Khatam Shariif Khadim e Khas of Shaykh Abu Said al Khayr The venerable Shaykh Hasan Muadeb

He who serves; will one day be served

Introduction

Fame of Shaykh Abu Said al Khayr had spread throughout Nishapur. Many people flocked to his gatherings in the hope of having their requests fulfilled. He duly obliged in fulfilling his duty in serving the people whilst refraining from attributing any self worth, famously he was known for referring to himself as nobody, son of nobody. Later described as the Master who lived his life finding his own faults, he was proficient in dealing with the trickery and mischief of the lower self, the ego. Once advising a murid who had felt the absence of his discourses, he remarked, Even if you had been away ten years, my message you could write on a finger nail. The summary of all my teachings is one point; Sacrifice your nafs(ego). A young man from a noble and wealthy family was intrigued by Shaykh Abu Said . He was very sceptical of his ability to read peoples thoughts; especially since he did not believe that Allah Almighty had even revealed this knowledge to his Prophets. Confident of his intelligence and wit, he sought out the gathering of Shaykh Abu Said with the sole intention of putting the Shaykh to the test. When he entered the gathering, he sat quietly and patiently among the devotees, whilst trying to avoid any attention.

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From the comfort of his distant position he could see the Shaykh, who at the time was delivering a sermon. Once finished, the Shaykh pointed towards a poor man and requested the audience to donate some clothing to him. All present offered something to the poor man except for this young man. He had left his home earlier that day, in the most elegant attire; wearing an exclusive Tabarestani turban and expensive garments; he was certainly in no mood to part with these. As he remained seated and unmoved by the charitable atmosphere, a murid of the Shaykh approached him and requested that he donate his turban to that poor man. He had now found himself in a pickle; foolishly he had come to test the Shaykh but was now being coerced into giving up his expensive turban. That turban is worth ten dinars and furthermore, it was a gift, he thought to himself. He stubbornly refused to part with his turban. Shaykh Abu Said noticed his reluctance, so he himself asked, young man, give your turban to this poor man. He still could not come to part with his turban. Then an old man who had witnessed all this asked the Shaykh, O master, does God ever speak to His servants. Shaykh Abu Said replied, Yes He does and He will not ask more than twice for a turban from Tabarestan. He has asked the man sitting by your side twice. However, he is more concerned about the monetary value of the turban. The words of Shaykh Abu Said caused the young man to tremble and he immediately fell at the Shaykhs feet. His heart was emptied of all disapproval and hostility towards the Shaykh. He removed his expensive turban and then his outer garments and gave those to the poor man. From this point onwards he became devoted to following Shaykh Abu Said and in time he came to sacrifice all his wealth and time for the sake of the Shaykh. His name was Hadrat Hasan Muadeb meaning with good manners. Indeed his good manners were instrumental throughout his time with the Shaykh and most certainly were pivotal in him receiving the honorific title of Khadim e Khas (The Special Servant). It is this characteristic of service (khidmah) that he was taught in his first meeting with the Shaykh. In that one request to sacrifice his expensive turban for the benefit of another person, he was taught the importance and value of service (khidmah) to others; where the needs and comfort of others is put before the needs of oneself.

Khidmah (Service) There are times when a tiny service offered for the sake of the Divine can be superior to many supererogatory deeds of worship. During a campaign under sweltering heat, Rasulullah had the Companions camp at a suitable location. Some were fasting, others were not. Due to tiredness, those who were fasting quickly fell asleep. Others, who were not,

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carried water for those who were and set up tents to shade them. When the time arrived to break the fast, Rasulullah said: Those who did not fast today have received rewards greater than those who did. Rasulullah who has presented countless spurs for his ummah to embrace service, carried stones on his back during the construction of the mosques of Quba and Madinah, despite his Companions insisting him otherwise. The exceptional modesty and spirit to serve embodied by Rasulullah lays out a unique example for all Muslims. Indeed, his entire life was a sheer case of serving Allah Almighty and creation. Had this not been the case, then surely as Imam e Rabbani highlighted Rasulullah would not have been referred to as the abd, His servant in the testimony of faith (shahadah). As a pre-requisite each Muslim is required to say this testimony which is further endorsement of the fact that this honour must be the pinnacle in the sight of Allah Almighty. Had there been any more worthy honour, then surely Rasulullah would have received that. Thus the road to acquiring of eternity lies in services lent to others with a genuine heart. Subsequently Khidmah (service) has enormous importance in Sufi training. The most effective way of implanting feelings of modesty, selflessness and mercy for the creation in hearts runs through service. All masters have therefore considered it a vital means in training the disciple. Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar ascribes his spiritual level to the blessings of his service. We have not covered distance on this path solely from reading books on Sufism but from putting into practice what we read to the best of our capabilities and serving the public. Each is taken delivered from a certain path and We were delivered through the path of service. And this shows that knowing alone is not enough without putting what is known to practice through serving. Yet Divine acceptance of the service given depends on it carrying certain qualities. An accepted or ideal service, in this sense, is to seek the pleasure of the Lord by approaching creation with a sincere, compassionate and selfless heart. In other words, serving must not be marred with self-interest and must instead be offered genuinely, eyeing exclusively the rewards of the Hereafter.

