The truth of the four Sufi orders

Now there have also arisen people who are mere devotees of reason and intellect, or rather strangers to reason and intellect, in whose view Islam is nothing but the name of outward rulings and legal issues. To them, the prevailing spiritual orders (silsilas), the practice of taking a spiritual guide and becoming a disciple (piri-muridi), the acquiring of spiritual grace (fayz), remembrance of Allah (dhikr), meditation (muraqaba) and the like — the regular practices of the noble saints and of the scholars

of truth — lie outside Islam, and their spiritual struggles (mujahadat) and austerities (riyazat) amount to a monasticism that has nothing to do with Islam; indeed, all of this, in their view, belongs to the first age of ignorance (jahiliyya). How proud these clever people are of this understanding of theirs! The accursed Iblis has plunged them into such ignorance that they have come to regard all these pure and God-fearing souls as strangers to Islam, and to imagine as ignorant the very people upon whom the religion rests. I present a few sayings of some Naqshbandi elders, especially of Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified), which relate to various aspects of this discussion, for the reassurance of those lovers of truth who still hold fast to the hem of the righteous predecessors.

The author of Tazkira-e-Mashaikh-e-Naqshbandiya, describing a spiritual unveiling (kashf) of Hazrat Tawakkul Shah Sahib Ambalvi (may his secret be sanctified) regarding the truth of the four spiritual orders, states: "Once I was blessed with a vision of the Master of the Messengers ﷺ. I saw that I was sitting in his presence, and that four rivers had issued from his blessed breast and were flowing through the whole world."

The Grandeur and Radiance of the Orders

Hazrat Khwaja Badruddin Sirhindi (may his secret be sanctified), who was nurtured at the table of Ahmad's bounty, says in Unveiling (mukashafa) 5 concerning Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified):

One day he was sitting in the morning circle, absorbed in spiritual immersion (istighraq), concentration (tawajjuh) and meditation, when suddenly Shah Sikandar (Qadiri, may his secret be sanctified) arrived and placed the blessed cloak (khirqa) of Hazrat Shah Kamal Kaithali (may his secret be sanctified) upon his shoulder. He opened his eyes, and on seeing Shah Sikandar he stood up and embraced him with the utmost humility. Shah Sikandar said: "My grandfather, Hazrat Shah Kamal Kaithali (may Allah have mercy on him), at the time of his passing

entrusted this robe to me, saying, 'I give it to you as a trust; deliver it to whomever I tell you.' Now, several times, the Hazrat has commanded me in a vision (waqi'a) to deliver this robe to you. It weighed very heavily on me — why should I give away my grandfather's blessed cloak, the treasure of my own house, to an outsider? But since the command was given with strong emphasis and stern warning, I have had no choice but to bring it."

He put on that blessed robe, stood up and withdrew into seclusion. He used to say: "At that moment the thought occurred to me that it is a practice of the shaykhs to clothe someone in a garment and make him their deputy (khalifa); so what ought to have happened is that they first clothe me in the inner robe of honour and give me to drink of the pure water of spiritual states and perfection, and then make me their deputy.

Just then I saw Hazrat Ghaws al-Thaqalayn (may his secret be sanctified) arrive together with the deputies of his order (down to Shah Kamal). He exercised his spiritual influence (tasarruf) over my affair, took my heart under his control, and bestowed upon me the secrets and lights of his special affiliations (nisbats); and I, drowned in an ocean of lights, began to dive in that sea. When an hour had passed in this way, right in the midst of these overpowering states the thought came to me: 'You were trained by the great masters of the Naqshbandi order — why has such a situation arisen now?'

No sooner had this thought come than I saw that all the shaykhs of the Naqshbandi order, from Hazrat Khwaja Abdul Khaliq Ghujdawani to Hazrat Khwaja Baqi Billah (may Allah sanctify their secrets), had arrived, and Hazrat Khwaja Baha'uddin Naqshband Bukhari (may his secret be sanctified) sat down beside Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (may his secret be sanctified). After they had sat down, the Naqshbandi masters said: 'He is one we have trained, and through our training he has reached the station of perfection and of perfecting others. What connection do you have with him?' The Qadiri masters

replied: 'Our gaze has been upon him since his childhood; he has tasted from our table of bounty, and just now he has also put on our cloak.' This discussion was still going on when a group of the Kubrawis and the Chishtis, and many other shaykhs as well, arrived, and such a gathering formed that even the forests and wilderness of that town were filled with them. Then, at the end of the day, it was decided that since he had reached the degree of perfection and of perfecting others through Naqshbandi training, and it is the perfecting that counts, he would be honoured in this very path and would give guidance and direction in this path; yet he would also guide and perfect others in the Qadiri path." (Hazarat al-Quds, p. 103)

