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Al-Ghazzali, Abu Hamid al- [d.505H - 1111CE] 'alayhi al-rahmah wa'l-ridwan

On his way back from Jurjan to Tus al-Ghazzali was robbed by highwaymen. When they left him he followed them but was told: "Leave us or you will die." He replied: "I ask you for Allah’ sake to only return to me my notes, for they are of no use to you." The robber asked him: "What are those notes?" He said: "Books in that satchel, for the sake of which I left my country in order to hear, write, and obtain their knowledge." The robber laughed and said: "How can you claim that you obtained their knowledge when we took it away from you and left you devoid of knowl-edge!" Then he gave an order and the satchel was returned to him. Al-Ghazzali said: "This man’s utterance was divinely inspired (hadha mustantaqun): Allah caused him to say this in order to guide me. When I reached Tus I worked for three years until I had memorized all that I had written down."

Al-Ghazzali came to Baghdad in 484 and began a prestigious career of teaching, giving fatwa, and authoring books in nearly all the Islamic sciences of his day. His skill in refuting opponents was unparalleled except by his superlative godwariness, which led him to abandon his teaching position at the Nizamiyya school four years later, deputizing his brother Ahmad, famous for his preaching, to replace him. Upon completion of pilgrimage to Makkah al-Ghazzali headed for Damascus, then al-Qudus, then Damascus again where he remained for several years, taking up the ascetic life with the words: "We sought after knowledge for other than Allah ta'ala's sake, but He refused that it be for anything other than Him."

He came out of seclusion in 499 and travelled to Cairo, Iskandariyya and other places, finally returning to Baghdad where he taught his magnum opus Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din until his death in nearby Tus, occupying the remainder of his time with devotions, Qur'an recitations, prayer and fasting, and the company of Sufis. Ibn al-Jawzi narrated in al-Thabat 'Inda al-Mamat ("Firmness at the Time of Death") from al-Ghazzali's brother Ahmad: "On Monday [14 Jumada al-Akhira] at the time of the dawn prayer my brother Abu Hamid made his ablution, prayed, then said: ‘Bring me my shroud.' He took it, kissed it and put it on his eyes, saying: 'We hear and obey in readiness to enter the King’s presence.' Then he stretched his legs, facing the Qibla, and died before sunrise – may Allah sanctify his soul!" It is related that al-Shadhili saw a dream in which the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam pointed out al-Ghazzali to Musa alaihi asalam and 'Isa alaihi asalam asking them: "Is there such a wise scholar in your communities?" to which they replied no.

Further reading: http://www.sunnah.org/history/Scholars/imam_alghazali.htm

Born in Jilan, Persia. Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani was a Sufi master and Sayyad (descendant of the Final Messenger, the Most Beloved Prophet Muhammad-Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) from both his father and mother, (al Hasani, w'al Husayni).

His contribution and renown in the sciences of Sufism and Sharia was so immense that he became known as the spiritual pole of his time, al-Ghawth al A'zam (the "Supreme Helper" or the "Mightiest Succor"). His writings were similar to those of al-Ghazali in that they dealt with both the fundamentals of Islam and the mystical experience of Sufism. Studied Hanbali jurisprudence in Baghdad. Spent twenty-five years as a wandering ascetic in the deserts of Iraq. Became a popular teacher with his own Sufi school & centre.  Most universally popular Wali Allah & revered man after the salf as-salihin. Recognised as the patron & founder of the Qadiri order. Has a reputation for theological soundness that has led others to claim his work as the basis for their own insights & experiences.

ON TASAWWUF Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani (d. 561 AH)

The eminent one among the great saints, nicknamed al-Ghawth al-a'zam or the Arch-helper, he is also an eminent jurist of the Hanbali school. His ties to the Shafi'i school and to Imam Abu Hanifa have been mentioned. He was the disciple of eminent saints, such as Abu al-Khayr Hammad ibn Muslim al-Dabbas (d. 525) and Khwaja Abu Yusuf al-Hamadani (d. 535), second in line after Abu al-Hasan al-Kharqani (al-Harawi al-Ansari's shaykh) in the early Naqshbandi chain of authority.

The most famous of Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir's works are:

• al-Ghunya li talibi tariq al-haqq (Sufficient provision for seekers of the path of truth); it is one of the most concise presentations of the madhhab of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal ever written, including the sound teaching of Ahl al-Sunna on 'aqida and tasawwuf.
• al-Fath al-rabbani (The Lord's opening), a collection of sermons for the student and the teacher in the Sufi path and all those attracted to perfection; true to its title, this book brings its reader immense profit and spiritual increase.
• Futuh al-ghayb (Openings to the unseen), another collection of sermons more advanced than the previous one, and just as priceless. Both have been translated into English;

Due to his standing in the Hanbali school, 'Abd al-Qadir was held in great respect by Ibn Taymiyya, who gives him alone the title "my Shaykh" (shaykhuna) in his entire Fatawa, while he reserves the title "my Imam" (imamuna) to Ahmad ibn Hanbal. He frequently cites Gilani and his shaykh al-Dabbas as among the best examples of latter-time Sufis.

Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir's karamat or miracles are too many to number. One of them consisted in the gift of guidance which was manifest in his speech and through which untold thousands entered Islam or repented. Al-Shattanawfi in Bahjat al-asrar mentions many of his miracles, each time giving a chain of transmission. Ibn Taymiyya took these reports to satisfy the criteria of authenticity, but his student al-Dhahabi, while claiming general belief in 'Abd al-Qadir's miracles, nevertheless affirms disbelief in many of them. We have already seen this trait of al-Dhahabi in his doubting of the sound report of Imam Ahmad's admiration of al-Muhasibi. These are his words about Gilani in Siyar a'lam al-nubala':

[#893] al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir (Al-Jilani): The shaykh, the imam, the scholar, the zahid, the knower, the exemplar, Shaykh Al-Islam, the distinguished one among the Awliya... the Hanbali, the Shaykh of Baghdad... I say: There is no one among the great shaykhs who has more spiritual states and miracles (karamat) than Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir, but a lot of it is untrue and some of those things are impossible.

