Bismillah Babuna- In the Name of Allah, is our Door
Ya Rasulillahi unzur haalanaa
Ya Habiballahi 'isma' qaalanaa
Inna-ni fe bahri ham-mim-mughraqun
khuzyadi  sah-hil lanaa ashka-lanaa
O Mesenger of Allah (saw), cast a glance of compassion at our pitable state
O Beloved of Allah (saw) listen to our supplication
Really! I'm  drowning in the sea of allications
For (God's sake) come to help us, ease our difficulties
Bi-hurmati  nasrum-mi-nallahi wa fathun qarib wa bash-shi-ril mu-'mineen-(see hizbul-Nasr link)
For the sake of Help is from Allah and Victory is Near. Give good news to the believers-Quran 61:13
( short Dua from me for Madaat -support, you may use it in your Dua's)

The Spiritual Secrets of Salat Ad-Duha - updated 1st May 2010
By Muhammad Sajad Ali –Abu Izzah Ali

My personal Introduction

I first learnt about the practice more than the knowledge of salat Ad-duha and Salat Al-Ishraq and salat awwabin, salat for wudu and many other nafil-extra dhikr practices many years ago from Shaykh Nazim Haqqani’s gatherings that I attended. Also I memorized Surah Inshirah-(The Expansion) simply by attending the Haqqani gatherings in my home town, many years ago and never needed to look at a Qu'ran with that Surah. Surah Inshirah 94 chapter of Qur'an which starts, Alam nashrah laka sadraka-Have we not expanded your breast-(heart).

The first ayah-sign or indication of Surah Inshirah is mentions expansion of the Sadr-Heart or Breast, as the breast plate covers the heart and protects the heart. We have 4 Levels to the Heart or stations of the Heart;
 
1. Outer Heart-Sadr
2. The heart-Qalb
3. Inner Heart -Fu'ad, (which has an eye can see and an ear , this is a stage for Saints)
4. Intellect-Lubb-(this is the stage of the perfect saint) for more detail see link Sufi work 4 Stations of the Heart by on Al-Hakim Al-Tirmidhi

Surah Inshirah  is used in the beginning of the haqqani Dhikr, as to make the heart ready or prepare it to receive heavenly lights and gifts as the Dhikr progresses, this surah is also  good to read while studying  and learning as it mentions opening the heart to receive knowledge ‘Have we not expanded your breast-(heart) and also ‘After every difficulty comes ease. Surely after every difficulty comes ease’.

I was interested and wanted to know more about these nafil-extra of  salah-prayers that the Haqqani mureeds performed. And It was through studying and learning did I get to know more about their worth and merit.

Years later through an interesting conversation with a Qadiri-Noshahi Pir-sahib in my home town of Slough, Berkshire- UK, did the real interest really built up to search or more the quest and yearning about salah ad-duha  start to happen. The Pir-sahib mentioned a Poem that is taught from heart to heart, which is in old Punjabi and many of the words are difficult to understand; it was the Manzuma-didactic Poem of Hajji Muhammad Noshah Ganj Baksh.

Manzuma-didactic Poem
A note: about Manzuma-didactic Poem; didactic-(Intended to instruct or teach) poems and designed as mnemonics; - mnemonics is the process of recalling or memorizing a memory aid, it’s a formula or rhyme, used as an aid in remembering. The art of memorization is referred to as mnemonics. Mnemonics are methods for remembering information that is otherwise quite difficult to recall. This was and the technique that Muslim scholars used to learn and teach the Deen, the poems like  flash card that trigger keys in one’s mind to help them remember text or subject headings, that same when one is giving a lecture today with PowerPoint slide all see are the bullet points which are the flash cards for the speak to then talk about. But  Arabic didactic poems are much more powerful and comprehensive in meaning that  they had key words that served as instructions and indications to follow.  One famous Manzuma-(didactic poem) that I will mention is that of Sidi Ibn Ashir's  'Al-Murshid Al-Mu'in'-The Helpful Guide. Al-Murshid Al-Mu'in is a about creed, basic  maliki fiqh and tasawwuf.

The Pir-sahib repeated some of the lines, and said he had difficulty understanding some of the terms used as it is very old Punjabi, and had to search out the meanings when he first learnt it. One of the lines mentions a special time in the day  Duha. The thing was, I had been reading  about salat ad-duha and the best time for Duha too. The Poem was the guidelines that gave indications on how to follow the path-tariqah and also about the indications on fath-openings to Waliyah-sainthood.

In ‘Sufi sage of Arabia’ by Imam Haddad from chapter 4 ‘structuring time’, it mentions that the Imam Haddad  prayed 4 rakah of salat al-Ishraq and later the shaykh  perform 8 rakah  salat Ad-Duha. Also on Friday he would read surah Kahf and Ta-ha among others things on Friday and after zuhr reciting 1,000 laelaha-ill-lallah and doubling the number in the month of Ramadhan thus 2,000 and read into the first 5 days of Shawal so to total 70,000 laelaha-ill-lallah, the number which is said to bring salvation from the hell fire for oneself or on behalf of the decreased who it is done for.

Salat al-Ishraq
Note: about the salat al-Ishraq-the Sunrise prayer, its 4 rakah, which is read in 2 rakah each, the time for Ishraq is 15-20mins after sunrise. Hadith ‘Whosoever offers his morning (fajr) prayer in congregation, then remains seated making the dhikr of Allah until the sun rises, and thereafter offers two rakats, they will receive the reward of performing a Hajj and Umrah’. Some say that  Salat al-Ishraq and Salat al-Duha are the same pray.  But they are not, they are two separate prayers. The recommended time for offering Ishraq prayer is 15 mins immediately after sunrise, whilst Duha prayer (which is also called Chasht prayer in Urdu) is offered later on before Zawwal- the Zenith. There is also the of  Wird Al-Ishraq by al-Ghawth al’Azim Shaykh Abdal-Qadiri Jilani and should be recited after praying salat-al-ishraq  some of its line are:

The Light of Allah has shone forth and the Word of Allah has become manifest and the Commandment of Allah has been established, and the Law of Allah has come into force, and I have put all my trust in Allah...............

I have found shelter in Allah's hidden grace, and in the grace of Allah's work, and in the beauty of Allah's protection, and in the splendor of Allah's remembrance, and in the strength of Allah's authority. I have entered Allah's safekeeping and I have sought refuge with Allah's Messenger (salla 'llahu 'alai-hi wa sallam).

I have washed my hands of my personal power and strength, and have turned for help to the power of Allah and His strength. O Allah, shield me and protect me in my religion and my worldly business, my family and my property, my children, my companions and my friends, with that shield of Yours with which You have shielded Your Essence, so that no eye can see You and no hand can reach You..............

From  Imam Haddad and about praying the extras-nafil and Salat Ad-duha

From Imam Haddad; …persevere with Witr and Duha prayers… be extremely careful to always keep alive the periods between the dawn–fajr and sunrise-(salat al-Ishraq is 15mins after is sunrise), and between the afternoon prayer-‘Asr and Maghirb-sunset for  these are noble times where those servants  who turn to Allah receive the flow of assistance-(Madaad or madaat). The time following the dawn prayer-Fajr when kept alive, has a powerful and specific effect in attracting material provision-Riqz, whereas, the time following the afternoon prayer-‘Asr if kept alive, has the powerful effect in attracting provision-Rizq for the heart-Rizq (also means knowledge). Taken from Imam Haddad’s book ‘Two treatises mutual Reminding and Good Manners’ in section from Good Manners Chapter 8’. 

Also from the ‘Book of Assistance’   Give life to the time between the night prayers-(Maghrib and Isha; after maghrib praying minimum  6 rakah of Awwabin which is equal of 12 years of worship maximum is 20 rakah and after ‘isha praying  4 or more and then sleeping  and rising up the last third of the night and praying Tahajjud ending with Witr),  4 rakah after Isha payer are equal to  layla tul Qadr.  Keep rising in prayer in at night, it draws you closer to your Lord, atones sins,  forbids you from evil and protects  the body from sickness.  Rising after some sleep at night and praying will defect the devil and resistance for the ego and has wondrous secrets this is Tahajjud. Allah has gathered every goodness into the night and no Wali-Sainthood was ever determined-(granted) to a saint  except at night.

Allah descent to the lowest Heaven at the last third of every night, asking is there any one that wants there duas answered, is there anyone that wants forgiveness, is there anyone that I can give? This holy noble time is a intimate time to be alone with Allah, when one gives life or Nur-light to the night, Allah will give life or Nur-light to their heart. 

The counsel of Imam Nawawi

Also from ‘The counsel of Imam Nawawi’ by Shaykh  Hamza Yusuf; footnotes..there is a large portion about the path to Allah that appears in the great Imam Nawawi’s al-Maqaasid;  Adhering to the 8 raka’ats of the midmorning prayer-(salahad-Duha) and the 6 raka’ats-Awwbin after the sunset prayer-Maghrib and before the night prayer;  Performing the night prayers-(tahajjud) after awaking from one’s sleep; fulfilling the witr prayer; fasting on Mondays and Thursdays and on the three days of the full moon – i.e. the 13th,14th, and 15th of the lunar month – and also the days of the year in which fasting is recommended; Reciting the Quran with the heart’s presence coupled with reflection upon its meanings;  Frequently asking forgiveness of Allah (istighfar); maintaining prayers and blessings upon the Prophet, peace be upon him; and, finally, adhering to the meritorious invocations of the morning and the evening that have come to us from the Sunna (adhkaar as-sabaah wa al-masa’).

Surah Duha  and Surah Shams

Surah  Duha (93:1 Quran) Starts by a Oath-Wad-duha, Allah makes a Oath a promise a vow by that time, 'Wad-duha-By oath of the late morning-Duha’ or   ‘Wad-duha-By the brightness of the day-(Duha)’.
Some of the translations are;
By oath of the late morning
By the brightness of the day
By the Glorious Morning light
By the forenoon-(The period of time between sunrise and noon)

And Allah begins Sura Ash-Shams-The Sun (91: Quran) by taking seven oaths:
1. By oath of the sun and its light - Wash-shamsi wa duhaha
2. And by oath of the moon when it follows the sun
3. And by oath of the day when it reveals it
4. And by oath of the night when it hides it
5. And by oath of the heaven and by oath of Him Who made it.
6. And by oath of the earth and by oath of Him Who spread it.
7. And by oath of the soul and by oath of Him Who made it proper.

In Surah Shams 'Wash-shamsi wa duhaha- By oath of the sun and its light.'  Duha-ha comes from dahwa which is the appearance in the sky of the light of the sun and its establishing its strength. Ad-dahwa, and ad-duha, are two words that describe nur ash-shams-the light of the sun.

When Allah begins by an oath, he does so to bear witness to the fact that whatever follows this oath is very important and essential for us to understand. We need to see the importance of what he is taking the oath by and honor that too, Therefore, we should pay very close attention to what is being said, and reflect upon its meanings. The dawn of the sun is one of Allah’s Signs for which you bow down, thanking Allah for the source of light and energy that made all life possible on earth.

The Merits of Salat Ad-Duha- (Note: Duha is called Chast in Urdu)

Praying the Duha prayer with faith and expectation of the reward promised for it, or out of the desire to pray it with sincerity in it, without any showing-off or wanting to heard or seen, or to store up a reward with Allah.

hadith 'A human being has 360 joints for each of which he must give alms-Sadaqah. The people asked: Who is capable of doing this? He replied (saw): It may be mucus in the mosque which you bury, and something which you remove from the road; but if you do not find such, two rak'ahs in the forenoon (meaning salat ad-Duha) will be sufficient for you.'

Everyone has been created with 360 joints. Whoever mentions Allah's greatness (says Allahu Akbar), praises Allah, extols Allah, and seeks forgiveness from Allah and removes stones from the path of the people, enjoins what is good and forbids evil to the amount of those 360 joints, he walks on that Day (of Judgment) having distanced himself from the Fire."

The 2 rak'ahs of salat ad-Duha  is a complete sadaqah on behalf of the 360 joints of the body.

The famous  Shamaa-il Timidhi is divided into 55 chapters and is about the physical description and character of our beloved Nabi Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam, and there  is a Chapter about salat-ad-duha it mentions; 'The doors of the heavens open at this moment. I like that a good deed of mine ascend there at this moment’. -salat ad-Duha.

There is a huge merit of the Duha prayer as it indicates that it fulfills the performance of  360 charities -Sadaqah. 'Whoever  regularly prays the two rak`ats of Duha, his sins are forgiven even if they are as numerous as the foam of the sea.' salat-duha is also called as salat-Awwabin-Prayer of the Oft Returning  sayyiduna Dawud-(as), sayyiduna  Sulayman-(as), and sayyiduna Ayyub-(sa) are all called awwabin in the Qur'an.

