spiritual guidance

8/12/2019 Spiritual Guidance

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S p i r it u a l G u i d a n c e in I s la mA c a s e s tu d y S h a r a f u d d i n M a n e r i

D i v i n e g u i d a n c eH E N O T I O N o f g u i d a n c e is fi r m l y e st a b l is h e d i n I s l a m a t i ts m o s tf u n d a m e n t a l l ev e l, t h a t o f G o d ' s g u i d a n c e o f h is p e o p le . T h i s is d o n e

t h r o u g h d i v i n e r e v e l a t i o n g r a n t e d t o t h e v a r i o u s p r o p h e t s t o e n a b l e t h e mt o g u id e th e p e o p l e a l o n g th e p a t h t o G o d . T h e o r i g in a l I s l a m i c n o t i o nw a s v e r y s i m p l e : t h e r e i s o n l y o n e r e l i g i o n ( a ~ n )a w h ich cons i s t s i na c k n o w l ed g i n g a n d w o r s h ip p i n g th e o n e t ru e G o d . U n f o r t u n a t e l y h u m a nb e i n g s w e r e c o n t i n u a l l y f a l li n g i n t o t h e s i n o f p l a c i n g s o m e b o d y o rs o m e t h i n g o n t h e s a m e l e v e l a s G o d sh irk ) . T h e p o p u l a r e x p r e s s i o n o ft h is r o o t s in w a s p o l y t h e i s m w i t h it s c o n s e q u e n t i d o l - w o r s h i p . G o d w a st h u s m o v e d t o s e n d p r o p h e t s d o w n t h e a g e s t o c a l l p e o p l e b a c k t o t h eo n e tr u e r e li g io n , t h a t o f b e l i e f i n o n e G o d . T h i s w a s M u h a m m a d ' sp r i s ti n e u n d e r s t a n d i n g , f o r h e s a w h i m s e l f a s a p r o p h e t S e nt b y G o d t oc a ll h is o w n p e o p l e , t h e A r a b s , f r o m i d o l a t r y to t h e w o r s h i p o f t h e o n et r u e G o d , A l la h . F o r h i m t h e v a r i o u s m o n o t h e i s t ic r e li g io n s w e r e m e r e l yd i ff e re n t f o r m s o f t h e o n e t r u e r e li g io n . O n l y l a t e r o n i n M e d i n a , w h e nt h e J e w s r e f u s e d t o a c k n o w l e d g e h is p r o p h e t i c m i s s i o n , d i d h e b e g i n t ot h in k o f I s l a m a s a d is ti nc t r e li gi o n. T h u s i t is t h e p r o p h e t M u h a m m a d( d . 6 3 2 ) w h o c h a n n e l s d i v i n e r e v e l a t i o n t o t h e A r a b s t h r o u g h t h e Q u r a n ,t h e v e r y w o r d o f G o d .

A n o t h e r f u n d a m e n t a l p i v o t o n w h i c h th e w h o l e n o ti o n o f g u i d a n c er e s t s i s f o u n d i n t h e f o l l o w i n g Q u r a n i c v e r s e : ' Y o u r L o r d b r o u g h t f o r t hd e s c e n d a n ts f r o m t h e lo in s o f A d a m ' s c h i l d re n , a n d m a d e t h e m t es ti fya g a in s t t h em s e lv e s . H e s aid : A m I n o t y o u r L o r d ? T h e y r ep lie d : W eb e a r w i t n e ss t h a t y o u a r e . T h i s h e d i d, l e s t y o u s h o u I d s a y o n t h e d a yo f r e s u rr e c ti o n : W e h a d n o k n o w l e d g e o f t h a t ' ( Q 7 , 1 7 2 ) . T h i s c o v e n a n tis g iv e n t h e v is u a l f o r m o f G o d ' s s u m m o n i n g , a s it w e r e , e v e r y s in g leh u m a n b e i n g b e f o r e h i m f o r a n i n s t a n t i n o r d e r t o e s t a b l i s h i n c l e a rt e r m s t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p o f h i s l o r d s h ip o v @ e a c h o n e o f t h e m . T h i s i s t h ec o m m o n i n t e r p r e t a t i o n , b u t i t n e e d s t o b e p o i n t e d o u t t h a t i t is n o t ad o m i n e e r in g t y p e o f l o rd s h ip w h ic h i s m e a n t b u t o n e w h e r e t h e L o r dl o o k s a f t e r , c h e r i s h e s , n o u r i s h e s a n d e d u c a t e s t h o s e w h o a r e d e p e n d e n tu p o n h i m . I t is a li t e r a r y e x p r e s s i o n o f t h e o n t o lo g i c a l d e p e n d e n c ei n h e r e n t i n th e c r e a t o r - c r e a t u r e r e l a t i o n s h i p a n d f o r m s , a s i t w e r e , t h em e t a p h y s i c a l b a c k d r o p f o r th e e n t i r e s p i r it u a l l if e o f t h e S u fi s, t h e m y s t i cs a in t s o f I s l a m .


