Invoking strengthens the heart ad the body, puts inner and outer affairs in order, gladdens the heart and face, making the latter radiant. Moreover, it procures sustenance and facilitates obtaining it. It clothes the invoker in dignity; it inspires correct behavior in every affair. Its permanence is one of the means of obtaining the love of God; it is one of the greatest of the gateways leading to that love.
Invoking causes the vigilance that leads to the station of spiritual virtue, wherein the servant adores God as if he saw Him with his very own eyes. It causes one to turn to God often; for whoever turns to God by remembering Him frequently will eventually turn to Him in all his affairs. Invoking brings closeness to the Lord and opens the door of gnosis within the heart. It bestows on the servant the veneration and reverential fear of his Lord, while for the forgetful man the veil of reverential fear over his heart is very thin.
Invoking causes God’s remembrance of the servant, which is the greatest honor and loftiest distinction. Through the invocation, the heart of man lives just as the seed lives through the downpour of rain. The invocation is the nourishment of the soul just as food is the nourishment of the body. Invoking polishes the heart of its rust, which is forgetfulness (ghaflah) and the pursuit of its passions. It is to meditation like a lamp that guides one in the dark towards an open road. It thwarts sinful actions: ‘… Verily, good deeds annul bad deeds …’. (Holy Quran, 11:114) Invoking puts an end to the estrangement that occurs between the Lord and the forgetful servant.
The Key to Salvation/Miftah al-Falah, Imam Ibn AtaAllah al-Iskandari, may Allah be well pleased with him
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