The Biography of Imam Master Sayyed Ahmad Al-Rifai Establisher of the Rifai Sufi Path [(512 Ah)(1118 Ad)]-[(578 Ah)(1182 Ad)]

By Sayyed Yousuf Sayyed Hashem Al-Rifai

Sayyed Ahmad Al-Rifai is among the best of the divinely devoted scholars, and the great masters (sheikhs) in the Muslim nation (ummah), the nation of Muhammad, may Allahs peace and blessings be upon him. He is among those pure and believing souls, for which Allah has written the general acceptance and complete approach, and whose reputation exceeded its age and region unto the farthest temporal and spatial and distances.
It might be that no other sheikh or educating master after Abdul-Qadir Al-Gilani has acquired this great admiration, and widespread acceptance, which master Al-Rifai has acquired.
His path is still alive, and is placed in the Arab countries as the Jashtiya path is placed here in the Indian subcontinent, and its neighboring country.
(Sheikh Allamah Abu Al-Hassan Ali Al-Hassani Al-Nadawi)

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496933751

Sayyed Yousuf Sayyed Hashem Al-Rifai

The Author’s Biography Yousuf Al-Sayed Hashem Al-Rifai • Born in state of Kuwait in the year 1351AH – 1932AD. • Establisher of the Al-Iman Al-Shar3y institute in Kuwait in 1972AD. • Member of the Executive Bureau and vice-chairmen of the Organization of the Islamic World Conference in Pakistan, established in 1920 in Mecca. • Leader of the Islamic Minorities Committee of the Conference. • Establisher of The Islamic Union for Propaganda and Communication Media (Lahore – Pakistan). • Member of the Higher Board (Supreme Council) of Islamic Affairs in Cairo. • Member of Kuwaiti Parliament from 1963 to- 1973AD • Minister of Post, Telegraph and telephone from 1963 to-1964AD. • State Minister for Cabinet Affairs and Head of Municipal Council from 1964 to- 1970AD. • His lineage goes back to Al-Imam Al-Hussein Bin Ali Bin Abu Taleb “May Allah be pleased with them and their relatives”. The Translator’s Biography * Nada S. Yousuf S. Hashem Al-Rifai * Born in Kuwait * Bachelor of Arts— English Language & Literature —Kuwait University * Educational Diploma (Methods of Teaching English) —Kuwait University * Master of Curricula and Methods of Teaching English —Kuwait University * Master of Translation —Kuwait University * English Instructor —Language Center —College of Basic Education Memberships: Member of the Association of Writers in Kuwait Member of the Global Association of Islamic Literature Member of the Association of Instructors at the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training (PAAET). Member of the International Association for Teaching English Member of the Association of Poets Without Borders Member of the Association of Egyptian Linguists and Translators Publications: * “Poems from Kuwait” (a collection of Arabic poems) 2002. * “Zahrat-ul-Mustafa” – The Flower of the Chosen (a collection of Arabic poems) 2004. * “My prayers” (a collection of Arabic poems) 2007. * “Pearls and Travels” (a collection of Arabic poems) 2007. * “A Mentor’s Guide” (a translation of an educational book into Arabic) 2009. * “Kuwait my beloved Country” (a collection of Arabic poems) 2010. * “Pearls & Travels (a collection of poems translated into English) 2010. * “The Advocated Proof” (a book from the heritage translated into English) 2011. * “A Teacher is nearly a Messenger” (a collection of Arabic poems) 2011. Email: [e-mail]

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The Biography of Imam Master Sayyed Ahmad Al-Rifai

Establisher of the Rifai Sufi Path

[(512 AH) (1118 AD)]–[(578 AH) (1182 AD)]

By:

Sayyed Yousuf Sayyed Hashem Al-Rifai

The Imam’s Descendant and the Servant of the Rifai Path

and

Sayyed Mustafa Al-Rifai Al-Nadawi

Scholar of India and a Master of the Path

Translated by the Author’s Daughter

Nada S. Yousuf S. Hashem Al-Rifai

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© 2014 Sayyed Yousuf Sayyed Hashem Al-Rifai. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/29/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3374-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3375-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014914622

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CONTENTS

Introduction

On the Topic of This Book

In the name of Allah the compassionate and the merciful Praise be to Allah, the lord of the worlds, and may His peace and prayers be upon His messenger.

