Imam Rabbani Part 2

The Mujaddid of the Second Millennium: Imam Rabbani (Quddisa Sirruhu)

Part 2

A scholar and an heir of the Prophet

He guided those who came to him in Sirhind with his advice, lectures, and conversations. As for those who were far away and could not make the journey, he guided them with letters and the khalifahs he sent to various parts of the world. Since the chaos and corruption resulted from the state policy, he was particularly interested in those who had a say in the state’s ruling. He openly opposed the practices of the sultanate that amounted to the distortion of religion. He defended the commands of the sharia and the principles of iman with an uncompromising but constructive attitude towards the state officials. He insisted on the indispensability of the Qur'an and sunnah.

In the meantime, he battled against views and ideologies that deviated from the sharia line in the name of Sufism. He said, “Sufism which seeks the truth outside the sharia, or views the sharia as insignificant and negligible formalism, is chasing after a mirage, and its end is frustration.” He said that if kashf and ilham were not in accordance with the verses of the Qur’an, the sunnah, and the jurisprudence of Ahlu’s-Sunnah scholars, they could never be of any value.

Tasawwuf is a discipline of being, living, and experiencing. When attempts were made to constrict it into words, it led to misunderstandings and confusing discussions, which had gained substantial ground in that time period. Imam Rabbani (quddisa sirruhu) explained with unprecedented clarity the complicated issues of Sufism, such as the understanding of wahdah (oneness of Allah) and the levels of “sayr wa suluk,” and placed them in proper context within the boundaries of shariah. He drew attention to the dangers of pursuing and attempting to explain the mysteries of the “batin” (esoteric) without knowledge, faith, and practice.

In this way, he extinguished a fire of fitnah (discord, strife) that would have cut a significant swathe of destruction through the world of Islam and revived the principles of faith that had been distorted. He restored Islam to its original form and made it the prevalent way of life once more. He was a great scholar and an heir of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), both with his knowledge of Islamic law and knowledge of the “asrar” (secrets). With this superior quality he embodied and the service he performed for Islam, he had the honor of being among those who are referred to in two glad tidings mentioned by the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). The scholars decided that he was both a “sila” because he united shariah and tariqah and a “mujaddid” due to him revitalizing and restoring the religion to its original form.

As it is known, “sila,” which means unifier, is mentioned in a hadith narrated by Imam Suyuti (rahmatullahi alayh), which said, “A person named Sila will come from my ummah, and many people will enter Paradise through his intercession.” On the other hand, the mujaddids were reported in another hadith—this time in Abu Dawud's Sunan—to be “the renewers who will come at the beginning of every hundred years (and who will purify the religion of the ummah from bid’ah and restore it to its original form).” Furthermore, since Imam al-Rabbani was appointed as the renewer for the second millennium, he was called “mujaddid alf thani.”

Manifestation of Jalal

The fact that Islamic principles began to guide people’s lives and the state administration disrupted the system of injustice that some notables in higher circles were too deeply invested in to ever yield. They distorted Imam Rabbani's words and writings on the subtlety of Sufism and spread allegations that he had deviated from the belief of Ahlu’s-Sunnah. Jahangir Shah, who lacked the knowledge to comprehend such matters, took these accusations as an opportunity to put the imam on trial and imprison him because he had long been uncomfortable with his influence in the palace. Some of the rulers, fearing that they would lose their position and reputation, had convinced the Shah of the lie that “Imam Rabbani would seize the sultanate.”

Jahangir Shah summoned Imam al-Rabbani to his presence for some form of trial. He told him to prostrate himself before him, but the imam vehemently refused. He answered all the objections and accusations about his beliefs, thoughts, and methods one by one and silenced everyone who questioned him. He did so with such overwhelming authority that a Hindu commander, who was present in the assembly for his duty, converted to Islam right there and then under the influence of Imam Rabbani's words. Jahangir Shah also had nothing more to say. He wanted to apologize and send the imam away, but his close circle, whose interests were damaged, said, “He has a staggeringly high number of men, and his words are deemed valid everywhere. If we let him go, he will create chaos in the country.” And so they dissuaded the sultan. Imam Rabbani was imprisoned in a castle on the grounds that he did not prostrate to the sultan and spread his un-Islamic ideas through his letters. His house was seized, his books were confiscated, and his family was forced to live elsewhere.

One of Jahangir Shah's sons was the imam’s follower. In a letter the son wrote to him, he said that he might be killed in the dungeon and that he would be saved if he bowed down to his father. Knowing Imam Rabbani's sensitivity, he listed the fatwas of fiqh scholars who permitted prostration before sultans in times of necessity. In his reply, the imam said, “In our way, we do not deal with permits, but with azimah.” He said that he would prostrate himself to no one but Allah, that he did not fear persecution or death, and that no power could delay or bring forward the appointed time of death that Allah ordained. He was imprisoned for nearly three years.

