The Saintly Wife and the Way of the Sufis

“My saintly wife, Maryam bint Muḥammad b. `Abdūn said, ‘I have seen in my sleep someone whom I have never seen in the flesh, but who appears to me in my moments of [spiritual] ecstasy. He asked me whether I was aspiring to the Way, to which I replied, I was, but that I did not know by what means to arrive at it. He then told me that I would come to it through five things, trust (tawakkul), certainty (yaqīn), patience (ṣabr), resolution and veracity.’ Thus she offered her vision to me (for my consideration) and I told her that that was indeed the method of the Folk (i.e. the Sufis).”

– Ibn Arabi, cited in Sufis of Andalusia, trans. R. Austin, pp. 22-23.

The State of Paradise

Khwāja Aḥmad Yesevī once advised: “If you wish to always find yourself in a state of paradise, be easy with everyone and never keep anger in your heart. If you wish to progress on this path, do not censure others. You must be a salve for a wound, not a barb that rips it open. If you wish no harm to come to you from others, do not speak cruelly, do not think badly of others, and do not engage in dishonesty. A true dervish does not despair when people hurt him. A true dervish does not retaliate, even when he has the right to do so.”

– The Kitāb al-fawā’id

Photo: Dervish Feriku, Albania, 1940s

Master of the Jinn and All My Ebooks, FREE in July! Read and Stay Safe!

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

We are all in this global pandemic together! Stay Safe and Stay Home as much as possible! Wear a mask when going out, and gloves when necessary. Keep a social distance!

And to help pass the time…

From July 1, 2020 until July 31, 2020, you may read my six Ebooks on Smashwords for FREE :) They include Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel in English, Spanish (El Maestro de los Jinn), and Urdu (Aaqa-e-jinnat آقائے جنات), Love Songs to God (poetry), Lessons in Love (essays), and Puerto Diablo (novella).

Please enter the code SS100 prior to completing your checkout.

Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel –

El Maestro de los Jinn (Spanish Translation) –

Master of the Jinn: Aaqa-e-jinnat آقائے جنات (Urdu) –  

Lessons in Love: Spiritual Exercises for Modern Life –

Love Songs to God: 30 Poems of Love and Longing –

Puerto Diablo: A Tale of Good and Evil –

Ya Haqq!

30 Daily Ramadan Prayers 2020/1441

RAMADAN MUBARAK!

Ramadan in the year 2020/1441 begins Thursday, April 23rd, so here once again are the 30 Daily Ramadan Prayers (duas), which are posted each year.  InshAllah, they will enlighten the mind and ennoble the heart, making the fast easier in this blessed month.

And because of the Coronavirus, please stay home:

“If you hear of an outbreak of plague in a land, do not enter it; if the plague breaks out in a place while you are in it, do not leave that place.”

– a hadith of the Prophet (pbuh), (Sahih Bukhari Book 71: Medicine, #624)

Ramadan Dua: DAY 1

ALLAH, on this day make my fasts the fasts of those who fast (sincerely), and my standing up in prayer of those who stand up in prayer (obediently), awaken me in it from the sleep of the heedless, and forgive me my sins , O God of the worlds, and forgive me, O one who forgives the sinners.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 2

ALLAH, on this day, take me closer towards Your pleasure, keep me away from Your anger and punishment, grant me the opportunity to recite Your verses (of the Qur’an), by Your mercy, O the most Merciful.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 3

ALLAH, on this day, grant me wisdom and awareness, keep me away from foolishness and pretension, grant me a share in every blessing You send down, by You generosity, O the most Generous.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 4

ALLAH, on this day, strengthen me in carrying out Your commands, let me taste the sweetness of Your remembrance, grant me, through Your graciousness, that I give thanks to You. Protect me, with Your protection and cover, O the most discerning of those who see.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 5

ALLAH, on this day, place me among those who seek forgiveness. Place me among Your righteous and obedient servants, and place me among Your close friends, by Your kindness, O the most Merciful.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 6

ALLAH, on this day, do not let me abase myself by incurring Your disobedience, and do not strike me with the whip of Your punishment, keep me away from the causes of Your anger, by and Your power, O the ultimate wish of those who desire.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 7

