8/7/2019 The Counsel of Muhyiddin Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani

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Reproduced by TAQWA.sg 1

The CounselWise advise offered by the Lordly Cardinal Pole, Muhyiddn Abdu-l Qdir al-Jla n, to his son

and inheritor, Tjuddn Ab Bakr Abdu-r Razzq al-Jl , Allah be pleased with them both.

Our venerable guide and revered master, Tjuddn Abu Bakr Abdu-r Razzaq al-Baghdd (may

Allah sanctify his innermost being), asked his esteemed and noble father for advice. The Lordly

Cardinal Pole [al-Qutb al-Rabbni] and the Greatest Helper [al-Ghawth al-Azam] responded:

O my son, may Allah bestow His Enabling Grace [tawfq] upon us, and upon you, and all

the Muslims. mn. This you must know and understand: I am advising you to practice true

devotion [taqw] to Allah, and obedience to Him, and adherence to the Sacred Law [shar],

and careful observance of the limits [udd] set by Him.

O my son, may Allah bestow His Enabling Grace upon us, and upon you, and all theMuslims. You must also know that this Spiritual Path [arqa] of ours is founded upon the

Book [Al-Qurn] and the Sunna, the integrity of [the feelings within] the breasts, the

generosity of the hand, the giving of liberal donation, abstinence from crudity, endurance

of injury, and readiness to pardon the mistakes of our spiritual brethren [ikhwn].

I am also advising you, O my son, to make a practice of spiritual poverty [faqr], which means

preserving the ordinances of the Sheikhs, maintaining good relations with spiritual

brethren, giving sincere counsel to juniors and seniors alike, and refraining from

argumentation, except where matters of religion are at stake.

O my son, may Allah bestow His Enabling Grace upon us, and upon you, and all the

Muslims. You must also know that the true significance of spiritual poverty [ faqr] is that

you are not in need of anyone like yourself, while the true significance of spiritual affluence

[ghin] is that you are independent of anyone like yourself.

As for spiritual culture [taawwuf], it is a state that does not belong to anyone who indulges

in idle talk and gossip. When you have an opinion to offer, you should not begin by

expressing it in terms of knowledgeability. You should rather present it initially as an

expression of sympathetic friendliness. This is because knowledgeability tends to alienate

the listener, whereas friendliness makes him feel comfortably at ease.

O my son, may Allah bestow His Enabling Grace upon us, and upon you, and all the

Muslims. You must also know that spiritual culture [taawwuf] is built on eight fundamental

qualities namely:

1. Liberal generosity [sakh]2. Contentment [ri]3. Patience [abr]4. Symbolic instruction [ishra]5. Living away from home [ghurba]6. Wearing of wool [f]7.

Wandering travel [siya]8. Spiritual poverty [faqr]

8/7/2019 The Counsel of Muhyiddin Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani

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The Counsel 2000. Al-Baz Publishing, Inc.

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Liberal generosity is the special virtue of Allahs Prophet Abraham [Ibrhm] Contentment is the special virtue of Allahs Prophet Isaac [Isq] Patience is the special virtue of Allahs Prophet Job [Ayyb] Symbolic instruction is the special talent of Allahs Prophet Zachariah [Zakariyy] Life in exile is the special characteristic of Allahs Prophet Joseph [Ysuf] Wearing of wool is the special property of Allahs Prophet John Baptist [Yay] Wandering travel is the special feature of Allahs Prophet Jesus [s] Spiritual poverty is the special characteristic of Allahs Prophet and Messenger, our dear friend,

chieftain and intercessor, the owner of vast respect, Muhammad the chosen [al-Muaf] (may

Allah bless him and give him peace, and may He ennoble, honour, glorify, and exalt him).

You must also regard it as your duty, O my son, to maintain a dignified detachment in the

company of the rich, and an attitude of humble self-effacement in the company of the poor.

You must practice sincere devotion [ikhl], which means forgetting about the impression

you may be making on your fellow creatures [khalq], and paying constant attention to the

view of the Creator [khliq].

You must not entertain suspicious doubts about Allah, where the material means [asbb] are

concerned. You must rely on Him with confidence in all circumstances and conditions. You

must not entrust your needs to anyone else, on the basis of some connection between you

and him, such as kinship, affection, and friendship.

It is incumbent upon you to provide the spiritual paupers [al-fuqar] with three forms of

service. The first of these is modest humility. The second is good moral conduct. The third

is a complete lack of selfishness. You must put your lower self [nafs] to death, so that you

may come to life.

The nearest of all creatures [khalq] to Allah is the one who is richest in good character[khuluq], and the most meritorious of all deeds is the preservation of the innermost being

[sirr] from paying attention to anything apart from Allah.

It is also incumbent upon you, when you are together with the spiritual paupers, to engage

in the mutual counselling of patience [abr] and the mutual counselling of truth [aqq]. As

far as this world is concerned, two things should be enough for you: the fellowship of a

spiritual pauper [faqr] and the respect of a saint [wal].

You must also know, O my son, that the spiritual pauper has absolutely no need of anything

apart from Allah . You must also know, O my son, that aggressive behaviour toward

someone below you is actually a form of weakness, while such behaviour toward someonesuperior to you is a form of boastful pride. Spiritual poverty [ faqr] and spiritual culture

[taawwuf] are two very serious matters, so you must not mix them with any kind of

frivolity.

This is my advice to you, and to anyone else among the seekers [muridn] who is capable of

heeding it. May Allah cause them to multiply, and may He enable you and us to succeed

in fulfilling all that we have mentioned and explained.

May He include us among those who follow in the footsteps of the righteous forbearers [al-

alaf al-lin], and who follow in their footsteps in honour of our master, Prophet, and

intercessor, Muhammad. May Allah bless him, his family, and his Companions. May He

grant them abundant peace, till Judgement Day. Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.