Allah says:
“Whoever comes to Me walking
I will come to them running.”
Spiritual Practices
Spiritual practices are the intentional efforts the seeker makes to connect with their Beloved (God). The simplest spiritual practice is to allow your natural light and beauty to emanate toward another in the form of a smile.
The most complex could involve recitations that last for days. In the end, the sincerity and intensity of the effort the seeker makes matters more than the complexity of the practice. If you recite the one short, beautiful prayer you have memorized with all of your sincere desire to please God, be close to God, and be in service to God, you will receive greater blessings and proximity than if you recited prayers all day and night without stopping, but did so with a heart empty of love. It is as the Beloved said through the Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings be upon him:
Whoever draws close to Me by the length of a hand,
I will draw close to him by the length of an arm…Whoever draws close to Me the by length of an arm,
I will draw close to him by the length of a fathom (about six feet). Whoever comes to Me walking,
I will come to him running.
Whoever meets Me with enough sins to fill the earth, not associating any partners with Me,
I will meet him with as much forgiveness.
For many reasons, teachers throughout history have emphasized the importance of daily spiritual practice. Daily spiritual practice is like exercise for the heart and spirit—it strengthens you and builds your resilience to small stresses and the challenges of daily life. Daily spiritual practice helps you detoxify from the accumulation of negativity in the form of excess stress, anger, frustration, attachment, materialism, and more. Most of all, daily spiritual practice becomes your special time alone with your Beloved. During this time you can feel the intimacy of your connection with God, talking with Him aloud or silently like He’s your best friend, receiving the beautiful, Divine Healing you need. Over time, daily spiritual practice becomes the most nourishing, replenishing, and rejuvenating part of your day.
The practices listed below fall into two broad categories: those that Sidi taught us with his own, unique flavor and those which are practiced throughout the Muslim world in generally the same manner. Pick and choose what you like, revisiting old favorites or sampling new flavors. We’ve included audio and video to help you with correct pronunciation and understanding, but remember that as long as you are sincere, God will respond. For He has promised us:
Behold! Truly, no fear or grief will affect the friends of God;
those who believe and constantly refrain from evil,
for them are glad tidings in this life and in the Hereafter. (Surat al-Yunus, ayat 62- 64)
Spiritual Practices Related to Holy Days
There are specific prayers and practices associated with certain holy times of the year. Find them below and use them to enrich and beautify your worship, insha’allah. Sighting the moon at the start of each new month is a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Read SSC’s moon sighting policy here.
Rajab & Isra wal Miraj
Read about the sacred month that begins the ascent to Ramadan, with Allah’s help and mercy.
Mid-Sha’ban
Discover the significance and special offerings associated with this holy night.
Ramadan, Laylat al-Qadr, &’ ‘Eid al-Fitr
Learn more about practices and traditions associated with the holiest month of the year.
Dhul Hijjah, Hajj, the Day of Arafat, & ‘Eid al-Adha
Enrich your knowledge about this holy month and the holiest day of the year, the Day of Arafat.
Muharram & The Day of Ashura
Explore how we, as aspiring Sufis, acknowledge the new year and deepen our understanding of the Day of Ashura.
Mawlid an-Nabi
Learn more about the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and why we celebrate it.
Spiritual Practices from Our Guide
Building upon the teachings Sidi gave in person and in writing, these practices will change your life if you let them. When done in the manner and spirit Sidi taught them, you can catch the fragrance of his spirit and of his lineage, may God grant mercy to all of the teachers within it. This gives these practices a very special quality.
Remembrance
The practice of remembering your Lord with your entire being.
Tawba
The practice that Sidi described as, “The key
to every station.” Tawba is the process of owning your mistakes, asking for forgiveness, and receiving forgiveness and transformation in return. No self-recrimination required.
Al-Wird
A chanting practice that cleanses, beautifies, strengthens, and enlivens your whole being.
Al-Wadhifa
The Wadhifa is a litany written by a spiritual
teacher in our lineage, Shaykh ‘Abd as-Salam ibn Mashish, rahimahullah. This is the first teaching Sidi gave his students and it connects us to Sidi and can carry us on the path to Unity.
Reading & Writing Teachings
The practice of hand-copying Sidi’s teachings in order to reveal and receive the many layers of wisdom within.
Reciting the 99 Names of Allah
The practice of receiving and transmitting Divine Qualities in order to heal yourself and others.
