HAZRAT GHAUS-UL-AZAM AND THE SILSILA-I-QADARIA
S.W.
Zaman
Affectionately styled as Hazrat Ghau-al-Azam (the highest in the hierarchy of saints). Hazrat Sheikh Muhiuddin Abdul Qadir Gilani is the founder of the Qadaria order of Islamic Sufism. He is revered for his piety, erudition, love for truth and as the symbol of spiritual eminence. The Sheikh was born in 470 A.H. or according to some in 471 A.H. in village Gila situated in the suburb of Tibristan in northern Iran, his date of demise is differently recorded as 8th to 17th Rabi-us-Sani, 561 A.H., but according to Dara Sheikoh the consensus is on 9th Rabi-us-Sani. This was a time of spiritual crisis. In setting right the prevailing conditions and rehabilitating the glory Faith, the reverend saint Gilan and the mystic order, he founded, did yeoman's service.
This
was especially so, in so far as conditions then prevailing in the
Sub-Continent. The order with its preaching of simple truths based on the
teachings of the Qur'an won the hearts of the people and became the most
popular way of life with the multitudes throughout the Islamic world. Its precepts
such as to hold fast the Book of Allah, to model our lives upon the
Uswah-i-Hasna of the Apostle (ﷺ), to eat only what is lawful, to refrain
from hurting others even though they hurt you, to avoid forbidden things, to
fulfil obligations without delay, etc. were in essence similar to those
enjoined by Tasawwuf to its votaries, in general.
Definite
Code
The
order was given a definite code of working by Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani. Among
his personal qualities, gentleness, truthfulness and humility of spirit were
the most prominent. A number of Karamat are attributed to him even from his
childhood days. Coming of parents distinguished for religiosity and goodness
his line of descent is traced back to Hazrat Imam Hasan (R.A.) on the father's
side and Imam Hussain (R.A.) on that of the mother both of them sons of Hazrat
Ali (R.A.) and Lady Fatimah (R.A). The Holy Qur'an was the first book, he was
introduced to, in his early career which he learnt by heart. Then followed the
courses on humanities, jurisprudence (Fiqh), Hadith literature and other
branches of Islamic learning. After gaining an introduction to theology and jurisprudence
at his village home, he went to Baghdad at the age of 18 years for completing
his education. He spent the major part of his life in Baghdad and lies buried
in a grand mausoleum frequented by thousands of his votaries from all over the
world. At that time Baghdad was the centre of learning for the whole of the Middle East and the countries around. In Baghdad, under the guidance of Sheikh
Hammad, Qazi Abu Saeed Mobarak Makhzumi and Sheikh Abu Yaqub Hamadani, all
leading divines of the region, he mastered the arts and gained initiation into
Sufism. He was in his teens only when he showed signs of becoming a great Sufi,
shunning worldly desires and preferring to live a retired life in voluntary
poverty devoting his time, to meditation and recitation of the Holy Qur'an in
complete submission to the will of Allah.
Spirit
and Charity
In
recognition of his attainments, his spiritual master, Sheikh Abu Said Mubarak,
head of the Muslim School of Hambalite Law made him his Khalifa. Soon after he
received the Khirka (the dress of the Sufi), he was chosen to head the enlarged
school of Mubarak al Makhzumi, Here he delivered lectures'! and at the Khanqah
specially built for him, he regularly preached his sermons to his
"students and disciples who I thronged there from all sides. Imbibing his
missionary spirit, the disciples of the Shaikh spread out to all parts of the
world enabling Islam to reach even die farthest lands of China, Malaysia,
Indonesia and the Far East Asia where even
now thousands of Muslims owe allegiance
to the Qaderia
order.' MAHBUB-E-SUBHANI (the beloved of God) is yet another titles lovingly
bestowed on him. The Shaikh's preachings and sermons have come down to us
according to Encyclopaedia of Islam, in eight books prominent among them being
'FUTUH; AL-GHAYUR' GHVNIYAT AL TALIBEEN, AL PATH AL-RABBANI.
Some of
the themes and keynotes of; his sermon, are given below:
Be humble and treat yourself as
such.
When the heart gets sound and
recognises God it renounces all others. You! strengthen your faith, you
will pass through the domain of
MARIFAT (enlightenment).
