December 2017 - Page 5 of 5

Jamaluddin al-Ghumuqi al-Husayni

I State of the Reality of Muhammad . He was a Master of Masters, a Light of Lights, and a Knower of Knowers. He was a Guide of this Order who took his power through his blood lineage to the Prophet , being asani and usaini by ancestry, and taking the spiritual power of the Order from the Prophet through Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) and Sayyidina `Ali (r).

He was born in the district of Kubu, of Ghazikumuk, in Daghestan in the year 1203 H./1788AD., on Thursday, the 16th Mu arram. From the first day he came to this world he was in a state of witnessing and he thus lived his whole life, from the time of his birth, in a state of unveiling.

He was a scholar in both exoteric knowledge and esoteric knowledge. He was known to speak more than fifteen languages including Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Pashtu, Hindi, Russian, Turkish, the Daghestani and Circassian dialects, and Armenian. He had memorized Qur’an by heart and memorized 775,000 adaths, both the correct and the false.

He was an encyclopedia of hadith and a reference in explanation of the Holy Qur’an. He mastered the Sciences of Fiqh (Jurisprudence) and Logic. He was a scientist and a mathematician. He had a particular mastery of the Science of Physics. He was a renowned homeopathic physician. In fact, there wasn’t any branch of science known at that time that he had not studied deeply. He was a very great Sufi and authored a book entitled “Adab al-Muridiyya fi-t-Tariqat an-Naqshbandiyya”, “The Rules of Conduct of the Murids in the Naqshbandi Tariqat.”

He was a Qu b in the time of his Shaykh and he occupied that station for forty years. His Shaykh, Shaykh Ismacal (q), showed him all kinds of secret knowledge important for the training and raising of his followers.

Already during the life of Shaykh Isma`il (q), Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Ghumuqi was a saint. During the lives of the two other great saints of Daghestan and khalifs of his Shaykh, Sayyidina Khas Muhammad and Shaykh Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi, he continued to be the saint carrying the main secret of the Naqshandi Order. However, only when his Shaykh, Shaykh Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi, passed away, was he given permission to become the Master of the Order.

He was tall and thin. His complexion was very white. His beard was very long and wide. His eyes were red. His voice was very soft and sweet.

When he was young, he was a student of scholars and Sufis in Daghestan. For a while, he was the private secretary of the Governor of the state of Ghazikumuk. He decided to leave that because, “Allah gave me power to see with two special eyes, the power to see into the Seven Heavens and to see through the Earth. I cannot work for an oppressor.” He left that job and directed himself to the Naqshbandi Order, which was flourishing at that time, preparing the people to fight the Russians. Later, when he was a Shaykh, he was the advisor and inspiration behind Shaykh Shamil’s armed resistance against the Russians, and also his father-in-law.

His knowledge of the Naqshbandi Order made people come from all around to listen to him. When people asked him why he left his high government position, he answered with the words quoted above. They were overwhelmed at his answer. In a short period of time he became very famous.

During the time of Shaykh Shamil, another governor, by the name of Arlar Khan, asked him to accept the position of mufti (religious authority). He refused, saying, “I will not work for oppressors.” Then the governor ordered him to take the position, but he ignored him and simply walked away. The governor then ordered that he be hung. Shaykh Jamaluddin stood with the rope around his neck and was about to be executed, when the governor came running to the balcony shouting, “Stop! Stop! Don’t hang him.” In full view of the people he then threw himself off the balcony and died in the street below. They immediately removed the noose from Sayyidina Jamaluddin’s neck and let him go. This was one of his miracles.

From His Teachings

He said,

“You must use your knowledge. If you don’t use it, it will be used against you.”

“The first step in the station of Unique Oneness is to keep the saying of the Prophet , ‘To worship Allah as if you are seeing Him.’”

“The worship of the Knower is better than the crowns on the heads of kings.”

“If the knowledge about which I am talking to you were from me, it would have vanished; but it is from Him, and since it is from Him, it never vanishes.”

“Among the deeds whose rewards no angel can see is Remembrance of God (Dhikrullah).”

“The best and the highest association is to sit with God in the State of Oneness.”

“Keep track of your hours, because they are going, never to return. Pity the one who is heedless. Connect your daily practices of dhikr one to another, like links in a chain; you will find a benefit from it. Don’t make your heart busy with the worldly life, because it will take the importance of the Hereafter from your heart.”

“The stories of pious people and saints are like battalions from Allah’s Army by means of which the states of murids are revived and the secret knowledge of Knowers is known. The proof of this is in His Holy Book, the Qur’an, when He said to the Prophet : “We will tell you stories of the Prophet who came before you to make your heart at peace” [11:120].

“Be in your heart with Allah, Almighty and Exalted, and be in your body with the people, because he who leaves people will leave the Group and he who leaves the Group will fall into ignorance. The one who would use his Secret to be with people will fall into tests and temptations and he will be veiled from the Presence of His Lord.”

“Allah has unveiled for His Servants the extent of their defects when He revealed that they had been created from clay. He showed them their lowliness when He said that they come from a sperm-drop. And He made them witness their helplessness and their weakness when He created the need to go to the bathroom.”

“Pride is the gravest danger for human beings.”

“The knowledge of Oneness is the specialty of the Sufis allowing them to differentiate between the Eternal and the transient.”

From His Miracles

It is said that Allah granted him two eyes in addition to those in his head and gave him added vision thereby. One eye was below his navel, the other one above his navel. When he was an infant, the women of Ghazikumuk used to come to see those two eyes.

Allah gave these two eyes spiritual power by which He would unveil whatever hidden knowledge was to be known: either Heavenly Knowledge or knowledge related to the spiritual beings of this world.

With the eye above his navel he could see the Heavenly Knowledge and was given the spiritual power to transport himself into the Divine Presence with complete vision, without any Self-Effacement. He was able to look at the Divine Secrets with complete self-awareness and speak about them to his followers. Whenever any question was asked by his murids about heavenly stations, he used to answer by first looking with Perfect Vision at the stations and then giving the answer.

The eye below the navel he used for any question concerning this world and the spiritual beings known as Jinn. He was very famous for telling his followers all that was needed about their future, their present and their past. The lineages and the relationships between his followers and their ancestors were unveiled to him like a book. He could satisfy anyone asking about his lineage because he was able to recall his ancestors one by one.

One time he was sitting with his followers eating apples. Suddenly, he took the apples from the plate and threw them up in the air. The murids were surprised at this seemingly childish action, especially in light of the Sufi principle of strict avoidance of all that qualifies as what is useless and of no concern (ma la ya`ni). He looked at them and said, “Don’t look at actions and misinterpret them, that would be a big error on your part. The meaning of what I have done will be known after four hours, when a murid will come from another village and you will have the explanation.”

As predicted, a man came and said, “O my Shaykh, my brother died a short while ago.” The Shaykh said, “That is what happened. Now tell them exactly when he died.” He said, “He died four hours ago.” The Shaykh explained, “I saw the Angel of Death, `Izra’il (as), coming to take my follower’s soul with anger and punishment. I threw that apple up and with that action I stopped `Izra’il . I told him to go back to Allah, Almighty and Exalted, and tell Him that Sayyid Jamaluddin is asking that He change the death of that servant from a bad ending to a good ending. On `Izra’il’s way back down with the answer that Allah had changed the destiny from punishment to mercy, I threw the second apple up and told `Izra’il (as) that he should go and that I would take the soul of my murid myself. I was the one who took the soul out of his body in his last seven breaths.”

One time some visitors were on their way from Kazan to visit Sayyidina Jamaluddin (q). On the way they passed by the home of an old lady named Salahuddin `Ayesha. She said, “When you pass by the Shaykh, ask him to give me initiation, as I am not able to go to him myself.” At the conclusion of their meeting with Shaykh Jamaluddin, they asked him for a daily devotion (wird) for Salahuddin `Ayesha. He said, “Take her this piece of cloth.” They brought her the piece of cloth, which the Shaykh had given them. She took the piece of cloth, opened it and looked at it saying, “I understand, I understand!” and she put it on top of her head. Then she left and some time later, came back with a pitcher of milk. She said, “Take this back to the Shaykh.” When they returned to the Shaykh and gave him the milk, he was in severe pain, because he had been tortured by the governor. He drank the milk and said, “Alhamdulillah, I am healed by means of this milk, which the lady has milked from deer. She is very wise. She understood me immediately. I had put a burning coal in the piece of cloth and the cloth didn’t burn. When I sent it to her, she understood that to hold this tariqat is to hold a burning coal. She took the coal and she sent me the milk. The milk is a sign of purity of the heart. So she sent me an answer saying, “I am accepting the difficulty of this way, and I am dedicating the purity of my heart to you.” Then the people of the village went back to the lady and told her what the Shaykh had said. She related, “When I received the charcoal, two deer appeared at my door. Never before had I seen such a thing. I immediately knew that I should milk them and send the milk to the Shaykh.”

