Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

asalamu alaikum

Sayiddina Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (q)


Shaykh Muhyiddeen Abdul Qadir Jilani (1077 CE/472H - 1166 CE/561 H) was the luminary of his time in the spiritual sciences and in the disciplines of the Divine Law. His reknown in the sciences of Sufism and Shariah was so great, that he came to be known as the spiritual pole of his time, al-Ghawth al-Azam.

He was born in the city of Jilan, in the northwestern province of Persia, in the year 1077 AC. At the age of eighteen he set forth for the city of Baghdad to seek the Divine Knowledge and Guidance.

His first shaykhs of Divine Law were Shaykh Abul Wafa Ibn Aqil, Shaykh Muhammad bin al-Hassan al-Baqlani and Abu Zakariya Tabrizi. Under these great divines he learned the Science of exegesis of Quran, the Science of the Traditions, the Science of the Life of the Prophet (sirah), theology, jurisprudence (fiqh), grammar, Quranic recitation and philology. He studied the Hanbali school of jurisprudence, yet he was able to give decisions in the Shafii school as well. He memorized the Quran, not in only one form, but in all seven methods of recitation.

After mastering thirteen discplines of the religious law and its related sciences, he then turned to the spiritual path under the guidance of Shaykh Hammad bin Muslim ad-Dabbas. He received initiation into the path of seekers under Shaykh al-Mubarak Said bin al-Hassan. Shaykh al-Mubarak Said was shaykh to most of the greatest seekers and masters in his time in Baghdad.

Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani received the ijaza and leadership of the tariqa at the age of fifty years old from his shaykh, Shaykh al-Mubarak Said. Not long after receiving the official title of Shaykh at-Tariqat, he was reknowned throughout the city and into the surrounding lands as a grand master and the source to which all yearning hearts must turn for guidance and illumination, guiding their hearts to the path of divine love and divine inspiration.

Sayyidina Abdul Qadir relates, "Initially, only a few people would come to attend my association. As more people heard about me the school became crowded. I then used to sit in the mosque at Bab al-Hilba which became too small to hold the large numbers of people who would come to hear me. they would even come at nighttime, carrying lamps and candles to see. When finally it would no longer accomodate the crowds, and my chair of teaching was moved to the main thoroughfare and later to the outskirts of the city, becoming the new place of gathering. People would come to attend by foot, by horse, by mule, by ass and by camel. You could see seventy-thousand listeners standing in the circle in these meetings."

In his gatherings, he would enjoin the people to do the good and to abjure for committing wrong. His advice addressed rulers, ministers, governors, judges, his disciples and the common people. According to Ibn Kathir, the great historian, "Standing in the mosques, he reprimanded publicly the rulers who committed wrong, in the presence of all as witnesses and in his public speeches. He avoided any sort of political appointments, never feared anyone in his speech except God Almighty and was unaffected by the reproach of anyone." Once when the caliph of the Islamic world at that time apointed an unjust person to be chief judge, Sayyidina Abdul Qadir Jilani stood up in the largest mosque in Baghdad to give the Friday sermon. He spoke in his sermon to the caliph directly. He said, "You have apointed the worst of the unjust ones to judge the affairs of Muslims! What will be your answer tomorrow in front of the Lord of the worlds, the Most Merciful of the merciful?" Upon hearing this, the caliph shook with fear. Shedding many tears, he quickly went after the prayers to dismiss that judge.

Sayyidina Abdul Qadir called on the people to correct themselves, to purify their hearts and to dispel excessive love of the worldly life from their hearts. He urged them to fill their hearts with the love of God and of his Messenger and his saints. He exhorted them to follow the Prophet in every deed and thought, behavior and manner, to avoid hyprocisy and pretence, to dispel pride, self-praise, hatred and enmity, jealousy, tyranny, decietfulness and rancor from their hearts. He called on the people to break their attachments to this world and dependence on those who are enslaved by it, and to turn themselves with their whole hearts to the Sustainer of the worlds, God Almighty, seeking His good-pleasure, His guidance and His mercy and forgiveness.

He opened the door to the people to renew their covenant with their Lord. Muslims and non-Muslims alike, they came forth in masses to hear him, to repent from their wrongdoing and to accept him as their leader and guide to the path of God, accepting to not associate partners with God, whether obvious or subtle, to praise God and thank Him for His bountiful favors, to follow the path of the righteous precedessors in religion and right guidance, to avoid all deviation and schisms in religion, to unify their hearts and join as one hand under the love of God and His prophets and saints. They turned their hearts from love of the worldly life to love of the Hereafter and from the pleasures of lust and fortune seeking to the pleasures of God's love and acceptance of His ordinances and prohibitions.

In one of his lectures, which it is said were attended by up to four hundred scribes, he said, "The walls of religion are falling and their foundations have cracked. Let us come together, O people of the earth and rebuild what was ruined, reestablish what fell! this is not acceptable. O Sun! O Moon! O Day! All of you come! O People, the religion is crying for aid and assistance, hoding its hands above its head in its distress due to all the profligates, insolent ones, innovators, perverters of the Divine Law, the heedless folk, the unjust and tyrannical, those who falsify the Divine Knowledge and lay claim to it when in fact it is not in their hands.

"O Man! How hardened your heart has become! Even a dog serves its master. He guards him, accompanies him in his alks, hunts for him, guards his herd and looks up to him with loyalty and hope that his master may grant him a couple of morsels from his repast or put something aside for him later. Reflect on tht and compare it with your own fattening yourself on God's bounties, and fully satisfying your lowly desires with them, without ever obeying His commands or avoiding what He has forbidden! You do not pay Him what you owe him , you neglect His orders and you do not guard the limits of what he has ordained on you."

His Teachings
Abdul-Qadir Gilani, once gave his disciples the following order, “Slaughter a chicken in a place where no one can see you and return with it to me.” Some people took the order literally and thought that they merely had to keep this a secret. .

After a few hours, the disciples came back, each with his slaughtered chicken. At the time of the evening prayer one of them was still missing. He had not as yet shown up. The shaykh said, “Where is so-and-so?” No one knew. The time for the night prayer came and went. The next day came and still no one knew what had happened to the missing disciple. In the afternoon of the next day the disciple came with the chicken in his hand, but the chicken was still unslaughtered. The shaykh asked him, “Where were you all this time? Everyone brought their slaughtered chicken to me except you. Why is that?” He answered, “O my shaykh, your order to me was to slaughter this chicken in a place where no one can see you. I tried all day yesterday and all night and all morning today to find a place where God is not present, where the Prophet (s) is not present, and where you are not present, and I could not find such a place. How could I slaughter the chicken?” Shaykh Abdul Qadir said, “ Some of you took the order literally, but you did not keep in your heart that I am with my disciples, whereever they may be. Others thought, "Our shaykh is greedy and wants to stock up on chicken. It is bad manners on your behalf to think in such a way. But your brother here knows that I am in his heart twenty-four hours and that I never leave him. His only desire was to obey my order and to keep my respect, not seeking to understand the reason for the order or to try to discover its purpose. My son here is my successor who will teach you the proper code of conduct and be a good example for you to follow: "

His Knowledge
Though he was eminent one among the great saints, and for that reason nicknamed al-Ghawth al-a`zam or the Arch- helper, Sayyidina Abdul Qadir Jilani is also an eminent jurist of the Hanbali school. His ties to the Shafi`i school and to Imam Abu Hanifa have been mentioned. He was the disciple of eminent saints, such as Abu al-Khayr Hammad ibn Muslim al-Dabbas (d. 525) and Khwaja Abu Yusuf al-Hamadani (d. 535), second in line after Abu al-Hasan al-Kharqani (al-Harawi al- Ansari's shaykh) in the early Naqshbandi chain of authority.

