Transcribed from the Islaahi Majlis conducted on 10/08/2023
Allah Ta’ala mentions in the Quraan:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ وَكُونُواْ مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ
“O people of Imaan, Fear Allah Ta’ala and be with those who are truthful.”
The Mashaaikh have mentioned that if a person is blessed with the companionship of a friend of Allah Ta’ala, then he should derive maximum benefit from this, or else he will regret it later in life. It is only after the pious leave the world that one realizes their true value, and then people lament that they did not take benefit from them while they were alive.
How to Establish a Connection with a Sheikh
نہ کتابوں سے نہ وعظوں سے نہ زر سے پیدا ،دین ہوتا بزرکوں کی نظر سے پیدا
“You will not acquire Deen in your life through studying kitaabs, nor through Bayaans, nor money. But when you stay in the company of the friends of Allah Ta’ala, it has a definite effect on a person. If their gaze fall on a person, then he too can become the friend of Allah Ta’ala.”
There are various ways to acquire a connection with the pious. One way is to sit in the Majlis of a Sheikh. The time spent therein proves to be very beneficial. Many people’s lives have changed as a result of attending their Majaalis. This is a general relationship.
The second way is to keep contact with the pious on an individual basis. You consult with them, confide in them and seek remedies for your spiritual illnesses. One can maintain a relationship through anonymity as well by writing to, texting or emailing the Sheikh.
The Status of Maintaining a Relationship with a Sheikh
Maulana Thanwi Rahimahullah has stated that to keep a relationship with a Sheikh is Fardh-e -Ain. Salaah, Fasting, Hajj are all Fardh acts in Islam. So too, Hadrat says, is it obligatory to keep a connection with the pious. Reason being that it serves as a means of protecting one’s Imaan-and it is Fardh to protect one’s Imaan. Hadrat prescribed this manner of protecting one’s Imaan more than 100 years ago. Imagine how much more valuable this advice is in our days, 100 years later. Hadrat said, “Stay in their company, benefit from them, and make Mashwera with them in your affairs. When you will make Mashwera with them, be sure to follow their advice. The minimum benefit is that your Imaan will be protected.”
Imagine a person who grew up on Deen, attended Maktab, maybe even Darul Uloom as well, performs his Salaah, goes for Umrah upon Umrah, but at the time of his death, he passes away without Imaan-forever will be his destruction. And the person who lives on Imaan, at the time of death, Allah Ta’ala grants him a death on Imaan-forever will be his success.
There are some pious, senior Ulama who Shaytaan attacked at the time of Maut, but through their relationship with a Sheikh, Allah Ta’ala protected them.
The incident of Imaam Fakhrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah
Imaam Fakhrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah was a great scholar. He has written Tafseer Kabeer in ten volumes. He travelled extensively to various parts of the world to acquire the knowledge of Quraan, knowledge of Hadith,Tafseer, Fiqh and logic. These subjects are referred to as, “Uloom-e-Naqliyah” and “Uloom-e-Aqliyah”. Allah Ta’ala blessed him with mastering all these subjects. At the end of this journey of attaining knowledge, Imaam Fakhrud Deen Rahimahullah focussed his attention on his spiritual reformation. To sit in the company of the pious is the way to practice upon the knowledge one has acquired.
Molana Rashid Ahmed Gangohi Rahimahullah was an ocean of knowledge. Hadrat Maulana said that in the Kitaabs that we studied, we learnt the recipe of making Mithai, but we never tasted it. When we went to stay with Haji Imdaadullah Saheb Muhaajir Makki Rahmatullahi Alaihi, it is only then that we tasted what we had learnt.
Imaam Fakhrud Deen Raazi Rahimhaullah also realized the need to be in the company of the pious, so he set off travelling again. In those days, there were no institutes of learning. Those that possessed knowledge didn’t live in close proximity to each other. So students of Deen would travel and remain with one person, learning from him what he knows before going to the next place and the next place. Like this, at least 10 or 20 years of his life is spent in acquiring the knowledge of Deen. Imaam Fakhrud Deen Raazi Rahimahullah set off for his spiritual reformation. He stayed with one Sheikh but found no compatibility.
It is very important to note that one can only benefit from a Sheikh if there is compatibility between each other. Compatibility here is to have love for the person, to act upon his advice, the concern of the hereafter being created in the heart, the love for Allah Ta’ala manifesting itself in a person, and a person starts adopting the Sunnah in his lifestyle. These are the signs that a person is benefitting from the relationship.Imaam Fakhrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah didn’t find compatibility with the first Sheikh, neither with the second, nor the third. Like this, he went to many Mashaaikh but failed to benefit from any of them. He finally became despondent of finding anyone that could spiritually reform him until someone told him to go to a Sheikh in a particular place, and perhaps he might find solace there. Imaam Fakhrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah undertook the journey and after spending three days there, he felt comfortable. He prolonged his stay further until he found compatibility. He then approached the Sheikh and asked to take Bay’ah, which is a Sunnah of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
Allah Ta’ala states in the Quraan Sharif:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ يَدُ اللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَيْدِيهِمْ
“Those who pledge allegiance to you have in reality pledge allegiance to Allah Ta’ala. Allah’s Hand is above their hand.”
