إنَّ اللهَ و مَلائِكَتَهُ يُصلُّونَ على النَّبِي يَأَيُها الذينَ آمنوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ و سَلِّمُ تَسْليماً
اللهمَّ صَلِّ و سَلِّم و بارِك عَلَيْهِ و على آلِهِ و صَحْبِهِ عَدَدَ ما في عِلْمِ اللهِ صَلاةً دائِمَةً بِدَوَامِ مُلْكِ الله
The Wird
In the light of our isolation and inability to gather together, leading to a virtual gathering of the recitation of Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib’s ‘Miftahul Wird’, may Allah fill his tomb with light, and through the medium of the Internet, including people who are less familiar with it, I wish to assist in its participant’s benefit and understanding of its gifts and adab using the Shaykh’s own commentary on his blessed ‘Key to the Source’, and may Allah help me to fulfill that desire with clarity and forgive me for any errors, which I am more than happy to be corrected on.
In Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib’s lifetime, he predicted that his diwan would be sung around the world, which was extraordinary at the time, and this virtual gathering as well as the extant communities testify to his insight, and in great measure to the efforts of his murid and heir, Shaykh Dr. ‘Abdaqadir as-Sufi.
In the beginning of his qasidah, ‘Commentary on the Wird’, which is the first song in his renowned diwan entitled, ‘The Desire of Journeying Murids and the Gift to Wayfaring Gnostics’, he begins by describing himself as, عبُيَدُْ, ‘ubayd’, the diminutive of ‘Abd as an expression of humility and a protection against claim, as he starts to counsel us in regards to his Wird.
The lowly slave of Allah, Muhammad ibn al-Habib,
Gives this song in counsel saying:
O my companions! Live in joy and serenity
if among us you are one with conviction and niyyah,
He says, rahimahu Allah, quite categorically that we are his companions, in proximity to Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, and His Rasul, sallallahu alayhi wa sallim, and calls us to live in joy and serenity, if we have conviction and niyyah; that there is no doubt in this matter and this is what we want, and,
If you are sincere in the love which is, without doubt,
our firm support while travelling on the Tariq of Allah,
A love that has no other in it but Allah and His Rasul and allows us to continue in our quest whatever comes to us on our journey. He continues to elucidate the requirements to live in joy and serenity by laying out the keys necessary to approach the Wird, without which it will not reveal its lights;
And if you have a strong resolve to recite the Wird, and are
present, with an attentive heart, to grasp its meanings,
This is a commitment, each time it is performed, commensurate with sitting in the presence of your Shaykh, made clear by his call to be present, attentive and alive to meanings as you would be with the Shaykh. It has been said that the repetition of the Wird is like the ongoing connection or bayyah to the Shaykh; another understanding of ‘Key to the Source’. Understand that grasping its meanings is not an intellectual appreciation, but rather you will find yourself gripped by the meaning, because it will be a gift through the wird of the Shaykh from the Real.
And if at all times you call to mind the meaning of the Dhikr,
you will find that you are quickly helped in your life.
Focus your heart from beginning to end on the meaning of what you are reciting, because what you are asking for and confirming are from the Truth. Allah hears those who call on Him and answers their call in His Wisdom and Mercy, helping and easing them towards His presence.
The key of the Wird is the prayer on the Prophet, the taking refuge,
the ‘Basmal’, the ‘no power’ – and that is enough for every problem.
Prayer on the prophet at the beginning, before seeking protection from Shaytan and continuing in Allah’s Name, understanding that only He has power, will suffice for any difficulties you may experience in your life. None of this is magic, changing the world to suit you, rather it is asking in extreme poverty from the One who possesses everything in this world and the next. He knows what you need, when you only have opinion and desire.
So you begin our Wird with the Istighfar,
and by it you will obtain every good quality.
Having entered with the key, ask for forgiveness as this will transform your bad into good, because,
Its real meaning is Allah’s veil over the wrong action of His slave,
and it protects him from every temptation and trouble,
Your remembrance -dhikr, overshadows the thoughts of self, hence the call to be mindful and resolute in it, so that your darkness be illuminated by His lights.
No care can remain when you persevere in His dhikr,
and no doubt can remain when your needs are amply met.
And as you hold to the meanings of the Dhikr, its lights suffice for your troubles. The Shaykh’s words are axiomatic and only dependent upon sincerity.
After you finish this, pray on the Prophet with the prayer
of a lover firmly rooted in love –
Having left the self behind, look towards the Rasul with love and ask Allah to bless him, for in the acceptance of your du’a, his light pervades your heart.
Its true meaning is the compassion that befits his rank,
and his rank is above the rank of every person.
He, sallallahu alayhi was sallim, is ‘deeply concerned for you, gentle and compassionate’ beyond any love among other humans.
Constantly see him in the mirror of your heart
and rely on him for attainment of the Presence.
The encounter with the Rasul is in the heart, follow him with complete confidence towards the One you want to meet.
After the prayer on the Prophet, recite ‘La ilaha illa’llah’.
By it you will expel wahm from the inner eye.
With love of the Rasulullah in your heart, declare the uniqueness of Allah and delusion will evaporate.
And be swift to negate otherness for there is no doubt
that it is a screen to the people on the Tariq al-Haqq.
Quickly turn back to the dhikr away from thoughts that call you elsewhere, because they will obscure the clear way forward.
And witness a Lord Whose Attributes have been manifested
by the secrets of phenomena and the lights of the Garden,
So when you look upon the world, it will show you the Attributes of its Creator only seen by His revealing its secrets and the reality of the Garden.
