khwja muinuddin

Allah Y says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 62^nd Sura al-Jumu‘ah الْجُمُعَة (Friday, the Congregation) in verse 2:

هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُواْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

He is the One Who sent a (Glorious) Messenger e among the illiterate people from among themselves who recites to them His Revelations and cleanses and purifies them (outwardly and inwardly) and teaches them the Book and Wisdom. Indeed they were in open error before (his most welcome arrival).

Introduction

The personal touch is important in guidance of the Ummah. Mere book knowledge leads to varied translations and further division. A sick person needs both the physician and the prescription. Often he needs the Doctor more than the prescription. Unless there is a competent physician to administer the prescription properly, the prescription remains useless. Allah gave us both the physician and the prescription, The Holy Prophet Muhammad e and the Holy Qur’aan. The Holy Qur’aan without The Holy Prophet e would not have ushered in the marvelous transformation, in Arabia, which is the pride of Islam.

The functions of the Holy Physician have been described in the quoted verse of the Holy Qur’aan. Accordingly the apparent duties of the Holy Prophet e consist of the following:

1. To read the signs (ayah) of Allah from the Qur’aan and the environment, and thereby communicate the message of Allah

2. To purify their souls, this is different from merely conveying the message. That is to purify them to understand the message.

3. To explain the real significance of the passages of the Holy Qur’aan, such understanding is received when the purification process synchronizes their insight (basirah) and eyesight.

4. Finally to bring them face to face with the wisdom which follows this knowledge of the signs and action of purification.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad e combined in himself the leadership of all the various functions. He was the religious teacher, spiritual guide, social reformer, commander in chief and political head. The four Caliphs that followed inherited this leadership in totality. The temporal power and spiritual lead were centered in the same personality.

Unfortunate events subsequent to the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain u sounded the death knell of amalgamated leadership. The Bani Umayya usurped the temporal power, and the incident of Karbala and its aftermath paved the way for the modern ‘so called’ Islamic Nation States’ and the ‘external’ (zahiri) brand of Islam, as followed by these leaders. Those who could see the reality however, continued to flock around the Ahl al-Bayt[1]

أهل البيت‎ to drink from their fountain of knowledge and know reality. Under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphs these expounders of the ‘internal’ (batini) true Islam, or the Sufi Dervishes were persecuted and that is why these spiritual lessons were given secretly. The Holy Prophet Muhammad e is the ocean, Hazrath Ali u is the outlet and the ahle bait are the canals that carry the water to the thirsty. The analysis of the events after Karbala shows clearly how wealth and power corrupted the morals and respect for ahle bait. How deep this rot has set in today. Fortunate are those that are attached to Sufi Orders that have devised effective mechanisms to keep the love of Ahle Baith, and thus the soul of true Islam, alive in the heart of its adherent.

Spiritual Guidance

Ten years after the migration, the Holy Prophet Muhammad e ordered his close followers to call all the people in different places to join him on his only and last pilgrimage. On this pilgrimage he taught them how to perform the pilgrimage in a correct and unified form. This was first time that the Muslims with this magnitude gathered in one place in the presence of their leader, the Holy Prophet Muhammad e. Historians give varying figures about the participating pilgrims in that year’s Hajj from 114,000 to 124,000 or even more. On the return journey, from his “Farewell Pilgrimage”, the Holy Prophet Muhammad e, on the 18 Zil Hijjah, stopped at Ghadir Al-Khumm غدير الخم ‘Pond of Khumm’[2] , an Oasis between Makkah and Madinah. It was a place where people from different provinces met and thereafter departed from each other taking different routes to their home provinces. Hazrath Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri said: “This verse (the 5^th Sura, al-Mā’idah الْمَآئِدَة (the Table spread) verse 67) was revealed on the day of ‘Ghadir Khum’ about Hazrath Ali ibn Abi Talib t”. Imam Fakhruddin al-Razi[3] [1149 (543 AH)/ 1209 (606AH)], in his Tafsir al-Kabir (The Large Commentary, also known as Mafatih al-Ghayb, Keys to the Unknown)[4] has given ten explanations and possibilities on the revelation of this verse and the tenth possibility is that this verse was revealed in connection with Ghadir. Allah Y said in the 5^th Sura, al-Mā’idah الْمَآئِدَة (the Table spread) verse 67:

يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ وَاللّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ

O (Esteemed) Messenger! Communicate (to the people all) that has been revealed to you from your Lord. And if you did not do (so) then you would not deliver the Message of the Lord. And Allah will (Himself) protect your (life) from the (hostile) people. Surely Allah does not show the path of guidance to those who disbelieve.

He called the gathering of Companions from the various tribes and after addressing them on important matters he announced that he had received a message from Allah Y to declare as reported in Sahih Muslim صحيح مسلم[5], Musnad Ahmad ibn Hamnbal[6] and many other books:

عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَرْقَمَ رضي الله عنه قَالَ : قَامَ رَسُوْلُ اﷲِ صلي الله عليه وآله وسلم يَوْمًا فِيْنَا خَطِيْباً. بِمَاءٍ يُدْعَي خُمًّا. بَيْنَ مَکَّةَ وَالْمَدِيْنَةِ. فَحَمِدَ اﷲَ وَأَثْنَي عَلَيْهِ، وَ وَعَظَ وَذَکَّرَ ثُمَّ قَالَ : أَمَّا بَعْدُ . أَلَا أَيُّهَاالنَّاسُ، فَإِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ يُوْشِکُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ رَسُوْلُ رَبِّي فَأُجِيْبُ، وَأَنَا تَارِکٌ فِيْکُمْ ثَقَلَيْنِ : أَوَّلُهُمَا کِتَابُ اﷲِ فِيْهِ الْهُدَي وَالنُّوْرُ فَخُذُوْا بِکِتَابِ اﷲِ. وَاسْتَمْسِکُوْا بِهِ. فَحَثَّ عَلَي کِتَابِ اﷲِ وَرَغَّبَ فِيْهِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ : وَأَهْلُ بَيْتِي. أُذَکِّرُکُمُ اﷲَ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِي أُذَکِّرُکُمُ اﷲَ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِي، أُذَکِّرُکُمُ اﷲَ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِي. رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ.

‘One day the Holy Prophet Muhammad e addressed us at a place between Makkah and Madinah standing at a pond called Khum. He said, “O People! I am a human being and soon an angel will invite me to my Allah Y and I will accept. I am leaving behind two great things. The first being the Book of Allah Y, that contains guidance and nur (light). Act upon the guidance contained in the Book of Allah Y and hold fast unto it”. Thereafter he e induced us to (act upon the teachings of) the Book of Allah Y and persuaded us. He e then said, ‘Secondly, (I leave among you) my family (Ahle Bayt) and I remind you of Allah Y as regards to association with my family! I remind you of Allah Y as regards to association with my family! I remind you of Allah Y as regards to association with my family![7]

In another hadith reported Jaami al-Tirmidhi[8] جامع الترمذي‎, popularly called Sunan al-Tirmidhi سُـنَن الترمذي‎ and in the Sunan al-Kubra of Imam Al-Nasa'i[9] (214AH-829CE/915CE-303AH) and many other books in it is stated:

عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَرْقَمَ رضي الله عنه قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اﷲِ صلي الله عليه وآله وسلم : إِنِّي تَارِکٌ فِيْکُم مَا إِنْ تَمَسَّکْتُمْ بِهِ لَنْ تَضِلُّوْا بَعْدِي أَحَدُهُمَا أَعْظَمُ مِنَ الآخَرِ : کِتَابُ اﷲِ حَبْلٌ مَمْدُوْدٌ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَي الْأَرْضِ وَعِتْرَتِي : أَهْلُ بَيْتِي وَلَنْ يَتَفَرَّقَا حَتَّي يَرِدَا عَلَيَّ الْحَوْضَ فَانْظُرُوْا کَيْفَ تَخْلُفُوْنِي فِيْهِمَا. رَوَاهُ التِّرمِذِيُّ وَحَسَنَّهُ وَالنَّسَائِيُّ.

