnectedness of all of life and how these connections are made. We also need to know how connections can become damaged, torn, destroyed, and how to repair, to mend what has been broken. We need to regain the knowledge of how the threads of life are woven, how the tapestry of creation is formed. We need to bring this feminine wisdom into consciousness so that we can learn to relate to the whole of life.

We can only work with the flow of life when we understand the connections through which life flows. We need to regain an understanding of the dynamics of the relationships that bind together all of creation. The feminine holds this natural knowing within her body the sacred essence of creation. But to protect his sacred knowing from the ravages of the patriarchy and its misuse of power, she hid her wisdom. It was never written down in books, but transmitted from mother to daughter, from priestess to initiate. Then, when the wise women were persecuted and burned, when it became no longer safe to have any access to his knowing, it was pushed into the unconscious.

Many times in the course of humanity, esoteric wisdom has been hidden and so protected from misuse. Sometimes this wisdom can never be regained: for example, many of the secrets of sacred geometry have been lost forever. But if there is a real need, then the wisdom can be recovered. Certain sacrifices have to be made, however. The women who hold this knowledge are still fearful of the power of the patriarchy and its potential for misuse. They carry in their ancient memories the scars of persecution, and often a deep anger towards the masculine. But they have to put aside their own misgivings, and bring their inner knowing into the light of consciousness. Certain connections need to be made within the foreseeable future. If these connections are not made then humanity will move into the dark ages that so often follow the end of a civilization.

If the connections of life are made known, then light can travel through these connections, awakening centers of consciousness within humanity. The light of masculine consciousness cannot find these centers without the full participation of the feminine. The connections cannot be made that will awaken then. Without the activation of these centers of consciousness, humanity cannot take the next step in its spiritual evolution. It will not have access to the wisdom power, and love that it needs. His manity will then remain fragmented, rather than learning to function as a dynamic, interrelated whole patterns of energy-flow around the planet will remain dormant, or function on a lower level. Once again humanity will have missed an opportunity.

Continue…

Stages of the Self [Episode #2]

Sheikh Ibn Arabi (RA) lived during the sixth and seventh Hijiri. At that time, Ibn Rushd was a well renowned scholar, Ibn Rushd had translated the teachings of Aristotle and was a good friend of Hazrat Ibn Arabi’s (RA) father. He had heard about Sheikh Ibn Arabi (RA) and was very interested in meeting him. Sheikh Akbar Mohiudding Ibn Arabi (RA) narrated their meeting as follows:

“When I entered the house, Ibn Rushd excitedly said, ‘Yes!’ I also said ‘yes’ in reply. He was very happy as he believed that I understood exactly what he meant. I became aware of his habitual happiness and then said ‘no’ as well. Ibn Rushd’s facial expression changed. It looked like he had been thinking about something for a while and was now in doubt about it. He asked me, ‘What solution have you found through revelation?’ I replied, ‘Yes and no. the self runs away from its origin between ‘yes’ and ‘no’, and their necks are removed from their body.’ Listening to this, Ibn Rushd became pale. He understood the mechanism that I had pointed out to him and began to shiver as he praised the Lord, saying , ‘There is neither might, nor power (except God).’

Later, I wanted to see him again With the blessing of the Lord, he came before me in the world of the unseen where there was a veil of light between him and myself. I was able to see him through the veil, but he was unable to see me. He was not even aware that I was aware as he was so engrossed in his contemplation.’

Ibn Rush passed away in Morocco. His body was transferred to Cordoba where his grave can be found.

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The great Sufi scientist Huzoor Qalandar Baba Auliya said: “It is the very same ‘real being’, the self from which there is no separation from God, and it is the first step towards cognizing Him. If the ‘self’ is deprived of the congnition of God, it considers itself separate from God. There are many stages of the self  becoming consumed with the attributes of God.

The first step is Belief. There are verses about belief in the opening of the Holy Quran stating that there is no room for doubt in the great book. The book provides guidance to those who embrace piety for the sake of God i.e. those who wish to avoid evil, those willing to follow the path of good deeds, and those whose heart has the inclination to follow the path.

They are those that believe in the unseen. The law states, that one must believe in the unseen in order to be introduced to it. Those people who wish to understand life and the universe and wish to solve its mysteries, but are naïve and believe the explanations givenby the ‘intellectuals’, cannot understand the truth of life and the universe. The story between Hazrat Ibn Arabi (RA) and Ibn Rush is a good example of this. The intellect was represented by the first ‘yes’, whereas the truth of life was hidden in the ‘yes and no’.

Nasma (divine light) encloses every single thing in the universe. Even the smallest particle in the universe is based on two types positive and negative.

The Nasma is the balance between these two. In other words, Nasma is the name given to the base rays (or waves) of movement, that are responsible for the formation of any being. These lines are spread around us in space in such a way that there is no distance between them, but they are not merged as one either. These lines also act as a base for the formation of physical objects.”

