Necklaces of Gems Part 6
Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir invites Shaikh Hammad ad-Dabbas to read what is inscribed on the palm of his hand.
It was Abu 'n-Najib as-Suhrawardi (may Allah
bestow His mercy upon him) who said: "I was in the company of Shaikh Hammad ad-Dabbas (may Allah be well pleased with him) in Baghdad, in the year [A.H.] 523. Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) was also
in his company at that time, and he had a truly magnificent way of speaking. Shaikh Hammad said to him: 'O 'Abd al-Qadir, you speak with remarkable confidence. Are you not afraid that Allah may deal with you craftily?' Shaikh 'Abd
al-Qadir responded to this by placing the palm of his hand upon Shaikh Hammad's breast, as he said to him: 'Look with the eye of your heart at what is written on the palm of my hand!' His attention turned inward for a moment, then
Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir removed his hand from Shaikh Hammad's breast. "Shaikh Hammad said: 'I read on his palm that he has received seventy firm assurances from Allah (Exalted is He), to the effect that He will never treat him
craftily.' Shaikh Hammad then went on to say: 'There can be no problem after that! There can be no problem after that, for: Such is the bounty of Allah which He bestows on whom He will. Allah is the Lord of infinite bounty.
(62:4) May Allah be well pleased with them all!
[dhalika fadlu 'llahi yu'ti-hi man yasha': wa'llahu Dhu 'l-fadli 'l-'azim.]
More reports concerning the blessed state of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir's pupils [muridun], and of his pupils' pupils, through seven stages of succession.
We owe the
following report to the three Shaikhs Abu 's-Sa'ud 'Abdu'llah, Muhammad al-Awani, and 'Umar al-Barraz (may Allah be well pleased with them all): "Our master Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir has guaranteed to his pupils, until the Day of
Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyama], that not a single one of them will die without being in a state of repentance. He has also given the assurance that his pupils, and his pupils' pupils through seven stages of succession, will enter
the Garden of Paradise. He said: 'I am a surety for my pupils' pupils through seven stages. If a defect became apparent in a pupil of mine in the West, while I was in the East, I would cause it to be concealed. We must make it our
business to direct our endeavors, to the fullest possible extent, toward safeguarding the welfare of our companions. Fortunate indeed is he who has seen me, and how sorry I feel for him who has not seen me!' "May Allah be
well pleased with him, and may He also be well pleased with us, because of him!" Shaikh 'Ali al-Qurashi has told us: "Our master Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) once said: 'I was handed a
scroll [sijill] that stretches as far as the eye can see, containing a list of the names of my companions and my pupils till the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyama], and I was told: "They have all been granted to
you."'"
Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir walks on the water of the River Tigris, then an enormous prayer rug [sajjada] appears in the sky above.
It was Sahl ibn 'Abdi'llah at-Tustari (may Allah bestow His mercy upon him) who said: "On one occasion, the people of Baghdad were puzzled by the
absence of my master Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him). They could not find him anywhere, until someone told them: 'He was last seen heading toward the River Tigris [ad-Dijla],' so they set off in that
direction, looking out for him along the way. Then, lo and behold, he came walking toward us on the water! The fishes were swimming toward him, shoal upon shoal, offering him the greeting of peace. While we were watching him, and
observing how the fishes were kissing his hands, the prescribed time arrived for the midday ritual prayer [salat az-zuhr]. At that very moment, what should suddenly appear but an enormous prayer rug [sajjada]. It was green in
color, studded with gold and silver, and embroidered upon it were two lines of script. The first read: As for the friends of Allah, surely no fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve. (10:62) -while the second line read: The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house! He is Praiseworthy, Glorious! (11:73) "This huge prayer rug was spread out between the sky and the earth, above the River Tigris, as if it were the flying carpet of Solomon
[bisat Sulaiman] (peace be upon him). A troop of knights arrived on the scene, as if they were a pack of lions. They were led by a knight possessing a dignified bearing, an awe-inspiring appearance, and a sense of profound
tranquillity [sakina]. He advanced until he and his comrades came to a halt, and stood facing the prayer rug. They stood with their heads bowed, weeping, and remained quite motionless, as if they were held in check by the rein of
Divine Power [Qudra]. "Then, when the ritual prayer [salat] was about to begin, Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) stepped forward, wrapped himself in the garment of reverential awe, and performed the
prayer on the rug. The knights and their leader, and the people of Baghdad, all prayed behind the Shaikh. Whenever he proclaimed the Supreme Greatness of Allah, the angelic bearers of the Heavenly Throne [hamalat al-'Arsh] declared
"Allahu Akbar!" together with him. Whenever he proclaimed the Glory of Allah, the angels of the seven heavens also proclaimed His Glory. Whenever he praised Allah, a ray of green light beamed from his mouth, till it
reached the clouds high up in the sky. "When he had concluded the performance of the ritual prayer [salat], he raised his hands, and we heard him say, as he offered his prayer of supplication [du'a'] : 'O Allah, for the sake
of my ancestor, Muhammad, Your beloved friend and Your choice out of all Your creatures, and for the sake of all my forefathers, I beg You not to snatch away the spirit [ruh] from any male or female seeker of my fresh butter [murid
aw murida li-idhwabi], unless he or she is in a state of repentance!' Then we heard the chorus of the angels, as they said 'Amin' to his prayer of supplication [du'a], so we joined in harmony with the angels, as we added our own
'Amin' to the supplication. It was then that we heard the call from on high: 'Rejoice in the good news, for I have answered your plea!'' (Here ends this brief excerpt from what he [Sahl ibn 'Abdi'llah at-Tustari] has to tell us.
May Allah be well pleased with him!)
[a-la inna awliya'a 'llahi la khawfun 'alai-him, wa la hum yahzanun.]
