Preface
Tags:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
O Allah! For the sake of Your chosen, beloved Hazrat Muhammad, may Your blessing and peace be upon him and his progeny; grant supreme success, courage and guidance to the heart, tongue and pen of this most humble slave, so that he may be protected from any kind of lapses and be able to accomplish everything belonging to knowledge and action in accordance with Your pleasure.
Friends! Come, let us together discuss heavenly love! Let us raise the slogan of nur-i `ishq and nar-i `ishq (the light of love and the fire of love), because we are the ecstatic (majanin), therefore, the restrictions of "Behave well! take care!" do not apply to us. Darwishi is the capital of our survival and this is the easiest way of life for us. We want to be among those who have intense and ardent love (`ishq) for God (2:165). This ardent love and its means is both light as well as fire and its blessed name is heavenly love. Had fire not been another name for light in the Wise Qur'an (27:8), it would not be possible for us to repeat the beautiful remembrance of "nur-i `ishq, nar-i `ishq".
The sun is the universal and cosmic example of the light of love. It is both world-adorning and world-consuming. That is, it is because of the sun that the garden and the rose-bed become radiant and lush and it is because of the sun that they become dry and desolate. The reason for this is that, in reality, the one who gives life is also the one who takes it. Wisdom thus lies in benefitting from both the light and the fire of the miracle of love. In the illumination of the light of love, you should continue to walk on
the straight path, and in the fire of love, you should continue to burn the carnal soul again and again. God willing, this will result in the greatest success.
I cannot in the finest and most elegant words, adequately thank the benefactors of the Northern Areas, P.B.C. Gilgit and some esteemed newspapers of Pakistan, for their great favours to me in the last few years. Daily Jang, Rawalpindi (Monday, 19th Rabic II, 1415 A.H./26th September, 1994, by publishing my interview has encouraged, not only me, but the entire Northern Areas, by giving it the caption of "Literary Journey to the Northern Areas". I am grateful and indebted to Mr. Altaf Pirzadah, Mr. Shahid Mahmud, Mr. Ghulam Qadir Hunzai and Mr. Sacadat cAli Mujahid for publishing this literary edition with very thought-provoking headings.
God willing! We will publish these questions and answers as a souvenir in the form of a booklet and name it "Jang: Special Interview". It is very regrettable that we cannot duly thank Almighty God for His countless favours and therefore, at times we try to seek the help of supplication in His court, Who fulfils the needs of His slaves, and if He grants us His grace and help, we also shed some tears from the blood of our livers, so that He may have mercy on our pitiable plight.
I remember very well the time when, there was not only the dearth of knowledge, but also of many other things. For instance, the match-stick had not reached Hunza, therefore, in order to kindle fire according to the old custom, we used to take the soot of a frying pan in a spoon and strike a piece of iron with a flint and let the sparks fall on it. Soap did not exist and we used to wash clothes in a kind of grass called "sabun siqa" in Burushaski. Rock salt was not available and instead we used a kind of liquid salt called chil
bayu, which was made from a kind of desert clay. When a small quantity was brought for the first time, it was called bumar bayu, that is, the salt which is used for sick people.
In that time we did not know tea, let alone how to drink it. There were no grocery stores. It used to take six to seven days to go to and return from Gilgit and this entire journey was made on foot and people had to carry a load on their backs as well. The season of spring used to be an extremely hard one for most of the people, because all edible things were used up. People did not disclose their pitiable state of poverty and hunger to preserve their honour and prestige. If we do not make the new generation aware of these historical facts, how will they be able to appreciate and be grateful for the bounties of their own time.
The least source of light is from kerosene oil, but even this was not available at that time. Our people used to go to the jungle to fetch the dry trunks and branches of juniper trees and burn them to provide light, or, they used to fry certain ordinary kind of seeds and grind them and make pieces of that substance, called "mina-filito" and burn them to get a little bit of light. In short, these are some examples of the utter backwardness of that time. Now although the conditions of the Northern areas are not as before, yet unfortunately there has not been the sort of progress that should have taken place.
To serve country, nation and humanity is a great cibadat. Therefore, we have to consider what we can do in this regard. If you are able to render the all-embracing service of knowledge individually or collectively, it is indeed a very blessed deed and numerous blessings are hidden in it. God willing, due to this, your knowledge will increase profoundly and your intellect and soul will attain tremendous happiness.
It is said in a farman: "He who recognizes himself (i.e. all the stages of soul), indeed recognizes his Lord". Here by recognition is not meant the bookish recognition, but the practical recognition which embraces all ranks of the higher soul, including annihilation in God (fana' fi'llah) and survival by God (baqa' bi'llah).
Both externally and internally all the bounties of God are for His servants. Rather, He, the Holy, the Self-sufficient, does not spare even the greatest bounty for them. Reflect upon verses (55:26-28) in which is alluded the ultimate and greatest bounties which are related to the rank of annihilation in God. These great bounties are based on the secrets of recognition. God is aware that I am not concerned about myself. I am, however most concerned about my students and wonder: when will they become majnun (ardent lover) for the Layla (beloved) of knowledge and wisdom? Unless someone has intense and ardent love for knowledge, it is not possible to attain it. Yet, I am not despondent, as in some of them, by the grace of God, this ardent and intense love for the treasures of knowledge and recognition is being created, and others, God willing, will follow them.
The wonders and marvels of soul should be discussed every day. Soul, in the world of command is one, but in the world of creation, it acts in innumerable forms. The pure hearted Sufi who knows this secret, loves everybody and does not consider anybody alien. Because when observed with the inner eye, one comes to know that in the kingdom of God, nobody is alien, all are his own.
According to the wisdom-filled allusion of verse (42:5), it is necessary to seek forgiveness and to pray for the well-being of all the inhabitants of the earth. Then there are special prayers for the believers and the faithful. As for those who spread our works more
than ourselves, it is not enough even if we sacrifice ourselves for them, because if there is so much zeal for sacrifice on their side, why should there not be the same on this side? In a few words I have mentioned our co-workers in the East and in the West and their golden deeds. Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!
N.N. (Hubb-i cAli) Hunzai, Karachi, Monday, 26 Rabic II, 1415/13 October 1994.
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