Declaration – 17 Rabi‘ al-Thani 1423 (2002-06-29)

General Instructions from His Holiness Haj Dr. Nour Ali Tabandeh, Majzoub Ali Shah
to the Fuqara

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This blessing that God has bestowed is so significant that He has favored us in granting it. Let us not waste the blessing of faith and the affection and solidarity with fellow believers through ingratitude. God has granted Satan and his forces permission until the Day of Judgment to attack the children of Adam from six directions and to ensnare them. This hunter pursues the most prized game, and since God grants safety only to the Infallibles, the closer a servant is to God, the more delightful a catch he becomes for Satan, as it is said: اَلْمُخْلَصُونَ فيِ خَطَرٍ عَظيمُ . Especially in this era, where the spread of moral corruption, the scourge of addiction, and social deviations have poisoned the human atmosphere, an extremely critical and sensitive responsibility rests upon the world of faqr. Each of us must, to the extent of our capacity and level, serve as a model of righteousness and a practical teacher of ethics.

Therefore, in this era, when the aforementioned blessings as well as the peace and faith of believers are under attack from both human and jinn enemies, it is appropriate for believers to endure hardships that may seemingly come from friends, and to embody divine qualities such as concealment of faults, forgiveness, benevolence, and so on, especially in the following ways:

1. Show respect to the Mashayekh and elders and refrain from any action that may be perceived as disrespectful, even if it appears to be in self-defense.
2. Naturally, the Mashayekh too should consider their fellow brothers, act as elder siblings who watch over them, overlook their mistakes, and guide them privately.
3. As indicated in رئيسُ الْقَومِ خادِمُهُمْ , strive to serve and be humble towards the brothers, and never neglect this. Be mindful that it has always been recommended in writing and verbally, and even in directives from the Mashayekh or authorized ones, that the responsibility assigned to them must increase their humility.
4. Remember the story of Usama’s army in the early days of Islam and take lessons from it. If someone has an opinion, suggestion, or criticism, they should first express it directly and avoid publicizing it, lest they become responsible for a mistaken interpretation. Once a decision has been made, they should respect it, even if they consider it incorrect—because in such cases, the damage caused by publicizing and refusing to comply is greater for the world of faqr than any harm from the (potentially incorrect) decision itself.
5. Just as a mujtahid must be familiar with the ever-changing conditions of the world and must be followed in his rulings (not beliefs), even if his opinion differs from that of the ancients, the same principle applies in the path of tariqat. In matters of shari‘ah and practice, one must follow the mujtahid, and in the domain of tariqat, one must follow the spiritual guide. In areas left to personal and religious reasoning, differing views—so long as they are adopted with good intention and sincerity—are not harmful. In fact, the clash of ideas elevates the understanding of both sides.
6. Personal complaints and criticisms among believers should be forgiven as much as possible, and if necessary, addressed directly and privately with the other person; publicizing them leads to factionalism, which is like the termite that weakened Prophet Solomon’s staff. Wassalam (Peace).

رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ .