Segovious, I was gonna ask when the first post in the series is going to start .

There are at least two stories about Uwais that is quite “popular” among the “muslims”. This one is imo the most popular one, usually told to children, about the virtue of respecting one’s mother. This is the shorter version than that of Attar’s: http://www.sufi.co.za/uwais%20qarni.htm

The other one is about respecting one’s father. I also recall this story in one of Idries Shah’s books, but I don’t remember which one. http://www.mindfulnessclasses.com/classroomTalk/20000213/messages/903.html

Of course, one can dig more than one inner meanings of each story. From above stories alone (just outer form, no “hidden key” whatsoever), I can understand where the believe that Uwais was taught directly by Prophet Muhammad and Khidr came from. Ibn Arabi also made the same claim (that he was “masterless” but was instructed by Khidr himself). The difference is that Uwais himself didn’t make any claim .

For me, it is interesting to note Uwais’s attitude toward “the world”. Here is one from Idries Shah’s The Way of the Sufi:

Uwais el-Qarni was offered some money. He said:
“I do not need it, as I already have a coin.”
The other said: “How long will that last you? – it is nothing.”
Uwais answered: “Guarantee me that I shall live longer than this sum will suffice me and I will accept your gift.”

Another quote from him (from the same book) “ Sleep with the remembrance of death, and rise with the thought that you will not live long.”

Compare that with a hadith by Prophet Muhammad “You must work for your honest provision as if you are going to remain in this world forever, and for the afterlife as if you will die tomorrow”. 

peace,
Matahari
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Segovius,

I was wondering if you ever got my reply I posted this past Sunday? I think it went to the spam filter.

peace,
Matahari

Cheers Matahari - great references! There’s a lot here I’d heard but didn’t realize were related to Uwais.

The links to Khidr too are definitely marked. I hadn’t thought of it in that regard at all. Thanks!

Btw - sorry about this filter business - I’m on the case.

Abraham left his father and mother for the sake of God and Uwais stayed with his parents. Just shows how there is no one size fits all answer to anything.

Paul, Abraham’s parent had different “attitude” toward God than Uways’s parents. Nevertheles, Abraham still respected his parents, even prayed for them. He just didn’t follow his parent’s “belief”. We need to respect and be kind to our parents, but that doesn’t include following their “wrong doings”.

QS 31:14-15 :
And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), “Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.

“But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to me (in love): in the end the return of you all is to Me, and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that ye did.”

peace,
Matahari

Thank you for this Matahari have always relied on the old fashioned to Western ears “Honour thy father and mother” fifth commandment but do like QS 31:14-15 . By the way which translation of the Koran is it from. Can you recommend a good one.

Best Wishes

Paul

Hi, Paul. I really cannot criticize any translation (not having skills to translate to Quran myself and both Arabic and English are not my native language lol), but I do like Muhammad Asad translation. Many words in Arabic cannot be perfectly “translated”, that’s why, when in doubt, I usually re-check the key word(s) from the original in Arabic. The “easier” way to compare Quran translation is through this site:
http://www.islamicity.com/QuranSearch/ . They have translations from Muhammad Asad, Pickal and Yusuf Ali.  MH Shakir’s translation can be found here:http://www.hti.umich.edu/k/koran/

The above (31:14-15) translation is I think from Yusuf Ali’s, here is from Muhammad Asad:

31:14 “And [God says:] ‘We have enjoined upon man goodness towards his parents: his mother bore him by bearing strain upon strain, and his utter dependence on her lasted two years: [14] [hence, O man,] be grateful towards Me and towards thy parents, [and remember that] with Me is all journeys’ end

31:15 “‘[Revere thy parents;] yet should they endeavour to make thee ascribe divinity, side by side with Me, to something which thy mind cannot accept [as divine], [16] obey them not; but [even then] bear them company in this world’s life with kindness, and follow the path of those who turn towards Me. In the end, unto Me you all must return; and thereupon I shall make you [truly] understand all that you were doing [in life].’

Which one do you think is better translation?

peace,
Matahari

Dear Matahari

Thank you for those will check the site out shortly.

Well if one can’t disown ones parents can one be getting rid of ones wife/wives and children then.

