Written by Dr. Waqar Yousuf
Azeemi
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Translation from Book:
Silsila-e-Azeemia: Spiritual Training & Educational Curriculum (Grade 1)
Learning Outcomes:
After studying this lesson,
students will be able to better understand the following points:
1.
The definition of Taṣawwuf (Sufism) and Silsilah al-Ṭarīqah
(Sufi orders), along with a brief introduction.
2.
An introduction to Silsila-e-Azeemia (Azeemia Order).
3.
The role of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi in the promotion and
dissemination of Silsila-e-Azeemia (Azeemia Order).
4.
The usefulness and significance of the commentary (Sharḥ, explanatory
commentary) on the book Lawh wa Qalam (Tablet and Pen).
5.
The primary sources of the teachings of Silsilah-e-Azeemia
(Azeemia Order).
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the final Prophet and
Messenger of Allah, and the book revealed to him is the last among the divinely
revealed scriptures. The community of the Seal of the Prophets, Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) that is, the Muslim Ummah is the final community
among the nations of the prophets.
All the prophets sent by
Allah taught humanity the Oneness of God, distinguished between good and evil,
and informed people about the Day of Judgment—that on that Day all human beings
will be accountable before Allah. Prophethood has come to an end, and the
collective responsibility of inviting humanity toward the teachings of Tawhid
(monotheism) and the guidance of the Qur’an and Sunnah now rests upon the
community of Muhammad. Within the Muslim Ummah, this responsibility has been
carried out in the best manner by those individuals known as ʿulama (the
scholars) of the Ummah. Among them are scholars of outward knowledge as well as
scholars of inward knowledge—that is, the scholars of Sufism and the Awliya
Allah (friends of Allah).
Tasawwuf (Sufism) and Salasil e Tariqah (the Sufi Orders)
Throughout Islamic history,
many branches of knowledge developed—such as ʿilm al-kalam (theology), fiqh (jurisprudence),
Ilaahiyat (metaphysics), the Knowledge of hadith, history, and other fields of
independent reasoning (ijtihadi Knowledge). All of these disciplines evolved
over time. Among them is a branch related to the inner dimensions of the human
self, commonly known as tasawwuf (Sufism). Sufism is the intellectual and
practical explanation of an important Qur’anic teaching purification of the
self (tazkiyah al-nafs)—and, in the terminology of the Prophetic traditions
(hadith), the concept of ihsan (spiritual excellence). In other words, Sufism
represents the inner or spiritual dimension of Islam.
Within the Muslim community,
certain individuals devoted greater attention to self-knowledge (maʿrifat
al-nafs) and Gnosis of God (maʿrifat al-Ilahi). In the light of the Qur’an
and Sunnah, they developed structured systems of thought and practice. Just as
formal institutions and curricula were established for various sciences,
systems of spiritual training and education were also organized for moral
refinement and purification of the self. Over time, Sufism itself expanded and
developed, eventually becoming recognized as a distinct academic subject.
The fundamental objective of every Sufi order is to attain awareness of one’s inner self through purification, and through that awareness to establish a connection with the Creator and Sustainer—Allah, His Being and His Attributes. Awliya Allah (The friends of Allah ) established institutions to invite people toward Tawhid (monotheism), to provide spiritual purification and education for Muslims, to spread the message of Islam, and to serve humanity. These institutions are known as Sufi orders (Silsila-e-tariqah). In every era, they have served Islam and worked for the promotion of goodness and well-being among humankind.
The history of these Sufi
orders spans approximately thirteen centuries. In the Indian subcontinent, the
most well-known among them are the Qadiriyya, Chishtiyya, Suhrawardiyya, and
Naqshbandiyya orders. Continuing in this spiritual tradition, in 1960 a servant
and friend of Allah, Muhammad Azeem Barkhiya (may Allah have mercy on him),
established an order named Silsila-e-Azeemia.
The mission and objective of
Silsila-e-Azeemia are to attain recognition of Allah—the Creator and Sustainer
of the universe, who is One without partner—to understand one’s own soul, and
to reflect deeply on the Holy Qur’an. It also emphasizes contemplation on the
teachings and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him),
and personal intellectual and spiritual development in the light of the Qur’an
and the teachings of the Messenger of Allah.
Among the elders of Muhammad Azeem
Barkhiya—who was also his maternal grandfather—was Baba Tajuddin Nagpuri (may
Allah have mercy on him). During his youth, Muhammad Azeem Barkhiya regularly
visited his grandfather in Nagpur for several years. Baba Tajuddin passed away
in 1925.
