Dalael-us-Suluk
CHAPTER 24
THE OWAISIAH ORDER
The creation of man has been heralded in these solemn words; Surely We created man of the best stature. Truly, We have honoured the children of Adam. The elect of His creation, in this universe, have been blessed with the singular honour of His vicegerency on earth. Among His countless bounties, the greatest magnamity with which man has been blessed is the provision of guidance through His Prophets.
The last of them is Prophet Muhammad 
and with him the religion has been perfected: This day, I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favour to you. The believer is reminded of this favour; Allah truly has shown grace to the believers by sending them a Messenger of their own. Elaborating this grace He says: He recites to them the revelations, makes them grow (spiritually) and teaches them scripture and wisdom. The execution of this mission by the Holy Prophet produced such a perfect example of humanity, the like of which will not be seen again till Doomsday. They were the Companions who compiled the Shari‘ah, passed on the teaching of the Scripture as well as the methods of soul purification and spiritual growth to the coming generations.
In the beginning, a Companion or Tab‘i wherever he went, undertook the reformation of society, according to the tenets of Islam. But, with the passage of time, the compilation of all aspects of the prophet’s mission took an organized shape. The mission pertaining to spiritual growth, when organized, came into vogue in the shape of four well known Sufi Orders, namely Qadriah, Naqshbandiah, Suharwardiah and Chishtiah. The basic principle in all cases, however, remained the same, the frequency of zikr, though in different forms. It is possible that this variation was due to differences in climatic conditions, dispositions, and habits, just as an expert physician adopts different methods in the administration of one and the same medicine to people of different dispositions.
In these major Sufi Orders, two aspects always attracted special attention. First, the method of inner purification and second, the continuity of the chain of transmission up to the Prophet. Obviously, every Shaikh in the said chain, who learnt this art from his immediate predecessor must have been granted permission by him to disseminate it to others. This, in sufi terminology, is called the Robe of Permission and assumes different forms. If it is established that a particular Shaikh did not attain beneficence from another, the chain will not be valid because of discontinuity.
This is a generally accepted principle. However, physical association with the predecessor is not an indispensable proposition, because spiritual growth pertains to the spirit. And, reception of beneficence does not necessarily depend on its association with the body. There are numerous examples of receiving beneficence without a physical meeting. For example, Abu Hassan Kharqani derived spiritual beneficence from Ba Yazid Bustami and also got a Robe of Permission from him, although the latter had died a hundred years earlier. Obviously, they were not contemporaries and there had been no physical association to have eased spiritual training and obtaining a Robe of Permission. This proves that this instruction was imparted spiritually.
In sufi terminology acquisition of beneficence from the spirit is called an Owaisiah method. It does not at all mean that this line of attribution is traceable to Hadrat Owais of Qarn, Owaisiah here means deriving benefit entirely from the spirit. These two are distinctive characteristics of the Owaisiah Order. The term, Owaisi, has been adopted because the great saint Owais of Qarn did not have the privilege of the Holy Prophet’s company, but attained beneficence from his spirit. He may well, therefore, be called the first Owaisi.
Ours is the Naqshbandiah Owaisiah Order because I impart spiritual instructions on the lines of the Naqshbandiah Order. I have personally drawn spiritual beneficence and received the Robe of Permission on Owaisi lines from my honourable Shaikh, who died four hundred years ago. The blessing of my Shaikh is now spreading throughout the world. Allah be praised!
True Tasawwuf is like a water conduit flowing underground, occasionally sprouting up like a fountain and irrigating the land. It sometimes disappears from the face of the earth. Then Allah, in His infinite mercy sends His bondsmen, who act as a fountain of Tasawwuf and the Path to irrigate the hearts of mankind. That is why the Owaisiah Order does not appear to be continuous though, in fact, it is a continuum. Those unacquainted with the reception and transmission of beneficence by the spirit cannot obviously discern this reality and out of shallow vanity raise silly objections.
Shah Wali Ullah in his Asha‘t al-Lam‘at Sharah al-Mishkat (p: 86) praising the Owaisiah Order writes that it is the spiritual Order fastest in producing the desired effects and that its devotees are men of great munificence and awe. At page 63 he states that the Owaisiah Order “is indeed a world of spirits abridged.” And on page 21:
In the chain of saints, there is an Order called Owaisiah, handed down by Khawajah Owais Qarni. He received beneficence directly from the Holy Prophet's
This shows that:
- An Owaisi is the one who derives spiritual beneficence from the spirit of a wali.
