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A Short Biography of Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai - Personal Resurrection

Personal Resurrection

Tags: Spiritual resurrection, Ginan

"In this state, once, I was in the prison in Yarkand [whence I was brought to Kashgar]. It was in the year 1951 that Hazrat-i `Izra'il (May peace be through him) and his armies arrived to materialise the interpretation of my dreams relating to my death. First came the armies, then their chief. Hazrat-i `Izra'il (May peace be through him)'s existence was only in a voice, his action in a Divine Name, and his command was in the form of remembrance. His armies were in the form of extremely tiny spiritual particles. The chief staying in the ear was continuing to do the dhikr of the Supreme Name, while his armies, by entering into all the cells of the body, started to pull the humble soul of this indigent upwards".

"This act of seizing the soul continued day and night for approximately one week, in which except for the head, the rest of the body with all the organs was dying and reviving repeatedly. The head was not dying entirely, because although the soul is lifted up from its upper end, its lower end remains linked with the brain so that it may be able to observe clearly whatever is happening. In any case, it was the spiritual revolution of my personal world. The severity I underwent during it was, for me, no less than the [great] resurrection. In such a state, Gog and Magog lick the veil between the external and the internal senses and end it. Gog and Magog are included in the armies of Hazrat-i `Izra'il (May peace be through him), and the code word for this veil is the Alexandrian Wall".

"Now, after this death and revolution, my inner world was entirely transformed, as I had died yet I was alive. It is amazing that during that course, it was as if I was between the body and the soul. This was the reason that I was seeing and listening to both, because in such a state, the external and the internal senses work together".⁴⁰

"Now, diverse manifestations of the soul were occurring. For example, the manifestation of the soul in a subtle particle, in voice, in light, in fragrance, in imagination, in dream, in the subtle body, etc. Among all these manifestations of soul, two visions (didar) are supreme: One is the subtle body (jism-i latif), and the other is the special observation (mushahadah-yi khas)".⁴¹

By the subtle body `Allamah Hunzai means the physical luminous vision (zahiri nurani didar) of Hazrat-i Hujjat-i Qa'im, Mawlana Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah (May peace be through him). Thus, he narrates: "Once, during the night, he miraculously came to my home. As he is himself lightning, he came with lightning speed, due to which all the doors which were locked from inside opened with great rapidity and then closed instantly. I was astounded and awe-stricken. He said: 'Are you amazed at the instant opening and closing of doors like this? Look, I am doing this again'. Thus, he went out and returned like lightning, and the doors behaved in the same way. Hazrat-i Hujjat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him) was conversing in the most eloquent Burushaski. He also demonstrated his attribute of becoming visible and invisible. He gave also a glad tiding about `Aziz Muhammad Khan Bay. How magnificent is the halo of light (halah-yi nur) of Hazrat-i Hujjat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him)! After a brief conversation, he left with the same speed".⁴²

By the special observation (mushahadah-yi khas) `Allamah Hunzai means the physical luminous vision (zahiri nurani didar) of the Lord of the ibda`i body, or Hazrat-i Qa'imu'l-qiyamat (May peace be through him). He says: "When I was imprisoned for the last time, by chance the last 40 days chillah was completed in the prison. It is impossible for me to describe the innumerable wonders and marvels which I observed during those last 40 days in the order in which they occurred. Once, in the first part of the night, the door opened with an extraordinary explosion and closed instantly, and there was Hazrat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him) in front of me". In this holy didar, Hazrat-i Qa'imu'l-qiyamat (May peace be through him), as the mubdi` (Originator), instantly originated a mubda` by the act of origination (ibda`). Regarding this miraculous experience, he writes:

He continues: "There is no speech in this supreme didar; there is only an allusion (wahy). Thus, there was a rifle with a bayonet in one of his blessed hands and a torch in the other blessed hand. This was an indication to the fact that he is both the bearer of light as well as the lord of war. Due to awe and perplexity, my condition changed and I was undergoing an amazing kind of death, but how excellent was the death due to the blessings of which I was granted eternal life". Al-hamdu li'llah! The following verse is composed in memory of this extraordinary event:

