He (Ibn Sa’d) said: Muhammad lbn ‘Umar al-Aslami informed us; he said: An old man of Damah related to me: Verily, the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, wrote this epistle to Ukaydir. He brought me this epistle; I read it and made a copy of it. This epistle was written to Ukaydir when he had accepted Islam, pulled down idols and images with Khàlid Ibn al-Walid, the Sword of Allah, in Dumah al-Jundal and its vicinity. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. He will own land adjoining the shallow ponds, uncultivable, demarcated and undermarcated land, armours, weapons, wells and castles. (0 people of Dumah), to you belong trunks of date-palms and running water in the populated area. After paying one-fifth, your animals will not be prevented from grazing in lands, and those animals which are exempt from tax will be counted. You will not be prevented from (cutting) grass, and nothing else besides the ushr will be realized from you. Offer prayers in time, pay zakàh that is due; and you will abide by this covenant and testament, and this will be an evidence of your sincereity and your intention of fulfilling (the promise). Allah bears witness to it and also the Muslims who are present.Muhammad Ibn Umar said: al-duhl (means) little water, al-maámi, undemarcated land, al-dàminah, date palms well-rooted la tudal sárihatukum means, will not be prevented from grazing; al-farid, exempted from tax; [P. 37] al-agh fal, on whose border there is land; al-main, running water; al-thabat, the old date-palms having their roots fixed in ground. He (lbn Said) said: When (the people of) Dumah, Aylah and Tayma saw the Arabs embracing Islam, they became afraid of the Prophet. He (Ibn Sad) said: Yuhannah Ibn Rubah (Al-Qamus gives Radhbah) came before the Prophet, may Allah bless him; he was the sovereign of Aylah and he was afraid lest the Prophet, might send (a force) as he had done in the case of Ukaydir; along with him came the people of Syria, Yaman, al-Bahr, Jarba and Adhruh. They approached him, and he made peace with them. He imposed fixed amount of jizyah on them and wrote this epistle: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This (treaty of) peace is from Allah and Muhammad the Prophet, the Apostle of Allah, to Yuhannah Ibn Rubah and to the people of Aylah, concerning their boats and caravans in land and sea. There is the guarantee of Allah and the guarantee of Muhammad, the Apostle of Allah, to them and those from Syria, Yaman and al-Bahr who are with them. If any one introduces anything new, his person will not be saved by his wealth and it will be lawful for anyone who seizes it. They will not be allowed to prevent the people from (taking) water when they halt, nor will they prevent people from travelling in land or on the sea. This was scribed by Juhaym Ibn alSalt and Shurahbil Ibn Hasanah under orders from the Apostle of Allah.
Justifications Of The Treaty With Mu’awiyah And Its Terms
All through our studies on the life of Imam Hasan [a], whether during the lifetime of his father or during his own reign, we witnessed his strength of character, his steely determination, and swift action to sort out problems and reach sound, logical solutions. This was something which was matchless. We witnessed all this and lived it, in the light of historical documents which cannot be doubted. We witnessed it in his stirring of the zeal of the people of Kufa to defend Islam in the battle of al-Jamal.
We saw him urging the people to fight against Mu’awiyah in the battle of Siffin. We saw him addressing the camp of his father after the arbitration. When he assumed the office of Imamate, we saw him, as he had been during his father’s reign, possessed of determination, resolution, cleverness and skill. He took urgent measures to solidify the foundation of his state. He persisted in challenging the Umayyad falsehoods, and putting down the seditions of Syria, to stabilize the Islamic state. He faced all the attempts of Mu’awiyah to corner him, before the start of the war, with a lofty, sublime spirit, the spirit which knew nothing but the right and would never lower his head before the forces of falsehood. The prevailing conditions at the time, however, kept him at bay, something which has rarely taken place throughout history.
The army led by Imam Hasan [a] became the prey of disorder. Spies, agents and the bearers of disrupting news found their way into it. Imam Hasan [a] was on the brink of being forced to surrender to his enemy! The ummah, which he was planning a bright and successful future for, and leading its march into history, diverted its course to the advantage of his foe! That was the result of the rumours and luring promises.
These factors caused the tip of balance of power to tilt on behalf of the Umayyad interests.