- Many renowned aulia have drawn beneficence from the spirits of their predecessors.
- The adherents of this Order also draw spiritual beneficence direct from the Prophet
What really worries the ignorant is the question of whether it is possible for a spirit to receive and transmit beneficence. This can be solved in two ways, either one should trust those who know or try one’s self. The second course can be adopted only by one who sincerely desires to attain inner purification. The first can, however, be illustrated by a few quotations:
- Fatawa-e Azizah vol: 1, p: 93 by Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlawi. The said was asked whether it was possible for a man of kashf to draw spiritual beneficence by meditating at the grave of a wali? He answered, “Yes.” (Brevity being the major consideration in a verdict, the savant gave a brief answer). A detailed reply is given in his Treatise Shifa al-‘Alil (p:178) as under:
When asked as to why Shaikh Abu ‘Ali Farmadi who had a spiritual connection with Abu Hassan Kharqani has not been listed in the said Treatise, he replied, “This connection was Owaisiah whereas in the treatise only those aulia have been mentioned whose physical association with their predecessors has been proved. The fact, however, remains that the Owaisiah connection is very strong and perfectly accurate.”
Shaikh Abu ‘Ali Farmadi derived spiritual beneficence from Abu Hassan Kharqani who in turn received it from Ba Yazid Bustami. The last named saint received spiritual instruction from J‘afar Sadiq. This fact had been mentioned by Khawajah Muhammad Parsa in his Treatise Qudsiah in the following words:
J‘afar had spiritual connection with his maternal grandfather Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr, who was connected to Hadrat Salman Farsi, who in turn had a connection with Hadrat Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, who had this connection with the Holy Prophet
The same Chain of Transmission had been listed in Tazkirah tur-Rashid (vol: 2, p: 108) with the addition that the Owaisi connection is termed as Siddiqiah Naqshbandiah Nizamiah Quddusiah.
- He adds that the stronger connection which Imam Rabbani had with Shaikh ‘Abdul Quddus Ganghoni with regard to spiritual beneficence was due to the fact that besides being an Owaisi, the learned Shaikh probably had his connection with the four major Sufi Orders.
Tazkirah tur-Rashid vol: 2 p: 109
- Fatawa Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband (vol: 1, p: 140) comments on Shifa al-‘Alil:
This shows that the Owaisiah connection means spiritual beneficence and that it is a strong and genuine connection. It also shows that it is not necessary for an Owaisi to be a disciple of Owais of Qarn. It is also wrong to deny this connection, because Owais of Qarn received spiritual beneficence from the Holy Prophet
without physically enjoying his company and that is why anyone receiving beneficence from a spirit is termed an Owaisi.
‘Aqa‘id-e ‘Ulama-e Deoband is a pivotal Treatise which expounds the Deobandi creed. Question no. 11 is about drawing beneficence from a spirit. The ‘Ulama of Deoband declare that they are not only convinced of, but testify to, the veracity of drawing spiritual beneficence from saints, dead or alive. This involves a special process known to the aulia, the sufis and the elite. It is little known to the masses.
These are scholarly answers to the question pertaining to reception and transmission of beneficence by the spirit. The second form is intuitive. Any aspirant is welcome, if he is earnest, sincere and capable of distinguishing between idle talk and practical acquisition. It is the practice which yields results and not the vain gossip:
From the explanations of veteran sufis and righteous ‘Ulama, it has been proved that receiving and transmitting beneficence by the spirit is not only a possibility but a proven reality. Visual or physical meeting is not a condition, but the continuity is a definite requirement.
A famous Pir of Multan once told one of my devotees that the Owaisiah Order lacks continuity. The latter retorted, “Yes, an Order where the Shaikh ushers hundreds into Barzakh and the Prophet’s audience to receive bai‘at at his sacred hands, exemplifying, Surely! Those who swear allegiance to you swear allegiance to Allah, appears discontinuous. Whereas, the Order in which a seeker spends a lifetime in the service of his Shaikh, who fails to initiate even his Qalb is considered to have a connection! You are most welcome to adhere to that junction which precludes your access to the Prophet and we are happy with such disconnection as enables us to perpetually remain in his audience.”
May ALLAH bless us with the great bounty of genuine understanding of our Faith. – Amin.