Salat Al Gawthiya exposed.

Aqeedah : beliefs associated with Islam

Salat Al Gawthiya exposed.

Some sufis often use following narration to ask help from Shaykh Jeylani rahimahullah.

Abul Hasan Ali bin Yusuf Al Shatnoofi narrated from Abul Ma’ali  who narrated from Abul Hasan Ali Jabbar who narrated this story and said I heard from Abul Qasim Bazzar who heard from Shaikh Muhi-ud-Din Abdul Qadir Jilani saying:

من استغاث بي في كر بة كشفت عنه و من نادى باسمي في شدة فرجت عنه و من توسل بي الى الله عز و جل في حاجته قضيت له و من صلى ركعتين يقرء في كل ركعة بعد الفاتحة سورة الاخلاص احدى عشرة مرة ثم يصلى على رسول الله صلى الله تعالى عليه و سلم بعد السلام و يسلم عليه ثم يخطوا الى جهة العراق احدى عشرة خطوة يذكر فيها اسمي و يذكر حاجتي فانها تقضي

“If a person in distress or hardships calls out to me, his hardship will be eradicated. If a person uses my name as a Wasila (medium) when he pleads to Allāh Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, his need will be fulfilled. One should perform two Rakats of Salah and in every Rak’at one should recite the Surah Fatiha eleven times, and thereafter, Surah Ikhlas eleven times. After completing the Salah, one must recite the Durood and Salam (Salawat or Durood Sharif) upon Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wasallam THEN WALKS A DISTANCE OF ELEVEN STEPS TOWARDS BAGHDAD AND TAKE MY NAME AND PRESENTS HIS NEED, ALLAH WILLING, THAT NEED WILL BE FULFILLED’.

[Bahjat al Asrar page :102، فضل ذكر أصحابه وبشراھم، طبع مصر ]

Above narration is also mentioned in Talkhees of Bahjat al Asrar by the name of Zubdatul Athaar Talkhees Bahjat al Asrar by Abdul Haq Dehalwi.

This is a clear fabrication due to three reasons.

1. Who is teacher of Shatnoofi, Abul Ma’ali.

We don’t know anything about him.

2. Abul Qasim Al Bazzar.

We don’t have clear trustworthiness of Abul Qasim Al Bazzar.

3. Shatnoofi the author of the book himself was a liar even though he was a beautiful Qari.

a) The great scholar of ilm Al Rijal, the great Hafidh ad-Dhahabi said regarding him and his book.

جمع الشيخ نور الدين الشطنوفي المقري كتابا حافلا في سيرته وأخباره في ثلاث مجلدات، أتى فيه بالبرة وأذن الجرة، وبالصحيح والواهي والمكذوب، فإنه كتب فيه حكايات عن قوم لا صدق لهم.

Shaykh Noor al Din Shatnoofi Al Muqri wrote a three volume book on the life (of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jeylani Rahimaullah) in which he gathered everything good, bad, authentic, too weak and fabrications. He took narrations from those who were not truthful at all. [Tareekh al Islam 12/252]

He also mentioned him in his book of reciters of Quran, He said:

ﺣﻀﺮﺕ ﻣﺠﻠﺲ ﺇﻗﺮﺍﺋﻪ، ﻓﺄﻋﺠﺒﻨﻲ ﺳﻤﺘﻪ ﻭﺳﻜﻮﻧﻪ، ﻭﻛﺎﻥ ﺫﺍ ﻏﺮﺍﻡ ﺑﺎﻟﺸﻴﺦ ﻋﺒﺪ ﺍﻟﻘﺎﺩﺭ ﺍﻟﺠﻴﻠﻲ . ﺟﻤﻊ ﺃﺧﺒﺎﺭﻩ ﻭﻣﻨﺎﻗﺒﻪ ﻓﻲ ﻧﺤﻮ ﻣﻦ ﺛﻼﺙ ﻣﺠﻠﺪﺍﺕ، ﻭﻛﺘﺐ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ ﻋﻤﻦ ﺃﻗﺒﻞ ﻭﺃﺩﺑﺮ، ﻓﺮﺍﺝ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ ﺣﻜﺎﻳﺎﺕ ﻛﺜﻴﺮﺓ ﻣﻜﺬﻭﺑﺔ . ‏»

I visited his gatherings of Qira’at I liked his sitting and silence and he used to love Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al jeeli extremely. He gathered his (Al jeylani’s) virtues in three volumes in which he mentioned (everything) good, bad, right and wrong. Due to this many false stories have been spread among the people. 

