THE STORY OF SULTAN KINO IBRAHIM BIN ADHAM (R.A.)

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Divine love made Hazrat Ibrahim BinAdham (R.A.) cast aside the Kingdom of Balkh after which for ten years he remained in ibaadat in a cave at Nayshapur. In this way he acquired the inner Kingdom.

"Is the Kingdom of the heart preferable Or the despised Kingdom of Balkh?"

There are two main ways of reaching Allah and for both of these ways there is substantiation from the Holy Quran:

1) "Allah chooses for Himself whom He wishes"

In other words Allah attracts towards Himself those whom He pleases. This is called the manner of Jazb - attraction.

2) "And He guides towards Himself those who turn to Him in repentance" This is called the manner of sulook (effort).

Sulook is a voluntary act whereas Jazb is an involuntary act. A person is commanded to adopt the manner of Sulook, but generally everyone following the way of Sulook (personal effort) will receive a measure of Jazb (attraction) from Allah as a result of the spiritual rigours he undertakes, because without any special bounty from Allah, no one can be successful.

In any case both these ways - Jazb and Sulook, through Allah's grace leads towards the objective and become fruitful for the heart's progress.

"A single shadow of Allah's Graceful favour, Is more fruitful than a thousand efforts in obedience".

Thus when Allah's Mercy and favour touched Hazrat Ibrahim Bin Adham (R.A.) without him exerting himself in spiritual exercises, the King of Balkh was proved to be successful. He cast aside the Kingdom of Balkh, but acquired an inner Kingdom which was far better than the whole world. In fact all the treasures of heaven and earth appeared as nothing before it. The King himself did not realise what would be the result o~ casting aside the fertile and well irrigated lands of his Kingdom, for the sake of Divine Love. Initially he was unable to foresee how worthless pebbles would be replaced with valuable jewels and how a thorn bush would be exchanged for a flower garden. This is what happens when good fortune comes to a person.

"Listen dear friend, when a time of good arrives, It will surely inform you of the opportune moments".

One night Hazrat Ibrahim Bin Adham (R.A.) was lying asleep on the upper story of his palace, when he suddenly felt someone shaking his leg. He was immediately struck by surprise and wonder as to who could be so brave as to intrude into the upper story of the King's palace. He asked: "0 you arrivals, who are you?" They were a group of angels in human form, who had come from Allah's side with the aim of bringing about an upheaval in the heart of an unmindful one. The angels answered: "We are here, seeking our lost camel." The King replied: "I am surprised that you search for a lost camel in the upper story of the King's palace." They replied: "We are even more surprised that, in this atmosphere of pomp and comfort, you wish to find Allah".

"They enquired of him, how is it that you, Seek to meet Allah while sitting on the throne?"

Having said that the angels disappeared, but they had left such an effect on the King's heart that his heart became disenchanted with his Kingdom and his ruling over it.

Maulana Rumi (RA.) advises:

"0 People! like Ibrahim, say farewell to your Kingdom, So that you may acquire the great inner Kingdom."

The final result was that Ibrahim bin Adham (R.A.) discarded the Kingdom and all worldly loves. The author of Qasida-e-­Burda says:

"Yes when at night the thought of my beloved enters the mind, Sleep flies away and all pleasures become changed to sorrow and pain. "

Then in the latter part of the night, the King arose from his bed, put a blanket over him and walked out of his Kingdom. One sigh from the heart of burning Divine Love blew away the confined walls of the Kingdom which had imprisoned him and Divine madness removed the curtains from his mind.

"When he uttered one sigh, his prison vanished, And when madness struck him, his senses flew away".

Having left Balkh, Ibrahim Bin Adham (RA.) proceeded towards the desert of Nayshapur where be engaged himself in Zikr and uttering the cries of true lovers.

"0 Beloved, very well liked by thee are your lover's cries, And till the day of Qiyamat, that is all I desire. O true Beloved, occupy me not with anything else except your remembrance, And please retire me not from being filled with your love."

" O Allah, whoever has seen thee and tasted the pleasure of nearness to Thee, Let him not ever experience the sorrow of separation. The remembrance of Allah is the food for the soul, And remembrance of the beloved is the medicine for the heart, injured by love."

For ten years Ibrahim bin Adham (R.A.) dwelt in the desert of Nayshapur, like a mad man, remaining busy with ibaadah. In my Urdu Mathnavi, I have described the incident thus:

"Listen to the story of Ibn Adham,

Who used to be the King of Balkh.

When true love captured his heart,

His Sultanate became a burden to him.

He discarded the Kingdom and all wealth and pomp

And adopted a path towards the wilderness.

Filled with sorrow, he remained there,

Cleansing himself and purifying the heart..

For ten years he dwelt there attracted to the Lord.

And night and day Divine Love glowing in him.

In the cave of Nayshapur this pure soul

Remained repeating the name of Allah.

He remained dressed in the attire of the poor

The King of Balkh remained homeless.

He had left aside royalty and all royal comforts

And cut off his relationship with all comforts and ease.

He now only connected himself to the Lord,

While turning the back towards all else.

The love of Allah is not easy 0 friends!

The love of Allah is not cheap 0 friends!

Since when does love fear

The criticism of critics.

Love does not care if the life has to go.

The road of love lurks with dangers

The heart and soul turns to blood in this path.

Very costly is this commodity of love.           .

The love of Allah is obtained with great sacrifice and many tears.

In the ocean of love there are waves of blood.

This is not the road of the faint hearted.

Love does not fear humiliation.

Love does not care for fame and name.

The love of Allah alone is the food of the lovers.

The love of Allah alone is the coolness of the hearts of the truthful ones.

He (Bin Adham) discarded the kingdom and covered himself with a blanket

And adorned the garb of poverty.

His kingly pomp got hidden in the blanket of poverty.

Within the blanket of poverty was hidden the glory of the king.

When the body of. the king of Balkh

Became infatuated in the love and remembrance of Allah,

He became aware of the taste of being a Dervish

And his heart gained the recognition of Allah."

A question may be asked: If Ibrahim Bin Adham (R.A.), for the sake of Allah's love, rejected the throne of Balkh, was he foolish? The answer is No. He was not foolish because the Kingdom of Balkh and in fact all the worldly Kingdoms together, have no importance or weight in the sight of Allah.

The true Lover of Allah says:

"O Allah, You have explained Your value being both the worlds.

If by giving both the worlds, You are attained,

Both worlds are nothing in exchange for Your person.

Even if a person should sacrifice his life for it,

Then too the full price has not been paid.

To become martyred for the sake of Thy Love,

Is better than a thousand lives

And many are the Kingdoms to be sacrificed for Thy bondage. "

Hence, we conclude, that the Love of Allah is not cheap.

Rasulullah had said: "Verily the price for the goods of Allah is very expensive".

When the heart experiences the sweetness and ecstasy of Allah's love, then the beloved life of the lover becomes devoid of any value.

"If the splendour of the love for the True Beloved is experienced,

Then in longing you are prepared to sacrifice life itself

O people, if the heart experiences the splendour of Allah's nearness,

The pleasures of the whole world appear wretched to you. "

Hence, on experiencing the ever abiding inner Sultanate whichn Ibrahim Bin Adham (R.A.) acquired after sacrificing the worldly kingdom of Balkh, he would have exclaimed:

"May the Lovers of this world and Kingdoms enjoy their world, Soon it will pass away, But for the True Lover of God, A Kingdom that never ends. "

Now, for casting aside such a small world and Kingdom, if a person gains such an everlasting Kingdom, then what rational being can object to a little discomfort. Similarly, if a great treasure lies buried under the foundations of a house; who will feel sorrow, if that house is demolished to take out the treasure?

"O friend, treasures are generally buried in places of destruction. Hence, destroy the body and its powers to attain it."

