Purification of the Heart Before the Remembrance of Allah
The Importance of Sincerity, Inner Purity, and Complete Attention in the Remembrance of Allah
Address of Hazrat Pir Sahib (Rahmatullah Alayh)
Dated: 6 May 1985
Speech No.14
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
فَنِعۡمَ الۡمَوۡلٰی وَ نِعۡمَ النَّصِیۡرُ
رَبِِّ اشۡرَحۡ لِیۡ صَدۡرِیۡ وَیَسِّرۡ لِیۡۤ اَمۡرِیۡ وَ احۡلُلۡ عُقۡدَۃً مِّنۡ لِّسَانِیۡ یَفۡقَہُوۡاقَوۡلِیۡ
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِ عَلٰی سَیّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍوَّعَلٰی اٰلِ سَیِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍوَّعَلٰی اَصْحَابِہٖ وَعَلٰی اَذْوَاجِہٖ اَجْمَعِیْنَ وَبَارِکْ وَسَلِمْ وَصَلِ عَلَیْہٖ
All praise is for Allah.
Countless thanks to Allah Almighty, the Master of all kingdoms, Who has once again granted us the opportunity and ability to gather here for His pleasure, in His remembrance, and in His love. Millions upon millions of blessings and salutations be upon the Leader of all Prophets, the Beloved of Allah, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him), through whose noble mediation these blessings have been bestowed upon us.
Respected listeners!
As is our usual practice, we shall begin the recitation of the sacred Awrad (devotional litanies). However, before doing so, we should examine our hearts and reflect upon whether there is anything within them that is contrary to the commands of Allah, whose blessed Name we are about to invoke and before whose court we are about to make our supplications.
Only then should we begin the recitation of the Awrad, so that the water of Divine Mercy which we seek to collect in the vessels of our hearts through the blessings and spiritual benefits of these sacred recitations may not become contaminated by the impurities within those vessels. Rather, these recitations should cleanse our hearts, allowing their blessings and spiritual lights to illuminate our inner selves.
Otherwise, Satan, who is the declared enemy of mankind, becomes extremely disturbed whenever a person turns toward Allah and engages in His remembrance. He exerts every effort to deprive that person of the blessings of Divine remembrance. His final attempt is often to corrupt a person’s thoughts and distract the mind so that one may be deprived of the spiritual benefits and blessings intended by these acts of worship.
At this point, I recall a statement of Hazrat Pir Sahib (Rahmatullah Alayh), which he mentioned in one of his books.
A soldier once came to Hazrat Pir Sahib with great sincerity, devotion, and love. Hazrat Pir Sahib accepted him as a disciple, granted him spiritual permission, and sent him back. After completing his prescribed spiritual retreat (Chillah), the soldier returned to Mohra Sharif in a state of distress and said:
“Sir, I have seen a strange and frightening dream. I saw a vast open field where you were standing, and Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (Rahmatullah Alayh) was also present. There was a large cauldron filled with ghee placed over a fire. People were bringing slaughtered and cleaned chickens in their hands and presenting them to you. You would place them into the ghee, cook them, and then return them to their owners.
I also brought a chicken and presented it to you, but my chicken was not cleaned. Its feathers and entrails were still attached. You took it and placed it into the ghee exactly as it was, and after it was cooked, you returned it to me in the same condition.”
Upon hearing this dream, Hazrat Pir Sahib (Rahmatullah Alayh) explained:
“You should have examined the state of your heart before coming to us. A person may perform countless recitations and complete many spiritual retreats, but if his heart remains attached to worldly desires, then his spiritual state will be like that unclean chicken. Such will be the condition of his spiritual journey.”
Therefore, dear attendees of this gathering, it is a great favor of Allah that He has granted us both the time and the strength to engage in His remembrance. We should therefore turn our hearts and minds completely toward Allah before beginning the Awrad.
If you spend your time in worship while your attention remains occupied elsewhere, then what benefit is there in such effort? Rather, it becomes a regrettable deprivation.
Now, let us begin.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The sacred Awrad-e-Naziriya Sharif were recited, and a concluding supplication (Dua) was made.
