When a seeker is initiated in Sarwari Qadri Order, he/she is asked to recite Kalimah Taiyyibah (Laaa ilaaha ill-Allaahu Muhammad-ur-Rasûllah) and invoke blessings (darud sharif) upon the Holy Prophet Hadrat Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He/she may repeat Kalimah Tayyabah Durud Sharif one hundred times each after the prayers of Fajr and ‘Isha. If a seeker has more urge, he/she may repeat the practice after every prayer instead of just Fajr and Isha. He/she may perpetuate the exercise all the time. After his/her latifa-e-nafs (the ethereal self of the soul) is awakened and quickened, he/she may turn to the recitation of “La Ilaha Illallah (There is no god but Allah), the greatest dhikr.

By declaring the formula of faith (Kalimah Tayyabah), we negate all other gods—that is everything else save Him. Thus the formula of faith (La Ilaha Illallah) is regarded as the greatest commemoration of all, the foundation of faith, and the epitome of all spirituality. The Prophet of Islam has said, “He who recited the formula of faith, La Illaha Illallah, Muhammad ur Rasul Allah, entered paradise without reckoning and undergoing chastisement.” In this regard, in a hadith, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has said, “If the seven heavens and seven earths were put in one scale, they would be outweighed by La Ilaha Ill Allah in the other.” As we accept and surrender ourselves to the Omnipotent and Omniscient Creator of the universe, we are under His loving care and should have firm faith without any doubt in Him. “Surely, He is the best disposer of all affairs.” (Quran 3:173).

Pas Anfas, which is watchfulness over breath while inhaling and exhaling, enhances concentration and helps in achieving spiritual blessings because each and every breath that we inhale during Pas Anfas is loaded with the remembrance of Allah. This should be done as follows: During inhalation (breathing in) we should say La Ilaha Illallah while during exhalation (breathing out) we should say Muhammad ur Rasool Allah. Or we may say Allah while inhaling and Hu while exhaling. Or we may say La Ilaha while inhaling and Illallah while exhaling. Or we may say Il while inhaling and L-Allah while exhaling. This dhikr of Allah should be complemented with the dhikr of Hadrat Muhammad (SAW) in the following manner: During inhalation we should say Muhammad-ur-Rasûllah while during exhalation say Sallallahu Alaihai Wa-aalaihi Wasallam. The seeker should try to always keep this practice of Pas Anfas. This dhikr combined with breath control successfully leads a seeker into the living presence of the Divine and his/her heart and other lata’if (subtle bodies) are quickened by means of it. The subtle bodies adopt this dhikr of Pas Anfas from the physical body/tongue as a baby learns speaking from the mother.

The Faqr-based spiritualism of Hadrat Sultan Bahu (RA) is wholly dependent upon Tasawwur –e-Ism Allah Dhat and that of Ism Muhammad Sarwar-e-Kainat. Thus the Qadri-Sarwari seeker should regularly do the practice of visualizing the names of Allah and Muhammad (SAW) as inscribed inside his/her body. He/she may start with just fixing his/her gaze on the image of Name Allah and Name Muhammad (SAW) written on a paper in beautiful Arabic calligraphy. He/she can frame the Names of Allah and Muhammad (SAW) and mount it on a wall in front of his/her eyes or place it on a table or hold it in his/her lap, as convenient. He/she should gaze at the inscription of Allah and concentrate on the written Name of God, Allah, in Arabic. The best time to do these spiritual practices and worship is during the early hours of the dawn. However, he/she can do this meditation any time of the day or night, as his schedule permits. He/she should continue the practice of reciting the Name Allah and fixing the gaze on the written Name Allah for a reasonable period of time, until he/she becomes accustomed to these two spiritual exercises. He/she should sit down after performing his/her prayers, as mentioned earlier. Choose a place where he/she can sit quietly and peacefully all the time while engaging in the practice. Complete solitude and silence are of vital importance, but not mandatory.

Next, he/she should practise breath control by taking deep breaths and relaxing. When he/she inhales he/she should say Allah and when he/she exhales he/she should say Hu. Or when he inhales, say All and prolong that to alla until the end of inhalation. When he/she exhales he should say ah. Together this should pronounce the word ‘Allah’. He/she should concentrate on the word Allah: during inhalation recite All and while exhaling say ah. This should produce the sound of the actual Name, Allah. He/she can also use the word Allah Hu for the purpose of breath guarding or control. That is to say Allah during the active process of inhalation and to utter Hu during the passive act of exhalation. The underlying doctrine is the same, which is to meditate on the Essence of Allah. Pas Anfas, or breath control, during this practice is an important and extremely helpful tool.