In other words, the lustful and illicit cravings of the flesh should be curbed and not be granted obedience, so that after destroying those sensual lusts, one may attain nearness to Allah and sound contact with Him, which is the attainment and acquisition of a treasure.

The great pleasure which Ibrahim Bin Adham (R.A.) attained through Zikr and Ibaadah on the banks of a river in the wilderness, are things which only he could describe.

"No one save the heavens were aware of his sighs of love and of pain. And no one save Allah was aware of the secrets of his love."          

As Ibrahim bin Adham (R.A.) had chosen solitude for himself, he was busy remembering his Lord and Master amidst the sounds of the wilderness. The best places for the Lovers of Allah are those, where none but Allah is aware of their communion with Him.

"O Beloved, in both worlds, the best place is that where I can prostrate myself upon Thy feet And where in words of love You and I can converse."

The same theme is mentioned by Khwaja Majzoob (R.A.) who says:

"I have this intense longing to be in such a place of solitude, Where I can sit alone and remember Him with my heart, To reside where the sky is filled with signs of Lovers, To remain there where the earth is filled with broken hearts. "

When the lovers of Allah .listen to His name being recited, they become intoxicated with his love in their souls. Maulana Kandhlawy (R.A.) in his Khaatam-e-Mathnawysays:

"O Allah when I mention Thy Name, I feel such sweetness and ecstasy, That it appears as if rivers of honey Are set flowing from every hair of my body."

It is this ecstatic pleasure which causes one to go so far as to discard his very Kingdom.

Shirazi (R.A.) puts it this way:

"The remembrance of the Beloved makes the Lovers completely oblivious of themselves

And the Zikr of the Beloved makes them unaware of the whole world around them.

In the remembrance of the True One they adopt solitude, staying away from people, And they become so absorbed in the love of the true one, That no notice is even taken of His material favours, Since they are the lovers of him alone. "

Thus Sultan Ibrahim Bin Adham's (R.A.) most significant favour which he acquired was his nearness to Allah and it is this nearness which made him drunk with love and oblivious of everything else.

Maulana Rumi (R.A.) says:

"O people, if for just a moment you experience the glory of Allah's nearness,

You will be prepared to sacrifice your precious life in the vigour's of spiritual efforts."

In other words, you will be prepared to undergo severe spiritual efforts for the sake of Allah's pleasure and you will be prepared to accept being a slave of a True Lover, and you will pray in a restless manner:

"Fill my heart with Divine Love".

"If you should see the splendour of Allah's nearness,Then in comparison therewith the whole world and its pleasures will sink into insignificance.When the True Sultan exhibits His glory and splendour,The whole world sinks into nothingness. "

In other words: In the case of the heart unto which Allah exhibits His glory and splendour, the whole world and all that is connected with it will become valueless. The heart which is endowed with special grace and bounty from Allah and unto which He clearly shows the realisation of the mortality of this world, this realisation makes it easy for it to exert itself in rigorous spiritual efforts (Mujahadah) as a result of which "reaching unto Allah" is acquired.

It is Allah's general manner of action that a person should first involve himself with strenuous spiritual exercises and thereafter attain the pleasure of "reaching unto Allah". But, sometimes He reverses the process by pulling the unmindful servant towards Him (by }azb). The manner of recognising this is that the subject experiences within himself an attraction and a feeling of love towards Allah. This is the way of }azb (attraction) which overtakes the person in the initial stages, through which the longing for spiritual exercises and ibaadah is created.

This is what happened to Hazrat Ibrahim Bin Adham (R.A.) as a result of which his throne and Kingdom became insignificant in his heart. The saints of Allah feel His nearness in their inner selves and through this great favour become independent of the bounties of this world. You may ask those saints what ecstatic pleasure they feel within themselves. One saintly person says:

"0 people, look not upon my pale face and think I am in trouble and in suffering. Yes, I am weak of body, but through Allah's Grace, no power on    earth can move my feet from the path of steadfastness".

