Hazrat Baba Farid-Uddin Ganj-e-Shaker(RA)

Aauz Bila Hi Minesh Shaitan Nirajeem.
Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem.

Hazrat Baba Farid-Uddin Masood Ganj-e-Shaker

The famed Saint of the Chistia Order was born at village Kahotwal in the district of Multan in the year 569 Hijri. His father, Maulana Kamal Uddin, belonged to the royal family of Kabul. Farrukh Adil shah, a famous ruler of the dynasty, ruled over Kabul with dignity for a long time. Maulana Kamal Uddin was a descendant of Umar Farouk and had twenty of his ancestors in between. When Chingez Khan directed his attention towards Kabul, he left the place and came to Punjab and finally settled down in the village of Kahotwal of Multan. His mother, Qarsam Khatun, was the daughter of a renowned learned man. Hazrat Gang-e-Shakar was pious, God-fearing, devoted, and a man of wondrous spiritual powers. His original name was Masood Farid and Ganj-e-Shaker was titles.

Education

His mother was his teacher who imbibed in him virtues of head and heart and made him say his prayers regularly. He received his early education in Kahotwal and later went to Multan for higher studies. Here he learnt the Qu'Oran by heart and took lessons on Arabic. During this period Hazrat Qutab-Uddin Bakhtiyar Ka'aki came to the mosque to say his prayers were Baba Farid studied. He was busy in the study of 'Nafey', a book on Jurisprudence at the time. Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki said. " Masood: What do you read?" He replied, "Nafey," Hazrat Ka'aki said." Do you think, the book Nafey will benefit you?" He replied, "No, I beseech of your kindness". He raised and placed his head on the feet of the Hazrat Ka'aki, who embraced him lovingly and admitted him as his disciple. When the Qutab prepared to leave for Delhi he requested him to accompany him but he instructed him to complete his education and went to Delhi himself.

Baba Farid complied with the wishes of his teacher and guide completed his studies of usual subjects and turned out a great man of letters.

The travels

He started on a journey to Ghazni, Baghdad, and Badakhshan and met the holy men there. During this period he had the distinction of meeting saints: Sheikh Shahab Uddin founder of the Suharawardy order, Sheikh Saif-Uddin Khizri, Sheikh Syed Uddin Hamvi, Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria Multani, and Sheikh Farid Uddin Attar Neshapuri, to name a few.

Arrives in Delhi

Having returned from his travels abroad he reached Delhi to see his teacher and guide. The Qutab received him warmly and put him up in a room out of the Ghazni gate and started his intrinsic training. Baba Farid busied himself in intense prayer and meditation.

Origin of the title of Ganj-e-Shaker

Once Baba was passing through a jungle. He was hot and thirsty. There was no water around. At last he saw a well but there was neither bucket nor rope to draw water. This dismayed him and he sat there. A short while later a herd of deer's appeared at the well. The well water rose upto the brim of the well. The deer's drank to their fill. But when Baba Farid reached it the water lowered. He said complaining to God," Am I inferior to the deer that water came up for them but for me it went down?" He heard the answer, "The deer depended upon us but you trusted the bucket and rope. What to complain for now!"

Baba Farid realized his mistake and felt ashamed he fasted, as penance, for 40 days. On the last day, he had nothing to eat so that he might break the fast. In the event he put a piece of clay in his mouth that turned sugar. When news reached his teacher he exclaimed, "Farid is a store-house of Sugar."

Once Baba Farid was travelling. Some camel's laden with sugar passed before him. He said to the Camel drivers, "What do you carry?" They replied, Salt!" He said, "May it be salt! When the bags were opened, they were found filled with salt. The camel drivers were non-pulsed, came to him asked forgiveness. The Sheikh said, "Go if it was sugar, it would be sugar". On their return the camel drivers found that the bags were full of sugar. The incidence received wide currency and Baba Farid came to be known by the title 'Ganj-e-Shaker'

Prayers

For most of time he remained busy in prayers and was so deeply engrossed in that he lost touch of the world. During his stay in Delhi he grew so weak, that once when Khawaja Moin-uddin Chisti came to see Qutab-Uddin Bakhtiyar Ka'aki, and went to see Baba Farid in his room, he could not stand to receive him. The Khawaja was moved and blessed Baba Farid and gave him his dress. Hazrat, Qutab-Uddin Ka'aki wrapped the turban, signifying the status of his, spiritual heir, on his head with his hands. He became extremely popular. People thronged to him. When crowds increased he left Delhi for Hansi.

Self-sufficiency and Fasting

He often remained engrossed in prayers and meditation and kept fasts for most of the time. His kitchen was symptoms and served the needs of the poor and the hungry of the city. When time of, the breaking of the fast approached, he ate the frungal he had at the time.

Stay in Hansi

From Delhi he went to Hansi. Hearing the news of the demise of his teacher and guide he returned to Delhi.

The relics of the Teacher

Having listened to the death of his teacher he returned to Delhi from Hansi and said the Fatiha at the grave. Qazi Hamid Uddin Nagori then entrusted him his teacher's relics robe of spiritual heir, the staff, the sandals, prayer mat and etc in accordance to the wishes of the deceased: Having taken the things and in order to continue the divine work, he returned to Hansi.

His stay at Ajodhan or Pak pattn

He engaged in the service of the Faith whole heartily but the love of the people was so overwhelming that it disturbed him. He left Hansi for Pak pattan (formally named Ajodhan) in Punjab. The beggars and saints were given scant respect in Pak pattan. People hated them and treated disrespectfully. He thought it was the right place for him. He laid his blanket away from human habitation and busied in praying God but soon people started collecting around him.

When the number of his followers increased he built a house for his dependants near the Jama Majid, but continued to live at original site. His popularity increased. The city Qazi grew envious of him and obtained a sentence from the theologians against him but when truth was revealed, he was acquitted of all charges. The city Qazi was humiliated.

Propagation of the Faith

His stay at Pak pattan proved useful for the propagation of Islam. He did marvelously in Punjab and Sindh and quite a large number of people embarrassed Islam because of his attempts. Sultan Ghayasuddin Balban was greatly impressed of his endeavors; He gave away his daughter in marriage to him who bore him six sons.

Death

Baba Farid passed away in 664 Hijri at Pak pattan and laid to rest there. Besides the followers, his spiritual heirs are Qutub Uddin Hansi, Maulana Nizam Uddin Mehboob-e-Ilahi, and Makhdoom Ala-Uddin Sabir Kalahari.

Revelations and Miracles

Once an old woman carried a pail of milk on her head. He called her and asked her where she was taking the milk. She answered that there was a yogi living nearby. If a thing demanded by him was not given to him it turned to blood. The yogi waited for sometime and then sent his disciple to Enquirer into the matter. The disciples saw her the old women and called her names. When he exceeded beyond the limits of decency Baba Farid asked him to be quiet. He lost his power of speech. The yogi then sent another disciple and the same occurred to him. Several of his disciples came and sat there mute. In the end the yogi himself came and became furious with the woman. Baba Farid ordered him to keep quiet and he too lost his power of speech. Then the yogi realized his mistake and the spiritual power of the Baba. With folded hands he begged forgiveness. The Baba excused him on the condition that he would not harass any person.