From an early age, Muhammad Azeem
Barkhiya possessed strong spiritual and literary inclinations. He composed
poetry in both Urdu and Persian, and some of his work from before the
establishment of Pakistan has been preserved. He also wrote poetry after the
creation of Pakistan. Most of his poetic expression is found in the genre of
the rubāʿī (quatrain).
Lawh-wa-Qalam
In the field of spirituality,
the greatest contribution of Muhammad Azeem Barkhiya (may Allah have mercy on him)
is the authorship of a book based on spiritual revelations. The method of
writing this book was unique: in the evenings, Baba Sahib would dictate the
text at the residence of his disciple, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi, located at
1-D-1/7 Nazimabad.
Baba Sahib would speak, and
Khawaja Sahib—sometimes along with another disciple, Syed Ahmed Jamal—would
write it down. In this way, the manuscript of the book was prepared over
several years. The manuscript written during that period was later typed in
Urdu after Baba Sahib had reviewed and approved it. At the time it was being
written, the book was not titled Lawh-wa-Qalam. The title Lawh-wa-Qalam was
given by Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi, who also established its chapter and
subchapter headings when it was published in installments in the magazine
Roohani Digest.
Qalandar Baba Auliya
(Muhammad Azeem Barkhiya) passed away in January 1979. Before Baba Sahib’s
passing, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi had already launched Roohani Digest.
It was in this magazine that he published Lawh-wa-Qalam
in serialized form. During Baba Sahib’s lifetime, two issues of Roohani Digest
were published, and Baba Sahib himself dictated several articles for the
magazine. The method was the same: Baba Sahib would speak, and Khawaja Sahib
would write down the material. Lawh-wa-Qalam continued to appear in serialized
form in Roohani Digest for several months and was later published as a complete
book.
Baba Sahib also authored
another work, Tazkira Baba Tajuddin Awliya, and composed quatrains (rubāʿiyāt). Muhammad Azeem Barkhiya did not initiate many disciples
into spiritual allegiance (bayʿah). The total number of individuals whom Baba
Sahib accepted into bayʿah was twenty-two.
Services of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi
After the passing of Qalandar
Baba Auliya in January 1979, the responsibilities of Silsila-e-Azeemia were
assumed by Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi. He created broader awareness among people
about the personality and spiritual rank of Baba Sahib, particularly through
references to Baba Sahib’s book Lawh-wa-Qalam.
During the 1980s, Khawaja
Shamsuddin Azeemi delivered weekly gatherings in which he presented an
explanatory commentary on Lawh-wa-Qalam. This commentary was later published in
book form. To introduce his spiritual guide (pir-o-murshid), he also authored
the book Tazkira Qalandar Baba Awliya.
Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi
greatly expanded Silsila-e-Azeemia both within Pakistan and internationally. He
established meditation centers (Muraqaba Halls). The first Mahfil-e-Muraqaba
began at his residence located at 1-D, 1/7 Nazimabad, which may therefore be
considered the first Muraqaba Hall. Subsequently, centers were established
outside Karachi—in Hyderabad and Rawalpindi—and later in many other cities.
The foundation stone of the Markazi
Muraqaba Hall in Surjani Town, Karachi, was laid in 1988. Outside Pakistan,
Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi first established Muraqaba Halls in the United
Kingdom, followed by the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Canada, and
several other countries, appointing supervisors for each center. After the establishment
of these Muraqaba Halls, the teachings of Silsila-e-Azeemia spread rapidly.
Among the prominent
supervisors (men and women) of Muraqaba Halls in Pakistan are: Qazi Maqsood
Ahmad (Rawalpindi), Niaz Ahmad (Peshawar), Chaudhry Jalaluddin and Mian Mushtaq
Ahmad (Lahore), Dr. Mumtaz Akhtar (Attock), Professor Muhammad Tahir (Chiniot),
Mumtaz Ali and Feroza Nadeem (Hyderabad), Kanwar Muhammad Tariq (Multan), Dr.
Noor Muhammad Kakipota (Tando Allahyar), Shaukat Ali (Sanghar), and Syed Tahir
Jalil (Gujranwala). In addition, Amina Apa and Haji Allah Din Sahib of
Hyderabad rendered remarkable services.
Outside Pakistan, notable
names include Saeeda Khatoon, Muhammad Ali Shah, and Naeem Ahmad (United
Kingdom), Rashida Jilani (Canada), and Fazlur Rahman (United States).