The most famous of Shaykh `Abd al- Qadir's works are:

* al-Ghunya li talibi tariq al-haqq (Sufficient provision for seekers of the path of truth); it is one of the most concise presentations of the madhhab of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal ever written, including the sound teaching of Ahl al- Sunna on `aqida and tasawwuf;

* al-Fath al-rabbani (The Lord's opening), a collection of sermons for the student and the teacher in the Sufi path and all those attracted to perfection; true to its title, this book brings its reader immense profit and spiritual increase;

* Futuh al-ghayb (Openings to the unseen), another collection of sermons more advanced than the previous one, and just as priceless. Both have been translated into English;

Due to his standing in the Hanbali school, `Abd al-Qadir was held in great respect by Ibn Taymiyya, who gives him alone the title "my Shaykh" (shaykhuna) in his entire Fatawa, while he reserves the title "my Imam" (imamuna) to Ahmad ibn Hanbal. He frequently cites Gilani and his shaykh al- Dabbas as among the best examples of latter- time Sufis.

Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir's miracles are too many to number. One of them consisted in the gift of guidance which was manifest in his speech and through which untold thousands entered Islam or repented. Al-Shattanawfi in Bahjat al-asrar mentions many of his miracles, each time giving a chain of transmission. Ibn Taymiyya took these reports to satisfy the criteria of authenticity, but his student al-Dhahabi, while claiming general belief in `Abd al- Qadir's miracles, nevertheless affirms disbelief in many of them. We have already seen this trait of al-Dhahabi in his doubting of the sound report of Imam Ahmad's admiration of al-Muhasibi. These are his words about Gilani in Siyar a`lam al-nubala':

[#893] al-Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir (Al- Jilani): The shaykh, the imam, the scholar, the zahid, the knower, the exemplar, Shaykh Al-Islam, the distinguished one among the Awliya... the Hanbali, the Shaykh of Baghdad... I say: There is no one among the great shaykhs who has more spiritual states and miracles (karamat) than Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir, but a lot of it is untrue and some of those things are impossible.

Bi ismilahir rahmanir rahim

Writings & Teachings

Despite innumerable handicaps Hazrat Shaikh ul Islam by the dint of his labour, became, an acknowledged teacher of Quran, Fiqh Hadith and Arabic literature and all their subjects. Hazrat has himself referred in his famous Qasida the extent of knowledge acquired by him. He says “I acquired knowledge to such an extent that I became a Qutab and reached perfection through the grace of Allah”.

Once Ajami swore that he would divorce his wife if he could not, for a short time, be engaged in worshipping Allah in such a manner that none else on earth could do likewise. The learned men of Iraq were questioned as to what the man was to do, so that he might not have to divorce his wife. No one could devise a suitable plan. The question at last was referred to Hazrat and he said that such a person should instead go to Mecca and get the Mutafe Ka’aba vacated and make seven circuits around it. In this manner also could his vow be fulfilled, because no one on earth at that time will be engaged in worshipping Allah in that manner in that holy spot.

One of his Murids, during the course of a discussion between dervishes said Hazrat Shaikhul Islam Ghousul Azam was bestowed with the superior spiritual rank than Hazrat Ba-Yazid Bustami, He was so confident about his assertion that he swore that if his assertion was wrong he would divorce his wife. Divorcing one’s wife was considered the greatest penalty for any wrong committed, as such a course would deprive the person concerned of the blessings of a truly married life.
He came and narrated to him about his vow regarding his superiority over Hazrat Ba-Yazid Bustami. He questioned his Murid the wisdom of taking oath to divorcing his wife, lest he went wrong. The Murid replied that it was due to his extreme love and reverence for his Shaikh that he could not accept the superiority of anybody else. Hazrat then replied “you need not divorce your wife. Your belief on my superiority over shaikh Ba-Yazid is borne our by the following facts.

i Hazrat Ba-Yazid Bustami had not under taken preaching of the faith and had not rendered any service towards Fiqh and had given any Fatwas; Whereas I had done; all these.

ii “He had not reach that stage of spiritual advancement and perfection in a married state to comply with Sunnah, whereas I have done so.

“There are many other points of distinction but for the purpose of our oath he said, “I confine to these two reasons only”.

...............

There are four varieties among men, One is who has no tongue and no heart, and he is a man of ordinary position, dull and lowly, who does not count with Allah and one who has nothing good him. He and people like him are like chaff which has no weight, unless Allah covers then with His mercy and guides their hearts towards faith in himself and moves the organs of their body in obedience to Himself. Beware that you do not become one of them nor entertain them nor yet stand among them. These are the people of chastisemont and wrath of Allah; they are the inhabitants of Fire and its inmates. Let us seek refuge of Allah from them.

You should, on the contrary, endeavour to be equipped with Divine knowledge and to be among the teachers of good and guides of religion. So beware that you should approach and invite them to obedience to Allah and warn them sinning against Allah. You will, then be a fighter in the cause of Allah and will receive the rewards of the Prophet and the messengers of Allah. The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said to Hazrat Ali “If Allah gives guidance to one person through your guiding him, it is better for you than that on which the sun rises”.

The other kind of person is he who has got a tongue but no heart; he speaks wisdom, but does not act according to it. He calls people to Allah but himself flees from him. He abhors defects in others but he himself persists in having similar defects in himself. He shows to others his piety, but contends with Allah by committing major sins. When he is alone, he is like a wolf in clothes. The Prophet has warned and said “The thing to be most afraid of and which I am afraid of in respect of my followers is the learned men who do evil”. We normally seek the refuge of Allah from such learned men. So you should keep away from such a man and turn away from him, lest you should be misled by the sweetness of his talk contaminated by the fire of his sin, which will consume you, and the filth of his heart, which will smother you.

There is a third category of man who has a heart but no tongue but he is true believer. Allah has screened him away from his creation and hung around him His curtains to provide him and insight into the blemishes of his ownself, and enlightened his heart to make him aware of the mischief in mixing up with people and of the evil of talking and speaking and in ensuring safety in silence and retirement in a corner in keeping with what the prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said, “Whoever kept silent attained salvation”. Surely the service of Allah consists of ten parts, nine of which are in the silence”. Thus this man is a friend of Allah in his secret, and is protected and possessed of safety and abundant intelligence. He is the companion of the Beneficient Allah, and is blessed with his favours.

So mind you, you must keep company with such a man and with him and endear yourself to him by fulfilling the needs which he may want. If you so do, Allah will love you and choose you and include you in the company of His pious servants and shower His blessings, if it pleases Him.

The fourth category of man is one who is invited to the World invisible, clothed in dignity, as it is related in the Hadeeth. “Whoever learns and acts upon his learning and imparts it to others, is invited to the World invisible and made great”. Such a man is possessed of the knowledge of Allah and his sign; and his heart becomes the repository of the rare secrets of His knowledge kept hidden from other to be released only to those whom He has selected. He is drawn towards Himself and expands his heart for the acceptance of these secrets in order to make him a worker in His cause to invite Allah’s servants to the path of virtue and to act as a warner against chastisement of evil deeds as a guide and accepted intercessor who verifies the truth of others.

Such a person achieves culminating point of perfection among mankind and there is no station above this, excepting that of prophethood. Therefore, it is your duty to be aware that you do not oppose such a person and be averse to him or to keep away from him. Do not be hostile to him or avoid accepting him. Be attentive to what he says and admonishes.