‏[Muarifat Al Qurra Al Kubaar page 397]

In short, adh-Dhahabi enjoyed his gatherings on Qiraat, but due to his books, many falsehoods were spread among the people, as we can still see today.

Hafiz ad-Dhahabi said:
وأين مثل الحارث فكيف لو رأى أبو زرعة تصانيف المتأخرين كـ”القوت” لأبي طالب، وأين مثل “القوت” كيف لو رأى “بهجة الأسرار” لابن جهظم* و”حقائق التفسير” للسلمي لطار لبُّه، كيف لو رأى تصانيف أبي حامد الطوسي في ذلك على كثرة ما في “الإحياء” من الموضوعات،
And where is someone like al-Ḥārith? How would it have been if Abū Zur‘ah had seen the works of the later authors such as “al-Qūt” by Abū Ṭālib? And where is anything like “al-Qūt”—how would it have been if he had seen “Bahjat al-Asrār” by Ibn Jahḍam* and “Ḥaqā’iq al-Tafsīr” by al-Sulamī? His mind would have flown away in astonishment. And how would it have been if he had seen the writings of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ṭūsī (al-Ghazālī) in that regard, despite the many fabricated (reports) found in “al-Iḥyā’.”
Al-Mīzān 1/431

b) Ibn Hajr al Asqalani said:

Ibn hajr said:

ولا شكَّ أنه مَنْ ليست له بصيرةٌ بنقد الرواة ثمَّ قصد الإكثار، فإنَّه يصير حاطِبَ ليل يجمع الغثَّ والسَّمينَ وهو لا يدري، وهذا حال جامع “البهجة

“Certainly, whoever lacks insight into evaluating narrators, and then seeks to accumulate (narrations), becomes like a night gatherer (Haatib ul Layl), collecting both worthless and valuable things, without knowing. This is the condition of the compiler of ‘Al-Bahja’.”

“Kitab al-Jawahir wa al-Durar fi Tarjamah Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar (2/942)”

He also said:

PEOPLE used to respect and venerate him, and attributed him among the good people, and a group benefited from his qira’at. He gathered a biography of Shaykh jeylani by the name of Bahjat (Al Asrar) Shaykh al-Kamaal Ja’afar said

وذكر فيها غرائب وعجائب وطعن الناس في كثير من حكاياته ومن أسانيده فيها وكان عالما تقيا مشكور السيرة

“He (Shatnoofi) has mentioned very strange and odd things in this book (Bajhat ul Asrar) and the people have criticized most of the incidences he has mentioned and their chains. (Ibn Hajar said) He was a Taqi scholar who had mashkoor seerah.

[ad-Durr al-Kaaminah 3/142]

Hajji Khalifah said in Kashf al-Zunūn 2/159
قال الشيخ عمر بن عبد الوهاب العرضي، الحلبي، في ظهر نسخة من نسخ البهجة : ذكر ابن الوردي في تاريخه: أن في البهجة أمورا لا تصح، ومبالغات في شأن الشيخ عبد القادر، لا تليق إلا بالربوبية.انتهى, وبمثل هذه المقالة، قيل عن الشهاب ابن حجر العسقلاني.وأقول: ما المبالغات التي عزيت إليه، مما لا يجوز على مثله، وقد تتبعت، فلم أجد فيها نقلا، إلا وله فيه متابعون، وغالب ما أورده فيها، نقله اليافعي في (أسنى المفاخر) ، وفي (نشر المحاسن) ، و (روض الرياحين) ؛ وشمس الدين بن الزكي الحلبي أيضا، في (كتاب الأشراف) .
وأعظم شيء نقل عنه: أنه أحيى الموتى، كإحيائه الدجاجة.
ولعمري إن هذه القصة، نقلها: تاج الدين السبكي، ونقل أيضا عن ابن الرفاعي، وغيره.
وأنى لغبي، جاهل، حاسد، ضيع عمره في فهم ما في السطور، وقنع بذلك عن تزكية النفس، وإقبالها على الله – سبحانه وتعالى – أن يفهم ما يعطي الله – سبحانه وتعالى – أولياءه من التصريف في الدنيا والآخرة، ولهذا قال الجنيد: التصديق بطريقتنا ولاية. انتهى.