His Engrossment in Knowledge Sciences

His Engrossment in the Tazkia (Refinement of the Soul)

His Occupation in Performing Speeches and Sermons

His Embusiment in Divine Remembrance and Worship

His Versification

His Morals and Habits

His Service for the Creation

Endurance and Tolerance

Approaching Whomever He Meets with His Greeting

His Ideas and Thoughts through His Valuable Sermons

Master Al-Rifai’s Will

The Testimony of the Men of Knowledge and Insight

His Life, a Resume of His Successors, and Members of His Family

The Noble Paternal Lineage of Master Al-Rifai

The Testimonies of the Authorities on Kissing Prophet Muhammad’s Hand

His Venerablem Divine Miracles during His Noble Life

The Good Example through His Good Biography

Brief Biographies of the Main Rifai Sufi Masters

About the Translator

INTRODUCTION

BY SHEIKH ALLAMAH ABU AL-HASSAN ALI AL-HASSANI AL-NADAWI, MAY ALLAH’S MERCY BE UPON HIM

In the name of Allah, the gracious, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, that is sufficient, and peace be upon His slaves whom He has chosen (Qur’aan 027:059).

Having said that, Sayyed Ahmad Rifai is among the best of the divinely devoted scholars and the great masters (sheikhs) in the Muslim nation (ummah), the nation of Muhammad—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. He is among those pure and believing souls for which Allah has written the general acceptance and complete approach, and whose reputation exceeded its age and region unto the farthest temporal and spatial distances.

It might be that no sheikh or educating master after Abdul-Qadir Al-Gilani has acquired the great admiration and widespread acceptance that master Al-Rifai has acquired.His path is still alive and is placed in the Arab countries as the Jashtiya path is placed here in the Indian subcontinent and its neighboring countries.

Al-Rifai, may Allah’s mercy be upon him, holds a lofty rank concerning the emergence of the dignified miracles (Karaamah) and the paranormal habits out of him, as well as in regard to the overwhelming attendance to him and the good acceptance, appreciation, and admiration among the slaves of Allah. He is, in all this, the equal of our master Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al-Gilani.

However, this overwhelming attendance and excessive admiration may have, in the Islamic history, figured stories and tales that contained a lot of unsubstantiated exaggerations; that are wrongly attributed to him by the extremist fans, writers, and authors who load praise randomly and cannot do right or well investigation, scrutiny, and precision in removing away the thick dust that accumulated on the beauty of his exploits and deeds; and that disfigured the aspects of his grace and perfection.

As if that were the tax of the wide fame that accompanies him and does not leave him, take for instance one of these sheikhs and imams of purification, education, and excellence in charity. Read his biography and see what I mean. The historian said,

He did not eat or drink, nor did he have human needs, he had no desire for learning and teaching, or classifying and authoring. He was loaded with the spirit of reform and declaration, freeing himself from the sense of doing favor in his service to the creation and people. He was preoccupied by invalidation the laws of provisioning and foreordainment, contradicting the natural laws, managing the four elements, this was his beloved job, as if he was conflicting the irrevocable laws of provisioning and foreordainment, always opposing and modifying them, wishing to manage the world of configuration.

This injustice happened on the part of Master Ahmad Al-Rifai. May Allah mercy him, due to some of the extremist fans who were unfair to him when they attributed to him what was not proven to be his. However, he was the most polite with Allah and His messenger, especially if it were a matter of fate and divine decree; whoever followed his life story and read his biography found that throughout his words, which were narrated on his behalf. In his book Al-Burhaan Al-Mu’ayyad (The Advocated Proof), he included what the commentators were unable to unfold regarding their aims and particulars. Yet perhaps in the section of excess and negligence, and attributing to him what was not proven to be his, the amount of injustice that occurred upon him happened to only a few other sheikhs.

