Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm
The 9th of Rabi’ al-Awwal marks the blessed Urs of Khwāja Muhammad Ma’sumق, the shining son and spiritual heir of Imam Rabbani, Mawlana Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindiق, and the 26th Grandshaykh of the Naqshbandi Golden Chain.
He is remembered as Urwat-il-Wuthqa, the Firm Rope of Allah ﷻ, the guide who joined Shariʿa and Haqiqa, separated ignorance from guidance, and led souls by both law and love.
Born in Sirhind in 1007 AH, Khwāja Muhammad Ma’sumق was raised under the spiritual and scholarly gaze of his blessed father. From the earliest moments of his life, signs of sainthood were apparent.
It is said that as an infant he refused to nurse during the days of Ramadhan, and at the age of three he spoke about Divine Unity saying, “I am the earth, I am the heavens, I am this, I am that,” words that unveiled the deep reality within him.
By the age of six he memorised the Holy Qur’an in only three months, and by sixteen he was already regarded as the greatest scholar of his time, with his fatawa marked by truthfulness and free from innovation.
His father, Imam Rabbani Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindiق, bore witness to his immense spiritual inheritance. He would say, “This son of mine has been adorned by Allah ﷻ with the jewels of perfection. He will be a leader in both the seen and unseen worlds.”
He once said to his son, “O my son, you are going to be the Qutb of your time. Remember that from me. You have been moulded from the residue of my residue, which was from the residue of the Prophet’s ﷺ clay.”
At the youthful age of twenty-six, Khwāja Muhammad Ma’sumق aassumed leadership of the Naqshbandi Way, becoming the Grandshaykh of the Naqshbandī Way following his beloved father. His name became famous across the lands, mentioned on every tongue, and acknowledged by rulers and kings.
Thousands of seekers came under his guidance, from the scholars of the great cities to humble villagers seeking light. His letters, over three hundred in number, are treasures of spiritual counsel, addressing the challenges of faith, the trials of the heart, and the method of walking firmly on the path of Allah ﷻ.
One of his most radiant qualities was his deep and overwhelming love for the Holy Prophet ﷺ. Those who attended his gatherings recall the frequent recitation of Salawat and the tears that would flow as he spoke about the Messenger ﷺ. In one of his letters, he wrote, “All goodness is in the love of the Beloved ﷺ. If a heart holds even a spark of that love, it will be saved from the fire of separation.”
One remarkable moment remains in the memory of his followers. A deputy named Khwāja Muhammad as-Siddiqق was riding atop a horse when he lost his footing in motion, hanging by one stirrup over a rushing mount. In desperation he uttered, “O my Shaykh, support me.”
In that instant, Khwāja Muhammad Masumق appeared before him, took the reins, and brought the horse to a safe stop. Another disciple recalled drowning at sea, calling upon Khwāja Muhammad Masumق, and finding himself saved at the very moment his hope faded.
One evening, while sitting in his khaniqah, water seemed to pour from his sleeves. When asked, he quietly explained that a disciple on a ship during a tempest had cried out to him, and he had reached across the seas to rescue him. The shipwrecked man later confirmed the moment, matching it exactly with the time he had earlier said.
During his Hajj, he experienced lofty unveilings. He saw the Kaʿbah embracing him with compassion, and Divine lights flowing from his being, filling deserts, oceans, and universes.
In Madinat al-Munawwarah, he beheld the Holy Prophet ﷺ coming out of his blessed resting place, embracing him until he felt his heart, tongue, ears, and entire self merging with the Prophet ﷺ.
He saw himself journeying through the Miʿraj of the Prophet ﷺ, receiving sacred knowledges. He witnessed Sayyidini Abū Bakrر dressing him in a red robe, Sayyidina ʿUmarر in a yellow robe, and the Prophet ﷺ himself adorning him with green garments and a heavenly crown, bestowed from the Divine Presence.
He said, “What the Prophet ﷺ gave me at that moment, if I were to speak it openly, they would cut my neck.”
Despite his lofty rank and many karamah, he lived with the simplicity of true Saints. He would receive guests without formality, sometimes serving them with his own hands. Food in his home was shared with any who came, and travellers found his door always open, without barrier or distinction.
One disciple, after a long and tiring journey, found Khwāja Muhammad Masumق at the gate carrying water for guests. When the man expressed surprise that the Grandshaykh himself was performing such a task, he smiled and said, “Serving you is serving Allah ﷻ.”
He trained over 900,000 people in the Naqshbandi Way, with 7,000 deputies who themselves were Saints. It is said he could raise a disciple to annihilation in one week, to subsistence in a month, and to the state of existence in a single sitting.
His training of disciples was both gentle and firm. He taught that remembrance of Allah ﷻ is the soul of the Way, and that it must be constant, both with the tongue and the heart. He would warn, “The one who remembers Allah ﷻ with the tongue but forgets Him in the heart is like a man who calls his friend while walking away from him.”
Khwāja Muhammad Masumق lived in the era of the Mughal Empire and was deeply respected by Emperor Aurangzeb, who would seek his advice through messengers. Yet the Shaykh never allowed worldly power to distract him from his purpose.
He reminded rulers to uphold justice and avoid pride, and his concern was always the preservation of faith and the protection of the hearts of believers.
His writings reflect a heart completely absorbed in Divine contemplation. In one letter he wrote, “The world is like a shadow. If you run after it, it will run away from you. If you turn your back on it, it will follow you. Do not be deceived by its glitter, for its end is dust.” In another, he counselled, “The heart is a mirror. Keep it polished with remembrance so that the Light of the Divine may be reflected without distortion.”
When his blessed life came to its end in 1079 AH, those present reported that his lips were moving in dhikr until the last breath. The fragrance of musk was said to have filled the air at his passing, a sign often mentioned in the lives of the Awliya. His Urs is not a day of grief but a day of gratitude and joy, marking his union with the Beloved ﷺ and the beginning of his everlasting service through the unseen.
As the blessed day of his Urs comes, we remember his words, “Keep your heart turned to the One who never turns away from you. In Him ﷺ is your safety, your honour, and your joy.”
May Allah ﷻ grant us to walk in the light of his example, to be firm in Shariʿa, purified in Haqīqat, and overflowing with love for the Messenger ﷺ.
May we depart from this world with His remembrance upon our tongues and in our hearts.
Al-Fatiha.
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