A particular book highlighting the virtues of Imam Ali and the rise of Mahdi from the teachings of Spiritual Master Shaikh Nazim seemed to have a particular effect on one of our sisters. She shared her account of the following dream seen on the 21st of Ramadan when we met in person. This day is also synonymous for the martyrdom of Imam Ali,
Dream 1
I am at masjid Ali ( i never knew that there is masjid Ali) but outside, i yearn to meet Hazrat Ali. My heart cries to meet him. It seems when one will be called on the roof then you can meet him. I wait for my chance and someone tells me that i can go. I get ready with my niqab on and then i am taken on the top. I see many souls up there, they are all wearing white and one of them is telling me, ” It is not so easy to meet Hazrat AS”.
Dream 2
I am in an auditorium, Sheikh Hisham Kabbani comes on the stage. I am far behind in the audience. I want to talk to him, he is looking at me. I speak to him through my mind and i say, ” please give me your fourth son’s hand in my hand” ( in my dream i am single) There is a big book between us, which has a list, from no. 1 to 3- it has been taken by three ladies and the 4 th one i wanted. It said something which i didnt understand, i read only half the word, “Tabbara..I wake up from my sleep and i realise in was sleeping straight ..then i turn on to my right and again i see a dream…i see Hazrat Ali standing. So tall and so big..that my vision cant capture the image. I could only see him from his chin till his waist..and reddish orange light was coming out of him.
Prior to the reported dream, we can personally confirm the impact of this book written by Sayyid Amirruddin, who was a spiritual deputy of Shaikh Nazim between 2002-2104 and currently a mureed of Shaikh Mehmet the son and successor to Shaikh Nazim.
Of course, we are discussing the energy of written words, the source of transmission and its impact on the seeker’s heart.
A Qudra seeker reports the following dream pertaining to the practice of gazing at the image of one’s Spiritual Master. This practice is found in all spiritual traditions and is referred to as Tasawwur e Shaikh in Sufic terminology.
Dear Qudra,
Last night before going to sleep i was thinking about Mawlana Sheikh Nazim, if he is with me , i mean if i am close to him or not. Was a bit sad. Also pondered over the mission of awliya Allah and Prophet saw I slept…then i saw a dream..i am in a place or home , there is a newspaper infront of me and it has news abt Mawlana. Suddenly i see that this picture comes alive, starting from his teeth to face and he smiles at me at says, ” Remember me in your heart” In the same place you are there, you had created a sacred space, there is a small candle beside sajjadah. That sajjadah has Shaikh Nazim’s image on it. I go and make sujood on it but when i make sujood i see a flap kind of comes on the top of sajjadah and his face gets covered , it is then when i make sujood. The prayer place which you made was very simple and clean.
Background on the practice of Tasawwur e Shaikh
In the Risala Qudsiyya, Khwaja Parsa writes while on his second trip to the Hijaz, the venerable Khwaja Baha al-Din Shah Naqshband ordered him to fix his blessed face in his imagination.
Muhammad Umar Birbali writes, “When a person reaches a certain station, people’s astral bodies can appear. Someone with a connection (nisba) to the Prophet can manifest as if he were physically present”. A disciple of Khwaja Hasan ‘Attar, the eldest son of ‘Ala’uddin ‘Attar (d. 803/1400), showed signs of spiritual attraction (jadhba) when visualizing the face of his shaykh. If the disciple could not be in the presence of the master, the venerable Mawlana ‘Abd al-Rahman Jami recommended that the disciple visualize the pir’s face in the heart while eliminating any distracting thoughts. The venerable Khwaja ‘Ubaydullah Ahrar, interpreting the Qur’anic verse “Be with those who are sincere and true” (kunu ma’ as-sadiqin[9:119]), indicated that one should outwardly be in the guide’s physical presence and inwardly have a bond with him (rabita). One unites sincerely with the shaykh’s face to develop continuous companionship with the lights of his lofty attributes and beautiful character, creating continual rabita, independent of physical proximity. In this way a person can develop an affinity (munasabat) with the mentor and arrive at the goal.
Ahmad Sirhindi incorporated this practice of visualization into the Mujaddidi system, especially when he perceived that persons had not controlled their egos sufficiently. He would order them to engage in rabita and visualize his face in their hearts, causing them to show visible signs of spiritual attraction: “Khwaja Burhan, one of the shaykhs of Dahbid who had already been initiated and received permission to teach (ijazat) from the notables of his locale, asked Imam Ahmad Sirhindi for spiritual guidance. Khwaja Burhan was surprised when Ahmad Sirhindi said for him to visualize his [Sirhindi’s] blessed face. His trusted companion informed him [Khwaja Burhan] that this exercise is suitable for beginners so that they can be taught the advanced contemplation’s (muraqabat). … After being convinced, he practiced this exercise for a day and became overpowered with a connection (nisba) with God to the point that he showed signs of extreme spiritual intoxication (jadhba).”
