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Chapter No. 14

Lataif

In every religion bath and ablution are important in prayers. It does not only have concern with body but also with mind. The aim of bath and ablution is to bring concentration in our prayers by furnishing our nature. We must ponder over that our engagement and deeds which we perform through our body are where created and how created. Sufis tell us that if we return towards the essence of any thing, we can recognize many species and creatures. There exist many kinds of creature in this world for instance, lions, eagles, the moon and the sun the heaven and the earth, human and ghost, air, water angels mountains,       seas and   insects. They all exhibit the same phenomenon. As a lion has got a particular form and structure, also posses a particular type of temperament with special type of sound. These things are found in its all types. Similarly human beings do have a peculiar found form and structure, habits and attributes. Although both the humans beings and lions are different in their essence, yet they have same type of claims and opportunities. This unification does not exit in the essence of species but in the origin of the species.

The Great Soul

We receive the information about the two parts of soul from this law, First, the distinctive origin of every essence and second the only essence of all species which is called the great soul or the great man. But the separate essence of every great soul is called the minor soul and the manifestations of this phenomenon of minor soul make an individual. All human beings within the range of minor soul have the same essence. A lion recognizes another lion as a minor person but the same lien recognizes any other person, river, living places, winter and summer as a major person. The quality of minor essence attracts a lion toward the other one but when a lion is thirsty is attracted toward water, this move in his body is caused due to the major essence. A lion understands this just because of major essence that his thirst will be quenched by drinking water.

Distant Attraction VS near Attraction

In every individual whether animate or inanimate the understanding of whole life system comes through the major essence. A goat feels the heat of the sun as both the goat and the sun are in contiguity within the range of major essence. If a person does not have perception within the range of major person, he can not either recognize the individual of other species or their use.

When an individual looks at the stars once, they are stored in his memory for ever. Memory has got this quality from the major person when a human being sees another human being, feels attracted towards him. This attraction is due to minor person or minor essence. From this, we can differentiate minor essence from the major one. Major essence is distant attraction and minor one is near attraction. In spiritual world an unintentional movement is called attraction and intentional one is called deed. All unintentional movements are caused by the intention of major person but an individual's all movements become deed just because of his own intentional movement.

Realm of divinity; The Realm of soul; the Realm of Behest; the Realm of Pantheism the canal Tasveed (concealment, secret)

Realm of Omnipotent: The beatific vision of Allah's attributes; the realm of commoners, the realm of soul, the knowledge of unseen the canal Tajreed (soul, myster)

Realm of angels: realm of angels, realm of heart and mystery, realm of meaning, realm of unseen the canal Tasheed (heart)

Realm of Human kind: Realm of ghosts and human kind, realm physical world the canal Tazheer (essence) Hungry


Four Canals of light

When an unusual habit happens within the following four canals, the Tasveed canal, the Tajdeed canal, and the Tasheed canal called wonder and any unusual action within the range of the Tazheer canal is called embezzlement. The Almighty Allah has said in the Holy Quran thai He is light of heaven and earth. It can be explained as all present things have been created from the same essence.

 

Illustration of this World

There is a globe of glass, within it there is second globe, and within the second globe there exists the third globe. In this third globe, there is a phenomenon of movement. And this phenomenon comes into existence by form and frame, matter and material. The first globe in mysticism is called beatific vision or the canal Tasveed. This beatific vision passes through the particles of every being every time so that its origin or essence should be inundated.

The second globe is called the Tajdeed canal or light. This is also like the beatific vision passing through the particles of this universe every moment of time. The third is called the Tasheed canal or light and its function is to maintain life. The fourth globe which is a collection of gases is called Nisma and from which the phenomenon of physical form and feature comes in to existence. This canal is called the Tazheer canal. "The God who created this world and every thing in it is the master of heaven and earth and does not live in man made temples." (The Bible) In this verse there is a mention of the canal Tasveed and Tajdeed. Allah's power to create surrounds every particle of this universe. The acquisition of this force in mysticism is called the canal Tajdeed or light. The canal Tasveed: it created the world and everything in it. The canal Tajdeed: it created heavens and the earth.

Allah is not needy one as to be served from human beings because He himself blesses every one with life and soul and everything. (The Bible) Life· the Tasheed canal, every thing the Tazheer canal. The Tasheed canal is called life in the Bible. The blessing of the canal Tasheed would continue eternally. The function of the canal Tazheer or light which is also called Nisma is to keep the physical bodies of this universe safe and motile.

Lataif-e-Sitta

Every creation is alive due to heavenly light. Heavenly light is found in every creature within certain points and centers. In mysticism these points of light are called Lataif. In our body the center of energy does not exist every where but energy revolved through out the body and at the same time discharges from the body too. As in any system of galaxies, stars emit light as we emit light from our bodies. Like our physical body, there is another body made of light which is called the ideal body. The ideal body is the name of these basic rays of light which originate from it. Ideal body (made of light) is linked with physical body but the lights of ideal body are reflected in every part of our physical body. There work six Lataif in human beings.

 

1.      Lataif Akfaa

2.      Lataif Khafee

3.      Lataif Seree

4.      Lataif Rohee

5.      Lataif Qalbee

6.      Lataif Nafsee

In every creature with respect to their creation there work different Lataif.

1.      There work five Lataif in ghosts

2.      There work four Lataif in angels

3.      There work three Lataif in the heavenly bodies

4.      There work two Lataif in the animal

5.      There works a Latifa in plants and inanimate things

6.      There work six Lataif in human beings.

 

Angels: They are created by the four Lataif:

1. Rooh      2. Seir        3. Qalb       4.      Akhifi

Ghosts: They are created by five Lataif

I.Nafs                   2. Qalb       3. Rooh      4. Seir        5. Khafi

Human Beings: They are created by six Lataif

1. Nafs       2. Qalb       3. Rooh      4. Seir        5. Khafi      6. Akhfi

The H·eavenly Bodies: They are created by three Lataif

1. Nafs       2. Qalb       3. Seir

The Animal: They are created by two Lataif

1.      Rooh          2. Seir

Plants and Inanimate thing: They are created by single Latifa

I.        Rooh


SUFISM (AHSAN-O-TASAWWUF)

KHWAJA SHAMS-UD-DEEN AZEEMI

Many a scholar has written a lot about spiritualism and pantheism. One school of thought is of the view that as saints often used to wear wooly dresses therefore people would call them sufis. Wool is called sauf in Arabic. They used to wear such a dress, for it had been the habit of many a prophet, saints and pious people. According to some people, as they have been associated with the Ashaab-e-suffa that is why they are called sufis; whereas according to yet another school of thought the word sufi is linked with suf a.... but all these explanations are not satisfactory.

In fact, the terminological meaning of Sufi'ism (tasawaf) is self­ cleansing. It is the name of a true spirit that is related to conscience and the light of conscience is always inherent. A sufi always thinks in the context of Allah. His talk moves around Allah. He lives with Allah and dies in the name of Allah. He recites His words and always praises Him and remains enmeshed in His love. He sacrifices everything in order to see and meet Allah.