 

The following account of Gilani's first encounter with al-Hamadani is related by Haytami in his Fatawa hadithiyya:

Abu Sa'id 'Abd Allah ibn Abi 'Asrun (d. 585), the Imam of the School of Shafi'i, said: "When I began a search for religious knowledge I kept company with my friend, Ibn al-Saqa, who was a student in the Nizamiyya School, and it was our custom to visit the pious. We heard that there was in Baghdad a man named Yusuf al-Hamadani who was known as al-Ghawth, and that he was able to appear whenever he liked and was able to disappear whenever he liked. So I decided to visit him along with Ibn al-Saqa and Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani, who was a young man at that time. Ibn al-Saqa said, "When we visit Shaykh Yusuf al-Hamadani I am going to ask him a question the answer to which he will not know." I said: "I am also going to ask him a question and I want to see what he is going to say." Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani said: "O Allah, protect me from asking a saint like Yusuf Hamadani a question, but I will go into his presence asking for his baraka -- blessing -- and divine knowledge."

Ibn Abi 'Asrun continues, "'Abd al-Qadir's fame became widespread and all that Shaykh al-Hamadani said about him came to pass. There came a time when he did say, "My feet are on the necks of all the awliya," and he was a reference and a beacon guiding all people in his time to their destinations.

The fate of Ibn al-Saqa was something else. He was brilliant in his knowledge of the divine Law. He preceded all the scholars in his time. He used to debate with the scholars of his time and overcome them, until the caliph called him to his association. One day the calif sent him as a messenger to the King of Byzantium, who in his turn called all his priests and the scholars of the Christian religion to debate with him. Ibn al-Saqa was able to defeat all of them in debate. They were helpless to give answers in his presence. He was giving answers to them that made them look like children and mere students in his presence.

His brilliance made the King of Byzantium so fascinated with him that he invited him to his private family meeting. There he saw the daughter of the King. He immediately fell in love with her, and he asked her father, the King, for her hand in marriage. She refused except on condition that he accept her religion. He did, leaving Islam and accepting the Christian religion of the princess. After his marriage he became seriously ill. They threw him out of the palace. He became a town beggar, asking everyone for food, yet no one would provide for him. Darkness had come over his face.

One day he saw someone that had known him before. That person relates: "I asked him, What happened to you?" He replied: "There was a temptation and I fell into it." The man asked him: "Do you remember anything from the Noble Qur'an?" He replied: "I only remember rubbama yawaddu al-ladhina kafaru law kanu muslimin -- "Again and again will those who disbelieve wish that they were Muslims" (15:2)."

He was trembling as if he was giving up his last breath. I turned him towards the Ka'ba, but he kept turning towards the East. Then I turned him back towards the Ka'aba, but he turned himself to the East. I turned him a third time, but he turned himself to the East. Then as his soul was passing from him, he said, "O Allah, that is the result of my disrespect to Your saint, Yusuf al-Hamadani."Ibn Abi 'Asrun continues: "I went to Damascus and the king there, Nur al-Din al-Shahid, put me in control of the religious department, and I accepted. As a result, dunya entered from every side: provision, sustenance, fame, money, position for the rest of my life. That is what the ghawth Yusuf al-Hamadani had predicted for me."¹

¹ al-Haytami, Fatawa hadithiyya 315-316.
Source of ref: www.sunnah.org

FURTHER EXTENSIVE READING HERE:  AL GHAWTH AL A'ZAM

'Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Hibat Allah ibn 'Abd Allah, Thiqat al-Din, Abu al-Qasim, known as Ibn 'Asakir al-Dimashqi al-Shafi'i al-Ash'ari [d.571H - 1175CE], the imam of hadith masters in his time and historian of Damascus.

Ibn al-Najjar said: "He is the imam of hadith scholars in his time and the chief leader in memorization, meticulous verification, thorough knowledge in the sciences of hadith, trustworthiness, nobility, and excellence in writing and beautiful recitation. He is the seal of this science."

Born in a family imbued with knowledge, he began his scholarly training at the age of six, attending the fiqh gatherings of his older brother Sa'in al-Din Hibat Allah ibn al-Hasan (d. 563) and learned Arabic and grammar at the hand of his maternal grandfather Abu al-Mufaddal al-Qurashi. Two of his uncles and one of his brothers were successively in charge of the head judgeship in Damascus, Abu al-Ma'ali Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn 'Ali al-Qurashi (d. 537), Abu al-Makarim Sultan ibn Yahya (d. 530), and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan.

By the time Ibn 'Asakir reached puberty he already possessed hadith certifications from the scholars of Damascus, Baghdad, and Khurasan. At age twenty, after his father died, he travelled around the Islamic world in pursuit of hadith narrations and performed pilgrimage, returning to Damascus and travelling again on and off between 519 and 533, "alone but for the Godwariness he took as his companion," hearing hadith from 1,300 male shaykhs and 80-odd female shaykhas in Baghdad, Makkah, Madinah, Asbahan, Naysabur, Marw, Tibriz, Mihana, Bayhaq, Khusrujird, Bistam, Herat, Azerbaijan, Kufa, Hamadhan, Ray, Zanjan, Bushanj, Sarkhas, Simnan, Jarbadhqan, Mawsil and elsewhere.

After 533 he sat teaching hadith in a corner of the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, then in the Dar al-Sunna school (subsequenty renamed Dar al-Hadith) built for him by al-Malik al-'Adil Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn Zanki. He shunned all kinds of material possessions and turned down the office of head preacher, concentrating on teaching, writing, and worshipping. His most famous student was the sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, who attended his funeral behind the imam al-Qutb al-Naysaburi.

Ibn 'Asakir was buried at the Bab al-Saghir cemetary, next to his father, near the grave of the Caliph Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan.

Ibn 'Asakir authored over a hundred books and epistles and narrated under five hundred hadith lessons. Among his larger works :

1. Tarikh Dimasqh in eighty volumes.1 Ibn Khallikan said that it contains, like al-Tabari's Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk, several books that can be read independently.

2. Al-Muwafaqat 'ala Shuyukh al-A'imma al-Thiqat in seventy-two volumes.

3. 'Awali Malik ibn Anas and its Dhayl in fifty volumes.

4. Ghara'ib Malik in ten volumes.

5. Al-Mu'jam listing only the names of his shaykhs, in twelve volumes.

6. Manaqib al-Shubban in fifteen volumes.

7. Books of "Immense Merits": Fada'il Ashab al-Hadith in eleven volumes, Fadl al-Jumu'a, Fadl Quraysh, Fada'il al-Siddiq, Fada'il Makka, Fada'il al-Madina, Fada'il Bayt al-Muqaddas, Fada'il 'Ashura', Fada'il al-Muharram, Fada'il Sha'ban.

8. Al-Ishraf 'ala Ma'rifa al-Atraf.

9. Akhbar al-Awza'i.

10. Al-Musalsalat.

11. Al-Suba'iyyat in seven volumes, listing narrations with chains containing only seven narrators up to the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him --.