One time Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Ghumuqi (q) was with his followers in the big mosque of the city praying the night prayer in congregation. When the prayers were finished, everyone went out and they locked the mosque from the outside. One person remained behind inside the mosque, hiding behind a pillar. His name was Orkallisa Muhammad, one of the best murids of Sayyid Jamaluddin (q). He was talking to himself and saying, ‘O Orkallisa Muhammad, now there is no one with you, you are alone. Defend yourself.” And he answered himself, “How can I defend myself? I am the worst person that Allah has created on the face of the Earth. To prove it, I swear an oath that if what I say is not what I honestly believe, then may my own wife be aram to me!” He didn’t know that his Shaykh was also hiding himself in the mosque and observing him. The Shaykh looked into his heart. He saw that in his heart he truly believed himself to be the worst person in creation.

Sayyid Jamaluddin (q) revealed himself, laughing and saying, “Orkallisa come here.” The latter was very surprised to see his Shaykh because he thought he was alone. The Shaykh told him, “You are right and you are also loyal and sincere.” As soon as he heard this, Orkallisa Muhammad floated up and hit his head on the ceiling of the mosque. He came down and floated up and came down again. This happened seven times. When the murid is cleansed of this dunya his soul will lift him up and he will fly like a bird.

Then Shaykh Jamaluddin told him, “Sit,” and he sat. The Shaykh was pointing with his index finger to the heart of Orkallisa Muhammad with a circular motion. As he was rotating his finger he was opening his heart, not to the Divine Presence, but to the secrets hidden already in his own heart. What he opened up to him were the six levels that must be opened to the seeker in order to set foot on the first step in the Way. These are: the Reality of Attraction (haqiqat al-jadhba), the Reality of Receiving Heavenly Revelation (haqiqat al-fayd), the Reality of Directing the Heart’s Power to Someone (haqiqat at-tawajjuh), the Reality of Intercession (haqiqat at-tawassul), the reality of Guidance (haqiqat al-irshad), and the Ability to move in Space and Time in one Moment (haqiqat at-tayy).

These six powers that he opened to him are the First Major Step on the Sufi Path. As he opened these six powers, he was able to take him to the State of Witnessing. In that state of vision he saw himself sitting with 124,000 white birds encircling him. One large green bird flew to the middle. After that vision the white birds disappeared and in their places there appeared the spirituality of 124,000 saints. Then the green bird disappeared and there appeared the spiritual form of Sayiddina Muhammad . The Prophet said, “I am testifying that he has reached the state of Perfection and now you can depend on him. Give him the secret of the Naqshbandi Order. Then Sayidd Jamaluddin poured from his heart into the heart of Orkallisa Muhammad secrets and knowledge of which he had never dreamed. He said to his Shaykh, “O my Shaykh, do these things exist in tariqat?” He replied, “Yes, my son, and that is only the Begining of the Way.”

It is said that the secret of his Shaykh could be seen in Orkallisa Muhammad. He would go up on the minbar (pulpit) on Friday and he would clap his hands and say, “O People cry!” and they would all begin crying. Then he would clap his hands and say, “Laugh!” and they would laugh. Then he would make a duca (invocation) saying, “O Allah they are crying in repentance and asking forgiveness. Forgive them. And they are laughing at the pleasure of your mercy!” Then he would clap a third time and say, “Are you accepting the Naqshbandi Sufi Order to be your Order?” and they would say, “Yes.” Then he would ask them, “Do you accept to repeat 5000 times, ‘Allah,’ by tongue and 5000 times, ‘Allah,’ in the heart?” and they would answer, “Yes.” By this method he spread the Naqshbandi Order all over the land of Daghestan, Kazan, Southern Russia and among the soldiers of Imam Shamil.

His Jihad

Shaykh Jamaluddin al-Ghumuqi al-Husayni (q) was deeply involved in directing the war against the Russians. He was fighting to keep the teaching of spirituality strong in Russia, as it had been in previous times. He supported Imam Shamil in his fight against Russia for nearly 40 years. His soldiers consisted solely of Naqshbandi murids, as he allowed no other affiliation in his army. Leslie Blanch writes the following about their relationship in her book “Sabres of Paradise”:

“Shamil was obeying him [Shaykh Jamaluddin] long after he [Shamil] had become the imperious ruler who would brook no word of criticism elsewhere. With his tutor, Shamil was from the first disciplined and studious. He learned Arabic and studied Arabic literature, philosophy and theology, progressing towards the complicated Sufi doctrines which, since religious evolution is a fundamental principle of Sufism, included a comparative study of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. It was apparent that this was no ordinary student, and Jamaluddin sought to prepare his charge for that great destiny, which, according to some, was already written on his brow.” [p. 54-55]

“He [the second Imam of Daghestan] rose quickly in the hierarchy of the madrasah (religious school), to become one of the inner circle of murids. However much they planned action, a Holy War, still they drew their spiritual inspiration from the Sufi teachings of [Jamaluddin].”

“Imam Shamil was married to Mullah Jamaluddin’s daughter Zaydat.” [p. 211]

“Imam Shamil in general spent the rest of the day in meditation or prayer or in theological discussions with his spiritual teacher, Mullah [sayyid] Jamaluddin.” [p. 352]

When Shaykh Shamil was defeated and taken prisoner by the Russians in 1279 H. / 1859 CE., Shaykh Jamaluddin decided that the people of Daghestan would emigrate en masse from Daghestan to Istanbul in Turkey. Once the decision was made, the people of Daghestan, Kazan, Chechenia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and other areas, all began to prepare for migration out of Russian-held lands. They went to Turkey and Arab countries among other places.

Shaykh Shamil was released by the Russians on condition that he would swear never to resume fighting against them. He went to Pilgrimage and was given a hero’s welcome at Makkah, where it is said that he was made to pray on top of the Ka`ba in order for everyone to benefit from seeing him. He died in Madina and was buried in the cemetery of the Companions, al-Baqi`.

Migration

Shaykh Jamaluddin (q) moved to Istanbul, accompanied by his family and the family of Shaykh Shamil. There they lived in the district of Uskudar, on the Asian side of Istanbul. From there he spread the Naqshbandi Sufi teachings all over Turkey.

At the time all the houses were made of wood. One day a great fire swept through the city of Uskudar. People fled their houses to save themselves. They came to him, urging him to leave. He said very calmly, “There is no way that I will leave, because my house will not burn up. This house was built from money which was earned by my own hands. Never will a house burn which was built with pure, lawful money.” The entire district burnt, but his house remained untouched by flames. That house has been preserved until today, and is very famous.

His behavior with his family and with his murids was always impeccable. He kept the best of manners with them. He never reacted to the complaints or objections of his family. He never objected to or criticised his murids. He always tried to make them happy.

One day, shortly before his death, he called his wife and his daughter. He said, “Today I have done a great work, and it has taken all my power and left me very weak. When you read the newspaper, you will see that a big ship ran aground in the Bosphorus. No one died and they were saved by an unknown person. I was that unknown person, and you will hear about it.” Then he passed away. The next day the daughter, with astonishment and tears, read the story in the newspapers, about how a great ship had grounded and how an unknown person had saved all the people on board. That newspaper is still kept by his descendants.

He died in 1285 H./1869 C.E. on the 5th of Shawwal, at the age of 80 years. He was buried in Istanbul, near the family of Imam Shamil, in Uskudar.

Some time after his death and burial, the location of his grave was lost, and no one was able to find it. It was not discovered again for many years. Shaykh Sharafuddin (q), who came forty years after his passing, was the one who rediscovered his grave. When he was living in Rashadiya, 150 miles from Istanbul, he saw in a vision that he was being brought to Uskudar. He was brought to a cemetery and a person appeared to him dressed in a green cloak. He said, “I am Shaykh Jamaluddin. You have to reveal the location of my grave.” Shaykh Sharafuddin asked, “How will I know your grave?” He said, “This is the graveyard of Karaja Ahmad, a saint who is buried here,” pointing to a place a short distance away. Then he said, “My son, try your best to discover the location of my grave.” The next day Shaykh Sharafuddin wrote to people in Istanbul, and told them to dig in such and such place. They dug it up and found the grave, and they found the headstone, marked with his name.

