Kashaf ul Qaboor

After death, life shifts from the material world to the spiritual realnm where it continues in a new dimension and the ego remains active in the other world as well. This world is called in the Qur'an (Koran) the aeraaf. Its condition depends on the deeds of the individual in the material world. If at the time of death one is peaceful and free of mental impurities and filth then his or her state in the here­after will be peaceful and serene as well. On the other hand, when one leaves this world with anxiety, guilty conscience, or mental suffocation then the same conditions will greet that person in the aeraaf.

The Muraqaba of kashaf ul gaboor is done on the graveside of the deceased with whom you would like to meet. With this Muraqaba you will be able to not only meet the deceased but also to witness his or her condition in the hereafter.

When this Muraqaba is done at the tomb of saints (wali) the pur­pose is to gain spiritual blessing (faidh) from them and a glimpse of them (ziarat) as well.

The correct method of performing this Muraqaba is as follows:

Sit towards the end of the grave (as opposed to towards the tomb­stone). Inhale through the nose slowly and when you are full then exhale slowly without holding the breath. Repeat this eleven times. After that close your eyes and shift your focus inside the grave. After few moments let your mind go deep in the grave, as if that grave were a depth and your attention were falling in it. Keep this focus during the Muraqaba. The esoteric vision will eventually be activated and the soul of the deceased will show up. Depending on the mental capacity and strength, success comes with consistent practice and efforts.

The practice of this Muraqaba should be limited only to the tombs of saints or Imams (Ahlul Bayt) for their spiritual sightings (ziarat) and the blessings (faidh). Unnecessary Muraqaba on the graves of ordinary persons should be avoided.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE AUTHOR'S OWN ACCOUNT OF THE MURAQABA OF KASHAF UL QABOOR:

When I was doing the Muraqaba towards the end of the grave, I saw a layer of soul leave my body and go inside the grave. I saw His Highness Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalander sitting there. The grave looked like a big room. On the left hand side of the grave there was a window or small door. Lal Shahbaz Qalander said to me, "Go see what's inside that door, you are free."

When I opened the door I saw a huge garden. It was so beautiful and glorious that you could not find it anywhere in the world. It had every­thing. I saw birds whose wings were emitting light, flowers that were so beautiful that they are beyond the scope of human consciousness. There was another unique feature about those flowers that each one was a combination of multiple colors, colors that seemed like tiny lightbulbs. When the wind blows, these colorful flowers create a magnificent scene similar to fireworks. The trees were unique in a way that their stems, branches, flowers, and fruits were all round much like mushrooms. When air flows between them it creates such a melody that one gets lost in it. This garden also had grapes of dark pink and blue colors. Each grape is as big as an apple in our world. The garden also had fountains and milky bayous.

The garden had many birds but I did not see any animals. I asked a parrot who was sitting in a beautiful tree where this park was situated. The parrot replied in a human language that this is heaven and the gar­den of God's friend Lal Shahbaz Qalander. After saying that, it flew through the air singing hymns. In short, what I saw there is hard to describe in words. I took a branch of grapes and went back to Lal Shahbaz Qalander. The grand Saint asked me if liked the garden. I replied, "Your Highness, no one has ever seen or heard of this garden. I could not even fully appreciate it."

SHAH ABDUL AZIZ DEHIALVI:

A great South Asian saint of the nineteenth century Syed Ghauth Ali Shah Qalandar (1804-i880) of Pani Put, India, has recorded the follow­ing event in his book Tazkira-e-Ghauthia that provides an outstanding and marvelous piece of information about life after death and Aeraaf. This event took place when Syed Ghauth Ali Shah was the disciple of one of the great Sufi Masters of his time Hadrat Syed Shah Abdul Aziz Dehalvi.

Ghauth Ali Shah writes:

A man came to the court of Shah Sahib. By appearance he looked like a royal official. He said to him, "My story is so strange that no one believes me. My own cognition does not work. I do not know what to say, where to go, what to do. Finally I have come in your service."

Ile then said, "I used to live in Lukhnow. I had a job; things were great. Then my luck went sour and my economic conditions worsened to a point where I became jobless and could not find any work. Then I said to myself that instead of sitting idle why not try my luck in a different city. I took some money for traveling expenses and set off towards Odhaypour. On my way, I rested at a place called Rewari. At the time that place had nothing but a tent and an inn. A few prostitutes used to live there. I was sitting outside the inn wondering what to do because all my money had gone and I was not able to find any work. One of the pros­titutes came towards me and asked me why I was not eating, as it was past the dinner hour. I told her I was tired from the journey and would eat after resting. She then went back to the inn. A few hours later she came back and asked the same question and I gave her the same reply.

Nevertheless, on the third time when she asked me I told her the whole story how I had ran out of the money and now I was thinking of selling my sword and the horse. After listening to my story, she went to her room quietly and moments later came back and gave me ten Rupees. When I hesitated to take the money she said not to worry because she had made that money with a spinning wheel and that she had saved it for her funeral. She said that she was giving me an interest-free loan and that I could return it whenever I was able to do so.

"I took the money and after spending it on my way finally got to Odhaypour. There fortunately I got a job at the royal post. Quickly I was promoted and in short period of time because of good pay and free hous­ing I was able to make and save money. After spending a few years there I got a letter from home that my eldest son was now old enough to marry and that his would be in-laws were insisting on an early wedding. I had to be there to fulfill my duty as a father.

"I applied for a leave and it was granted shortly thereafter and I left for home. When I reached Rewari, the memories of the old days flashed right before my eyes. When I reached the inn and asked about that pros­titute, I was told that she was sick and dying. When I got to her room she was breathing her last and moments later died right before my eyes. I arranged for her funeral and took her lifeless body to the grave myself. On returning from the funeral I went to the motel and slept. At mid­night, I realized that my wallet, which had a draft of five thousand rupees, was missing. I looked for it but could not find it. Then I realized that I must have dropped it when I was loading her body in the grave. I went to the cemetery in the middle of the night and opened her grave.

"When I entered the grave to my astonishment there was neither the body nor the wallet that had my draft. However, I had not seen a door there earlier. It was slightly open. I gathered enough courage to open it but there was a different world inside. On all sides, there were gardens and lush greenery. In the middle there was a magnificent palace. When I entered the palace I saw an extremely beautiful woman. She was dressed up in regal outfit with makeup and there were servants around her. She addressed me and said, `You didn't recognize me? I am the one who gave you ten rupees. God liked my gesture and rewarded me with this glory and status. This is your wallet that fell in the grave. Take it and leave immediately.'

"I said I wanted to see her garden for a while. That beautiful woman said I would not be able to see it entirely even if I stayed there until Day of Judgment. She said, `Leave immediately, you have no idea how far ahead the world must have gone by now.' I followed her advice and left the grave. Now there was neither the inn nor the tent nor that old town­ship. Instead, a new city had sprung around it. When I asked some peo­ple about the inn, they were all unaware of it. When I told my story to some people they thought I was crazy. Eventually one of the people told me that he would take me to an old person who might know something about it. After listening to my story and after a brief pause he told me that his grandfather had told that some time ago there used to be an inn there. One night, a rich man had stayed in it and then mysteriously van­ished. No one ever saw him or heard anything about him. I then told him that I was that rich man. After listening to me, the old man and his com­pany were all taken aback."

After relating this story the rich man asked Hadrat Shah Abdul Aziz, "Please tell me what I should do now, where I should go. I have no home, no family. This whole event has crippled me."

Shah Sahib then said, "What you have seen is true. The scale of measurement of time in our world and that world is different." He then advised that man, "Go to Mecca and spend your remaining days in the remembrance of God."