This
letter, written to Hadrat Naqîb Shaikh Ferîd, preaches, gives advice, and
recommends following the scholars of Ahl as-sunnat:
May Allâhu
ta’âlâ protect you against anything
that would be incommensurate with your personality. May He accept this prayer
of mine for the sake of your honourable forefather ‘alaihi wa ’alâ
âlihis-salawâtu wa-t-taslîmât’! The sixtieth âyat of ar-Rahmân Sûra purports: “Goodness
will be returned only with goodness.” I am at a loss as to what
kindness I should offer in return for all your kindnesses. Only, I have been
trying to take every sacred time as an opportunity to pray for your religious
and worldly salvation. Al-hamdu-li-llâh, this task, beyond me as it is, falls
to my lot. Another kindness (on our part) that would (only) mean a reward (for
us) would be (to offer you some) preaches and advice. It would be such a great
blessing for us if you would be kind enough to accept it.
O my noble and honourable sir! The essence of all preaches and
the most valuable piece of advice is to meet men of Allah and to keep them
company. And being a man of Allah, and adhering to Islam, in its turn, depends
on holding fast to the right way guided by the Ahl as-sunnat wa’l jamâ’at, who,
among various groups, are the only group blessed with the good news that they
are the group of salvation. Unless you follow the way guided by these great people,
there cannot be salvation. Unless you adapt yourself to the principles that
these people inferred (from Qur’ân al-kerîm and
hatîth-i-sherîfs), you cannot attain happiness. These statements of ours are
confirmed by owners of wisdom, by scientists, and by the kashfs of Awliyâ.
There is no mistaking. One should deem it lethal poison to be friends with a
person who has swerved as trivially as a grain of mustard from the right way of
these great people. One should deem it as horrifying as a snake’s
bite to talk to him. Men of knowledge who do not fear Allah are
thieves of religion, regardless of the branch they belong to. Such people also
should be kept away from. All sorts of mischief that have been undermining
Islam, all the ferocious attacks directed against the religion are the evils
aroused by these people. In order to obtain worldly advantages, they have
assisted in the demolition of the religion. The sixteenth âyat of Baqara Sûra
purports, “They have bought dalâlat (misguidance, aberration) by paying hidâyat(guidance). They have earned nothing in this (business of) buying and selling. They have not found
the right way.”
This âyat-i kerîma describes these people. One day an
exalted person saw the devil sitting idly and happily without trying to deceive
anyone, and asked him why he was sitting idly instead of misleading people. His
answer was: “Today’s malicious men of religion are doing my job very well; they
have left no work for me to do to deceive people.” Mawlânâ ’Umar, one of the
disciples stationed there, is a good person by creation. Only, he should be
backed and supported so that he can tell the truth. Also, Hâfid Imâm has
committed all his thoughts to the spreading of Islam. In fact, every Muslim has
to be so. It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf, “Unless a person is said to becrazy, his
îmân will not be perfect.” You
know that I, the faqîr, have been striving to explain the importance of talking
with good people in all my speeches and writings. Without becoming weary, I
keep saying time and again to avoid vicious company. For, these two things form
the basis of the matter. It is our business to give advice and yours to take
it. Or, rather, all the business belongs to Allâhu ta’âlâ. How lucky
for those people whom Allâhu ta’âlâ
employs as benefactors!
The greatness of the number of your generous kindnesses causes us to write all these things and makes us oblivious to the fact that we might give you a headache and boredom. Was-salâm.