He says: "The physical luminous vision (zahiri nurani didar) of Hazrat-i Qa'imu'l-qiyamat (May peace be through him) in the ibda`i body is the supreme didar, because in this didar, after undergoing the experience of merging in God (fana' fi'llah) and survival with God (baqa' bi'llah), the `arif does his own didar. That is, the `arif can actually experience becoming a copy of Hazrat-i Qa'imu'l-qiyamat (May peace be through him). Thereafter, the `arif's own work is completed and he lives in this world for the sake of others".⁴⁵

`Allamah Hunzai underwent many other subsidiary miracles in China, some of which are mentioned below:

1. The loud remembrance (dhikr-i jali) of "Ya `Ali Mawla `Ali Sultan Muhammad Shah `Ali" by the walls, floor and ceiling of Qarangu Tograq jama`at-khanah
2. The experience of a spiritual quake in Qarangu Tograq jama`at-khanah
3. The circumambulation of the spiritual army around Qarangu Tograq jama`at-khanah
4. The snorting of an invisible horse
5. The miracle of cold fire
6. The miracle of UFOs
7. The playing of a spiritual radio
8. `Abdu'l-Ahad's indication towards the heaven
9. Dove-like small birds in the courtyard being invited by a voice towards the jama`at-khanah, instead coming towards me and being awestruck by them
10. A rooster's saying something to the people of a nearby village
11. The speaking of the rubab
12. That luminous dream in which Hazrat-i A`zamu'l-a'immah - that is, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah (May peace be through him) - was wearing a white woollen Hunzai robe (chugah), which had medals outside as well as inside. Mawla (May peace be through him) said: "The outer medals are our worldly leaders (zahiri `amaldars) and the inner medals are the hidden leaders (batini `amaldars)". Then Mawla (May peace be through him) said to him: "You are among the hidden leaders".⁴⁶

The miracles which took place in 1954 en route to Hunza from Yarkand:

1. [Receiving] Spiritual help to mount a horse (without a saddle)
2. Trotting of the horse in the air
3. Appearance of a white pellicle in front of the horse
4. The speaking of the horse
5. Walking of the horse on the river
6. The speaking of air
7. The sound of the striking of water of a river or a stream against stones and its conversation.⁴⁷

After the last imprisonment, the government did not allow him to go to his home; rather, they brought his wife and three year old son, Saif-i Salman, to meet him and see him off. They were allowed only 20 minutes for this short meeting, after which he was expelled from China and returned to Hunza. He did not see his son for the next 32 years, and his wife passed away without meeting him again. `Allamah Hunzai entered China from Hunza in February, 1949, and was expelled from China in June, 1954, and reached the village Misgar, Hunza. Hence, the total duration of his stay in China was 5 years and about 4 months. From the day he entered China till the day he left, his exemplary pure life was full of miracles. Especially the foretelling luminous dream in Tashgurgan, the spiritual resurrection of seven nights and eight days that occurred in 1951 in Kashgar, the luminous vision with speech (nurani kalami didar) of Hazrat-i A`amu'l-a'immah Hujjat-i Qa'im Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah (May peace be through him) in his ibda`i body, and the luminous allusive vision (nurani isharati didar) of Hazrat-i Qa'imu'l-qiyamat (May peace be through him) in the ibda`i body during the last solitary confinement in 1954 in Yarkand, in which he had the experience of merging in God (fana' fi'llah) and survival with God (baqa' bi'llah). `Allamah Hunzai says that in this experience, the didar of Hazrat-i Qa'imu'l-qiyamat (May peace be through him) is as if the `arif's own didar. Further, he says that the `arif is made to experience all those miracles which were experienced by the prophets, for otherwise he cannot become `arif in a real sense.⁴⁸

Allamah Hunzai's going to China and returning from there with the experience of these great miracles indeed became a proof of the prophetic tradition both spiritually as well as physically: "Seek knowledge even if you have to go to China".⁴⁹ We are certain that according to this prophetic tradition, many of our religious dignitaries have been to [spiritual] China, as Pir Nasir-i Khisraw (qaddasa'llah sirrahu) says in his Diwan:

However, `Allamah Hunzai was blessed to go to China even in the physical sense.