Books

He wrote and edited several books. Sheikh Nizam Uddin, his follower and spiritual heir, edited his articles into a book, Rahat-Ul-Quloob. The other book Seair-ul-Auliya contains biographical articles and was edited by his another disciple and heir, Badar Ishaq.

Quotes

* Sofist is one, whose presence cleanses everything and nothing can rust it.
* Don't fear for worldly grandeur and material.
* Fool is not alive.
* Don't be proud of sin, and run after decoration.
* Two men discourse is better than a year's labor of a man
* Avoid the killer-like fool.
* If desire respect, move with the poor and broken hearted.
* Never forget Death.
* Don't overlook the Faith, when you are with the rich.

Hazrath Khawaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki(RA)

Aauz Bila Hi Minesh Shaitan Nirajeem.
Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem.

Qutub-Ul-Aqtab Khawaja Bakhtiyar Ka'aki

Parentage

He was a dignified scholar and saint of his time and several men of letters were his followers. His name was Bakhtiyar and titles were Qutub-Ul-Aqtab (Chief of the great saints) and the Qutub-ul-Islam (Chief of Islam).

Like his teacher and guide (Khawaja Moin-uddin Chisti) he was Hussain Syed and descendant of Imam Husain. His father, Syed Kamal-uddin, was a resident of the town Uosh in the region of Mavraul Nehr.

Birth

Signs of holiness were evident when he was in the womb of his mother. His mother mentioned: "During pregnancy when I woke up for the late-night prayer, I heard the mention of the name of Allah for a short while. " There are many disputes as to his date of birth but his year of birth, as generally agreed, is the year 569 Hijri.

He took Khawaja Moin-uddin as his teacher and guide and so he is known one belonging to the Chistia order. His teacher awarded him the title Qutubul-Aqtab whereas Ka'aki is his qualitative name.

When Khawaja Bakhtiyar Ka'aki made Delhi his place of residence and renounced all worldly things and remained busy in prayer and meditation, his dependents lived the life of extreme penury and poverty. His wife arranged for food and sometimes borrowed money form the wife of the grocer, Sharafuddin. One day the wife of the grocer taunted her, "If we do not lend you money, your children would die of hunger." When he came to know of it, he asked her not to borrow any money form her but to take out the required number of Ka'aki (a kind of bread) from the alcove in his room and give them to the children to eat. From this he came to be known as Ka'aki.

One day Amir Khusro asked Mahboob-e-Ilahi Khawaja Nizam-Uddin why he was called Ka'aki. The Sultan-ul-Mashaekh (King of the Saints i.e. Hazrat Nizam-Uddin) replied, "One day he was sitting on the bank of Shamsi-Hauz along with his disciples. Cool air was blowing. The disciples said," What! If we can get hot Ka'aki to eat. " Hearing this he entered into the water and offered hot Ka'aki to them. From the day he was called Ka'aki.

Initial Education

His father passed away when he was one and a half-year-old. The mother gave her unstinted attention to his education and rearing-up. She regarded it as her sacred duty. When he could read, she sent him, to a pious taught tutor, Maulana Abu-Hafiz. He received his lessons on Religion from him.

To the Teacher

The author of Sair-Ul-Auliya says that he met Sheikh Shahab Uddin Suharawardy, Sheikh Auhad Uddin Kirmani and Moin-Uddin Chisti Sangria in the mosque of Abul-lais Samarkand in Baghdad, in the month of Rajab of 522 Hijri and entered into their orders. Saheb-e-Sair-Ul-Auliya (author) describes that when Khawaja Chisti reached Uosh, he was admitted to his order and received the rank of his spiritual heir at the age of seventeen.

Prayers and Meditation

Hazrat Nizam Uddin says about his teacher that the Sheikh passed most of his time in prayers and meditation, abandoned sleep, and nobody saw him lying on bed. In the beginning he slept for a short time but later forsook it. He often said, " Ever if I sleep, I feel it very bad."

The chroniclers say that having been admitted to the fold of Hazrat Moin Udin Chisti he said 95 rakat Namaz during (24 Hours of) day and night and recited Davood to the Prophet three thousand times during the night. In the preliminary three nights of his marriage he could not keep up with his routine. The Prophet appeared in the dream of a saint, Rais Ahmad, and told him to ask Bakhtiyar the reason of the indifference. Hearing this he divorced his wife.

The Travels

Like his teacher he traveled extensively and met many a saintly people and witnessed strange incidents. He has mentioned them in details in his articles of young by a river. He says that one-day he was sitting with Qazi Hamid Uddin Nagori on a bank of a river that he saw a big scorpion creeping fast. "I said, there was some secret." Both of us followed the scorpion, which reached a tree and killed a big snake. There slept a man nearby. We approached him and found that he was a drunkard and down under the influence of wine. We stayed there and wondered why God bestowed upon such a sinner His mercy. We heard: "If we only take pity on the pious, who would help the poor?" After the man woke up and was surprised to see the dead snake we told him the story. He was ashamed and in a short time he rose to become a great saint. God gifted him with His divine knowledge.

Came to India

Hazrat Khawaja Moin-uddin Chisti came to India and settled down in Ajmer. Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki could not bear his separation any longer, left his homeland and started for India. On the way having enjoyed the hospitality of Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria and Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrez at Multan finally came to Delhi. Sultan Altutmish was the king and was greatly devoted to the holymen. He requested him to stay in the capital but Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki preferred to stay at Kilokheri. The Sultan went to see him once a week. The Sultan again made a request that he had to travel such a distance. Moreover, the state work suffered. Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki, at last, moved to the capital and stayed, in the mosque of Malik Ainuddin.

In Delhi he became extremely popular rich or poor equally visited him and drew favour from him. The king and his court pledged their obedience to him. In the meantime Sheikh-ul-Islam Maulana Jamal Uddin Bustami died and the Sultan wished to confer upon him the rank but the declined the offer. He said, "We, beggars have no relation to them." The Sultan wished to offer him anything he wanted but he never demanded anything from him. He grew so popular that nobody cared of Sheikh-ul-Islam Najmuddin Sughra who himself was a great learned man and mystic. When Hazrat Chisti once visited Delhi, he complained to him of his insignificance. The Khawaja ordered Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki to accompany him to Ajmer. He was beside himself with joy. But when people knew that Bakhtiar was leaving Delhi they appealed to the Khawaja with tearful eyes to spare him and let him remain in Delhi. Hazrat Khawaja had to relent.