Shaykh Jamaluddin (q) passed the Secret of the Golden Chain of the Naqshbandi Order to Sayiddina Abu Ahmad as-Sughuri (q).

Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi

I never ceased to stand,
because of Your love,
on a station where minds are bewildered.

Abul-Hasan an-Nuri

He was a Pious Imam respected by everyone. He brought out the treasures of Knowledge and its delicate Code of Behavior and Rules. His many sayings were a Guidebook to the ways of the seekers. From his forehead the Light of Heavenly Knowledge shone forth. He was very brave in the fight against the Russian imperialists in his time. He had True Piety and a very pure Faith. He was humble towards everyone. He bore the signs of Perfection, having put his ego under his control. He encouraged people to follow the Naqshbandi Sufi Way and to support it on their tongues and with their actions and in their hearts. He was a Garden full of Roses from which the bees would gather the nectar and produce the finest honey. People ran to his threshold to attain the happiness of this world and the Hereafter.

He was in himself a Sign of Miraculous Power in knowing the secrets of the hearts of his followers, and in showing them the way to reach the Perfect State of Divine Love. He was a Great Sufi, a Knower known in all the nations surrounding Daghestan. His fame was spread from to Turkey, Persia, and throughout the countries of the Arab world. His heart was filled with sincerity and the easiest and purest spirit. He studied the external in addition to the internal knowledge. He was a scholar of Qur’an and Hadith, and he mastered the Science of Jurisprudence. He was learned in Chemistry, Astronomy, and Logic. He was a reference in every science.

He trained his murids, who numbered in the thousands. During the day he taught them military strategy for fighting the Russians, and during the nights he taught them spirituality. He rarely slept, not more than two hours a day. His food was often only water, and his clothes consisted of a single woolen robe. He was familiar to all throughout Daghestan. He lived in the time of the infamous tyrant, Shah Shamus, Governor of Daghestan.

He was born in Kural, in Shirwan, Daghestan on Tuesday, the 2nd of Dhul-Qi’da, in the year 1191 H./1777 AD.

He was tall, fair-complexioned, his beard was white and his eyes were green. His voice was soft.

From His Sayings

He used to say, “If the Lovers of the One were to speak about their Love for Him, from that description every lover would die.”

“The seeker (murid) doesn’t want anything for himself except what Allah desires for him, and he doesn’t need anything from the universe except his Lord.”

“If a seeker says after five days of fasting, ‘I am hungry,’ he is not fit for our Way.”

“Depression in the heart is from three sicknesses: loss of harmony with nature; keeping the customs one has been raised with that are contrary to the ways of the Sunnah; and keeping the company of corrupt people.”

“When the hearts despaired of visualizing the Essence of Allah, He sent them His Attributes. They were calmed and quieted and they were happy.”

“Examining is for the eyes. Witnessing (mushahada) is from the heart. Unveiling (kashf) is for the Secrets (asrar) of vision.”

“When is Allah not happy with his Servant? It is when His servant becomes annoyed at the length of the gathering of Dhikr. If his love for Allah were true, it would be like the blink of an eye.”

“Death denies happiness to the one who loves the worldly life (dunya).”

“Allah never elevated anyone who loved money.”

“The love of the Believer is a light in his heart.”

“Islam is to surrender your heart to your Lord and not to harm anyone.”

As a sign of his humbleness he used to say, “If someone were to call out in the mosque, ‘Let the most corrupted person leave,’ I would be the first to go.’”

“Whoever comes to Allah with his heart, Allah will send the hearts of all His servants to him.”

“I see in men Allah’s handiwork, but their false idea of themselves makes them blind to this vision; and I hear from them an endless dhikr of praise of the Creator, but their ears are deaf to it.”

“Not everyone is able to wear the woolen clothes; to wear the woolen clothes requires purity of the heart.”

“Whoever wears the woolen clothes in humbleness, Allah will raise him up and shine light on his heart. Whoever wears it in arrogance and pride, Allah will put him down.”

His custom was to put his murids in seclusion in stages. The senior murids, who had already undergone many seclusions, he would put in a very intense seclusion in special underground rooms. He accepted both men and women to come to him for advice, and he had both male and female murids whom he would put in seclusion, each in his or her own separate seclusion.

A scholar who was jealous of Shaykh Yaraghi’s fame and wished to destroy his reputation went to the Governor of Daghestan, Shah Shawus, and claimed that Shaykh Yaraghi was actually mixing the sexes. The scholar told the governor: “That man is destroying the shari`ah,” even though Shaykh Yaraghi was well-known in his time for his strictness in maintaining the shar`ah and the Sunnah. That scholar tried to pressure the governor to put him in jail. The governor sent a messenger to Shaykh Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi (q) with a letter. The Shaykh read the letter and then he said to the messenger, “Wait! I am sending a gift to the governor on the condition that he doesn’t open it until the day of my appearance before him.” He went into his room and came out with a box which he gave to the courier.

The governor received the box and he felt a fear at the thought of opening it. On the day of the hearing Sayyidina Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi (q) arrived with all his followers. When he entered, the governor stood up. The people saw him standing and knew that something had happened, as he was not in the habit of standing for anyone.

The Shaykh said, “Open the box!” He opened the box and he found a letter in it. Under the letter was charcoal, burning intensely. Under the charcoal was a piece of cloth, completely unaffected by the coals. Under the cloth, there was gunpowder. He said, “Read the letter!” He opened the letter and began to read it out loud: “To the governor. Although the charge brought against us is untrue, nevertheless we ask: Can the one who is keeping a box full of burning charcoal which has been lying on gunpowder for one week…,” at which point the governor began to shake. The Shaykh told him, “Don’t tremble. Read on.” The governor continued, “…which has been lying on gunpowder for one week without any harm or explosion, is he not able to keep his murids, men and women, from exploding with the fire of passion?”

One time a woman brought her son to him. He was four months old. He called the child and, to everyone’s astonishment, the child walked to him. He told the child, “Read after me,” and he repeated Ikhlas (Surah 112) after the Shaykh. He told him, “Read it by yourself,” and the child read it by himself. The one reporting the incident said, “I saw that child 30 years later, and he showed the same great intelligence at that time as he had in front of the Shaykh.”

His Jihad

Leslie Blanch avers in her book, “Sabres of Paradise,” that Shaykh Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi was the Shaykh of Imam Shamil an-Naqshbandi. During their war against the Russians, he directed him in strategy and tactics, as did Sayiddina Jamaluddin al-Ghumuqi al-Husayni after him.

In Chapter 34 Gammer says of the shaykh, in his book, “Muslim Resistance to the Tsar…”:

“… While the glittering circle of Russian bayonets closed in on every side, Mula Muhammad [al-Yaraghi]‘s influence had been growing steadily year by year. Intangible, immaterial, it passed surely and silently through the hedge of bristling steel as a miraged ship through opposing cliffs, or as a moss-bog fire creeps up against the wind. The two forces, material and moral, moving in concentric rings of opposite direction, kept equal pace, and just when to outward seeming the last spark of liberty was trampled under foot in Central Daghestan by the soldiers of the tsar, the sacred flame was ready to burst forth and illuminate the land on every side, even to its outermost borders.” “The Russian sources claim unanimously that Muhammad al-Yaraghi and his disciples preached jihad against the Russians from the very beginning. This would not be surprising…..Furthermore, the role of sufi ta’ifas, and especially of the Naqshbandiyya, in jihad movements all over the Muslim world has been emphasised. …[due] to the influence of Muhammad al-Yaraghi’s preaching.” “…The first concern of Muhammad al-Yaraghi and his disciples was to establish and enforce the shari’a and eradicate the ‘adat. [prevailing customs]“

The Shaykh addressing the mountaineers of the Daghestan said,

“you are neither Muslims nor Christians, nor pagans… the Prophet said: ‘he is a true Muslim:…who obeys the Qur’an and spreads my shari’a. He who acts according to my commandments will stand in heaven higher than all the saints who preceded me”…”Vow, O people, to stop all your vices and henceforth to stay away from sin. Spend [your] days and nights in the mosque. Pray to God with zeal. Weep and ask Him for forgiveness.” [ p. 44]

Shaykh Yaraghi (q) often predicted the future for his followers and it always came true. When the blind and handicapped came to him and he prayed for them, they would be healed. If the poor came and he prayed for them, they would become rich.

