Hazrat Syedna Makhdoom Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir Pak Kaliyari (RA)

‘Ala-ud-Deen Ali Ahmad
Sabir Xalyari رحت العلي
Prophecies
Before the details of his life are recorded, we pen down the prophecies about him that were made by worthy ancestors.
Imam Ja’far Sadique sule writes in his book Kashf al-Ghayub (the Knowledge of the Unseen): “On the night of Friday, 11th Rajjab al-Marajjab 140 AH I was engaged in the recitation of the Holy Qur’an. It was past midnight. Unusually sleep overtook me. Despite all efforts, I could not resist sleeping. In a dream I observed strange mysteries. I reached the world of Malakut (the souls) then to the world of Jabarut (the awareness of the attributes of Allah the Almighty) where I saw a garden in spring time which had angels lined up and the souls of all the Prophets (peace be upon them all) gathered together, as well as the souls of all the Awliya (mystics) present. That is, strange manifestations were to be seen.
“In the mean time Ans bin Malik رضم ابتنكن
came to me and
said, ‘The Prophet gaews the most honoured of the worlds, the exalted and the blessed, is waiting for you.’ I went along with him and saw that there was pitched a tent, made of one single
diamond, wherein the Prophet ماشعليونلن sat on a majestic throne.
In front were sat eleven members of the Prophet’s ( Leag) family and so also all his companions (may Allah the Almighty be pleased with them all). Seeing me, the Prophet dea addressed me thus, ‘O my son, you will join me in three days time. Prior to that I want you to make a record of all that you observe of this world of Jabärut. After listening to this honourable command, I paid my tributes and observed formali-ties. I had intended to sit but, simultaneously, the Prophet
ordered me to sit in front of the throne. There we ال الا
people to be seen in all directions. In the mean time, I saw two spirits, one behind the other, coming along. They stopped in front of the sacred throne. The spirit in front was light through and through like a white emerald and the one behind was an embodiment of light, like red ruby. To the first spirit the Prophet each spoke in a heavenly language and seated him on his right of the throne. Similarly, he spoke a few words to the other spirit and made him sit on his left. Thereafter, addressing Imam Hassan sule and Imam Hussain Sube he said, When with pleasure we all stamped your death certificate the idea that the Ummah would be shocked occurred to me.’ Spontaneously, the Archangel Gabriel brought a glad tiding that from amongst the offspring of these princes would be born two persons who would be responsible for fortifying Islam until the end of the world. And these are the same two souls here. The holy spirit sat on the right and occupied the stage of Fana Fee al-Rasool (extinction into the Prophet sac ) which constitutes the stage of prophethood and mercy, through and through. Yet his apparent status would be that of a Ghawth and Qutb al-Aqtab. He is my offspring and will proffer great guidance.
“The other ‘soul’ will come into human existence after the
aforesaid Ghawth رفاتعن . He will be named the master, ‘Ala-ud-
Deen Ali Ahmad alias Sabir رف اسكن . He will enjoy the highest
stage of mysticism and will be an embodiment of its most majestic kind. He will punish the non-believers and the jealous.’
Having explained all this the sitting rose and my eyes were open wide. The rightly guided companions (may Allah the Almighty be
pleased with them all) of the Prophet مَلسُعَلَيَرِ وسَلِنُ › Abu Bakr
Siddique, Umar Farooque, Uthman al-Ghani, Ans bin Malik and Abdul Aziz bin Harith, have narrated this event, in their respective writings, to the following effect: ‘After ‘Isha prayers on Friday 12

The Rabi al-Awwal 10 A H the Prophet andew took us along towards the city of Musqat. Having travelled some distance, we stopped under a tree. There were planted three palm trees at some distance from one another. The Prophet ماسعليسل strolled be-tween them for some time. In the meantime Abu Bakr spoke
respectlully, *O the Messenger of Allah the Almighty ( مول عَلَير وَمَلِن ).
how would this process of education in Islamic Mysticism continue?’ The Prophet مسعَليَروسيل replied, ‘Allah the Almighty has promised me that He will create mystics amongst my Ummah because of whose presence my followers will never worry about
education in Islamic Mysticism.®’ Then the Prophet ملاشعليرونلن
continued, ‘The Creator of all souls ordered them, in the First Firmament, into four rows and granted them the status and stages accordingly.’
“On the Day of Covenant when all the souls prostrated before the Rabb (The Lord), the master, ‘Ala-ud-Deen Ali Ahmad alias row of Prophets and then prostrated. Thereafter, the Archangel Gabriel took him on to his wings and back to the row of mystics.
And this is the time when master, ‘Ala-ud-Deen Ali Ahmad alias
Sabir كفيخ اسين , was granted the seal of mysticism which was
embossed on the back of his right shoulder, below the shoulder blade. This seal is the stage of extinction into Allah the Almighty (Fanā Fee al-Allah).”
Shaykh Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani, the Qutb of Allah the Almighty, the eternal Ghawth, the descendent of Al-Hassan and Al-Hussain (the twin beneficence) writes in one of his compila-tions, Qurbat-ul-Wahdat (Nearness to Allah the Almighty): “One night in the realm of Jabarut, Fatima-tuz-Zuhra (may Allah the Almighty be pleased with her) said, ‘O my son, Allah the Almighty has granted to me yourself and the master, ‘Ala-ud-Deen Ali Ahmad Sabir, in lieu of Al-Hassan and Al-Hussain. It will not be long now before he is born into the families of Abdul Wahab and Abdul Rahim who are our descendents.’ »