The Holy Prophet e said. ‘I am leaving behind two such great things that if you hold on firmly unto them you will never go astray after me. Of these two, one is greater than the other. The Book of Allah Y is a rope extending from the sky to the earth and my close family i.e. my ahlul bayt. These two will never separate from each other and will come together to me to my Pond of Abundance (Kawthar). Be careful how you treat these two after me.[10]

عن شعبة، عن سلمة بن كهيل، قال: سمعت أبا الطفيل يحدث، عن أبي سريحة رضي الله عنه — أو زيد بن أرقم رضي الله عنه (شك شعبة) — عن النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم، قال: من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه.

وقد روى شعبة هذا الحديث، عن ميمون أبي عبد الله، عن زيد بن أرقم رضي الله عنه، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم

“Shu‘bah relates it from Salmah bin Kuhayl: I heard it from Abū Tufayl that Abū Sarīhah t— or Zayd bin Arqam t (Shu‘bah has doubts about the narrator) — relates that the Holy Prophet e said: One who has me as his master has ‘Alī as his master.

“Shu‘bah has related the tradition from Maymūm Abū ‘Abdullāh, who related it on the authority of Zayd bin Arqam t and he has related it from the Holy Prophet e[11]

عن البراء بن عازب رضي الله عنه، قال: كنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم في سفر، فنزلنا بغدير خم، فنودي فينا: الصلاة جامعة، وكسح لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم تحت شجرتين، فصلى الظهر وأخذ بيد علي رضي الله عنه، فقال: ألستم تعلمون أنى أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم؟ قالوا: بلى. قال: ألستم تعلمون أنى أولى بكل مؤمن من نفسه؟ قالوا: بلى. قال: فأخذ بيد علي رضي الله عنه، فقال: من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه، اللهم! وال من والاه، وعاد من عاداه. قال: فلقيه عمر رضي الله عنه بعد ذلك، فقال له: هنيئا يا ابن أبي طالب! أصبحت وأمسيت مولى كل مؤمن ومؤمنة

“It is narrated by Barā’ bin ‘Āzib t: We were on a journey with Allāh’s Messenger e. (On the way) we stayed at Ghadīr Khum. There it was announced that the prayer was about to be offered. The space under two trees was cleaned for Allāh’s Messenger e. Then he offered the zuhr (noon) prayer, and, holding ‘Alī’s hand, he said: Don’t you know that I am even nearer than the lives of the believers? They said: Why not! He said: Don’t you know that I am even nearer than the life of every believer? They said: Why not! The narrator says that he said while holding ‘Alī’s hand: One who has me as his master has ‘Alī as his master. O Allāh Y! Befriend the one who befriends him (‘Alī) and be the enemy of one who is his enemy. The narrator says that after this ‘Umar (bin al-Khattāb t met ‘Alī t and said to him: O Ibn Abī Tālib! Congratulations, you have become the master of every male and female believer, morning and evening (forever)”. [12]

Hazrath Umar t and Hazrath Abu Bakr t were the first to congratulate Hazrath Ali t . Imam al-Manawi[13] (b. AH 952 / AD 1545; d. AH 1031 / AD 1621) has written in Fayd-ul-qadeer (6:217) that when Hazrath Abu Bakr t and Hazrath Umar t had heard the Holy Prophet Muhammad e’s saying:

O son of Abu Talib! You have become the master of every male and female believer, morning and evening (for ever).”

Imam Al-Dhahabi[14] (1274 CE/673 AH–1348CE/ 748 AH) has said in Siyar a‘laam-in-nubalaa’ (The lives of Noble Personalities) (2:623, 624) that Hazrath Umar t uttered the words:

Khwaja Sahib is a descendant of Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)

Hazrath Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti Sanjari t popularly known as Khwaja Ghareeb Nawaaz (The Supporter of the Poor) is the founder of the Chishtia Order of Sufis in India. He is one of the most outstanding figures in the history of Islamic Sufism.

The Chishtia Silsila[15] is one of the most popular and influential Sufi orders in Islam. It derives its name from Chisht, a village near Herat, Afghanistan, where the founder of the Order, Khwaja Abu Ishaq t of Syria, settled. Hazrath Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti t brought the Silsila to India at the close of the 11th century A.D. and established its center in Ajmer, whence the order spread far and wide in India and became a force in the spiritual life of the Muslims.

Hazrath Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti Sanjari t was born in 536 A.H./1141 A.D. at a place called Sanjar, in Sijistan (Persia or present day Iran). He was in direct lineage of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e being a paternally descended from the Holy Prophet’s grandson, Imam Hussain t and maternally from the Holy Prophet’s grandson, Imam Hassan t. Thus he is a Hassani and a Hussaini Sayyid[16] He was brought up in Khorasan, Iran and received his early education at home from his father, Hazrath Sayyid Gheyasuddin t. At the age of 9; he committed the Holy Qur’aan to memory. He was 16 yrs old when his father passed into the realm of Divine Beauty; he inherited a grinding stone and an orchard, which formed a source of his livelihood.

Spiritual Awakening

A Madjzoub[17] saint, Hazrath Ibrahim Qandoozi t paid Khwaja Sahib t a visit at his orchard. Khwaja Sahib t laid out a sheet for him to sit on and offered him a few grapes from the garden. The saint ate some grapes, and then took out a piece of bread from his sack and chewed on it. He then took out the chewed bread from his mouth and placed it in Khwaja Sahib’s mouth. An instant transformation occurred, in keeping with the Sunnah[18] of the Holy Prophet t. It is stated in Al-Tabarani[19] [(260 AH (821 CE) 360 AH (918 CE)], that a slave girl, who was not very modest, asked the Holy Prophet e for some food whilst he was eating and he offered her some of the food in his plate. She refused to accept it saying:

The Holy Prophet Muhammad e took some food out of his mouth and as soon as she ate it she was transformed into the most modest woman in Madinah. The saints of Allah Y also practice the internal, spiritual Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e. On eating the bread from Hazrath Ibrahim Qandoozi t Khwaja Sahib t penetrated the thin line separating the material world from the unseen: the inner organs of perception opened and so did his universe expand. The veil of worldly imagination was lifted from his mind and he found himself in quite a strange world radiating with divine manifestation. The intellectual proof of Islam is found among the Ulama or scholars whilst the personification of 'surrender to the Will of Allah' or the visible proof are the Awliya. The truth of the Holy Prophet e's integrity is manifested through these Awliya.

With this expanded view of the universe, Khwaja Sahib t went to his mother, Umm al-Wara' al-Ma’ruf y, and with her permission left to acquire more knowledge of Islam (ilme din). Distributing all his worldly belongings to the poor, he went to Bukhara and Samarqand to join the famous Nizamia Universities there for his theological education. He studied under Hazrath Hussamuddin Bukhari t and other great scholars. He completed his academic courses brilliantly in 9 years (552 AH to 561 AH). Adorned with the external knowledge of Islam (ilme zaahir) he felt an urge to acquire recognition of his Creator (ilme baatin) and thus he sought a Spiritual Guide.

The Spiritual Guide is the inheritor of Holy Prophet Muhammad e in his inner Spiritual State, in outward behavior and in their roles as guides and protectors within their communities. Their Spiritual Hearts (qalb)[20] are capable of receiving light and love from Allah Y and radiating it to those that are in their attendance. A person may acquire any amount of external knowledge (ilm) but he cannot reach reality (haqiqah)[21]until he connects himself to a Silsila ^{^[22]} via a physical present Guide of the Silsila, who has the powerful transference or overflow from the Great Heart (qalb) of the Holy Prophet e down the unbroken chain of recipients.