The specially chosen saints of Allah, although outwardly they appear in wretched condition with hair hanging all over, yet as far as their spiritual progress is concerned, they are far ahead of hundreds of thousands of other men.

Maulana Rumi (R.A.) quotes Allah as saying:

"O people, be aware and listen carefully, These shawl covered ones are my special servants. Their sorrowful and distressed bodies,Are superior than thousands of other human beings."

The reason for this superiority is that they have made the dust valuable from which they have been created, through the blessings of "contact with Allah". This is the reason why the dust of their bodies has become much more valuable and beloved to Allah Ta'ala than thousands of disobedient and neglectful persons. Apart from that, the body has no real value. It is like a bottle or a glass which costs merely a rupee or two. But if it is filled with high quality scent, it will be as valuable as the amount of scent it contains. It may even be worth hundred thousand rupees. The value of the bottle depends on the amount of scent it contains. Similarly is the case with our body. It's value increases according to the amount of "contact with Allah". It is for this very reason that the ground where Rasulullah is buried, is considered higher in virtue than the "Arsh" and the "Kursi". Similarly, the bodies of a disbeliever and a believer are made from earth. Both contain the same four elements. But the difference between the two bodies is that one is simply a collection of earth while the other contains the valuable" contact with Allah". One is merely an empty bottle or glass, while the other is a glass containing fragrant scent.

Thus, the value of the body of a believer is such that Allah has purchased it with His nearness and pleasure:

"Verily Allah has purchased from the believers their selves and their possessions. " (AI-Quran: Surah Tawbah)

On the other hand there are the disbelievers whose bodies will be burnt in hell-fire forever and they will be continuously deprived of looking upon Allah's countenance.

"Nay they will be in a curtain prevented." (from looking at Allah on that day) (AI-Quran)

This announcement of being prevented from looking at Him, is a sign of Allah's state of being a Beloved one (Shaan-e­Mahboobiyat). Compare this with the rulers of this world. From the origins of this world till now, no ruler has ever announced a punitive sentence such as this, viz. That the evil-doer will be deprived of looking at the judge or ruler. Here Allah says to the unbelievers: "You are not fit that I should honour you with a look at Me." This is said with great emphasis" "Kallaa", Nay! Never!" Then He mentions His own Lordship (Ruboobiyat) which is the cause (illat) for "Mahboobiyat" (belovedness).

This is what Allah had explained to me through His Grace. Hence the body of man, which has not attained nearness to Allah or contact with Him, will be removed from "Ahsane Taqweem", (the best of moulds) and reduced to "Asfala Saafileen", (the lowest of the low) which in Allah's sight is worse than a bottle of urine.

Maulana Rumi (RA.) says:

"Do not call that heart a lamp, wherein Allah's noor does not reside, Because of worldly love and negligence, it is a urine filled bottle."

Hence it would be wrong to call an unmindful heart a lamp and to praise it in any way. The body of one possessor of no or is better than thousands of neglectful or unmindful ones. Allah's special servants are free from this worldly love but are imprisoned by His Love.

At this stage one should also understand the meaning of IIdunya". Everything which diverts one's attention from Allah is IIdunya". If a ruler is diverted from Allah by his governing, then this rule and governing is " dunya". If being poor makes one negligent of Allah, such poverty is also "dunya". It is possible for a person to be a ruler or a governor and still remain righteous and religious and it is also possible that one can be poor and. still be irreligious. From this we deduce that the person who disregards the commandments of Allah, is a worldly person, even though he may be poor and destitute. On the other hand if a King, in spite of being a ruler over a Kingdom, carries out the commands of Allah, he is a "Wali" and most definitely not a worldly person.

Maulana Rumi (RA.) says:

"Actually, ' dunya' means being neglectful of Allah's commands. It is not a name for children, wife, wealth and possessions."

The example of "dunya" is like water. A ship sails on it. As long as the water is outside and underneath the ship, it is the means whereupon the ship sails. But when the water comes inside the ship, then it can be the cause for the sinking of the ship and its destruction.

