Khatam Sharif

in honour of the venerable

Sultan al Awliya
Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim
Molvi har giz na shud Mawla-i Rum
Ta ghulam e shams Tabrizi na shud
Molvi can never become the Master of Rum,
Until he becomes a slave of Shams Tabrizi
Listen dear friend to the story of Molvi. He was a man seeking external knowledge at all
times, whilst being unaware of the ways of the path, sulook. He had become well known for
his pursuit of knowledge but was very far from any contact with the real path, as the main
object of all knowledge is to reach the Divine presence.

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However, on whomever Allah almightys grace shines, one day or another he will indeed
attain His qurb, nearness. It was not long before the Lords grace shone upon Molvi and from
the unseen, help finally reached him. Indeed all achievements only come about through
Divine Grace and without His favour nothing comes about.
So it was Shaykh Shams Tabrezi who set off for Rum and cast his tawajjuh upon Molvi,
who fell unconscious forgetting all he had attained. He dropped his robe of knowledge and
readily accepted Shams as his Master.
At one time Molvi was known as a man of dignity and splendor. His popularity was such that
crowds would be attracted to him, and out of respect and honour they would rush to kiss his
hands and feet. He used to be carried in the royal carriage with an entourage and had
hundreds of soldiers and servants at his disposal.
Indeed, what a glance was thrown on him by Shams that on this day the Master of
knowledge fell down unconscious. It was this glance that made him leave all his desires and
signs of pomp and splendor. He completely surrendered himself to his Shaykh and desired
only to seek his pleasure and follow in his footsteps. He found new pleasures in even
carrying on his head the blessed sandals of the Shaykh. Having found the threshold of the
master all that he was had now turned to dust.
And so, upon Jalaluddin Rumi there was the full effect of the influence of Shams, who
filled his heart with burning love and certainty. Whatever bounty he received from the hands
of the Shaykh filled his every breath with gratitude and trust.
So then look dear friend, from what did Shams transform Rumi into and through this
companionship what great wonders resulted. Most certainly it was the link of the ordinary to
the extraordinary that the Molvi of Rum had now become Mawlana Rum .

Introduction ordinary to the extraordinary

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim said;
We are going to speak from our Grandshaykhs lectures, as he was a
representative of the Holy Prophet (S) in our time. Every wali, saint, must be a
representative of his Prophet in his own time. They are masters for teaching people
the ways of Allah Almighty. Each one of mankind is going towards his Lord, but each
has a private and different destination. Everyone must know his destination. The
Awliya, saints, have lights in their hearts; they are not blind. For most people, their
hearts eyes are veiled, but Awliya have taken off the veils and like Prophets, may
look to the future. With their light, they may help people to their destinations, as
Allah Almighty says to His Prophet Muhammad (S), in the Holy Quran,
Say: This is my way, that I am inviting you unto your Lord, Allah Almighty, with
exact vision and perfect guidance which I am on as are they who completely follow
me.
(Surah Yusuf, Verse 108)
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Ordinary Arabs living in Makkah and Madinah sharif became known as the Sahaba,
companions of the Prophet (S). Abu Bakr became al Siddiq , Umar became al Faruq ,
Uthman became al Dhul nurayn and Ali became al Murtada . All these ordinary people
became special because of their love and association with the extraordinary one (S). Thus,
the Sahaba remained firm in their obedience and loyalty to Rasulullah (S) and his noble
cause, as Allah almighty declares in the holy Quran;
"Whoever obeys the Messenger, he indeed obeys Allah."
(Holy Quran 4:80)

The mufassirin explain that in following Allahs command to obey Him and His Messenger
(S) we are being taught the correct adab to reach Allah almighty. The qurb, nearness to
Allah almighty, can only be attained through his beloved, Rasulullah (S). The Awliya explain
that the Sahaba understood this ayah and pledged their loyalty to Rasulullah (S). They spent
their entire lives in obedience as they knew that success in attaining his pleasure, meant
success in attaining Allah almightys pleasure. Thus, they attained closeness to their Lord
through the guidance of Rasulullah (S); the Tabiin, next generation, attained it from the
hands of the Sahaba, and the Taba tabiin, third generation, attained it from the Tabiin.
Consequently, people in each generation sought to attain nearness to Rasulullah (S) and
Allah almighty by keeping their pledge of obedience to those extraordinary ones who
represented Rasulullah (S) in their respective times. They received guidance from these
noble people by surrendering themselves and linking onto this unbroken chain which traces
back to Rasulullah (S).
In this manner, representatives of Rasulullah (S) emerged in each generation that excelled
in their love for Rasulullah (S) who guided and taught people the adab of this path, Sulook,
which were passed down through this chain. In following the Sunnah of Rasulullah (S), these
Masters call others and provide them with the opportunity to become a part of this chain and
attain salvation. All those who seek and find such masters then surrender themselves as
murids and are guided and trained in this path. Allah almighty says in the holy Quran;
O Lord! We have heard a proclaimer calling to faith (saying):Believe in your Lord; so we
have come to believe. O Lord! Forgive us our sins, and wipe off our misdeeds from us and
cause us (in all grace) to die with the righteous.
O Lord! Grant us that which You have promised to us through Your Apostles and disgrace us
not on the Day of Reckoning. Surely You never fail in Your Promise.
(Sura al-Imran: Ayah 193&194) (English Translation from Jamal ul Quran)

The Awliya explain that as adab is the key to attaining closeness to Rasulullah (S) it is
therefore necessary for us to adopt this adab and seek the perfect man, the master, the
extraordinary one who is representing Rasulullah (S) in his time and connect with this
unbroken golden chain.
Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi said, Turn this dust into gold dust by kissing the threshold of
the perfect man.