When you find in your heart any hatred or love for a person, examine his actions in the light of the book of Allah and the practice of the Prophet. Then, if these are not in accord with these two authorities, be happy to seek refuge in Allah and His prophet. But if his actions are in accord with them but you are opposed to him, then realise that you are opposed to your law desires. You are hating him on account of your low desire unjust to him on account of your hatred towards him and thereby rebelling against Allah, the Almighty the Glorious and His Prophet and opposing both the Quran and Hadith.

Turn therefore towards Allah repenting for your hatred and ask Him for love for that man and the others and from the friends of Allah and His Walis and the pious among His servants. You would then please Allah.

Make your life after death your capital investment and your worldly life its profit. Spend your time, first of all, in acquiring your life after death. Then if any surplus time is left, spend it in acquiring worldly life, and in seeking your livelihood. But do not make your wordly life your capital investment and your life after death, your profit, trying
to utilise any surplus time left, to obtain your life after death by fulfilling obligations of five prayers, like putting different things all together in a single melting pot, and thereby upsetting the order of various obligations and the intervals of fulfillment lying between them you become so exhausted and agitated, you resort to sleep neglecting your duty of prayers, like a dead body at night and make use of the day to serve your animal self and desires, and Satan. It is tantamount to your selling you’re hereafter in exchange for your worldly life, having become a slave of your animal self.

You are commanded to ride your animal self and discipline it, to exercise and traverse on it towards the paths of safety. Thus is the way to life eternal and submission to its Lord. But you act otherwise by succumbing to its urges and handing over to it, its own reins to follow its low desires and enjoyments. You thereby allign yourself with its passions and miss the best things of this life and of the hereafter. You enter on the Day of judgement the poorest of men and a great loser.

On the other hand if you correctly, traverse the path of the hereafther as your capital investment you will gain in your wordly life as well as in the hereafter. Your destined portion of this world’s life would have come to you with all its pleasantness and you would have been secure and respected. Thus, the prophet has said, “Surelly Allah gives facility in this World’s life on the intention pertaining to the hereafter, whereas the felicity of hereafter is not given on the intention pertaining to this world’s life”. Intention for the hereafter is submission to Allah because such intention is the very soul of Allah because such intention is the very soul of service.

So when you obey Allah with obstinacy both in life and in seeking the abode of hereafter, you are among the choosen ones of Allah loving Him and yearning for the life hereafter. Paradise and nearness to Allah will be your reward. The world will be at your service and the portion allotted to you therein will in full measure because everything is subordinate to its Creator and Master. But if you become engrossed in worldly life and turn your face away from the hereafter; The Lord will be displeased with you. You will lose the hereafter and the world will be disobedience to you in that you will encounter trouble and difficulty in obtaining your allotted portion that emanates from Allah. The truth of the saying of the Prophet "The world and the hereafter are two co-wives. If your please any of the hereafter are two the other become angry with you establishes itself Allah the Mighty Glorious says “Surcly there are among you, who desire this world’s life and some other are among you, who desire the hereafter”. Safety lies in following the book of Allah and the practice of the prophet, and destruction, in what is besides them. With the help of these two, the servant of Allah rises towards the state of “Wilayath”.

IT IS INCUMBENT ON A BELIEVER THAT HE SHOULD FIRST FULFIL THE OBLIGATROY DUTIES. WHEN HE FULFILS THEM, HE SHOULD OBSERVE “SUNNA” THE PRACTICE OF THE PROPHET. IT IS ONLY WHEN HE HAS COMPLIED WITH THESE,THAT HE SHOULD EXTEND TO OBSERVE OPTIONAL AND EXTRA DUTIES. SO WHEN, ONE HAS NOT PERFORMED HIS OBLIGATORY DUTIES, BUT ENDEAVOURS TO OBSERVE “SUNNA,” IT WILL BE FOOLISHNESS AND STUPIDITY. IF HE OBSERVES “SUNNA” AND “NAFAL” OR SUPEREROGATORY DUTIES BEFORE HE HAS PERFORMED HIS OBLIGATORY DUTIES, THESE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FROM.

His example is like that of a man who is asked by the king to serve him. But he does not go to the king but stays to serve the chief, who is under the king, and his power and sovereignty. It is reported by Hazrat son of Abu Talib (Allah be pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said, “THE INSTANCE OF A MAN WHO SAYS SUPEREROGATORY PRAYERS WHILE HE IS IN ARREARS WITH REGARD TO HIS OBLIGATORY PRAYERS, IS LIKE THE INSTANCE OF A PREGNANT WOMAN WHO CARRIES THE BABY WITH HER BUT WHEN SHE APPROACHES THE TIME OF DELIVERY, ABORTION TAKES PLACE. THUS SHE NO LONGER REMAINS PREGNANT NOR DOES SHE BECOME A MOTHER. ‘SIMILAR IS THE CASE OF THE PRAYING MAN FROM WHOM ALLAH DOES NOT ACCEPT SUPEREROGATORY PRAYERS SO LONG AS HE HAS NOT PERFORMED HIS OBLIGATORY PRAYERS. It is similar to the business of a man who thinks that he can not have any profit, unless he has first laid his hand on the capital, similar to the supererogatory prayers of one, which will not be accepted unless he has first fulfilled to his obligatory prayers.

Similar is the case of one who discards the Sunna but takes to supererogatory Prayers outside the obligatory duties. Among the obligatory duties the discarding of unlawful things, of associating any thing with Allah, of taking exception to His dispensation and decrees, of responding to people’s voice and following their wishes and of turning away from the commandment of Allah and from obedience to Him. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has said “No obedience is due to any man where sinning against Allah is involved.


Insha allah i will soon post from the works mentioned above.

Salaaamualykum

Here is an excert from the book The Removal of Cares by Abdul Qadir Jilani . Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani says,

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said, "Part of excellence of a man's Islam is paying no attention to that which does not concern him."

To busy oneself with that which is irrelevant is the distraction of idle fools. Deprived of the good pleasure of his Master is he who fails to put into practice what He commands, and who occupies himself with things he has not been instructed to deal with. This deprivation its very self, death its very self and bansihment its vey self.

O Young man! You must carry out the commandments and observe the prohibitions [laid down by your Lord]. Make sure that you are fully in compliance [with the sacred law], then place yourself in the hand of destiny [qadar] without asking 'why' and without asking 'how?' It is far better for you to be looked after by Allah, with His knowledge of you, than for you to be looking after yourself, with your ignorance of your Lord. Be satisfied with what He has given you. Try to be grateful for it and do not ask Him for more, since you do not recognize the best part of what you already have."

*Pondering*

Runs back into her cave

Salamz

Bi ismillahir rahmanir raheem

assalamu alaikum sister

i hereby appoint you as the caretaker of this thread...post away sister

So i can come out of my cave..

Sankz bro

My Pleasure

Salaaamualykum

Ive taken the time to type this discourse out from my book Futuh al-Ghaib Revelations of the unseen. By Sh. Abd Al-Qadir Al-Jilani. I do hope everyone takes the time to read this part from the book and reflect on it. (PLEASE excuse the spelling mistakes) also this is one post of part of the discourse Inshallah when i have so more free time i will post the 2nd part to this discourse.

WalaykumuSalam

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Twenty Seventh Discourse Page 69
On good and evil as two fruits

The Shaikh (May Allah swt be well pleased with him and grant him contentment) said:

Regard good and evil as two fruits from two branches of a single tree. One of the two branches bears sweet fruit and the other bitter.

You must therefore leave the cities and provinces and regions of the earth which import the fruit gathered from this tree.

Keep your distance from them and thier inhabitants, and approach the tree itself.

Become its steward and resident servant, and make yourself familier with the two branches, the two fruits and the twosides.

