The Khirqa
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Ibn Taymiyya on the Khirqa:
“As for the wearing of Khirqa which some of the Mashayikh garb the spiritual students (Muridin), it doesn’t have a basis with relied upon evidence from the Kitab and Sunnah. The olden Mashayikh and most of the later ones didn’t clothe the spiritual students; however a group from the later ones considered it and liked it.
Some of them sought evidence from the fact that the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave Umm Khalid bin Sa’id bin al-‘As a clothing, and said to her, Sana?”, and al-Sana in the language of al-Habasha is goodness/excellence. She was born in the land of Habasha, that’s why he addressed her in that language. They also seek evidence with the hadith of the Burda which was knitted by a woman for the Prophet, peace be upon him. One of the Sahaba asked him for it, and he gave it to him, and (the Sahabi) said, “I wanted it to be my kafan”. Source: Majmu’ al-Fatawa
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Here is the Cloak (Jubba)
of Allah's Messenger
of Allah's Messenger
صلى الله عليه وسلم
"Asma sent me to Abdullah ibn Umar saying, 'The news
has reached me that you prohibit the use of three things: the striped robe,
saddle cloth made of red silk, and fasting the whole month of Rajab.
'Abd Allah
said to me, 'So far as what you say about fasting in the month of Rajab, how
about one who observes continuous fasting?
And so far as what you say about the
striped garment, I heard Umar ibn al-Khattab say that he had heard from Allah's
Messenger, "He who wears a silk garment, has no share for him (in the
Hereafter)." And I am afraid that stripes were part of it. And so far as
the red saddle cloth is concerned, here is Abd Allah's saddle cloth [=his] and
it is red.'
I went back to Asma and informed her, so she said,
'Here is the
cloak (jubba) of Allah's Messenger,' and she brought out to me that cloak
made of Persian cloth with a hem of (silk) brocade, and its sleeves bordered
with (silk) brocade, and said, 'This was Allah's Messenger's cloak with
Aisha until she died, then I got possession of it. The Apostle of Allah
used to wear it, and we washed it for the sick so that they could seek cure
thereby.'
Muslim
relates this in the first chapter of the book of clothing.
Nawawi comments: "In
this hadith is a proof that it is recommended to seek blessings through the
relics of the righteous and their clothes ( wa fi hadha al-hadith dalil ala
istihbab al-tabarruk bi aathar al-salihin wa thiyabihim)." [Sharh
Sahih Muslim (Book 37 Chapter 2 #10).]
THE CLOAK!
Hazrat Sahal bin
Saad Radiallahu Taala Anhu says, Once a woman asked the holy Prophet(s) , Oh
messenger of Allah! I have made this cloak with my own hands. I have made it for
you to wear. Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) accepted it.
He(s) wore it as
lungi (worn around the waist, and is legs length).
One of the Companions asked
the Prophet , Oh Messenger! Please
can you give this cloak to me. He replied sure, Insha-Allah. After the
meeting was over, he (Peace be upon him) went away and came back and gave the
cloak to the companion. People said, You did not do well. You asked the Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) for the cloak and you knew that he needed it so
he replied, I swear by Allahs name, I asked for it so that I can use it as my
Kaffan (cloth to wrap the deceased person). [Bukhari]
Hazrat Abu Bakr bin Anbari states that Hazrat
Muawiya wanted the cloak that was given to the Hazrat Kaab by the Messenger , for 10,000 Dinaars.
However, Hazrat Kaab refused to give it away by saying, I can’t give the cloak that was given to me by the Holy
Prophet! Later after the departure of Hazrat Kaab from this world, Hazrat
Muawiya brought the blessed clock from Hazrat Kaabs family for 20,000 Dinaars!
