To Die Before Death: The Sufi Way of Life

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To the Sufi, in order to become enLIGHTened, to merge with God, all that separates her/him from God must die. In short, before the death of our body, the ego, the "I" must die. This wonderful compilation of discourses will help the serious 'seeker' on his/her spiritual journey. Pay particular attention to the talk entitled "To Live as a Human Being". The essence of Bawa's Sufi message is contained therein. That chapter alone makes this book an essential component of any Sufi library! I recommend it highly.

Two of the most compelling chapters in this timeless book are Chapter 21- "Scales of Judgment" and Chapter 22- "To Live As A Human Being." The author skillfully explains the true potential of a human being and provides an understanding of judgment that is truly universal. Anyone searching for answers regarding the turmoil in today's world will find the ageless wisdom offered here an inspiration.

I need to clear some misunderstandings, this book is not suitable for Sunni who follow and believe in Sufi’s such as Imam Ahmed Raza(RA) and Ajmer Sharif India and believe in the Saint of Saints Abdul Qadir Jeelani. My reasons for this are as follows:-1. On page 145 the following quote “People who die before their ordained time, whether they die in an accident, commit suicide, or are murdered, will roam in the form of ghosts and demons until their destined time comes. Then they are taken by the Angel of Death to be judged.” In Islam there is only one fixed time of death, you do not get any extra or you do not depart any sooner, in addition Muslims do not believe in ghosts, it doesn’t matter where or how you die there simply is no ghost business, that is a Hindu concept. As for the demon part it’s simple, demons refer to Jinn, if the translator was genuine then he would have used the word Jinn plus a human is not a jinn and can never ever become one especially after death, that alone defies the basic fundamental beliefs in Islam and the accountability in the hereafter for every free willed human being2. Quote from page 134: “Satan had 1000 followers Angels and Jinn they were cast out with him”. First of all, as a Muslim you should understand the concept of Angels, these beings are Angels because they do not have free will like humans, they only exist to serve the Almighty, to put it simply they are not human, they have no desire and do not have the ability to choose because they do not possess free will therefore satan was cast out of heaven and no Angels followed, satan was of jinn.Please note that I have absolutely nothing against or for Bawa Muhaiyaddeen but I do question the actual translation into English. The reason is that in the book it is alleged that Bawa Muhaiyaddeen during his life time confronted ghosts and demons. A Muslim would not use the word “demon”, a Muslim uses the correct term “Jinn” as it is stated in the Holy Quran, to not believe in Jinn means you do not believe in the Holy Quran therefore you are not a Muslim. This translation is either a complete farce or a deliberate attempt to misguide Muslims.