Expressions of the Alchemical Company of
Physician of the Generation, Reference of Scholars
Hazrat Shaikh Hakim Muhammed Kalimullah Sahab Damatbarkatuhum
in Service of the Readers of Dawat - ul - Haq
(Now Readers of Thus Spake Hazrat Shaikh)
(Compiled by Hazrat Mufti Khwaja Masoom Saqib Sahab Zeedmujdahum)
Dawat-ul-Haq, Vol. 7, No.1, p.17
Honourable and kind Prophet (PBUH) said that in the body of a person there is a blob of meat, if this is alright then the whole body remains alright and when it goes bad then the whole body goes bad. Actually heart is the king of the body and if the king is spoiled then the whole kingdom is spoiled. The glorious thing for a believer is that he must avoid both open and hidden sins. Allah Most High has decreed that avoid open as well as hidden sins. Save yourself from open as well as hidden sins. Shaikh will show the way to avoid sins while Baser Self and Satan will try to get a servant of Allah involved in sins. But if the person keeps acting upon Shaikh’s advice then he shall be kept safe from the traps of Satan and Baser Self . And, may God forbid it, if he ends up committing a sin because of human urge and laxity then Satan will mislead the believer away from the right path by making him hopeless. But a Shaikh has love for the servants of Allah and they do not let the servants of Allah fall into despair. They encourage to ask for repenting , they worry about reformation, they propose formulas of reformation.They never give up hope for any patient unlike worldly physicians. Worldly physicians sometimes looses hope for his patient and they give up but the spiritual Masters (Masha-ikh) never give up hope of reformation of spiritual patients because this reformation has been proved by Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the Holy Sunnah have a potential and reliability in them.
The method of reformation of our Elders is derived from the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). However perfect be the method of reformation but its benefits depend upon obedience. Even if a worldly physician writes the best prescription there will be no benefit from it till the prescription is properly acted upon. Proper result depends upon two prefaces. (1) Correct prescription (2) Proper use of it. The situation is similar in case of spiritual healers. The only difference is that there is no doubt about the propriety of the prescription, in case of no benefits only its utilization and following might be faulty. The real duty of the Shaikh is to determine and propose a proper prescription and the duty of the follower is to act upon it properly. Then you just see, Lord willing, what wonderful results will be obtained. People might think: what will be the result ? I say that you’ll get to be firm on religion and love of Allah Most High, this acquaintance and closeness to Him shall be developed, achieved. What can be the riches better than this for a believer?
But this closeness and acquaintance can not be achieved together with blameworthy morals and sins. The glory of a believer is to give up blame worthy traits and to adopt praiseworthy morals. That is why these settings (majalis) are there . One should attend these sittings (majalis) with the intent of reformation of self and the instructions that are given, those should be acted upon. Action is the only thing that leads to progress. The tradition to act upon instructions has come down to us as a continuous chain. Hazraat Pious Caliphs (RA) used to act upon the instructions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to the full. They kept serving him and they kept deriving the benefits of his company. The world saw that they become the suns and the moons for guidance such that the light of guidance spread throughout the world. Among the human beings they have the highest status after the Prophets (AS). After that are the stations of other companions (RA) according to their stature. A companion (RA) got that status even if he got the company only for a moment. All stations of Friendship of Allah can not match up with the stature of companionship, even combinely. That is the effect of company. It is the effect of the company of the Holy Prophet (SAW) that the companions (RA) got that status. The Divine injunction is to be among the pious. In that verse it has been ordained to adopt pious company and to learn and adopt pious character. That is the method of the mystics. This is what happens in the monasteries that good morals are acquired by adopting pious company. And this is the Prophetic inheritance. That was the method of the kind prophet (PBUH). The controls of pious morals and avoidance of blame worthy morals are slowly removed and the colour of praiseworthy traits starts dominating.
Hazrat Shah Hardoi(RA) used to say that whenever I need, I go to the physician myself, I do not call him. Once the physician said that I feed shy of it and therefore I want to come to you myself. Hazrat Hardoi (RA) said that my non-arrival and calling you in stead of that is against justice. The dependent must go to the one upon whom he is dependent. You see? This is praiseworthy moral. People of Allah adopt the same care and subtlety in the rights of the people. After that, as an acknowledgement of a blessing, Hazrat (RA) said that all these habits are by now in my nature. People of Allah say that absorption of injunctions of the Doctrine as actions of habit is a big charisma. For many people of Allah the Doctrine is exactly their nature.
Sometimes Hazrat Hardoi (RA) used to say that in the Qalandaria order the constant watching of the heart is a very important thing. People of Allah constantly keep an eye on their heart. They do not allow even passage to thoughts against the Doctrine through their heart. Whenever such a thought arises then they are worried about its correction and worry as to why did it occur at all? Hazrat –o-Aala used to say that it is easy to Pray, it is easy to Fast but it is very difficult to keep a watch on your heart. Clearly those people of Allah who have achieved this –how high will be their stature? What a closeness and acquaintance with Allah they might have achieved? This can not even imagined. All these fruits are a result of acting upon, “Be amongst the Truthful”.Without company neither firmness nor progress can be achieved. For perfection of seeking (sulook) company of the pious is extremely important and basic requirement.