Service free from ego Shaykh Abu Said was aware that Hadrat Hasan was not without his faults, but saw potential in him and so, began to deal with removing the flaws in his character. In particular Hadrat Hasan had a certain sense or arrogance due to his noble background. If he was to succeed in becoming a good servant then certainly these flaws must be meted out. One such occasion was when Shaykh Abu Said instructed Hadrat Hasan to go to the market place, to buy an ojri (tripe) and then carry it through the market on his back. He did as instructed walking through the marketplace with blood from the tripe pouring down his back and the stench clogging his senses. Begrudgingly and feeling humiliated he covered all the routes as per instructions. When he returned to the Sufi lodges ( khanqah), Shaykh Abu

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Said said, Now go back and ask people if they had seen you earlier when you passed them carrying the tripe. Hadrat Hasan went to the market place again but was surprised when no one had any recollection of him passing earlier. Confused by the whole incident he returned to Shaykh Abu Said who said, The only person who was looking was you because your ego was upset. My son, you are of no concern to anyone else. The Shaykh then asked for the tripe to be cooked on that night and said to the murids, O Brothers! Enjoy this tripe for indeed Hasans ego will be cooked with it. It was not long before Hadrat Hasan was given a further lesson in subduing the ego. During a heavy rainpour one day Shaykh Abu Said told the murids to go and play in the water that had pooled up. All the murids except Khwaja Abu Bakr jumped into the water. He felt this was frivolous thing to do and did not want to ruin his clothes aswell. Whilst he was observing everyone else, Hadrat Hasan sneaked up behind him, lifted him by placing his head between his legs and then threw him in the water. This was problematic because Khwaja Abu Bakr did not know how to swim and so he struggled with great difficulty before the other people pulled him out. They turned him upside down, to let the water drain from his lungs. Further mockery followed when Shaykh Abu Said with the murids performed funeral rites (janaza) on Khwaja Abu Bakr whilst he was clearly still alive. The Shaykh then spoke, O! Abu Bakr rise up from being dead and speak. Having been helped onto his donkey, Khwaja Abu Bakr then left for home. Later that evening as was the custom the murids gathered for the evening meal but on this occasion Shaykh Abu Said did not join them. The next morning Shaykh Abu Said summoned Hadrat Hasan and sent him on a mission. You must go to Balkh. It will take you twelve days there and twelve on return but you must be back here on the twenty-fifth day. Go there and meet Amr Khasku , give him my greetings and ask for three tons of fragrance wood and pay off the debt we owe him. The journey was not as smooth as Hadrat Hasan expected because he was captured by Turks who mistook him for a spy. He was badly beaten and robbed of his possessions and clothes. Eventually he requested spiritual support and immediately the commander in chief of Turks appeared. He had Hadrat Hasan untied and his clothes returned. He explained to Hadrat Hasan that he had a dream in which an elegant man holding a sword threatened him with his life unless he did not untie Hadrat Hasan . Hadrat Hasan understood this to be his Shaykh, and so once he had a little respite, he resumed his journey. After finally arriving at the destination, he found that Amr Khasku was not present and had gone away for a while. At this point Hadrat Hasan was deflated, tired and in need of some rest. However, he knew that he must return home before the twenty-fifth day so immediately he set off on his return journey.