There was a famous Sufi I read about many years ago who started out as a robber of Caravans. He repented of his wicked ways and became a Sufi. One day his child came up to him and said “father can one heart love two” and realising it was God speaking to him through the child he left to worship God whole heartedly. Know this is not an accurate representation of the story but am sure the more knowledgeable types will know who and what I am referring to. The only quote I can think of on the subject from the Koran goes something like” Your wives and children are a distraction to you”

Look forward to more knowledgeable and beautiful quotes from you. Wish I knew how to add laughing emoticon to my posts at various points.

Peace and Best Wishes

Paul

Paul,

sorry I have problem with my pc, it won’t be fixed until Monday so I can’t check the internet everyday at the moment (here is how to make the emoticon : just type : then - then ) for smiling or )) for big smile If you want to make a wink, just type ; then - then ) or )) or p for teasing like this :-p ) Ok this is sooo off topic, now back to Uways (or not? :-p)

I am by not at all knowledgeable, but I think the Sufi you were referring to is Fudail bin (son of) Ayad. When he repented he thought he already purified himself until he son asked when he was playing with him “How can you, with one heart, love two?” At that moment he realized what he thought as “love” was only sentimentality and he knew he needed to find a higher form of “love”.

I don’t recall about Fudail getting rid of his son, but he did get his “enlightment” through his son. Most prophets and “teachers” (including Rumi, Ibn Arabi, Bahaudin Naqsabandi, etc, ) had families though some of them (e.g. Rabia al Adawiya) preferred to live alone following the path of Jesus. A perfect man (or woman) should be “in the world but not of it”.

13.38 And certainly We sent apostles before you and gave them wives and children, and it is not in (the power of) an apostle to bring a sign except by Allah’s permission; for every term there is an appointment.

I also don’t recall the Koran says that your wives (or husbands) and children are a distraction to you. On the contrary, Koran encourages man to marry, here are a few verses :

30:21 And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.

24:32 Marry those among you who are single, or the virtuous ones among yourselves, male or female: if they are in poverty, Allah will give them means out of His grace: for Allah encompasseth all, and he knoweth all things.

24:33 Let those who find not the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allah gives them means out of His grace.......etc

But if you choose to have family, they are your responsibility:

17:31 Hence, do not kill your children for fear of poverty : it is We who shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily, killing them is a great sin.

As long as we remember that things of the world are a trial, not ultimate goal:

64:15 Your worldly goods and your children are but a trial and a temptation, whereas with God there is a tremendous reward.
63:9 O you who believe! let not your wealth, or your children, divert you from the remembrance of God; and whoever does that, these are the losers.

When Abraham was granted with Ismael and Isaac, do you think they diverted him from God? Or make him even closer to God? Did Joseph the Carpenter turn into a better person or worse after he married Mary?

I think it all depends on the individual. But I think most of the problem is in our own selves, our secondary selves, we are our own distraction. Like Hafiz said “ Hafiz, you are your own screen, arise from its mist!”

God knows best. 

peace,
Matahari

Dear Matahari

Thank you for another of your detailed replies which I always enjoy reading as well as your explanation of using emoticons. Also the site Islamicity looks very useful with its search facility for topics in the Koran and Hadith. Clearly my translation of the Koran may be limiting my understanding of this book.

The expression getting rid of his son was a joke but I did understand that he left his family to live a life of solitary contemplation after this. It is possible that my memory is faulty of this. One can also think of Hindus as they get older taking Sannyas and leaving their families behind that I once saw a program on.

It is interesting that many of the Prophets in some way were disengaged from their families. The Prophet Mohammed was an orphan, Moses put in the bull-rushes at an early age and Abraham as mentioned before. Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt. The prophets of the Old Testament always seem to be somewhat solitary figures usually at odds with the people they are prophesying to.

So my comment on Uways is that his close connection with his parents is somewhat exceptional.

Your previous reply stated that Abraham spent his life praying for his parents - is this in the Koran or a tradition because I was not aware of this.

By the way not on the subject of Uways but did Ibn’ul Arabi just have one wife and did he have children?

