The Shaikh’s death, excerpted from Futuh al-Ghaib [Revelations of the Unseen]

 

The Shaikh’s final advice to his sons (sanctified be their innermost secrets); some valuable remarks he made; his last illness and death (may Allah be well pleased with him and grant him contentment).

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #199D18;”] W [/dropcap]hen the Shaikh (may Allah be content with him and grant him contentment) was in the throes of the illness of which he died, his son ‘Abd al-Wahhab (sanctified be his innermost secret) said to him: “O my master, leave me with some advice to put into practice after you are gone.” To this he replied (may Allah be well pleased with him, and grant him contentment): “You must observe your duty to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), fear no one but Allah, pin your hopes on no one but Allah, and entrust all your needs to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). Do not rely on anyone but Him, address all your requests to Him (Exalted is He), and put your trust in no one other than Allah (Glory be to Him). Affirm His Oneness. All is contained within the affirmation of His Oneness.” He also said (may Allah be well pleased with him, and grant him contentment): “When the heart is as it should be with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), it wants for nothing and contains nothing superfluous.” He said further (may Allah be well pleased with him, and grant him contentment): “I am a kernel with no shell.” To his sons he said (may Allah be well pleased with him): “Keep your distance from me, for I am with you outwardly, but inwardly I am with others.” He also said (may Allah be well pleased with him): “Others have come into my presence, so make room for them and treat them courteously. A very great kindness here. Do not crowd their space.”

He kept saying (may Allah be well pleased with him): “On you be peace, and Allah’s mercy and His blessings. May Allah forgive me and you. May Allah relent toward me and toward you. In the Name of Allah, farewell!” He said this for a day and a night. He said (may Allah be well pleased with him): “Woe unto you! Nothing worries me, not the angel, not even you, O angel of death! He who cares for us has blessed us with something beyond you.” Then he uttered a loud cry. This was on the day in the late evening of which he died (may Allah be well pleased with him). It is reported by two of his sons, Shaikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq and Shaikh Musa (sanctified be their innermost secrets) that the venerable Ghawth (may Allah be well pleased with him) would raise his hands and stretch them out, while saying: “On you be peace, and Allah’s mercy and His blessings! Repent and get into line when it comes to your turn.” He was sayng (may Allah be well pleased with him): “Wait!” Then came to him the moment of truth and the pang of death.

He said (may Allah be well pleased with him): “Between me and you and all other creatures there is a distance like that between heaven and earth, so do not compare me to anyone, and do not compare us with anyone.” Then his son Shaikh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (sanctified be his innermost secret) asked him again about his suffering and how he felt, but he said (may Allah be well pleased with him): “Let no one ask me anything. I am basking in the knowledge of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He).” Shaikh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (sanctified be his innermost secret) asked him again about his illness, and he replied (may Allah be well pleased with him): “No one knows the nature of my sickness, and nobody understands it, be he human, jinn, or angel. Allah’s knowledge is not diminished by Allah’s decree. The decree may change, but the knowledge is unchanging. ‘Allah effaces or confirms whatever He will, and with Him is the Essence of the Book,’ (13:39). ‘He will not be questioned as to what He does, but they will be questioned.’ (21:23).” The following descriptions have also been reported:

His son Shaikh ‘Abd al-Jabbar (sanctified be his innermost secret) asked him: “Which part of your body gives you pain?” He replied (may Allah be well pleased with him): “All my organs are hurting me except my heart. There is no pain there, for it is with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He).” Then death came to him, as he was saying (may Allah be well pleased with him): “I seek help in the words: ‘There is none worthy of worship but Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, the Ever-Living, Who has no fear of passing away. Glory be to Him Who exults in His omnipotence, and subdues His servants with death. There is none worthy of worship but Allah. Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger.'”

His son Shaikh Musa (sanctified be his innermost secret) told us that when death approached the presence of the Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him, and grant him contentment), he was trying to say the word “ta’azzaza” [“exults”], but could not get the pronunciation right, so he kept on repeating “ta-‘az-za-za,” slowly and emphatically, until his tongue shot it out. Then he said: “Allah, Allah, Allah,” till his voice grew faint and his tongue was cleaving to the roof of his mouth. Then his noble spirit went forth.

The good pleasure of Allah (Exalted is He) be upon him!

 

Re-printed with kind permission from Al-Baz Publishing, Inc.