Shah Abu Saeed Faruqi Mujaddidi Dehlavi

 

 

 

Shah Abu Saeed Faruqi Mujaddidi Dehlavi (1196-1250 H)

Hadhrat Hāfiz Shāh Abū Saeed Fārūqī Dehlavī Mujaddidī Naqshbandī (1196-1250 AH), may Allah sanctify his soul, is one of the greatest yet less known Awliya of India. He was a khalīfā and spiritual successor of the Mujaddid of 13^th Islamic century Hadhrat Shāh Ghulām Alī Dehlavī (1156-1240 AH), may Allah be pleased with him.

Birth and Education

He was born in Rāmpur, India, on 2 Dhu al-Qa’da 1196 AH (10 October 1782 CE). His birth name was Zaki al-Qadr but is now known with his title Abu Saeed. He was a descendant of the great Mujaddid and Imam Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi Faruqi, and his genealogy goes as follows: he was son of Hadhrat Safi al-Qadr, son of Hadhrat Aziz al-Qadr, son of Hadhrat Muhammad Isa, son of Hadhrat Khwaja Saifuddin, son of Hadhrat Imam Muhammad Masoom, son of Hadhrat Imam Rabbani Shaykh Ahmed Sirhindi, may Allah be pleased with them. His father was a great Shaykh and an ascetic Sufi.
Signs of Wilayah (sainthood) were visible in him from childhood. Once he went to Lucknow in his early years, accompanied with Maulana Dhia’un-Nabi who was from his close relatives. When he would go to the masjid, he would pass by a Durwesh who usually remained naked. But whenever he would pass, the Durwesh would cover up his private parts (Satr in Shariah). Someone asked him, why do you cover up when you see this boy? He replied, he (Shah Abu Saeed) will one day reach a high rank that he will be the focus of his relatives. Thus the words of that Durwesh came true.
He memorized the holy Quran at the age of 10, then learned Tajweed from Qāri Naseem. He had a beautiful voice and used to recite the holy Quran in a wonderful style. Yet he remained in doubt about the quality of his recitation as he did not believe in the admiration of non-Arabs, until when he received appreciation from the Arabs in Makkah.
Later, he learned all the major Islamic courses and books, many from Mufti Sharaf-uddin, and some from Maulana Rafi-uddin Muhaddith who was son of Hadhrat Shah Wali-Allah Dehlavi. He also learned Hadith literature from other luminaries such as Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi, his uncle Maulāna Sirāj Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Murshid, and also from his own shaykh Hadhrat Shah Ghulām Ali.