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T R A D I T I O N S O F S P I R I T U A L G U I D A N C E 45Prophet i c gu idance

A l t h o u g h G o d s r e v e l a t i o n , a s f o u n d i n i ts f i na l f o r m i n t h e Q u r a n ,g iv e s t h e g e n e r a l f r a m e w o r k o f t h e n e e d e d g u i d a n c e , a n d e v e n p r o v i d e ss o m e d e t a i l e d in j u n c t i o n s , a p i o u s M u s l i m w i l l h a v e t o l o o k e l s e w h e r e tof i n d t h e a n s w e r s t o a w h o l e h o s t o f p r a c t i c a l d if f ic u l ti e s t h a t a r i s e i ne v e r y d a y l iv i n g . T h u s o c c u r r e d t h e g r a d u a l d e v e l o p m e n t o f I s l a m i c l awsharFa t ) w h i c h o n e M u s l i m a u t h o r h a s d e s c r i b e d a s t h e w a y o r ro a d int he r e l i g io n o f M u h a m m a d , w h i c h G o d h a s e s t a b l is h e d f o r t h e g u i d a n c eo f hi s p e o p l e , b o t h f o r t h e w o r s h i p o f G o d a n d f o r t h e d u t i e s o f li f e . 2T h e w o r d i ts e l f o r i g i n a l l y r e f e rs t o t h e b e a t e n t r a c k l e a d i n g t o a w e l l o rs p r i n g - - a n i m a g e w h i c h l e n d s i ts e l f t o p o e t i c d e v e l o p m e n t . S u ff ic e i t t os a y t h a t o n e f o ll o w s t h e b e a t e n t r a c k a l o n g w i t h e v e r y b o d y e ls e : o n e d o e sn o t t r y to f i n d a n e w p a t h f o r o n e s e lf . I n a d d i t i o n to t h e d i v i n e g u i d a n c ec o n t a i n e d i n th e Q u r a n t h e o t h e r g r e a t s o u r c e i s t h a t p r o v i d e d b y t h ee x a m p l e sunna) o f t h e P r o p h e t h i m s e l f a n d a s f o u n d r e c o r d e d i n th eT r a d i t i o n s hadi th) . T h e s e t w o s o u r c e s w e r e e l a b o r a t e d b y t h e e a r l y j u r i s t sw h o m a d e u s e o f a n a l o g i c a l r e a s o n i n g a n d g e n e r a l c o n s e ns u s . T h u s w a sb o r n I s la m i c j u r i s p r u d e n c e f iqh) . 3 B e c a u s e o f t he c o m p a r a t i v e s i m p l ic i tyo f I s l a m i c b e l i e f , th e g r e a t m i n d s w e r e m o r e i n t e r e s t e d in a n s w e r i n g t h eq u e s t i o n , W h a t i s G o d s w i ll f o r m e i n t h i s p a r t i c u l a r s i t u a t i o n ? t h a n t og r a p p l e w i t h t h e o l o g i c a l p r o b l e m s s u c h a s e x e r c i s e d th e g r e a t C h r i s t i a nt h in k e r s d o w n t he c e n t u r ie s , w h o h a d t h e m y s t e r i e s o f t h e I n c a r n a t i o na n d R e d e m p t i o n to c o n t e n d w i th , n o t t o m e n t i o n t h a t o f t h e T r i n i ty .

C o m m u n i t y g u i d a n ceB e c a u s e o f g e o g r a p h i c a l a n d o t h e r c o n s e q u e n t d i ff ic u l t ie s , d i f f e r en t

s c h o o l s ma.dhab) g r e w u p i n d if f e r e n t ce n t re s . E v e n t o d a y o r t h o d o x S u n n iM u s l i m s - - w h o f o rm t h e v a s t m a j o r i t y - - b e l o n g to o n e o r o t h e r o f t h ef o u r g r e a t s c h o o ls . T h e r e i s n o s u c h t h i n g a s a u n i f o r m l a w f o r a l lM u s l i m s . I n t e r e s t i n g l y e n o u g h , t h e r o o t m e a n i n g o f m a d h a b i s a r o a de n t e r e d u p o n , f r o m w h i c h t h e n o t i o n o f a sc h o o l e m e r g e s . W e n o t i c eo n c e a g a i n t h e c e n t r a l i d e a o f g o i n g a l o n g a g i v e n r o a d t o g e t h e r w i t ho t h e r s a n d n o t s e e k i n g t o b l a z e a n e w t r a i l f o r o n e se l f. T h e p i o u s M u s l i mi n I n d i a , f or e x a m p l e , w h e n c o n f r o n t e d w i t h a p a r t ic u l a r l y k n o t t y p r o b l e mw h i c h t h e l o c a l o f fi c ia ls d o n o t s e e m t o k n o w h o w t o h a n d l e , w i l l w r i t e t ot he D a r u l - U l u m i n D e o b a n d f o r a n o f f ic ia l a n s w e r - - k n o w n a s a f a t w ~ - -f r o m a h i g h l y t r a i n e d s p e c i a l i st , a m u f i L T h i s d e c i s i o n w il l b e g i v e na c c o r d i n g t o t h e H a n a f i t e s c h o o l , t h e o n e c o m m o n l y f o l lo w e d in I n d i a .