Stick to the side of the branch bearing the sweet fruit, then you will get your food and nourishment from it.

Avoid going over to the side of the other branch, lest you eat some of its fruit and perish from its bitterness.

If you make this your regular habit, you will live in tranquility, security, comfort and safety from all injuries, because injuries and all kinds of calamities are caused by this fruit.

If you move awy from this tree, However and go wandering farand wide, and then some of these fruits turn up in front of you, mixed together with nothing to distinguish the sweet from the bitter, and you take your pick, your hand may settle on the bitter sort.

Then you put your mouth, take a bite out of it and chew it, and so the bitterness gets deep into your throat and inside your gullet, into your brain and nasal passages, affecting you as it flows into yourveins and the organs of your body until you die.

You may spit the remainder out of your mouth and rinse away the traces, but to no avail.

This CANNOT get rid of what has already spread throughout your body, so it will do you no good.

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Salamualykum

This is also from the same book mentioned above.
Please read and reflect and once again, please excuse the spelling mistakes, and i will post the rest of this discourse later on InshAllah

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Twenty Sixth Discourse page 65
On not reveiling ones Face

......''Exit the lie [zur], enter the light [nur]''...

There is now no room in your heart and no entrance to it except for your lord.

You become the gate keeper of your heart and are given the sword of pure monotheism, majesty and might.

Whenever you see someone crossing the courtyard of your breast to approach the door of your heart, You strike his head from his shoulder.

Thus you will have no head to direct your lower self, your passion your will and your longing in this world and the hereafter no word that must be heeded, and no opionion to be followed. there is only following the order of the Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He)

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Salamz

assalmau alaykum.

the best translations of syed's work are those by muhtar holland which have been published by al-Baz Publishers and pirated by at least 1 bookshop in sydney.

ma salama

Walaykumusalaam

I can assure you my Book is also translated by Muhtar Holland. as far as i know its not a pirated copy.



Back to the shiekh please

Salamualykum

This is Part 2 of my First post on this thread on one of the great exceptional works of Master Sheikh Abd-alQadir Al-Jilani, From his Book Jala Al-Khawatir:

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The Removal of Cares

The Third Discourse Part 2 of 4

Abdul Qadir Jilani said,

O young man! You must not be alarmed about the fact that destiny's decree [qadar] is sure to come into effect. there is no one who can turn it back, and there is no one who can avert it. Everything that has been preordained [maqdi] will come into being, without regard for those who may like it or for those who may find it displeasing.

Your involvement in this world requires that you have a righteous intention [niyya saliha], otherwise you deserve to be viewed with disgust. In all your affairs and undertakings you must say: [B]"There is no power, nor is there any strength, except through Allah, the High, the Almighty." You should set aside one hour for your worldly interests, one hour for your interest in the hereafter, one hour for your personal concerns, and one hour for the benefit of your family, then dedicate all the remaining hours to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). You must concentrate first of all on the cleanliness [tahara] of your heart, for this is an obligatory duty [farida]. Then turn your attention to deeper knowledge [ma'rifa]. If you miss the root, your preoccupation with the branch will not be accepted of you. there is no benefit in cleanliness of the physical parts of the body combined with defilement of the heart. You must cleanse your physical limbs and organs by following the Sunna, and your heart by putting the Qur'an into practice. Take care of your heart, so that your physical body will be taken care of. Every vessel exudes its own contents. Whatever is in your heart will ooze out from you through your physical parts.[/B]

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MashAllah...May Allah swt be well pleased with him and grant him contentment.

Inshallah, Will post more

Salamaualykum

The Veils of Light and Darkness

Allah says: Whoever is blind in this world, he will be blind in the hereafter. (Sura Bani Isra'il, 72) It is not the blindness of the eyes in one's head but the blindness of the eyes of one's heart that will prevent one from seeing the light of the Hereafter. As Allah says: For surely it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are in their breasts. (Sura Hajj, 46) The only cause of the heart becoming blind is heedlessness, which makes one forget Allah and one's function, one's purpose, one's promise to Him, while one is in this world. The principal cause of heedlessness is ignorance of the reality of the divine laws and orders. What keeps one in this stage of ignorance is a darkness that completely covers one from the outside and fully invades one's inner being. Some of the properties of this darkness are arrogance, pride, envy, miserliness, vengeance, lying, gossiping, backbiting and so many other hateful traits. It is these traits that reduce the best creation of Allah to the lowest of the low.

To rid oneself of these evils one has to cleanse and shine the mirror of the heart. This cleansing is done by acquiring knowledge, by acting upon this knowledge, by effort and valour, fighting against one's ego within and without oneself, by ridding oneself of one's multiplicity of being, by achieving unity. This struggle will continue until the heart becomes alive with the light of unity - and with that light of unity, the eye of the clean heart will see the reality of Allah's attributes around and in it.

Only then will you remember the true home from which you come. Then you will have the yearning and longing to return to the true home, and when the time comes, with the help of the Most Compassionate, that spirit which is pure in you will go to join Him.

When the attributes of darkness lift, light takes it place, and the one with the eye of the soul sees. He recognizes what he sees with the light of the Names of divine attributes. Then he himself is flooded by light and becomes light. These lights are still veils hiding the light of the divine Essence, but the time comes when they too are drawn back, leaving only the light of the divine Essence itself.

The heart has two eyes, one lesser, the other greater. With the lesser eye one may be able to see the manifestations of Allah's attributes and Names. This vision continues all through one's spiritual evolution. The greater eye sees only that which is rendered visible by the light of unity and oneness. Only when one comes to the regions of Allah's intimacy does it see, in the ultimate realm of the manifestation of Allah's Essence, the unity of the Absolute.

In order to reach these levels on this earth in this life you must cleanse yourself from your worldly attributes, which are egoistic and egotistical. The distance you must travel in your ascent towards these levels depends on the distance that you have put yourself and the low desires of your flesh and your ego.

Your attainment of the goal you wish for is not like a material thing's arriving at a material place. Neither is it like knowledge leading one thing to a thing that becomes known, nor like reason obtaining that which is rational, nor like the imagination joining with that which it fancies. The goal that you wish to attain is the realization of your emptiness of all else except the Essence of Allah. This attainment is a becoming. There is no distance, nor closeness nor farness, nor reaching, nor measure, nor direction, nor dimension.

He is All-glorious, all praise is due to Him, He is the Most Merciful. He becomes visible in what He hides from you. He manifests Himself as He puts veils between Himself and you. His being known is hidden in His not being known.

If any of you reach that light which is suggested in this book while you are here in this world, try to balance your book of deeds. It is only under light that you can see what you have done, what you are doing; do your accounting, make it balance. You will have to read your book in front of your Lord on the day of Last Judgment. That is final. You will not then have the chance to balance it. If you do that here, while you have the time, you will be of those who are saved. Otherwise pain and disaster is your lot in this world and the Hereafter. This life will end. There is the pain of the grave, there is the day of Last Judgment, there is the balance that will weigh the smallest sin and the tiniest of good deeds. Then there is the test of that bridge, thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword, at the end of which is the Garden, under which is Fire and so much hardship, and for so long, when this short life ends.

-Shaykh 'Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, The Secret of Secrets (Sirr al-Asrar)

JILA' AL-KHATIR
Purification of the Mind
Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani


On Sorrow

Woe unto you! You want to get something in return for nothing? This will never fall into your hands. Pay the price of something and then take it. The person who has a nice life (in this world) will not find enjoyment (in the hereafter). Endure with patience the care and sorrow of this world in order to experience the happiness of the hereafter. Your Prophet (Salla Allah ta‘ala ‘alayhi wa sallam) was in permanent sorrow and continuous reflection. He (Salla Allah ta‘ala ‘alayhi wa sallam) was given to frequent worship though he had his faults forgiven, both those which had past and those which were yet to come,. He (Salla Allah ta‘ala ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to reflect on the creatures, in one time, and on the Creator, in another. He (Salla Allah ta‘ala ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to reflect on what would happen to his nation after him.