Hazrat Mullah Ali Qari Rehmatullahi alaihi writes,
Hazrat Amir Muawiya had the blessed long kilt (Lungi), cloak and Prophets Holy shirt. He also
possessed the blessed hair and the nails of the Messenger . At the time of his
death, he advised his people, I should be clothed with the Prophet s shirt, for
my Kaffan, and should be wrapped in his blessed garment. I must be worn in his
lungi Mubarak, and my mouth and neck and those areas of my body, which I used
for Sijda (prostration), place the blessed hair and the blessed nails. Then
bury me and leave me with the Grace and Mercies of Allah (Mirqat)
The Black Cloak
Ibn Asakir in his
“Arbain fi ummahatil muminin” (p 137, Hadith 28)
Narrated from Umm Salama: “While the messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was in my house one day, the servant came
and said: “Ali and Fatima are at the door”. He said: “Withdraw” and I withdrew
to a corner of a house. Ali and Fatima enter with Hasan and Husayn who were
young children. He took Hasan and Husayn and sat them in his lap, and embraced
Ali and brought him to him, and took Fatima with his other arm and embraced
them both and kissed them. He draped a black cloak over them and
said: “O Allah to you, not to the fire, both myself and my family”. Umm Salama
said: “And I messenger of Allah?”. He said: “And you”.
---
Shaykh ‘Abd'al-Qadir
al-Jilani
was
bestowed the Khirqa
Imam Hassan Askari (ra): Sheikh Abu Muhammad (ra) states that before his demise, Imam Hassan Askari (ra) handed over his Jubba (Cloak) to Sayyiduna Imam Ma’roof Karki (ra) and asked him to pass it over to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) Sheikh Imam Ma’roof Karki (ra) passed over this cloak to Sayyiduna Junaid al-Baghdadi (ra), who in turn passed it over to Sheikh Danoori (ra) .
From here it was then passed down until it reached Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) in the year 497 A.H. (Makhzanul Qaaderiah)
From here it was then passed down until it reached Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) in the year 497 A.H. (Makhzanul Qaaderiah)
“Shaykh ‘Abd'al Qadir al-Jilani (Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu) learned about the mysteries of tariqah and imbibed spiritual culture (tasawwuf) at the hands of Shaykh Hammad ibn Muslim al-Dabbas, Rahmatullahi ‘alayh. Traditionally, when someone is initiated into atariqa, he is given a khirqa (sufi robe).
Shaykh ‘Abd'al-Qadir al-Jilani was bestowed the khirqa by Shaykh Qadi Abi Sa’id al-Makhzumi, Rahmatullahi ‘alayh, (referred to as Al-Mukharrimi or Al-Makhrimi in some texts).
---
The Qadiri Cloak
Al
Sheikh Al Seyed Hashim Uddin Al-Gaylani
---
Ibn Taymiyya's Donning
of the Qadiri Cloak
In a manuscript of the Hanbali 'alim, Shaikh
Yusuf bin 'Abd al-Hadi (d. 909H), entitled Bad' al-'ula bi labs al-Khirqa
[found in Princeton, Sorbonne and Damascus], Ibn
Taymiyya is found in a Sufi spiritual genealogy with other
well-known Hanbali scholars, all except one (Say. Jilani) here to fore unknown
as Sufis. The links in this genealogy are, in descending order:
1. 'Abdul Qadir Jilani (d. 561 H.)
2.a. Abu 'Umar bin Qudama (d. 607 H.)
2.b. Muwaffaq ad-Din bin Qudama (d. 620 H.)
3. Ibn Abi 'Umar bin Qudama (d. 682 H.)
4. Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 H.)
5. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751 H.)
6. Ibn Rajab (d. 795 H.)
(Both Abu 'Umar b. Qudama and his
brother Muwaffaq received the khirqa directly from Abdul Qadir Jilani himself.)
Further corroboration of two links
separating him from 'Abdul Qadir Jilani comes from Ibn Taymiyya himself, as
quoted in a manuscript of the work al-Mas'ala at-Tabriziyya (manuscript,
Damascus, 1186 H): "labistu
al-khirqata mubarakata lish-Shaikh 'Abdul Qadir wa bayni wa baynahu 'than"
"I wore the blessed Sufi cloak
of 'Abdul Qadir, there being between him and me two."
Ibn Taymiyya is quoted by Yusuf ibn 'Abd al-Hadi,
affirming his Sufi affiliation in more than one Sufi order: "have worn the
Sufi cloak [khirqata at-Tasawwuf] of a number of shaikhs belonging to various
tariqas [min turuqi jama'atin min ash-shuyukhi] , among them the Shaikh 'Abdul
Qadir al-Jili, whose tariqa is the greatest of the well-known ones." Further on he continues:
"The greatest
tariqa [ajallu-t-turuqi] is that of my master [sayyidi], 'Abdul Qadir al-Jili,
may Allah have mercy on him."
