Keys of the Treasures of the Heavens & Earth

Bismillah.

I am very pleased to share with you this rare gem I found in 'The Book of Sufi Healing'. Shall we take the keys and uncover the treasures together?

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Although there are thousands of prayers, supplications, and practices used by the Sufis, several are considered superior. Such is the one here presented called Maqalad as-samawati wal ard, 'The Keys of the Treasures of the Heavens and Earth'. Although it is specific to healing – conveying protection against any illness for the day it is recited, the benefits attached to its recitation are not limited to physical health, as one can glean the following account from the hadith.

It is reported that Uthman bin Affan requested further information about Allah’s injunction of the keys of the treasures of the heavens and the earth (mentioned several times in the Qur’an). Prophet s.a.w said to him, ‘You have inquired of me something which nobody has ever asked me before. The keys of the treasures of the heavens and the earth are as follows:

La ilaha illahu wallahu akbar
Wasubhanallahi walhamdulillah
Wastagfirullahu allazi la ila hailla hu
wal awwalu wal akhiru waz zahiru wal batinu
Yuhyi wayumitu wahuwa hayyun la yamutu
Biyadihil khair
wahuwa ala kulli syai in qadir
"There is none worthy of worship except Allah
Allah the Almighty is the greatest
Allah is glorious and praiseworthy
And I ask Allah for forgiveness
There is no power to do good
and no strength to be saved from evil
except with the grace of Allah
He is the First and the Last
He is the Apparent and the Hidden
He is the Ever-living who never dies
He imparts and takes away life
There is a blessing with Allah the Almighty
He is the ruler over everything"

The Prophet s.a.w continued, “O Uthman, whoever recites it 100 times every day will be rewarded ten graces: First, all his previous sins will be forgiven; Second, his suffering from hellfire will be written off; Third, two angels are appointed to guard him day and night from his sufferings and diseases; Fourth, he is granted a treasure of blessings; Fifth, he will reap many blessings as someone who would have set free 100 slaves from the offspring of the Prophet Ismail; Sixth, he would be rewarded of blessings as if he had read the entire Quran, the Psalms, the Torah, and the Bible; Seventh, a house will be constructed for him in the heaven; Eighth, he will be married to a pious heavenly maiden; Ninth, he will be honored with a crown of honor; Tenth, his recommendation for forgiveness of 70 of his relatives will be accepted.”

“O Uthman, if you were strong enough, you would not miss this remembrance on any day. You will be one of the successful ones and you will surpass everybody before and after you.”


One of the great contemporary Sufi, Hazrat Abu Anees Barkat Ali of Darul Ehsan, Pakistan has achieved a unique position among the men of piety by reciting this sacred formula. He has erected a large signpost at the entranceway of his spiritual sanctuary upon which the words of this invaluable formula are inscribed. His own life bears ample testament to the efficacy of these words as he has personally adopted more than 10,000 Hindus of the lowest caste and provided them with complete training and education in life. Moreover, he maintains a clinic that provides medical care and that has restored the sight of more than 3,000 persons so far without charge of any kind. He has written more than 300 books on Islam and Sufism. All of which have been distributed free of charge (the jacket of one reads: ‘These books are written for ourselves and you to read but not for sale. They have already been sold to Him for Whom they were meant’). A countless stream of devotees arrive at the well known Darul Ehsan sanctuary and receive by His grace spiritual instructions from among the 14 Sufi orders of which Barkat Ali is a teaching master or shaykh.

The qualities and attributes of Sufi Barkat Ali could be enumerated further but anyone who views his life with an open mind must conclude that he has exceeded the usual range of human accomplishments, he is now in his 76th year. (He died in 1997 - editor) The formula of the keys of the treasures of the heavens and the earth may be recited 21 times after each daily prayer.

On the night of 5th Rejab 633AH, the great saint Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti as usual retired to his mediation cell after the night prayer Isha. He closed the door and commenced his practice as he had done for the past 30 years of constant recitation of the above verses. The Khwaja instructed his murids not to disturb him that night. They stayed away but heard through the door a sound expressing unparalleled ecstasy throughout the night. In the early hours of the morning the sound ceased. When the door of his cell did not open at the time of morning prayers (fajr), anxiety was felt by everyone. Ultimately the door was forced open by his students who to their astonishment found that the soul of the great saint had relinquished his mortal body. The following sentence was radiantly glittering upon his forehead as light:
Haza habibullah
Maata fi hubbillah
He is the beloved of Allah
And he died in Allah’s love

The above is quoted from Chapter 15 of 'The Book of Sufi Healing' by Shaykh Hakim Moinuddin Chisti. Published by Inner Traditions International Ltd, 1985.
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O son, may Allah open your heart to receive and practice this wirid. Perhaps a hundred others who read this might also do the same. The formula is the same for all but what differentiates each one of us is the degree of certainty that each has on the words of Rasulullah s.a.w. Each will have a unique relationship or degree of adoration towards the Prophet s.a.w. Each will have a different degree of certainty on the qudrat (will) and iradat (wish) of Allah. Therefore, the benefits will be unique to each one of us.

O son, I hope you are inspired by the story of Barkat Ali who had made full use of his wealth and the blessings received from the Lord by helping others, by helping the religion. Wealth and blessings are meant to be shared. Be like Barkat Ali, be a conduit of wealth and blessings for your fellow people, for the needy among you. His position may be questioned by a typical modern mind - in order for one to do so much, one has got to be captain of an industry, a CEO of a giant enterprise, but who was Barkat Ali? O son, Allah provides in wondrous ways, do not be too encumbered on the asbab (cause) of such an abundance. Look at the Giver instead. Your job is to just do and pray. His job is to give to whomever He wishes.

The adab, the attitude that we should have, as taught in 'Kitab al-Hikam', is that when we make du’a, do not think that Allah will give us because of the du’a that we make. We making the du’a is out of our adab as a servant, a sign of our humility and a sign of glorifying the Almighty, the Rich God. All have been pre-ordained by the Creator. We were not in a position to make du’a or practice this wirid or that wirid when we were in our mother’s womb. But He gave, He provided and He continues to provide out of His generous Mercy for us. He gives even before we know how to ask! Now that we know, now that we have learned a particular wirid, let’s practice it as a sign of gratitude to Him who teaches us and out of respect for Rasulullah s.a.w who guides us. O son, humble yourself, ask for His bounties and leave the rest to Him.

#Further reading on Barkat Ali: Pearls of Wisdom, Darul Ehsan