The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship
Online Library
What Principles are Needed Here to Attain Peace?
Preface from the newly published book, Bawa asks Bawa Muhaiyaddeen.
A‘udhu billahi minash-shaitanir-rajim. I seek refuge in God from the accursed satan.
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
Preface
August 11, 1983, Thursday, 8:46 A.M.
What principles does a man need if he wants to live in this world? This is a question. The question is: What principles should a man live with to be free from sorrow? This is a question mark; it is a question, an answer and a question mark. What principles are needed here to attain peace? How can we attain peace? Through what means can we attain peace? We must think about both the answer and the question.
In life, one who asks the question must also formulate the answer. Whatever question a man asks, whatever question a man’s mind
and desire set out to ask, his wisdom should have the answer. Wisdom must formulate an answer to that question. Wisdom should give the answer to the question the mind is bringing.
Therefore, whatever question the mind asks, whatever it is considering...the mind will keep asking questions and desire will keep searching for things to bring to the mind. Desire runs and runs and runs and searches, and the mind is always asking questions. Wisdom must give the answer, and by giving it, cut that off.
All of these questions do exist in life. Question and answer. Both of these must be done by us in life. When the mind questions, when desire searches and brings something and the mind tastes it and asks, wisdom must give the answer and cut it. It must control it (the mind);1 it must give an answer and control it.
Like this, if we want peace to come in our lives…we will never have peace as long as this state does not come. For a peaceful life and for the questions of the mind, the wisdom within the qalb, inner heart, must resplend and give comfort. It must give the answers to those questions. Only when that answer comes will
man attain peace; only then will he have freedom and peace. Not for one day will desire stop searching in the world. Not for one day will the mind stop running and searching for garbage. It brings everything that it sees. It has a question for everything it sees. It wants that, wants this, wants that, wants this, and for
whatever it wants, it has a question: “Why can’t I do that? What is the reason I can’t do what I want?” It asks, “What is hell?” It asks,“What is heaven?” It asks, “Who is man, and why can’t he do that?” So we must show the difference between man and man-animal, between an animal, a hayawan, and a hayawan-man.
There is a difference between man and man-animal. There is a difference between hayawan and hayawan-man. A hayawan could be a man, he could be a hayawan-man. Man and man-animal. When it asks about this difference, the answer should be given.
Man-animal…when man loses his human nature, when he cannot discriminate between wrong and right, at the time he does not know this, he is an animal, a kind of animal. Why? He will defecate where he eats and sleep where he defecates. What does he consider the basis (for his life)? Tarahan, singhan, and
suran: (Tarahan,) the place of birth, the happiness of the place of birth. (Singhan,) the forces and the qualities of the animals. And suran — torpor; the many tricks of the monkey; the many desires of the mind. This is what he knows. These are what he sees in his perception, awareness, and intellect. He can see (only) these. He
does not know wrong and right, he does not know good and evil.
One day he drinks milk from the breast, shhp, shhp, sucking and drinking, and another day he embraces that same place. First he calls it “mother,” later he calls it “wife.” One day he emerges from that opening of the mother, another day he reenters that opening calling it “love,” calling it “wife.” As long as he does not understand wrong and right, as long as he does not understand what is clean and unclean, he is a hayawan.
He should understand: This is right, this is wrong. What is good in that section, what is bad in that section? In the sixty four sexual arts, lilais, which section is good and which section is bad? In the sixty-four arts, kalais, in these acts that arise from the lilai vinotham, sexual games, which act is right and which act is wrong? In which act is there goodness and in which act is there evil?
Everything has a sound, everything has music. If you tap iron, sound comes. If you tap stone, the sound of stone comes. If you tap gold, there is the sound of gold. If you tap silver, the sound of silver comes. Everything has a sound. A tree has the sound of a tree. If you take some earth in your hand and tap it, it has a
sound. If you make a pot from the earth and tap it, there is music within it. If you blow air through a small opening, there is music.
There are many kinds of music — in trees, in shrubs, in leaves. In a man’s voice there are many different kinds of sounds — the sound of animals, the sound of birds, the sound of the dog, the sound of the bat. He has all of the animal sounds. He has the sounds and the qualities of the snake. He has all of the animal qualities and all of the animal sounds; he has all the sounds and all the qualities.