The credit for introducing
the teachings of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi to the Russian public goes to Khalid
Mahmood, the in-charge of the Moscow Muraqaba Hall, while the credit for
spreading the teachings among Arab communities goes to Imad Malik, the
in-charge of the Bahrain Muraqaba Hall.
During the 1980s, many
respected individuals responded to the call of Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi and
rendered valuable services to Silsila-e-Azeemia. Among them are: Naseem Ahmad,
Javed Ahmad, Abdul Latif, Abdul Rauf Hashmi, Inam Hussain, Fazlur Rahman
Qureshi, Ashraf Sultana, Zainab Ashrafi, Ikram Shahabi, Mirza Masroor Baig,
Kamran Basit, and many other men and women.
During the lifetime of
Qalandar Baba Auliya, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi authored a book titled Rang aur
Roshni se Ilaj (Healing through Color and Light), in which methods of treatment
using color and light were explained. Later, he wrote another book on the same
subject titled Color Therapy. Following Rang aur Roshni se Ilaj, he authored a
book called Roohani Ilaj (Spiritual Healing), which became highly popular. He
then wrote a third book, Roohani Namaz (Spiritual Prayer). His writing
continued steadily.
In the magazine Roohani
Digest, Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi used to write editorials under the title
Aawaz-e-Dost . These writings were later compiled into a
book titled Aawaz-e-Dost. Many of his articles published in Roohani Digest were
subsequently issued in book form, including Qalandar Shaoor, Kashkol, and
Sada-e-Jaras, among others.
Bahauddin Zakariya University
in Multan, Pakistan, is a major academic institution. The supervisor of the
Multan Muraqaba Hall, Kanwar Muhammad Tariq, requested Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi
to write a scholarly book for the university. In response to this suggestion,
he authored Ihsan o Tasawwuf. This book is also included in the M.A. curriculum
of Bahauddin Zakariya University. Another book written for the same university
is Baran-e-Rehmat.
In addition to these works,
Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi authored many other books, including Muraqaba,
Telepathy, Nazriya Rang o Noor, Tajalliyat, and Khutbat Multan. The book
Muraqaba has been translated into English, and several of his other works have
also been translated into English and other languages.
His writings were published
in major newspapers such as Daily Jang, Daily Jasarat, Daily Mashriq, Daily
Hurriyat, and Akhbar-e-Jehan, as well as many other leading publications of
that time.
Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi also
presented numerous programs on radio and television. For the guidance of the
members of Silsila-e-Azeemia, he compiled its objectives, principles, and
regulations. The points that had been conveyed to him by Qalandar Baba Auliya
were explained and systematically organized by him into a structured framework
of rules, regulations, and organizational objectives.
Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi
presented spiritual knowledge in a scholarly, rational, and scientific manner,
bringing them out of the limited spheres of mysticism and obscurity. His
writing style was very simple, logical, and intellectually engaging. This
approach appealed deeply to the heart and influenced the mind. Most individuals
who joined Silsila-e-Azeemia were inspired by his writings. In Pakistan, the
younger generation and women listened attentively to his teachings, and large
numbers of both groups joined Silsila-e-Azeemia.
Khawaja Sahib advised young
people to pursue education, study science, engage in research and technology,
and develop habits of reflection and contemplation. His writings encourage
youth to think deeply and emphasize that true inheritance is knowledge.
He also drew women’s
attention to their rights and made strong efforts—through both writing and
speeches—to promote women’s participation in spiritual matters. Under his
guidance, separate Muraqaba (meditation) halls for women were established in
several cities.
Khawaja Shamsuddin Azeemi
encouraged his readers to advance not only in spiritual knowledge but also in
the fields of science and technology. He emphasized that if Muslims wish to
establish their position in the modern world, they must enter the fields of
research. He repeatedly advised people to reflect on the Qur’an and to
contemplate the teachings and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him), to establish a meaningful place in society, and to prepare
themselves for presenting before Allah in the Hereafter. He taught that one
should learn to use the abilities granted by Allah in the best possible way,
because on the Day of Judgment a person will be questioned about their capabilities
as well as the resources entrusted to them and how they were used.
(Exercise Questions)
1.
From this lesson, what objective of Taṣawwuf (Sufism) and
the Silsilah-e-Ṭarīqah (Sufi orders) do you understand?
2.
When was Silsila-e-Azeemia (Azeemia Order) established?
3.
Which book did Khawaja Ṣāḥib write to introduce his Pīr-o-Murshid
(spiritual mentor)?
4.
Which segments of society
were most influenced by Khawaja Shamsuddin
Azeemi?
5.
For which university did he write books? Also write the names
of those books.