ALLAH, on this day, help me with its fasts and prayers, and keep me away from mistakes and sins of the day, grant me that I remember You continuously through the day, by Your assistance, O the Guide of those who stray.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 8

ALLAH, on this day, let me have mercy on the orphans, and feed [the hungry], and spread peace, and keep company with the noble-minded, O the shelter of the hopeful.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 9

ALLAH, on this day, grant me a share from Your mercy which is wide, guide me towards Your shining proofs, lead me to Your all encompassing pleasure, by Your love, O the hope of the desirous.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 10

ALLAH, on this day, make me, among those who rely on You, from those who You consider successful, and place me among those who are near to you, by Your favor, O goal of the seekers.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 11

ALLAH, on this day, make me love goodness, and dislike corruption and disobedience, bar me from anger and the fire, by Your help, O the helper of those who seek help

Ramadan Dua: DAY 12

ALLAH, on this day, beautify me with covering and chastity, cover me with the clothes of contentment and chastity, let me adhere to justice and fairness, and keep me safe from all that I fear, by Your protection, O the protector of the frightened.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 13

ALLAH, on this day, purify me from un-cleanliness and dirt, make me patient over events that are decreed, grant me the ability to be pious, and keep company with the good, by Your help, O the beloved of the destitute.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 14

ALLAH, on this day, do not condemn me for slips, make me decrease mistakes and errors, do not make me a target for afflictions and troubles, by Your honor, O the honor of the Muslims.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 15

O Allah, on this day, grant me the obedience of the humble, expand my chest through the repentance of the humble, by Your security, O the shelter of the fearful.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 16

ALLAH, on this day, grant me compatibility with the good, keep me away from patching up with the evil, lead me in it, by Your mercy, to the permanent abode, by Your Godship, O the God of the worlds.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 17

ALLAH, on this day, guide me towards righteous actions, fulfill my needs and hopes, O One who does not need explanations nor questions, O One who knows what is in the chests of the (people of the) world. Bless Muhammad and his family, the Pure.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 18

ALLAH, on this day, make me love goodness, and dislike corruption and disobedience, bar me from anger and the fire [of Hell], by Your help, O the helper of those who seek help.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 19

ALLAH, on this day, multiply for me its blessings, and ease my path towards its bounties, do not deprive me of the acceptance of its good deeds, O the Guide towards the clear truth.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 20

ALLAH, on this day, open for me the doors of the heavens, and lock the doors of Hell from me, help me to recite the Qur’an, O the One who sends down tranquility into the hearts of believers.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 21

ALLAH, on this day, show me the way to win Your pleasure, do not let Shaytan have a means over me, make Paradise an abode and a resting place for me, O the One who fulfills the requests of the needy.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 22

ALLAH, on this day, open for me the doors of Your Grace, send down on me its blessings, help me towards the causes of Your mercy, and give me a place in the comforts of Paradise, O the one who answers the call of the distressed.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 23

ALLAH, on this day, wash away my sins, purify me from all flaws, examine my heart with (for) the piety of the hearts, O One who overlooks the shortcomings of the sinners.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 24

ALLAH, on this day, I ask You for what pleases You, and I seek refuge in You from what displeases You, I ask You to grant me the opportunity to obey You and not disobey You, O One who is generous with those who ask

Ramadan Dua: DAY 25

ALLAH, on this day, make me among those who love Your friends, and hate Your enemies, following the way of Your last Prophet, O the Guardian of the hearts of the Prophets.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 26

ALLAH, on this day, make my efforts worthy of appreciation, and my sins forgiven, my deeds accepted, my flaws concealed, O the best of those who hear.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 27

ALLAH, on this day, bestow on me the blessings of Laylatul Qadr, change my affairs from (being) difficult to (being) easy, accept my apologies, and decrease for me [my] sins and burdens, O the Compassionate with His righteous servants.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 28

ALLAH, on this day, grant me a share in its nawafil (recommended prayers), honor me by attending to my problems, make closer the means to approach You, from all the means, O One who is not preoccupied by the requests of the beseechers.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 29

O ALLAH, on this day, cover me with Your mercy, grant me in it success and protection, purify my heart from the darkness of false accusations, O the Merciful to His believing servants.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 30

O ALLAH, on this day, make my fasts worthy of appreciation and acceptance, according to what pleases You, and pleases the Messenger, the branches being strengthened by the roots, for the sake of our leader, Muhammad, and his purified family. Praise be to ALLAH, the Lord of the worlds.

