Qadiri Naqshbandi, Qutb Allah, Rami Al Boustani Al Rifai | ‏بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ‏يُؤْتِى ٱلْحِكْمَةَ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُؤْتَ ٱلْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِىَ خَيْرًۭا كَثِيرًۭا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّآ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَبِ|Bi.isim.Allah@outlook.com
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Abu Yaqub Yusuf al-Hamadani

Think not that there are no travelers on the road,
or that those of perfect attribute leave no trace.
Just because you are not privy to the secrets,
Do you think that no one else is either?

Rumi, Fihi ma fihi

He was one of the rarest Knowers of God, a Pillar in the Sunnah of the Prophet and a unique saint. He was an imam (religious leader), an `alim (religious scholar), and a `arif (spiritual knower of God). He was the master of his time in raising the stations of his followers. Scholars and pious people used to flood in huge numbers into his khaniqah (retreat) in the city of Merv, in present-day Turkmenistan, to listen to him.

Born in Buzanjird near Hamadan in 440 H., he moved from Hamadan to Baghdad when he was eighteen years of age. He studied the Shafi’i school of fiqh under the supervision of the master of his time, Shaykh Ibrahim ibn `Ali ibn Yusuf al-Fairuzabadi. He kept association in Baghdad with the great scholar, Abu Ishaq ash-Shirazi, who gave him greater deference than to any of his other students although he was the youngest.

He was so brilliant a jurisprudent that he became the marja` (reference) of his time for all scholars in that field. He was known in Baghdad, the center of Islamic knowledge, in Isfahan, Bukhara, Samarqand, Khwarazm, and throughout Central Asia.

Later in his life he secluded himself and left the world behind. He became an ascetic and engaged in constant worship and mujahada (spiritual struggle). He associated with Shaykh Abdullah Ghuwayni and Shaykh Hasan Simnani, but his secret was given him by Shaykh Abu `Ali al-Farmadhi. He made progress in self-denial and contemplation until he became the Ghawth (Arch-Intercessor) of his time. He was known as the Rain of Realities and Truth and Spiritual Knowledge. He finally settled in Merv. Through him countless miraculous events occurred.

From His Miracles

He reflected the Divine attribute of Severity (al-Qahhar) with those who opposed the dissemination of spirituality. Following are two of his miraculous deeds in that respect:

One day he was holding an association in which he was enlightening the listeners with heavenly knowledge. Two literalist scholars who were present said, “Keep quiet, because you are devising innovation.” He said to them, “Do not talk about matters that you do not understand. It is better for you to die than to remain.” As he spoke these words they immediately fell dead.

Ibn Hajar al-Haythami records in his book Al-Fatawa al-Hadithiyya, “Abu Sa`id Abdullah ibn Abi `Asran, the Imam of the School of Shafi’i, said, ‘When I began a search for religious knowledge I accompanied my friend, Ibn as-Saqa, who was a student in the Nizamiya School, and it was our custom to visit the pious. We heard that there was in Baghdad a man named Yusuf al-Hamadani who was known as al-Ghawth, and that he was able to appear whenever he liked and was able to disappear whenever he liked. So I decided to visit him along with Ibn as-Saqa and Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, who was a young man at that time. Ibn as-Saqa said, ‘When we visit Shaykh Yusuf al-Hamadani I am going to ask him a question the answer to which he will not know.’ I said, ‘I am also going to ask him a question and I want to see what he is going to say.’ Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir al-Jilani said, ‘O Allah, protect me from asking a saint like Yusuf Hamadani a question, but I will go into his presence asking for his baraka blessings and Divine Knowledge.’

‘We entered his association. He veiled himself from us and we didn’t see him until after one hour had passed. He looked at Ibn as-Saqa angrily and said, without having been informed of his name, ‘O Ibn as-Saqa, how dare you ask me a question when your intention is to confound me?’ Your question is this and your answer is this!’ Then he said to Ibn Saqa, ‘I am seeing the fire of kufr (unbelief) burning in your heart.’ He looked at me and said, ‘O `Abdallah, are you asking me a question and awaiting my answer? Your question is this and your answer is this. Let the people be sad for you because they are losing as a result of your disrespect for me.’ Then he looked at Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir al-Jilani and said to him, ‘Approach, my son. I am going to bless you. O `Abdul Qadir, you have satisfied Allah and His Prophet with your proper respect for me. I see you in the future sitting on the highest place in Baghdad and speaking and guiding people and saying to them that your feet are on the neck of every wali (saint). And I am seeing every wali of your time bowing to you because of your great station and honor.’”

Ibn Hajar al-Haythami continues, “`Abdul Qadir has been lifted up and all that shaykh al-Hamadani said about him came to pass. There came a time when he did say, ‘My feet are on the necks of all the awliya (saints),’ and he was a reference and a beacon guiding all people in his time to their destinations.”

“The fate of Ibn as-Saqa was something else. He was brilliant in his knowledge of the Law of Islam. He preceded all the scholars in his time. He used to debate with the scholars of his time and overcome them, until the khalif called him to be a member of his court. One day the khalif sent him as a messenger to the King of Byzantium, who in his turn called all the priests and scholars of Christianity to debate him. Ibn as-Saqa was able to defeat all of them in debate. They were helpless to give answers in his presence. He gave them answers that made them look like mere students in his presence.

“His brilliance fascinated the King of Byzantium so that he invited him to his private family gathering. There Ibn as-Saqa’s eyes fell on the daughter of the King. He immediately fell in love with her, and asked her father, the King, for her hand in marriage. She refused except on condition that he accept her religion. He did, leaving Islam and accepting the Christian religion of the princess. After his marriage he became seriously ill. They threw him out of the palace. He became a town beggar, asking everyone for food, yet no one would provide for him. Darkness had come over his face.

“One day he saw someone that had known him before. That person relates: ‘I asked him, ‘What happened to you?’ He replied, ‘There was a temptation that I fell into.’ The man asked him, ‘Do you remember anything from the Holy Qur’an?’ He replied, ‘I only remember rubbama yawaddu-l-ladheena kafaru law kanu muslimeen (‘Again and again will those who disbelieve wish that they were Muslims’

[15:2]).

“‘He was trembling as if he was giving up his last breath. I turned him towards the Ka’aba (the West), but he kept turning towards the East. Then I turned him back towards Ka’aba, but he turned himself to the East. I turned him a third time, but he turned himself to the East. Then as his soul was passing from him, he said, ‘O Allah that is the result of my disrespect to Your Arch-intercessor Yusuf al-Hamadani.’”

Imam Haythami continues: “Ibn `Asran said, ‘I went to Damascus and the king there, Nuridin ash-Shaheed, put me in charge of the department of religious affairs, and I accepted. As a result, the worldly life came at me from every side: provision, sustenance, fame, money, position for the rest of my life. That is what the Arch-intercessor Yusuf al-Hamadani had predicted for me.’”

From His Sayings

The opening of the faculty of Spiritual Hearing in the Friends of Allah is like a Message from Reality, a Chapter in the Book of Allah, a blessing from the Knowledge of the Unseen. It is the beginning of the opening of the Heart and its unveiling — good tidings from the Heavenly Stations! It is the dawn of understanding of Divine Meanings. This hearing is sustenance for the spirit and life for the heart. It is the Subsistence (baqa) of the Secret (sirr). Allah makes Himself Witness for the visions of His Chosen Servants, and dresses them with His blessed acts and decorates them with His Attributes.

Yusuf al-Hamadani’s (q)

Of his saints, He makes one group hear through His Exalted Witnessing (shuhada at-tanzih); He makes others hear through His Unique Oneness (wahdaniyya); He makes another group of them hear through His Mercy (rahma). And He makes some hear through His Power (qudra).

Yusuf al-Hamadani’s (q)

Let it be known to you, O Man, that Allah has created from the Light of His Manifestations 70,000 angels and assigned them to various stations between the Throne (`arsh) and the Chair (kursi). In the Presence of Intimacy (uns), their dress is green wool, their faces are like the full moon, they stand in His Presence in awe, fainting, drunk with His Love, running endlessly from the Throne to the Chair and back because of the emotion and the mercy which is burning in their hearts. Those are the Sufis of the Heavens and Israfil (the angel who will blow the Trumpet on the Judgement Day) is their leader and their guide, and Jibril is their president and their speaker, and al-Haqq (Allah) is their King. Allah’s blessings are upon them.

Yusuf al-Hamadani’s (q)

This is how Yusuf al-Hamadani (q), the Shadow of God on Earth, used to describe the heavenly reality and exalted stations of the Sufis. May Allah bless his soul and sanctify him.

He died in Khorasan, between Herat and Bakshur, on the 12th of Rabi`ul-Awwal, 535 H., and was buried in Merv. Near his tomb was built a large mosque and a large school.

He passed his secret to Abul `Abbas who in turn passed it on to `Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani. The latter received it directly from Yusuf al-Hamadani as well.

 

Abu Ali al-Farmadi

O child! said Luqman the Wise,
Do not let the rooster be more watchful than you,
calling Allah at dawn while you are sleeping.

He is right, he who said:

The turtle-dove wept on her branch in the night
And I slept on–what lying, false love is mine?
If I were a true lover, never would turtle-doves overtake me.
I am the dry-eyed lover of his Lord, while animals weep!

Ghazali, Ayyuha-l-walad

He is called the Knower of the Merciful and the Custodian of Divine Love. He was a scholar of the Shafi’i school of jurisprudence and a unique `arif (endowed with spiritual knowledge). He was deeply involved in both the School of theSalaf (scholars of the First and Second Centuries) and that of the Khalaf (later scholars), but he made his mark in the Science of Tasawwuf. From it he extracted some of the heavenly knowledge which is mentioned in Qur’an in reference to al-Khidr : “and We have taught him from our Heavenly Knowledge” 

[18:65].

Sparks of the light of jihad an-nafs (self-struggle) were opened to his heart. He was known everywhere in his time, until he became a very famous shaykh in Islamic Divine Law and theology. The most famous shaykh of his time, as-Simnani, said about him, “He was the Tongue of Khurasan and its shaykh and the master in lifting up and raising the station of his followers. His associations were like gardens full of flowers, in which knowledge flowed from his heart and took the hearts of his listeners into a state of joy and happiness.” Among his teachers was al-Qushayri, the celebrated Sufi Master, and al-Ghazali al-Kabir who said about him, “He was the shaykh of his time and he had a unique way of reminding people. No one surpassed him in his eloquence, delicacy, ethics, good manners, morality, nor his ways of approaching people.” The son of the latter, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, nicknamed Hujjat ul-Islam – the Proof of Islam, took much from Farmadi in his Ihya `Ulum ad-Din.

