Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani
(RA)Al-Baz-al-Ashhaab
Al-Ghaus-ul-Azam
Part 19
By Pir Muhammad Amir Sultan Chishti Qadri Of Ugalisharif Khushab Pakistan
O my servants who have
qul ya ibaediya lladhina
transgressed against themselves,
asrafu ala anfusi-him
do not despair of the mercy of ALLAH;
la taqnatu min rahmati llah:
surely ALLAH forgives sins altogether;
inna llaha yaghfiru dh-dhunuba jamia:
He is indeed the All-Forgiving, the All-Compassionate.
inna-hu Huwa l-Ghafuru r-Rahim. (39:53)
O ALLAH, grant blessing and peace
ALLAHumma salli wa sallim
to our master Muhammad, the bringer of glad tidings
ala sayyidi-na Muhammadini l-bashiri l-
and the conveyer, to those who seek forgiveness,
mubashshiri lil-mustaghfirina
of what ALLAH the Magnificent has said:
bi-ma qala llahu l-Azim:
Yet whoever does evil or wrongs his own soul,
wa man yamal suan aw yazlim nafsa-hu
then seeks forgiveness from ALLAH,
thumma yastaghfiri llaha
will find ALLAH All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.
yajidi llaha Ghafuran Rahima. (4:110)
O ALLAH, grant blessing and peace
ALLAHumma salli wa sallim
to our master Muhammad, the bringer of glad tidings
ala sayyidi-na Muhammadini l-bashiri l-
and the conveyer, to those drawn near,
mubashshiri lil-muqarrabina
of what ALLAH the Magnificent has said:
bi-ma qala llahu l-Azim:
But as for those to whom the reward most fair
inna lladhina sabaqat
has already gone forth from Us,
la-hum min-na l-husna
they shall be kept far from it. ulaika an-ha mubadun.
They will not hear the slightest sound thereof,
la yasmauna hasisa-ha
while they abide in what their souls desire.
wa hum fi ma shtahat anfusu-hum khalidun.
The greatest terror will not grieve them,
la yahzunu-humu l-fazau l-akbaru
and the angels will welcome them, [saying]:
wa tatallaqa-humu l-malaika:
This is your Day
hadha yawmu-kumu lladhi
that you were promised.
kuntum tuadun. (21:101-103)
O ALLAH, grant blessing and peace
ALLAHumma salli wa sallim
to our master Muhammad, the bringer of glad tidings
ala sayyidi-na Muhammadini l-bashiri l-
and the conveyer, to the believers,
mubashshiri li
of what ALLAH the Magnificent has said:
bi-ma qala llahu l-Azim:
Men who surrender [to ALLAH], and women
inna l-muslimina wa l-muslimati
who surrender, and men who believe
wa l-muminina wa l-muminati
and women who believe, and men who obey
wa l-qanitina wa l-qanitati
and women who obey, and men who speak the truth
wa s-sadiqina wa s-sadiqati
and women who speak the truth,
wa s-sabirina wa s-sabirati
and men who persevere and women who persevere,
wa l-khashiina wa l-khashiati
and men who are humble and women who are humble,
wa l-mutasaddiqina
and men who give alms and women who give alms,
wa l-mutasaddiqati
and men who fast and women who fast, wa s-saimina wa s-saimati
and men who guard their modesty
wa l-hafizina furuja-hum
and women who guard their modesty,
wa l-hafizati
and men who remember ALLAH frequently
wa dh-dhakirina llaha kathiran
and women who remember
wa dh-dhakirati
ALLAH has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward.
aadda llahu la-hum maghfiratan wa ajran azima. (33:35)
And that man has only that for which he makes an effort,
wa an laisa lil-insani illa ma saa
and that his effort will be seen.
wa anna sayu-hu sawfa yura
Then he will be repaid for it with fullest payment.
thumma yujza-hu l-jazaa l-awfa. (53:390-41)
O ALLAH, grant him a blessing
ALLAHumma salli alai-hi salatan
by which breasts will be expanded,
tushrahu bi-ha s-suduru
and by which problems will be rendered insignificant,
wa tahunu bi-ha l-umuru
and by which the veils will be removed,
wa tankashifu bi-ha s-suturu
and grant him abundant peace,
wa sallim tasliman kathiran
lasting until the Day of Judgment.
daiman ila Yawmi d-Din.
