
Power of the Breath and Igniting Divinely Energy
From the Realities of Mawlana (Q) as taught by Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi.
A’udhu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the rejected one
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
A’udhu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem. Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. Wal hamdulillahhir Rabbil Alameen wa Salatu wa Salaam ‘ala Ashrafil Mursaleen Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhammad ul Mustafa ﷺ bi Madadakum wa Nazarakum Sayyidi Ya Rasulul Kareem Ya Habeeb ul Azeem. Madad Ya Sayyidi Ya Sultanul Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Abdullahil Faizad Daghestani Sultanul Awliya Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Haqqani, Mawlana Shah Naqshband Owaisi al Bukhari, bi Madadakum wa Nazarkum.
InshaAllah, always a reminder for myself, A’udhu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem, Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, Atiullaha wa atiur Rasula wa Ulil amre minkum. That a reminder always for myself, ana abdukal ‘ajeez, wa dayeef, wa miskin, wa zhalim, wa jahl.
﴾أَطِيعُواللَّه وَأَطِيعُوٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ … ﴿٥٩
4:59 – “…Atiullaha wa atiur Rasula wa Ulil amre minkum…” (Surat An-Nisa)
“… Obey Allah, Obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you…” (The Women, 4:59)
The Foundation of the Naqshbandiya is the Breath
By the Grace of Allah (AJ) that He keeps us under His rahmah and mercy. And that we are alive by every breath. This way is based on the breath, and the nafas. Where we take a path towards that reality, towards the Oceans of Reality, and all of the forty shaykhs of the Naqshbandiya Silsila (Naqshbandi Spiritual Lineage), their foundation was the breath.
Our Life is Really Only One Breath Away
When we understand that everything in our life is based on this nafas. One big training for the self is that we have all these plans, all these hopes, all these things that we are forecasting for our future. And awliyaullah (saints) come into our life and remind us that: our life is really only one breath away. All the plans in the world is not going to mean anything if Allah (AJ) doesn’t give that nafas. It is written how many breaths you are going to have, inhaling and exhaling. This means these are towards the fountains of reality, the fountains of Al-Hayat (Ever-Living) and they described the guidance of the people of hidayat, and Allah’s (AJ) guidance, that they are the people of Al-Hayat, they reached eternal Oceans of Reality. And they come back to teach us and bless us on how to reach to that Ocean of Eternity. This way is based on the breath.
Have You Thanked Allah (AJ) for the 24,000 Breaths in Your Day?
As soon as we take the importance of the breath, and understand the breath because this is a new year of journey. That all the plans mean nothing if Allah (AJ) hasn’t written for that servant, the breath. It means then each breath is to be cherished and sacred, and immense importance on the breath. It means this love, this love for Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ that emanating within the heart and fueled by the nafas and by the breath. This means that when they train and begin to teach on how to breathe, how to breathe with a consciousness, to be conscious of your breath. Allah (AJ) giving a gift, 24,000 breaths in every day. These are 24,000 ni’mats (blessings) and gifts that Allah (AJ) gives. It means before we ask God, Allah (AJ), for anything in life and all the demands and all that we want. Allah (AJ) comes back and asks first, ‘Did you thank Me for your breath? All the things that you want out of your life, did you thank Me for your breath?’
So, they come and they teach: this breath is based on the hamd and praise of Allah (AJ). That to thank Allah (AJ) the greatest thanking is to make a hamd and praise to Allah (AJ). That with this breath that you gave to me, Ya Rabbi. That is why when you are praying, you are praising Allah (AJ) because you have to recite. When you sit by yourself and you are doing zikr, you have to recite these recitations, these praisings, it is a shukr and thankfulness to Allah (AJ), that this breath you gave me. When they begin to focus on its importance, they understood their life has to be based on zikr.
Only Through Contemplation We Can Improve
As soon as they sit and make tafakkur (contemplation), the shaykhs teach them, you have to be a person of tafakkur, you have to be a person of contemplation. That you have to try to want to improve day by day. Is my day better, ya Rabbi, than yesterday? And only through contemplation can you be better. If you do not sit and take a hisaab and take an accounting at night, you will keep repeating the same errors everyday. And then we are not becoming better people and the breath is not unlocking its power. There is a gift Allah (AJ) gave of an immense reality.