The Lofty Rank of the Shaykhs of the Orders

This same Hazrat Khwaja Badruddin (may Allah have mercy on him), in describing the ranks of Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified), quotes under the seventh rank the following saying of Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified): "Then, at the time of descent (nuzul) — which is termed the journey from Allah through Allah (sayr 'an Allah billah) — this faqir also passed through the stations (maqamat) of the shaykhs of the other orders, and obtained a full share from each station. Those shaykhs proved to be my helpers in my work, and each bestowed upon me choice portions of his own affiliation.

First of all I passed through the stations of the great Chishti masters (may Allah Most High sanctify their secrets), and received an abundant share from those stations. Among those great shaykhs, the spirituality of Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin (Bakhtiyar Kaki, may Allah have mercy on him) helped me far more than the other elders; and the truth is that this elder holds a great rank in that station and is the chief of that station. After that I passed through the station of the Kubrawi shaykhs (may Allah Most High sanctify their secrets). These two stations (that is, the Chishti and the Kubrawi) are equal with respect to

ascent (uruj); but this station (the Kubrawi), when descending from above, lies on the right side of the highway, while that station (the Chishti) lies on the left side of that straight path. This highway (the straight path) is the road by which some of the great ones among the Poles of Guidance (aqtab al-irshad) reach the station of singularity (fardiyyat) and attain the furthest limit. The road of the solitary ones (afrad, without polehood) is another; it is not possible to pass along that road without polehood. This station lies between the station of the Attributes (sifat) and that highway, as though it were an isthmus (barzakh) between the two stations, receiving a share from both sides; while the first station lies on the other side of that highway, and has less affinity with the Attributes.

After this I passed through the station of the great Suhrawardi masters, who are attributed to Shaykh Shihabuddin (may Allah sanctify his secret). This station is illuminated with the light of following the Sunnah (upon its source be blessings and peace), and is adorned with the radiance of the witnessing of what is above the above (fawq al-fawq); and divine enablement for acts of worship is the companion of this station (that is, its people are granted it). Some wayfarers (salikin) who have not yet attained this station, but are occupied with voluntary acts of worship and find their comfort in them, have obtained some share of this station by virtue of their affinity with it, because voluntary worship has a direct affinity with this station, while others — whether beginners or those who have reached the end — have affinity with this station through that medium. This station is most wondrous, for the radiance that appears in it is scarce in other stations; and the shaykhs of this station, because of the perfection of their following of the Sunnah, are of great dignity and lofty rank, and hold a distinctive place among their peers. After this they brought me to the station of attraction (jadhba), and this station holds countless attractions. Then descent took place below this station as well. The limit of the degrees of descent

is at the station of the heart (qalb), which is a comprehensive reality, and guidance and perfecting of others (irshad wa takmil) depend on descending to this station. Accordingly, I was granted descent to this station; but before I could gain firm establishment (tamkin) in it, ascent took place again, and in this stage I left the origin behind just as I had left the shadow; and in this very ascent, which took place in the station of the heart, I attained establishment and firmness." (Hazarat al-Quds, p. 79)

Inner Affiliation Is Not an Innovation

Hazrat Khwaja Muhammad Ma'sum Sirhindi (may his secret be sanctified), the manifestation of the perfections of Ahmad and bearer of the Mujaddidi banner, after establishing the affiliations of the orders and their meditations and the like, says:

"Thus all the orders are attributed to him and end with him. The shaykhs and the people of the orders took the inner affiliation from him (may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace) through the medium of their shaykhs; so their affiliation is not something of their own invention."