The Father’s Family Tree The Master ‘Ala-ud-Deen Ali Ahmad As Sabir bin Syed Abdul Rahim Abdul Salam bin Syed Shah Saif-ud-Deen bin Syed Abdul Wahab bin Syed Miran Muhiyy-ud-Deen Abu Muhammad Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah the Almighty be pleased with them all).
The Mother’s Family Tree
Bibi Hajira (Baba Farid-ud-Deen’s sister) bint Qadi Jalal-ud-Deen bin Qadi Shu’aib bin Shaykh Muhammad Ahmad bin Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf bin Shaykh Shahab-ud-Deen bin Ahmad Fakhar-ud-Deen Mahmood bin Shaykh Salman bin Shaykh Masud bin Shaykh Abdullah Wahaz al-Ahqar bin Wahaz al-Akbar Abu al-Fateh bin Shaykh Ishaque bin Nasir-ud-Deen bin Shaykh Abdullah bin Amir al-Momineen Umar Farooque (may Allah the

The Master رَحَتَ اليعَلَين
in the Mother’s Womb
The light that reflected in the spine of Abdul Rahim Abdul Salam transferred into the sacred body of Hajira Bibi on the night of Friday 11 Rabi al-Akhir 591 AH and many wonderful and blissful events took place. His revered mother often saw in dreams As- Sabir رفاسك in conversation with people. Nine days before his
birth she began to feel as if he was in her stomach, busy in remembrance of Allah the Almighty and saying in a loud voice:
“I am the manifestation of Allah! I am the manifestation of Allah!”
Incidents at Birth It is recorded in Anwär-ash-Shahud (The Flashes of the Essence), the book by the Khawaja, Abdul Rahim Abdul Salam: “He (As-
Sabir ضراسعَنْ ) was born during the early hours of the night of
Thursday 19 Rabi al-Awwal 592 AH. At the time of his birth a lightning flash was sent from the Court of the Eternal Sustainer falling from the clear sky on to Haji Burhan, the outcast, who died instantaneously. He was 479 years old and since the time of Al-Ghawth Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani, he had continually presented venomous opposition. At this he often said, Thand you over to
him (As-Sabir رضم اسعَنْى ).”

Wonders of his Childhood
He was nearly two years old when his respected father was free one morning from his Tahajjud prayers and he became absorbed in meditation. A snake fell off the ceiling on to the back of his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw that the snake was cut in two pieces, one piece on his back and the other flung farther
away. His eminence the Master رفاسكن was sitting near by.
Abdul Rahim Abdul Salam awakened the Master’s mother and showed it all to her, she then remarked: “I have seen all this in a dream just now. My son told me in the dream that from now on no snake would ever bite anyone from our family and our followers because, he said, he had killed the king of the snakes.
Furthermore, the snakes all over the world have given me this promise because they were all frightened by this killing.”
The Master’s father brought out the pieces of the snake in the morning. All those who saw them could recognise them and said:
“All the signs of the king of snakes, as known hitherto, were visible on that snake.”
When he entered into the third year of his childhood, he himself gave up breast milk. On every second or third day he would consume according to need a piece of barley or gram bread.
During the early days of his fourth year he began to speak and, when on the morning of Monday 21 Rabi al-Awwal 596 AH he woke up, he uttered from his most explicit tongue:
لاَمَوْجُود الامُوْ
“Laa Mawjud(un) illa-Hoo! – there is none except Allah the Almighty.” His revered father was nearby at the time. He fell in prostration for thankfulness to Allah the Almighty at hearing his power of speech and the lucid and explicit manner of address which is usually the comfort to the souls of the blessed saints and exalted mystics, and he beseeched the Sustainer’s Majesty thus:
“O Allah the Almighty, I am most grateful that You had this child confessing Your Presence and for the honour of bestowing upon him the signs of Your Beauty.”
It has often been said of him that he fell in prostration seven times a day; firstly at sunset, secondly during early evening, thirdly at Tahajjud time, fourthly in the morning, fifthly at noon, sixthly during the afternoon, and seventhly during the late after-noon.

