Someone met Hadhrat Shaykh Junayd Baghdadi rahimahullah and noticed that Hadhrat had a tasbeeh (rosary or subhah) in his hand. The man enquired, “Hadhrat! The tasbeeh is normally held by an unmindful person in order to remind him to make zikr. Your heart is constantly engaged in the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala. Why do you need a
tasbeeh?” Junayd replied, “Should I not be loyal to the medium through which I have reached Allah Ta’ala?”
Initially his heart was unmindful. Through holding the tasbeeh in his hand he was blessed with the ability to make zikr and through constant zikr the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala became embedded in his heart. It is thus understood that one does not abandon the means which elevated him to that spiritual level.
Muslims First 