In short, he returned to the fortunate and auspicious village of Misgar, Hunza in June, 1954, with the everlasting wealth of the knowledge of certainty, the eye of certainty and the truth of certainty, and began the mission of resurrection. What more can one say about the blessedness of Misgar village! `Allamah Hunzai has himself written an article on 11th October, 1986, about this blessed village. Below, an excerpt is quoted from this wisdom-filled article:

"The spiritual history of Misgar village, or in other words, the concept of a living, ineffaceable and speaking book of deeds of this fortunate village, is extremely wonderful and marvellous. It seems that there are great secrets of spirituality hidden in it. We have already said and written many such things regarding Misgar previously as well which you can find, because there is not just one, but numerous reasons for its commendation. For example, a great favour of a respectable family of this very village enabled me to go to China for the very first time, the spiritual treasures of which are beyond description. It was in this village that the spiritual exercises were carried out for the very first time. It was this place where for the first time the intense and vigorous `ibadat of pure souls bore fruits. A spiritual deluge rose from this place and spread to the east and the west. It is this Misgar branch that is closer to the Ismailis of China not only geographically, but also with respect to some aspects of language and culture, and this position can be enviable".⁵¹

As mentioned above, Misgar village was the place from where spiritual exercises were initiated, and it is the place whence a spiritual deluge started to swell and spread into the east and the west. Thus, after returning to Hunza, along with performing spiritual exercises and delivering lectures and exhortations in the jama`at, he also initiated many projects of reformative activities, such as the organization of volunteers, education for girls, and simultaneously for some time he also taught, educated and gave lectures and counsels to the Ismaili students in the hostel and the jama`at living in Giglit.

The eulogies (manaqib) that he had written in the glory of the light of Imamat had already spread in the jama`at since 1940, well before his journey to China. According to him, from those poems written prior to going to China radiates the colour of the veneration, love and praise of the holy Imam (May peace be through him), whereas the poems written after his return from China mostly allude to the secrets of spiritual observations and the spirituality and luminosity of the True Guide in parabolic and allegorical language.⁵²

Now in order to explain the mission of resurrection in a logical and discursive way, he turned his attention to prose, and in this connection he wrote his first book, entitled: "The Chain of the Light of Imamat (Silsilah-yi Nur-i Imamat)". This, his first book, was published on 10th Jamadi, I, 1377 AH/3rd December, 1957 AD. This book consists of the most important topics of the Divine mission (da`wat-i haqq), such as the recognition of the religious hierarchy (hudud), recognition of the Imam (May peace be through him), recognition of the Qa'im (May peace be through him), and other related topics. It also includes three Persian and two Uyghur poems in praise of the light of Imamat. The complete title of the book is: "Kitab-i Fath-i Bab-i Ganj-i Sa`adat ya`ni Silsilah-yi Nur-i Imamat", that is, "The Book of the opening of the door of Felicity, namely the Chain of the Light of Imamat", and without any doubt the gate of the treasure of felicity will open for a mu'min who reads and understands this book duly with complete conviction. This book, along with the recognition of the Imam, also explains the recognition of the Qa'im, which is the most difficult and the final teaching of the true religion, in the light of the external and internal signs and miracles which have been discovered in the cycle of resurrection. It states the central position of Hazrat-i Qa'imu'l- qiyamat (May peace be through him) in the Divine religion and also the sublime position of his hujjat (proof) and khalifah (vicegerent) in wisdom-filled allusions, which he explicitly explains in his later works. Reflect on the following verses:

This book is the basis and foundation of all the books of `Allamah Hunzai. Unlike a writer who has attained maturity of knowledge by gradual practice, and whose later books should therefore be given more importance than his earlier books, in this case, the spiritual events that are mentioned in the brief description of his exemplary, pure life show that before writing anything, he had already reached the end of knowledge. Therefore, the only purpose of his writing is to express the realities of the level of the truth of certainty (haqqu'l- yaqin) in material words. Thus, with respect to realities, there cannot be any difference in his earlier and later books. However, if there is any gradual difference, it is for the sake of teaching others and not related to his own understanding. Therefore, in order to understand his later books, it is necessary to understand his first book, The Chain of the Light of Imamat, minutely.

Thereafter, he published a collection of his Burushaski poems entitled "Israfil's Melody (Nagmah-yi Israfil)" in 1961. These poems truly acted as Israfil (May peace be through him)'s sur. They resurrected a spiritual revolution in the jama`at generally and in the Burushaski speaking jama`at in particular. In order to estimate the spiritual significance of these poems, it suffices to say that Mawlana Hazir Imam (May peace be through him) graciously accepted them and gave them the status of "ginan" in a blessed ta`liqah on 9th October, 1961.<sup>54</sup> "Ginan" is a technical term of the Ismaili da`wat of the Indo-Pak Sub-continent used for the poems composed by a Pir or a dignitary who has attained the recognition of the Imam of the time (May peace be through him).

