Hadrat Khawajah Mu'Inuddin Chishti Ajmeri (Allah's Mercy Be on Him)

Abstract

This paper was published in the Special Edition of Majalla Ma`arif-e-Auliya in September 2003. It contains the teachings and works of Hadrat Khawajah Mu`inuddin Chishti Ajmeri (Allah's mercy be on him). His way of teaching was by living examples and with reference to the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah. In an assembly in which there were present Shaykh Jalal (Allah's mercy be on him) and Hadrat Muhammad Wahid Chishti (Allah's mercy be on him). Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) said: Looking at five things is an act of worship in Islam. Those are, first; To visit one's parents in the morning and pay salam to them. To see one's children with love and affection. Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah 22 be upon him) said: Children who pay a visit to their parents for the pleasure and nearness of Allah they get the reward of the performance of a Hajj. Children who kiss the feet of their parents a reward of a thousand years worship is written in the Deed- Sheets and they are forgiven. Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) then narrated the following story: Once a person saw in his dream a young person who had died sinful, strolling in the Paradise among the Hajis and he was wonderstruck seeing that event and asked that young person as to how he attained that rank while the fact was that you had not done any good act while living in the world. He replied: Yes, It was true but I had my old mother. Whenever I used to go out of my home I used to lay my head on her feet and then kissed them and then used to go out. My mother prayed for me: May God grant you forgiveness and grant you the reward of Hajj. Allah Almighty accepted the supplication of my mother and granted me forgiveness and joined me in the Hajis. Thereafter Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) said: A person asked Khawajah Ba Yazid Bustami (Allah's mercy be on him): you got this wealth? He replied: I was only a child of seven years I used to learn the Holy Qur'an from my teacher in a mosque. When I reached the verse: wa bil-walidayni 'ihsana. I asked the meaning of this verse from my teacher. He said: Allah Almighty has commanded the children to serve their parents goodly. As I am your nourisher so have they nourished When I heard this from my teacher I hurriedly came to my mother and laid my head on the shoes of my mother and submitted: 0 My Mother! Today, I have learnt the meaning of a verse of the Holy Qur'an from my teacher and have immediately come to you and have put my head to your feet in complete submission and have obeyed the command of Allah. Now by the command of Allah Almighty I am sincere servant of you. Kindly accept me in your service. Hearing this my parents were much impressed and both of them offered two rak`ats of Nafl prayers in thanks-giving to Allah Almighty and holding my hand and facing toward the heaven said to me : We have entrusted you to Allah Hence all that you see now is the good reward of the prayers of my parents. Khawajah Ba Yazid Bustami (Allah's mercy be on him) also stated: In winter season my mother asked for water. I filled the glass and put it on my hand and took it to her but she had by the time gone to sleep. When at the end of the night she got up she saw me standing with the glass and extended her hand to take it from me but as it was winter and due to severe cold the glass had sticked to my hand and when she picked up the glass the skin of my palm also separated. My mother took me into her lap with great affection and kissed my face and said: O the life of mother! You have undergone much hardship. Then she prayed for me saying: O Allah Almighty! Forgive him and bless him and grant him Thy nearness. This prayer of my mother which she had made in a state of great love and affection was accepted by Almighty and blessed me with countless favours. Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) said the second thing is that to see in the Holy Qur'an is an act of It is mentioned in Sharh Auliya that whosoever will see and recite the Holy Qur'an Allah Almighty rewards him two fold. One is of the seeing of the Holy Qur'an and the other is the recitation of the Holy Qur'an and for every word recited by the reader he is rewarded with ten virtues and he is purified of ten evils. Thereafter he said: After the death of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, he was seen in a dream and was asked as to how was he dealt with by Allah Almighty. He replied: One night I was a guest in the house of a friend of mine. Holy Qur'an was lying in a small cupboard. I considered it disrespect of the Holy Qur'an to sleep in a place where there was kept the Holy Qur'an and intended to send the Holy Qur'an outside that room but again it struck to my heart that to separate the Holy Qur'an for the sake of my own comfort is also a disrespect. So I proposed to go to sleep in some other place. This act of mine was accepted in the Divine Court and I was forgiven for the respect I showed for the Holy Qur'an. Thereafter Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) said: It is mentioned in Jami'uI-Hikayat that in the past period there was a young man indulged in acts of transgression (fisq and fujur). Muslims were much worried about him but he did not pay any heed to any advice. When he died a saint saw him in dream wearing a crown on his head and wearing a golden belt on his waste and very valuable dress . Angels were ordered to take him into the Paradise. said asked him: How you got this blessing. He replied: Throughout my life I did .only one good thing. When I used to see the Holy Qur'an I used to stand as a mark of respect to it and paid a full of respect glance toward it. Only for showing respect to the Holy Qur'an Allah Almighty forgave all my sins and granted me this rank. Then Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) said that the third thing is that a person who looks towards the face of a learned pious person with respect Allah Almighty creates an angel who prays for the forgiveness of such person till the Day of Resurrection. Then Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) said: A heart having friendship for the learned person Allah Almighty blesses him with reward of a thousand years virtues. If he dies during that period Allah Almighty grants him the rank of the learned and his station is the 'Illiyyin. Then Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) said: I have seen a saying of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in Fatawa Zahiriyyah that maximum effort should be made to pay a visit to the auliya-i-kiram and 'ulama-i-kiram. If this is done for seven days then Allah Almighty forgives all his sins and virtues of seven thousand years are recorded in his deed sheet provided that such a person observes fast in the day and stands in prayer in the night in remembrance of Allah. Then Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) said: In past days there had been a person who used to turn his face away when ever he happened to see any of the Masha'ikh and used to express severe jealous attitude. He died. When he was laid into the grave and wanted to turn his face to Qiblah but it could not be done despite all efforts and his face turned other side. People were wonder-struck. A voice came from the unseen: Why you people are worried about this person. He is the person who used to turn his face away whenever he saw 'ulama’ and masha'ikh. Thus who so turns his face from my auliya he is deprived of my mercy and went astray. Such a person will get up in the form of a bear on the day of Resurrection. Then Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) said: fourth thing is to see the Door of Ka 'bah Sharif and to see Ka'bah Sharif is also an act of Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: To go with the intention to see Khana-i-Ka'bah is an act of One who sees Khanah Ka'bah he is rewarded with the rewards of Hajj and a thousand years worship and such a person is counted among 'auliya. Then Khawajah Sahib (Allah's mercy be on him) said: The fifth thing is to see the face one's own murshid and to remain engaged in his service is an act of worship. Hadrat Khawajah 'Uthman Haruni (Allah's mercy be on him) referring the book Ma'rifatul-Muridin said: A person who even for a single day serves his murshid in a befitting manner, then Allah Almighty grants him a thousand palaces, made of pearls, in Paradise. In each Palace Horas will be at his service and on the Day of Judgment he will enter Paradise without any reckoning.