He regularly performed the remembrance of Laa Mawjud(un) illa-Hoo! (There is nothing in existence but Allah the Almighty). Occasionally, he experienced a characteristic state of ecstasy. As a habit he slept little at night. He remained awake most of the time. But if he slept, he often uttered the word ‘Allah’.
Several times during the day, his face changed its complexion. At times his enlightened face became extremely ruddy. If anybody touched him in this state, his hand suffered an unbearable itching.
And when the Master رفماسع recovered from this state, he said:
“Thanks to Allah the Almighty!”

Cooking Rice
The Master’s رضماسك revered mother narrates: “We had nothing
to eat for two to three days. Nothing was available for eating.
Nor did I feel like mentioning it to or asking from someone. After his morning prayer, the Master came to me and said, ‘I am very hungry today. Give me something to eat.’ I put up excuses until noon time trying very hard to find something to cook and feed
him. But nothing came to hand. The Master فاسعن came to me
after his early afternoon prayer saying, I am now desperate from hunger. Please give me something to eat.’ To console him I put some water into a pan, put it on the hearth and lit the fire under-neath. When he insisted on food I said that it had not yet cooked.
It would be ready in a short while. This I did until the sunset prayer. After the sunset prayer he came to me and said, ‘I cannot bear the hunger any longer, please feed me, even with the undercooked food.’ Saying this he went over to the pan, opened the lid and said, ‘The rice is cooked. Please feed me straight away.’ Hearing the word ‘rice’, I was wonder-struck because there was nothing except water in the pan. But here he was, saying that there was some rice. I then looked inside and lo and behold there was very fine rice cooked inside the pan. I took some out and gave it to him to eat. I also showed Muhammad Abu Al-Qasim
‘Circumstances are such that it is imperative that he is sent to someone knowledgeable to teach him the hidden. If you agree, I shall take him and hand him over to my brother Farid-ud-Deen.’ The other relations also saw the rice, partook of some, and agreed with me about taking him to Baba Farid-ud-Deen

Setting off from Hirat (Kabul)
After the consultation the necessities of the journey were arranged. Muhammad Abu Al-Qasim Gargami took the Master and his mother with him and set off to the town of Ajudhan (Pakpatan Sharif) in Dipalpur. On the way ‘Aleemullah, the Abdal, came along and beseeched: “If you permit me I will most humbly present myself to Baba Sahib and inform him about your pending arrival!” He was forbidden to do so. Muhammad Abu Al-Qasim Gargami said to ‘Aleemullah the Abdal: “Where have you been for so long?” He replied most respectfully: “After the demise of Khawaja Abdul Rahim Abdul Salam, I remained secre-
tively in attendance to the Master فاسعن . In following his
orders, I have now become known and for the whole of my life, I shall not, Allah the Almighty willing, separate from the Master

Uncle’s Patronage
According to some traditions, this journey because of the graces of these men came to an end in only eleven days time and this caravan reached Pakpatan Sharif on Tuesday 25 Shi ban al-Mu’azzam 600 AH. Only two years before then Farid ud-Deen, the most holy of the worlds and the Ghawth of India, had received from the most honourable Khawaja Bakhtiyar Kaki the robe of Caliphate. When his (the Master’s) respected mother sat him in the lap of Baba Sahib, he experienced a wonderful state of mind, and his first words to his uncle were these: “Three years hence my grandfather will pass away.”
Baba Sahib remarked: “How do you know of this my son?
Your grandfather Syed Saif-ud-Deen Abdul Wahab lives in Baghdad (Iraq) and you are here (at Pakpatan, India).”
He replied: “I attended to my heart and saw my venerable father’s figure. He raised three fingers of his right hand to me.
And this gesture amounts to a death.”
Hearing this Baba Sahib hugged him to his chest. No sooner
had he done that and the Master رض اسكن went into a trance, he
experienced a state of ecstasy and in his ecstatic mind he said time and time again: “Buck up, the son Ali Ahmad Sabir, the born mystic, the born mystic.”
Then in the perfection of trance, he put three fingers of his right hand on the top of his heart and said three times: “You will manifest three kinds of Beauty of Allah the Almighty.” And he asked the Master’s mother to lift up his shirt. When she lifted the Master’s shirt, she saw an amazing tuft of hair below the back of the right shoulder. Baba Sahib, the most holy of the worlds, addressed these words to his sister: “Do you know what this tuft of hair is all about?”
The sister replied: “I have heard that it is a sign of good fortune. If good fortune meant his father’s death during his infancy, then my Ali Ahmad is really lucky!”
Having said this, her throat choked and she burst into tears.
Baba Sahib said: “There is no need to cry. Allah the Almighty has written on his back the Arabic words Waliulllah in a setting of black hair. This is not ordinary news.”

