Is there any better way to draw near to God than prayer?

Someone asked, "Is there any better way to draw near to God than prayer?"

He answered, "More prayer, but not just the prayer of outer form - that is just the 'body' of prayer, because it has a beginning and an end. Anything that has a beginning and an end is a 'body'. Witnessing the greatness of God (Allahu Akbar) is the beginning of the formal prayer and the greeting of peace is its end (Assalaamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh). Likewise, there is more to the profession of faith than what is uttered with the tongue, because it, too, has a beginning and an end. Anything that can be expressed in words and has a beginning and an end is a 'form', a 'body', its 'body', however, is formless and infinite, without beginning or end.

"Anyway, prayer as we know it was brought into form by the prophets. Now the Prophet Muhammad, who gave form to prayer, said, 'I have a "moment" with God during which there is no room for either message-bearing prophet or angel close to God to enter with me."

We know then that the 'soul' of prayer is not only the outer form but also a state of complete absorption and unconsciousness during which all these external forms, for which there is no room, remain outside. In that state there is no place even for Gabriel, who is pure consciousness."

(The Rumi Daybook. Translated by Kabir and Camille Helminski. Shambala Publication, 2012. p.14)

Becoming The Physician of The Heart

There are many points of the world and there is one Point if God, The Truth. Until you come to this one Point, you are considered as crazy. But once you reach this one Point, you become the physician, the physician of compassion and love, and then you can give treatment. Then you will not look medicine for the patient.

First, your qalb should go and connect to that love, your smile should go and connect to that smile, your water should go and put out that fire, your compassion should go and cure the suffering, your good qualities should go and change the bitterness within him that prevents him from drinking, and your honey should go and change the water of birth.

In this way, the countless thoughts of God should go and change the thoughts and embrace the heart. Do not embrace the body, embrace the heart. The heart should embrace the heart. If you embrace the heart, the illness will leave. You will not need any medicine. If you can first treat the heart, then giving medicine (later) is easy. The medicine will work later. But if you do not treat the heart, the medicine will not work.

If you add milk to boiling water, the milk will not settle; it will splatter from the pot. First you must still the water before pouring in the milk. Then it will remain in the pot. If you plant a seed while the earth is moving, the seed will be swallowed by the earth. But if you first level he earth and then plant the seed, it will stay where you plant it, and will grow and give benefit. The benefit of medicine is like this, the benefit of wisdom is like this, the benefit of good qualities is like this, and the benefit of curing illness is like this. First you must comfort a person and then treat him. First you must become a doctor and a human being. This learning is learned on the inside. We must think of this.

(Bawa Muhaiyyaddeen. God's Psychology: A Sufi Explanation. p 19-20)

The Greatness of Simple

Even though the beginning seems complex, the beginning of the beginning is simple.
Find the simple beginning.
The greatest arises from the simplest.
At the centre of the largest is the smallest.
Find the greatness of simple.

Be careful of pretense and adornment.
When seeking the important, keep to the simple.
Great is never complicated.
Trust the simple.
Accord and harmony arise from it.
Greatest is always found in least. 

(Tao)

Trust in God

Losing hope when a slippage occurs is a sign of relying too much on (one's own) deeds.

An ordinary servant of Allah depends on his deeds including his prayers and supplications to enter the Paradise and escape from Allah's punishment whereas a spiritual aspirant (murid) takes his deeds a means to reach Allah. But an enlightened servant (gnostic or 'arif ) will never trust or depend on his deeds. He will neither rejoice over a good thing he did, nor regret a fault that happened to him, because he has dedicated himself to Allah so that his doing or undoing is no more important for him.

Since people belonging to the first and second category ascribe their success or failure to their deeds, they lose hope when they commit a mistake; but those who belong to the third category is so preoccupied with Allah that they are not concerned about the value of their deeds.

Since he does not want his selfish motives to dilute the quality of his worship, the enlightened servant makes Allah the pivot of whatever he does. If achieving any selfish interest, even if it be entering the paradise, becomes the objective of worship, Allah will cease to become the first priority. With the focus shifting from Allah to something lesser such as self, worship loses much of its sheen and becomes a substandard means to scrape through the test of Allah.