He died on the 17th of Muharram, a Wednesday, in 1265 H./1848 C.E. He authorized his successor, Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Ghumuqi al-Husayni (q) to carry on as the Master of the Tariqat, with the Secret he had been given by their common Shaykh, Sayyidina Isma`il ash-Shirwani, and as he had been ordered by him.

Khas Muhammad Shirwani

I weep and he makes me happy.
I become sober and He makes me drunk.
I am rescued and He drowns me.
One time He befriends me,
another time He lifts me.
Another time He fights me
until I become angry.
One time I am playful with Him,
one time I accompany Him,
Another time I avoid Him,
another time I speak to Him.
If you say He is happy you
will find Him angry,
Or if you say He is obligated,
you will find He decides

Abdul Karim Jili

He was the Wisest Scholar of his time, Adorned with the Arts of Science, dressed in the Robes of Piety and Patience, enlightened with the Essence of Certainty and supported with the Firmness of Faith. He knew Truth from Falsehood. He was Unsurpassed in Eloquence and Clarification. He was a Master of This Way and the First in this Association (Jama`at). He was the Champion of the Knowers and the Signpost for the Seekers.

His speeches were exemplary and exquisite in their eloquence. His proofs and examples were metaphors that clarified elevated concepts to make them accessible to the people. All were overwhelmed by his eloquence. If he passed through a city in Daghestan, the people would line the streets to see him. Writers used to attend his association for the sake of his eloquent literary language, jurists for his legal rulings, philosophers for his logic, speakers for his clarity, and Sufis for his Manifestation of the Truth.

He was born in Kulal, a district of Shirwan, south of Daghestan, on the 1st of Muharram, a Monday, in the year 1201 H./1786 C.E.

He was tall and very fair. His beard was of mixed color, black and white. His eyes were black. His voice was high-pitched.

He was one of the Pious, Prayerful Jurists. He followed and taught the Shafi`i School. He memorized Shafi`i’s “Kitab ul-Umm” (The Mother of Books). He was able to give judicial decisions (fatawa) at the age of twenty years. He was respected by all in his city. He received his first teachings in Tasawwuf from his family.

From His Sayings

He said, “Our Way is controlled by the Qur’an and the Sunnah.”

“I have met, from the Naqshbandi Order, four types of saints, and of each type, thirty exemplars; but in the end I chose to follow Shaikh Isma`il ash-Shirwani.”

“Allah didn’t send anything to this Earth except as a lesson for His servants to learn from.”

They asked him, “Who is the Knower?” He answered, “The Knower is the one who knows your secret without your speaking.”

He said, “We didn’t take Sufism through speeches and flashy words or by saying, ‘Our shaikh said this and our shaikh said that.’ We took Sufism by being hungry and leaving dunya behind and by disconnecting ourselves from everyone.”

He was asked, “What is the difference between the Seeker (murid) and the Sought (murad)?” He replied, “The Seeker is the one who acquired knowledge through his activities and his learning. The Sought is the one who receives knowledge through revelation and inspiration. The seekers move and walk, but the Sought flies, and what a great difference between the one who walks and the one who flies.”

“Sincerity between Allah and His Servants is not witnessed by anyone, neither the angels to write it, nor the devil to corrupt it, nor desire to destroy it.”

“Even the Trustworthy (Siddiq) changes his opinion more than forty times during a single night, although he is Trustworthy. The Witness (al-Mushahid) is firm in his view for forty years.”

The one who is in the “State of Witnessing” of the Divine Presence, sees Reality. He will achieve the three stages of witnessing: Knowledge of Certainty (`ilm al-yaqin); Vision of Certainty (`ayn al-yaqin); Reality of Certainty (haqq al-yaqin). The knowledge that he attains will be received directly from the Divine Presence, which never changes. Therefore the People of Witnessing are firm in their decisions, which come from Reality and not from the opinion of the mind.

He said, “A person cannot be called a wise servant until nothing appears in him that Allah dislikes.”

“The Naqshbandi Sufi Order is based on four characteristics of behavior: -don’t speak except when asked; -don’t eat except when weak with hunger; -don’t sleep except when overcome by fatigue; -and don’t keep quiet when you are in His Presence (i.e. ask incessantly from Allah).”

“The purity of the heart depends on the purity of the Dhikr and the Dhikr’s purity depends on the absence of any hidden shirk (worshipping Allah with another).”

“The speech of Prophet is from the Divine Presence and the speech of Sufis is from Witnessing (mushahada).”

“The way of the Sufis to Allah is by struggle against their selves.”

“The State of Unique and Sincere Oneness is reached when the servant goes back from the End to the Beginning, and he becomes as he was before he existed.”

“The knowledge of Oneness (tawhid) has been veiled from the eyes of the External Scholars since long ago. They can only talk about its outer shape.”

“What causes the heart to feel happiness and peace when it hears a beautiful sound? It is a consequence of Allah’s having spoken to the spirits when they were atoms in His Presence and having asked them, ‘Am I not Your Lord?’ The sweetness of His Speech became imprinted on them. Thus in this world, whenever the heart hears anything of Dhikr or music, it experiences happiness and peace, because these are a reflection of that sweetness.”

About His Miracles

For twenty years he did not eat except once a week. His daily practice of remembrance (wird) consisted of 350 rak`ats of prayer.

Shaikh Ahmad al-Kawkasi said, “One time I was travelling from the city across the forest to another city on important business. On my way snow was falling heavily, and a great wind was blowing. Then the snowfall cleared, and in its stead rain poured down, making all the roads like rivers. I had no choice but to pass through that forest. I entered the forest as night was approaching and got lost in the middle. The skies were pouring rain, night was overtaking me, the flood was increasing, and I didn’t know where to go. I came to a river running through the woods. The flood made that river like an ocean, full of waves. The bridge over it was wrecked, but I had to cross. The river was raging, rising higher and higher, until it reached up to my legs, and then reached up the legs of my horse. I feared drowning for myself and my horse. I raised my hands and asked my Lord, “O Allah, help me in this difficulty.” Immediately I heard a voice behind me saying, “O Ahmad, why are you calling me and bringing me from my house?” I looked and I saw Shaikh Khas Muhammad behind me, but he was huge. He said, “Hold my hand and cross the river with me.” I felt fear. He said, “When you are with Us you must not feel fear.” Then we crossed the river. He walked on the river, and I was walking with him on the water. We crossed to the other side. He said, “Now you are safe,” and he disappeared. When I reached my destination and went to the mosque, I saw him sitting there. I asked him, “How did you come?” He said, “O Ahmad, for Us there are no boundaries. We can be anywhere and everywhere at any time.”

His Jihad

Benningsen and Wimbush describe the influence of Shaikh Isma`il ash-Shirwani and his khalifs in Daghestan thus: “The Naqshbandiya tariqat was to play a very important role in Caucasian history. Iron discipline, total dedication to its ideals, and the strict hierarchy on which it was based explain the epic resistance of the Caucasian mountaineers to Russian conquest – -a resistance that lasted from 1824 to 1855– in which not only all the leaders of the movement but also the local authorities (na’ibs) and the majority of the fighters were Naqshbandis. It can be said that the nearly fifty-year-long Caucasian wars made an important contribution to the material and moral ruin of the Tsarist empire and hastened the downfall of the Russian monarchy. “The brotherhood achieved another deep and long-lasting result: it transformed the half-pagan mountaineers into strict orthodox Muslims, and introduced Islam into the animist areas of upper Chechnia and among the Circassian tribes of the western Caucasus.”… “The subsequent massive migration of the Caucasian Muslims to Turkey did not destroy the Naqshbandiyya in Daghestan and Chechnia; its roots had spread too wide and too deep.”

Khas Muhammad died on the 3rd of Ramadan, a Sunday, in the year 1260 H. / 1844 C.E. while returning to Daghestan from pilgrimage to Makkah. He was buried in Damascus. He passed the authority of the Tariqat to his successor, Sayyiddina ash-Shaikh Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi (q), according to the will of their common shaikh, Sayyidina Isma`il ash-Shirwani (q).