Grand Shaikh Mehmet son and successor of Mawlana Sh. Nazim
Naqshbandi elders have praised visualization of the shaykh as an effective technique for concentration, since humans cannot follow two directions at once or meditate with distracting thoughts. Keeping the picture of the shaykh in the state of recollection of God (dhikr) is the essence of causing recollection (tadhkir) because the remembered One exists in the presence of one [the shaykh] who does not heedlessly leave God for an instant.
It is much easier for beginners to concentrate on the face of the shaykh than on God. There is synergistic effect between the visualization of the shaykh and love of the shaykh which allows the seeker to open him-or herself to a trans-formative process activated by the pir’s character and actions. This in turn strengthens the seeker’s connection to God. Eventually the pir’s astral body (jism i-mithali) can be summoned.
When a living guide passes on, disciples continue the practice with the succeeding Master. Light is deposited in the new housing body, it is only the apparent that ‘changes’. The change is a veil as essentially the previous Master now ‘houses’ him/her self in body of the chosen inheritor. In the case of Shaikh Mehmet, millions of disciples now practice Tasawur e Shaikh through his son.
What you see is not reality, what you feel is not reality, what you hear and dream of is not reality. Only HU is reality. HU is unknown and permeates all yet transcends all. Beyond human comprehension yet resides in the heart of all.
The very first seeker who officially approached us in Hijaz was Sumaya Amba. Her total duration of receiving healing and completing the Qudra Healing Program was approximately 40 days. All 3 stages of our program were completed and incidentally her journey to the next world began after her completion. I not only held the opinion that Amba was a fast learner but remained baffled if her duration with us should be kept as a general standard for seekers. Remaining fluid with no specified time frames, I continue to deal with seekers from all walks, yet question the open ended policy I keep with individual seekers in order to respect individual growth and create a personalized and natural method of healing. This year however, a seeker from Jeddah shared a dream which shed light on a matter I was unconsciously seeking an answer to. The dream is what was narrated to us in May 2016 and for general privacy reasons, the name of the narrator shall be withheld.
I see that you are in my house, happily meeting my mother in law. She is laying on a bed and you are beside her giving her smile and offering a lot of love and respect. You inform me that a ship is going for an hour tour in which there will be a sufi gathering, I tell you that i will make it because i can take out one hour and i am very happy and excited. Then I see that i am at the dock and my mother in law is there, she is telling me that I can’t go but I am forcing her that I want to. She tells me the reason- that the ship will be back in one month, go and ask Qudra Healing about it. I am very sad and searching for you. I reach a room where some ladies were collected by you who were leaving all together, one by one they leave for the ship and i am left behind..
Commentary
We do not interpret dreams as we are not authorized in this science. However, in conclusion to the above, we shall revert back to our 40 day time frame for the Qudra Healing Program.
Q) Unlike before, I am faced with a highly disorganized life after my move and starting work. Please advice.
A) The first place to target when faced with disorganization is one’s closet. Sort the closet, sort life. The closet is a mirror of our life today. Declutter, organize and keep it neat. Do not aim for perfection or obsess about intricate details lest you get off track . Focus on keeping “items and belongings in order”. This in turn will magically sort out your life and keep it reasonably in order. Last point, remember to give away an item(s) whenever a new item enters the closet. Prosperity thrives when money is in motion. Hoarding comes from insecurity which stems from attachment and an expression of belief in scarcity. Hoarding is stagnant energy which blocks off new energy to enter our life.
Q) Every time I enter my parent’s home, it’s as if I am overwhelmed in thoughts, lack clarity and feel very tense. There house is heavily cluttered and almost every corner is occupied and I simply cannot do anything but be occupied in thinking about the objects in front of me. Please shed some light on what I can do..
A)A great way to help aging parents apart from the normal is to help them declutter their belongings. This is something I find myself inevitably getting into each summer. As parents age they may overlook belongings and keep unnecessary items in their home. In our attempt to be of effective help, clearing space is a great way to help aging parents. Letting things go, emptying space helps in detachment to useless things in our life and proven to be very therapeutic. Not only does this lighten their burden but removes tons of mental blocks, which in turn is a healer in itself . For the past few days I have been busy purging a lot of stuff from my parents home. Loads of paper work, books and unused items were donated, thrown/given away.
Interestingly enough, the same day we posted this message on our Qudra Support Group, a seeker related the following,
“Qudra, my mom saw you in her dream yesterday. She said you were taking away all the old clothes from our home. She said she felt good in the dream that all old stuff is going away. She saw you in the dream for the first time and was very excited. I was amazed to see today’s topic as it’s related.