Since all the sounds are within him and all the sections are within him, he can make any sound and take on any quality. He can perform any act. It is from these qualities that are contained within him, from the sounds that are within him, from the forms that he acts with that he comes to understand. He understands, “I spoke these sounds when I came out in the form of a baby. At that time I spoke these languages. There are so many languages: Arabic language, English language, Urdu language, Hindi language, Greek language, Tamil language, Malayalam language, Telugu language, Vadhu language, Kannada language, so many kinds of languages — animal language, donkey language, dog language, cat language, crab language, karakarakara.” You can hear all of these with your ears. If you listen with wisdom, the tiny ant has a big sound. There are so many languages. Birds are like this. Worms have a language, and beetles have a language. They make sounds in their own language. If you focus intently, listen, and place this (each thing) under a microscope, you will understand.
Wisdom is the microscope for man. The qalb, heart, is that camera. Place the microscope within the qalb which is the camera, and focus with that wisdom. Focus with the light. Wisdom is the light. Focus with that, catch each thing. Focus on each quality within man and catch it. Catch every germ, virus, and cell. Catch
and examine every shadow. Catch and examine every thought. Capture and examine every intention. Catch and examine every thought, intention, and idea.
Each of these comes from something else, they come from something that already exists. Animal thoughts may come from the animals. Poisonous qualities may come from the snake. The rat is there, and from it comes tricks and the quality of boring holes. From the rabbit comes the jumping work and the bahbahbababa
of eating work. From the cat comes the qualities of tricks, the quality of foolishness, the quality of eating with the eyes shut.
This is the quality of not realizing one’s own faults. When it sees someone, it becomes quiet. It closes its eyes and eats. If someone gives it a whack, it yowls, eeyow. It closes its eyes like this and
thinks others do not see its faults.
Like this, every sin arises from the forms of the four hundred trillion, ten thousand thoughts, intentions, qualities, and actions that are within man. As a result, what should he do? He must focus on and examine these sins. Everything he searches
for and everything he does without wisdom — everything he
does without wisdom, without true understanding, and without reflection — becomes a fault, because of his desires, languages, religions, races, scriptures, colors, hues, speech, desire for earth, desire for woman, desire for wealth, lust, anger, passion, torpor, the qualities of differences, and the many kinds of sinful tricks of
satan. The qualities that come from him emerge from the shadow
forms that are inside him. These qualities emerge from the
shadow forms. The essence of these qualities emerges and takes a form and sound outside.
As we keep focusing, by way of these sounds, we will be able to identify those forms. We can see those thoughts, and later we can see their forms. We can see that shadow, and we can see the qualities of that shadow. Then we will realize that there are so many animals within man. If wrong and right are understood, if, through that focus, this is understood, then that (particular) animal can be caught and thrown out. That quality can be thrown out. It can be grabbed and thrown out, “You, go out into the world!” Everything that is living in that fortress within you can be thrown out. They can be captured with wisdom.
Shari, all right, grab and throw out each thing that is within you — that quality, that thought, that form, that satan, that shape. Right and wrong. All that is wrong must be thrown out. Keep only what is human and send out everything else, “You are free, go. You are free and I am free. Staying here is difficult for you. If you stay within man, it is difficult, and if man stays within you, it is difficult. Therefore, you are free, go, you are free. Maya, you have your freedom. If you stay within me, it is a prison for you, it is difficult for you, so go. If I stay within you, it is difficult for me, so go, you are free.”
Say what needs to be said to each of these things, and send them away. Focus on them and capture them. The work is to capture each quality, to capture each thing, the snake, everything, and throw it out. Throw out what is within you. Keep only what is within God. Keep only what is right. Keep the one God. Keep the truth. Keep goodness. Keep wisdom. Keep conscience. Keep love. Keep unity. Keep equality, tranquility, the form of love, His wisdom and knowledge, His duty, His three thousand gracious attributes, and His ninety-nine wilayat, powers.
If one keeps man’s ideals, man’s beauty, and man’s light and throws away everything else, he is free. Then he is one who can be called a human being. If he is a human being, all lives will be free. Since he is the one who has given freedom to these lives that were within him, all those who have been given their freedom will worship him when they see him. All the lives he has given freedom to will bow down to him, they will worship him when they see him. All lives will worship him because he has freed them. (He will say,) “All right, you, remain in hell; you, stay in your place, and you, stay in your place.” So, he will give peace to all lives. He will unravel the many entanglements that are within man, and set them free. He will call to each of the qualities, “Come, come, come, come, do you want your freedom? Then leave. Ah, do you want freedom? You can go, you are free, you are free.” He will know how to recognize them. Such a man will know how to identify them, and he will capture them section by section and free them.