Ismail Muhammad ash-Shirwani

I spoke about Myself.
Those who heard me said: ‘See how he boasts!’
How could I compare the Real to the other-than-Real,
When one drop, one atom of Him fills the two worlds?
The part is the All, and the All is here.
In Him the two worlds are lost–the soul
and the one she quickens.
There is the Sun, here, the ray.
Whoever saw a ray separated from the Sun?
The sufi is entirely there, only his trace is here.
And the trace is never separated from the All

Al-Ansari al-Harawi, Munajat

He was an Imam of Spiritual Power. He was one of the Masters of Sufism. He was the Owner of the Throne of Guidance, and the Focus of Divine Outpouring. He was a Tower of the Unseen Secrets of the Divine Essence. Through him mankind was guided on the Path of Heavenly Knowledge and by means of him they became distinguished. He was a beacon for his time. He was the Imam for whose elevated knowledge the people bore witness. In his century he was the Sufi to whom all eyes turned.

Shaykh Isma`il ash-Shirwani (q) was the one to bring the Naqshbandi Order to Daghestan. He was the one to establish jihad against the cruel Russian occupation and to revive the religion of Islam in his country after it had been almost eradicated.

He was born on a Tuesday, the 7th of Dhul-Qi`da of the year 1201 H./1787 CE. in Kurdemir, in the Khanate of Shirwan, in Caucasia. He had a very strong and well-built body and he was tall. He had a very light complexion. His eyes and beard were black. He had a high-pitched voice.

He received his education in Shirwan through his father, who was one of the greatest scholars of his time, ash-Shaykh Anwar ash-Shirwani. He educated young Isma`il in the memorization of Qur’an, which Isma`il memorized entirely by the age of seven. He then spent time memorizing the seven different readings. At the age of nine he began learning Jurisprudence and the Science of Prophetic Narrations from Shaykh Abdur Rahman ad-Daghestani. At that young age, he was able to give the evidences from Qur’an and Hadith for almost any question of fiqh (jurisprudence).

One day he was struck by a powerful Heavenly influence which made him lose awareness of himself completely and brought him into a State of Self-Effacement. This state, in which he was lost to himself, impelled him to wander in search of the Reality he could see in his heart. Then one day he had a vision, in which a voice told him, “You must direct yourself towards Delhi, where you will learn from it scholars and its Shaykhs. Allah May grant you the good fortune to meet with the successors of Shaykh `Abdullah ad-Dahlawi.”

That vision kept appearing to him, until he reached the age of seventeen. He said to his father, “I want to go become one of the followers of `Abdullah ad-Dahlawi.” His father was very fearful to let him go to such a far-off country, but he finally relented and gave permission for his son to travel. Isma`il set out on foot for Delhi, walking day and night without conveyance. He took one year to reach Sayyidina `Abdullah ad-Dahlawi (q) in Delhi.

He stayed in the Shaykh’s Khaniqah, learning from him. He was in his service for several years. In 1224 H./1809 AD he met Mawlana Khalid (q) when the latter came to India to meet Shaykh `Abdullah ad-Dahlawi (q) and to take the tariqat from his hand. Shaykh Isma`il used to carefully observe the behavior of Mawlana Khalid with Shaykh `Abdullah. He was very impressed by the manner and sincerity with which Mawlana Khalid served the Shaykh. Shaykh `Abdullah once looked at Sayyidina Isma`il and said, “Your secrets are with Shaykh Khalid. When he returns to his country you will follow him.”

When Mawlana Khalid returned to his country of Sham in 1225 H., Shaykh Isma`il ash-Shirwani went back to Daghestan to say farewell to his parents. On his journey back to Daghestan he stopped in a city where he found the people standing in the desert with their hands raised in du`a, asking Allah to send them rain. They had not seen rain for a whole year. When they saw him and glimpsed the piety in his face, they asked him, “Can you ask Allah to shower rain on us.” He raised his hands in du`a. The clouds gathered and the wind began to blow. It started to rain and continued to rain for seven days without stopping.

When he reached Daghestan, he asked his parents’ permission to move to Greater Syria (Sham ash-Sharif). However, he stayed in Daghestan for a long period of time. While he was there people came to him constantly to learn from his teachings.

From His Sayings

He said,

“If a person devotes himself to Allah, Almighty and Exalted, the first benefit he will receive will be that he will no longer be in need of people.”

“The sweet smell of the lovers of God will arise from them and spread. Even if they try to conceal it they will not be able to, wherever they come from and to whereever they go.”

“Whoever hears wisdom and does not apply it is a hypocrite.”

“The company of the heretics is an illness and the medicine for it is to leave them.”

“Allah, Almighty and Exalted, has said that whoever is patient with Us will reach Us.”

“Allah provides his servants with the sweetness of His Dhikr. If one thanks Allah and is happy with that, He will provide him Familiarity with Him. If he is not thankful and happy with that, He will take the sweetness from the dhikr and leave it only on his tongue.”

“Allah expresses familiarity with His Servants by means of showing them His saints.”

“Sufism is Purity, it is not a description. It is a Truth without an end, like a river of red roses.”

“Tasawwuf is to walk with the Secrets of Allah.”

“Whoever prefers the company of the rich over that of the poor, Allah will make his heart to be dead.”

“For the Knower there is a time when the Light of Knowledge will shine on him. It makes him see the Wonders of the Unseen.”

“Whoever proclaimed he is Hearing, and yet he doesn’t hear the Dhikr of the birds and the sounds of the wood and the applause of the wind, is a liar.”

He was asked about human beings. He said, “There are four kinds of people and ghosts. On them Allah’s Will is pouring forth.”

He spent many years in Daghestan. Then he had a vision in which Shaykh `Abdullah ad-Dahlawi (q) ordered him to move to Sham and to stay there and serve Shaykh Khalid al-Baghdadi (q). He traveled to Sham walking from Daghestan to Kuman, from Kuman to Azerbaijan and on to Tiflis. From there he went to Tabriz, then to Amad, Aleppo, Hama, and Homs. He finally arrived in Damascus, the center of Syria, after one year of travel.

In Syria, he immediately went to meet his Shaykh. From Marja in the city center where he had arrived, there was no easy way to go up the mountain, which overlooks all of Damascus, where his Shaykh’s Khaniqa was located. He walked from Marja to that mountain in two hours, until he arrived at his Shaykh’s door. As he entered his Shaykh was waiting for him. He said, “We received the news of your arrival. Welcome.”

Shaykh Khalid immediately placed him in seclusion for a long period of time. In that seclusion he taught him what he needed in order to reach perfection, then he gave him the power of this Tariqat. He ordered all his followers to listen to him. He said,

“This is my Khalif. He is like the dome of a mosque, the dome of the Mosque of the Prophet . From him the secret of this tariqat is going to spread back to Daghestan. From there I can see its light shining forth through seven generations of Shaykhs. Every one of these seven Shaykhs will represent the highest powers of the Divine Presence. Through them there will be great support against the army of Ignorance which is going to overwhelm the area of Daghestan.”

“From among the people of Daghestan there will be one warrior who will be living in the time of three great Shaykhs of this tariqat and he will be supported by them. He will lead the fight against this army of Ignorance.” Then he said to his followers: “Shaykh Isma`il ash-Shirwani is the best of all scholars in this time, and I raised him up to be one of the perfected saints. He will guide you and guide everyone after me. He is going to be the Knower that spreads the secret of this Tariqat another time in the territories of the Caucasus. This Imam is going to be the First to sit on my Throne and he is going to be the Trustee of whatever I have, to spend in Allah’s Way. And his duty is to look after my children.”

Shaykh Isma`il served his Shaykh and kept his company. He travelled with him and lived with him in his house for fifteen years. He was given the Absolute Khilafa and he was given permission to guide seekers, al-irshad. He directed people to the best of his knowledge, until his fame spread throughout Sham, Iraq, Persia, Armenia, Turkey, reaching the land of Daghestan.

Shaykh Khalid assigned him to teach and train people in the Mosque of Al-Addas in Damascus. He used to count and evaluate the action of every seeker, one by one, and present it to his Shaykh, Mawlana Khalid. Whatever question he was asked by murids, he would present to the Shaykh. Then the Shaykh would give an answer or ask Shaykh Isma`il to give a religious ruling (fatwa).

Shaykh Majid al-Khani reported, “Shaykh Ismail used to say to us, ‘I am a polished mirror. Whatever Hazrat Mawlana Khalid has engraved on me I have reflected it to you.’ And he never saw himself higher than us.”

