Life and Teachings of Hazrat Nizamuddin Mehboob-e-Elahi Serve As A Beacon Of Hope In The Face Of Rising Fanaticism, Extremism, And Brutality

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 1 December 2021 Hazrat Nizamuddin Mehboob-e-Elahi: Establishing Personal Contact with Allah (Wisal-E-Ilahi) Is To Engage In Altruistic Humanitarian Action Main Points: 1. Engage in altruistic humanitarian action to the point that one realises there is no "I." Only the divine exists. 2. The main purpose of religion is to benefit humanity. 3. Rather than solving issues, acts of violence aggravate them. 4. You must comfort the hearts of people as long as possible and as much as possible because the heart of a Muslim is truly the manifestation of God. ..... Dargah Hazrat Nezamuddin ----- The Urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin, also known as Mehboob-e-Elahi, was just celebrated a few days ago. At this time, I decided to highlight certain key aspects of his life for the benefit of the audience. Hazrat Nizamuddin, who was born in 1325, is credited with creating the Chishti tradition in Delhi which later spread throughout the Indian subcontinent. Hazrat Nizamuddin's real concern for humanity as a whole arose out of his true love for the Divine. He says that the surest way to establish personal contact with Allah (wisal-e-ilahi) is to engage in altruistic humanitarian action to the point that one realises there is no "I." Only the divine exists. Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia turned the mystical movement in Delhi into a broad humanitarian effort, assisting human souls in responding to the numerous issues of the day, such as wrath, pain, and suffering, in a constructive and compassionate manner. His moral principles and spiritual guidelines constituted the foundation of many Chishti cloisters across the country during his lifetime, and they continue to guide the Chishti way of life to this day. These guidelines can be summed up as follows: 1. The main purpose of religion is to benefit humanity. 2. Learning to live in the world in love, peace, and amity is learning to love God alone. 3. Transform your everyday wants into cosmic emotions. 4. Develop an attitude that resists wasting one's life on petty material goals. 5. Rather than solving issues, acts of violence aggravate them. 6. Do good to others and don't reciprocate when others harm you. 7. Mystics must live by exceedingly high moral and spiritual standards in their daily lives. 7. Place your whole faith in God's plan. (The Book of Nizmauddin) It is narrated that Mahboob-e-Subhani Nizamuddin Auliya (may Allah have mercy on him) once said, “In one incident, I was given a letter in which it was written, ‘You must comfort the hearts of people as long as possible and as much as possible because the heart of a Muslim is truly the manifestation of God. In the price market, no product will be as acceptable as it is in the comfort of the heart.” (Akhbarul Akhyar, Sheikh Abdul Haq Muhaddis Dehlvi, p.137, Urdu Edition) Those who love Allah are unquestionably kind to His creation. Their love to Allah softens their hearts, and they begin to console His creatures through their words and actions. Today, we must reflect on and evaluate this mystical experience to determine if our hearts have truly softened in Allah’s love, allowing us to help His creatures. When asked what the actuality of love is, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said, “This is the purity of friendship, because the lovers of truth don’t consider it their honour to attain this world and the hereafter.” Rather, they understand the significance of attaining the truth.” When he was questioned why it is so difficult to fall in love, he said, “So that no idiot can claim it and so that if he is in a test of trouble, he may show his back”. Many people claim to love Allah nowadays, but are they sincere in their claims? This is a time for thought. The Sufis’ thinking was really lofty and wonderful. You can deduce from the preceding remark that the actuality of love is the purity of the heart, where the heart is only concerned with attaining the gnosis of its God and is unconcerned with the comforts of this world or the comforts of the afterlife. A true lover can't think of anything else since he's so engrossed in love with his beloved. His heart exceedingly becomes loving because of the persistence of his feelings of love for God. This is the reality of love: the heart becomes so free of greed that it is solely concerned with the beloved’s pleasure and seeing him. Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said, “The wise and prudent person is the one who prepares for the upcoming journey, i.e. death, and takes some comfort with him”. The genesis of this message can be traced back to a hadith, according to which, when someone asked the Prophet, ‘Who is the more intelligent believer?’ The Holy Prophet replied, "Those who consider death frequently and prepare meticulously for the afterlife are the smartest." (Ibn Majah). According to Ummul Muminin Hazrat Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her), Remembering death often softens the heart. Many people are unaware of the advantages of remembering death. They should realise that remembering death and the anguish of the afterlife instils in us the desire to do good and refrain from evil. When a person considers death, he will consider both good and evil in his actions. The problem with criminals around the world is that they believe that by committing a crime, they will be able to avoid punishment under laws, or that they would invent a lie, or that they will commit crimes in secret to avoid detection and punishment. Despite scientific and technological advancements, criminals continue to avoid detection. However, a sincere believer who believes in the Hereafter thinks that no matter how well he covers his evil activities, he will have to account for them to Allah Almighty in the Hereafter, for Allah knows everything, both within and outside of him. Yes, nothing escapes the notice of the Almighty. Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said, “Anyone that Allah protects cannot be harmed by others.” This statement gives comfort to the hearts terrified by the so-called power. Do not be depressed if a king or someone intoxicated with power oppresses you and seeks to torture you in many ways. You do not need to be terrified of an oppressor or concerned about his nasty behaviour because ‘anyone that Allah protects cannot be harmed by others.’ Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said, “There are two types of obedience or Taa’at [to Allah Almighty]: Taa’at-e-Laazimi and Taa’at-e-Muta’addi. The benefit of doing Taa’at-e-Laazimi [obligation towards God Almighty] reaches the person who does it. The Taa’at-e-Muta’addi is that which benefits others. This includes traits such as compassion, sympathy and kindness towards others. The benefits of Taa’at-e-Muta’addi are numerous. The Taa’at-e-Laazimi must be done with sincerity in order to be accepted, whereas the Taa’at-e-Muta’addi is rewarded regardless of how it was done.” (Fawaid-ul-Fuad) Taa'at-e-Muta’addi refers to Huququl Ibaad (The rights of men over men). This is an unavoidable precondition of Islamic rule. A Muslim cannot claim to be a sincere believer unless he or she fulfils his rights over others. Some so-called Sufis today do not place a high value on education. They believe that education will not benefit them. Some abhorrent rituals have been given the term Sufism by them. Lessons from the life of Hazrat Nizamuddin should be learned by such so-called Sufis. Once Hazrat Nizamuddin reportedly asked Baba Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar "Should I now cease pursuing school and devote myself to worship?" Baba Farid replied, “I do not prevent anyone from acquiring an education. So keep learning and participating in worship. Knowledge is essential for a dervish to protect himself against the deceptive devil” (Mahfil-e-Awliya). This remark provides a lesson for today's ignorant and self-proclaimed Sufis who assume they are exempt from learning Islamic knowledge. Hazrat Baba Farid's remark that knowledge is necessary for a dervish is clearly a reference to religious studies, which can protect one against Satan's tricks. The life and teachings of Hazrat Nizamuddin Mehboob-e-Elahi serve as a beacon for everyone. His teachings and compassionate demeanour should serve as a model for us, especially at a time when fanaticism, extremism and cruelty have become commonplace. ---- A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar) with a Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/hazrat-nezamuddin-fanaticism-extremism-/d/125877 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism