Qutb-E-Dimishq, Shaykh Abdul Rahman Shaghouri
(1912-2004)
As for when the path is merely “for the blessings of it” and the Shaykh lacks some of the conditions of a true guide, or when the disciple is seeking several different sins from it at once, or the disciples intention is contrary to the spiritual will of the Shaykh, or the time required is unduly prolonged, or he is separated from his Shaykh by the latter’s death or the exigencies of the time and has not yet completed his journey to Allāh in the path or attained his goal from it—then it is obligatory for him to go and associate with someone who can complete his journey for him and convey him to what he seeks from the path, as it is not permissible for him to remain bound to the first Shaykh his whole life if it is only to die in ignorance of his Lord, claiming that this is the purpose of the path.
By no means is this the purpose. The purpose of the path is to reach the goal, and a path that does not reach it is a means without an end. The path was made for travel on it with the intention of reaching ones goal, not for remaining abs residing in even if this leads to dying in ignorance of ones Lord. The meaning of a true disciple is one who forthrightly submits himself to a living sheikh who is a guide (murshid) during the days of his journey to Allāh Most High so that the sheikh may put him through the stages of the journey until he can say to him, “Here you are, and here is your Lord”
Shaykh Muhammad Al Hashimi
Shaykh Abdul Rahman Shaghouri had kept the company of Shaykh Muhammad Al Hashimi for nearly three years before taking them as their Spiritual Master. They related that the Shaykh had simply told them one day that it was time for them to enter the Khalwa (spiritual seclusion), and when they objected that they had not yet even taken the Tariqa, the Shaykh had been surprised, but gave them the Tariqa and put them in anyway. It proved to be an axial experience, and when they came out, composed a qasida, a mystic ode, sung at Sufi Dhikrs to this day from Algeria to Damascus:
The curtains of ‘between’ have been lifted,
Shaykh Abdul Rahman Shaghouri
And the lights of Oneness appeared;
Disclosed without any ‘where,’
So see them, O Sufis!
I am the mirror of my Beloved,
In His love, O my spirit, grow well;
From other than Him, O self, be absent,
And cast aside all things vile.
Since He has been manifest in these places of vision,
have I been bowing and prostrate;
Thanking Him and praising,
For He has encompassed me in Identity.
O the wonderfulness of my encounter,
O my subsistence in my annihilation;
O the light of my empyrean,
O my life forever and ever.
The pourer has drawn near us,
And presented us the goblet;
We have sipped and drunk our fill,
From the cups of al-Hashimi.
My friend, seize the chance to live,
How many a dead person that came to them revived;
Never shall anyone be disappointed, never,
Who comes with a true intention.
Clear your heart for the theophany,
Open your eye to true joy;
Other than the Divine, my friend, abandon,
And be annihilated in the Exalted Entity.
Quaff the goblet openly,
See no disgrace in drinking;
Go mad with love, and throw off all shame,
In the most sacred meanings.
Speed with might and main to the stations,
Following the way of the ancients,
Heed not him who would bar your love,
To give ear is but tribulation.
It is the All in All from its inception,
Those who would bar love have no action;
The forbidding of love is naught but
Sent from the Bestower of Gifts.
Then shower blessings, O You of Majesty,
Upon the Door of Connection;
Taha, with Companions and folk,
Long as the camelteer may chant to spur his mount.
There is no deity but Allah.
After emerging from a period of spiritual seclusion, the esteemed Sufi Master Shaykh Abdul Rahman Shaghouri composed this mystical ode. Within its verses lies the narrative of a profound journey, a pilgrimage of love leading back to the Divine. With each verse of the ode, they invite the listener to journey inward, to explore the depths of their own soul and to experience the Divine mysteries of love and longing.
Throughout the verses of the mystical ode, the seeker is constantly reminded of the Oneness of God, and the mystical experience of fana (annihilation) in Allah. They are urged not to be deterred by those who obstruct their path of love, for many will try.
The ode assures that every spiritually dormant heart, upon encountering the presence of Shaykh Muhammad Al Hashimi, is revived and transformed, returning to life. It emphasises that anyone who approaches with genuine intention will never be leave empty handed.
Ultimately, the ode offers a message of hope and assurance to all seekers of truth, affirming that true intention and sincerity will never go unrewarded in the spiritual journey. It serves as a beacon of light for those who traverse the path of Purification, guiding them towards the Light of the Final Prophet Muhammad.
After the veiling of Sidi Shaykh Abdul Rahman Shaghouri, the esteemed Shadhiliyya Darqawiyya order was passed on to perhaps one of the greatest friends of Allah the world has ever witnessed, Sidi Shaykh Shukri Al-Luhafi.
“When I first took the tariqa from him, thoughts would come to me about the lucre of the evangelists and gurus back in the west, and I would wonder, “what if he asks for money?” For a space, every time I visited him he would ask me how much my fare had been from Jordan, how much the hotel was, whether i had spent anything else, and then give me the whole sum. The day came when I saw what he was getting at, the thoughts went away, and he never mentioned money again.”
she appeared, and there was no ‘where’, nor any ‘how’, her radiance annihilated the describers, so there was no description.
Shaykh Abdul Rahman Shaghouri
her radiance, if a lover were to hide it, would be manifest. and if the enraptured one spoke of it, it would be most hidden.
when she smiles, it is like the sun, and when she frowns, darkness, when united with her, it is life, and when distant, death.
from her light, the physical forms take the torch of guidance, and in her taverns, the souls have their healing placed.
from her wine, the secrets are poured, ripening the fruits, and in her water, the brilliant lights shine clearly.
for her, from my eyes, are tears, and my soul is her possession, as for my heart, it edges closer to the flames of her love.
