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The Eleven Naqshbandi principles or the "rules or secrets of the Naqshbandi", known in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
as the ''kalimat-i qudsiya'' ("sacred words" or "virtuous words"),
are a system of principles and guidelines used as
spiritual exercises
The ''Spiritual Exercises'' ( la, Exercitia spiritualia), composed 1522–1524, are a set of Christian meditations, contemplations, and prayers written by Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish priest, theologian, and founder of the Soci ...
,
or to encourage certain preferred states of being, in the
Naqshbandi Sufi order of
Islamic mysticism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
.
Background
There were originally eight principles formulated by the
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
n Sufi teacher
Abdul Khaliq Gajadwani
Abdul Khaliq Ghijduvani (died 1179) was one of a group of Central Asian Sufi teachers known simply as Khwajagan (the Masters) of the Naqshbandi order.
Abdul Khaliq was born in the small town of Ghijduvan, near Bukhara. His father had migrated t ...
(died 1179), the last three of the eleven being added later by
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari
Baha' al-Din Naqshband ( fa, بهاءالدین محمد نقشبند; 1318–1389) was the eponymous founder of what would become one of the largest Sufi Sunni orders, the Naqshbandi.
Background
Baha al-Din was born in March 1318 in the v ...
(1318–1389), founder of the Naqshbandi Order.
[ Editor: Hayter, Augy.] Both were
Khwajagan
Khwājagān (shortened/singular forms: Khwaja, Khaja(h), Khawaja or khuwaja) is a Persian title for ''"the Masters"''. Khwajagan, as the plural for "Khwāja", is often used to refer to a network of Sufis in Central Asia from the 10th to the 16th ...
(Masters) of the Sufi
tariqah
A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking '' haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth".
...
(path, way or method).
These principles are designed to be borne in mind and used as
spiritual practice
A spiritual practice or spiritual discipline (often including spiritual exercises) is the regular or full-time performance of actions and activities undertaken for the purpose of inducing spiritual experiences and cultivating spiritual developme ...
s or exercises in the Naqshbandi system of spiritual development. They are carried out under individual tuition, expertly prescribed, monitored for changes, and carefully adjusted by a teacher, rather than being automatically performed.
The principles have been brought to the attention of contemporary Western audiences through the works of the writers
Idries Shah
Idries Shah (; hi, इदरीस शाह, ps, ادريس شاه, ur, ; 16 June 1924 – 23 November 1996), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el- Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي) and by the pen name Ark ...
,
John G. Bennett
John Godolphin Bennett (8 June 1897 – 13 December 1974) was a British academic and author.
He is best known for his books on psychology and spirituality, particularly on the teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff. Bennett met Gurdjieff in Istanbul in ...
,
Omar Ali-Shah
Omar Ali-Shah ( hi, ओमर अली शाह, ur, عمر علی شاہ, nq; 19227 September 2005) was a prominent exponent of modern Naqshbandi Sufism. He wrote a number of books on the subject, and was head of a large number of Sufi groups ...
and
J. Spencer Trimingham.
The exercises were an important aspect of Omar Ali-Shah's work with groups in the modern Naqshbandi tradition in the West. For instance, one of Ali-Shah's books of edited transcripts, ''The Rules or Secrets of the Naqshbandi Order'', was devoted to this subject.
The Eleven principles
The Eleven principles are as follows,
[ First published by Octagon Press in 1956.][ Editor: Hayter, Augy.][ 2nd revised edition. First published 1971.] shown in the order used by Idries Shah in ''A Perfumed Scorpion'',
which differs slightly (in items 5 to 8)
[
In ''A Perfumed Scorpion'', Idries Shah gives the order of the first eight principles as shown in this article, and the first eight accord with those given at naqshbandi.org, whereas Omar Ali-Shah gives the order as:]
1. Hush dar dam - awareness of breathing
2. Nazar ba kadam - watching over the steps
3. Safar dar watan - travelling in the Homeland
4. Khilwat dar anjuman - retirement in company
5. Neegar dashtan - watchfulness, use of special faculties
6. Yad dashtan - keeping of the memory, sensing of the being and the body
7. Yad kardan - remembering, recollecting exercises
8. Baaz gasht - restraint
All are agreed about the order of the last three principles:
9. Ukufi zamani - time-halt
10. Ukufi adadi - number-halt
11. Ukufi qalbi - heart-halt or visualisation. from the order presented by Omar Ali-Shah:
1. Hush dar dam (or hosh dar dam) — ''awareness of breathing''
:Being aware or conscious of one's breathing. Breathing deeply in a natural rhythm without being preoccupied by breathing. Inhaling and exhaling whilst in remembrance of God.
2. Nazar ba kadam (or nazar bar qadam) — ''watching over the steps''
:Watching over one's steps, ie being aware of one's intention. Paying attention and not being distracted from one's goal, maintaining awareness and being open to opportunities, so that one does the right thing at the right time.
3. Safar dar watan — ''travelling in the Homeland''
:Making an interior journey, ie inside oneself, observing oneself in a detached and not overly-critical manner, learning from one's errors and travelling from blameworthy to praiseworthy qualities.
