Spiritual Bounding (Rabıta) and Personal Dhikr...

Joining the Naqshi Order, Daily Practices,

1. Repentance Ablution. Upon joining the Naqsh tariqa by holding the hand of the Sheik, a full ablution with the pure purpose of repentance should be performed on the first night (In case of an excuse, within three days of joining the tariqa). This repentance ablution should be performed solely with the intention of clearing of all the previous sins which have covered all our body like a black stain or mud. We should imagine that as we are performing this repentance ablution, the black mud-like stain on our body is being washed off, and our body is becoming as clean as the day we were born.

2. Repentance Salaat. By saying “I intend to perform repentance salaat” we should perform this salaat just like performing the two rakaat sunnah of Fajr or Maghrib salaat. We should prefer to recite the surahs we accurately know.

3. Gifting of Al Fatiha (Opening Surah). After the repentance salaat, we should face Kıblah with our eyes shut and chant “Astagfirullah (I ask forgiveness from Allah)” 25 times by saying the last part of it a bit longer. After we recite Al Fatiha surah 5 times by chanting Aezu Basmala (Aezu billahi minesh shaytan nirraciym bismi-llāhi r-ramāni r-rahīm) before the first one and only Basmala (bismi-llāhi r-ragmāni r-rahīm) before each one of the last four Fatihas, we shall say “ Rabbi (My Lord) please accept these Fatihas from me. I am gifting these Fatihas as My Sheik Avni Master gifts them. Amen”

4. Spiritual Bonding (Rabıta)
Again having performed ablution and after gifting of Fatihas, we shall perform an imaginary spiritual bonding (rabita) for about five minutes.

We shall imagine that Our Sheik Master Avni is seated in a golden armchair and he is discoursing. The sacred light emitting from his face as bright as the Moon is covering me just like a tent. I am taking in this light with every breath of I take. With every breath I give out, a black darkness is coming out of inside of me. I put my self in front of my sheik in the form of black scabby dog. He is taming my self hitting with a whip. With my right hand I am offering my heart placed on a golden tray to My Sheik and the light pouring out from between his eyebrows is cleansing and purifying my heart. And I am watching his glorious face in admiration.          

After this, we shall go to bed doing nothing else. On this very first day we shall not perform our daily practice. As seen, the above four practices are performed only once upon joining our Tariqa, not repeated again.

How to Perform the Everyday Practice

Starting from the day after the day of repentance salaat, within the 24 hours from midnight to midnight we shall sit facing Kiblah when we feel eager and suitable with ablution preferably when it is quiet. After shutting our eyes we shall start with an Aezu Basmala (Aezu billahi minesh shaytan nirraciym bismi-llāhi r-rahmāni r-rahīm) and then we shall chant Astagfirullah (I ask forgiveness from Allah)” 25 times by saying the last part of it a bit longer. Afterwards, we recite Al Fatiha surah 5 times by uttering Aezu Basmala (Aezu billahi minesh shaytan nirraciym bismi-llāhi r-rahmāni r-rahīm) before the first one and only Basmala (bismi-llāhi r-rahmāni r-rahīm)  before each one of the last four Fatihas, then we shall gift Fatihas just as we did before until we learn to how to gift each Fatiha  separately. Gifting each Fatiha separately is better.  After this, for no less than 3 minutes or no more than 5 minutes we shall perform imaginary spiritual bonding (rabita) as explained above. And then, sitting as if in a salaat or sitting in a cross-legged situation, whichever feels easier or more peaceful, we shall bow our  head  a little rightward or leftward. With our left hand on our left leg and  our right hand on our right breast about 4cms below the nipple holding our rosary between the index finger and the middle finger we shall skip two or three beads   each time we are reciting “Allah” silently in our heart by keeping our tongue stuck to our gum. When we complete a full round of the rosary we shall chant İlâhi ente maksûdi ve rızâke matlûbî (My lord you are my wish and I seek your approval). Until we have memorized  ilâhi ente maksûdi ve rizâke matlûbî we may say “My lord you are my wish and I seek your approval” We may not count the exact number of the beads using our left hand fingers or we may not recite “Allah” more than the ordered total number without the approval of our sheik. The newly-joined may start with a total number of one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand or five thousand  on their own. We may not perform our daily practice even counting a single bead more. However,  a murid may not make the daily total number of beads less than the highest daily total number of beads performed previously. One may perform his daily practice only with the approval and order of the Sheik. Once we have started performing our daily practice we may leave off in case of an urgency or necessity, and we may continue with the daily practice from where we have left off and complete it, off course provided that we keep our ablution. There is no makeup for the daily practice once skipped due to an excuse. One who hasn’t been able to perform the daily practice should feel sorry for that by thinking “oh no I couldn’t perform my daily practice.” For those who skip their daily practices without an excuse, it has been said that “who has been angry is sure to cut off the share of those ones” 