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In this day and age we have a perfect example of the one who has attained nearness and
acceptance in the Divine presence through connecting with the extraordinary. He can be
described as a true murid, a seeker who found the perfect man. His total surrender to his
Master helped him succeed on this path to Allah almighty, as he was also transformed into
the extraordinary.
This extraordinary man who accepts everyone regardless of creed, colour or social status
onto this path, who purifies many souls through guidance, who has lifted the ordinary to
become extraordinary by taking them into the presence of Rasulullah (S), who is still
continuing to carry the whole world, is Sultan al Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim.

Early life
Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim was born on Sunday 21st April 1922 (26th Shaban
1341AH), in the sea side city of Larnaca, Cyprus. His lineage from his fathers side traces
back to the seal of prophets Sayyiduna Muhammad (S), as he is a direct descendant of
Sayyiduna Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani , founder of the Qadiriyya order. His blessed mother
also belonged to a very noble family as she was a descendant of the great sufi saint
Mawlana Jalaludin Rumi , the founder of the Mevlavi order whose lineage goes back to
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al Siddiq .
Mawlanas home in Larnaca was situated next to a large mosque which also housed the
shrine of Sayyidah Umm Haram , a lady Sahabiya. His grandfather was a Shaykh in the
Qadriyya order who remained the imam of this mosque and served people at the mizar for
forty years.
As a child, on many occasions Mawlana would disappear from home and would spend much
of his time at the mizar. His mother would often find him either sitting in dhikr circles with
Ulama and Awliya in the mosque or sitting alone next to the shrine. It was apparent that he
would be involved in deep conversation as he would ask and respond to questions with
Sayyidah Umm Haram .
In his youth Mawlana impressed many of his teachers through his ability to learn. It was
only necessary for them to merely mention a complicated point once for Mawlana, who not
only understood it, but was able to further elaborate upon it. He had a great understanding of
all that he learnt and was highly skilled in all the sciences. In 1944 after completing his
studies at high school in Cyprus, he left for Istanbul and enrolled into the University.
Each of Mawlanas three brothers also studied at the same University; one was studying for
his Mechanical Engineering degree, the other Law and the third Medicine. It was during the
Second World War that his third brother was drafted into the army, as doctors were very
much needed.
Mawlana was nearing completion of his degree in Chemistry when he was given the sad
news that his brother had been martyred during his service in the war. As Mawlana was
closest to this brother than the others and loved him dearly, his departure from this world
shocked Mawlana so much that it became the turning point where he reviewed the direction

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of his own life and began to accept the reality of life itself. This incident made him realise that
as everything in this life has an end, why should he then continue working for duniya and
why not instead work for the akhirah. He said to himself, We are going to leave everything
and everything is leaving us, and we are heading towards Allah almighty. So let me from
now go to Allah almighty, why should I wait?
Rasulullah (S) said, Love whomever you wish, but one day you will be separated. No
matter how much a person is successful and can enjoy and desire life, have many
relationships and love unconditionally, everything will leave him and he will leave everything.
However, the one who loves Allah almighty will remain with Him as He never dies.
Although he had attained his degree and could now pursue any career, Mawlana felt a
strong desire to leave everything in this world and pursue the journey to Allah Almighty
instead.

