Those who remain satisfied with Allah’s will are the true believers. Allah is pleased with those people who do not forget Allah (SWT) during turbulent times and remain steadfast. Everyone has a different fate; some are blessed with more happiness and success in life than others. Remaining content on Allah’s will and distribution shows nobility of character. The ability to keep smiling despite staunch criticism, simply for a great cause is a sign of having a big heart. Likewise, pious people have the ability to take even the most sever forms of criticism. Keeping silent despite seeing and hearing everything is a Hussaini (AS) trait. Letting others take your credit for doing something good is an indication of strong faith in Allah. Appearing unaware despite knowing all the diving secrets is the characteristic of Awliya Allah. Being busy (with Allah’s SWT remembrance) in solitude is a Qalandari attribute. Treating everyone equally regardless of their appearance or personality is the sign of being the Ghaus-e-Zaman. The development of humbleness and humility is an indication of Allah’s blessings. The desire to recite Durood Pak at all times is a sign of being accepted in the Prophet’s presence. The will to continue, despite being aware of the hardships awaiting is the beginning of divine love.
Maintained Schedule of Life
Friends! Only those people succeeded in life who led an organised life and maintain a schedule. Instead of running after everything in life, they focused only on what was important. If you understand the importance of making priorities, then you have already saved yourself from massive damage, as you now have a system to live your life with. What’s more important is that you learn the way of life from someone wise and learned. They know the code of life as they belong to the group of pious people. If you belong to a Muslim family, then your schedule should reflect your Islamic principles and ideology. Similarly, you must also follow the societal norms as well and amend your schedule according to the requirements of friends and relatives. Like a good student, start writing a diary of your life events while ensuring not to disturb your daily routine. Whenever you find time, read through the pages of your diary and evaluate whether at any point, you allowed yourself to get detracted from your schedule – or if you failed to follow the duties assigned to you by your teacher. If you find any discrepancy, then, being a student, you should talk to your teacher who helped you design your schedule. I intentionally chose this example to bring your attention towards something else – our spiritual schedule –which has been declared and you already know what it contains. Simply continue to follow your routine. Our final destination is the Prophet’s (SAW) love and closeness. Recitation of Durood Pak is an integral part of our schedule. May Allah bless us with such a life. Friends! You will find many greedy, profiteering gangs of thugs, who are nothing less than an epidemic. They are continuously trying to find ways of milking people when they are going through difficult times. Commonly, they are known as “LaggarBagga”. You can find LaggarBagga’s in various forms; within yourself, they are present in your Nafs, or as the Satan himself. In the outside world, they are in abundance. Friends, beware, and hold on to your philosophy and ideology. Remain connected with your friends and be on the lookout for those who stab from behind. Whatever duties you have been assigned, perform them diligently. Allah will save you and your friends from these internal, spiritual and physical LaggarBagga’s. May Allah (SWT) be your helper and supporter.
Astana of Awliya Allah
Friends! The Astana’s of Awliya Allah are very hard to find. They live silently and in isolation, not letting anyone know of their presence. Their time is extremely precious, and they do not want to waster it in any way. Apparently, they seem like worthless people. But in reality, they carry heavy responsibilities on their shoulders; their concern for the well being of the humanity, disseminating good and fighting the evil, their sheer love, support and prayers for the Muslim Ummah. These people are blessed with such blessings of Allah, which one can only dream of. Despite that, they continue their efforts to please their Lord (SWT). If someone having worldly desires visits them, they try to bring him to the righteous path as well. Such people are the Qalandars.
Life is like a Marketplace
Friends, life is like a marketplace. To enter it, you need a key in the form of birth. At the entrance, you will be given a paper that allows you to enter the marketplace. The paper mentions that there is another gate opposite to the one you enter from which is out of bounds for you. When the time comes (death), the police (the angels) will open the door for you and let you out of the market place. When the traveller (human) enters the marketplace, he finds lights and attractions around him. When he looks around, he finds some people playing somewhere, others are praying, studying, or doing business. In short, every where he finds all amenities of life and different offices around him. One part of him wants to roam around and enjoy, while the other part of him is afraid that police may come at anytime and drag him out of the marketplace. While roaming around, the traveller realises that whatever efforts he will make in this place, he will get their reward when he leaves the market. At times, the traveller wants to walk out through the closed door. At other times, he gets engaged in the lively market place environment. He sees the police is taking a person out of the locked door. Other people come with him to the door to see him off and then return. They remain sad for a while and then return back to their normal routines. Friends! Try to understand now. What type of earnings would you like to take with you when are taken through the closed door? Search this marketplace carefully and pick only things that can help you when you leave through that door – things which are durable, do not degrade with time and are still usable profitable when you leave the market. Friends, this is Qalandari school of thought. The secret lies in the recitation of Durood Pak. Let us buy a profitable commodity in this marketplace (the world) by reciting Durood Pak in abundance. Friends, Allah (SWT) is free from all shortcomings and imperfections and His Prophets are free from sins and mistakes. When Allah (SWT) willed, He shielded the Prophet (SAW) and his AhleBait (RA) from this world’s dirt, just like the ship of Nooh (AS). We, as human beings, see ourselves as sinful creatures. That is why must ask for Allah’s (SWT) forgiveness abundantly. Friends! If you are sincere to your work, and your hands are clean, then you need not worry about peoples’ accusations and allegations. As I have mentioned earlier, people even did not spare the Awliya Allah were – Why should we, the lesser beings worry about such a thing? In the spiritual world, we have seen that when jealous people are unable to attain their intended results by spreading hatred, they resort to confusing people by spreading accusations and false allegations. This jealous person can either be your own Nafs, your friends, oreven relatives. Regardless, it should not affect our Qalandari way of life.