The next step is the most important aspect of meditation on the Personal Name of God, Allah. This involves intense contemplation on the Name Allah, written in the heart, until it is inscribed in brilliant letters emanating the Light. Now he/she should try to write the Name Allah on the heart, in the chest, with the help of an imaginary pen, or with the help of an imaginary finger tracing the letters of the word Allah. He/she should imagine that his/her body is like a dress that he/she is wearing and that he/she is inside the dress. Now with the help of his/her forefinger or a pen, write the word Allah from inside the dress, where the heart is situated. He/she should continue to concentrate on His Personal Name, Allah, by repeatedly writing it on the heart—even though, it may not become fixed in the heart initially. It is a misconception that after a while His personal Name, Allah, will be fixed on the heart permanently and will remain there ever-illuminated, so that whenever, he/she looks towards his/her heart he/she would see the Name Allah printed on the heart.

Another way to inscribe the Name Allah on the heart is from outside. It should be done as described in the following way. While you are sitting down in a quiet place, concentrate on the Name Allah on your heart. You should slightly flex your neck as if you are actually looking at your heart. Remember that you are doing this with your eyes closed and imagining the whole process of meditation. Imagine that you are holding your heart in your left hand and then gently lift it up upward towards your face. The heart normally is hanging in the chest, to the left side, with its apex pointing downward. Its base, which is the broader part of the heart, is upwards, as if it is hanging upside down. Now imagine, your left hand lifting the heart so that the pointed part comes up and the heart is lying horizontally, so that when you look at it, it is right in front of your eyes. Now, write the Name of God, Allah, on it with an imaginary pen or finger and trace the Arabic word of Allah repeatedly. By practising this way you can inscribe Allah’s Name on your heart from the outside. This is a powerful and interactive way of meditation. Mashq-e-Wujudia (visual imagination of Allah on body parts, especially the heart) is of central importance in attaining the light of God as well as proximity and mystical reunion with Him. In your imagination, as you hold your heart in your hand, you will feel it pulsating with His Name and becoming filled with the light of His Essence.

When a seeker immerses himself or herself in the meditation of the Name Allah, his or her entire being is lost in the Name. Through constant meditation he or she reaches a stage when God the Most High, through His Grace and Mercy, absorbs the seeker in the ocean of light of His personal Name, Allah. The meditator becomes a perfect mirror to Allah, and all His Names and attributes become manifest in Him. Therefore, he or she reflects the lights of the Essence, attributes, and the Names of Allah and attains purity of the soul, cleansing of the heart and illumination of the spirit. He or she becomes the symbol of a perfect person, Adam or Eve, who was taught all the Names by the Lord. Without meditation on His Personal Name, Allah, the heart cannot be revived, the esoteric path cannot be traversed, and the direct presence of Allah cannot be experienced. It cannot be achieved by fasting all day, keeping vigil all night, renouncing, or performing back-breaking ascetic exercises.

Total-body meditation (Mashq-e-Wujudia) should be performed and practised by writing the Personal Name, Allah, on the forehead, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, throat, heart, chest, naval area, either side of flanks, and the palm of hands, and legs. You should imagine that you are sitting inside your forehead, and with your imaginary forefinger, or with the help of an imaginary marker, you are drawing the Name Allah, from within, on the forehead, in brilliant letters. To write His personal Name, Allah, on the place of the eyes, you should imagine you are wearing glasses, and then try to inscribe the Name Allah on the inside of the glasses. His Name should be written on the ears, nose, tongue, throat, heart, chest, and all body areas as mentioned earlier. With continuous practice, His personal Name, Allah, will become inscribed in your heart in the form of light, which is also called the light of faith. Allah the Most high shines towards the meditator with the Name and attribute on which he meditates: “Allah has the power to appear with the attribute with which you remember Him” (Quran 12:18). Hence during meditation on His Personal Name, Allah, all the body parts should be inscribed with the bright letters of Allah. The body parts on which His personal Name becomes written through meditation become revived and illuminated with the light of His Essence. The seeker should also write the Name Muhammad in an elongated form inside his/her chest so that both ‘Meems’ (M’s) of Muhammad (SAW) come on the nipples and the letter ‘dal’ (D) comes on the border of the heart in lunar white colour.