Following are the most important of the painful events which were inflicted on Imam Hasan [a] as a result of his stand in the face of the incursion or the treacherous Umayyads:
1. His top leader at the front line, Ubaidullah bin al-Abbas, betrayed him and joined Mu’awiyah. He induced two-thirds of the force, which was given the mission of stopping the advancing army, into breaking away with him. The camp of Imam Hasan [a] was thrown into disorder and confusion at the most critical juncture of its manoeuvres. Ubaidullah bin al-Abbas was bribed by Mu’awiyah.
2. The military forces led by Imam Hasan [a] were torn between slogans, desires, interests and ideologies. [32] There were some who were only seeking spoils of war! There were those who held grudges against the Umayyad house, but who, at the same time, concealed their hatred of the Imamate of Imam Hasan [a] and his household…! In the army a great number of people who were sympathisers of the Umayyad party in Syria, cherished the rewards Mu’awiyah had promised them. To make matters worse, boredom began to creep into the camp of the Imam, particularly after the army had fought the three wars of Imam Ali [a], namely: Jamal, Nahrawan, and Siffin. Their memories were still alive in their minds.
Next to these people, there was a group who were loyal to Ahlul Bayt [a]. They were a small number in comparison to the increasing number of the rag-tag, and the intensity of the hostile schemers.
3. Mu’awiyah showered large sums of money on the chieftains and the men who held sway in the Iraqi community, in unparalleled generosity. They were left listless and irresolute. They gave up their earlier plans of going hand in hand with the Imam to fight Mu’awiyah. [33]
Money was a doubled-edged sword. In addition to its sharp effect in changing the balance of
power to the interest of Mu’awiyah, it left its most surprising imprints in the hearts of the Iraqis. They flooded Mu’awiyah with their letters declaring their loyalty and obedience to him. They promised to hand Imam Hasan [a] over to him as a prisoner when the fire of war blazed and zerohour came! [34]
Imam Hasan [a] referred to this treachery when he said:
“By Allah, if I had fought Mu’awiyah, they would have taken hold of my neck and handed me peacefully over to him. By Allah, making peace with him with nobility, is more loveable to me than being killed by him as a captive, or set free, which would be a stain for the tribe of Hashim.” [35]
4. The grandson of the Messenger of Allah [s] saw to it that no drop of blood should be shed, especially the blood of the faithful.
Following are some of the statements of the Imam which display his noble intentions:
“I feared lest the Muslims should be uprooted from the surface of the earth. I wanted the faith to have men who call to it.”
“…I only wanted, by my treaty with Mu’awiyah, to spare you death.”
5. The army of his enemy was strong, highly disciplined because of their compliance with the orders of Mu’awiyah, and the non-existence of subversion among its ranks. But in Iraq, disunity prevailed. The various contradictory slogans, views, desires, and interests tore the army of Imam Hasan [a] to shreds and weakened its ability to fight.
6. Imam Hasan [a] enjoyed a first-rate spiritual power – as we have seen elsewhere – as he was purified from uncleanness, which is stated by the Qur’an. He is one pillar of the blessed family of the Messenger of Allah [s], to which fact the Holy Prophet [s] himself had testified. He would nor think of deception and treachery.
This soul, attached to Allah, the Most High, and inspired by Him and His noble shar’iah, made Imam Hasan [a], wherever he was, to keep away from entering into a war in which blood would be unnecessarily shed, and men killed without result. In addition to that, the factors in Islam’s view, were not in the least available, as we have witnessed by the character of his unprincipled followers.
This is quite different from Mu’awiyah who would never care how many men were killed, and how much blood was shed, as long as he remained the ruler of the Muslims, to whom the income of taxes were brought. He was the ruler who basked in mundane luxury and fleeting pleasures in the palace of al Khadara’.
7. When Imam Hasan saw that Mu’awiyah succeeded in attracting the people towards him, he wanted to disclose the true colours of Mu’awiyah. It could only be done if Mu’awiyah monopolized power and took the affairs of the ummah into his own hands. The ummah would see the nature of his rule, and discover the wide gulf between it and the ideal image of the rule of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali bin Abi Talib [a].
