Sheikh Jeelani (r): Life and Message

The importance of the message of the life of Sheikh Jeelani (RA) has been widely popular and accepted for centuries. He descended from the sacred ancestry of the prophet Muhammed (PBUH) who was renowned among the people as “the honest among the honest”, being the son of Abu Swalih and Ummul Khair. Both of them lived their life in the way that their names mean. When we ponder over the verse of the holy Quran which says that useful crops will be sprouted only from the useful earth, we can understand that a good offspring will be from the virtuous blood.

The holy Quran, which has instructed the messengers to have only the allowed foods (muhminoon 51), in the same way, prescribes the mankind to use only permissible (halal) foods and drinks (bakara 172). Indeed, they have kept such matters completely in their life.

Jeelani (r) was born on 470 (hijri) at Jeelan. He  descended from Hassan (r) through the side of father and Hussain (r) by the side of his mother and thus his family had a relationship with all four representatives of Islam (khulafa’u arrashidheen). At the age of 18 itself, he stood out in the fields of education and he could gain a tremendous achievement in every aspects of knowledge. Likewise, he concentrated on the spirituality too. There is a lot of incidents which expose his prominence in the world of knowledge such as that the famous scholar Ibnul Jouzi was not ready to ratify Jeelani at the beginning. When he happened to see him describing mere a verse of the holy Quran based on 40 interpretations, that made him to bend his knees before him and to seek forgiveness from him. 27 of his 49 children were boys who like their father preferred the spiritual life. Among them were Al-sheikh Abdul Razak, Al-sheikh Abdul Vahab, Al-sheikh Abdul Azeez, Al-sheikh Abdul Jabbar and Al-sheikh Abdul Gafoor. His famous works are Kithabul Bahja, Futhoohul Gaib and Al Futhoohathul Rabbaniyya. He passed away on 561 (hijri).

It has to be negotiated so much that the life of Jeelani (r) as this contemporary era wanted to appreciate a cab driver who gave back the lost jewelry from someone to the police. And that we came to say here is the life of Jeelani (r) which was filled with several miracles and exemplary to the people right from the age of breast feeding itself. That was a common man like us who later known by the name of Gausul Ahzam, Quthubul Aqthab and so on. How could he be that? Sheikh Abu Abdulla says: once, I was sitting beside Jeelani (r). At that time, a person came there and asked him: upon what foundation did you build your life? At once, he replied that honesty is my base. I have never lied even when I was studying at primary level. After that, he described him the incident which happened in the midway of his travel to Bagdad that when a group of grabbers caught him and wanted to know from him what he had with him, he behaved them honestly and said them the truth that he had 40 silver coins with him. While that group asked him wonderfully that why did he say them the truth, he replied that my mother had admonished me to be honest in every time. At the moment, the leader of that group embraced Islam thinking his terrible plight of disobeying even a small order of the creator Allah as even that small child can’t leave a little sermon of his mother (Bahjathul Asrar).

In short, he agrees that the all positions that he got in his life are by his honesty itself. It has to be pondered over his saying that he never lied in his life even when he was studying at primary level. The verse number 119 of surath-at-thouba says: oh believers, you should keep Allah and be with ones who live with honesty. Because, isn’t life with thaqva (to keep Allah on every foot) necessary? The one who lives keeping Allah in mind should be such person who keeps honesty in his life.

In the interpretation of this verse, Razi (r) has described several things that are related to the honesty. Among them is that incident in which a person came near the prophet (PBUH) and asked him: I would like to be a part of your religion. But, wine, fornication, theft and lying have been the constant manners and routines of my life. I can never leave them from my life. I am ready to believe in you and what you have brought to the people. But, your followers have told me these all deeds are prohibited in your religion. So, he wanted from the prophet (PBUH) to give him permission to give up only one among them so as to embrace Islam. At that time, the prophet (PBUH) said him: you should abandon lying from your life. He agreed that and embraced Islam. After leaving there, when he reached to his community, they gave him wine. At that moment, he said them: if I drank this, I will have to lie to the prophet (PBUH) for his question that have you drunk wine? That would be the violation of my contract to him. I can’t do it. If I said the truth, I will have to face a severe punishment. So, he gave up drinking forever. He reacted in the same way when he was compelled to the fornication and stealing. After a while, once, he said the prophet (PBUH): what a blessed thing that you instructed me! When I left lying, all doors to other sins were closed and I repented from all my previous vices.

Yes, you have to practice honesty in your life. Because, it will lead you to the path of goodness. Goodness will end in the comforts of the heaven. You should give up lying. Because, it paves you to the way of hooliganism. Thus, it will last in hellfire. What a reasonable saying of the prophet this is!

We can see that some scholars describe Sathan as the one even hesitates to lie. Look at what Imam Raazi (r) says: oh, Allah! I swear that I will deviate from the people only those who didn’t have honesty in their life (surath Swaad, 82-83). Actually, though he could say that he would deviate each and every one. But, he became afraid of being his saying as a lie if he couldn’t deviate all of them as he proclaimed. Therefore, he opted only those who don’t keep honesty in their life. If Iblees had that kind of mindset, a believer who is a rival of Iblees and a follower of the prophet (PBUH), is necessarily deserved to omit lying from his walks of life. Scholars remark the honesty as the basis of belief and lying as a foundation of disbelief (Thafseerul Kabeer- Surath Thouba).

The angels will run far away from the one who lied because of the nasty smell that comes out of his mouth. The acceptance of almighty Allah will be for those who keep honesty in their life. If we want our children to be honest, then at first, we should be honest in our life. Otherwise, they also will take lying as a part of their life. Abu Dharr(r) says: the prophet (PBUH) has said me that you should follow the truth up in your life though it is so bitter (Hadees). Abdulla ibn Masud(r) says: frolic is prohibited either in serious matters and silly matters. It shouldn’t do that to promise a child something then not to give it (Al Adabul Mufrad).

We can see another narrative also reported by Ibn Masud (r) that tells us to keep honesty as a routine so that it will pave us to the way of virtue and virtue will lead us to the paradise. If a slave told  truth, slave would be recognized as honest and someone near Allah and he warns us to leave lying which will lead us to vices and that will take us to the hellfire. If a slave made the lying as his hobby, then he would be recognized as a liar near the Allah (Hadees).

When Sayyed Hussain, one of the forefathers of Panakkad Ahl Baith, was given chance to say ‘no’ at the time the British force wanted to know from him whether he gave spelled threads to the young fighters, he spoke the truth even though he was sure that he would be arrested by them. That itself is the reason behind getting the acceptance and popularity for their community among the world. If a man leads his life as a true believer, it is a historical fact that rest people will be inspired by his sacred life and they will embrace Islam. Honorable Khaja Mueenudheen Chisthi(r) and Mamburam Sayyed Ba-Alabi(r) are actual exemplary beings before us in this regard. We must understand that if a person is to live a good life among thousand people, actually that is better than thousand people preach a person.