When al Hasan al Basri (may Allah confer mercy upon him) would leave his house, he would look as if he had been dug out of his tomb, with the mark of sorrowfulness and sadness showing on his face. Sorrowfulness remains characteristic of the believer under all circumstances until he meets his Lord (‘Azza wa Jall). The people of Allah stick to a state of muteness until they are granted the permission to speak to the people. They are brought together with the righteous persons who speak to them and guide them to the One whom they seek, so they come to have perfect speech. If their hearts incline toward creatures, the hand of jealousy would pull in their reins. It closes the door until they apologize and repent. Once their repentance has become genuine, it reopens the door to them and brings their hearts near.

Salaaamualykum more from the great Sufi Master Sayiddina Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani May Allah grant him contentment!




Allah says: "Whoever is blind in this world, he will be blind in the hereafter. (Surah Bani Israil, 72). It is not the blindness of the eyes in one's head but the blindness of the eyes of one's heart that will prevent one from seeing the light of the hereafter. As Allah says: For surely it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are in their breasts. (Surah Hajj, 46). The only cause of the heart becoming blind is heedlessness, which makes one forget Allah and one's function, one's purpose, one's promse to Him, wihle one is in this world. The principal cause of heedlessness is ignorance of the reality of the divine laws and orders. What keeps one in this stage of ignorance is a drakness that completely covers one from the outside and invades one's inner being. Some of the properties of this darkness are arrogance, pride, envy, miserliness, vengeance, lying, gossiping, backbiting and so many other hateful traits. It is these traits that reduce the best creation of Allah to the lowest of the low.

To rid oneself of these evils one has to cleanse and shine the mirror of the heart. This cleansing is done by acquiring knowledge, by acting upon this knowledge, by effort and valour, fighting against one's ego within and without onself, by ridding onself of one's multiplicity of being, by achieving unity. This struggle will continue until the heart becomes alive with the light of unity - and with the light of unity, the eye of the clean heart will the reality of Allah's attributes around and in it."

pg 55 of "The Secrets of the Secrets" by Shaykh Abdul Qadir al Gilani


Salamz

Salamualykum Again

The Mercy of the Believer
From discourse number 39.


The Prophet (may Allah send prayer and peace upon him) is reported to have said: "Gabriel has said to me: 'Allah will not treat mercifully anyone who does not show mercy toward people'". Allah treats with mercy those of his servants who are merciful.

Treat with mercy those who are on the earth so that those who are up in heaven treat you mercifully. O you who wish for mercy from Allah (Glorified and Elevated is He), weigh out the price for it and then it will fall into your hands! Its price is nothing other than showing mercy toward His creatures, being compassionate toward them, and treating them with good intention. You would like to get something for nothing, so nothing will fall into your hand. Pay the price first and then take the priced thing.

Woe unto you! You lay claim to knowing Allah (Glorified and Elevated is He), yet you show no mercy toward His creatures! You have made a false claim. The knower treats with mercy every creature from the point of view of Knowledge, and shows mercy toward some people and not others from the viewpoint of the Law. The Law differentiates, while Knowledge unites. Allah (High is He) said: "And go into the houses by their doors" [Qur'an, from 2.189].

وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا

The Shaikhs who have put their knowledge into practice and who are sincere and truthful are the doors of the True One (Glorified and Elevated is He) and His ways to His nearness. They are the heirs and deputies of the Prophets and Messengers (prayer and peace upon them). They are the individuals whom the True One (Glorified and Elevated is He) has singled out and the ones who call to Him. They are ambassadors between Him and the creatures. They are the physicians of religion and the teachers of the creatures. Accept from them and serve them. Surrender your ignorant lower selves to the hand of their commandments and prohibitions.

Sustenance is in the hand of Allah (Glorified and Elevated is He): the sustenance of the bodies, the sustenance of the hearts, and the sustenance of the innermost beings. So request them from Him, not from someone else. The sustenance of the bodies is food and drink, the sustenance of the hearts is the belief in the oneness of Allah, and the sustenance of the innermost beings is the private remembrance (of Allah). Show mercy toward your lower selves by striving against them, by instructing them to observe the commandments and prohibitions and by training them; and be merciful with the creatures by commanding them to do what is right, forbidding them from committing what is wrong, offering them truthful advice, and taking them by the hand to the door of their Lord (Glorified and Elevated is He). Mercy is one of the attributes of the believers, while hardness is one of the attributes of the disbelievers.

Maintain a connection with the person who cuts you off, give to the person who deprives you, and pardon the person who wrongs you. If you do this, your rope will be connected to the rope of Allah (High is He) and what you have will be connected to what He has, because these morals are among the morals of Allah (Glorified and Elevated is He).

Respond to the call of the muezzins who call you to the mosques -- which are the home of hospitality, the home of private conversation. Answer their call for you will find salvation and satisfaction with them. If you respond to the call of His caller, He will admit you to His house, answer your prayers, draw you near, teach you knowingness and Knowledge, show you what He has, teach your limbs and organs the proper conduct, clean your hearts, purify your innermost beings, confer on you guiding inspiration, place you in His presence, lead your hearts to the abode of His nearness, and give them the permission to enter into His presence. He is generous. If you respond to His call and do not underestimate it, He will answer your prayers, treat you kindly, and confer blessings on you. The Invincible One said: "Is the reward of goodness anything but goodness?" (Qur'an, from 55.60).

هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ

=========================

The Marvels of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani

Sayyidi wa Imami, Imam ‘Abdallah ibn ‘Alawi al-Haddad, Rady Allahu ‘Anhu, (1044-1132 A.H) in expounding on tawakkul (trust and reliance on Allah) in his spiritual masterpiece Risalat u’l Mu’awanah (The Book of Assistance) explains the signs of tawakkul and supports his position with the example of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani, Rady Allahu ‘Anhu whom he calls “sayyidi” (“my master”).

“The one whose reliance is sincere has three marks. The first is that he neither has hopes in nor fears other than God. The sign of this is that he upholds the truth in the presence of those in whose regard people usually have hope or fear, such as princes and rulers. The second is that worrying about his sustenance never enters his heart, because of his confidence in God’s guarantee, so that his heart is as tranquil when in need as when his need is fulfilled, or even more. The third is that his heart does not become disturbed in fearful situations, knowing that that which has missed him could never have struck him, and that which has struck him could never have missed him. An example of this was related of my lord ‘Abdal-Qadir al-Jilani, may God spread his benefit. He was once discoursing on Destiny when a great viper fell on him, so that his audience panicked. The viper coiled itself around the shaykh’s neck, then entered one of his sleeves and came out from the other while he remained firm and unperturbed, and did not interrupt his discourse”. (Risalat u’l Mu’awanah, The Book of Assistance, translated by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi, p. 121-122).

This incident demonstrates that Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani was matchless in a very special way. It also reminds us about the following verses of the Holy Qur’an on the awliya Allah (friends of Allah):

Surely, on the friends of Allah, there is no fear, nor do they grieve. Those who believed and guarded (against evil). For them are glad tidings in this world’s life and in the Hereafter; there is no changing the words of Allah; that is the Supreme Triumph. (10:62-64)

It has been narrated in the biographies of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani that once he saw a dazzling light which filled the whole sky. Then a human frame appeared in it and told him he was his lord and that he had made everything that was prohibited in Islam lawful for him. Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani recognized him as the devil and told him to get lost. Then the sky turned dark and the human frame fizzled out into smoke. Following this, Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani heard someone say to him that he had misled seventy people in this way but that his knowledge and piety had saved him. To this the Shaykh responded that it was through the Grace of Allah that he had been saved! The machinations of shaytan could obviously never make Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani abandon the shari’a (sacred Muslim law).