C o m p e n s a t i n g s o m e w h a t f o r th e l a c k o f d u e r e g a r d f o r in d i v i d u a li s t i cb e h a v i o u r i s t h e p u r p o s e b e h i n d t h e w h o l e e m p h a s i s o n l a w , n a m e l y t h eh e a r t f e l t d e s ir e to d o t h e w i l l o f G o d . N o m a t t e r w h a t a c t i o n a p e r s o nm a y p e r f o r m t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t a s p e c t th a t h a s to b e c o n s i d e r e d isw h e t h e r i t c o n f o r m s t o t h e d i v i n e w i l l o r n o t . F o r e x a m p l e , i f y o u a s k a n


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46 T R A D I T I O N S O F S P I R I T U A L G U I D A N C Eo r d i n a r y I n d i a n M u s l i m w h y h e is o b s e r v i n g t h e a n n u a l m o n t h - l o n g f as t,t h e m o s t c o m m o n a n s w e r is s i m p l y b e c a u s e it is G o d ' s w ill

T h e S u f i sA s I s la m s p r e a d i n t h e e a r l y c e n tu r i e s , h e r e a n d t h e r e i n d i v id u a l s w e r ed r a w n t o a m o r e p e r s o n a l r e s p o n s e t o t h e d iv i n e m y s t e r y . W e r e a d a b o u tH a s a n o f B a s r a ( d .7 2 8 ) , M a l i k D i n a r ( d .7 4 8 ) a n d R a b i ' a , t h e o u t s t a n d i n gw o m a n S u fi ( d .8 0 1 ) . B y t h e t e n t h c e n t u r y w e f in d th a t S u f i O r d e r s( t .af iqat) h a v e d e v e l o p e d a r o u n d f a m o u s S u fi s, s u c h as J u n a i d o f B a g h d a d( d .9 1 0 ) . L a t e r o n th e m o r e p o p u l a r t e r m w a s si ls i la ( a c h a i n ) b e c a u s e , b yt h i s t i m e , g r e a t e m p h a s i s w a s p l a c e d o n b e i n g a b l e t o t r a c e o n e ' s s p i r i t u a li n it ia t io n b a c k t o A l i ( d .6 6 1 ) , M u h a m m a d ' s f ir st c o u s in a n d s o n - in - la wt o w h o m - - i t w a s c o m m o n l y b e l i e v e d - - M u h a m m a d h a d e n t r u s t e d s p ec ia le s o te r ic k n o w l e d g e a n d s p i r it u a l p o w e r . T h i s w a s o n e e x a m p l e o f S h i ' ai n fl u en c e in th e d e v e l o p m e n t o f S u f is m . T h e w o r d . targqat w a s s t i l l u s e d t oi n d i ca t e a s p ec if ic g r o u p . T h e w o r d i t se l f m e a n s r o a d , w a y o r p a t h . S u fisw e r e o f te n ca ll e d ' T h e p e o p le o f t he w a y ' w h ile t he m o r e c o m m o n t e r m - -S u f i - - c o m e s f r o m t h e e a r ly p r a c ti c e o f w e a r i n g w o o l ( # f ) i n i m i ta t io n o fC h r i s t i a n a s c e t i c s .

I n s o f a r a s S u f i s s o u g h t a m o r e p e r s o n a l a n d i n t i m a t e u n i o n w i t h G o dt h e r e w a s t e n s i o n w i t h th e j u r i s ts w h o w e r e c o n c e r n e d w i t h o b s e r v a b l ea c t io n s . O n e c la ss o f S u f i s - - t h o s e w i t h o u t t h e la w (b 2 s h a r ) - - d i d n o t h e l pm a t t e rs , f o r t h e y c o n s i d e r e d t h e m s e lv e s t o b e b e y o n d t h e la w . T h e m o s tf a m o u s S u f is , h o w e v e r , a d h e r e d s tr ic t ly to t h e l a w - - t h o s e w i t h th e la w(ba s h a r ) - - a n d w e r e i n d e e d m o s t s c r u p u l o u s i n i t s o b s e r v a n c e .

A s m e n t i o n e d , t h e o u t s t a n d i n g S u f is a t t r a c t e d d i sc ip l es a n d t h u s t h ei n s ti t u ti o n o f p e r s o n a l i z e d g u i d a n c e d e v e l o p e d i n I sl a m . T h i s a s p e c t w a se sp e ci al ly p r o m i n e n t i n I n d i a , p r o b a b l y b e i n g r e i n f o rc e d b y th e H i n d ut r a d i t io n o f t h e m a s t e r -d i s c i p l e ( g u r u - - c h 2 l ~ ) r e l a ti o n s h i p . W i t h t h is g e n e r a lb a c k g r o u n d , l e t u s l o o k a t a r e n o w n e d I n d i a n S u f i s p ir i t u a l g u i d e , S h e i k hS h a r a f u d d i n M a n e r i .T h e l ife o f S h a r af ud d in M a n e r i

B e f o re d e l v in g d e e p l y i n to w h a t S h a r a f u d d i n M a n e r i h a s t o of fe r i nt h e l in e o f s p ir it u a l" g u i d a n c e i t w i ll b e h e l p f u l t o d r a w a b r i e f l if e - sk e t c ho f t h e m a n . 4 H e w a s b o r n i n M a n e r , a b o u t 2 5 k il o m e t re s w e st o f P a t n a ,t h e c ap i ta l o f B i h a r s ta te in p r e s e n t - d a y I n d i a , a r o u n d 1 2 9 0 C . E . B o t hh i s f a th e r , Y a h y a , a n d h i s m o t h e r , B i b i R a z i a , b e l o n g e d t o f a m i li es w h i c hw e r e s te e p ed i n th e S uf i t ra d i t io n . T h u s y o u n g A h m a d - - a s h e w a sc a l l e d - - g r e w u p i n a G o d - c e n t r e d m i l ie u f r o m h i s v e r y bi r t h . H e h a dt h r e e b r o t h e r s a n d a t l e as t o n e s i s te r , b u t h i s w a s t h e s p e c ia l ly g r a c e dn a t u r e w h i c h r e s p o n d e d t o th e i n s p i r in g e x a m p l e o f h is p i o u s p a re n t s .H e d i d hi s e a r l y s c h o o l i n g in M a n e r b u t , w h e n h e r e a c h e d h is t e e n s, af a m o u s s ch o la r , M a u l a n a A b u T a u ' a m a , c a l l ed in t o M a n e r o n h is w a y