Those who obeyed Mu’awiyah would bear the responsibility for that historical tragedy in which the ummah lost the leadership of Ahlul Bayt [a] and their pioneering Imamate, not only during their blessed existence, but also after their deaths. The negative impact of that continued smashing the ummah, generation after generation, till the system of Islam, which was expected to prevail and rule, was reduced to a mere historical heritage buried in the books.
8. Historians report that Imam Hasan [a] was the target of three aborted assassination attempts. [36] The first attempt occurred when a man shot him with an arrow, while he was offering his prayer. He did not harm the Imam [a].
The second attempt on the life of Imam Hasan [a] took place when a man jabbed him with a dagger while he was in prayer. Again the Imam [a] was unhurt.
In the third assassination attempt he narrowly escaped death. A mob attacked him, plundering his tent and taking his prayer-rug from under his feet! During the attack al-Jarrah bin Sinan al-Asadi stabbed him with a rapier in his thigh and gravely wounded him. [37] The blade reached the bone. [38]
After that attempt, the Imam was bed-ridden and remained as a guest at the house of Sa’d bin Masood al-Thaqafi, his governer on al-Mada’in.
9. Mu’awiyah made good use of the weapon of propaganda, by causing confusion in the minds of the Iraqis. His spies and supporters appeared from time to time in order to spread vicious rumours. The rabble would be influenced by them, and would behave as they dictated. Here are some examples:
1. They claimed that Imam Hasan [a] corresponded with Mu’awiyah in order to make peace. 2. They rumoured that Qais bin Sa’d had defected to Mu’awiyah.
3. The most effective of their rumours was floated when the Umayyad delegation had come in search of peace. When the Imam [a] refused to make peace with Mu’awiyah, the negotiating delegation went out, and claimed that Imam Hasan [a] had finally agreed to end the hostilities and spare the blood of the Muslims!The mobs were angered beyond limits and attacked his tent. They condemned the alleged peace, but at the same time they were too indolent to fight.
1. The call to peace by Mu’awiyah had already made its way into the camp of Imam Hasan [a], and was already accepted by them, when the Imam [a] finally agreed to it. That call had an echo in the defeated souls in the camp of the Imam [a]. The followers of Mu’awiyah welcomed it first and preached it. It slid into the camp of the Imam Hasan [a] and the Imam accepted it as a fait accompli.
2. Imam Hasan [a] found the ummah, around him or Mu’awiyah, oblivious to its deviated life, and silent, not wanting to support the right and fight the infidels. Imam Hasan [a] wanted to unmask the callers to sedition, their promises and covenants, their yearning to seize power, whatever the means, and their abusing of the ummah and Islam’s teachings.
By clarifying all these sides, Imam Hasan [a] paved the ground actually for the revolution of the Lord of Martyrs, Imam Husayn bin Ali [a].
These are, our dear readers, the most important justifications and causes which prompted Imam Hasan [a] to sign the document of treaty with the treacherous Mu’awiyah.
Would any other ruler or leader, if faced with what Imam Hasan [a] faced, take another course of action?
War, after all, would have been an impossible option. No sane man would have adopted it. Then how could a great man like Imam Hasan bin Ali [a], do it?
Some people would be the opinion that it was better for Imam Hasan [a], if he had sacrificed all for the sake of his right. If, however, Imam Hasan [a] had fought, he would have surely been killed, along with all of his family. The Umayyads would have succeeded in extinguishing the light of Islam for good. No one could then tell the right from the falsehood. The ummah, would never have realized, as it did afterwards, how deviated were its rulers, and what bondage they were led to.
Imam Hasan’s [a] concern for Islam made him sign the document to play his role, afterwards, in explaining the Shari’ah, its laws and dimensions to the ummah of Muhammad [s], during his remaining years, as we will see in this phase of his life.
We deem it suitable to cite the most important items of the document signed by Imam Hasan [and Mu’awiyah: [39] 1. Mu’awiyah bin Abu-Sufyan takes the affairs of the ummah into his hands, on condition that he abides by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger [s]. 2. Imam Hasan [a] assumes the leadership of the ummah after the death of Mu’awiyah. If Imam
Hasan [a] was already dead, Imam Husayn [a] takes his place.