One time he said, “I entered behind my teacher, al-Qushayri, to the public bath, and from the well I took for him a bucket of water which I had filled from the well myself. When my teacher came he said, ‘Who brought the water in the bucket?’ I kept quiet, as I felt I had committed some disrespect. He asked a second time, ‘Who brought the water?’ I continued to keep quiet. He asked a third time, ‘Who filled that bucket with water?’ I finally said, ‘I did, my teacher.’ He said, ‘O My son, what I received in seventy years, I passed to you with one bucket of water.’ That meant that the heavenly and divine knowledge which he had struggled for seventy years to acquire he passed to my heart through one glance.”

On behavior towards one’s master he said:

If you are true in your love of your shaykh, you have to keep respect with him.

On spiritual vision he said:

For the `arif (Knower) a time will come wherein the light of knowledge will reach him and his eyes will see the incredible Unseen.

Whoever pretends he can hear, yet cannot hear the glorification of birds, trees and the wind, is a liar.

The hearts of the people of Truth are open, and their hearing is open.

Allah gives happiness to His servants when they see His Saints.

This is because the Prophet  said,

Whoever sees the face of a knower of God, sees me,

and also,

Whoever sees me, has seen Reality.

Sufi Masters have named the practice of concentrating on the face of the sheikh (tasawwur), and it is done to the end of fulfilling that state.

Whoever looks after the actions of people will lose his way.

Who prefers the company of the rich over the company of the poor, Allah will send him the death of the heart.

I heard that Abul Hasan al-Farmadhi said, ‘the Ninety-nine Attributes of Allah will become attributes and descriptions of the seeker in the way of Allah.

 

Abul Hassan Ali al-Kharqani

Mayest Thou deign to be sweetness and let life be bitter!
If Thou art content, what matter that men be angry.
Let everything between me and Thee be cultivated,
Between me and the worlds let all be desert!
If Thy love be assured, all is then easy,
For everything on earth is but earth .

Anonymous

He was the Ghawth (Arch-Intercessor) of his time and unique in his station. He was the Qiblah (focus of attention) of his people and an Ocean of Knowledge from which saints still receive waves of light and spiritual knowledge.

He devoided himself of everything except Allah’s Oneness, refusing for himself all titles and aspirations. He would not be known as a follower of any science, even a spiritual science, and he said: “I am not a rahib (hermit). I am not a zahid(ascetic). I am not a speaker. I am not a Sufi. O Allah, You are One, and I am one in Your Oneness.”

Of knowledge and practice he said:

Scholars and servants in the lower world are numerous but they don’t benefit you unless you are engaged in the satisfaction of Allah’s desire, and from morning to night are occupied with the deeds that Allah accepts .

About being a Sufi he said:

he Sufi is not the one who is always carrying the prayer rug, nor the one who is wearing patched clothes, nor the one who keeps certain customs and appearances; but the Sufi is the one to whom everyone’s focus is drawn, although he is hiding himself .

The Sufi is the one who in the daylight doesn’t need the sun and in the night doesn’t need the moon. The essence of Sufism is absolute nonexistence that has no need of existence because there is no existence besides Allah’s existence.

He was asked about Truthfulness (Sidq). He said, “ Truthfulness is to speak your conscience.”

Of Bayazid he said:

When Abu Yazid said, ‘I want not to want’ that is exactly the wanting which is real desire (irada).

He was asked, “Who is the appropriate person to speak about fana’ (annihilation) and baqa’ (permanence)?” He answered, “That is knowledge for the one who is as if suspended by a silk thread from the heavens to the earth and a great cyclone comes and takes all trees, houses, and mountains and throws them in the ocean until it fills the ocean. If that cyclone is unable to move the one who is hanging by the silk thread, then he is the one who can speak on fana’ and baqa’.”

One time Sultan Mahmoud al-Ghazi visited Abul Hassan and asked his opinion of Bayazid al-Bistami. He said,

Whoever follows Bayazid is going to be guided. And whoever saw him and felt love towards him in his heart will reach a happy ending.

At that Sultan Mahmoud said, “How is that possible, when Abu Jahl saw the Prophet  and he was unable to reach a happy ending but rather ended up in misery?” He answered, “It is because Abu Jahl didn’t see the Prophet  but he saw Muhammad bin `Abdullah. And if he saw the Messenger of Allah he would have been taken out of misery into happiness. As Allah said, “You see them looking at you but without clear vision” 

[7:198]. He continued with the saying already quoted, “The vision with the eyes of the head…”

Other sayings of his:

Ask for difficulties in order for tears to appear because Allah loves those who cry,” referring to the advice of the Prophet  to cry much.

In whatever way you ask Allah for anything, still the Qur’an is the best way. Don’t ask Allah except through the Qur’an.

The Inheritor of the Prophet  is the one who follows his footsteps and never puts black marks in his Book of Deeds.

 

Jafar as-Sadiq

I have discovered — and exaggeration is not in my nature –
that he who is my sustenance will come to me.
I run to him, and my quest for him is agony for me.
Were I to sit still, he would come to me without distress

Urwa ibn Adhana

The son of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, son of al-Imam Zain al-`Abidin, son of al-Husayn, son of `Ali bin Abi Talib , Ja`far was born on the eighth of Ramadan in the year 83 H. His mother was the daughter of al-Qassim whose great grandfather was Abu Bakr as-Siddiq .

He spent his life in worship and acts of piety for the sake of Allah. He rejected all positions of fame in favor of `uzla or isolation from the lower world. One of his contemporaries, `Umar ibn Abi-l-Muqdam, said, “When I look at Ja`far bin Muhammad I see the lineage and the secret of the Prophet Muhammad  united in him.”

He received from the Prophet  two lines of inheritance: the secret of the Prophet  through ‘Ali  and the secret of the Prophet  through Abu Bakr . In him the two lineages met and for that reason he was called “The Inheritor of the Prophetic Station (Maqam an-Nubuwwa) and the Inheritor of the Truthful Station (Maqam as-siddiqiyya).” In him was reflected the light of the knowledge of Truth and Reality. That light shone forth and that knowledge was spread widely through him during his lifetime.

Ja`far narrated from his father, Muhammad al-Baqir, that a man came to his grandfather, Zain al-`Abidin, and said, “Tell me about Abu Bakr!” He said, “You mean as-Siddiq?” The man said, “How do you call him as-Siddiq when he is against you, the Family of the Prophet ?” He replied, “Woe to you. The Prophet  called him as-Siddiq, and Allah accepted his title of as-Siddiq. If you want to come to me, keep the love of Abu Bakr and `Umar in your heart.”

Ja`far said, “The best intercession that I hope for is the intercession of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq .” From him is reported also the following invocation: “O Allah, You are my Witness that I love Abu Bakr and I love `Umar and if what I am saying is not true may Allah cut me off from the intercession of Muhammad .”

He took the knowledge of hadith from two sources: from his father through `Ali  and from his maternal grandfather al-Qassim. Then he increased his knowledge of hadith by sitting with `Urwa, `Aata, Nafi` and Zuhri. The two Sufyans, Sufyan ath-Thawri and Sufyan ibn `Uyayna, Imam Malik, Imam Abu Hanifa, and al-Qattan all narrated hadith through him, as did many others from later hadith scholars. He was a mufassir al-Qur’an or master in  exegesis, a scholar of jurisprudence, and one of the greatest mujtahids (qualified to give legal decisions) in Madinah.

Ja`far  acquired both the external religious knowledge as well as the internal confirmation of its reality in the heart. The latter was reflected in his many visions and miraculous powers, too numerous to tell.

One time someone complained to al-Mansur, the governor of Madinah, about Ja`far . They brought him before Mansur and asked the man who had complained, “Do you swear that Ja`far did as you say?” He said, “I swear that he did that.” Ja`far said, “Let him swear that I did what he accused me of and let him swear that Allah punish him if he is lying.” The man insisted on his complaint and Ja`far insisted that he take the oath. Finally the man accepted to take the oath. No sooner were the words of the oath out of his mouth than he fell down dead.

Once he heard that al-Hakm bin al-’Abbas al-Kalbi crucified his own uncle Zaid on a date palm. He was so unhappy about this that he raised his hands and said, “O Allah send him one of your dogs to teach him a lesson.” Only a brief time passed before al-Hakm was eaten by a lion in the desert.

Imam at-Tabari narrates that Wahb said, “I heard Layth ibn Sa`d say, I went on pilgrimage in the year 113 H., and after I prayed the afternoon obligatory prayer (salat al-`Asr) I was reading some verses of the Holy Qur’an and I saw someone sitting beside me invoking Allah saying ‘Ya Allah, Ya Allah…’ repeatedly until he lost his breath. He then continued by saying ‘Ya Hayy, Ya Hayy…’ until his breath was again lost. He then raised his hands and said, ‘O Allah, I have the desire to eat grapes, O Allah give me some. And my robe (jubba) is becoming so old and tattered, please O Allah grant me a new one.’ Laith bin Sa`d said that ‘He had hardly finished his words before a basket of grapes appeared in front of him, and at that time there were no grapes in season. Beside the basket of grapes there appeared two cloaks more beautiful than I had ever seen before.’ I said, ‘O my partner let me share with you.’ He said, ‘How are you a partner?’ I replied, ‘You were praying and I was saying Amin.’ Then Imam Ja`far said, ‘Then come and eat with me,’ and he gave me one of the two cloaks. Then he walked off until he met a man who said, ‘O son of the Prophet , cover me because I have nothing but these tattered garments to cover me.’ He immediately gave him the cloak that he had just received. I asked that man, ‘Who is that?’ He replied, ‘That is the great Imam, Ja`far as-Sadiq.’ I ran after him to find him but he had disappeared.”

This is only a sample of the many anecdotes and stories of the miraculous powers (karamat) of Ja`far as-Sadiq .

From his knowledge he used to say to Sufyan ath-Thawri, “If Allah bestows on you a favor, and you wish to keep that favor, then you must praise and thank Him excessively, because He said, “If you are thankful Allah will increase for you”

[14:7]. He also said, “If the door of provision is closed for you, then make a great deal of istighfar (begging forgiveness), because Allah said, “Seek forgiveness of your Lord, certainly Your Lord is oft-Forgiving” [11:52]. And he said to Sufyan, “If you are upset by the tyranny of a Sultan or other oppression that you witness, say “There is no change and no power except with Allah,” (la hawla wa la quwwata illa-billah) because it is the key to Relief and one of the Treasures of Paradise.”

From His Sayings

“The Nun [letter “n”] at the beginning of Surat 68 represents the light of Pre-eternity, out of which Allah created all creations, and which is Muhammad . That is why He said in the same surat [verse 4]: ‘Truly Thou art of a sublime nature’ – that is: you were privileged with that light from pre-eternity.”

“Allah Almighty and Exalted told the lower world, “Serve the one who serves Me and tire the one who serves you.”

“Prayer is the pillar of every pious person; Pilgrimage is the Jihad of every weak one; the Zakat of the body is fasting; and the one who asks for Allah’s grants without performing good deeds is like one trying to shoot an arrow without a bow.”

“Open the door of provision by giving donation; fence in your money with the payment of zakat; the best is he who wastes not; planning is the foundation of your life, and to act prudently is the basis of intellect.”

