YaNabi Social Network

By Hafiz Muhammed Ebrahim ibn Abdul Aziz Soofie Siddiqui Habibi

All praise to Allah the lord of the worlds who says in the clear book al Qura’n (if a group from every expedition remained behind, they should devote themselves to the studies of their religion so they could warn the people and guard themselves against evil) and the best of salutations upon our master Sayyidina muhammed (pbuh) who is the trustworthy messenger and who said (if Allah wishes good for a person he gives him the understanding of his religion) and salutations upon his purified household and his companions who strove in the implementing of this Deen by the clear proofs and evidence.

The imparting of knowledge is the most important factor that effectively revives the religion of Allah . Reminding people of the signs of Allah and guiding them onto the straight path and purifying their souls with the divine commandments were the most important missions of the messengers of Allah. There are moral diseases in every age ,some being particular for a certain time and some being timeless. So from the beginning of time mankind had to be reminded of how to implement goodness in their lives and to cleanse themselves from the temptations of this world. In the age that we live in today ,where humility (khushu’)has decreased and where love of life and hatred of death has immensely increased ,the need for us to be reminded and shown the right path is needed now more than ever. And it is for this reason that the concept of taking a pledge at the hands of a Shaykh and adhering to his commands is of vital importance. An act that has its origin from the time of the Rasool (pbuh) has helped to strengthen islam and has helped in the shaping of men to the pinnacles of greatness. The most successful form of Da’wah and one of the best forms of an Islamic movement is the initiation of an individual at the hands of a rightly guided scholar(Shaykh) and his following of a particular order. The reason that this is one of the best methods of Da’wah is that confidence in rightly guided leadership that leads to heartfelt obedience allows the individual to learn the concept of following an imam which leads to the strengthening of the nation as there are no divisions ,he is constantly taught the remembrance of Allah and is rightly guided in the knowledge of his religion ,he always attends gatherings where Allah and his Rasool(pbuh) are remembered and by attending these gatherings he also strengthens the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood between the fellow disciples of his Shaykh and lastly he is instructed to carry out services for the community willingly and voluntarily which makes him a better person and increases in him humility. Thus an act that has such good elements from the beginning is expected to grow and capture the hearts of men as it is pure in its message. The most honourable knowledge is that which leads to knowing Allah . It is an ocean whose uttermost depths none may fathom. Those who dive the deepest are the prophets ,then the pious and the Auliyah ,then those who follow them. my dear respected brothers and sisters in islam when you pledge yourselves into the hands of a Shaykh know that you are following in a Sunnah of the sahabas when they pledged themselves to the Rasool(pbuh) but also know that their pledge was not an empty pledge because they pledged with their lives and not like most of us who do so with our lips and not with our hearts. Know that when you pledge yourselves, your life is in the hands of your Shaykh as the qutb of his time the grandmaster Sayidina Kwaja Muhammed Habib Ali Sha (ra) once remarked ‘A murīd is like a corpse, and the Shaykh like the washer of the corpse, cleaning as he deems suitable.’”. the murid must adhere to the command of his Shaykh at all times and must at all times show respect to his Shaykh and the best example to this is the incident of the companion of the Rasool ,the possessor of wings in paradise Jafar ibn Abi Taalib (ra) when he was martyred in the battle of mu’tah. The Rasool (pbuh) was seated in Madina when he lifted his blessed gaze towards the sky and remarked Wa alaikum us salaam and permission is granted. When the companions seated around the messenger (pbuh) enquired the reason to this strange act the rasool (pbuh) replied that Jafar was been taken to paradise by angels but he wanted to salute me and ask my permission to enter first. Subhanallah ,even being already granted the blessings of his lord ,this servant of the rasool (pbuh) sought his permission thus setting high standards of greatness and of obedience to the best of all leaders. My respected brothers in the life of the companions of the rasool (pbuh) we have the best examples of obedience and love that one must possess for the Shaykh and in the Sunnah of the sahabas the ahl ul allah ,the elite of this ummah followed in their footsteps and we see in the life of all the auliyah their shining examples of obedience. To narrate one such incident we have the shining example of that luminary personality , the rose from the garden of Baba Fareed (ra) al Makhdoom Sabir Paak (ra). This great servant of Allah earned the titile saabir after he adhered to the command of his Shaykh to the utmost of his ability and the incident is narrated as such that The title of Saabir was earned when Hazrat Saabir Paak(ra) was brought by his mother from his place of birth, Heraat to her brother Hazrat Baba Fareed Ganje Shakar(ra) whilst under the spititual supervision of his great uncle.

He was given the responsibility of distributing the langar(food). After twelve years when Hazrat Saabir Paak’s mother returned, she found her son thin and weak. She immediately complained to her brother, “You have not given my child good food to eat”. Hazrat Baba Fareed was very astonished by this complaint and said, “In your presence I gave him the responsibility of the langar and upto this very moment he distributes the langar, therefore he should not have a problem with regards to food. On second thought if you have a doubt call your son in my presence and clarify it with him so that you may find comfort and peace”.