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T R A D I T I O N S O F S P I R I T U A L G U I D A N C E 1 4 7f r o m D e l h i t o S o n a r g a o n , t h e o l d c a p i t a l o f E a s t B e n g a l , s i tu a t e d o n t h eo u t sk i r t s o f D h a k a , t h e p r e s e n t c a p it a l o f B a n g l a d e s h . Y o u n g A h m a d w a se a g e r t o s e iz e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o p u r s u e h i s s t u d ie s u n d e r s u c h a n e m i n e n ts c h o l a r , w h il e A b u T a u a m a s a w w h a t a p r o m i s i n g s t u d e n t h e w a s a n dr e a d i ly a c c e d e d to h is r e q u e s t - - m a d e w i t h h is f a t h e r s p e r m i s s i o n - - t oa c c o m p a n y h i m to S o n a r g a o n , a r r i v i n g t h e r e in t h e y e a r 1 3 04 .

H e w a s a d i l i g e n t a n d c a p a b l e s t u d e n t a n d t h r e w h i m s e l f w h o l e -h e a r t e d l y i n t o h is s t u d i e s . Y e a r s o f s u c h u n r e l i e v e d i n t e l l e c t u a l a c t i v i tye v e n t u a l l y p u t a s e v e r e s t r a i n o n h i s h e a l t h a n d w e a r e t o l d t h a t h e f el li l l . T h e p h y s i c i a n s o f t h e lo c a l i ty r e c o m m e n d e d i n t e r c o u r s e , s o h e t o o k as l a v e -g i rl b y w h o m h e h a d a s o n , Z a k i u d d i n . T h i s p r o b a b l y o c c u r r e dw h e n h e w a s c lo s e t o t h i r t y y e a r s o f a g e . T h e a r r a n g e m e n t w a s q u i t e ina c c o r d a n c e w i th I s l a m i c L a w a n d Z a k i u d d i n h a d t he f u l l r ig h t s o f al e g i t i m a t e so n . W h e n A h m a d l e f t S o n a r g a o n in 1 32 3 h e t oo k hi s y o u n gs o n w i t h h i m t o M a n e r . S h a r a f u d d i n 5 h i m s e l f s ay s a b s o l u t e ly n o t h i n ga b o u t t h e b o y s m o t h e r , a n d n o a n c i e n t m a n u s c r i p t m e n t i o n s h e r n a m e .S h a r a f u d d i n c o u l d h a v e e x e r c i se d hi s r i g h t to m a r r y i f a n d w h e n h ew i s h e d , b u t h e c h o s e n o t t o d o s o a n d l i v e d a c e l i b a t e l if e f r o m t h e t i m eh e le ft S o n a r g a o n u n t i l h i s d e a t h o n 2 n d J a n u a r y , 1 38 1.

T h e h i g h ly e d u c a t e d t h i r t y - t h re e y e a r o l d S h a r a f u d d i n c o u l d n o t s e t t l ed o w n i n M a n e r , y e t it w a s n o t a th i r s t f o r k n o w l e d g e t h a t i m p e l l e d h i mt o g o to D e l h i , a s h e f e l t a c o n f i d e n t s a t i s f a c t i o n i n h i s i n t e l l e c t u a la t t a i n m e n t s . W h a t w a s s t i r r i n g w i t h i n h i m w a s a d e s i r e to g iv e h i m s e l fc o m p l e t e l y t o G o d , t o se e k h i m a l o n e , a n d h e f el t t h e n e e d f o r g u i d a n c e .S h e i k h N i z a m u d d i n A u l i y a w a s t he m o s t r e n o w n e d S u fi S h e i k h a t t h a tt i m e s o S h a r a f u d d i n s e t o u t t o m e e t h i m , i n t h e s p r i n g o f 1 32 4, h a v i n ge n t r u s t e d h is s o n w h o l l y i n to t h e c a r e o f h i s o w n m o t h e r , B i b i R a z i a .T h e m e e t i n g p r o v e d to b e d i s a p p o i n t i n g . N i z a m u d d i n r e c o g n i z e d h isw o r t h b u t h e w a s a n o l d m a n w i t h d e a t h j u s t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r (d . A p r i l1 32 5) , a n d S h a r a f u d d i n f el t n o a t t r a c t i o n t o b e c o m e h i s d i s c ip l e . H e t h e ns e t o f f t o m e e t a n o t h e r f a m o u s S u f i o f P a n i p a t , B u Q a l a n d a r , a ls o n e a rd e a t h ( d . S e p t e m b e r 1 32 4 ). H e w a s i m p r e s s e d b y hi s h i g h s p i r i t u a la t t a i n m e n t s b u t n o t i c e d t h a t h e w a s n o t c a p a b l e o f o f f e ri n g g u i d a n c e .D i s a p p o i n t e d , h e r e t u r n e d to D e l h i a n d w a s o n t h e p o in t o f l e a v i n g w h e nh is b r o t h e r p e r s u a d e d h i m t o m e e t a l e ss e r k n o w n S u fi , S h e i k h N a j i b u d d i nF i r d a u s i (d . 1 3 3 2 ) , w h o l i v e d q u i t e c lo s e t o t h e Q u t b M i n a r . I t w a s t h ism e e t i n g w h i c h c h a n g e d h i s l i f e a n d e n a b l e d h i m to b e c o m e a g r e a ts p i r i tu a l g u i d e h i m s e l f , f o r h e w a s i n s t a n t l y a t tr a c t e d t o N a j i b u d d i n a n de n t r u s t e d h i m s e l f to h i s c a r e a n d g u i d a n c e . H e r e m a i n e d w i t h h i m u n t i lh is d e a t h e i g h t y e a r s la t e r , h a v i n g e x p e r i e n c e d f o r h i m s e l f w h a t i t m e a n tt o b e l o v i n g l y g u i d e d .