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There are more than 250 writings of Sheikh Ibn Arabi (RA) of which ‘Fusus-al-Hikam’ and ‘Futuhat-al-Makkiyyah’ are well known to the public. He has said, ‘My intention was not the same as other writers. Some of the things I wrote were because they were an order from God, and It was such that I felt that I was about to burn without writing it, so I would keep myself busy with it. The reason for some of the things I wrote were because they were revealed to me in dreams.’

Sheikh Ibn Arabi (RA) passed away on 22^nd Rabi-ul-Akhir 638 Hijri in Damascus. The tomb is at the side of mount Qasioun. The writer of ‘Hafh-al-Tyyab’ visited the tomb in 1037 Hiri. He has written, ‘I visited Sheikh Ibn Arabi (RA)  grave and repeatedly received blessings. I also observed divine lights whilst I was there.”

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Sayings of Sheikh Ibn Arabi (RA)

“The process of congnising God is such that you should first know yourself. Whoever completely understand their self, will cognize God.”

“Every object in the universe is alive – it speaks and sees. Stones and plants praise God, but the average person cannot hear their praise. However, those who have been bestowed with the ability to ‘listen’ from God, can easily hear the praise of the creations.”

“In the same way God has saints, Satan too has his representatives. God has send his revelations to his prophets and Satan has inspired his own representatives. The difference is that the revelations form God motivate people to do well; whereas satanic temptations can only do evil.”

“O speaker! Your speech should match the standard of your listener. You should have the ability to know the hidden doubts and confusions of others and yourself. Be aware of those who present the teachings of scholars by distorting it.”

“Be modest when you desire to adopt something, as in any business, both extremes are liable to condemnation.”

“Every knowledgeable person holds knowledge as per their capacity”

“A distance is a veil. Closeness too is a veil. God is closer than our jugular vein, so what is the point of seventy thousand veils?”

“No one can reach the heights of knowledge unless they completely follow the message of God and act according to the teachings of the messenger of God (PBUH), and also respects the teachings of all prophets with all of their heart.”

“Rose and thorn, sorrow and gladness are linked together.”

The End

From Qalandar Shaoor Digest By Khawaja Shams Uddin Azeemi

Campanions of the Cave - [Episode #1]

The polytheists of Makkah asked three questions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH); 1. Who were the companions of the Cave? 2. What is the truth about Hazrat Khidr (PBUH)? 3. What is the story of Dhu Qarnayn (PBUH)

Praise belongs to Allah who has send down the Book to His servant, and allowed no crookedness in it, a straightforward Book to warn of a severe punishment from Him, and to give the good news to the belieers, who do righteous deeds, that they will have an excellent reward (Paradise) in which they will dwell forever, and to warn those who have said that Allah has had a son, while they have no knowledge about it, nor had their fathers. Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths. They say nothing but lie. So, (O Prophet) perhaps you are going to kill yourself after them, out of grief, if they do not believe in this discourse. Surely, We have made what is on earth and adornment for it, so that We test them as to who among them is better in deeds. And surely, We are going to turn whatever is thereon into a barren land. Do you think that the People of Kahf (the Cave) and Raqim (inscription) were unusual out of Our signs? When the young men took refuge in the Cave and said; Our Lord, bless us with mercy from Your own and provide us with guidance in our matters. So, We sealed up their hearing (putting them to sleep) in the Cave for a number of years. Thereafter We raised them up, so that We know which of the two groups had better calculated the period in which they remained (sleeping). We narrate to you their story with truth. They were young men who believed in their Lord and We gave them more guidance. We made their hearts firm when they stood up and said; Our Lord is the Lord of the Heavens and the earth. We shall never invoke and god other than Him, otherwise we would be saying something far from the truth. These, our people, have adopted gods other than Him. Why do they not bring a clear proof in their favor? So, who is more unjust than the one who fabricates a lie against Allah? When you have turned away from them, and those whom they worship, except Allah, then seek refuge in the cave, and your Lord will extend His mercy for you, and provide you ease in your matters. You would see the sun, when it rose, turning away from their Cave towards the right; and when it set, it bypassed them towards the left and they were (lying) in the hollow thereof. That is one of the signs of Allah. Whomsoever Allah guides is the one who gets the right path and whomsoever He lets go astray, for him you will find no one to help, no one to lead. And you would think they were awake wile they were asleep. We turned them on their sides, right and left. And their dog had its forelegs stretched out to the doorstep. If you had a look at them, you would have fled away from them and would have been filled with awe of them. In this way We raised them up until they asked each other. One of them said; How long did you tarry? They said; A day, or part of a day. They said, Your Lord knows best how long you tarried. So, send one of you with this silver (coin) of yours to the city and let him look around which of the eatables are the purest and let him bring you some food from there. And he must act in polite manner, and must not let anyone know about you. If they (the habitants of the city) will know about you, they will force you to revert to their faith, and in that case, you will never find success. And in this way, We made them known to the people (of the city), so that they realize that Allah;s promise is true, and that there is no doubt about the Hour (the Day of Resurrection). When they were disputing among themselves in their matter, they said; Erect a building over them. Their Lord knows them best. Said those who prevailed in their matter: We will certainly make a mosque over them. Some will say: (They were) three, the fourth of them being their dog, and some will say: Five, the sixth of them being their dog, just making conjectures. And other will say: Seven, the eighth of them is their dog. Soy: My Lord knows best about their number. No one knows them except a few, so do not argue about them except an apparent argumentation. And do not ask anyone of these about them. And never say about anything: I will do this tomorrow, unliess (you say-- if) Allah wills. And remember your Lord if you forget, and say (to those who asked you about the story of the People of the Cave) May be, my Lord will lead me to something closer than this to guidance. They stayed in their Cave for three hundred years and added nine. Say: Allah knows best how long they stayed. To Him belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth – how well He sees and how well He hears! They have no supporter other than Him and He lets no one share His authority. And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no one to change His words, and you will never find a refuge beside Him. Keep yourself content with those who call their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and let not your eyes over look them, seeking the splendor of the worldly life. And do not obey the one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who has followed his desire and whose behavior has exceeded the limits. (Quran, 18:1 - 28)

