Memories of Him
by Hazrat Major (Retd) Ghulam Muhammad
This was February 1970. I was in Risalpur. After a few days, when Muhammad Ahsan Baig arrived at Risalpur, many new things came to my knowledge. I had a couple of meetings with him, during which he mentioned his respected teacher Hazrat Maulana Allah Yar Khan. He was among the top Ulema of Pakistan. He was an exalted debater against the Shiah sect. I had seen large posters of his speeches and meetings, but had not met him so far. One day, I went to Ahsan Baig to get some paint. My unit was due for a technical inspection, and nobody in Risalpur had the requisite paint, but him. Captain Ahsan Baig promised to give me the paint the next day, and told me that Hazrat Maulana Allah Yar Khan Sahib had come to visit him. There was going to be a session of Zikr that night. He urged me to attend the session. I was connected to Khanqah Sirajia in Kundian, and was linked to Hazrat Maulana Khan Muhammad for almost eleven years. I was confused about whether I should go there or not. We had planned to watch a movie in the club that same evening. Two or three cars arrived at my home to pick me up for going to the club before the appointed time. I was double-minded. If I didn’t go to Ahsan Baig's house, he would be angry and might refuse to give me the paint. Hence, my technical inspection could be ruined. So, keeping the paint in view, I declined to go to the club and changed into a shalwar qameez and went to Ahsan Baig's house. As I entered the drawing room, the respected Hazrat had just come out (of the bathroom) after doing the Wazu[1]. Ahsan Baig introduced me. I extended my hand for a shake-hand, but the respected Hazrat ignored my hand and stepped by me. For the first time, I felt that perhaps I was not even worthy enough that a person of Allah should shake my hand.
I started walking behind him. Hazrat Jee crossed the road and entered the small Cantonment Board mosque to lead the Namaz. I also performed the Wazu and joined in the Jamaat. As soon as Hazrat Jee started the recitation, I felt myself being overwhelmed by a strange urge to cry, and I kept on weeping spontaneously throughout the Namaz. When the Namaz was over, everyone gathered at Ahsan Baig's house. I also sat in the front row along with the other officers, including Capt (Brig) Muhammad Haneef, Capt (Maj) Umar Hayat, Capt Zain-ul-Abideen, and Flt Lt Hadi Hussain Shah. A tall man stood up and started telling everyone that their Silsila was Naqshbandia Awaisia. They practiced the Zikr by the method of Paas-Anfaas[2]. He explained that they would sat down in rows on the left side of their Shaykh, facing the Qibla, close their eyes and mouths, switch off the lights, and the make the Zikr of Allah-Hu strike their Lata-if repeatedly, with each breath. He said that they acquired the spiritual Faiz through the medium of their Shaykh, directly from MuhammadSall-Allahu-alaih-Wasallam, the Prophet of Allah. After giving this introduction, he inquired from Hazrat Jee about me, that whether I should keep sitting in the session of Zikr. Hazrat Jee said that the dust of the town from which he comes does not possess the capability to absorb the Faiz. He said the only thing we had learned from our elders was to oppose Allah's Friends. "How can he do Zikr?" he said. Upon hearing this, the tall man sternly ordered me to get up and leave. I stood up, but the humiliation and insult had drained me of the energy to leave. I sat on the sandals at the back. Meanwhile, the light had been switched off, and Hazrat Jee started the Zikr by saying "Subhan-Allah-e Wal-Hamdu-Lillah-e wa La-Ilaha IlAllahu wa Allah-o Akbar wa Lahaula wa la Quwwata Illa Billahil AliYil Azeem; Auoozu Billahe Minash-shaitaanir Rajeem; Bismillah Ar-rahmanir Raheem; Allah Allah Allah Hu; Chalo pehla Lateefa Qalb."