Internal Knowledge (ilme baatin) is like butter and External Knowledge (ilme zaahir) is like milk

Like butter cannot be acquired without milk, so to recognition of Allah Y (ilme baatin) cannot be obtained without a Spiritual Guide.

Once while Maulana Jalaluddeen Rumi t was teaching his pupils in the open courtyard, next to a fountain, a shabbily externally dressed but perfectly internally adorned Sufi, Hazrath Shams Tabrez t came to their assembly and watched them. He saw Maulana Rumi t referring to numerous handwritten books in the course of his teaching. Hazrath Shams Tabrez t asked Maulana Jalaluddeen Rumi t as to what was in the books. Maulana Jalaluddeen Rumi t replied:

O! Sufi, this contains knowledge that is beyond your understanding so you continue to read your rosary (tasbih).

Unnoticed by Maulana Jalaluddeen Rumi t, Hazrath Shams Tabrez t threw all the books into the pond of water. When Maulana Rumi t’s students saw what occurred they began beating Hazrath Shams Tabrez t. This and the screams of Shams Tabrez t alerted Maulana Rumi t as to what occurred. He complained that all his valuable knowledge had been destroyed. Hazrath Shams Tabrez t said:

A visibly dejected Maulana Rumi t conceded to the request thinking that this was impossible. He was surprised to see Shams Tabrez t, recite bismillah, lift the drenched books from the pond, blow dust off them and return them to him intact. He asked Shams Tabrez t as to how he did this. Hazrath Shams Tabrez t replied:

This knowledge is beyond your understanding so you continue to teach your pupils.

Maulana Jalaluddeen Rumi t fell at his feet and was swept into the currents of love. The presence of this ragged Sufi, Hazrath Shams Tabrez t, changed Maulana Jalaluddeen Rumi t from a respected professor of theology into a lover of God, one who summed up his whole life with the phrase:

Shams Tabrez t, targeted Maulana Rumi t since he knew that Rumi was ready for receiving Spiritual Training but the veil of conceit, regarding his knowledge, had to be lifted.

مولوی ہرگز نہ شد مولائے روم تا غلام شمس تبریزی نہ شُد

Molvi Rumi t couldn’t be transformed into the Spiritual Guide (Mawla) of Ruum

Maulana Rumi t as the true inheritor of the internal state of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e was so respected that the Muslim Ruler of the time used to kiss his feet out of reverence.

Khwaja Sahib t undertook a journey to a place called Harwan or Haroon. He became a disciple of Hazrath Khwaja Uthman Harooni t a great Sufi of his time. Hazrath Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti t was then consigned to a ‘secluded room’ hujra [24]to worship Allah Y (ibaadat) and strive on the path (riyaazat). A day later his Guide asked him as to what he could see and he replied:

He sent him back into the hujra. Another day passed and he was asked as to what he could see and he replied:

“I can see the abyss of the earth (tahtus sudra) and up to the Divine Throne (arsh).

He was sent back into the hujra. Another day passed and on being questioned by his Pir he replied:

‘I can see up to the Glorious Veil (al-Hijab e Azmat) that veils the Creator from us and beyond the veil.”

Khwaja Uthman Harooni t then held out two fingers and asked him to look through them and say what he sees. He replied:

Although some reports say the training lasted three years many say it lasted three days, and I favour this, since Khwaja Uthman Haruni t is reported to have said in Anis ul-Arwah [25]^, “in our followers there is Spiritual Striving (mujaheda) of one day and one night only.”

He remained in the company of his ‘Spiritual Guide’ (Peer-o-Murshid) for 21 years and traveled with him carrying his Murshid's belongings on his head. They traveled to Makkah, Madinah, Iraq, Syria, Samarqand, Afghanistan, etc. meeting many great saints. While they were in Makkah in 562 AH, Hazrath Khwaja Uthman Haruni t took Hazrath Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti t to the Holy Kaaba and prayed for him and a voice was heard declaring:

Imam Maalik has placed in his famous work, al-Muwatta, a section dealing dreams, and in it he has quoted the following :[26]

لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَى فِي الْحَياةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ

“They shall receive bushra (messages) in the life of this world as well as in the hereafter mean good dreams which a man should himself see or others see for him.”

Imam Fakhruddin al-Razi[27] [1149 (543 AH)/ 1209 (606AH)] a later scholar said that when Allah Y said in the 24^th Sura, Nur النُّوْر [Light], Verse 35:

In Madinah the Illuminated, while at the Holy Court of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e, Hazrath Khwaja Uthman Haruni t instructed Hazrath Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti t to offer his homage and salutations respectfully. In doing so, a voice was heard saying:

On hearing this his Pir-o-Murshid said to him, "Now indeed you have reached perfection."

After full 20 years hard training in the Science of Spirituality (Tasawwuf) under this great Spiritual Guide, at the age of 46, in the year 582 AH at Baghdad, Hazrath Khwaja Muinuddin t was awarded Khilafat^{^[28]} in the Chishtia Silsila. His Murshid, after advising him, handed over his Sacred Staff (Asa Mubarak), wooden sandals and prayer mat (Musallah) to Hazrath Khwaja Muinuddin t saying that those Tabbarukaats [29] have come down from the Messenger of Allah e in succession. The association with his Spiritual Guide (Suhbat)^{^[30]} had now prepared him for his mission. This fire of love is passed down the Spiritual Chain. Heart connection is required to acquire it. A poet has rightly said:

It is reported that once Hazrath Bahauddin Naqshbandi t was passing a clay pot makers shop with some of his disciples when he felt the heat of a raging furnace. He asked the clay pot maker as to what the fire was for and he explained that the wet clay pots are placed into the fire and they become solidly baked. He told his disciples that this was the ‘secret of love connection’. To expound what he was saying, he went close to the fire and said, ‘Allah!’ and then walked away into the crowded market. The clay pot maker was surprised as to what this Sufi had done. When the baked pots were removed from the furnace, every pot had the inscription, Allah on it. The clay pot maker ran into the market place and looked for Hazrath Bahauddin t. When he found him he exclaimed,

O! Master, who imprints the word Allah Y, Give me a look of grace and put Allah Y in my heart

Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshbandi t says that a Perfect Friend of Allah Y must be able to see this universe as he sees his fingernails. Therefore the Sultan al-Arifin Maulana Rumi t says:

Shaykh Abd al-Qadir Jilaani t says:[32] I see the world like a mustard seed on my palm.

I saw them interlinked and joined and small as an atom (Worthlessness of this world and its pleasures); As a mere mustard seed compared to my connection with Him (Allah Y)

If this is the status of Awliya, what must be the status of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e? The Wahabbi /Salafi / Deobandi alliance accuses us of equating the Holy Prophet Muhammad e with Allah Y and declares we are committing an act of ‘assigning partners to Allah Y’ (Shirk). I say we don’t say Holy Prophet Muhammad e is the partner of Allah Y (sharik) but if at all guilty we say he is ‘the Beloved of Allah’ (Habib). E.g.: If there are four partners in a business then each will own a proportionate share. This is sharik. On the contrary a beloved of one owner, due to the intense love he has for his beloved, makes the beloved the owner of everything.

I will call you the owner (O! Beloved Prophet) because you are the Owners Beloved

The status, which the ‘the Beloved of Allah’ (Habib) holds is greater than any ascribed ‘partner’ (shareek) could be given.