Shaykh Majid al-Khani said, “When Shaykh Khalid passed away, Shaykh Isma`il cried. He was shaking, but despite this, he was firm, like a mountain, steadfast. He made all the followers of the Shaykh come together and testify in unison that they would hold fast to the Rope of Allah. He renewed their energies and took the sadness from their hearts. He gave them respect and he praised them and blessed them. He taught them the best way of worship and prepared them to receive Elevated Spiritual Knowlege. He took control of guiding the seekers in place of his Shaykh and he kept it as it had been. He said, “Don’t you know that Hazrat Mawlana Khalid was of the people of Allah and that those people never die? They are with us in every moment and in every second.”

He left for Daghestan after some time and reached there very quickly. In his zawiya in Daghestan he met Shaykh Khas Muhammad. Seeing in him the light of this Order, he told him, “You are going to be one of my successors.” Eventually he passed the Secret of the Order to him, as well as two other great saints of Daghestan, Shaykh Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi and Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Ghumuqi al-Husayni.

During his sojourn in his home-country, Shaykh Isma`il spread the tariqat throughout Daghestan and encouraged his people to fight the Russians, who were opposed to religion and the spiritual life. His followers were soon everywhere, and many of them became active in the war against the Russians. They were tireless in spreading the Naqshbandi Order throughout Daghestan until every city and every house was known to be Naqshbandi.

Imam Shamil ad-Daghestani ash-Shashani and Mullah Fawzi Muhammad, the leaders of the movement against the Russians, were among his followers. For 36 years, under his directorship and the directorship of his immediate successors in the lineage, they defended their country from the oppressive Russian onslaught.

From His Miraculous Powers

It is said that one day Shaykh Isma`il (q) was in a mosque and he observed a poor person who did not eat, did not drink and did not sleep. He approached him and asked him, “What do you desire?” He said, “I desire hot bread and some food.” Shaykh Isma`il raised his hands in supplication and said, “O Allah, here is your servant who hasn’t eaten in three days. Please send him what food You would like for him.” He hadn’t finished the du’a before a man entered the mosque saying, “My wife became ill and I made an oath that I would feed the poor so that she might be blessed. I have brought some hot bread and some food to feed the hungry.”

One of his followers in Daghestan narrates: “Shaykh Isma`il said to himself one day, ‘O my ego, I am angry with you. I am going to throw you into difficulties.’ He went into the mountains of Daghestan and lay down at the mouth of a cave in which were two lions. They did not move and we, who had followed him, were very surprised. Then the male lion approached him with a big piece of meat in his mouth and sat down, far away, not approaching but only watching him. Then the lioness approached with some meat in her mouth. She began to cry and roar. The male approached the female and made her stop her crying. They sat for a while watching the Shaykh. Then the male lion took his two young cubs and gave them to the mother, while he approached Shaykh Isma’il. He sat down beside him, staying until the Shaykh left.”

One day Shaykh Isma`il passed by a village. When some people of the village saw him and recognized him all the people came running out to meet him. The Shaykh of the village came and said, “O Shaykh Isma`il, please come and teach us.” He said, “O Abu Said, Allah has two ways of teachings: the Common Way and the Special Way. The Common Way is the way you and your companions are on. As for the Special Way, come with me and I will show you.” They followed him until he came to a river. He said, “This is the Way of Allah,” and he walked across the water to the other side. Walking away, he disappeared.

Shaykh Abdur Rahman ad-Daghestani relates:

“One day I was sitting amongst a large group of people. We saw Shaykh Isma`il approaching wearing a woolen cloak and on his feet were new shoes. I said to myself, ‘That Shaykh Isma`il is a real Sufi Shaykh. I am going to go to him and ask him a difficult question to see if he can answer it or not.’ I approached him and he saw me. As I drew near he said, ‘O Abdur Rahman, Allah said in the Holy Qur’an to avoid bad thoughts. Don’t try to question me. That is not good behavior.’ I said in my heart, ‘What a miracle! That is a great miracle! How did he know my question and how did he know my name? I must follow him and ask him more.’ I ran after him but I couldn’t find him.

“One day I saw him in a village. He was standing and praying and his eyes were full of tears. When he had finished, I ran towards him and it came to my heart to ask his forgiveness for what I had done last time. He looked at me and said, ‘Read to me the Qur’anic verse, wa innee la-Ghaffaran liman taaba wa amana wa `amila salihan thumma-htada [20:82] (‘Without doubt, I am He that forgives again and again, to those who repent, believe, and do right–who, in fine, are ready to receive true guidance.’) Then he left. I thought to myself, ‘Surely he is one of the abdal (“Substitute-saints”); that is the second time he has addressed the thoughts in my heart.’

“Later that same day, on my way home, I passed by that village again and I saw him standing by a well, with a cup in his hand. He wanted to drink from the well. While I was watching him the cup fell into the well. Then I saw him raise his hands and recite this du’a, ‘O Allah, I am thirsty for water and water is my only food. O Allah, You Know my heart and you know that I am thirsty.’ By God, not a second had passed before the water in the well rose up until it reached the top and was flooding out of the well and with it the cup. He took the cup and drank, then he made ablution and prayed four rak’ats. Then he put sand in the cup, put some water in with the sand and stirred it with his finger. He then sat and ate from the mixture. I came and said, ‘O Shaykh Isma`il, let me eat with you. What are you eating, dirt?’ He replied, ‘O Abdur Rahman, keep good thoughts of Allah.’ He gave me the cup. I put it in my mouth and it was water and honey. I swear by God that I never in my life drank anything so delicious. Many days passed after that and I didn’t need to eat or drink, I felt so satisfied from the sweetness of that single cup.”

Shaykh Muhammad ad-Daghestani said, “One time I went out to see Shaykh Isma`il ash-Shirwani. I kissed his hand and I asked to accompany him on his travels. I travelled with him for two days. In that time I never saw him drink or eat. I became extremely hungry and thirsty and I became very weak from continuous walking without food or drink. I said, ‘O my Shaykh, I am so weak.’ He said, ‘Are you thirsty or hungry?’ I said, ‘Yes, both.’ He said, ‘Then you are not worthy of my company. Close your eyes.’ I closed my eyes and when I opened them I found myself at my home.”

He died on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, a Wednesday, of 1255 H. / 1839 C.E. He was buried in Amasya.

He passed his secret to his three khalifs who were all among his students. This multiple succession was similar to that in the time of Sayyidina Shah Naqshband, when he passed the secret of the Order to many khalifs; but is different from that time, in that Shah Naqshband passed the main secret to only one, Sayyidina `Ala’uddin al-Attar, whereas Shaykh Isma`il passed it to all three: Shaykh Khas Muhammad ash-Shirwani, Shaykh Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi al-Kurali, and Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Ghumuqi al-Husayni.

Sayyidina Isma`il Shirwani informed his three khalifs of a prediction for their futures: “I am passing to each of you the secret of the Tariqat, at the same time, by Order of the Prophet , and by the orders of Sayyidina `Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani, and the Imam of the Tariqat, Shah Naqshband, and my Shaykh, Khalid al-Baghdadi, and through the spiritual presence of Sayyidina Uwais al-Qarani. Each one of you will carry the secret of this Golden Chain with the same power, but your ascension to the Throne of Guidance will be in sequence, and each of you will keep the relations with the other as I say now: directly after me the authority of that secret will be in the hand of Shaykh Khas Muhammad ash-Shirwani; then it will be in the hand of Muhammad Effendi al-Yaraghi al-Kurali; then it will be put in the hand of Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Ghumuqi al-Husayni.”

Khalid al-Baghdadi

He praises me, and I praise Him; He serves me, and I serve Him; By my existence I affirm Him; And by my determination I deny Him; It is He who knows me, when I deny Him; Then I discover Him and contemplate Him.

Ibn Arabi, Fusus al-Hikam

He was the Scholar of Scholars and the Saint of Saints and the Knower of Knowers and the Light and the Full Moon of this Order in his time. He was the Keeper of the Secrets of Realities and the Realities of the Secrets. His secrets moved into every human being just as the soul moves into the body. If the Prophet had not been the Seal of Prophecy his words would have been revelation. He spread the knowledge of both Islamic law and Tasawwuf. He was a mujtahid (authority) in Divine Law (shari`a) and in Divine Reality (Haqiqat). He was the Scholar of the Perfect Saints and He was the Saint of the Perfect Scholars. He achieved all the spiritual and the worldly knowledge. He learned the branches and the trunk. He was the Center of the Circle of Qutbs in his time and he was the means of merging the ends with the beginnings and the beginnings with the ends. He was the Reviver of the 13th Century of the Hijra.