12. Tabyin Kadhib al-Muftari Fima Nusiba ila Abi al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, a defense of al-Ash'ari and his school which he divided into the following sections :

He concluded the book with the following lines of poetry:

13. Yawm al-Mazid in three volumes.

14. Bayan al-Wahm wa al-Takhlit fi Hadith al-Atit ("The Exposition of Error and Confusion in the Narration of the [Throne's] Groaning").3

15. Arba'un Hadithan fi al-Jihad.

16. Arba'un Hadithan 'an Arba'ina Shaykhan min Arba'ina Madina.

Ibn 'Asakir defined hadith in the following verse of poetry :

Ibn 'Asakir's son, Baha' al-Din al-Qasim ibn 'Ali, said :

My father was assiduous in congregational prayer and recitation of the Qur'an. He used to recite it once a week, concluding it on the day of Jum'a, and once a day in Ramadan at which time he entered seclusion (i'tikaf) at the Eastern minaret. He performed many supererogatory prayers, devotions, and invocations. He would spend the nights before the two 'ids awake in prayer and supplications. He used to take account of himself for every passing moment.

Ibn al-Subki relates that the hadith master al-Mundhiri asked his shaykh Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn al-Mufaddal al-Maqdisi: "Which of these four contemporary hadith masters is the greatest?" He said: "Name them." Al-Mundhiri said: "Ibn 'Asakir and Ibn Nasir?" He replied: "Ibn 'Asakir." Al-Mundhiri went on: "Ibn 'Asakir and Abu al-'Ala' [al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Hamadhani]?" He said: "Ibn 'Asakir." Al-Mundhiri went on: "Ibn 'Asakir and al-Silafi?" Al-Maqdisi said: "Al-Silafi (is) our shaykh. Al-Silafi (is) our shaykh."4

Ibn Sasra narrated: "I used to rehearse with him the names of the masters he had met. One day I said to him: 'I believe that our master never saw anyone like himself?' He replied: 'Do not say that. Allah said: {Therefore justify not yourselves} (53:32).' I replied: 'He also said: {Therefore of the bounty of your Lord be your discourse} (93:11).' He replied: 'In that case yes, if someone were to say that my eyes never saw my like, he would be correct.'" Al-Khatib Abu al-Fadl ibn Abi Nasr al-Tusi said: "We do not know anyone who truly deserves the title of hadith master in our time other than him." Al-Dhahabi said: "I do not believe that Ibn 'Asakir ever met anyone of his level in his entire life." Ibn al-Subki added: "Nor anyone near his level."

Main sources: al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' 15:254-262 #5129; Ibn al-Subki, Tabaqat al-Shafi'iyya al-Kubra 7:215-223 #918.

NOTES

1] Dar al-Fikr in Damascus has published seventy of them to date in mid-1999.

2] Translated at www.sunnah.org/aqida/tabyin_kadhib.htm

3] See section entitled The "Groaning of the Throne" (p. 248).'

4] This could mean either that he considered al-Silafi the greater master, or that he implicitly admitted Ibn 'Asakir's superiority but expressed it in terms of the student's requisite adab with his teacher. Ibn al-Subki noted that Ibn al-Sam'ani was superior to all of them except Ibn 'Asakir, but that he was in far-off Merv, whereas the rest were in or near Egypt and Sham.

copyright As-Sunna Foundation of America

Shaykh as-Sayyad Ahmed ar Rifai was born in the first half of Rajab in the Muslim year of 512 H. (1119 CE) on a Thursday. His birthplace was in the town of Ummu Abeyde in the township of Beta in the province of Basra, Iraq. He passed away on Thursday 22nd Jamadi al-Awwal 578 H. (1183 CE.), in the town of Wasit, in Basra, Iraq. His father was Sayyad Ali Abu'l Hasan. His mother was Fatima ul-Anseri bint Yahya Nijjeri. His Shaykh was Aleyyul Wasiti. His maternal uncle, who helped raise him, was Shaykh Mansur Rabbani.

Ahmed ar Rifai Radi Allahu anhu descended from the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam from both his father's and mother's sides by blood. Before Ahmed ar Rifai's birth, his maternal uncle, a famous Shaykh, Mansur Rabbani, had 'seen' the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam and was told that his sister would have a male child who would be famous and be known by the name "Rifa'i." Ahmed ar Rifai showed ability and wisdom beyond his age when he began his education under Shaykh Vasiti upon the instructions of his uncle. He acquired a high maqam by explaining the book of the Shafi school called "Tanbih."

Many miracles occurred through Ahmed ar Rifai Radi Allahu anhu. One of the most widely known is the one that give him the name "Ebul alemeyin" (the Father of Two Banners). In the year 555 A.H., when he was 43 years old, Hz. Rifa'i went on hajj. He didn't wear the usual traveling clothes of sayyads (the relatives of the Prophet, Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam, could be recognized by their clothes). There is a certain section of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam's tomb in Medina that only blood relatives of the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam may enter. The guard at the door would not allow him in, as he wanted to know the proof that Ahmed ar Rifai was related to the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam. Ahmed ar Rifai was sad and yelled towards our Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam's tomb, "As-salaamu alaykum, ya jeddi (Peace be on you, my ancestor)." Our Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam answered, saying "Walaykum salaam, ya waladi (And peace be on you, my son)." Muhammad's (saws) hand came out of the tomb and our Pir kissed the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam's hand. When people saw this miracle, they went into a state of wajd (ecstasy) and began stabbing themselves with their swords and knives. When the ecstasy passed, there were people lying all over the floor covered with blood, so Ahmed ar Rifai returned them to their normal health. After that, our Pir was famous for possessing this gift.

One day somebody asked Ghawth al A'zam Shaykh Sayyadina as-Shaykh Abd 'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu anhu (who was Ahmed ar Rifai's cousin) "Ya Hadrat, what is love?" Ghawth al A'zam Radi Allahu anhu told the person to go ask this question to Sayyad Ahmed ar Rifai. After sending Ghawth al A'zam Radi Allahu anhu's salaams to Ahmed ar Rifai, he asked, "What is love?" When Ahmed ar Rifai heard this question, he stood up, saying, "Love is fire, love is fire." He began whirling until he passed into the unseen and disappeared. When the person saw this, he was disturbed because he didn't understand what was happening. At that moment, the spiritual presence of Ghawth al A'zam Radi Allahu anhu appeared and told him to look for the spot where his brother Ahmed ar Rifai Radi Allahu anhu had vanished, and to pour rosewater on that spot. The person did this and within a couple of moments, Sayyad Ahmed ar Rifai re-appeared, whirling in the exact same place. When the man went back to Baghdad, he visited Ghawth al A'zam Radi Allahu anhu who asked him, "Did you see love? My brother Sayyad Rifa'i has reached stations that many walis have not been able to reach." Sayyad Ahmed ar Rifai Radi Allahu anhu also deeply loved and respected Ghawth al A'zam Shaykh Sayyadina as-Shaykh Abd 'al-Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu anhu and told his students that whoever visited Baghdad without visiting al Ghawth al A'zam Radi Allahu anhu's tomb would not be welcome by Allah or by them.

