Hazrat Khwaja Mumshad Dinawari r.a

 

His title was Karimud Deen Mun’im. Dinwar is a city between the cities of Hamdaan and Baghdaad. He hails from Dinwar. He is known by the title Karimud Deen Mun’im because of his generosity. He was very wealthy. He attended to the requirements of a great number of needy and poor. Afterwards he adopted poverty and went to Makkah Mukarramah.

He acquired perfection in mujaahadah and riyaadhat (spiritual exercises and penances). He was a Hafiz of the Qur’aan and an Imaam in Uloom-e-Zaahiri and Uloom-e-Baatini.

He was honoured with the company (suhbat) of Ibn Jala’ and his seniors. Besides Khwaja Hubairah, he (Hadhrat Mumshad) had acquired Ijaazat (i.e. Khilaafate – Permission to initiate Mureedeen) in several other Silsilah as well.

There is some uncertainty in whether Khwaja Mumshad Dinwari and Khwaja Ilw Dinwari are the same person or two different persons. Since the date of death and other anecdotes attached to both names are identical, it appears that both names refer to the same person. However, on account of the Silsilah attached to the names being different, some claim that these two names refer to different persons. Khwajah Ilw Dinwari is enumerated in the Chishty Silsilah while Khwajah Mumshad Dinwari is said to belong to the Suharwardi Silsilah. However, the first view is more reliable.

He was a perpetual faster. It is said that even during infancy he would sometimes abstain from drinking his mother’s milk. He is therefore called a born wali.

Before becoming bay’t, he was in the suhbat (company) of Hazrat Khidhr (A.S) who instructed him to attach himself to a Shaikh. Immediately on becoming bay’t, he was given Ijaazat (appointed Khalifah). His Shaikh cast Tawajjuh on him and made a special dua for him. Simultaneously with the dua Hazrat Ilw Mumshad became unconscious. He regained conscious only to become unconscious again. After this state (consciousness and unconsciousness) occurred forty times, his Shaikh applied his saliva to Hadhrat Mumshad’s mouth. This completely stabilised him. The Shaikh asked: “Ilw, what did you see?” He said:

“In thirty years of mujaahadah I did not acquire what I gained in a little tawajjuh of the Shaikh.”

Hazrat Mumshad’s words had a powerful effect on the hearts of people. Once when he saw a few idolaters worshipping an idol, he said:

“Does it not shame you to worship something besides Allah?”

This statement alone constrained the whole group of idolaters to accept Islam. (A person whose words exercise overwhelming influence on the audience is called Saahib-e-Ta’theer).

Some of His Sayings:

A man who considers himself significant even while in the company of a buzrug will gain nothing from the advices of that buzrug.

 Sitting in the suhbat of the people of rectitude (i.e. the Auliya) produces rectitude in the heart while the company of the people of corruption produces corruption in the heart.

 Abandonment of futility is called Tasawwuf. Abandoning things to which the heart inclines is called tawakkul.

 Until I had left behind all my knowledge and conditions (spiritual states), I did not go into the company of a buzrug. After I had left my Uloom and Haalaat (spiritual states), I entered into the service of a buzrug and waited in expectation of the barakaat (spiritual blessings and benefits) which are obtainable from his ziyaarat (looking at him) and his discourse. When a man goes with his own spiritual states to a buzrug, then he is deprived of the fuyoodh (spiritual benefits) of that buzrug because of engrossment in his own knowledge.

 If you accumulate the wisdom of former and later times and if you claim to possess the spiritual states of the Auliya, you will not reach the rank of the Aarifeen as long as your baatin (spiritual heart) is not at peace with Allah and as long as you lack complete reliance on what has been predestined for you.

 The changing conditions (of life on earth) do not influence a man whose goal is Allah Ta’ala.

 On one of my journeys I saw a Shaikh from whom the signs of goodness exuded. I requested him for naseehat. He said:
“Keep up your courage and guard it. Courage is the forerunner of a man’s righteous deeds. All acts and states become simple for one whose courage is high.”

His Demise
In Tabqaat, Imaam Sha’rani says that Khwaja Mumshad (rahmatullah alayh) died in the year 297 Hijri. However, according to the author of Khazeenah 298 Hijri is the unanimous claim of the historians. The author of Anwar records the date as 14th Muharram 299 Hijri which was the era of the reign of the Abbasi Khalifah, Muqtadir Bil-lah. His grave is in Dinwar.

On the occasion of his death, a buzrug who was sitting near to him was making dua for Jannat (i.e. May Allah grant Hazrat Mumshad Jannat). Hazrat Mumshad laughed and said:

“For 30 years Jannat with all its adornments appeared before me, but I did not take a proper look at it even once. I yearn for the Master of Jannat.”

In your love I am fully prepared;

At your door do I lay my heart and soul.

Beside it, there is not other portal for me.

Salutations to you, Hazrat Uluw-e-Dinwar

Do hasten to the fulfillment of my heart’s desires.

 

Khwaja Mumshad Uluw al-Dinawari r.a , named “ the Effulgent Sun” by his peers, is regarded as being one of the greatest saints of his era. His knowledge of Allah was unparalleled; and his inner purity was admired by his fellow-travellers among the Sufis.

He was a very wealthy in his home city, and spent vast sums looking after poor and needy. Because of his great generosity he was given the title Karim ad-Din ( the kindness of the religion). After being initiated into suluk, he gave away the rest of his worldly possessions and took the path of faqiri ( spiritual contentment in material poverty)

It is reported that the day he was born, he refrained from drinking his mother’s milk until iftar. Astonish, he carried this practice of fasting during the day throughout his entire life. When asked why, he replied that he wished to break his fast on the day of Qiyamah with the vision of Allah. His nights used to be spent in deep ibadah and muraqabah (contemplation of Allah)

Khwaja Mumshad r.a was inspired to become the murid of Khwaja Amin ad-Din Hubayrah by Hazrat al-Khidr, and was given khilafat immediately after making baayah. His shaykh cast away his tawajjuh upon him, causing Mumshad Uluw to lose consciousness forty times in succession. Only after Amin ad-Din applied some of his saliva to his murid mouth did he completely recover. When asked what he had seen, he replied,” in thirty years of study and mujahadah, I did not receive what I gained from that one glance.”

Khwaja Mumshad Uluw r.a was very fond of Sema, and used to celebrate the urs of his elders with they mystical musical assembly. He explained that Sema aroused the love of Allah in the heart, leading to closeness and eventual wasul with the Lord-which was the ultimate goal of all seekers of the Truth.

He was the murshid of Khwaja Abu Ishaq Chishti r.a after whom the Chishtiya Silsila was founded, and it was he who blessed it and prophesied the impact it would wield on the course of Islamic history.

Aphorisms

• Tasawwuf is abandonment of that which is futile; tawakkul is abandonment of what the heart desires.
• The changing conditions of life do not influence the man whose goal is Allah.
• When a man goes to a shaykh with his own spiritual states, he is deprived of the benefit of that company, because he is engrossed in his own knowledge.
• A man who considers himself significant even in the company of a saint, will gain nothing from the advice of that saint.

 

He attained unity with Beloved Allah on 14^th Muharram 299 AH and lies buried in Baghdad. At the time of his death, seeing a man making a duaa that Allah grant him Paradise, he laughed and said, “ for thirty years Jannah and all its adornments appeared before me, but I barely gave it a glance. I yearn for the Master of Paradise!” His Major Khulafa include the founder of the Chishtiya Silsilah, Khwaja Abu Ishaq Sahami Chishti.