Similarly, if the "dunya" stays outside the heart, as in the case when Allah's love is above the love for wealth, children, wife and all relationships, then this "dunya" is not harmful. On the contrary, it is a means towards Allah's pleasure and nearness to Him. But when this" dunya" has entered the heart and the love for these worldly entities becomes uppermost over Allah's love, then this "dunya" becomes a means towards his destruction because the heart has been created by Allah for Himself.

In a Hadith Qudsi Allah says:

"Heavens and earth cannot contain me. But into the heart of a believer I enter like a guest."

Hence, the heart is like a Royal Palace which is only kept for the true King of Kings and not for anyone else. So, if one allows a bhangi (remover of toilet buckets) with clothes soiled in filth to live in such a Royal Palace, then this will be a great injustice and the doer will deserve punishment. Therefore a person should leave this wretched "dunya" outside the heart and not allow it to enter inside. But how can one ascertain whether "dunya" has entered the heart or not. The criterion of ascertaining this lies herein. If a person, at all times, is busy with preparations for the hereafter, trying at all times to gain Allah's pleasure and places every law of Shariah above his personal gains, then you may take it that the "dunya" is outside this person's heart, and that his heart is free from" dunya's love". For him the" dunya" becomes a means of blessings and a means towards attaining the everlasting life and the true life.

But if for the sake of his love for his wife and children, a man casts the Laws of Shari at behind his back and makes no distinction between haraam and halaal, is not observant of

preparing for the hereafter at all times, but is at all times involved with earning wealth, then you may take it that" dunya" has entered this person's heart. This" dunya" will be a means towards his destruction.

Hazrat Khwaja Majzoob (R.A.) Saheb says:

"In acquiring the worldly, lessen your desire. Place deen ahead of it. "

The outward appearances of the saints of Allah seems wretched and distressed. They experience great enjoyment therein. The reason is that, in their inner selves, they experience a splendid garden of nearness to Allah. Their inner freshness and splendour makes them independent of outer adornment. What decorations and adornments are needed for the walls of a rose garden?

"Even though outwardly, I appear as a poor and as an insane one,The truth of the matter is I am not so, I am in reality drunk, With the drink of Love of the "Saqi", Everlasting."

The Love of Allah and His remembrance is so filled with sweetness that all the worldly bounties are nothing in comparison with Allah's Zikr. And whomsoever Allah causes to taste His Love and to experience the ecstasy of making Zikr - you may ask them whether it is true that to say once: "Allah!" gives more       pleasure than all the bounties of this world or not?

"Ask the pleasure of having the head severed from Yahya. Ask the pleasure of having the body sliced from Zakariyya And the pleasure of laying down the head for slaughter, Ask Ismail the pleasure thereof"

The people who only perceive the outward appearance of things are unable to experience the great ecstasy in these matters. Allah has jealously pulled a curtain over the special favours given to His saintly servants, so that those not sincere and not interested in Him, cannot even get a glimpse thereof. He has hidden the treasure from them. In their outwardly wretched appearance and ruined state, they hide the great bounty of "contact with Allah". It is a secret bond between bondsman and Master which is hidden from others. Every person who has this contact with Allah (Nisbat) is of a different colour. The utterances of every lover is different. Everyone has a different kind of' Ah' or sigh. This is the reason that we find that one Wali (saint) is unaware of the spiritual status of another Wali (saint). Both of them may be True Lovers of Allah but every lover has a different taste in his/her communion.

"That which emanates from the heart of someone, is not our utterance. And the pain in our heart, no one else knows of"

When Hazrat Sultan Ibrahim Bin Adham (R.A.) experienced the full force of his 'Nisbat' and contact with Allah, what was the end result? He became devoid of all lusts and became independent of all adornments. Look at the difference! At one time he was sitting on the throne with a crown on his head. Now he was sitting on the bank of a river with tom and tattered clothes on him. Then one day the Chief Minister of the Kingdom of Balkh happened to pass that way.