That was how grim the situation looked outwardly, but many pearls of wisdom were hidden in everything that transpired in ways an observer couldn’t have ever guessed.

Be it blessing or suffering, love all that comes from the Beloved

Imam Rabbani, who ascended the ranks of walayah (the ranks of the friends of Allah) one by one, was aware that he was still unable to reach the peaks that could be achieved with a level of irfan that only those who rise through these ranks could attain. In his letters before imprisonment, he complained that he could not completely surrender his will to Allah “like a corpse in the hands of a ghassal” in the face of the grievances that people inflicted on him and that he could not wholly rid himself of the concerns he considered to be trivial and originating from his nafs, which he should have been able to leave far behind. It was possible to rid oneself of such states and reach higher stations by submitting to the discipline Allah imparted in His servants through His attribute of Jalal. However, until now, he had constantly been gently led and disciplined by the attribute of Jamal. For this reason, he considered being thrown into the dungeon a blessing for the manifestation of Jalal. Shouldn't suffering from the Beloved be as pleasant to the true lover as His grace? As he explained in his letters and lectures, “A friend would like to see the one who loves him detached from everything but himself.” In this high station where comfort is in discomfort, the lover of the truth running towards suffering and pain without obeying the desires of the ego was the cure itself. The real bliss was to be content with whatever came from Him.

In this state, with patience, gratefulness, and dhikr (remembrance), he attained graces that he could not reach outside. As he said before his death, Allah Almighty had given him all the spiritual blessings that can be granted to a human being. On the other hand, he turned the dungeon he was in into a dargah, won the hearts of all the non-Muslim prisoners in prison, and was instrumental in their guidance.

While in prison, he prevented his followers from acting when they wanted to revolt to save him. He told them that hurting and angering the sultan would harm all Muslims, that they should pray for the sultan to mend his ways, and that they should act with patience and mildness. After hearing of this, Jahangir Shah finally realized his mistake. He released Imam Rabbani from prison, asked for forgiveness, and requested him to stay in the palace and guide them. After visiting his hometown for three days, Imam Rabbani returned to the sultanate’s capital, as he deemed it appropriate to stay close to the ruling circle for a while for the sake of the ummah. He realized that especially the commanders and soldiers had to be trained in Sufism. Staying at the headquarters for a long time, he transformed this place into a dargah with his talks and lectures.

End of the road

Like spring wrapping its rejuvenating arms around the winter-ravaged earth, Islam had once again embraced the Indian subcontinent, and its proverbial fragrance had reached the whole world from there. Imam Rabbani's heart was at peace, but he felt tired. Years of struggle had worn out his body, and he had recently started to fall ill frequently. He had no interest in or inclination for anything anymore. Realizing his journey in this world was coming to an end, he went into seclusion in Sirhind. He spent all his time in dhikr, going out only for the daily prayers and Friday prayers. After nearly a year of this state, he died in the last days of 1624 of the Gregorian calendar at the age of 63. Before his death, he once again advised his sons and students to “hold fast to the sunnah,” distributed his clothes to the poor, and thanked Allah Almighty for making him similar to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in terms of life span.

Throughout his life, he guided people in accordance with the hadith “Religion is advice.” He advised them not to be fond of the world, and to leave the world, if not in reality, then at least in deed. He considered abandoning what was necessary and permissible in food, drink, clothing, and housing as “real abandonment.” He described avoiding haram and suspicious things and practicing what is permissible in these matters as “de jure abandonment,” implying that this level of abstinence would only fulfill the basic requirements dictated by Islamic law but not amount to the true abstinence he deemed necessary.

He advised avoiding matters that some fiqh scholars said were permissible, and others said were makruh, strongly urging exercising rigorous restraint and avoidance when encountering a situation that involved makruh things or actions. He referred to the conversations of the friends of Allah, the kamil (perfect) Murshids, as a cure for those who suffer from spiritual ailments that made one feel as if their hearts were being constrained in a narrow strait. He said that in order not to waste the time one is allotted in this world, it is necessary to occupy it with the most precious endeavors, and the most precious of these works is serving the Owner of man and time. He attached great importance to prayer, which meant knocking on the door of the Owner of ihsan. He used to say, “If one knocks on the door of the Owner of ihsan persistently and properly, it will surely open.”

He left behind a renewed path in line with the Ahlu’s-Sunnah beliefs and practices and a pleasant voice with his books, letters, conversations, and lectures. May Allah sanctify his secret and grant us his intercession.

Ali Yurtgezen