Declaration – 7th Ramadan 1417 (1997-01-17)

Declaration of His Holiness Haj Dr. Nour Ali Tabandeh, Majzoub Ali Shah
On the Passing of His Holiness Haj Ali Tabandeh Mahboub Ali Shah, may his soul be sanctified

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Dear brothers,

We all mourn the passing of our noble master, Hazrat Mahboub Ali Shah. May God grant us the strength and patience to bear the pain of this separation, and may He please and delight the soul of that great one on our behalf. I beseech the Almighty to grant this insignificant servant success in fulfilling the duty assigned to me by the exalted Master. To have this prayer answered, I seek your collective prayers and intercession.

Diligently read and act upon the instructions mentioned in the treatise Pand-e Saleh, as well as the writings prepared by the honorable predecessors of this humble servant. Keep them close to your heart and put them into practice. This path of yours brings about the pleasure of God and ensures this servant’s success. For now, I remind and repeat a few key points:

1. Pay close attention to the observance of Islamic hijab for women, which is an essential condition for individual and social chastity, as well as piety in men.
2. As you know, over a hundred years ago, for the first time, Hazrat Sultan Ali Shah the Martyr declared the use of narcotics forbidden and did not even allow addicts to attend. His successors have continually emphasized and upheld this prohibition. God forbid, if any brother or sister has even a slight addiction, they should sincerely repent before God and ask for the determination and will to overcome this habit. Because such addictions impair the intellect and can sometimes destroy it, they should not attend faqr gatherings until repentance and abstinence are fully realized. And, by analogy with the noble verse: لا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلاةَ وَأَنْتُمْ سُکاری , they may attend only rarely and during moments of full sobriety.
3. The duties outlined in the sacred law have been implicitly divided by the exalted Sufi masters into three types:
   • Shari‘a rulings: These must be followed based on the fatwa of a qualified mujtahid, and the identification of such a source is the responsibility of the individual.
   • Tariqa rulings: These are taken from the spiritual master of the time, and the path of spiritual training is explained in the books of the great Sufi masters.
   • Personal rulings: These are up to the individual to discern. That is, the Almighty has willed that the spiritual faculties of His servants be engaged and elevated. Thus, He has obligated them to, beyond the first two realms, personally discover their duties through reason and legitimate religious logic.
4. Therefore, involvement and commentary in social matters are outside the realm of the tariqa. The fuqara should not expect directives from the elders in this regard. Instead, make your actions and intentions خَالِصاً لِوَجْهِ الله (“purely for the sake of God”) and discover your own duty. The elders also refrained from commenting on such matters to avoid the impression that it was among the duties of the tariqa. This same approach—non-involvement in social affairs—shall remain in place.
5. Let us learn to respect social order and law by looking to history, and the example of Socrates. Observance of societal law is a form of self-respect and respect for others. Please give this matter due attention.