SOURCE : QADIRI RIFAI SUFI ORDER

He was born in a Shafi'ite and Ash'arite family. His father was Diya al-Din 'Umar who taught him Islamic religious sciences before he went to study with other Muslim savants. Al-Razi travelled to many places such as Bukhara, Khwarazm and Transoxiana and held discussions with local savants. Al-Razi was a prolific and encyclopedic writer and scholar based on his more than sixty complete works. He was a philosopher, historian, mathematician, astronomer, physician, theologian and exegesist. Al-Razi's works on theology and on Kalam include the books al-Arba'in fi Usul al-Din and al-Mas'il al-Khamsun fi Usul al-Din. In his al-Arba'in fi Usul al-Din, al-Razi presented forty issues in the principles of religion, such as religious cosmology, theology, ethics, prophecy, eschatology and imamate. Meanwhile, al-Masa'il al-Khamsun fi Usul al-Din is a more brief presentation of similar themes or topics.

"This piece of paper says that my son does such and such. If it is true, he is but a youth and I hope he will repent. It also says that my wife does such and such. If it is true, she is a faithless woman. And it says that my servant does such and such. Servants are wont to commit every wrong, except for those Allah protects. But on none of these scraps of paper - and may Allah be praised -is it written that my son says Allah is a corporeal body, or that he likens Him to created things, or that my wife believes that, or my servant - So which of the two groups is closer to guidance? ^[1] 

---

Regarding Tasawwuf :

He wrote in his I'tiqadat firaq al-muslimin wa al-mushrikin:

The summary of what the Sufis say is that the way to the knowledge of Allah is self-purification and renunciation of material attachments, and this is an excellent way... Sufis are a folk who work with reflection and the detaching of the self from materialistic trappings. They strive in order that their inner being be solely occupied with the remembrance of Allah in all of their occupations and their actions, and they are characterized by the perfection of their manners in dealing with Allah. Verily these are the best of all the sects of human beings.²

Quotes:

-Jami' al-'ulum

NOTES:

He travelled to Khawarzim and Khurasan, and finally to Herat, Afghanistan, where he died in 1210 ^[1]
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, I'tiqadat firaq al-muslimin p. 72-73. [2]

Work in the pharmacy was difficult for young 'Attar. People from all walks of life visited the shop and shared their troubles with him. Their poverty, it seems, impacted the young poet the most. One day, it is related, an unsightly fakir visited the shop. The way he marveled at the opulence of the store made 'Attar uneasy; he ordered the fakir to leave. Looking the owner and the well-stocked shop over, the fakir said, "I have no difficulty with this, pointing to his ragged cloak, to leave; but you, how are you, with all this, planning to leave!" The fakir's response affected 'Attar deeply. He pondered the fakir's reply for many days and, eventually, decided to give up his shop and join the circle of Shaykh Rukn al-Din Akkaf of the Kubraviyyah order. His new life was one of travel and exploration, very much like the fakir who had inspired him. For a long time, he traveled to Ray, Kufa, Makkah, Damascus, Turkistan, and India, meeting with Sufi shaykhs, learning about the tariqah, and experiencing life in the khanqahs.

When finally he felt he had achieved what he had been seeking in travel, 'Attar returned to Nishapur, settled, and reopened his pharmacy. He also began to contribute to the promotion of Sufi thought. Called Tadhkirat al-Auliya (Memorial of the Saints), 'Attar's initial contribution to his new world contains all the verses and sayings of Sufi saints who, up to that time, had not penned a biography of their own. Regarding the poetic output of 'Attar there are conflicting reports both with respect to the number of books that he might have written and the number of distichs he might have composed. For instance, Reza Gholikhan Hedayat reports the number of books to be 190 and the number of distichs to be 100,000. Firdowsi's Shahname contains only 60,000 bayts. Another tradition puts the number of books to be the same as the number of the Surahs (verses) of the Qur'an, i.e., 114. More realistic studies consider the number of his books to have been between 9 to 12 volumes.

'Attar's works fall within three categories. First are those works in which mysticism is in perfect balance with a finished, story-teller's art. The second group are those in which a pantheistic zeal gains the upper hand over literary interest. The third are those in which the aging poet idolizes the saint Ali. During this period there is no trace of ordered thoughts and descriptive skills. One of 'Attar's major poetic works is called Asrar Nameh (Book of Secrets) about Sufi ideas. This is the work that the aged Shaykh gave Maulana Jalal al-Din Rumi when Rumi's family stayed over at Nishapur on its way to Konya, Turkey. Another major contribution of 'Attar is the Elahi Nameh (Divine Book), about zuhd or asceticism. But foremost among 'Attar's works is his Manteq al-Tayr (Conference of the Birds) in which he makes extensive use of Al-Ghazali's Risala on Birds as well as a treatise by the Ikhvan al-Safa (the Brothers of Serenity) on the same topic.

SOURCE: by Iraj Bashiri

Shaykh Najm al-Din Kubra [d. 618H/1221CE] 'alayhi al-rahmah wa'l-ridwan

Abu al-Jannab Ahmad ibn 'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Khiwaqi al-Khwarazmi, known as Najm al-Din Kubra alayhir rahman was the founder of the the Kubrawiya Sufi Order--originating, like the Yasawiya, in Central Asia.  Najm al-Din Kubra alayhir rahman was known as the "saint-producing (lit. "sculpting or chiseling") shaykh" (shaykh-e vali tarash), since a number of his disciples became great shaykhs themselves. Although originally from Khiva, located today in western Uzbekistan, he moved nearby to the capital city, Khwarazm. Shaykh Najm al-Din was killed defending Khwarazm, which was completely destroyed during the Mongol holocaust. Today, his tomb is in the town of Konya Urgench, which was built in the area of the ruins of Khwarazm. Apparently, he is known there as Kebir Ata. Konya Urgench is located in Turkmenistan and is about an hour's drive over the border from the city of Nukus in the Karakalpak region of Uzbekistan. (If you intend to visit Shaykh Najm al-Din's shrine from Uzbekistan, you must have a Turkmen visa--if you are not Uzbek.)