Ya Haqq!

The Plague Hadith

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

“If you hear of an outbreak of plague in a land, do not enter it; if the plague breaks out in a place while you are in it, do not leave that place.”

– a hadith of the Prophet (pbuh), (Sahih Bukhari Book 71: Medicine, #624)

Ya Haqq!

FREE Audiobook of Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel :)

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

For the New Year 2020, I am giving away FREE PROMO Codes to obtain the Audiobook of Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel. They are good for the US and UK, and all over the world through the UK site. (And I am the narrator)

If you would like a FREE promo code, email me at:  irvkar45 (at) gmail (dot) com  and tell me where you live so I will know which code to send.

Redeem the codes here for the US HERE.

Redeem the codes for UK and the world HERE.

I hope you enjoy it :)

Ya Haqq!

What Love Demands – Eid Al-Adha 2019

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

Eid Al-Adha Mubarak!

May Allah bless you all this Eid Al-Adha, dear Brothers and Sisters, with generosity of hand, sincerity of speech, kindness in action, and love and joy in remembrance of Him, who is the Source of all Generosity, Sincerity, Kindness, Joy, and Love.  Ameen!

“O Lord! Let not our hearts deviate now after You have guided us, but grant us mercy from Your own Presence; for You are the Grantor of bounties without measure.”  (Qur’an: 3:9)

This is the time of Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, which celebrates the faith of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice even his son Isaac as God had commanded. Now what are we willing to sacrifice in order that our prayers may be accepted?

That is the question I ask myself every year. Jesus (pbuh) kissed the leper, the whore, and the thief, out of love and forgiveness and healing. Because of the great expansiveness of his heart, miracles were possible to him. What have we done, what can we still do, to be worthy of the love and forgiveness and healing we ask of God? The answer that comes to my heart is always the same:

Do what love demands.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. -1 Corinthians 13:4-8

According to a hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) once said, “A true believer is one with whom others feel secure. One who returns love for hatred.”

Alhamdulillah! Indeed, Love is the greatest miracle of God. There have been Spiritual Masters of the past who would not let an aspirant be initiated until they had gone to everyone whom they had wronged in their life, and begged forgiveness, making amends in any way that was required. And until they had gone to everyone that had wronged them in their lives, and granted them forgiveness without asking, and with a whole heart. Only then could such a one be initiated on the mystic path.

And so we come to the great task of our lives, brought into focus on this day of Eid al-Adha: To sacrifice our fear and hatred, our envy and greed and all the other works of the fearful and self-absorbed nafs, in the certain knowledge that anyone who forgives a debt will be repaid tenfold by God, and anyone who forgives a wrong will be forgiven by God a hundredfold, and anyone who returns love for hatred will make of this life a paradise. That is what love demands.

Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself
that you have built against it.
– Rumi

Ya Haqq!

Give Master of the Jinn for the Holidays :)

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

Christmas and Kwanza will soon be here, so give the gift of great literature to your family, friends and loved ones – Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel

In the Name of the Merciful, 10% of all royalties go to charity!