The Fuel of Our Soul is the Breath and the Power of Hu in Every Atom
That when they breathe, they unlock. What Allah (AJ) wants is that, your soul is a power from Divinely Presence. The fuel for that soul is your breath. When Allah (AJ) opens their ability to breathe, everything that they take in of qudra (power), everything and every atom, in the nucleus of every atom has Hu inside of it; has the Hu inside the nucleus which is the qudra and the power of that nucleus. This means that everything around us, of its atomic reality, every molecule every atom, its center has Hu, its center has the power and qudra of Allah (AJ).
Don’t Expect Different Results From Same Actions
When they begin to train in the importance of their breath, the importance of their character, ya Rabbi, that I am making my hisaab. I am trying to go over what I did wrong for that day. I write it, not just I say it to myself and then tomorrow I repeat it, then the next day I repeat it, and every day I repeat it. Because they said, you know the definition of insanity: they do the same thing over and over and they expecting a different result. Then you are categorized as insane…insane in the membrane, got no brain – Yahya taught me that song [laughter] because that is a modern rap song. They will say, ‘How does shaykh know these rap songs?’ [Laughter] So, you want to leave the station of insanity, to sane, and to insan (human being).
Find the Source of the Problem Before You Try to Solve it
They give a test in the mental hospital: they put a room and a sink. They clog the sink, they turn the water, and they flood the room through that sink. The water overflows the sink, begins to come done onto the floor, and they have a mop. And one by one the patients line up and they say, ‘Who is ready to go home?’ ‘Okay, I will go first, I will go first.’ They say, ‘Go to the room and resolve the issue.’ And everyone comes in, takes their mop and begin mopping, mopping, mopping, mopping. Because they are majnun (insane), they just keep mopping. The water is going everywhere, they just splash the water this side, they splash the water that side. They say, ‘Okay, you are not ready yet, go back in please. Go back in.’
The one who is ready, he realizes that. He looks at the situation and says, ‘What’s the problem of this room? Because they want me to resolve a problem. So, immediately before I can mop anything, where is the source of the water coming from?’ Then they go to the sink, they look, ‘Hey, there seems to be a rag clogging this. Let me take this out.’ They resolved the problem, then they address the issue of the water on the floor.
To Resolve an Issue, Take an Account of Your Actions
So, stop the source of this leak and this difficulty so that your mopping has a benefit. That’s the muhasabah. If everyday you are just mopping, it means you are still insane. You are in the hospital because all your life you are just mopping, mopping, mopping, mopping. Our life is to resolve the issue. That take the hisaab at night, that, ya Rabbi, what is this? Everyday I am going into the same problem.
As soon as you sit at night and tafakkur, make contemplation, put the Qur’an, put a nice clean area that’s not dirty, not computers, not anything around it. Your sajada, your prayer carpet is there, your perfumes, your bakhoor (incense) is there. You are playing Holy Qur’an, Dalail ul Khairat (book of praising Prophet ﷺ), praising upon Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ. And then sitting. Ya Rabbi, I want to make a hisaab of my day. What are all the things, the people, the places, and things, what did I do? Who did I harm? Who did I agitate? Who did I aggravate? What did I do wrong for that day?
Muhasabah – Be Honest and Write All Your Wrongdoings Every Night
Don’t take the hisaab of what you’re great and how good you are, but take the things of what we did wrong. And try to honestly find all the wrong issues. And then we write all those wrong issues and then say, ‘Ya Rabbi, I need to correct that, that please give me a power tomorrow to address that issue, so that I won’t do that again, and I won’t keep repeating every day the same issue.’ If we don’t write it, and we don’t identify it, shaitan makes us to be heedless and forget. And every night we remember, by morning we forget, and then again, in the same trap, in the same trap.
So, then awliyaullah (saints) come into your life and they teach us: no, no write down every night what you are doing wrong. Who are you affecting, who you talk bad with, how you acted bad? All of the characteristics that we know are not pleasing: cheated, stole, you prayed too fast, you missed certain prayers. Write all, all these hisaab and identify the sickness. The sickest one is the one who doesn’t know he is sick because that is super-sick, most dangerous.
The healthy one is the one who knows he is sick. He says, ‘I know I am sick. I know I have problems. I know I have bad characteristics.’ And they spend all night long crying on how to fix it. Ya Rabbi, I don’t want to live all my life in hypocrisy. I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I don’t want to have an appearance towards people and they think, ‘Oh I must be pious. I must be good, but I am a hypocrite and I have all my bad characteristics.’ So, it means that they are not perfect but they are striving for perfection. At least they are struggling and trying to identify what is wrong. It’s not that you are going to walk on water, this is not a class of people who walk on water. These are the people who are walking through these dirty streets of dunya (material world). And say, ‘Ya Rabbi, with everything that are coming upon me, all these desires that are distracting me.’ And every night, crying, ‘Ya Rabbi, take them away, take these bad characteristics away.’
