Power of Convergence and Love
Wasif Ali Wasif says:
We cannot settle in any place until our thought settles in one place. (Dil Dariya Samandar)
Convergence means focused thought or attention. Moreover, in psychology, it means mental focus and concentration of thoughts. Convergence involves deliberately directing your thoughts towards one direction, concentrating all mental actions on a single point or idea. It means focusing all thoughts on one self and one center, ensuring that no other thought exists.
If we take a closer look at Islam, we find that it places great emphasis on convergence and concentration. And if someone constantly thinks of Allah, whether sleeping, waking, sitting, or standing, all these actions become worship. True worship is fulfilled by those who worship Allah with focus only on Him. Otherwise, worship lacking thoughts of Allah is superficial. Today, science confirms that when someone thinks about something, a new circuit forms in their brain. Positive thinking improves neurons and hormones and starts the process of healing.
Uniform thinking improves power of convergence. Positive thinking has pleasant effects on personality. Converging all mental activity on one point leads to a state of immersion and enhances Extrasensory Perception abilities. We see that other religions also make convergence better through meditation and yoga.
According to Cal Newport, an American author, "In the 21st century, convergence is a successful human ability that ranks as a superpower."
Focus
The ability to focus is becoming increasingly rare these days. The main reason for this is excessive use of social media. Excessive social media use causes distraction, restlessness, and mental turmoil. Social media is a tool. Its impact depends on whether a person uses it favorably or unfavorably. Concentration has many benefits. For example it creates discipline, teaches moderation, even with social media, and enhances single-mindedness.
Single-mindedness means doing everything with a present mind. Consequently, the person learns to live in the present, not worrying about past or future. Converging all our thoughts in one direction reduces stress on our nervous system and improves sleep.
Convergence or meditation provides inner and spiritual peace, reducing stress in life. The more one’s thoughts converge on the remembrance of Allah, the more his power of waham increases. Waham means conversation with Allah.
Faqr and Convergence
Convergence is very important to succeed in any field. Faqr (Sufism) is no different. The best way to avoid worldly and selfish desires is to perform worldly tasks but focus on Allah. This is true renunciation of the world and jihad against the innerself.
Now the question arises how one can attain convergence in Faqr. Convergence requires Divine love, a passion that completely captures the seeker’s heart and mind. Obviously, if any thought except the true Beloved occurs in a true lover’s mind, he considers it infidelity. Devoting every thought to your beloved is love. Similarly, making every action special for your beloved is love. When a lover reaches this stage, his thoughts naturally converge on one point (love), like light rays converge. Allah says:
And those who believe love Allah the most. (2:165)
Invocation and Contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat
The plant of love grows within the seeker through Invocation and Contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat. Contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat annihilates the seeker in the infinite ocean of love. Thereafter, he surpasses duality and the difference of ‘me’ and ‘you’ vanishes. Everything other than Allah disappears from his heart and mind.
Thought becomes perpetually attached to Allah. However, only the Ism-e-Allah Zaat gained from the perfect spiritual guide can weaken the inner self and strengthen the soul. On the first day of the pledge of allegiance in Faqr, the seeker is given “Ism-e-Allah Zaat” written in gold for invocation and contemplation.
The seeker gains Divine gnosis and love by inscribing Ism-e-Allah Zaat on his heart. Present shaikh of Sarwari Qadri order, Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen, grants his every disciple the final and ultimate invocation, Sultan-ul-Azkar Hoo. Its theophanies are the most effective.
In conclusion, gaining Ism-e-Allah Zaat from the perfect spiritual guide is crucial to attaining convergence in Faqr. Because there is no other effective way of engulfing in the flames of love. Invocation and contemplation is deeply connected to our thought. When we love someone, we continually mention them. If a seeker thinks of Allah through secret invocation (through breathing), his thoughts converge.
Hence, a seeker masters secret invocation, his thoughts converge solely on Allah, whether he is alone or in a gathering. He starts guarding his breath constantly whether walking, sitting or standing up.
Sultan Bahoo has narrated this Hadith in this way:
جو دم غافل سو دم کافر، سانوں مرشد ایہہ پڑھایا ھُو
Explanation: My spiritual guide has taught that the moment one becomes neglectful of Allah, he is counted among infidels.
Invocation with breaths actually teaches one the art of “being in the present”. Indeed, a person lost in thoughts of the past or worried about the future cannot attain the blessing of convergence. Convergence is for those who live in the present. “Present” has to do with our breath. If one performs invocation with attention to every breath, they are freed from worries of the past and future and master invocation.
