Book of Healing - Healing Through Knowledge - Cure through Rapid Dhikr

Cure through Rapid Dhikr

1. Countless treasures of God's wisdom are hidden in the wise Qur'an without a doubt. Their keys are preserved in His hand. The wise people are sure that in these treasures are hidden the most effective elixiric prescriptions, universal healing and everlasting bounties for the body, soul and intellect of the children of Adam. One bright example of these bounties is the wisdom of "Rapid Dhikr". Rapid dhikr is the best and most effective remedy for negligence, oblivion, disturbing thoughts, conversation of the carnal soul, anguish, langour, dejection, laziness and dominance of sleep, etc. Every word of dhikr-i ilahi or Divine Remembrance, which in fact, is a spiritual jihad against the carnal soul (nafs-i ammarah) and the devil, is a blow of a sword or a spear. If such is the case, why should the sword and spear not be used against the enemy, who is the root of all diseases, with great rapidity and full strength?

2. Rapid dhikr means to exterminate laziness and negligence from the heart and soul and to continue the chain of Divine remembrance with extreme rapidity, love and fear so that the devil should not get any opportunity to interfere. Certainly, this is the reason that the holy Qur'an praises the noble Prophets, may peace be on them, because they used to accomplish every good deed as soon as possible without any delay, as it is said: "Surely they used to hasten, one with another, in good deeds and to call upon Us, with longing (love) and fear" (21:90).

3. It is crystal clear that Islam is the religion of nature and the best example of nature is man himself. This means that the laws of religion and those of the personal world are alike. Thus, just as according to the experts of physical training every excercise, in which running or fast movement is involved, is extremely useful for physical health, in exactly the same way the secret of spiritual protection and inner strength is hidden in rapid dhikr. For the real life and standard of health of man depend on three kinds of organised, forceful and effective movements, namely, physical movement which everybody sees and knows, spiritual movement which is in the form of dhikr-u `ibadat and intellectual movement which is in the form of reflection and knowledge.

4. It is commanded in verse (51:50): "Therefore, fly to God". That is, you should accomplish every religious work with great rapidity, for due to laziness and delay in religious works, not only is life wasted, but there is also the danger that the mean and wicked carnal soul or devil will ensnare (us) in a trap of deception. Therefore, it is commanded that the believing servant should fly to the proximity of God. To fly to the proximity of God is possible only through such a word and deed which is free from any trace of laziness and negligence. In order to create this kind of attribute in oneself, rapid dhikr is extremely necessary, which in reality is flying to God.

5. As physical distances are traversed either on foot or on a mount, so in the internal world, the spiritual stages are covered by dhikr-u `ibadat, knowledge and wisdom. Thus in verses (100:1-5) if on the one hand physical horses are mentioned, on the other the spiritual horses are mentioned, which are the rapid adhkar, due to whose rapidity, force and continuity, the animal soul dissolves and scatters sparks. Then in the morning, the booty of spiritual wealth is obtained, by which the agony of the heart dissipates and the spiritual victories of Islam increase.

6. It is the purport of the noble Qur'an that, in verse (2:185), God desires ease, not difficulty for the Muslims. This means that, in the beginning they should bear some difficulties, so that after passing through them they may attain ease and spiritual peace (65:7;94:5-6). Thus rapid dhikr, i.e. fast and forceful dhikr is in accordance with this law. It dissolves and purifies the carnal soul.

7. Sparks are produced between flint and steel, but how? Is it by rubbing them slowly and gently? No, not at all, rather it is by striking them forcefully one against the other. The same is the case of heavenly lightning which is produced due to the striking of clouds, in which the main thing is negative and positive electricity. Similarly, the carnal soul acts as negative electricity or flint and the rapid dhikr as positive electricity or steel. Due to their being struck together, the sparks of light and illumination become scattered in the personal world.

8. The following noble Hadith is extremely important and therefore attention is again drawn to it: "The Qur'an is tractable and multidimensional, therefore, take it according to the best of its dimensions" (al-Ittiqan, IV, 184). According to this injunction, reflect on this holy verse: "Man is created of haste" (21:37). Here by haste is meant the rapidity of dhikr and the running of light which are among the basic means of the spiritual creation of the Perfect Man. In this verse, it is not a reference to any immature and imperfect human being.

9. For the fortunate mu'min who dies spiritually before physical death, the resurrection of his personal world and the gnostic resurrection takes place. Without this resurrection or revolution, the door of the recognition of the self and that of the Lord never opens, as the holy Prophet says: "He who dies, his resurrection takes place" (Ihya', IV, 64). The holy Qur'an clearly alludes that some great companions of the Prophet, may God be pleased with them, had the experience of dying spiritually in their lifetime (3:143), which is possible in every age. After this I would like to explain how the light runs or works rapidly. In order to understand this sublime wisdom, it is necessary to study verses (57:12; 66:8). These verses show that this light is the light of recognition (nur-i ma`rifat). It has innumerable names, due to its innumerable representations and there should not be any surprise in this. It is also called the light of intellect, which represents all realities and gnoses.

10. The above-mentioned light does not run like a human being, rather it rises and sets with extreme rapidity. The east and west of this light are the same. Its rapidity is in two senses. First, the time between one rising and one setting can be about five seconds. Secondly, this extremely short span of time, according to one example covers the events of a thousand years of the external world, and according to another, it is equal to fifty thousand years. The purpose of this is to traverse the stages of the personal world.

11. All these realities and gnoses are mentioned to make it evident that, although there is a world of difference between the rapid dhikr and the running of light, nonetheless, there is compatibility and unity between the two. For their goal is the same. The former is the first stage and the latter is the last one, and both are for the perfection of the personality. Thus it is wise for the mu'min that, in addition to fulfilling all obligations, he should use the panacea of rapid dhikr in order to cure all his spiritual diseases, so that he may attain the light of recognition in which lies his perfection and completion (66:8).

12. In the wise Qur'an commandments such as, "And Hasten!" (3:133), "Vie with one another" (57:21), "Hasten!" (62:9), "And the foremost in the race" (56:10), "And fly to!" (51:50), are enjoined to accomplish good deeds with rapidity, diligence and devotion. Thus it is a sure fact that rapid dhikr is a spiritual remedy through which, God willing, many diseases can be removed.

Nasir Hunzai,
18 Shawwal 1408
4 June, 1988.

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