Professor Shetha al-Dargazelli and Dr. Louay Fatoohi explain in their “Introduction” to� the translation of Jila al-Khatir how Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani came to be called Muhyiddin. Once on a Friday in the year 511 A.H, Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani came across a frail old invalid who greeted him and asked him to help him to sit up. When he helped him to sit up, he became well again and his whole condition improved. He told Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani that he was the religion of Islam which had been forgotten but which he had helped to revive. Following this incident, Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani went to the congregational mosque where people greeted him as “Muhyid Din” (Reviver of Religion). He had never been called by that name before!

All the biographers of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani marvel at his miracles. Dr. Muhammad Haroon Rahmatullahi ‘alayh of the Raza Academy in England has described the miracles of the Shaykh in detail in "The World Importance of Ghawth al A’zam Hadrat Sheikh Muhyiddin Abdul Qadir Jilani". To gain baraka (blessings), let us at this juncture recall one of these miracles which relates to fasting in the month of Ramadan. It is related that as it was cloudy, the new moon had not been sighted and people were confused whether to fast or not to fast. They came to Ummu’l Khayr and asked if the child had taken milk that day. As he had not, they surmised that they had to fast. His mother relates; "My son 'Abdul Qadir was born in the month of Ramadan. No matter how hard I tried he refused to suckle in the daytime. Throughout his infancy he would never take food during the month of fasting." (Sirr al-Asrar, “Introduction” by Shaykh Tosun al-Jerrahi al-Halveti, p. XIII)

This is how Shaykh Tosun al-Jerrahi al-Halveti explains about the daily life of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani, Rady Allahu ‘Anhu: "He himself had given all of himself to Allah. His nights passed with little or no sleep in secluded prayer and meditation. He spent his days like a true follower of the Prophet in the service of humanity. Three times a week he would deliver public sermons to thousands of people. Every day in the morning and the afternoon he gave lessons in Qur'anic commentary, Prophetic traditions, theology, religious law and sufism. He spent the time after the midday prayer giving advice and consultation to people, whether beggars or kings, who would come from all parts of the world. Before sunset prayers, rain or shine, he took to the streets to distribute bread among the poor. As he spent all his days in fasting he would eat only once a day, after sunset prayer, and never alone. His servants would stand at his door asking passers-by if they were hungry, so that they could share his table." (Sirr al-Asrar, p. XLIV)

Shaykh Hammad al-Dabbas Rahmatullahi ‘alayh had predicted that one day Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani would be commanded to proclaim that his foot is on the neck of every Waliyallah (friend of Allah). This prediction was fulfilled when Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani declared at one of his majalis (religious sessions) in the presence of more than forty mashaayikh (spiritual masters) of Iraq that his foot was on the neck of every Waliyallah. All the mashaayikh, those that were present as well as those in far off lands and places acknowledged and accepted this fact. Qutb u’l Irshad Imam ‘Abdallah ibn ‘Alawi al-Haddad has versified on this spiritual reality in one of his qasaaid (eulogies) in Ad-Durr ul Manzum li Dhawil ‘Uqul wa’l Fuhum (Poetic Pearls For Discerning and Understanding Minds). A’la Hadrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Rahmatullahi ‘alayh has versified on it in his “Salaams”, while Shaykh ‘Abdul Haqq Muhaddith Dehlawi has expounded on its spiritual reality in Akhbar u’l Akhyar (Narrations About The Chosen Ones).

But the initiate sometimes wonders why Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani revealed so many spiritual secrets when most other shuyukh (spiritual masters) are reticent. To answer this question, we will need to turn to Sayyidi wa Imami Qutb u’l Irshad al-Habib Mawlana ‘Abdallah ibn ‘Alawi al-Haddad, Rady Allahu ‘Anhu. In It-haaf i’s-saail (Gifts for the Seeker), he explains that Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani, Rady Allahu ‘Anhu had received permission to divulge these spiritual secrets - "for the man who receives such permission is under an order which he can but obey - and the secret of the permission granted in such matters is itself one that cannot be divulged." (Gifts for the Seeker, translation by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi, p.11).

Yaa Hayyu Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum
Yaa Hayyu Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum

The Tariqa of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani

Muslims follow Tariqa (spiritual path leading to Allah Ta’ala) based on Shari’a (sacred Muslim law).

In matters of Shari’a (sacred Muslim law), Mahbub Sub-hani Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani Rady Allahu ‘Anhu was an authority in the Hanbali madhhab (school of sacred Muslim law) as well as the Shafi’i madhhab, and a chief exponent of the Ahl u’s-Sunnah wa’l Jama'ah (the people who follow the lifestyle of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and of his blessed Companions).

The way to draw nearer to Allah Ta'ala is through the fulfilment of obligatory religious duties, additional voluntary prayers day and night, through constant remembrance (zikr) of Allah, unceasing salawaat (invocations of blessings) on the Holy Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam, Sunnah fasting, charity, zuhd (abstinence) and juhd (exertion in the way of Allah Ta'ala) as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad himself. This then is the tariqa (spiritual path leading to Allah Ta'ala) which is rooted in shari’a (sacred Muslim Law).

Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani learned about the mysteries of tariqa and imbibed spiritual culture (tasawwuf) at the hands of Shaykh Hammad ibn Muslim al-Dabbas, Rahmatullahi ‘alayh. Traditionally, when someone is initiated into a tariqa, he is given a khirqa (sufi robe). Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani was bestowed the khirqa by Shaykh Qadi Abi Sa’id al-Makhzumi, Rahmatullahi ‘alayh, (referred to as Al-Mukharrimi or Al-Makhrimi in some texts).

A Shaykh (spiritual master), musk-scented in shari’a, tariqa and haqiqi ma'rifa (knowledge of spiritual realities), is able to ascertain the spiritual level of a murid (spiritual seeker/disciple) and can assign additional awraad and azkaar (regular voluntary invocations) to be performed to attain spiritual progress. Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani went on to become the epitome of such spiritual masters.

The tariqa followed by Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani Rady Allahu ‘Anhu came to be called after him as the Qadiriyya tariqa and it came to be universally accepted as a divinely-guided path to spiritual progress through zikr (remembrance) of Allah to cleanse one's heart of all evil, to lead a virtuous life, to attain the love of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam, the love of the Ahl u’l Bayt (the Prophet's blessed Household), the love of his Sahaba (Companions) and the love of the awliya Allah (friends of Allah); and to follow the shari’a (sacred Muslim law) according to the teachings of any one of the four Imams of madhhab, that is Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi’i, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with them all.

The Zikr and Du’a of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani

The Qadiriyya tariqa is one of Zikrullah, remembrance of Allah. The plural of zikr is azkaar. The azkaar and du’a (supplications) of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani Rady Allahu ‘Anhu have been compiled in many kutub (books), one of which is al-Fuyudhaat ur Rabbaniyya (Emanations of Lorldly Grace). It gives the invocations and supplications of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani to be recited after every salah (regular obligatory prayer), for each day of the week, as well as for various special occasions.