Murid and Irada

Khwaja Muhammad Baqi Billah once asked his companion, Shah Abdul Haq Muhaddith
Dehlawi , What is the beginning of sulook, the sufi path?
Although Shah Abdul Haq was a great scholar and a master in the traditional sciences; he
was a very sensible murid and had proper adab towards his Shaykh. He replied, O Master
you know better, and your asking is surely for some other purpose. However we have heard
the masters explain that when an ordinary person falls in love with an extraordinary person,
that is the beginning of sulook.
Mawlana said,
When I was younger, I read and studied a great deal. Not only religion, holy Quran
and Hadith, but also European knowledge, positive, objective knowledge, as they
called it at the university. So many books I read. Also, I met several Shaykhs and
learned people, but my heart was not at peace with anyone until I met our
Grandshaykh . When he was speaking, ah! He was illiterate, but he was giving,
with his words. Divine Knowledge; knowledge that I could trust 100%!
I was in peace with his meetings. For forty years I was with him, and for forty years
I tried to follow him. I am the weakest person, but my intention was to follow him. I
felt as though I were an ant, with a broken leg, trying to crawl from Damascus to
Makkah; that is how I saw myself in our Grandshaykhs presence. But my hope
was to follow him, as our Prophet (S) says, The value of actions is according to the
intentions behind them. Therefore, I hope my Lord, Allah almighty, will send me to
where Grandshaykh is; to the Divine Presence; even though I am like that little
ant.
I accepted Grandshaykh as Allah almighty ordered in the holy Quran, Follow in
the path of him who has turned to Me with love. This is my intention, I intend to
follow him, and I am interested in that point only. I left all my knowledge, and
intended to follow his way to Allah almighty.
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Imam Qushayri says that irada, desire, is the beginning of this path; it is the first stage for
the people who intend to meet Allah almighty. Consequently, irada is to have no desire other
than this one.
A murid is someone who has this irada. His irada is to reach Allah almighty and to attain His
Qurb, and to attain this desire he leaves all other desires. In order to be successful in this
venture, he puts all his efforts and energy into this point. As he surrenders to his master,
who takes him to Allah Almighty, he thus only has one desire; the pleasure of his Shaykh,
which is attained only through obedience.
For these people everything begins and ends with their Shaykh; no matter if it is business or
family. Before acting upon anything a murid will first ask himself, is my Shaykhs pleasure in
this work? and even if it is the most beneficial thing in the world, these people of sincerity
will avoid it, as their Shaykhs happiness is worth more than the world itself.
When the Master accepts a person as a murid, the person then moves from a rebellious
state to an obedient one. And because of this humility he will have the negative traits of
duniya taken out of him. His focus will then be his Shaykh. The murid then does not want to
talk nor wishes to listen about anybody else.

Search for the Master

After making his irada, Mawlana began his pursuit of knowledge in religion and went in
search of a Master. He began studying Shariah and Jurisprudence under the Imam of that
time, Shaykh Jamaluddin al Lasuni .
Whilst he was studying with his teacher Shaykh Jamaluddin al Lasuni he felt in his heart a
great attraction towards a great Saint of Allah almighty, a Naqshabandi Shaykh called
Shaykh Sulayman Arzurumi , also known as Shaykh al Mashaikh in the Turkish territory.
Shaykh Sulayman took Mawlana into his care and trained him in all aspects of practices
and devotions in order to improve his spiritual rank. He taught him the Divine knowledge and
the Divine Secrets. Mawlanas most favourite moments during this time was to be in prayers.
Whenever anyone looked for him he was found praying.
After a period of time Shaykh Sulayman said to Mawlana, I have educated and trained
you up until now but now your training with me is finished. Your himmah, determination,
power and energy is so much greater than what I expected and I am unable to continue
teaching you. For this reason I asked Rasulullah (S) as to what I should do with you. He (S)
said that your spiritual trust is not with me, and that on the Day of Promises I had not been
given it. Your amana was given to another Saint, the Seal of Saints and a Sultan ul
Awliya. He has the power to help all Awliyas who are in need and is currently in Damascus,
his name is Mawlana Shaykh Abdullah Faiz Dhagistani .
Mawlana was then instructed to go to Damascus in order to meet Shaykh Abdullah Faiz
Daghistani .
When Shaykh Sulayman told me this news, I felt that everything inside me was
crying out and telling me to leave for Damascus immediately. It was my intention
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that after meeting with Grandshaykh , I would seek permission to migrate to

Madinah sharif and settle down near the maqam of Rasulullah (S).
As it was the will of my Shaykh that I go to Damascus, I did not even look back nor
take anything with me, I did not even have money in my pocket. I left with only my
clothes that I was wearing and my walking stick.
Grandshaykh lived in a cemetery in Damascus. It was a humble room over the
maqam of a wali, and for the last six years he had remained in this room in
seclusion.
Upon arriving in Damascus, I knocked on this door and it was opened by
Grandshaykh , who looked at me and said, most welcome to the person whom we
have asked to come He then spoke without looking at us but looking far away, I
have now received this trust that you have sent, this was addressed to Shaykh
Sulayman my earlier Shaykh.
This was my first meeting with Grandshaykh and at this time I was at the mere
age of twenty three. From that time I was attached to him and did not let go of him.
This meeting was in 1945.
During the first meeting with him, Grandshaykh began to lecture on all kinds of
Divine Knowledge, Divine Wisdom and Divine Secrets. This knowledge was new
and fresh knowledge which had never before been disclosed before. He gave this
knowledge as if he was receiving it from Rasulullah (S) and from the Divine Secret
Oceans of Allah Almighty. He spoke, answering all my questions on Shariah and on
the knowledges of Reality, all the questions that had been with me due to my
education, and all queries inside me were answered and solved for me in this
very short time of three hours. This made me love him and connect to him even
more. This was what I had been searching for all my life and for what I had left
everything behind. Now I had found it with Grandshaykh .
He then asked whether there were any other questions I would like to know from
him. It was at this point I said that I was intending to migrate to Madina sharif to be
near the Prophet (S), to which Grandshaykh replied, O my son, we are ones who
do not speak from our egos, so I cannot tell you. We must ask such a question from
Rasulullah (S) himself. Every night during the third part of the night I go up spiritually
to the Divine Presence of the holy Prophet (S). I will ask him what you should do,
and then I will tell you the answer by Fajr prayer, tomorrow.
Throughout the evening Grandshaykh looked after me with such a courteous
manner, he cooked and made the tea thereafter, he then bid me farewell and I
retired to the mosque for the night.
This night seemed to be the longest night in my life, I was so eager for Fajr time to
arrive. I was waiting impatiently to rush towards my Grandshaykh in the
morning in order to find out the answer to my question.

