SAYINGS OF HAZRAT SYEDNA PIR MEHER ALI SHAH SAHIB (R.A)

The whole life of Hazrat-e-Ala Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib (R.A) was a model for the whole Ummah. All his life, he cleansed the hearts of the people who were in search of the righteous path of Allah, purifying them from all the worldly things and enlightened their hearts with the love of Allah and the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H). One can find the code of life and its pattern in Hazrat's sayings. Following are some of the sayings which are mostly extracted from the “Malfuzaat-e-Mehria” (sayings of Hazrat), Maktubat (letters) of Hazrat Meher Ali Shah Sahib (R.A).        Every breath of life is a priceless treasure; it should be devoted to the remembrance of the Lord (Allah Almighty), and to the seeking of His pleasure.       True faith can be sustained through the love of Allah.       The true Abd, (i.e., slave) of Allah derives infinitely more happiness and satisfaction from spreading his hands before Him in prayer than from achieving his own worldly objectives.       The love of Allah and His Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) is infinitely superior to the love of mortal human beings and of other worldly things.       Observance of the Holy Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) Shariah and of his personal example (Sunnah) has precedence over everything else.       There is no conflict whatsoever between the "Shariah" and the "Tariqah". While the formal constitutes the injunctions of Allah and His Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), the latter consists in acting meticulously upon those injunctions.       Spiritual elevation does not give any one a license to ignore the shariah. Indeed, the higher a person goes on the spiritual scale, the greater should be his observance of the Prophet’s shariah (P.B.U.H).       One should carry on one’s legitimate business in life, and should at the same time consider Allah to be Omnipresent and All-Seeing.       The (true) dervish considers every one else better than him self; he tries to rectify his own faults instead of finding faults with others.       A dervish is one who opposes whatever his baser self (Nafs-e-Ammara) impels him to do.       Being a dervish is a state of mind, and does not necessarily depend on the type of dress that one wears, or the food that one eats, so long as these are acquired through lawful means. Ideally, of course, it is preferable to follow the example of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) who prided in simplicity and frugality.       One should answer humility with humility, but need not be humble before the proud and the conceited.       Seeking the favour or pleasure of persons in high office may be alright for the common man; it is undesirable for those who aspire to be dervish or Sufi.        A Salik (traverser of the path) should have nothing to do with the good or the bad of the world; he should devote his entire attention to his Lord at all times.       The life and the death of Awlia-Allah (friend of Allah) are devoted solely to seeing the Lord’s pleasure, and must not be compared to or equated with the life and death of the common people.       Prayers and recitations should be performed primarily with the object of earning Lord’s pleasure, this can lead, as a by-product, to worldly gain also which lies in the hands of the Lord. It is inconceivable that man should devote himself wholly to the remembrance of his Creator and that the latter should not fulfill his ambition and needs.       One should endeavour to do good deeds; Allah’s forgiveness, however, depends on His Mercy and Grace and not necessarily in one’s good deeds.       Man’s greatness and nobility lie in his character, and especially in practicing humility and self-effacement, and not merely his lineage.       Pride and conceit destroys all good deeds.       Mutual love and sincerity are among the finest quality of the Islamic Ummah. In fact it was Islam which first stressed these qualities for observance by its followers. Unfortunately, however, these are largely missing from today’s Muslim world due to its indifference to Islamic teachings and values.       Allah likes moderation and temperance in everything, and this constitutes the Straight Path that He has ordered us to follow. Exaggerations and misdirected excess, even in religious matters, lead to error and are liable to incur the wrath of Allah.       Avoid extremes in religious as well as worldly matters, for peace and salvation lie only in following the middle path.       As far as possible, one should endure the unkindness of others with patience, and leave revenge and retribution to Allah.       Faith in God’s Mercy, benevolence and omnipotence in the fulfillment of human objectives must be backed up by the utmost human endeavors.       Trust in God does not consist in discarding human endeavour altogether. The best course is to put in one’s best effort and leave the results to God.       As indicated in the Quran (XCIV, 5-6), “hardship goes side by side with ease” (in this worldly life). One should, therefore, not lose heart in time of adversity, but should instead have full faith in the Mercy of Allah and be thankful to Him in all circumstances.       Ibadat (or devotion) consists of submission without argument, acceptance without dissent, patience without complaint, faith without uncertainty, perception without concealment, and attention without diversion.       All Sufi schools have the same ultimate objective, namely the attainment of spiritual elevation and union with Allah; no school should, therefore claim superiority over the others.       Denunciation of Muslims as “kafir” (infidel) on petty sectarian grounds or on the basis of doubt or supposition only, is highly loathsome, and must be avoided at all costs. This alone can ensure the unity of the Ummah and thereby help it regain its lost glory.       “Wahdat-ul-Shahud” is the beginning of the “Suluk” (i.e., spiritual journey) and “Wahdat-ul-Wajood” its ultimate and perfected state.                  While reason and intellect do facilitate the formal study of religious and spiritual sciences, access to the deeper meanings of these sciences is possible only through the Grace of Allah with the help of an accomplished guide and teacher (a Pir).       Power and authority are sure touchstones to a person’s real character and nature. The mean person in power indulges in cruelty, oppression and injustice, while the noble one in a similar position exercises kindness, generosity and justice.       Sama is not an end in itself for men of God. At the same time, its importance should not be denied, since many eminent religious and spiritual personalities are known to have listened to sama as a spiritual vehicle.       The Murid should obey the commands of his Shaikh (spiritual guide) in every thing and particularly in the regular performance of religious rituals and the wazaifs (recitations) enjoined by the Shaikh, in order to derive maximum spiritual benefit, those who are not content with the guidance provided by their own Shaikh-e-Kamil and keep seeking it from others, ultimately waste their efforts (just as a rolling stone gathers no moss).