FARMAN 160.

Dar-es-Salaam, 29th September 1899.

Haq Mawlana Dhani Salamat Datar Sarkar Aga Sultan Muhammad Shah Hazar Imam has made the following Farman:

“I will now make a Farman regarding the fundamentals (usul) of your faith (din). What are the fundamentals of your faith (usul-e-din)? It is like the essence (magaz) of a tree. Every man (insaan) has his thought on the fundamentals (usul) and the essence (magaz).

Amongst you, there are some who know nothing about their faith (din).

When you have a spare moment, you should think: Who is the Creator (khalaq)? What is the creation (makhlooq)? Have you ever had such thoughts? If anyone asks you: "Who are you?" then you will say, "My father's son!" Rather, you will be able to go as far back as a few generations. A bit more intelligent-one will reach back to Adam and then, that will be the end.

You must think: From where did Hazrat Adam come? Who sent Hazrat Adam? The man (insaan) who is a Sufi will grasp this thought.

You have seen that rains fall from the skies onto the earth. When it falls on the earth, it dries up. The rain that gathers, drop by drop, flows into the river, and the river flows into the sea. All water, finally, returns to the sea. In the same manner, your soul is the origin (asal); its abode (makaan) is very big.

The one who does not understand with intellect and has no desire of rising higher is like the water that falls onto the earth and which dries up. Those who aspire to elevate upwards, in order to reach the peak, practise more Bandgi and foster more love, too.

If one does Ibadat in prison and thinks that, after death, when freed from the prison, one will enter Paradise; but then, even Paradise is also just a prison!

Amongst you, those who were more intelligent than you followed my path. For instance, Mansoor followed it. For him, Paradise was all-present; but he would say: "Why should I be content with just Paradise? Until I have tasted the essence (magaz), I shall not retreat, I shall strive ahead."

When one is not able to know the origin (asal), then what is gained? Murtaza Ali has made a Farman: "He, who recognizes himself, it is as if he recognizes God!" Wherever I look, I see the soul-friend (ruh-dost).

When you look at a man, you see his face. His hands, feet, mouth, eyes are all visible, but the soul is not visible. You must seek to see the soul!

Now, are you thinking of the soul or are you thinking of acquiring happiness by doing Bandgi?

The status of man (insaan) is high indeed, but he abases himself with his own hands. If anyone amongst you strives to become like that of Pir Sadardin, Pir Shams and Mansoor, then you can become like them. You can rise even higher than that.

I will not say about what you would become, but I know everything. If you remain steadfast and walk on the path of our din, you will be able to reach the top.

It is when you have your heart and your aim (maksad) in Sufism that you can get there. This requires several things; it requires very great courage. There is no such courage in you.

Some thousands of years have gone by; how many people have reached that goal? Hazrat Isa, Hazrat Rasul (s.a.s.), Mansoor, Pir Shams and a few other people of the world have reached it.

Their work and their path were the one and the same.

Those who reached there were lovers of their own soul, friends of the soul; they reached that abode (makaan).

There are many religions in the world, which are not Sufi. The Shariati, the Christians, the Jews, the Hindus, etc., all those believers are not Sufi. Their thoughts (khyaal) and their Bandgi lead downwards. The very desires they possess are not good. Their wish is to be in Paradise, enjoying good food, fine clothes, many women and the pleasures of Paradise for themselves. Such desires are not good. Such desires are those of the Shariati.

Paradise too, is like that of the world (duniya).

The original aspiration of the soul is a different gem (jawher) altogether.

Mowlana Rumi once said: I was a stone; from that I was made a tree; from that I evolved into an ant; then I reached the stage of being an animal. I ceased to be an animal to reach the state of a monkey. From that, I became a human being.

From a human being, what shall I become? I shall become an angel (malayak).

From there where shall I go? I shall rise even higher.

You must think about getting annihilated (fanah). Whoever desires it and strives for it will be able to get there. But your sins do not let you get there; those sins have locked you in a prison.

The sins of the world have put you in prison. The same way, the habit of speaking lie has imprisoned you; and your wishes, such as the Paradise, the women (hurras), and the good fruits (meva) all these desires have imprisoned you.

But the soul is never pleased in the prison.