After ordaining him as a Spiritual Guide, Khwaja Uthman t embraced Khwaja Muinuddin t, affectionately, kissed his forehead and said:

Khwaja Muinuddin then departed with a heavy heart on the mission entrusted to him. (Anis ul-Arwah). During his tour onwards, a fourteen-year-old boy, Qutbuddin Bakhtyar Awashi (Born 569 A.H.) approached him at Asfahan in 583 A.H and was initiated as his spiritual disciple (mureed). Khwaja Qutbuddin t was the first disciple of Khwaja Sahib t and he accompanied him on his tour. Khwaja Sahib t received ‘Bashara’ [33] or prophecy in dream from the Holy Prophet Muhammad e in 586 A.H, to grant Khwaja Qutub, Khilafat at an early age of seventeen years. Khwaja Qutbuddin t was a born saint. His mother was a Hafizah of half of the Holy Qur’aan and she recited Qur’aan daily during her pregnancy. He therefore remembered by heart, half of the Holy Qur’aan by Allah Y 's grace while he was still in his mother's womb. Khwaja Sahib t during his tour, (583 585 A.H.) visited many places, including Makkah and Madinah.

"O Almighty Allah Y, I only pray for the grace of your pardon to Muinuddin’s silsila of disciples."

O Muinuddin, You are our beloved devotee we shall pardon your 'murids' and also others who become so in your Spiritual order up to The Day of Judgment.

He then went to Madinah and remained in devotion for a long time. One night he had a Basharat' from the Holy Prophet e who said:

"O Muinuddin, you are the promoter of our religion. We put India under your charge where darkness prevails. Go to Ajmer. With your presence the darkness will disappear and Islam shall shine. God will help you."

Khwaja Muinuddin was much pleased with being given an assignment by the Beloved of Allah e but wondered about the geographical position of Ajmer. He was again blessed with a vision of the Holy Prophet e and shown a map with the exact position of Ajmer with its surrounding hills and fort.

I draw your attention to something special. Every Qadri is the disciple of Hazrath Ghaus al-Azam t but every Chishti, Naqshbandi, Suharwardi, Rifai and Shadilyya are his disciples. Disciples of very spiritual order are his disciples. Let me explain this. He said:

قَدْمِىْ هذِه عَلى رَقْبَةِ كُلِّ وَلِيىِّ الله

When our Master, Abu Muhammad Hazrath Muhayuddin Abd' al Qaadir Jilaani Ghaws al-Azam, Mahboob e Subhaani t, uttered this statement 313 Aulia in this world and in the world of souls etc. bent their necks. At this time Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti t was in a young man in a cave in Hind in the mountain of Khurasan and he said:

Hazrath Ghaus al-Azam t said, ‘Every wali’. He did not say, ‘on the neck of the Aulia of my spiritual order’. Thus every wali became his disciple. The author of Qalaid al-Jawahir[35] , Shaykh Abd al-Qaadir Ebili t other great scholars state that Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti Ajmeri t spent 70 days in the Holy Court of Hazrath Ghaus al-Azam t and received special spiritual effusion (fayz) from him[36]. Khwaja Saheb t had requested the spiritual governance of Iraq but Hazrath Ghaus al-Azam t but he received the reply that it had been given to Hazrath Shahabuddin Umar Suharwardi[37] t but he is giving him Hind (Indo/Pak). So every Chishti is indebted to Hazrath Ghaus al-Azam t.

Resuming his journey through Hamadan, Tabrez, Isfahan, Khirqan, Astrabad, and Herat, meeting notable saints in his way he reached Sabzawar in Afghanistan where he converted the governor of the place, Yadgar Muhammad who was cruel and haughty and was a Shia by faith, who did not recognize and respect the first three Caliphs of Islam, neither had any respect for Sufis nor for any holy saints. One look of grace from Khwaja Sahib t caused Yadgar Muhammad to repent. He distributed his wealth among the poor and needy, divorced his many wives, freed all his slaves and renouncing the world, became one of the ardent devotees of Hazrath Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti t. (Tazkarat ul-Aulia). Before entering India in 587 A.H., he healed the suffering humanity throughout his journey, visiting Balkh and Ghazi as well. He proceeded to Delhi via Fort Shadman, Multan, Lahore and Samana.

At Lahore Khwaja Sahib t stayed for forty days at the shrine of Hazrath Makhdum Sayyid Ali Hujweri t, a descendant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e who is popularly known as Data Ganj Baksh t. Hazrath Sayyid Ali Hujweri t is a wali of such a high status that it is stated that Shaykh Abd al-Qaadir Jilaani t said, when he was once mentioned in his gathering:

“I, Abd al-Qaadir, would have taken him as my Spiritual Guide if I was born in his time.”

Khwaja Sahib t, who had reached such a high spiritual status, had such respect for Data Sahib t that he spent forty days at the feet of Data Sahib t. Before leaving Lahore he offered the following couplet in appreciation of Ali Hujwiri t’s status:

He is a bestower of treasure (Ganj Baksh) reflecting Divine Light for the salvation of mankind.

To the unworthy he is a perfect guide, but to perfect souls, he is still a guide

This couplet has made him famous forever as 'Data Ganj Baksh’. In what high esteem must adherents of the Chishtia Spiritual Order hold this Mazaar of Data Sahib t where the Sovereign of the Chishtia Order, Khwaja Sahib t spent forty days? Khwaja Nizamuddin Aulia t reports that I saw the Holy Prophet Muhammad e entering the Mazaar of my Shaykh, Hazrath Baba Faiduddin Ganje Shakar t and he, the Holy Prophet e exclaimed:

Therefore this door is called ‘The Door to Paradise” or Behisti Darwaza. How great must the status of Baba Farid Ganje Shakar t be?

It is stated that this great wali, Baba Farid t used to visit the Mazaar of Data Saheb t, he used to show such reverence that he swept the forecourt of the mazaar with his beard.

Islamic history records in golden letters that only Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti t and no one else instituted the everlasting spirit of Islam in India. He conquered the hearts of Indian people without any army. It was a grand spiritual victory that must stand high among all political victories of the world. What Ghaznavi, Lodhi and Ghauri could not do with their army, Khwaja Muinuddin t did with wisdom and love. He conquered India, not by the sword but by winning the hearts with love and strong character as has been said by Hazrath Nizamuddin Aulia t in Fawaid-ul-Fuad^{^[38]}:

"None can be converted to Islam either by sword or by dialogue; but good character is more effective than sword or dialogue. Before converting someone it is most essential that one must first be a real Muslim."

The Hindu ruler of India, Prithvi Raj challenged Khwaja Muinuddin t, unsuccessfully, on many occasions. The ruler sent a Hindu Priest, Shadi Dev or Ram Deo to persuade Khwaja Sahib t to leave the area and not to use the water of the Anasagar Lake for ablution, since it was a Hindu Holy lake. Khwaja Sahib t requested that he be allowed to fill one water bag. Permission was granted and on Khwaja Sahibs orders, Khwaja Qutbuddin t went to fill the water bag. The entire lake disappeared into the water-skin bag. Shaadi Ram was awestruck by the magnetic and miraculous personality of Khwaja Sahib t. He hesitantly protested and Khwaja Sahib t told him:

‘O! Shaadi. I can see the light of Islam on your forehead. Testify that ‘None is worthy of worship except the One True God”.

