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Sultan Bahoo Reveals
the Reality of Worldly Love
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Sultan Bahoo writes about worldly love in his book Ganj-ul-Asrar:
Worldly love is like a killing poison. Just as the poison kills the man, similarly worldly love destroys faith. (Ganj-ul-Asrar)
The question arises what is worldly love? And how does this poison (world) build its room in man’s inward? While the reality of man is his soul and the reality of soul is hidden in the realm of Divinity (alam al-LaHoot). Then how could this mortal world make room in man’s inward?
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman says about this world:
Generally, the abundance of wealth and riches is considered worldly love, but the Saints define the worldly love as:
Everything that distracts or diverts the attention away from the remembrance of Allah towards itself is worldly love. As the Holy Prophet sall’Allahu alayhi wa’alihi wasallam said:
مَا شَغَلَکَ عَنِ اللّٰہِ فَھُوَ صَنَمُکَ
Meaning: Anything that diverts you away from Allah by attracting you towards itself is your idol. (Sham-ul-Fuqara)
That is to say, every such thing, thought and action is worldly love whose aim is not Allah’s pleasure. Thus, the meaning of worldly love may differ among humans. Ultimately the acquisition and love of anything that distracts the seeker away from Allah is his world. This worldly love could be in the form of constant desires or acquiring relations or following the desires of inciting innerself.
Purpose of human creation
The reality of human is that he gains Divine vision and closeness in the realm of Divinity by annihilating in ardent Divine love. But worldly love attacks his inward intensely in the form of desires of inciting innerself. Resultantly the soul darkens and becomes unfaithful due to complete deviation away from Allah.
The perfect spiritual guide of the era Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen clarifies it excellently in his famous book Shams-ul-Fuqara:
There are two doors to the inward. One at the top and the other at the bottom. The door at the top is connected to physical body and the bottom one is connected to the soul. A Satanic whisperer lives around these doors by building the web of a spider. It blows evil whispers in the inward in the same way as a dragon does. The appearance of this Satanic whisperer (world) is like that of a dragon and its tail consists of poisonous thorns with which it poisons the inwards and creates darkness in the soul. (Sham-ul-Fuqara)
Worldly love causes death to the soul
Sultan Bahoo says:
The seeker of Allah is the one who never separates from Allah even for a moment and gets rid of covet and worldly love forever because indulging in useless affairs darkens the inward. Moreover, such a dark inward is neither benefited by sermons and advices nor by reciting the verses of Quran, Hadiths, or sayings of the Saints because it has died due to the love and greed of world which compel a person to adopt undesirable deeds. (Mohkim-ul-Fuqara)
Worldly love attacks the innerself and surges its desires. Then one becomes immersed in fulfilling those desires. Due to this, initially the desire to gain Divine vision and closeness lessens. Eventually this poison spreads so deeply in his being that his desire of gaining Divine vision and closeness in the realm of Divinity dies completely.
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Worldly love creates greed and lust
Sultan Bahoo says:
ادھی لعنت دُنیا تائیں، تے ساری دنیاداراں ھُو
جیں راہ صاحب دے خرچ نہ کیتی، لین غضب دیاں ماراں ھُو
پیوواں کولوں پتر کوہاوے، بھٹھ دُنیا مکاراں ھُو
جنہاں ترک دُنیا کیتی بَاھوؒ، لیسن باغ بہاراں ھُو
Explanation: The world is partially cursed and the worldly people are cursed entirely who are involved in its love instead of the love of Allah. Those who do not sacrifice all their wealth, life, and worldly relations for the sake of Allah and to find His goodwill, they deserve punishment in this world and the hereafter. This worldly love gets the man involved in greed and avarice to such an extent that a father gets ready to kill his son for it. O cunning world! May you burn! The people who renounced this cursed world for the sake of Divine love, would be the successful ones and the great achievers in the hereafter.
Just as one drop of poison makes the whole pond poisonous, similarly even a little poison of worldly love causes death to the soul.
Abandoning the worldly love means to remove the love of world inwardly
Abandoning worldly love does not mean to abandon the rights of human beings and turn away from life’s needs by exiting to jungles, mountains, isolations, and deserts. Even the Holy Prophet did not do that and neither did he command to adopt this approach. In fact, it is a saying of Holy Prophet:
لَا رَھْبَانِیَۃُ فِی الْاِسْلاَمِ
Meaning: There is (no room) for monasticism in Islam.
Moreover, he said:
- The monasticism of my umma is to fight in the way of Allah (jihad).
