Dalael-us-Suluk

CHAPTER 12

THE AULIA AS DESCRIBED BY THE PROPHET

T he real value of a human being, his greatness and his excellence will comeinto limelight on the day his Register of Conduct is produced before the Almighty. Hearing glad tidings of supreme triumph, a true bondsman willreceive immense Divine blessings. That indeed will be the real suc­cess, true emancipation and everlasting glorification, which in other words is called grand success of the Hereafter and eternal bliss. The ephemeral pomp and show of thisworld is nothing butan illusion and self-deceit,

The life of this world is but comfort of illusion. (3:185)

The Splendour of the Aulia on the Day of Judgement

N arrates Ibn-e ‘Abbas, “ There will besome people seated on ALLAH ’s right on HisTremendous Throne on the Day of Judgement. They will be onpulpits of light, their faces gleaming with Divine Light. They will nei­therbe Prophets, nor martyrs nor Siddiqin.The Prophet was asked who they would be, and the answer was repeated three times to emphasise the point, “ Theywould be the ones who loved each other for the sake of ALLAH .”

N arrates Abu Hurairah, “There are some Divine bondsmen other than the prophetswho will, onthe Day of Resurrection, be envied by Prophets and martyrs.” The Prophet was requested to identify them so that they be held in esteem. He replied. “They are the ones whose hearts have been flooded with Divine Light. As a result they hold each other dear in spite of being neither kindred nor of acommon lineage. Their faces will be radiant and they will be seated onthrones of Divine Light. When others willlook terrified and grief stricken, they will be resplendent and without any sign of worry,whatsoever.” He then recited thisverse.

Lo! Truly the friends of ALLAH are (those) on whom fear (comes) not,nor do they grieve. (10:62)

Note: The aulia described in the above Hadith are those devout and sin­cere bondsmen who remember ALLAH ceaselessly and spend their lives seeking inner purification through endeavour, toil, abstinence and prayer. Of course, the Prophets and their true successors rank far above them, forthey are a source of guidance and reformation of mankind. The Proph­ets will be questioned, on the Day of Judgement, about their Ummah but theaulia under reference will be free from such a responsibility. The envy of theProphets and the martyrs will be on this account. Those exempted from reckoning on the Day of Judgement will indeed be enviable.

TheAulia in Worldly Life

T he Prophet said, “Anyone who ceases to depend on the creation and gives himself to the Creator receives sustenance from sources unimagin­able.” He quoted a Divine declaration, “Anyone who bears enmity with My friends, I declare war against him. The most valued worship of My bondsmen, seeking My nearness, is the one I have imposed on him: and My servant continues to draw near Me through supplemental works, until I love him. And when I love him, I am his ears so that he hears by Me, and his eyes, so that he sees by Me and his feet, so that he walks by Me (not in the physical sense but signifies perpetual Divine guidance and favour). When he raises his hands in supplication I grant his requests, and when he seeks refuge with Me, I protect him.”

‘Allama Tufi said that the above Hadithforms the basis of the Divine Path, leading to eternal love and His nearness. It explains the method for the attainment of Ihsan, a composition of an inner obligation, i.e., Iman and an outer one, i.e., Islam, as defined in Hadith-e Jibril. Ihsan is the moral worth and status of the seeker such as abstention, sincerity, medita­tion etc.

Degrees of Divine Nearness

I t has already been stated that the two pillars of wilayah are (1) complete adherence to the Shari‘ah and (2) total occupation of the inner self with the lights of Reality. The meaning of wilayah is His nearness which can be attained by two means, (1) obedience to Him and (2) total abstinence from every sin.

Human beings prove their friendship by His obedience and piety which in turn begets His protection and succour.

Fatah al-Bari M‘a Bukhari vol: XI, p: 237

Concerning this Hadith, narrated by Imam Bukhari, three grades of Divine nearness have been established:

Nearness through Obligatory Worship

T he first grade implies that a Divine bondsman should completely mor­tify his identity, which in sufi terminology is Fana-e Zat, i.e., he should become an instrument inthe Hands of the Creator.

Lo! ALLAH has bought from the believers their lives and their wealth, because the garden will be theirs. ( 9:11)

Nearness through Supplemental Worship

T he advancement towards His nearness achieved through His worship is limitless. Writes Imam Razi,

Just as the Divine Light peculiar to various grades is abounding, the journey of a sufi saint in these exalted grades is also endless. It is an unfathomable ocean, a craving without limit. Glorified be the One Who bestowed such nearness on His friends.

Tafsir-e Kabir

Note: The Ruh is not composed of matter which may disintegrate, but is something more subtle than the Angels. Its abode is in the Realm of Command, beyond the Throne. Once associated with the human body, it tends to forget its home; in addition, its power of levitation either exhausts or becomes extremely weak. When an accomplished saint re-introduces it to its home, and constancy at zikr is achieved, its wings are restored, its levitation returns and it stands illuminated with the Divine Light.

“When the sacred celestial lights reflect on the Ruh, its levitation is given a fillip by their beneficence and it starts levitating towards its native home ardently.”

Nearness of the Highest Esteem

A Gnostic attains this grade when each cell of his body is completely rid of every non-Divine influence. From this very Hadith Ibn-e Qayyam has, in his Kitab ar-Ruh, established that the heart of the wali resembles a pol­ished mirror enabling himto perceive the reality of everything.