After 15-20 minutes had passed, I felt as if there was light in the room. I instinctively closed my eyes. After a few minutes, I could feel that the light in the room had become extremely intense. I opened my eyes, and they almost popped out to see what was happening. The Lights were from Hazrat Jee's blessed chest in the form of Flashes that were enveloping the others, and these Flashes of Light were making the room incredibly bright. I was stunned. "What kind of a person he is, O Allah? We had read about such people in books. How can he be born in this day and age?"
By the time the session was over, I had become fully convinced of Hazrat Jee's spiritual excellence. I had decided that I shall never let go of such a person, even if he does not consider me worthy of his company. As soon as the light was put back on, I got up and fell at Hazrat Jee's feet. I broke down in tears and kept crying involuntarily. When the burden on my heart had lifted, Hazrat Jee put his hand on my head and said, "Son, the feeling of guilt is a big asset that man has. Whenever a person feels that he has sinned and strayed, he can come back on track. But if this feeling dies, this life is useless. Whatever time of life you are left with, spend it in the remembrance of Allah. Join the people of Allah. Be regular in Namaz. Appreciate the difference between the Permissible and the Forbidden."
The conversation about the Deen continued for quite some time in that company. When I returned home, it was late and I was starving. When I asked my wife for dinner, she said I should ask for food from the same people with whom I had spent the evening. So, I had to sleep on an empty stomach that night. Because of the marital disturbance, I could not visit Hazrat Jee for the next two days. On the third day, Hazrat Jee was sitting in a buggy and proceeding towards Sergeant Muhammad Ashraf's house, who was a companion from the Air Force. I was busy tending to the flowerbeds in my lawn when Ahsan Baig asked me to grab my bicycle and come after Hazrat Jee. I followed him on my bike and reached Sergeant Muhammad Ashraf's house. This was my second Zikr with Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih.
After I was connected with the Awaisia Silsila, both of my elder brothers also joined me. The three sons of my uncle Hakeem Muhammad Hussain, my father in law, and a few others from my family also joined the Silsila, and the like of a Jamaat was created in Wan Bhachran. Whenever my uncle Muhammad Hussain would see me, he would advise me to recite La Haula wa La Quwwata. He was sure that I was involved in some Satanic activity. He observed us closely for a whole year. One day, he said to me, "I don't know whether you people are right or wrong, but I have seen that my sons have become righteous after joining the company of Hazrat Maulana Allah Yar KhanRehmatullah Alaih. They did not even bother to offer Namaz before, but now they've kept beards. They have left bad actions and become regular in Tahajjud[3]." He said that he also wanted to practice Lata-if with me. I performed Lata-if on him for two or three days. After a few days, Mufti Ghulam Samdani came to Wan Bhachran and took uncle Hakeem through the Meditations till the Masjid. My elder brother Ghulam Hussain wrote to me that something unexpected had happened. Our uncle was still shaky (about Zikr and Lata-if), and Muft Ghulam Samdani had taken him all the way till the Masjid. I replied to him not to doubt the Destinations performed by Mufti Sahib, and give the Attention to uncle Hakeem till the Masjid. Meanwhile, Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih wrote to uncle Hakeem and invited him to visit Munara. He obeyed Hazrat Jee'sRehmatullah Alaih order and reluctantly went to Munara, but he still kept on having doubts about the Destinations that he had been taken to. One day, Maulvi Muhammad Sulaiman was performing the routine with the Jamaat. When they reached Sair-e-Kaaba, a spell of crying overtook him. He kept weeping and praying while holding on to the covering of the Kaaba. Meanwhile, the Jamaat had reached Masjid-e-NabviSall-Allahu-alaih-Wasallam. Maulvi Muhammad Sulaiman asked Mufti Ghulam Samdani, "Have you ever seen a prayer that's been accepted? If you want to see it, look at Hakeem Muhammad Hussain, who is still clutching the covering of the Kaaba, crying and praying, as his prayer is hitting the Higher Arsh[4]". My uncle later told me that he was astonished to hear about his condition from Maulvi Muhammad Sulaiman. How could he tell all this? The rest of the Jamaat had already reached Masjid-e-Nabvi. After that, my uncle's heart was satisfied, and he got attached with Hazrat with full conviction.