W i t h t he d e a t h o f h is g u i d e h e n o l o n g e r w i s h e d to r e m a i n in D e l h ia n d s e t o u t to r e t u r n t o M a n e r b u t , o n t h e w a y , h e t u r n e d a s i d e i n to th ej u n g l e o f B i h i a i n o r d e r t o b e a l o n e w i t h t h e A l o n e . A f t e r a y e a r o r s o h e


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1 48 T R A D I T I O N S O F S P I R I T U A L G U I D A N C Ee n d e d u p i n a c a v e i n R a j g i r , a h i l ly l o c a l i ty s o u t h o f P a t n a , n o t e d f o ri ts r e l i g io u s a ss o c i a t i o n w i t h th e B u d d h a , M a h a v i r , a n d c o u n t l e ss H i n d u ,B u d d h i s t a n d J a i n a s ce t i cs . H i s c a v e w a s n e a r a s m a l l s p r i n g a n d t h es p o t i s s ti l l a p l a c e o f p i l g r i m a g e to d a y . I t i s k n o w n a s M a k h d u m K u n d ,f o r S h a r a f u d d i n b e c a m e k n o w n as M a k h d u m - i J a h a n ( T h e t e a ch e r o ft h e w o r l d ) . T o d a y h e is r e f e r r e d to b y t h e lo c a l p e o p l e a s M a k h d u mS a h i b . H e m a n a g e d o n l y a m o d i c u m o f p r i v a c y in h is c a v e b e c a u s es o m e o f N i z a m u d d i n A u l i y a s d i s c ip l e s c a m e t o h i m f o r g u i d a n c e , w h i let h e o r d i n a r y p e o p l e c a m e t o g e t h i m t o i n te r c e d e w i t h th e l oc a l M u s l i ma d m i n i s t r a t o r b y h a v i n g h i m w r i t e p e t i t i o n s o n t h e i r b e h a lf . B e c a u s eN i z a m u d d i n s d i sc i p le s w e r e c o m i n g a ll t h e w a y f r o m B i h a r t o w n ,e i g h t e e n k i l o m e t r e s a w a y , t o c o n s u l t h i m , h e d e c i d e d i t w o u l d b e e a s i e rf o r t h e m i f h e w e r e t o g o t o B i h a r e a c h F r i d a y f o r t h e c o n g r e g a t i o n a lp r a y e r a n d p e o p l e c o u l d co n s u l t h i m t h e re . G r a d u a l l y h is s o j o u rn t h e r ew a s e x t e n d e d t o S a t u r d a y , S u n d a y a n d e v e n l o n g e r a s t h e c r o w d s g r ew .F i n a l l y h e w a s s i m p l y fo r c e d to r e m a i n t h e re p e r m a n e n t l y . T h i s t o o kp l a c e b y 1 3 3 6 . H e s p e n t t h e r e s t o f h i s l if e t h e r e u n t i l h i s d e a t h i n 1 3 8 1.H e w a s b u r i e d n e x t t o h i s m o t h e r i n a s p o t n o t f a r f r o m h i s r e s i d e n c e .P e o p l e s ti ll c o m e d a i l y to h i s t o m b t o s e ek h is i n t e r c e s s i o n a n d , o n h i sf e a s t - d a y - - t h e d a y h e d i e d , k n o w n a s urs ( m a r r i a g e ) b e c a u s e o n t h a t d a yh e e x p e r ie n c e d t h e h e a v e n l y n u p t i a l s - - h u g e c r o w d s o f p e o p le c o m e . T h ew o r d Shar i f h a s b e e n a d d e d t o th e n a m e B i h a r t o in d i c a te t h a t t h e to w nh a s b e e n h o n o u r e d b y h i s p r e s en c e .