3. People are to enjoy freedom and security, be they Arabs or non-Arabs, Syrians or Iraqis, and they should not be harassed for their previous positions towards the Umayyad rule.
These are the items of importance of the treaty which were accepted by the two parties. As it is clear for the reader, it is of great benefit to the ummah and its noble Message. These terms were the most that Imam Hasan [a] could achieve for the ummah and its mission. If any better could be achieved, he would not have hesitated to take advantage of them.
A number of Muslims objected to the treaty. Imam Hasan [a] explained to them why he had taken this step. He said to Bashir al-Hamadani:
“I am, by no means, humiliating the faithful, but honouring them. By my making peace, I only wanted to spare you death, when I saw my followers lingering and refraining from going to war.”
Al-Hamadani was the first one who was too cowardly to fight.
To Malik bin Dhumrah, who talked to him about the document, he said:
“I feared, lest the Muslims should be uprooted from the surface of earth. I wanted the faith to have men who call to it.”
He said to Abu-Sa’eed:
“Abu-Sa’eed! The reason why I made peace with Mu’awiyah is the same one which made the Messenger of Allah [s] make peace with the tribe of Banu Dhumrah and Banu-Ashja’, and the people of Mecca when he returned from al-Hudaibiyyah.”[40]
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir [a] refers to the significance of the treaty, and its positive effects for the benefit of Islam and Muslims, in these words:
“By Allah, what Hasan bin Ali [a] did was better for this ummah than what the sun had shone on[41]
.”
[32] Shaikh al-Mufid, Al-Irshad (The Guidance), p.208, and al-Fusool al-Muhimmah, p.146 [33] Muhammad Jawad Fadhlullah, Sulh al-Imam Hasan, p.76.
[34] Al-Irshad, Life of Imam Hasan [a], p.209, and the following pages. [35] Tawfeeq Abu Alam, Ahlul Bayt, p.335. [36] Hayat al-Imam Hasan [a], 3rd ed., vol, 2. pp.103-105. [37] Bin Abi al-Hadeed, in his commentaries on Nahj al-Balaghah, says that it is “ma’wal” (pickaxe) and not “maghwal” (rapier), see vol.16. p. 41. [38] Al-Irshad, Life of Imam Hasan [a], p.209. [39] For details see: Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah by Ibn al-Sabbagh, and Ahlul Bayt by Abu Alam. [40] Statements of Imam Hasan [a] are quoted from Hayat al-Imam Hasan, vol. 2. “Protestors at the Peace Treaty”, p. 281. [41] Rawdhat al-Kafi (Orchards of al-Kafi), vol. 8, p. 330.
Ameer al Momineen (a.s.) used to wear simple and inexpensive dress, the type of dress generally worn by the poor and middle class Arabs of those days. Sometimes he wore dress of a quality even poorer than that! His intention always was to cover the body and not to show off grandeur of the dress! He sometimes wore summer apparel during winters and wore the winter apparels during the summers. In time of need, he would patch up his dresses with the bark of the date or pieces of leather. He never felt belittled wearing such clothes. Once he was wearing a cloak which was having several patches. Some persons made remarks about this. He said, “Wearing such tatters, it creates a feeling of humility in the heart and the people of the Faith will try to emulate me when they see me in such humble apparel!”. Masoodi writes that during the period of his Caliphate, he never wore a new dress! His normal dress consisted of aloin cloth, cloak and a scarf. Hepreferred to wear the ccarf (amama) on his head.. He used to say:
“Alsalam Teejan al Arab
The amama is the crown of the Arabs”
Ref: Seerat Ibne Hisham, Vol 2, Page 286
Statements of some persons are given here who saw Ameer al Momineen (a.s.) on different occasions and had recorded about the type of dress he wore.
Jabir Mouli Jaafi says that he saw Ameer al Momineen (a.s.) wearing a black headgear (Amama) on his head. One end of the Amama was hanging on his chest and the other on his back.
Umro ibne Marwan says that his father had told him that he saw Hazrat Ali (a.s.) wearing a black Amama on his head and both its ends were hanging at his back.
Yazid ibne Harith Fazari says that he saw the Imam (a.s.) was wearing a white Misri Topee on his head.