[found in "Al-Hadi"
manuscript in Princeton Library, Collection fol. 154a, 169b, 171b-172a and
Damascus University, copy of original Arabic manuscript, 985H.; also mentioned
in "at-Talyani", manuscript Chester Beatty 3296 (8) in Dublin,
fol. 67a.]
Additional evidence of Ibn Taymiyya's connection to the Qadiri silsila (lineage) is found in his lengthy commentary on
the seminal Sufi work by his grand-shaikh, 'Abdul Qadir Jilani, entitled "Futuh
al-Ghayb." [this is found in a Princeton manuscript, uncataloged, also
in Leipzig University Library, Arabic manuscript #223, and Istanbul University,
Turkish translation, "Futuh ul-Gayb Hakkinda Yorum"]
Ibn Taymiyya Mentions some Great Shaikhs
of Sufism
This is found in his volume entitled 'Ilm as-Sulook [the Science of Travelling the Way to God], which consists of the whole of volume 10 of Majmu'a Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya which is 775 pages in length, all of which is about the knowledge of the ways of true Sufism, the Science of Travelling to God, ['ilm us-sulook].
On page 516, the third paragraph he says: "the great Sufi shaikhs are the best shaiks to be known and accepted, such as:
This is found in his volume entitled 'Ilm as-Sulook [the Science of Travelling the Way to God], which consists of the whole of volume 10 of Majmu'a Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya which is 775 pages in length, all of which is about the knowledge of the ways of true Sufism, the Science of Travelling to God, ['ilm us-sulook].
On page 516, the third paragraph he says: "the great Sufi shaikhs are the best shaiks to be known and accepted, such as:
Bayazid al-Bistami [a grandshaikh of the Golden Chain of the Naqshbandi Tariqat],
Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani,
Junayd bin Muhammad [the most well-known Sufi]
Hasan al-Basri,
al Fudayl ibn al-Ayyad,
Ibrahim bin al-Adham [very famous sufi, known as Sultan of the Ascetics],
Abi Sulayman ad-Daarani,
Ma'ruf al-Karkhi [a well-known Sufi],
Siri as-Saqati,
Shaikh Hammad,
Shaikh Abul Bayyan."
As
Ibn al-Qayyim wrote in his poem al-Nuniyya: "The Ahl al- Hadith,
all of them, and the Imams of Fatwa are Sufis."
In
al-Mas'alat al-Tabriziyya Ibn Taymiyya declares:"Labistu
al-khirqata al-mubaraka lil-Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir wa-bayni wa-baynahu ithnan
–
I wore the blessed Sufi cloak of Shaykh
`Abd al-Qadir [al-Gilani], there being between him and me two
Shaykhs."
Source: Ms. Damascus, Zahiriyya
§1186 H.
Also
cited by by Jamal ad-Din at-Talyani in his book Targhib al-Mutahabbin fi Labs Khirqat
al-Mutamayyizin. Manuscript Chester Beatty 3296 (8) in Dublin, folio 67a.
Ibn Taymiyya's "two Shaykhs between him and `Abd
al-Qadir" are identified in Yusuf Ibn `Abd al-Hadi's book Bad' al- Ilqa
bi-Labs al-Khirqa as such:
1 - Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani
(d. 561 H)
2-3 -Abu `Umar (d. 607) and
Muwaffaq al-Din ibn Qudama (d. 620)
4
-Ibn
Abi `Umar ibn Qudama (d. 682)
5 -Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728)
(2
and 3 both received the khirqa from Gilani himself.)
The
list continues:
6- Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751)
7- Ibn Rajab (d. 795)
Ibn
`Abd al-Hadi
adds that Ibn Taymiyya said: "I have worn the Sufi cloak of a
number of Shaykhs belonging to various Tariqas, among them Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir
al-Jili, whose Tariqa is the greatest of the well-known ones" and again:
"The greatest Tariqa is that of my master, Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir
al-Jili, may Allah have mercy on him."
Source: Ms. al-Hadi, Princeton
Library Arabic Collection, folios 154a, 169b, 171b-172a; and Damascus
University, copy of original Arabic manuscript, 985H.; also mentioned in
al-Talyani.
AL-DHAHABI
-a Suhrawardi and Akbari Sufi:
He
said: "Our Shaykh the ascetic Muhaddith Diya'
al-Din `Isa ibn Yahya al-Ansari vested me with the Sufi cloak in
Cairo saying, 'Shaykh Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi vested me with it in Makka
from his uncle Abu al-Najib.'"