Their prayer therein will be: Glory be to You, O ALLAH!
dawa-hum fi-ha subhana-ka llahumma
and their greeting therein will be: Peace!
wa tahiyyatu-hum fi-ha salam:
and the conclusion of their prayer will be:
wa akhiru dawa-hum
Praise be to ALLAH, Lord of the Worlds!
ani l-hamdu lillahi Rabbi l-alamin. (10:10)
Karamat
The Walis (saints) of ALLAH , acting on behalf and under the stamp of the
Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and not proclaiming their
existence and position until commanded by ALLAH Subhanahu wa Ta'ala serve
humanity, by their precepts and examples and pray incessantly for the general
forgiveness of human sins.
The idea regarding the existence of such Walis and their approach towards some
form of intercession for humanity is borne out by Verses 20-27 of Surah Yasin, a
perusal of which will show that even among a nation doomed to destruction for
its inequities, there live persons who testify to the truth of a Prophet
appearing among them by their powers of reality, recognising the will of ALLAH
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. The event is begun with the following words, "And from the
remote part of the country there came a man running who said, O' my people
follow this Messenger”. The story of the Prophet Loot- alayhi asalam- given in
Surah Hud, where he is asked by angels in the guise of human beings to leave
that nation as a doom is about to befall them gives an indication to the effect
that punishment for the sin of a nation is averted by the presence of an eminent
man of spirituality.
The deferment of such punishment is out of deference to a spiritual personality
living in its midst. The punishment of the Quraysh was deferred till the
migration of the Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) from Makkah.
The Qur'an al Kareem lay down this principle in so many words:
"Nor is ALLAH going to chastise them while you are among them" (8:33).
The well known Hadith ascribing to ALLAH the Words "One who is hostile to my
Wali receives an announcement of War from me" presents on the face only the
counterpart of this idea. Because if hostility to a Wali incites the wrath of
ALLAH Subhanahu wa Ta'ala it follows that the attention and prayers of the Wali
can induce the mercy of ALLAH (SWT). Of course the Awliya spoken of are Walis of
the Eminence like that of Hazrat Ghaus al A'zam Sayyedina Shaykh 'Abd 'al-Qadir
Muhiy al-Din al Jilani- Radi ALLAH u ta'ala anhu.
Miracles are abnormal and extra-ordinary acts that can only be performed by the
privileged few like the Prophets and karamat which is a shadow of miracles are
performed by the Walis of ALLAH (SWT). Perhaps such acts may sound illogical to
the rationalist. But they do occur and are beyond ordinary comprehensive. The
parting of the Red Sea for the Prophet Musa- alayhi-as-salaam- and such like
events are examples. Even in the life of ordinary mortals, miracles occur, by
the mercy of ALLAH, to save them from catastrophes or accidents.
The karamat of Huzoor Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani Al-Hassani wal Hussaini-
(Radi ALLAH-u ta'ala anhu) recorded are innumerable, when compared to other
Saints. Of these innumerable miracles, a few are given below After Huzoor Sheikh
Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani Al-Hassani wal Hussaini- (Radi ALLAH-u ta'ala anhu)
settled down in Baghdad remarkable stories about his power circulated in
Baghdad. The day to day increase in the circulation of such stories made a large
number of great scholars of the town to decide to visit him, altogether in other
to test his knowledge by posing one, hundred difficult questions. On their
arrival, Hazrat foretold them of their purpose and gave each question the
correct answer, even propounding to them explanations beyond the limits of their
comprehension on their own special subjects. This thought reading was daily
manifested by him. It was not necessary for the visitors who came with petitions
of desires to tell him, for he looked straight at them and gave them the
answers.