Literal meanings of contemplation are thought, focus, reflection and meditation. Along with invocation, contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat is crucial because contemplating the one you love is life-giving. It is impossible to invoke the one you love without contemplating them. The desire to contemplate what is constantly invoked increases with each passing moment. If the Divine Essence does not manifest in the seeker’s inward during invocation, mystics do not consider it invocation.
Need of a “Center”
Meditation and reflection are types of contemplation. In Sufism, meditation means focusing the inward solely on Allah and guarding against thoughts and worries of anything else. Certainly, now the readers understand what convergence is, its importance in Faqr and how effective invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat is to attain it.
They should also know that one cannot attain convergence without a “center”. Planets revolve around a center “Sun”. Objects falling from the sky fly towards a center “Earth”. Electrons in matter revolve around a center “nucleus”. So, focus of thought on a point or place is possible only by determining a “center”, a center around which all thoughts converge. According to Sultan Bahoo, the center of all cosmoses is the light of Faqr.
Center of Faqr
The center of Faqr is one who holds the Divine trust. The true center of Faqr and the supreme authority is the Holy Prophet. He transferred the Divine trust to Ali ibn abi Talib. The Divine trust was transferred inwardly generation to generation and reached Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani and then Sultan Bahoo. Today, the heir of Divine trust is Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib ur Rehman. Indeed, he is the center of Faqr and the present leader of Sarwari Qadri order. Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen is training his disciples in this age of chaos the same way as the Holy Prophet did.
Certainly, in the path of Faqr, only that seeker succeeds who outwardly and inwardly focuses solely on the perfect spiritual guide. Consequently, the perfect spiritual guide becomes his center. He becomes his qibla, imam, leader, guide and director. Only he leads the seeker on the path of shariah, mysticism, gnosis and reality. The perfect spiritual guide is the whole who absorbs the part i.e. the seeker. When every thought revolves around his love, the seeker understands the reality of “convergence”. There is no truth other than him, outwardly or inwardly, and any other thought is useless. When the seeker becomes pure after burning in the kiln of Divine love, his life has only one center and direction: Divine love.
Khwaja Ghulam Farid says:
میڈا عشق وی توں میڈا یار وی توں
میڈا دین وی توں ایمان وی توں
میڈا جسم وی توں میڈا روح وی توں
میڈا قلب وی توں جند جان وی توں
میڈا کعبہ قبلہ مسجد منبر
مصحف تے قرآن وی توں
میڈے فرض فریضے حج زکٰوتاں
صوم صلٰوہ اذان وی توں
میڈا ذکر وی توں میڈا فکر وی توں
میڈا ذوق وی توں وجدان وی توں
Explanation: O my beloved spiritual guide! You are my love, friend, religion and faith. For me, you are my body, soul, inward and life. You are my Kaaba, qibla, masjid and pulpit. For me, you are my holy scripture and Quran. You are my obligation, hajj and zakat. For me, you are my fast, prayer and azan. You are my invocation and contemplation. For me, you are my passion and intuition.
Convergence means focused thought or attention. Moreover, in psychology, it means mental focus and concentration of thoughts. Convergence involves deliberately directing your thoughts towards one direction, concentrating all mental actions on a single point or idea. It means focusing all thoughts on one self and one center, ensuring that no other thought exists.
Convergence is very important to succeed in any field. Faqr is no different. The best way to avoid worldly and selfish desires is to perform worldly tasks but focus on Allah. This is true renunciation of the world and jihad against the innerself.
Convergence requires Divine love, a passion that completely captures the seeker’s heart and mind. Gaining Ism-e-Allah Zaat from the perfect spiritual guide is crucial to attaining convergence in Faqr. Because there is no other effective way of engulfing in the flames of love. Focus of thought on a point or place is possible only by determining a “center”, a center around which all thoughts converge. According to Sultan Bahoo, the center of all cosmos is the light of Faqr.
This blog is English translation of an Urdu article of the magazine “Mahnama Sultan-ul-Faqr Lahore” for the month of June, 2024. The title of the Urdu article is:
Quwat e Irtikaz aur Ishq (قوتِ ارتکاز اور عشق).
Originally penned by Fatima Burhan Sarwari Qadri from Lahore is presently in English by Mohammad Bin Moghees Sarwari Qadri, exclusively for websites.
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