HADHRAT SHAH SHUJA’ KIRMAANI (Rahmatullah alayh)

HADHRAT SHAH SHUJA’ KIRMAANI

(Rahmatullah alayh)

* Hadhrat Shah Shuja’ Kirmaani (Rahmatullah alayh) was a member of the royal family. He had not slept for forty years in his search for Allah Azza Wa Jal. After forty years he fell asleep, and in his dream he was blessed with the Vision of Allah Ta’ala. He said: “O Allah! I have searched for you in awakefulness, but I found you in my sleep.” Allah Ta’ala said to him: “Your finding Me in sleep is by the barkat of you having stayed awake in my search. If you had not laboured in awakefulness, you would not have seen this dream.” After this episode, Hadhrat Kirmaani would frequently sleep in the hope of again seeing the Vision of Allah Azza Wa Jal.

* Hadhrat Kirmaani had a son. At birth, on the baby’s chest was inscribed in green: Allaahu Jalla Jalaa lahu. When this son attained puberty he drifted into evil. He would squander his time in music and singing. One night he was walking in the street playing his banjo and singing. A pious man witnessing the scene exclaimed from his house: “Has the time for Taubah not arrived?” This statement had such a profound effect on the son that he responded: “Yes, the time has arrived.”

He broke the banjo, removed the clothes he was wearing, made ghusl and donned the garb of a mendicant, and went into seclusion. The inscription of Allah’s Name which had considerably faded, now became radiant. He did not eat for forty days. After forty days he emerged from seclusion and set off on a journey. Hadhrat Kirmaani (Rahmatullah alayh) commented: “Whatever I had gained in 40 years, he achieved in 40 days.”

* Hadhrat Kirmaani had a daughter. The king of Kirmaan proposed marriage. Hadhrat Kirmaani said: “Give me three days (to decide).” In these three days, he went from one Musjid to another. On the third day he saw in a Musjid a durwaish who was performing Salaat with much concentration. Hadhrat Kirmaani waited until the durwaish had completed his Salaat. Then he asked: “O Durwaish! Do you have a wife?” The durwaush said: “No.” Hadhrat Kirmaani said: “Are you interested in a wife who is educated in the Qur’aan Shareef?” The Durwaish: “Who will give their daughter to me? I do not have more than three dirhams.” Hadhrat Kirmaani said: “I shall give my daughter to you.” The Durwaish accepted. He performed his daughter’s nikah to the Durwaish.

When Hadhrat Kirmaani left his daughter at her husband’s hut, she saw a piece of dry bread placed on top of a water jug. There was nothing else in her new home. She asked her husband: “For what is this bread?” The Durwaish said: “It is the left-over of yesterday’s bread which I have kept for this night.” She was on the verge of leaving and returning to her father. The Durwaish said: “I knew that a princess would never be satisfied with my poverty.” She responded: “I am not dissatisfied with your poverty. But I want to leave because of the deficiency of your Imaan and Yaqeen. You had hoarded yesterday’s bread for today. I am surprised at my father. He kept me for 20 years at home and said that he would arrange my marriage to a man of Taqwa. Then he married me to a person whose faith in Allah’s Razzaaqiyat is defective. (In other words, his reliance on Allah Ta’ala is imperfect, hence he stored bread for the next day whereas he was supposed to have given the left-over bread to a faqeer.) The Durwaish said: “Is there any way I can compensate for this sin (of lack of yaqeen)?” She said: “Yes, either I stay or the bread.” (That is, give the bread away, and do not hoard food for the next day.)

The lofty state of the Wara’ and Taqwa of this princess can be understood from her attitude. Despite being a member of the royalty, she was a Waliah of the loftiest status. Her yaqeen in Allah Ta’ala was of an exceptionally high standard.

* A friendship for the sake of Allah Ta’ala existed between Hadhrat Shah Shuja’ Kirmaani and Hadhrat Yahya Mu-aaz. Once, coincidentally both happened to be in a city. When Hadhrat Kirmaani did not attend the wa’z of Hadhrat Yahya Mu-aaz, the latter asked him for the reason. Hadhrat Kirmaani said that in his absence was goodness. Nevertheless, he insisted that Hadhrat Kirmaani should attend.