Sheikh ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab al-‘Ardi, al-Halabi (950 AH 1024 AH), wrote on the back of a manuscript copy of al-Bahjah:

“Ibn al-Wardi mentioned in his history that al-Bahjah contains matters that are not authentic, and exaggerations regarding Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir that are fitting only for divinity.”

It is with statements like this that similar remarks were made about al-Shihab Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani.

And I say: What are these exaggerations attributed to him that are deemed impermissible for the likes of him? I have thoroughly investigated and did not find any narration among them except that he has corroborating narrators for it. Most of what he mentioned therein has been transmitted by Al-Yāfiʿī in Asnā al-Mafākhir, Nashr al-Maḥāsin, and Rawḍ al-Rayāḥīn, as well as by Shams al-Dīn ibn al-Zakī al-Ḥalabī in Kitāb al-Ashrāf.

The greatest thing narrated about him is that he revived the dead, such as reviving a chicken. By my life, this story has been transmitted by Tāj al-Dīn al-Subkī and also narrated from Ibn al-Rifāʿī and others.

How can a fool, an ignorant, and an envious one who wasted his life trying to understand what is written on lines [of book] and contented himself with that, instead of purifying his soul and turning it toward Allah, the Exalted and Most High ever comprehend what Allah, the Exalted and Most High, grants His saints in terms of spiritual authority in this world and the Hereafter? This is why Al-Junayd said: “Belief in our way is sainthood (wilāyah).”
(End quote)

The truth is with Ibn al-Wardi, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Dhahabi, Ibn Rajab, and others. What Haji Khalifa said does not prove that the book contains no exaggerations. It simply means that some other scholars also mentioned those karāmāt which Ahl al-Sunnah also affirm.