Master of the Jinn has also been translated into eight languages: Indonesia (Sang Raja Jin), Turkey (Cinlerin Efendisi), Russia (Povelitel dzhinnov), Germany (Meister der Jinn), Croatia (Gospodar demona), Spanish (El Maestro de los Jinn), Malayalam, the language of the Kerala state of India (Jinnukalude Nadhan), and Urdu (Aaqa-e-jinnat – آقائے جنات )

To Order the various editions, click the links below:

English – Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel

India in English – Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel

India in English Ebook – Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel

India, in Malayalam – Jinnukalude Nadham – Paperback

Spanish –  El Maestro de los Jinn – Paperbook

Spanish – El Maestro de los Jinn – Ebook

Indonesian – Sang Raja Jin -Ebook

German – Meister der Jinn  – Paperback

German –  Meister der Jinn – Ebook

Croatian – Gospodar demona – Paperback

Croatian – Gospodar demona – Ebook

Russian – Повелитель джиннов  (Povelitel dzhinnov) – Paperback

Russian – Повелитель джиннов (Povelitel dzhinnov) – Ebook

Turkish – Cinlerin Efendisi – Ebook

Urdu –       Urdu (Aaqa-e-jinnat – آقائے جنات ) – Ebook

Master of the Jinn EBOOKS

Master of the Jinn is also available as an Ebook in the English language from Two Sources:

1. Master of the Jinn is one of the over two million Ebooks available on the Amazon Kindle book reader. It can also be read on your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, etc. To order for only $4.99, click HERE:

EUROPEAN ENGLISH EDITIONS – Paperback and Ebooks

England – UK – click HERE.

France, in English – Click HERE.

Germany, in English – Click HERE.

Spain, in English – Click HERE.

Italy, in English – Click HERE.

Japan, in English – Click HERE.

2. The Google EBookstore. Master of the Jinn is being sold by Google Ebooks in all eight language editions for only $3.82. Click HERE to order.

Ya Haqq!

“For His Sake Alone…”

I kept the company
of a brother in Deen in the wilderness,
until we broke off from people
and started living in a cave,
hoping that Allah
would open for us the spiritual blessings
which He opens for His friends (awliya’).

We stayed there in the cave
saying to each other
that perhaps this Friday
Allah will make us among His special friends,
or perhaps this month.
But, Allah did not open
any spiritual doors for us.

We were in this state
when an old man showed up
at the door of the cave,
asking us permission to enter.
We granted him permission
and he entered
giving his greeting of salam.

We asked him, ‘Who are you?’
And he replied,
‘I am a slave of the King.’
And with this we knew that he was among
the special close friends of Allah
and we asked him, ‘How is your state?’
And he instead asked us repeatedly, as if blaming us,
‘How is your state?’

And then he said,
‘How is the state of him who says to himself
that perhaps this Friday
I will become a special friend of Allah
or perhaps this month?

There will be no special divine friendship
for such a person, nor any prosperity,
nor good things in this world,
and nor good things in the next world.
Will you two not just worship Allah
in sincerity for His sake
as He has ordered you?
He has said:
‘I have not created the jinn nor man
except to worship Me.
[{al-Qur’an 51:56}].’

He then left us
and we recognized our mistake
and realized that Allah
sent him to us as mercy.
I then returned to my self in blame
and said to it,
‘O my self, who are you,
what is your great action,
and what is your worth?
You amount to nothing.
Then, we made repentance
and asked for forgiveness
from Allah Most High.

Afterwards,
Allah opened for us the door

which we were seeking,
due to His generosity and bounty.

– Abul Hasan al-Shadhili

Ya Haqq!

In Memory of Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

October 10^th is the ten year anniversary of the death of Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, for over 50 years the Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi  Order, and for 17 years, my Master (may God bless his soul and raise him to the highest rank of His beloveds). To commemorate the occasion, his own poem is a fitting tribute to his life and station:

My heart holds Your home,

my head desiring You;

Night and day have all passed,

while I am pledged to You.

I have suffered at the hand

of the people of the time;

In the world I’ve only seen

fidelity from You.

I’ve been drunk with Your wine

Since pre-eternity;

I surrendered to Your will

till post-eternity.

I’ve no hope for heaven

or for the Resurrection;

I have never wanted

anyone but You.

Once I realized that in reality

the Path cannot be traveled

Except on Your feet,

I lost both my head and feet.

With every breath I take

I am conscious of You;

I gave up heart and soul

for contentment from You.

If, like Nurbakhsh, you have pledged

yourself wholeheartedly to God;

The creation then will be ready

to pledge itself to you.

– from the Divan of Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh

Ya Haqq!