This is the answer and duty that a man will do. He will tell the others, “Go wherever you want,” and frees them. He gets his freedom and they get their freedom. In this way, one who can identify and set each thing free, one by one, is a gnani, a wise man. He explains, “Hell is your freedom. This is your place, go there and be free; that is your place, go here and be free. Your life is that, go there and be free; your life is this, go there and be free.”
A Shaikh who can give this explanation is a human being. That human being can give comfort to mankind. Life, dunya, the world, his life, his existence — firstly, he (man) does not need to be afraid of the dunya, world, that is outside, because the world is within him. The dunya is within him. The dunya that is inside him must be sent outside. If he can send out the dunya that is inside him, then all the things that are in the dunya will also be sent out. Then he will have peace.
He (man) is a huge ocean. The dunya is contained within his body. This is a school, it is a house, a house that God has created for him. He must study in that house; he must study in the university given by the Father. Yet, the one who has come to study in this school lifts up the dunya and keeps it within himself. He keeps the
dunya and all the animals of the dunya within him. All the ghosts and the demons are within him, and they are eating him. He is not free from noise for even a second, and he cannot study. Not for one second is he free of noise, aiyooh, aiyooh, alwah, alwah, idada, oosh, woosh, ahsh, ooosh, sounds of the elephants and cats. The snakes are on one side, the bears are on one side, the lions are on one side, the cows, donkeys, and horses are on one side, asuras, bloodsucking demons, are on one side, ghosts are on one side, nafs, base desires, are on one side, ammarah, the incitement to do evil, is on one side, desires
are on one side, monkeys are on one side, scorpions are on one side. All of these are shouting, lions and tigers.
Religions are on one side, castes are on one side, so many attachments are on one side, lust is on one side, infatuation is on one side, fanaticism is on one side. All of these are howling. He is unable to study even for one day. He cannot study in this school; there is always noise, there is always sadness. There is noise on this side, that side, this side, that side, on all sides. In the midst of all this sound, how can he possibly finish studying? Can he finish the lessons he came to study? Can he finish his studies? He cannot, not even for a day.
So he must throw the world out. It is a nuqtah, a dot, that he must pick up and throw away. Then all the “people” who came with him will leave, and everyone will have comfort. If you lift up the world and keep it inside you, you will never learn how to be free. If you put the world outside you, then you can study the
history you came to learn about. Study the secret, the secret place. Only then can you study yourself. Until you learn about yourself, you can never learn about anything else.
You are a secret, man is a secret, and God is a mystery. When your heart is clear, you will complete your school examination. You will clear, complete the test of your life. Where should you live in your life? Find a friend. Who is your friend? A faultless qalb, heart, a house that is without darkness — a flawless qalb, a house without darkness, a peaceful house that is without fear, a place of peace that is within. With a fearless qalb, fashion that form within yourself. If you
go to that place, you can study in that secret place without fear. You can study there without apprehension, fear, or terror. You can finish studying about your life. If you understand this, then you will understand the life of your Father. When you understand the explanation of your Father, you will understand the
secrets, sirr, of all that He created. That mystery will be revealed in His story. The Father’s mystery will be revealed in your story, and in His story the mystery of all creation will be revealed. The sun, moon, world, earth, sky, heaven, the eight heavens, the seven hells, and all of creation will be understood: the way they move,
the sounds they make, how the sound comes, the voice, sound, speech, and breath. You will understand all of this.
It will be easy to understand, and if you understand this, you can speak. When you understand this, you can converse. When a snake makes a sound and you look at it, it will know. When a cow makes a sound and you look at it, it will know. You will speak without speaking. You will speak without opening your mouth,
you will speak with your eyes. They will bow down to you. You can speak to each creation with the eyes, with wisdom, and with the qalb. The mouth is silent, wisdom is looking, and the qalb is open. It is through these that you speak. You speak to each creation, and give peace.
It is easy to talk about, (but) God’s kingdom, He, and man himself have been placed as a mystery. In order to understand this mystery, man must understand these points. At the time you understand and have clarity, you are a human being. Insan. Insan Kamil, perfected man. Kamil. God. Man is insan, insan is
Insan Kamil, and Insan Kamil is man-God, God-man. When he becomes Insan Kamil, he has no form. He exists as God’s qualities. He has received God’s qualities. He has no dunya, world, no other speech, no other language, no other section. He has God’s speech, God’s food, God’s form, God’s section. He (man) is not. His actions are His (God’s) actions. His speech is from Him, his breath is from Him, his actions are from Him, his conduct and behavior are from Him, his qualities and benevolence all come from Him. Those qualities and benevolence come from Him. He is not; he has no form. Since God’s qualities, God’s form, and
God’s beauty are working, he is not and only He (God) exists in that place.