Siyar
A`lam al-Nubala'
(Fikr ed. 16:300-302 §5655=Risala ed. 22:377).
In
his chapter on "the Imam, the Muhaddith, the
Examplar, the Shaykh of the Sufis"
Abu
al-Qasim al-Nasrabadhi, al-Dhahabi
established as authentic the chain of transmission of the Sufi cloak from
al-Qushayri, from Abu `Ali al-Daqqaq, from al-Nasrabadhi, from Abu Bakr
al-Shibli, from al-Junayd, from al-Sari al-Saqati, from Ma`ruf al-Karkhi.
Al-Dhahabi makes countless mentions of his Shaykh Ahmad ibn Ishaq ibn
Muhammad al-Misri al-Abarquhi, one of those he says transmitted the
Suhrawardi Sufi path cf. Siyar (Fikr ed. 17:118-119 §6084; missing
from the Risala edition).
Al-Dhahabi venerated him and related from him in Mu`jam al-Shuyukh al-
Kabir (1:37) that he said in his last illness while he was in Makka: "I
will die in this illness because the Prophet
upon
him blessings and peace - promised me that I would die in Makka."
Al-Dhahabi also received the Sufi cloak of Shaykh Muhyi al- Din Ibn `Arabi and the
transmission of all his works as we mention below, in the section on Ibn
Hajar, even if he did not spare him his criticism.
Al-Dhahabi said in al-Muqiza (p. 88-90):
"The critic of a genuine Sufi (muhiqq al-sufiyya)
becomes a target of the hadith: 'Whosoever shows enmity to a single one of My
Friends, I have declared war on him.' While one that abandons all condemnation
for what is clearly wrong in what he hears from some of them, abandons the
commanding of good and the forbidding of evil."
IBN HAJAR AL-`ASQALANI- a Shadhili
Akbari Sufi?:
Ibn
Hajar kept all his life in touch with the Shadhili Shaykh Muhammad al-Hanafi
and the latter's biographer, al-Battanuni in al-Sirr al-Safi (1:7) describes
Ibn Hajar as sitting on his knees before al-Hanafi, taking care not to raise
his eyes at him, then kissing his hand before walking backwards to exit the
room.
Ibn
Hajar
in Lisan al-Mizan (5:315) praises the Futuhat al-Makkiyya. He
received from Abu Hurayra Ibn al-Dhahabi,
from his father Imam al-Dhahabi,
the Sufi cloak of Shaykh Muhyi al-Din Ibn `Arabi according to
Abu al-Mahasin al-Qaraqji (d. 1205) in Kitab Shawariq al-Anwar al-Jaliyya fi
Asanid al-Sadat al-Shadhiliyya ms. Damascus 1522 fol. 59b.
1- ‘Abdul Baqi Taqi ud Din bin ‘Abdul Baqi al-HanbalI, known as ibn Badr, the father of the author of the work Mashikha, writes quoting his father, “I took the Sufi Tariqa from the son of my uncle, Shaykh Nurud Din the Khalifa of Muhammed al-’Alami, he encouraged me to seek ‘ilm.
---
Shaykh ul Hanabilah
Sufi Cloak
Sufi Cloak
[...]
From Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanabilah by Ibn Rajab
1- Muhammed bin Ahmed bin Umar bin al-Husayn bin Khalaf al-Baghdadi al-Qati’I al-Azji al-Hanbali born in the year 546 Hijri, he received the khirqa from Abi an-Najib as-Suhrawardi, and gave him Ijaza.
2- Muhammed bin Ahmed bin ‘Abdullah bin ‘Isa bin Abi ar-Rijal, as-Shaykh, al-Faqih al-Muhaddith, az-Zahid, born 572 Hijri, he wore the khirqa of tassawuf from Shaykh Abdillah al-Batayihi, the companion of Shaykh Abdul Qadir,.
3- Muhammed bin ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar al-Muhaddith as-Sufi al-Katib, born in the year 623 Hijri, wore the Khirqa of Tassawuf from as-Suhrawardi.
From the Thabat of ‘Allama as-Saffarini al-Khalwati
1- ‘Allama As-Shaykh Abu at-Taqi ‘Abdul Qadir bin Shaykh ‘Umar bin Shaykh Abi Taghlab al-Hanbali as-Sufi al-Qadiri Mufti As-Sadat al-Hanabilah fi Dimishq.
