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Tarqah and Haqqah are Subserviant to the Shar`ah 1Imm al-Rabbni Ahmad al-Farq al-Sirhind2Translated by Shaykh Naeem Abdul-Wali Gary Edwards 2007

Released bywww.marifah.net 1428 H

May Allh the Exalted allow us and you to realize the essence and reality of theMustafawiyyaSacred Law, upon its master be peace, blessings and greetings. May Allh have

mercy on the one who says, Amnto this invocation (du).

Know, that the Sacred Law (Shar`ah) consists of three parts: knowledge ( ilm), action(amal) and sincerity in intention (ikhls) and that when these three are not realized thenthe Sacred Law is not realized. However when the Sacred Law is realized then theContentment (rid) of Allh is realized, it being above all bliss whether earthly orheavenly, for the Good Pleasure of Allh is the greatest good. The Sacred Law is aguarantor for all earthly and heavenly bliss, there being no need to search for them any

where other than the Sacred Law.

The Spiritual journeying(Tarqah) and realization (Haqqah), which the Sufis speak of, arethe two servants of the Sacred Law. They are a means to allow the third part, ikhls, to

be perfected. The only reason to seek to attain these two is simply to perfect the SacredLaw, nothing else being required beyond the Sacred Law. The states, ecstaticexperiences, knowledge and gnosis the Sufi acquires during the course of his spiritualjourneying are not in themselves goals. They are instead illusions and fantasies by whichthe children of spiritual journeying are nurtured

It is necessary for one to pass through all these and arrive to the degree of contentment(maqm al-rid), which is the final arrival point of the degrees of spiritual journeying andattraction. The purpose of traversing the various stages ofTarqahand Haqqahis noneother than attainment of true ikhlswhich is necessary (if one is to) achieve the degree ofcontentment. Only one out of a thousand spiritual wayfarers ever attains to this type ofikhlsand degree of contentment after traversing the three theophanic stages (tajalliyt

thlitha) and spiritual vision of the Gnostics (mushhadt al-rifn).

1 Volume 1, Letter thirty-six; Shaykh Ahmad Sirhinds Maktubt: Addressed to al-HjjMuhammad Lahor explaining that the Shar`ah is sufficient for attaining both earthly andheavenly bliss and that Haqqahand Tarqahare the two servants of the Shar`ah.

2A master of the Naqshband Tarqah, the Reviver of the Second Millennium, Sayyidin andMawln Imm al-Rabbn Ahmad al-Farq al-Sirhind. [d. 1034H]

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The unfortunate ones are those who count states and ecstatic experiences as beingamong the goals of spiritual journeying, thinking that spiritual vision and theophanies arefrom among the sought. There is no doubt that such people are in a prison of illusion

and fantasy, being bared from the perfections of the Sacred Law because ofthis prison.

Indeed difficult on the disbelievers is that which you call them to, Allh lets straywhom He will and guides to Him those who are submissive.

Yes it is true that attaining to the degree of true ikhls and arrival to the level ofcontentment are [both] conditioned by passing through these states and ecstaticexperiences, and conditioned upon actualizing these [various types of] knowledge andgnosis, for these are all simply the gear required to attain to the Desired and steppingstones to the Goal. The reality of this was only given to this needy one3 after he hadbusied himself with the Tarqahfor a period of ten years, this itself simply by the blessingof the beloved of Allh Most High, upon him and his family be peace and blessings. Eventuallythe attestation of the Sacred Law became brilliantly manifest as was needed though Imyself did not have any attachments to states and ecstatic experiences nor was there

anything other than the realization of the reality of the Sacred Law before me,nevertheless it took a total of ten years to have this clear understanding. Praise be to

Allh the Exalted for this.

3Imam Rabbn referring to himself