“Whoever makes his parents sad has denied their rights on him.”

“The jurists are the trustees of the Prophet … If you find the jurists sticking to the company of the Sultans, say to them, ‘This is forbidden,’ as the jurist cannot express his honest opinion under the pressure of the Sultan’s proximity.”

“No food is better than God-fear and there is nothing better than silence; no enemy is more powerful than ignorance; no illness is greater than lying.”

“If you see something you don’t like in your brother try to find from one to seventy excuses for him. If you can’t find an excuse, say, ‘There might be an excuse but I don’t know it.’”

“If you hear a word from a Muslim which is offensive, try to find a good meaning for it. If you don’t find a good meaning for it, say to yourself, ‘I do not understand what he said,’ in order to keep harmony between Muslims.”

His Passing

Jafar as-Sadiq ق passed away in 148 AH/765 CE. He was buried in Jannat al-Baqi, in the same graveyard as that of his father, Muhammad al-Baqir ق, his grandfather, Zain al-Abidin ق, and the uncle of his grandfather, Hasan ibn Ali . He passed the secret of the Golden Chain to his successor, Grandshaykh Tayfur Abu Yazid al-Bistami, more commonly known as Bayazid al-Bistami.

 

Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr

So long as you have not contemplated the Creator,
you belong to created beings;
but when you have contemplated Him,
created beings belong to you.

Ibn `Ata’Allah, Hikam

Shaykh Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  descended from Abu Bakr as-Siddiq on his father’s side and from Ali ibn Abi Talib  on his mother’s side. He was born on a Thursday, in the holy month of Ramadan.

It is narrated that he said, “My grandfather, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, was alone with the Prophet in the Cave of Thawr during migration from Makkah to Madinah, and the Prophet said to him: ‘You have been with me all your life and you have carried all sorts of difficulties. And now I want to make a supplication to invoke God’s favor on you.’ Abu Bakr  then said, ‘O Prophet of God, you are the secret of my soul and the secret of my heart. You know better what I need.’”

The Prophet  raised his hands and said, “O God, as long as my Divine Law proceeds to Judgment Day may God grant that among your descendants are those who carry it and those who inherit its inner secrets, and grant that among your descendants are those who are on the Straight Path and those who guide to it.”

The first answer to that supplication and the first one to receive that blessing was Sayyidina Qasim . In his time he was known in Madina as Abu Muhammad. People came to listen to his guidance, his lectures (suhba) and his disclosures of the hidden meanings of the Quran. Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  was one of the seven most famous jurists in Madinah, being the most knowledgeable among them. It was through these seven great Imams that the Traditions, early jurisprudence, and Quranic commentaries were disseminated to the people.

He met some of the Successors of the Companions, including Salim ibn Abd Allah ibn Umar .

He was a pious imam and was very knowledgeable in the narration of the Traditions. Abu Zannad said, “I never saw anyone better than him in following the Sunnah of the Prophet . In our time no one is considered perfect until he is perfect in following the Sunnah of the Prophet , and Qasim is one of the perfected men.”

Abdur-Rahman ibn Abi Zannad said that his father said, “I did not see anyone who knew the Sunnah better than al-Qasim.”

Abu Nuaym said of him in his book Hilyat al-Awliya: “He was able to extract the deepest juristic rulings and he was supreme in manners and ethics.”

Imam Malik narrated that Umar ibn Abd ul-Aziz , considered the fifth rightly-guided caliph, said, “If it were in my hands, I would have made al-Qasim the caliph in my time.”

Sufyan said, “Some people came to al-Qasim with charity which he distributed. After he distributed it, he went to pray. While he was praying, the people began to speak negatively about him. His son said to them, ‘You are speaking behind the back of a man who distributed your charity and did not take one dirham from it for himself.’ Quickly his father scolded him saying, ‘Do not speak, but keep quiet.’” He wanted to teach his son not to defend him, as his only desire was to please God. He had no concern for the opinion of people.

Yahya ibn Sayyid said, “We never found, in our time in Madinah, anyone better than al-Qasim.” Ayyub as-Saqityani  said, “I have not seen anyone better than Imam Qasim. He left 100,000 dinars behind for the poor when he passed away, and it was all from his lawful earnings.”

One of His Miracles

Grandshaykh Sharafuddin and his successor, Grandshaykh Abd Allah ad-Daghestani (the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth shaykhs in the Naqshbandi Golden Chain, respectively) narrated the following story:

The year in which Abu Muhammad Qasim  was to leave this world, on the third of Ramadan he went on pilgrimage. When he arrived to al-Qudayd, where pilgrims usually stop, God opened to his vision to behold the angels descending from heaven and ascending in countless numbers. They would come down, visit the place, and then go back up. As he saw these angels carrying the blessings that God was sending down with them, it was as if that light and concentrated power was being poured into his heart directly, filling it with sincerity and God-consciousness.

As soon as this vision occurred, he fell asleep. In a dream he saw Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  coming to him. He said, “O my grandfather, who are these heavenly beings that are descending and ascending and who have filled my heart with God-consciousness?”

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  answered, “Those angels you see ascending and descending, God has assigned for your grave. They are constantly visiting it. They are obtaining blessings from where your body is going to be buried in the earth. To reverence you, God ordered them to come down and to ask blessings for you. O my grandson, don’t be heedless about your death; it is coming soon and you are going to be raised to the Divine Presence and leave this world.”

Qasim  immediately opened his eyes and saw his grandfather in front of him. He said, “I just saw you in the dream.” Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  replied, “Yes, I was ordered to meet you.” “That means I am going to leave this world,” answered Qasim . “Yes, you are going to leave the world and accompany us to the hereafter,” said our master Abu Bakr as-Siddiq .

“What kind of deed do you advise me to do in the last moments I am on earth?” asked Qasim  of his grandfather. Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  answered, “O my son, keep your tongue moistened with dhikrullah and keep your heart ready and present with dhikrullah. That is the best you can ever achieve in this world.”

Then Abu Bakr  disappeared and Qasim  began dhikr on his tongue and in his heart. He continued to Makkah and witnessed the standing at Mount Arafat (which occurs each year on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah). In that year many saints, both men and women, were spiritually present at Arafat, and Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abu Bakr as-Siddiq met with them.

As they were standing, they all heard the Plain of Arafat and its mountain crying mournfully. They asked Mount Arafat, “Why are you crying this way?” and Mount Arafat replied, “I and all the angels are crying, because today this earth is going to lose one of its pillars.”

They asked, “Who is that pillar that the earth is about to lose?” Mount Arafat replied, “Abu Muhammad Qasim is going to leave this world, and the world will no longer be honored with his steps, and I will no longer see him on my plain, where all pilgrims come, and I will miss him. That is why I am crying in this way. Not only from myself, but his grandfather Muhammad, and his grandfather Abu Bakr, and his grandfather Ali, and the whole world is crying. They say the death of a scholar is the death of the world.”

At that moment the Prophet  and Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  were spiritually present on Arafat, where they were crying. Prophet  said, “With the death of Qasim great corruption will appear on earth, for he was one of the pillars able to prevent it.”

Previously, that mournful crying of Mount Arafat only occurred when the Prophet  passed away from this world, then when Abu Bakr  passed, then when Salman  passed, and when Qasim passed. One of the saints, Rabia al-Adawiyya, met Qasim  in the spiritual assembly of saints and he said, “Every dry thing and living thing, I heard them crying. Why, Oh Rabia, did this happen? I never experienced such crying in my life. Do you know its cause?” She replied, “O Abu Muhammad, I also was not able to discern the nature of that crying, so you must ask your grandfather, Abu Bakr.”

Abu Bakr  appeared spiritually to them, saying, “That crying from every point on this earth is because you are leaving this worldly life, as I informed you on your pilgrimage.” Then Qasim  raised his hands and prayed to God, “Since I am passing away from this life now, forgive whoever stood with me on Mount Arafat.” Then they heard a voice saying, “For your sake, God has forgiven whoever stood with you on Mount Arafat on this Hajj.” At that moment God revealed to Qasim’s heart unlimited Gnostic knowledge.

Then he departed from Mount Arafat and said, “O Mount Arafat, don’t forget me on Judgment Day. All saints and all prophets stood here and so I ask you not to forget me on Judgment Day.” That huge mountain replied, “O Qasim,” in a loud voice which everyone could hear, “Don’t forget me on the Judgment Day. Don’t forget me. Let me be part of the intercession of the Prophet.”

At that moment Qasim  left Mount Arafat and arrived at Makkah al-Mukarrama, at the Ka‘aba. There he heard crying coming from God’s House that kept increasing as he approached, and everyone heard it. That was the voice of the Ka‘aba, crying for the passing of Qasim  from this world. And it was coming like a flood, a flood of tears pouring forth from the Ka‘aba, flooding the entire area with water.

God’s House said, “O Qasim! I am going to miss you and I am not going to see you again in this world.” Then the Ka‘aba made 500 circumambulations around Qasim  out of respect for him. Whenever a saint visits the Ka‘aba it responds to that saint’s greetings saying, “Wa `alayka as-salam ya wali-Allah,” “and upon you be peace, O friend of God.”

Then Qasim  said farewell to the Hajar al-Aswad (Black Stone), then to Jannat al-Mualla, the cemetery in which Khadijat al-Kubra , first wife of the Prophet , is buried, and then to all of Makkah. He then left and went to al-Qudayd, a place between Makkah and Madinah, on the 9th of Muharram, where he passed on to the next life. The year was 108 (or 109) AH/726 CE, and he was seventy years old. He passed the secret of the Naqshbandi Golden Chain to his successor, his grandson, Imam Jafar as-Sadiq .

 

Salman al-Farisi

My heart has become able to wear all forms:
A pasture for gazelles, a monastery for monks,
A temple for idols, the Ka`ba of the pilgrims,
The tablets of Torah, the Book of Qur’an.
I profess the religion of Love.
Whatever direction its mount may take,
Love is my Religion and my Belief.

Ibn `Arabi, Tarjuman al-ashwaq

Salman al-Farisi  is known as the Imam, the Flag of Flags, the Inheritor of Islam, the Wise Judge, the Knowledgeable Scholar, and One of the House of the Prophet . These were all titles the Prophet  gave him. He stood fast in the face of extreme difficulties and hardships to carry the Light of Lights and to spread the secrets of hearts to lift people from darkness to light. He was a noble companion of the Prophet . He reported sixty of his sayings.

He came from a highly respected Zoroastrian family from a town near Ispahan. One day while passing by a church, he was attracted by the voices of men praying. Drawn by their worship, he ventured in and found it better than the religion of his upbringing. On learning that the religion originated in Syria, he left home, against his father’s wishes, went to Syria and associated himself with a succession of Christian anchorites. He came to know from them the coming of the last Prophet  and the signs accompanying his advent. He then traveled to Hijaz where he was seized, sold into slavery, and taken to Madina, where he eventually met the Prophet . When he found in the Prophet  the fulfillment of all the signs of which he had been informed by his Christian teachers, he affirmed the testification of faith – Shahada. Servitude prevented Salman from being at the battles of Badr and Uhud. The Apostle  helped him gain his release from slavery by planting with his own hand three hundred palm trees and giving him a large piece of gold. Once a free man he took part in every subsequent battle with the Prophet .

In Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, we find the following in Salman’s account to the Prophet  of his journey in search of the true religion:

“`Asim ibn `Umar ibn Qatada said that he was told that Salman the Persian told the Prophet  that his master in ‘Ammuriya told him to go to a certain place in Syria where there was a man who lived between two thickets. Every year as he used to go from one to the other, the sick used to stand in his way and everyone he prayed for was healed. He said, ‘Ask him about this religion which you seek, for he can tell you of it.’ So I went on until I came to the place I had been told of, and I found that people had gathered there with their sick until he came out to them that night passing from one thicket to the other. The people came to him with their sick and everyone he prayed for was healed. They prevented me from getting to him so that I could not approach him until he entered the thicket he was making for, but I took hold of his shoulder. He asked me who I was as he turned to me and I said, ‘God have mercy on you, tell me about the Hanafiya, the religion of Abraham.’  He replied, ‘You are asking about something men do not inquire of today; the time has come near when a prophet will be sent with this religion from the people of the Haram. Go to him, for he will bring you to it.’  Then he went into the thicket. The Prophet said to Salman, ‘If you have told me the truth, you met Jesus the son of Mary.’”

In one of the Prophet’s  battles called al-Ahzab or al-Khandaq Salman advised the Prophet to dig trenches around Madinah in defense of the city, a suggestion which the Prophet  happily accepted. He then went ahead and helped the digging with his own hands. During this excavation, Salman struck upon a rock which he was unable to break. The Prophet  took an axe and hit it. The first strike brought forth a spark. He then hit it a second time and brought forth a second spark. He then struck for the third time and brought forth a third spark. He then asked Salman , ” O Salman, did you see those sparks?” Salman replied, “Yes, O Prophet, indeed I did.” The Prophet  said, “The first spark gave me a vision in which Allah has opened Yemen for me. With the second spark, Allah opened Sham and al-Maghreb (the West). And with the third one, Allah opened for me the East.”

Salman reported that the Prophet  said: “Nothing but supplication averts the decree, and nothing but righteousness increases life,” and “Your Lord is munificent and generous, and is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of a servant when he raises them to him.” Tirmidhi transmitted them.

At-Tabari recounts that in the year 16 A.H. the Muslim army turned to the Persian front. In order to confront the Persian king at one point the Muslim army found itself on the opposite bank of the great Tigris River. The commander of the army, Sa`d Ibn Abi Waqqas, following a dream, ordered the entire army to plunge into the rushing river. Many people were afraid and hung back. Sa`d, with Salman by his side, prayed first: “May Allah grant us victory and defeat His enemy.” Then Salman prayed: “Islam generates good fortune. By Allah, crossing rivers has become as easy for the Muslims as crossing deserts. By Him in whose hand lies Salman’s soul, may the soldiers emerge from the water in the same numbers in which they entered it.” Sa`d and Salman then plunged into the Tigris. It is reported that the river was covered with horses and men. The horses swam and when they tired the river floor seemed to rise up and support them until they regained their breath. To some it seemed that the horses rode effortlessly on the waves. They emerged on the other bank, as Salman had prayed, having lost nothing from their equipment but one tin cup, and no one having drowned.

They went on to take the Persian capital. Salman acted as spokesman and said to the conquered Persians: “I have the same origin as you. I shall be compassionate toward you. You have three options. You may embrace Islam, then you will be our brethren and you will have the same privileges and obligations as we. Or you may pay the Jizyah tax and we will govern you fairly. Or we will declare war on you.” The Persians, having witnessed the miraculous crossing of the Muslim army, accepted the second alternative.

Salman al-Farsi was eventually appointed governor of that region. He was the commander of 30,000 Muslim troops. Yet, he was very humble. He lived from his own manual labor. He did not own a house, but instead rested under the shade of trees. He used to say that he was surprised to observe so many people spending all their life for the lower world, without a thought for the inevitable death which will take them from the world one day.

Salman was a very strict and just man. Among some spoils which were distributed one day was cloth out of which each companion had one piece of clothing cut. One day `Umar  got up to speak and said: “Lower your voices so that I may hear you.” He was wearing two pieces of that cloth. Salman said, “By God, we will not hear you, because you prefer yourself to your people.”  “How is that?” asked Umar. He said: “You are wearing two pieces of cloth and everyone else is wearing only one.” `Umar called out: “O Abdullah!” No one answered him. He said again, “O Abdullah ibn `Umar!” Abdullah, his son called out: “At your service!” `Umar said, “I ask you by God, don’t you say that the second piece is yours?” Abdullah said “Yes.” Salman said: “Now we shall hear you.”

At night Salman  would begin to pray. If he got tired, he would start making dhikr by tongue. When his tongue would get tired, he would contemplate and meditate on Allah’s power and greatness in creation. He would then say to himself, “O my ego, you took your rest, now get up and pray.” Then he would make dhikr again, then meditate, and so forth all night long.

Bukhai relates two hadiths which show the Prophet’s  consideration for Salman:

Abu Huraira relates:

While we were sitting with the Holy Prophet , Surat al-Jumu`a was revealed to him. When the Prophet  recited the verse, “And He (Allah) has sent him (Muhammad) also to others (than the Arabs)…” 

[62:3] I said, “Who are they, O Allah’s Apostle?” The Prophet  did not reply till I repeated my question thrice. At that time Salman al-Farisi was with us. Allah’s Apostle put his hand on Salman, saying: “If faith were at ath-Thurayya (the Pleiades, very distant stars), even then some men from these people (i.e. Salman’s folk) would attain it.”

Abu Juhayfa relates:

The Prophet  made a bond of brotherhood between Salman and Abu ad-Darda al-Ansari . Salman paid a visit to Abu ad-Darda’ and found Um ad-Darda’ (his wife) dressed in shabby clothes. He asked her why she was in that state. She said, “Your brother Abu ad-Darda’ is not interested in the luxuries of this world.” In the meantime Abu ad-Darda’ came and prepared a meal for Salman. Salman requested Abu ad-Darda’ to eat with him, but Abu ad-Darda’ said, “I am fasting.” Salman said, “I am not going to eat unless you eat.” So Abu ad-Darda’ ate with Salman. When it was night and a part of the night has passed, Abu ad-Darda’ got up (to offer the night prayer), but Salman told him to sleep and Abu ad-Darda slept. After some time Abu ad-Darda’ again got up but Salman told him to sleep. When it was the last hours of the night, Salman told him to get up then, and both of them offered the prayer. Salman told Abu ad-Darda’, “Your Lord has a right on you, your soul has a right on you, and your family has a right on you. Abu ad-Darda’ came to the Prophet  and narrated the whole story. The Prophet  said, “Salman has spoken the truth.”

From His Sayings

Sulaiman al-Teemi   narrated that Salman al-Farsi   said:

Nimrod starved out two lions, and then released them to devour God’s bosom friend, Abraham. But when the lions reached him and by God’s leave, they stood before him in reverence, and they both lovingly licked him all over and prostrated themselves at his feet.

Abi al-Bakhtari narrated that Salman al-Farsi  had a female servant of Persian descent and he once spoke to her in her Persian tongue saying, “Prostrate yourself even once before God.” She replied with disdain, “I do not prostrate to anyone!” Someone asked Salman, “O Abu Abd Allah, what would she benefit from a single prostration?” Salman replied, “Each link is an important part of a chain, and perhaps should this woman accept to offer a single prostration before God Almighty, then this may lead her to regularly engage in offering the five times prayers. In fact, one who has a share in the blessings of Islam is not equal to someone who has naught of it.”

Sulaiman al-Teemi narrated that Salman al-Farsi  said:

If a man spends his entire night freeing slaves from bondage and another man spends his night reading the Quran and invoking the remembrance of God (dhikr), the second man would be in a higher state.

His Passing

Beloved Salman al-Farsi   passed away in 33 AH/654 CE during the reign of Uthman. He passed his secret on to Abu Bakr’s grandson, Imam Abu Abd ar-Rahman Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr as-Siddiq ق.

 

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq

The moon traverses the constellations of the zodiac in a single night,
so why do you deny the mi`raj (Ascension)?
That wondrous, unique Pearl (the Prophet) is like a hundred moons
–for when he made one gesture, the moon was split in two.
And the marvel that he displayed in splitting the moon
was in keeping with the weakness of the creatures’ perception.
The work and business of the prophets and messengers
is beyond the spheres and the stars.
Transcend the spheres and their revolution!
Then you will see that work and business.
–Rumi

The Secret was transmitted and flowed from the Master of all Nations, the Messenger of Allah  to the first Khalif, Imam of Imams, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq . Through him the religion was supported and the Truth protected. Allah mentions and praises him in His Holy Qur’an in many verses:

“As for him who gives and keeps his duty, we facilitate for him the way to ease.” 
[Al-Lail: 5-7]

and

“And (away from the fire) shall be kept the most faithful who gives his wealth, thereby purifying himself,and seeks to gain no pleasure or reward other than the Presence of his Lord, the Most High.” [Al-Lail:17-21]

Ibn al-Jawzi states that all Muslim scholars and the Companions were certain that these ayats referred to Abu Bakr. Among all the people he was called “Al-`Atiq,” the most pious, delivered from the punishments of the fire.

When ayat 56 of Surah Al-Ahzab revealed that “Allah and his angels bless the Holy Prophet,” Abu Bakr asked if he also was included in this blessing. Ayat 43 was then revealed stating:

“He it is who sends His blessing on you and so do His angels, that He may bring you forth out of darkness into light. And He is merciful to the believers.” [Al-Ahzab: 43]

Ibn Abi Hatim explained that ayat 46 of Surah Ar-Rahman came in reference to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq:

“And for him who fears to stand before his Lord there are two gardens.” [Ar-Rahman:46]

and:

“We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says, “O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favor which Thou hast bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in submission.” Such are they from whom We shall accept the best of their deeds and pass by their ill deeds: (they shall be) among the Companions of the Garden: a promise of truth, which was made to them (in this life).” [Al-Ahqaf: 15-16]

Ibn `Abbas says that these ayats came as a description of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Allah honoring and elevating his state among all the Companions of the Prophet . Ibn `Abbas notes further that ayat 158 of Surah Al-Imran was revealed in reference to Abu Bakr and Umar :

“And take council with them on important matters.” [Al-Imran: 158]

Finally, the great honor accorded to Abu Bakr in accompanying the Holy Prophet  on his flight from Makkah to Madinah, is referred to in the ayat:

“When the unbelievers drove him out, he had no more than one companion. The two were in the Cave, and he said to his companion, Fear not, for Allah is with us.” [At-Tawbah: 40]

In addition to the praise of Allah, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq received the praise of the Holy Prophet  and of his companions. This is recorded in many well known Hadiths.