2- Mustafa bin as-Sayyid Kamalluddin al-Bakri al-Khalwati (a Sufi Tariqa), after praising his shaykh with wonderful words he (as-Saffarini) says, “He gave me permision (to narrate, teach, etc) all of them (the works he lists which includes al-Mawlid), and (he gave me permision) in the al-Khalwatiyya Tariqa, and that I give authority and permision whomever I deem approriate for it (in the Tariqa).”
3- He says about himself, “I’m Ahmed bin Salim as-Saffarini, of HanbalI Madhab, Athari in regards to ‘Aqidah, and Qadiri in regards to method/way (of Tassawuf). Page 268
1- ‘Allama As-Shaykh Abu at-Taqi ‘Abdul Qadir bin Shaykh ‘Umar bin Shaykh Abi Taghlab al-Hanbali as-Sufi al-Qadiri Mufti As-Sadat al-Hanabilah fi Dimishq.
2- Mustafa bin as-Sayyid Kamalluddin al-Bakri al-Khalwati (a Sufi Tariqa), after praising his shaykh with wonderful words he (as-Saffarini) says, “He gave me permision (to narrate, teach, etc) all of them (the works he lists which includes al-Mawlid), and (he gave me permision) in the al-Khalwatiyya Tariqa, and that I give authority and permision whomever I deem approriate for it (in the Tariqa).”
3- He says about himself, “I’m Ahmed bin Salim as-Saffarini, of HanbalI Madhab, Athari in regards to ‘Aqidah, and Qadiri in regards to method/way (of Tassawuf). Page 268
From Mashikha of Abu al-Mawahib ‘Abdul Baqi al-HanbalI
1- ‘Abdul Baqi Taqi ud Din bin ‘Abdul Baqi al-HanbalI, known as ibn Badr, the father of the author of the work Mashikha, writes quoting his father, “I took the Sufi Tariqa from the son of my uncle, Shaykh Nurud Din the Khalifa of Muhammed al-’Alami, he encouraged me to seek ‘ilm.
Shaykh Muhammed al-’Alami gave me Ijazah (permision) in al-Quds to initiate in awrad, dhikr, etc.”
2- Regarding Shaykh Ayuub bin Ahmed al-Khalwati he (the author) says, “and from them our shaykh and teacher in the Khalwatiya Tariqah, and in Shariah Shaykh Ayyub…”
3- Shaykh ‘Isa bin Muhammed al-Maghribi ath’alabi, “Imam of the two Harams, the scholar of the two west and east” He took from Shaykh Sa’id bin Ibrahim al-Jazairi, “dhikr and wore the Khirqa” from him. Even though the shaykh is Maliki, I’ve brought him to show how the Imams of the two Haram were sufis.
4- Muhammed bin Ahmed al-Khalwati al-Hanbali
2- Regarding Shaykh Ayuub bin Ahmed al-Khalwati he (the author) says, “and from them our shaykh and teacher in the Khalwatiya Tariqah, and in Shariah Shaykh Ayyub…”
3- Shaykh ‘Isa bin Muhammed al-Maghribi ath’alabi, “Imam of the two Harams, the scholar of the two west and east” He took from Shaykh Sa’id bin Ibrahim al-Jazairi, “dhikr and wore the Khirqa” from him. Even though the shaykh is Maliki, I’ve brought him to show how the Imams of the two Haram were sufis.
4- Muhammed bin Ahmed al-Khalwati al-Hanbali
Shaykh Ibn 'Arabī
^(large image) click: Here
Ibn Arabi's Khirqa Chart الخرقة الصوفية
للشيخ الأكبر ابن عربي
An illustration of the Silsila of Ibn Arabi and the
Khirqa obtained by him from different Masters.
Ibn 'Arabi (d. 638AH) provides
insight into the nature and significance of the Sufi robe (khirqa) in
his magisterial work, al-Futuhat al-makkiyya:
"One of my teachers, 'Ali ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Jami', who
was a companion of 'Ali al-Mutawakkil and Qadib al-Ban, had met Khadir; he
used to live in his garden outside Mosul. Khadir had invested him with the
khirqa in the presence of Qadib al-Ban. He in turn transmitted it to me,
on the very same spot in his garden where he had received it from Khadir and
in the same way that it had been performed in his case . . . From this time
onwards I maintained [the validity and effectiveness of] investiture with the
khirqa and I invested people with it because I understood that Khadir
ascribed importance to it."
|
“Again
it was in Makkah that he produced the very best of his works, like the first
chapters of Futūhāt, the Rūh al-Quds, the Tāj
al-Rasā’il, the Hilyat al-Abdāl
and a collections of hadīth qudsī named “Mishkat
al-Anwār”.
