Hadhrat Khaja Bahauddin Naqshband (May Allah sanctify his secret)

 

Imam Ut Tareeqah Hadhrat Khaja Bahauddin Naqshband

(May Allah sanctify his secret)

 

Khaja Bahauddin Naqshband (May Allah be well pleased with him) was born in the month of Muharram in the year 718 Hijri.  Miracles were expressed through him, right from his childhood.  He is the Leader of the Order, the Guide to the (ultimate) reality, the Exemplar of the Shariah and the Leader of the Ahle Sunnah.  His genealogy is this:

 

Hadhrat Khaja Bahauddin Naqshband, son of Syed Muhammad Bukhari, son of Syed Jalauddin, son of Syed Burhanuddin, son of Syed Abdullah, son of Syed Zain Ul A'abideen, son of Syed Qasim, son of Syed Sha'abaan, son of Syed Burhanuddin, son of Syed Mahmood, son of Syed Bulaq, son of Syed Taqi Sufi Khalwati, son of Syed Fakhruddin, son of Syed Ali Akbar, son of Imam Hasan Askari, son of Imam Ali Naqi, son of Imam Muhammad Taqi, son of Moosa Raza, son of Imam Moosa Kazim, son of Imam Ja'afar Sadiq, May Allah be well pleased with all of them.  May Allah grant us their blessings.

 

He was a follower of Imam A'adham Abu Hanifa.  Most of the Shaykhs of this Path have followed the Hanafi school of Fiqh only.  He received spiritual blessings from Khaja Muhammad Baba Sammasi, even though he was a disciple of Hadhrat Ameer Kulaal.  He received spiritual blessings through the Owaisi chain of transmission from Hadhrat ‘Abdul Khaliq Ghujdwani (May Allah preserve their teachings).

 

From Khaja Mahmood Faghnawi to Khaja Ameer Kulaal, all the leaders of this order practiced both the audible Dhikr and the inaudible Dhikr.  When the blessed era of Hadhrat Khaja Bahauddin Naqshband came, then the soul of Hadhrat ‘Abdul Khaliq Ghujdwani said: Son Bahauddin, you leave the audible remembrance of Allah Most High; always practice only the inaudible Dhikr.  From then on, he made inaudible Dhikr compulsory in his order.  Somebody asked Khaja Bahauddin:  Your order has neither the audible Dhikr nor seclusion.  On what is your path based?  The Khaja replied: The basis of my order is to keep the body, with the creatures.  Heart, with the Creator; hands in work, heart with the Beloved.  Then he recited this couplet:

 

Translation: Be a Gnostic inside and appear like a stranger.  This best way is rare in this world.

 

Once he saw a chameleon absorbed in the sight of the sun.  He respectfully sat down before it and said: "O chameleon, you are immersed in the sight of your beloved.  For the sake of Allah Most High, pray for me that the divine vision and absorption which you enjoy with your beloved, my Beloved should also grant me the same vision and absorption.  He had not even finished this that the chameleon turned to him and turned to the sky and remained motionless as if praying.  The Khaja kept saying:  Aameen, Aameen.  From then, his divine vision became even stronger.  What selflessness!  It is true the Gnostic is perennially thirsty; the more he drinks, the more he becomes thirsty.

 

He used to follow the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in all aspects and always used to supplicate: O Allah Most High!  Increase my knowledge.  He passed away on the night of Monday, 3 Rab’ee Ul Awwal 791 Hijri.  His shrine is in Qisr e A'arifeen (Literally, The Palace of the A'arifeen), which is very near to Bukhara.

 

[Excerpted from Gulzaar-e-Auliya Pg No.  19-21]