A Letter

(Qalander Baba Auliya's letter, which he wrote in response to few quarries)

In the Name of Allah,

The most Beneficent, the most Merciful

Dear brother,

With lots of prayers I am writing the following in reply to your questions that you have asked in your letter. Apparently the questions are brief and simple but their answer demand profound thinking and details. If you find any difficulty in understanding, read my words again and again and let the meanings of the words sink deeper into your memory. It is not enough to let such things remain written on the paper but their firm memorization is also necessary.

A noor (Light) spreads from Loh-e­ Mehfooz (The Preserved Scripturum), which spreads in such a manner that the entire universe is in its grip. It does not spread in any one direction but it spreads in, all directions. In other words, it's spreading has no direction. Now you have to understand that what is actually meant by its spreading in all directions and it's having no direction?

God has stated all these things in the holy Quran very emphatically. It is very sad that all these things have been ignored terming them (Mutashabehat) similitude. There is not much room to write all but would like to give you just one example. Just consider it.

Few astronauts have been in space. They say that at an altitude of over 100 miles they experienced weightlessness and that the earth appeared round like a ball. You have also observed that it is like papaya fruit. Now the correct situation is that 3.5 billion (Now it's over 6 Billion) human beings and quadrupeds are clinging to its surface by their feet, or, in other words they are hanging upside down. Every man considers that he is walking on the earth on his feet. See! How wrong is he, in his approach! All those who are ignorant of the reality say the same. Just consider, how a man, who is hanging by his feet, can walk or move around? Hanging upside down is a state of compulsion, so the statement that I am walking is totally incorrect. In the state of compulsion, his will has no meanings. It is very close to fact that the strings with which his feet are tied, are moving and movement of the strings is causing the movement of his feet. How can the will of a man have any effect upon the strings about which he is entirely oblivious? Despite all these glaring mistakes he claims that his head is upwards and his feet are downwards and that I am walking. Fact is that he has made himself a made-up thing and claims that the made-up thing is the reality.

Actually there is no direction as such nor does man have any power to move around. Yes, he can just have an intention. Thus, he has accumulated so many tall claims in his intention. You can easily adjudge the rest of all his claims. God Almighty, in the holy Quran, has rejected every observation of man. Time and again it has been stated, 'ye do not understand', 'it is so but ye see not'. At one place it is stated,

"You see the mountains and think that they are firmly established. No, they are not." All that has been called the unseen, is unseen for man, it is not unseen for God. It is obvious that which is not unseen for God, is present before God and that which is present before God is the reality, which, is obscure from man, so it is wrong as it is not the observation of the reality. Therefore God has rejected every observation of man. Now the ultimate reality is (Ilm-e-Hazoori) the Presented Knowledge. This knowledge is gifted to man from God, to whom He may wish. God has elaborated this thing .as well in the holy Quran. "We make our ways open' for those who strive in Our ways." And, the holy Quran gives many examples in this regard.

In the story of Queen of Sheba, when Solomon asked his courtiers, who can bring her throne quickly, one of the jinns said, "I can bring it here before you would adjourn your court." In the very next verse God says, "A man said, I will bring it here before you could wink your eye", and the throne came there. God says that man possessed the knowledge of the book. God calls all the heavenly books including the holy Quran as Book. Those who do not understand Quran, they may say whatever they may wish, who can hold their tongues but the holy Quran rejects them. Therefore, it is necessary that you learn Arabic and understand the Quran in the words of the holy Quran, without being influence by any explanation or justification impartially, just to understand what God actually wants to tell. As far as the understanding is concerned, God has promised, "I have made it easy for you to understand the holy Quran, is there anyone who wants to understand it?" This general invitation is repeated four times, in Surah Qamar.

Coming back to the topic, you must have understood that direction is nothing. It is only a supposition and a conjectural thing. As I stated above, there does not exist any knowledge except Ilm-e-Hazoori. Man's memory does not have the capacity of accommodating any one of the ways. of Ilm­ e-Hazoori, therefore, the Noor disseminating from the Preserved Scripturum provides infOrmation to man and, man using his discretion and objectives rejects 999 out of every 1000 and the one which he accepts, is placed in, the memory after distortions. These very distorted and disfigured features become the molds of his experiences, observations, habits and acts and movements. Now, all the information, which he conceives keeps on molding into these molds and, this is the achievement of man; his supposed and appointed directions, formulae and principles .and for these very absurd things he claims that this is his experience, his observation and the physical knowledge.

Now it has come to your knowledge that the Noon disseminating the entire universe contains information of all sort and types that are supplied to each and every particle of the cosmos. Taste, hearing, sighting, feeling, thinking, fantasizing and imagining etc, every section of life, every movement and every state of mind exists in these information in their complete form. There is only one method to perceive this, information in correct form. That man has to have the complete state of detachment in every situation, state and manner. HiS expediencies are the only distorting factor. Detachment and impartiality is there where there is no expedience. And where there is no attachment it is the way of God. And, any movement that takes place in such a state of mind permeates and encompasses the entire cosmos. Just understand this thing once 'again. This isn't very difficult. You just have to pay attention.

Man's personal likings make these Nooric waves limited. These limited waves cannot abandon their cosmic role, that continues. Now a false concept that one has associated with these waves takes the form of false hopes. This is what the failure is. This is what the trouble is. Straight thing is that how that noor, which is for the entire cosmos, can be confined to one individual only? If a man is not confined to his personal interests, he sees and understands these waves encompassing the entire universe, which makes him to be harmonious with these waves. This harmony, according to the Laws of God, causes these waves to concentrate upon that man and guard his interests. This means that if he would say, "Day!" These rays have to enforce the day and if commands, "Night!" These waves are duty bound to create night.

