SIFATHAY TASSAWUR OR CONCEPTIOON OF THE BELOVED’S FACE
Just as he taught his devotees the repeated invocation of God’s name in various ways, in the same way he taught those disciplinary engagements which were concerned absolutely with Divine love.
Hayat-e-Waris
The researchers amongst the mystics agree that the kind and quality of the lover repeating invocation of God’s name out of love has the same dignity in disciplinary engagement and needs no instruction as their excessive love plunged them in deep meditation as a natural consequence. Hence Abu Hamza Bin Ibrahim Baghdadi narrates in his book. “Tabqat-ul-Akbar” that his companions enquired whether the lover has leisure from his Beloved to divert his attention to other occupation. He replied in the negative. Sheikh Mansoor states that the lover in his intoxication is fully drunk and bewildered. In the terms of the mystics this state of a lover’s condition is called “Occupation without Occupation.”
Sarkar Waris instructed his devotees that the easiest way to reach the Beloved is conception of the beloved’s face. He also said “Concentrate on one face. The same will be with you in this world at the time of death and on the day of resurrection.” It’s regular practice makes seekers of truth turn into complete and chaste human beings.
The reality of Imagination on conception of the beloved’s face is born from love. For example the purport of Maulana’s fine verses is the miracle of yearning for the sight of the beloved. During his separation from his beloved his power of imagination which forms an image of his Beloved’s face, gradually looks like a real face with which he begins to converse. Love in its flight of fancy is not visionary but a reality. Our Saint kindly taught us this occupation so that we were benefitted, and commanded all his disciples to love, for the conception of the beloved’s face is a result of love.
Those who are lucky gifted with the heart of good qualities in the corner of which the manifestation of their beloved is visible, their life is priceless and their death also is eternal life.
Roz Qayamat har kisay dardast geer damana
Man neez Hazeri shoam Tasveer Jana dar bagal
When on the day of Resurrection everyone will appear with their deeds and mis-deeds in hand. I too will be present, clutching the Portrait of my Beloved. The Day of Judgement for them is better than the night of meeting the Beloved and in the plane of resurrection they embraced their object of imagination. Our saint has taught his special and intellectual devotees and given them instructions regarding the recital of praise of God.
The mystics have explained with detailed exposition the qualities and blessings that follow the constant conception of ones teacher. It is clear the seekers of truth with the same Sheikh’s face as a guide would lead them through the difficult and impenetrable valley’s love to reach the Divine Proximity and the same imagination unveils the hidden truth as Hafiz Sherazi in his couplet describes.
Har dam arzooay thoo naqshay zindom rah qayal Bakay goyam kay dareen par dah chaha mi binam. Hayat-e-Waris
Every moment I make your facial picture in my thought. So that, I may come to know, what I am seeing behind the veil.
Therefore Maulana Rumi’s narrative is in connection regarding advantage of imagination. The imagined face will appear on the Day of Judgement and according to our ability of understanding giving us an example of a seed remaining hidden under the earth comes out in its original face later in the same way the glory of the imagination of the sheiks face will be revealed on the Day of Judgement.
Aan qayalay Az-daroon Aedh Baroon.
Choon Zameen kay Zaid Az-thuqum daroon.
The thought about him come from the interior outside. Just as a plant emerges from the seed sown.
Har quyalay ku kund dardil watan
Roz mmehshar Surath Qwahidh shwdan.
That the sa the that makes its heart as the native city of his birth emerges on the plane of resurrection and assumes a picture of my spiritual Guide.
This saying of Maulana is in accordance with the principle of Divine Law as Our Holy Prophet states that during one’s life the thought which is dominant)n which one dies, one will arise with the same thought on the Day of Judgement. It is necessary, if the face is praiseworthy one will reap the benefit and if it is damned the loss will be likewise.
To decide which thought is laudable and which is blameworthy it is enough to go through the mystic books.
There, each pager is a sort of declaration that the best imaginable face of perfect spiritual leader and to concentrate on it. This thought in reality is spiritual companionship. Its effect is evident when we die with such pure and chaste thoughts and with the same sacred thoughts we would arise on the Day of Judgement. Really good fortune is Eternal.
Hence even in our worldly affairs we get the help of our Sheikh. For example one Sheikh Inayatulla Saheb Taaluqdar of Saidanpur, an old devotee of our Saint, for whom he had a soft corner in his heart, paid a visit to him. He requested Our Saint to show him a way to be free from the difficulty burden of Jagir’s management. Smilingly our Saint said “If any difficulty arises, concentrate your whole attention and imagine our face. Inayatulla acted on his advice always and during the difficulties and extricate affairs he diverted his concentration on Sarkar Waris and overcame his difficulty.
Hayat-e-Waris
Once Masoom Shah Saheb a tahband wrapped devotee stated that according to his instructions, repeating the name of God was unable on some days to concentrate entirely. Our Saint advised him to practice and concentrate on some face. He questioned, “On whose face? To which our Saint said “On your close friend’s face.” When Masoom Shah pointed to our Saints face, he smilingly agreed.
Once Maulvi Fazl-ur-Rahman Saheb alias Faizu Shah visited and informed that he is an employee of an office but his superior was not pleased with his work. Our Saint advised him to practice concentrating on some face and acting on his advice within a short period his superior officer sent a favourable report about him.
A novice devotee met our Saint and said that according to his instruction he was practising imagination but imagination of the face was not possible. Our Saint advised him to chant Darood-e-Shereef (to invoke the blessings on our Prophet) and the face will not be hidden under a veil. He further stressed “a lover should see only one face and to see other faces is not right”
It is possible that it might be a hint to the other devotees. Now the question arose what was the procedure followed by our Saint to teach imagination of the Beloved’s face. The same instructions were adopted for invocation of God’s name, keeping in view the capacity and condition of the learned. They were instructed at the time of imagination to keep the eye open and to imagine the thing with the heart’s eye also, to see the face of the not existent or absentee.
The fact is there is no specific rule in the way of love and in similar way there is no rule regarding disciplinary practices. The condition of those who go through the arduous task itself shows the correct way to be followed. When they are more restless they acquire consolation by the thought of the Beloved. Gradually the imagined face acquires shape and stability and amongst the worldly things only the Beloved’s face is visible.
Although the mystics have framed rules and regulations for the exercise of imagination they are correct and useful to learn for which a little attempt is essential. By exertion it becomes mature. Without love it never acquires stability. Imagination is the result of love. Hence if there is love there is imagination Love is Divine and not acquired by profession.
The Strange dignity of Love is that any attribute of a mystic is based on love.
Hence Abu Abdulla-bin-e-Faizi says, “The symptoms of love invoking the name of God, gladdens the heart.” Sheikh Abdul Tufsaji says that a love invoking the Divine name forgets his feelings. Our Saint said that a lover is one whose every breath is not void without the mention of God’s name. Thus according to Our Saint love was the objective of the Warisi cult.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 