Do not feed yourself to the full.
Those who abide by the Law of Sharia achieve enlightenment.
It is the absence of the self
that distinguishes the Sufi from the Faqir. Do not beg unless you are
starving. When compelled to beg, do not accept more than you need.
Let no thought of the morrow
enter your mind: else you will incur ever-lasting perdition.
One who
is not troubled, bears no virtue. Trials are supports from God.
Be good
natured and uncomplaining and thank God for your poverty.
Do not flatter
the rich for giving nor blame them for withholding.
Take what is voluntarily offered;
it is the daily bread which God sends to you, do not refuse God's gift.
The
Qadaria order founded some nine centuries ago, occupies a position of eminence
in the four-principal orders of Sufism. It has a creditable history of service
in the spread of Islam and upholding the tenets of the faith even in the
darkest phases of our ethical life. This most tolerant and charitable of the
Sunni order of Dervishes has FAQR as the hallmark of spiritual perfection.
The
Message of this noble saint of Baghdad was brought to the Indo-Pakistan
Sub-Continent by Shah Nematullah Qadri of Deccan (died 1430 A.D.). But the
divine who established this order in the real sense is reported to be Hazrat
Makhdoom Muhammed Gilani Halbi a scion of the founder, who crossing the border
settled in Uch. This was at a time when the influence of Chishtia and
Suhrawardia orders were on the wane. Stepping into a sort of spiritual vacuum,
the Qadariah order considerably met the need of the times to uphold the
teachings of Islam and the traditions of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ)
in the expanding Muslim empire. With a number of devout holy men, this school
of mysticism gained immense popularity both with the masses and the rulers.
This fraternity has a definite organisation centred in the personality of
the Pir (Shaikh) who enjoys the absolute position of authority in spiritual
matters. He regulates the functions of the members and is the vehicle for
passing on the divine knowledge of the order to the murids or disciples. The
abode of the 'pir is the headquarters of the fraternity which is
also known as Khanqah or monastery. The members are enjoined to certain
practices in the meditation of the Divine Being, the most important being.
'ZIKR JAHAR', This consists in recitation every day of SURA IKHLAS eleven
times followed by praying with raised hands for the soul of the founder. Practice
by rosary beads for recitation of ZIKR is recommended and a set procedure is
laid down for the purpose wherein the devotees perform 'Muraqaba'. These
practices aim at affecting union of devotee's soul with the Almighty and in
the process differ in superficial details with the practices followed by other
order of Sufism but they are the same in essentials and ideals subscribed to
by Sufis of all shades of thought.
Outstanding
saints of the order in the Sub-Continent are many, notably Hazrat Makhdoom
Abdul Qadir Sani (died 1533 A.D.), his grandson Hazrat Syed Hamid popularly
known as Hafnid Ganj, Bakhsh. One of his sons Shaikh Moosa Pak Shaheed attained
equal spiritual eminence. He lies buried in Pak Darwaza Multan. Hamid one of
his Khalifas, Shaikh Dawood Kirmani Sher-garhi was a gifted Qadri divine. He
lies buried in Shergarh in Sahiwal District. On his death in 1574 Shaikh Abu
Ma'alee Qadri succeeded him. His tomb in Lahore is visited by devotees in large
numbers. So also the mausoleum of Hazrat Mian Mir Qadri, Lahore. Shaikh Abdul
Qadir Muhaddis Dehlavi is another erudite and scholar saint of the order.
Among the members of the ruling families, Prince Dara Shikoh took personal
interest in the order and called himself Qadri. He also built a beautiful
mausoleum at Lahore on the grave of Hazrat Mian Mir. Lahore has the distinction
of being the last resting place of Hazrat Maulana Ahmad AH. The most recent
exponent of the Qadaria order of mysticism throughout the world, was Hazrat
Moulana Shah Muhammed Abdul Aleem-al-Siddiqui al-Qaderi Rah-matullah Alaihi,
the father in law and Murshid of Hazrat Maulana Dr. Muhammed Fazl-ur-Rahman
Al-Ansari Al-Qaderi (R.A.), the Founder President of the World Federal of
Islamic Missions and Muhammed Jafer, al-Aleemi al-Qaderi, the Editor of the
Minaret.
