Naqshbandi, Mujaddedi, Chishti, Qadiri, Shadhili Practises
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The goal of Sufism is the development of certain noble qualities such as the purification of the self, purification of the heart, moral etiquette, the state of doing what is beautiful (ihsan), nearness to God, gnosis (ma’rifat), annihilation (fana) and subsistence (baqa). In short, the true purpose of Sufism is to transform the seeker into a highly humane and moral person by building the seeker’s character through spiritual training.
As far as the goal of Sufism is concerned, there is little difference of opinion among the Sufis, however, there are some differences as far as the methods of achieving the goal are concerned, and these differences are natural because the methods are based on the spiritual experiences of individual Sufi Shaykhs. The destination is the same for everyone, but the paths are different. Sufis say there are as many paths to Allah as there are souls of human beings.
The Institute of Search for Truth is a branch of a Sufi Order which has been present in India since the 12th century, and whose teachers (or Shaykhs) can be traced directly back to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). A few decades ago Hazrat Azad Rasool (ra), the Shaykh of this Sufi Order, noticed that many people were visiting India seeking spiritual advancement and enlightenment, but often got side-tracked or found it difficult to meet a trustworthy and authoritative spiritual guide who could teach them the subtle intricacies of the spiritual path.
In order to address this problem, Hazrat Azad Rasool (ra) established the Institute of Search for Truth in New Delhi, India in 1975 with the consent of his own Shaykh, Maulana Mohammed Saeed Khan (ra). The aim of the Institute of Search for Truth is to serve the needs of people from all backgrounds who are seeking the Truth and the spiritual advancement of the self, and who may benefit from authentic Sufi teachings.
This Institute, under the name of The School of Sufi Teaching, now has branches around the world, with students from countries as far as the USA, Canada, Brazil, Russia, Uzbekistan, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, Poland, UK, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Egypt, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
The School of Sufi Teaching offers instruction in teachings of five main Sufi Orders - the Naqshbandi, Mujaddidi, Chishti, Qadiri and Shadhili - with special emphasis on the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi. To awaken the hidden powers of the self and make them operative in life, the technique of the Institute consists of a special form of meditation.
This meditation results in an intuitive insight that enables us to begin to see all things in their true perspective, and to understand the truths about life and the universe in a proper light. It further opens up a new way of thinking that gives life a correct direction, develops one’s character, and provides a healthy ideal. It creates enough sincerity of purpose to correct the distorted notions and misguided actions of our life. In short, it serves to build up a noble personality and to discipline and optimize our lives.
The Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi order is different from most other spiritual paths. Most spiritual paths require that their adherents first purify their self (nafs) before they can begin the purification of the heart or the enlightenment of the spiritual faculties which goes hand in hand with the purification of the heart. However, the purification of the self is a very difficult process. It usually involves subduing the ego by denying it some or all of its natural desires. In some cases, individuals may spend most of their lives trying to purify the ego and may never manage to reach the stage of purifying the heart.
The School of Sufi Teaching is very different in this respect, in that its students begin with practices which bring about a transformation of the heart rather than beginning with the transformation of the self. This approach, is known as “Indraj al-nihayat fi al-bidayat,” or “where others end, there marks our beginning”.
This approach was first taught by Hazrat Khwaja Baha’uddin Naqshband (ra) and furthered by Hazrat Shaykh Ahmed Farooqi Sirhindi (ra). They found that students who used this technique often advanced much quicker along the spiritual path. Moreover, after completing the purification of the heart (or “the journey toward the inner being”), they do not need to devote additional time for the purification of the self (or “the journey to the outer horizon”), for in the process of pursuing the former they make simultaneous progress in the latter.
Another great Shaykh of this order, Hazrat Sayyed Abdul Bari Shah (ra) applied the principle of “where others end, there marks our beginning” to the Chishti, Qadiri and Shadhili orders. Because of the tremendous spiritual power and authority that this Shaykh had been granted, he was further able to evolve the teaching systems of these orders so that students can now apply the traditional Sufi teachings to their lives in a systematic way, while still living and working in the modern world.