The Universe was proud of his existence. He was born in the year 1193 H./1779 CE. in the village of Karada of the city of Sulaymaniyyah in Iraq. He was raised and trained in that city, where there were many schools and many mosques and which was considered the primary educational city of his time. His grandfather was Pir Mika’il Chis Anchit, which means Mika’il the Saint of the six fingers. His title is `Uthmani because he is a descendant of Sayyidina `Uthman ibn `Affan , the third khalif of the Prophet . He studied the Qur’an and the explanation of Imam Rafi`a according to the Shafi`i school.

He was famous in poetry. When he was fifteen years of age he took asceticism as his creed, hunger as his horse, wakefulness as his means, seclusion as his friend, and energy as his light. He was a traveler in Allah’s World and he achieved all the kinds of knowledge available in his time. He studied with the two great scholars of his time, Shaykh `Abdul Karam al-Barzinji and Shaykh Abdur Rahim al-Barzinji, and he read with Mullah Muhammad `Ali . He returned to Sulaymaniyyah and there studied the Sciences of mathematics, philosophy, and logic. Then he came to Baghdad and studied the Mukhtasar al-Muntaha fil-Usul, an encyclopedia of the Principles of Jurisprudence. Then he studied the works of Ibn Hajar, Suyuti, and Haythami. He memorized the commentary of the Qur’an of Baydawi. He was able to find solutions for even the most difficult questions in jurisprudence. He memorized the Qur’an according to the fourteen different ways of recitation, and became very famous everywhere for this.

The Prince Ihsan Ibrahim Pasha, the governor of Baban, tried to persuade him to look after the schools in his kingdom. However, he refused and moved to the city of Sanandaj, where he studied the Sciences of mathematics, engineering, astronomy, and chemistry. His teacher in these disciplines was Muhammad al-Qasim as-Sanandaji. After completing the study of the secular sciences he returned to the city of Sulaymaniyyah. Following the plague of 1213 H/1798 AD., he took over the school of his Shaykh `Abdul Karam Barzinji. He taught the modern sciences, verifying the most delicate equations of astronomy and chemistry.

He then entered seclusion, leaving everything he had studied behind, coming to Allah’s door with all kinds of pious actions and much dhikr, both loud and silent. He no longer visited the sultans, but kept to himself and to his murids, until the year 1220 H./1806 AD. when he decided to make the Pilgrimage and to visit the Prophet . He left everything and went to Hijaz through the cities of Mosul and Yarbikir and ar-Raha and Aleppo and Damascus, where he met its scholars and followed its Shaykh, the master of both the ancient and the modern knowledge and the teacher of hadith, ash-Shaykh Muhammad al-Kuzbara. He received authorization in the Qadiri Tariqat from Shaykh al-Kuzbari and his deputy, Shaykh Mustafa al-Kurdi, who travelled with him until he reached the city of the Prophet . He praised the Prophet in Persian poetry in such a way that people were astonished at his eloquence. He spent a long time in the City of the Prophet . He reported:

“I was looking for someone of rare piety in order to take some advice when I saw a Shaykh on the right-hand side of the Blessed Gravesite (Rawdatu-sh-Sharifa). I asked him to give me advice, counsel from a wise scholar to an ignorant person. He advised me not to object when I enter Makkah to matters which might appear to be counter to the Shari`a, but to keep quiet. I reached Makkah, and keeping in my heart that advice, I went to the Holy Mosque early on the morning of Friday. I sat near the Ka’ba reading Dala’il al-Khayrat, when I saw a man with a black beard leaning on a pillar and looking at me. It came to my heart that the man was not showing the proper respect to the Ka`ba, but I didn’t say anything to him about the matter. “He looked at me and scolded me, saying, ‘O ignorant one, don’t you know that the honor of the heart of a believer is far more than the privilege of the Ka`ba? Why do you criticize me in your heart for standing with my back to the Ka`ba and my face to you. Didn’t you hear the advice of my Shaykh in Madinah who told you not to criticise?’ I ran to him and asked his forgiveness, kissing his hands and feet and asking him for his guidance to Allah. He told me, ‘O my son, your treasures and the keys to your heart are not in these parts, but in India. Your Shaykh is there. Go there and he will show you what you have to do.’ I didn’t see anyone better than him in all the Haram. He didn’t tell me where to go in India, so I went back to Sham and associated with its scholars.”

He then returned to Sulaymaniyyah and continued his teachings of self-denial. He was always looking for someone to show him the way. Finally, there came to Sulaymaniyyah the Shaykh Mawlana Mirza Rahimullah Beg al-M`aruf, known by the name of Muhammad ad-Darwish `Abdul `Azim al-Abadi, one of the khalifs of the spiritual pole, Qutb al-A`zam, `Abdullah ad-Dehlawi (q). He met with him and gave him respect and asked him about the perfect guide to show him the way. He told him, “There is one perfect Shaykh, a Scholar and a Knower, showing the seeker the way to the King of Kings, expert in this delicate matter, following the Naqshbandi Way, carrying the Character of the Prophet , a guide in the Knowledge of Spirituality. Come back with me to his service in Jehanabad. He had told me before I left, ‘You are going to meet someone, bring him back with you.’” Shaykh Khalid moved to India in 1224 H./1809 AD. through the city of Ray, then Tehran, and then some provinces of Iran where he met the great scholar Isma`il al-Kashi. Then he travelled to Kharqan, Samnan, and Nisapur.

He visited the Master of the Mother of all Tariqats in Bistam, Shaykh Bayazid al-Bistami, and he praised him in his grave with a very eloquent poem in Persian. Then he moved on to Tus, where he visited as-Sayyid al-Jalal al-Ma’nas al-Imam `Ali Rida, and he praised him with another Persian poem that made all the poets of Tus accept him. Then he entered the city of Jam and he visited ash-Shaykh Ahmad an-Namiqi al-Jami and praised him with another Persian poem. He then entered the city of Herat in Afghanistan, then Kandahar, Kabul, and Peshawar. In all these cities the great scholars with whom he met would test his knowledge in the sciences of Divine Law (shari`a) and Divine Awareness (ma`rifat), and those of logic, mathematics, and astronomy. They found him like a wide river, flowing with knowledge, or like an ocean without shore. Then he moved on to Lahore, where he met with Shaykh Thana’ullah an-Naqshbandi and asked for his prayers and his du`a. He recalled:

“That night I slept in Lahore and I had a dream in which Shaykh Thana’ullah an-Naqshbandi pulled me with his teeth. When I awoke I wanted to tell him the dream but he said, ‘Do not tell me the dream, we know it already. That is a sign to move on to my brother and Shaykh, Sayyidina `Abdullah ad-Dahlawi. The opening of your heart will be by his hands. You will take initiation in the Naqshbandi Order.’ Then I began to feel the Shaykh’s spiritual attraction. I left Lahore, crossing mountains and valleys, forests and deserts until I reached the Sultanate of Delhi known as Jehanabad. It took me one year to reach his city. Forty days before I arrived he told his followers, ‘My successor is coming.’”

The night he entered the city of Jehanabad he wrote a poem in Arabic, recounting his year of travel and praising his Shaykh. Then he praised him with a Persian poem which surprised everyone with its eloquence. He gave everything that he was carrying with him and all that was in his pocket to the poor. Then he was initiated by his Shaykh, `Abdullah ad-Dahlawi (q). He served in the zawiya (mosque-school) of the Shaykh and made rapid progress in the struggle against his self. Five months had not passed when he became one of the People of the Divine Presence and the Divine Vision. He took permission from Shaykh `Abdullah to return to Iraq. The Shaykh gave him written authority in five tariqats. The first was the Naqshbandi Order, or the Golden Chain, the subject of this book. The second was the Qadiri Order through Sayyidina Ahmad al-Faruqi’s Shaykh Shah as-Sakandar and thence to Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir Jilani, al-Junayd, as-Sirra as-Saqati, Musa al-Kazim , Ja`far as-Sadiq , Imam al-Baqir , Zain al-`Abideen , al-Husayn , al-Hasan , `Ali ibn Abi Talib , and Sayyidina Muhammad .