A little further on in the same letter he says:

"And we do not accept that turning towards pure Oneness (al-ahadiyya al-sirfa), negation and affirmation (nafy wa ithbat), and meditation did not exist in his time (may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace), nor in the time of his Companions. Rather, what is apparent is that his silence (upon him be blessings and peace) was not devoid of these matters, even if they were not called by these names…"

That is: "All the orders are attributed to the Prophet ﷺ and reach back to him. So the shaykhs and the people of the orders obtained the inner affiliation from the Prophet ﷺ through the medium of their own shaykhs; hence their affiliation is not fabricated. And we do not accept that pure Oneness, negation and affirmation, and meditation did not exist in his time ﷺ, nor in the time of his Companions; rather, what is apparent is that his silence ﷺ was not devoid of these matters."

Taking the pledge of allegiance (bay'a) at the hands of the noble shaykhs, obtaining inner bounty, and through their lofty spiritual attention (tawajjuhat) purifying the self (tazkiya-e-nafs) and cleansing the heart (tasfiya-e-qalb) so as to attain the higher degrees of nearness to Allah — these are such clear, well-known and evident matters that the Ummah would give no other title to one who denies them than madman and lunatic. There is therefore no need to shed further light on it; it is a matter whose record lies before us. The people of truth have always been agreed upon it; nearly all the saints reached Allah by this very path. Look at the list of noble saints before us today, especially those whose sainthood and eminence have been accepted by all people: every one of them is such that his brow of devotion is bowed before someone, and the reins of his spirituality are in someone's hands.

Destiny Is Changed by the Gracious Glance of the Saints

Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) says:

"My revered father (may his secret be sanctified) said that Hazrat Sayyid Muhyiuddin Jilani (may his secret be sanctified) wrote in some of his treatises that no one has the power to change an irrevocable decree (qaza-e-mubram) except me: if I wish, I can exercise my influence there too. He used to be greatly astonished at this statement and regarded it as far-fetched. This report remained in the treasury of this faqir's mind for a long time, until Allah, Glorified and Exalted, honoured me with this great blessing." (Letter 217, Volume One)

My revered father (may his secret be sanctified) used to say that Hazrat Ghaws-e-A'zam (may his secret be sanctified) wrote in some of his treatises that no one has the capacity to change an irrevocable decree, except me: if I wish, I can exercise my influence even in that. I used to be greatly astonished at this and considered it far (from understanding). In the faqir's mind

this saying of Hazrat Ghaws-e-A'zam remained for a very long time, until Allah Most High honoured me with this blessing. From this blessed statement we learn not merely that, since Sarkar Ghaws-e-A'zam (may his secret be sanctified), a great champion of the field of reality, said, "I change destiny," it was accepted that the decree is changed through the attention of the elders; rather, Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) was himself granted by his Lord this station and rank, that he could change destiny and decree. Indeed, this was even manifested in the case of Hazrat Shaykh Mulla Tahir Lahori (may Allah have mercy on him), the details of which are as follows.

In the same letter he says: One day I was intent on averting a calamity that had been destined for one of my friends. At that time I was in a state of complete supplication, entreaty, need and humility. It was disclosed from Allah Most High that in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) the decree of this matter was not dependent on anything else nor conditional on any condition. (Therefore) a kind of despair came over me, and I remembered the saying of Hazrat Sayyid Muhyiuddin (may his secret be sanctified). Again I turned in supplication and entreaty, and took the path of helplessness and need. Out of pure grace and generosity, it was disclosed that the suspended decree (qaza-e-mu'allaq) is of two kinds. One is the decree whose conditionality has been made manifest in the Preserved Tablet, and of which the angels have been informed; the second is the decree whose conditionality is known only to Allah the Most Holy (and is not recorded in the Preserved Tablet), and in the Preserved Tablet it has the form of an irrevocable decree. This kind of suspended decree too, like the first kind, remains open to the possibility of change.

From this it became known that the saying of Hazrat Ghaws-e-A'zam (may his secret be sanctified) refers to this latter kind, which has the form of an irrevocable decree, and not to the decree that is truly irrevocable, in which influence and change are impossible both by the Shari'ah and by reason, as is not hidden. And

the truth is that very few have knowledge of the reality of that decree, so how could there be any influence in it? And the calamity that had been directed towards that friend I found to be of this latter kind, and it became known that Allah, Glorified be He, had averted that calamity.

The opening words of his original text are these: "One day I was intent on averting a calamity that had been destined for one of my friends…"

Several things are learned from this blessed statement. First, that the decree is changed through the spiritual influence of the noble saints. Second, that the elders of the religion are averters of calamity (dafi'-ul-bala). Look at Hazrat Mujaddid's (may his secret be sanctified) original words: he attributed the averting of calamity to himself. How astonishing it is that such is the standing of the noble saints, while some people, on the basis of (ignorance), have denied that even the Master of the Prophets is an averter of calamity, and on this very basis declared the Durood-e-Taj impermissible — in refutation of which the Imam of the Muslims, A'la Hazrat Fazil-e-Barelvi (may his secret be sanctified), had to write Al-Amn wa al-'Ula li-Na'iti al-Mustafa bi-Dafi' al-Bala'.

History will never forgive these embodiments of ignorance and misleaders. They live on the bounty of the very Prophet against whom they commit this outrage — and this they call pure monotheism (tawhid)! As the verse says:

They have named wisdom madness, and madness wisdom.

The Preserved Tablet Lies Before the Saints

Third, we learn that the lofty gaze of the noble saints reads even the Preserved Tablet. And not only the Preserved Tablet: it reaches even to the knowledge of Allah. Let those people read this carefully in whose view even the Pride of All Creation ﷺ does not know what is behind his back — we seek refuge in Allah!

Even clearer and more explicit than this is the passage of the same letter which he wrote in reply to a question. The question arose: the unveilings concerning created events (mukashafat-e-kawniyya) which

proceed from the friends of Allah (awliya' Allah) — sometimes an error occurs in them on the basis of the unveiling; for example, one may give news that such-and-such a person will die after a month, or will return to his homeland, yet none of this happens.

He gave two answers to this. First, that the occurrence of the thing unveiled and reported was conditional upon certain conditions, and the person of unveiling was not, at that time, given the details of those conditions; so he pronounced unconditionally that the thing would occur. Now, since the conditions were not fulfilled, it did not occur. As for the second answer, hear it in his own original words:

"Or I would say: a ruling from among the rulings of the Preserved Tablet was disclosed to a gnostic ('arif), and that ruling was in itself capable of erasure and confirmation, being of the category of the suspended decree; but that gnostic was not made aware of its conditionality and its capacity for erasure."

That is: or I would say that some ruling from among the rulings of the Preserved Tablet was disclosed to a gnostic, that ruling being in itself capable of erasure and confirmation and of the category of the suspended decree; but that gnostic was not aware of its conditionality and its capacity for erasure.

All Are in Need of the Prophet ﷺ

The Prophet ﷺ is the one to whom all turn in need (the fulfiller of needs); the entire universe is in need of him. Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) says:

"Inevitably, all are in need of him, and receive grace and blessings through his mediation (upon him and his family be blessings and peace). In this sense, if all were called his family (Al), there would be room for it (upon him and his family be blessings and peace), for all are his followers and do not attain perfection without his mediation. For when their very existence cannot take shape without the mediation of his existence, how can their other perfections, which are subordinate to existence, take shape without his mediation? Upon him and

his family be blessings and peace. Yes, the Beloved of the Lord of the Worlds ought to be just so." (Letter 121, Volume Three)

That is: inevitably all will be in need of him, and will obtain grace and blessings through him; and in this sense, if all were called his family, there would be room for it, because all are those who walk behind him and cannot attain perfection without his means. For when their existence cannot be conceived without his existence, how can their other perfections, which are subordinate to existence, be conceived without his mediation? Upon him and his family be blessings and peace. Yes, the Beloved of the Lord of the Worlds ought to be just so.

Chief of the Beloved Ones

Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) says: "The head of the seekers and chief of the beloved ones is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah Most High bless him and his family and grant them peace), for he is the essential aim and the first one invited by this invitation (upon him and his family be blessings and peace), and the others have been sought for his sake, whether they be the desired ones (murads) or the desiring ones (murids). Were it not for him, Allah would not have created creation, nor manifested His Lordship — as has been reported."

That is: "The chief of the disciples and of the beloved ones is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah Most High bless him and his family and grant them peace), because he is the essential aim and the first one invited by this invitation (upon him and his family be blessings and peace), and the others have been sought for his sake, whether they be desired ones or desiring ones; as has been reported: 'Had he not been, Allah Most High would not have created creation, nor manifested His Lordship.'"