Keep the Company of the Truthful Guides
Awliyaullah come, Mawlana Shaykh (Q) is teaching that you can’t imagine Allah’s (AJ) rahmah. When Allah (AJ) finds sincerity in the servant and begin to inspire the servant, when you call upon rijalullah (men of God). These no mind people from a different aqidah (belief), they don’t understand – worshipness is for Allah (AJ) but, when Allah (AJ) says “Wa kono ma’as sadiqeen, ittaqollaha wa kono ma’as sadiqeen.”
﴾يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ ﴿١١٩
9:119 – “Ya ayyuhal ladheena amanoo ittaqollaha wa kono ma’as sadiqeen.” (Surat At-Tawba)
“O you who have believed, have consciousness of Allah and be with those who are truthful/ Pious /sincere (in words and deed).” (The Repentance, 9:119)
‘Have a consciousness and keep the company of truthful servants.’ Not physical company, Allah (AJ) is not physical. When Allah (AJ) gives isharat (sign) it is not for the physical world only, wa kono ma’as sadiqeen, ‘Keep the company of the sadiqs (truthful),’ not only physical. Allah (AJ) is not physical, Allah (AJ) has no time.
Call Upon the Rijalullah (Men of God)
So, this means then you will be taught by your shaykhs, “Madad (support) ya Budala, Nujaba, Nuqabah, Awtad, Akhyar, ya Ghawthun aghithna.” Call upon Allah’s (AJ) rijalullah. (Men of God). When you are sitting and making tafakkur, ‘Ya Rabbi, I want to keep the company of those whom You are pleased with, Nabiyeen (Prophets), Siddiqeen (truthful), shuhada (witnesses) wa saliheen (righteous).’
﴾وَمَن يُطِعِ اللّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاء وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَـئِكَ رَفِيقًا ﴿٦٩
4:69 – “Wa man yuti’ Allaha war Rasola faolayeka ma’al ladheena an’ama Allahu ‘alayhim minan Nabiyeena, was Siddiqeena, wash Shuhadai, was Saliheena wa hasuna olayeka rafeeqan.” (Surat An-Nisa)
“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger (pbuh) are in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Favours/Blessings – of the prophets, the sincere Truthful, the witnesses to the truth (who testify), and the Righteous, and excellent are those as companions.” (The Women, 4:69)
Seek Support from the Categories of Muhammadan Awliya (Saints)
Within the Nabiyeen, they come. Ask for Prophet ﷺ, Ya Sayyidi, Ya Rasulul Kareem (The Most Generous Prophet), ya Habibul Azeem (The Beloved of the Magnificent), unzur halana wa ishfalana (gaze upon me and intercede for me). Prophet ﷺ has a whole tribe and category of helpers of the Budala, Nujaba, Nuqaba, Awtad, Akhiyar, Ghawth. All of these awliyaullah that Allah (AJ) gave their souls different specialties. They say when you have an inner desire that you cannot control, you call upon Nuqaba: ya Nuqaba, ya awliyaullah that what Allah (AJ) gave of you, of your qudra, of your power, put your nazar (gaze) upon me. Their responsibility is that their firasah (spiritual vision), their nazar, their light go into the soul, go deep into the heart where all the bad desires are emanating, and making that servant, controlling that servant to bring out a bad ‘amal (action). There is a desire and a push of an energy inside deep, that pushes until the physical buttons are moved, and they perform a bad ‘amal. Allah (AJ) gave them a power, gave their soul a reality, that as soon as you make madad, and even if you don’t make madad, they have a responsibility to clean. But what is more powerful than to make the madad and say, ‘Ya Rabbi, from those whom You give Your gifts,’ and no one can even imagine what their gifts are. Let them come and their nazar be upon me, that they can reach into my soul and pull out bad desires. That their firasah begins to dress upon my heart, dress upon my soul.’
Negative Energy Blocks Us from Seeking Madad
This means so many tools that Allah (AJ) gave to Ummat e Muhammad ﷺ (Nation of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) of these realities, and all shaitan wants is to block it and stop it from people. It has a power and they don’t want anyone to reach to those powers, but they know. They know the realities. So, when they take a hisaab, and they take an accounting, they use the tools. They ask, ‘Ya Rabbi, I want to be with the Siddiqeen, I want to be with the Nabiyeen, I want to be with Saliheen. And when I am praying and saying ya ayyuhan Nabi wa ‘Ibadillahis saliheen, they are all there, I don’t see them. But Allah (AJ) made me to say it in my salah (prayer).’
…التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلّٰهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ. اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَ عَلٰى عِبَادِ اللهِ الصَّالِحِيْنَ
“Attahiyyatu Lillahi wa salawatu wattayyibatu. Assalamu ‘alayka ayyuhan Nabiyu ﷺ, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Assalamu ‘alayna wa ‘alaa ‘ibadulllahis saliheen. Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wa ashhadu anna muhammadan ‘abduhu wa Rasuluhu.”
“All the best compliments and the prayers/praising and the pure/good things are for Allah. Peace and Blessings be upon you, O’ Prophet ﷺ! Peace be on us and on the righteous servants of Allah. I testify that there is no deity but Allah (AJ), and I testify that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the servant and Messenger of Allah (AJ).”
Souls of Awliya Come to Support Ummat e Nabi ﷺ
So, as soon as you take an accounting of yourself and sit and begin to identify all my sicknesses, the first stage is to identify the sickness. And then say, ‘Now I want to address these sicknesses.’ Then I write again tomorrow and I can identify that these keep reoccurring, this specific issue keep recurring. As it reoccurs, then I am calling upon the awliya (saints), I am calling all of them, I don’t have the need to know which one handles what because everyone is going to come up afterwards, ‘Shaykh, give me the names of which shaykh handles what.’ No, just Budala, Nujaba, Nuqaba, Awtad, wal Akhyar. They know their job, and they know who is responsible, and they know they are responsible to Allah (AJ) because they are going to answer to Allah (AJ). That when they called, how come you didn’t come? They are not the people who like in dunya, it’s impossible. Merely call upon the servants of Allah (AJ) and their soul is responsible to come.
Inhale Energy & Exhale Your Bad Characteristics
Then it means you are really struggling against all the bad characteristics. You are trying to take all those bad desires down and trying to bring the goodness out. And then they begin to train you that when you breathing, breathe in this zikr. That sit and contemplate that your whole life of this Fountain of Light, this Fountain of Love, this Fountain of Hayat (Ever-Living) is based on that breath. As soon as you begin to breathe and feel the qudra coming in with your breath, say, ‘Ya Rabbi, I want to take from Your Oceans of Power. Let me to breathe this energy in and all my bad characteristics, I am exhaling them out.’ So, I breathe in an energy and I exhale all my bad characteristics.
And they said the stronger and the better you become of that breath, you begin to add your zikr to it. So, once you are comfortable breathing, (Shaykh breathes in) and exhaling, breathing in then you add the zikr of Hu. (Shaykh breathes in with saying Hu and breathes out saying Hu). The zikr of Hu breathing in and zikr of Hu breathing out, zikr of Hu breathing in and the zikr Hu breathing out.
Ignite the Divine Power with Restricted Breath
Once you get better at the breathing, you realize that the more you restrict your breath, where you start to close your mouth and breath through your nose. Breath in and exhale through your nose (Shaykh takes deep breath in and exhale slowly through the nose). This energy that Allah (AJ) will begin to open for the servant becomes like a fire, breathing in a Divine Qudra into the chest. The more they restrict the breath and not breathe openly (Shaykh demonstrates open breath through the mouth) but a restricted breath, it is like starting the fire place. If you cut the oxygen for the fireplace, it actually ignites much stronger. If you leave it open and you throw a match, nothing happens. If you shut it and throw the match – when this fire wants to take hold, it is searching for oxygen. When you restrict the oxygen of the fire, it actually ignites stronger.
So, it means they began to breathe through their nose and restrict the breath and bring that qudra in. As they are bringing this qudra and this power, Allah (AJ) sends that Divine Qudra. There is an energy that is all around us, a Nafas ur Rahmah (the Breath of Mercy). It is a rahmah and a mercy that Allah (AJ) want to send to the believer. They have to stop their life and sit and contemplate. As they breathe in and take the bad character out, breathe in this power and take the bad character out.
Breathing with Divinely Power Nourishes All Our Being
At that time when they understand the power of the breath, then Allah (AJ) begin to open for them their physiology. That as you are breathing in this qudra, that energy is the energy that will nourish all of your being. Because the entire being is based on the qalb (heart) where Prophet ﷺ described, ‘if there is one part of you bad, all of you is bad. And if one part of you is good, all of you is good and this is the qalb.’
عَنْ اَلنُّعْمَانْ بِنْ بَشِيرْرَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولْ: “أَلَا وَإِنَّ فِى الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، أَلا وَهِى الْقَلْبُ.”