As long as he has his own speech, he is other. As long as he has his own qualities, he is other. As long as he has his own actions and attachments, he is other. As long as he has a connection to the earth, he is other. But as soon as His (God’s) section comes, everything else will die within him. That form will die, and that
Light form, God’s Power will exist there. Then That does Its work. Then he is not. Then he is God-man, he becomes Light-man.
Then His work is done, and the answers, the replies are within him. No matter what the question is, the answer will be within him. He will have no anger or enmity or blemish or fault. This
state is God’s state.
God has no anger. Religions and scriptures say that God will get angry and will throw you in the fire or put you somewhere else. No! No. They say He will hit you, cut you, and chop you. All of this is within us, it is the fire that we ourselves foster; it is the knife which we have kept and which we use to cut every heart,
piece by piece. It is the fire that we stoke, the knife with which we cut, and the pain with which we inflict pain. Whatever cutting and chopping we do, whatever intentions we act with — that will come (back to us) there. That is what we have fashioned. That is hell, the fortress of the mind, the houses that we build, the houses of hell, and it is these that will be given back to us.
God has not created a hell to give us. We ourselves prepare good and evil, hell and heaven. Good, evil. Hell, heaven. We ourselves create that house and suffering. We ourselves form that. He only passes judgment on that, “This is your house, so go to your house.” This is what He does. He does not get angry with us; that is simply what the religions and sects say to frighten us. There is no need to be afraid of Him. There is no need to fear Allah, the One. He is the One who is very beautiful, the One of love. He gives peace, without anger, to every heart. He drinks the milk of love, He sips that milk of love, He provides the milk of love, and He gives the milk of love. For the qalb He is a very good One, One who is without anger.
Truth is His peace. Goodness is His duty. Love is His taste of honey. Compassion is His kingdom. Justice is His scepter. Conscience is His witness. Unity is His kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. Patience is His treasure. Sabur, shukur, tawakkul, and al-hamdu lillah, inner patience, contentment, surrender to God, and all praise is to God, are His treasures. His three thousand gracious qualities are the mubarakat, the blessings of the three worlds, in His kingdom. The ninety-nine wilayat are the actions and conduct of God’s kingdom that are His Light, the section of Light. Through that benevolent Light, He gives His rahmah, grace. This is what He keeps and continually gives.
He does not get angry with anyone, He has no revenge. He does not test anyone. Why should He test anyone? He has given everything and says, “Bring back the answers yourselves.” He is a beautiful Father. For love, He is the small One. For justice, He is the great One. He is a great One for justice and a small One for love. He is the One who is embraced as Truth, the One who feeds with compassion, the One who is just.
There is no need to fear Him. Fear only truth. We should fear goodness. We should fear (for) these and dispel evil. If we want to live in goodness, then we should fear what causes suffering — evil, hatred, enmity, sin, envy, jealousy, deceit, and vengeance. These are evil things. We must stand strongly against these evils. We should overcome them. We should endeavor to beat and chase away these things that are evil. We should beat them with wisdom and chase these qualities away. If we do not chase away these qualities — the four hundred trillion, ten thousand spiritual (qualities) — then we will be subject to one hundred and five million births. We will be born as animals, scorpions, quadrupeds, horses, donkeys, and snakes; we will develop these forms within us. We should think about this.
My love you. The correct way is to understand this within yourself, to find the answer within yourself, and to act accordingly. There are no separations. We are all one mother, one father, one child, one family, and it is within that that we must find the answers. The answer, the reply is within us, not in others. When
each thought asks a question, wisdom must give the answer to that thought. As each mind speaks, the qalb must give the reply; when the mind speaks, the qalb must give the answer. As each quality speaks, God’s qualities must give the answer. Like this, if we conduct ourselves accordingly, we can attain peace in our life.
That is insan, a human being. As long as we do not develop this state, we are man-hayawan or hayawan-man, we are a man that is an animal or an animal whose qualities are those of a man with a human face — a hayawan, animal, that has the gratitude of a man.
We must try to understand this in our life and act accordingly.
My love you. amin. amin.
As-salamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu kulluhu. May all the peace, the beneficence, and the blessings of God be
upon you.