Seeking Tarīqat

He developed the wish for seeking the path of Tarīqat during education, and first was initiated into this noble way by his own father Shāh Safī al-Qadr (d. 29 Sha’ban 1236 / May 1821), who was a great ascetic and a Shaykh of Mujaddidi tarīqah. But soon, with the permission of his father, he went to a famous shaykh Hadhrat Shāh Dargāhī (1162-1226 AH, 1749-1811 CE) and was initiated into the path by him.
Shah Dargāhi was a saint by birth, who had strong ecstatic states and used to remain in ecstasy except for the prayers. His spiritual lineage was connected to Hadhrat Khwāja Muhammad Zubair (1093-1152 AH) with only two intermediaries. He was also initiated in the Qādri order by Hadhrat Hāfiz Jamāl-Allāh (d. 1209 AH in Rampur). He was a miraculous man – people in his proximity would get affected by his spiritual ecstatic states and would sometimes turn unconscious.
Very soon, Shah Dargāhi authorized Shah Abu Saeed in tariqah, and he started taking disciples. He also imparted strong spiritual effects in his followers. His disciples would get ecstatic and unconscious in his company. While having complete khilāfah and large number of disciples gathering around him, his thirst was still not quenched and he started looking around to get another perfected Shaykh of Mujaddidi tariqah to get further advancement in spiritual stages. He wrote a letter to the famous Indian scholar Qādī Thanā-Allāh Pānīpatī (d. 1225 AH / 1810 CE), author of Tafsīr al-Mazharī and khalīfa of Mirzā Mazhar Jān-e-Jānān (1111-1195 AH), and requested for spiritual guidance, who replied that the better option would be to go to Hadhrat Shāh Ghulām Ali Dehlavi, who was the greatest Shaykh of Naqshbandi tariqah in India at that time and the chief deputy of Mirza Mazhar.
Hearing this advice, he came to Shah Ghulam Ali and was initiated by him on 7 Muharram 1225 AH (February 1810). [Hidayat al-Talibeen] Shah Ghulam Ali trained him very well and he reached highest stages of Wilāyah (sainthood) and got perfection in all matters. His Shaykh loved him very much due to the fact that he had left his circle of disciples and became a murīd even being himself a Shaykh before, only to seek further nearness to Allah the Exalted.
Shah Ghulam Ali also gave him complete Ijāzah (authority) in the Mujaddidi tariqah and he started training new disciples. His followers requested him to write a treatise on the method and practices of Mujaddidi tariqah. He wrote Hidāyat al-Tālibeen in Persian, a book containing short but complete details of this exalted method of Sufism, and soon this book became popular, considered as a textbook of Tarīqat by the followers of Shah Ghulam Ali and other Mujaddidi circles. This book has been published and translated in multiple languages.
Along with the Naqshbandi Mujaddidi tariqah, he also received permission in other major Sufi orders such as Qādrī and Chishtī. His chain of spiritual lineage goes as follows: he received Ijāzah from Shāh Ghulām Ali Dehlavī, who received it from Mirzā Mazhar Jān-e-Jānān, who received it from Sayyid Nūr Muhammad Badāyūnī, who received it from Hāfiz Muhammad Mohsin Dehlavī, who received it from Khwāja Saifuddīn Fārūqī Sirhindī, who received it from his father Imām Muhammad Māsoom Sirhindī, who received it from his father Imam Rabbani Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, who received it from his Shaykhs and the chains of different orders go to the Messenger of Allah Muhmmad Ibn Abdullah, may peace and blessings be upon him.
He had a beautiful calligraphic handwriting, and he completed writing the Holy Quran in bold style in 1244 AH. This copy of the Holy Quran with 888 pages is preserved in Rubāt Mazharī in Madinah the Illuminated, Saudi Arabia.

Miracles and Visions

Once he was traveling from Rampur to Sanbhal and came across a river during night, at the start of Isha time. He boarded a boat on the riverbank, but there was no sailor, only the boat owner was there who was a polytheist. He asked him to sail the boat, he did it without hesitation inspired by the awe of Shaykh even though he did not know how to sail. The boat safely sailed and they arrived at the other bank. Seeing this miraculous journey without a boatman, the boat owner converted to Islam.
One of his disciples Muhammad Asghar narrates that I missed the Tahajjud prayer (late night prayer) very often. Once I told the Shaykh about it, he said you can ask my servant to remind me at the time of Tahajjud, I will wake you up. I can only do this, rest lies with you (i.e., I can only wake you up, praying Tahajjud is your duty). He did that, and the next day onwards he would wake up daily as if someone had made him wake up.
One of his disciples used to remain in ecstatic states and could not decide the direction to qiblā in prayers. He complained about this to the Shaykh, who said, you should direct your attention to me before Tahrīmah (start of prayer) and I will guide you towards the qiblā. Thenceforth, it happened that whenever he would remember him before starting the prayer, the Shaykh would appear and show him the direction towards qiblā.
While going for Hajj, he booked his seat in a ship in Mumbai (that sailed to Jeddah carrying people for Hajj) and paid for it. Later, he canceled the booking saying it does not seem fine to sail in this ship. This [cancellation] was part of the contract. Then he booked in another ship and reached for Hajj within due time, while the first ship arrived late, after the Hajj was performed.