Hazrat Baba Fareed Ganje Shakar asked his nephew about the langar. Hazrat Saabir Paak replied, “I was only given the responsibility of distributing the langar and not to eat”. When Hazrat Baba Fareed heard this, he was overcome with amazement and happiness for this is the reason that Allah Subhaanahu Wa Taala has enriched his nephew with the wealth of Sabr (patience) because he lived without meals for twelve years. Hazrat Baba Fareed kissed his forehead and said, “This is Alauddin Ali Ahmad Saabir”. From that day forth he became famous with the name Saabir. Subhanallah what devotion ,what respect ,what obedience. And my respected brothers when you take allegiance remember that you have already being sold so do not run everywhere else seeking the help from others as this is disrespectful and at the same time it is a ruin for you. As Shaykh Muzaffar al Jerahi states in his kitaab írshaad’that a man dug two hundred holes one meter deep to find water so a Shaykh told him you fool why did you not dig one hole two hundred meters deep and you will surely find water. So continue serving your Shaykh and seeking his blessings and you will eventually succeed in transforming your heart. Remember the Sufis are like the earth as every kind of abomination is thrown at it but every form of goodness grows from it as stated by Junaid al Baghdadi (ra). Also remember to keep the company of the trustworthy as Allah states in the holy Quran ‘fear god and keep the company of the trustworthy’. It is an ongoing order, from which we understand the importance of keeping company with the Trustworthy. Allah orders all human beings to accompany them, because by keeping their company one will see how they live their lives, how they deal with people, how they address their companions, how they eat, how they sleep, how they worship. By accompanying them, one will learn all their good manners, and their ways of life. Also remember that it was these sufi orders that helped to eradicate darkness by the spreading of the light of islam in many countries and helped in the onslaught against muslims. Among the Sufis who aided Islam with the sword as well as the pen, to quote Reliance of the Traveller, were: such men as the Naqshbandi sheikh Shamil al-Daghestani, who fought a prolonged war against the Russians in the Caucasus in the nineteenth century; Sayyid Muhammad ‘Abdullah al-Somali, a sheikh of the Salihiyya order who led Muslims against the British and Italians in Somalia from 1899 to 1920; the Qadiri sheikh ‘Uthman ibn Fodi, who led jihad in Northern Nigeria from 1804 to 1808 to establish Islamic rule; the Qadiri sheikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza’iri, who led the Algerians against the French from 1832 to 1847; the Darqawi faqir al-Hajj Muhammad al-Ahrash, who fought the French in Egypt in 1799; the Tijani sheikh al-Hajj ‘Umar Tal, who led Islamic Jihad in Guinea, Senegal, and Mali from 1852 to 1864; and the Qadiri sheikh Ma’ al-‘Aynayn al-Qalqami, who helped marshal Muslim resistance to the French in northern Mauritania and southern Morocco from 1905 to 1909.

Among the Sufis whose missionary work Islamized entire regions are such men as the founder of the Sanusiyya order, Muhammad ‘Ali Sanusi, whose efforts and jihad from 1807 to 1859 consolidated Islam as the religion of peoples from the Libyan Desert to sub-Saharan Africa; [and] the Shadhili sheikh Muhammad Ma‘ruf and Qadiri sheikh Uways al-Barawi, whose efforts spread Islam westward and inland from the East African Coast . . . . (Reliance of the Traveller,863). These great luminaries sacrificed everything that was dear to them so that the message of islam be spread to the four corners of the world. That was the reason that the grand master Kwaja Habib Ali Sha (ra) groomed his disciple his exalted eminence ,the axis of the great men of south Africa ,Sayidina wa Moulana Goolam Muhammed Siddique as Sufi (ra) and sent him to this remote land to spread the message and be a form of blessing for the people. What this great luminary accomplished and the position that he has in the sight of the people is clearly known and apparent to everyone. Fighting many obstacles and enduring many hardships this great servant of allah rendered great service to islam and this was because he kept the company of the trustworthy and he pledged his hands to a Shaykh that moulded and groomed him on the right path and in the right sciences so that he could be a star that shone on the lives of the muslims. My dear respected brothers if you take a peek into history and read the life history of all the mashaikh ,you will find that whatever they achieved was due to them taking a pledge at the hands of a Shaykh and acquiring knowledge and being prepared to impart knowledge. This is the role of baíyah and this is the role of the khanqahs(zawiyahs-centres)of the sufi masters. Man is incapable of seeing the evil inside him and it is for this reason that we need a mirror to show us our faults and cleanse us. That mirror is the Shaykh. If you read the life history of the murid of Baba Fareed (ra) ,Kwaja Nizam Al Haq Wa Din (ra) you will find that wherever he went he set up a khanqah and appointed a khalifa to lead the people. This was one of the reasons that islam grew so rapidly in India as it was due to the role played by the sufi masters. The world that we live in today is calling for the modernisation of many practises and certain narrow minded individuals and groups are doubting the authenticity of practises that dates back to the time of the Rasool (pbuh). Don’t fall into this trap of ignorance and see yourself to haughty and proud to acknowledge your weakness and your incapability’ . and remember if the gravity of the moon can make the seven oceans dance then why not will the divinely blessed powers of the Auliyah conquer the hearts and souls of creation.

I am running ,running down your street
Tears are washing away my cheeks
Union with you what more can I seek
As my soul I surrender your name I repeat
Ya Soofie ya Habib