[rahmatu 'llahi wa barakatu-hu 'alai-kum ahla 'l-bait: inna-hu Hamidun Majid.]
What price the egg, and what price the chicken?
We owe this next report to those leading elders, al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani, Shaikh Muwaffaq ad-Din ibn Qudama, and 'Abd al-Malik ibn Dayyal (may Allah bestow His mercy upon them all):
"We were listening to our Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased with him) while he spoke from the lectern, and we heard him say, when he was asked about the worth of those who affiliate themselves to him: 'The egg is
worth a thousand, while the chicken is simply priceless!'"
Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir has potent influence in every sphere.
It was Shaikh Abu 'l-Hasan al-Jawsaqi who said: "Present in the company of our master Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah's peace be upon him), on one occasion, were Shaikh 'Ali al-Haiti and Shaikh Baqa ibn Batu. They heard Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir say: 'From every stable, I own a stallion that cannot be matched in strength. In every land, I own horses that cannot be beaten in the race. In every armed force, I have a commander who cannot be disobeyed, and in every administrative office, I have a deputy who cannot be dismissed.' Shaikh 'Ali al-Haiti promptly assured him: 'O my master, I and all my companions are your loyal servants!' May Allah be well pleased with them all."
Like Shaikh Ma'ruf al-Karkhi before him, Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir believes that problems are best referred to Allah (Exalted is he).
Shaikh Dawud al-Baghdadi has told us: "One night in my dream, in the year [A.H.] 548, I saw Shaikh Ma'ruf al-Karkhi (may
Allah be well pleased with him), and he said to me: 'O Dawud, go ahead and tell me your problem, and I shall refer it to Allah (Exalted is He).' 'But what about my Shaikh?' said I, meaning Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir, 'Have they dismissed
him?' So he said: 'No, by Allah, they have not dismissed him, nor will they ever dismiss him!' At that point I woke up. "Then, in the hour before dawn, I went to the schoolhouse of the Shaikh, and sat by the door of his
private apartment, waiting for the opportunity to tell him my experience. But he called out to me from inside his apartment, before I had the chance to see him and talk to him: 'O Dawud, as far as your Shaikh is concerned, they
have not dismissed him, nor will they ever dismiss him. Go ahead and tell me your problem, and I shall refer it to Allah (Exalted is He). For, by His Might and Glory, I would not present a problem to my own companions, let alone to
anyone else, only to have my question about it come echoing back at me!'"
Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir has much to say about the case of Husain al-Hallaj.
In his Ta'rikh [History], al-Hafiz Muhammad ibn Rafi' relates: "It was on the eighteenth of Dhu 'l-Qa'da, in the year [A.H.] 639, in the
Academy of Prophetic Tradition [Dar al-Hadith] in Cairo, that I heard Ibrahim ibn Sa'd ibn Muhammad ibn Ghanim ibn 'Abdi'llah ath-Tha'labi ar-Rumi say: "'I once heard Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jili say, in response to a question
about al-Hallaj: "His claim extended too far, so the scissors of the Sacred Law [Shari'a] were empowered to clip it.'" It was Shaikh 'Umar al-Bazzar who said: "I once heard Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir say: 'Husain
al-Hallaj committed serious blunders, so no one in his own time would take him by the hand. But if I had been alive in his time, I would have taken him by the hand. For any one of my companions, my pupils, and my loving friends,
who may ride on a mount that stumbles, between now and the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyama], I shall be there to take him by the hand.'" Our master, Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir, had very much to say concerning the affair of
Husain al-Hallaj, as mentioned in the book entitled Durar al-Jawahir [Pearls of Gems], which was compiled by al-Hafiz Abu 'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi from the sayings of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir, and also in the book entitled al-Bahja
[Resplendence], which was composed by Shaikh al-Imam Nur ad-Din Abu 'l-Hasan 'Ali al-Lakhmi [ash-Shattanawfi], on the subject of the charismatic qualities and exploits [manaqib] of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir and of other saints [awliya']
in his category. In case any readers are interested in further study, we can recommend the two books just mentioned.
Reports concerning the special benefits enjoyed by Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir' pupils.
Shaikh Abu 'l-Fath al-Harawi said: "I once heard Shaikh 'Ali al-Haiti say: 'No pupils are
happier with their Shaikh than the pupils of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah the Exalted bestow His mercy upon him).'" He also said: "I once heard Shaikh Abu Sa'id al-Qailawi (some give his name as Abu Sa'd, rather than
Abu Sa'id) say: 'Whenever our master Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir returns to the Highest Realm, all those who cling to the hem of his cloak will be saved.'" It was Shaikh Baqa ibn Batu who said: "I saw the companions of Shaikh
'Abd al-Qadir, all of them, merged in the legion of the blissfully happy ones (may Allah be well pleased with them all)." One of the Shaikhs once said: "Someone said to Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir (may Allah be well pleased
with him): 'Among your pupils there are those who are piously dutiful and those who are wantonly dissolute.' To this he replied: 'The piously dutiful are there for my sake, and I am there for the sake of the wantonly
dissolute!'" It was Shaikh 'Adi ibn Abi 'l-Barakat Sakhr ibn Sakhr ibn Musafir who said: "I once heard my father say: 'It was in the year [A.H.] 554 that I heard my paternal uncle, Shaikh 'Adi ibn Musafir (may Allah be
well pleased with him), say, in his convent [zawiya] on the hill: "If the companions of any of the other Shaikhs ask me to confer a tattered robe [khirqa] upon them, I do so, except in the case of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir, for his
companions are already immersed in merciful compassion. Why should anyone leave the ocean, and come to the trickling stream?"'" May Allah be well pleased with them all.
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