Doing with understanding

Niyyat of Salat, Intention of Prayer

27 December 2021

Consequence

28 February 2022

The important thing is we have to do things with an understanding, not blindly.

Sufism, The path of understanding, The love connection

Just because you are going through the actions that are required without understanding, that does not mean you are doing them. You have to do them with an understanding. That is why in Sufism, first we want to clean you up. First we teach you love. Love connection. Establish the love connection. And then we give you the philosophy, we give you what Allah is, then you have a relationship with Allah. You do Zikr [repeated remembrance of Allah], and then you learn Allah’s Names, etc. And then when the time comes, you learn to do Salat [formal prayer; connection and devotion to Allah] the right way. And then you do all that.

The understanding of Farz

What is farz? We cannot say: “No, this farz is no good anymore.” Whatever is farz, Allah said that is farz, nobody can change it. Our job is to explain what they are, why they are there for, what is good about them, etc. So when we explain something how Allah does, we are not saying Allah is not the doer. No matter what, this is the principle: All knowledge belongs to Allah. All power belongs to Allah. And He distributes it with whomever He wants. Whoever is doing whatever they are doing, they are only doing it because of Allah’s knowledge [‘Ilm] and Allah’s power [Quwwah]. So there is nothing else.

Qur’an References

Whoever strives to grow in good behavior and understanding, which bring them closer to Allah, is successful, (Al Shams:9)

This is the Scripture that We have revealed to you. It is full of blessings so that they may contemplate its ayats [verses], and so that the ulul albab [people of understanding and mature discernment] may be mindful. (Sad:29)

When they say, “Allah did not reveal anything to a human being,” they do not have the proper understanding or idea of how Allah’s empowering system works. Tell them, “Who revealed the Scripture that Musa brought, which is a nur [enlightenment] and guidance for people, which you have put onto papers that you show, while you hide most of it? (By this Scripture) you were taught what you did not know and what your fathers did not know.” Tell them, “It is Allah.” Then leave them to the game they keep playing. (Al An’am:91)

Are those who show devotion during certain parts of the night, in sajda [prostration] and standing, conscious of the Hereafter, and hoping for the mercy and kindness of their Rab (equal to the ones who do not)? Say (O Muhammad), “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” But only ulul albab [people of understanding and mature discernment] will remember and take heed. (Al Zumar:9)

Is the one who knows that whatever has been revealed to you from your Rab is the truth equal to the one who is blind to it? But it is only ulul albab [people of understanding and mature discernment] who take heed. (Al Ra’d:19)

Keywords

bayaan: clear speech with understanding and knowledge

kashf: unveiling; observation; spiritual understanding

ta’wil: deep understanding/interpretation of Qur’anic passages

ulul albab: the people of understanding and mature discernment; the people of zikr; the people of reasoning; those who follow and contemplate Allah’s reminders

This is an edited excerpt of the Online Saturday Sohbet given on January 7, 2012 by Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari and published on sufiview.com on January 31, 2022. The translation of the Qur’an verses are also from Murshid Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari.

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