Sufism has a unique lifestyle
Friends! A Sufi is a person who studies this world through the eyes of knowledge, intellect and love, and tries to discover the divine secrets. He lives his life according to the principles set by his teachers. Then, one Sufi becomes aware these secrets and become a “Majzoob”. Another one achieved the heights of knowledge and starts disseminating it though his books. Another Sufi gets deeply engaged in divine thoughts and observation, while another becomes a poet and starts singing divine secrets, and finally, another one starts preaching the word of Allah (SWT) and reforming people. The word reform refers to the dual process of learning, and then teaching others. This is the way of our Prophet (SAW). No doubt it is quite perilous; one has to face a lot of hardships on this way. One has to blend in this world and then reform people. Everything happens as per Allah’s (SWT) will – whomever he chooses for this task. These are the Sufis who learn how to speak effectively. They have a charisma in their gestures, actions, and voice. These people are truly blessed by Allah (SWT). They don’t have any personal agenda, northey seek any spiritual position. Only the ones chosen by Allah get rewarded to high positions. A Sufi does not care what people think about him, or how they treat him. Rather, he continues performing his duties, oblivious of other people’s perceptions. Although he is an expert in reading people’s minds, and knows the art of convincing, he does not want to become a “Peer”, nor does he want to gain worldly favours by deceiving people. He remains sincere to himself and does not desire fame or worldly positions. His entire focus is on carrying out his duties. Friends, this is the Qalandari school of thought.
Peoples believe What they see
Friends! In this world, people only believe what they see. That is why everyone tries to maintain outward cleanliness and appearance. Once the Sufi Watayo went to a feast in ragged clothes. When he reached the venue, the hosts, judging from his clothes, thought that he was poor and asked him to sit outside and did not pay much attention towards him. Shocked by this incident, Watayo went to one of his followers and borrowed a beautiful dress and a horse from him. When Watayo returned to the feast, the hosts, now impressed by his appearance, started looking for a respectable seating place for him and placed all the special foods in front of him. Watayo then pointed towards the food and asked his clothes to eat the food and offered it to the horse as well. The hosts were surprised and were thinking what kind of guest had come? The Faqir said that had all these arrangements been actually made for me, you would have offered them to me in the first place. But in reality, it is all because of these fancy clothes and the ride. Therefore, they deserve to eat, not me. Watayo Faqir addressed a serious matter in a humorous style. Similarly, in today’s world, packaging sells. From buying a daily use item to making friends and dealing with relatives, people prefer things based on their outward appearance and glitter. However, they repent afterwards, only to realize when it is too late. Thus, friends, spirituality is a rare connection with the soul that helps in differentiating between the original and the copy. Today, spirituality is also being sold at shops like a commodity, with a beautiful packing. Don’t be fooled! The reality does not remain hidden for long, although it may take some time and effort to reveal it. Real pearls are not commonly found; they are hidden in the depth of the sea. We cannot find Musk in the navel of every deer; not all almonds are sweet; not every flower is fragrant, and not all birds are geese. May Allah guide us all.
Sense of Inferiority
Friends! Sense of inferiority (inferiority complex) is a major disease these days. One who suffers from it keeps talking to himself all the time. He asks himself questions and then keeps looking for their answers by himself and keeps wondering what would happen had he done such and such thing. Such people wander so far away in chasing impossible dreams that they get cut off even from their friends and relatives. A person suffering from sense of inferiority becomes so severely depressed that he becomes a psychiatric patient. If two people are talking to each other, such a person will feel as if they are talking about him. If he sees someone wearing nice clothes or driving an expensive car, he will feel jealous and chaff at being deprived. Unfortunately, the sense of inferiority is becoming a pandemic these days. Friends, we have been educated to the contrary. We believe that everything is in the hands of Allah Almighty and everyone has his own destiny. If progress was possible with the help of cheating, deception, and occult practices, magicians would be the most successful people in the world. But this is not the case. This universe follows a system where everything will happen at its own time. No matter how much we progress in this world, we are to turn back towards the Hereafter. Once Watayoo Faqir’s house was burgled. While the villagers started searching for the footprints of the burglars, Watayu Faqir went straight to the graveyard. Someone saw him and asked what he was doing there? Watayu Faqir replied, “I am waiting for the thieves here because no matter how far they run, the graveyard will be their last resort.” Friends think of this last stop and destination. Instead of torturing yourself thinking bad about others, why not think positively for everyone? Open your heart and Allah Almighty will open the entire world to you. Look, these Sufi dervishes, their doors are still as wide open as their hearts. Adopt their thoughts and ideas.
Syed Ghulam Hyder Shah Qalandri
Kunri, Sindh, Pakistan
