Question:
Salam to all Naqshbandi brothers and sisters !
Salam Sheikh Hisham !
I have three questions regarding tariqat.
1-Is a follower free to choose between wahdat ul wajud or wahdat ash shahuud?
2-I was reading a post here in which a Naqshbandi brother mentioned that he is able to now control the animals. Is this a stage in tariqat? If yes, then how this stage and stages above this are achieved?
Waiting for your reply.
Shukran ya Syyedi, forgive me and please pray for the goodness of faith for me.
Answer:
wa `alaykum salam,
In both respects to your two questions the one goal is followership of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim strictly, with love and humbleness. He scoffs at the notion of wahdat al-wujud because Allah Most High is transcendent beyond such a notion. As for shuhud it is much closer to what our masters always talk about. Regarding the second question it is not a stage in Tariqah; the point is to control one’s own animal nafs, not cats, dogs, or oxen.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
