Challenges of Contemporary Periods and Teachings of Hadrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A)
Syed Haroon Ali Gilani | October 06, 2016
I feel honored that I have been given this blissful opportunity to talk about the above mentioned topic with reference to teaching of Hadrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A) in this conference. In this regard I really owe to His Excellency Sahibzada Sultan Ahmad Ali and congratulate him for arranging such a marvelous and successful conference.
Allah Subhanahu Wata’Allah says in verse number 138 of Surah Baqarah of the undoubted Holy book of Quran:-
صِبْغَةَ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ صِبْغَةً ۖ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ
Translation: -We have taken the coloring of Allah; and whose shade is better than Allah's? Him alone we worship!
‘Sibghatullah’, color of Allah, Al-sabghu is derived from the word ‘Sabaghtu’ implying, giving color to oneself or other thing in liquid color. Allah Almighty, who is open and hidden, invites us to recognize Him trough observation and study of the universe which is the manifestation of His splendid individuality and distinctiveness. Eloquently speaking, Allah, who is the creator of galaxies and rainbows from rays and drops of water, creating things from nothing, says if you want to paint yourself with divine color then get rid of decorated covers of naïve and selfish wishes relating to His creatures; you should instead color your spirit with the apparent characteristics of Preexistent and Everlasting Almighty Allah which were bestowed upon Hazrat Adam (A.S) in such a manner that angels bowed before him.
When this divine color enters into the soul of Hazrat Noah (A.S), he becomes the means of survival for humanity. When Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) gets this color, he jumps into the hell fire of Nimrod which becomes cold for him. When Hazrat Moses (A.S) is painted with this spiritual color, then the heightened palace of Pharaoh is drowned into darkened bottom of see. When Ibn-e-Maryam (A.S) is blessed with this color, his love of God enters the souls of dead people and gives them a new life. And above all, when Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is bestowed upon with this divine secret, then every particle of universe is enlightened with Noor-e-Mustafa (PBUH) and he becomes peace and blessing for all human beings and creatures.
When His features go beyond the apparent features of His creatures, it is called alleluia (حمد); if such color is returned to His creatures, then it is transformed into the blessed soul of Hadrat Muhammad (PBUH) and if it turns in feeling, it becomes love.
The sacred existence of Muhammad (PBUH) cannot take one form to another, but in every period, every nation in every color in every street and village has been giving this universal message:-
چڑھ چناں تے کر رشنائی، ذکر کریندے تارے ھو
گلیاں دے وچ پھرن نمانے لعلاں دے ونجارے ھو
O moon, rise and illuminate with your radiant, engaged in your remembrance are stars Hoo
The traders of rubies are modestly roaming the alleys thus far Hoo
Similarly, Hadrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A), the sultan of divine lovers and true symbol of eternal love, finding the precious jewels of deep love, loyalty, extinguishment and eternity from spiritual heart raise his voice:-
وحدت دا دریا الہی، جتھے عاشق لیندے تاری ھو
مارن ٹبیاں، کڈھن موتی آپو آپی واری ھو
Oneness river of Allah where ardent lovers take a swim Hoo
They dive in and bring out pearls in accordance with their turn Hoo
And when divine lovers plunge into divine color and get spiritual discretion, then their feeling elevates to continuativeness and eternity in love. If one looks at one side of picture, then sacred love of Allah becomes Faqeer and the other angle shows that Faqeer is the manifestation of love. Alternatively speaking, if love is found on skies it isAllah and when found on earth it becomes Faqeer.
One who recognizes oneself recognizes Allah. Allah says to us, “get deep insight and plunge into your souls to find the ultimate truth (Marifat of Allah) and when you will recognize your true self, then I will become your hands, eyes, tongue and ears”. Then one’s actions are not self-controlled rather controlled by Allah and all the organs are manifestations and instruments of divine order.
چوداں طبق دلے دے اندر جتھے عشق تمبو ونج تانٹے ھو
جو دل دا محرم ہووے باھو سوئی رب پہچانٹے ھو
Stretched like tent fourteen realms are within the hearts slots Hoo
The one who is acquainted with heart ‘Bahoo’ such will attain Sustainer’s recognition Hoo
A true divine lover cares for His creatures in deep love with Allah Almighty. And Hadrat Ali (R.A), the lion of God and problem-solver who is holding the arm of Sultan of Mysticism (Sultan ul Faqr) said, ‘O friend of Allah (PBUH) (Habeeb-e-Khuda), if I am blessed with the sacred chrisom (Faqr ki Chadar), then I would hide the mistakes and sins of people’.
The Faqeer protects and hides the faults of creature just like he hides his mystical excellence (Kamal-e-Faqr). And there where faults and mistakes are not found, that appears as a perfect beauty. How much Allah loves his creatures that He does not want His creatures to look apparently bad.
These are also the teachings of Hadrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A) and His Excellency the Vicegerent of (Janasheen) Sultan-ul-Faqar that fight against evil not against people. If somebody is doing some evil, embrace one in such a manner that his soul is washed off with sins like a river washes away the dirt of clothes.
ایہہ نکتہ جداں کیتا پختہ تاں ظاہر آکھ سُنایا ھو
میں تاں بھلی ویندی ساں باھو مینو مرشد راہ وکھایا ھو
When this point understood then openly I have said Hoo
I was bewildered on the way ‘Bahoo’ upon the path my spiritual master lead Hoo
The soul of Faqer is the manifestation of Divine characteristics and his outer self is the symbol of love. At the peaceful level of self-control and eternity, such a powerful society of love is created in the inner self of Faqeer that love rays from mystical entity are poured onto love-seeking parterres resulting in burgeons of Divine recognition and sacred love of Allah.