Listen! Think! If one catches a nightingale or any other bird and puts it in a cage, if one gives it water and those good things that animals eat, it will still not be pleased in the cage. It will be more pleased in flying and wandering in the air; it will long to fly out of the cage.

If one clips off the wings of the bird and puts it in a cage and, gradually, accustoms it to the cage, yet in the beginning, it will still want to get out of the cage. But, once its wings are cut, if it is made accustomed to the cage for two, three years, then it will no longer want to get out of the cage.

You too are like a bird!

When you first arrived in the cage, you had the intention of breaking free. But then, you got used to the cage and you became pleased with the food that was there. You are not pleased to fly in the air.

Children, family, their families, their children - you have been so entrapped in them, so enticed in them that like a bird with its wings cut, you too have been left with your wings clipped off. Now, where can you go?

If a swift-flying nightingale is put into golden cage and given good fruits, water, etc., even then, it will feel like flying away. But, as its wings are cut off, gradually, and as its children start gathering, then, fifty years later, when taken out, they will not be able to fly because they would have been born in the prison. They would be ignorant of the merits (khubi) of wandering or flying in the air.

You too are left senseless (be-khud)! You do not know the real value (asal khubi) of your faith (din); you do not understand its meaning. You are not aware of the aspiration of your din.

Many are those amongst you who have put their names in the Ismaili Faith (mazhab) and who say, "We are Ismailis." But what is the Ismaili din and what is its worth (khubi)? Of that they know not a thing. They are but ignorant (nadaan)!

You too, gradually, turn your hearts towards Sufism. You should aim at reaching even higher. The Sufi mazhab is the Tariqat; after that, you will reach the Haqiqat. Little by little, you will start to fly.

The soul that has the knowledge (ilm) will elevate itself step by step. Once one step completed, it will be able to ascend to the next.

But he who has no knowledge (ilm) says: "I am not going anywhere, and I just remain here." My Farmans do not get ingrained in the heart of such a person. For those who can not understand, how can it get ingrained in their hearts? And how can he come to believe?

Those who will be able to understand my Farmans will find them sweet.

If you do not act according to my Farmans, you will be in trouble. There, a bludgeon (gurz) of iron and of fire will strike your head, and then you will cry out loud and call, “Touba touba.” Night and day, the bludgeon (gurz) will hit you head.

The bludgeon of ignorance causes great suffering. One who practices Ibaadat out of fear of the bludgeon of fire is not a momin; rather, the fear should be that of being away from the deedar of God. That is what should be feared.

Just like Hazrat Murtaza Ali made a Farman one day at the time of Namaz: “O God! I do not desire Paradise nor am I afraid of hell. Give me whatever suffering you want, do good to me. I am your lover.” This is the Haqiqat.

Murtaza Ali used to perform the miracles (mojeeza), but miracles can also be learnt by the people and magicians can perform them. Murtaza Ali's miracle was to make one reach his own destination. Attain the true (hakikat) abode of origin (asal makan).

Whatever you want to ask, ask it: “We do not understand such and such things!" You are ignorant (be-khabar). Those who are ignorant nurse strange ideas, such as that Sahib heals the sick from their illnesses. This is not my task. My task is to show you the straight and true path so that you can reach the destination and attain that abode; you become ‘fanafillah’!

Fanah - nothing.

Fi - in.

Allah - God.

Fanafillah - to annihilate oneself in God’s being

You must think as: "Goodness! Who is God! And why can I not be contained in God?!" Have such aspirations.

Do not think that I have made Farmans for nothing. Read, listen and think over my Farmans. Just like Hazrat Isa, who had got annihilated (fanah) in God.

Who was Hazrat Isa? Hazrat Isa was Haqiqati; he became annihilated (fanah) in God.

You have heard about the Miraj of Hazrat Rasul Karim. What did you perceive of it? People say that Hazrat Rasul left for Miraj sitting on a horse. Those are just stories of people.

God is not only in the skies (aasmaan); it is not that way. God is everywhere. But when he attained the abode of origin (asal makan) and came back, that night was the night of Miraj. This is Miraj.

You do not understand its meaning. Only the intelligent and the wise can understand the meaning of the parables given by the Prophet. But those who are not intelligent (be-aql) will say that the stories are correct.

An intelligent person will say that a human (insaan) is a great thing!

