The effect of the company of the saints

 

The effect of the company of the saints

 

It is mentioned in the 7^th Majlis of Fawaaid Ul Fawaaid that Hadhrat Mahboob-e-Ilahi Syed Nizamuddin (May Allah sanctify his secret) said:  Repentance is of 3 kinds:  Repentance of the present, past and future. 

 

Repentance of the present is to regret the sin committed.  Repentance of the past is to gladden the opponents.  If one has taken 10 rupees from some poor person and now wants to repent, then simply saying “Tauba…Tauba” will not do it.  Repentance is to return that money to that person and make him happy.  If one has badmouthed somebody, then one should apologize to that person.  If that person has passed away, then one should praise that person as much as one has badmouthed him.  If one wants to repent consumption of wine, then one should give others good sherbet and cool water as much as possible.  The intent is that the repentance for every sin should be as per the sin itself.

 

The third repentance is that one should make the intention of not committing the sin in the future.

 

After this, the Shaykh said:  When I went to Hadhrat Fareeduddin Ganj Shaker (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) with the intention of becoming his disciple, he said repeatedly that one should please one’s opponents.  When he said this again and again, I was reminded that I had a loan to clear and that I had borrowed a book from somebody which had been lost.  I understood that the Shaykh is saying this through his spiritual visions (Kashf).  I resolved to please them when I went to Delhi.

 

When I returned to Delhi, my finances were really low.  One day, I took half the amount to the shopkeeper from whose shop I had taken some cloth and the payment of that was due on me.  I told that person:  This is half the amount that I owe you.  The rest also I will return Allah-willing.  That shopkeeper said:  Yes.  You are coming from a Muslim.  He accepted that amount and forgave the rest of that amount.

 

After this, I went to the person whose book I had borrowed.  I told him that I had lost that book and I will provide him a copy soon.  That person heard this and said:  This should be the benefit of the place where you are coming from.  He then said:  I have given that book to you.

 

[Excerpted from Maqasid Ul Islam, Vol. 8, Pg. No. 126, 127]