Download PDF: [S] How the Awliya behaved towards their Enemies (Islamic story)

Hadrat Sayyiduna Nizaamudeen Awliyah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates:

 

During the days when I was in the blessed company of Hadrat Sayyiduna Shaikhul Islam, Hadrat Baba Fareedueen – may Allah be pleased with him – six or seven people once arrived in the blessed court. All of them were young and were also very good looking. It also appeared that they were connected to the spiritual order as well.

 

They then said to the great Saint, Hadrat Baba Fareed – may Allah be pleased with him, “We have a few disputes and disagreements among ourselves and it is our wish that you send your Mureeds to listen to our conversation and how we resolve these disagreements among ourselves.”

 

The great Saint then informed me to go with these people. At the same time, Hadrat Sayyiduna Badrudeen Ishaq – may Allah be pleased with him – also came along.

 

They then began to speak among themselves. One of them said that ‘once on a certain occasion you had said this and I had given a certain reply. Perhaps I had given the wrong answer or perhaps I had not heard you correctly the first time.’ His friend also began to speak in the same kind and well-mannered way. They continued to speak among themselves is this very respectful manner and Syed Badrudeen Ishaq and I continued to be amazed at this behaviour of theirs among themselves. The both of us then realised that this was a lesson which was being taught to us from the Divine Court of Allah Almighty and we felt extreme spiritual joy on this occasion.

 

After this incident, Hadrat Sayyiduna Baba Fareed – may Allah be pleased with him – informed us, “Complaints and disagreements should be presented against each other in this manner. In other words, the jugular vein of the person should not start to protrude in anger and wrath.”

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Baba Fareed – may Allah be pleased with him – then gave us a great lesson on how to be hospitable and kind and patient. He then informed us that whoever controls his anger and wrath, he is the best person. If there is a person who displays this type of attitude towards you, you should not go out of your way to extract revenge from him or behave with him in this manner as well.

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Baba Fareed – may Allah be pleased with him – also mentioned these words, “Those who are not our supporters and well-wishers, Allah Almighty is also their supporter and those who cause trouble to us, let there be peace in their life.”

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Baba Fareed – may Allah be pleased with him – also said, “Those who place thorns on the path we travel on, we make Du’a that this is transformed into a flower which will continue to protect us from these thorns.”

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Baba Fareed – may Allah be pleased with him – also said, “A person places a thorn on the pathway, and you also place a thorn on the pathway. In this manner, the entire pathway will only be filled with thorns.”

 

After saying this, Hadrat Sayyiduna Baba Fareed – may Allah be pleased with him – advised, “There is a tendency among the common people that they are only good with those who are good to them and those who are bad to them, they are bad to these people. However, the behaviour of the enlightened one’s is that they are good with those who are good to them and they are also kind to those who are bad to them.” (Fawaa’idul Fawaad, 192 to 194)

 

The meaning of common pardon and forgiveness.

When a Saint reaches this stage of humility, steadfastness and independence from his own carnal desires, then sadness, regret and retribution is removed from his heart. When the person reaches this state, not only is he kind to his friends and supporters, he is also kind to his enemies. Having enmity for anyone is not a band aid for anyone, instead when you make Du’a for someone, this is when flowers appear from your tongue.

 

Hadrat Ameer Alaawudeen Sanjari narrates that once the great Saint remarked, “He who gives us problems, may Allah Almighty bestow peace upon him”.

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Naseerudeen Mahmud Chiragh Dehlwi – may Allah be pleased with him – states that there was once a person who was an enemy of the great Saint for no apparent reason. He used to always try and cause trouble for the Saint and went out of his way to cause stress. This person then died. However, the great Saint, instead of saying anything bad, actually attended the Janazah of this person and read two rak’ah of Nafil Salaah for this person. He also made Du’a, “O Allah! Whatever bad or evil this person had suffered from against me, please pardon him and I have also pardoned him. Please do not punish him for my sake.”

 

Someone also brought to his attention that there were certain people who spoke bad about him from the Mimbar, however he advised his Mureeds to have good thoughts about these people and not to bring any harm to them.

 

It is mentioned that the wealth of a true Saint is something which has been donated to creation and his blood is also continuously flowing for the benefit of mankind.

 

Note: This behaviour has always been the behaviour of the pious Saints. It also has to be borne in mind that this does not mean that they were not firm against those who were open enemies of religion and Aqaa’id. If there were individuals that crossed the boundary of insulting Islam and Shari’ah, then the great Saints were people who were extremely severe and displayed no pity for such enemies of Islam. Even in the Qur’an, the blessed companions have been described as people who are extremely kind to each other and extremely severe against the enemies of Islam and this was something which was amply displayed by the eminent Saints as well.