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Upon arriving back, he was greeted by all the murids and the Shaykh, who remarked, Hasan. Do you want to tell the story or shall I?. It is better from the Shaykh, he replied. Shaykh Abu Said then related the whole story to the other murids. He then looked to Hadrat Hasan and said, I knew you would not find Amr Khasku in Balkh. T he ego which was big enough to lift Abu Bakr and throw him into the water needed a Turkmans stick. It was too big for me to sort out so I sent you for the purpose of subduing your ego. Subduing the ego is essential in becoming a good servant (khadim) because people of service must be courteous in all their conducts, as delicate as one tiptoeing around a minefield; for their objects are hearts, the focal point of the Divine Gaze. So until the ego does not become itself a servant to the needs of the soul then it is difficult to truly serve because the ego will always find a way to interfere. This is why Shaykh Abu Said continuosly put Hadrat Hasan through his paces. He was aware that this young man had already the roots of love in his heart but needed a nudge at times to accelerate the change within. A person with love for his master has to make very little effort in physical terms but a tremendous amount of progression will occur with that persons ego. This is because love for the Shaykh fills the heart of the person and gradually flushes out the negativity of the ego. Love for your Master will do more to subdue your ego, than all other efforts can collectively.

Bag of Coins One day, Shaykh Abu Said Abu al-Khayr instructed Hadrat Hasan to go to the chief of the police and tell him to pay for a feast for the darwishes. Hadrat Hasan set off thinking, There is no one in Nishapur who is more opposed to the Shaykh than him, but these are the orders so I must obey. When he reached the police station, the chief was busy beating someone up and had confiscated a bag of coins from this person. Hadrat Hasan conveyed the message but the chief mocked him, and uttered some unpleasant words. He threw the bag of coins at him, saying, Maybe the Shaykh would like to treat the darwishes with this haram money. He returned with the bag of coins and mentioned what had happened to Shaykh Abu Said . He was told to use the coins to prepare a meal for the darwishes. Some murids questioned the Shaykhs judgement but Hadrat Hasan remained steadfast upon the orders. When the food had been prepared, Shaykh Abu Said noticed no one was eating, so he said Bismillah, start eating. Everyone slowly started eating, although they were not keen to do so, as they knew the food had been purchased from that dubious bag of coins.

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The next day, a young person stood up in front of the Shaykh in a gathering and began to plead for forgiveness. He said, I have betrayed you. When my father was about to die, he gave me two bags of coins and instructed me to give one bag as a gift to you, but I decided to keep both. Yesterday, as I was walking in the bazaar when the chief of police took me away and beat me and took that bag of coins which was yours and tossed it at someone else. I am offering you my share now because I realise the beating was a punishment from Allah Almighty for withholding what was rightfully yours. Shaykh Abu Said said, Keep what is yours but do not deny the haqq of others. The police chief was later informed about what had transpired here. Because of Hadrat Hasans good etiquette and patience in dealing with his unsavoury behaviour, he too came to Shaykh Abu Said and sought forgiveness. The Khadim is the ambassador of the Shaykh and so it is imperative that he is as a true reflection of Shaykhs personality as possible. Because if he were to appear coarse in his treatment, then he would create a coldness in the peoples hearts towards the Shaykh. Therefore denying his own Shaykh from valuable service and also denying people from obtaining blessings through the Shaykh.

Qualities of a Khadim Shaykh Abu Said kept on sending Hadrat Hasan to the shop of his loyal murid, Hadrat Abu Umar . When it was sunset, the Shaykh said to Hadrat Hasan , Go again to Abu Umar and tell him to give you some fragrances. When he arrived at the shop, he was embarrassed as this was going to be the eighth time he had been in that day. Hadrat Abu Umar said, Why are you afraid to ask? Why do you feel embarrassed? Even if the Shaykh was to order me to give a thousand dinars, I would not hesitate. These words were a source of encouragement for Hadrat Hasan , taking away the burden in his heart and he vowed to himself, in future, that he would not hesitate in carrying out the Shaykhs tasks. When he returned, Shaykh Abu Said said to him, Hasan clean your inside and outside so you can sit with the holy people. Hadrat Hasan came out crying and began to rub dust on his face and asked for forgiveness. Through regular performance of tasks such as above, Hadrat Hasan became steadfast and firm in his conviction of his master. Whatever, task was assigned to him, he tried to fulfil to the best of his ability even when logic, reason or its success were not apparent. He committed fully all his resources and energy to doing khidmah for his master and fellow mankind. He understood that this was selfless service without any recompense or acknowledgement. Shaykh Saadi said, Tasawuff (Sufism) is nothing but service to others Moreover, it is an honour on the khadims part that from all mankind he has been chosen to fulfil this role. Therefore, were anyone to offer a khadim recompense for his service, than he would look upon that as an insult. Similarly in the story of Sayyiduna Khidr and