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In the morning after Fajr prayers I rushed to meet Grandshaykh . It was as if the
light coming from the heart of the Prophet (S), through the heart of Grandshaykh
was dragging me like a magnet towards the place where he was and I went
towards him as if I was flying.
Upon meeting with Grandshaykh , he said, O my son, all your spiritual realities
and your spiritual trust is in my hands, and you have been my son from pre-eternity
to eternity. You are going to serve our Naqshabandi way. On the Day of Promises
you made a promise to be a Grandshaykh of the Naqshabandi line which you will
serve till the last days. As for the question of migrating to Madina sharif to be with
the Prophet (S), it has been accepted because of your intention and it has been
ordered to the Angels to write it down in your favour that from this moment up to the
Last Days with every wink of an eye you have been given the good tiding as if you
have fulfilled that purpose. The ummah of Rasulullah (S) is very much in need of
you, your advice, teachings and leadership.

Return to Cyprus
Grandshaykh then said, according to the will of the Prophet (S), it is best for you
to return to Cyprus, because the people there do not know much about Islam. They
are in need of you in order to learn the right way, our way.
After this, Grandshaykh initiated me into the Naqshabandi order and opened the
divine secrets to me. He then taught me the dhikr and the khatam al Khwajaghan
and said, when you visit people, you will be able to give them knowledge, and my
knowledge is coming to me from Rasulullah (S). I then kissed his hands and also
his forehead and made the intention to go back to Cyprus to fulfil the order of my
Shaykh.
I then immediately went to the bus stand for Lebanon where a stranger said,
Shaykh Nazim? I know you are Shaykh Nazim, if you want to go to Tripoli I will pay
for your fare.
I got into the bus for Tripoli and finally reached Lebanon. There I met a person who
looked very respectable and had a long beard, nur on his face and blue eyes with
much light coming from them; he seemed to me to be a man of Allah almighty. He
told me, Three days ago I was ordered by the beloved Prophet (S) to wait at this
bus station for you, he said, Make good hospitality for my son Nazim, and serve him
yourself, then help him to go to Cyprus.
He made himself known to me that he was Shaykh Munir al Malek . Day and night
he served me for three days, throughout which he was searching for a boat.
Due to the Second World War it was very difficult and dangerous to cross the seas.
However, Shaykh Munirs friend offered to take me in his small fishing boat.
This journey on any other occasion would have taken six hours, but due to our
circumstances and boat, we sailed for eight days and nights. It was not an easy
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journey as there was not much food and water; and to make ablution was very
difficult.
After a long and arduous journey with many obstacles, the order of Grandshaykh
was finally fulfilled. As I reached the island of Cyprus and stepped onto the dry land
my heart was glowing. I felt an extraordinary power.
Suddenly the spiritual body of Grandshaykh was there to welcome me, he was on
my right hand side walking with me. All kinds of Divine knowledge and Divine
secrets opened in my heart, which were transmitted from the spirituality of my
Shaykh to me. From that moment on the spiritual presence of Grandshaykh has
been with me, and not even for a moment have I ever been away from him.

