Tears of Love, Friends of Allah

Love is the greatest gift and this Divine energy can propel the seeker to the highest regions of Divine Nearness, where simple exotericism and dry rationalism do not succeed. When the storm of love assails the lover, he bursts out in poetry to give vent to it.

The beloved prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) was of a smiling nature. Yet, he used to shed a lot of tears. He would often not sleep till dawn and would weep during the entire night. A saying of his runs as follows: "When you recite the Quran, weep, or if not, then endeavor to weep".

Maulana Jalalludeen Rumi (may Allah be pleased with him) loved to roam about Konya during spring to admire the countryside. Flowers would smile at him and start speaking to him telling him that they were beautiful mostly because they have benefited while the skies were weeping, that is, while it was raining. The Maulana deduced that we, human beings, couldn’t make any real progress and lead a pleasant and happy life unless tears do course down our cheeks. In the circumstances, he advises us to weep, and, he himself wept a lot.

In the days of Nizamuddeen Auliya (may Allah be pleased with him), two weekly nightly spiritual programs were organized in many parts of Delhi. It is reported that people walking down the streets could easily see how much tears the participants were shedding.

A follower who went to pilgrimage in the early 1970's spent some 10 days in Madina Shareef. Daily, after Esha prayers, he had the golden opportunity to attend to the spiritual programs held at the place of Maulana Ziauddeen (may Allah be pleased with him) who was one of the sixty-five spiritual successors of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (may Allah be pleased with him). On those occasions, the ecstatic poems, chanted with deep love, would, very often, bring tears to the eyes of the followers of the gatherings and they would…weep and weep!

In one of His Eminence mystic poems, he writes that any mendicant who is homeless feels at home when he reaches the gate of the King of Baghdad. And, when the spiritual pauper who is but a speck, kisses the dust of Abdul Qadir's door, the saint would take him high up to the sun and the moon. In the following line, the poet, in an ecstatic mood, continually begs for something for the sake of Allah.

On his part, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (may Allah be pleased with him) who, as a poet is incomparable and unique, writes that he cannot utter any word without the favor of the Ghaus-ul-Azam (may Allah be pleased with him). In another couplet as the wind is howling and the whirlpool is disturbing, he begs for some help for God's sake. In the last line of the poem, he states that shall leave this world happily if only the grace of the Ghaus in conveyed upon him.

Khushtar's Mystical Quatrains

If you hide me under your cloak, it would be all fine

If you save me from the fear of the judgment day, it would be all fine.

Everybody who desired you is your, oh Master!

If I could also be yours, it would be fine.

I would like to stay but at your gate and be nourished but on your food

If you turn me into such a dog, it would be all fine.

True! I am a culprit, a guilty man and

But I am yours and, if you save me, it will all be fine.

At the time of death, in the grave, on judgment day and from the scale

I would be f-a-l-l-i-n-g, if you protect me, it would be all fine.

On the doomsday, there will be a divine wrath

If you save me, oh intercessor of the doomsday, it will all be fine!

In my head is madness for you, in my eyes your luster