Source: www.uga.edu/islam/Sufism.html

Five to seven hundred years after the Hijrat of the Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, the Muslim world experienced an extremely turbulent period. However, Sufism blossomed and spread its roots even further. Between 550-700 A.H. the twelfth and thirteenth centuries , the chaotic disruption of the Mongol invasion reached as far as Baghdad and destroyed the caliphate along with numerous concurrent disasters. Regardless, the faithful Muslim saints and scholars flourished at a greater rate than previously recorded. Many Sufi Orders were founded in this period; and those who had dissipated were once again revived.

Among the saintly scholars, Najm al-Din Kubra, founder of the Kubrawiyyah Order, began teaching in Khwarazm; a region in NW Uzbekistan, which, in the past, was part of the great Persian Empire, under the rule of Cyres, the Great. The Kubrawiyyah Order soon expanded its wings and spread its teachings to Persia, Afghanistan, India and China. The Kubrawiyyah, throughout their long history, produced masters of great stature who taught and produced numerous, elaborate writings and doctrines of the Sufis. In 540/1145, in Khwarazm, South of the Aral Sea, Abu'l-Jannab Najm al-Din ibn Umar al-Kubra was born. From a very young age, he displayed a surpassing intelligence. In school he received the nickname Kubra, which literally means "the greatest." It is the abbreviated form of the Qur'anic phrase al-tammat al-Kubra, "the Greatest Calamity"(LXXIX: 34, Noble Qur'an).

After completing his studies in Islamic religious sciences, Najm al-Din left his birthplace to pursue studies in other lands. He went to Persia to study the science of the Hadith then onto Egypt. In his early thirties, his thirst for esoteric matters attracted him to the Suhrawardiyyah order, where he was initiated by Shaykh Ruzbihan al-Wazzan al-Misri. According to Shaykh Kubra's writings, it is known that he had at least one profoundly moving spiritual experience in his childhood. Some believe that Najm al-Din's direction in spirituality may have been greatly affected by Baba Faraj Tabrizi due to his impressive mannerisms and advice to pursue the esoteric sciences.

His first experience as a salek was in Dizful, in western Persia, under the supervision of Ismail al-Qasri. After a short while, Ismail advised him to become an apprentice with Ammar ibn Yasir al-Bidlisi, who was a disciple of Abu'l-Najib al-Suhrawardi. After the passing of his teacher, Shaykh Ammar, Najm al-Din returned to Egypt where Shaykh al-Misri helped him to continue his training until he was permitted to instruct disciples of his own. While under the instruction of Shaykh al-Misri, he married his master's daughter. Upon receiving permission to teach, he was instructed to return to his birthplace, Khwarasm.

Najm al-Din returned to Khwarazm sometime between 582/1185 and 586/ 1190 where he remained the rest of his life, devoting himself to the spiritual path and to teaching disciples. Although he had few disciples, he earned an epithet for his success rate of producing masters of high stature. The epithet was: Wali-tarash, "Sculptor of Saints." He wrote a number of discourses; Fawa'ih al-jamal wa fawatih al-jalal (Aromas of Beauty and Preambles of Majesty), being the most important of his works. In this text he included records of his personal, visionary experiences and guidance for practicing the path; a detailed theory of the Sufi path for initiates.

After a fruitful, spiritual life, Najm al-Din passed away in Urgench, near Khwarazm, in the year 618/1221, during the Mongol invasion. He was offered protection if he had accepted to take refuge with the Mongols; instead, he chose to fight and defend the City for it would result in a glorified martyr's death in battle.

All schools of Sufism are known for their strict rules and discipline of the self and the Kubrawiyyah's methods were not different from the rest. As a Sufi master, Najm al-Din insisted on certain prerequisites before he would consider anyone as a potential salek (student). In order to be considered as a candidate and accepted as a student, one was required to have solid knowledge of Islamic laws and Islamic theological doctrines. The disciplinary rules of the school are eight principles of Junayd (third/ninth centuries). A salek must constantly observe the following:

In addition to the mentioned eight rules, Najm al-Din also highly recommended two additional rules: moderation in eating and drinking when breaking a fast, and maintaining a bare minimum of sleep.Shaykh Kubra's description and theory of the Sufi path was that the journey towards Allah was none but an inward journey. He believed that whatever Allah put in the macrocosm, also existed within every individual on the microcosmic level.

He often told people to pray because Allah is praiseworthy; not for fear of hell or in wishing for paradise.

We do not want anyone to get confused with Shihab al-Din Yahya al-Suhrawardi (1153/5-1191) who was called "the Master of Oriental Theosophy", and founder of the Ishraqi or "Illumination" School. Yahya al-Suhrawardi was the most controversial of three celebrated mystics who lived at the same time and bore the same place-name - Suhraward, in northwest Iran, near Azerbaijan.  His contemporary Shaykh Shihab al-Din 'Umar b. 'Abd Allah Suhrawardi (1144-1234CE) kept his head by being a model of orthodox moderation, and enjoyed the patronage of Caliphs and princes.  .  Shihab al-Din's teacher was his uncle Abu Najb Suhrawardi (d.1168), rector of the Nizamiya academy and an authority on Hadith.

Celebrated Arab poet, mystic and Wali Allah. Composed quatrains [ruba'iyat], love poems [ghazals] & odes [qasidas] expressing a mystical view of life in which all of existence reveals the beauty & love of Allah. Most famous are his al-khamriyyah [Wine ode], praising love & the beloved & the Nazm al-suluk [Poem of the Sufi way], an ode of 760 verses detailing the mystic's ascent to enlightenment. Today remains venerated as a Wali Allah [saint] in Cairo, Egypt.

Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-'Arabi, Abu Bakr Muhyi al-Din al-Hatimi al-Ta'i al-Andalusi al-Mursi al-Dimashqi, known as Ibn 'Arabi to differentiate him from Abu Bakr Ibn al-'Arabi the Maliki jurist. A scholar of Arabic letters at first, then tafsir and tasawwuf, nicknamed 'al-Qushayri' and 'Sultan al-'Arifin' in his time for his pre-eminence in tasawwuf, known in his lifetime for his devoutness to worship, asceticism, and generosity, Ibn 'Arabi was praised by al-Munawi as "a righteous friend of Allah and a faithful scholar of knowledge" (waliyyun salihun wa 'alimun nasih), by Ibn 'Imad al-Hanbali as "the absolute mujtahid without doubt," and by al-Fayruzabadi as "the Imam of the People of Shari'a both in knowledge and in legacy, the educator of the People of the Way in practice and in knowledge, and the shaykh of the shaykhs of the People of Truth through spiritual experience (dhawq) and understanding."1

His Teachers

He travelled East and West in the study of hadith, taking knowledge from over a thousand shaykhs, among them Abu al-Hasan ibn Hudhayl, Muhammad ibn Khalaf al-Lakhmi, Ibn Zarqun, Abu al-Walid al-Hadrami, al-Silafi, 'Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbili, Ibn 'Asakir, Ibn al-Jawzi, and Ibn Bushkuwal.His principal shaykhs in tasawwuf were Abu Madyan al-Maghribi, Jamal al-Din Yunus ibn Yahya al-Qassar, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Tamimi al-Fasi, Abu al-Hasan ibn Jami', and al-Khidr alayhis asalam.2

He became known first as al-Shaykh al-Kabir ("The Great Shaykh") then al-Shaykh al-Akbar ("The Greatest Shaykh") with specific reference to the sciences of tasawwuf in which he authored hundreds of books.3

His Doctrine ('Aqida)

His greatest and best-known is his last work, al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya ("The Meccan Conquests") which begins with a statement of doctrine - translated in forthcoming posts - about which al-Safadi said:

His Rank of Mujtahid Mutlaq

In jurisprudence Ibn 'Arabi is often said to follow the Zahiri school, but this is incorrect since he himself denies it, as quoted by Ibn 'Imad from Ibn 'Arabi's two poems al-Ra'iyya and al-Nuniyya, which state respectively:

Laqad harrama al-Rahmanu taqlida Malikin
wa Ahmada wa al-Nu'mani wa al-kulli fa'dhuru

The Merciful forbade me to imitate Malik, Ahmad,
Al-Nu'man [Abu Hanifa] and others, therefore pardon me.

Lastu mimman yaqulu qala Ibnu Hazmin
la wa la Ahmadu wa la al-Nu'manu

I am not of those who say: "Ibn Hazm said"-
Certainly not! Nor "Ahmad said" nor "al-Nu'man said."5

It is remarkable that there were very few contemporaries of Ibn 'Arabi among his accusers, although he travelled and taught all over the Islamic world and, as Ibn Hajar stated, "he made his mark in every country that he entered"15  while his admirers among the authorities of Islam lived both in his own lifetime and later. Among the Shaykh's sayings:

- "Whoever is truthful in something and pursues it diligently will obtain it sooner or later; if he does not obtain it in this world, he will obtain it in the next; and whoever dies before victory shall be elevated to the level of his diligence."

- "The knower of Allah knows through eyesight (basar) what others know through insight (basira), and - he knows through insight what virtually no-one knows. Despite this, he does not feel secure from the harm of his ego towards himself; how then could he ever feel secure from what His Lord has foreordained for him?"

- "The knower's declaration to his student:

- "The discourse of the knower is in the image of the listener according to the latter's powers, readiness, weakness, and inner reservations."

- "If you find it complicated to answer someone's question, do not answer it, for his container is already full and does not have room for the answer."

- "The ignorant one does not see his ignorance as he basks in its darkness; nor does the knowledgeable one see his own knowledge, for he basks in its light."

- "Whoever asks for a proof for Allah's oneness, a donkey knows more than him."

His Tarjuman al-Ashwaq ("The Interpreter of Desires") is a masterpiece of Arabic poetry translated in many languages. The following poem to the Ka'ba is taken from the Futuhat.a

1. In the Place of refuge my heart sought refuge,
shot with enmity's arrows.

2. O Mercy of Allah for His slaves, Allah placed His trust
in you among all inanimate forms.

3. O House of my Lord, O light of my heart,
O coolness of my eyes,b  O my heart within,

4. O true secret of the heart of existence,
my sacred trust, my purest love!

5. O direction from which I turn from every quarter and valley,

6. From subsistence in the Real, then from the height,
from self-extinction, then from the depths!

7. O Ka`ba of Allah, O my life,
O path of good fortune, O my guidance,

8. In you has Allah placed every safety
from the fear of disaster upon the Return.

9. In you does the noble Station flourish,
in you are found the fortunes of Allah's slaves.

10. In you is the Right Hand that my sin has draped
in the robe of blackness.c

11. Multazam is in you - he who clings to love for it,
will be saved on the Day of Mutual Cries.d

12. Souls passed away longing for Her,
in the pain of longing and distant separation.

13. In sorrow at their news she has put on
the garment of mourning.e

14. Allah sheds His light on her court,
and something of His light appears in the heart.

15. None sees it but the sorrowful
whose eyes are dark from lack of sleep.

16. He circumambulates seven times after seven,
from the beginning of night until the call to prayer.

17. Hostage to endless sadness, he is never seen
but bound to effort.

18. I heard him call upon Allah and say, beside the Black
Stone: "O my heart!

19. Our night has quickly passed,
but the goal of my love has not passed!"

Ibn 'Imad said: "He died - may Allah have mercy on him! - in the house of the Qadi Muhyi al-Din ibn al-Zaki and was taken to Qasyun [Damascus] and buried in the noble mound, one of the groves of Paradise, and Allah knows best."16

Hadrat Ala'ud-din Ali Ahmed Sabir alaihir rahmah was born on the 19th of Rabi-ul-Awwal 592 H. at Herat in Afghanistan. He was the great grandson of AL GHAWTH AL ADHAM, Shaykh Abd'al Qadir al-Jilani Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu and the maternal nephew of Hadrat Baba Farid al-Din alaihir rahmah. While Hadrat Sabir Paak alaihir rahmah was still in his mother's womb, Sayyiduna Rasullulah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam appeared in her dream and commanded her to name the child "Ahmed." Likewise, after some time, the fourth Caliph of Islam, Sayyadina Hadrat Ali Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu, appeared in his mother's dream and command her to name her child "Ali." Due to both these commands, he was named Ali Ahmed. Some of the first words he spoke as a toddler were "La Moujuda Ill-Allah" meaning "There is nothing present but Allah." At the age of 7, he adopted regular fasting and Tahajjud Salaah. When his mother insisted upon him not to perform such Mujahedas (spiritual striving) he simply said, "My dear mother, I can't help it. I wish to burn myself in the devotion of Allah. I really enjoy this life." Hadrat Sabir Paak alaihir rahmah was then initiated as a mureed by Hadrat Baba Farid alaihir rahmah in the Chistiya Silsila. Hadrat Baba Farid alaihir rahmah once said: "The knowledge of my chest was given to Shaykh Nizam al-Din alaihir rahmah while the knowledge of my heart enriched Shaykh Ali Ahmed Sabir alaihir rahmah."