And when such holists are continuously watered with heart-purifying water, the spiritual parterres blossoms into flowers of true recognition of Allah and whole society is filled with such flowers spreading the perfume of individual self-actualization garden of mystic everywhere.
In this love garden, you can find trees protecting from sunshine of worldly worries, the blossomed branches with the wonderful fruits of divine recognition welcome the love breeze, dancing burgeons and flowers to welcome the morning breeze. All these things are the real pictures of mystical everlasting love garden of ‘Faqeer’. This marvelous landscaping view of heavenly garden is the manifestations of the mystical painter.
If such garden, in which birds and human beings are equitably given decent livelihood, is not cultivated and managed by mystic then in his absence such garden becomes jungle full of thrones and bushes. Thus, this beautiful garden of singing birds is converted into the forest of dangerous blood-sucking beasts. Where the rule of ‘might is right’ is followed rather than rule of love and recognition.
In this jungle, everybody is exploiting others. If one has got power in terms of nationality, caste, generation, language, religion, worldly and religiously knowledge; and wherever and at what position that person has got power behave like an animal and eat up others for his naïve wishes.
Nowadays, you can find such mystical person (Faqeer) who can purify your heart and soul, but a few persons can be found who demand to enter such a garden of everlasting peace and ecstasy.
You can hear the echoing voice of Sultan ul Arifeen ‘Hoo’ conveying the message of love and humanity, but there are a few acquiescent hearts to convert this voice into obedience and action.
Conflicting theories of chaos and civilization are being promoted rather religion of peace and humanity; it has resulted in religious and sectarian groups and even separate spiritual groups are being converted in sects.
The holy shrines and spiritual academies that were once used to give lessons of morality and good behavior, removing all the biases of color, generation, caste and sectarianism and thus brightening their hearts with the candles of Oneness now teach materialism rather than spiritualism.
About them Allah Almighty says in Holy Quran:-
إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّـهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ
Only those of His creatures fear Allah who have knowledge
Religious scholars should be God-fearing and pious but they have become the slaves of their own wishes and position rather than seeking sacred love of Allah and His true recognition. This has caused the killing of people in the name of protecting the honor of Companions of Holy Prophet (RA) and some are killed in the name of love of sacred family members of Hadrat Muhammad (PBUH). The Christian colonies and villages were never burnt in the period of Islamic Caliphate (Khilafat-e-Rashida), and even not in Crusade Wars in response to brutal killings of innocent Muslims. But it is quite tragic and alarming that such incidents are occurring in Pakistan which is the homeland of Mystics, Faqers and friends of Allah.
Islam is not in our sectarian literature but true Islamic values and practices are found in Holy Quran and Sunnah. Allah has named us as Muslims and believers (Momin) but we have raised the walls of so called religious differences. We feel pride in calling ourselves Shiah, Sunni, Breilwi etc. and make most of our struggle in declaring others as non-believers. However, the mystical message goes beyond all these hatred boundaries and breaks all the walls of sectarianism and religious divisions and conveys peace and eternity. Hadrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A) conveys the same message in the following distiches
ناں میں سُنّی ناں میں شیعامیرادوہاں توں دل سڑیاھو
مک گئےسبھ خشکی پینڈےجدوں دریارحمت وچوڑیاھو
کئی من تارےترترہارےکوئی کنارےچڑھیاھو
صحیح سلامت چڑھ پارگئےباھو(رح) جنہاں مرشددالڑپھڑیاھو
I am neither Sunni nor Shia, my heart is disgusted from both Hoo
All land distance ended when entered the river of Oneness Hoo
Many got exhausted by swimming and yet only few reached shore Hoo
Those who held on to their master ‘Bahoo’ they safely went across Hoo
The solution of contemporary issues, national problems and revival of Muslim Ummah cannot be done through sectarian thoughts but through the love of Allah because the Sultan of Mystics (Sultan ulArifeen) says that
جےکردین علم وچ ہونداتاں سرنیزےکیوں چڑھدےھو
اٹھارہ ہزارجوعالم آہااوہ اگےحسین(رض) دےمردےھو
جےکجھ ملاحظہ سرورداکردےتاں خیمےتمبوکیوں سڑدےھو
جی کرمندےبیعت رسولی تاں پانی کیوں بندےکردےھو
پرصادق دین تنہاں دےباھو(رح) جوسرقربانی کردےھو
If religion was within knowledge, then why heads on lances would be impaled Hoo
Eighteen thousands universes there, in presence of Hussain in death they would have excelled Hoo
If they heeded thought of our Prophet then why fire on tents would have dwelled Hoo
If they had acknowledge the oath of Prophet why would they stop water supply Hoo
Just is thy faith ‘Bahoo’ who sacrifice their head to defy Hoo
Great personalities are born after thousand years. I am quite hopeful that the vision of his Excellency, Vicegerent (Janasheen) to Sultan-ul-Faqr, the wisdom and efforts of Sahibzada Sultan Ahmad Ali and untiring efforts and passion of his team members would be able to purify the hearts of people with the teachings of Hadrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A) so that collective society of love can prosper and nourish according to mystical thoughts if given a divine color as per the holy verse of Surah Baqarah.
صِبْغَةَ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّـهِ صِبْغَةً ۖ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ
We have taken the colouring of Allah; and whose shade is better than Allah's? Him alone we worship.
This article was originally presented in International Hadrat Sultan Bahoo Conference arranged by MUSLIM Institute