Lahore — 15 April 2026: Perseverance in Sufism is not a virtue among many virtues. It is the very backbone of the entire spiritual journey toward Allah. Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen, Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman Madzillah ul Aqdas, devotes an entire chapter to perseverance in his encyclopedic masterpiece Sufism — The Soul of Islam (Shams-ul-Fuqara). He draws upon the teachings of Sultan-ul-Arifeen Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Bahoo, the Holy Quran, authentic Hadiths and the wisdom of the greatest Saints of Islam to reveal what perseverance truly means on the path of Faqr.
Perseverance in Sufism Begins with a True Intention
The first secret of perseverance in Sufism is that it must begin from the very first step — the sincere intention to seek Allah alone. Sultan Bahoo teaches clearly that the seeker who enters the path of Faqr with worldly motives will never be able to persevere. His steps will falter the moment hardship arrives.
The Holy Quran declares about those who persevere sincerely for Allah’s sake:
“And those who strive hard for Our cause, We certainly guide them to Our ways.” (Al-Ankabut: 69)
This verse is the foundation of perseverance in Sufism. The seeker who strives genuinely receives Divine guidance that makes perseverance possible. Without this guidance, no amount of personal effort can sustain the journey.
The Perfect Murshid Makes Perseverance Possible
The second secret is that true perseverance in Sufism is impossible without the guidance of the perfect Murshid Kamil. Sultan Bahoo wrote in his books that the seeker who attempts the path of Faqr without a living perfect guide is like a traveller walking blindly in a desert at night.
Satan — described in Sufism — The Soul of Islam — attacks the sincere seeker specifically with laziness and discouragement. He whispers hopelessness into the seeker’s heart precisely because he knows perseverance will lead the seeker to Divine closeness.
The perfect Murshid shields the seeker from these attacks. His spiritual attention keeps the seeker’s heart alive and forward-moving even when the nafs and Satan conspire to make him give up. This is why Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen, Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman Madzillah ul Aqdas, describes himself as a fort protecting his disciples from all spiritual evil.
Perseverance in Sufism Means Never Abandoning Ism-e-Allah Zaat
The third secret of perseverance in Sufism is the continuous invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat — the personal name of Allah. Sultan Bahoo declared that negligence in the invocation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat is the sword of Satan.
When the seeker neglects Ism-e-Allah Zaat — even for a short time — the satanic whisperer grows stronger. The light of the inward dims. The spiritual progress that was gained begins to weaken.
True perseverance in Sufism therefore means perseverance specifically in the invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat — every day, every breath, in every condition. Sultan Bahoo says in Mehak-ul-Faqr Kalan: “Seek only Allah, everything other than Allah is lust.”
Perseverance in Sufism Requires Purification of the Nafs
The fourth secret is that perseverance in Sufism is directly connected to the ongoing purification of the innerself — the nafs. The nafs never surrenders easily. It fights the seeker at every stage of the spiritual journey with desires, distractions and spiritual diseases.
Sultan Bahoo taught that the nafs has a stubborn nature. It compels the person repeatedly toward its pleasures and never gives up its struggle quietly. The seeker who wishes to persevere on the path of Faqr must therefore engage in the greatest Jihad — the Jihad against his own nafs — without pause or surrender.
This battle is won not through personal willpower alone but through the invocation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat and the spiritual attention of the Murshid Kamil. The burning light of Ism-e-Allah Zaat purifies the nafs layer by layer until the seeker’s inward becomes a clean mirror of Divine light.
Perseverance in Sufism Is Rewarded with Divine Vision
The fifth and greatest secret of perseverance in Sufism is its reward — the Divine Vision of Allah and eternal presence in the Mohammadan Assembly. Sultan Bahoo declared that only those seekers reach these two highest stations who continue their journey of Faqr following their Murshid with devotion and perseverance.
The great Imam Abu Hanifa — as recorded in Sufism — The Soul of Islam — beheld Allah one hundred times in his dreams because of his perseverance and devotion. This is not a distant impossibility for the sincere seeker. It is the promised destination of everyone who perseveres on the path of Faqr under the guidance of the perfect Murshid.
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen, Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman Madzillah ul Aqdas, makes this path available today at Masjid e Zahra, Village Rangeel Pur Sharif, Sundar Adda, Multan Road, Lahore.
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