A Beautiful Naat (Madeeh)

The Ijaza of Shaykh Saleh al-Jafari (ra)

Sayyidi Shaykh Saleh al-Jaafari al- Husayni (ra)

One of the blogs that I look at every now and then is Riyadat an-Nafs. This usually has very interesting quotes from the writings of the awliya and especially the blogger’s shaykh Sayyidi Saleh al-Jafari (ra), a great wali of recent times. Recently as I was skimming recent posts I came across an unexpected jewel. It was the ijaza that Shaykh Saleh had given for the Salat Azeemiya, a famous darood of Sayyidi Ahmad Ibn Idris (ra). The backround to this ijaza is beautiful in itself and I wanted to share it with all friends who visit this blog. So here it is.

The shaykh says:

“I was travelling by sea on the boat from Jeddah to Libya, and I saw in my sleep that I was sitting in the room that I was in, on a bed, and next to me was another bed. I was sitting and reciting the First Salaat (of the Salawat of Shaykh Ahmad ibn Idris). So when I began reciting it, the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam entered the room and sat on the other bed and he said, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam: ‘I came to hear from you the salaat of Ibn Idris.’

Then he laid down on his right side, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, and the more I continued in reciting it, the more his light increased, and so did his visbility to me, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam. So I thought to myself, whilst in the middle of the recitation, to get up and greet him, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, so I stood up and kissed his noble hand and he wiped with it my face and my chest. Then he pointed to me with his hand to sit and finish the salaat. So I sat back and finished the First Salaat, and said after it: “Oh you of perfect body, of you of beautiful attributes,” until the end of the Seventh Salaat. Then I woke up from my sleep, rejoicing, happy, thanking Allah Most High.

And he, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, had already given me a general ijaza for all the salawat. And that is that I saw in my dream that I was doing salaat on the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, with salawat other than the ones from our Idrisi tariqa. But when I began with the Azeemiyya (of shaykh Ahmad ibn Idris), he appeared to me, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, sitting on a chair. So I got up and kissed his noble hand and said:

“Shall I do salaat on you, oh Messenger, with this formula?”

So he said: “With it and with other than it.” And he pointed with his noble head from top to bottom, and from bottom to up, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam tasleema.

And I give ijaza to all the brothers from the Idrisi tariqa and from others, from the East to the West of the world, in this Salaat Azeemiyya, in which the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam gave me ijaza. And likewise I give them ijaza in the First Salaat, which the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam heard from me, and like wise I give them ijaza with the rest of the salawat, which the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam gave me ijaza in by saying: “With it and with other than it.” And I make my sanad in that the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam.

And I have great hope that everyone who hears these words of mine, and turns with his heart and body toward these salawat, and recites them regularly with love and belief, that he will see him, salla Allahu alayhi wa Alihi wa sallam, in sleep and in the waking. And nothing stands between me and the doubters except trying.

So oh you who is fond of himself, proud of his every action, heedless of the enclosures of sanctity, turning away from the causes of his uns, hurry to us! And then hurry to us! For in every age we have appearances… and pearls, and jewels!”

Bulleh, I Know not Who I am!

The Burda- A New Translation

The Burda Sharif (Poem of the Mantle) is one of the most celebrated poems in muslim history. The Mantle Adorned is a new translation of this qasida by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad. I’m ordering a copy for myself and warmly recommend it to others.

Ashura e Muharram

ہزاروں میں بہتر تن تھے تسلیم و رضا والے

حقیقت میں خدا ان کا تھا اور وہ تھے خدا والے

This verse sums up the meaning of the tragic events of Karbala. This was the greatest triumph of the Imam (alayhi salam).

Enough of Learning, O Friend- Baba Bulle Shah(ra)

Hz Wasif Ali Wasif (ra)- The Website

I have been hoping for that some of Wasif sahib’s followers would create a reliable resource on the web for the teachings of Hz Wasif Ali Wasif. In my view his teachings are a great treasure of sufi wisdom directed at the people of  our times and presented in a manner that is accessible to them. I warmly recommend this new website and urge all friends to pay a visit. I will also add it to the resources list on the right of this page.

Urs of Hz Mawlana(ra)

Hz Mawlana Muhammad Jalal ud Din Rumi (ra) passed away on 5th Jumadi al Ukhra 672 A.H which corresponds to the 17th December 1273 A.D. To mark this anniversary here are two extracts from Hz Mawlana himself.

O my noble friends, slaughter this cow,
if you wish to raise up the spirit of insight.
I died to being mineral and growth began.
I died to vegetable growth and attained to the state of animals.
I died from animality and became Adam:
why then should I fear?
When have I become less by dying?
Next I shall die to being a human being,
so that I may soar and lift up my head among the angels.
Yet I must escape even from that angelic state:
everything is perishing except His Face.*
Once again I shall be sacrificed, dying to the angelic;
I shall become that which could never be imagined —
I shall become nonexistent.
Nonexistence sings its clear melody,
Truly, unto Him shall we return!**

Masnavi Bk 3

If you bake bread with the wheat that grows on my grave
you’ll become drunk with joy and
even the oven will recite ecstatic poems.
If you come to pay your respects
even my gravestone will invite you to dance
so don’t come without your drum.
Don’t be sad. You have come to Gods feast.
Even death cannot stop my yearning
for the sweet kiss of my love.
Tear my shroud and wear it as a shirt,
the door will open and you’ll hear
the music of your soul fill the air.
I am created from the ecstasy of love and
when I die, my essence will be released
like the scent of crushed rose petals.
My soul wants to leap and join
the towering soul of Shams.

– Ghazal (Ode) 683

Urs Of Hz Khadim e Mohabbat (ra)

The 21st Urs of Hz Khadim e Mohabbat is being celebrated today. I hope to do a few posts on my other blog which is dedicated to the Master (ra). For those that have never visited before, take a look here.

Hz Wasif Ali Wasif- In his own voice

This is a the first part of a recording of a mehfil with Hz Wasif Ali Wasif which is in seven parts. His mehfils never had a set subject nor did he lecture on chosen topics. His way was to ask people if they had questions and then he responded to these in his highly original style which could often be challenging for people that are not accostomed to the stright talk of the sufis.