Education in the Apparent
Baba Sahib فاسعَ , may Allah the Almighty preserve his
secrets, says: “I taught Ali Ahmad, the Master, for three years about the apparent knowledge. During this period he learnt as much as someone else could learn in six years time.”
All this time both Muhammad Abu al-Qasim Gargami and the Master’s mother stayed at Baba Sahib’s at Pakpatan Sharif.
Baba Sahib writes in his Sirr-il-‘Abudiyyat (Secrets of Servantship): “During these three years of Ali Ahmad’s education in the apparent knowledge, I myself saw in him that behaviour of which I had heard from my sister and others. I was extremely pleased over the fact that he was a lot more about him than what I had heard.”

Communal Kitchen
At Baba Sahib’s there had been in operation a communal kitchen since Muharram al-Haram 601 AH. The poor, the orphans, the widows, the needful, the destitute, the travellers, the guests and the servants of the house all ate their food. This service was
handed over to the Master فيماشن on 26 Shawal al-Makarram
603 AH. As a habit, he came out of his hut after the sunset prayer, distributed the food and went back to the hut. Again he came out after his Ishraq (early noon prayer) and served the food.
Otherwise, he engaged himself day and night in matters spiritual.
Many attendants (at Baba Sahib’s) have written in their
accounts that none of them had ever seen the Master رضو اسعنى
himself eating from the kitchen.

Baba Sahib’s Children’s Death by Sabir’s Majesty
Baba Sahib رضماسعن , the honourable of the worlds, writes in his
communications, Sirral-‘Abudiyyat (Secrets of Servantship):
“One day our son Naeem-ud-Din, who was nearly three years old, peeped into the Master’s hut. Immediately, he vomited blood and died. A few days later our son Farid Bakhsh, who was nearly one year old, passed water facing the Master’s hut. A fly bit him, thus making blood flow from his mouth. In about three hours time he died. The public and the servants were informed about these inci-
dents and the fact that the Master, Ali Ahmad Sabir رف اشعن , was
a naked sword who could kill anybody who approached him.
Whosoever he would look at will meet his or her death. No one should come face to face with him when he came out of his hut.
Eleven days afterwards, Aziz-ud-Deen, who was about 22 years old, went without permission over to the Master’s communal kitchen and said: “Today I will distribute the food.’
“The servants entreated repeatedly saying,
‘This is the
Master’s duty. Please do not interfere in it without his permis-sion.’ Aziz-ud-Deen did not pay heed to any of their entreaties.
Instead he remarked, ‘The kitchen belongs to my father. Why do you oppose?’ He began distributing the food. Thereafter he went home and told his mother about this who said as she heard it,
‘May Allah the Almighty save you. Just recently two sons have passed away. Now what a dreadful thing you have done!’
“When the Master ضراسعنى came out of his hut, he spoke to
the servants, ‘Bring along food for distribution.’ They remained
silent. The Master فماسكن repeated, ‘Bring along food for distri-
bution.’ At this the servants submitted, ‘Your honour! Aziz-ud-Deen has already distributed it.’
over so that I may distribute it.’
“The servants replied, ‘Your honour! there is nothing left. He
has distributed it all.’
“At this he spoke, ‘Why was he spared then?’
“As soon as the Master رفماشعن uttered this from his tongue,
Aziz-ud-Deen’s soul departed thus causing a hue and cry in the household.” Appointment for the Saintship of Delhi
From now on the Master’s practices were so acute that he became unaware of the world around him. He gave up meeting talking to people. His tongue became so effective that whatever he uttered, it came to pass. People became frightened of him and remained at a distance from him. In actual fact that is exactly what Baba Sahib zalo, informed strangers and servants.
“He is
a naked sword,” Baba Sahib » said
Baba Sahib رضي اشينى
was fully aware of his lofty spiritual
heights. He gathered round the revered mystics and the learned men of the Faith and in their presence, he placed his own mantle on his head and tied round it a green turban. He also gave him a pair of scissors to be at hand for cutting and trimming his hair and a prayer carpet for his prayers. During the same ceremony, he awarded him a certificate or charter of appointment for the saintship of Delhi. The certificate was subject to the condition that the Qutb of the time Shaykh Jamal-ud-Deen Hansvi (wil should stamp it with the seal of Qutbiyyat. Otherwise, the certificate would be held null and void.
The Master lo took the letter of Qutbiyyat and set off to Hansi. Carried in a cradle, the Master Ali Ahmad
Sabir
(nul) in all his independence and grandeur presented himself at the convent (khangah) of Shaykh Jamal-ud-Deen Hansvi, who stepped forward to welcome him. The Shaykh thought that the cradle would stop by his side. But not being
mindful of this, the Master رفيماسكن allowed the cradle to proceed.