However, the Mashaaikh of those days would not immediately accept Bay’ah. They would first observe the person to ascertain whether he is sincere in his quest for Bay’ah or not. Some people take Bay’ah because they see others doing it, or, a person is experiencing some problem in life, so he takes Bay’ah thinking that the Sheikh will solve his problems. Others take Bay’ah to boast over the Sheikh to whom they are aligned to. These are not the reasons to take Bay’ah.
So this Sheikh decided to test Imaam Fakhrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah, but he persisted in requesting to take Bay’ah. The Sheikh told him to come to his room the next morning and he will make him his Mureed. So Imaam Fakrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah did as instructed.
On entering the room, the Sheikh closed the door and locked it, and told Imaam Fakhrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah to sit down. Then the Sheikh focused on his heart. This is called Tawajjuh. Imaam Fakhrud Deen experienced some sort of feeling, as if something was coming out of his heart, similar to a fierce wind which blows and turns the pages of a Kitaab. So he told the Sheikh that he felt like something was coming out of him. The Sheikh replied, “Yes. The knowledge which you have acquired is outward knowledge, known as Uloom-e-Zaahira. I am removing all this from your heart, and very soon, I will replace it with Uloom-e-Baatinah, which is spiritual knowledge.”
Maulana Jalaludin Rumi Rahmatullahi Alaih said, “When a person has a connection with Allah Ta’ala, he doesn’t need an Ustaadh. The knowledge of Nabuwwah will put in the heart of a person by Allah Ta’ala Himself.”
On hearing this, Imaam Fakhrud Deen protested saying, “No! No! I want to be your Mureed but I cannot afford to lose all this knowledge as I have travelled extensively to acquire it.” The Sheikh told him to allow him to continue and trust the process, but he wasn’t prepared to listen. The Sheikh then said, “You came to me asking to be my Mureed and I accepted your request so let’s go ahead.” Imaam Fakhrud Deen Rahimahullah said that he was not prepared to lose this knowledge. So, they went back and forth like this until the Sheikh accepted saying, “Okay I will not enter you into my chain that links up to Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam. However, promise me one thing-you will keep a relationship with me going forward.” Imaamsahib agreed to keep up with their relationship.
Imaam Razi Rahimahullah left and set on his way propagating his knowledge. Day and night he spent his time teaching. During the era of Imaam Fakhrud Deen, there were many atheists. These atheists would only accept Tauheed if it appealed to their logic. To us, this is not a matter of logic because we believe in Ghayb, which is the unseen. But to them, they required a logical explanation to the existence of Allah Ta’ala. Allah Ta’ala blessed Imaam Fakhrud Deen where he collected 100 proofs whereby, he could logically explain the existence of Allah Ta’ala. He would get into debates with them, and after producing just 3 or 4 proofs, not only would he defeat the atheists, but they would then accept Shahaadah.
Death of Imaam Fakhrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah
During the lifetime of the Sheikh, Imaam Fakhrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah started experiencing the pangs of death. When a person is leaving this world, irrespective of who he is, what knowledge he possesses and the connection he has with Allah Ta’ala, Shaytaan doesn’t leave him, trying to deprive him of Imaan. Allah Ta’ala save us! We should never become complacent thinking we are safe. We should always make Dua that Allah Ta’ala grant us, our children and our progeny, a good end with Imaan. Aameen!
Shaytaan came to Imaam Fakhrud Deen and asked him, ” Does Allah Ta’ala exist?” He replied, “Yes!” Shaytaan then asked, “Do you have proof?” He replied, “I don’t have one proof; I have many, many proofs!” Shaytaan asked him to bring one proof of the existence of Allah Ta’ala. He presented his proof, but Shaytaan broke it.
When Shaytaan appears at the time of death, then he comes with full power. In the case of an Aalim, Shaytaan comes as an Aalim. Shaytaan is so knowledgeable that he knows all about the previous Shariah and the fine prints (subsidiary Masaa’il) to those Shariah. In the case of a layman, Shaytaan presents himself as a layman too.
So, Shaytaan asked for a second proof, which he broke, and then a third and so on and so forth. Imaam Fakhrud Deen became worried, but he continued presenting proof after proof which Shaytaan kept breaking. When they reached the 98th proof, he was shaking, and he thought to himself, “I only have two proofs left. If Shaytaan dispels these, a doubt may enter my heart. If a doubt enters the heart at the time of death, I could leave this world on Kufr.”
At that time, Allah Ta’ala inspired the Sheikh. The Sheikh was making Wudhu and it came to him that Imaam Fakhrud Deen is in trouble with Shaytaan dispelling his proofs regarding the existence of Allah Ta’ala. The Sheikh took the jug he was using to make Wudhu and threw it saying, “O Fakhrud Deen, why don’t you say that you believe in Allah Ta’ala without the need for any proof?!” It is mentioned that when the Sheikh said this, Allah Ta’ala transferred his voice directly to Imaam Fakhrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah. He immediately said them to Shaytaan. These words caused Shaytaan to flee and Imaam Fakhrud Deen Razi Rahimahullah was protected. Shortly thereafter, he passed away.
Due to his external connection with this Sheikh, it proved to be his savior. This is why Maulana Thanvi Rahimahullah said that it is Fard Ain to keep connection with the Mashaaikh of Tassawuf, as it is the means of protecting one’s Imaan.
May Allah Ta’ala protect our Imaan, Ameen!