That is to say, the way of acquiring Divine vision and closeness for the umma of Prophet Mohammad is not through monasticism but by fighting in the way of Allah.
Undoubtedly the Holy Prophet introduced greatest Islamic system by living in the world that is a source of guidance for each human till the doomsday. The teachings of Holy Prophet sall’Allahu alayhi wa’alihi wasallam are in fact Faqr.
How to live in this mortal and materialistic world?
Sultan-ul-Faqr VI Sultan Mohammad Asghar Ali says:
Do your business of the materialistic world but for the sake of Allah; eat the livelihood of the world but for the sake of Allah; and move in the world but again for Allah. I do not ask to be alienated from the whole world but you must remember Allah while doing all your actions. That is, your inward should be attentive towards Allah and your hands towards the worldly affairs. (Sham-ul-Fuqara)
Reality of worldly love in the Holy Quran
In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty has expressed the reality of worldly love in several places:
بَلۡ تُؤۡثِرُوۡنَ الۡحَیٰوۃَ الدُّنۡیَا ﴿ؕ۱۶﴾ وَ الۡاٰخِرَۃُ خَیۡرٌ وَّ اَبۡقٰی ﴿۫ۖ۱۷﴾
Meaning: Yet you go for the (pleasures of) the worldly life (instead of turning towards Allah, whereas (the comfort and pleasure of) the hereafter is preferable and everlasting. (Al-A’la 16-17)
وَ مَا ہٰذِہِ الۡحَیٰوۃُ الدُّنۡیَاۤ اِلَّا لَہۡوٌ وَّ لَعِبٌ ؕ وَ اِنَّ الدَّارَ الۡاٰخِرَۃَ لَہِیَ الۡحَیَوَانُ ۘ لَوۡ کَانُوۡا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿٪۶۴﴾
Meaning: And, (O people,) the life of this world is nothing but sport and pastime and the home of the hereafter is the only (true) life. Would that they knew (this secret)! (Al-Ankabut 64)
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تُلۡہِکُمۡ اَمۡوَالُکُمۡ وَ لَاۤ اَوۡلَادُکُمۡ عَنۡ ذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ ۚ وَ مَنۡ یَّفۡعَلۡ ذٰلِکَ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡخٰسِرُوۡنَ ﴿۹﴾
Meaning: O believers! Let not your wealth and your children make you neglectful of the very remembrance of Allah. And whoever does so, it is they who are losers. (Al-Munafiqun 9)
اَلۡہٰکُمُ التَّکَاثُرُ ۙ ﴿۱﴾
Meaning: Your greed for materialistic wealth and the superiority complex has made you negligent (of the hereafter). (Al-Takathur 1)
That is, you have forgotten the hereafter while being immersed in gathering this world.
فَاَمَّا مَنۡ طَغٰی ﴿۳۷﴾ وَ اٰثَرَ الۡحَیٰوۃَ الدُّنۡیَا ﴿ۙ۳۸﴾ فَاِنَّ الۡجَحِیۡمَ ہِیَ الۡمَاۡوٰی ﴿ۙ۳۹﴾
Meaning: Then he who transgressed the limits. And preferred the life of the world (to the hereafter), hell will truly be (his) adobe. (Al-Nazi’at 37-39)
Purpose of revelation of Holy Quran
It is evident from the verses of the Holy Quran that Allah created this world for the trial of humans and not so that they become ignorant of the hereafter by involving in the luxuries of the world. The objective of revelation of Quran is to warn humans of the sufferings and reality of this world. Thus, the man could understand its tricks and hence prepare for the hereafter.
Life of Prophet Mohammad is a perfect example of how to live in this materialistic world
The sacred life of Holy Prophet sall’Allahu alayhi wa’alihi wasallam is the reflection of Holy Quran. The teachings of Holy Quran are the commands of Allah and the life of Holy Prophet is a practical illustration of these commands. Furthermore, there exists not a single system in the world whose example can’t be found in the life of Holy Prophet. Then whether it is fulfilling the rights of Allah, rights of human beings, economic, social, or political system. The Holy Prophet implemented them practically by living in this materialistic world following the commands of Allah. He also has strictly forbidden worldly love.
Reality of worldly love in the Hadiths of Holy Prophet
Following are some of the sacred sayings of the Holy Prophet about worldly love:
- If this world had any significance near Allah just as equivalent to a mosquito, then He would not have given even a drop of water from this world to an infidel. (Tirmidhi)
- Once Umar ibn Khattab came to the court of Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet was laying on a mat which had left marks on his sacred body. Seeing this Umar moved to tears.