Salat-Awwabin-Prayer of the Oft Returning, the reason for this name is that one leaves dunya at that time to return to Allah Most High and makes up for the Night prayer that he  missed.-meaning Tahajjud. Thus Salat ad-Duha is even more stressed for those who miss tahajjud and is its replacement. Defined al-Awwabin as ‘Those who remember their sins when all alone are then ask Allah forgiveness’

It’s compensation for missing Tahajjud, it  pays  sadaqah for 360 joints which is ask every morning, which me have to give every day for using our limbs and for having our bodies, and The nur-Light of Salat-ad-duha  burns jinns. Those servants  who turn to Allah receive the flow of assistance-(Madaad or madaat). The time following the dawn prayer-Fajr when kept alive, has a powerful and specific effect in attracting material provision-Riqz. Only people who prayed Salat ad-duha will be allowed to enter into Heaven through the gates-Babu-duha. As one of the gates of gardens of Heaven is called Ad-Duha.

Salat Ad-Duha serves to help those who are sinful and is Tawba-repentance at this time, as the door of heave open up at this time, thissalah is form of asking forgiveness from Allah.

‘Whoever regularly prays the two rak`ats of Duha, his sins are forgiven even if they are as numerous as the foam of the sea’. It is a Sunna of the Prophets as narrated in explanation of the ayah (And Ibrahim who paid his debt 53:37): I.e. he paid his daily debt  with 4 rak`ats he prayed in Duha.

The Number of ra'kahs of salat ad-duha are 2-12, who ever reads 12 rakahs is given a golden palace in Heaven.
It used to be the prayer of all the Prophets before Muhammad - upon him and them blessings and peace - after which Allah Most High let the  `Asr prayer remain in the evening and abrogated the sunrise prayer."

Salat ad-Duha has the status of a Sunna mu'akkada-(emphasized Sunna)... and its time is from the rising of the sun a spear-length from the horizon until it passes its zenith, while the preferred time is that one begins it after one quarter of the day has passed due to the hadith of  Zayd ibn Arqam.

‘Whoever prays the Fajr prayer then sits in his place of prayer remembering Allah until sunrise, then prays two rak`ats of Duha, Allah shall make him forbidden to the Fire, nor shall it touch him nor consume him.’

‘Your Lord said: 'O son of Adam, pray for Me four rak`ats at the beginning of the day and I shall take care of your needs the rest of it.’ And ‘Whoever gets up when the sun is before his eyes, performs a thorough ablution then stands and prays two rak`ats, his sins are forgiven as when his mother gave birth to him.’

The surah of Quran to read  ideally with Salat Ad-Duha;

1st rakah Duha and 2nd rakah  Surah Inshirah, if you don’t know these then surah you do know.

Dua after Salat Ad-Duha
There is a Sufic dua from the Tariqah Sammaniyyah-(a Qadiri branch from Sudan, and the UK representative  is, Shaykh Ahmed Babikr of London ) which is called  Wird Ad-Duha, It’s a very beautiful and powerful Dua that intertwines Surah Duha  ayahs and asks Allah for rescuing from problems and pleads from his Mercy of intercession-shifa’ah  by the secrets of Salat ad-Duha and Surah Duha for spiritual openings; read the dua  after praying Salah Ad-Duha; (download Wird Ad-Duha-pdf version or Wird Duha Word Version)

1st few lines of the Wird Duha:
O Allah I call on you by the robe of your nearness communication, for whoever held himself to it got rescued. And by the pure drink of Your drink, whoever got a drink of it attains his goal. (And) by the secret of Your secrets, the best haven for us. And by Your statement: “By the glorious Morning light-(duha), and by the night when it is still”

By all these I call on You to reveal for me the ranks of patron and protection. A revelation that accompanied with revelation and revelation, by which I can attain the complete and perfect knowledge, (also) revelation by which I can attain the secret of seclusion or being with people in the dwelling areas or outside them. In which my secret calls, after all my problems been solved: “Thy guardian Lord Hath not forsaken thee, Nor is He displeased ”

Then (my secret) travel during night by all of its merits and demerits to his beloved. And witness the secrets of his communication and nearness. O Allah explode the springs of your secrets water in my heart and make it (my heart), its sky and earth. And bestow on me from knowledges and subtles, what can make me feel satisfied and contented….…

Yours
Muhammad Sajad Ali –Abu Izzah, if your heart is turned and you start practicing  salah ad-duha or anything else you’ve learnt from this site the author humbly requests for Surah Fatiha for his soul and give Shukr-thankfulness to  Allah for this 'ilm-Knowledge and remember him in your duas too.
Thank you. – 15th  January 2010  

