The Khwaja laid great emphasis on continuous remembrance of God.
He did not ask a person to cut himself off from society and meditate in
seclusion.A believer could attend to all the routine chores and still have his
heart set on the remembrance of God. For him
dhikr
was not a dry utterance
of certain fixed phrases, but something that must permeate one’s whole being.
He believed that the remembrance of God was the life of the heart. He
would advise his disciples to remain engrossed in thoughts of God at all
times as a prerequisite to spiritual development.
He emphasized physical cleanliness. He said that if the mystics dressed
shabbily, they would not be able to attract people to their cause. He always
took a very active part in training those newly inducted into the order. Like
other
pirs,
he too wanted his followers to have full faith in their spiritual
guide, for lack of faith would be an obstacle to their spiritual progress.
Although the Khwaja was not against married life, he felt that it was
preferable for mystics to remain single, for marital obligations were a great
distraction. He believed that prophets could marry because their
concentration level was very high and they did not run the risk of being
distracted. As far as ordinary men were concerned, the Khwaja held that
they did not require such a high level of concentration and hence marriage
did not pose a problem for them.
To the Khwaja, concentration and meditation were to be aimed at,
subordinating all one’s actions to God’s will. God should be forever present
in one’s thoughts. For a mystic, mental concentration was more important
than spontaneous spiritual states of ecstasy, because mental concentration
was an abiding thing, while ecstasy was a fleeting experience.
Like Rabia Basri, he also enjoined his disciples to worship God for His
love alone, and not for the fear of hell.
Th e Na q s h ba n d i Or d e r 158
