“Nearness to the Lord of Truth (Haqq) is far better than nearness to creatures (khalq),” said Khwaja Baha’ ad-Din Naqshband. When one experiences the nectar of love and devotion for the Almighty, one realizes that the heart can find solace and anchor only if one undertakes the journey to seek the Divine Beloved. Those who seek the approval or validation of fellow beings find that such endeavours do not yield any lasting value. Human relationships are valuable, but the very nature of the world is such that all human bonds are marked by impermanence, expectation, and shifting emotions. Only the bond with the Divine anchors the soul in the unchanging, absolute reality of God.
Mevlana Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet, scholar, and mystic, wrote in his celebrated work, the Masnavi:
“Do not seek the beloved among the creatures,
For the reflection is fleeting, but the Source is eternal.
Leave the marketplace of shadows and doubts,
And enter the sanctuary of the Living Truth.”
Seeking love among humans is like chasing shadows. Times change, individuals change, even love changes. Man searches for the eternal, which is found only in the Divine Beloved. God is the source of eternal light; only in His grace can man find tranquillity and serenity which his soul hungers for.
Rabia al-Adawiyya of Basra, the saint who guided people on the beauty and glory of all-encompassing love for God, revealed through her actions and words how one can achieve complete surrender for the Divine. It is said that one beautiful spring day, Rabia’s servant came running into her small, modest hut, breathless with excitement. “O mistress!” the servant called out. “Come outside immediately and behold the magnificent works of God! The garden is in full bloom, the flowers are radiant, and the trees are laden with beauty!”
Rabia was sitting deeply absorbed in dhikr, the constant contemplation and remembrance of the Divine. She did not even look toward the door. She replied softly:
“Instead of coming out to see the works, you should come inside to see the Maker. The contemplation of the Maker has entirely turned my heart away from the contemplation of what He has made.”
In her saintly way, Rabia illustrated how absorption in the Creator brings lasting spring and joyfulness in one’s life. If the mind and the heart are sheltered in God, the changing seasons do not cause any anxiety for man.
A seeker achieves spiritual freedom only when he learns to centre his being in the Creator and not be swayed by the shifting colours of the material world around him. An old Sufi tale gently captures how man may learn to disassociate from the trappings of power and seek the healing and eternal restoration provided by God.
It is said that a powerful Sultan, surrounded by a massive entourage of soldiers, courtiers, and flatterers, was riding through the city streets. Everyone in the crowd bowed low in reverence, desperate to catch the ruler’s eye or win his favor. However, sitting by the dusty roadside was an old, ragged dervish who did not even look up as the royal procession passed.
Intrigued and slightly offended by this indifference, the Sultan stopped his horse and confronted the mystic. “Old man,” the Sultan said, “everyone bows before me, seeking my favor, for I hold the power of life, death, and wealth in this kingdom. Why do you ignore me? Do you not desire to be near the throne?”
The dervish looked up calmly, his eyes entirely peaceful, and replied: “O Sultan, your subjects seek your nearness because they are slaves to their desires, and they see you as the master of those desires. But by the grace of the Lord of Truth, I have mastered my desires. Therefore, your kingdom holds nothing I crave.”
The Sultan, humbled by the answer, asked, “Is there anything I can do for you then?” The dervish replied, “Yes. Stand aside. You are blocking the warmth of the sun.”
In their benign, calming ways, Sufi saints reveal how one can achieve inner sovereignty by seeking nearness to the Ultimate Truth, the absolute and infinite Almighty. The dervish had found inner sovereignty of the Divine within him. While other men felt subservient to the Sultan, the dervish had risen above the feeling of any such deference towards a fellow man.
The mystics who found the Divine Beloved within the sanctuary of their heart revealed that they found abundance and blessings beyond the comprehension of man. Sufis have often narrated stories related to Hazrat Ibrahim ibn Adham, a legendary early Sufi who had famously renounced his throne as a powerful king to lead a life devoted to God.
It is said that years after he had walked away from his palace, Hazrat Ibrahim was sitting by the edge of a river, repairing his ragged cloak with a needle. A former courtier from his old kingdom passed by and recognized him. Shocked by Hazrat Ibrahim’s impoverished state, the courtier wept and said, “O King! You gave up a vast empire, a golden throne, and the loyalty of thousands of subjects just to live in rags by a riverbank. What have you gained?”
Hazrat Ibrahim did not look up immediately. Instead, he threw his iron needle into the deep river. He then looked at the water and commanded the fish: “Bring me my needle.”
Within moments, thousands of fish rose to the surface of the river, and every single one of them held a needle of pure gold in its mouth. Hazrat Ibrahim looked calmly at his old courtier and said:
“You think I lost a kingdom? When I had my earthly kingdom, I was a slave to the worries of creation. Now, because I have chosen the service of the King of Kings, even the fish of the sea obey my heart. Is the nearness of the Lord of Truth not better than the fleeting power you still serve?”
Hazrat Ibrahim gentle, saintly response speaks of the power of love and surrender for the Divine Beloved. When a seeker stays anchored in prayer and dhikr, he is blessed with inner wealth, divine grace and fulfilment of the soul.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