Sharafuddin the guideT h e f ir st t h i n g w e n o t i c e a b o u t S h a r a f u d d i n a s a s p i r i t u a l g u i d e i s t h e

f ac t t h a t h e n e v e r s o u g h t t o g u i d e a n y b o d y . H e w a s e a r n e s t l y se e k i n gi n t i m a t e u n i o n w i t h G o d i n h is c a v e in R a j g i r w h e n p e o p l e c a m e to h i mf o r g u i d a n c e . S h e i k h B u k h a r i , h i s fi rs t p e r m a n e n t d i s c ip l e , w e n t to h i mf ir st w h e n h e w a s i n R a j g i r . H i s p r a c t i c e o f g o i n g t o B i h a r e a c h F r i d a yw a s n o t i n o r d e r t o g e t m o r e d i s c i p l e s - - t h a t w a s a n u n f o r e s e en b u t n o tu n e x p e c t e d d e v e l o p m e n t - - b u t s i m p l y to m a k e t h in g s e a s i e r fo r t h os e w h ow e r e a l r e a d y c o m i n g t o c o n s u l t h i m . I t w a s o n e o f c o u n t l e s s e x p r e s s i o n so f h i s e x q u i s i t e s e n s e o f c o u r t e s y .

S h a r a f u d d i n h i m s e l f t o o k n o i n i t i a t i v e t o c o n s t r u c t a n y b u i l d i n g s w h i c hw o u l d f o r m a l i z e a n d i n s t i t u t i o n a l i z e h i s s t a n d i n g a s a S h e i k h , a s p i r i t u a lg u i d e . H i s f ir st h u m b l e d w e l l in g w a s p r e p a r e d f o r h i m b y t h e c h i e fC h i s h t i d is c ip l e w h o h a d b e e n v i s i t i n g h i m i n R a j g i r . W h e n t h e r e ig n i n gS u l ta n , M u h a m m a d b i n T u g h l u q ( 1 3 2 5 - 5 1 ) h e a r d th a t h e h a d e m e r g e df r o m s o l i tu d e h e s e n t h i m a B u i g h a r i a n c a r p e t a n d o r d e r e d t h e g o v e r n o ro f B i h a r t o c o n s t r u c t a l a r g e kh ~n~h ( h o s p i c e ) fo r h i m a n d h i s d i s c ip l e st o l iv e in , a n d d i r e c t e d t h a t c e r t a i n r e v e n u e s s h o u l d b e u t i l i z e d f o r i tsu p k e e p . A l l o f t h is e m b a r r a s s e d S h a r a f u d d i n . H e w a s l o a t h t o a c c e p te i t h e r t h e c a r p e t o r th e h o s p i ce , b u t h a d t o a c q u ie s c e w h e n t h e g o v e r n o r


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TRADITIO NS OF SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE 149reminded what would probably happen to him if the Sultan's order wasnot executed One cannot help but contrast his behav iour with that ofsome others who are eager to set themselves up as guides and to collectfunds for an imposing establishment.L i te r a r y p r o d u c t io n s

Sharafuddin left a num ber of Persian works behind him, in addkionto several records m a l f ~ z ) made of his discourses. Was there a subtledesire for fame at work here? One has only to examine the genesis ofeach of his literary productions in order to scotch such an interpretation.His first book is actually a collection of letters written to Q azi Shamsuddinwho, on account of his administrative duties, was unable to come forpersonal guidance. Sharauddin began to correspond with him. His sec-retary, Zain Badr Arabi, realized the value of the letters and askedpermission to make a collection of them. Sharafuddin continued writingbut made sure that he covered all the topics needed for anyone whowished to follow the Sufi path. Thus was produced the collection knownas T h e h u n d r e d l e tt e rs . 6 Similarly his other writings originated in the needsof others, not his own.

Personal gu idanceThree of Sharafuddin's hundred letters--numbers 5, 6 and 7--dealspecifically with the topic of guidance, but the whole collection constitutesa manual for guidance. For Sharafuddin, the desire for personalizedguidance, over and above what is available for all, is a grace from God.It is a genuine call from God himself. A person cannot decide to travelthe Sufi way in a sincere, whole-hearted fashion, unless he or she iscalled by God, for 'the seed is such that it requires nothing except thedivine grace in o rder to fall into the soil of one's hear t' (p 25). 7 He alsospeaks of those who 'place their feet on the path of seeking due to theirresistible att raction of the divine favour' (p 32). Withou t this innerattraction, no guide can 'make an unruly novice into an earnest seeker'(p 36).

Granted the presence of such an attraction, a novice, 'after undergoinggenuine repentance, should seek a spiritual guide. He should be perfect,well-versed in the vicissitudes of the way, and firmly established in hishigh state. In short, he should be a man who has experienced both thehorror of God 's majesty and the delight of his beauty ' (p 25).For the Sufis, the central image of the spiritual life is that of a path orway (r~.h) leading to God. Playing upon this image, Sharafuddin under-scores the need for guidance:

Remember, too, that an ordinary road is infested with thieves androbbers, so that one cannot travel along it without an escort. As


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150 TRADITIONS OF SPIRITUAL GUIDANCEfor the mystic way, the world, o ne s ego, devils, men and jinn allinfest this way, thus making it impossible to travel along it withoutan experienced, holy man as one s escort. Remember , further,that there are many slippery places where it is easy to fall. Andone can be plagued with misfortune and dangers from behind.Many philosophers and worldly-minded people, as well as otherslacking faith, piety or any semblance of morality, have becomefollowers of their own base desires. They have gone without aperfect sheikh or leader who has reached his goal on this way,and have instead trusted in their own intellectual powers. Theyentered the wilderness where they fell and perished, losing eventheir faith (p 26).

