Books published by Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Advancement (Isca)

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, mentioned that for every sickness God made a remedy. When you go into seclusion under strong spiritual discipline, every type of illness will come before you saying, "I am this sickness and the remedy for me is this." According to the level of the one performing seclusion, prescriptions will be coming from heavenly sources for many difficult medical situations. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani is carrying such knowledge of Prophetic Medicine, Tibb an-Nabawi, that he has inherited by means of his spiritual connection with the Prophet, peace be upon him, through his chain of saints from whom he took authorization (ijazah). Many have witnessed the countless patients cured through the remedies prescribed by Shaykh Nazim. These cures are derived from Prophetic Medicine that so many people use today under a variety of names: "alternative medicine", "Yunani medicine", "traditional medicine" and "natural medicine." This book is the summary of that medicinal knowledge in succinct form. It is sufficient to follow it with sincere belief to acheive the cures it contains.

This book presents in detail, in both English, Arabic and transliteration, the daily, weekly and date-specific devotional rites of Naqshbandi practitioners, as prescribed by the late world leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani. These practices have enabled devout seekers to awaken certainty of belief.

The Sufi master Abu 'l-Hasan al-Kharqani asserted that the human state contains seventeen chief ruinous traits, each of which resembles a great tree, with main branches, smaller branches, twigs and leaves, all laden with various kinds of negativity. At the same time, human beings were granted six tremendous powers from the Divine: the power of attraction; the power of manifesting God's blessings; the power of intercession for those who oppress themselves; the power of directing the heart of seekers; the power of guidance; and the power to move in time and space. The path from submersion in the negative traits to the unveiling of these six powers is known as the Migration to Perfected Character. Consisting of ten steps, it leads one from the ruinous aspects of the arrogant self, to achieve the state of satisfaction with the Divine decree and to achieve gnostic knowledge on the way to complete realization. Through a ten step program Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, a master of the Naqshbandi Sufi Path, describes the science of eliminating the seventeen ruinous characteristics of the tyrannical ego, to achieve purification of the soul. The sincere seeker who follows these steps, with devotion and discipline, will acheive an unveiling of the six powers which lie dormant within every human heart.

A Spiritual Commentary The subject of the present commentary is on Suratu 'l-Ikhlas or the Chapter of Single-Hearted Sincerity. The word ikhlas carries the meaning "to purify" or "to refine" from all impurities. The very concept of refining and purifying signifies the removing all impurities, leaving nothing but the very essence of that which was sought, which, in this case, is Allah. Thus, whoever knows Allah and affirms His Oneness reaches the level of purity or sincerity of heart. "Purity of heart," it has been said "is to will one thing wholly" and the one who achieves that level is described in Arabic with the adjective, "mukhlis," that is, sincere. The virtue of single-hearted devotion to Allah goes to the heart of the religion of Islam. So it is not surprising that tradition holds that reading this chapter three times equals a reading of the entire Qur'an, for the Qur'an in its essence is a totally uncompromising proclamation of Divine Unity.About the Author World-renowned author and religious scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani has devoted his life to the promotion of the Sufi teachings of love, peace, acceptance and compassion and has a long background of opposing extremism in every form. Shaykh Kabbani is founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order of America and chairman of the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Understanding. Shaykh Kabbani received a degree in chemistry and went on to complete his medical studies. He also holds a degree in Islamic Divine Law, and received license to teach, guide and counsel students in the Sufi path from Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi, late world leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order. His published works include: Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Order (2004); Keys to the Divine Kingdom (2004); The Approach of Armageddon : An Islamic Perspective (2003); Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine (7 vols. 1998); Encyclopedia of Muhammad's Women Companions and the Traditions They Related (1998, with Dr. L. Bakhtiar); Angels Unveiled (1996); The Naqshbandi Sufi Way (1995) and Remembrance of God: Liturgy of the Sufi Naqshbandi Masters (1994).