The Holy Prophet  said:

“Allah will show His glory to the people in a general way, but He will show it to Abu Bakr in a special way.”

“Never has the sun risen or set on a person, other than a prophet, greater than Abu Bakr.”

“Never was anything revealed to me that I did not pour into the heart of Abu Bakr.”

“There is no one to whom I am obligated and have not repaid my debt except Abu Bakr, for I owe him much for which Allah will compensate him on the Day of Judgment.”

“If I were to take an intimate friend (khalil) other than my Lord, I would have chosen Abu Bakr.”

“Abu Bakr does not precede you because of much prayer or fasting, but because of a secret that is in his heart.”

Bukhari narrates from Ibn `Umar that, “In the time of the Prophet  we were not recognizing anyone higher than Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, then `Umar, then `Uthman.”

Bukhari also narrates from Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiya (Ali’s son): “I asked my father, ‘Who are the best people after Allah’s Apostle ?’ He said, ‘Abu Bakr.’ I Asked, ‘Who then?’ He said, Then `Umar. I was afraid he would say `Uthman next, so I said: ‘Then you?’ He replied, ‘I am only an ordinary person.’”

Tabarani narrated through Mu`adh that the Prophet  said, “I had a vision that I was put on one side of the scale and my Nation was put on the other side and I was heavier. Then Abu Bakr was put on one side and My Nation was put on one side and Abu Bakr was heavier. Then `Umar was put on one side and My Nation was put on the other and `Umar was heavier. Then `Uthman was put on one side and My Nation on the other and `Uthman was heavier. Then the scale was raised up.”

Hakim narrated that `Ali was asked, “O Ruler of the Faithful, tell us about Abu Bakr.” He said, “He is a person whom Allah called as-Siddiq on the tongue of the Prophet  and he is the khalif (successor) of the Prophet . We accept him for our religion and for our worldly life.”

There are many other hadiths indicating the great attainment of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq with respect to all the other Sahaba.

Abu Bakr was the best friend and most beloved companion of the Holy Prophet . He was blessed by being first and foremost, throughout his life, in his belief, his support, and his love of the Holy Prophet. For this quality he was honored with the title of  as-Siddiq, or the Veracious.

He was the first free adult man to accept Islam at the hands of the Prophet . He had never joined in the worship of idols practiced by his contemporaries. He came to Islam without any trace of doubt or hesitation. Many years later the Holy Prophet  recalled: “Whenever I offered Islam to anyone, he always showed some reluctance and hesitation and tried to enter into an argument. Abu Bakr was the only person who accepted Islam without any doubt or hesitation, and without any argument.”

He was first in his spiritual support. He remained steadfast in his support throughout the difficult years in Makkah. He was the first to speak out when events passed beyond the understanding even of the new Muslims themselves, as in the case of the Night Journey. And later in Madinah when the treaty of Hudaybiya was signed, only Abu Bakr remained absolutely faithful. He counseled his companions: “Do not be critical, but hold fast to the stirrup (allegiance) of the Holy Prophet.”

He was first in his material support. While others of the Muslims gave large fortunes in support of their faith, Abu Bakr was the first to give everything he had. When asked what he had left for his children he answered: “Allah and His Prophet.” On hearing this Umar  said: “None can surpass Abu Bakr in serving the cause of Islam.”

He was first in kindness and compassion to his fellow believers. A very wealthy merchant, he always watched out for the poor and the weak. He freed seven slaves before leaving Makkah, among them Bilal . He not only spent large amounts to buy them freedom but he then took them into his own household and educated them.

When he assumed the role of khalif he said: “Help me, if I am in the right; set me right, if I am in the wrong. The weak among you shall be strong with me until, God willing, his rights have been vindicated. The strong among you shall be weak with me until, if God wills, I have taken what is due from him. Obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Prophet; when I disobey Him and his Prophet, obey me not.”

In early Islam, interpretation of dreams was considered a spiritual exercise. Only those with pure hearts and spiritual vision could have meaningful dreams; and only those with pure hearts and spiritual vision could interpret them. Abu Bakr was an acknowledged interpreter of dreams. The Prophet himself would consult only him in search for clarity of his prophetic dreams.

Before the battle of Uhud, the Holy Prophet saw in a dream that he was herding animals and some of these were being slaughtered. The sword that he held had a piece broken off. Abu Bakr interpreted the slaughtered animals to prophesize the death of many Muslims, and the broken sword to signify the death of one of the Prophet’s relatives. Unfortunately both these predictions were realized at the battle of Uhud.

Abu Bakr was also a poet before he became Muslim. He was known for his exceptional recitation and his excellent memory of the long poems in which the Arabs took great pride. These qualities served him well in Islam. His recitation of the Qur’an was so lyrical and charged with emotion that many people came to Islam simply after hearing him pray. The Quraish tried to forbid him to pray in the courtyard of his house in order to prevent the people from hearing him.

It is due to his memory that many of the most important Hadiths come to us today. Among them are those indicating the proper form of prayer and those specifying the proper proportions of Zakat. Yet out of the many thousands of Hadith verified and recorded, only 142 come through Abu Bakr. His daughter, `Ayesha (ra) related that her father kept a book of over 500 Hadith but that one day he destroyed it. The knowledge that Abu Bakr chose to keep hidden related to the heavenly knowledge, `ilmu-l-ladunni, the source of all saintly knowledge; a knowledge that can only be transmitted from heart to heart.

Although a quiet and gentle man he was also first on the battlefield. He supported the Holy Prophet  in all of his campaigns both with his sword and with his counsel. When others failed or ran he remained at the side of his beloved Prophet. It is stated that once `Ali  asked his companions who they considered to be the bravest. They replied that `Ali was the bravest. But he answered: “No. Abu Bakr  is the bravest. On the day of the battle of Badr when there was no one to stand guard where the Holy Prophet prayed, Abu Bakr stood with his sword and did not allow the enemy to come near.”

He was of course the first to follow the Holy Prophet as Khalif and leader of the Faithful. He instituted the public treasury (Baytu-l-mal) to take care of the poor and needy. He was the first to compile the entire Qur’an and call it “Mushaf.”

In regard to spiritual transmission, he was the first person to give instruction in the method of reciting the sacred Kalima (La ilaha ill-Allah) for purifying the heart by Dhikr, and that is still recited by the Naqshbandi Order today.

Although Allah honored Abu Bakr by making him first in innumerable ways, Allah granted him even more honor when he chose him to be second. For Abu Bakr was the only companion of the Holy Prophet on his flight from persecution in Makkah to shelter in Madinah. Probably his dearest title was ”the second of two when they were in the cave,” already quoted (9:40). Umar  said: “I wish all the deeds of my life were equal to his deed of that one day.”

Ibn `Abbas  said that one day the Prophet  was sick. He went to the mosque, wrapped his head with a cloth, sat on the minbar, and said, “If I were to take anyone as my intimate friend (khalil), I would take Abu Bakr, but the best friend to me is the friendship of Islam.” He then ordered all doors of the neighboring houses which opened into the mosque of the Prophet to be closed except the one of Abu Bakr. And that door is still open till this day.

The four Imams and the Shaikhs of the Naqshbandiyya understand from this Hadith that anyone who approaches Allah through the teachings and example of Abu Bakr   will find himself passing through the only door left open to the Presence of the Prophet .

From His Sayings

“No speech is good if it is not directed toward the pleasure of Allah. There is no benefit from money if it isn’t spent in the cause of Allah. There is no good in a person if his ignorance overcomes his patience. And if a person becomes attracted by the charms of this lower world, Allah will dislike him as long as he keeps this in his heart.”

“We have found generosity in Taqwa (God-consciousness), richness in Yaqin (certainty), and honor in humbleness.”

“Beware of pride because you will be returning to the earth and your body will be eaten up by the worms.”

When he was praised by people he would pray to Allah saying:

“O Allah, You know me better than I know myself, and I know myself better than these people who praise me. Make me better than what they think of me, and forgive those sins of mine of which they have no knowledge, and do not hold me responsible for what they say.”

“If you expect the blessings of God be kind to His people.”

One day he called `Umar and counseled him till `Umar cried. Abu Bakr  told him:

“If you keep my counsel, you will be safe; and my counsel is: Expect death always and live accordingly.”

“Glory to God who has not given to his creatures any way to attain to knowledge of Him except by means of their helplessness and their hopelessness of ever reaching such attainment.”

Abu Bakr  returned to Allah on a Monday (as did the Prophet himself) between Maghrib and `Isha on the 22 of Jumada’l-akhira, 13 A.H. May Allah bless him and give him peace. The Holy Prophet  once said to him: “Abu Bakr, you will be the first of my people to enter paradise.”

The Prophet’s  Secret passed from Abu Bakr  to his successor, Salman al Farsi .

 

Prophet Muhammad ibn Abd Allah (S)

How can people in this world grasp his reality?
They, who are asleep and pleased by dreams from him.
How beautiful what has been said about his reality!
Your light is everything and everything else is particles.
O Prophet, your soldiers in every time are your Companions!

                                                                   Imam Busayri, al-Burda

The Shaykhs of the Naqshbandi Order are known as the Golden Chain because of their connection to the highest, most perfect human being, Muhammad  , the First to be created, the First to be mentioned, the First to be honored.

When Allah ordered the Pen to write, it asked, “What shall I write?” and Allah said, “Write ‘La Ilaha Ill-Allah.’” The Pen wrote “La Ilaha Ill-Allah” for seventy-thousand of Allah’s years and then it stopped. One of Allah’s days is equal to one thousand of our years. Then Allah ordered it to write again, and the Pen asked, “What shall I write?” and Allah answered, “Write Muhammadun Rasul-Allah.” And the Pen said, “O Allah, who is this Muhammad that You have put Your Name next to his name?” Allah said, “You must know that if it were not for Muhammad I would not have created anything in Creation.” So the Pen wrote Muhammadun Rasul-Allah for another seventy-thousand years.

When did Allah order the Pen to Write? When did the Pen Write? When did that writing of “La ilaha ill-Allah Muhammadun Rasul-Allah” occur? No one knows. The mention of the name of the Prophet  by Allah, Almighty and Exalted, is something which happened before the creation of anything, and its reality occurred in pre-Eternity. That is the reason the Prophet  mentioned, “kuntu Nabiyyan wa adamu bayni-l-ma’i wa-t-tin” – “I was a Prophet when Adam was between water and clay.”

He is the Perfect Human Being. He is the Seal of all prophets and messengers. What can a weak servant say in order to honor the Master of Messengers? If it were not for him, no one would ever have known Allah, Almighty and Exalted. Never would the fabric of the universe have been woven into existence as it has been woven. Therefore the pen cannot describe the most perfect of the Perfect human beings, the Master of Masters, the King of Kings, the Sultan of Sultans of the Divine Presence.