Love for your Master

Once Shaykh Hasan Sijzi asked his Shaykh, Hadrat Mehbub e Ilahi , O Shaykh which
kind of murid is better; the one that does the very basic of actions and practices but has a
strong connection with his Shaykh, or the one that does a lot of ibadat, riyazat and other
exercises but has less love and affection for his master?
Hadrat Mehbub e Ilahi replied, The one that will benefit the most is the one who has
eitimadh, greater trust, is a muhib, loves his Shaykh and is a mutaqid, has strong belief in
him, as his one moment is greater than all the other persons worship in comparison.
Although there were many people who became Sahaba towards the end of their lives, they
still attained so much spirituality and closeness to Rasulullah (S) in such a short period of
time. This was only due to the love and certainty in their belief and not due to their actions.
Sayyiduna Bilal , who could neither read nor write and even as he called the adhan he
would not pronounce the words correctly as he had a lisp. Yet through good adab and
extreme love for Rasulullah (S), Bilal the slave became Sayyiduna Bilal , the Master.
The more adab a seeker possesses and the more love he has for his Master, the quicker is
his progresses on the path to Allah almighty. When a murid becomes this dedicated, the
Shaykh will flood him with tawajjuh and will hold nothing back from him. As this is what the
Master is waiting and looking for, a dedicated and loyal murid.
Whatever Grandshaykh ordered Mawlana to do he did without question and with complete
and total yaqin in his master. However, this training was not easy as he was given a strict
discipline, but he passed all tests and emerged as a mountain of certainty.
Shaykh Abu Hafs al Suhrwardi , Grand Master of the Surwardi order, said, When the
sincere disciple enters into the obedience of the master, he keeps company with him and
learns from his manners. Then something magnificent starts to happen. However, this can
only take place if the disciple restricts himself to the Master and sheds the desires of his
soul, simply leaves all other desires.
Therefore a real murid is someone who desires nothing but his Shaykh, and if he desires
anything else, then simply put, he is not a murid.
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Sayyiduna Imam Ghazali narrates that Allah almighty sent a revelation to Sayyiduna Daud
(as), O Daud (as), if you see someone seeking Me, then become his servant.
The masters are in constant search for those that desire to follow this path to their Lord. And
when these masters find a true seeker they are overwhelmed and honoured. It is when the
Shaykh accepts as his murid the one seeking Allah almighty that he gives his full tawajjuh
and tries to do everything he can to serve this seeker as he recognises that this person has
Allah almightys grace upon him; Just like Grandshaykh did with Mawlana.
The Khwajagan masters say that when a Shaykh is given a true murid like Grandshaykh
was given Mawlana, then the Master is so much at peace. He is thankful to his Lord for
sending someone to whom this trust can be passed onto. He then knows that his work is in
safe hands and he has no fear of the work fading away. In fact he is hopeful that this murid
will take this trust to different heights.
Even though Grandshaykh lived in Daghestan and never went to any other country apart
from migrating to Turkey and going for Hajj, his work and influence has been globalised by
Mawlana. The gift of Divine acceptance that Mawlana has been granted cannot be seen in
any other Shaykh today.
The love that Mawlana has for Grandshaykh is such that his whole life and essence
revolves around his Master. If anyone has had the blessed opportunity to spend a moment
with him will know that no matter what the topic, Mawlana will always remember
Grandshaykh , and attribute his words to him. Whenever he gives suhbah he does not
speak from himself, as his heart is always connected to Grandshaykh waiting for
inspiration. Mawlana says, We derive our spiritual support from his heart centre. If he cuts
us off we are stranded.
Mawlana explains,
The love that a person has for a beloved of Allah is not physical love, it is heavenly.
The affection people show for their spiritual teacher is a sign of belief. It is the power
that holds believers together. When people tell you, that you should not have a
Shaykh, it is like asking a tasbih not to have a string. Without a master, believers are
scattered like loose beads without a string, by the end of the day half of them will be
lost.
There is no reaching the Divine Presence without a real guide. Whoever is seeking
to follow the path to Allah almighty must take a guide. It is the quickest and shortest
way. Sayyiduna Ali asked Rasulullah (S), Ya Rasulullah (S) what is the easiest
way to our Lord?
Rasulullah (S) replied, O Ali , look for one friend of Allah and stay in his shadow. A
shadow is not going to separate from a man. Only then may you easily and quickly
reach the Lords Presence.

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Mawlana explain the need for a Shaykh by saying,

This way is the way of good manners. Everyone must learn good manners so he
may be a good person. Man may have a good personality or even a bad personality.
Originally, everyone without training has bad characteristics. The ego is strong at
first. To have a good personality you must take the power from the hands of your
ego. If you are leaving yourself in its hands you will be a bad personality. Therefore,
at the same time Allah created the first man, He gave to him Prophethood. The first
man is also the first Prophet, so that he may train his children with good manners
and characteristics.
Man is in need of training; therefore, Allah is giving him parents to teach him as a
baby and child. But the training of Prophets is most important. Others teach you to
give the ego its desires. Prophets teach to save us from our egos desires, because
they are endless, asking more and more and still more, without limit. Following the
egos desires, we tire and die tired. Prophets teach us to stop within a limit, keeping
ones self from endless work and tiring. They teach us the purpose of life, showing
us our destinations. Whoever follows this way has good personality; because the
Prophets training is good manners for everyone. Now that the Prophets are gone
but their deputies can be found if one is searching for them. They teach people to
save themselves from the assaults of their egos. Now, an important good manner is
to listen and act upon guidance: medicine is for taking. A sick man is not putting it on
the table and leaving it. Good manners are for acting upon.

Training of a murid
Mawlanas whole life is a perfect example of how a real murid seeks, finds and then
surrenders himself to a master who then trains and develops him taking him through all the
stages of the path to the Divine presence. As Mawlana had arrived in Grandshaykhs
presence seeking Allah Almighty, he was welcomed and received with honour, as
Grandshaykh had expressed that his wait was now over. Mawlana had found the
threshold of the master who would take care of his progression and build his character and
manners befitting the one who is to be presented in front of Allah and His Messenger (S).
Thus, Mawlana became the dearest murid of Grandshaykh . He was the one that showed
the most capacity and greatest progression.
Mawlana has always possessed a good personality and has noble qualities since childhood,
but it was only through the influence and guidance of Grandshaykh that he was perfected.
He has always lived his life only according to Grandshaykhs guidance and sought his
pleasure. He got married according to Grandshaykhs will, he moved and travelled
according to his order, underwent seclusion only when he was told to do so and only
adopted practices and exercises as commanded by Grandshaykh . In fact every decision
he has ever made was, and is in complete accordance to Grandshaykhs will, nothing was
ever done out of his own free accord.

