By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
1 December 2021
Hazrat
Nizamuddin Mehboob-e-Elahi: Establishing Personal Contact with Allah
(Wisal-E-Ilahi) Is To Engage In Altruistic Humanitarian Action
Main
Points:
1. Engage in altruistic
humanitarian action to the point that one realises there is no "I."
Only the divine exists.
2. The main purpose of
religion is to benefit humanity.
3. Rather than solving issues,
acts of violence aggravate them.
4. You must comfort the hearts
of people as long as possible and as much as possible because the heart of a
Muslim is truly the manifestation of God.
.....
Dargah Hazrat Nezamuddin
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The Urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin, also known as
Mehboob-e-Elahi, was just celebrated a few days ago. At this time, I decided to
highlight certain key aspects of his life for the benefit of the audience.
Hazrat Nizamuddin, who was born in 1325, is credited with creating the Chishti
tradition in Delhi which later spread throughout the Indian subcontinent.
Hazrat Nizamuddin's real concern for humanity as a whole arose out of his true
love for the Divine. He says that the surest way to establish personal contact
with Allah (wisal-e-ilahi) is to engage in altruistic humanitarian action to
the point that one realises there is no "I." Only the divine exists.
Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia turned the mystical movement in Delhi into a broad humanitarian
effort, assisting human souls in responding to the numerous issues of the day,
such as wrath, pain, and suffering, in a constructive and compassionate manner.
His moral principles and spiritual guidelines constituted the foundation of
many Chishti cloisters across the country during his lifetime, and they
continue to guide the Chishti way of life to this day. These guidelines can be
summed up as follows:
1. The main purpose of religion is to benefit
humanity. 2. Learning to live in the world in love, peace, and amity is
learning to love God alone. 3. Transform your everyday wants into cosmic
emotions. 4. Develop an attitude that resists wasting one's life on petty
material goals. 5. Rather than solving issues, acts of violence aggravate them.
6. Do good to others and don't reciprocate when others harm you. 7. Mystics
must live by exceedingly high moral and spiritual standards in their daily
lives. 7. Place your whole faith in God's plan. (The Book of Nizmauddin)
It is narrated
that Mahboob-e-Subhani Nizamuddin Auliya (may Allah have mercy on him) once
said, “In one incident, I was given a letter in which it was written, ‘You must
comfort the hearts of people as long as possible and as much as possible
because the heart of a Muslim is truly the manifestation of God. In the price
market, no product will be as acceptable as it is in the comfort of the heart.”
(Akhbarul Akhyar, Sheikh Abdul Haq Muhaddis Dehlvi, p.137,
Urdu Edition)
Those who love Allah are unquestionably
kind to His creation. Their love to Allah softens their hearts, and they begin
to console His creatures through their words and actions. Today, we must
reflect on and evaluate this mystical experience to determine if our hearts
have truly softened in Allah’s love, allowing us to help His creatures.
When asked what the actuality of love is,
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said, “This is the purity of friendship, because the
lovers of truth don’t consider it their honour to attain this world and the
hereafter.” Rather, they understand the significance of attaining the truth.”
When he was questioned why it is so difficult to fall in love, he said, “So
that no idiot can claim it and so that if he is in a test of trouble, he may
show his back”.
Many people claim to love Allah nowadays,
but are they sincere in their claims? This is a time for thought. The Sufis’
thinking was really lofty and wonderful. You can deduce from the preceding
remark that the actuality of love is the purity of the heart, where the heart
is only concerned with attaining the gnosis of its God and is unconcerned with
the comforts of this world or the comforts of the afterlife. A true lover can't
think of anything else since he's so engrossed in love with his beloved. His
heart exceedingly becomes loving because of the persistence of his feelings of
love for God. This is the reality of love: the heart becomes so free of greed
that it is solely concerned with the beloved’s pleasure and seeing him.
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said, “The wise
and prudent person is the one who prepares for the upcoming journey, i.e.
death, and takes some comfort with him”.
The genesis of this message can be traced
back to a hadith, according to which, when someone asked the Prophet, ‘Who is
the more intelligent believer?’ The Holy Prophet replied, "Those who
consider death frequently and prepare meticulously for the afterlife are the
smartest." (Ibn
Majah). According to
Ummul Muminin Hazrat Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her), Remembering death
often softens the heart.
Many people are unaware of the advantages
of remembering death. They should realise that remembering death and the
anguish of the afterlife instils in us the desire to do good and refrain from
evil. When a person considers death, he will consider both good and evil in his
actions. The problem with criminals around the world is that they believe that
by committing a crime, they will be able to avoid punishment under laws, or
that they would invent a lie, or that they will commit crimes in secret to
avoid detection and punishment. Despite scientific and technological
advancements, criminals continue to avoid detection. However, a sincere
believer who believes in the Hereafter thinks that no matter how well he covers
his evil activities, he will have to account for them to Allah Almighty in the
Hereafter, for Allah knows everything, both within and outside of him. Yes,
nothing escapes the notice of the Almighty.
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said, “Anyone that
Allah protects cannot be harmed by others.” This statement gives comfort to the
hearts terrified by the so-called power. Do not be depressed if a king or
someone intoxicated with power oppresses you and seeks to torture you in many
ways. You do not need to be terrified of an oppressor or concerned about his
nasty behaviour because ‘anyone that Allah protects cannot be harmed by
others.’
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said, “There are
two types of obedience or Taa’at [to Allah Almighty]: Taa’at-e-Laazimi and
Taa’at-e-Muta’addi. The benefit of doing Taa’at-e-Laazimi [obligation towards
God Almighty] reaches the person who does it. The Taa’at-e-Muta’addi is that
which benefits others. This includes traits such as compassion, sympathy and
kindness towards others. The benefits of Taa’at-e-Muta’addi are numerous. The
Taa’at-e-Laazimi must be done with sincerity in order to be accepted, whereas
the Taa’at-e-Muta’addi is rewarded regardless of how it was done.” (Fawaid-ul-Fuad)
Taa'at-e-Muta’addi refers to Huququl Ibaad
(The rights of men over men). This is an unavoidable precondition of Islamic
rule. A Muslim cannot claim to be a sincere believer unless he or she fulfils
his rights over others.
Some so-called Sufis today do not place a
high value on education. They believe that education will not benefit them.
Some abhorrent rituals have been given the term Sufism by them. Lessons from
the life of Hazrat Nizamuddin should be learned by such so-called Sufis. Once
Hazrat Nizamuddin reportedly asked Baba Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar "Should I
now cease pursuing school and devote myself to worship?" Baba Farid
replied, “I do not prevent anyone from acquiring an education. So keep learning
and participating in worship. Knowledge is essential for a dervish to protect
himself against the deceptive devil” (Mahfil-e-Awliya). This remark
provides a lesson for today's ignorant and self-proclaimed Sufis who assume
they are exempt from learning Islamic knowledge. Hazrat Baba Farid's remark
that knowledge is necessary for a dervish is clearly a reference to religious
studies, which can protect one against Satan's tricks.
The life and teachings of Hazrat Nizamuddin
Mehboob-e-Elahi serve as a beacon for everyone. His teachings and compassionate
demeanour should serve as a model for us, especially at a time when fanaticism,
extremism and cruelty have become commonplace.
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A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com,
Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar)
with a Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/hazrat-nezamuddin-fanaticism-extremism-/d/125877
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