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Sayyiduna Musa it is at a particular moment where they both go their separate ways. It is when Sayyiduna Khidr has repaired the decrepit wall of the orphans that Sayyiduna Musa points out that the local people had been inhospitable and he could not understand him doing such an act, at least he should take payment for his service. Sayyiduna Khidr patiently accepted previous interferences but this was the last straw. How could he accept payment for service he was performing for Allah Almightys pleasure? A Sufi Master once mentioned about one of his khadims, even if a flood goes over his head, he doesnt complain. The perpetual state of the khadim must be of patience and endurance because the Shaykh will not only put him through the most difficult situations, he will also use his capacity to withstand, to teach others. The khadim must also be discrete in his dealings with the Shaykh and other people. He must never indulge in speaking openly about matters which concern the Shaykh or others who have entrusted him. To do so would jeopardise his standing as a confidant. Rasulullah once asked their khadim, the young boy, Hadrat Anas to perform a task. Whilst on route he met his mother who asked him where he was going. He remained silent for a while and then told his mother that Rasulullah had entrusted him with a task, about which he could not divulge even to his mother. His mother was overjoyed by the maturity he had shown and said, Well done son. That is how you should be; you should never disclose what Rasulullah tell you. Many other people also did service in the khanqah of Shaykh Abu Said . Some were wealthy and others destitute but all performed some service; be it preparing the food, cleaning, or straightening the shoes. One murid, Pir Bu Saleh Dimdani had the duty of carrying a toothpick for the Shaykh, and would always carry a scissors in his hand for times when the Shaykhs moustache needed trimming. He was asked once, about the skill of trimming the moustache and he replied, Darwish, you need to have enough knowledge that equals that of seventy scholars to really know how to trim a moustache. It is not a trivial matter. On this point Hadrat Allama Iqbal wrote that if you seek the longing of love of Allah then serve the faqirs (pious people) because this pearl is not found in the treasures of kings. This is because the pious people are in constant remembrance of their Lord and even tasks such as trimming the moustache are tedious and become time consuming. Here from the Almightys endless mercy He has created vacancies for those not busy in remembrance to serve His people so that they may attain something. One day Imam Qushayri was performing ghusl and he ran out of water. He called out, Is there any student around to pour some more water through the water hole. Shaykh Bu Ali Farmadi through the water hole. heard Imam Qushayris voice and ran quickly and poured water

Imam Qushayri enquired, Which student is it? and Shaykh Bu Ali Farmadi replied, Its Abu Ali. Imam Qushayris said, O Abu Ali, what I have attained in sixty years of hardship, you have gained in pouring that one bucket of water.

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Debts and more debts As the Khadim e Khas, Hadrat Hasan was entrusted with greater responsibility than others. On a number of occasions he found himself in dire situations. One common recurrence throughout his time as a khadim was the constant debt he would accrue through performing his role as the following stories illustrate. On one occasion, Shaykh Abu Said Abu al-Khayr , told his son Shaykh Abu Tahir and Hadrat Hasan Muadeb to make halwa. Shaykh Hasan was worried as he had no money, but as he and Shaykh Abu Tahir made their way to the market, a person came running towards them and said, I was looking for you. Our caravan was attacked by some bandits earlier, and I made a pledge that if we were saved, I would give one full sack of potatoes to the Shaykh. Then other people came towards Shaykh Abu Tahir and Hadrat Hasan with similar tales of their pledges; some donated money and someone as fate would have it, donated semolina flour for making halwa. When Shaykh Abu Said commenced the practice of sama within Nishapur, he began to face opposition. Soon enough these people complained to Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi , who replied to the people that they were free to take whatever action they deemed was necessary. Hence, the people saw this as a sign that they had been given the go ahead to martyr Shaykh Abu Said and his murids. This frightened all the followers but none had the courage to speak directly to Shaykh Abu Said about their apprehensions. On the other hand he himself did not show the slightest of concern regarding this matter. Instead, he called Hadrat Hasan and said, For breakfast, serve everyone boiled lamb heads, plenty of sugar, plenty of sweets and rosewater. Moreover, burn some incense and set all the food on a clean white cotton cloth in the middle of the city mosque, so those who talk behind our backs, can see that Gods Hand feeds from the unseen. Although Hadrat Hasan did not have the means to arrange this meal for the hundred or so people who were at the khanaqah; he made his way to the market. He pondered whether to beg or return back and mention to the Shaykh that he had no provisions to purchase the food. He decided to stay and hoped something would happen to take care of matters. The market closed and it became pitch dark, but still he remained there. Suddenly, a man approached Hadrat Hasan and asked, What are you doing here, there are no shops open. After listening to Hadrat Hasan money as you need. , the man smiled, opened a bag and said, Take as much