Master’s mother lit an oil lamp in the Sabir’s hut and sent the bride along there. She herself sat outside the doorway whilst inside the hut the bride remained standing with hands folded across her breast. When at the time of Tahajjud prayer the master
became free from the Vigil of Extinction, he found tht .
someone else was present in the hut and this was quite unusual.
He asked: “Who are you?”
The bride replied: “I am your wife.”
The Master فماسعن said: “God is the One and Only. What has
he got to do with a wife!”
Instantaneously, there arose a fire from the ground whereby
the bride’s body burnt to ashes.
Hearing this conversation, the Master’s mother wished to go inside and warn him. However, by the time she unlatched the chain and went inside, the girl had been reduced to ashes.
Inside the hut the Master’s mother struck his back with both
her hands and cried: “What shall I tell to your uncle?”
The Master فماشعن said: “What did I do?’
The mother replied: “Today I solemnised your Nikah with your uncle’s daughter and had brought your bride into your hut.
You have burnt her. Here is the pile of her ashes.”
The Master فواسعن retorted: “I do not know anything of the
sort.”
When this small family sat with melancholy faces towards one another, the grief-stricken and bereaved Baba Sahib looked at his sad sister saying, as it were: “Did you see? It happened just as I told you.”
The sister full of tears glanced at her brother, but turned her eyes off him in shame and disappointment. She was extremely ashamed and helpless about her insistence. Straightaway, the Master’s mother acquired a high temperature from which she was not able to survive. She became unconscious and died on Friday, Muharram al-Haram 614 AH. The servants beseeched: “Your mother has died and the funeral is ready to start off for the village

Allegiance to the Line of
Chishtiyyah
It is written in Sirr-i-‘Abudiyyat, the erudite communications of
the revered Baba Sahib رفواسكن that after the death of Sabir’s
respected mother he confined himself to his hut and remained in the state of absorption in order to attain the perfect stage of Fana (extinction). On Thursday, 17 Muharram al-Haram 633 AH, he continued through the Vigil of the Unseen. Baba Sahib ule. came along, after his Ishraq prayer, to the blessed hut of the
Master رفاسيَنْه . He found him in an extreme and complete state
of absorption and to bring him to a state of consciousness he recited loudly into his ear the formula of confession –
الآاله الا اللّهُ
Laa ilaha ill-Allah-o!
(There is no deity but Allah).
Hearing this, Sabir فماسعن opened his narcissus-like eyes, thus
becoming conscious. He offered due respect to his Uncle and, together with his Uncle, came out of his blessed hut. Baba Sahib
made him sit in the company of other people in ordert ا .
stabilise his physical composure. By the time of Asr prayer he
recovered somewhat. After Asr prayer, Baba Sahib رفيماتكن took
the Ba’yat (the oath of allegiance) on his hand from Sabir
in the presence of the audience, thus honouring him i ان .
the line of the Holy Chishtiyyah Order and Sulook. He dressed him in his own holy mantle and robe. After that day the Master
came into the ttingb تا ل فماشين
fited from his eloquent tongue about the different and relevant stages of etiquettes, religious ordinances, habits of thoughtfulness and unravelling of mysteries. As usual he spent his nights in the state of complete absorption.
Disclosure of the Seal of Sainthood
The respected Baba Sahib رفشي has it, in his Sirr-al-‘Abudiyyat
(Mysteries of Servantship), that after the Tahajjud prayer on the blessed night of Friday 25 Ramadan al-Mubarak 650 AH, I dreamed that my revered guide and mentor Khawaja Qutb-ud-
Deen Bakhtiyar Kaki فاتك5 , the Qutb al-Aqtab (pyramidocal
head of the mystics), said to me: “Hurry and take Ali Ahmad, the Master, with us.”
In a hurry I took Ali Ahmad, the Master, from his hut and in the corporeal world followed the guide. In a short time, we passed from the state of Malakut (the world of souls) into the state of Jabarut (corporeal world). There was light all over. An elegant court had been set up where the Most Praised and Holy Prophet
Muhammad ماشعَلَيَةِ وَسَلِنُ , the beloved of the Universe, the pride of
the worlds, the mercy to humankind, was present, surrounded by all the exalted followers. My mentor presented me and Ali Ahmad, the Master, to the Holy Prophet as who kissed on the back of the right shoulder of the Master and spoke with his blessed tongue thus:
– Hadha Waliullah
(He is the Wali of Allah).”
” هُذَا وَلِئُ اللّهِ
I kissed on the same spot and said:
هذَا وَلِيُّ اللّهِ Thereafter, this act was repeated. All the audience did it
following the Holy Prophet صلال علية وسلن . After the audience, the
angels kissed him. This was followed by such a lot of congratulations that the reverberating noise in my ears woke me up. I saw that it was Leilat-al-Qadr (the Night of Power). Straightaway, I went over to the Master’s hut the door of which was unusually ajar. The hut was filled with terrestrial light and the Master himself was in a complete state of absorption. All that I had witnessed in the state of Jabarut was taking place in the hut. The Rugaba, Nugaba, Nujaba, Abdal, Aqtab, Aghyas, Rijal-al-Ghyab,
and the king of the jinni all came, one by one, kissed at the seal of the Master’s sainthood and congratulated me, saying also:
” هَذَا وَلِيُّ اللهِ”