Abu Hayyan says that he saw a thin cotton cap on the head of the Imam.(a.s.).
Ayoob ibne Deenar says that his father told him that he had seen Hazrat Ali (a.s.) wearing a loin cloth and a scarf on his shoulders. On another occasion he saw him wearing two scarves made in Najran.
Abhar ibne Harmooz says that his father saw the Imam(a.s.) coming out of the Mosque at Koofa wearing a loin cloth half way between his feet and knees and was wearing a scarf onhis shoulders.
In those days generally this was the dress of the people. Therefore at the Ghadeer e Khum when the Prophet (s.a.) raised Hazrat Ali( a.s.) on his hands, the tradition says, that it was raised so much that the whiteness of the arm pit was visible. The reason was that the Prophet (s.a.) was wearing only a chadar on his shoulders, which moved away while he raised Hazrat Ali (a.s)
Nauf Bakali says that he saw Hazrat Ali (a.s.) wearing ashirt and wore a footwear made of the bark of date palm.
Ibne Abbas says that he saw a torn footwear in the feet of Hazrat Ali (a.s.) that he had also seen him repair. Ata Abi Mohammed says that he saw the Imam (a.s.) wearing a cloak of rough cloth.
Khalid Abi Umiya says that that the Imam
(a.s.)’s loin cloth was upto his knees.
Abd Allah ibne Abi Hazeel says that he saw on his shoulders a cloak made of rough cloth. The sleeves of the cloak were touching the tips of his fingers.
Abd al Jabbar ibne Mughira says that Umme Kathira told him that she had seen Hazrat Ali (a.s) that his loin cloth was of coarse clo and he wore a cloak of coarse cloth as well. Over the cloak he wore a scarf.
Abulala Mouli Aslam says that he saw that Hazrat Ali (a.s.) tied his loin cloth above the umbilical region.
Abu Malika says that he once went to the presence of the Imam (a.s.) and saw that he had tied his cloak like the loin cloth around his waist. Over the cloak he had tied a rope to keep it in place.
Qadama Ibne Atab says that he saw the Imam (a.s.) wearing a white wollen cloak and had wrapped around his shoulders red striped shawls of Qatari origin. He wore a headgear of fine cloth.
Abu Zabyan says that he saw Hazrat Ali (a.s.) wearing a yellow loin cloth and was covering his shoulderswith a flowery black shawl. Zaid ibne Wahab says that he saw the Imam (a.s.) emerging out of his house and his loin cloth was havi several patches.
Mohammed ibne Abd al Rehman says that
“An Aliya kana yatqatam bil yameen.
Hazrat Ali (a.s.) wore his ring on the right hand.”
Ref: Kifayat at Talib, Page 25.
Hazrat Ali(a.s.) used to wear either ruby or turquoise on his rings. He also used Hadeed Chini (Chinese Gold) andsometimes aqeeq (cornelian) for his rings. On the aqeeq there used to be the engraving, “Al malak Lillah”. In some traditions it is said that the engravingused to be, “Lillah al Malak”. He used to keep a whip in his hand. While delivering a sermon he used to take the support of a bow or a sword.
A religious tax is a bas,icand fundamental injunction of Islam was highly important. Its fulfilment appears easy for it is a prayer financial obligation. It is to be distributed every year to the poor and needy.
Often Our Saint about its intrinsic qualities God safeguard the wealth from which this tax is paid willingly. To disobey this injunction is a symptom of heathenism. Smilingly Our Saint said “Zakat is a lucrative business; for one rupee paid as Zakat God gives ten rupees and sometimes awards seventy rupees”. If considered deeply this is also an important problem for those who week divine proximity and is a test of their willingness to part with the wealth. Many lovers of God in accordance with this commandment gave up their attachment to wealth and preferred to lead a life of recluse. The result was that their names were included in the list of God’s nearest devotees. Many of Our Saint’s devoted disciples came to clear boubts about Zakat and he explained them the correct way distribute it amongst the poor.