The Polytheists of Makkah asked three questions of Prophet Muhammad  (PBUH).

Who wre the companions of the Cave?

What is the truth about Hazrat Khidr (PBUH)?

What is the story of Dul Qarnayn (PBUH)?

The stories they asked about were related to the history of the Christians and Jews, but were not common stories amongst the Arabs. By asking these questions, their intention was to find out whether the messenger of God harboured knowledge of the unseen.

The event of the companions of the cave took place in the city of Rome, Ephesus, which was built at around Eleventh century BC. Later on, it become a major center for idol worship. People used to worship a statue of a goddess named Diana who was famous worldwide. People used to travel from long distances to worship at the statue. Magicians, operators, astrologists and amulet writers of this city were well renowned and their influence spread to other locations such as Syria, Palestine and Egypt. Jews had a big share in this business, and would relate their then knowledge to that of the Prophet Solomon (PBUH). Polytheism and the worship of imaginary gods were embedded within the culture. In Arabic, ‘Kahaf’ means a big cave.

According to history, there was a kind of Rome named Decius with a huge kingdom and massive army. Once, a king from another country attacked him. Decius fought and was victorious – the enemy king was killed and his sons arrested. According to some historians, the enemy king had six sons but others says that he is fact had five, The king of Rome, Decius, kept them all for his own service.

The king of Rome used to claim himself a god and commanded that everyone bow down to him. One night, the captured brothers sat together and began a discussion. The eldest of them said,

“This cursed person troubles us every day and also asks us to bow down to him. It is better for us to not serve him and escape from here to worship our Lord, Who created the earth and the heavens: and that will be best for us when the end of the world comes.” All of te brothers accepted this willingly. One of them said, :We need to somehow escape from here.”

Another proposed,

“When the king goes to play Choghan (a game similar to Polo), I will throw the ball out of the ground. When I go out to fetch it you all should follow, wearing old clothes a s disguise.”

The next day, the kind decided to play Choghan and took the captured brothers with him. In the evening, after the game finished, the bothers followed their plan and escaped Decius; kingdom.

Continue…

Seeing The Sould, Taking To The Soul - Short Story

In the book ''Ahsaan-o-Tasawwuf (now part of the Bahauddin Zakariya University syllabus), it says; "Sheikh Akbar (RA) said that he was once walking around the Ka'aba after Friday prayer and noticed a man who was also walking around it, only he did not collide with anyone around him. He understod that he was looking at a soul. He offered Salaam to the soul and was met with the same. They conversed for a bit and Sheikh Akbar (RA) realised that he was speaking with the soul of Sheikh Ahmen Suyuti (RA)."

In Ahsaan-o-Tassawuf, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi has written; "Seeing the sould, taking to the soul, and visiting the heavens with your soul is all done through knowledge of the secrets of both the inner and outer self - and it is possibel for human beings."

Fetch This Woman's Husband - Short Story

In the book '101 Auliya Allah Khawateen' (101 Female Saints), it is stated; Hazarat Ibn Arabi (RA) said, "I served Bibi fatima Bint Al-Masna (RA) for years.

 One day, a women came to her and said, 'My husband is in another city, and I fear that he will get married again. Please pray for me that he returns here.'

Bibi Fatima (RA) said,'Very well, and began to recite Surah Fatiha. I saw a soul appear in front of her as she recited and Bibi Fatima (RA) then said to the soul, Fetch this woman's husband.' After some time had passed, the woman returned happily, bringing news of her husband's return."