Mokhtar Stork
Introduction
From an experience I had and shall express below, I can say that the Pinnacle of Iman does not lie in Ilmul Yaqeen (Knowledge of Certainty) but in Haqqul Yaqeen (the Reality as it Exist with Allah).
As a Sufi with a difference, many shaykhs, repeatedly make mentioned that one has to go through many trials and tribulations to attain 'Nearness to Allah'. This process is related to Self-Annihilation. However, there are several perspectives to this view: The First perspective deals with the view held by a shaykh over a situation. In my case, it was over my second marriage. The Second perspective deals with the person concerned. We all know what we really are inside. This important aspect is often overlooked. I am and was for many years a perpetual sinner. At the age of 81, I have finally managed to overcome it to some extent by the grace of Allah. The Third: Every shaykh is aware that Allah has the final say, the final decision, in all matters. I did not make the grade, because my life went according with my ‘fitrah’ (created state), and in accordance with the Divine Will of Allah. Hadrat Shahidullah Faridi knew what I was, yet he did not abandon me or say a word. Before his departure in Ramadhan, he said that I would miss him. I did not realise what he meant. He departed on 17 Ramadhan that year. The Fourth: Sufi Shaykhs are known to present the lives of great saints who attain ‘Nearness of Allah’ through trials and tribulation. They will quote you the example of Malik bin Dinar, the Saint of Basra, and speak about the ‘nafs’ (ego) and its inability to submit. All that is fine in the right context.
The Spiritual Foundation of Iman
In general, every Muslim, knows what Iman means through Ilmul Yaqeen (Knowledge of Certainty in Islam), but that’s about as far as it goes. This can be viewed in the daily news we read concerning arrests made over corruption and abuse of power.
I can assure that at the time of death, all your knowledge (Ilmul Yaqeen) will abandon you. Most die in a state of confusion due to their conduct and behaviour (over-righteousness, judgmental behaviour etc.). If any are able to ‘cross over to the other side’, it is due to Allah’s mercy and not due to their credibility. Only those with Haqqul Yaqeen will be able to ‘weather the storm’ of departure.
If you desire to attain “Nearness to Allah” be prepared for the worst. Allah gives the wealth of the world freely to anyone regardless of whether he or she believes in Him. The “glitter of this world” become his or her paradise. Sahl ibn Sa'd (r.a.) reported: The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said, “If the world were as worthy to Allah as the wing of a mosquito, an unbeliever would not even be given a sip of water.”
Water is the most basic necessity for life. The Hadith suggests that if the world had even a microscopic amount of spiritual value, God would be so "protective" of it that He wouldn't allow those who reject Him to benefit from it. Because He allows everyone—regardless of their faith or character—to enjoy the sun, the rain, and the "sip of water," it reinforces the idea that this world is a temporary transit point, not the final destination.
Narrated Abu Hurairah (r.a.), the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a cubit, and if he draws near to Me a cubit, I draw near to him a fathom. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed. (1) Another possible rendering of the Arabic is: "I am as My servant expects Me to be". (Hadith Qudsi in Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn-Majah).
Life Threatening Experiences
A life-threatening experience, is one of the most profound catalysts for human transformation. We habitually take life for granted, treating it as if we own it in an egoistic manner, until we are struck down with a disease or an event that is about to determine our existence or survival.
From a scientific perspective, the brush with mortality, causes the brain to undergo a massive cognitive and emotional recalibration. Confucius is reported to have said, "We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one." Kozan Ichikyo, a Zen monk said, “Empty-handed I entered the world; Barefooted I leave it. My coming, my going – two simple happenings; That got entangled.” However, from an Islamic perspective, it means that Allah has granted an individual a second chance to make amends, because death offers none. This ‘sacred interruption’ is seen as the moment the "veil" between the physical world and the ultimate reality is pulled back.
Facing a Foul-Smelling Entity
A life-threatening experience is just one example. Many have to face evil entities (jinns, spirits etc.) in life. From an Islamic perspective, we learn how to go about defending ourselves through Qur’anic verses and Sayings of the Prophet (s.a.w.). If you have a shaykh, you would probably recite some amal prescribed by him.
