Zikr Lesson. 31.10.08.

The Awakening and Cultivation of The Heart.

Hazrat Inayat Khan’s Teachings.

 

According to Ibn Arabi, the process of true spiritual understanding and interpretation of Scripture or other forms of revelation, requires a certain preparedness and receptivity of the heart. This true spiritual understanding which may be termed as spiritual unveiling happens when we "empty our hearts of reflective thinking, and we sit together with the Real [Haqq] on the carpet of adab and spiritual attentiveness [muraqiba] and presence and readiness to receive whatever comes to us from Him, so that it is God Who takes care of teaching us by means of spiritual unveiling and realization. So when they have focused their hearts and their spiritual aspirations on God and have truly taken refuge with Him, giving up any reliance on the claims of reflection and investigation and intellectual results, then their hearts are purified and open. Once they have this inner receptivity, God manifests Himself to them." The Reflective Heart by James Morris.

 

H.I.K says  "The brain may be said to be the seat of the intelligence and the heart to be the throne of God."

 

Talking of the Enlightened Heart, Ibn Arabi speaks of the people of inner scrupulousness or the ahl-e-wara’ who constantly consult the inner heart for a verdict on any outer act in keeping with the Prophetic command: Seek the guidance of your heart [istafti qalbaka], no matter what the opinion of others.

 

Murshid says, "The heart in its depth is linked up with the Divine mind; so in the depth of the heart there is greater justice than on the surface."

 

Murshid also says: The length of his heart man shows by his tolerance. The width of his heart man shows by his endurance. The height of his heart man shows by his power of understanding. The depth of his heart man shows by the capacity of assimilating all.
The Sufis call the lesson of devotion, love and sympathy the cultivation of the heart. It is known by the term "Suluk" which can be inferred to mean loving manner. When the manner of a person becomes directed by the heart quality then it becomes alive and attributes such as kindness, gentleness, tolerance, forgiveness, mercy and compassion all become characteristic of such an individual

 

All the great teachers and prophets of the world, the inspirers of humanity attained lofty positions not by wonder-working, but by their loving manner. Jesus received with compassion all the condemned and expelled individuals of society. When his worst enemies were brought in front of him, the Prophet Muhammad s.w, being at the time king, conqueror and judge and therefore able to do as he wished, only forgave and set free. The compassion of Buddha went to every living creature, even the slightest insect.

 

In the world one finds two basic categories of people, the ones who look at life through the brain or head, and the others who look through their heart. The people who think with their head are claimants to practicality saying that they live with reason and logic thinking of the physical needs and their fulfillment. No doubt that this is important but if man were to spend all his life thinking only of his physical body and its needs , devoting himself to what he calls a practical life, he would surely be making a great mistake. For such a one should question himself, what is the true nature of life, how long does the physical life last and what is it worth? The purpose of man being born in the earthly realm is for him to understand and discover the heavenly treasure buried in his being. As there is a goal and a means to a goal, and in this case the goal is the ideal and the means is the way to the ideal and therefore the value of the means is in relation to the goal, similarly physical life is the means for spiritual attainment. If there is no spiritual attainment, physical life becomes meaningless. Spiritual attainment can not be absorbed through the head, it is only received through the heart. Therefore, the cultivation of the heart is of utmost significance. The person of the heart listens through the heart, not the head for his heart is open. The quality of an open heart is such that whatever falls upon it becomes instantly revealed, whereas the one who has a closed heart does not understand. If someone says, "I do not understand you", it means that he has closed his heart to you.

 

What we call Iman has been differently translated to mean faith or belief, but in actual fact its closest translation in English may be conviction. Conviction stands above faith and belief, for belief is the beginning of the same thing of which faith is the development and conviction the culmination. In other words spiritual attainment is conviction. A person who yet uses the word "perhaps" may be a man of belief or faith but cannot be a man of conviction.  When a person arrives at the stage when the knowledge of reality becomes his conviction then nothing in the world can move his faith, for such a one does not think so but knows so. This conviction is not found in the outer world but must rise from the depth of one’s heart. 

