The Second Circle is surrounded by the Third Circle. This is as brilliant as the sun and very grand. The effect produced from the emotions and feelings of Divine love from this (Circle), is akin to the effect the rays of the sun have on the earth‟s flora: Love of Allah pours forth from every pore of the body. What is love, what is it? How deep is its imprint? When to your will, I render, And become pliant to surrender. Every cell of the body pours out this emotion, drowning the person from head to toe in obedience. A quote of Hazrat Zun Noon-rua from the Hulyat-ul Aulia, when he was asked about the sign of a person who loved Allah-swt , replied: „He loves that which Allah-swt loves, dislikes that which Allah-swt dislikes, is not affected by anyone‟s praise, nor moved by anyone‟s propaganda. This person loves Allah-swt .‟ Hazrat Bassar Bin Assri-rua is quoted in the same book as: „The Love of Allah-swt is demonstrated by the love of His obedience and by loving the Zikr of Allah-swt .‟ Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi-rua writes without quoting a reference this time, as it was his wont to always quote a reference, „I do not remember who I heard it from: Qais was a contemporary and friend of Hazrat Hassan-rau. He fell in love with Laila. When Hazrat Hassan-rau delivered the reins of power to Hazrat Ameer Mu„awiyah-rau , and thus the Muslim Ummah was saved from discord, the Muslim conquests commenced once again and the Message of Allah-swt began spreading throughout the world, and he-rau set out for Makkah Mukarramah, Qais was one of his travelling companions. On the way, while conversing, Hazrat Hassan-rau said, „Qais, by relinquishing my government I have saved the Ummah from discord and dissension‟. Qais replied, „That right does not belong to you in the first place, nor does it suit Hazrat Ameer Mu„awiyah-rau .‟ Surprised by this statement Hazrat Hassan-rau asked, „In your opinion whom should the Power have been handed over to?‟ He replied, „To Laila! It suits her only‟. To this Hazrat Hassan-rau exclaimed, „You are Majnoon!‟ meaning „you are mad‟. Since then, Majnoon became his name. Now see; when a person loves someone, he sees only his beloved everywhere; but if someone were blessed with the love for Allah-swt, then what would be his condition! These are extraordinary people, significantly distinct! If Allah-swt grants access and attachment to such people, it causes to reform both the worlds (lives) of a person. It is a great favour of Allah-swt that one finds an accomplished Shaikh(Spiritual Teacher), and Allah Kareem grants purity in one‟s relationship with him, only then can one discern these realities. The Tasbeeh of this Circle is the same, (the seeker) should say once: „Asal, Asal, Asal, Da‟irah Asma-e Sifaat mei say oopar Nafs meiray kay‟, and then keep reciting the Ayah: „Yuhibbo hum wa Yuhibboona-hoo (Al Ma‟idah: 54). This should be rendered both in the heart and by the Rooh(Soul), and then see and savour Divine Favour: how strong his Faith grows and how easy it becomes for him to follow the Holy Prophet-saws. If one possesses Kashf and Mushahidah, it‟s a great blessing indeed; but in any case, it can be certainly felt through Wajdan (intuition). Even if one has neither, the real test is the increase in strength of Iman and the ability to act righteously. As this emotion of love gains strength, the desire for Divine Nearness takes hold, and as this desire strengthens, one‟s deeds and conduct start adhering to the Sunnah, and the depth and profundity of the heart‟s sincerity keeps increasing. The fact is that, there is no limit to Sulook as it is the attainment of Divine Nearness. This earthly life has no significance at all, even in Barzakh and also in the Hereafter which is a life eternal, the dwellers of Jannah(Paradise) will keep progressing, and there will never be an end to this progress. Yes, man can know about the Maraqbaa(Meditations)t up to a certain extent. It is possible that the Gracious Rabb has placed a limit on (acquiring) their knowledge in this world. Even then, their distances are much beyond human computation and their locations are far beyond the bounds of human knowledge. The fundamental strength to access them is derived from initial Maraqbaat(Meditations). Therefore, they require full attention and a lot of effort. The moments (of Zikr) spent in the Shaikh‟s(Spiritual Teacher) company are extremely precious indeed; and if Zikr(Remembrance) is performed along with other Ahbab, that too would be for a limited period only; therefore, in addition to these, substantial time should be devoted on one‟s own, so that these (Maraqbaat)(Meditations) take strong root and bear fruit, which as already mentioned, is that one should crave for following the Sunnah, and the attachment to the Sunnah should become even stronger than his life‟s attachment to food and water.

Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan (RH)