Da’wat-ul-qubûr can be performed at the grave of a pious person, perfect walî (saint) or martyr or ghauth or qutb at night. The seeker should pay salâm (regards) to the spiritual being of the grave. Then he should recite Fâtiah and Darûd for the spiritual being of the grave. First he should read Darûd Sharîf then Fâtiah (Al-Hamd Sharîf) and then again Darûd Sharîf once. After this, he should read Surah Ikhlâs (Qul Sharîf) three times and offer its thawâb (reward) to the spiritual being of the grave. Thereafter he should read out adhân around the grave as the call to prayer is proclaimed. He should proclaim adhân at the head of the grave turning towards qiblah and having gone around the grave come again to the head while concluding the call to prayer. Afterwards he should address the spiritual being saying “Yaa Abdullaahi qum bi iznillaahi ûmdidnii fii sabilillaahi” (O man of Allah! Rise with Allah’s permission and help me for the sake of Allah), which will instantly invoke the spiritual being. The sign of the successful invocation is that the grave will move and shake exuding an aura inspiring awe and majesty. Then the person of da’wat should sit by the grave and begin the da’wat of the Qurân and read from it whatever he has learnt by heart. The best da’wat for reading at the grave is that of Sûrah Muzzammil, Sûrah Yâsîn, Sûrah Mûlk and Sûrah Innâ Fatahnâ. The most appropriate da’wat is that of Sûrah Muzzammil. So he should sit by the grave and read Sûrah Muzzammil Sharîf for eleven times. When the signs and marks of the invocation of the spiritual being appear, the person of da’wat should go into meditation and turn his attention to the spiritual being or lie down nearby. Instantly will the spiritual being present himself there to give him glad news of the accomplishment of the difficult task. The signs of the spiritual being’s presence are that either one is overmastered by an ecstasy and one bursts into tears, or the sound of ‘tan, tan’ will strike the right or the left ear or the spiritual being flashes Nûr (light) in the eyes of the invoker or grants his scent to him, or gives voice and inspiration or makes him know by heart through an impulse of thought or an idea that crosses the mind or the person of da’wat will feel his body quite heavy, extended and weighty. If one has these signs one should know that the spiritual being has been summoned. Now, he should do meditation (self-induced transport) or lie down by the grave to meet and communicate with the spiritual being. If one reads da’wat of the Qurân at one side of the grave but the spiritual being is not invoked then he should sit on the other side of the grave and read Sûrah Muzzammil for eleven times. And if still the spiritual being does not appear then he should read Sûrah Muzzammil on the third side and if still it does not do, he should at last read Sûrah Muzzammil eleven times at the foot of the grave. Reading da’wat at the foot of the grave perturbs the spiritual being. If an adept and perfect person of da’wat or his kinsmen get into a great difficulty, he should read da’wat by mounting the grave. Then the spiritual being will transport him to the assembly of the Prophet PBUH faster than the speed of light and have his difficult undertaking accomplished from there in accordance with the command of Allah Almighty. But reading da’wat by mounting the grave is a terribly dangerous task, attended by grave risk to life and limb. If there is a blazing furnace of fire on one side and a grave on the other, it is better for a person to jump into the fire. He must not set foot upon the grave, because the person burnt by fire may recover but the one burnt by the grave never recovers. Its torment is unending. If a person does not find a perfect preceptor in the world, he should establish a link with the grave and the spirituality of some perfect gnostic. Repeated recitation of the Qur’ân at the grave of a spiritual person establishes an esoteric kinship and contact with him, and the seeker, the spiritual itinerant, also becomes a live-hearted gnostic. Accordingly Hazrat Sultân-ul- Ârifîn (R.A.) says:

“The person who fails to find a Mûrshid (spiritual guide) in the world can become gnostic, the one to whom is revealed the Unseen, by means of the grave (of a perfect saint).”

Hadrat Sultan Bahu (RA) has said that the ‘amil (adept/practitioner) of Surah Muzzammil is kamil (perfect). If one reads it at the hour of Tahajjud, it is gold; if before the rising of the sun, it is silver; and after the dawn it is worth copper. The easiest zakât of Sûrah Muazzammil is that one should start reading it two hundred times every day during the fifth night or day of the lunar month in complete seclusion observing all jalâli and jamâli abstinences. One should take bath, wear pure clothes and dab some scent before this practice daily. One should complete the number of one thousand times in five days in seclusion and every time before starting Sûrah Muzzammil one should first read Allaahu laa Ilaaha illaa Huu so that he may be saved from raja’t. After the zakât is paid, one should repeat the Surah at least eleven times, or twenty-one times or at the most forty one times daily.

Some religious elders have described the Names ‘Yâ Haiyyu Yâ Qayyuum’ as ‘the Greatest Name’ and they have succeeded in both the worlds by practising these names. The aforesaid two names are extremely effective and effectual for felicity in both worlds. They are read one thousand times daily after the prayer of ‘ishâ. With reference to the above-mentioned names Hadrat Mahbûb-i-Subhânî Qutb-i-Rabbâni Hadrat Shaykh Abdul Qâdîr Jilani, may Allah sanctify his secret, says in a qasîda (panegyric): If you want to become an affluent person, and that all the people -- men and women, youngsters and elders -- should love and hold you in honour and you should be safe from every disaster and calamity, then practise these two names Yaa Haiyyu Yaa Qayyum one thousand times daily.