Successor to His Shaykh

He was a beloved and most approved deputy of Shah Ghulam Ali, who not only loved him extremely, but also appointed him as his spiritual successor in the noble khānqāh Mazhariya in Delhi.
On 11 Jamada al-Awwal 1231 AH / 1816, Shah Ghulam Ali said that he shall sit in my place after me, and should lead the Halqa of Dhikr and the lessons of Hadīth and Tafsīr (as he did himself). He said, some people wonder why is he so special? Don’t they see that Abu Saeed has left his circle of disciples to be my disciple, even with having khilāfah by other Shaykhs!
In Jamada al-Awwal 1233 A.H. / 1818, Hadhrath Shah Ghulam Ali gave him the glad tidings that he was appointed to be the Qayyūm. He said, I have seen in vision that you are sitting on my place and the Qayyūmiyah (the high position of being a Qayyūm) is bestowed on you.
Shah Abu Saeed was in Lucknow when Hadhrat Shah Ghulam Ali got sick for the last time (before death). He wrote him letters, one after the other, to call him back as soon as possible as he wanted to make him the ultimate successor to him and to the noble khānqāh.
In one of those letters, Hadhrat Shah Ghulam Ali writes to him:
“I am too sick and can’t even sit now, and I have no other wish but to see you. It has been revealed from the Unseen that I must call you, and the noble spirit of Hadhrat Mujaddid, may Allah be pleased with him, also wishes the same. I have to handover the khānqāh to you, come early. All the people of the khānqāh and many of the city want you, such as Ahmed Yār and Ibrāhīm Beg and Mīr Khurd and Molvi Azīm and Molvi Sher Muhammad. Rather all dignitaries of the city have often said that Abu Saeed deserves to sit in this place, and Shah Abdul Azīz (famous Indian scholar and author) and others do not want anyone else other than you due to your noble character and practices. And I have received an inspiration (Ilhām) that only you have the competency for this task.” (Excerpts from letter no. 125 from Makātīb Sharīfā)
Thus, he became the heir to this throne of spirituality in India. Shah Ghulam Ali parted to the eternal world on 22 Safar 1240 AH (October 1824 CE), leaving behind this jewel of the Mujaddidi dynasty to train and guide the seekers of this noble path. He trained thousands of followers in this noble path for nine years, before leaving for Hajj in 1249 AH.
Mawlana Khalid al-Baghdadi was one of the greatest deputies of Shah Ghulām Ali who had hundreds of thousands of followers in the Middle East. He used to send some of his murids to Hadhrat Shah Ghulam Ali for further training and guidance, and also advised many of his followers to follow Hadhrat Shah Abu Saeed. Mawlana also sent a letter to Shah Abu Saeed describing the popularity of Naqshbandi tarīqah and its rapid spread through him.

Hajj and Demise

The people of Delhi were grieved when they knew that he was leaving for Hajj. He appointed his elder son Shah Ahmed Saeed, may Allah sanctify his soul, as his representative in the khānqāh. During the journey, he was welcomed and venerated in every city and town he passed. He reached Mumbai during Ramadān, left for Hajj in a ship in Shawwāl and reached there in start of Dhu al-Hijjah. He was welcomed there by Shaykh al-Haram Maulāna Muhammad Jān, one of the leading deputies of Hadhrat Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi. All the scholars, shaykhs and other dignitaries of Makkah met him with high reverence, including Shaykh Abdullah Sirāj, Mufti of Shafi’i fiqh Shaykh Umar, Mufti Sayyid Abdullah, Mīr Ghanī Hanafī and his uncle Shaykh Yāsīn Hanafī, and the great scholar Shaykh Muhammad Ãbid Sindhi (d. 1257 AH / 1841 CE).
He performed the Hajj and got sick in the same month (Dhu al-Hijjah) with dhiarrhea and fever. Being severely sick and almost unconscious, the love of Madinah overpowered him and he left for that illuminated city when he got little better. He spent the month of Mawlid (Rabi al-Awwal) in that holy city. A person saw in a dream that the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings be upon him, is going to the Shaykh’s house, and that everyone is going on foot except Hadhrat Umar the Commander of the Believers. Someone interpreted it as, Hadhrat Umar was distinguished because Shah Abu Saeed is his descendant.
He also held the Halqa of Dhikr there, and large number of people would attend it. The Shaykh of the Haram invited him, saying he was inviting on behalf of the Holy Prophet, may peace be upon him. In Madinah, his sickness diminished and he could easily walk a mile. But it intensified again as he traveled back. When Ramadān started, he fasted on the first day to know if it is possible for him to fast during this holy month. But that fast intensified his sickness, so he ordered for the Fidya (charity to compensate for the fast in certain situations) to be paid on his behalf. He said, I would like to pay Fidya even though it is not required for sick and travelers in Sharia.
On 22^nd Ramadān he reached the Tonk city and the Nawāb of Tonk showed high reverence and esteem for him. On the day of Eid he said the Nawāb should not visit me, as I feel darkness with the arrival of rich and worldly persons. He advised his son Shah Abdul-Ghani to follow the Sunnah and to avoid the worldly people. He said to his son, I authorize you and Abdul-Mughni (his third son) in all the practices and recitations (Ashghāl and Aurād) that I have received [the authority of]. After Zuhr prayer, he asked a Hāfiz to recite Surāh Yāsīn. When Hāfiz had recited it three times, he asked him to stop, saying not enough time was left.
He parted from this world between the Zuhr and Asr prayers on the day of Eid al-Fitr, Saturday 1^st Shawwal 1250 AH (31 January 1835 CE).
“Indeed to Allah do we belong and to Him shall we return!” [Quran 2:156]
The Nawab Wazīr al-Daula and the people of the city gathered in his Janāzāh prayer which was led by the Qadi of the city Maulāna Khalīl-al-Rahmān. His sacred body was brought to Delhi for final burial. When the coffin was opened there after almost forty days, his body was so fresh it seemed he had just been bathed. The cotton fiber placed underneath his body was fragrant with a pleasant scent, taken away by people as a relic and blessing. He was buried alongside his Shaykhs in the Khānqāh Mazhariyā in Delhi.
He was succeeded by his elder son Hadhrat Shah Ahmed Saeed who was one of the great deputies of Hadhrat Shah Ghulam Ali.
One of his earliest disciples Shaykh Ahmad Bakhsh came to Delhi to visit his illuminated grave. Shah Abu Saeed commanded him in dream that the certificate that you obtained from the British and is still there in your luggage, tear it up as it is not appropriate for Islam (meaning that a Muslim should not seek the pleasure and approval of non-believers). Shaykh Ahmad Bakhsh says I did not even remember that the paper was with me, and when I searched my luggage I found it. I tore it in pieces and the love of non-believers was removed from my heart.
“The Friends of Allah do not die, but move from one house to another.”