It
is also worth mentioning that in Makkah he met some of the eminent scholars of
Hadīth of his time. Amongst them was Abū Shujā’ Zāhir bin Rustam, father
of the beautiful Nizām and Yūnus ibn Yahyā al-Hāshimī, who had
been a pupil of the great ‘Abd al-Qādir
al-Jīlānī in Baghdad.
He
not only introduced Ibn ‘Arabī to the
Prophetic tradition but also transmitted to him the teachings of the most
famous saint in Egypt in the ninth century, Dhū’l-Nūn al-Misrī.
Yūnus
ibn Yahyā also invested him in front of the Ka‘ba with the Khirqa (Mantle)
of ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī. (Ibn
‘Arabī, “Nasab al-Khirqa”; Elmore “Mantle of Initiation” 1-33).
It is believed that after
wearing this Khirqa Ibn ‘Arabī formally joined the Qadriyya
Tarīqa.
Taqi
al-Din Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad al-Qalqashandi (d. 867), also called `Abd Allah. He
received the Sufi khirqa or cloak of authority in
Cairo. He is said to have read the whole of Sahih al-Bukhari in three days
while in Mecca. He lived in al-Quds, where al-Sakhawi met him and took
hadith from him. [ Ibid. 11:69-71.]
Ibn
al-Jawzi
wrote in Adab al-Shaykh al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan al-Basri that
al-Hasan al-Basri left behind a white cloak (jubba) made of wool which he had worn exclusively of any other for the past twenty years, winter and summer, and that when he died it was in a state of immaculate beauty, cleanness, and quality. (Ibn al-Jawzi, Sifat al-safwa 2(4):10 (#570).
al-Hasan al-Basri left behind a white cloak (jubba) made of wool which he had worn exclusively of any other for the past twenty years, winter and summer, and that when he died it was in a state of immaculate beauty, cleanness, and quality. (Ibn al-Jawzi, Sifat al-safwa 2(4):10 (#570).
---
Uwais Qarni
In the famous book
of poetry, “Masnavi”, by Jalaleddin Rumi, the following is said
by The Holy Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عايه وسالم)
about Uwais Qarni:
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عايه وسالم) says
that,
The breeze brings O’men! The divine perfume from Yemen. The scent of Ramin
comes from Uwais The fragrance of God from Uwais. Uwais’ heavenly perfume from
God,Overjoyed the heart of the Prophet of God. Forsaking his mortal being
willingly That earthly (Uwais) become heavenly.
Uwais Qarni rahmatullahi alaihe is amongst
the great Tabi’een. It is stated by Umar bin Khattab radiyallahu anhu in a Hadith that I heard the Apostle of
Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam saying, "The best of the
Tabi’een will be a man called Uwais who has a mother and has been
afflicted by leprosy. Tell him to ask forgiveness for you."
[Muslim p.311]
.png){kind=small}
---
Cloak of Owais Qarni
.jpg)
“[...]
Sometimes
Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم)
would turn in the direction of Yemen and say:
"I perceive the fragrance of love from Yemen."
Rasulullah
( صلى الله عايه وسالم )
said: "Tomorrow on the Day of Qiyaamah Allah Ta'ala will create 70,000
malaa-ikah in the image of Uwais Qarni who will enter in their midst
into Jannat. No one will recognise him except those whom Allah wishes."
Since he engrossed himself in ibaadat in concealment, fleeing from people, Allah
Ta'ala will preserve his concealment even in the Aakhirah. Allah Ta'ala has
said: "My Auliyaa are under My Mantle. None
besides Me knows them."
Rasulullah ( صلى الله
عايه وسالم ) said: "In
my Ummat is a man whose shafaa'at (intercession) will be accepted on behalf of
so many people whose number equals the hairs on the sheep/goats of the tribes
of Rabeeh and Mudhir."