Last Meeting with the Teacher

Hazrat Bakhtiyar visited Ajmer to see his teacher before his demise and stayed there, for several days. One day the Khawaja appeared at the place where his disciples sat, called Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki, and said, "0, Saints! The entire world is illuminated (with the heavenly light). I have been brought here because here is my grave."

After which Hazrat Khawaja Moin Uddin Chisti dictated an order to the writer ordering him to leave for Delhi. He was assigned the rank of Khalifa. Later, he called him near, wrapped his turban on his (Hazrat Bakhtiar's) head, gave him Sheikh Haroon's staff, his own copy of the holy Qu'Oran and prayermat. He bade adieu to his teacher and returned to Delhi. After 40 days, a messenger came from Ajmer bearing the news of the death of Hazrat Khawaja Moin-uddin Chisti.

His Services

The torch of Faith illuminated by Hazrat Moin-uddin Chisti was kept burning and spreading the light far and near by Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki predominantly. The movement of the propagation of Islam so ably started by Hazrat Moin Uddin Chisti was not only strengthened but extended also.

Character

Self-sufficiency and Fasting: He spent most of his time in fasting. His dependants passed their days in extreme poverty. The teacher had permitted him to borrow to the tune of 500 dirhams but he avoided it. He never had enough money to pay the Zakaat tax.

Generosity:

He was a generous soul. Whatever he received, he gave it away to the poor; whenever he had nothing in the house he Asked the servant to serve the people with cold water.

Renunciation:

Sultan Shamsuddin Altutmish was devoted to him and could have given him anything he wanted but he never demanded a thing from him. Once the Sultan wanted to grant him a jagir and his minister arrived with the Sultan's proclamation with the request to accept it, he declined and said that the earlier saints of the Chistia order never accepted such things, how could he do it?

Once the royal secretary came and offered him several villages. He called him to come near and lifted a corner of his prayer mat. The Secretary was surprised he saw the river of wealth flowing. He then replied, "Whoever has such vast treasures from God, what would he do with a few villages".

Love of the Prophet:

Like his teacher and guide he was deeply involved in love for the prophet; recited Davood three thousand times a night; told the Tradition and instructed to follow the Shareiah.

Death

He was fond of music and regarded it lawful under certain conditions and limitations. He passed away during such a recital. The Qawwals (a certain type of Singers) began with the ode of Sheikh Ahmad Jam. When they song the couplet:

Kushtagan-e-Khanjar-e-tasleem ra

Harzaman az ghaib Jan digar ast.

It so much moved the saint that he went into trance and remained so for four days. Whenever he regained consciousness, he asked to repeat it. On the fifth night he died.

Books

He was an accomplished writer and a versatile poet. His books are:

Dalil-Ul-Aarfeen, Zudatul - Khalaiq, Rissole, Masnavi, Persian Works.

His Quotes

* One who conducts should eat little. If he eats to fill his belly, he is materialist. One east's that he might pray.
* Dress should not be decorative. If he dresses for exhibitor, he is not saintly.
* Salik is he who remains engrossed in love of God. He is so absorbed that if the entire expanse of Sky and Earth get into his chest, he would scarcely feel the presence.
* Obedience to Shairah is obligatory to a Salik, in consciousness or unconsciousness.

Revelations and Miracles

When Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki was at Multan, Qibacha Beg the ruler of Multan, came to see him. He said, "The Mangols have invaded Multan and I have no power to face them. For God's sake, help me."

The Qutab gave him an arrow and said, "After the evening prayer, appear on the tower of the rampart and shoot it with a bow in the direction of enemy, then watch what God does."

The ruler of Multan did as asked. As the arrow fell, the Mangols fled from the battlefield.

Ya Khawja Garib Nawaz

Aauz Bila Hi Minesh Shaitan Nirajeem.
Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem.

Parentage

Born in a town. Sariar, in the province of Siestan in the year 535 Hijri of Husain Sayed family and draws his lineage to Zain-ul-Abedein through 14 of his ancestors.

His father, Syed Ghayasuddin, was a rich merchant and, therefore, he led his childhood in comfort. He was 15 when his father passed away but his mother did not let him feel the demise and brought him up to her best capacity but soon she passed away leaving him alone in this wide world.

The demise of his parents effected his economic condition adversely. There was no income from the business. He subsisted on the income from the orchard he received in inheritance. He worked on his orchard. Once a Muslim mendicant Ibrahim Qandoozi happened to come to the orchard. The Khawaja offered a bunch of freshly picked ripe grapes to him but he drew a piece of oil cake from his bag and started chewing it. He gave the chewed piece to him who par took it. This had an instant effect on him and made him renounce the world and diverted him to spiritual activities. He sold away the orchard and other things, gave away the money to the poor and the needy, and set out in the direction of Samarkand, and Bukhara in search of knowledge.

Knowledge

The Khawaja received knowledge and higher education, at the great centers of leanings, Samarkand and Bukhara, under the tutelage of renowned teachers of his time. He learnt the Qu'Oran by heart and then the Tradition, Commentary, Jurisprudence, and other outer subjects. He then went in search of a perfect spiritual teacher at several places till he reached Harun, a town in Neshapur, failing on the high way to Iraq. There he met Saint Khawaja Usman whose presence comforted his disturbed soul. Khawaja Usman admitted him as his disciple. Khawaja Usman traced his spiritual relation to Khawaja Ishaq Shami Chisti and therefore Khawaja Moin-uddin suffixed the word Chisti after his name.

The Haj and the Travels

Having received permission and the status of spiritual deputy of his teacher, Khawaja Moin-uddin Chisti served him for 20 years and gained spiritual insight. In the company of his teacher, he traveled over many Islamic countries; met many saints and drew intrinsic knowledge; went on pilgrimage; performed the Haj; visited the holy tomb of the Prophet.

Visit to the tomb and order to go to India.

He meditated at the tomb for several days. During this time he received orders from the Prophet to proceed to India.

"0, Moin-uddin! You are the helper of the Faith. We have granted you the kingdom of India. Go there and stay, at Ajmer. Your stay there will remove Faithlessness and glorify Islam.

This pleased him greatly but it worried him where Ajmer was in India. He dozed of in the state, and saw the prophet. He was shown the world and the mountain near Ajmer. He was awarded the title of the Chief of the holy-men (Qutub-ul-Mashaekh)

He set out on his journey, reached Baghdad where he met Shahab-uddin Umar Suharawardy and Davood Kirmani. There from he went to Hamadan then to Tabrez and proceeded to Isphan. Here he met Khawaja Bakhtiyar kaki that was enlisted as his disciple. During his stay at Isphan, one day he stayed to rest in a beautiful garden of the ruler of the city. The place he sat was meant for the ruler of the city, Yadgar Mohammad. His servants asked the Khawaja to move away but he refused to do so. In the meantime Yadgar Mohammad came there. He saw the Khawaja, grew furious, lost temper, and called names. The Khawaja looked at him angrily, this tremble him and he fell unconscious. The Khawaja took some water and sprinkled on his face. He came to his senses, and was drawn towards him. He offered all his wealth but he declined and ordered him to return all such money as he had acquired unjustly. He compiled the orders. He freed his slaves and slave-girls and became his follower. When he had completed his outward and inner education, the Khawaja granted him the office of his deputy. From Isphan he went to Kharkan, and then to Astrabad and saw the local saint Sheikh Nasir-Uddin Astrabadi. From Astrabad he traveled via Harat; Subzwar, Hissar, to Balakh and stayed in the monastery of Sheikh Ahmad Khazroya. Here lived one Hakim Zia-uddin who was taken over by Philosophy and Rationalism and who disbelieved certain fundamentals of Islam. One day the Khawaja hunted a deer, and roasted meat on fire, the Hakim chanced to pass there. The Khawaja gave him a piece to eat. This changed his condition, fell on his feet, and threw away the books on philosophy and medicine into the river and trudged the path of divinity.