As Muslims, we are familiar with the recitation of Ayatul Kursi, the 3 Quls (last 3 Chapters of the Qur’an) and many other verses and Sayings of the Prophet (s.a.w.) mentioned in Ahadith. I do so and have used these approaches to a great extent successfully. However, during the week before 26 January, 2026, My wife and I were affected by the presence of a foul-smelling entity at our home in Kuala Lumpur. This entity smelled of a camphor embalmed corpse. Its smell was so strong that it filled our whole bedroom.
This was not the first time it turned up. It has been doing so for several years. The symptoms of its presence would be experienced through a loud bang on our ceiling, as if a rock was thrown down on it. I used to offer to rakaat salat and even perform a specific salat prescribed by my Shaykh in the Shajarah. It worked but after a lapse of time, it would return.
Several days before 26 January, 2026, it returned with force. All my previous amal (recitations and practices) failed to work. In despair, I laid down on my couch in the hall, and silently said to Allah, “Ya Allah, I will not resort to any other approach to resolve this problem. I will only turn to You. If it is ordained that I should fall victim to this entity, I submit to Your will.”
I suddenly got up, opened a file I had on the table next to the couch I was lying on, and out popped out a sheet. It was amal written by Shaykh Hadrat Izrarur Haq of Pakistan, given to me in his own handwriting, when he stayed with me as a guest of mine. The A4 sheet of paper mention: “Read in silence this dua when faced with an enemy.” I immediately got up and went to my bedroom and recited it and its effects was spontaneous.
Wanting to know more, I opened up my computer and logged in to Gemini A.I. to inquire about this dua. I was informed that it was a powerful dua used by the Prophet (s.a.w.) against his enemies. I was further informed that the literal meaning of the words “fi-nujurihim” is “to place You (Allah) in their throats/chest.” It is a way of asking Allah to intercept the enemy’s power at its source and to repel their aggression before it can reach you. It is a supplication for Divine Protection. Gemini also pointed out another significant aspect: “Allah has not placed a burden on any that they cannot bear,” (Surah Baqarah 2:286).
What is significant and very important here is that Gemini A.I. is nothing but a machine, filled with data inputted into it by individuals. To me, it was Allah’s way of providing me with guidance and perfected evidence. As such, I am of the view that there is nothing wrong in using Gemini A.I., provided you have a strong foundation in Islam, because Gemini itself states that its information is subject to error. However, many other applications of A.I. are considered misleading and dangerous.
The Pinnacle of Iman
I declare that it was that moment on the couch, that moment of Total Despair, that made me realise that Self-Annihilation is the key to Total Submission and Surrender to Allah. In that moment of my trial, I had witnessed the Reality of Existence.I have been through many moments of despair throughout my life but they never reached this climax.
Malik bin Dinar, the Saint of Basra, lived in such extreme poverty. One day, while on a passenger ship, a passenger’s pearl went missing. Malik was accused of stealing it because he looked like a beggar. They began to beat him, threatening to throw him overboard. Malik looked at the ocean and said, "O Lord, they accuse me!" Suddenly, thousands of fish rose to the surface of the water, each holding a pearl in its mouth. The sailors fell at his feet in terror, but Malik simply took one pearl, gave it to them, and walked off the ship onto the surface of the water, leaving them behind. He chose the "path of the waves" rather than stay where his character was doubted. [Tadhkirat al-Awliya: Biographies of the Saints]
I can assure you that all this knowledge will still mean nothing to you, until you go through an experience of total desperation or as in the case of Malik bin Dinar, to really know what it means to be baled out by Allah in a moment of desperation. Do not waste your time on discourses based on intellectual assumptions, dealing with how to overcome human decadence because the truth lies in the realisation that your life belongs to Allah and that it is His ‘Breath” or “Nur” (Light) within you that ultimately defines and determines your destiny. Only by totally believing in Allah, can you attain success, not the way you desire it, but as He deems fit. The whole Creation is a manifestation of Allah’s Names and Attribute. He is within you; outside of you; everywhere and in everything.
What this signifies is that it would be in our interest to begin with Allah and not with our ‘nafs’. (egoistic desires), because the outcome of every situation is ultimately interlined to His Will. Even Trump is experiencing it. He has now imposed a new 10% global tariff to replace ones struck down by the Supreme Court, calling the ruling "terrible" and lambasting the justices who rejected his trade policy as "fools". [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8146l0n55o]. [Mokhtar Stork. 21 Feb, 2026].