Popularity
Dr.
G.M.D. Sufi in his history book entitled "Kashmir" records the
popularity of the Order in Kashmir and the efforts that spread Islam there
through Muslim divines. One such was Hazrat Shah Fariduddin Qadri of Baghdad
who came to Kashmir via Sind. From Sindh he travelled to Agra and then to Delhi.
He was 75 years old when he reached Kashmir on a mission of preaching Islam
along with four companions. He was successful in converting the Rajput ruler of
the Valley to Islam. Emulating his example, a large number of his relations and
subjects joined the faith which in contrast to Hinduism is a levelling religion
with a message for equality. And the Qadari Silsila along with other schools of
mysticism still continues to spread the light of Islam all over the world. The
Aleemiyah Institute of Islamic Studies founded by a Qaderi divine is one such
institution engaged in the cause of propagation of Islam the world-over. It was
established at Karachi in 1958 by the late Maulana Dr. Muhammad Fazlur Rahman
Al-Ansari Al-Qaderi, himself steeped in the learning of both the East and the
West in memory of the world-roving missionary ' of Indo-Pakistan Sub Continent.
Hazrat Allama Shah Muhammad Abdul Aleem Al-Siddiqui Al-Qaderi Al-Madni. Institutions
like Halqa-i-Aleemiyah Qadiriyah are serving to meet the challenges to the
faith in the modern way and propagating Islam in regions requiring the divine
message. The guidelines as spelled out in Shaikh Jilani's monumental work,
Al-Fath Al-Rabbani are available in English translations by Maulana S.A.H.
Bokhari. Given below are some excerpts.
On
Faith
My boy!
If you strengthen your faith, you will pass through the domain of Marifat
(enlightenment) to the forest of knowledge and will finally reach the desert of
extinction. You will separate yourself from your own self and the creatures,
and you will be granted an existence quite independent of all the other
creatures, as it would depend solely on God. Then shall your grief come to an
end. God will be your protector and guide; the angels would surround you, the
spirit will greet you and pull you into his closeness.
On
Truth
The
Truth calls to God while falsehood calls to Satan. Listen to me, God will take
pity on you; follow me so that I may conduct you to the door of God. The truth
and falsehood differ from each other, and every believer who sees in the light
of God recognises either of them separately. O people of Iraq, you claim to
possess keen understanding though you cannot distinguish between the truthful
and the liar. If you give me a lie you will suffer its consequences, not I.
On
Remembrance
Remember
Him so that He may remember you: remember Him so that He may reduce the burden
of your sins and cleans you. You will then become obedient shorn of every
vestige of disobedience. God will remember you amidst the gathering of the
angels. You will be reluctant of the society of men and the remembrance of God
will not leave enough time with you to beg of Him. God will become your
ultimate aim and then shall God hand over the keys of His treasures to your
heart. One who loves God wholeheartedly, finds no space in his heart for anyone
also.
On
Repentance
When a
believer repents of his sins and determines to avoid them busies himself in
prayers, day and night and eats out of his lawful earning, he progresses in
virtue and becomes the watchful (Muhtat). His earnings then decrease because
of his cautiousness against the unlawful and at this stage he becomes
incorrupt (Mowzza). He further progresses and becomes ascetic (Zahid)
progressing still further, he becomes the enlightened (A'rif) and at this stage
his heart clings to God. Of all of his requirements he remains in the service
of his Lord and negotiates with Him as the creatures have been driven out of
his heart to give way to the Lord whom he need and adores.
On
Seeking
Seek
from your Lord, a Physician who would cure the ailments of your heart, who
would give you medicine. Seek from Him a guide who would hold your hand and show
you the path. Seek the company of those who are close to Allah and who stick to
the threshold of Allah and stamp it with their kisses.
On
Knowledge
My boy!
Had you the fruit of knowledge and the blessings thereof you should not have
resorted to the doors of the kings. The scholar has no feet to go to the door
of the creatures. The asceric has no hands to receive favours from the people.
The love of God has no eyes which can see others than God. Try to get
enlightenment which can be had by abandoning all for God's sake and agreeing
with His Will, Knowledge and Power,
On
Self
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