4. Khilwat dar anjuman (or khalwat dar anjuman) — ''retirement in company''
:Developing the ability to detach from and distance oneself from external noise, disturbance and confusion when in company, and remain tranquil, perhaps with the aid of a
zikr
''Dhikr'' ( ar, ذِكْر}, , also spelled ''Zikr'', ''Thikr'', ''Zekr'', or ''Zikar'', literally meaning "remembrance, reminder" or "mention") is a form of Islamic meditation in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly chanted in order to remem ...
, an exercise in remembrance of God. Also being able to re-attach one's attention to the outward when necessary. Though outwardly the Sufi is in the world, inwardly he or she is with God.
5. Yad kardan (or yad kard) — ''remembering, recollecting exercises''
:Remembering experiences one has had and that one is a part of the Tradition from which one may draw positive energy and derive strength. Using inner or vocalized zikr, remembrance or "making mention" of the Divine names, to remain attentive and alert, and so that the heart becomes aware of the presence of Truth (Al
Haqq
Haqq ( ar, ''ḥaqq'') is the Arabic word for truth. In Islamic contexts, it is also interpreted as right and reality. Al-Haqq, 'the truth, is one of the names of God in the Qur'an. It is often used to refer to God as the Ultimate Reality in Is ...
).
6. Baaz gasht (or baz gasht) — ''restraint''
:Being self-disciplined, for example cultivating the quality of patience, keeping one's thoughts from straying when repeating the
Shahada
The ''Shahada'' ( Arabic: ٱلشَّهَادَةُ , "the testimony"), also transliterated as ''Shahadah'', is an Islamic oath and creed, and one of the Five Pillars of Islam and part of the Adhan. It reads: "I bear witness that there i ...
(the declaration of the Oneness of God and the acceptance of
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
as his prophet), being repentant and returning to righteousness.
7. Neegar dashtan (or nigah dasht) — ''watchfulness, use of special faculties''
:Concentrating on the presence of God. Being alert, watchful for and open to subtle perceptions, positive energy, positive opportunity and positive impacts. Being watchful over passing thoughts.
8. Yad dashtan (or yad dasht) — ''keeping of the memory, sensing of the being and the body''
:Sensing one's being and one's body, recalling positive memories and positive experiences.
9. Ukufi zamani (or wuquf-e zamani) — ''time-halt'' (or ''pause'')
:Suspending intellect, judgement, preconceptions and conditioned thought. Reprising one's thoughts and actions. Accounting for how one's time is spent, being thankful for acts of righteousness and asking forgiveness for wrongdoing.
10. Ukufi adadi (or wuquf-e adadi) — ''number-halt'' (or ''pause'')
:Carrying out exercises involving numbers, such as the awareness of the number of repetitions when carrying out one's silent heart zikr exercise, and also certain forms of counting using the Abjad
[A system whereby the letters of significant words are assigned numerical equivalents. The numbers are then added together to form a number believed to be equivalent of and representative of the concept behind the word. See mentions throughout Shah, Idries (1999). '']The Sufis
''The Sufis'' is one of the best known books on Sufism by the writer Idries Shah. First published in 1964 with an introduction by Robert Graves, it introduced Sufi ideas to the West in a format acceptable to non-specialists at a time when the ...
''. Octagon Press. . First published 1964. system.
11. Ukufi qalbi (or wuquf-e qalbi) — ''heart-halt'' (or ''pause'') ''or visualisation''
:Visualising one's heart (
Qalb
In Islamic philosophy, the qalb ( ar, قلب), or heart, is the origin of intentional activities, the cause behind all humans' intuitive deeds. While the brain handles the physical impressions, ''qalb'' (the heart) is responsible for deep unders ...
), perhaps with the name of God inscribed on it, and identifying with Truth or with God.
See also
*
Abdul Khaliq Gajadwani
Abdul Khaliq Ghijduvani (died 1179) was one of a group of Central Asian Sufi teachers known simply as Khwajagan (the Masters) of the Naqshbandi order.
Abdul Khaliq was born in the small town of Ghijduvan, near Bukhara. His father had migrated t ...
*
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari
Baha' al-Din Naqshband ( fa, بهاءالدین محمد نقشبند; 1318–1389) was the eponymous founder of what would become one of the largest Sufi Sunni orders, the Naqshbandi.
Background
Baha al-Din was born in March 1318 in the v ...
*
Spiritual practice
A spiritual practice or spiritual discipline (often including spiritual exercises) is the regular or full-time performance of actions and activities undertaken for the purpose of inducing spiritual experiences and cultivating spiritual developme ...
Notes
References
* Editor: Hayter, Augy.
*
*
* First published by Octagon Press in 1956.
* 2nd revised edition. First published 1971.
Further reading
General background
* First published 1964.
External links
''11 Principle of the Naqshbandi Sufi Way'' at NurMuhammad.com*
ttp://www.uga.edu/islam/11Naqsprin.html ''Eleven Principles Of The Naqshbandi Sufi Order'' at University of Georgia''Eleven Secrets or Guidelines for Spiritual Development'' at Instituto Alef(the first eight principles)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eleven Naqshbandi Principles
Naqshbandi order
Spiritual practice
Sufi psychology
Sufism