them by their shaykhs, lead a morally upright life and, to the extent possible,
avoid sin.Apart from this, they were allowed to engage in worldly activities.
In the other category were those who had dedicated themselves fully to
the spiritual path.As such, they were not allowed to go to the market place
to make money. They were to have complete trust in God and pray to Him
for all their spiritual and material needs, spending all their time in worship
and in the activities of the order. Their life was the gift of God, so they had
to devote their lives to the service of God.This was possible only by severing
all relationships with everything but God.
It is essential that one’s attention should not be unnecessarily distracted
by irrelevant and trivial affairs. It is only when one’s thoughts are centred
on God, that one is properly focused: all other thoughts are then
automatically marginalized, for one’s mind cannot focus on two things at
one and the same time. It is only by concentrating on God and God alone
that the objective of establishing contact with Him may be achieved.
Ultimately, it is the love of God that drives away all other thoughts.
Shaykh Nasiruddin believed that a Sufi must lead a very simple life, for
a life of comfort was an obstacle to realizing God. He was to keep his
eating, sleeping and talking to the barest minimum, and try to stay away
from people, because they would not allow him to concentrate on his
objective, and concentration was a must for any degree of spiritual gain.
Time was of the utmost importance and once lost, could never be recovered.
Therefore, the Sufi’s time had to be spent above all in learning the meaning
of the Qur’an and in contemplation.
14
He who prayed and meditated in the
14
Khairul Majalis, p. 109
