Hadhrat Khaja 'Ubaidullah Ahraar (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) - Life and teachings

 

Hadhrat Khaja 'Ubaidullah Ahraar (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) - Life and teachings

 

Hadhrat Khaja ‘Ubaidullah Ahraar, a great saint of the Naqshbandi order, passed away on 29^th Rab’ee Ul Awwal, 895 Hijri.

 

In this regard, we present a brief biography of the Khaja from Gulzar Auliya of Muhaddith-e-Deccan Abul Hasanaat Syed ‘Abdullah Shah Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Qadri (May Allah shower His Mercy on him):

 

Four months before the conception, the mother of the Khaja entered a state of ecstasy.  When the pregnancy started, the state lessened.  His grandfather had already described his sainthood before his birth.

 

From an early age itself, the Khaja had a deep and close relationship with Allah Most High.  The Khaja himself said:  Until I became an adult I thought that everyone enjoyed the same kind of relationship with Allah Most High.  When I entered adulthood, then I understood that only the privileged have this kind of relationship with Allah Most High.  Not everyone.

 

Once, the Khaja said:  In establishing contact with the deceased (Kashfe Quboor), what happens is that the soul of the deceased takes the countenance of the deceased’s virtual countenance (Soorat Mithaali).  Even Satan has that power.  How do we know that it is Satan or the deceased?

 

For this reason, the Naqshbandi elders don’t give any importance to this method.  Their method is to sit near the grave of the deceased whose state is to be divined and empty oneself of all states and spiritual affinities (Nisbah).  They wait for the emergence of a new spiritual affinity.  With this new spiritual affinity, they find out the state of the deceased.  The same method is used to divine the condition of a stranger.

 

Some of the teachings of the Khaja are:

 

The bestowal of Allah Most High is of 2 kinds:

 

1.  For the populace, in spite of sins, bounties are granted.

 

2.  For the elite, in spite of improprieties, their (spiritual) states are preserved.

 

A seeker should keep his (or her) attention on deeds and remembrance of Allah Most High.  He shouldn’t dwell on single-mindedness and absorption.  The latter are a grant of Allah Most High and are rare.  They are beyond the power of worshippers.  On the other hand, (good) deeds and remembrance of Allah Most High can be done by humans.  Regularity in these 2 leads to the aforementioned two.  One day or the other, they will lead the seeker to it.

 

In whom you find the following attributes, consider them to be saints of Allah Most High:

 

1.  When you see their faces, the heart is irresistibly drawn to them.

 

2.  When they talk, there is such a pleasure in their speech that one desires to forget everything and sit with them for endless hours.

 

3.  No wrong or useless deed is committed by them.

 

Tasawwuf is the essence of the Holy Quran, the Hadith and jurisprudence (Fiqh).  The essence of Tasawwuf is Wahdatul Wujood.  This is not gained by mere talk but by polishing the heart and breaking away from everyone and turning to Allah Most High.  Only then is the heart reformed, only then it is reconciled and then it shines with such fervor that Wahdatul Wujood automatically becomes clear.

 

Those who cook should not be heedless of Allah Most High, shouldn’t be angry on anyone and shouldn’t indulge in lewd talk.  The cook should also not talk needlessly.  He/she should cook in a state of purity (Taharah).  When done so, that kind of food becomes radiant itself and makes the heart radiant.  The food prepared ignoring these precepts darkens the heart.

 

Learning something from an accomplished person and being steadfast on it takes one to great heights.

 

Removing blameworthy traits through self mortification is a very difficult task.  Instead, one should keep performing good deeds with one’s inward aspect (A’amaale Baatin) and wait.  Automatically a state will develop and all those blameworthy traits will be eradicated.

 

The remembrance of Allah Most High is like an axe which cuts away stray thoughts from around the heart.

 

Following the outward commandments is Shariah.  Making efforts to develop tranquility and attentiveness of the heart is Tariqah.  When the tranquility and attentiveness thus developed takes root in the inward aspect, it is Haqiqah.

 

For this Ummah, mutation of faces has been stopped.  However, mutation of the inward aspect still remains.  No matter how great a sin is committed, never regretting it, never reproaching the Self (Nafs) for it; not paying any attention if someone points it out – all these are signs of mutation of the inward aspect.

 

The grave of the Khaja is in Samarqand.

 

[Excerpted from Gulzaar-e-Auliya]