 

Murshid likens the heart of man to water and gives diverse explanations of the differing qualities and levels of attainment. It may be frozen and then snow, or water and then liquid.  When it is frozen it is hard and as liquid it is in running order which is its natural state. There are also two principal kinds of water: salty and sweet.

 

The sea contented in itself, rises and falls within itself, independent and immense, showing its perfection. Its water is salty due to its independence. The ascetic who has closed his heart with the perfection of God and the realization of Truth within is like the sea, independent and indifferent to all.

 

When the sea is calm it is a pleasure to travel on it, and the roughness of the sea gives terrible sea sickness. The same rule applies to the mind of a soul who has touched perfection. With tranquility, calmness and peace this mind allows others a way in to it with an open heart, and they travel peacefully. But when the sea is disturbed by wind or storm, it shakes the boats and steamers in its annoyance. So the mind of the sage can have an effect on all things in nature; it can cause volcanic eruptions, disaster, all manners of revolutions, once its tranquility is disturbed. Knowing this nature of the sage’s heart and the great powers possessed by one who has touched Divine Perfection, people closely regard the pleasure and displeasure of such a one. To annoy a man of God is to annoy Allah and thus it means disturbing the whole universe. Compared to this a storm in the sea is a small thing.

 

 

River water is sweet because it longs to reach the sea. The longing is a loving quality and through it the river seeks the object of its love. A heart that loves God and seeks His Perfection is likened to a river. The personality of such a one is sweeter than the personality of the one who is contented in himself. Sympathy is a characteristic that defines a river personality. As the river helps the trees, earth, and plants along it, a sympathetic person takes with him wherever he goes the nourishing qualities required for the progress of souls around it.

 

The stream expresses modesty, fineness of character and purity. This is the nature of the innocent heart, which is by nature loving and sympathetic and no experience of the world can make its water bitter. It quenches the thirst of every thirsty one and inspires beauty in others.

 

The water of a little pool is sometimes muddy and dirty, because of its narrowness and smallness.  The narrow and shallow heart also always remains muddy.

 

The large pool is tranquil, still, and has water-lillies growing in it, fish swimming inside and it also reflects the sunlight and the moonlight. Such a heart attracts others for it reflects its calmness to others who can see beauty in its stillness.

 

 The water of the spring is healing and inspiring as it comes from above and falls on earth. This is the quality of the inspirational heart. It has a beautiful, healing quality, taking away the worries, anxieties and troubles of all those who come to it.

 

The fountain rises and falls in many drops. This is like the personality of man. When man has made a personality for himself, then the feelings that rise from the heart through the personality fall as drops of different virtues and characteristics.

 

Water rising from the sea as vapour is the aspiration of the human heart. The heart of the devotee, the seeker, of the one conscientiously seeking the higher ideal, constantly wishes to reach upward. When it pours down in the rain of realization it brings with it all the celestial beauty in the form of every goodness.

 

Then there are hearts that have been impregnated with the fire for a long time. Their long suffering has produced a sulphury water in them which is purifying and healing.

 

There are hearts with different qualities. Like water they contain different chemical substances and therefore have a particular use. The sufferers, the ones tested by patience, the contemplatives, the one agonising in love, hate, solitude, failure, success, all develop a specific quality.

 

Murshid says knowing this one should understand, "Whatever has been my life’s destiny, my heart through sorrow or pain, through joy or pleasure, has prepared a chemical substance that serves a certain purpose for humanity. And I can only give that chemical substance for the use of humanity if I can keep my heart awake and open." Once the heart is closed, once it becomes frozen, a person is as good as dead. There is no person who is useless if he knows the importance of keeping the heart open and soft. In the open-ness of heart lies the quality of receptivity and that is what fulfils the purpose of life.