Anyone who enters upon the Sufi way should not be surprised ifdifficukies occur: quite the contrary[

In the course of his pilgrimage he should expect to be assailed byspiritual crises. Also, various types of mystical experiences mightoccur: some might be satanic; others might be produced by hisown ego; still others could come from the merciful one himself.This is entirely new to the novice and he cannot discern the sourceof these spiritual experiences. He needs the assistance of one wellversed in discerning these various spirits (p 27).

As the pilgrim passes through various spiritual stages maim) he mightreach one when his soul is stripped bare o f its outer garment and a rayof the divine light will illumine it . At this stage anyth ing is possib le--even the power to perform miracles and to achieve such a sense of unionwith God as to become proud of this fact. Unless he is guided by asheikh at such a time there would be great fear that he might lose hisfaith and fall into the wilderness of imagining himself as God incarnateor as one identical with God (p 27).

Sharafuddin is very much aware of the heady wine of both spiritualbliss and spiritual acclaim. It is not that he refers to them only once ortwice and then gives a couple of illustrative anecdotes. Rather , his Lettersand recorded discourses make it abundantly clear that he had drunkdeeply of these twin cups but had not been inebriated by them. Thistreatment of both topics occurs in. many different situations and displaysboth a surety of touch and an uncompromising attitude towards anythingless than God. Hav ing passed through these temptations himself he isable to guide others with a quiet certainty bor n of personal conviction.

The common period o f train ing for a novice is three years, eachdevoted to a particular aim: On e y ear s service on behalf of other people;one year devoted to God; and another year spent in watching over one s


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T R A D I T I O N S O F S P I R I T U A L G U I D A N C E 1 5 /o w n h e a r t ' ( p 2 9 ). O n e f e a t u r e o f t h i s p e r i o d m i g h t w e l l b e a f o r t y - d a yr e t r e a t chil la) f or , s p e a k i n g o f r e p e n t a n c e a s ' a r a d i c a l sh i f t i n o n e ' s b a s i cn a t u r e ' , S h a r a f u d d i n s a y s t h a t ' w h o e v e r c o m m a n d s a n o v i c e t o u n d e r g oa f o r t y - d a y r e t r e a t c o m m a n d s i t f o r t h e s a k e o f h i s c h a r g e , i n o r d e rt h a t h i s v e r y n a t u r e m i g h t b e t r a n s f o r m e d ' ( p 2 3) . W h a t w a s m e r e l y' c o n v e n t i o n a l f a i t h ' b e c o m e s ' r e a l f a i th ' . L e t t e r 9 6 i s d e v o t e d t o th e t o p i co f s u c h a r e t r e a t . I n i t h e i n s i s ts o n t h e n e e d f o r th e ' p r o t e c t i o n o f a ne x p e r i e n c e d s p i r i tu a l g u i d e ' ; ' a p r o p e r l y c o n s t i tu t e d f o u n d a t i o n ' ; ' f id e l i tyt o t h e r e q u i s i t e c o n d i t i o n s o f s i n c e r i t y d u r i n g t h e r e t r e a t i t s e l f ' ; a n dh a v i n g a r i g h t i n t e n t i o n , t h a t i s, ' i n o r d e r t h a t t h e i r fa i t h m i g h t r e s tm o r e s e c u r e ; t h a t t h e y m i g h t b e e n a b l e d t h e r e i n t o d i s c e r n th e v a r i o u ss t a te s o f t h e i r s o u l s ; a n d , f i n a ll y , in o r d e r t h a t t h e y m i g h t b e a b l e top e r f o r m a l l t h e i r a c t io n s s i n c e r e l y f o r t h e s a k e o f G o d A l m i g h t y ' . N e a rt h e t o m b o f S h a r a f u d d i n ' s g u i d e , N a j i b u d d i n , is a v e r y a n c i e n t o n e - r o o ms t r u c t u r e w h i c h i s o b v i o u s l y a p r a y e r - c e l l . A m o d e r n s c r a w l e d n o t i c e h a dchi l lag~h ( t h a t i s a p l a c e to p e r f o r m t h e f o r t y - d a y r e t r e a t , a s w e l l a s o t h e rp e r s o n a l d e v o t i o n s ) . I t se e m s t h a t S h a r a f u d d i n m a d e h i s r e t r e a t t h e re ,u n d e r t h e g u i d a n c e o f N a j i b u d d i n , a n d l e a r n e d f r o m p e r s o n a l e x p e r i e n c ea b o u t t h e f r u i ts o f s u c h a r e t r e a t .

A s i m p l e q u e s t io n f a c i n g th e w o u l d - b e n o v i c e w a s : ' W h e r e w i ll a n o v i c ef in d a s h e ik h ? . . . B y w h a t m e a n s c a n h e r e c o g n i z e h i m a s b e i n g them a n ? ' ( p 3 1 ). H i s a n s w e r i s s i m p l e , e v e n s i m p l i s t i c , y e t i t t o o is t h e f r u i to f p e r s o n a l e x p e r ie n c e : ' E a c h o n e o f t h os e w h o s e ek G o d h a s b e e n a l lo t te da ll t h a t i s n e c e s s a r y f o r h i m ' ( p 3 2 ). G o d w i l l p r o v i d e . T h i s is a n a n s w e rb o r n o f f a i t h , n o t o f h u m a n r e a s o n i n g , a n d t h e r e a r e c o u n t le s s s e e ke r sw h o w o u l d e n d o r s e i t .