Ways of God make it mandatory for these waves to;

Act for the Universe, and, Act in favor of that person who is in harmony with these waves. When Umar Farooq (RA) met Owais Qarni (RA) and requested him for an advice. He asked him two things.

Do you know God, Umer? His reply was, "Yes, I know Him." Does God, too, know you, Umer? He had replied, "Yes, God, too, knows me." It is very clear from these two questions that it is not enough that man strives in the path of Allah and the work is completed, it is also necessary to see that the step taken is only for the sake of God or some other interests are also involved. Paradise and other good deeds are also interests. God does not acknowledge anyone unless the ultimate purpose is God. If a man's objective is Paradise, the Paradise knows him and says, "Welcome, come!" This must be remembered that in spiritualism, enjoining any purpose or reason with God is infidelity.

The dream that you have written about that you are crying while you are sitting in my feet and are saying, "Baba Jee! Where is my mother? Get me my mother."

This information has three parts. One part is my face, the second is your face and the third part is your mother and she is not present. The information is revealed from this point that you are at one place, a place where you are an embodiment of a question, a question, which is a collection of many questions. Name of this collection is 'mother' because she is the point from where the life commences. The life at this point has innumerable paths and man does not know which path is to be followed. Man thinks that the path, which he would follow, may be proved wrong and he would face the failures. He seeks guidance of his soul and sees the soul in a form because he is in the habit of seeing things in forms and features.

When you saw this dream, in those days, you had a rush of such thoughts. The above referred dream was seen on 19th June and your mind had remained in that state for weeks. Your soul had already responded to this question in your dream of 7th June, which you reported in these words:

"Someone comes and tells me that Badar Sahib wants to see me so I proceed immediately. Then I enter a house and see a lady at door. She tells me that Badar Sahib is waiting in his room for me. I enter the room and see Badar Sahib sitting on a table doing something. He gets up upon seeing me. I greet him and he embraces me and takes my tongue in his mouth and presses it. I awake at this."

Complete answer to the referred questions is there in this dream, that is, in future, God will arrange for your guidance. Such a program is its offing, which would ensure success in your future life; everything would be taking place at its appointed time. All things are clearly indicated in this dream; your invitation, guidance on the way and, in the last stage, completion of the inspiration. All these ingredients are present in the dream separately. As far as the worldly things are concerned they are the sources of these very links and their timely availability is sure. You have reported the following Muraqba:

During the lessons at night my body rises from the ground but when I try to move ahead I stumble.

When I think of you, you and the house in Nazimabad are before me but I can't make it that whether I am in Nazimabad or Nazimabad and you have come to me.

God has stated in the holy Quran, "Hudallil Mutageen, alazina yomenoona bilghaib" (It guide them who fear God and believe in the unseen) It means that this Book guides them who have a taste for Allah. Ghaib means all those facts that are beyond man's observation and they all belong to the cognition of God. Emaan (Certitude) means taste. Taste is such a habit that remains in pursuit. Mutaqi is a person, who takes every care to understand a thing and does not allow any misunderstanding to find its way into his thoughts. He recognizes God distinctively and knows His works specifically. His taste is the reason for the correct recognition. Please don't take that everyone doesn't have this taste. In fact, this very taste is the life stream and is the basis of life. Whether man uses it or not, this is his own prerogative. This very taste resides in man otherwise he is an empty void.

Just as God has stated in the holy Quran, "I created man from the resounding clay."

Here the nature of clay has been mentioned, which is empty and void, Now it becomes easy for you to understand that tastefulness do not have any weight, nor any distance has any significance for it. It is not bound by the limitations of the earth and heavens, nor can the time confine it. This very taste is that makes man move around. It's just the matter of acquainting with it. Once one gets acquainted with it, one comes to know that this tastefulness is the man; he is free in the universe, is the head of angels, is the best of creations of God and is the vicegerent of God. He is not obliged to hold things with, his hands, nor is he dependent upon his eyes and ears for sighting or hearing. Man has created all the absurdities and is crying that he is all constrained. You might be thinking that there are many people who succeeded in cognizing God but they are still not liberated in every manner. That's right they are free: but at the same time they are tied down with the rope of human society and this is weakness which makes there liberty incomplete.

A man by the name Tom is a pattern of this very tastefulness. No pattern is a deaf and dumb cage; it is the man that talks, walks around, eats and drinks, thinks and understands. And, from the earth to heavens distance is just a step for him. Distances from one star to another, the space an eye of the needle or the open space of skies are one and the same for him. Nothing can stop or hamper him. Alas, he doesn't know himself or the universe around him. The greatest of all the favors of Holy Prophet (PBUH) for the mankind is that he expounded all these secrets for man. Don't think that he expounded them at his own. No, God revealed them to him and he recorded them as it is in the form of the holy Quran. He handed over this trust to man with great ordeal. How much man valued it that is but obvious.

This very knowledge is that God has termed as the Knowledge of the Book and every man can take advantage of it, be he Tom, Dick or Harry.

You have written that when you try to walk, you stumble. The reason of this is that you are not yet familiar with the real man in you.

You read this letter carefully and if you find any word or narration difficult, understand it after repeated readings of that portion. Copy down the contents of this letter in your own hand, word by word, at night when you are free and save it in a file. Copying this letter is very much necessary for you so that the words and their meaning could transfer into your memory. Then read the copied text again and again. You will find it easy to read you own hand-writing and would be able to focus your mind upon the meanings of the text. This would save you from exerting your attention to comprehend my writing.

Greetings from all brethren and sisters of Silsila,

My regards to you,

Praying for you,

Hassan Ukhra Mohammad Azeem

1.00 a.m. 19 Aug. 1963