The Flight Within: The Quintessence of Reflection and Recollection in the Teachings of Hazrat Deewan Syed Abu Sayeed Jafar Mohammed Quadri

Abstract

The essence and strength of Sufism lies in the renaissance of the human soul. The mystical experience of a Sufi ennobles his mind and elevates his spirit to an extent where he reaches an intimate and comprehensive understanding of the Truth and the Universe. This study explores the attainment of that understanding through contemplation and remembrance, or more precisely, reflection (tafakkur) and recollection (tadhakkur), the two intrinsic practices of the Sufis for their spiritual ascension. These two complex phenomena that set the internal transcendental experience of a Sufi in motion are examined in this paper with particular reference through the works and teachings of Hazrat Deewan Syed Abu Sayeed Jafar Mohammed Quadri, a renowned saint of the Qadria-Qalandaria Silsila, an alim and Sufi and Sajjada Nashin of the Silsila at his Dargah at Barh (Bihar) during the seventeenth century. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate some of the conceptual and existential characteristics of tafakkur and tadakkur and to expound and explain their correlation with regard to the inclusive Sufi way of life as explained by the Hazrat Deewan, and examine how they lead to kamaal or perfection. It is a qualitative paper with a thorough literature review where the qualitative data is collected and analyzed, and a discussion is generated with facts to support the conclusions.