Hadrat Sabir Paak's alaihir rahmah Mazaar Shareef was built after 200 years by Hadrat Qutb-e-A'lam Abd 'al-Qudoos Gangohi alaihir rahmah, and ever since, people have been visiting in their droves.

FURTHER READING ON BABA FARID GANJ-I SHAKAR

Hadrat Shaykh Baha-al-Din Zakariya (Persian: بہاؤ الدین زکریا ) was a Sufi of the Suhrawardiyya order (tariqa). His full name was al-Shaykh al-Kabir Baha-ud-Din Abu Muhammad Zakaria al-Qurayshi al-Asadi al Hashmi.

Shaykh Baha al-Din Zakariya known as 'Bahawal Haq' was born at Kot Kehror, a town of the Layyah District near Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, around 1170 Common Era. His grand father Shah Kamal al-Din Ali Shah Qurayshi al Hashmi arrived in Multan from Makkah en route to Khwarizm where he stayed for a short while. Shaykh Baha al-Din was from the descendents of Asad Ibn Hashim the maternal grandfather of Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Talib Radi Allahu anhu.

In Tariqat he was the disciple of Renowned Sufi Master Shaykh Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi Radi Allahu anhu who awarded him Khilafat only after 17 days of stay at his Khanqaah in Baghdad.

For fifteen years he went from place to place to preach Islam and after his wanderings 'Bahawal Haq' settled in Multan in 1222. One of his famous disciples is Hadrat Lal Shah Baz Qalander Radi Allahu anhu [d.650].

Shah baz Qalandar (Sayyad Uthman) was seen as a controversial figure by some, because he was a majzub wali. He would put on red clothes and was often found in a state of spiritual ecstasy. This offended the orthodox ulema of the time. Qazi Qutb al-Din Kashfi, a prominent alim, gave a fatwa [religious edict) against Sayyad Uthman, who was staying in a village near Multan. He was furious when he heard about this fatwa and travelled to Multan with his followers to avenge the dishonour. At the time, Shaykh Baha al-Din Zakariya Multani was presiding over the seat of spiritual guidance and enlightenment and his circle of disciples included scholars and sages. When he learnt of Sayyad Uthman and the cause of his anger, Shaykh Baha al-Din, managed to calm him down.


Humbled by Shaykh Baha al-Din, he said: ''O personification of the light, I beg your pardon. I was in the wrong. I had come to take revenge from an alim of your city, but I have myself become your prisoner. Don't keep me waiting for long and accept my submission and bai't.'' Shaykh Baha al-Din embraced him and included him in his circle of Rushd-wo-Hidayat (spiritual guidance and enlightenment). Shaykh Baha al-Din is reported to have addressed Uthman with the name 'Lal Shahbaz' and since then, he has been known by this name.

According to Hadrat Makhdoom Ashraf Semnani,

Shaykh Baha-al-Din Zakariya died in 1267 CE and his mausoleum is located near the main gate of the Multan Fort. (Some reports say that the Shaykh died on the 7th of Safar - 661/21 December 1262).

Mawlana Rumi, Jalal al-Din al- [d.672H - 1273CE] 'alayhi al-rahmah wa'l-ridwan

Born in Balkh [in modern Afghanistan] but lived in Konya, Anatolia [Turkey]. Initially followed existing Sufi paths but became a visionary ecstatic in 1244 after being inspired on a new path of aesthetic & emotional Sufism, which developed into the Mawlawi [Mevlevi] order after his death. Taught that the Master of the Way was to serve as a medium between Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala & humanity. Sought identification of the human self with divine being. Wrote more than seventy thousand verses of Persian poetry in ordinary language, expressing the experience of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala's presence in creation & inspiring joy in the listener; common themes are the trials of separation from the Beloved & the joys of union with Him. Most famous poem is Mathnawi, a compilation of spiritual outbursts, anecdotal ruminations & parables expressed in poetic form.

Morrocan-born founder of Ahmadi Sufi order, one of the four largest in Egypt. Influenced by Shaykh AHMAD AR-RIFA'Y & Shaykh 'ABD' AL-QADIR AL-JILANI and their Sufi orders. Received a vision instructing him to go to Egypt, where he won many followers & reputedly worked miracles. Fought against the Crusaders. The annual celebration of his birth [mawlid] is among the most popular feasts in Egypt. By the early nineteenth century, three feasts were being held in his honour, coinciding with the agricultural cycle of the Nile Delta. The shrine and Mosque built over his tomb are popular sites for devotees.

Abu Zakariyya Yahya Ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi [d.677H - 1278CE] 'alayhi al-rahmah wa'l-ridwan

He was popularly known as al-Nawawi or Imam Nawawi. He studied in Damascus from the age of 18 and after making the Hajj in 1253 he settled there as a private scholar. In 1267 he succeeded Abu Shama as professor of hadith at the Ashrafiyya school in the city. He died at Nawa at a relatively young age, having never married.

Imam Nawawi Rahmatullahi alaih was one of the great Sufi scholars, strictest latter-time hadith masters, and most meticulous of jurists, Shaykh al-Islam Imam Muhyiddin Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi is with al-Rafi'i the principal reference of the late Shafi'i school. His books remain authoritative in the methodology of the law, in Qur'an commentary, and in hadith. His commentary of Sahih Muslim is second only to Ibn Hajar's commentary of Sahih Bukhari. Allah gave his famous compilation of Forty Hadiths more circulation and fame than possibly any other book of hadith, large or small, and has allowed Nawawi to be of immense benefit to the Community of Islam.

Imam Nawawi Rahmatullahi alaih was considered a Sufi and a saint, as is evident from the titles of some of his works and that of Sakhawi's biography entitled Tarjamat shaykh al-islam, qutb al-awliya' al-kiram, faqih al-anam, muhyi al-sunna wa mumit al-bid'a Abi Zakariyya Muhyi al-Din al-Nawawi (The biography of the Shaykh of Islam, the Pole of Noble Saints, the Jurist of Mankind, the Reviver of the Sunna and the Slayer of Innovation... al-Nawawi).

Persian Sufi poet. Lived & wrote in Shiraz. A member of the 'Suhrawardi tariqah', he is best known for spiritual & moral teachings. He travelled throughout the Islamic world as a Sufi dervish. His two major works, Bustan [The Orchard] & Ghulistan [The (Flower) Garden], are characterised by garden & floral imagery in the context of scriptural admonitions to live a moral life. Known as a master of the Persian language.

As the third Shaykh of the Shadhili Sufi order Ibn 'Ata Allah, was responsible for systemising the orders doctrines & recording the biographies of its founder, Shaykh Abu al-Hasan and his successor, Shaykh Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi. He is the author of the first systematic treatise on dhikr. His compilation of aphorisms [hikam; sing. Hikmah] made the order very popular & his work has been referred to as the last Sufi karamat performed on the banks of the Nile.

Ibn 'Ata' Allah alayhir rahman was one of those who confronted IBN TAYMIYYA for his excesses in attacking those of the Sufis with whom he disagreed.


What he said to Ibn Taymiyya regarding SHAYKH IBN AL 'ARABI ;

Abul Hasan Yamin al-Din Khusro (1253-1325 CE), better known as Amir Khusro Dehlavi (in Persian language history), is one of the iconic figures in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent. A Sufi mystic and a spiritual disciple of NIZAM AL-DIN AWLIYA of Delhi, Amir Khusro (or Khusrau or Khusraw) was not only one of India's greatest poets, he is also credited with being the founder of both the hindi classical poetry and Qawwali (the devotional music of the Sufis). He was born of a Turkish father, Saif al-Din, and an Indian mother, in India.

Shaykh Abul-Mukarram Rukn al-din Ala-ud-Dawlah Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Ahmad Biabanki Semnani Rahmatullahi alayh is one of the great Sufi philosophers and poets of his time. He came from a large and affluent family who come from the province of Biabank, Semnan in Iran. During his youth he was under the rule of the local militia and later on was involved as a government personnel. Suddenly he left all that behind, slept little, ate little and spoke little and learned the Qur'an and spent most of his time in worship and became a member of the Kubrawi Sufi order; which maintained that strict adherence to the Qur'an al kareem and Islamic law was the basis of the Sufi path.

Shaykh Semnani wrote many treatises and his '40 Sessions' [chahel majlis] are amongst the most well known. The Vastness of Human Heart is one extract from such a session :

Hark! Yaa Muslim! Yaa Sufi! Follow not, obey not the desires of your heart for world conquest and call it the religion or spirituality, follow who reminds you of the Divine Sublime Beloved understand the Tariq (Path) of obtaining Halal (Lawful) livelihood and deliver your children to the beginnings of the Tariqat (Path to the Divine) and invite not people & their children to death & destruction.


Source:  Untired With Loving

Sa'd al-Din Mahmud al-Shabistari [d.740H/1340CE ] 'alayhi al-rahmah wa'l-ridwan

Mahmud al-Shabistari was born at Shabistar, near Tabriz, around the year 1250 Common Era, he was one of the great Sufi poets of the 8TH Century [Hijri] / 14th Century [CE]. He is famous for writing the Gulshan e Raz, or Secret Rose Garden, as a reply to questions put forth by a Sufi doctor of Herat named Dmir Sayyad Husayni. Very little is known of Mahmud Shabistari's actual life. He also wrote beside the Gulshan e Raz two treatises on Sufism called Haqq al Yakin and Risala e Shadid. We learn he had a very favourite disciple called Shaykh Ibrahim. The Gulshan e Raz was introduced into Europe by two travellers in 1700CE. Later, copies of the poem were found in several European libraries.

Al-Dhahabi [1274-1348CE] the great Shafi'i hadith master (hafiz) and historian of Islam, the imam, Shaykh al-Islam, head of hadith masters, perspicuous critic and expert examiner of the hadith, encyclopedic historian and biographer, and foremost authority in the canonical readings of the Qur'an. Born in Damascus where his family lived from the time of his grandfather 'Uthman, he sometimes identified himself as Ibn al-Dhahabi - son of the goldsmith - in reference to his father's profession. He began his study of hadith at age eighteen, travelling from Damascus to Ba'labak, Hims, Hama, Aleppo, Tripoli, Nabulus, al-Ramla, Cairo, Iskandariyya, al-Qudus, Hijaz, and elsewhere to thirty different locations, after which he returned to Damascus where he taught and authored many works and achieved world renown. He lost his sight two years before he died, leaving three children: his eldest daughter Amat al-'Aziz and his two sons 'Abd Allah and Abu Hurayra 'Abd al-Rahman. The latter taught the hadith masters Ibn Nasir al-Din al-Dimashqi and Ibn Hajar, to whom he transmitted several works authored or narrated by his father.

His student TAJ AL-DIN AL-SUBKI said:

Another student of his, Salah al-Din al-Safadi, said:

The "Commander of the Believers in Hadith" (Amir al-Mu'minin fi al-Hadith), Shaykh al-Islam IBN HAJAR AL-ASQALANI said of him:

He authored nearly a hundred works, some of them of considerable size:

• Major History of Islam ('Tarikh al-Islam al-kabir), thirty-six volume
• Talkhis al-Mustadrak
• Tadhkirat al-huffaz
• The Lives of Noble Figures (Siyar a`lam al-nubala'), twenty-three volume
• Tadhhib al-Tahdhib
• Al-Kashif fi Asma' Rijal al-Kutub al-Sittah
  
  
  

  ---

In his Mu'jam al-Shuyukh, in a large version entitled al-Kabir and a smaller one entitled al-Saghir or al-Latif. These Mu'jams are a fascinating chronicle of al-Dhahabi's shaykhs through meetings or correspondence. The Kabir contains biographies of about 1,300 of his shaykhs. In the entry devoted to Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Mun'im al-Qazwini, al-Dhahabi writes the following lines:

Al-Dhahabi defined knowledge in Islam (al-'ilm) as "Not the profusion of narration, but a light which Allah casts into the heart. Its condition is followership (ittiba') and the flight away from egotism (hawa) and innovation."

At the mention of al-Harawi al-Ansari's Sufi manual Manazil al-Sa'irin in the Siyar al-Dhahabi exclaims:

How beautiful was the tasawwuf of the Companions and Successors! They did not probe those phantasms and whisperings of the mind but worshipped Allah, humbling themselves and relying upon Him, in great awe and fear of Him, fiercely combating His enemies, hastening to obey Him, staying away from idle speech. Allah guides whomever He wills to the straight path.

Ibn al-Subki, Tabaqat al-Shafi'iyya al-Kubra 9:100-106 #1306; Sa'd, Safahat fi Tarjima al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi.


Extracts By Shaykh Gibril F. Haddad

Also read the letter Al-Dhahabi wrote to his disgraced teacher Ibn Taymiya