From Balakh he proceeded to Ghazni where he impressed the importance of Jihad upon the people. Then he entered India and reached Multan where he learnt Sanskrit and Pali languages. He meditated at the tomb of Data Ganj Bux Hajveri for some time in Lahore. He arrived at Ajmer via Delhi on the 10th Moharram 561 Hijri.

Condition of India

On his arrival in India, the country was in a state of depression. On her northwestern border the kingdom of the Ghaznavite was fighting her civil strife. Foreign invasions weakened her and the previous Islamic domination on India was on the decline, Social condition in India was deteriorating. Every man was at war with the other. Un touchability was rampant. Good things of life were reserved for the elite's. People suffered. The author of 'Seair-ul-Auliya' says "The darkness of Ir. religion had overcast the eastern part of India and idolatry was common. People worshipped stone, trees, houses, cow, and dung. People were thrown deep into the pits of irreligious. "

Arrival at Ajmer

Khawaja Moin-uddin Chisti arrived at Ajmer in 1165 AD. There were no Muslims in Ajmer still Khawaja Sahib selected it center for his activities. In the initial stages of his stay some incidents so occurred as made him well known.

Wondrous Powers

Raja Rai Pithora of the Chohan dynasty of Ajmer ruled over the place. He stayed at a place where Raja's camels were stabled. The camel drivers returned with the camels from the grazing grounds in the evening and objected to his stay and the Royal sepoys removed him from the place forcibly. Khawaja Sahib moved away to another place saying "Now, the camels shall sit here." The other day when the camel drivers tried to raise the camels they failed to do so. They realized of their misbehavior to a holy man, beseeched of his pardon, which he readily granted. He asked them that whoever made the camel sit would raise them. When the camel drivers returned they saw the camels moving about. The news of this strange anecdote reached the ears of the Raja and the people flocked to him in droves.

The non-Muslims grew angry with him because he was staying by the side of Ana-Sagar especially because he and his followers made their ablution on the its bank. The conservative Brahmins believed that the Muslims were impure and their touch had turned the tank dirty so they put restrictions with regard to their use of it for ablution. His followers complained to the saint of the unjustified behavior of the Brahmins. The Saint asked them to bring water from the tank in a bowl. As soon as the bowl was full, water in the tank began to recede and in a short time it dried up.

The Raja was not happy with his stay in Ajmer and started harassing him one way or the other. When nothing worked, he put the yogis after him. Jiapal, the Chief priest of the temple, came to face him along with his disciples. Holy man's presence cowed him with fear. The saint gave him some water to drink, as soon as he drank it, his condition changed and was. Drawn towards Islam.

Many of the royal servants embraced Islam because of the saint. Raja's daughter too became a Muslim whose Muslim name is Bibi Jamal and is buried near the saint's grave. The events made the Raja all the angrier and he threatened him to evict from Ajmer. In reply to the threats he said:

" We turned him out and entrusted him". The holy man's words proved prophetic. Shahab-uddin Mohammad Ghouri was directed by him in dream to invade India. He succeeded in his attacks.

Propagation of Islam

From the land of atheism i.e. Ajmer he started the spiritual movement of the propagation of Islam. His efforts bore fruit and within a short period of sixteen years the condition of Ajmer changed. It became the nerve center of moral and spiritual leadership in India, leveled the way for a grand religious and social revolution, and provided opportunity to countless people to lead a life of equality and honor. The mission continued for about 50 to 60 years and brought seven lakh people into the folds of Islam. He spent most of his life in ushering the social and spiritual change and in the service of Islam.

Character

Love of the Prophet: The saint bore deep love for God and His Prophet. He mentions the Prophet with intense love in his writing. Usually he cried when read the Tradition and instructed his followers to follow them.

Hard Life: He spent most of his time in prayer and meditation; slept little, said his morning prayers with the ablution of the late night prayers; recited the whole of the Qu'oran during the night and one during the day.

Kind and Forgiving: He was kind and forgiving. Once a man came to him with the intention of murder. He read his intention he treated him very kindly and asked him, to do what he had intended. The man was ashamed and requests him to punish him. The saint replied, " The mendicant's habit is: whoever does evil to them, they treat him well." He forgave the man who became his follower.

Loved his Followers: He loved his followers and treated them kindly. He prayed in the Kaaba for the continuance of the Chistia order, till the Day of Resurrection. The order for the reason still survives and peoples flock to it irrespective of caste and creed. Saints of the Order are also found everywhere in India.

Magnanimity and Generosity

In spite of his renunciation of worldly things and frugality his monastery was famous for his generosity and magnanimity. So much food was cooked in his kitchen that a poor, a beggar, or needy never went hungry from his gate. One who demanded got. He is so called the Gharib - Nawaz (One who endears the poor). A large Kitchen even today serves the hungry and the poor from the campus of his monastery. His tomb is one of the holiest places in India where pilgrims come from every corner of the subcontinent to pay their homage of love and respect.

Books

The Saint did not leave a regular book but several books have been brought after editing his numerous articles. One such book is Dallil-ul-Arfeen edited by Khawaja Bakhtiyar Ka'aki.

Death

Sier-ul-Aqtab (Biographies of the Saints) mentions that he closed the door of his room after saying the late evening prayer. People sitting out of the room heard as if some one was stamping his feet. They thought that the Saint was deep in trance. Towards the end of the night the stamping noise ceased. There was no response from inside when knocked at the time of early Morning Prayer. The door was broke opened, people saw that the Saint had already passed away. The date was 6, Rajab-ul-Marjab 632 Hijri.

His Sayings

* One who forsakes the Namaz or the Shairah is a disbeliever.
* Charity is better than saying prayer a hundred times.
* To abuse a believer is like raping his own sister or mother. The prayer of such a man is unacceptable.
* Crying in distress, saying elegies, tearing of clothes, is equal to shedding of the blood of 70 Muslims.
* The faithful keeps three things friendly Renunciation, Illness, and Death.
* Three persons will not smell the parodies, one is the liar, two is a miser, and three is a cheat.
* Four are great sins in the spiritual conduct: (i) laughter in the grave-yard, (ii) eating and drinking in the grave-yard, (iii) teasing the people, (iv) not to tremble at the mention of the name of God.