He at once accepted Islam and was named Saadi. This created a stir amongst the Hindus. Thousands now accepted Islam. The Hindu ruler now sent his greatest magician, Ajaipal, to challenge Khwaja Sahib t. After failing in many attacks on Khwaja Sahib t he finally flew into the air on a deerskin and asked Khwaja Sahib to better this feat. Khwaja Sahib t ordered his wooden sandals to fly up into the air and beat the head of Ajipal and bring him down

We may think that these are fictitious stories. No! This is Islam and this is man acting in his capacity as Khalifat-Allah[39] actualised. . The goal of Islam is not to grope in the dark. The Holy Qur’aan describes the function of Islam in 2^nd Sura al-Baqarah (the Cow) الْبَقَرَة in verse 257:

اللّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّوُرِ

Allah is the protecting friend of those who commit to Him genuinely and He takes them out of darkness into the light

If the goal is to imbue ourselves with Divine Attributes- to become Khalifat-Allah actualized then the natural function is interference. This interference by man is possible on the lower level of physical science and at the higher level of spiritual science or spirituality. The Khalifat-Allah as one totally submitted to Allah can do greater wonders than the physical scientist.

Love to all and Malice to none, along with Service to humanity was the foundation stone laid by Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti t for the successful spread of Islam in India. Representatives of Chishtia Order are working up to the present day on the same line. Khwaja Saheb used great wisdom in presenting Islam to the people of India. He Islamicised prevalent activities, in keeping with their culture, and presented other ‘enjoyable’ activities to them, especially designed to attract them to Islam. Although music and singing popularly known as 'Sama' is not new to Sufis wherever they are, Sultan ul-Hind, Gharib Nawaaz Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti specially arranged and patronized these concerts to capture and mould the heart of his audience for accepting the Divine Message gracefully. Thousands of Muslims and non-Muslims listen to it in rapt attention wherever these Sufi functions are held by the representatives of Chishtia Order and derive spiritual benefits. It is through these methods that the Sufis, slowly and patiently, awaken the Spiritual Heart, to love Allah Y and the Holy Prophet Muhammad e, resulting in those astray coming to the straight path.

Religious Edict (Fatawa)

Fatawa are issued at a certain time and place, in a particular circumstance and should not be treated as binding at all places for all times. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah put it beautifully in his article; Islam and the Cultural Imperative.[40]

[Quote]: For centuries, Islamic civilization harmonized indigenous forms of cultural expression with the universal norms of its sacred law. It struck a balance between temporal beauty and ageless truth and fanned a brilliant peacock's tail of unity in diversity from the heart of China to the shores of the Atlantic. Islamic jurisprudence helped facilitate this creative genius. In history, Islam showed itself to be culturally friendly and, in that regard, has been likened to a crystal clear river. Its waters (Islam) are pure, sweet, and life--giving but--having no colour of their own--reflect the bedrock (indigenous culture) over which they flow. In China, Islam looked Chinese; in Mali, it looked African. Sustained cultural relevance to distinct peoples, diverse places, and different times underlay Islam's long success as a global civilization. The religion became not only functional and familiar at the local level but dynamically engaging, fostering stable indigenous Muslim identities and allowing Muslims to put down deep roots and make lasting contributions wherever they went.[Unquote]

The Holy Qur'aan says about implementing Shariah in the 5th Sura, al-Mā’idah الْمَآئِدَة (the Table spread) in verse 48:

لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا

We have given you the Shariah (law) and an all-embracing methodology (to implement the law)

Imam Ali ibn Abdul-Salaam al-Tusuli from Fez (d. 1258 A.H./1842 C.E.), in his al-Bahjafi Sharhal-Tuhfa, asserted:

"Allowing the people to follow their customs, usages, and general aspirations in life is obligatory. To hand down rulings in opposition to this is gross deviation and tyranny."

The eminent nineteenth-century Syrian legal scholar Ibn Abidin[41] warned that any jurist who held rigidly to the standard legal decisions of his school without regard to changing times and circumstances would necessarily obliterate fundamental rights and extensive benefits, bringing about harm far exceeding any good he might possibly achieve. Ibn Abidin asserted further that such blindness constituted nothing less than oppression and gross injustice.

Al-Qarāfī[42], a renowned thirteenth-century jurist, declared in his al-ahkam wa tasarrufat al-qadi wa'l-imam (The Book of Perfecting the Distinction between Legal Opinions, Judicial Decisions, and the Discretionary Actions of Judges and Caliphs) similarly:

Persons handing down legal judgments (fatawa) while adhering blindly to the texts in their books without regard for the cultural realities of their people are in gross error. They act in contradiction to established legal consensus and are guilty of iniquity and disobedience before Allah Y, having no excuse despite their ignorance; for they have taken upon themselves the art of issuing legal rulings without being worthy of that practice.... Their blind adherence to what is written down in the legal compendia is misguidance in the religion of Islam and utter ignorance of the ultimate objectives behind the rulings of the earlier scholars and great personages of the past whom they claim to be imitating.

These words resounded well in the ears of Ibn al-Qayyim[43] , a great jurisconsult and scholar of the following century, who commended al-Qarafi by saying:

This is pure understanding of the law. Whoever issues legal rulings to the people merely on the basis of what is transmitted in the compendia despite differences in their customs, usages, times, places, conditions, and the special circumstances of their situations has gone astray and leads others astray. His crime against the religion is greater than the crime of a physician who gives people medical prescriptions without regard to the differences of their climes, norms, the times they live in, and their physical natures but merely in accord with what he finds written down in some medical book about people with similar anatomies. He is an ignorant physician, but the other is an ignorant jurisconsult but much more detrimental. [44]

Let us see if this level of love, of singing and dancing in ecstacy, existed in the Sahaba. The following is recorded in Bukhari[45] and Muslim[46] and numerous authentic books of hadith which no scholar, Muhaddith, Aalim, Mufti, Muhaqqiq, can refute its existence or reliability.

في صحيحي البخاري ومسلم : " ورأيت النبي ( ص ) يسترني بردائه وأنا أنظر إلى الحبشة وهم يلعبون في المسجد ، فزجرهم عمر فقال النبي : دعهم ! أمنا بني ارفدة - يعني من الأمن - فاقدروا قدر الجارية الحديثة السن تسمع اللهو[48]

In Bukhari and Muslim: I saw the Holy Prophet e screening me and I am watching the Ethiopians and they are playing in the Masjid , and Hazrath Umar t scolded them , so the Holy Prophet e said: Leave them , Carry on You are protected (have my approval) O Bani Arfida!

It is also recorded in Tirmidhi and Abu Daud. The Imams of Hadith have written commentaries on this Hadith. There were African companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e from Ethiopia (Abyssinia), the Bani Arfida (بني أرفدة) [49] residents of Madinah that used to come to visit the Holy Prophet Muhammad e annually on the occasion of ‘īd (عيد). In Bukhari it is stated that they were ‘playing’ يلعبو (yal’abu), dancing and playing in Masjid an-Nabawi, in front of the door of the Holy Prophet e’s house. Bukhari has recorded this in the Chapter, ‘Playing in the Masjid’,

باب حجرتي والحبشمة يلعبون بحرابهم في مسجد رسول الله ص since the word ‘playing’ appears in the text. So, readers of this Hadith concentrate more on playing than other aspects. Other Imams have also commented on this hadith. This being in the Chapter, ‘Playing in the Masjid’,باب حجرتي والحبشمة يلعبون بحرابهم في مسجد رسول الله ص, in Bukhari, a question arises as to whether anyone has permission to play in the Masjid? This is a place of prayer, reflection, bowing and prostration, so the answer is a definite, ‘No!’ Yet, Bukhari has recorded this in the Sub Chapter, ‘Spear play in the Masjid’. The Muslims of African descent used to come to the Holy Prophet Muhammad e on the Day of ‘īd (عيد) and it is stated they were ‘playing with spears’ in the Masjid and in front of the house door of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e. If one analyses this hadith and reflect as to where the door of the house of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e opened, it opened leading to ‘The Piece of Paradise on Earth’ (Riazul Jannah). Ar-Rawdah an-Nabawiyah is considered part of Jannah (Heaven or Paradise) Imam Tirmidhi did not use the word ‘playing’ (yal’aboon) but utilized yaznifoon. Some have commentated on the activity saying that they were doing the ‘war dance’ since they had spears etc. Could they have not performed a ‘war dance’ outside in the open fields? They could never have ‘played’ or performed a ‘war dance’ at such a ‘Place of Sacredness’ , the Masjid of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e, in front of the door of his blessed residence, standing on a piece of paradise.

So many have inferred and understood this hadith with their subjective limitations and selective concentration. This hadith is in the Musnad of Imam Hamnbal, Tirmidhi, Tabarani, Nasai and as-Sunan al-Kubra etc. Hazrath Aisha t, reported that the Abysinians were standing in front of the door of the Holy Prophet e’s house and were ‘ecstatically dancing’ or performing raqs on anticipation of seeing the Holy Prophet Muhammad e. Hazrath Anas bin Maalik t, reports in the Musnad of Imam Hamnbal t:

Here yazfiloo يَزفِلُنَ or raqs is mentioned. The Holy Prophet e called Hazrath Aisha t, to witness this ecstatic state of love, thus giving it his approval. Also, he asked the Sahaba as to what they were saying in this ecstatic state? The Sahaba told the Holy Prophet e that they were saying:

As the Holy Prophet Muhammad e put his benevolent gaze on the Sahaba performing raqs and singing his praises, I have no doubt that he looks at us “whirling”in “raqs” in the Sama of the Chishtia and Mawlawiyya[52] tarîqas.

This event of the "sons of Arfida"--a familiar Arabian linguistic reference to people of African descent--provides a significant instance of the place of culture (here, of course, Black African culture) within the Prophetic dispensation. The Holy Prophet e's intervention to stop Hazrath Umar t made it clear that the Africans were not to be judged by Hazrath Umar t's local Arabian standards or made to conform to them. The "sons of Arfida" had their own distinctive cultural tastes and traditional behaviour. The fact that they had embraced Islam did not mean they were also required to commit cultural apostasy or become subservient to Arab customs. The Prophet allowed Muslim Arabs agency in their social expression and extended a similar right to non-Arabs. By his affirmation of the "sons of Arfida," he established an overriding sunnah and abiding legal precedent for respecting different ethnic and cultural traditions and acknowledging the emotional needs, tastes, and cultural inclinations of all who embraced his teaching.

In keeping with this sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e, Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti t of Ajmer, who is historically credited with pioneering the propagation of Islam in the Indo-Pak sub-continent and had launched his missionary activity with the blessing of the Holy Prophet e, had spiritually obtained the Holy Prophet e’s permission to utilize sama[53] with musical instruments as part of his mission. The people of India are culturally attuned to instrumental music. This response to their cultural needs helped Islam spread with ease.

Khwaja Sahib t passed into the realm of Divine Beauty on the 6 Rajab 633 AH/1233 AD at the age of 97. On his passing he had the unique honour of knowing that 9.9 million had accepted Islam in India due to his efforts.

[1] Family of the Blessed House of the Holy Prophet Muhammad , which included the Blessed Five and all the wives of the Holy Prophet Muhammad  .

[2] Ghadir Al-Khumm (غدير الخم) ‘Pond of Khumm’ which is a a natural lake near Haggag, some 35 km inland, fringed with Phragmite reeds and fed by several permanent freshwater springs provides a natural wetland unique on the Tihamah north of Jeddah. It is a Valley or Wadi Rabigh extending along the border of Madinah and Makkah.

[3] Fakhruddin Razi or Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Umar ibn al-Husayn al-Taymi al-Bakri al-Tabaristani Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (أبو عبدالله محمد بن عمر بن الحسین فخرالدین الرازي) was a well-known Persian, Sunni Muslim theologian and philosopher. He was born in 1149 (543 AH) in Ray of Persia (today located in Iran) and died in 1209 (606AH) in Herat (today located in Afghanistan). He also wrote on medicine, physics, astrology, literature, history and law.

[4] Tafsir al-Kabir (The Large Commentary, also known as Mafatih al-Ghayb, Keys to the Unknown) is a classical Islamic Tafsir book, written by the well-known Persian theologian and philosopher Muhammad ibn Umar Fakhr al-Din al-Razi d. 606H (1149-1209). It is not unusual for contemporary works to use it as a reference.

[5] Sahih Muslim صحيح مسلم, full title "Al-Musnadu Al-Sahihu bi Naklil Adli") is one of the Six major collections of the hadith in Sunni Islam, oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Holy Prophet Muhammad . It is the second most authentic hadith collection according to Sunni Muslims, the most authentic book of hadith after Sahih Al-Bukhari. It was collected by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, also known as Imam Muslim(206-261 AH/.821-875 CE).

[6] Musnad Ahmad ibn Hamnbal is a collection of Hadith collected by the famous Sunni scholar Ahmad ibn Hamnbal (164 - 241 AH) ‏‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎أحمد بن حنبل to whom the Hanbali School of Jurisprudence of Sunnis is attributed. It is said by some that Ibn Hanbal made a comment in regards to his book which read as follows: "There is not a hadith that I have included in this book except that it was used as evidence by some of the scholars."

[7] الحديث رقم 15 : أخرجه مسلم في الصحيح، کتاب : فضائل الصحابة، باب : من فضائل علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه، 3 / 1873، الرقم : 2408، وأحمد بن حنبل في المسند، 4 / 366، الرقم : 19265، وابن حبان في الصحيح، 1 / 145، الرقم : 123، وابن خزيمة في الصحيح، 4 / 62، الرقم : 2357، واللالکائي في اعتقاد أهل السنة، 1 / 79، الرقم : 88، والبيهقي في السنن الکبري، 2 / 148، الرقم : 2679، وابن کثير في تفسير القرآن العظيم، 3 / 487.

[8] Jaami al-Tirmidhi جامع الترمذي‎, popularly called Sunan al-Tirmidhi سُـنَن الترمذي‎ is one of the Sunni Six major Hadith collections. It was collected by Imam Abu Isa Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi (209 AH - 279 AH). Al-Hafidh Abu Al-Fadl Al-Maqdisi said: "I heard Al-Imam Abu Isma'il Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Ansari in Harrah - when Abu Isa Al-Tirmidhi and his book was mentioned before him - saying: "To me, his book is more useful than the books of Al-Bukhari and that of Muslim. This is because only an expert can arrive at the benefit of the books of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, whereas in the case of the book of Abu Isa, every one of the people can attain its benefit.

[9] Al-Nasā'ī (214 – 303 AH/ ca. 829 – 915 AD/CE), full name Aḥmad ibn Shu`ayb ibn Alī ibn Sīnān Abū `Abd ar-Raḥmān al-Nasā'ī, was a noted collector of hadith and wrote one of the six canonical hadith collections recognized by Sunni Muslims, Sunan al-Sughra, or "Al-Mujtaba", which he selected from his "As-Sunan al-Kubra". As well as 15 other books, dealing with the science of hadith.