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The following morning the people were bewildered to see that the Shaykh and his followers were enjoying a luxury breakfast in the heart of the city. Angered by what they saw, they sent a message informing one of the tribal leaders, Abu Bakr Ishaq, who replied, Let them enjoy their last meal, tomorrow vultures will be eating them. After breakfast, Shaykh Abu Said said to Hadrat Hasan , Go and prepare the front row at the mosque for Jummah prayer for all the murids. The Imam of the mosque, Mufti Said was one of the people who opposed Shaykh Abu Said . After the prayers, Mufti Said was doing a lengthy dua when the Shaykh stood to leave. Mufti Said stared at Shaykh Abu Said , hinting he thought it to be bad manners for him to leave whilst he was doing a supplication. Shaykh Abu Said gave him a look that rendered him powerless, and he felt as though he was a pigeon in the presence of a hawk. Following this exchange of glances, Mufti Saids opinion had changed and he no longer wanted to be part of the ones who desired to cause harm. After leaving the mosque, Shaykh Abu Said said to Hadrat Hasan , Go and get some pastries and take them to Abu Bakr Ishaq. Invite him to join us in the evening, so that he may break his fast with us. Abu Bakr Ishaq was very surprised by the message, because as far as he was concerned not a soul was aware of his nafli roza. He was also perplexed by the gift of pastries, because before he had gone to Jummah prayers, he had walked past a shop and desired these exact pastries. Realising that this was no mere coincidence, Abu Bakrs opinion of the Shaykh also changed, and so he sent a message to those people who opposed the Shaykh, saying, I am not going to cooperate with you in your plans to martyr the Shaykh and his followers. Abu Bakr Ishaq said to Hadrat Hasan , Say to your master, that Sultan Mahmud with one hundred thousand men and seven hundred war elephants could not defeat us; but your sweets have won us over, we are your servants. Hadrat Hasan related the message back to Shaykh Abu Said who now spoke on the whole matter; he explained, Since yesterday you have been shaking from fear, terrified at being hung for being a Sufi. Yet it takes someone of the calibre of Shaykh Mansur al Hallaj to be hanged; real men are hanged, not phonies.

Conclusion One day, Shaykh Abu Said said to Hadrat Hasan , Hasan, rise to your feet. Hadrat Hasan stood up and Shaykh Abu Said said to him, I want you to know that I did not call you onto myself, I called you onto your non existence. Hadrat Hasan replied, Master, is existence enough? Hadrat Hasan comprehended that these words from his master carried a significant message; that all the khidmah he had done towards his master had served a purpose; to prepare him to have the honour of being an Abd of Allah. Hadrat Hasan also understood

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that Shaykh Abu Said was foretelling that he did not have long to live now, and was instructing him to be a servant of Allah Almighty, for the remainder of his life. Following this, Shaykh Abu Said gave a final message to his followers and told Hadrat Hasan to saddle a horse; the Shaykh then rode around the local area, saying farewell to all the people. He bade farewell to all the trees and caves; visiting all the places he had performed seclusions. Hadrat Hasan narrates, I was walking in attendance of the Shaykh and thinking to myself that after the Shaykhs death, I will have to arrange everything. My heart was greatly concerned with the debts, what will happen when the Shaykh is gone? The master sensed I was burdened and said to me, Hasan do not trouble your heart over debts for Allah Almighty will send someone three days after my death and set your heart free from the debts. Lo and behold, three days after the blessed death of my master, a man arrived and paid off all the debt. The legacy of Hadrat Hasan Muadeb is reflected in that no books were ever written on him. This is an honour in itself for a khadim as his honour lies in being remembered by the master he has served. As it befits his rank of khadim e khas, Hadrat Hasan Muadeb is buried near Shaykh Abu Said in the same maqbara in Mayhana, Turkmenistan.

Al - Fatiha

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