Ya Gaus Al Madat

Aauz Bila Hi Minesh Shaitan Nirajeem.
Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem.

Oh Gaus Help Us

Hazrat-e-Bishr Qarazi narrates that I was travelling with a group of traders along with fourteen camels carrying sugar. We stopped for the night in a dangerous jungle. In the early hours of the night my four loaded camels disappeared, which were not found even after a lot of search. The group also departed. The camel driver stayed back with me . In the morning I suddenly remembered that my Mentor, The King of Baghdad Huzoor Ghous-e-Pak had told me that whenever you get stuck in any problem then call me (my name), Allah willing that problem will be solved, hence I requested this way: YA SHAIKH ABDUL QADIR! MY CAMELS ARE LOST.

All of sudden I saw a saintly man dressed in white clothes on a sand dune towards east, who was signaling me to come to him. As soon as I along with my camel driver reached over there the saintly Man disappeared from vision. We were strangely looking here and there when we suddenly spotted those four lost camels sitting under the sand dune. Then what happened was that we caught the camels and re-joined the group. When Sayyed-e-na Shaikh Ab-ul-Hasan Ali Khabbaz was told the incident of the lost camels He said that Hazrat-e-Shaikh Ab-ul- Qassim has said that I have heard Sayyed-e-na Shaikh Muhi-ud-Din Abdul Qadir Jilani saying:

"THE ONE WHO CRIES OUT FOR MY HELP DURING SOME PROBLEM, THE PROBLEM GETS SOLVED, THE ONE WHO CALLS OUT MY NAME IN ANY HARDSHIP, THAT HARDSHIP; GETS DISMISSED, THE ONE WHO USED ME AS A SOURCE TO ASK ALLAH FOR SOME NEED, IT WILL BE FUFILLED. THE PERSON WHO PRAYES TWO RAK'AT OF NAFL AND IN EACH RAK'AT AFTER SURAH FATIHA RECITIES SURAH IKHLAS ELEVEN TIMES, AFTER SAYING SALAAM i.e AFTER FINISHING THE PRAYER, SENDS DUROOD-O-SALAAM ON THE KING OF MADEENAH AND THEN WALKS A DISTANCE OF ELEVEN STEPS TOWARDS BAGHDAD SHAREEF AND CALLS OUT MY NAME AND PRESENTS HIS NEED, ALLAH WILLING, THAT NEED WILL BE FULFILLED'.

Why should I go from door to door when I have a mentor like You. I received every thing from you 'O, Ghous-e-Azam Dastgir.

Dear Islamic Brother! It is possible that in someone's mind a thought may arise that we should only ask Allah for any help and no one else, because when Allah is the One who helps then why should we ask anyone else for help? The answer to this is that this is the way he makes an unknown number of people go astray. When Allah has not refrained from asking for help from someone else then how can someone get the right of saying that don't ask for help from anyone but Allah. Look in the Holy Quran, where Allah has in various verses allowed asking for help from someone else, but even though being the Omnipotent in every way,. He has asked for help from His beings. Therefore it is stated:

Translation: If you will help the religion of Allah, Allah will help you. (Part-26, Sura: Muhammad)

THE KING OF JINNS

Bushair bin Mahfooz states that once my daughter, Fatima, all of a sudden vanished from the roof of my house. I got worried and want to the blessed presence of Sayyed-e-na Ghouse-e-Pak and requested for help. He told me to go to Karkh, and during the night sit in a deserted place forming a fort (Hisar) around myself. Over there think about em and say:" Bismillah" During the darkness of night groups of Jinns will pass by you, their faces will be very strange, do not get scared by looking at them, at the time of sahari the KING OF JINNS will come to you and will ask you about your requirement. Tell him, "Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani has sent me from Baghdad (my requirement is that) you search my daughter."

Hence, I went to the ruins of KARKH and followed the instructions of Huzoor Ghous-e-Azam. During the silence of night, horrifying Jinns kept on passing outside my hisar. The faces of the Jinns were so horrifying that I could not look at them. At the time of sahari, the KING OF JINNS came on a horse back, there were Jinns surrounding him. He asked my demand from outside the hisar. I told him that Huzoor Ghous-e-Azam has sent me to you. As soon as he beard this, he got down the horse and sat on the ground. The other Jinns too sat outside the hisar.

I narrated the incident of the disappearance of my daughter. He announced amongst all the Jinns, "Who has taken the girl?" Within moments the Jinns caught a Chinese Jinn and presented him as the culprit. The King of the Jinns asked him why did you pick the girl up from the city of the Highest Cadre in Spiritual Pivot (Qutub) of the time? He said, while shivering, Your Highness! After looking at her I fell in love with her. The King ordered the Chinese Jinn to be beheaded and returned my wonderful daughter to me. I thanked the King of the Jinns and said, as Allah will! You are an ardent lover of Sayyed-e-na Ghouse-e-Pak. He then replied, I SWEAR UPON ALLAH WHEN HUZOOR GHOUS-E-PAK LOOKS TOWARDS US, ALL THE JINNS START TREMBLING. WHEN ALL NOMINATES AS QUTUB OF TIME THEN ALL THE JINNS AND HUMANS ARE ORDERED TO FOLLOW HIM. (Bahjaa-tul-Asraar)

All the Jinns start trembling (with fear) on hearing your name. Your Have that majestic awe 'O, Ghous-e-Azam Dastgir.

About Gous Pak

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jelani was a noted Hanbali preacher, Sufi sheikh and the eponymous founder of the Qadiri Sufi order (selsela). He was born in Ramadan AH 470 (about AD 1077) in the Persian province of Gilan (Iran) south of the Caspian sea. His contribution and renown in the sciences of Sufism and Sharia was so immense that he became known as the spiritual pole of his time, al-Gauth al Azam (the "Supreme Helper" or the "Mightiest Succor"). His writings were similar to those of al-Ghazali in that they dealt with both the fundamentals of Islam and the mystical experience of Sufism.

