It is imperative for a qualified Sufi Master to have gained the spiritual link (nisbat) with the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and have gained his perceptivity (tarz-e-fikr).

When a student achieves fana fi shaykh (as described in chapter-29) then his perceptivity and traits of personality mirror those of his Spiritual Master (shaykh) and he starts to assimilate the essence of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). To improve this link, the student is given the Muraqaba of tasawwar rasul (visualization of the Prophet) so their spiritual connection improve and they could receive the blessings of the Light of Prophethood (nur nabu’wat). Depending on the Prophet Muhammad’s intercession, the students see the Light of Prophethood based on their ability, which is subject to his approval. When the Light of Prophethood fills the inner self of the students, they achieve the sta tion of  ‘fana fi rasul’.

There are different methods of tassawar rasul:

In the Muraqaba, the student imagines the Mosque of Medina (masjid nabawi) or its green dome. The students imagine the lights from the city of Medina are being absorbed inside them. In the heart of the student, the word Muhammad is written in luminescent form and his heart is lit because of it. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is sitting in the crown of Prophethood and from his heart the lights are falling into the student’s heart. The student imagines that he or she is sitting with the Prophet and that he is watching them.

Just as Muslims consider the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be their mediator or medium to God, members of other faiths consider other personalities to be their medium between them and God. Jews regard Moses as such while Christian mystics consider Jesus, Hindus consider Krishna or Ram, and Zoroastrians consider Zoroaster to be their medium. Buddhists believe in redemption through Buddha. Based on this belief, in these religions the Muraqaba of these personalities is given after the Muraqaba of the guru.