There is the mention of Name Budduuh in many a book and Hadrat Sultân-ul-Ârifîn (RA) has also mentioned this name on many occasions in his books. This Name has a wonderful effect. Some say that this is a name devised by experts in the knowledge of Jafr (divination). This name is in pairs across pairs and the total number of its letters 8 amount to twenty (20). And the number of the letters of the Name Waduudu is also twenty, which is very effective for love and captivation. Some say that this Name is the Supreme Name of Torah and in the era of Hadrat Mûsâ (AS) after the mischief of Samrî the Israelites who fled from Egypt came to India and introduced calf worship there and among them were ‘âmils (adepts) who brought this Name to India from Egypt. The founding father of Buddhism, Gautam Buddha learnt the practice of Name Budduuh from some âmil (adept) of that time and completed the da’wat of this Name in jungle following which the light of this Name illumined him and his body was bathed in the light of this Name. So he named himself Buddha, which resemble the Name Budduuh. So, by means of this Name, he performed many miracles and his faith and religion were widely promoted in that age and spread in China, Japan, Burma (Myanmar) Sri Lanka, Tibet and South India. There are countless ways of reading it and the number of its daily reading is 2,468. When the ‘amal (practice) of Name Budduuh proceeds from an ‘âmil (adept), he performs wonderful karamât and khawâriq besides captivating the world around.

These Names (Yaa Ghaniyyu Yaa Mughnii) have proved very effective and valuable in gaining exoteric and esoteric wealth and for an ample sustenance. This too is read one thousand times a day. Its reading soon turns a man rich and independent of others. The Name Yaa Satii’u also proves elixir for the act of taskhîr (captivation). Sûrah Li-iilaafi Qurayshin Reading Sûrah Li-iilaafi Qurayshin one hundred times daily proves very useful in securing self-sufficiency and having plenty of sustenance.

The easiest but very beneficial way of offering tahajjud prayer is that one should read Âit-ul-Kursî once and Qul Sharif (Sûrah Ikhlâs) thrice after Al-Hamd Sharîf in every rakat. If the seeker learns Surah Muzammal by heart, he/she may recite it in every raka’t of Tahajjud prayer except the last raka’t in which one may read Âit-ul-Kursî once and Qul Sharif (Sûrah Ikhlâs) thrice.

There is a tried and patent collection of Du’âs (prayers) of Hadrat Rasûl-i-Maqbûl (Accepted Messenger), the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in Arabic, which is accepted and favoured in the Divine Court, called Du’â-i-Saifî or Hirz-e-Yamânî or Hirz-us-Sahâbah. Wonderful effects and strange blessings are experienced in its reading. Hadrat Sultân-ul-‘Ârifîn says about this du’â that so long as an ‘âmil (adept) does not read Du’â-i-Saifî at the grave of a walî (saint), his tongue does not become Saif-ur-Rahmân (the Sword of Allah) at all. Hadrat Mahbûb-i-Subhâni Pîr Dastgîr (Relief-Giving Pîr) Hadrat Shaykh Abdul Qâdir Jilânî (QS) read this Du’â countless times and its practice was handed down from him to the Qâdria Order.

This is a Persian tract with which the truth-revealing tongue of Sultân-ul-‘Ârifîn Hadrat Sultân Bâhû (QS) flowed at the highest attainable station of pride with Allah, wherein he has made very firm promises and strong pledges for its reader. One of the promises is as under:

By God! If a walî who has met his Beloved suffers raj’at (fall from grace) in the spiritual realm or is lowered in rank in the Sacred Abode of Divine Presence, sticks at this blessed treatise, it will prove a perfect preceptor for him. If he does not make it (this treatise) a means of regaining his lost glory, he has only himself to blame; and if I do not restore him to his station, I am to blame. If a seeker after the esoteric path sticks at reading this treatise, it will enlighten his mind and quicken his heart, by the grace of God. This is a short risâlah (treatise) of a few pages, which is one of the best and easiest means of reaching Allah for the seekers. One may recite it after Maghrib prayers. Before reading it, one should offer two-raka’t nafls in which Surah Ikhlas may be recited seven times after Surah Fatiha in each raka’t. The thawab (reward) for these two raka’t should be bestowed upon the holy spirits of seven Kings of Faqr (Sultan al-Faqr) and then the Risala may be recited.

This is a very choice and nice collection of an excellent and the top-most Darûd Sharîf, Salât-ul-Kubrâ, compiled by Syedana Abdul Qâdir Jilânî, may Allah sanctify his secret. This is an extremely simple and the easiest means of reaching Rasûl-i-Karîm (SAW) and entering his immediacy (presence). This Darûd is an extremely effective key and an excellent source of obtaining the treasures of the two worlds.