[10] الحديث رقم 16 : أخرجه الترمذي في السنن، کتاب : المناقب عن رسول اﷲ صلي الله عليه وآله وسلم، باب : في مناقب أهل بيت النبي صلي الله عليه وآله وسلم، 5 / 663، الرقم : 3788 / 3786، والنسائي في السنن الکبري، 5 / 45، الرقم : 8148، 8464، وأحمد بن حنبل في المسند، 3 / 14، 26، 59، الرقم : 11119، 11227، 11578، والحاکم في المستدرک، 3 / 118، الرقم : 4576، وأبويعلي في المسند، 2 / 303، الرقم : 10267، 1140، والطبراني عن أبي سعيد رضي الله عنه في المعجم الأوسط، 3 / 374، الرقم : 3439، وفي المعجم الصغير، 1 / 226، الرقم : 323، وفي المعجم الکبير، 3 / 65، الرقم : 2678، وابن أبي شيبة في المصنف، 6 / 133، الرقم : 30081، وابن أبي عاصم في السنة، 2 / 644، الرقم : 1553

[11] Tirmidhī has declared it fair, sound and weak (hasan sahīh gharīb) in al-Jāmi‘us-sahīh, b. of manāqib (merits) 6:79 (#3713), and Shu‘bh, in the manner of Maymūn Abū ‘Abdullah, has also related it on the authority of Zayd bin Arqam (RA). Ahmad bin Hambal narrated it in Fadā’il-us-sahābah (2:569 # 959); Mahāmilī, Amālī (p.85); Tabarānī, al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabīr (5:195, 204 # 5071, 5096); Ibn Abī ‘Āsim, as-Sunnah (pp.603, 604 # 1361, 1363, 1364, 1367, 1370); Nawawī, Tahdhīb-ul-asmā’ wal-lughāt (p.318); Ibn ‘Asākir, Tārīkh Dimashq al-kabīr (45:163, 164); Ibn Athīr, Asad-ul-ghābah fī ma‘rifat-is-sahābah (6:132); Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wan-nihāyah (5:463); and ‘Asqalānī in Ta‘jīl-ul-manfa‘ah (p.464 # 1222).It has been related from ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Abbās رضي الله) عنهما) in the following books: 1. Hākim, al-Mustadrak (3:134 # 4652). 2. Tabarānī, al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabīr (12:78 # 12593). 3. Khatīb Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdad (12:343). 4. Haythamī, Majma‘-uz-zawā’id (9:108). 5. Ibn ‘Asākir, Tārīkh Dimashq al-kabīr (45:77, 144). 6. Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wan-nihāyah (5:451).Albānī says in Silsilat-ul-ahādīth-is-sahīhah (4:331 # 1750) that its chain of authorities is sahīh (sound) according to the conditions of Bukhārī and Muslim.

[12] Ahmad bin Hambal related it from Barā’ bin ‘Āzib through two different chains of transmission in al-Musnad (4:281); Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Musannaf (12:78 # 12167); Muhib Tabarī, Dhakhā’ir-ul-‘uqbā fī manāqib dhawī al-qurbā (p.125), ar-Riyād-un-nadrah fī manāqib-il-‘ashrah (3:126, 127); Hindī, Kanz-ul-‘ummāl (13:133, 134 # 36420); Ibn ‘Asākir, Tārīkh Dimashq al-kabīr (5:167, 168); Ibn Athīr, Asad-ul-ghābah (4:103); and Ibn Kathīr in al-Bidāyah wan-nihāyah (4:169; 5:464).

Ahmad bin Hambal in his book Fadā’il-us-sahābah (2:610 # 1042) has added the following words in the tradition related to ‘Umar bin al-Khattāb (RA). The Prophet (SAW) said:

قال شعبة: أو قال: و ابغض من أبغضه. عاداه, وانصر من نصره, وأحب من أحبه وعاد من.

(O Allāh!) Be the enemy of one who is his (‘Alī’s) enemy, and help

him who helps him, and love him who loves him.

Shu‘bah says that the Prophet (SAW) said in its place, “Bear malice towards him who bears malice towards (‘Alī).”

[13] Abd al-Rauf Muhammad al-Manawi (b. AH 952 / AD 1545; d. AH 1031 / AD 1621) was an Ottoman period Islamic scholar of Cairo, known for his works on the early history of Islam and the history of Sufism in Egypt. He was a disciple of al-Sharani. His Fayd al-Qadir Sharh al-Jami` al-Saghir is a commentary on the Jami by Imam al-Suyuti

[14] Imam Al-Dhahabi (1274 CE/673 AH–1348CE/ 748 AH) or Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn `Uthman ibn Qaymaz ibn Abd Allah, Shams al-Din Abu Abd Allah al-Turkmani al-Diyarbakri al-Fariqi al-Dimashqi al-Dhahabi al-Shafi`i (محمد بن احمد بن عثمان بن قيوم ، أبو عبد الله شمس الدين الذهبي‎), is a Shafi'i Muhaddith and historian of Islam. He wrote Siyar a`lam al-nubala'. (The Lives of Noble Figures) in 23 volumes which is a unique encyclopaedia of biographical history.

[15] Silsila The Spiritual Chain of each Sufi Order descends from the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) down to the present Spiritual Guide. It is through attachment to the silsila that the newly initiated disciple has the means to travel to Allah under Divine Protection.

[16] Sayyid: ‘Master.’ This title is given to a descendant of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions), descending from his daughter Fatimah (Radiallahu anha).

[17] Madjzoub: One under the influence of Divine attraction (jadhba). The power of this attraction brings about spiritual intoxication (sukr) and indifference to all that is other than Allah. In being drawn towards Allah the Madjzoub experiences excessive ecstacy.

[18] Ash Shifa: Qadi Iyad ibn Musa al-Yashubi: translated by Aisha Abdurahman Bewley: Madinah Press, Granada, Spain. Page 179/180.

[19] Abu al-Qasim Sulaiman ibn Ahmad ibn Al-Tabarani born 260 AH (821 CE) and lived, according to the sources, until 360 AH (918 CE). He narrated numerous ahadeeth. Amongst his students Ahmad bin 'Amr bin 'Abdul-Khaliq Al-Basri or Abu Bakr Al-Bazzar.

[20] Holy Qur’aan Sura al-Anaam 6 Verse 122

[21] The power to connect to Allah.

[22] Silsila The Spiritual Chain of each Sufi Order descends from the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) down to the present Spiritual Guide.

[23] Shams-e-Tabrīzī (Persian: شمس تبریزی, d. 1248) was an Iranian Sufi born in the city of Tabriz in Iranian Azerbaijan. He is responsible for initiating Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, usually known as Rumi in the West, into Islamic Sufism, and is immortalized by Rumi's poetry collection Diwan-e Shams-e Tabriz-i ("The Works of Shams of Tabriz").

[24] A room for conducting spiritual exercises.

[25] A written record of the discourses of Khwaja Uthman Haruni by Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti .

[26] Akili, ‘Ibn Seerin’s Dictionary of Dreams’. Pearl Publishing House. Philadelphia 1992. p xix

[27] Fakhruddin Razi or Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Umar ibn al-Husayn al-Taymi al-Bakri al-Tabaristani Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (أبو عبدالله محمد بن عمر بن الحسین فخرالدین الرازي) was a well-known Persian, Sunni Muslim theologian and philosopher. He was born in 1149 (543 AH) in Ray of Persia (today located in Iran) and died in 1209 (606AH) in Herat (today located in Afghanistan). He also wrote on medicine, physics, astrology, literature, history and law.

[28] Khilafat : An official Award of Commission, on spiritual perfection, to guide others.

[29] Tabarruqat: Sacred Relics

[30] Suhba: The Spiritual Companionship between guide and disciple. It is the pouring of love of Allah into the Murids heart whilst increasing the hearts capacity to absorb.

[31] Lauh al-Mahfuz: The Divinely Inscribed Tablet upon which the destiny of all creation is written.

[32] Al-Fuyuuzaat ar-Rabbaaniyya: Ismail Muhammad Said al-Qadiri: al-Baz Publishing: The Wine Ode: al-Khamriyya Page 83

[33] Beshara: Glad tidings that reach the heart. This may be announced to a Sufi in his dream or within his Spiritual State (hal)

[34] Moulana Abdur Rehman Jami, in his famous books 'Nafahat-ul-Inns', has said that Hazrath Khwaja Muhayuddin Chishti was a great devotee of Hazrat Ghousul Azam. When he spiritually heard his dictum of "my foot is on the neck of all Walis" he replied that it was on his eyes as well

[35] Qalaaid al-Jawahir Shaykh Muhammad ibn Yahya at-Taafdifii

[36] Khwaja Saheb was born in 536 AH and at this stage Ghaws Paak who was born in 470 AH was 66 years old. When Ghaws Paak passed away in 561 Khwaja Saheb was 45 years old. Between 536 AH and 561 AH they were together in this earthly realm for 25 years.

