The story of today’s man is that he has fallen from the ideal of love and holiness. Purity and goodness is lacking. He is exhibiting a character more animal-like than divine and often is like a wolf in a sheep’s clothing. He has deviated and degraded from his essential spiritual nature (Self) and alienated himself from the Almighty Allah Tala (God). This fall and degradation of man has caused God sorrow. God is our divine guide and humanity His followers. We have to remove God’s sorrow by becoming a good human being! This is the path shown by Sufi Saints. His Holiness Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia (R.A.) says, "God gives insights to His Lovers, so that they understand the reality of the whole Universe."

The real question of a true seeker is not "What is Sufism"?, rather, "What can be of benefit to him from Sufism"? The reason for putting it in this way is that it is more important to know the state of the seeker and tell him what will be useful to him than anything else. Hence Prophet Muhmmad (P.B.U.H.) has said:

"Speak to each in accordance with his understanding!"

You can harm the seeker by giving him even factual information about Sufism, if his capacity of understanding is faulty or not much.

Sufism is not an "ism". It is self - purification fulfilled by divine love. A Sufi is a person whose heart is purified from the pollution and evils of this world. Sufism is total love to Allah Tala (God). Religious traditions informs of the miraculous cleansing of his heart as a child, and of his ascension to heaven (miraj) by night when, through prayer, he experienced the mystery of Allah Tala (God) all-embracing unity.

The Sufi path is like a ladder. Each rung is a stage (Muqam) of spiritual striving which is a must for the next stage. Sufi orders have their distinct ways. Basically all of them involves repentance, renunciation trust, gratitude, poverty, patience and love. Each stage requires ceaseless human striving as a means of approaching Allah Tala (God). Every stage of spiritual striving requires a special grace of Allah Tala (God) on the heart of the Mutasawwif (i.e. person who tries to be a Sufi). This is called a State (hal)! It is understood that the spiritual qualities of the heart descend from Allah Tala (God) and are known in the Sufi orders as satisfaction, intimacy, separation, love, union and knowledge. Thus the goal of this path is love with God - through the heart!

All great Saints of India – (of Buddhists, Jains, Hindus, Sikh, Christains and Muslims) have come to one great conclusion that the heart is the dwelling place of the Almighty. All our efforts to have divine enlightenment will go waste if the heart is not thoroughly prepared to receive the great spiritual power. Union with God is possible only through a regular drill of prayers and fasts. The heart is the only medium which could set the finite in tune with the Infinite. The entire mystic journey in all its stages has to be undertaken with the help of the heart and it was through prayers and penitences that it could be made responsive to divine messages.

The great duty of human Soul is the quest of Almighty Allah Tala (God). It begins with service, then it rises to love, next to seclusion, in which he thinks only of God; the fourth attainment is knowledge; the fifth is ecstasy; the sixth is truth; the seventh is union with God; and the last is extinction.

It is necessary to remember that according to Sufi doctrine, mysticism does not merely consist of acquired knowledge but includes power and illumination obtained from the living Saint or at the Shrine of a Saint. The Sufi creed in other words believes in the "Communion of all Saints".

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Quran 13.11