Kalyar
This city is situated in the suburb of Hardwar which was inhabited by Raja Karam Pal in 283 AH who named it Bardwar Garihi Bug. This city continued spreading along the banks of the River Ganges for miles on end. After some time a grand idol-house was built and was promoted most lavishly. Hundreds of gold and silver idols were kept. After the death of Raja Karam Pal, Raja Bikram Pal was enthroned. He made the idol house more attrac-tive. He appointed a Rishi named Gokal Chand, thus leaving the whole administration of the idol-house with him. For several years different Rajas ruled the city. At last the rule came into the hands of Raja Kalyan who named it Kalyar after his own name.
All the pilgrims from throughout India visiting Hardwar passed through Kalyar which had now become the centre of infi-delity.
Three hundred and thirty million famous deities which were carved into idols adorned the idol-house. And besides beasts, human beings were also sacrificed as offerings to them. Rishis were given to a life of dissipation and leisure. They presented the deities in sexually emotive images and tried to offer these indulging compromising shapes as means of good recompense rather than the symbols of sin. Shri Krishan Ji was defamed as the one who lived the life of luxury amongst milk-maids. They maintained that following their way was an absolute worship.
Ignorance was on the increase so much so that drinking and gambling was the order of the day. Female infant murder, celibacy and marriage by so’imber (a sort of contest amongst men for a woman) were represented as pure and blessed and were most common. No woman was held in respect. She was regarded as a chattel from Nature. They seldom went to a religious leader for blessings. They were regarded as a God-sent bounty for organis-ing gay parties. The low caste were treated so shabbily that, setting aside reading, they were even not entitled to hear the words of Sanskrit, the language of the Hindu scriptures. If ever a member of the Sudra caste heard the Devbani (the words of the Lord), hot oil was poured into his ears. In short, all these follies and ignorance constituted their Faith. And all these evil deeds were regarded as worship. Muslims were regarded as dirty. The worship of the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the trees, the mountains and the animals was considered the means of salvation. Dancing and singing were a part of worship, because according to their belief no deity could be pleased without these offerings. Although Delhi was the Capital and Muslims ruled there they had no interest in anything except conquest and annexation of states. They ignored religion. During their conquests the Ghorid Muslims reached Kalyar. Hadrat Kamal Ahmad Baghdadi came here in the company of Hadrat Khawaja Mueen-ud-Deen Chishti Mute . It was then that the Emperor of India Sultan Qutb-ud-Deen ordered liyam-ud-Deen alias Dhamwan to conquer this area. He conquered the city all right and became its ruler. However he could not promote Islam against hearts that were direly encrusted with the darkness of Kufr (infidelity). Nahangs (the Hindu extremists) – who remain naked and hence the name – had made @iyam-ud-Deen Dhamwan completely ineffectual. Muscle power in such situations rarely helps. For reform in such circumstances spiritual power is essential and desirable. Muslims they were in name only and ignorant of the true spirit of Islam. Human values were very much dependent upon worldly ranks and authority.
When Baba Sahib فماتعن came to know of these circumstances
and, since he considered it proper, he sent along the Master
Kalyar for their guidance and reform. The abov .
mentioned circumstances needed a person of his stature.

Jamia Mosque, Kalyar
A huge Jamia Mosque had been built in the centre of Kalyar. The floor for prayers rested on the plinth which stood seventy one steps high above the ground level. On the top of the steps had been erected a huge gate which crowned a very high gold plaque.
The Mosque had thirteen doors all around. The ceiling carried three great domes each of which had a tall spire, one on each dome. They were decorated with silver murals. A pool, seven yards by four yards, was situated in the middle of the court. There were three bath rooms on one side of the court of the Mosque.
One hundred gold, red and white painted utensils of good quality stone were laid on for ablution.
The Present Day Kalyar
Kalyar is situated three to four miles from the Roorkee Railway Station along the bank of the Gang Canal in the district of Saharanpur (Utar Pradesh). Along one bank of the canal is the habitation of Kalyar and along the other bank is the jungle wherein lies, near to the Gang Canal, the sacred and enlightened mausoleum, the earthly Heaven, of Hadrat Makhdoom ‘Ala-ud-
Deen Ali Ahmad As-Sabir كفِيم اتعنى .
At a distance of about two miles from the Roorkee Railway Station, there is, across the canal, a wide bridge which has routes in all four directions; a cantonement in the East, a cotton textile mill on a big site in the West, the populace of Roorkee further along to the North, and a beautiful bridge at a distance of about one mile to the South. On either side of the second bridge there is a good inhabitation. In the Easterly direction there are civil courts, an Engineering College, Lal Kurti, and a bazaar and godowns. In the Westerly direction there is a general township and a neat market place. This place is known by the name Roorkee and it spreads along two and a half miles. Whilst standing on this bridge four roads are seen on both banks of the bridge. Both the roads in the Northerly direction lead to Kalyar.