Descendents and Khulafa

He had three sons. The elder, Hadhrat Shah Ahmed Saeed Faruqi, may Allah have mercy on him, was a great scholar, famous Shaykh and was trained and authorized in Tariqat by Hadhrat Shah Ghulam Ali. He was the true spiritual heir of his Shaykh whom he succeeded after his father. He migrated to Madinah al-Munawwara where he died in 1277 A.H.
His second son was Hadhrat Shah Abdul-Ghani Faruqi, a great scholar of Islamic sciences, who sought tariqah from his father and then completed the Sulook from his elder brother.
His third son was Hadhrat Shah Abdul-Mughni Faruqi, who was also an eminent scholar and shaykh.
From his spiritual descendents, six names of his khulafa are reported in his biography, although it is expected that he would have blessed many more with this noble award.

1. Hadhrat Maulāna Muhammad Sharīf: received education in Rampur and then sought the tariqah from Shah Abū Saeed, received khilafah and then went to Kashmir and Punjab where many people benefited from him. He died in Hoshiarpur and the corpse was transferred to Sirhind and buried there near the shrine of Khwaja Muhammad Masoom.
2. Hadhrat Mullā Hudā Burdī Turkistānī: received tariqah from Shah Abu Saeed while he was in Lucknow. Then went to Bulgaria where many people were blessed by him.
3. Hadhrat Mullā Alā’uddīn: received the training of Sulook from Shah Abu Saeed and went to Peshawar and spread the tariqah there.
4. Hadhrat Shaykh Sa’adullāh: started the path of Sulook with Shah Ghulam Ali and then with Shah Abu Saeed, and received khilafah. He went to Haramain Sharifain and then settled in Hyderabad (India) in 1245 A.H. / 1829. He had strong love for his Shaykhs and used to passionately celebrate their Urs. Many people would come to him from all around the world, and he blessed many with Khilafah. He was as Tajik by race. He died on 28 Jamada al-Awwal 1270 A.H. (February 1854)
5. Hadhrat Maulānā Abdul-Karīm Turkistānī: came to Hadhrat Shah Ghulam Ali and then received Sulook from Shah Abu Saeed.
6. Hadhrat Maulānā Ghulām Muhammad: came from Attock and received spiritual training from Shah Abu Saeed while Hadhrat Shah Ghulam Ali was still alive