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Mawlana says,
In our days very few people are accepting a guide for themselves, everyone is so
proud, saying, I am clever, I know better. They may know this worlds knowledge,
but this guidance is not such that you can read in books and follow. You only know it
with a murshid. You must have a guide; only pride is keeping people away. There is
no reaching the Divine Presence without a real guide. For a humble murid following
a murshid, if he is consulting his murshid in every matter it is good, but for three
things it is a must. These are marriage, divorce, and far journeying. Also for the
pilgrimage is necessary consultation with the shaykh. If not consulting, one may fall
in a bad condition. The shaykh may give his orders by dreams, as it is prohibited for
jinn or devils to appear in the form of Rasulullah (S) or the shaykh.
Consequently, Mawlana underwent training on this noble path under Grandshaykhs
guidance. Mawlana had done so much mujahida in order to control the ego and reach higher
maqams from an early age. Discipline and struggle of the ego is necessary to keep it under
check, otherwise it will explode and destroy all that may have been achieved. He accepted
every instruction from his Shaykh and never questioned its purpose or benefit, even though
he may have already advanced many stages. Thus, Mawlana emerged as a beautiful and
successful murid of Grandshaykh . Simply put, he is a perfect example of a real murid.
Everything and anything related to his life is connected with his Master as his focus is always
on his Shaykh.
Once during seclusion, Grandshaykh did not speak for a long time. Although this was
neither out of anger nor to express displeasure in Mawlana, but the mere idea of not hearing
the voice of his Master was a great test in itself. I was with Grandshaykh for forty days
and forty nights not speaking one word. This was too heavy for me. I was ready to give up all
the world for his speaking to me. Then at dawn after the fortieth night he spoke.
Once a person came to Grandshaykh and asked a maslah. As Grandshaykh had never
studied anywhere and was not a certified scholar; he turned to Mawlana and said, Nazim
Effendi, you may answer, you are knowing.
Although Mawlana was a certified Alim and could have easily solved the maslah, he replied,
I know nothing my Shaykh.
Grandshaykh was very happy with Mawlanas answer, as this was his test. His adab
showed that his heart would always put his Master before anything else, as he had totally
surrendered himself.
Once in Damascus, Mawlana was walking with Grandshaykh when a Christian priest
approached Grandshaykh and kissed his hand. Mawlana smiled at him and upon noticing
this, Grandshaykh got very angry and said, Nazim Effendi, why did you smile? You think
he is a kafir and you are a Muslim so you are better?
This was not Mawlanas intention for smiling, as it was more likely that he smiled because he
was happy to see a Christian kissing his Shaykhs hand. However Grandshaykh said,

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Read shahadah again, you should be so grateful that Allah almighty has granted you iman,
and there are such good people like him and they have not.
Another time, whilst walking with Grandshaykh Mawlana kicked a stone on the floor,
Grandshaykh had a very jalali tabiyyat and so said, Nazim Effendi, what are you doing?
Trembling with fear of having upset his Shaykh, Mawlana lowered his head in shame.
Do not even do that without making an intention. You should know why you even kicked a
stone. Read shahadah because for that moment you were out of iman.

Characteristics of a murid
Imam e Rabbani said that Awliya are the deputies of Rasulullah (S), and if you do not treat
them as the holy Prophets (S) representatives then there is no path, there is no Sufism. Men
of understanding explain that by not showing the correct manners towards the Awliya you
are in fact disrespecting Rasulullah (S), and Allah almighty says that the ones that disrespect
Rasulullah (S) will have all their actions wiped out without them even knowing.
Athough Imam Qushayris Shaykh stayed in the same Madrassa, he would follow strict
adab before visiting him. He said, Before I stepped into my Shaykhs room I would make
sure I was fasting, I would take a bath and wear clean clothes, and throughout all of this I
would be in constant fear thinking, I may end up showing disrespect in some way or
another.
It is necessary for every murid to have adab for his Shaykh, as Sufism is nothing but adab.
The ones who learn adab will attain Him, and the ones who leave adab will never reach the
Divine presence. In fact, these unfortunate people will not only burn themselves, but will burn
everything around them; such is its devastating destruction.
Shaykh Abu Bakr Kattani said that anyone who does not learn adab when associated with
a Master, he will attain nothing. Shaykh Abu Ali Daqqaq said that a person can reach
heaven through good actions, but with good manners he may reach his Lord. It is clear that
more than our actions adab is required to enter the Divine presence. Iblis, who had done so
much ibadah was disgraced and thrown out of paradise because of his lack of adab.
He who has no adab, has no iman.
Shaykh Suhrawardi