The Master’s ( usay

5 ) Journey to Kalyar

It has been reported in both Sirr-al-‘Abudiyyat (Secrets of Servantship) by Hadrat Shah Shaykh Farid-ud-Deen Masud

Shakr Ganj رفراسعن and Maqnatees-al-Wahdat (Magnetism of

One-ness) by Hadrat Sultan al-Mashaykh Syed Nizam-ud-Deen

Done

Abdal whom Baba Sahib had ordered to go along just in case his help was needed, set off to Kalyar Sharif. With the graces and blessings of Ism-e-Azam (the Great Name) of the Chishtiyyah Order such a long journey was covered in only one day. They entered the city of Kalyar at the time of Zuhr prayer the following day. They stayed at the house of Mrs. Gulzarvi, daughter of Abdul Samad, because Mrs. Gulzarvi, Jamal the painter and Mrs Gulzarvi’s son, Baha-ud-Deen, who was about 35, had all come outside the city to welcome the visitors. Baha-ud-Deen led the three of them. The Master of the Worlds wil went to the Jamia Mosque at Kalyar and spoke, advising and preaching to about two thousand people. Jamal the painter and his friends loudly addressed the people saying: “This revered man is one of the Qutbs of the day. He has come to advise us and preach to us. It is our duty that we take an oath of allegiance at his hands and accept and follow in practice his advice, with heart and mind.”

Because of their ignorance none amongst the crowd attended to the Master sule. The following day he went along to the Mosque again and again to advise and teach people. He also asked for their allegiance. The crowd was bigger than yesterday’s.

They all refused to take an oath of allegiance and began to say:

“The Holy Qur’an is our guide and our long-standing Imam (the prayer leader) and Qadi (the Judge) of Tabbarak in appointment is Kufi bin Hona bin Sayuti bin Haqis bin Haroon bin Sarya bin

‘Amad bin Hamd – Hamd (who belonged to the family of the cursed Yazid). How could we take an oath of allegiance at your hands without his permission and order and how could we change

The worshipper had seats allocated in the Jamia Mosque.

They went to these allocated seats in the Mosque and prayed

The Master رضى اشغنر

said: “I have been sent by my religious

guide and mentor to you for your guidance and I have brought with me the certificate of authority as his representative. I have been granted by my mentor the title of Sultan al-Awliya (the King of Mystics). Don’t you regard all this as sufficient to convince you?”

Hearing all this, people went silent. The news reached the Qadi of the City of Tabbarak who went along to Qiyam-ud-Deen Dhamwan, the ruler of the city, and said: “A man claiming the leadership of Kalyar has arrived here and is misleading people in the Jamia Mosque.”

The ruler of the city replied to the Qadi: “It will all be sorted

out on Friday.”

He went to settle all public affairs in the Mosque on Fridays, and so he also took all decisions there. On Friday, the Master of

the Worlds رضماسعن arrived at the Jamia Mosque before everybody

else. As soon as the ruler of the city arrived he asked the Qadi of Tabbarak: “Qadi Sahib! Who is the man, the claimant of Imamate

Done

(leadership)?”

The Master, Ala-ud-Deen Ali Ahmad As-Sabir فش said:

“I am!” Earthquake in Kalyar

On Thursday 9 Muharram al-Haram 651 AH, the Master

رضيو التُعَنْه

recited the composition which is considered to be the sword of Allah the Almighty (i.e. Hirzi Yemani and Hirzi Murtazvi) in eternally spiritual style and in exhaling his breath faced the earth.

Straightaway, tremors of the earthquake began to be felt. After a short while another tremor was felt. It happened once again three hours after sunrise. The ruler of the city called the Qadi and enquired of him: “What is the matter? Three tremors have been felt since early morning.”

The Qadi himself was amazed: “It is beyond my understand-

ing”, he commented

Just then it occurred in the heart of the rich man of the city that the wrath of Allah the Almighty was because of the displeasure of the Qutb al-Aqtab of India. “It was not too late to go to

beg his pardon and accept allegiance to him,” he uttered.

The Qadi, the outcast, replied: “You get frightened at the

slightest things. It is all magic, and magic is ineffectual. If you care to combat magic, I have found a female magician.”

Accordingly, at the orders of Dhamwan, a lady magician Nusrat Baghla was called and was asked to explain the reason why there were earthquake tremors. The magician woman said:

“This is all magic. I can also set the earth into tremors.”

