Lahore — 24 March 2026: In an era where millions of Muslims offer their daily prayers yet find no peace or spiritual connection, the timeless teachings of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen, Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman Madzillah ul Aqdas — as preserved in his sacred book Haqeeqat-e-Namaz (The Spiritual Reality of Prayer) — shed profound light on the true soul and purpose of Salat.
Salat: Far More Than a Physical Act
The book opens with a powerful question that strikes at the heart of the modern Muslim’s spiritual crisis: why do we offer Salat five times a day yet feel no closeness to Allah? The answer, as Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen explains, lies in the difference between merely offering Salat and truly establishing it — a distinction the Holy Quran itself emphasizes repeatedly in nearly fifty verses.
As the hadith states: “Salat is the Meraj of a Momin.”
Yet this Meraj — this spiritual ascension to Allah — is only possible when Salat is offered with the complete Divine Presence of heart and soul. Without this, Salat remains nothing more than a physical exercise, empty of its true essence.
The Difference Between a Muslim and a Momin
One of the most illuminating teachings in the book draws upon the verse of Surah Al-Muminun:
“Those Momins have attained success, who offer their Salat with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” (Al-Muminun: 1-2)
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen explains that the Quran and hadith use the word Momin — not merely Muslim — deliberately. A Muslim offers Salat with the body. A Momin offers Salat with the body, heart, and soul together — becoming so absorbed in the Divine Presence that he is no longer aware of himself, united with Allah as though never separated from Him.
As Ghaus-ul-Azam Hazrat Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani beautifully states in Risala Al-Ghausia: “The Salat closest to Allah is the one in which there is no one except Allah — the person offering the Salat is esoterically absent from it.”
The Salat of the Early Muslims
The book vividly describes how the blessed Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ offered their Salat. Hazrat Ayesha (R.A.) narrated that when the time of Salat arrived, the Holy Prophet ﷺ became so absorbed in the oneness of Allah that he could no longer recognize even his dearest ones.
Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) stood before Allah in such complete servitude that his body trembled and his voice became subdued — declaring that the time had come to fulfill the Divine Trust that the seven skies and the earth had refused to carry.
Such was the power of their Divine Presence that, as Allama Iqbal wrote: “By the prostration of the Divine Lovers, the earth trembled and the moon and the sun revolved at their will.”
The Soul of Salat Has Departed
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen warns with deep concern that the Muslims of today have been left with only the outer shell of Salat. The true soul — the Divine Presence of heart — has vanished from their prayers. The Holy Quran itself addresses this state:
“So woe unto those devouts who are unaware of their Salat.” (Al-Ma’un: 4-5)
Notably, this warning is not for those who abandon Salat — but for those who offer it without the presence of heart and soul. As the hadith states plainly: “Allah does not even look at the Salat in which there is no presence of heart and soul.”
The Path to True Salat
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen teaches that true Salat — Salat that becomes Meraj — is only possible through the guidance of a Murshid Kamil Akmal, the perfect and complete spiritual guide of the era. It is through the living spiritual guide that the heart is enlivened, the Divine Presence is awakened, and Salat is transformed from a routine ritual into a genuine meeting with Allah Almighty.
Sultan-ul-Arifeen Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Bahoo (R.A.) expressed this reality beautifully: “The Salat, Fasts, Zakat and all other prayers are not acceptable without the presence of heart and soul.”
A Message for the Seekers of Today
Tehreek Dawat-e-Faqr invites all believers and sincere seekers of Allah to study the sacred teachings of Haqeeqat-e-Namaz and to reflect deeply upon the spiritual reality of their prayers. The door to true Salat — Salat that is Meraj, Salat that brings the Vision of Allah — remains open for all those who seek the guidance of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen, Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman Madzillah ul Aqdas, whose blessed presence at Masjid Zahra, via Rangilpur Sharif, Sundar Nageel Pour Sharif, Multan Road, Lahore continues to illuminate the path of Faqr for seekers across the world.
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