The Holy Prophet asked Umar: What made you cry?
Umar replied: O Messenger of Allah! Caesar and Khosrau are leading their lives in plenty whereas you are Allah’s messenger (and still living an austere life).
The Holy Prophet said: Aren’t you pleased that for them is the share of this world and for us is the share of hereafter? (Bukhari)
- Abdullah ibn Umar says:
The Holy Prophet held my shoulder and said: live in this world like a traveler. (Bukhari)
- This world is prison for a believer (Mumin) and paradise for an infidel. (Mukashifat-ul-Quloob)
- This world is cursed and everything in it is also cursed except what is for Allah. (Mukashifat-ul-Quloob)
- This world is a carrion and its seeker is a dog. (Ain-ul-Faqr)
- The pleasures of this world are pride of an infidel. (Ain-ul-Faqr)
It is clear from the aforementioned Hadiths that this worldly love is a poison. Tasting even a bit of this tyranny causes such death to inward of a seeker that he never yearns Allah’s remembrance.
Warnings to the lovers of materialistic world in the Holy Quran
Allah says in the Quran:
وَ مَنۡ اَعۡرَضَ عَنۡ ذِکۡرِیۡ فَاِنَّ لَہٗ مَعِیۡشَۃً ضَنۡکًا وَّ نَحۡشُرُہٗ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ اَعۡمٰی ﴿۱۲۴﴾
Meaning: And whoever turns away from My direction and guidance (i.e., remembrance and advice), his inwardly sustenance will be narrowed, and We shall raise him blind on the day of resurrection as well. (Taha 124)
وَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَا سَنَسۡتَدۡرِجُہُمۡ مِّنۡ حَیۡثُ لَا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۱۸۲﴾
Meaning: And those who deny Our revelations, We shall soon lead them gradually towards catastrophe in such an imperceptible manner that they will not even notice it. (Al-A’raf 182)
Ones who seek Allah’s vision and closeness never pay heed to this mortal and materialistic world. Moreover, they always remain involved in obeying Allah and His Prophet. This is the reason the Companions of Holy Prophet fully adopted Holy Prophet’s teachings of Faqr. Resultantly they enlightened their inwards in such a way that the luxuries of this world could not amaze them even a bit. Till today these personalities are known to be the ardent lovers of the Holy Prophet.
Worldly love has always been tyrant to the beloveds of Allah
Sultan Bahoo rehmat-ulAllah Alayh says:
- When Abu-Jahal offered wealth, gold, silver, and worldly rule to the true believers, they paid no heed to it but in fact sacrificed their life for the Holy Prophet and in the way of Allah. (Ain-ul-Faqr)
- One must know that the real enemy of the Holy Prophet was the worldly love and wealth. Had Abu Jahal been an indigent he would have followed the Holy Prophet. It was the worldly love and wealth that martyred Hasan ibn Ali razi Allah anhu and Husayn ibn Ali razi Allah anhu. Had Yazid been a poor person he would have obeyed the Imams, as they were the beloveds of Fatimah bint Mohammad and the Holy Prophet and also the descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Hence, the worldly people who love money are like Abu Jahal and Yazid and not like Rabia of Basra and Bayazid Bastami. This world is the murderer of the sacred Companions of Prophet Mohammad and his dear grandsons Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali. (Ain-ul-Faqr)
What is the purpose of creation of this materialistic world after all?
This world and everything in it is mortal and Allah created them only for the trial of human so as to separate the pure ones from the impure in this test of ardent Divine love.
After coming into this world, the example of human is that of a traveler who is wandering in a desert (worldly love) where his need (of Divine vision and closeness) cannot be fulfilled. That is to say, his inwards gets trapped in worldly love and desires of innserself and becomes ignorant of the desire of Allah’s vision and closeness. To quench his thirst and to come out of desert he would need a guide who is aware of the path to his real home (realm of Divinity). Without a guide all his efforts will go wasted.
When the traveler successfully takes himself out of this desert with efforts under the guidance of (perfect spiritual) guide then he would gain eternal life (Allah’s closeness in the realm of Divinity) Otherwise wandering in the desert will cause him death, his ending will be terrifying and his body will be consumed by the desert animals.