The man whose life essence was ignoring the self, being humble, contrasting evil passion, thinking well of people, seeking excuses for brothers, apologizing on the behalf of friends, forgiving enemies, having compassion for Allah’s creation, comforting people of different ideologies and religions, respecting humanity, consoling broken hearts, and entertaining distressed souls was covered with a thick curtain of supernaturalism, divine miracles, apocalypses, and behaviors, until his face became hidden from fans so that shedding light upon the real features of his life became an impossible thing.

The recent centuries brought into his path vanities, myths, and juggleries which made them symbols of wonders, such as the Bahlawany (acrobatic) and the Shattariya paths in India, which forced those who care about the religion and the faithful supporters of the Islamic law in their time to protest against those falsehoods and delusions, which were the result of the exaggerators’ error or the mercenaries belonging to this method.

The Rifai path (way) entered India a long time ago, and ever since a link between India and the Arabs has grown. So began the frequentation of the Arab sheikhs to India, and they became known and well attended, first in Gujarat and south India where Rifai oratories were established in various habitats that were headed by people from all over the countries; they became very famous. The attendance was great due to Master Al-Rifai, may Allah’s mercy be upon him. Here the ignorant started to believe in him—rightfully and in a legitimate way, as well as wrongfully and in an illegitimate way—and there appeared traditions and customs that are not permitted by Islamic law in any case.

Dozens of books and booklets were written in Arabic about his life, virtues, and perfection; considerable biographies are still presented about his profound, influential spiritual states (ahwaal) that drive faith and compassion, strengthen the spirit to work, and nourish the heart. They contain clear evidence of his high rank, his majestic status, his beloved position to Allah, and his tight relationship with Allah Almighty. They also provide examples of his high manners and noble morals, which will impress non-Muslims as well as Muslims, particularly with reference to his love of humanity, his sympathy for the creation, and his altruism and brokenheartedness.

There was an urgent need to provide a book that presents his teachings and personality correctly, purely, and truthfully as it is in reality, clearing away the dust that accumulated on his pure fountain. The composition of this book is valuable not only to the Rifai path but also to Islam and Muslims as well, because in his spiritual states there are rich subjects and great lessons for the seekers of the right and the correctness, as well as a call for compassion for humanity and righteousness for non-Muslims.

Praise be to Allah who granted success to dear brother Sayyed Mustafa Al-Rifai Al-Nadawi to accomplish that worthily. His family has long carried the banner of this path as the focus of attention, and in the position of high demand and honor in Karnataka State in India. He inherited the love of this path from his righteous predecessors: his teachers and school in which he was educated, and his sheikh [the great narrating Master Allamah Mohamed Zakaria bin Yahya Al-Kandahlawy, buried in Al-Madina Al-Munawara], from whom he received his spiritual education and soul purification. He was moderate and well-balanced in ideas and trends, respected the Islamic law, and preferred it to everything in this life, whether expensive or cheap. He considered the Qur’aan and Sunnah the right measure of rightness and truth, and he followed the Sunnah (traditions) of the Prophet. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him because he is entrusted, favored, and honored by Allah Almighty.

All that prepared him to write about such a subject, and to compose this book. I do not say that the book is entirely free from excessiveness, negligence, and exaggeration that emerges out of excessive love and strong admiration, but it is largely moderate and reserved, which increases its value and deserves appreciation. On the other hand, it calls for revising the other biographies, which are difficult to read today by those of true faith who follow the Book and the Sunnah (prophetic traditions).

Due to my poor eyesight, I could not read the book thoroughly, yet I had a look at it which gave me evidence on the author’s dedication and efforts. I hope that this book will pass through stages of revision and refinement in the following editions, which will increase the value of the book.

Many books, both rare and modern manuscripts, have been printed about the Rifai path and Master Al-Rifai thanks to the efforts of our esteemed friend, his Excellency Sayyed Yousuf Hashim Al-Rifai, the former minister of state in the State of Kuwait. The author of this book was able to take advantage of these books, and he presents extracts from them here.