Updated 29 th April 2010

Bismillah

Sometimes while hoping for some inspiration-ihlam I read Surah Fatiha for Mawlay al-'arabi ad-Darqawi and ask him through his book for a message. I will then open his book at any page and read a letter, as if it were written for me and that he was talking to me, this is one way I read the book:

The Letters of Mawlay al-'arabi ad-Darqawi, below is a letter I opened and read from this book last week;

Letter 51: Faqir, the aim of my advice to you is that you perform the obligatory prayer and whatever is confirmed of the sunna. The you should be relentless about freeing yourself of your urine as is necessary and you should persist in cleanliness, bereftnesss, contentment, the istikhara of the prophet(saw), recitation of Qu'ran, visiting (tombs) silence, wudu, the DUHA prayer, greeting the mosque and the prayer of the prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

You should be on the guard against lying, slander, calumny, forbidden and disliked things. By Allah, if you can persist in this and devote yourself as much as you can, then your lights will shine and manifest themselves, and your secrets will not be hidden. Your reality will be nothing but light and there will not be any darkness in it at all.

(There about 227 letters in the book, those interested in purchasing a copy there is a link below, also this is the Aisha Bewley translation) http://www.islamicbookstore.com/b4480.html

From the life of Shaykh Badru-Din Hasani-the Great 20th century al-Muaddith al-Akbar

From 'Yearning for the Beloved' by Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, and he mentions: Anyone in Damascus now claiming to have any type of knowledge of Islam, Shaykh Badru-Din Hasani would be his father or grandfather or great-grandfather in knowledge.

Sister Feryal Salem writes ....He would then pray the DUHA Prayer. His students said of him that he had never missed this prayer, not even when he was on pilgrimage. Upon the completion of the DUHA Prayer, he would begin his schedule of classes.... At the bottom of page 5

http://www.nursacredsciences.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Shaykh-Badr-al-Din.pdf

 

A Question about the length, that is how many Rakah to pray reply;

As to your question to Hadith references see below;

Its length is between 2 as in most of the narrations - and this is its minimum by Consensus - to 12 rak`ats, although the basis seems 4 as per the hadith of `A'isha in Muslim, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, and others: " Yes, the Messenger of Allah (saws) used to pray Duha in 4 rak`ats. After that he may add whatever Allah wished"

and other narrations, and this is the best number according to a number of the Imams of Hadith, among them al-Hakim and al-Kattani;  8 - as per the hadith of Umm Hani' in al-Bukhari and Muslim - being the best number according to the majority of the Fuqaha' and the maximum for most of the Shafi`is according to al-Nawawi in al-Majmu` and for the Hanbalis as per Ibn Qudama in al-Mughni; while the Jumhur said it is up to twelve as chosen by al-Ruwyani in al-Hilya, al-Rafi`i in al-Sharh al-Saghir and al-Muharrar, al-Nawawi in al-Rawda and al-Minhaj,

and others so as to take into consideration the weak marfu` narrations that mention twelve rak`ats from Abu Dharr, Abu al-Darda', and Anas narrated by al-Tirmidhi (gharib), Ibn Majah, al-Bayhaqi, al-Tabarani, and others. Cf. Tarh (3:71), I`lam (p. 624), Nayl and Fath al-Bari; while al-Tabari narrates from al-Aswad that there is no limit to their number, and attributes it to a number of the Salaf. And Allah knows best. For full link and references see http://www.sunnah.org/ibadaat/salat_al_duha.htm

Also

Number of rak'at for the duha prayer

The minimum number of rak'ah to be prayed is two, as was mentioned in the hadith of Abu Zharr. The most that the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam performed was eight rak'at, whereas, the most he mentioned was twelve rak'at. Some people, such as Abu Ja'far at-Tabari, al-Mulaimi, and ar-Ruwyani, who subscribes to the Shafi' school, say there is no maximum limit to the number of rak'at that one may perform for duha.

Al-'lraqi says, in the commentary on Sunan at-Tirmizhi: "None of the companions or followers are known to have restricted it to twelve rak'at ." As-Syuti agrees with it.

Sa'id ibn Mansur records that al-Hassan was asked: "Did the companions perform it?" He answered: "Yes . . . some of them would pray two rak'at and some of them would pray four rak'at. And some of them would continue until half the [early] day [had passed]."

Ibrahim an-Nakha'i reports that al-Aswad ibn Yazid was asked: "How many rak'at are to be prayed for duha?" He answered: "As many as you wish ."

Umm Hani narrates that the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam prayed eight rak'at of duha and made the taslim after every two rak'at. This is related by Abu Dawud with a sahih chain.

'Aishah reports: "The Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam would pray four rak'at for duha and would add to it whatever Allah willed." This is related by Ahmad, Muslim, and ibn Majah.

 

 

Extra text about  Sufic interpretations of Surah al-Duha
by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti

Sûrah al-Duha
Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim

wad-duha wal-layli idha saja ma wadda`uka rabbuka wa ma qala wa lal-akhiratu khayrun laka min al-ula. wa la-sawfa yu`tika rabbuka fa-tarda. a-lam yajiduka yatiman fa-awa wa wajadaka dallan fa-hada wa wajadaka `a'ilan fa-aghna. fa-ammal-yatima fa-la taqhar wa  ammas-sa'ila fa-la tanhar wa amma bi-ni`mati rabbika fa-haddith.

By the brightness of the day-(Duha)
And the night when it is still,
Thy Lord has not forsaken thee nor is He displeased.
And surely the latter state is better for thee than the former.
Did He not find thee an orphan and give (thee) shelter
And find thee groping, so He showed the way;
And find thee in want, so He enriched thee?
Therefore the orphan oppress not
And him who asks, rebuke not
And the favor of thy Lord proclaim.

The words of the Qur'an revealed to the Messenger of Allah {sas} are in Arabic, but the meaning of the Holy Qur'an is in the language of  Allah. When this surah is translated literally, these English words appear. That is reading the Qur'an from the surface, even if it is  accompanied by absolute belief in what one has read. In this particular case, is the absolute belief in the superficial understanding of the surface meaning of this wonderful surah beneficial?

The occasion of the revelation of this verse was the time when there was a long pause in the revelations and the enemies of Islam insulted and ridiculed the Beloved of Allah, saying, "Muhammad's Allah is cross with Muhammad: he does not talk about revelations anymore!"  Astaghfirullah. This hurt the gentle heart of the Beloved of Allah, upon which this Sûrah was sent to soothe and give solace.

Allah Most High vows upon the brightness of the day and the descent of night. What is the meaning of the word duha? Some say that it is the  time of the morning when the Prophet {sas} was born. Then what is the meaning of "the night"?  Is it the night following the day, or dark  after light, or ignorance after knowledge, or blindness after seeing? Or is it simply the passing of time upon which Allah vows that his (the  Prophet's) Lord has not left him nor is He cross with him, and that his latter days will be better than his former?  Does it mean that the  Hereafter is better for him than the life of this world?  Allah Most High promises that He will continue to bestow His gifts upon him until he is  fully pleased (one presumes in this world because what follows relates to this world). Up to here the language is soothing, loving, and consoling. But what comes after it, read on the surface, may appear strange. How could

Allah, repairing the broken heart of His Beloved whom He tells that He can never abandon and will give everything, say, "You were an orphan,  so I found you a home: you were groping, so I brought you to Islam; you were poor, so I gave you a rich wife. Do not be mean to the orphans  and the orphan child of your wife. While you keep company with the rich, do not send the poor away when they ask for something, and do not  forget all I have given you: you must tell others what you have received"?

If taken in this manner it appears to add insult to injury. Even a polite man who has given something to someone and then says, "I did this  for you and that for you so you had better behave this way and that way" would be considered impolite! How could Allah, the Rahman, the Rahim, the Ra'uf, the Karim, the Latif, the Wadud, who said wa kafa bi-Llahi shahidan Muhammadun  rasulu Llah to His Beloved, say this? How could He say, "Do not tyrannize the orphan; do not hurt the poor" to the one about whom He says wa ma arsalnaka illa rahmatan lil-`alamin -- "I have not sent you save as a mercy to the worlds"?

People who are affected by the temptations of the accursed one find doors to enter and so cause mischief with statements like, "the wars waged by Islam were really for the benefit of war booty," and so forth. Yet the Prophet {sas} was saying, "O Lord, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing," while his enemies tried to kill him, and when he was victorious over them he forgave them all.

So how could such a heart take pleasure from words of Allah Most High if they were given like this, even though the faithful bow their heads  in acceptance of it?

