The Vision of the Quthb during Seclusion

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is extracted from Qala’id al-Jawahir, and translated by Ustadz Muhtar Holland. 

When Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (q.s.) emerged from his seclusion, Shaykh Abu ar-Ridha’ (q.s.), the servant, asked Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir (q.s.) what was his experience during his period of seclusion.  Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir (q.s.) turned around and gave him a look of annoyance, and then he uttered these: 

“The Beloved Revealed Himself to me from the darkness of the veils,

So, I witnessed things too marvellous for mere words to describe.

The universe was radiant with the light of His Countenance,

And I feared that my fate would be sealed by the awe He Inspired.

I called to Him in secret, in honour of His Majesty and Glory,

And I did not seek the Vision of Him, for fear of Stern Rebuke;

Except that I did beseech Him: ‘Grant just a single Glimpse,

For You will thereby Revive the dead of heart and inner core.

Take pity on one for whom You are his Ultimate Aspiration,

For Your Meaning is in my sight, and Your Memory is in my heart.’” 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir (q.s.) told his servant, “If only I had Permission to relate those marvellous experiences!”