Later on, he published his revolutionary book, "The Balance of Realities (Mizanu'l-Haqa'iq)", on 15th June, 1962, in which are discussed topics which have never been mentioned in any previous book, such as "dead atom and living atom", "the atomic cycle is linked with the spiritual cycle", "[An object called] Flying saucer or something by any other name", etc.

This same year, he joined the Ismailia Association for Pakistan on 1st July⁵⁵ and served this jama`ati institution until 30th June, 1977 [i.e., for 15 years].<sup>56</sup> During this period he taught several wa`izin, and also nurtured them spiritually. He delivered lectures and wrote articles on several important topics which used to be published initially in the Chandrat bulletin of the Ismailia Association, and later on in the Ismaili Bulletin. The collection of all these articles has been published as "Honey of Paradise (Shahd-i Bihisht)". On 10th June, 1972, when, in view of educational and spiritual progress of the Northern Areas, the Ismailia Association established a branch in Gilgit, he was appointed its officer in charge.⁵⁷ With his training in true knowledge and spirituality and constant hard work of day and night, an army of wa`izin was prepared in a short time. Further, in view of the importance of studying books in the progress of knowledge, he established a library with the co-operation of the jama`at, which at that time was considered the greatest library in that region related to the religious sciences.

Prior to this, Daru'l-Hikmatu'l-Isma`iliyyah had come into being under his supervision in his fortunate village, Haydarabad (Hunza), under the presidency of late Gulam Muhammad Beg on 9th Muharram, 1383 AH/2nd June, 1963 AD.<sup>58</sup> In the beginning, its attention was focused on disseminating religious knowledge. Regarding the report of the activities of this organisation, Mawlana Hazir Imam (May peace be through him) graciously sent a sacred ta`liqah on 4th October, 1966, and wrote that he had read it with much interest and pleasure. Further, he graciously said that he was very happy indeed with the good work and devoted services of its members, and sent his most affectionate paternal and maternal loving blessings. This sacred ta`liqah has a unique example of Mawla (May peace be through him)'s affection and love, in that while typing the word "Daru'l-Hikmat", the secretary had made a mistake which Mawla (May peace be through him) graciously corrected with his blessed pen.<sup>59</sup> By the grace and blessing of the Imam of the time (May peace be through him), Daru'l- Hikmatu'l-Isma`iliyyah progressed beyond expectations. When the stage of publishing new books, written according to the needs of the time in the light of qiyamati knowledge, and their translations came, it was moved to Karachi owing to the facilities of publishing and printing, and Fath-i `Ali Habib was appointed its president. It continued its work of writing and publishing with an extraordinary and miraculous pace in Karachi. "A Key to Wisdom (Miftahu'l- Hikmat)" was the first book to be published by this organization, which continued to publish many other books up to 1972. When the Ismailia Association for Pakistan requested him [`Allamah Hunzai] that this name [Daru'l-Hikmatu'l-Isma`iliyyah] be given up because Mawlana Hazir Imam (May peace be through him) was planning to establish an Institute [for which he might use that name], `Allamah Hunzai gladly gave up the original name and changed it from "Daru'l-Hikmatu'l-Isma`iliyyah" to "Khanah-yi Hikmat".

In 1977, `Allamah Hunzai realised that more time would be required in order to give book form to the luminous treasures of spiritual knowledge he had received from the Imam of the time (May peace be through him). Therefore, in the same year, he resigned from the Ismailia Association on 30th June, 1977, and started to concentrate day and night to give these luminous treasures the form of books for the sake of the jama`at and the world of humanity.

The same year, the Ismailia Association for Eastern Canada invited him to deliver lectures on spirituality and the Qur'an. He reached Toronto (Canada) on 7th December, 1977, and returned to Karachi on 27th March, 1978.⁶⁰ During this whole tour, many spiritual and intellectual (`ilmi) miracles took place. He used to deliver lectures for several hours without any notes, which greatly amazed the jama`at, in that such a miraculous personality could exist in the world. Following his talks, diverse questions would be asked and satisfying responses used to be given in the light of given (ta'yidi) knowledge. The most impactful work which took place during this time was that students from various universities like McGill, Toronto, Kitchener, Waterloo, etc. used to attend his every lecture and ask questions according to their standard of knowledge, and receive satisfying answers to their questions, which made them extremely happy. Thus, these students sought his permission to establish an organisation as a token of expression of gratitude, which he accepted. This organisation is known as "`Allamah Research Institute and Foundation", and its acronym is ARIF. Its first chairman was Shiraz Sharif, who had presented a mehmani in the huzur of the Imam of the time to seek his holy blessings for its success. Mawlana Hazir Imam (May peace be through him), in his infinite mercy, had sent him a holy ta`liqah with his blessings for the success of ARIF.⁶¹

