Advice of Shaykh Jhinjhanawi’s Murshid

By Haji ‘Abd al-Rahim Wilayati Shahid

Translated by Abu Salih & Saad Khan

[Below is a translation of an ijazah^[1] in Persian from Shaykh Haji ‘Abd al-Rahim Wilayati Shahid^[2] (may Allah have mercy on him) to his khalifah Mianji Nur Muhmmad Jhinjhanawi^[3] (may Allah have mercy on him).]

From Haji ‘Abd al-Rahim to Mianji Sahib:

Dear generous and sincere Mianji Nur Muhammad Sahib Jhinjhanawi,

After the Sunnah salam [of Islam]; it should be noted that you are permitted to take bay’ah (pledge). Whoever intends to give pledge, you should with a fully content heart take bay’ah and provide further instructions. Do not approach this work with affectation (takalluf) and do not let any opposing devilish insinuations (wasawis) or thoughts (khawatir) take root in your heart.

The main purpose and goal is for one to remain steadfast on the Shari‘ah — both outwardly and inwardly — at all times, and abstain from all manners of shirk and bid’ah. Likewise, guiding other sincere believers should remain a priority … Remember, shirk is not limited to simply taking another deity [as God], it has other manifestations such as:

[1] Shirk fi ‘l-‘Ibadah — defined as performance of actions that are exclusively reserved for honoring Allah Most High for someone other than He e.g. prostration (sajdah).

[2] Shirk fi ‘l-‘Ilm — defined as considering someone other than Allah Most High ‘Alim al-Ghayb (Knower of the Unseen) just as is the belief of the ignorant of this age. For example they say, “Whatever I say, my pir (shaykh) hears”.

[3] Shirk fi ‘l-Qudrah — defined as assigning powers which are exclusive for Allah Most High to someone else e.g. saying this son of mine was granted by such and such shaykh, or my sustenance is provided by such and such shaykh.

Bid’ah is to increase or decrease (in the slightest) from the Shari‘ah of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and give him peace). Hence, Shari‘ah has outlined one ruku’ and two sajdah in each rak’ah. If someone increases them to three and considers the extra to be worship, or by decreasing performs one ruku’and one sajdah, and says I have done worship, then both of these acts stand rejected in Shari‘ah.

That is all. May the salam from Hakim Mughis al-Din and Aman Allah (scribe) also reach you.

_____________________________

1. From Risalah Anwar-i-Muhammadi by Shaykh Muhammad Muhaddith Thanawi, as mentioned in Rihan-i-Itrat of Shaykh Sayyid Nafis Shah al-Husayni. Shaykh Muhammad Muhaddith Thanawi was a khalifah of Mianji Nur Muhammad Jhinjhanawi. [↩]

2. Shaykh Haji ‘Abd-al-Rahim Wilayati Shahid (d. 1246 AH) was from the sadat (descendants of the Prophet) of Afghanistan. He left his country in search of a Sufi guide. At first he gave bay’ah to Sayyid Rahm ‘Ali Shah (d. 1204 AH) of Ambala in the Qadiri order. After that he gave bay’ah to Shaykh Shah ‘Abd al-Bari Amrohi (d. 1226 AH) in the Chishti order. He finally gave bay’ah — along with hundreds of his followers — to Imam al-Mujahidin Sayyid Ahmad Shahid (d. 1246 AH) in both jihad and tasawwuf. He himself mentioned: “I am not in need of giving bay’ah to Sayyid Ahmad [as he was a senior Sufi shaykh himself] but I see the pleasure of the beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in giving bay’ah to him.” Shaykh Haji ‘Abd al-Rahim had seen this through kashf. Haji ‘Abd al-Rahim was martyred fighting along with Sayyid Ahmad Shahid and Shaykh Shah Isma’il Shahid al-Dahlawi (May Allah have mercy on all of them). [↩]

3. He was a khalifah of Haji ‘Abd al-Rahim Wilayati Shahid and the second shaykh of Haji Imdad Allah Muhajir Makki — the shaykh of Qasim al-‘Ulum wa ‘l-Khayrat Mawlana Muhammad Qasim Nanautwi, Imam Rabbani Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Husayn Ahmad Madani, and Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi, etc. Haji ‘Abd al-Rahim called Mianji Nur Muhammad from Saharanpur and made him give bay’ah to Sayyid Ahmad Shahid. It is interesting to note that Mawlana Sayyid Nasir al-Din Dahlawi, the first shaykh of Haji Imdad Allah Muhajir Makki, had also given bay’ah to Sayyid Ahmad Shahid. Many of those who herald Haji Imdad Allah as theirs and a “pukka Sunni” do so while leveling charges of Wahhabism against both his murshids and murids. [↩]