17th Safar: Urs of Shaykh Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi, 25th Grandshaykh of the Golden Chain

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

The 17th of Safar marks uroos/passing of Maulana Shaykh Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindiق.

Heق was the 25th Grandshaykh of the Naqshbandi Golden Chain.

Mawlana Shaykh Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindiق, known as Imam Rabbani and al-Mujaddid Alf-e-Thani, was a monumental figure in Islamic spirituality. He was described as the Pearl of the Crown of the Knowledgeable Saints and the treasure of both past and future Awliya.

He was known as the Sinai of Divine Manifestation and the Lote Tree of Unique Knowledge. His presence honoured the earth and his guidance illuminated hearts. He was regarded as the singular Qutb of his era and the heavenly Imam who called to the presence of Allah ﷻ.

His lineage traces back to Sayyidina Umar al-Faruq (AS), through a noble chain that spans generations of pious ancestors. He was born on the day of Ashura, the 10th of Muharram in the year 971 AH, in the village of Sihar Nidbasin, later known as Sirhind near Lahore in India.

He acquired religious knowledge from his father and other notable scholars of his time. In his early youth, he was granted permission to teach and guide in the Suhrawardi, Qadiri, and Chishti orders by the age of seventeen.

Though proficient in these spiritual paths, Shaykh Ahmadق found his heart drawn toward the Naqshbandi Way, perceiving it as the most elevated. His quest for spiritual completion led him to the esteemed Shaykh Muhammad al-Baqiق, who had been sent from Samarqand to India.

After only a short period with him, Shaykh Ahmadق was entrusted with the secrets of the Naqshbandi Way and was given full permission to train mureeds. Shaykh Muhammad al-Baqiق declared him to be the highest Qutb of the age.

The arrival and status of Shaykh Ahmadق had been foretold. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ referred to him when he ﷺ said, “There will be among my nation a man called Silah. By his intercession many people will be saved.”

Shaykh Ahmadق confirmed this when he said, “God has made me the Silah between the two Oceans,” meaning he was a connection between the external and internal dimensions of knowledge.

Shaykh Mir Husamuddinق once saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream standing on the pulpit and praising Shaykh Ahmadق, saying, “I am proud and happy with his presence among my nation. God has made him a reviver of the religion.”

Other saints also prophesied his appearance. Shaykh Ahmad al-Jamiق spoke of seventeen saints named Ahmad, saying the final among them would appear at the beginning of the second millennium and would be the most distinguished, possessing the state of unveiling.

Khwaja al-Amkanakiق told his khalifah to prepare for the appearance of a great man from India who would be the Imam of his time. This was the reason Shaykh Muhammad al-Baqiق travelled from Bukhara to India. Upon meeting him, he recognised him immediately as the awaited Qutb and the luminous lamp whose light would spread far and wide.

There is also a story of a jubba, a cloak passed down through generations from Ghawth al-Azam Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilaniق, intended for the reviver of the religion who would appear at the turn of the millennium. Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilaniق said he had adorned that Ahmad with all his secrets. Shaykh Ahmad al-Faruqiق, thus, inherited both external and internal knowledge, making him the perfect spiritual heir.

Shaykh Ahmadق described in his own words the immense spiritual journey he underwent. He spoke of ascending through levels of divine proximity, reaching the highest states of fana and baqa, witnessing the oneness of Allah ﷻ in every atom, and returning to creation with a perfect understanding.

He declared that through the support of Asadullah Sayyidina Ali ibn Abi Talibر, the madad of Shah Bahauddin Naqshbandق, Shaykh Alauddin al-Attarق, and Ghawth al-Azam Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilaniق, he was lifted to unparalleled heights.

From those stations, he was ordered to return and guide people. On his descent, he passed through the spiritual states of thirty-nine tariqahs and was greeted by their spiritual masters who shared their treasures with him. He met Sayyidina Khidr (AS), who bestowed upon him the heavenly knowledge, and then he arrived at the station of the Qutbs.

The Prophet ﷺ gave him glad tidings in a vision, saying, “You are going to be a spiritual inheritor and Allah ﷻ is going to give you the authority to intercede on behalf of hundreds of thousands on the Day of Judgment.”

He received from the Prophet ﷺ the authority to guide, and with it, a type of knowledge that even Saints could not reach. He was given insight into the essence of the religion and secrets of the Divine Names and Attributes.

He spoke of Oceans of Knowledge under every letter of the Qur’an, indicating that what was opened to him was too dangerous to be shared openly, echoing the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ reported by Sayyidina Abu Hurayrahر.

Allah ﷻ showed him the names of all those in the Naqshbandi Way from the time of Sayyidina Abu Bakr (AS) to the Day of Judgment, guaranteeing them Paradise through intercession. He said that the awaited Imam al-Mahdi (AS) would also be from this Way.

Extraordinary miracles were reported from him. When asked if the Sahaba received the same spiritual states he described, he invited the questioning scholar to visit him in person. Upon arrival, he unveiled the scholar’s heart and showed him the truth that the Sahaba had received these lights simply by being in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ.

In another account, during Ramadhan, ten mureeds invited him to break fast with them. He accepted all invitations and appeared at each home at the same time. On another occasion, he stopped rain by a single command, and it resumed precisely when he said it would.

He was imprisoned due to the envy of scholars, who accused him before the king. Despite heavy security, he would miraculously appear in the mosque every Friday. After three years, he was released.

He authored many works, the most famous being his Maktubat, where he stressed strict adherence to the Qur’an and Sunnah. He explained that sincerity requires the seeker to attain fana and love of Allah’s Essence, which leads him to seek the Sufi path.

He emphasised that the Naqshbandi Way strictly upheld the commands and prohibitions of the Prophet ﷺ, avoiding easy concessions and always remembering Allah ﷻ even amid worldly duties, as described in the verse from Surah an-Nur.

He taught the stages of the spiritual journey. Moving to Allah ﷻ is the vertical ascent through spiritual stations until one reaches annihilation. Moving in Allah ﷻ is the journey from Divine Names to Absolute Oneness, a state beyond description.

Moving from Allah ﷻ is the descent from Divine Realities back into the world to serve creation. Moving in things is the Journey through the created world with Divine Awareness, guiding others. This is the way of the Prophets (AS) and their true inheritors.

He said the Naqshbandi method begins with the movement from Allah ﷻ, guiding the seeker downwards from Divine Realities into the world while veiling spiritual experiences until the final stages.

This differs from other orders, which begin from the bottom up. He explained that true inheritors of the Prophet ﷺ are those who inherit both outer laws and inner secrets, and only the Saints have fully preserved this dual inheritance.

He passed away on the 17th of Safar in the year 1034 AH, at the age of 63. He was buried in Sirhind. He held authorisations in four major tariqahs but gave preference to the Naqshbandiyyah, which he called the Mother of all Paths.

Before passing, he transferred the spiritual secret of the Naqshbandi Order to his son and successor, Shaykh Muhammad al-Ma’sumق.

Tonight, do send gifts of Surah Al-Fatiha and Yasin to our 25th Grandshaykh of the Golden Chain, Maulana Shaykh Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindiق.

With Love, Al-Fatiha.

To learn more about the month of Safar, please click here.

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