Out with the Old and in with the New
Allow me to give an example from myself:
On 13 September 1963, I began to employ various Islamic practices such as dhikr and salat. I must admit these initial applications were no more than imitation and were based on my limited understanding at the time. But as time went on, I continually inquired into the reason and wisdom of all these practices. I asked what, why and how? I commenced a thorough research… I began with the interpretation of the Quran by Elmalili Hamdi Yazir, then went on to the Sahih Bukhari collection of hadith, and then read other hadith books. At the beginning of 1964 I met the late Sayyid Osman Efendy of Madina, and acquired various techniques of prayer and dhikr from him.
After this I began to explore Sufism. I read almost everything from Abdulqadir Jilani and Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi to Ahmad Rufai and Abdulkareem al-Jili. I benefited and learned the views of all these eminent scholars.
00:19 The farmer had grown accustomed to plowing his fields with his old tractor. He had no complaints. He enjoyed his tractor so much he even performed sophisticated (!) artistic tricks with it…
01:24 The old farmer did not like this warning. “I have been using a tractor for 50 years! I know perfectly well how to use a vehicle! Just give it to me and let me test drive it!”
02:08 There is no magic wand in the hands of a God in space! Life is subject to constant renewal, and at every level will forever be so!
04:59 I began to spend my days in prayer and fasting. There were times when I observed certain spiritual diets that lasted 80–120 days, and times when I spent 4–5 days consecutively fasting (with nothing to eat or drink). There were no practices that I read about or heard of that I didn’t put into practice!
06:58 Whatever knowledge I have acquired in my life, I first applied it to myself and in my own life, then recommended it to those around me.
07:35 My observations showed me that the continual dhikr of these and other Names of Allah resulted in significant changes in people in terms of their perception and comprehension.
08:46 Eventually, I penned some of my knowledge based on these experiences in The Power of Prayer to share it with those who may be interested.
11:20 My genuine intent was to explain to you that new achievements cannot occur via old and tried methods; a new attainment can only be acquired through a new technique. The old can never produce the new!
12:52 The Divine Book sustains its newness and originality until Doomsday, yet appropriately addresses the people of the past according to their time. Shame on us if we still understand and interpret the Quran in respect to the past!
15:24 Religion is the name of Allah’s system. In order to thoroughly discover and evaluate this system, together with all its sublimity and mysteries, one must employ new means in a systematic way!