[37] Hadrat Shaykh Shihab al-Din `Umar b. `Abd Allah al-Suharwardi (539/1145- 632/1234) He was the founder of the great Suharwardi Sufi order, which still has many adherents today. Shihab al-Din's teacher was his uncle Abu Najb Suhrawardi (d.1168), rector of the Nizamiya academy and an authority on Hadith.

[38] The discourses of Hazrath Nizamuddin Aulia as recorded by his disciple Amir Hassan Sijzi.

[39] The God given innate ability to man to imbue himself with Divine Attributes

[40] http://www.nawawi.org/downloads/article3.pdf

[41] Muhammad Amin Ibn Abidin, honoured as Allama Ibn Abidin (1198 - 1252 AH.) is a well known Hanafi Sunni Islamic scholar, who was born in Damascus. He is known as Imam Shami in the Indian Subcontinent

[42] Ahmad ibn Idris Shihabudin as-Sanhaji al-Qarafi al-Maliki (1228 – 1285/ 684 A.H.), was born in Egypt in the seventh Century, and died there in the year 684. He was one of the greatest Maliki scholars who ever lived and is especially known for his work in methodology and law (usul al-fiqh). He was a master of the Arabic language and has remarkable works in grammar. The most important of his many works are Al-Dhakhirah (The Stored Treasure), a magisterial 14 volume work recently published in the Emirates, that looks at Maliki fiqh with proofs from usuli sources, Al-furuq (Differences), Nafais al usul (Gems of Legal Theory), and Kitaab al-ihkam fi tamyiz al-fatawa and al-ahkam wa tasarrufat al-qadi wa'l-imam (The Book of Perfecting the Distinction Between Legal Opinions, Judicial Decisions, and the Discretionary Actions of Judges and Caliphs).is He is buried in Qarafi in Egypt near Imam as-Shafi’i. May Allah have mercy on them both.

[43] Ibn al-Qayyim (1292-1350CE / 691 AH- 751 AH) was a famous Sunni Islamic jurist, commentator on the Qur’aan, astronomer, chemist, philosopher, psychologist, scientist and theologian. Although he is commonly referred to as "the scholar of the heart," given his extensive works pertaining to human behaviour and ethics, Ibn al-Qaayim's scholarship focused in the sciences of Hadith and Fiqh.

[44] Both quotations are from Adil Quta, Al-Urf, 1:64-65

[45] Volume 2, Book 15, Number 70:

[46] Al Jaami` Al Saheeh. Version 1.07 - By Imam Al Bukhari Volume 44.155:

Narrated `Aisha:

Allah's Apostle came to my house while two girls were singing beside me the songs of Bu'ath (a story about the war between the two tribes of the Ansar, i.e. Khazraj and Aus, before Islam.) The Prophet reclined on the bed and turned his face to the other side. Abu Bakr came and scolded me and said protestingly, "Instrument of Satan in the presence of Allah's Apostle?" Allah's Apostle turned his face towards him and said, "Leave them." When Abu Bakr became inattentive, I waved the two girls to go away and they left. It was the day of `Id when the Africans used to play with leather shields and spears. Either I requested Allah's Apostle or he himself asked me whether I would like to see the display. I replied in the affirmative. Then he let me stand behind him and my cheek was touching his cheek and he was saying, "Carry on, O Bani Arfida!" When I got tired, he asked me if that was enough. I replied in the affirmative and he told me to leave.

Sahih Muslim recorded, Book 004, Number 1942.

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah e came (in my apartment) while there were two girls with me singing the song of the Battle of Bu'ath. He lay down on the bed and turned away his face. Then came Abu Bakr and he scolded me and said: Oh! this musical instrument of the devil in the house of the Messenger of Allah e! The Messenger of Allah e turned towards him and said: Leave them alone. And when he (the Holy Prophet) became unattentive, I hinted them and they went out, and it was the day of 'Id and Africans were playing with shields and spears. (I do not remember) whether I asked the Messenger of Allah e or whether he said to me if I desired to see (that sport). I said: Yes. I stood behind him with his face parallel to my face, and he said: “O Banu Arfada, exert yourselves” till I was satiated. He said (to me): Is that enough? I said: Yes. Upon this he asked me to go.

[47] صحيح مسلم ج 2 / 609 كتاب صلاة العيدين باب الرخصة في اللعب ، وهامش إرشاد الساري ج 9 / 194 ، وصحيح البخاري ج 1 / 63 كتاب الصلاة باب أصحاب الحراب في المسجد ، ومسند أحمد ج 6 / 270 و 247 و 166 . و ( فاقدروا قدر الجارية الحديثة السن ) : قال النووي : معناه أنها تحب اللهو والتفرج والنظر إلى اللعب حبا بليغا

[48] صحيح البخاري ، كتاب المناقب ، باب قصة الحبش وقول النبي ( ص ) : يا بني أرفدة ج 2 / 179 ، وكتاب العيدين ، باب إذا فاته العيد يصلي ركعتين ج 1 / 123 ، وصحيح مسلم ، كتاب صلاة العيدين ، باب الرخصة في اللعب ج 2 / 608 ، حيث قال في نهاية الحديث : " . . . فاقدروا قدر الجارية العربة الحديثة السن " والعربة معناها المشتهية اللعب المحبة له

[49] Bani Arfida was the kunya - the endearing nickname with which the Abyssinians were known among the Arabs

[50] The Ethiopians danced in front of the Messenger of Allah (s); dancing and saying [in their language], "Muhammad is a righteous servant." The Prophet (s) said, "What are they saying?" And they said, "'Muhammad is a righteous servant'" (Musnad al-Imam Ahmad. 6 vols. Cairo 1313/1895. Reprint. Beirut: Dar Sadir, n.d., 3.152) All the narrators are those of Bukhari except Hammad ibn Salama, who is one of the narrators of Muslim.

[51] مسند احمد ج 6 / 116 و 233 وكنز العمال ج 19 / 162 - 163 و 153 الكتاب الثالث من حرف اللام ومنتخب الكنز بهامش مسند احمد ج 6 / 173 ويدوكون : داك القوم ونحوهم ماجوا راختلطوا

[52] Rumi, Jalal ad-Din, 1207–73, founded the Mawlawiyya (Mevlevi) Sufi order, who use dancing and music as part of their spiritual method, and who are known in the West as Whirling Dervishes. Rumi's influence spread to Persian-speakers in Afghanistan and central Asia, and beyond, to Turkey and India.

[53] Sama’: The "spiritual concert" or audition or listening. This term refers specifically to the Sufi gatherings where music and song are employed as a means of opening the heart to inrushes (warid) of knowledge and awareness. During the Sama' the listener may experience ecstasy (wajd) and find Allah, the Real (al-haqq) within that ecstasy. However, before true ecstasy can be experienced the listener must be spiritually mature, having been prepared through discipline (riyada) and perpetual Remembrance of Allah (zikrullah). Without this initial contraction (qabd) of spiritual endevour the expansion (bast) of ecstasy will not be real. The sama is not suited for the novice. True sama is a bird which flies from Allah to Allah. Allah is the singer and Allah is the hearer. At this Divine Feast, the singer and the hearer become one.

International Sufi Order

Introduction

Spiritual Guidance

Spiritual Awakening

Religious Edict (Fatawa)