Company of Fakirs protect the seeker’s inward from worldly love
Allah says in the Quran:
- And the man will get only that for which he strives. (Al-Najm 39)
Whoever desires to protect his faith from the poison of worldly love should adopt the company of Fakirs and turn away from tyrants (the world). The company of Fakirs increases the faith whereas the company of worldly people darkens the soul and makes esoteric-self ignorant of Allah’s invocation.
Moreover, Allah says in the Quran:
- And incline not towards those who are engaged in oppression (and exploitation) lest the fire (of hell) should touch down at you. (Hud 113)
Who is an oppressor? It is him who has ignored the teachings of Holy Prophet i.e., Mohammadan Faqr. Indeed, he is an oppressor towards his innerself and soul. He is a follower of world and Satan and has turned away from the invocation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat. Undoubtedly this ignorance will be nothing but a source of embarrassment for him in the hereafter.
Indeed, Allah has written the destiny of human, but he makes his own fate through his beliefs and decisions. If he remains in the limited circle of his beliefs, does not trust Allah, makes materialistic world his idol, then how is this possible to have right beliefs without asking for Allah’s help? When thoughts are trapped in worldly love then how can he make right decisions? When the decisions are not right then ultimately result is not right either. Later, there remains nothing but regret.
Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani and the reality of materialistic world
Al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani says:
- Everything other than Allah is a stranger. Do not accept a stranger in lieu of Allah. This is because He created you for Himself. By engaging and involving into things other than Allah, do not cause suffering to yourself. Otherwise Allah will heave you in such fire whose fuel is a man and stones. (Futuh al-Ghaib chapter 13)
- O losers of righteousness! O the ones occupied in worldly love! Very soon the world will attack on you and choke you. Whatever you have gathered verbally will not benefit you. All those amenities of materialistic world you gained pleasure from will not help you. In fact, it all will be a torment on you. (Al-Fath ar-Rabbani chapter 18)
Sultan-ul-Faqr VI advises how to live in this materialistic world
Sultan-ul-Faqr VI Sultan Mohammad Asghar Ali says:
- Thus, save yourself from worldly love and live in the world like a wild duck lives in water. It does not drown while swimming. Earn your fortune from this world like a heron who attains its food from water by staying on its edge and doesn’t let itself drown in the water. (Shams ul Fuqara)
Thus, if one desires righteousness for himself then he must make himself fully aware of the deceptions of the worldly love so that this killing poison doesn’t destroy his faith. No human can ever remain safe from this poison of worldly love until he adopts Holy Prophet’s teachings of Faqr. These teachings of Faqr are sharia, tariqa, marifa and haqiqa (four stages in Sufism). By leaving even one of them, he would not be able to save himself from torment after death. Neither then he can make himself deserving of Holy Prophet’s intercession on doomsday.
Whose company to adopt in the present era
After the Prophethood ended, the Companions of Holy Prophet, and then Tabi‘ūn Tabi al-Tabi’in (next generation of Companions) and after them perfect Fakirs are spreading beneficence of teachings of Faqr in its true form.
Sultan ul Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib ur Rehman is the perfect Fakir and the spiritual successor of Sultan Bahoo in the present era. He is on the footsteps of the Holy Prophet sall’Allahu alayhi wa’alihi wasallam. Thousands of people have sanctified their inwards from the poison of worldly love by accepting Islam on his hands. And numerous true seekers of Allah are covering the journey of Divine vision and closeness.
It is impossible to describe the grandeur and spiritual status of Sultan ul Ashiqeen in words. It is a humble prayer in Allah’s court to grant us true, sincere, and perseverant servitude of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen’s court. May Allah also grant us the ability to cover the path of Divine vision and closeness under his guidance by protecting ourselves from the poison of the worldly love. Ameen!
Books consulted:
Ain-ul-Faqr – Sultan Bahoo
Mehak-ul-Faqr Kalan – Sultan Bahoo
Shams-ul-Fuqara – Sultan ul Ashiqeen
Abyat e Bahoo Kamil – Sultan ul Ashiqeen
Mukashifat-ul-Quloob – al-Ghazali
Note:
This article was published in Mahnama Sultan-ul-Faqr Lahore titled as حبِ دنیا ۔ زہرِ قاتل in the issue of April 2020. It was originally written by Anila Yasin Sarwari Qadri and is now translated in English by Sofia Sultan Sarwari Qadri. Translator has used American English vocabulary in the translation of this article. To read the original article, please visit:
https://www.mahnama-sultan-ul-faqr-lahore.com/april-2020-hub-e-duniya-zehr-e-qatil/
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