THE SPIRITUAL BLACKOUT:
F
or the next few centuries, spirituality was
emphasised and practised in Muslim circles.
Sufi Masters would be sent by God to the
Middle East and South Asia; their presence would
help keep the inner aspect of Islam alive. They
would enlighten aspirants and solve the issues of
the time. Many Muslims believed the Sufis had the
ability to take their prayers to God.
As time went on, sects were formed in the
religion. Modifications were made to the text in
Prophetic Traditions and the interpretations of
the Koran. In fact, the Koran itself was compiled
nearly 100 years after t he demise of Prophet
Mohammad. The adulteration of the religion
is one of the main hurdles in the way of people
searching for God.
HH Younus AlGohar says, ‘Any cooked food
goes bad after three days. You enjoy it when it is
fresh. In a similar way, the religions are [good]
when they are fresh. In order to preserve food, you
refrigerate it. In order to preserve the religion, you
spiritualise it.’
The job of Sufi Masters was to maintain the
spiritual system within Islam, thereby keeping
the religion itself valid and relevant.
It is unfortunate that over time, less and less
Sufi Masters were sent by God. 400 years after the
establishment of Islam, when it was the era of the
Grand Sufi Abdul Qadir Jilani, the situation was
dire.
According to a popular Sufi story, Abdul Qadir
Jilani was shown a scene in the spiritual realm in
which Islam was depicted metaphorically as a man
on his deathbed, who asked Abdul Qadir Jilani to
save him. This was an indication that Islam had
almost become extinct.
Abdul Qadir Jilani managed to revive the
spiritual aspect of Islam for many people; his
efforts had an enduring impact on various sects
in the religion. However, there came a point after
his era when, due to the shortage of true Sufi
Masters, people had forgotten what it meant to
practise Sufism. They were left with superficial
customs of Sufis, such as the loud invocation
of God’s name, pilgrimages to the shrines of
saints and devotion to ones they considered to
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THE TRUE MEHDI • ISSUE 03 •
MAR 2017
be Sufi Masters (although those they committed
themselves to often turned out to be pseudo-
Sufis 6 ). Superstitiousness was mixed with what
people considered to be Sufi practice, especially
in Arab countries.
The Poet of the East, Allama Iqbal, lived
through the early 20th century. He wrote a famous
stanza about the absence of spirituality and the
need for the arrival of Imam Mehdi (the end times
saviour):
It has been 300 years since India’s bars [of
spiritual ecstasy] closed
Now is the right time for your bounty to be
spread, O’ Giver of Wine. 7 [BAL-E-JIBRIL P. 10]
When Sufism was practised superficially in
the Arab region and people no longer reaped the
same benefits from Sufi practice, the enemies of
Sufis were given the opportunity they needed
to exclude Sufism from Islam. Namely, as the
Wahhabi movement gained traction 200 years
ago, more and more people began to condemn
Sufis. Wahhabis propagated that the superstitious
practices now associated with Sufism were proof
that Sufis were heretics, and that practice of
Sufism caused God’s wrath to befall the Arabs.
Today, as the Wahhabi movement shows no signs
of being subdued, Sufis are being persecuted on
an unprecedented level.
On the other hand, in the areas Wahhabism
is yet to touch, Sufism is still practised on a
limited level. This holds true particularly for
the impoverished regions of Pakistan, India and
Bangladesh. Here, people search for a Sufi Master
to commit themselves to and declare to be their
Spiritual Guide. The issue is that they do not know
why they pledge their lives to a Spiritual Guide in
Sufism and what they should receive in return. For
this reason, many people have been deceived by
those falsely claiming to be Sufi Masters.
6
Learn more about the fake Sufis and how to recognise
them on page 14.
7
In writings of Sufis, alcohol is often used as a metaphor for
the spiritual ecstasy one feels due to receiving Divine Energy
from one’s Sufi Master.
ARE THERE
SUCH THINGS
AS SUFI TERRORISTS?
The answer: NO, but it’s not that simple.
I
n the last issue of The True Mehdi, we
discussed at length the Islamic concept
of the Anti-Christ and how according to
scripture, the Anti-Christ would emerge from
the Muslim community. We also debunked
rumours that the Anti-Christ would be a Sufi.
We categorically proved how Wahhabism - a
school of thought antithetical to Sufism - is
directly linked to Islamist terrorism.
Yet another problem has arisen in the
Muslim community as people claiming
to be Sufis have been caught carrying out
terrorist activities. This is because the
enemies of Sufis are trying to defame Sufism
in the Western world. However, it will not
be surprising if the pseudo-Sufis one day
become terrorists. These rumours of ‘Sufi
militants’ currently circulating the Muslim
world are a troubling omen of the times to
come.
His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi
predicted for the present day, ‘The world
community will divide into two groups.
This division will not be based on religions.
There will be a group consisting of people of
different religions. They will love humanity,
Imam Mehdi and Jesus Christ. The other
hateful souls, whoever they are - whether
they are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus,
etc. - will stand by the Anti-Christ.’
His Holiness Younus AlGohar, the
representative of HDE Gohar Shahi, says, ‘A
true Sufi can never be a terrorist. Those who
call themselves Sufis but they don’t have
God’s love in their hearts are heretics. They
are not Sufis.
‘How would you know whether or not
they have God’s love in their hearts? Those
who have God’s love in their hearts respect
all human beings and animals equally. This
is because they come to know of the truth
that every single living thing in this world is
created by God. God loves his creation; they
love his creation because they love God. One
who is a true Sufi can’t harm anybody.’
His Holiness further explains that a true
Sufi is one who has an enlightened heart.
He says, ‘Without the enlightenment
of the heart and purgation of the soul, you
cannot be a true Sufi.’
True Sufism is, in fact,
a natural antidote to
extremism and fanaticism.
Therefore, in the near future, if ‘Sufi
terrorists’ come onto the global stage, it is
important to know that such people are not
Sufis at all.
THE TRUE MEHDI • ISSUE 03 •
MAR 2017
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