A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   As translated by Ustadz Muhtar Holland, it is taken from Qala’id al-Jawahir that 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. ), his 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 marvelous 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, aAd 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...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is extracted and adapted from Qala’id al-Jawahir by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Yahya at-Tadhifi al-Hanbali ( q.s. ), and translated by Ustadz Muhtar Holland.   The shaykh is he who gathers us together in his presence, takes care of us in his absence, trains us by means of his character, teaches us by lowering his gaze in silence, and enlightens our bathin , inner being, by means of his illumination.   The murid is he who makes his light shine in the company of the fuqara’ , through intimate friendship and a cheerful disposition; in the company of the Sufis, through good behaviour, self-effacement, excellence of moral conduct, and modest humility in every situation; in the company of ‘ulama , by listening with careful attention; in the company of those endowed with ma’rifah , by maintaining a calm and quiet state; and in the company of holders of high stations, through the affirmation of tawhid .

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi ( q.s. ) wrote the following, about Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ), in his kitab , Bustan al-‘Arifin , “Garden of the Gnostics”: “In all that has reached us from trustworthy reporters, concerning the charismatic talents of the saints, we learn of none more numerous than the charismatic talents of the Quthb , the Shaykh of Baghdad, Muhyi ad-Din ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani.   He was the shaykh of the principle Shafi’i and Hanbali authorities in Baghdad.  Leadership in the sphere of knowledge devolved upon him in his day and age.  More than a few of the notable figures received their education in his fellowship, and most of the pre-eminent shuyukh of Iraq became affiliated with him.  His teaching was propagated by a host of those endowed with splendid spiritual states.  His countless students included many of the masters of exalted ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is extracted from Qala’id al-Jawahir by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Yahya at-Tadhifi al-Hanbali ( q.s. ) and translated by Ustadz Mukhtar Holland.   It was Shaykh Baqa’ iba Batu ( q.s. ) who said, “On one occasion, while I was present at the session held by our master, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir ( q.s. ), he was speaking from the first stair of the lectern.  He suddenly interrupted his speech, became absent minded for a moment, and stepped down on the floor.  Then he mounted the lectern, and sat on the second stair.  I noticed that the first stair had widened, until it stretched as far as the eye could see.  It was carpeted with green silk brocade, and seated upon it were Allah’s Messenger ( s.a.w. ), Abu Bakr ( r.a. ), ‘Umar ( r.a. ), ‘Utsman ( r.a. ) and ‘Ali ( k.w. ).  The Lord of Truth ( s.w.t. ) Manifested Himself upon the heart of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir ( r.a. ), so he leaned over, until he was on the ve...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ It is recorded in Qala’id al-Jawahir of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Yahya at-Tadifi ( r.a. ) and translated by Ustadz Mukhtar Holland the following.   It was related by Shaykh Baqa’ ibn Batu an-Nahr al-Maliki ( q.s. ), “Shaykh ‘Abdullah arrived, accompanied by a young man.  He entered the presence of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir and said to him. ‘O my master, offer a prayer of supplication for this young man, for he is my son!’   He was not his son, however, and he had something improper on his conscience, so Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir grew angry and cried, ‘It has gone far enough, the way you all treat me!’   Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir got up and withdrew to his private apartment, and fires immediately broke out in all the districts of Baghdad.  As soon as the flames were extinguished in one place, fire would flare up in another spot. I could see calamity descending on Baghdad, like a cloudburst, and all because of the anger of Shaykh ‘Abd al-...

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 there...