The Sarwari Qadiri Sufi Order
In
common with all Sufi Orders, the Sarwari Qadiri Order stems
from an initiatic chain, going back to the beginning of
Islam, with the Prophet (peace be upon him) being considered
the first Sufi master. The word Sarwari refers to the
Prophet (peace be upon him) and the word Qadiri is derived
from the name of Sheikh Abdul Qadir of Gilan (1077-1166 AD),
who founded the order at the end of the 11th century. The
most famous teacher of the Sarwari Qadiri Order is Sheikh
Sultan Bahu (RA) (1630-1691 AD). He belonged to the Qadiri
Order of Sufis and is known by the title of Sultan-ul-Arifin
(king of the Gnostics). He is acknowledged as one of the
most prominent Sufi poets of the Indo-Pak subcontinent. He is
known, on authority, to be the author of as many as one
hundred and forty books.
His writings' main theme and
contents is primarily concerned with the spiritual sciences
and its disciplines. Sultan Bahu's (Allah be pleased with him) philosophy or original
idea is the zaat of Allah. This is attained through
reflection, contemplation and meditation of the Name Allah.
Its object is to bring the seeker from the world of duality
to the chamber of unity and to take the seeker from the
darkness of opacity towards the light of subtlety.
Hazrat Sayyid Sultan Bahu (may Allah be pleased
with him) records in his book "Ainul Faqr" that
there are 2 categories of Qadiri murids. One is referred to
as "Qadiri Zahidi" and the other as "Sarwari-Qadiri". The
first way of the Zahidi Qadiri is that the Sheikh places the
seeker into established practices and techniques of
spiritual exercises and strivings. The seeker is ordered to
devote much time to mystic struggles including to spend a
certain period of time in seclusion to attain to mystic
communion and mystic union. Then according to the seekers
labors and efforts and the seekers own ethereal capacity, he
reaches his spiritual goal and metaphysical purpose. This
journey takes some aspirants 10 years to complete. Some
complete it in 12 years and others up to 40 years before
they are introduced in the court of Hazrat Sheikh Sayyid
Abdul Qadir Gilani (RA) by their Sheikh (Murshid). It is
from this court then that the Saint of Gilani presents the
seeker into the exalted and sublime court of his Holiness,
the Prophet of Islam (Peace be on him).
The second category is referred
to as Sarwari-Qadiri. In this Tariqa the Sheikh guides and
presents the seeker directly into the sublime and celestial
court of his holiness the Prophet of Islam (peace be on him)
without having to undergo undue spiritual hardships and
strivings. The seeker is nourished by the Prophetic light in
that he receives directly from his Holiness his bounty,
favour and beneficence. After receiving guidance, direction
and religious instructions from this exalted court, he is
then handed and advanced to the Saint of Jilan, Sheikh Abdul
Qadir Jilani (RA) for further polish. Hazrat Sultan Bahu
(RA) own testimony to this effect is found in many of his
writings where he records his esoteric initiation at the
hands of His Holiness, Prophet Mustafa (peace be on him)
himself and his own life is full of such wonders where he
elevates many a seeker in one instant to the court of Allah
and the Prophet (peace be on him). The wonder and excellence
of his bounty is that it manifests itself in the form of a
spiritual perfection of the highest order. He makes the
seeker attain to his goal in a very short time without
having to undergo the burden of difficult spiritual
strivings.
Sultan Bahu's (RA) initiation
into the spiritual world was both esoteric and exoteric. In
his book "Amirul Kaunain" he writes that for 30 years I have
travelled far and wide in search of a Perfect Murshid
(Spiritual Master). During this period he met innumerable
spiritual guides and spent time with many of them, serving
them in every respect and receiving spiritual light and
blessings from them.
Esoterically, Hazrat Sultan Bahu (RA) was initiated by the
Prophet (Peace be Upon Him ) himself. He received
instructions and spiritual guidance from the fountain - head
of all lights himself (Prophet of Islam) and was accepted as
a child of light in the court of Hazrat Bibi Fatima, the
lady of light and her husband Hazrat Ali (May Allah be
pleased with them).
Khalifa Saeed Ali Chopdat
is the Khalifa of this Sufi Order in South Africa. This
honor was bestowed upon him in 1982 and presently heads the
Sultan Bahu Centre in South Africa [www.bahu.co.za].
Sarwari Qadiri murids can be found in many different parts of the world and
many websites show the necessary information. See www.sultanbahu.net as
one example.
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