W h i l e d u e p l a c e is g i v e n to g u i d a n c e b y m e a n s o f p e r s o n a l i n s t r u c t io n s ,m u c h m o r e e m p h a s i s i s p l a c e d o n t h e f r u it s o f a n i n t i m a t e a s s o c i a t io nw i t h o n e ' s g u i d e , w h o i s o n e ' s pi r - i suhba t ( g u i d e b y a s s o c i a ti o n ) . T h i sm a k e s s e n se , fo r n o w a d a y s w e a r e m u c h m o r e a w a r e o f t h e w a y o u rb a s i c a t t i t u d e s w e r e c o m m u n i c a t e d t o u s . A s th e a d a g e p u t s it , ' v a l u e sa r e c a u g h t , n o t t a u g h t ' . T h i s i s w h y o p e n n e s s o f h e a r t i s s o n e e d e d a n dS h a r a f u d d i n c a n w r i te : ' W h e n a r i g h t e o u s n o v i c e p e r c e i v e s , in h is o w nh e a r t , t h e b e a u t y o f a s h e i k h , h e b e c o m e s e n a m o u r e d o f t he b e a u t y o fh i s s a i n tl in e s s , d r a w s p e a c e a n d c o n t e n t m e n t f r o m h i m , a n d b e g i n s h iss e a r c h ' ( p 3 2 ) . W e s e e i n t h i s te a c h i n g a n e c h o o f h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t hh i s o w n g u i d e , N a j i b u d d i n . H e k n e w w h a t i t w a s t o l o v e h i s o w n g u i d ea n d b e c o m e c o m p l e t e l y o p e n t o h i s i n fl u e n c eW h i l e S h a r a f u d d i n k n o w s t h e v a l u e o f g u i d a n c e t h r o u g h b o o k s a n dl e t t e rs w h e n a p e r s o n is n o t a b l e to c o m e f o r f a c e - t o -f a c e g u i d a n c e - - a sh i s Letters t o Q a z i S h a m s u d d i n a m p l y i l l u s t r a t e - - n e v e r t h e l e s s h e w o u l dn o t a p p r o v e o f a n o v i c e w h o t u r n e d t o b o o k s a s a s u b s t i t u te f o r a g u i d ew h e n o n e w a s a v a i l a b le . H e h a s s t r o n g w o r d s O n t h e t o p ic : ' I f a n o v ic ew a n t s t o le a r n a l l a b o u t t h e s e s ta t es f r o m b o o k s , h e b e c o m e s e x a c t l y l ik e


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5 2 TRADITIONS O F SPIRITUAL G U I D A N C Esomeone who associates with th e de ad -- an d he too becomes dead atheart ' (p 36) This is because the greatest ene my to be overcome is thatof hu ma n pride, and hu mb le submi ssio n to anothe r is the most effectivetool for the task. 'T he novi ce should follow the wishes of the sheikh, nothis own In this respect it has been said: "Dis ciple ship is the aba nd on me ntof all one's own desires"' (p 32).

Sharafuddin has five letters (81-85) devoted explicitly to the strugglewith one's carnal or animal soul, also known as the lower soul. It isone's n a f s the source of all unr uly behaviou r, from the grossly in hu ma nto the most subtle expressions of hu ma n pride. Naturally, durin g theunre len ting struggle against one's u nru ly soul one needs ' the grace andfavour of Almighty God, and the shade of the riches of a compassionatespiritual mas ter' (p 333). He teaches clearly that t empt atio n 'has to takeits origin from a man's inner desire'. It is only when such sinful desireshave 'begun to appear that Satan pounces on them, drawing them outinto the full l ight of a perso n's heart ' . Thu s 'Sa tan depends on the reali tyof the lower soul and the inor din ate desire of the ser vant ' (p 336). Thisis a very fine distinction for a Muslim spiritual guide of medieval BiharC o n c l u s i o n

Sharafuddin himself was an inspiration to countless disciples whilehis words, though primarily devoted to guidance, have also served tocommunicate both inspiration and encouragement to countless readersdown the centuries. Th e Musl ims of Bihar are unde rsta ndab ly gratefulto God for having sent such an outstanding spiritual guide into theirmidst.

P a u l J a c k s o n S . J .

NOTES1 The word a~n means religion or 'the faith' as in the rifle 'Defender of the Faith' foundon British coins. It, as well as all other words quoted, is in the singular number.2 Hughes, T.: Dict ionary o f Is lam p 285.3 The classic work is Developm ent o f Mu slim theology jurisprudence and constitutional theory byD. Macdonald, pp 65-117.For a detailed exposition see The way ofa Suf i: Sharafuddin M aneri by Paul Jackson (I.A.D.,Delhi, 1986).The word 'Sharafuddin' is actually a title meaning 'The honour of the Faith'. It graduallyreplaced his given name, Ahmad. By the time he had become a renowned Sufi nobodywould have dreamt of addressing him as 'Ahmad'.6 Sharafuddin M aneri: The hundred letters trans, by Paul Jackson (Paulist Press, N.Y., andS.P.C.K., London, 1980) in the series, 'The Classics of Western Spirituality'.7 The page numbers refer to the work just quoted.

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