[صَحِيِحْ اَلْبُخَارِي، كتاب ٢، حديث ٤٥]
‘An An Nu’man bin Bashir (ra) qala: sami’tu Rasulullahi ﷺ yaqulo: “Ala wa inna fil jasadi mudghatan izaa salahat salahal jasado kulluhu, wa izaa fasadat fasadal jasadu kulluhu, ala wa heyal Qalb.” [Sahih Al Bukhari, Kitab 2, Hadith 45]
An Nu’man bin Bashir (ra) said that I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying: “There is a piece of flesh in the body, if it corrected/perfected the whole body becomes good. But if it gets spoiled, the whole body gets spoiled, and that is the heart.” [Sahih al Bukhari 52, Book 2, Hadith 45]
The Focus of Tafakkur Should Be on the Heart
So, the focus is not like other traditions everywhere. The focus of all the tafakkur is: ‘qalbun mumin baytullah.’
قَال رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ، قَالْ اللَّه عَزَ وَجَلْ: “ قَلْبَ اَلْمُؤْمِنْ بَيْتُ الرَّب”. [حَدِيثْ اَلْقُدْسِي]
Qala Rasulallahi ﷺ, Qala Allah (AJ): “ “Qalb al mu’min baytur rabb.” [Hadith al Qudsi]
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, that Allah (AJ) said:“The heart of the believer is the House of the Lord.” (Holy Hadith)
That I am asking, ya Rabbi, my heart to be Your house. Then Allah (AJ) says, ‘Clean it. Take all your idols, all the false things that you have within your house, clean and purify your qalb.’
﴾أَن طَهِّرَا بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْعَاكِفِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ ﴿١٢٥…
2:125 – “…An Tahhir baytee liTayifeena, wal ‘Aakifeena, wa ruka’is sujood.” (Surat Al-Baqarah)
“…Purify/Sanctify My House for those who perform Tawwaf (circumambulation) and those who seclude themselves for devotion, and bow and prostrate [in prayer].” (The Cow, 2;125)
The Process of Purifying the Heart Through Tafakkur and Breathing
Then this breath that coming in, in the tafakkur, the breathing and all the bad character going out, they begin to see this light and qudra coming into their breath. That breath, it nourishes the lungs. It nourishes all the blood inside the lungs that are being produced, and that blood goes into the heart, energized with a Divine Qudra. It means when they breathe with that energy and that reality, they are purifying their heart. The power comes in, nourishes the lungs, nourishes all the blood, and then the blood moves into the heart. When it enters into the heart, these are the people of zikr. That as they breathing and making a zikr of Hu, zikr of Allah (AJ), that blood is being stamped with zikrullah. When that blood is stamped with zikr of Allah (AJ), it goes to all the essential organs of the body, and is energized and powered.
It means the one whom wants to ignite their Divinely sword, and Divinely lights, and Divinely Qudra, there is a whole process. It is not just, you know, I am at the supermarket and things happen. There is a whole process in which to sit and meditate. Try to perfect the character, bring the energies, bring all of these practices of qudra and energy and breath. As that energy is coming in, nourish the breath, move that breath into the heart, the zikr of the heart will stamp it and then begin to nourish all the organs.
Mimic the Earth & Build Your Inner Core
The one whom develops their inner energy will have perfected their outer energy. If there is no perfection inside, the outside is garbage. Everything is based on an internal power and you mimic it just like this dunya. This earth, its power is based on its core. The earth has an iron core that moves. Based on the movement of that iron core, it produces an atmosphere and seven layers of atmosphere that protect all of us on this earth from everything that’s coming out. So Allah (AJ) says, ‘Look to this ard (earth), look to this dunya. Its inner reality produces its outer power.’
So, as you perfect the inner reality, and all the inner practices that Prophet ﷺ brought for us, that energy will begin to perfect all the outer. When the inside is good, the outside is protected and shayateen (devils) cannot come. But if the inside is not being activated, every shaitan is attacking that person relentlessly, all over them. We pray that Allah (AJ) inspire more and more understanding how to build the inner reality, the inner qudra so that the outer form will be protected.
Subhana rabbika rabbal ‘izzati ‘amma yasifoon, wa salaamun ‘alal mursaleen, walhamdulillahi rabbil ‘aalameen. Bi hurmati Muhammad al-Mustafa wa bi siri Surat al-Fatiha.
Special thanks to our transcribers for their help with transcribing this suhbah.
Original Date of Suhbah: September 28, 2018
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