In remembrance of the passing of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani Rahmatullah alaihion the 11th Rabi uth-Thani I include the words of one poet:
Upon his arrival the clouds gave forth refreshing rain,
and green grass covered the whole if Iraq.
Sinful transgression passed away,
and the right direction was made quite clear.
Its palm trees flourished, its desert became a haven,
its pebbles turned into pearls, and its lights shone plain to see.
Because of him, the bosom of Iraq swelled with an ardent longing,
and in the heart of Najd his virtues were the cause of ecstasy.
In the East the sparks of his light were seen as lightning flashes,
and in the West the mention of his splendor was heard
as the clap of thunder.
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Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir Jilani Rahmatullah alaihi explains the meaning of faqir, “spiritual pauper”. In Arabic it is written with the letters fa, qaf, yay, and ra.
The initial fa of faqir stands for his absorption [fana] in his essence,
and his detachment from his description and his attributes.
The qaf stands for the strength [quwwa] of his heart
In [its dedication to] his Beloved,
And his commitment [qiyam] to Allah for the sake of His good pleasure.
The yay shows that he pins hope [yarju] on Him, and fears [yakhafu] Him,
And performs [yaqumu] his duty as true devotion demands.
The ra stands for the refinement [riqqa] of his heart and its purity,
And its return [ruju] to Allah from its carnal desires.
What is required of the spiritual pauper [faqir] is that he should be flexible in his thinking [fikr] and centered in his remembrance [dhikr], courteous in his disagreement [munaza’a] and ready to assist in his reconciliation [muraja’a]. He must seek nothing from the Lord of Truth but the Truth [Haqq], and he must practice nothing but truthfulness [sidq]. He must be the most tolerant of people, and the most self-effacing. His laughter should be of the cheerful, smiling kind, and his curiosity should be used as an instrument of learning. He should be a reminder to the heedless, and a teacher to the ignorant. He must not hurt those who hurt him, and he must not meddle in things that do not concern him.
May Allah Ta’ala be well pleased wth Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, and may He sanctify the innermost beings of His saints.
May Allah Ta’ala bless our Prophet Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, his family and his companions, and may He grant them all peace.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Ameen.
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.