Accordingly, the lady magician made an earth tremor. She then did it eleven times. In actual fact this magic spell bound their hearts which made it appear as if the earth was experiencing tremors. But there was nothing in it. Nonetheless Dhamwan, the rich man of the city, was satisfied by the act of magic from the woman. By the time of the Friday call to prayer the following day, people had felt seven tremors. They came to the Jamia Mosque at

the call to prayer. The Master رضر اشعن along with ‘Aleemullah the

Abdal and Baha-ud-Deen were already present there in the Mosque. He sat on the Imam’s prayer mat. In the mean time the rich man of the city and the Qadi of Tabbarak both arrived.

According to an estimate by some people there were thirteen thousand men and by other people thirty one thousand men in the Mosque.

Plague in Kaylar

The story did not end there. His tongue was the sword of Allah the Almighty. The inhabitants of Kalyar had vexed him a great deal and had disobeyed Baba Sahib’s orders and commands. After the destruction and annihilation of the men at prayers, the wrath

of As-Sabir رفماشعنى fell on the city of Kalyar. The whole popula-

tion was engulfed in plague. The pattern was that a person suffered from swollen muscles between the cleft of the thighs and with a high temperature; they then passed away. All of a sudden the populous and glamorous city became a desolation. Families as a whole suffered death. The corpses putrified. There was no one to bury them. It is said that the glamour and population that was

there before the wrath of Sabir ضماتكن never returned. The

Emperors of Delhi tried their best to populate it in all its excel-lence, but they did not succeed in their efforts.

Four Things at Kalyar Which Survived the Divine Wrath and the Conflagration

When on 12th Muharram al-Haram 651 AH, he was free from the special duty, it was the time of Tahajjud prayer. He went over to Mrs Gulzarvi’s house and stood at a place which he had liked from the very day of his arrival and where his mausoleum stands

‘Aleemullah the Abdal was present. During all this time the people of Kalyar searched for but could not find him in order to request his protection against the wrath of Allah the Almighty.

However, he met with the requests of the following and prayed for their safety:

1 The wild fig tree

2

A dove who had her nest in the wild fig tree

A piece of land which is situated at a short distance from where he resided

4 The site of the mausoleum of Sayyedena Imam-ud-Deen

who is descendant of Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani رفيم

and one of the disciple of the master, the benefactor of

the poor, Khawaja Muin-ud-Deen Chishti Ajmeri ب رفاشعنى

The Fire of Kalyar

It is reported in the Ser al-Aqtab that having prayed for the safety of these four things, facing the Qibla he stood by the wild fig tree.

‘Aleemullah the Abdal was with him in the rear. He rested his side and back against the wild fig tree holding its branch with his left hand. He closed his right hand into a fist, raising the index finger. He brought the finger to the front of his heart and raised his eyes towards the sky. For a short while he was completely absorbed. After a little while the branch of the tree slipped from his hand. He let the other down. His eyes moved away from the sky. In the same state he moved and stood a short distance away from the tree. After an hour or so he opened his majestic eyes and his lightning sight fell on the ground. Simultaneously, seven steps away from his feet, fire began to erupt from the ground; the conflagration spread in all four directions, thus burning everything except the four things above. Everything was destroyed.

Flames went high up and nothing received any refuge. Fire was spread to a distance of about eighteen miles all round and remained alive for several days. The whole of the city of Kalyar was burnt to ashes. Only the aforementioned things were safe and secure from the wrath of Allah the Almighty. The following words were heard coming as they did from his mouth:

هُو يَا مَنْ هُو يَا مَنْ لَيْسَ اِلاَّ هُو

Hoo! Yaa Man Hoo! Yaa Man Laisa illa Hoo!

(Allah the Almighty! O You, Allah the Almighty!

Allah the Almighty! O there is none inside me but Allah the Almighty!)

At times and in extreme absorption he said:

لا لا لَا

Laa, Laa, Laa!

(There is nothing! There is nothing! There is nothing!)

When the excitement of a practice adopts the form of complete absorption, the stages in the journey of Sulook are all accomplished right up to Sidrat-al-Muntaha (the Ultimate abode of Allah the Almighty). The Salik becomes independent and carefree of everything of the Universe. The colourful and fascinating aspects of the physical body all disappear. And all the curtains are

When this state of absorption overtook the Master

رَضَ اللُيَه

he, in the heat of absorption, explained his state and stage in these words:

اِمروز شاهِ ثابال ممال نُثْداست مارا جبرايل بالاتك وَربال ثُداست بارا

Today the king of kings has honoured us with his

visit,

The Archangel Gabriel with the angels are our

guards!

Subhanallah (Glory be to Allah the Almighty!)

Then in this state of absorption he remained standing, calm and stationary, holding a branch of the wild fig tree for twelve years. And this is the limit of absorption into Allah the Almighty.

Source of This Information : Tadhkira Anwar-i-Sabiri