One the day of Eid-ul-fiter (festivities marking the end of Ramazan) a few devotees were distributing grain from the premises of our Saint on his behalf of needy people. A well to do devotee on seeing this intended to give Subscription for Zakat in Sarkar’s name. Hearing this Our Saint said “you ought to know that Zakat is paid to one who resides in the same country, earns his own living, owns no property and refuses to touch ill-gotton gains. Money taken by one who does not fulfil the above condition is not legitimate”. In this connection he also said the way of love the definition if Zakat us whatever is sufficient for one’s need to be retained and the remaining to be distributed. A few saintly personages keep a few necessities but the procedure of the faithful is whatever they acquire they distribute is so that they may be empty handed during the night and own nothing”. Beside parched mendicants there was an incident relating to one who was apparently unfit to be a recluse but due to the effect of intuitive knowledge of Our Saint. He gave up his property in disgust and cut off worldly ties.
Once our Saint was the guest of Munshi Tafazzul Hussain sahib Warisi, Vakil of Unnao who after Asr (late afternoon prayers) accompanied by a wealthy friend met our Saint and with due humility said, “your honour he is my friend. Although he is honest and well to do, he neither eats nor feeds others. The wealth given by God he guards day and night.
Our Saint addressed him thus. “I hope you are using the interest on the invested amount and paying Zakat or are you not?” With folded hands he replied, ‘by your favour I abhor interest but I am not paying Zakat. Still, I treat the poor and needy with kindness”. Sarkar Waris said, “It is necessary to have a system in Divine law (Shariat), calculate your amount and ray Zakat”. While sleeping repeat a hundred or fifty times, “Lailaha-illa-anta-Subhanaka-Inni-KuntuMinazzalimeen”. Vakil sahib joined in the conversation by commenting, “your honour I am reminded of that proverb, “went to get namaz excused but was asked to fast”. Our Saint rejoined, “You too are not paying Zakat regularly”. Vakil Saheb with utter humility continued, “I know I am guilty. Please investigate for from a long time I have not earned for ten or twenty days, forty rupees completely”. “Are you such a pauper?” asked Sarkar. He replied, “By your favour, I am not a pauper. Even today my monthly expenses are four to five hundred rupees. More than five years back seeing my extravagant expenses you warned me at the Railway Station; Tafzzal Hussain, you will not be in a position to keep a single pie for your shroud. I am acting on your advice spending my daily income completely. If I get more income, the excess amount remains with me. If your favour is with me, I will not be faulty.
Then Sarkar Said, “Tafazzul, if you get any day more rupees. Let them not remain with you, but spend them also. By keeping them your hand will be black. The way in which you came in to this world with empty hands, similarly you sleep in the night with empty hand. Whoever has a love for God, he hates property and wealth.” Touching Our Sarkar’s feet with great humility he said, “You advise me and from today I will act upon it. There is one more problem. I have three boxes with me in which I daily put a certain fixed amount. Shall I leave them also?” Our Saint asked, “For what purpose are they used?”, “The amount of one box is spent on the twelfth Rabiulawal to celebrate the Nativity of the Prophet; the second is spent on the tenth day of Muharram and the third box is opened on the day of your arrival.” On hearing this Our Saint said, “Keep those two boxes intact for the purpose meant. The box which is kept for our hospitality, remove it. If you are lucky enough to secure food, feed me, if not I will also starve.”
Similarly Haji Abbas Ali Shah Saheb Warisi, who was an old tahband mendicant and a well to do person presented himself before Our Saint at Fatehpur and along with other requests he said, “Last Friday the Maulvi Sahib dwelt upon such qualities of Zakat that I was moved to tears and had I sufficient amount with me I too could have paid the Zakat”.
Our Saint questioned as to how he meets his daily expenses. Shah Saheb said, “According to your order I am remaining in the mosque of Painthyapur. The surrounding people give me bread which I eat. Our Saint asked, “If more chapattis are given what do you do with them?” and he answered that he ate them the next day. Sarkar advised him, “From today whatever bread get till sunset eat them, the remaining distribute in charity at that time.”
Once during his stay Lucknow one unknown tahband clad person came to pay his respects and with tear filled eyes said, “Somebody has broken open the lock of my room taken away all my things.” Our Saint asked “why did you keep those things. From today except a tahband and a rug do not keep anything and no thief will come. Saint Waris Ali Shah ordered his servants to bring a tahband and a rug to be given to him and asked him to depart.
