Relationship with the Prophet

Sheikh Sayyiduna Abdul Qadir's (may Allah be pleased with him) relationship with the beloved Prophet was not merely one of spiritual lineage, however. It was also one of genealogical descent, for Ghaus-ul-Azam’s mother was a descendant of Hazrat Imam Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him), and his father of Hazrat Imam Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him). This double genealogical link to the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) is of great importance inheriting every one of his ancestor’s spiritual achievements. Alahazrat’s poetry is again helpful in understanding the importance of this factor to him personally. In the verses below, Imam Ahmad Raza uses metaphors from nature to describe the Shaikh. It should be understood that the words 'pure', 'beautiful', and 'lovely', stand for the beloved Sayyida Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her), Imam Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him), and Imam Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him) respectively:

  Prophetic shower, ‘Alawi season, pure garden  

(nabawi menh, ‘alawi fasl, batuli gulshan

hasani phul husaini hai mahakna tera

nabawi zil, ‘alawi burj, batuli manzil

hasani cahnd husaini hai ujala tera

nabawi khur, ‘alawi kho, batuli ma’adun

hasani la’l husaini hai tajalla tera)

The verses indicate that Alahazrat saw Sheikh Sayyiduna Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him) as the repository of the virtues of each of his illustrious ancestors, and his choice as a Sayyid [Sayyid Shah Ale Rasul (may Allah be pleased with him)] as his own Pir indicated the importance he attached to genealogical descent from the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace). As with other holders of religious authority, Sheikh Sayyiduna Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him) was a very real presence in Alahazrat’s personal life as lived from day to day. He told his followers of a time when Ghaus-ul-Azam had answered his appeal for help for during a visit that he had made to Nizam-uddin Awliya’s (may Allah be pleased with him) tomb in Delhi. Musicians and singers, making what seemed to him "a great commotion", surrounded the tomb and causing him mush distress. Invoking Ghaus-ul-Azam’s help with the words "Ya Ghaus", he also addressed Nizamuddin Awliya (may Allah be pleased with him), saying, " I have come to your court. Release me from this noise". As he entered the tomb, silence suddenly reigned. He thought the musicians had gone away, but as soon as he left the tomb, the noise returned in full swing. Then he knew that Sheikh had answered his prayer.

It remains only to highlight once again the significance of the Qadiri Order and its founder, Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani , to Imam Ahmad Raza Khan, in terms of religious authority. The Shaikh was a means of Wasila of intercession with the beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and thence with Almighty Allah, and was seen as a kindly, caring Saint who has his petitioners interests at heart. His Sayyid ancestry made him a perfect intercessionary agent, as religious authority was seen to flow through both spiritual and genealogical lines. According to Maulan Zafar-ud-Din Bihari (may Allah be pleased with him), Alahazrat looked upon Sayyids first as "part of the Prophet", and only secondarily saw their personal qualities. Consequently, it was inconceivable to him that a Sayyid could be placed in the socially inferior role of servitor. Sayyids were to be served, regardless of material or social standing.

In a mystical quatrain, His Eminence, Fakhrul Islam Allama al-Hajj Hafiz Maulana Muhammad Ibrahim Khushtar Siddiqui Qadiri Razvi, expresses his feelings and love [His Eminence is a descendant of the first Caliph, Hz. Abu Baqr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him)]:

  It is my lineage’s luck

That they love the descendants of the Holy Prophet  

Khushtar is the servant of Abdul Qadir and Ahmad Raza

As such no madness will befall me in both worlds

Sheikh Sayyiduna Abdul Qadir’s Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him) teachings as they emerge from his own writings, nevertheless, the history of the Qadiri Sufi Order in the Indo-Pak subcontinent indicates that 'reformist' or sharia minded Sufis have been an important element in the Order. Belief in the miraculous, or the inborn superiority of the noble (Sayyid) descent, in no way contradicts emphasis on a 'sober' Sufism. From Alahazrat's  own life, his sayings as recorded in his Malfuzat, and his writings, together all indicate that esoteric beliefs and practices had to be within the bounds of Sharia.

Just as Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him) actively intervened on his behalf from time to time, so too did Alahazrat experience the beloved Prophet Muhammad Mustapha (Allah bless him and give him peace) presence in a very personal way. When he was learning the art of divination (ilm-e-jafr), the Prophet appeared to him in a dream giving him permission (izn) to proceed with his study. On his second Hajj in 1905-6, he spent a month at Medina, the Prophet’s birthplace, being present there during the Prophet’s birth anniversary celebrations on 12^th Rabi-ul-Awwal. He spent this entire period at the Prophets tomb, taking time off only to visit the Shrine of Maulana Daghastani (may Allah be pleased with him), and another time to go to (ziyarat) the tomb of Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet’s uncle.  

O pilgrims! Come to the tomb of the king of kings

You have seen the Kaaba, now see the Kaaba of the Kaaba

In his belief the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) is very much alive in his tomb, leading a life of 'sense and feeling', as do the other Prophets. From his tomb, the beloved Prophet helps his 'guests', those who visit his tomb, in whatever way he sees fit. It was particularly in the hope of being honored with a vision of the beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) at his tomb in Medina; Zafar ud-Din Bihari writes, that Alahazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (may Allah be pleased with him) had undertaken this second Hajj. While waiting, he spent the first night composing a ghazal; the next night he presented the ghazal to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and it was after this that his 'qismat' awoke. His watchful, vigilant eyes were blessed with the presence of the beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).

The simplicity, humility and grateful confidence in his forgiveness with which Alahazrat addresses the beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), are apparent over and over, as in the verses from the extremely popular poem Karoron Durud:

  I am tired, you are my sanctuary

I am bound, you are my refuge

My future is in your hands

Upon you be thousands of blessings

  My sins are limitless

But you are forgiving and merciful

Forgive me my faults and offences

Upon you be thousands of blessings

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