The one, who properly recognizes good and evil, is a human (insaan). The intelligent-one will respond that it is but a parable. Compare and comprehend it; it is in your hands. Do not think that it is too difficult a task!

It is not that only Murtaza Ali's progeny can reach it. Whoever flies like a bird and is determined can reach it. In the beginning, if one cannot fly much, then one flies a little. By this way, gradually, one will become like that of a real falcon and fly accurately.

Think of all this. It has nothing to do with the bird. If it had been for the bird, I would not have mentioned it to you.

Faith (din) is all about dismissing false perceptions (khayal). God has created you. You prostrate before God; how does that benefit God?

God is not just in one. God is everywhere. To make him pleased would be better. When your heart is pleased, then God is pleased!

As long as you are imprisoned in the world, you will not get pleased.

It is not through suicide that one can get out of the prison. Once dead, one has yet bigger prison ahead of him; from one to the other, to yet another, and so on! What is the benefit in liberating oneself by committing suicide?

You do not know how your ancestors were?

In the past, there lived Omar Khayyam, a Sunni, Shariati scholar. He had a book in his hands. He used to speak uselessly about washing hands and feet. He realized that washing hands and feet that way is like becoming a barber, and that is the work of a barber.

Then gradually, he started to think about the knowledge (ilm) of God. Later, he became friends with Nasir Khushraw. Once in friendship with Nasir Khusraw, Omar Khayyam, progressively making efforts, attained his own status.

He is always existing (hayaat). He has stated in his book, “I am always alive (jivto)."

What is the meaning of Bandgi?

band - a man (insaan) whose feet are tied.

abd - a slave.

abdullah - a slave of God.

Your slave, the one who has served you well for years, would you not set him free (azaad)?

If you have a slave, the one who is a good person and who always serves you, what will you do for him? If you give him money, he will not be pleased. But if you set him free (azaad), then only he will be pleased.

You are the slave of God (band-e- Khuda). God is kind and merciful, so would He not set you free someday? I won’t say that even after this world, you will be able to attain that freedom (azaadi). It all depends on following the straight path and on the greatest courage. All this is entirely in your hands.

You should think about what your faith (din) is? Your din’s Farman is to contemplate carefully before you act and to think about it.

For instance, you are walking in a jungle where, at three or four places, there are pools of water. These are filled with water. In the evening (Maghrib), when the sun sets, the light of the sun is reflected in the water.

If a person who passes through this forest is unintelligent (be-aql), he will say, “This Noorani color (Noorani rang) is that of the water.” But if that person is intelligent, then he will say, “This is not the color of the water; it is the light of the sun.

I have seen this water earlier. The color of the water then and now is not the same. It is the sunlight that is reflected in the water. After sunset, it will be known that it was but the light of the sun.”

When a flash of lightning strikes a tree or a mountain, you will say that this lightning is the mountain. These are the tales of an ignorant (be-ilm) and of a fool (nadaan).

When you yourself will understand the status of God and become aware of the path of Haqiqat, you will attain freedom (azaadi). Before you can understand the status of God, understand your own status; it is then that you will know the status of God.

If a human (insaan) makes money day and night, and does good deed, and then dies, what is then gained?

Despite always practicing Bandagi, if one does not attain freedom (azaadi), what is the use? The intelligent one will be displeased with so little.

If you have a slave and you put a tilted hat on his head and make for him a yellow garment, but if the slave is intelligent, he will feel sad and say, “I am not pleased.” What should he want to become?

He ought to achieve freedom (azaad) and become the master. It is only then that the intelligent one will feel pleased.

But if that slave is unintelligent (be-aql), then he will say, “I am a slave; I enjoy all happiness in good food, nice clothes, and money to spend. If my master sets me free, I will have to make efforts, and I shall starve to death. I prefer slavery”. The same is true for all people.

Do my Farmans get embedded in your heart or not? I don’t think so; the reason is that I say it in a different sense, and you understand it in a different sense.

You do not understand the meaning of the Ismaili din. You should understand, with certainty, what your status is!

The person whose attire is damaged and dirty will not be saddened if more mud and dirt fall on his clothes on the way. As his clothes were already soiled, a few additional stains will not sadden him.

But for the person whose clothes have just been cleaned by the washermen, if on the way a car splashes a little mud on the clothes, it will make him feel untidy because his clothes are always kept clean.