The Elongation of the Name
Sidi taught us this practice in 2003, and it is a simple yet profound way to connect with the spirits of the Prophets Ibrahim, Musa, Isa, and Muhammad, sallallahu alayhim wa sallam.
Khalwa
A khalwa is an all-night prayer vigil often
done on special nights as a deep form of worship. Sidi guided us to do khalwas in a specific way, which we share with you here.
Zawiya
Zawiya is a spiritual retreat in which you
remain silent and spend all of your waking time engaging in spiritual practice.
Jewel Du’a
Sidi gave us this special prayer in 2007. It’s a powerful method of self-care in which you pray for both purification and beautification.
Special Tawba Practice
Originally taught in 2007, this practice is a more intense version of tawba and is done over a period of weeks.
Practice to Purify the Body, Heart, Soul, Spirit and Intellect
When he taught this practice in 2007, Sidi said that it would help remove anything standing in the way of the traveler’s full annihilation into Sidi’s spirit
Protection of Places
In the book Spiritual Healing and Natural Remedies published in 2004 by Sidi Muhammad Press, Sidi taught us a unique way to cleanse your home or any other place of negative energy.
The 5 Pillars of Islam
For centuries, the practices below have been observed by Muslims and aspiring Sufis in generally the same manner, as taught by the Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family and his companions. There is comfort in knowing that when engaging in these practices you are part of a holy, divinely inspired tradition.
Shahada
The words we speak when we are ready to say, “I’m a Muslim” are the same words used as the most common form of remembrance in the Muslim world, because they are wide- ranging and profound in their impact upon spirit, heart, mind, and body.
Salah
The prayer done by Muslims and Sufis five times
a day, as prescribed in the Quran, with all of the variations and types appropriate to holidays and special needs.
Sawm
The spiritual practice of fasting from dawn untili dusk, abstaining from all water, food, and as Sidi put it, “Everything that displeases Allah, Most High.”
Zakah, Zakat al-Fitr & Fidya
Giving charity is a religious observance for travelers on the path. Learn more about when and why we give zakah, zakat al-fitr, and fidya.
Hajj
Travelers are required to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Hajj at least once in their lifetime, if they have the means to do so.
Wudu & Ghusl
The practice of using water to attain a state of purification necessary before praying salah.
Adhan & Iqama
The recitations that call beloveds to worship their Lord in the form of salah.
The most complex could involve recitations that last for days. In the end, the sincerity and intensity of the effort the seeker makes matters more than the complexity of the practice. If you recite the one short, beautiful prayer you have memorized with all of your sincere desire to please God, be close to God, and be in service to God, you will receive greater blessings and proximity than if you recited prayers all day and night without stopping, but did so with a heart empty of love. It is as the Beloved said through the Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings be upon him:
Whoever draws close to Me by the length of a hand,
I will draw close to him by the length of an arm…Whoever draws close to Me the by length of an arm,
I will draw close to him by the length of a fathom (about six feet). Whoever comes to Me walking,
I will come to him running.
Whoever meets Me with enough sins to fill the earth, not associating any partners with Me,
I will meet him with as much forgiveness.
For many reasons, teachers throughout history have emphasized the importance of daily spiritual practice. Daily spiritual practice is like exercise for the heart and spirit—it strengthens you and builds your resilience to small stresses and the challenges of daily life. Daily spiritual practice helps you detoxify from the accumulation of negativity in the form of excess stress, anger, frustration, attachment, materialism, and more. Most of all, daily spiritual practice becomes your special time alone with your Beloved. During this time you can feel the intimacy of your connection with God, talking with Him aloud or silently like He’s your best friend, receiving the beautiful, Divine Healing you need. Over time, daily spiritual practice becomes the most nourishing, replenishing, and rejuvenating part of your day.
The practices listed below fall into two broad categories: those that Sidi taught us with his own, unique flavor and those which are practiced throughout the Muslim world in generally the same manner. Pick and choose what you like, revisiting old favorites or sampling new flavors. We’ve included audio and video to help you with correct pronunciation and understanding, but remember that as long as you are sincere, God will respond. For He has promised us:
Behold! Truly, no fear or grief will affect the friends of God;
those who believe and constantly refrain from evil,
for them are glad tidings in this life and in the Hereafter. (Surat al-Yunus, ayat 62- 64)