These
two Arab tribes possessed the most sheep and goats, hence the analogy. When the
Sahaabah enquired about the identity of this man, Rasulullah
(صلى الله عايه وسالم)
said: "A servant among the servants of Allah."
The
Sahaabah responded: "We all are the servants
of Allah. What is his name?"
Rasulullah
( صلى الله عايه وسالم )
said: "Uwais Qarni."
Sahaabah:
"Where is he?"
Rasulullah
( صلى الله عايه وسالم ):
"In Qarn."
Sahaabah:
"Have he seen you?"
Rasulullah
( صلى الله عايه وسالم ):
"Not with his physical eyes, but he has seen
me with his spiritual eyes."
Sahaabah:
"Such an ardent lover, but why has he not entered into your
companionship?"
Rasulullah
( صلى الله عايه وسالم ):
"There are two reasons. The first is ghalbah
haal (i.e. he is always in a high spiritual state which makes him oblivious of
everything besides Allah Ta'ala). The second is his profound observance of my
Shariat. His mu'minah mother is extremely old and blind. He tends to camels and
with his earnings he supports his mother."
Sahaabah:
"Can we see him?"
Rasulullah
( صلى الله عايه وسالم )
said to Hadhrat Abu Bakr (RA): "You will
not see him, but Umar and Ali will see him. His entire body is covered with hair. On the palm of his
hand and left side is a white spot, the size of a dirham, which is not the mark
of leprosy. When you meet him, convey my salaam to him and tell him to make dua
for my Ummat. Among the Auliyaa those who are the Atqiyaa (a very loft category
of Auliyaa), he is the holiest."
Sahaabah:
"Where shall we find him?"
Rasulullah
( صلى الله عايه وسالم ):
"In Yemen, he is a camel-herd known as Uwais. You should follow in
his footsteps."
As Rasulullah's ( صلى الله عايه وسالم ) demise neared, the Sahaabah asked: "To whom shall
we give your Jubbah (cloak)?"
Rasulullah
( صلى الله عايه وسالم )
said: “To Uwais Qarni.” [...]”
---
Hırka-i-Serif
-3.jpg)
Barış
Samir
of the Köprülü family, the current heiress of the relic, says the holy
historical object was brought to İstanbul by Ottoman Sultan
Abdülhamit I in 1611. "
This
year, our people are visiting the cloak for the 400th time. By the will of God,
I hope that people will have the opportunity to visit this sacred trust for
many hundreds of years to come. I hope we understand the message behind our
beloved Prophet gifting this cloak to a Yemeni shepherd he had never before
seen," she said.
Samir,
who is a descendant of Uwais al-Qarani, the person to whom Prophet Muhammad gifted his
cloak to, stated that the cloak was under restoration for more than a year, and
thus it was not exhibited during last year's Ramadan.
Samir
stated that the hırka-i şerif was being cared for in traditional ways
until this year. "The cloak used to be folded and put into a silver
container and this container would be bundled with fabrics and then placed into
another silver container. Our ancestors have kept the sacred trust safe like
this and so it has been preserved through the years until today," Samir
said.
"Our
family turned to the İstanbul Governor's Office in 2008 to ask for help in
restoring the cloak. However, an expert capable of performing such a delicate
restoration could not be found in Turkey, so we had to contact foreign
experts," she added.
The
experts said it was very risky to exhibit the hırka-i şerif to visitors in its
previous condition. Thus the historic cloak was put aside for little while.
Italian conservator Marina Zingarelli worked on restoring the sacred trust.
Zingarelli used electronic tools to find and remove dust, humidity and dirt
from the cloak. All this was completed successfully.
Samir
says the hırka-i şerif will be exhibited to the public until Laylat al-Qadr
(Kadir Gecesi in Turkish), the night between the 26th and 27th days of Ramadan.
This night is significant because the Quran is believed to have been revealed
to the Prophet starting on this date.
Large
crowds turned out to the exhibit following the opening ceremony. Many were
emotional and prayed during their visits while some stated that everyone should
also come and see the hırka-i şerif and experience the emotional visit
to the Prophet's cloak.
(Cihan
news agency)
Holy Cloak, or the "Hirka-i Serif", as
they are exhibited under glass protection at the 18th-century Hirka-i Serif
mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, on August 5, 2011.
more info:Here
more info:Here
Update: 11/09/2020 (Edited by ADHM)
