Hadhrat Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshband (May Allah sanctify his secret)

Hadhrat Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshband (May Allah shower His mercy on him) is the Imam of Tariqa, the guide of Haqiqa, an exemplar of the Shariah and a leader of the Ahle Sunnah.

 

His birth

 

He was born in Muharram of 721 Hijri (Hadharaat Ul Quds).  His birthplace is “Qisr A’arifaan” which is a settlement near Bukhara.

 

As per the clarification of Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan (May Allah shower His mercy on him), he was born in 718 Hijri (Gulzar-e-Auliya).  He is a descendant of Hadhrat Imam Ja’afar Sadiq through 18 generations.

 

His name and honorific

 

His name is “Muhammad” and “Bahauddin” is his honorific.

 

Glad tidings of his birth

 

Before his birth, whenever Hadhrat Khwaja Baba Sammasi (May Allah shower His mercy on him) would pass by his area, he would say:  This soil gives off the fragrance of a saint of Almighty Allah.

 

When the time of his birth came near, he said:  Now this fragrance has intensified.  Maybe that saint has been born.  At that time, Hadhrat Shah Naqshband (May Allah shower His mercy on him) had been born 3 days ago.

 

After that, when his father took him to Hadhrat Baba Sammasi (May Allah shower His mercy on him), he said:  This is my son.  I have taken him to be my son.  He told his companions:  This is the saint of Allah whose fragrance we had smelt and very soon, this boy will grow up to be the leader of his times.  Then he told Hadhrat Ameer Kulal (May Allah shower His mercy on him):  If you hold anything back in instructing my son Bahauddin, I will never forgive you.

 

Signs of his sainthood

 

Signs of sainthood were apparent in Hadhrat Bahauddin (May Allah shower His mercy on him) right from his childhood and shone from his face.

 

Whom did he follow

 

He would follow the school of Imam Azam Abu Hanifa (May Allah be well pleased with him) and most of the Shaykhs of this order have been Hanafi. (Gulzar-e-Auliya)

 

His spiritual blessings

 

Hadhrat Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshband (May Allah shower His mercy on him) had derived special spiritual benefits from the soul of Hadhrat Abdul Khaliq Ghujdwani (May Allah shower His mercy on him) and it is on his directive that he has made Inaudible Dhikr compulsory in his order of Tasawwuf.  From the time of Hadhrat Khwaja Muhammad Faghnawi to the time of Hadhrat Syed Ameer Kulal (May Allah shower His mercy on them), the Shaykhs of the order performed both Audible Dhikr (Dhikr Jahri) and Inaudible Dhikr (Dhikr Khafi).

 

The honorific of “Naqshband”

 

Hadhrat Bahauddin (May Allah shower His mercy on him) had once gone to visit Maulana Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah shower His mercy on him).  After Fajr, the Maulana busied himself in reciting various supplications in an audible manner.  Hadhrat Bahauddin (May Allah shower His mercy on him) also sat there.

 

The Maulana said:  O Khwaja!  Tie our pattern as well meaning grace us also with your attention.

 

The Khwaja humbly answered:  We ourselves have come here to be patterned.

 

He graced the Maulana with his attention for 3 days and probably from that time, Naqshband became his honorific.

 

It is also possible that because the first time a seeker sat in his company, thoughts other than Allah would be wiped out from the seeker’s heart, that’s why he became famous as Naqshband.  (Hadharaat Ul Quds)

 

His Salaat and His fasting

 

He says that our fasting is negation of everything other than Allah and our Salaat is to worship Him as we see Him.

 

He says:  One should guard the heart at all times.  While eating, drinking, talking, listening, walking, buying, selling, praying, offering Salaat, reciting the Holy Quran, writing, reading, giving a sermon, at no time, should the heart be heedless of Almighty Allah so that the objective is gained.

 

The Naqshbandi Order

 

We have been brought into this path only by the benevolence of Allah and until the end, we will be beholding this benevolence only.  (Hadharaat Ul Quds)

 

Somebody asked Khwaja Bahuddin:  Your Path has neither the audible dhikr nor seclusion.  On what is your path based? The Khwaja replied: The body, with the creatures.  The heart, with the Creator; hands in work, heart with the Beloved, that is the basis of my Path.  Then he recited this couplet:

 

Translation: Be a gnostic in the heart and appear like a stranger.  This best way is rare in this world.  (Gulzar-e-Auliya)

 

His whole life was spent in guiding the creation of Almighty Allah.  He became the supreme example of following the Sunnah and invited people to the right path.  Many people embraced Islam at his hands.  Many people repented at his hands and the seekers of divine grace attained their objective and were included among the Auliya.

 

Almighty Allah has granted much felicity in his order and has granted permanence to his blessings.

 

His passing away

 

He passed away on 3 Rab’ee Ul Awwal, 791 Hijri.  His blessed grave is in Qisr A’arifaan nearby Bukhara.

 

[By Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi, Professor, Islamic Law, Jamia Nizamia, Founder-Director, Abul Hasanaat Islamic Research Center]