# Sultan Bahoo The Life and Teachings/Ism-e-Allah Zaat (The Personal Name of Allah) and Ism-e-Mohammad (Sacred Name of Mohammad Sall’Allahu Alayhi Wa’alihi Wasallam)

ZIKR (Invocation)
The esoteric self (batin) of a person enclosed in the physical body is a living being. It demands attention just like the physical body. Just as proper food is necessary to provide energy to the physical body, the esoteric self also needs nourishment which gives it peace, energy and strength. In the Holy Quran, Allah says:
"Surely in Zikr of the Personal Name of Allah do hearts find peace." (Al-Ra'ad-28)
It means that the heart and soul find peace in the Zikr (invocation) of the Personal Name of Allah because this is the source of its nourishment and strength. The soul of the person who avoids Zikr of Allah’s Personal Name does not find spiritual sustenance, as Allah says:
"Whoever turns away from My Zikr, his (spiritual) sustenance will be cut short and I will raise him blind (as well) on the day of Resurrection." (Taha-124)
ZIKR ISM-E-ALLAH ZAAT (Invocation of the Personal Name of Allah)
Humans have been granted the Zikr-e-Ism-e-Allah Zaat (invocation of the Personal Name of Allah) because this is the most powerful Name of Allah which possesses powers of all His Attributive Names. This Name is so powerful that if it is placed on one side of a scale and the whole universe, heaven and the hell on the other, then the heavier side would be that of the Personal Name of Allah ( ). Zikr-e-Ism-e-Allah Zaat empowers soul with the enlightened insight prerequisite for the Deedar of Allah. By the Zikr of the soul gets so empowered that it can tear all the veils of material body and life itself to attain to the Visal (Union), the Deedar (Vision) and Marifat (Gnosis) of Allah before the physical death. Since Zikr-e-Ism-e-Allah Zaat is the basis to attain to Marifat of Allah which is the reason of man's creation. That is why, the first order and revelation from Allah to the Holy Prophet Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam was to invoke Allah's name:
"O' Beloved (Sall'Allahu Alayhi Wa'alihi Wasallam)! Read with the Name of Allah, who has created everything." (Al-Alaq-1)
Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Bahoo Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh has written 140 books and every book is an explanation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat (The Personal Name of Allah). The way he has explained the reality, the splendour and secrets of Ism-e-Allah Zaat, no one else could do. He says:
"Why are you so obsessed with reading books? If you are wise then you must know that (Alif) (A) i.e. Zikr of Ism-e-Allah Zaat is enough for you, as it will reveal upon you all the secrets of the universe without reading books." (Kaleed-ul-Tauheed Kalan)
The Zikr of Ism-e-Allah-Zaat has four stages (Allahu, Lillah, Lahoo, Hoo). (Hoo) is a pronoun for Allah, as used many times in the Quran for Ism-e-Allah. The Mystic Fuqara and Knowers have claimed that Zikr of (Hoo) is Sultan-ul-Azkar.
Imam Razi Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh says: "(Hoo) is Ism-e-Azam."
Shaikh Akbar Mohi-ud-Din Ibn-e-Arabi Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh says in Fatoohat-e-Makkiah (part II): "(Hoo) is the extreme and the most elevated Zikr of Arifeen."
Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Bahoo Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh says:
"The Zikr of (Hoo) is the extreme stage of Zikr for the invokers. When, due to frequent Zikr, (Hoo) dominates and overpowers the being of the reciter of Hoo, then there remains nothing in him except (Hoo)."(Mehek-ul-Faqr Kalan)