12th Rabi’ al-Awwal: Mawlid of Mawlana Shaykh Abdullah al-Fa’iz ad-Daghestani, 39th Grandshaykh of the Golden Chain

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

The 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal shines as a day of joy and light for all lovers of the Naqshbandi Way. It marks the blessed Mawlid of Mawlana Shaykh Abdullah al-Fa’iz ad-Daghestaniق, the 39th Grandshaykh of the Naqshbandi Golden Chain and a luminous Guide who rekindled the spirit of the Way for our generation.

Born in 1891 in the mountains of Daghestan, he came from a family known for piety, learning, and courage. Even as a child, he displayed the signs of a heart already turned towards Allah ﷻ.

His family would recall that while other children played noisily, young Mawlana Shaykh Abdullahق would sit quietly reciting Qur’an, or watching the elders as they prayed. His mother often said that the fragrance of his character was felt in the home from the day he was born.

When he was still young, his family migrated from Daghestan to the land of Sham, settling in Turkey. It was there that the destined meeting with his Master, Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddin ad-Daghestaniق, took place.

Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddin ad-Daghestaniق, the 38th Grandshaykh of the Golden Chain, saw in the young man a soul prepared for the highest stations. He took him under his wing, and from that day, Mawlana Shaykh Abdullahق gave himself completely to his Shaykh, in service and obedience without question.

Under the guidance of Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddinق, he was trained in the rigorous discipline of the Naqshbandi Way. There were days when Mawlana Shaykh Abdullahق was told to serve guests from dawn until night without rest, learning patience and humility.

Other times, his Shaykh sent him to the forested mountains to meditate in silence, training his heart to hear without ears and see without eyes.

One well-known story tells of how Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddinق once instructed him to serve water to hundreds of guests on a bitter winter day. The path to the gathering was slick with ice and the wind cut like a knife, yet Mawlana Shaykh Abdullahق obeyed without hesitation.

Step by step he carried the heavy jugs, his breath turning to mist in the freezing air, without a word of complaint.

When he returned, he knelt before Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddinق, who smiled and said, “If you had doubted me for even a single moment, the water would have frozen before it left the well.”

This Way is not built on ease or comfort but on trust. Simple, unwavering trust, even when the storm rages.

Another story tells of how Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddinق ordered him into a seclusion that lasted one thousand and one days. In that time, he engaged in constant dhikrullah, prayers, fasting, and spiritual exercises.

When his seclusion ended, Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddinق said to him, “What the Prophet ﷺ has poured into my heart, I have poured into yours. You will carry this trust until the end of your life.”

Mawlana Shaykh Abdullahق was then granted full khilafah and authority to guide seekers. With this trust came miracles witnessed by many. It is said that once during a drought, people came to him for help. He raised his hands in du’a, and before the gathering had dispersed, clouds gathered and rain began to fall.

Another time, a man who had lost his sight was brought to him. Mawlana Shaykh Abdullahق placed his blessed hands over the man’s eyes, recited quietly, and the man began to see again, weeping in gratitude.

Yet those close to him would say his greatest karamah was his softness and compassion. He welcomed all without judgment, from scholars to simple villagers, and he never let anyone leave his presence without feeling lighter in spirit.

His gatherings were filled with reminders of the Prophet ﷺ, and his very presence inspired hearts to turn back to Allah ﷻ.

Despite the immense spiritual authority and karamah given to him, Mawlana Shaykh Abdullahق lived in simplicity. Visitors would often find him sitting among the poor, serving tea with his own hands, and listening with patience to the troubles of their hearts. He was known to say, “If you wish to reach Allah ﷻ, serve His servants.”

Later in his life, Mawlana Shaykh Abdullahق moved to Damascus, where his blessed maqam still rests today, lovingly cared for by our dear Sheikh Ibrahim. Sheikh Ibrahim also oversees the Soup Kitchen which we continue to support every month, an initiative started by the late Sheikh Abdul Sattar.

Mawlana Shaykh Abdullahق’s home became a sanctuary for seekers from every corner of the world. They arrived from distant lands, speaking many tongues, yet all were united by the same light they found in his presence.

One visitor once shared, “He did not need to speak. Simply sitting before him was like being bathed in a river you could not see, yet felt in every part of your soul.”

It is said that his gatherings felt calm and full of light, as if the air itself was softened by his presence. His voice was never raised, yet it reached straight to the heart. When he spoke of the Prophet ﷺ, something within would stir and swell with love.

“You may travel the world and read every book, but if your heart does not bow, you will keep learning yet never truly recognise your teacher.” Sometimes just one phrase from him was enough to quiet every restless thought, reminding every soul present that dhikr is a door to be opened with the heart, not a ritual to be repeated by the tongue.

Even in his later years, weakened by age, he would spend hours in dhikr and teaching. His emphasis was always on the heart’s connection to Allah ﷻ. “Do not let your heart sleep,” he would say, “for the one who sleeps may miss the call of his Lord.”

He reminded his students that the silent dhikr, the remembrance of Allah ﷻ in the heart without the movement of the tongue, was the crown of the Naqshbandi Way.

In 1973, when his blessed soul was taken to its Lord, his lips were moving in dhikrullah. Those present said a fragrance like sweet musk filled the air. His passing was not an end, but the continuation of his guidance through the unseen.

To this day, those who visit his maqam speak of the tranquility that settles upon their hearts, and many recount feeling as though the Shaykh himself was listening to them.

On his blessed Mawlid, we remember his life of service, humility, and constant remembrance.

May Allah ﷻ grant us to follow his example, to serve with love, to remember with presence, and to meet our end with His ﷻ Name upon our tongues and in our hearts.

Al-Fatiha.