The third Tariqat, as-Suhrawardiyya, traced its silsila (chain) similarly to the Qadiriyya until al-Junayd, who went back to Hasan al-Basri and thence to Sayyidina `Ali and the Prophet . He also gave him authority in the Kubrawiyya Tariqat, which had the same lineage as the Qadiriyya but through Shaykh Najmuddin al-Kubra. Finally, he was granted authority in the Chishti Tariqat through a line that went back from `Abdullah ad-Dahlawi and Jan Janan to Sayyidina Ahmad al-Faruqi and then through many Shaykhs to Shaykh Mawrad Chishti, Nasir Chishti, Muhammad Chishti, and Ahmad Chishti to Ibraham ibn Adham, Fudayl ibn al-`Iyad , Hasan al-Basri, Sayyidina `Ali , and the Prophet . He gave him authorization to teach all the Sciences of Hadith, Tafsir, Sufism, and the Daily Practices (awrad).

He memorized the Books of the Ithna `Ashari (Twelve Imams), the source-books for the knowledge of the descendants of Sayyidina `Ali . He moved to Baghdad in the year 1228 H./1813 AD. for the second time and he stayed in the school of Ahsa’iyya Isfahaniyyah. He filled it up with the knowledge of Allah and His Remembrance. Then some of the jealous people wrote against him to the Sultan, Sa`id Pasha, governor of Baghdad, criticizing him. They accused him of unbelief and other things that cannot be repeated. When the governor read the letter, he said, “If Shaykh Khalid al-Baghdadi is not a believer, then who is a believer?” He had his envious enemies thrown out of his presence and jailed. The Shaykh left Baghdad for some time and then returned again for a third time.

He returned to the same school, which had been renovated to welcome him. He began anew to spread all kinds of spiritual and heavenly knowledge. He unveiled the secrets of the Divine Presence, illuminating the hearts of the people with the lights that Allah gave to his heart, until the governor, the scholars, the teachers, the workers, and people from every walk of life counted themselves among his followers. Baghdad in his time was so famous for his knowledge, that it was called, “the Place of the Two Knowledges,” and “the Place of the Two Suns.” Similarly, he came to be known as “He of the Two Wings” (dhu-l-janahayn), an allusion to his complete mastery of the external and the internal knowledge. He sent his khalifs everywhere, from Hijaz to Iraq, from Sham (Syria) to Turkey, from Iran to India and Transoxania, to spread the way of his forerunners in the Naqshbandi Order. Wherever he went people would invite him to their homes, and whatever home he entered that home would become prosperous. One day he visited the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem with many of his followers.

He reached the Dome of the Rock and his khalif, `Abdullah al-Fardi, came out to meet him with a large crowd of people. Some of the Christians asked him to enter the Church of Kumama to bless it with his presence. Then he continued on his way to al-Khalil (Hebron), the City of Ibrahim the Father of all Prophets , and he was welcomed by all people. He entered the Mosque of Ibrahim al-Khalil and he took the blessings of its walls. He went again to Hijaz to visit Baitullah (the Holy Ka`ba) in the year 1241 H/1826 AD. A large crowd of his khalifs and murids accompanied him. The city of the Holy Mosque with all its scholars and saints came out to meet him and all took initiation from him. They gave him the keys of the two Holy Cities and they considered him to be the Spiritual Shaykh of the Two Holy Cities. He circled around the House, but in Reality the Ka`ba was circling him. After his pilgrimage and visit to the Holy Prophet , he went back to Sham ash-Sharif (Blessed Syria).

He was so well-respected by the Ottoman Sultan, Mahmud Khan, that when he entered Sham a huge celebration was held and 250,000 people welcomed him at the gate of the city. All the scholars, ministers, and Shaykhs, the poor and the rich came to take his baraka (blessing) and to ask for his prayers. It was a celebrated day. The poets sang its praises and the rich fed the poor. Everyone was equal before him when he entered the city. He revived the Spiritual knowledge and the external knowledge and spread that light for which people, both Arabs and non-Arabs, came and accepted the Naqshbandi Order at his hand. In the last ten days of Ramadan of the year 1242 H./1827 AD. he decided to visit Quds (Jerusalem) from Damascus. His followers were very happy and he said, “Alhamdulillah, we will do it if Allah gives us life, after Ramadan, in the beginning of Shawwal.” That was an indication that he might be leaving this world.

In the first days of Shawwal, the plague began to spread quickly in the city of Sham (Damascus). One of his followers asked him to pray for him to be saved from the plague, and added, “And for you also my Shaykh.” He said, “I feel shy before my Lord, because my intention in coming to Sham was to die in this Holy Land.” The first one to die from the plague was his son, Bahauddin, on the night of Friday and he said, “Alhamdulillah, this is our way,” and he buried him on the Mount of Qasiyun. He was five years and some days old. That child was fluent in three languages, Persian, Arabic, and Kurdish, and he used to read Qur’an. Then, on the 9th of Dhul-Qi`da, another son, Abdur Rahman, passed on. He was older than his brother by one year. Mawlana Khalid (q) ordered his murids to re-open the grave to bury his second son.

He said, “From my followers so many are going to die.” He ordered them to dig many graves for the many followers, including his wife and his daughter, and he ordered them to water the area. Then he said, “I am giving the authority to succeed me in the Naqshbandi Tariqat to Shaykh Isma`il ash-Shirwani.” He said this the year of his death, 1242 H./1827 AD. One day he said, “I had a great vision yesterday: I saw Sayyidina `Uthman Dhun-Nurayn as if he were dead and I was praying over him. He opened his eyes and said, ‘This one is from my children.’ He took me by the hand, brought me to the Prophet , and told me to bring all the Naqshbandi followers of my time and after my time up to the time of the Mahdi , and he blessed them. Then I came out of that vision, and I prayed Maghrib with my followers and my children. “Whatever I have of secrets I have given to my deputy Isma`il ash-Shirwani. Whoever does not accept him is not from me. Don’t argue but be of one mind and follow the opinion of Shaykh Isma`il. I guarantee that anyone of you who accepts and follows him will be with me and with the Prophet .”

He ordered them not to cry on his behalf, and he asked them to slaughter animals and feed the poor for the love of Allah and the honor of the Shaykh. He asked them to send him gifts of reading from Qur’an and recitations of prayers. He ordered them not to write anything on his grave except, “This is the grave of the stranger Khalid.” After `Isha‘ he entered his house, called his family, and advised them, “I am going to pass on Friday.” They stayed with him all night. Before Fajr he got up, made ablution, and prayed for a while. Then he entered his room and said, “No one may enter my room except those I order to do so.” He lay on his right side, facing the Qiblah, and said, “I have been struck by the plague. I am carrying all the plague which has descended on Damascus.” He raised his hands and prayed, “Whoever the plague touches, let it strike me instead and spare everyone in Sham.” Thursday came and all his khalifs entered. Sayyidina Isma`il ash-Shirwani asked him, “How are you feeling?” He said, “Allah has answered my prayer. I will take all the plague from the people of Sham and I alone will die on Friday.”

They offered him water, but he refused and said, “I left that world behind to meet my Lord. I have accepted to carry the plague and relieve those in Sham who are infected. I will pass on Friday.” He opened his eyes and said, “Allahu haqq, Allahu haqq, Allahu haqq,” the oath of initiation into the Naqshbandi Tariqat, and he read ayats 27-30 from the Quranic Chapter al-Fajr: “O soul in complete rest and satisfaction! Come back to thy Lord–well pleased and well pleasing. Enter thou among My Devotees! Enter thou My Heaven!” Then he gave his soul to His Lord and he passed on, as he had predicted, on the 13th of the Islamic month Dhul Qi’da, 1242 H./1827 AD. They carried him to his school and they washed him with water full of light. They shrouded him while all of them made Dhikr, especially Shaykh Isma`il ash-Shirwani, Shaykh Muhammad, and Shaykh Aman. They read Qur’an around him and in the morning they carried him to the masjid in Yulbagha. Shaykh Isma`il ash-Shirwani asked Shaykh Aman `Abdin to pray the funeral prayer for him.

The mosque was unable to accommodate all the people who attended. It is said that more than 300,000 people prayed behind him. Shaykh Isma`il promised those who could not pray in the mosque that he would pray janaza on him a second time at the grave. Those who washed him took him down into the grave. The next day, Saturday, it was as if a miracle had happened in Sham, the plague immediately stopped and there were no further deaths.

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