Our Grandmaster, Khwaja Abdul Khaliq al Ghujdawani enforced the importance of adab
by teaching, Serve the masters with your wealth and your life and do not criticise them;
because anyone who criticises them will never be successful.
Shaykh Dhun Nun al Misri say, When a murid is unable to keep the adab of his Shaykh,
he goes back to the state he was in before he became a murid, he does not progress.
A murid is trapped in the prison of his desires and cannot escape on his own. It is the
Shaykh who can release him through a cleansing process. The murid undergoes this training
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of purification, character refinement and adab throughout his life. It is only upon completion
of this process that the Shaykh acknowledges him as a true murid.
Imam Qushayri explains the basic etiquettes that a murid should posses in his book,
Risala Qushayriyyah. Some of these are outlined below.
Whether in his holy presence or not, a murid should address his Shaykh with beautiful
and eloquent names.
A murid should be self-critical and consider himself as the lowest and insignificant
follower of his Masters flock.
A murid should keep his heart alive with the award and dhikr prescribed by his Shaykh,
as he is the doctor of the soul and knows what illness is affecting him.
A murid should be loyal to his Shaykh even if he is angry with him and tells him to
leave. One night during extreme cold weather Hadrat Amir Kulal threw his murid,
Hadrat Shah e Naqshband out. Hadrat Shah e Naqshband went out of the room
and lay down on the threshold of his Shaykhs door. After a while due to the freezing
weather, snow and ice covered him. At Tahajjud time Hadrat Amir Kulal opened the
door and took his first step which landed on the head of Hadrat Shah e Naqshband .
Hadrat Amir Kulal then picked him up and took him inside. Pleased with his conduct
and love he was given the keys to Divine secrets.
A murid should be reliable and trustworthy, and carry out any order given to him. Even
if a murid is about to pray nafl salah, he should postpone it to carry out his Masters
order.
A murid should never step on the sajjadah of his Shaykh, nor wear his clothes.
A murid should never question the Shaykh and if devilish whispers come to his heart
he must remember the story of Sayyiduna Khidr (as) and Sayyiduna Musa (as).
A murid should be generous with his wealth; otherwise the love of duniya will embed
itself in his heart, preventing him from ever being generous.
A murid should never doubt his Shaykh, he should have complete trust in his Master,
for any moment a doubt creeps in, then his faith is gone, he is no longer a murid.
A murid is he who only desires what his Master desires; he completely gives himself over to
his master. At this point nothing matters to him, as he truly understands that his life is no
longer his. His Shaykh knows him better than himself, and will protect him not only from the
shaytans of duniya, but also from the shaytan of the self.
The murid may be tested through hardships of health, wealth and family; he must obey all
his Masters commands. Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar once told his murid, Go to the
mountain and wait for me, I will be there soon.
Immediately the murid got up and made his way up the mountain. Seven years later Khwaja
Ubaydullah went to the mountain and saw his state. He had lost his health due to lack of
food and water and had withered away; weak and feeble he kissed his Masters feet. Khwaja

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Ubaydullah said, You foolish one! Why did you not return to the dergah after noticing we
had not come! What if something had happened to us?
The murid replied, O my Shaykh, you said you would see me at the mountain, and as far as
I was concerned, I knew you would come.
Thus, a murid should be obedient to his Master without any doubt and have complete trust in
his words.
Shaykh Ruwaym said to Shaykh al Kabir , O my son, make your actions like salt
and your adab like flour. Actions can be less, but adab should be in abundance in
everything that a murid does.
When sitting with ulama, a seeker must control his tongue otherwise they may put a
fatwa on him; and when sitting with the Masters he must control his heart, as they are
the spies of the heart.
A murid should not ask for faqiri, khilafat or anything else from his Shaykh. This is
considered to be bad manners because it is like saying, Shaykh you do not know my
capacity, and are holding back on what is mine.
When he is talking, a murid should not distract his Shaykh towards something else.
A murid should not raise his voice in the Shaykhs presence.
A murid must believe that whatever he attains or receives in duniya or akhira is all from
his Master. In his Maktubat sharif, Imam e Rabbani writes, Whatever a person
attains, he must believe that it is coming from his Shaykh.
A murid must not walk in front of his Shaykh, step on his shadow or let his own
shadow fall upon his Shaykh; and when in his presence, he must not talk about
himself.
A murid should never test nor seek miracles from his Shaykh as this is very
disgraceful.
A murid must not upset his Shaykh, as to hurt him is the root of all destruction.

Conclusion
The whole purpose of becoming a murid is to cut off from something ordinary and to join with
something special. It is to cut off from duniya and to join with Allah. So, whenever the
traditional masters saw any person who had not severed his link with duniya, they would not
accept him as a murid, as this was a necessary requirement. The murid would have to be in
a proper state with the firm intention to follow this path leaving all other desires. Anyone who
was unable to qualify this condition would not be accepted by the Shaykh.
However, in the time of other awliya such as Shaykh Abu Said Abu Khayr , Shaykh Saif
Uddin Bakhrazi , Shaykh Shuhab Uddin Suhrwardi and Baba Farid common people
also began to be accepted as murids. Although, not every murid had the same irada; to seek
Allah Almighty, nevertheless everyone received some benefit from this connection and made

