A narrative from the oceans of the Gnostic

Absolute Contentment/Submission/inner Satisfaction to the decree of Allah
On the 2 year death remembrance of Marhum Ayatullah Muhammad Taqi Bahjat - died Sunday 17 May 2009


Hujjatul-Islam wal Muslimin Quddas, one of the students of Sheikh Bahjat, says, “One day I went to the house of Sheikh Bahjat a few minutes before the start of the class becaue often the sheikh used to attend the class room when some of his students come (even if it is one single student), and he would narrate a story or a tradition or a moral lesson till all the students attend.
For this reason, I went to the house of the sheikh early, hoping to hear those pursuits. Luckily, when the sheikh heard my voice as I said, ‘Ya Allah!’ as I entered, he came to the room early and said this to me after the greeting and the salutation, 


‘In the city of Najaf, a handsome Iranian youth was with us from the people of Hamadan, and he was famous for being neat and physically well formed. One day, this youth became paralyzed to the extent he could not walk except after leaning on a cane. I tried not to meet him because I used to think he would feel embarrassed due to his particular condition; therefore, I used to avoid meeting him so I would not add one more grief to his grieves.
One day, I got out of the alley and saw him standing in the street, so I had no choice except to meet him. Without contemplating, I asked him, ‘How do you feel? (but I was upset with having said so and kept saying this to myself: ‘What empty talk is this?! Do you not see in what condition he is?!). 
But contrary to my expectation, when he opened his mouth to answer my question, his speech was like cool water with which he put out what I had felt inside. He kept praising and thanking Allah with a spirit filled with activity and pleasure as if he was drowned in blessings of Allah, the Praised and the most exalted One. I felt relieved and my grief departed from me.’”
 Uswat Al-Aarifeen; Chapter 10

The Clemency of the Ali (a), For the tear for Husayn (a)

One day Sheikh Bahjat talked about the generosity and open-handedness of the Imams (a.s) saying, 

'In Iraq, there is a small town near the place where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet called al-Musayyab. A Shiite man used to pass by this town from time to time whenever he went to perform the ziyara of the Commander of the Faithful (a), and a Sunni man, too, was residing in this same town. 

The latter quite often used to make fun of the Shiite man whenever he saw him going to visit the shrine of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s), so much so that he dared once to speak ill of the holy Imam (a.s), so the Shiite man was very angry and he complained about this matter to the Commander of the Faithful (a.s) during one of his visits. During that night, he saw the Imam (a.s) in a vision and once more complained to him about this matter. 

The Imam (a.s) said, 'He [the Sunni man] has done us a favor, and we cannot punish him in the life of this world no matter what sins he commits.' The Shiite man asked, 'What favor is it? Did he do you a favor when he dared to speak ill of you?' The Imam (a.s) said, 'No, but he was sitting one day at the meeting place of both rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, and he was looking at the Euphrates. He remembered the Kerbala story and the thirst of Imam al-Husain (a.s), so he said this to himself: 'Omer ibn Sa'd was wrong when he killed those men as they were thirsty, and it was better for him to give them water then kill them.' A tear trickled down his eyes out of grief for Abu Abdullah (a.s); therefore, it became mandatory on us never to punish him in this life.' 

The Shiite man says, I woke up from my sleep and returned to al-Musayyab and met the Sunni man on the road who said this to me in ridicule: 'Did you visit your Imam, and did you convey our message to him?!' I said, 'Yes, I conveyed your message to him, and I carry his message to you.' The man laughed and said. 'What is this message which you carry to me?' I narrated to him the incident from beginning to end. The Sunni man lowered his head to the ground and kept thinking: 'O Lord! Nobody at that moment was near me, and I did not talk about this incident to anyone; so, how did the Imam (a.s) become familiar with it?' Then he said, 'I testify that there is no god save Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and that Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, is a friend of Allah and the wasi of the Messenger of Allah.'


Sayyid Quddas says, Uswat al-Arifin

Six Practical Remedies from Marhum Ayatullah Behjat

Khosroe-Shahi narrates “Ayatullah Behjat used to stress avoiding moral sins and say, ‘Prolonging the prostration is one of the acts of adoration which break the back of Satan. If one prolongs his prostration, he has to stand before a mirror and notice the place of prostration marked on his forehead, whether the prostration left a mark on his forehead or not. If there is a mark, he must rub it till he wipes it out so that he may not be characterized by pretension.’”

Ayatollah Bahjat also described the role of knowing the Truthful One as a very important and essential role in removing moral sins. He says, “All moral sins originate from weakness in knowing Allah, Praise and Exaltation are His. If one realizes that Allah, the most Praised and Exalted One, is always and in any condition more beautiful than everything beautiful, he will never then abandon feeling comfortable with Him.”

The Shaykh was asked, “What should we do so we may distance ourselves from pretension?” He said, “You must greatly stick to believing in a perfect creed.”

When asked about a treatment for anger. The Shaykh responds, “You must perform abundant prayers with full conviction.”

The sheikh was once asked, “What is the cure for conceit?” He wrote the following in answer: “In His Name, the most Exalted One. Sticking greatly to perfect conviction is the treatment for conceit.”

Someone asked him about a treatment for unholy insinuations. He wrote this in answer: “Abundant testimony about the Unity of Allah is the cure for such insinuations.”