On one occasion; two weary and hungry travelers from Arabia had joined his
audience unobtrusively. Huzoor Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani Al-Hassani wal
Hussaini- (Radi ALLAH-u ta'ala anhu) immediately stopped his discourse saying
"Poor travelers; they have just come a long way and have had practically nothing
to eat." He then described correctly their last meal to the astonishment of all
concerned.
One of the most remarkable things we hear from this Saint's life is that even a
man's destiny could be deflected from conscious life into the dream state. A
merchant of Baghdad one day approached Shaykh Hammad Al-Dabbas for his blessings
before taking a caravan to Syria. Shaykh Hammad forbade him to undertake the
proposed journey because he foresaw that the merchant was likely to be robbed
and murdered by highway men. The merchant very much depressed, met Huzoor Sheikh
Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani Al-Hassani wal Hussaini- (Radi ALLAH-u ta'ala anhu) on
the way and informed him what the Shaykh had told him. Huzoor Sheikh Syed Abdul
Qadir Jilani Al-Hassani wal Hussaini- (Radi ALLAH-u ta'ala anhu) promised the
merchant his personal responsibility for his safe journey and asked the merchant
to proceed. He reached his destination safely with his goods. On his journey the
merchant forgot to take back his money kept in the place where he had performed
his 'ablution. On going to bed he was murdered. On waking he saw blood round his
neck and also felt the pain of the blow. However, he realised that what he had
seen was a mere dream, but remembering his lost purse, he went back to the place
and recovered it. While he was returning to Baghdad he was confused in his mind
to decide whether seeing Shaykh Hammad first would be proper, as he was the
senior Shaykh or seeing Huzoor Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani Al-Hassani wal
Hussaini- (Radi ALLAH-u ta'ala anhu)first was appropriate as it was his
predictions had proved true. He suddenly saw Shaykh Hammad. He asked him instead
to first go to Hazrat Sheikh Sayyed Ghaus al A'zam (RA) by whose prayers his
predestined murder had been changed into a dream and the loss of property became
the forgetting of the purse.
Khalifa Aimustanjid Billah once came to Hazrat and presented him some bags of
gold. He refused the gift but when the Khalifa begged and pleaded for their
acceptance the Hazrat took two bags and pressed them. Blood seemed to ooze out
of them, which was indicative of the fact that the wealth had been amassed by
oppressing people, which was represented by the blood seen.
Once the water in the river Tigris rose to an extra-ordinary high level on
account of an unprecedented flood. The inhabitants of Baghdad became frightened
of the imminent danger. They came to Sayyedina Hazrat Ghaus al Azam (RA)and
solicited his help. Thereupon Hazrat went up to the riverside and planting his
stick on the riverbank said “Remain within this limit." The flood then began to
recede slowly and came down to the limit demarcated by Hazrat.
It is related on the authority of Shaykh Adi Bin Musafir that once Huzoor Sheikh
Sayyed Abdul Qadir Jilani Al-Hassani wal Hussaini- (Radi ALLAH-u ta'ala anhu)
was conversing with some persons assembled to hear his sermon when it began to
rain. Hazrat looked upon the sky and solicited "I call together men for your
(ALLAH’s) sake but you disperse them." As soon as he had uttered this, the
clouds disappeared and rain ceased in the precincts of the Madrassa of Hazrat,
though it was raining outside.
A braggart benefits from Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir's intercession.
Shaikh al-Muzaffar al-Judada also said: "I once saw Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may
ALLAH be well pleased with him) reclining on a cushion. While he was in that
position, someone said to him: 'So-and-so'-the speaker actually mentioned the
name of a man who was quite famous, at that time, for charismatic talents
[karamat], worship in secluded retreats, pious abstinence, and acts of obedient
service–'is reported as having said: "I have already surpassed the spiritual
station of Jonah, the son of Amittai [Yunus ibn Mattai], the Prophet of ALLAH
(peace be upon him)."' When the Shaikh heard this, an angry expression appeared
on his face, then he sat upright, grasped the cushion with his hand, and tossed
it in front of him. 'That has given him a heart attack!' he exclaimed.
"Some of us got up at once, and rushed off to see how the man was. We found that
he had suffered a fatal stroke at that moment, although he had previously been
perfectly fit and well, with no kind of health problem whatsoever. Then I saw
him again in a dream, and his condition was fine, so I said to him: 'How has
ALLAH treated you?' To this he replied: 'He has forgiven me, and I have obtained
pardon from His Prophet Jonah, the son of Amittai [Yunus ibn Mattai], for what I
said about him. It was my master, 'Abd al-Qadir, who acted as my intercessor
[shafi'] with ALLAH, and also with Jonah, the son of Amittai [Yunus ibn Mattai],
and I have received much benefit through the blessed grace of the Shaikh (may
ALLAH be well pleased with him).'"
Merciful relief from torment after death, for any Muslim who ever crossed the
threshold of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir's schoolhouse door. –
"Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may ALLAH be well pleased with him) also said: 'For any
Muslim who steps across the threshold of my schoolhouse door, the torment of the
Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyama] will be alleviated.'
"A man from among the people of Baghdad once came and said to him: 'O my master,
my father is dead and gone, but I saw him last night in my dream, and he
mentioned to me that he was suffering dreadful torment in his grave. "O my dear
son," he said to me, "you must go to Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir and ask him to offer a
prayer of supplication [du'a'] on my behalf."' On hearing this, the Shaikh said
to the man: 'Did your father ever cross the threshold of my schoolhouse door?'
The answer was yes, and nothing more was said. Then the man paid him a second
visit, the very next day, and told him: 'O my master, I saw my father again last
night, but this time he was laughing merrily, and he was dressed in a fine green
outfit. He said to me: "The agonizing torment has been lifted from me, through
the blessed grace of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir, and, as you can see, I now have a
fine suit of clothes to wear! So, my son, you must make sure that you stay very
close to him from now on."'
"The Shaikh (may ALLAH be well pleased with him) then said: 'My Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He) has promised me that He will alleviate the torment for
everyone, from among the Muslims, who has ever stepped across the threshold of
my schoolhouse door.'
"He was told that the shrieks and screams of a dead man could be heard from a
grave, in the burial ground by the Portico Gate [Bab al-Azaj], so he said: 'Did
he ever wear a tattered robe [khirqa], conferred on him by me?' The answer was:
'We do not know,' so he went on to ask: 'Did he ever attend my session
[majlis]?' Again they said: 'That we do not know,' so he said: 'Did he ever
perform the ritual prayer behind me?' Yet again, they told him: 'We do not
know,' so he said: 'The negligent is more deserving of loss!' He bowed his head
in silence for a while, for a sense of awe had alighted upon him, and a feeling
of gravity had overwhelmed him. Then he raised his head, and declared: 'The
angels (peace be upon them all) have just told me: "[That man in the grave] did
once see your face, and he formed a good opinion of you, and ALLAH (Exalted is
He) has bestowed His mercy upon him because of you" (or, "because of that").' No
more shrieking and screaming was heard from him after that, through the blessed
grace of the Shaikh (may ALLAH be well pleased with him)."
Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir walks on the water of the River Tigris, then an enormous
prayer rug [sajjada] appears in the sky above.
It was Sahl ibn 'Abdi'llah at-Tustari (may ALLAH bestow His mercy upon him) who
said: "On one occasion, the people of Baghdad were puzzled by the absence of my
master Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may ALLAH be well pleased with him). They could not
find him anywhere, until someone told them: 'He was last seen heading toward the
River Tigris [ad-Dijla],' so they set off in that direction, looking out for him
along the way. Then, lo and behold, he came walking toward us on the water! The
fishes were swimming toward him, shoal upon shoal, offering him the greeting of
peace. While we were watching him, and observing how the fishes were kissing his
hands, the prescribed time arrived for the midday ritual prayer [salat az-zuhr].