Parents and Early Life
Abdul Qadir Jilani was a Sufi master and Syed (descendant of the Prophet Muhammad) from both his father and mother. His father Abu Saleh Jangidost, was an illustrious and God-fearing man. Once while engrossed in meditation by the bank of a river he saw an apple floating down the river. He picked it up and ate it. It struck to him that he ate the apple without paying for it so he set out in search of the owner, on the bank of the river and at last reached the owner of the apple orchard "Abdullah Somai" whom he requested to tell him the price of the apple, Abdullah Somai replied that it was an expensive thing. Syed Abu Saleh replied that he had not much by way of worldly material but he, could serve him for compensation. Abdullah Somai then asked him to work for a year in the orchard. In course of time the duration was extended several times. In the end Abdullah Somai admitted that he had served him in excess of the price and desired to reward him. Abu Saleh hesitated in accepting it but when Abdullah Somai persisted, he relented. He said he had a daughter, blind of eyes, handicapped of hands and feet and wanted to give her in marriage to him. In this way Abu Saleh was married to Abdullah Somai's daughter, Syeda Fatimah. To his astonishment found her wondrously beautiful and wholesome. He complained to his father-in-law that he found her exactly the opposite to what he had described her. Abdullah Somai insisted on the truthfulness of his statement. She was blind because she had not seen any Ghair Mehram (a man who could marry her). She was mute because she had not uttered a word repugnant to the Shariah (Islamic law). She was deaf because she had not heard anything inconsistent with the Shariah. She was handicapped of hand and feet because she had never moved in the direction of evil.

Abdul Qadir Jilani's father died soon after and the young orphan was reared up by his mother and his grandfather, Abdullah Somai.

Adult life
At the age of 18 he went to Baghdad on AH 488 (1095 AD), where he pursued the study of Hanbalite law under several teachers. His mother sewed 40 gold coins in his quilt so that he might spend them when needed. The dacoits struck the caravan on the way, and looted all the travelers of their belongings. They asked him what he had. He replied that he had 40 gold coins. The dacoits took his reply for a joke and took him to their chief, who asked him the same question and he again replied that he had 40 gold coins. He demanded him to show, upon whom he tore away, the quilt and produced the gold coins. He was surprised and asked him why he had given the hidden gold coins when he could have kept them hidden. Young Abdul Qadir Jilani replied that he was travelling to Baghdad to receive education and his mother had instructed him to speak the truth. This left a deep effect on the chief of the dacoits and he gave up looting.

Abdul Qadir received lessons on Islamic Jurisprudence from Abu Said Ali al-Mukharrimi, Hadith from Abu-Bakra-bin-Muzaffar, and commentary (tafseer) from the renowned commentator, Abu Muhammad Jafar.

In Sufism, his spiritual instructor was Shaikh Abu'l-Khair Hammad. From him, he received his basic training, and with his help he set out on the spiritual journey. Abu Shuja' was also a disciple of Shaikh Hammad, once he said: "Shaikh Abdul Qadir was in the company of Shaikh Hammad, so he came and sat in front of him, observing the best of good manners, until he stood up and took his leave. I heard Shaikh Hammad say, as soon as Shaikh Abdul Qadir had left: 'This non-Arab has a foot that will be raised, when the proper time comes, and placed upon the necks of the saints of that time. He will surely be commanded to say: This foot of mine is upon the neck of every saint of Allah. He will surely say it, and the necks of all the saints of his age will surely be bent at his disposal.'" Hazrat Junayd Baghdadi (died AD 910), who died about 167 years before the birth of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, predicted about him on one occasion, when he was performing meditation & during that he said: "His foot will be over all Saints' necks." After finishing meditation, his disciples asked him about his words, he replied: "One Sufi would be born in the future, who would be greater than all saints." Thus, Shaikh Hammad proved the words of Hazrat Junayd as right. The historians says that, later Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani also repeated the same words on many occasion by himself.

Spiritual Lineage, Shajra Mubarik
Prophet Muhammad (SW)
The Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib
Sheikh Hasan Basri
Sheikh Habib Ajami
Sheikh Dawood Taiee
Sheikh Ma'ruf Karkhi
Sheikh Sari Saqati
Sheikh Junayd al-Baghdadi
Sheikh Abu Bakr Shibli
Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Tam?m?
Sheikh Abu al-Fadl Abu al-Wahid al-Tam?m?
Sheikh Abu al-Farah Tartusi
Sheikh Abu al-Hasan Hakari
Sheikh Abu Sa'id al-Mubarak Mukharrami
Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani


Popular Sufi Sheikh
After completion of education, Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani abandoned the city of Baghdad, and spent twenty-five years as a wanderer in the desert regions of Iraq as a recluse.[2] He was over fifty years old by the time he returned to Baghdad, in AH 521 (AD 1127), and began to preach in public. His hearers were profoundly affected by the style and content of his lectures, and his reputation grew and spread through all sections of society. Not only Muslims, but also Jews and Christians, not only caliphs and viziers but also farmers, merchants and traders allegedly altered their lives in response to Abdul Qadir's perorations.[3] He moved into the school belonging to his old teacher al-Mukharrimii, there he engaged himself in teaching. Soon he became popular with his pupils. In the morning he taught hadith and tafseer, and in the afternoon held discourse on mysticism and the virtues of the Qur'an. The number of students increased so much that the seminary could no more contain them. He, therefore, decided to extend the premises of the seminary. The students and the people willingly came forward with their wholehearted contributions. The campus buildings were ready in AH 528 and thereafter it came to be known as Madarsai-e-Qadriya.

Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani was a Non-Arab (ajami), so he wasn't fluent in Arabic and was having some difficulties because of it. Once The Prophet Muhammad came to him in a dream, before the time of the midday prayer (Zuhr), and he said to him: "O my dear son, why do you not speak out?" He replied: "O dear father, I am a Non-Arab man. How can I speak fluently in the classical Arabic language of Baghdad?" Holy Prophet said: "Just open your mouth!" He opened his mouth, and The Holy Prophet put his saliva seven times in his mouth. A few moments later, Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib also came & did the same to him six times. And from that time, Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani spoke classical Arabic language with fluency, his memory increased and he felt some great positive spiritual changes in him.

Once some one asked Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani about Mansur Al-Hallaj, he replied: "His claim extended too far, so the scissors of the Sacred Law (Shari'a) were empowered to clip it."

He busied himself for forty years in the service of the Islam from AH 521 to 561. During this period hundreds embraced Islam because of him and organized several teams to go abroad for the purpose. He arrived in Indian sub-continent in AD 1128, and stayed at Multan (Pakistan). He died in AH 561 (AD 1166) at the age of 91 years, and was buried in Baghdad.

For more information pls Visit : http://www.algillani.org

The Gold Frame arround the Holy Grave of Syedna Ghausa Azam inside the Shrine at Bab-ush-Shaikh, Baghdad, Iraq. The Khalifa Faqir Muhammad Afghani is sitted behind the Holy Grave. He passed away in probably 1985.


Opening Ceremony of Minhaj-ul-Quran Secertrate, Lahore ,March 12, 1987 by Pir Tahir Ilauddin Al-Gillani

SYED ABDUR REHMAN was a great scholar and his personal Library consists of thirty six thousand books on various subjects. Of these, about two thousand were manuscripts. The Present Makteba Qadiria is in fact, the altered name of the personal library of Syed Abdur Rehman. A copy of the QURAN written in gold was, after his death, presented to the king of LIBYA, IDRIS SANOSSI by Pir IBRAHIM SAIF-UD-DIN.