The zikr mainly consists of the recitation of the Kalima Shahada (Declaration of Faith), Asma u’l Husna (the Most Beautiful Names of Allah) and of salawaat (invocation of blessings on the beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him). One of the voluntary zikr recommended to be recited individually after every salah (regular obligatory prayer) is as follows:

After Fajr: Yaa ‘Azizu Yaa Allah (100 times)
(O The Mighty, O Allah)

After Zuhr: Yaa Karimu Yaa Allah (100 times)
(O The Generous, O Allah)

After ‘Asr: Yaa Jabbaru Yaa Allah (100 times)
(O The Compeller, O Allah)

After Maghrib: Yaa Sattaru Yaa Allah (100 times)
(O The Concealer of faults, O Allah)

After ‘Isha: Yaa Ghaffaru Yaa Allah (100 times)
(O The Forgiver, O Allah)

�A short article such as this one cannot explain in any detail all the invocations and supplications of the Shaykh. But we can perhaps benefit from reciting at least one of his du’a (supplications). His du’a entitled Du’a u’l Jalalah (The Majestic Supplication) is so rich and rewarding that many mashaayikh choose to include it in their kutub (books), among them being Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki al-Hasani of Makka who has included it in his Duru’ u’l Wiqaya bi Ahzaabi’l Himaaya (Armours of Protection For Security Forces, p. 58).

Bismillah i’r Rahman i’r Rahim
Allahumma inni as’aluka
bi-Sirri-dh-Dhaati wa bi-Dhaat-is-Sirri
Huwa Anta wa Anta Huwa
ihtajabtu bi-Nurillah
wa bi-Nuri ‘Arshillah
wa bi-kulli Ismillah
min ‘aduwwee wa ‘aduwwillah
bi maa’ati alfi
Laa hawla walaa quwwata illaa Billah
khatamtu ‘alaa nafsi wa ‘alaa ahli
wa ‘alaa kulli shay-in A’taaneehi Rabbi
bi-Khaatamillahi’l manee’illadhi
khatama bihi aqtaar-as-samaawaati wa’l ard, wa
Hasbunallahu wa Ni’mal Wakil
Ni’mal Mawlaa wa Ni’man Naseer
Wa laa hawla walaa quwwata illaa Billahi’l ‘Aliyyi’l ‘Azim
wa� Sallallahu ‘alaa Sayyidina Muhammad-in
wa ‘alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallama ajma’een. Aameen

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. (1:1)
O Allah! I ask of You
for the sake of the Mystery of the Essence
and for the sake of the Essence of the Mystery,
both the Essence and the Mystery being Yours,
that may I be protected by the Sacred Light of Allah,
by the Light of the Throne of Allah
and by all the Names of Allah
from my enemies and from all the devils (enemies of Allah),
(I supplicate to You O Allah)
with a hundred thousand times recitation of (this glorification of Yours):
“There is no strength nor power except with Allah”.
I have sealed myself and my family
and all the things that my Lord has given me,
with the impregnable seal of Allah with which
He has sealed all the regions of the heavens and the earth, and
Allah is sufficient for us and what an excellent Trustee is He. (3:173)
What an Excellent Patron and what an Excellent Helper. (8:40)
“And there is no strength nor power except with Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty”.
And may Allah bestow blessings and peace on our master Sayyidina Muhammad,
on his family and all his companions, Aameen.

Such was the spiritual status of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani that in response to his du’a (supplication), Allah would turn a shaqiy (unfortunate person) into a sa’id (someone destined for salvation). Indeed he has so spiritually transformed the lives of so many Muslims in such significant ways that they never forget to mention him in their du’a (supplications to Allah). May Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted make us benefit from him, Aameen.

Yaa Hayyu Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum
Yaa Hayyu Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum

"And protect your heart from being inclined toward what you have renounced of people and desires and wishes and option and effort and from losing patience and harmony and pleasure with God at the time of the befalling of calamity". (Abdul Qadir Gilani)

Source: Breathing Truth Quotations from Jalaluddin Rumi(1997)

Refuge of the Broken Hearted

The Muslim society in the time of Abdul Qaadir could broadly be divided into two classes. The first of these comprised the men of substance who were deficient in faith and virtuous behaviour. As against this, there was another class, poverty-stricken and downtrodden, but endowed with faith and a spirit of righteousness, moral strength and uprightness. These people, sometimes, feeling disconcerted and broken-hearted, viewed the affluent with jealousy and mistrust, and regarded themselves as deprived and discarded. Abdul Qaadir holds out hope and cheer to these people in one of his sermons. He says:

'O` Empty-handed beggardly fellows, the world would appear to be at loggerheads with you; you are barefooted, unclothed and unfed, broken hearted and ill-starred, evicted from every place and deprived of your longings and fancies. But do not say that Allah has reduced you to poverty, turned the world against you, abandoned, maligned or persecuted you, did not assign the portion of earthly pleasures due to you, or did not bestow honour and fame upon you. Nor is it proper for you to complain that Allah has granted his favours to others, made them reputed and honoured, although they belong to the same faith as you do and are the progeny of Adam and Eve like you.

'It is really so because you are like a fertile land on which Allah is sending down the rains consisting of endurance and resignation, conviction and faith, knowledge and grace. The tree of your faith is taking roots, sprouting forth its branches, its shade closing over you, pushing out new shoots and fruits, getting higher and bigger without your providing any fertiliser to it. Allah Almighty knows what you really need. He had, therefore, assigned a befitting place for you in the Hereafter. He has made you a lord in the life-to-come where His bounties are countless, inconceivable and unheard of. As Allah has said, nobody knows what delights have been stored for your eyes in the Paradise. This shall be your recompense for the faithful performance of what has been enjoined unto you, and your endurance, resignation and submission to the will of Allah.

'As for those who have been well-afforded in this world, they have been placed in easy circumstances for they are like a barren land, rocky and sandy, which neither stores nor absorbs the rains, and it is difficult to implant the tree of faith in it. It has, therefore, to be provided with fertilisers so that the weak saplings of their faith may get nourishment and push out the shoots of righteous actions. Thus, if the wealth, honour and fame are taken away from them, the tree of their faith shall waste away and its leaves and fruits shall wither although Allah intends to make it strong. Therefore, my poor brethren, you ought to know that the faith of the wealthy does not have deeper roots, it lacks that strength which has been endowed to you, and it needs the riches and earthly prizes for its nourishment. If these gifts were to be taken away from them, their faith will give place to blasphemy and they shall join the ranks of infidels, apostates and hypocrites, unless, of course, Allah bestows on them spiritual light and illumination, endurance and resignation to strengthen their faith.'

Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani
by Ml. Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi [ra]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Unique Quality

(Hazrat Abdul Qadir Geylani QS)


The believer is someone who has this unique quality: If he happens
to be in a populated area, he is a mercy to the people of that
locality. Were it not for him, that whole district would sink into
the ground. Where it not for him, the walls would come tumbling down
on top of the people living there. You must give credence to such a
person. You must believe in him. If you reject him and treat him
with hostility then you belong in the company of those ignorant folk
who killed the Prophets and Messengers (may the blessings and peace
of Allah be upon them all), and of those who showed enmity toward
them and toward their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), those
outcasts banished and excluded from His presence.

O Allah, relent toward us and toward them! Guide us aright and guide
them aright! Amin.


[Jala' al-Khawatir, tr. M. Holland]

Excerpt from:
Shk. Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani: The Secret of Secrets (Sirr al-Asrar)
Interpreted by: Shaykh Tosun Bayrak RAK (1992 - PB, 172PP)

On the Vision of Allah: Arriving at the Level of Seeing the Manifestation of the Divine Essence
The vision of Allah is of two kinds: one is seeing the manifestation of Allah’s attribute of Perfect Beauty directly in the hereafter, and the other is seeing the manifestation of the divine attributes reflected upon the clear mirror of the pure heart, in this life, in this world. In such a case the vision appears as the manifestation of light emanating from the Perfect Beauty of Allah and is seen by the eye of the essence of the heart.