At that very moment, what should suddenly appear but an enormous prayer rug
[sajjada]. It was green in color, studded with gold and silver, and embroidered
upon it were two lines of script. The first read:
As for the friends of ALLAH, surely no fear shall be upon them, nor shall they
grieve. (10:62)
[a-la inna awliya'a 'llahi la khawfun 'alai-him, wa la hum yahzanun.]
-while the second line read:
The mercy of ALLAH and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house! He is
Praiseworthy, Glorious! (11:73)
[rahmatu 'llahi wa barakatu-hu 'alai-kum ahla 'l-bait: inna-hu Hamidun Majid.]
"This huge prayer rug was spread out between the sky and the earth, above the
River Tigris, as if it were the flying carpet of Solomon [bisat Sulaiman] (peace
be upon him). A troop of knights arrived on the scene, as if they were a pack of
lions. They were led by a knight possessing a dignified bearing, an
awe-inspiring appearance, and a sense of profound tranquillity [sakina]. He
advanced until he and his comrades came to a halt, and stood facing the prayer
rug. They stood with their heads bowed, weeping, and remained quite motionless,
as if they were held in check by the rein of Divine Power [Qudra].
"Then, when the ritual prayer [salat] was about to begin, Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir
(may ALLAH be well pleased with him) stepped forward, wrapped himself in the
garment of reverential awe, and performed the prayer on the rug. The knights and
their leader, and the people of Baghdad, all prayed behind the Shaikh. Whenever
he proclaimed the Supreme Greatness of ALLAH, the angelic bearers of the
Heavenly Throne [hamalat al-'Arsh] declared "ALLAH-u Akbar!" together with him.
Whenever he proclaimed the Glory of ALLAH, the angels of the seven heavens also
proclaimed His Glory. Whenever he praised ALLAH, a ray of green light beamed
from his mouth, till it reached the clouds high up in the sky.
"When he had concluded the performance of the ritual prayer [salat], he raised
his hands, and we heard him say, as he offered his prayer of supplication
[du'a'] : 'O ALLAH, for the sake of my ancestor, Muhammad, Your beloved friend
and Your choice out of all Your creatures, and for the sake of all my
forefathers, I beg You not to snatch away the spirit [ruh] from any male or
female seeker of my fresh butter [murid aw murida li-idhwabi], unless he or she
is in a state of repentance!' Then we heard the chorus of the angels, as they
said 'Amin' to his prayer of supplication [du'a], so we joined in harmony with
the angels, as we added our own 'Amin' to the supplication. It was then that we
heard the call from on high: 'Rejoice in the good news, for I have answered your
plea!'' (Here ends this brief excerpt from what he [Sahl ibn 'Abdi'llah
at-Tustari] has to tell us. May ALLAH be well pleased with him!)
Like Shaikh Ma'ruf al-Karkhi before him, Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir believes that
problems are best referred to ALLAH (Exalted is he).
Shaikh Dawud al-Baghdadi has told us: "One night in my dream, in the year [A.H.]
548, I saw Shaikh Ma'ruf al-Karkhi (may ALLAH be well pleased with him), and he
said to me: 'O Dawud, go ahead and tell me your problem, and I shall refer it to
ALLAH (Exalted is He).' 'But what about my Shaikh?' said I, meaning Shaikh 'Abd
al-Qadir, 'Have they dismissed him?' So he said: 'No, by ALLAH, they have not
dismissed him, nor will they ever dismiss him!' At that point I woke up.
"Then, in the hour before dawn, I went to the schoolhouse of the Shaikh, and sat
by the door of his private apartment, waiting for the opportunity to tell him my
experience. But he called out to me from inside his apartment, before I had the
chance to see him and talk to him: 'O Dawud, as far as your Shaikh is concerned,
they have not dismissed him, nor will they ever dismiss him. Go ahead and tell
me your problem, and I shall refer it to ALLAH (Exalted is He). For, by His
Might and Glory, I would not present a problem to my own companions, let alone
to anyone else, only to have my question about it come echoing back at me!'"