I hope that this book will be a powerful means of raising the faithful emotions, strengthening the heart, renewing the covenant, and encouraging the working power of the Muslim community in general and of the followers of the Rifai path in particular. I pray to Allah to make this book a useful one for the readers and an asset for its author.

Abu Al-Hassan Ali Al-Nadwi

Ninth Rabee Al-Akher, 1398 AH

Friday, March 19, 1978

Bureau of Sheikh Allam Allah Al-Hassani

Rani Birla, India

In the name of Allah the Compassionate and the Merciful

Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings of Allah be upon His slave, His messenger, His prophet, and His beloved, our Master Muhammad bin Abdullah, as well as upon his family and righteous companions and supporters.

I invoke Allah Almighty’s pleasure and tender mercy upon His humble servant, the kneeling worshiper, our grandfather Imam Sayyed Ahmad Al-Rifai al-Husseini, born in 512 AH (AD 1118) and died in 578 AH (AD 1182) in um Abeedah in Wasit in Iraq. He was the founder of the supreme Rifai path, on the basis and approach of his grandfather Al-Mustafa, the prophet of mercy, and Allah’s mercy to the nation, Muhammad the messenger of Allah. May the best blessings and peace of Allah Almighty be upon him and his family.

Having said that, Master Ahmad, as it will be seen through this biography, was an honest lover and a faithful follower of Master Prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family. People in different countries and times passed from mouth to mouth the following two-verse lines, which he improvised at the holy confrontation on the year of his pilgrimage in 555 AH (AD 1160). In front of the holy prophetic chamber and the lightening illuminated shrine, he said,

In the case of remoteness I used to send my soul,

to kiss the earth on my behalf, as it (my soul) is my deputy.

And now that the state of ghosts (mortal bodies) has attended,

I request you to extend your right hand so that my lips may be honored (by kissing it).

He was among the narrating jurisprudent scholars (of prophetic sayings), as well as among the men of divine remembrance and men of knowledge, who educate men and purify themselves. He was among the most prominent Imams of self-purification, education, and fine conduct with Allah Almighty, who are idiomatically called men and leaders (Imams) of Islamic Sufism.

Sayyed Ahmad would not have been satisfied by that, because he was also a Sufi reformer and renewer who had jealousy of his grandfather Al-Mustafa’s Islamic law (sharia), of the holder of the message, as well as of his right path. Therefore he stood up against three innovations seen at his time on some Sufi pretenders and intruders. He warned from them and explained that committed Islamic Sufism is innocent from them, as he made it clear in his famous book Al-Burhaan Al-Mu’ayyad (The Advocated Proof). Those exotic innovations were as follows.

1. Stating pantheism, incarnation, and union (with Allah Almighty)

2. False ecstasy, which is exceeding the limits of the Islamic law in word or deed

3. Pretence, which is being eager to show divine miracles (karamaat), or bragging and boasting of them

He responded to the call of Imam Abdul-Karim Al-Qushairi, author of the book Al-Resalah, who was among the men of the third Hijra century. He warned the Sufi masters about the risk of slipping away from the right path and being deviated from what is right by the self (Nafs), evil passionate desires, the devil, and the worldly life. He reassured the Moroccan divine Imam Sheikh Abu Madyan Shu’aib when he said,

The joy of living is but in the company of the poor (fuqaraa’),

They are the sultans, the masters and the princes,

So accompany them and be polite in their assemblies,

leave your share behind, however they presented you forward.

He did his duty well, may Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him. It is enough in this part to mention his sayings Follow, and do not invent and Every path that contradicted the Islamic law is heresy.

Owing to his sincerity with Allah Almighty, his dedication to Him, and his full following and superior love for his grandfather and his prophet, Master Muhammad was honored by Allah Almighty by making among his descendants great awlia (saints; friends of Allah), men of knowledge who guide one to Allah Almighty through their sayings and their actions.

Allah Almighty also granted blessings