One day, Hadhrat Kirmaani silently slipped into the gathering and concealed himself in a corner whilst Hadhrat Yahya Mu-aaz was delivering his wa’z. Suddenly Hadhrat Yahya Mu-aaz faltered and was unable to continue his discourse. He said: “In the audience there is someone who   superior and better qualified to give a discourse.” Hadhrat Kirmaani came out from his concealment and said: “Did I not say that there was goodness in my not attending?”

* “A man of fadhl (spiritual excellence) remains a repository of fadhl as long as he is unaware of his own excellence. When he views himself as a person of fadhl, he falls from grace and loses his fadhl. A man of Wilaayat ( Sainthood – being a Wali) retains his Wilaayat as long as he is not conscious of it. When he becomes conscious of it, his Wilaayat, then terminates.”

* Faqr (the poverty of the Auliya) is a divine secret. As long as the Faqeer conceals his Faqr he remains a trustee, if he proclaims his Faqr, it is eliminated from him.”

* Sidq has three signs:

(1) There is no value for the dunya in your heart. Gold and silver are like sand in your estimation.

(2) Your heart detests to see and meet people. Praise and criticism are equal to you, for praise does not elevate your status nor does criticism demote you.

(3) The domination of lust and desire has departed from your heart so much that you derive pleasure in hunger and abstention from desire just as others derive pleasure   from gluttony and fulfilling lusts.  

When you have achieved this goal, then resolutely trod the path of the Auliya. If you have not attained this goal, then you have no relationship with this path.

* The best fear is to understand that you are defective in fulfilling the rights of Allah Ta’ala.”

* “Sabr entails three requisites: Abstention from complaint, true contentment, and acceptance of Allah’s Will.”

* “The sign of Wara’ is to abstain from shubhaat (doubtful things).”

* “He who protects his eyes from haraam; his body from lust; keeps his Baatin (spiritual heart/soul) adorned with permanent Muraaqabah (meditation); beautifies his body with the Sunnah, and is addicted to halaal food, he does not blunder in his Firaasat.”

(Rasulullah – sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Beware of the firaasat of the Mu’min, for verily, he looks with the Noor of Allah. “ Firaasat is spiritual insight/wisdom, the effect of Noor from Allah Ta’ala.)

* Someone asked Hadhrat Shah Shuja’ Kirmaani: “How do you pass your night?” He said: “Like a fowl being roasted on the fire. You need not ask the fowl how is its condition.”

* Khwaajah Ali Seerjaani (Rahmatullah alayh) usually distributed bread to the poor in the vicinity of Shah Kirmaani’s grave. One day he was in the Musjid with his food. The Musjid was near to Shah Kirmaani’s grave. He made Dua: “O Allah! Send someone to sit and eat with me.” Soon a dog entered the Musjid. Khwaajah Ali shouted at the dog and chased it out. From the grave of Shah Kirmaani, a voice said: “You had asked for a guest. When the guest came, you ignominiously chased it away.”

Khwaajah Ali Seerjaani hastened from the Musjid and went searching for the dog. He searched in the nearby neighbourhood, but could not find the dog. Then he went to the forest on the outskirts and he found the dog sitting in a corner. He spread the food which he brought with in front of the dog. The dog did not even sniff at the food. Khwaajah Ali, feeling ashamed, began reciting Istighfaar. He removed his turban (a sign of humility and remorse), and said: “I have repented.” The dog spoke: “Good for you. O Khwaajah Ali! Instead of asking for a guest, supplicate for eyes. If it was not for the auspiciousness of Shah Kirmaani, you would have seen what would have happened to you.”

(It may be queried that Khwaajah Seerjaani – Rahmatullah alayh – had acted correctly by expelling the dog from the Musjid. Whilst this is so, he was supposed to have gone outside and share his food with the dog. A Wali of his calibre was supposed to have understood that the dog was the response to his Dua for a guest.)