He is the Heart of the Divine Presence. He is the Heart of the Unique Essence. He is the Sign for Oneness and the Sign of Oneness. He is known as the Secret of All Secrets. He is the only one addressed by Allah Almighty and Exalted, because he is the only one considered Responsible in the Presence of Allah who said, “Were it not for him I would not have created any of My creation.” All of the creation was given to the Prophet  as a divine gesture of honor from Allah, Almighty and Exalted. Therefore the Prophet  is responsible for that creation which is his honor and his Trust. For that reason he is the only one to be addressed in the Divine Presence.

The singular status of the Prophet  is the heart and the Essence of the phrase of tawheed 

[La ilaha ill-Allah Muhammadun Rasul-Allah] and the foundation of Sufism. The Prophet  is the “one soul” mentioned in the Qur’anic verse, “[O Mankind] Your creation and your resurrection is in no wise but as an individual soul” [31:28]. It is also the Prophet  who is the “single life” represented in the verse,

 ”If anyone slew a person… it would be as if he slew the whole people: And if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.” [5:32]

The Prophet  , moreover, referred to his responsibility in the hadith: a`malakum tu`radu `alayya kulla yawm, “All your actions are shown to me every day. If they are good, I pray for you; if they are bad, I ask Allah’s forgiveness for you.” That means that the Prophet  is the one who is responsible towards God for his Community. That is why, as we said, he is “the only to be spoken to.” It is the meaning of Intercession. Allah refers to this intercession in the verse,

“If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-Returning, Most Merciful” [4:64].

His honorable biography and his blessed speeches and actions can never be encompassed in a book. But we can say that he is Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib ibn Hashim and that his lineage goes back to Ibrahim  . He was born in Makkah al-Mukarrama on a Monday, the 12th of Rabi`ul Awwal, 570 CE, in the Year of the Elephant. His mother, Sayyida Amina, when she gave birth to him, saw a light coming from her that turned all darkness into light as far as Persia. When he was born, the first thing he did after coming from his mother’s womb was to fall into prostration. His father died before he was born. He was nursed by Thuayba and then by Halima as-Sa`diyya, with whom he stayed for four years.

While returning with him from a visit to his uncles in Madinat al-Munawwara (at that time Yathrib), his mother fell sick and died. He was six years old. His grandfather raised him for two years, until he also died. Orphaned three times, he went to live with his uncle, Abu Talib. Allah Almighty and Exalted ordered the Angel of the Trumpet, Israfil  to accompany him at all times until the age of eleven years. Then Allah ordered Jibril  to accompany him and to look after him and to keep him in his safekeeping, and to send to his heart heavenly and spiritual Powers.

He traveled with his uncle to Sham (Damascus). On their way they passed by Basra where a monk named Buhaira, living in a monastery nearby, told his uncle, “Take him back, it will be safer for him.” At that time he was twelve years old. Years later he traveled again to Sham with Maysara, to trade on behalf of the Lady Khadija  . They were very successful. Maysara told Khadija about his miraculous powers and his business acumen and she became interested in him. She proposed marriage and he accepted her offer. He married her when he was 25 years of age and she was forty.

He was known throughout his tribe as as-Sadiq al-Amin, the Truthful and Trustworthy One. When he was 35 years of age, the Quraish Tribe was renovating the House of Allah, the Ka’aba. They disputed among themselves as to who should put the sacred Black Stone (hajaru-l-aswad) in its place. They finally came to an agreement that the most trustworthy person should replace it, and that person was the Prophet  .

At that time inspirations and revelations were coming to his heart. He was always in a state of spiritual vision and insight, but he was not authorized to speak about it. He preferred to be alone and used a cave in a mountain called al-Hira for contemplation and meditation. He sought seclusion as the means to reach the Divine Presence of Allah Almighty and Exalted.

He avoided all kinds of attachment, even with his family. He was always in meditation and contemplation, afloat on the Ocean of the Dhikr of the Heart. He disconnected himself completely from everything, until there appeared to him the light of Allah Almighty and Exalted, which graced him with the condition of complete intimacy and happiness. That intimacy allowed the mirror of revelation to increase in purity and brightness, until he attained to the highest state of perfection, where he observed the dawning of a new creation. The primordial signs of beauty shone forth to spread and decorate the universe. Trees, stones, earth, the stars, the sun, the moon, the clouds, wind, rain, and animals would greet him in perfect Arabic speech and say, “as-Salam ‘alayka Ya Rasul-Allah” — “Peace be upon You, O Prophet of God.”

At forty years of age, when standing on the Mountain of Hira, there appeared on the horizon a figure he did not recognize, who said to him, “O Muhammad, I am Jibril and You are the Prophet of God whom He has sent to this nation.” Then he handed him a piece of silk which was decorated with jewels. He put it in his hand and told him, “Read.” He asked “What am I to read?” He hugged the Prophet  and told him, “Read.” He again said, “What shall I read?” He hugged him again and said,

Read, in the name of Your Lord, who Created,
Created man out of a blood-clot,
Read, and thy Lord is Most bountiful
Who has taught with the Pen,
Taught man what he knew not! [96:1-5]

Then he ordered him to climb down the mountain to the plains below; he placed him on a large white stone and gave him two green robes. Then Jibril  hit the earth with his feet. Immediately a spring poured forth and the angel made ablutions in it and ordered him to do the same. Then Jibril  took a handful of water and threw it on the face of the Prophet  . Sufi saints say that the water he threw was a sign that the Prophet  was granted authority to spread to human beings the Knowledge of the Secrets of Allah’s Divine Presence, either by physical means or by spiritual means. Then he observed two cycles of prayer (rak’ats) and told the Prophet  , “This is the way to worship,” and he disappeared.

The Prophet  returned to Makkah and told his wife all that had occurred. She believed him and she was the first Muslim. Then she went with the Prophet  to Waraqah bin Nawfal, her cousin, who was considered a person  knowledgeable in spirituality. The Prophet  told him what happened. He believed him and he was the first man to believe in the Prophet  . He said, “This is the Holy Spirit who descended on Moses  .” He said, “Would that I be alive when your people expel you from Makkah!” The prophet asked, “Are my people going to put me out of Makkah?” He said, “Yes, that is what is written.”

Then Abu Bakr  became a believer and he was followed by Ali  . In public the Prophet  gave guidance needed for daily life, and in private he would give the special advice needed for attaining the state of Ihsan  (perfect good character). That is why Abu Huraira  said in an authentic hadith mentioned in Bukhari, “The Prophet  has poured into my heart two kinds of knowledge: one I have spread to people and the other, if I were to share it, they would cut my throat.”

The knowledge Abu Huraira referred to is the hidden, secret knowledge that the Prophet  gave to his Companions. He did not authorize them to spread that knowledge because it is the secret knowledge of the heart. From these secrets all Masters of the Naqshbandi Golden Chain and all other Sufi Orders receive their knowledge. This knowledge was transmitted only from heart to heart, either through Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  or through Ali  .

For three years, as the Muslims increased in number, they used Dar al-Arqam as a mosque in which to teach, to worship and to hide. Then the Prophet  was ordered to proclaim the religion openly. Allah sent a surah of the Qur’an challenging anyone to write anything like it. Poets, leaders and famous people tried until they openly accepted the self-evident fact that it was not possible. Still the unbelievers went to his uncle, complaining, saying, “Give us Muhammad  so we may kill him.” He said, “No one can touch him as long as I am living.” The unbelievers tortured all those who did believe him. They kidnapped their wives, killed their children and raped their daughters. The new Muslims suffered all kinds of difficulties at the hands of the unbelievers.

For thirteen years the Prophet  stayed in Makkah, calling the people to Allah’s religion.

The unbelievers asked for a miracle or a sign in the heavens. The Holy Prophet divided the full moon in two in front of their eyes. Some of them believed and some of them did not. After this the persecution continued and some Muslims asked permission to emigrate. They emigrated to Ethiopia, where the King gave them refuge and, through their influence, became a believer in the Prophet  . They stayed there for five years before some of them returned to Makkah. The Prophet’s  uncle and then his wife Khadija al-Kubra  died. These were his staunchest supporters. It was the year of sadness.

A year and a half later, he was invited to the Presence of Allah, Almighty and Exalted. From Makkah to Jerusalem (Quds) he travelled accompanied by Archangel Gabriel (Jibril)  . From Jerusalem he ascended to the heavens by means of Buraq, a heavenly mount who carried him up. All the prophets in the different levels of heaven came to greet him. He ascended higher and higher, until he heard the scratching of the Pen, writing out God’s Decree. He approached the Divine Presence, closer and closer, until Jibril  said to him, “Ya Rasul Allah (O Prophet of God), I cannot continue further, or I will be extinguished.” The Prophet  said, “O Jibril, accompany me!” He said, “I cannot, or I will be burned in Allah’s Light.” So Muhammad  , the most Perfect of the Perfect, continued alone. Driven by his love for Allah’s Divine Presence he approached closer and closer, achieving the State of Complete Annihilation in five different stages.

From one stage to another the Prophet  moved into Allah’s Divine Secrets. Between each stage was five hundred thousand years. He passed through these vast Divine Oceans of Knowledge, which Allah Almighty and Exalted has created, until he was completely dissolved in Allah’s Existence, seeing nothing except Him. Then Allah called him to return to existence after he had reached the State of Annihilation. He returned and Allah told him, “O Muhammad, Approach closer.” From this it is understood that the Prophet  , having reached the State of Complete Annihilation, was called by Allah by his name, indicating that he was appearing anew with Allah’s Appearance. He reached so near to the Divine Light, that he was ”two bow-lengths or nearer” [53:9]. Allah asked him, “Who are you, O Muhammad?” At that time the Prophet  was not conscious of himself and he replied: “You, O my Lord.” This is the perfection of the state of not associating anyone with Allah. It is the perfect sign of Tawhid (Oneness), when nothing exists except His Glory, His Essence, Himself.

Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani has related, from the hidden knowledge of the Sufi saints, some of the events that occurred on that incredible journey of the Prophet. This is knowledge from the Prophet which Abu Huraira referred to in his hadith, knowledge passed down from the heart of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. The Prophet  said, “Whatever Allah poured into my heart I poured into the heart of as-Siddiq.” This knowledge was then passed to the Naqshbandi Sufi saints and constitutes their spiritual inheritance.

Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani said, “Allah Almighty and Exalted said to the Prophet  on the Night of Ascension, O Muhammad, I have created all of creation for your sake, and I am giving it all to you. At that moment Allah granted the Prophet  power to see all that He had created, with all of their lights and all of the favors that Allah had granted His creatures by decorating them with his Attributes and with His Divine Love and Beauty.

“Muhammad  was enthralled and enraptured because Allah had given him the gift of such a creation. Allah said to him, ‘Ya Muhammad, are you happy with this creation?’ He said, ‘Yes, My Lord.’ He said, ‘I am giving them to you in Trust to keep, to be responsible for, and to return to Me just as I gave them to you.’ Muhammad  was looking at them in delight because they were illuminated with beautiful lights, and he said, ‘O My Lord, I accept.’ Allah said, ‘Are you accepting?’ He replied, ‘I accept, I accept.’ As he finished replying the third time, Allah granted him a vision of the sins and the many forms of misery, darkness, and ignorance into which they were going to fall.

“When Muhammad  saw this he was dismayed, wondering how he would be able to return them to His Lord as clean as in their original state. He said, ‘O My Lord, what is this?’ Allah replied, ‘O My beloved, this is your responsibility. You have to return them to Me as clean as I gave them to You.’ Then Muhammad  said, ‘O my Lord, give me helpers to help me clean them, to sanctify their spirits, and to take them from darkness and ignorance to the state of knowledge, of piety, of peace and love.’

“Then Allah, Almighty and Exalted, granted him a vision in which he informed him that out of this creation He had chosen for him 7,007 Naqshbandi Saints. He told him, ‘O My beloved, O Muhammad, these saints are from the most Distinguished Saints that I created to help you in keeping this creation clean. Out of them are 313 who are in the highest, most perfect state in the Divine Presence. They are the inheritors of the secrets of 313 Messengers. Then I am giving you forty, who are carrying the most distinguished powers, and they are considered the Pillars of all saints. They are going to be the Masters of their times and they are going to be the Inheritors of the Secrets of Reality.’

“‘At the hands of these saints everyone will be healed from his wounds, both externally and internally. These saints will be able to carry the whole Nation and the whole of Creation without any sign of tiring. Every one of them will be theGhawth (Arch-Intercessor) in his time, under whom will be the five Qutub  (Spiritual Poles).’

“The Prophet  was happy and he said, ‘O my Lord, give me more!’ Then Allah showed him 124,000 saints, and He said, ‘These saints are the inheritors of the 124,000 prophets. Each one is an inheritor from one prophet. They also will be there to help you clean this Nation.’

“While the Prophet  was ascending to the Divine Presence, Allah caused him to hear a human voice. The voice was that of his friend and closest Companion, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  . The Prophet  was told by Allah Almighty to order Abu Bakr as-Siddiq to call all the Naqshbandi saints: the 40, the 313, and the 7,007, and all their followers, in their spiritual forms, into the Divine Presence. All were to receive those distinguished Lights and Blessings.

“Then Allah ordered the Prophet  , who ordered Abu Bakr  , to call the 124,000 saints of the other 40 Tariqats and their followers to be given that Light in the Divine Presence. All of the Shaykhs began to appear in that gathering with all of their followers. Allah then asked the Prophet  to look at them with his Prophetic power and light, and to lift them all to the station of  Siddiqin, the Trustworthy and the Truthful. Then Allah Almighty and Exalted said to the Prophet  , and the Prophet  said to the saints, ‘All of you and all of your followers are going to be stars shining among human beings, to spread that light which I gave you in pre-Eternity to all human beings on earth.’”

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim says, “That is only one of the secrets that has been revealed about the Night of Ascension to the hearts of the saints through the transmission of the Golden Chain of the Naqshbandi Order.” Many more visions were given to the Prophet  , but there is no permission to unveil them.

That Night, the Prophet  was ordered by Allah to perform 50 prayers a day. He shortened it to five prayers a day on the advice of the Prophet Moses (Musa)  . He returned from that Night Journey, and the first one to believe him was Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  . The unbelievers, hoping to ridicule him, asked him to describe Jerusalem. He described it in all its details, and the unbelievers were humiliated.

Persecution against the Prophet  and his Companions escalated. Then Allah sent him the Ansar (Helpers) from Madinah. Islam had begun to spread among the tribes of this small oasis not far from Makkah. Allah gave the believers permission to migrate to Madinah, the home of the Ansar. Abu Bakr  wanted to migrate, but Muhammad told him, “Don’t leave yet, wait, and maybe you will travel with me. There is a very important event which must happen.”

The Prophet  fled at night with Abu Bakr  and left behind him Ali  to impersonate him in his bed. On the way he stopped to hide in the Cave of Thawr. Abu Bakr said, “O Prophet, don’t enter, I will enter first.” In his heart he thought that there might be something harmful inside and he chose to encounter it first. He found a hole in the cave. He called the Prophet  to come in and he put his foot over the hole.

The Prophet  came in and lay down with his head on Abu Bakr’s thigh. A snake inside the hole began to bite the foot of Abu Bakr. He tried not to move although he was in great pain. Tears flowed down his cheeks. One warm tear dropped on the blessed face of the Prophet  . At this, as was mentioned in the Qur’an: “He said to his friend, Grieve not for verily Allah is with us.” [9: 40] and he also said, “What do you think of two when God is their Third?” [57: 5]. Abu Bakr said to the Prophet, “O Prophet of God, I am not sad, but I am in pain. A snake is biting my foot and I am worried that it might bite you. I am crying because my heart is burning for you and for your safety.” The Prophet was so pleased with the reply of his beloved Companion that he hugged Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  , put his hand on his heart and poured the knowledge that Allah had given him into the heart of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. That is why he said in a hadith, “Whatever Allah poured into my heart, I poured into the heart of Abu Bakr  .”

Our Grandshaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani says, “Following this the Prophet put his other hand on the foot of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and read, Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim, and the foot was immediately healed. Then he ordered the snake to come out and the snake came out, coiling itself in front of the Prophet  . Then the Prophet said to the snake, ‘Do you not know that the flesh of a Siddiq is forbidden to you? Why are eating the flesh of my Companion?’ He replied to the Prophet in a perfect and pure Arabic, ‘O Prophet of Allah, were not all things created for your sake and for your love? O Prophet, I too love You. When I heard that Allah Almighty and Exalted said that the best nation is your nation, I asked Him to prolong my life and grant me the honor of being among your nation and looking at your face. And Allah granted me that wish and that honor. When Abu Bakr put his foot in that hole, it blocked my sight. I wanted him to move his foot to enable me to see you.’ The Prophet  said, ‘Look at me now and fulfill your wish.’ The snake looked and looked; after a while, it died. The Prophet  ordered the Jinn to carry the snake away and bury it.”

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim says, “These are secrets that have been given to the hearts of the Naqshbandi Saints.” He continues the story thus: “Then the Prophet  said to Abu Bakr, ‘There was no need to stop in this cave, except that a significant event will happen here. The Light of the root of the spiritual Tree which is going to spread over all humanity, the Light coming directly from the Divine Presence, will appear here. Allah has ordered me to transmit it to you and to all the Naqshbandi Sufi followers.’

“This lineage was not called the Naqshbandi at that time, but was known as the Children of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, and he was known to saints as the ‘Father’ of this line.

“Then Allah asked the Prophet to order Abu Bakr as-Siddiq to call all the Masters of the Golden Chain who are the inheritors of Abu Bakr. The latter called the Grandshaykhs of this Golden Chain, all of them, from his time down to the time of the Mahdi  . All of them were called through their spirits from the World of Souls. Then he was ordered to call the 7,007 Naqshbandi Saints. Then the Prophet  called the 124,000 prophets.

“Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, by order of the Prophet  , ordered every grandshaykh to summon all his followers to appear spiritually. Then Abu Bakr as-Siddiq ordered all the Shaykhs to take the hands of their followers to receive initiation. He put his hand above them all, and then Muhammad  put his hand above all of them, and then Allah put His Hand, the Hand of Power (Qudrat), over them all. Allah by Himself, put on the tongue of everyone present His recitation (talqeen az-Zikr), and He told the Prophet to order Abu Bakr as-Siddiq to order all the saints present with their followers to recite what they were hearing from the Voice of Power:

All of those present followed their Shaykhs and the Shaykhs followed what they heard the Prophet reciting. Then Allah Almighty and Exalted taught the secret of the Dhikr, known as Khatm-il-Khwajagan, to Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujduwani, who led the first dhikr among the saints of this Order. The Prophet  announced to Abu Bakr, who announced to all saints, that Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani is the leader of the Khatm-i-Khwajagan. Everyone was honored to receive that secret and light from Khwaja Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani, in the presence of all saints, in the presence of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, in the presence of The Prophet  , in the Presence of Allah.

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim said, “Anyone who accepts initiation from us or attends our Dhikr must know that he was in the cave at that blessed time, in the Presence of the Prophet  , and that he received all of these secrets then. These secrets have been transmitted to us from the masters of the Golden Chain, through Abu Bakr as-Siddiq.”

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  was overjoyed and astounded with what took place in that cave, and he understood why the Prophet had chosen him to be the companion of his migration. The Naqshbandi Shaykhs consider the events in the cave as the foundation of the Tariqat. Not only is it the source of the daily wird (devotion) but the souls of all members of the Order were present together at that time.

After the events in the cave, they continued on to Madinat al-Munawwarah. When they reached Quba, a village near Madinah, on a Monday in Rabi’ul Awwal, they stopped for several days. There the Prophet  built the first mosque. They continued on their way on a Friday, after praying the Friday Prayer at Quba. It was the first Jum’a that he prayed. He entered Madinah with his friend, amid shouts of takbir (ALLAHU AKBAR) and tahmid (AL-HAMDU LILLAH) and the excited, joyful happiness of everyone. He moved to the place his camel stopped, and it is there that he built his mosque and his home. He stayed as a guest in the home of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari until his mosque was built.

When the Prophet  came to Madinah, it was full of diseases. As soon as he arrived, the diseases disappeared. Following is a brief list of the main events of the next ten years.

Year One – The Prophet  was inspired to call the people to prayer by means of the human voice (Adhan).

Year Two – He was ordered to institute the monthly fast of Ramadan, and he was directed to face the Ka’aba in Makkah during prayers, instead of towards Jerusalem as they had done previously. It was the year that he fought the unbelievers in the decisive Battle of Badr.

Year Three – The Prophet  fought the unbelievers at Uhud.

Year Four – The battle of Bani Nadeer took place, and permission was given for shortening the prayer during traveling and fighting. Alcohol was forbidden. Tayammum, or ritual purification with sand when water is not available, was allowed and the “prayer in fear” was authorized.

Year Five – The battle of Khandaq took place and the defection of Banu Quraizah and Mustaliq occurred.

Year Six – The Treaty of Hudaibiyya took place as did the Pledge of Loyalty — the model of Sufi initiation — under the Tree. The fifth pillar of the religion, the obligation of Hajj, also came in this year.

Year Seven – The battle of Khaibar took place.

Year Eight – The events of Mu’ta, the peaceful conquest of Makkah and the battle of Hunayn occurred.

Year Nine – The battle of Tabuk occurred and the Pilgrimage of as-Siddiq. It was called the Year of Wufud.

Year Ten – The Prophet  made what is known as the Farewell Pilgrimage.

Year Eleven -The Prophet  passed on to the other life.

