6.
Traps of Satan
Ghaus-e-Azam رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ said, 'Once I saw
Satan sitting afar and throwing dust onto his head. Satan then said crying,
"O 'Abdul Qadir! I am disappointed to have failed to lead you
astray." I replied, "O the accursed one, shove off! I can never be
heedless of you." Satan said, "This mindset of yours is the most
troublesome for me." He then revealed to me many traps and tricks. I asked
him about them, he replied that those were the worldly traps whereby he hunted
people like me.
In order to be safe from them, I
kept striving for a whole year until all the traps broke. Then lots of things
appeared to me. I asked as to what those things were, I was told that those
were the things which caused heedlessness. I then strived for another year until
all those traps also broke.'
(Bahjat-ul-Asrār, pp.
166)
Keep
trying to rectify yourself
Dear Islamic brothers! Indeed it is
very difficult to subdue Nafs and Satan. Our Ghauš-e-Azam عَلَيْهِ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ الْأَكْرَمِ had to struggle hard
for many years so as to subdue Satan. Here, there is a great lesson for those
who give up hope and utter such disappointing sentences as 'I have made many
efforts staying in the company of Prophet's devotees in the Madanī environment,
I travelled with Madani Qafilah as well, but I could not yet overcome Nafs and
Satan.' Such Islamic brothers and everyone else should keep struggling hard
throughout their life for their rectification seeking help from Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ.
7.
Ghusl for forty times in a cold night
It is stated in Bahjat-ul-Asrār that
Shaykh 'Abdul Qadir Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى
عَلَيْهِ said, الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ
I spent many years in the jungles of Karkh. I used to survive on tree leaves
and herbs. Every year, a person used to come and give me a wool gown to wear.
In order to get rid of the love of the world, I endured many hardships. I
remained anonymous; people would consider me dumb, unwise and insane due to my
silence. I used to walk on thorns barefoot, enter terrible caves and horrific valleys
without any fear. The world used to appear to me in a beautiful form, but الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ I never turned my
attention towards it. My Nafs used to plead to me that it would obey whatever I
liked and sometimes it used to argue with me. Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ
gave me victory over it.
For a long time, I stayed on the
plains of Madyan and kept battling against my Nafs. For one year, I consumed
the things lying on the ground and did not drink water. For the other year, I
drank only water and did not eat anything. Then for one year, I neither ate nor
drank anything. I would encounter extreme hardships. One night, I was tested in
extremely cold weather, I would repeatedly fall asleep and Ghusl became
obligatory on me (due to nocturnal emission). I would immediately go to the
river and make Ghusl over there. On that night alone, I had to make Ghusl forty
times (in icy cold water).
(Bahjat-ul-Asrār, pp.
164-165)
Hardship
turns into ease
Quoting Shaykh 'Abdul Qadir Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ Allamah Imam Sharani قُدَّسَ سِرُّهُ التَّوْرَانِي has written in the
book Tabqāt-ul-Kubrā, 'At the beginning, I faced many hardships; when those
hardships reached their peak, I lay on the ground and kept reciting verses 5
and 6 of Sūrah Alam Nashrah which are as follows:
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ﴿ۙ٥﴾ إِنَّ
مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ﴿ۙ٦﴾
So,
without doubt, there is ease with hardship. Without doubt, there is ease with
hardship.
[Kanz-ul-Īmān
(Translation of Quran)] (Part 30, Sūrah Alam Nashrah, Verse 5 & 6)
By the blessing of these verses of
the Holy Quran, all those difficulties were removed.'
(Tabqāt-ul-Kubrā, Vol.
1, pp. 178)
8. 25
Years in the jungle
O those who have utmost devotion for
Shaykh 'Abdul Qadir Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى
عَلَيْهِ! He رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ
spent twenty-five years in the jungles of Iraq enduring extreme hunger and
thirst to gain the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ.
If only we also travel with the Madani Qafilahs of Dawat-e-Islami to propagate
the Islamic teachings and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى
اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم throughout the world!
9.
Picking bits of food from the floor and eating them
The king of Baghdad, Shaykh 'Abdul
Qadir Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ
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 eating, 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 عَزَّوَجَلَّ 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 said that he was also from Jīlān. He further
asked me if I knew (Shaykh) 'Abdul Qadir رَحْمَةُ
اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ the grandson of the famous ascetic saint
(Walī) of Allah, Sayyid 'Abdullah Sawmai رَحْمَةُ
اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ. I replied that I was the same person. Listening
to that, 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
apologize to you, I bought this food in the state of helplessness due to
extreme hunger.' (Shaykh said) I became very happy when I heard that. I then
gave him the remaining food and money; he accepted and left.
(Tabqāt-e-Hanābilah,
Vol. 3, pp. 250)
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