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some progress on the path. As the Shaykh is a beloved of Allah, even if the most sinful and
the most useless person comes to him, he will still be able to transmit something because of
his qurb, nearness to his Lord.
Once Mawlana Zia Uddin Barni visited Hadrat Mehbub e Ilahi in Delhi and saw him
giving baiyat to the masses. He thought about the reason why the Shaykh was accepting
everyone and anyone as murids.
Hadrat Mehbub e Ilahi read his thoughts and said, Dear Mawlana, you should know that
Allah almighty creates different needs for different times. We cannot use the same formula
for every time, as He has created people with different tabiyats, temperaments and
characteristics. My son, it is difficult to find people whose characteristics resemble those of
the previous generations, as they were people of steadfastness, dedication and
commitment. The people in this time are in need of tolerance and leniency. I have heard on
many occasions that from the people who have become murids, many have now started to
pray become occupied in some sort of goodness. Just the mere fact that they are murid has
led them to do something good. If we were to first set conditions on them, then who would
want to follow us?
This characteristic is also evident in Mawlanas life. Since Grandshaykh ordered him to go
and teach people the right way he was given access to Divine support for this task. It is his
extraordinary appeal that has attracted people from all corners of the world. As Mawlana
says, Throughout history, whenever Islam was spread, it was done so by such chosen
friends of Allah carrying Divine lights to whom people felt attracted to. Like pieces of iron
being drawn to a magnet. Not everyone has the authority to act as a magnet for others. But
those that do are constantly attracting others to this path.
Mawlana has been blessed with an extraordinary gift which a person from every age, nation
and background feels a connection with. In accordance with his Grandshaykhs
instructions and Rasulullahs (s) command, Mawlana has accepted everyone that has come
to him. It is no wonder then, that amongst his murids we can find athletes, artists,
musicians, poets, scientists, film stars, singers, doctors, politicians, sultans, slaves,
professionals, farmers, businessmen, and in fact people from every profession and every
nationality in the world. This kind of attraction and acceptance from people of this global
variety is not found in any other person today. Although it is apparent, it is something that
cannot be explained in words.
The Awliya explain that it is not necessary for every person to understand the purpose of
becoming a murid but what matters is gaining acceptance by the Shaykh and being linked to
him. This is so because despite the murids ignorance, it is the Shaykh that ultimately knows
the real purpose and can determine the needs of his murid. Thus, he will offer his tawajjuh
and guidance which will be of great benefit here and in the hereafter. If the murid is sincere,
devout and obedient then obviously his progression will be greater.
It is for this reason that we have been encouraged to run to the Awliya even if it is for duniya,
as they will certainly offer worldly benefits but along with this they will also transmit
something greater; that which will enrich our akhirah.

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Yak zamana sohbet e ba awliya

Behtar az sad saala taat e be riya
One moment spent in the company of the Friends of Allah
is better than a hundred years of sincere worship

In one Hadith Sharif Rasulullah (S) mentioned that when someone looks upon the face of
their parents, they will be rewarded with thawab equivalent to one Hajj. The Awliya explain
that as this is true even for those whose parents are sinners and not good Muslims, then
what would be the reward for looking upon the face of any of Allahs beloveds? Thus, Sultan
Bahu said that for him to look at his murshid is equal to thousands and millions of Hajj.
Once someone asked a Shaykh, O Master, should I consider the rank of my parents
superior to that of my Shaykh?
The Shaykh replied, My dear son, indeed both are a source of great blessings and benefit
to you. It was your parents that brought you from the heavens into this world. However, it is
your Shaykh that takes you from this world back into the Divine presence.
Hadrat Baba Farid said that he had heard from a master, To serve your shaykh sincerely,
with true devotion for one day is better than one thousand years of worship.
Hadrat Shah e Naqshband said that we are ahl e fadhl, the fortunate people. It is certainly
because of Allah almightys grace that we are blessed and fortunate to be linked to his
beloved friends. By reflecting on the sayings of these previous masters we should realise the
need to be forever grateful to our Lord for bestowing on us the honour to have seen
Mawlana and to have spent even one moment in his blessed presence. Allah has favoured
many of us with opportunities to be in his company, converse with him and ask for his
tawajjuh, listen to his voice, kiss his blessed hands and even to have served him.
Undeniably, we will never know his greatness; only Allah knows his reality.
The Khawajagan masters say that a murid cannot get out of his rut; his desires for duniya
and his lust. He is trapped by his ego. He cannot escape from this prison without the
himmah of his Shaykh.
Mawlanas teachings and guidance give everyone hope and love. His way is to make the
path easy for all that seek it, yet he himself imposes the most difficult practices on himself.
We must sincerely be thankful to our Lord for gracing us with this particular favour. Indeed
we do not deserve this, nor are we worthy of being linked with such a beloved friend of Allah.
However, it is Mawlanas caring, merciful and generous nature that he tolerates filthy and
rebellious ones like us. Even if we were to simply understand the purpose of the murid and
his relationship to the Shaykh, we might achieve the stage of becoming the meem of the
word murid.

Al Fatiha
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