He will say, “I must quickly go home and change this dress so that my friends do not make fun of me.” He will go home and put on other clothes.

Do you understand the meaning of this? The mud is the sin. That mud is as follows: (1) Misappropriation of other people’s goods. (2) Casting evil-eye on another person’s wife. (3) Men coveting the women of others. (4) Embezzling a hundred rupees belonging to someone else, which are in one’s possession. All these sins are mud.

The man (insaan), who is a momin, wears clean attire. Even if he commits a few sins, they appear big to him. He will quickly put on different attire.

When a friend aspires to meet his Beloved and if his attire is untidy, the Beloved will not accept him, but will say: "Go away, go away!"

Who is that, beloved? That Beloved is God.

The untidy clothes are the sins. One who wallows in mud day and night is a slave. He never yearns for salvation (azaadi).

All these Farmans that are made to you understand them. What is Haqiqat, and what is Shariat?

This is, but a different matter. ‘This one’ and ‘that one’ can never become one and will never be one. ‘This one’ loves the Book (Kitab), fasting (roza), prayer (namaz), and Bandagi; ‘that one’ aspires for salvation (azaadi).

These are two different matters; the ideas of both are different. For me, it’s quite an effort.

‘This one,’ who does not have the knowledge (be-ilmi), how can he become pleased? ‘This one’ does not grasp the Haqiqat. He does not want the Haqiqat. Those who are ignorant (be-ilm) forsake the truth (Haqiqat),

But those who are Haqiqati follow a different path. Just as in the past, the likes of (1) Hazrat Isa, (2) Pir Sadardin, (3) Nasir Khusraw, (4) Pir Shams, (5) Mawlana Rumi followed the path of Haqiqat. This path is very difficult for the ignorant (naadaan).

I see that some people turn away from my faith (din) to become Ithna Ashari, Sunnis, or Christians. This does not surprise me because they themselves are ignorant (be-ilm).

For an unintelligent Adam (be-aql), Haqiqati din is very difficult. For the one who is not intelligent (be-aql), my din is very difficult. If the one who is unintelligent (be-aql) turns away, it does not surprise me because this din is very demanding.

A man who is intellectually weak is bad. He runs after what is forbidden (haraam). But the one who is wise and intelligent will say, “This path is good!” He will act after reflecting on it.

An intelligent person will say, “My aspiration (arzoo) is freedom (azaadi). I am running after freedom. I shall run; I shall seek!”

When you prostrate, beseech, ‘Lead us to the Original Abode’ (asal makan).

Like a child who, when getting separated from his mother and is lost, cries, “When shall I reach my mother’s side?” You, too, become like that.

I have made many Farmans to you, but it is only when you act according to my Farman that they can benefit you. If you act according to my Farman, then I will consider that to be as if I had made Farman until morning.

Inshaallah, there are some among you who are Haqiqati. My Farman will do them much good; they will get ingrained in their hearts.

But for those who have weak hearts and have no courage, a little or more doubt will arise in their hearts because they believe less in Haqiqat. I understand it all. I know the hearts of all.

Even if the Shariatis listen to My Haqiqati Farman, these will have no effect on their hearts. Those who are not Haqiqati are unintelligent (be-aql).

An ebullition (josh) that develops in a man is a false ebullition. Farmans do not affect him either. What happens to him is that just as water, when put over fire, vaporizes and vanishes, it boils on fire with vigor and makes noise; the same way, an ebullition (josh) of the heart is also like that of the water.

From the bottom of my heart, I pray for you: “O God! Grant their hearts such strength that they become free (azaad) that they become Haqiqati that they turn away from evil; that they take the path in the right direction, and that they follow the straight path.

O God! Grant them Haqiqati eyes.” This Dua is more valuable than all other Dua.

Inshaallah, always keep my Farman in your hearts. Do not forget them. It must not happen that so long as I am present here physically, you read my Farman and that later, you do not read them; this must not happen.

Just as you read Ginans, read my Farmans too. The way you seek out the meaning of Ginans, the same way, seek out the meaning of my Farman, too. My Farmans themselves are the Ginans.

After I leave, do not think that Sahib has left.

Just as you consider the Imam to be ever-present, the same way, consider him to be present. Hazar Imam does not always remain present physically, but you must consider him present. I am also always with you.”

Ya Ali Madad