Malfoozat of Hakim ul-Ummat, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Rahmatullah Alaihi):

The following are from ‘Malfoozat’, a book of anecdotes by Hakim ul-Ummat, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Rahmatullah Alaihi):

When a woman attains nisbat-e-batini, she acquires a lofty and a wonderful pedestal. Once during a drought, people went to a saintly lady and asked her to make dua for rain. She went to a small raised platform whereon she usually performed her Namaz. She loosened her hair and swept the platform with it. After sweeping she raised her gaze towards the heaven and supplicated:
I have done the sweeping, you now sparkle the water. As she said this, rain started to come down in torrents. Humility and supplication are indeed wonderful.
– (Nisbat-e-Batini: A special, lofty relationship of proximity with Allah Taala).

A man came and requested that dua be made for him. Hadhrat Thanvi (Rahmatullah ‘alaih) said:
Brother! You too make dua and I also shall make dua.
The man said: My tongue is not fit for dua.
(In other words, he did not consider himself worthy of making dua.)
Hadhrat Thanvi (Rahmatullah Alaihi) replied: Do you recite the Kalima? The man said: Yes. Hadhrat Thanvi:
Kalimah has greater blessing than dua. How come your tongue is worthy of reciting the Kalimah? In fact, shaitan made dua at the very time when he as being cursed by Allah Ta’ala.
He supplicated: Grant me respite until the day when people will be resurrected.
Allah Ta’ala answered his dua: You are among those who have been granted respite.
When even shaitan was not deprived of acceptance of dua, how can we be deprived? Shaitan has deceived us into believing that our tongues are not worthy of making dua. People consider this attitude to be humility.

People now consider spiritual states of ecstasy (kayfiyat) to be the goal of Sulook (Tasawwuf). Even if animals at times experience certain conditions of ecstasy when influenced by music and singing. Once an expert, in a challenge, defied his opponent, saying:
You will be able to measure my expertise and excellence when you behold the wild beasts of the jungle, subservient under the sway of my influence. Let us go to the jungle and sing our songs. At that time I will put a rope around the neck of every animal. It is left then to you to remove the ropes from their necks.
They went into the forest and the expert commenced his bewitching singing. So enthralling was his singing that wild animals came out from all directions and submissively stood in is presence. He took hold of the animals one by one and put a rope around each one’s neck. He than ceased his singing; the animals scattered and disappeared into the forest. He now challenged his rival to start his singing, gather the animals and remove the ropes. However, he was rendered helpless. Emotional states are common to both man and beast. Such states in man, therefore, do not represent any achievement or excellence.