03-03-2021

Question:-

May the peace, blessings and mercy of God Almighty be upon you.

 

Honorable Sheikh Saadullah, May God Almighty protect and strengthen you. Do spiritual guides (May God Almighty be pleased with them all) project the spiritual energy of their hearts solely upon the hearts of their own disciples or does that extend to the disciples of other spiritual guides? What is the nature of this projection, and how can a disciple sense it? Does it extend to the disciple’s family members, even when they do not necessarily associate with Islamic spiritual practices?

 

My God Almighty protect you, Esteemed Sheikh,

Your Foreshortened Servant

Answer:-

May the peace, blessings and mercy of God Almighty be upon you as well.

I pray God – exalted is He – to reward you generously, and to be pleased with you, and beautify you with a heart that fears Him, for God Almighty does not fail those who pray to Him, nor does He disappoint those who ask of Him.

Spiritual Projection: it is a virtuous spiritual energy meant to guide the person receiving it away from some of the darknesses he has into the light, or to weed out the heedlessness in his heart, and to elevate the status of his soul.

God Almighty has granted spiritual guides with various types of spiritual projection, some of these types are the following: –

The first: – a general spiritual projection upon all believers regardless of them being disciples or not, for a spiritual guide is a successor of The Great Prophet – peace and prayers be upon him and his honorable family and companions – whom God Gracious has spoken to:-

{So know, [O Muhammad], that there is no deity except God and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women. And God knows of your movement and your resting place} [ The Surah of Prophet Muhammad – peace and prayers be upon him: 19].

Consequently, the spiritual guide is entrusted with a portion of this prophetic duty, and it is no secret that repentance to God has illimitable and immeasurable rewards.

The second: – a spiritual projection unique to disciples, a direct outcome of the oath of allegiance (The allegiance, the oath, the covenant, and the vow) for just like taking the oath holds a disciple to a set of responsibilities, it grants him certain rights that should be fulfilled by his guide likewise.

The third: – the most general in nature, a heartily will that leaves its positive trace on places, time, and individuals. it is drawn from the divine mercy that emerges from God Almighty’s attributes: The one with utmost compassion, utmost mercy, and utmost gentleness, and it is demonstrated in the Holy Quraan and Hadeeth, examples are: –

{And We have sent you [O Muhammad] not but as a mercy for the worlds} [The Surah of the Prophets peace and prayers be upon them all: 107].

{And Allah would not punish them while you, [O Muhammad], are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness} [Surat Al-Anfal: 33].

And when peace and prayers be upon him says: –

(O people, I am but a gifted mercy) Al-Imam Al-Hakim – may God almighty have mercy on him.

And when he was asked – peace and prayers be upon him – to supplicate to God Almighty against Thaqif’s people (after they’ve tormented him tremendously) he said: –

(O God, guide Thaqif to the righteous path) Al-Imam Al-Tirmidhi – May God Gracious have mercy on his soul.

Therefore, the guides – may God Almighty be pleased with them and you – follow the footsteps of the seal of Prophets – peace be upon him and his honorable family and companions – their greatest quest is to lead people to the righteous path, and have them lead their lives in a reassured, radiant manner. Victorious in the this world as well as when the time comes for people to raise in the presence of God Almighty.

Furthermore, spiritual projection with its various types holds likeliness to praying (Dua), As God – Exalted be His name – said in His Book, in the words of Prophet Noah – peace and prayers be upon him:-

{My Lord, Forgive me, my parents, and whoever enters my house in faith, and ˹all˺ believing men and women. And increase the wrongdoers only in destruction} [Surah of prophet Noah peace and prayers be upon him].

And when Almighty says in the words of Prophet Ibrahim – peace and prayers be upon him and upon our Prophet Muhammad and his honorable family and companions: –

{Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and the believers the Day the account is established} [Surah of Prophet Ibrahim peace and prayers be upon him].

In their prayers here, our Prophet Noah and Ibrahim – peace and prayers be upon them – specified the believers, those of them alive, and those deceased, regardless of place and time.

And thus, more than anyone else, the guides – may God almighty be pleased with them and you – are the ones most keen on following the righteous paths of Islam, and they use the spiritual energy generously provided to them by God Almighty as means to accomplish that.

For instance, when they read this verse in Holy Quran: –

{—And do not turn your eyes away from them, desiring the glitter of this world—} [Surah Al-Kahf: 28].

It is evident for a guide to see that their duty is not limited to the spiritual glance into a disciple’s souls, but to also look after disciples and to extend a helping hand in their matters. For the projections vary to suit every individual case.

And when they read the verse: –

{it was said to him, ” Enter the paradise”. He said, “Would that my people knew how my Lord has forgiven me and placed me among the honored ones} [Surah Yasin: 26-27].

They stand in awe of such nobility, coming from a martyr still carrying concern in his heart for those who had murdered him in falsehood, wishing guidance and knowledge upon them if they’d seen the truth in God Almighty’s rewards for him.

Thus, it is clear for them to see the need for spiritual projection to benefit all creations. For this martyr had carried the weight of his people in his heart even in Barzakh (after his passing), and so a spiritual guide is keen on spreading knowledge and guidance towards his disciples with this projection.

And while some believers share these attributes, to a guide it is seen as an obligation and a duty entrusted to him.

In conclusion, all it is that I mentioned is considered to be a projection, and the spiritual guides – may God Almighty be pleased with them and you – have obtained the highest ranks when it comes to these divine givings, and even amongst themselves, they vary in status and rankings as well.

In today’s world, only few Muslims believe in these matters, due to general lack of spiritual education.

And as for its forms, spiritual projections can take the form of prayer (Dua), repentance, or spiritual assistance. As for sensing it, a disciple may notice a sudden presence of Dhikr (the remembrance of God Almighty) in his heart sometimes, or a sudden sense of light-heartedness and reassurance, or it can be in the form of an act of worship.

In any case, it is not a disciple’s duty to fixate on the detailings of projections, nor to preoccupy himself with it.

And God Almighty blessed be His name knows best.

Peace and prayers be upon the key of ultimate mercy our Prophet Muhammad, the utmost blessing of God Almighty and his honorable family and companions.