Bawa Muhaiyaddeen came from Sri Lanka to the United States in 1971. His Sufi teachings were recorded and preserved by the Fellowship, a group in Philadelphia. This enlightening work contains some of his thoughts on dhikr as the essential practice of prayer.
"Allah dwells within the mosque that is your innermost heart," says Bawa. He believes that intention in prayer is very important along with a stilling of the mind. Bawa outlines the seven levels of consciousness (feeling, awareness, intellect, assessment, wisdom, divine analytic wisdom, and divine luminous wisdom) as opening up "the vast ocean of Allah's grace."
Whether discussing the five times of prayer, fasting, or purity, Bawa makes it clear that the whole world is a prayer mat to a Sufi. In his commentary on the words of dhikr — "la ilaha, illallah" — he notes that the words will vibrate like the strings of a musical instrument throughout the body "from every one of the 4,448 blood vessels in the body, from the 248 bones, from the ligaments, the nerves, the muscles, and even from the blood. It must emanate from the 105 million hair follicles and pores of the skin." This is an inspiring commentary on the Sufi devotional path.