Zikr-e-Darood Shareef (Repeated Invocation Blessings on Holy Prophet):
The way in which the devotees of the Warisi Shrine were given general instructions to invoke the name of God and the same instruction were given to others to send the blessings on the Holy Prophet, keeping timings and capacity to fulfil the command. He also gave them different timings and the way to be followed for invocation. For example, instructed Maulvi Syed Mohammad Yousaf Sahib Warisi Mukhtar saying, “at the end of the day’s work the last thing to me done when going to bed is to repeat hundred times Darood Shareef with love’. To some he said to repeat every time Darood after performing ablution and without any ulterior motive. He generally instructed them to repeat the Darood, “Allahumma-salle-Ala-Muhammadin-Waaala-Aale-hi-Muhammadin- Wa Barik- Wa-Sallim.
The biographer states that his father often repeated, that after taking the pledge Sarkar would say “Be loving”, When he returned from Hajj Sarkar asked he biographer’s father how he was feeling. He replied due to his kindness he was well. But due to excess love his heart was afire to which Sarkar Waris replied “bath after Tahajjud (midnight prayer) and after applying scent repeat Darood-e-sheriff with conviction one Thousand times, but as a result you will be unfit for worldly work.” The Darood was “Alla-humma-Salle- Ala- Mohammaddin- Wa-aliehi – Biqadhray- Husnei -hewa-Jamaleihi.”
One poor devotee complained about his poverty stricken condition to which Our Saint said “In the night after who sets of genuflexion and prostration prayer (nafil) repeat Darood-e- Taj but in every set (rakat) to repeat Sura-e-Takasur seven times and pray for patience.
At first sight the procedure of Darood seems easy if we view it deeply it has some significance. In addition to inner blessings he included such conditions which have connections with spirituality and concerned with love. The reason was Sarkar Waris was jurist entitled to independent opinion of the procedure of love. So many of his counsel of sayings were not free from love.
To some seekers he instructed recite Darood-e-Sheriff according to rules and regulations off the Jalali (invoking God’s awe-inspiring attribute) way. For e.g. Sheikh Mohammad Hussain Saheb resident of Suburbs of Rae-Bareilly, his old devotee, was presented with sweets and a shawl during the anniversary celebration of Kathak while paying respects. He said, “These gifts I always get. Grant me in the name of Panjatan-e-Pak such valuable gifts to efface from my heart the desire both spiritual and mundane”. Sarkar Waris with a smiling countenance said, “alright” giving the instruction of invocation of God’s name and blessings on the Holy Prophet told him to cover his face with a veil, “whatever happens it should not be disclosed.”
Maulvi Abdul Sattar Sahib Warisi of Agra Town was told the same Jalali procedure to recite Darood-e-Sheriff direction him to spend the night in the jangle. After an interval Our Saint visited Ferozabad learnt that Maulvi Saheb residing in the jungle had overcome the rigour of life. Sarkar Waris presented a tahband and asked him go to Medina and not stretch his hand even if he was in dire need and should die there.
It is well known fact that Abdul Samad resident of village Masuli in Bara Banki district requested our Saint to teach the method of Jalali way of darood (invoking God’s blessing on Holy Prophet) to which he consented. But after three of four days he could not bear to see the observations due to fear and left it. When our Saint was informed he commented. “He is a mean person, if not he would have become a fine human being.’
Once Fazihat Shah Saheb Warisi, well known for his meditations and invocations requested our Saint for fresh instructions to which he said to repeat Darood five hundred times during the night. The biographer thought him to be a knowledgeable mendicant and that he would learn the procedure of Jalali instruction but since the number was too much he requested to lessen it. Our Saint consented to one hundred times. Thin the biographer pointed out that this too would be very hard. Our Saint said not to repeat it according to Jalali method and ordered Fazihat Shah Saheb to repeat Darood for five hundred times and to maintain his activity.
Generally Our Saint pointed our “Without love, invocation is of no use and further said ‘Invocation without self-motive is useful”. Mystic exercise without love is useless. In the way of love the object of mystic exercises should be without any motive and should be free from worldly desires.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 