If a man rejoices over a good thing he did, it means he is furtively impressed by his calibre and skills which he believes enabled him to do that; but his pleasure is totally misplaced because he is unable to do that without Allah's blessings. If he loses hope when he commits a mistake, it also shows that he attaches too much importance to his deeds. When he himself becomes the focus of his deeds, His worship hardly serves the purpose demanded of it. One who considers each supplication a means to improve the prospect of winning an individual achievement and each mistake as an opportunity squandered, will mourn his mistakes as if he were responsible for it and were to pay the penalty for it. 

(Ibn 'Athaillah. "Al Hikam")

Spirituality in the Midst of Life

Spirituality is not in a long face and deep sigh.
No doubt there are moments when you will sympathize with the troubles of others; there are moments that move you to tears, and there are times when you must just close your lips.
But there are other moments when you can see the joyous side of life and enjoy its beauties.
Man is not born into this world for depression and unhappiness. His very being is happiness.
Depression is something unnatural. By this I do not mean to say that sorrow is a sin or suffering always avoidable.

We all have to experience both in life, to accomplish the purpose of life.
We cannot always be smiling.
There is no spiritual evolution in ignoring either side of life. Spirituality is in every side of life. As long as one is not bound, it is not sin to stand in the midst of life.
Man need not go into the forest, away from all people, to show his goodness and virtue. Of what use is his goodness and virtue if he buries himself in the forest?
It is right in the midst of life that we have to develop and express all that is beautiful and perfect and divine in our souls. 

(Hazrat Inayat Khan)

True Happiness Lies In Finding Our Purpose of Life

"Every soul was meant for a certain purpose and the light of that purpose was kindled in that soul."
Saadi

This whole universe is like one symphony and all souls are as different notes. Their activities are according to the rhythm of this symphony and their purpose is to perfect this symphony.

People are anxious to do something and wait for years and years, unhappy, in despair, waiting for that moment to come. It shows that the soul knows in its subconsciousness that there is a note to strike and the moment when it shall strike that note that soul shall be satisfied and yet does not know what note it is nor when shall be struck.

What is life, and what keeps us living in this world of limitation, world of continual changes, world full of falsehood and world full of suffering and trouble? If there is anything in this world that keeps us alive, it is hope. Hope, the honey of life.

There is not one soul in this world who says, "Now, i'm satisfied; i have no further desire." In everyone, whatever be the position in life, someone very rich or someone very poor, one full of life and the other ill, in all conditions, man is continually yearning and waiting for something to come, he does not know what, but he is waiting. The real explanation of life is waiting; waiting for something. And what is it that man awaits? It is the fulfilment of the purpose of life, which comes when the soul strikes that note; that note which is meant to be his note; and this he seeks, whether in the outer plane or the inner plane.

And man has not fulfilled his life's purpose until he has struck that note which is his note. And the greatest tragedy in life is the obscurity of purpose. When purpose is not clear, man suffers, he cannot breathe. He knows not what is the purpose, what he must do.

This life will present to him things that will interest him for the moment, but the moment he possesses that thing he will say, "No this is not it, it is something else." So man goes on, in an illusion, constantly seeking, and yet not knowing what he seeks.
Blessed is he who knows his life purpose, for that is the first step to fulfilment.

(Hazrat Inayat Khan)

The Fruits of Religious Learning

The Holy Prophet said, “God gives knowledge of religion and guidance of truth to one whose good He intends. He said: The learned are the heirs of the prophets.”

From these, it is understood that there is no rank above the rank of prophethood and there is no honour higher than its inheritance.

He said, “Whatever is in heavens and the earth seeks forgiveness for the learned.”

So the angels of the heaven and earth remain busy in seeking forgiveness for the learned and they remain busy with themselves. What can be greater than this rank?

The Prophet said, “Wisdom increases the honour of the noble and exalts a servant as high as to raise him to the level of kings.”

From this tradition, it is understood that even in this world the fruitsof learning can be enjoyed. This is also true that the Hereafter is better and more lasting than this world.

(Al Ghazali. Ihya ‘Ulumuddin: Chapter 1. Acquisition of Knowledge. Section1. Excellence of Learning)

Thoughts on Worship from Sufi Guide Sidi al-Jamal

If you know your own reality you will know the reality of God (Allah)

Allah will make you see yourself as an essence, and that you are not established but by Allah.

You are not seeing, acting or hearing but by God.

Then your walking becomes worship,

Your sleep, worship

Your standing, worship

Your sitting, worship

Your eating, worship

Allah will never be absent from you, even for just the twinkle of an eye.

(From “Secret of the Spirit. http://sufiuniversity.org/2012/01/3053/)