Excerpted from the lecture series of Nokounam, may his sacred secret be sanctified (Session 101 The Chapter on Dhikr Part Seven)
The chapter on Dhikr within the revered treatise Manzil al-Sirn by Khwajah Abdullah Ansari serves as a profound portal guiding the spiritual wayfarer towards awakening and the reception of admonition. This section, with its concentrated focus on the conditions requisite for benefiting from admonition, explicates the imperative of inner readiness and the prerequisites for the effective impact of counsel in the mystical path.
Admonition resembles a rain that descends upon the parched earth of the seekers heart, yet it only bears fruit when the soil of the heart is prepared to receive it. The original text of Manzil al-Sirn states:
إنما اشتدّ الافتقار إلى الوعظ لمن كان ضعيف التفكر مبتدئاً، فيتعظ به، ويتذكر ما نسيه. فإن لم يشتدّ افتقاره لم ينتفع بالوعظ
This passage asserts that the intensity of need (shiddat al-iftqar) for admonition constitutes an essential condition for its efficacy. Such intense need is a state in which the seeker, upon becoming conscious of their own deficiency, develops an eagerness to receive counsel. This necessity is rooted in spiritual awakening, preparing the heart to embrace guidance. Just as dry earth absorbs the rain deep within, the heart laden with need admits the admonition profoundly into its essence.
The intensity of need is akin to a fruit that ripens under the shade of vigilance (yaqzah), self-accounting (muhsabah), repentance (tawbah), and heartfelt turning (inbah). As stated in the lecture: He who perceives the need is one who possesses vigilance, self-accounting, repentance, and has prepared the necessary internal conditions. These prerequisites constitute the preliminary stages of the mystical journey, guiding the wayfarer towards awareness and readiness to receive admonition. Vigilance acts as an awakening bell that breaks the slumber of heedlessness; self-accounting functions as a mirror revealing the souls faults; repentance marks the return to ultimate truth; and heartfelt turning signifies a continual turning of attention towards the Divine Essence. Collectively, these stages render the heart fertile soil for sowing the seeds of admonition.
One of the interpretative challenges regarding dhikr is the commentators view that admonition is exclusively suited for the weak-minded and beginners. This perspective, critically addressed in the original text, is expressed thus: Admonition is for one who is weak in thought that is, admonition benefits the common folk, the unlettered, the simple-minded, the weak of intellect, beginners and novices. Such a construal conflicts with the Quranic logic, as dhikr in the Holy Quran is recommended also for the ul al-albb the discerning and the intellectual.
The sacred verse in Srah Zumar elucidates this truth explicitly:
إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ
Translated by : Only those possessed of understanding take heed (Zumar: 9). This verse deems dhikr necessary not merely for the weak, but for those whose intellect is cultivated and independent of imitation. The ul al-albb are like stars in the firmament of reason, navigating their path by the light of wisdom; and dhikr is the lamp that illuminates their journey more clearly.
To underscore the comprehensiveness of dhikr, another verse from Srah d is cited:
كِتَابٌ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ
Translated by : A Book which We have revealed unto thee, full of blessing, that they may ponder its verses and that those of understanding may take heed (d: 29). This verse regards dhikr as the fruit of contemplation on divine signs and asserts its necessity for the ul al-albb those who reach truth through rational reflection. This stands in direct opposition to the commentators limited interpretation that confines admonition to the weak.
One of the principal causes of interpretive errors is the neglect (mahjriyyat) of the Holy Quran. As indicated in the lecture: The neglect of the Quran has led to error and fault in every branch of knowledge they pursue. The failure to engage deeply with the Quranic text has given rise to mistaken interpretations such as restricting admonition to the weak-minded. The Quran, like a pristine fountain, is the standard of guidance; distancing oneself from it leads religious sciences astray. Such neglect not only affronts the dignity of dhikr but also distorts the status of the faithful and even the prophets.
One contentious condition in the primary text is the injunction to blindness regarding the faults of the preacher: One who seeks admonition must be blind to the preachers faults. This stipulation has been strongly criticised because it contradicts the Quranic emphasis on insight and awareness. The Holy Quran, in a clear verse, censures empty speech devoid of practice:
كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ
Translated by : It is a grievous thing with Allah that you say that which you do not do (aff: 3). This verse predicates the coherence of speech and action as a fundamental condition for the preacher and negates blindness towards his faults. The recommendation of blindness is akin to veiling the discerning eye, thereby diverting the seeker from the path of guidance.
Admonition is likened to a fragrance emanating from the garden of the preachers inner state. Should the preachers interior be corrupted, his speech, like a spoiled perfume, misleads the listeners heart. The lecture states: When you are corrupt, what flows from the vessel will be corrupted; your words are also polluted. This principle is rooted in mystical wisdom that regards speech as the reflection of the inner self. A preacher devoid of piety, even when uttering virtuous words, produces a misleading effect, for what flows from the vessel is what it contains.
The metaphor a pearl in the mouth of a dog, employed in some exegeses to justify accepting admonition from a defective preacher, is rigorously critiqued: Admonition is akin to meat and cheese, not to a pearl. A pearl is immutable and unaffected by its environment, whereas admonition, like meat or cheese, is susceptible to contamination by the preachers corrupt interior. This analogy clearly demonstrates that admonition from an impious preacher cannot serve as true guidance.
The preacher, akin to a lamp, must illuminate the path through the light of piety. It is emphasised in the lecture: "Whoever intends to speak must be sound, possess conviction, and have a divine intent." Piety, sincerity, and a godly intention constitute the essential prerequisites of the preacher. The infallibility of the Prophets serves as a paradigm indicating that the preacher ought to be free from defects to ensure that his words leave an imprint upon the hearts. A preacher devoid of piety resembles a turbid spring whose water, rather than quenching thirst, exacerbates it.
A sermon devoid of piety acts as a noxious wind that erodes societal trust in religious guidance. The lecture states: "We oppress the weak and nurture the strong, the oppressor; this has greatly contributed to our misfortune." The promotion of blindness towards the preachers faults has culminated in the oppression of the weak and the empowerment of the tyrants. This culture has debilitated the status of divinely-guided scholars and driven the populace towards those who, despite lacking religious sincerity, perform their roles with honesty.
In contemporary society, owing to inauthentic sermons, the stature of divinely-guided scholars has markedly diminished. The lecture notes: "Scholars do not come to beseech the people for help... these entertainers, dancers, singers, and actors say, 'Yes, I am your person; come along.'" Due to experiencing sermons devoid of genuine practice, people have gravitated towards those who perform their roles honestly, even if through the medium of films and series. This condition results directly from the propagation of a culture of inaction within sermons.
Social insight acts as a shield that protects society from accepting sermons lacking authenticity. The lecture underscores: "If societys eyes are open, when someone ascends the pulpit and is seen not to be a man of action, everyone promptly leaves." The awareness of the people marginalises preachers without piety and paves the way for divinely-guided scholars. This insight is akin to a light that dispels the darkness of misguidance.
The Holy Qur'an explicitly censures speech devoid of action. The sacred verse is recalled:
كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ
According to s translation: "It is grievously hateful to God that you say what you do not do" (Srah f, 37). This verse demonstrates that God is wrathful towards the words of preachers lacking action, as such speech not only leads society astray but also undermines confidence in religion.
In the final evaluation, the conditions for sermon delivery as stipulated in both the original text and the commentary have been examined. The first condition (intense neediness) and the third condition (remembrance of promise and threat) in the original text align with Qur'anic logic, emphasising inner necessity and awareness of the consequences of actions. However, the second condition (blindness to the preachers faults) is erroneous as it contradicts Qur'anic insight. In the commentary, the third condition is correct, yet the first (restricting the sermon solely to the weak) and second conditions are incorrect. This evaluation underscores the importance of harmonising the conditions of sermon delivery with Qur'anic criteria.
The chapter on admonition in Manzil al-Sirn serves as a luminous beacon that illuminates the spiritual path of mystical wayfaring. The intensity of neediness for the sermon and the invocation of promise and threat constitute conditions that prepare the seekers heart to receive guidance. However, confining the sermon to the weak or advocating blindness to the preachers faults contradicts the logic of the Holy Quran and mystical rationality. The Quranic verses, akin to guiding stars, deem admonition indispensable for the wise and even for the Prophets. The preachers piety, as the very soul of admonition, is an essential prerequisite for its efficacy. Sermons lacking piety not only fail to guide but also erode societys trust in religion. Social insight and a return to the Holy Quran constitute the means for rectifying these errors and reviving the standing of divinely-guided scholars.