Allah describes the vision seen by the eye of the heart: The heart did not deny what it saw. (Sura Najm, 11)

On seeing the manifestation of the divine through an intermediary the Prophet says, ‘The faithful is the mirror of the faithful’. What is meant by the first ‘faithful’, the mirror in this phrase, is the pure heart of the believer, while the second ‘faithful’ Who sees His reflection in that mirror is Allah Most High. Whoever arrives at the level of seeing the manifestations of Allah’s attributes in the world will certainly see the Essence of Allah in the hereafter without shape or form.

The reality of this has been confirmed by many of the beloved and the lovers of Allah. Hadrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘My heart saw my Lord by the light of my Lord’. And Hadrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘I will not pray to Allah unless I see Him’. They both must have seen the manifestation of divine attributes. If someone sees sunlight coming through the windows and says, ‘I see the sun!’ he is telling the truth.

Allah gives the most beautiful example of the manifestation of His attributes.

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp, the lamp enclosed in glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star lit from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil is wellnigh luminous, though fire scarce touches it; light upon light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His light. (Sura Nur, 35)

The meaning of the niche is the faithful heart of the believer. The lamp enlightening the niche of the heart is the essence of the heart, while the light that it sheds is the divine secret, the sultansoul. The glass is transparent and does not keep the light within, but protects it and allows it to spread, which is why it is likened to a star. The source of the light is a divine tree. That tree is the state of unity reaching out with its branches and its roots, inculcating the principles of faith, communicating without any intermediary in the language of purity.

It is directly in this language of purity that our Master the Prophet received the Qur’anic revelations. In reality, the angel Gabriel brought the divine messages only after they had already been received—this for our benefit, so that we might hear in human language. This also made clear who were the hypocrites and non-believers by giving them the occasion to deny, as they would not believe in angels.

The proof that the Holy Qur’an was revealed directly to the Prophet is in the Qur’an itself.

And thou art surely made to receive the Qur’an from the AllWise, the AllKnowing. (Sura Naml, 6)

Since the Prophet received revelation before the angel Gabriel brought it to him, each time Gabriel delivered the holy verses, the Prophet found them in his heart and recited them before they were given. That is the reason for the verse:

And make not haste with the Qur’an before its revelation is made complete to thee ... (Sura Ta Ha, 114)

This situation is made clear by the fact that when Gabriel accompanied the Prophet on the night of his ascension, he could not go any further than the seventh heaven, and saying, ‘If I take another step I will burn to ashes’, he left our Master to continue on his own.

Allah describes the blessed olive tree, the tree of unity, as being neither of the East nor of the West. In other words, it has neither a beginning nor an end, and the light of which it is the source has no rising or setting. It is eternal in the past and neverending in the future. Both Allah’s Essence and His attributes are ever-existent, because His attributes are light generated from His Essence. Both the manifestation of His Essence and the manifestation of His attributes are dependent on His Essence.

True worship can only be performed when the veils hiding the heart are lifted so that that eternal light shines upon it. It is only then that the heart is enlightened by the divine light. It is only then that the soul sees the truth through that celestial niche.

The purpose of the creation of this universe is to discover, to see that hidden treasure. Allah says through His Prophet, ‘I was a hidden treasure, I willed to be known. I created the creation so that I would be known.’ That is to say, that He would be known in this material world through His attributes manifested in His creation. But to see His very Essence is left to the hereafter. There, the vision of Allah will be direct, as He wills, and it will be the eye of the child of the heart that sees Him.

On that day some faces will beam (with joy and beauty), looking at their Lord. (Sura Qiyama, 223)

Our Master the Prophet says, ‘I have seen my Lord in the shape of a beautiful youth.’ Perhaps this is the manifestation of the child of the heart. The image is the mirror. It becomes a means, rendering visible that which is invisible. The truth of Allah Most High is exempt from and free of any kind of description or any kind of image or form. The image is the mirror, though what is seen is neither the mirror nor the one who is looking into the mirror. Ponder on that and try to understand, because that is the essence of the realm of secrets.

Yet all this is happening in this world of attributes. In the realm of the Essence all means disappear, burn into thin air. The ones in that realm of Essence themselves do not exist, but they feel the Essence and nothing else. How well the Prophet explains this when he says, ‘I knew my Lord by my Lord’. In His Light, by His Light! The truth of man is the secret of that light, as Allah says through His Prophet: ‘Man is My secret and I am his secret’.

The place of the Prophet Muhammad, whose light is the first of Allah’s creation, is described in his own words, ‘I am from Allah and the believers are from me’. And Allah, speaking through His Prophet, says: ‘I have created the light of Muhammad from the light of My own existence’. The meaning of Allah’s own existence is His divine Essence manifested in His attribute of the Most Compassionate. This He declares through His Prophet, saying: ‘My compassion far surpasses My punishment’. The beloved Messenger of Allah is the light of the Truth, for Allah says, We sent thee not but as a mercy to the whole creation. (Sura Anbiya’, 107) and

Indeed Our Messenger has come to you, making clear to you much of that which you concealed of the Book and passing over much. Indeed, there has come to you from Allah a light ... (Sura Ma’ida, 15)

The importance of the beloved Prophet of Allah is made clear when Allah speaks to him and says: ‘But for you, I would not have created creation’.

© The Islamic Texts Society 2002

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BismillahirRahmanirRahim


(Hazrat Abdul Qadir Geylani QS)


The people of the Lord are those with powers
of understanding. They grasped the true significance
of this world, and so they have abstained from it.
Then they grasped the significance of the hereafter,
so they entered into it, until its trees sprouted for
them and its rivers flowed for them, and it was theirs
to enjoy in wakefulness and in sleep.

But then they came to feel the love of the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), so they got up
and left it and traveled beyond it. They tightened
the girdles of their hearts and set forth in the
direction of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
They came to be numbered among those who seek His
countenance, and who wish for nothing other than Him.
You must look for the blessing of these people. You
must seek them out and then become their servants.
Approach them and take shelter in their company.

O Allah, grand that we may be well behaved in Your
company under all circumstances, and in the company
of the righteous among Your servants, and:

Give us in this world good, and good in the
hereafter, and guard us against the torment
of the fire! (2:201)


[Jala' al-Khawatir, tr. M. Holland]

Polish Of the heart
Bismillahirrahmanirraheem


(Hazrat Abdul Qadir Geylani QS)


Luqman Hakim (may Allah the Exalted bestow His mercy upon him) would
often say to his son: "O my dear son, how can a person feel safe from
the Fire of Hell, when he must inevitably pass through it? How can a
person feel secure in this world, when he must inevitably move on
beyond it? How can one forget about death, when there is no escape
from it? How can one ignore it and pay no attention to it?"

All of you will have to pass through the Fire of Hell. This means that
you need to equip yourselves for the journey with a good supply of
taqwa, but I do not see you stocking up on taqwa!

O seekers of this world! O you who are so passionately in love with
it! Is it anything more than a sip in comparison with the Garden of
Paradise? There is the secret. There is the lady. There is the true
priority!

The Prophet (sws) is reported as having said:

"These hearts are getting very rusty, and the polish they need is the
recitation of the Quran and attendance at sessions of Zikr."

By attending the sessions of learned scholars who apply their
knowledge in actual practice it is possible for hearts to be polished,
purified and cleaned, and for their hardness to be dispelled."


[Jala' al-Khawatir. tr. M. Holland]