14.
Picking bits of food from floor and eating them
The king of Baghdad, Shaykh 'Abdul
Qādir Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ اللہِ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ
has stated: I would intend to pick up the fallen things, leaves and grass to
eat, but I would leave them making self-sacrifice for others who would also be
in search of those things. I would remain hungry. When I became extremely weak
and was close to death, I found something lying on the floor near the flower
market and picked it up. I sat at a corner to eat it. Suddenly, I saw a
non-Arab youngster who had fresh bread and roasted meat, he sat and began to
eat. When I saw him eat, my desire for food intensified. When he would take the
morsel in his hand to eat, I would spontaneously open my mouth so that he may
put the morsel into my mouth. However, I rebuked my Nafs and asked it to be
patient as Allah ﷻ is with me. I
clarified to my Nafs that I would never ask the young man for anything to eat.
All of a sudden, turning towards me,
the youngster said, 'Brother! Please come and join me in this meal.' I refused but
he insisted. My Nafs also insisted that I eat but I kept advising it to have
patience. However, I ate a little due to the insistence of the young man. He
then asked me, 'Where are you from?' I told him that I was from Jīlān. He
replied that he was also from Jīlān. He asked me if I knew (Shaykh) 'Abdul
Qādir (رَحْمَةُ اللہِ تَعَالٰی عَنْہُ),
the grandson of the famous ascetic Walī of Allah ﷻ,
Sayyid 'Abdullāh Sawma'ī. I replied that I was the same person. Listening to
this, he became a little anxious and said, 'When I was leaving for Baghdad,
your mother gave me eight gold coins to give to you. Having reached Baghdad, I
kept looking for you but no one gave me your whereabouts until all my money was
spent. I have been hungry for three days. When I became helpless due to extreme
hunger, I bought some bread and this roasted meat with some of your money.' He
then said, 'Your honour! Please eat this food without hesitation because you
are its owner. Previously, you were my guest, now I am your guest.' Giving me
the remaining money he said, 'I seek your forgiveness, I bought this food in
the state of helplessness due to extreme hunger.' (Shaykh said) I became very
happy when I heard this. I then gave him the remaining food and money; he
accepted and left.
(Ṭabqāt-e-Ḥanābilaĥ,
vol. 3, pp. 250)
May Allah ﷻ
have mercy on him and forgive us without accountability for his sake!
صَلُّوْا عَلَی الْحَبِیْب ۔ صَلَّی اللہ
تَعَالٰی عَلٰی مُحَمَّد
Dear Islamic brothers! To give one's
own money to someone else despite facing extreme hunger and helplessness is a
very ascetic deed. This is certainly the unique quality of Auliyā. Countless
accolades to the hunger and self-sacrifice of Shaykh 'Abdul Qādir Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ اللہِ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ! If only we would
also develop the same passion of self-sacrifice within ourselves. Alas! We are
not generous enough to give the remaining food to others even after eating
fully and satisfying our appetite; instead, we store the remaining food in the
fridge. If only we would develop the mindset of attaining the huge reward of
self-sacrifice.
15.
After difficulty, there is ease
Quoting Shaykh 'Abdul Qādir Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ اللہِ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ, 'Allāmaĥ Imām
Sha'rānī قَدَّسَ سِرُّہُ الرَّبَّانِی
writes in the book Ṭabqāt-ul-Kubrā, 'At the beginning, I faced many hardships;
when these hardships reached their peak, I lay on the ground and kept reciting
verses 5 and 6 of Sūraĥ Alam Nashraḥ which are as follows:
فَاِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ یُسْرًا ۔ اِنَّ مَعَ
الْعُسْرِ یُسْرًا
So,
without doubt, there is ease with hardship. Without doubt, there is ease with
hardship.
[Kanz-ul-Īmān
(Translation of Quran)] (Part 30, Sūraĥ Alam Nashraḥ, verse 5, 6)
By the blessing of these verses of
the Holy Quran, all those difficulties were removed.'
May Allah ﷻ
have mercy on him and forgive us without accountability for his sake!
Dear Islamic brothers! Surely, one
has to make sacrifices to achieve something. Our own Shaykh 'Abdul Qādir Jīlānī
رَحْمَةُ اللہِ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ also made many
sacrifices and struggled hard in order to attain the closeness of Allah ﷻ and pleasure of His Prophet صَلَّی اللہ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم,
overcome his Nafs and Satan, remain safe from sins and distant from the love of
the world, promote the 'call to righteousness' and gain many rewards by
preaching and thus bringing countless unbelievers into the fold of Islam.
Although we cannot bear as many hardships as our Ghauš-e-A'ẓam رَحْمَةُ اللہِ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ did, we can at least
make a little effort with giving up hope.
O those who have utmost devotion to
Shaykh 'Abdul Qādir Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ اللہِ تَعَالٰی
عَلَیْہِ! He spent twenty-five years in the jungles of Iraq enduring
extreme hunger and thirst to gain the pleasure of Allah ﷻ. If only we also travel with the Madanī Qāfilaĥs of
Dawat-e-Islami to propagate Islamic teachings and Sunnaĥ of the Holy Prophet صَلَّی اللہ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم
throughout the world!
صَلُّوْا عَلَی الْحَبِیْب ۔ صَلَّی اللہ
تَعَالٰی عَلٰی مُحَمَّد
16.
Eating only ten raisins a day
Abū Aḥmad Saghīr عَلَیْہِ رَحْمَةُ اللہِ الْکَرِیْم has narrated:
Sayyidunā Abū 'Abdullāĥ Bin Khaffīf رَحْمَةُ اللہِ
تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ instructed me to bring only ten raisins
for him at the time of Ifṭār. One evening, having sympathy for him, I gave him
fifteen raisins. Looking at me, he asked, 'Who asked you to bring fifteen
raisins?' He then ate only ten and left the other five.
(Risāla-tul-Qushayriyyaĥ,
pp. 143)
May Allah ﷻ
have mercy on them and forgive us without accountability for their sake!
Amazing
benefits of raisins
Dear Islamic brothers! Did you see?
Sayyidunā Abū 'Abdullāĥ used to eat only ten raisins a day. Countless accolades
on the manner in which the saints used to subdue their Nafs! His choice of
eating large raisins was fabulous. The Noble Rasūl صَلَّی
اللہ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم has stated, 'Eat this
(large raisin) because it is a good food. It strengthens the blood vessels and
muscles, alleviates weakness and anger, removes phlegm, makes the face
attractive and the mouth fragrant.'
(Kashf-ul-Khifā,
vol. 2, pp. 431, Ḥadīš 284)
In the Ḥadīš narrated by Sayyidunā
'Alī رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہُ, it is also mentioned
that the raisin reduces weakness, improves temperament, makes the breath
fragrant and eases grief.
(Kanz-ul-'Ummāl,
vol. 10, pp. 18, Ḥadīš 28261)
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