In the beginning, I also used to wonder about Hazrat Jee'sRehmatullah Alaih spiritual power. I wrote a letter about it to my previous Shaykh Hazrat Maulana Khan Muhammad (the Caretaker of Khanqah Sirajia, Kundian). The letter also included some excerpts from Dalail-as-Salook and some incidents and circumstances that I had witnessed in the company of Hazrat Jee. He replied: "My dear! Maulana Allah Yar Khan is the Shaykh of Silsila Naqshbandia Awaisia. Only someone from Awaisia can speak about him. You, in any case, continue to practice regularly the Recitations that I have prescribed."
I traveled alongside Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih towards the end of 1970. We traveled from Rawalpindi to Karachi. Muhammad Yousuf and Basheer were also travelling with Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih. I was tasked with the service of my Murshed. When Hazrat Jee went to the train's washroom to do Wazu for the Namaz of Asr, I sat close to Yousuf sahib and asked him about my parents, who were deceased. I asked him to tell me about their condition in the Barzakh. He told me that my mother was in Salvation, but my father was being Penalized. I did not believe him, because my father was a very pious person. I got up and went towards the washroom. When Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih came out, he told me that the accursed Satan had thrown a piece of rotten flesh at his back as soon as he had entered the washroom. It had made his shirt filthy. He had tried to wash it, but the stain still remained. After the Namaz, when Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih sat down at his seat, I asked him about the condition of my parents in the Barzakh. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih stared out of the window for some time, and then said: the mother is okay, but the father is under the Retribution. Now, I had no other option but to accept. Muhammad Yousuf requested Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih to pray for the deliverance of my father. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih prayed, and my father was released from the Retribution of the grave.
This was confirmed after a few days by Captain Zain-ul-Abideen in Risalpur. He was sitting at my house. I requested him to tell me about the condition of my father in the Barzakh. He often used to refrain from revealing the matters of Kashaf. I persuaded him with great difficulty. He said that as he had not seen my father's grave, I should lead him there. So, I said to him: let's go to my father's grave. Just to test him, I thought about another grave in the graveyard of Ghundi (Kundian). When he saw the person in the grave, he opened his eyes and said that the person was saying he was not my father. I asked him what that person looked like and he told it correctly. Then, I asked him to see if anyone with the five Lata-if was buried in that graveyard. He told me that there was an old man who had the five Lata-if. (This was the disciple of Maulana Ahmed Khan from Khanqah Sirajia). I told him to ask the old man whether he knew me. In reply to the question, the old man touched my armpit. Zain-ul-Abideen said that he had not understood why the old man was acting this way. I told him that when I was seven years old, my mother brought me to this old man for Dum[5]. He had recited something and touched my armpit. Thereafter he had died and this was our first and last meeting. This incident also proved Hazrat Jee's saying that a person in the grave remember even the person whom he has met just once in his lifetime. Then, I asked Zain-ul-Abideen if there were any people in that graveyard who had the Qalb. He said that seven people were standing in a row. The last person was covering his face. I told him that it was the Qureshi family of Ulema. I knew the person standing at the last. He was known as the Maulvi with Covered Face. He never uncovered his face except when he was in mosque, and I had offered Salat behind him in my childhood.
After that, I took him to my father's grave in the graveyard of Wajhara in Wan Bhachran. He said that my mother was also buried in the same graveyard. "How do you know that?" I asked him. He replied that he had seen my parents together and my father had told him that she was my mother. I was amazed at the power of the Kashaf of graves that Allah had blessed this person with. He was telling everything correctly while sitting hundreds of miles away from those graves. Then, I brought Zain-ul-Abideen to the grave of Maulana Hussain AliRehmatullah Alaih, and asked him what type of students and successors he had left behind. Zain-ul-Abideen told me that Maulana Hussain Ali had bowed his head upon hearing this question. Then, I took Zain-ul-Abideen to Hazrat Maulana Ahmed KhanRehmatullah Alaih in Khanqah Sirajia. Zain-ul-Abideen told me that he was Fana-fir-Rasool[6]. Maulana Abdullah's Stations were below him. Maulana Abdullah asked Zain-ul-Abideen to convey to our respected Shaykh that he may kindly teach Salook to his successor Khan Muhammad.
In October 1970, Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih came to my house in Risalpur. Zain-ul-Abideen's car (in which Hazrat Jee was coming) had met an accident on the way, and Hazrat Jee had sustained injuries. So, he stayed for 16 days instead of 10. He could not perform Wazu and used to do Tayammum[7]. The bricks that he used for Tayammum are still with me, and I have made a will that these bricks be used in my grave. During this stay, one day Mufti Ghulam Samdani went from Risalpur to Nowshehra with Basheer. When they came back, Basheer told Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih that during the journey, Mufti Ghulam Samdani uttered a cry so loud that everyone was looking towards him. Now, he was declining to tell why he had shrieked. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih asked Mufti Ghulam Samdani to narrate the whole incident. Mufti Ghulam Samdani said that when they boarded the bus, he saw that the round-shaped thing that is located right at the front in the bus, the thing behind which the driver sits, he saw that a monkey was clutching onto that thing. The monkey was rotating that thing right and left. When he saw this spiritual appearance of the driver, he let out an involuntary cry.
Professor Muhammad Aslam was also present when this conversation was taking place. He was a renowned mathematics teacher from the Corps of Engineers. His Third Dimension Theory was very famous, through which he used to prove the existence of Allah and the angels. He asked Hazrat Jee whether it was really true that Neil Armstrong had reached the moon. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih said: let's ask this person who calls the steering-wheel a round thing". Then, Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih asked Mufti Ghulam Samdani to concentrate on Hazrat Jee's Heart, follow the Lights to wherever they were going, and describe the details of those places. Mufti Ghulam Samdani narrated Neil Armstrong's whole voyage and described the place where they had reached. Professor Muhammad Aslam was amazed that a person with such a low education was narrating such details that the astronaut had himself not described after his return.
After this incident, Professor Muhammad Aslam became so fond of Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih that he took all of us to his house, and called all his children before Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih. He requested Hazrat Jee to take their Baet. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih said that he was not a traditional Peer[8], but a spiritual teacher who did not believe in the apparent Baet. He said that he trained his students spiritually and presented them in the Prophet'sSall-Allahu-alaih-Wasallam Court for the spiritual Baet on the sacred hand of Huzoor Nabi Kareem ﷺ. Meanwhile the tea was served, along with some snacks. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih only took one of the different things that were there. He said that the rest of the things had been bought readymade from the market, and he did not eat such things. Professor Muhammad Aslam said that the thing that Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih had accepted had been prepared by his daughter, who was regular in her Namaz and fasting. The rest of the eatables had indeed been fetched from the market.
During the same stay, another incredible thing became clear. One day, I was standing with Maulvi Sulaiman. He was doing Wazu. There were eight servant quarters behind my house, out of which I had given two to a poor old horse-cart driver. His wife and daughter used to work in my house. When Maulvi Sulaiman happened to look at the uninhabited quarters, he exclaimed, "What the heck! What kind of monsters you are keeping?" He said that a Jinn[9] was looking towards us from one of the windows. Suddenly, the Jinn ran and disappeared into the cart-driver's mare, and the mare lied down. My batman Muhammad Zakir was standing beside us. He said, ever since Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih had come, all the residents of the quarters and their mare had fallen sick. Maulvi Sulaiman told us that the Lights from Hazrat Jee's chest were illuminating the whole neighborhood. The ground, the houses, the trees, etc all became extremely bright. It became difficult for the Jinns to live there, so they were forced to seek refuge inside living things like humans and animals. The Jinns living in my quarters had hidden inside the unreligious people and the mare. As soon as Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih departed from my home, they were well again.
When Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih went for Hajj for the first time, I also accompanied him till Karachi. When he returned from Hajj, all the senior companions were present to receive him in Karachi. When Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih came out of the airport, he was wearing colored khaddar clothes. My heart suddenly had this desire that if Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih granted me that dress, it will be a really great gift for me. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih was staying in the Navy quarters near Tooba Mosque. All the senior companions expressed their wish for Hazrat Jee's clothes, but he kept quiet. He exchanged his handkerchief with someone and gave away his rosary too, but did not give the clothes to anyone. I dared not to express my wish, as I was just a beginner. On the journey back home, the companions from Chakwal hid away Hazrat Jee's luggage, so that he could not change into another dress and give the clothes he was wearing to anyone. When we disembarked (from the train) at Jehlum, Hafiz Ghulam Qadri had arranged for a sojourn at a nearby mosque. Everybody placed their baggage in the mosque and went out, and only Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih and I were left inside. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih asked me to bring a dhoti. I picked up someone's dhoti and gave it to Hazrat Jee. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih donned the dhoti, put off the shalwar-qameez that he was wearing, and gave it to me. "You were the first one to wish for this dress at the airport, so I give it to you," he said. When the others returned after some time, they saw that Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih was sitting wearing only the dhoti. They immediately produced Hazrat Jee's clothes from wherever they had hidden them. Hazrat Jee's clothes are still preserved with me, and remind me of the gift and the Kashaf-e-Quloob[10] of my esteemed Shaykh.
Salamat Pura, street number 6, house number 4—this was Maulana Fazal Hussain's address. Maulana Fazal Hussain possessed the Certificate of Succession from Hazrat Maulana Fazal Ali QureshiRehmatullah Alaih. Maulana Fazal Ali Qureshi, Maulana Hussain Ali (Wan Bhachran) and Maulana Ahmed Khan (the founder Shaykh of Khanqah Sirjia, Kundian) had got the Certificate together. All three of them belonged to the Naqshbandia Mujaddadia Silsila. Maulana Fazal Hussain was an established Peer of Lahore and his disciples numbered in thousands. He was very well off, had a car and house, and a transport business. Maulana Fazal Hussain wrote to Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih that his Shaykh had taken him till the Destination of Haqeeqat-e-Salat. He wanted Hazrat Jee's guidance to progress further in Salook, as his Shaykh was not alive anymore. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih wrote back that when he's stop at Lahore on his way to Karachi, Maulana Fazal Hussain could come and see him. He reached the railway station along with all his disciples and took Hazrat Jee to his house. After conversing with Hazrat Jee, he realized that he had been deceiving the people so far. He did not even have the Spiritual Baet. So, he made an open announcement that he had never been an Accomplished Sufi, and the people who had been following him had been deceived. He said that from that day on, Hazrat Maulana Allah Yar Khan was his Peer and Murshed. Whoever wanted to stay by their side was welcome, and whoever wanted to leave was free to go. The majority of the disciples left upon hearing this announcement.
I was deployed in the Wahga sector during the 1971 war. I used to visit Maulana Fazal Hussain regularly for Zikr every week. Immediately after the war was over, I went to his house along with my fellows. Maulana Fazal Hussain returned home on his bicycle in the evening and conducted Zikr after Maghrib. After Isha, he talked for some time and went to bed without offering us dinner or anything else. Early in the morning, he got up and conducted Zikr after the Nawafil. When he was through with the Fajr Prayer, he spoke to me and said that he was sorry for not looking after us. Actually, he said, his family had been starving for two days and there was nothing to eat at his home. Then, he narrated the whole incident of joining the Awaisia Silsila and ending up in such circumstances. His circumstances had deteriorated to such a stage that he was forced to take up a job at a workshop located 13 kilometers away from Salamat Pura. He used to commute 13 kilometer up and down on a bicycle. I was taken aback to learn about his condition. I went straight to my Unit, loaded some groceries into my vehicle, and returned to Salamat Pura. Maulana Fazal Hussain was not pleased to see this. He said this was not the objective of narrating his circumstances to me. I apologized and requested him to accept that stuff just that one time. It would not happen again. Later on, when I stated the ordeals of Maulana Fazal Hussain to Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih, he said that he had never seen such a devoted person among the Peers, who had sacrificed everything he had for him.