Tribute to Bahjat al-‘Aarifin:

He was known as Bahjat al-‘Aarifin (the splendor of the Gnostics) and profusely emanated the light of devotion, such that lovers throughout the world were fascinated by his noble spirit. He was well-known for his absorption in prayer, where the true munajat (mutual whispering) between the lover and the Beloved is clearly revealed. In most cases, the awe and veneration of the Infinite would apparently overcome him and he would weep from the depths of his heart in prayer.

Although the world came to know him after a long period of his life of splendor, this elevated spirit was known to enjoy great stations of spiritual perfection since his youth. He personified religion in both its exoteric as well as esoteric dimensions. Exoterically he revealed his brilliance as a faqih (referral authority in Divine laws), and esoterically he exhibited the splendor of an absorbed mystic in the alley of the beloved. One of the significant things which powerfully emanated from that great ‘aarif was his steadfastness on the path of the only Beloved. The Holy Qur’an says: “Indeed those who say our Lord is Allah, and then are steadfast, angels descend on them saying: Fear not, nor be grieved, and receive good news of the garden which you were promised…” (41:30)


Some of his spiritual teachings to those thirsty in pursuing the path of spiritual development are as follows [see: http://www.mtb.ir/]:
1- There is no litany [ dhikr - word of remembering God] more exalted then the litany of action; and there is no litany of action higher than abandoning sin in [one’s] beliefs and acts of devotion. And apparently, abandoning sin in the absolute sense without continual self-vigilance cannot take place.
2- Among the dictums of ‘Ali (‘A) is: “Know that every action of yours is according to your prayer (sala).” You must protect your five times daily prayer in the beginning of their times and with total inclination to Him (Almighty is He), and God-willing you will not lose felicity.
3- We must deal with [the holy] traditions and read them, for [the] cure is in them.
4- If a person realizes the purpose of creation, he would find it extremely sweet to [die as a martyr and] be restored back to life seventy times.
5- The prayer of night (salat al-layl) is the key to occasions of Divine succor (tawfiqaat)
6- It is these very supererogatory (mustahabb) acts that make the human being attain a great station.
7- The reason why we are left behind is our consumption of doubtful wealth; and doubtful wealth brings about doubts and ambiguity.
8- God knows when a human being send greetings to Muhammad and his progeny (i.e. recites salawat) one time and gifts that to the deceased soul, what kind of meaning, form and reality it has!

When a scholar of the caliber of Ayatullah Muhammad Taqi Bahjat (may Allah elevate his noble spirit) tears the curtains of this material world and releases the bird of his spirit from the cage of the corporeal body, the moths of love residing in this terrestrial realm suffer a loss which cannot be recuperated. Bahjat al-‘Arifeen not only served as a lamp for expounding the Shari’a (the Islamic laws), but also as a master for guiding towards the tariqa (the path) which leads to the haqiqa (the Ultimate Reality). The human being fundamentally has been brought in this transient world for this very purpose. The word shari’a which we commonly translate as the Islamic law literally signifies mawrid al-maa’ al-jaari (‘the entrance of flowing water’). When we say shari’at al-Furat, for example, we mean “the entrance of the flowing waters of Euphrates”. But Religion only serves as the shari‘a for those of us who would really like to “enter the flowing spiritual waters” and benefit from the same so that we may attain the haqiqa (Absolute Reality).
Although Bahjat al-‘Arifin is not among us, the brilliance of his splendor can still be felt. Rather, when does the splendor of such a lamp ever fade? Which lamp was lit by the teachings of Muhammad and His infallible progeny (peace be upon them), and did not turn immortal and eternal?

By Sh. Muhammad Khalfan

Ayatullah Behjat and 3 Spiritual Advices

Ayatullah Behjat on 'The Value of Contemplation and Thought' Agha Shahi remarks: “Ayatullah Behjat is constantly stressing the importance of controlling one’s tongue and maintaining silence.
He would say, “We must control our speech. We should spend 23 hours of the day in contemplation and thought, and only one hour in speech; in fact, often even that is too much.'

Being in a State of Constant Dhikr

Ayatullah Behjat often advises his students to inculcate the habit of being da’im al-dhikr, i.e. remaining in constant remembrance of Allah swt.
He has said, “Someone who is constantly in dhikr, will always perceive himself in the presence of Allah swt and will be continuously communicating with Him.”
For those who want to combat waswasa, (constant suspicion of the motives of others), he recommends highly to continually recite the “tahlil”, which is the dhikr, “La Ilaha Illallah”. Another great contemporary scholar, Ayt. Hasan Hasanzadeh Amuli has remarked that tahlil is al-dhikr-al-khafi (secret dhikr); i.e. it can be constantly repeated without anyone else being aware of what you are doing, because this dhikr can be pronounced without even moving the lips, unlike other dhikrs like “Subhanallah” or Alhamdulillah”!

Ayatullah Behjat on 'The Secret of Salaat'
Ayat Behjat has said:
“Namaz (Salaat) symbolizes the Ka’ba.
The Takbirarut’l Ihram stands for casting aside everything other than Allah swt and entering His haram (sanctuary).
The Qiyam represents a conversation between two friends.
The Ruku’ symbolizes the bowing of a slave in front of his master and
the Sajdah is the ultimate display of lowliness, humility and helplessness in front of the Master.
And when the slave returns from such a Namaz, the souvenir he brings back is the greeting of peace (salaam) from his Lord…”