"The Sultan was mending his tattered clothes when a Minister         passed by. Seeing the Sultan he looked at him with scorn, considering it an act of foolishness, That having discarded the worldly Kingdom, like a poor one he lived.

Ibrahim came to know through Kashf (inspiration), the Minister was surprised at his poor state. "

Hence the Sultan exhibited his miraculous powers of the inner Kingdom, so that the Wazir (minister) may change his wrong concept of him and may come to know that through contact with Allah, what bounties are forthcoming. He threw his needle into the water and loudly made duah: "0 Allah, give me back my needle". Immediately thousands of fish appeared on the surface of the water, each with a needle of gold in its mouth.

"The fish lifted their heads from the water And said: 0 Sheikh, accept these needles from Allah's side."

When the Wazir saw this miracle he became very sorry for the wrong conception which he had formed. He became ashamed and gave an "Ah" and said:

"Alas! The fish are aware of the high position of this Sheikh While I, as a human, am unaware thereof I am unfortunate and deprived, while the fish are fortunate for this bounty. "

The Wazir was overtaken by weeping and bitterly wept for a long time. Having been in contact with the Sheikh for a short while, a complete transformation came over him and soon through the blessings of the contact with the Sheikh, his head too became filled with Love for Allah. This is what Allah does through the blessings of His special saintly servants. Misfortune changes to good fortune.

In a Hadith we are taught:

"Those who sit in the company of the Saintly ones, Will never be deprived and be of ill-fortune."

Hence, we see the great progress made by the Wazir through his sorrow and weeping.

"When the heart weeps, the essence of love is created in the heart And no illness is like this blessed illness.

When in the heart contact with Allah becomes established,

Then this heart is worth calling a heart."

After Sultan Ibrahim (R.A.) had exhibited his miracle to the

Wazir, he asked him:

"O Ameer, what is better? This Kingdom of the heart or the wretched, perishable Kingdom of Balkh?"

I have written this in the following words:

"Then said the King of Balkh, 0 Wazir,

What is better, the Kingdom of the heart or the wretched Kingdom of Balkh?

Of what benefit was the Sultanate of Balkh?

Now at last I experience comfort in my life.

The hustle and bustle of State proved to be a headache.

Now I am a beggar but at the same time King of land and sea. Through the ecstasy of Zikr, I am drunk and happy.

I am free from all worries and troubles,

The humiliation of love has become an honour to me.

I have taken upon me poverty and became a King. "

When the Wazir, through the blessings of the King of Balkh, had attained the inner Kingdom of the heart, he immediately decided to resign from the Ministry and he chose to become a companion of the Sultan in the desert. Up to now, for the whole of his life, he had been a slave of rational thinking, but he finally became successful through having become mad in the love for Allah.

"I tested reasoning but when nothing successful. emerged,

I made myself into a madman and I was successful. .

And when madness proved fruitful and caused me to reach my

Beloved,

I became in love with madness and cast aside reason.

O True Beloved, to utter cries in Thy remembrance appears very      good.

O Allah, grant me the ability to continue crying to you till Qiyamat. "

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Lesson from this Story

This story teaches us that Allah's love and the bounties of the hereafter are so much more better and greater than the blessings of this world and all that lies in it. In it we are taught to discard   the love of this perishable world.

Khwaja Majzoob (RA.) says:

"This world is no place for enjoyment, It is a place of taking heed and is not sport and play. "

Hazrat Saadi Shirazi (RA.) says:

"O Self! If you should ponder deeply, you will come to the conclusion That it is best to adopt a life of poverty over a life of riches. "

It is true that one day, we will have to leave this world and after death the poor and the King will be equal in the grave.

"When the Indian, the Qaychaki, European and the African reach   the grave, They all become of one colour, all turn to dust. This drink and kebab and sugar are all from one dust, But the dust has been coloured in various colours. "

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