Description of the Holy Prophet’s Features

Allah Almighty and Exalted adorned the Prophet  with His Divine Lights and Manners, and then He added more by saying to him: “Truly you are of a magnificient nature” [68:4].

The Prophet  was neither tall nor short, but he was of middle height. He had broad shoulders. His color was light, neither dark nor white. He had a broad forehead, with heavy eyebrows, not connected but with a blaze shining like silver in the middle of them. His eyes were large. His teeth were very white, like pearls. His hair was not curly nor was it straight, but in between. His neck was long. His chest was broad, without much flesh. The color of his chest was light, and between his sternum and his navel was a line of hair. He had no hair on his chest other than that line. His shoulders were wide and had hair on them. On his shoulders were two seals of Prophecy. All his Companions used to look at them. The right shoulder had a black beauty mark, and around it were some small hairs, like the hairs of a horse. His forearms were large. His wrists were long. His fingers were also long. His palm was smoother than silk. Whenever he put his hand on the head of a child or a man, the beautiful scent of musk came from it. Wherever he moved, a cloud moved with him that shaded him from the heat of the sun. His sweat was like white pearls, and its smell was like amber and musk. The Companions said they had never seen anything like it before.

The Holy Prophet  used to look down more than he raised his head. Whoever saw him from afar was amazed by him and whoever knew him intimately loved him. He was most handsome both in his external appearance and his internal appearance.

Amr ibn al-`As said, “No one was dearer to me than the Holy Prophet  nor was anyone more glorious than him in my eyes. So bright was his glory that I could not look at his face for any length of time, so that if I were asked to describe him I would not be able to as I had not looked at him long enough.”

The Prophet  was the bravest among people, the most just and the most generous. He used to walk alone among his enemies at night without a guard. He was never afraid of anything in this world. He was the most modest of his person, the most sincere, and the most pious. He never spoke just to spend time. He preferred silence to speech and never showed pride, although he was the most eloquent speaker.

Allah gave the Prophet  mastery in politics and mastery in private conduct. Although he didn’t write or read, Allah raised him from the land of ignorance, taught him the best of manners and the best of ethics.

He was the gentlest of men, the most tolerant, the most merciful, as Allah Himself called him “Kindest and Most Merciful” [9:128]. He smiled at everyone and joked with everyone in a decent way. Alone he was always crying and entreating Allah for forgiveness for his Ummah. He was always contemplating and meditating. He always used to sit to remember Allah by reciting Dhikr.

He used to walk with the widow and orphan. He showed humbleness to unbelievers, wishing them to become believers. Someone asked him “pray for Allah to curse the unbelievers.” He said, “I was not sent to curse but as a Mercy. I will ask for them to be guided because they don’t know.”

He called everyone to Allah. He never humiliated the poor. He was never afraid of a king. He always chose the easy way, according to Allah’s wish [2:185, 20:2]. He laughed without making a sound, not out loud. He always said, “serve your people.” He used to milk his goats, serve his family, patch clothes, walk sometimes barefooted, visit the sick, even if they were unbelievers or hypocrites, visiting the graves of believers and greeting them, training with the sword, learning the bow and arrow, riding the horse, riding the camel, riding the donkey. He used to eat with the poor and wretched. He always accepted a gift graciously, even if it was a spoonful of yogurt, and he used to reward it. He never ate from sadaqa (charity), but immediately passed it on to the poor. He never kept one dinar or one dirham in his house except he gave it to the poor. He never came home until he spent all that Allah had given him.

He was very good to his family and to his friends. He urged his friends to walk in front of him and walked behind them. He said, “leave my back for angels.” His companionship was the companionship of patience and shyness. Whoever argued with him saw patience from him, and he did not reply to those who insulted him. He never came against anyone in anger nor ever used bad language. He was never angry for himself and was only angry for his Lord’s sake. He used to eat with his servants. He never slapped anyone with his hand. He never punished for a mistake, but always forgave. His servant Anas () said, “In all my life, he never asked me once: why did you do this, or why didn’t you do that?”

The Clothes of the Holy Prophet 

He used to wear whatever he found, cotton or wool, but mostly he used to wear cotton. He liked green clothes. Abu Huraira  says, “He wore the long, loose shirts, the burda and the habra and the jubba, and he wore the turban with a face-veil and loose-ended, the izar and the rida’.” Jabir ibn Samurah () says, “I saw the Prophet  on a moonlit night. He had a red cloak over his body, and I looked attentively in turn towards him and the moon. Certainly, he appeared to me more beautiful than the moon itself.” He used to wear the white turban and the black turban and sometimes the red turban. He used to leave a tail at the back of his turban. Imam Tabari said “he used to have a turban of seven arms’ length.” He had a turban by the name of Sihab (the Clouds) which he gave to Ali (). He used to wear a silver ring on his right hand, engraved with the words “Muhammadun Rasul-Allah.” He used to wear khuffs (leather socks) on his feet. He liked perfumes and fragrant scents.

He never saw ease and would not possess even a bed, as he wished to make his abode in the next world. His mattress was made from tree-leaves. He had a big cloak which he used to put on the floor and sit on. Sometimes he use to sleep on a reed mat or directly on the floor.

The Miracles of the Holy Prophet 

He was a healer for himself and for others. He used to heal by reciting Qur’an on the sick person. He warned people to avoid too much eating. He performed countless miracles. He prayed that Ali not feel the hot and cold weather, and he never felt them. He prayed for Ibn `Abbas to be a genius in religion, jurisprudence, and explanation of Qur’an, which came to pass. When Qutada’s eye fell out of its socket, he put it back, and Qutada was able to see with it better than he ever had before. He rubbed the foot of Ibn Abi `Atiq when it was broken and it healed immediately. The moon split on his order as a sign to the unbelievers. Water sprang forth from his fingers from which a whole army drank and made ablution. From a small cup of water, water was pouring, making the desert like an oasis. The branch of a tree under which he sat, bowed in a gesture of love as he stood up to leave. The minbar (pulpit) at which he used to preach, used to give a moaning sound, as if crying for him. The stones praised Allah in his hand, so that everyone heard them. The animals complained to him. The deer and the wolf testified to his prophethood. He predicted that his daughter Fatima would be the first to follow him in death. He foretold Uthman Dhu-n-Nurayn, his third caliph and son-in-law, would be assassinated. He announced the murder of al-Aswad bin Annasi on the night of his death in Sana’a in far off Yaman. He mentioned the death of the King of Persia to his Companions on the exact moment that it happened. He ate meat full of poison, but nothing happened to him though the one who ate with him died immediately. Countless other miracles could be mentioned.

The Sayings of the Holy Prophet 

No one can make a complete account of his sayings. Even if the seas of this world were ink and the trees were pens no one could write all the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad  . Thousands and hundreds of thousands of his ahadith(narrated sayings) have been written from what he was saying and it was known as the `Ilm al-Hadith or Science of Prophetic Narration.

He said:

“Allah rewards people according to what they achieve.”

“Allah said, whoever comes against one of My saints, I will declare war against him.”

“Allah’s saints are under his domes. No one knows them except Him.”

“Be near the poor [meaning the spiritual poor] because they have a government of their own.”

“Be in this world as a stranger and a guest, and make the mosques your homes, and teach your heart leniency, and make much remembrance and cry much.”

“How many people welcome a day whose end they will not live to see, and expect a tomorrow which they do not reach?”

“Say the truth, even if to your detriment.”

“Make everything easy and don’t make it difficult. Give good tidings and don’t cause people to run away.”

“Allah said, ‘O Son of Adam, you will get what you have intended, and you will be with the one whom you love more.’”

“Keep Allah and He will keep you. Keep Allah before you. If you need help, ask His Help.”

“Be austere in this lower world and Allah will love you. Be austere with what is in the hands of people and the people will love you.”

“The one who has the most perfect mind is the one who is most fearful of Allah.

“Beware of the lower world because it is a black magic.”

“Refrain except from good speech.”

“Give back the Trust and don’t betray it.”

“When Allah loves someone, He will put him in difficulties.”

“When Allah wants good for His servant, He will guide him to someone that shows him the way.”

“Forgive, and Allah will forgive you.”

“Be merciful, Allah will be merciful with you.”

“The one under the heaviest punishment on the Day of Judgment is a fierce scholar.”

“The one under the heaviest punishment on the Day of Judgement is a scholar whose knowledge did not benefit him.”

“Ask Allah forgiveness and health.”

“Keep what you are doing secret.”

“The most sinful person is the one whose tongue is always lying.”

“All Creation is a servant of Allah. The most beloved to Him among them is the one that helped his brothers.”

“The best deed is when people will be safe from your tongue and your hand.”

“As long as you say ‘La ilaha ill-Allah’ (No god but God) it will lift Allah’s punishment from you and change you for the good.”

“O People, are you not ashamed that you collect more than you eat, and you build houses more than you need to live in?”

The Passing of the Holy Prophet 

When Allah Almighty and Exalted perfected his Nation and completed His favor on His Prophet  , He transferred him to a house better than his house, and to a Friend better than his friends. Allah Called his soul in his last days. As a result, his final sickness began in the last ten days of the month of Safar, in the house of his wife Maimuna . When his sickness intensified, he transferred to the house of `Ayesha . He was sick for twelve days. He used to send Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  to lead the prayers as a sign to the Sahaba that he had chosen him as his successor.

He passed away on a Monday, the 12th of Rabi`ul Awwal. Wrapped in his nightgown, he was washed by Sayyidinas `Ali, `Abbas ibn `Abd al-Muttalib and his two sons, Qutham and Fadl. `Usama bin Zaid and Shakran were pouring the water which Awwas Khazraji was bringing from the well. As they performed their washing, the body exuded beautiful scents, so that `Ali  said continually: “By God, what would I give for you! How sweet you are and how wholesome you are, both alive and dead!” His Companions entered his house one by one to pray on him, then ladies prayed on him, then children prayed on him. He was buried in the same place he passed away, in the house of `Ayesha . Abu Talhah Zayd ibn Sahl  dug his grave and those who washed him lowered his blessed body into it. Then it was covered and leveled and they threw water on it.

People were bereaved, tongues were silent. The world seemed darkened. No one knew what to say. The Holy Spirit — the angel Jibril  – was no longer to come bringing revelation. The Prophet’s  death was the greatest disaster for every Companion. Many people were crying and shouting. But Allah sent supporters for His religion, because that was the Seal of Prophets. He sent a Renewer (mujaddid) of this religion century after century. Saint after saint, we find that every grandshaykh of the Most Distinguished Naqshbandi Order was like a shadow of the Prophet  , reviving the deen (religion) and training the seekers to find their Lord as the Companions had been trained.

The secret of God’s strong support and pure guidance passed from Muhammad  to his beloved friend, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. What the Prophet  poured into the heart of Abu Bakr () no one knows. May Allah send upon our Prophet more and more of His Light! He was sent as a Mercy for human beings and his secret passed from one saint to another to support this religion and to bring his secret to the hearts of human beings.

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