And you will grasp a secret whose true value is only known
by an ‘arif bi’llah who possesses vision.
This is what we hope for and why we hold to the Shaykh.
Glorify Him with Allah’s glorification that is in His Book,
but take care not to perform tanzih with reason and thinking,
We only have the words because Allah gave them to us and ‘Subhanallah’ cuts us free because thinking and reflection cannot separate us from ourselves.
And disconnect from association in the way that al-Haqq has disconnected Himself –
entrust yourself to Him, and disconnect from shirk, and being in-time.
See that nothing moves of its own. There is no effect that originates in a cause, other than by the will of Allah. We can only know of His existence by what He reveals to us. He, subhanahu wa ta’ala, was and there was nothing with Him, and He is now as He was.
Give praise while you bear in mind your inability
to praise as it was reported by the Best of Creation.
The moment that does not require His praise does not exist and enumeration of His blessings is impossible for us. Praise Him for what you know and what you do not, and be thankful that you can.
After finishing the Wird say ‘Hasbuna’llah’
and say it with firm niyyah seventy-three times.
Allah is enough for us and the best Guardian; mean it when you say it because,
The Majestic Truth has promised the dhakir who recites it
that he will have what he needs, not limited to any state.
Do not concern yourself with what the world threatens you with. Whatever you need will come to you by your affirmation as promised.
It extinguished the fire of the Khalil (Ibrahim) by its secret,
and from it the Habib (Muhammad) was given every gift.
Its call gave the best of men everything and His friend coolness when he needed it most. A lesson for us of its power to protect; if it can turn fire into coolness for Ibrahim, our sincere reliance on Him can protect us from whatever comes in our times, Allah willing.
In this waqt of ours, its dhikr and invocation
takes preference over Hizbs or Wadhifahs.
The Shaykh’s remark, may Allah have mercy on him, that it takes precedence over the recitation of sections of the Qur’an and compilations of adhkar is a statement on the times we live in and not about one practice being better than another.
If you wish to hasten understanding of the Haqiqah,
then with himmah persevere in repeating the Ism al-‘Adhim.
If you wish to replace your ignorance with His knowledge, for He knows and you do not, set aside time and call on Him by His great name, Allah, as prescribed by our teachers, the great ash-Shadhili and ad-Darqawi, who advised,
Always mirror the letters of the Name in your heart,
and repeat it unconsciously at every moment.
Alif, Lam, Lam, Ha; letters without markings and vocalised without thinking with every breath.
Do not turn to otherness – it is indeed a barrier.
Even when praiseworthy, it is still more suited to darkness.
Do not slip into thoughts, even beneficial ones as they constitute a veil, which cannot be penetrated. If you catch yourself in thought, let go immediately otherwise you will be washed away on its stream and lose sight of the bank of vision.
To the People, His dhikr dispenses with what is other-than-Him.
And there is no opposite to Allah, pay attention if you possess himmah.
For those travelling the path of Tasawwuf towards their Lord, need for anything this world offers, or its disasters, disappear in remembrance of Him. There is only Allah so all that comes to you, good or bad, will move you forward, if your desire matches His will.
Fear Him in the dhikr and be annihilated to other-than-Him,
and there is no other except for the wahm of multiplicity.
Watch you heart closely as you call on Him and ignore everything that tries to get your attention, because it is nothing and,
Multiplicity is only oneness multiplied in accordance
with the Names and the traces of Divine Power.
Everything indicates the One, manifest by His Names and Attributes, otherwise it is just static noise and scrambled pictures.
Its highest place of manifestation is the Messenger Muhammad,
may the blessings of Allah be upon him at every instant,
There is no clearer reflection of His Names and Attributes than His Beloved, sallallahu alayhi wa sallim, without blemish, fault or crookedness. May Allah bless him,
And on his family and Companions as long as there is a dhakir
who yearns to do the dhikr of the God of the Throne in every state.
And his noble family and companions as long as there are those who are pulled towards recitation of Allah, however they may feel.
Our Tariqah greatly surpasses all other paths –
because we obtain the goal we desire, first time.
There is no path like the path of Muhammad, and ours follows in the traces of his footsteps, and doing so can only lead directly to His presence, without deviation.
And it unites the two aspects without any doubt –
the aspect of the Haqiqa and the aspect of the Shari‘ah.
As mentioned by Imam Malik, arrival at the destination can only be achieved by having both, as one without the other leads astray.
I ask Allah, my Lord, to grant a Divine opening
to each and every sincere murid on the Tariqah,
In his generosity and love the Shaykh calls on Allah on our behalf and may we honour that with the sincerity he mentions.
And that He always guide the brotherhood to stay together,
holding to what is pleasing to the God of creation.
There is nothing more important for the fuqara of a shaykh, the arena of his work, with love, respect, forbearance and assistance to each other for love of Allah and His Rasul.
I convey my greetings of peace to those of every sect
devoted to the dhikr of the Best of Creation.
Whoever loves the Rasul and asks Allah for his benefit is confirmed by the Shaykh, wherever they may be.
So if you are a lover of our Lord, continue to be
and Allah will reward you with a glance from Him.
Do not turn your heart or face away from the One you love, that He may reward you a look that will banish all but Him from your heart.
The song is complete and I seek forgiveness for any illusion
of other than the existence of the Haqq in every glance.
He finishes his song asking for forgiveness for his mighty station, that for any moment of his existence there is any existence other than that of Allah.
And I ask forgiveness and mercy from Allah for the audacity of attaching the words of my lowly state to such an elevated song. May we all taste something of what he indicates to us in the recitation of his Noble Wird.
Hajj Issa - for the Fuqara 