This manuscript of the Quran was seven hundred years old. In “Tarikh Ahwarat IRAQIA” by Abdul Razak Al Hassani, it has been stated that he was well known for his examplary piety and charity, and as a great Alim who loved books and had acquired abundant knowledge. He was also a man devoted to prayer and a great Wali of his time. Hazrat Seyidena Ghousul Azam conferred upon him the Khilafat of his Order in a dream, which was later affirmed by the Walis of his time. He had million of Murids and devotees.

Death Of A Non Believer

Aauz Bila Hi Minesh Shaitan Nirajeem.
Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem.

DEATH OF A NON-BELIEVER

When a non-believer is close to death, Hazrat Izraeel and thousands of other Angel come with darkened faces. They will have Clothes from hell and dirty smells from hell. Angel Izraeel will approach the non-believer and say:
“Oh corrupt soul come out, Allah is angry with you”. The soul with great difficulty leaves the body and will be dressed in the clothes from hell and the dirty smells of Hell will be put on him. The soul is then taken to the sky and on the way all the Angel who go past, curse it. When the Angels knock on the door of the first level of the sky, the Angel in side reply “Throw him in SIJJEEN” (Sijjeen is a place under the seven skies where all the soul of non-believers wait). The soul is thrown into Sijjeen and the souls who are already there can not talk, because they are in their own punishment. The soul is then taken back to his body at the time of burial and the questioning starts in the same way. When the questioning is done, the soul returns to Sijjeen and it still has contact with its body. When a non-believer is buried, the same questions will be asked to the non-believer:

“WHO IS YOUR LORD”?
“I DON'T KNOW” replies the non-believer.

“WHAT IS YOUR RELIGION”
“I DON'T KNOW”. replies the non believer

Then the dead person will be then be shown the face of prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and the two Angels will ask: “WHO IS THIS”?
“I DO NOT KNOW” replies the non believer.

The Angel will say: “He is a liar! put clothes of fire on Him, make Him a bed in hell and open the window of Hell for him”. Then facing the non-believer, the window of hell fire opens and hot air from hell enters the grave. The grave tightens and the Angel will hit the non-believer between the eyes with an iron bar. If that iron bar hit a mountain in this world, the mountain would crumble like powder. Then the non-believer will scream in so much pain that everything from East to West will be able to hear the screams, all except human beings and Jinns. The second punishment will be the 99 poisonous snakes in the grave, which will not stop biting the person until the Day of Judgement. This is because he did not believe in Allah (subhana wa ta'ala).

Then an ugly looking man will come, who will smell disgusting and who will be wearing dirty clothes and say: “Be unhappy this is the day that Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) promised you. You will suffer in agony until the Day of Judgement”. The person from the grave, will ask: “Who are you” The man will reply: “I am your bad deeds”

QUESTION

People who have tragic deaths like being burnt or drowned in the sea or get eaten by an animal. Where do they go for questioning?


ANSWER

After the soul returns from Illyeen or Sijjeen, the soul enters the spine and the person is ready for questioning. The grave of a person is where the spine is, even if it is in the stomach of the whale. The soul enters the spine of the body. As there are always pieces of spine left even if it is in the ashes or in the stomach of a whale.

In the grave all the body rots away except the spine because on the day of Judgement the bodies will be risen from it. But the prophets and the pious people, their body do not rot away like a normal persons body does.

Death Of A Muslim

Aauz Bila Hi Minesh Shaitan Nirajeem.
Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem.

Death Of A Muslim

When the time of death for a Muslim is close the Angel, Hazrat Izraeel, comes down with a thousand other Angels the faces of whom shine like the sun. They come and sit next to him. With them they bring silk clothes from Heaven and Heavenly perfumes for the person who is close to his death. Hazrat Izraeel (alayhi salaam) comes closer to the person and says:

" Oh soul come out of that body, your lord is pleased with you."

Shortly after that the soul leaves the body, the Angel dress the soul in Heavenly silk clothes and put on the perfumes. The Angel then take the soul to the sky, and the groups of Angel which they pass them will know that it is a soul of a good believer, they will say to the soul “Welcome holy-soul you have been obedient to Allah and Allah is pleased with you.”

Meanwhile the Angels take the soul to the first level of the sky and knock on the door and the Angel inside ask. "Who is it?" The Angel outside reply: "We have brought a good person's soul."

The Angel inside open the doors to welcome the soul. The soul is then taken to the second level of the sky, and the in the same manner the soul keeps travelling with the Angel until it reaches the seventh level. The Angel then leave the soul on the seventh level where it goes to a place called Il-li-yeen. Illiyeen is the place where all good Muslim souls are gathered after death. The soul is asked questions by the souls who are already there, they ask about their families back on earth: “How are they? What are they doing?” Some old souls will ask about such and such a person, the new soul will say, "Hasn't he come to you?" The old soul replies, "No, he must have been thrown into Hell."

After all the talking one of the old soul says: "Let him rest now he is very tired". The soul returns to his body at the time of burial, then the Questioning starts.

At the time of burial, the soul of the dead person is going to be in Illy-yeen or in Sij-jeen. After the body has been buried, the soul returns to the body in the grave. Two Angels, called Munkar and Nakeer, arrive at the grave to question the dead person their first question is:

“WHO IS YOUR LORD”?
“MY LORD IS ALLAH (SUBHANA WA TA'ALA)” replies the believer.

“WHAT IS YOUR RELIGION”?
“MY RELIGION IS ISLAM” replies the believer.

Then the dead person is shown the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and the two Angel ask: “WHO IS THIS MAN”?
The believer will reply “THIS MAN IS PROPHET MUHAMMAD (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)”

The Angel will then ask “HOW DO YOU KNOW”?
“I READ THE BOOK OF ALLAH (SUBHANA WA TA'ALA) AND ACTED UPON IT”.

A voice will be heard: “This person is a true believer.” At this point the person's grave bed will widen as far the eye can see. Light will appear in the grave and fresh air and heavenly perfume will come in the grave from a window opening into heaven. The person will be dressed in clothing from heaven and the Angel will order him to sleep. The person will rest in his grave until Yawm-ul-Qiyama (the day of judgement).

Then a handsome man, with clean clothes and with beautiful smells will come saying: "Be happy, This is the day Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) promised you." The dead person will ask: "Who are you?" The man will say: “I am your good deeds”.

When all the questions have been asked the soul will be free to go back to Illiyeen. You must remember that every soul has contact with its body in the grave. A small example of that would be: If a person passing by the grave says salaam, the dead person answers the salaam even if he is in Illiyeen.

The Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said that when a person's body is buried, he wakes up by rubbing his/her eyes. He/she will feel as though the sun is setting and say, " leave me I want to read Asar Salaat." Then the questioning will start.

The grave is not a pit into which dead bodies are thrown, but it is a door to a world where people go after death (Barzakh). It is the stage between death and the Day of Judgement. After death every soul is alive. Non-believers will stay in imprisonment and will get punished, but a good Muslim's soul is free and it could go anywhere he/she likes. For example can perform Hajj, can appear in dreams of people who are still alive and can give them news and also go to people's houses, however they are invisible.

