Morals for the Heart

Nizam al-din Awliya: Morals for the Heart
Bruce B. Lawrence (trans. and ed.)
Paulist Press, 1992
404 pgs
ISBN 0-8091-3280-X

Whenever I am teaching a class on Islamic mysticism--or Sufism--a student will inevitably ask, "How does a Sufi practice Sufism?" After brief mumbles concerning prayer or whirling dervishes I normally resort to the convenient explanation that authentic Sufi orders are by definition mysteries. If their doctrines, methods and divine secrets were made explicit, the paths they extol would become fodder for objective analysis--precisely the trap that Sufis wish to avoid. I then very quickly move on to another subject. However, when confronted with the question in the future, I look forward to steering my students toward passages from Nizam ad-din Awliya's Morals for the Heart. Shaikh Nizam ad-din's Morals (recorded by a disciple, not by the Shaikh himself) evoke a different kind of response to the question of Sufi practice, that emerging in the saying that a Sufi is simply a "good Muslim." Amir Hasan Sizji, the compiler of Morals, quotes Shaikh Nizam ad-din--a 13th-14th century Indian Sufi--in this regard: "The basis (for spiritual endeavors) must be a sound intentionbecause while people note what you do, God almighty takes note of what you intend to do. When your intention is fixed on God, then a little amount of work will be greatly rewarded."

What the Shaikh might be said to have accomplished most significantly was to make Sufism more immediate and more accessible to more Muslims. The Shaikh was able to take the ethereal and enrich it with the practical. In his introduction, Khaliq Ahmad Nizami identifies Shaikh Nizam ad-din's most important and lasting contribution to Sufism to be how he "transformed institutional Sufism, which initially aimed at individual spiritual salvation and training, into a movement for mass spiritual culture... It shifted the focus of mystic interest from abstract thought to concrete conditions of life and discipline." Paramount for Sufis--and for religion in general--, from the Shaikh's point of view, was the service of others. Thus, Shaikh Nizam ad-din "made the Sufi movement a humanitarian activity to remove sin and suffering from society." While the world and action within it thus occupy the focus for Morals, the Shaikh leaves no doubt where the strength to perform such noble actions lies. Sizji quotes the Shaikh as emphasizing "Is there anything not within the power of God?" and exhorting his disciples to pray 100 times a day: "There is no god but God. He is unique. He has no partner. To Him be dominion. To Him be praise. For He has power over everything." For Shaikh Nizam ad-din the world can be viewed only through the prism of its complete dependence on God and precisely because of this ubiquitous divine presence it is only through action in the world that one can realize God's presence most profoundly.

Anecdotes permeate Morals for the Heart. The work consists of five sections, each composed of a series of diary-like recollections by Sizji of his encounter with the Shaikh on a given day. For teachers looking for ways to weave primary sources into classes, the work provides a plethora of stories that can bring to life core Islamic principles. For instance, the Shaikh comments on almsgiving, "Of the two conditions that accompany the act of giving, one is that he give with humility, cheerfulness and an expansive heart. The second condition is that he give in secret. That single condition which comes after the giving is that he not discuss what he has given; he should mention it to no one." Even for teachers who don't spend much time on Sufism, such a personal explanation of a universal tenet in Islam can make an appreciation of Islam much more accessible for students. While read cover to cover the book can be daunting, a selective use of vignettes could undoubtedly enrich classes on Sufism specifically or on Islam in general. And in response to the question how Sufis practice their Sufism, the Shaikh provides a clear answer that both confirms and denies the significance of my allusion to the preservation of divine secrets: "Disclosing divine secrets...[is] actually a hindrance in the Path. For true devotees the real task is to be firm in the pursuit of love."

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