So his heart resembles a polished mirror reflecting the reality of things. His judgement does not err, forgiven the Divine Light, he sees and hears things in their true perspective.

Note: This, in addition to proving the veracity of kashf, proves the meditation termed as Ruyat-e Ashkal (literally, observation of figures). Yet, in spite of such a marvellous spiritual advancement a sincere seeker and a true sufi continues to strive for further progress.

This Hadith proves that a bondsman, even after attaining the exalted title of Divine beloved, continues to seek further progress, because it implies diffidence , humility and true bondsmanship: For a human being, ‘Abudiyyat (Divine bondsmanship) is the highest honour.

Fatah al-Bari vol: XI, p; 273

Notes: This Hadith of al-Bukhari establishes the following facts:

Identification of the Aulia

T here are two pillars of wilayah, anyone holding them firmly is a wali. Writes Imam Razi,

There are two attributes of wilayah which facilitate identification. First is adherence to the Shari‘ah and the second, absorption of ones’ inner-self into the lights of Reality. When both of these are found in a bondsman with a pronounced sustaining capacity, he is certainly a wali.

Tafsir-e Kabir vol: V, p: 471

T his argument has been contested by some on the ground that a saint may be called devout, or a man of ilham and kashf but it is difficult to call him a wali, because it is notpossible to establish whether he has been proclaimed as such by ALLAH. Thisquestion is answered in al-Mishkat in these words, “The chosen bondsmen of ALLAH are those whose very sight inspires His remembrance. ”

T his test, if performed casually about a person, will not carry conviction. Its implication has been explained by Imam Rabbani in his Maktubat vol: II, p: 92, in the following words,

The aulia are holy persons who invite mankind to the path of ALLAH, prescribed by the Shari ‘ah externally and internally. First, they call the seekers to repentance and persuade them to carry out their obligations enjoined by the Shari ‘ah . Secondly they advise with emphasis on constancy. It is obvious that a wali does not stand in need of any supernatural powers for the said purpose. Wilayah entails the type of guidance which has nothing to do with the supernatural or karamah. In short the sine quo non(the indis­pensable qualification) of a genuine wali is that in his company one should feelan inclination towards things Divine and an aver­sion to matters mundane.

The Distinction of the Aulia

T he author of Tafsir-e Mazhariwrites in the explanation of al-Saba vol: XII,p: 22,

Some sufiveterans at times, attain freedom from timeand space and see the past and the future before them. This fact is supported by anauthentic Hadith. According to ‘Abdullah Ibn-e ‘Abbas: Once asolar eclipse occurred during the Prophet’s time. He led a number of his followers in Salat-e Khasuf(aspecial prayer for such occasions) and stood praying for an unusually long period. We watched him step forward then backward as if attempting to get hold of something. Asked later, he explained. “I saw Paradise in front of me and wanted to pluck a bunch of fruit therefrom. Had I been successful, it would have lasted you till the end of the world.”

It would be incorrect to interpret that the Prophet saw an image of Paradise as in a dream, for such a notion is rebutted by himself that he saw Paradise itself and not its image.

Notes:

Enmity with the Aulia is Enmity with Him

I t is an established principle that knowledge is in harmony with the known and if the latter is sublime the former will automatically be so.

I created jinn and mankind only that they might worship Me (and recognize Me). (51:56)

The reality explained in the above famous verse, should be pondered over in the light of this principle. The aim of creation will be fulfilled with the attainment of His gnosis. Therefore, to bear enmity with the aulia, who help in attaining this aim, amounts to utter lack of insight.

The punishment in the Hadith under reference, where ALLAH declares war against those who bear enmity with His friends, should be an eye-opener for those who renounce the aulia. Anyone at war with ALLAH cannot attain salvation. The distinguished scholars of the Ummah agree that those who (1) renounce the aulia and (2) indulge in usury, are at war with ALLAH .Each one of them is likely to die without faith because these are the acts of the infidel. The least punishment for those who re­nounce the aulia is that they remain deprived of their beneficence and are likely to meet a tragic end. While some other enlightened men maintain that if anyone is found indulging in the persecution of the aulia and rejects their beneficence, be sure, that he is at war with ALLAH and is far re­moved from His Mercy.

Fatawa al-Hadithiah vol: II, p: 285

States ‘Abdullah Ibn-e ‘Umar, that his father one day went to the Prophet’s mosque. There he found Ma‘az, another Companion, weep­ing by the Prophet’s shrine. The Caliph said, “Whosoever bore enmity with a wali has indeed opposed ALLAH. ALLAH is pleased with such of the pious bondsmen who live in obscurity and are neither searched for nor recognised when seen. Their hearts are the beacons of guidance and they have rid themselves of every possible darkness, i.e., are spared of every type of ignorance and its resultant evil.”

at-Targhib vol: III, p: 444

 


Note: There are two major disadvantages of bearing enmity with the aulia. First is the deprivation of their beneficence in the world; the other, the danger of a tragic end. Both stand proved from the Hadith under refer­ence.

 

Notes

9 The Guarded Tablet- Placed in the Seventh Heaven containing records of all events des­tined to occur from the beginning to the end of the universe. -Translator