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Pearls of Wisdom – Khwāja Gharīb Nawāz’s letter to his beloved disciple

Dr Hafiz Ather Hussain al-Azhari

What follows is a letter written by the great Sufi master, Khwāja Mu’īn al-Dīn Chishtī Ajmerī (d. 1236 CE ) to his beloved disciple, Qutb al-Dīn Bakhtiyār Kākī. Though the letter is personal, undoubtedly the contents are pearls of wisdom for all Muslims. The reader will hopefully acknowledge that although the letter was written nearly eight hundred years ago, the advice given is more important today than ever before. One will appreciate that tasawwuf alone can solve the many dilemmas we face in this day and age. May Allāh provide the guidance to act on these words of wisdom, āmīn.
This work is an excerpt from a forthcoming book inshallah, The Sultan of India – the life and mission of Khwāja Mu’īn al-Dīn Chishtī, written by Hazrat Allama Azhar Mehdi Miya Chishti, and edited by Dr Hafiz Ather Hussain al-Azhari.
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Allāh’s name I begin with, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful.
The flower of those who hold communion with Allāh, the lover of the Lord of the universe, my brother, Qutb al-Dīn Bakhtiyār Kākī! May Allāh keep you happy in His shelter, āmīn.
Once, when I was in the service of Khwāja Uthmān Hārūnī, a man came and said: “I have acquired knowledge of different Islamic sciences. I have adopted ascetism (zuhd) as much as I can. Yet I have not achieved my goal [in life].”
Uthmān Hārūnī said: “You need to follow one thing, and after that you will be a learned man (ālim) and a holy person (zāhid). Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said:
“The renunciation of the world (tark al-dunya) is the secret of all worships and love of the world is the root of all evil.”
If you follow this hadīth, you would not need to acquire more knowledge. Acquiring knowledge (ilm) is simple, but acting upon it (aml) is very troublesome. Hence, accept that you cannot surrender the worldly cravings till you have solid love and friendship with Allāh. And love for Allāh cannot be achieved without His guidance (hidāya). Without his guidance, you cannot achieve your objective. Allāh says:
Whomsoever Allah guides, he is the guided one” (7: 178).
So one should have the fear of Allāh. One should not burn through his precious time in satisfying worldly desires, but one should value time and adopt a life of spiritual poverty and contentment. One should be humble; be so ashamed of his sins that he does not raise his head. He should adopt humility and be submissive; because, in the realm of worship and devotion, these are the most valuable assets.”
The Shaykh said: “Excellent”.
Seventh virtue: “When I noticed people, I saw that everybody tries their best to strive for livelihood. In fact, some resort to improper, harām means as a result, which leads to humiliation and degradation. Then I concentrated on the verse:
“And no living creation is on earth but its provisions are due from Allah.”[7]
Then I understood that His statement is true. For I am also a creation of Allāh. Thereafter, I busied myself with the worship of Allāh, firmly believing that He will provide for me, because He Himself has promised it.” The Shaykh said: “Excellent.”
Eighth virtue: “I observed that every single person is reliant upon something. Some are enthusiastically inclined to gold and silver whilst some are inclined to property and abundance. Then I contemplated the verse:
“And whosoever puts his trust in Allāh, then He will suffice him.”[8] (33:3).
Since then, I am reliant upon Him and He is enough for myself and He will save me.”
Shaykh Shaqīq Balkhī said: “O Hātim! May Allāh provide you the guidance to act upon these eight things. I have studied the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms of David and the Holy Qur’ān. From the four divine books, I have extracted these same eight realities. So whosoever follows these eight things, he is thus following the four divine scriptures. From this episode, it is clear that there is more need for practice (aml) than knowledge (ilm).

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