`Allamah Hunzai, together with the teaching and publication of spiritual realities and recognitions, also paid attention to the progress of the Burushaski language. His service to the Burushaski language had, in reality, begun when he wrote the very first poem in his mother tongue in 1940. His poems in praise of the ahl-i bayt and his `irfani poems made Burushaski on par with those languages of the world which have been the means of [attaining] the heavenly realities and recognitions for human beings. Therefore, in 1982, he established another organisation named "Burushaski Research Academy" in order to print and publish literature in this language in an organised manner. This academy has worked hard to accomplish the essential and fundamental work of research and publication of the Burushaski language, such as its lexicon, syntax, grammar and literature, not only on its own, but also in collaboration with international and national institutions of learning, such as Heidelberg University, Calgary University, University of Montreal and Karachi University.

After resigning from the Ismailia Association, `Allamah Hunzai continued to write on spiritual realities with greater freedom. To date, over a hundred books filled with the secrets of recognition (ma`rifat) have been published and are being spread across the world in the form of original texts and translations. These books contain that special knowledge which can sufficiently and satisfyingly respond to all those questions that have been and are being posed in this era due to the scientific and social revolution. These books have been translated into several languages like English, French, Persian, Arabic, Gujarati, Swedish, etc.

⁴⁰Mufid Interview (Karachi, 1993), pp. 47-48.
⁴¹Ibid, p. 48.
⁴²Ibid, pp. 49-50.
⁴³Diwan-i Nasiri (Urdu) (Karachi, 2004), [Part I], p. 7.
⁴⁴Diwan-i Nasiri awr Bihishte Asquring (Karachi, 2001), p. 349.
⁴⁵Idem, Gulha-yi Bihisht (Karachi, 1990), pp. 163-164.
⁴⁶Jama`at-khanah (Karachi, 2002), pp. 98-110.
<sup>47</sup>Ibid, pp. 79-80; Idem, Qa'im-shinasi (Manuscript), Part I, pp. 175-179; Part II, A'inah-yi Qa'im-shinasi (72); Part III, Qur'an awr Qa'im (102).
<sup>48</sup>Idem, `Amali tasawwuf awr Ruhani Science (Karachi, 2000), pp. 95-99.
⁴⁹Jalalu'ddin Suyuti, Al-Jami`u's-Sagir (Beirut, 2013), p. 72.
<sup>50</sup>Pir Nasir-i Khisraw, Diwan, ed. Mujtaba Minuwi and Mahdi Muhaqqiq (Tehran, 1991), p. 130.
<sup>51</sup>Gulha-yi Bihisht (Karachi, 1990), pp. 60-62.
<sup>52</sup>Diwan-i Nasiri awr Bihishte Asquring (Karachi, 2001), pp. 34-35.
<sup>53</sup>Idem, Silsilah-yi Nur-i Imamat (Karachi, 1957), p. 11; trans. into English by Faquir Muhammad Hunzai and Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai as Chain of the Light of Imamat (Karachi, n.d.), p. 92.
<sup>54</sup>Idem, Qur'ani Minar (Karachi, 1989), pp. 17-18.
<sup>55</sup>Ibid, p. 16; Personal Diary, p. 45.
<sup>56</sup>Ibid, pp. 19, 45.
<sup>57</sup>Ibid, p. 45.
<sup>58</sup>Qur'ani Minar (Karachi, 1989), p. 16; Gulha-yi Bihisht (Karachi, 1990), p. 248.
<sup>59</sup>The ta`liqah of this farman is also in Azeem Ali Lakhani, `Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai's Great Contribution to Esoteric Knowledge (Karachi, 2013), p. 8.
⁶⁰Personal Diary, pp. 45-46.
⁶¹Idem, Qur'an awr Nur-i Imamat (Karachi, 1979), pp. 11-12.