Then, in March 1972, Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih stayed at Dr Riaz's house in Gulberg. Maulana Fazal Hussain came to see him. When Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih inquired about his circumstances, he started crying. "I don't regret losing anything," he said, "but I fear that I may not lose my relationship with you". Hazrat Jee consoled him and said that the circumstances don’t always stay the same. Allah burdens everyone according to their capacity. After some time, Allah SWT changed his days and he migrated to Abu Dhabi, where he also called his family. In his last days, when he was sick, his employer company offered to send him to any country for treatment. Maulana Fazal Hussain preferred to come to Pakistan, and breathed his last at his revered Shaykh's feet.
On December 29, 1972, I visited Maulana Shams-ul-Haq Afghani at his residence in Bahawalpur after Isha. I was in uniform. I had travelled 150 kilometers from Cholistan to reach him. When he saw me, he said that General Iqbal's residence was next door. I said, "Hazrat, I've come to see you, not him". He offered me a seat and inquired about the reason for coming. I respectfully said that I had come to him for learning Salook. I had read the books of the Mashaikh from all the four Silsilas, had read about the Destinations of Salook, and was wandering in search of a person who would be my guide on the way of Salook, I said to him. "I have come to you with great hope that you will surely guide me." After a brief pause, Maulana Afghani said that I should recite 2000 times Astaghfar[11], 2000 times Darood Sharif[12], and 3000 times Nafi-Asbat[13] consecutively for 40 days. If I happened to miss any of these recitations on any single day, I had to restart counting the 40 days again. After 40 days, I had to tell him my feelings through a letter or personal visit. The next lesson would start after that. I came back and narrated the whole episode to Hazrat. Hazrat Jee said, "Maulana Afghani has gotten rid of you. He has merely told you the recitations for saving his face. He knew that it would take at least five hours to recite the things that he had prescribed, and a uniformed person could never spare five hours. You'll do this Wazifa for a day or two, and then, you'll miss a day. You'll feel ashamed that you could not perform even this beginners' Wazifa. Out of embarrassment, you'll not go to see him, and even if you do, you'll never again take the name of 'Salook'. His stature will remain intact and he will not have to teach Salook too. Nobody has the time for doing Wazaif, so whoever comes to us, we perform Lata-if on him straightaway. If the seeker has the capability, he will progress. Otherwise, he'll quit by himself."
One of my friends was a pious person since his childhood. He read the book "Sword of Allah" authored by General Akram, after which he became inclined towards adultery. I was with Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih in Karachi, when I bought this book from a bookstall. I was confused about why the author had chosen this topic, whereas he belonged to the Shiah School. For him, Hazrat Ali RAA was the Zulfiqar (the title of Hazrat Ali RAA, which means sword). Why had he made Hazrat Khalid RAA the topic of his book and called him Allah's Sword? When I read the book, I found out that it was based on a malicious intent. The characters of Hazrat Khalid RAA and Hazrat Umar RAA have been attacked and insulted throughout the book. In other words, we Sunnis have been shown the 'true' picture of our heroes, the hero of warfare and the hero of justice.
When I told Hazrat Jee RA about this book, he told me to go through it in detail and point out the pages that were objectionable, so that its rejection may be written. According to his instructions, I was reading the book while sitting in Qari Yar Muhammad's mosque in Quetta. Hazrat Jee was present in the Hujra[14]. It was about the time of Ishraaq[15]when a person entered the mosque. He came to me and saw me reading an English book, upon which he burst out in anger, "what's wrong with you Maulvis? You sermon others about the Quran and yourself read English books in mosques. Stop this drama!" I stopped reading the book, and that person went and sat in the company of Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih. When I also entered the chamber after a while, he complained to Hazrat Jee that 'this Maulvi reads English books in the mosque'. Hazrat Jee introduced me to him and explained the whole situation, after which he calmed down.
In 1974, when the annual Ijtima[16] was going on at Munara[17], I was doing the Company Commanders Course in Quetta Infantry School. I could not join the annual congregation because I could not get leave. In the last days of the congregation, I wrote a letter to him, regretting my missing the Ijtima and begged for his prayer and special attention. In his reply, Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih broke the amazing news that I had been selected among the new Khaleefa Majazeen[18] of Silsila Naqshbandia Awaisia. He wrote that I was now a Majaz and an Appointment holder. In compliance with Hazrat Jee's order, when I went to Chikrala to receive my Certificate, he treated me very kindly. He told me that my name was not included in the initial list of Majazeen that was presented to the Prophet of MercySall-Allahu-alaih-Wasallam. Huzoor Nabi KareemSall-Allahu-alaih-Wasallam deleted some of the names from that list, and wrote my name. After this, Hazrat Jee Qibla Alam used to love me dearly.
Multan is famous because of Ghaus Bahawuddin ZakriyaRehmatullah Alaih. Hazrat Ghaus Bahawuddin belongs to the Suharwardi Silsila, and is the student of Shaykh Shahabuddin Suhrwardy. We used to hold our Thursday evening Zikr session at his resting place. I and Haji Aslam Kunboh used to go there often on other days too. Until the beginning of 1976, Hazrat Jee's stay at Multan used to be limited to the time for which the train stopped at the railway station. It had been a year since I had been posted at Multan. Whenever I'd visit Hazrat Ghaus Sahib, he'd ask for Hazrat Jee'sRehmatullah Alaih visit to Multan. I quietly presented his request to Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih, which he accepted, and said that indeed Ghaus sahib's demand was justified. After that, Hazrat Jee came to Multan and scheduled a Zikr at Ghaus Bahawuddin Zakriya's shrine. The Jamaat present in Multan also accompanied him. Ghaus Bahawuddin Zakriya was taken to the Higher Destination. When Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih was returning from there, someone said to him that Hazrat Rukn-e-Alam was also requesting for a meeting. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih smiled and said: let's go. Then, he meditated there for some time.
The Jamaat had swelled in numbers after the return of the POWs of 1971. Maulvi Muhammad Sulaiman had added two additional things to the routine of Zikr. He used to conduct loud Zikr and the Meditation of Istehzar after the Asr prayer. Because Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih had never conducted these, I used to feel upset. I'd sit in their group but keep feeling restless inside. Maulvi Muhammad Sulaiman had instructed almost all the people conducting Zikr that they should hold loud Zikr at Asr. In Multan, I did not use to hold this particular Zikr. When Maulvi Muhammad Sulaiman came to know about it, he and Bashir took me to a side during the Ijtima at Munara. They reprimanded me strictly and said that I considered myself as someone special, and that they could terminate my Authority for conducting Zikr (Majaziyyat) in a minute. "If you want to progress further, you must do the loud Zikr and the Istehzar Meditation regularly after Asr," they said. I kept quiet. For two years, Maulvi Muhammad Sulaiman remained angry with me. I was afraid that he'd ask Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih and get me expelled from the Jamaat. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih was staying at Haji Altaf's home. When everyone had left for dinner, I grabbed Hazrat Jee's feet and started crying. Hazrat Jee asked me what the matter was. I narrated the standoff with Maulvi Sulaiman and beseeched that he was bent upon getting me thrown out of the Jamaat. I requested Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih to conduct the loud Zikr and Istehzar Meditation just once, so that it should be a precedent for us, and we should adopt these as a part of our daily routine. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih asked me if I had never done these Azkaar[19] until then. I replied that how I could do the Azkaar that were never taught by my Shaykh. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih was very pleased. He said, "how can he expel you from the Jamaat, when he has himself been kicked out of it?" Then he took out a book from under his pillow and gave it to me and said that Maulvi Sulaiman had written a book to compete with Dalail-us-Salook. I was astonished at this person's senselessness.
In March 1981, when Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih came to Multan, he accepted the dinner invitation from Brigadier Khadim Hussain and the tea invitation from Major General Hamza. These two officers held a unique position in the Army because of their gentleness and piety. When I was transferred to the Northern Area in 1982, Major General Hamza wrote a letter about me to Major General Warraich, who was the commander there. Hazrat Jee visited Gilgit in the third week of May, 1982. He was scheduled to stay at Dasu on the night of May 17 and have lunch at my home in Jaglot. However, Hazrat Jee unexpectedly skipped Dasu and reached my home in the evening of May 17. He looked quite worn out by the travelling. I immediately informed Rasool Mir, and the both of us srranged for the night stay of Hazrat Jee's small entourage. The next morning, a jeep from the 90 Light came to pick me up. The General was in the area and was inviting me for tea. I told my Colonel that I could not go to see the General, because my esteemed Shaykh was with me. I could not leave him and go to anyone else. My Colonel told me not to ruin his career by refusing to meet the General. He said he'd sit with Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih while I was away. He took off his boots and sat with Hazrat Jee. However, I wasn't going to leave, and I didn’t. When the jeep returned empty, the General didn't like it, as I was later informed by the people who were present with him. Later on, Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih told me that he had not seen the sincerity in my Colonel. I humbly said, he had not come to you out of admiration, but only to fill in my place and send me to the General. He had never believed in the acquisition of Faiz.
The 1983 annual Ijtima was held at Munara from July 25 to September 2. This time, I took leave for two months and reached Darul Irfan in the beginning of the first week of Ijtima. Hazrat Jee was worried on account of his son and brother. Every other day, a messenger from his home would arrive, adding to his worry. One day, Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih called for me and asked me to go to Chikrala to defend his land. He also told me to take along five or six men, and to send them back after a week. I reached Chikrala with these men and set up a post to defend the Murshed Abad land. Allah SWT helped us and no one dared to occupy the land. I kept on receiving fresh reinforcement from Darul Irfan every week.
When the Munara Ijtima was over, Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih returned to Chikrala and ordered me to stay there. He allowed me to leave two days before the Eid-ul-Azha. I presented myself before Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih to say goodbye. Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih was sitting outside his house in the shadow of the wall. Raza Quraish from Sri Lanka was also with me. Both of us sat on the ground before Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih. "Are you leaving?" asked Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih. I said yes. Many hours passed as we sat there. The shadow of the wall had receded, and half of Hazrat Jee's cot was in the sun. We had also began sweating because of the heat. It was now that Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih permitted me to leave. He got up from the cot. I embraced him and fell at his feet. I held both his feet and beseeched, "Hazrat, life is so uncertain. I don’t know if I'll ever see you again or not. If I have made some mistakes, please forgive me. Hazrat Jee, please always be happy with me." Hazrat Jee held me by the shoulders and stood me up. He said, "you are among the people in the Jamaat with whom I have an association of the heart. How can I be angry with you?" I departed after that, and praise Allah SWT's Highness, that it indeed turned out to be my last meeting with him. I received the news of his demise through a telephone call from Rawalpindi when I was at Jaglot. Indeed, we are from Allah, and to Him we shall return[20]. When I arrived at Chikrala, Hazrat JeeRehmatullah Alaih had already been laid to rest in his final abode. I presented myself at his grave along with the Jamaat from Gilgit and did our routine. The same Lights and Flashes that used to be there before were still there. Hazrat Jee used to say that more Faiz will be received from him after his death, provided that the spiritual connection is intact. May Allah SWT keep our link with our respected Shaykh intact and keep his Faiz flowing until the Day of Qayamat. Aameen.