Gifting of Fatihas Shall be Performed as Follows:

Having recited the first Fatiha surah with an Aezu Basmala (Aezu billahi minesh shaytan nirraciym bismi-llāhi r-rahmāni r-rahīm) at the beginning, we shall gift it like this “ I gift this Fatiha to the Ravzai Mutahhara (Pure     Holy Garden) of Our Prophet, Allah’s messenger, and to the holy spirits of our masters Shah Naqshiband and Abldulkadir Gaylani”   

The second Fatiha surah shall be recited only with a Basmala (bismi-llāhi r-rahmāni r-rahīm) . After that we shall do its gifting like this  “ I gift this Fatiha to the holy spirits of Our Seyyid Emir Kulal, Hâce Abdulhâlık-il Gecduvâni and Imam-i Rabbani”.   

The third Fatiha surah shall be recited only with a Basmala (bismi-llāhi r-rahmāni r-rahīm). After that we shall do its gifting like this  “ I gift this Fatiha to the holy spirits of Our Masters Mevlânâ Hâlid, Seyyid Abdullah and Seyyid Tâhâ”.   

The fourth Fatiha surah shall be recited only with a Basmala (bismi-llāhi r-rahmāni r-rahīm). After that, we shall do its gifting like this  “ I gift this Fatiha to the holy spirits of Our Masters Seyyid Sıbgatullah-i Arvasi, Shâh-ı A'zam Abdurrahman-ı Tâgî and  Sheik Muhammed Sami”.    

The fifth and the last Fatiha surah shall be recited only with a Basmala (bismi-llāhi r-rahmāni r-rahīm). After that, we shall do its gifting like this  “ I gift this Fatiha to the holy spirits of Our Masters Sheik Muhammed Beshir, Dede Pasha and Abdurrahim Reyhan”.   

This is the best way of gifting Fatihas. However, you may do the collective gifting after reciting all Fatihas one after another by saying “ I gift these Fatihas the same was  Our Sheik  Master Avni does.” before until you have learned how to do the individual gifting described here. This can be regarded as an excuse.

Salaats Ordered to be Performed:

1. Salaat Of Avvabin : After performing the two sunnah rakaat  of Salat of Magrıbh A total of four rakaat of Avvabin Salaat should be performed in two sessions of two rakaat salaat. It should be performed just like the SUnnah salaat of Magribh except for declaring “ I intend to perform salaat of Avvabin”.

2. Salaat Of Tahajjud (Night Salaat):  After the salaat of Isha  being performed, Salaat of  Tahajjud  may be performed  before the first light of the day(Imsak)  appears.  It should be performed in  the form of two sessions of two rakaat    salaat.  We should start the salaat by declaring “ I intend to perform Salaat of  Tahajjud” . In the first two-rakaat session, we recite  the Ihlas Surah   five times after the Fatiha  for each rakat of the salaat. In the second  two-session salaat of Tahajjud, we recite the Ihlas Surah seven times after the Fatiha in the first rakat of the salaat. And then in the second rakat of the salaat we recite the Ihlas Surah 5 times. And thus we finish our salaat of Tahajjud. 


Advice: Beside all this, generally recommended is the practice of the rabita and countless and silent zikr of the name of Allah within the heart. Those who are willing to pursue a line of additional deeds should expect to receive permission from those authorized. Practice of any sort of vird on one’s own is prohibited. It is highly recommended that those practicing optional vird should do it in private. Those who fast for optional reasons such as Muharram and ashura or six-day fast within the month of Shawwal are advised that they practice such deeds in private, without exposing it to others.