Fifty Days: The Divine Disclosures During a Holy Sufi Seclusion

Book excerpt: The writings in this book emerged from the heart of Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani after spending fifty days in a seclusion prescribed by his guiding master in the Sufi Path, Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani. During the course of his time, isolated in a small room in Damascus, Shaykh Hisham underwent incredible experiences, which he then shared in talks given to his students after the pre-dawn prayers each morning in Ramadan, 2005. In assigning the duty of seclusion to Shaykh Hisham, his master, Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani said: "The people have reached their limits of carrying hardship from the overwhelming extent of oppression and darkness. The intensity of the hardship required in order to invoke God to bring about the appearance of the expected Savior has just been reached. "Therefore, every night in the last third before dawn, Shaykh Hisham will be in the station of intimate discourse with his Lord. After completing the special recitations and praise on the Prophet, he has been assigned and with which he will be busy 24 hours, every night, at the most favorable time for the Lord's acceptance of supplication, Shaykh Hisham should request the Lord to send a Saviour-King to mankind, a king who is seeking God's Way. His supplication in this manner and in this state will be so effective, it will be like 124,000 saints engaged in supplication for forty days without cease. "They are asking the Lord of servants to send them a king. That is why we are sending Shaykh Hisham Effendi, whom we know very well. Other saints we do not know. "For this purpose he must not enter into any other activity. He must be present, spiritually with the Prophet and ask, "Oh Prophet of Mercy! Ask your Lord to send us a Saviour-King on the Way of the Lord." And we are looking to see the results. He must ask this only; it is the summary and distillation of the forty days seclusion and its ultimate purpose is consultation with the Prophet, upon whom be peace and blessings."