Some of The karamaat in the book of Shatnoofi on Shaykh Abdul Qadir al Jilani rahimahullah are accepted, while most of the others are fabricated, weak, and nonsense.
After criticizing Shatnoofi’s book for containing fabrications and nonsense, Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said:
وَذَكَرَ فِيْهِ أَيْضًا بِإِسْنَادِهِ عَنْ مُوَسَى بنِ الشَّيْخِ عَبْدِ القَادِرِ، وَقَالَ: سَمِعْتُ: وَالِدِي يَقُوْلُ: خَرَجْتُ فِي بَعْضِ سِيَاحَاتِي إِلَى البَرِّيَّةِ، وَمَكَثْتُ أَيَّامًا لَا أَجِدُ مَاءً، فَاشْتَدَّ بِي العَطَشُ، فَأَظَلَّتْنِي سَحَابَةٌ، وَنَزَلَ عَلَيَّ مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ يُشْبِهُ النَّدَى، فَتَرَوَّيْتُ بِهِ، ثُمَّ رَأَيْتُ نُوْرًا أَضَاءَ بِهِ الأُفُقَ، وَبَدَتْ لِي صُوْرَةٌ، وَنُوْدِيْتُ مِنْهَا: يَا عَبْدَ القَادِرِ أَنَا رَبُّكَ، وَقَدْ أَحْلَلْتُ لَكَ المُحَرَّمَاتُ – أَوْ قَالَ: مَا حَرَّمْتُ عَلَى غَيْرِكَ – فَقُلْتُ: أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِن الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ، اخْسَأْ يَا لَعِيْنُ، فَإِذَا ذلِكَ النُّوْرُ ظَلَامٌ، وَتِلْكَ الصُّوْرَةُ دُخَانٌ، ثُمَّ خَاطَبَنِي وَقَال: يَا عَبْدَ القَادِرِ، نَجَوْتَ مِنِّي بِعِلْمِكَ بِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ، وَفِقْهِكَ فِي أَحْوَالِ مُنَازَلَاتِكَ، وَلَقَدْ أَضْلَلْتُ بِمِثْلِ هَذِهِ الوَاقِعَةِ سَبْعِيْنَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الطَّرِيْقِ، فَقُلْتُ: لِرَبِّي الفَضْلُ وَالمِنَّةُ، قَالَ: فَقِيْلَ لَهُ: كَيْفَ عَلِمْتَ أَنَّهُ شَيْطَانٌ؟ قَالَ: بِقَوْلِهِ: “وَقَدْ أَحْلَلْتُ لَكَ المُحَرَّمَاتِ”، وَهَذِهِ الحِكَايَةُ مَشْهُوْرَةٌ عَنِ الشَّيْخِ عَبْدِ القَادِرِ، فَلَيْسَ الاعْتِمَادُ فِيْهَا عَلى نَقْلِ مُصَنِّفِ هَذَا الكِتَابِ.
He (Shatnoofi) also mentioned, with his chain of transmission, from Musa ibn Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir, who said:
“I heard my father say: ‘I once went on one of my journeys into the wilderness, and I stayed for several days without finding water. My thirst became intense, when a cloud shaded me, and from it came something resembling dew. I drank from it. Then I saw a light illuminating the horizon, and a form appeared to me. I was called from it: “O ‘Abd al-Qadir, I am your Lord, and I have made the forbidden lawful for you” — or he said, “I have not forbidden it to anyone else”.
I said: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan; begone, accursed one!’ Then the light became darkness, and the form turned to smoke. Then He addressed me: “O ‘Abd al-Qadir, you have been saved from Me by your knowledge through the judgment of your Lord, and your understanding in the states of your spiritual stations. I have misled seventy people of the path by a similar occurrence.”
I said: ‘All praise and thanks are due to my Lord.’
It was asked: ‘How did you know it was a devil?’ He said: ‘By what it said: “I have made the forbidden lawful for you.”’
This story is famous regarding Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir, so it should not be relied upon solely from the transmission of this book’s author.
[Dhayl Tabqaat al Hanabila 2/196]
Ibn Rajab considered the following to be the best part of the Shatnoofi’s book:
وَمِنْ أَحْسَنِ مَا فِي هَذَا الكِتَابِ: مَا ذَكَرَهُ المُصَنِّفُ عَنْ قَاضِي القُضَاةِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الشَّيْخِ العِمَادِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الوَاحِدِ المَقْدِسِيِّ (٢)، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ شَيْخَنَا الشَّيْخَ مُوَفَّقَ الدِّيْنِ بْنَ قُدَامَةَ يَقُوْلُ: دَخَلْنَا “بَغْدَادَ” سَنَةَ إِحْدَى وَسِتِّيْنَ وَخَمْسِمَائَةَ، فَإِذَا الشَّيْخُ عَبْدُ القَادِرِ مِمَّنْ انْتَهَتْ إِلَيْهِ الرِّئَاسَةُ بِهَا عِلْمًا، وَعَمَلًا، وَمَالًا، وَاسْتِفْتَاءً، وَكَانَ يَكْفِي طَالِبَ العِلْمَ عَنْ قَصْدِ غَيْرَهُ؛ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ مَا اجْتَمَعَ فِيْهِ مِنَ العُلُوْمِ، وَالصَّبْرِ عَلَى المُشْتَغِلِيْنَ، وَسَعَةِ
الصَّدْرِ، وَكَانَ مِلْءَ العَيْنِ، وَجَمَعَ اللهُ فِيْهِ أَوْصَافًا جَمِيْلَةً، وَأَحْوَالًا عَزِيْزَةً، وَمَا رَأَيْتُ بَعْدَهُ مِثْلَهُ.
Among the best content of this book is what the author narrated from Qadi al-Qudat Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Shaykh al-‘Imad Ibrahim ibn ‘Abd al-Wahid al-Maqdisi . He said:
“I heard our Shaykh, Shaykh Muwaffaq al-Din ibn Qudama, say:
‘We entered Baghdad in the year 561 AH. Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir was someone to whom all leadership, knowledge, practice, wealth, and consultation ultimately returned. He sufficed the seeker of knowledge from needing anyone else due to the abundance of knowledge, patience with the busy, and breadth of He possessed a broad chest and full eyes, and Allah had gathered in him beautiful qualities and noble states. I have not seen anyone like him after him.”
[Dhayl Tabqaat al Hanabila 2/197]

c) The Ottoman-Turkish polymath Mustafa bin Abdullah known as Haji Khaliphah  (1017 h to 1068 h) said:

‏« ﺟﻤﻊ ﺍﻟﺸﻴﺦ ﺃﺑﻮ ﺍﻟﺤﺴﻦ، ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺮﻱ، ﺍﻟﺸﻄﻨﻮﺣﻲ، ﺍﻟﻤﺼﺮﻱ، ﻓﻲ ﺃﺧﺒﺎﺭﻩ، ﻭﻣﻨﺎﻗﺒﻪ ﺛﻼﺛﺔ ﻣﺠﻠﺪﺍﺕ ﻭﻓﻴﻪ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺸﻄﺢ، ﻭﺍﻟﻄﺎﻣﺎﺕ، ﻭﺍﻷﺑﺎﻃﻴﻞ، ﻣﺎ ﻻ ﻳﺤﺼﻰ ﻭﺫﻛﺮ ﺍﻷﻓﻮﺩﯼ ﺃﻧﻪ ﻣﺘﻬﻢ ﺑﻬﺎ . ‏»

Shaykh Abul Hasan Al Muqri Al Shatnoohi the Egyptian gathered the Narrations and virtues (of Shaykh jeylani) in three volumes in which he mentioned mountains of lies and Afoodi mentioned that he (Shatnoofi) is accused due to this (i.e. he was considered liar in gathering those Narrations mentioned in the book).

‏[Kashf al Dhunoon, baab Manaqib Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani]

d) Ibn Rajab al Hanbali (rahimahullah) said regarding him.

ولكن قد جمع المقرئ أبو الحسن الشطنوفي المصري، في أخبار الشيخ عبد القادر ومناقبه ثلاث مجلدات، وكَتَبَ فيها الطم والرم، وكفى بالمرء كذباً أن يحدث بكل ما سمع. وقد رأيتُ بعض هذا الكتاب، ولا يطيب على قلبي أن أعتمد على شيء مما فيه، فأنقل منه إلا ما كان مشهوراً معروفاً من غير هذا الكتاب، وذلك لكثرة ما فيه من الرواية عن المجهولين، وفيه،من الشطح، والطامات، والدعاوى، والكلام الباطل، ما لا يحصى، ولا يليق نسبة مثل ذلك إلى الشيخ عبدالقادر رحمه الله، ثم وجدت الكمال جعفر الأدفوني، قد ذكر أن الشطنوفي نفسه كان متهماً فيما يحكيه في هذا الكتاب بعينه.

“Shatnoofi has written a three volume book on Shaykh Abdul Qaadir (rahimahullah) and in it he has compiled a mountain of lies. Whereas it is sufficient for a person be declared a liar for him to narrate everything he hears. I have seen some of the quotes in the book but my soul was not content in believing them because firstly the narrations have been taken from unknown people.

Secondly not only are their mountains of lies and allegations on Shaykh Abdul-Qaadir but it is also contrary to the status of the Shaykh if attributed to him. The statement of Shaykh al-Kamaal has also passed by me where he says the things Shatnoofi has mentioned in his book Bahjatul-Israar have caused him to be accused (of lying).”

[Dha’il Tabaqaat 2/194-195].

d) This book contains those things of Shaykh which are applicable for Allah only.

Abdul Hai Lucknowi Hanafi said quoted from Kash al Dhunoon of Haji Khaliphah:

ذكر ابن الوردي في تاريخه إن في البهجة أمورا لا تصح

ومبالغات في شأن الشيخ عبد القادر لا تليق إلا بالربوبية انتهى أي كلام ابن الوردي

Ibn Al wardi (691h – 749 h) mentioned in his  tareekh that in Bhjat (of Shatnoofi) the things are not authentic, And extremism in praise of Shaykh Abdul Qadir which are not applicable for anyone other than Rububiyah. [Athaar Al Marfua fe akhbar Al madhua page 66]

Conclusion.

The chain is dark as it has unknown people and the author himself is disputed. Ibn Hajar praised him as he was a good qari due to that people used to venerate him. But as for the book even Ibn Hajar mentioned the criticism which is the main point of discussion. Whereas, Ibn Rajab considered him a liar, ad Dhahabi rejected his book as it has everything. And Ibn al Wardi said this book contains extremism in praise of Shaykh Jeylani to the extent that they are applicable for Rububiyah.

The religion is not taken from Bahjatul asrar rather it is taken from Quran and Sunnah. Tomorrow if we make salat Al wahabiya or salat Al Raza Khaniya. Would you start praying if the sufis accept those as well?

Note: The translations are already done by Islam reigns WordPress apart from the quote by ad-Dhahabi, Ibn al Wardi and the quote by Ibn Hajar without arabic.

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