Belief In The Books

Aauz Bila Hi Minesh Shaitan Nirajeem.
Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem.

BELIEF IN THE BOOKS

Muslims faith is that all the books and scriptures sent by Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to his messengers are true. From amongst them the books and scriptures which have been sent down there are four well known:

Towrat (Original Torah).
This book was revealed by Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to prophet Musa (alayhi salaam) (Moses).

Zaboor (Original Psalms).
This book was revealed by Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to prophet Dawoud (alayhi salaam).

Injeel (Original Gospel).
This book was revealed by Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to prophet Isa (alayhi salaam) (Jesus).

The Holy Qur'an.
This book was revealed by Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

The Holy Qur`an is Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)'s last book and everything inside it is true, nothing has been taken out and nothing new has been added. It will remain perfect until the Day of Judgement. It is Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)'s last perfect book and Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) promises in the Holy Qur`an that He will never let anyone change it.

With the Torah the Psalms and the Gospel we have to believe that at the time that these books were revealed, everything in them was true, but after some time, people have taken verses out of those books and added new verses of their own. Now if we see anything in these books which the Holy Qur'an verifies then we believe in that. And if we see anything which is in contradiction to the Holy Qur'an or Ahadeeth we have to reject it. If we see something which is not mentioned in the Holy Qur'an or Ahadeeth, we cannot say anything about it except that "Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) knows best".

Apart from these four books Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has sent other books and scriptures to the messengers and although we don't know the details of these books and scriptures we must believe that at the time they were revealed what was written in them was true.

FATE

One of the beliefs of a Muslim is to believe in Fate (Qadr). Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has the knowledge of everything, He knew everything before He created us and He has given us free will to make our own decisions in life, for example to choose the right or the wrong path. We will be judged by our intentions.

DEATH

Death comes in different forms to every human being, for example death for a good believer will be peaceful and the soul will leave the body easily. For a non-believer death, is very difficult and the soul struggles, trying not to leave the body.

Belief In The Angels

Aauz Bila Hi Minesh Shaitan Nirajeem.
Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem.

BELIEF IN THE ANGELS

Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) created Angel from light. We can't see or hear them in their actual form. They are free from sins. They come in any form or shape they wish. They always obey Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) orders. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has given them different duties for example: Two Angel stay with every person, one on the right and one on the left. The Angel on the right side writes down the good deeds that the person performs, and the Angel on the left side writes down all the bad deeds that the person commits. There is no place in the universe where there are no Angel. Nobody knows how many Angel there are except Allah (subhana wa ta'ala).

From amongst the Angels there are four that are well known these are:

Hazrat Jibraeel (alayhi salaam) (Gabriel) is the chief of the Angel. He has got 70, 000 wings and his job was to carry messages from Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to His prophets.
Hazarat Mikaeel (alayhi salaam) (Michael) distributes the food and controls the weather.
Hazarat Israfeel (alayhi salaam) will blow the horn. When Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) orders him to blow it, It will destroy the whole universe before the Day of Judgement begins.
Hazarat Izraeel (alayhi salaam) He is the "Angel of Death", who extracts the peoples soul at the time of death.

Belief In Prophecy

Aauz Bila Hi Minesh Shaitan Nirajeem.
Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem.

Belief In Prophets

A prophet is a man whom Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has sent with orders to guide the people onto the right path. Miracles accompany him to show that he is indeed a messenger of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala). The greatest miracle that came with our prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is the living miracle which we have with us today - the Holy Qur'an. The first prophet was Hazrat Adam (alayhi salaam) and the last prophet Hazrat Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

Altogether the number of prophets that were sent to this world were approximately 124,000. Out of all the prophets 313 were messengers, from whom there were five messengers known as the 'resolute' messengers. The difference between a prophet and a messenger is that a messenger received a scripture or a book of revelation. Every messenger is a prophet, but not all prophets are messengers. In the Holy Qur`an, only a few of the prophets and they stories are mentioned. Even though the other prophets names are not mentioned in the Holy Qur`an, we still must believe that they were prophets and the things that they taught, and preached, to the people was the truth.

Prophets are free from all sins. None of the prophets committed any sin, neither big nor small. Jews and Christians believe that prophets could commit sins. But Muslims believe that a prophet has never committed a sin neither before nor after he was announced as a prophet. A prophet can see Jinns, Satan, Angel and other things that are invisible to our eyes. Prophets can communicate with animals, plants and other things, which are incapable of communicating with humans.

Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) informs them the knowledge of the past and future as they need it. A Prophets decision is safe from errors, but even with all these skills prophets still need the guidance of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala). Even if a miracle appear from a prophet's hands, it is only able to appear with Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)'s command and will. A prophet cannot be disabled in any form, i.e. have one eye. A person cannot become a prophet by just worshipping Allah (subhana wa ta'ala), only those people whom Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has chosen can be prophets, and that is why whoever was a prophet was born a prophet.

Usually prophets announce themselves to the people at the age of 40, but Hazrat Isa (alayhi salaam) (Jesus) announced his prophecy when he was a baby. All the prophets have been men, none of them have been women. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) gave revelation to His prophets in different ways. Sometimes the Angel brought it to them and sometimes Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) put it directly in to the prophet's heart, or sometimes in their dreams or when they were awake. Prophecy started in line from Prophet Adam (alayhi salaam) to Prophet Isa (alayhi salaam), but when Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) sent Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) prophecy finished. If anyone claims and says that, "I'm a prophet after Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)" he is a liar and a non-believer, whoever says and believes that this person is a prophet then that person also becomes a non-believer himself.

Belief In ALLAH

Aauz Bila Hi Minesh Shaitan Nirajeem.
Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem.

BELIEF IN ALLAH (subhana waTa`ala)

Our belief is that there is only one God (Allah subhana wa ta'ala) and Allah subhana wa ta’ala is present at all time. He existed before time and will exist after time ends. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has no relations or family what so ever, meaning he has no mother, no father, no brother, no sister, no son or daughter. He is totally self-sufficient. He is not dependent on any thing or anyone but the whole universe depends on Him. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) does not get tired or have any need for sleep. He is free from all needs. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) does not oppress anyone.

Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has ninety nine beautiful attributes to him which a few are; He is the Most Merciful and does not lie. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is the Most Powerful. He does not get tired or falls asleep He is free from all needs. He can do whatever He wants. He created the skies and the earth and created everything that came before them. Everything dies by His command and He will make everyone come back to life on the Day of Judgement (to account for his or her deeds).

Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is One and has No partners. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is alone in His rule over the universe. All movements in the universe are Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)'s creation. No leaf can move without His permission and blessing. Every order of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has to be obeyed whether we understand it or not. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) alone is the Most Worthy of worship. Nobody is allowed to worship the idols, Sun, Moon, trees, water, Angel or prophet's etc.