It is something of a mystery, a secret in one's understanding of the Qur'an, that one hears what one is destined to hear. As Allah Himself says faqra'u ma tayassara min al-qur'an -- take what is meant for you from the Qur'an. Even that ayat is interpreted by the ones who read on  the surface as, "read whatever is easy for you from the Qur'an." The Sufis do not measure the words of Allah with the yardstick of the mind,  but rather with the inspiration which is the manifestation of their love for the Beloved of Allah and Allah Most High.

By the brightness of the day And the night when it is still.

is given this meaning by the Sufis: "I vow upon the day and upon the night, that scissors which cuts the life of all beings, the instrument of  divine destiny," or, "I vow on the bright light of the pure heart, that light which is the sun of the truth of Muhammad which enlightened the  darkness, the black veil of ignorance and unconsciousness which covered the world," or "the divine light manifested in the soul versus the  darkness of the flesh."

Thy Lord has not forsaken thee nor is He displeased.
is given the meaning: My Beloved, what appears in you, your words, your thoughts, your feelings, your actions, are not yours but Mine, and  what is within you is Mine, passing through you to the ones who have faith in you."

And surely the latter state is better for thee than the former.
is given the meaning: "Every manifestation that appears in you is better than the last; it is added to it, making it, therefore, greater and  higher than the previous one, bringing you closer to Allah. The former is your essential potential, the latter is the manifestation of Our  perfection within your potential."

And soon will thy Lord give thee so that thou wilt be well pleased.
is given the meaning, "Within all the universes and on the Day of Judgment, yours is the wish that I have considered. We have named you as "the praised one." We have given you the banner of praise. We have prepared for you the place of mercy on the Day of Judgment. Your Lord  has given to you the pleasure of His Lordship on that day when all the will of men will be taken away. The Hereafter is the heart of the worlds of eternal life. We have given that heart to you. We have made your heart the treasury of all divine secrets."

Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter?
is given the meaning: "We found your potential for perfection to be solitary, like an orphan. We have made a place for it, we have given you  a place in al-maqam al-mahmud.

And find thee groping, so He showed the way?
is given the meaning: "You were in awe in the vastness of My Love and Compassion. We sent you word explaining all, giving you the key of divine power."

And find thee in want so He enriched thee.
is given the meaning: "We found you in want: in accordance with your destiny you never had an individual identity of the I and me and mine.

We enriched you by giving you in its place an eternal dwelling with Allah."

Therefore the orphans oppress not
is given the meaning: "Your ego and the desires of your flesh are left orphans in you; they have no relation to you. Do not tyrannize over them, for they are your dependents. Treat them well, for they have rights over you."

And he who asks, rebuke not
is given the meaning: "Often you leave your being behind when you come to Me and your heart asks you where you were and you wish not to  answer it. Your heart has a right over you, so answer it." (Indeed, the Beloved of Allah did not have only one ascension. Every revelation, each prayer was a meeting with Allah Most High. When he was with Him he was not of this world. Yet his duties with us had not ended. He  was ordered back to be with us, to be like us. It is when he wished to come back to the world that he would ask Hadrat `A'ishah, kallimini ya -Humayrah -- "Talk to me, O `A'ishah!")

And the favor of thy Lord proclaim.
is given the meaning: "I said wa tarahum yanzuruna ilayka wa hum la yubsirun. My Beloved, they look at you but they do not see you. They do  not see the glory of Messengership, nor the gift of Prophethood, nor the love that I have for you. They think that mountains could not carry My trust, so how could Muhammad {sas} carry it? They do not know that if all the universe is a living being, you are like its heart. You are its  heart. As life-giving blood courses through the heart, divine knowledge spreads in the universe through you. Therefore do not hide the  attributes of the Truth that come to you when you are selfless and have become eternal in Me." This is neither the only nor the truest interpretation. But it is an example and a warning to those who think that the literal translation or the  surface meaning of the Qur'an is the only one.

May Allah forgive our sins of misunderstanding for the sake of the blessed shahr-I Ramadan. O Lord, give us the strength of the Shari`ah and  the joy of the Tariqah and the secret of the Haqiqah and the selflessness of the Ma`rifah, for the sake of all and everything, and may the Truth show us the reality of things and the reality and the unreality of ourselves. We repent of our having tyrannized ourselves. O Lord, do not make ourselves our master, and replace the love for this world in our hearts with love for You, and cure our hearts, ya Tabib al-Qulub, ya  Latif, ya Wadud. Amin, bi-hurmati sayyid al-mursalin Ta Ha wa Ya Sin.