God be with you

Paul

Paul, sooo sorry I still don’t have computer access at home. So, I only check any emails/msgs when I am at my friend’s .

Your comment about “many of the Prophets in some way were disengaged from their families” is very interesting. If you notice, that kind of “separation” mostly happened on early age, like in the case of Prophet Joseph, Moses and Muhammad. But in their adult life, they did have wives and children. Should we say other Prophet like Solomon (son of David) had special “luxury” of having parents, wives and children?

If you check chapter 14 (Surat Ibrahim) of the Quran, you can see many “prayers of Abraham”. Here is his prayer for his parents:

14.41 O our Lord! grant me protection and my parents and the believers on the day when the reckoning shall come to pass!

I am sorry, I am ignorant about Ibn Arabi’s wife and children. But if I am not mistaken, Sufi Shaykh Sadr al-din Qunawi was his disciple and his son in law. So, I guess at least he had one wife and one daughter, plus good parents, so he had Solomon’s luxury ;-p (btw, Jalaluddin Rumi had that kind of luxury, too). Hopefully we had more references about Ibn Arabi when we talk about him later in other (Ibn Arabi) Sufi Master topic, since this is supposed to be an ongoing discussion.

peace,
Matahari

No doubt the information you have given is worth of any individual, irrespective religion and race.

Thanks for serving such a valuable service to web community.

Well, my request is, if it is possible can you upload Tazkarut-ul-Auliya from Hazrat Attar (R.A).

Peace be with you…
Kensky

Hi Kensy - no probs. I am re-designing and restructuring the blog at the moment (hence not posting much) and will do this when it is ready. Soon.

This is from the Ruh al-Quds of Ibn ‘Arabi:

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The best of disciples, according to the Master of Messengers, was Uways ibn Amir al-Qarani (may God be pleased with him), whom Muhammad (may God bless him) recommended to ‘Umar and others. It is reported, on the authority of Asbagh ibn Zayd, that if Uways was out of doors, he used to say:

“This night is for bowing in prayer,” and he bowed until morning, and if it was evening, he used to give away in charity all the clothes and food that were in his house, after which he would say: “O God, if anybody ever dies of hunger, don’t blame me for it, and if anybody ever dies naked, don’t blame me for it.”

“By God, I implore you, my soul [says Ibn ‘Arabi to his own soul], did you ever possess any of these qualities? Have you ever spent the night in one prostration?”

“No, by God, nothing of this ever happened to me,” replied my soul, “but some sparks of truth shine through this reported speech, and I hope you will draw my attention to them.”

“Yes,” I said, “Uways was firmly established in his spiritual station, and had indisputable evidence from his Lord, and was sure of the states that he had already traversed.”

Abu Yazid [al-Bistami], who was one of the spiritual Poles, did not have this same distinction. He used to say: “I encounter the night, and I beg to spend it bowing and prostrating; then I stand in prayer without prostrating, or I prostrate without standing up” .

“O master,” said my soul, “please treat me gently and don’t be so hasty. It seems to me that, in one respect, al-Hallaj surpasses Uways. This is what al-Hallaj (may God be pleased with him) said concerning his spiritual state:

“If a man is deprived of food for twenty days, and then some food is brought to him, and he hears that in the district [where he lives] there is someone in greater need of that food; if he then eats it, and does not favour that needy person, he has failed.” This is indeed a high spiritual degree. Here, on the other hand, is Uways, who would only give away in charity the surplus of his food and his clothes. He satisfied his needs first, then he gave away what remained of his food every night. Although he might know of a hungry person, he did not offer his food to him, as you see.”

“My dear soul,” I replied, “you oppose me like someone who fails to analyse the truth. Please listen to what I have to say, and remember that Uways is the incomparable Imam. If the gnostic has a spiritual state like al-Hallaj, he differentiates between his soul and that of others: he treats his own soul with severity, coercion and torture, whereas he treats the souls of others with preference and mercy and tenderness. But if the gnostic were a man of high degree, with power and expertise, his soul would become a stranger to him: he would no longer differentiate between it and other souls in this world; whatever obligations of mercy and tenderness that he may feel for the souls of others, he should feel for his own soul, since she has become a stranger to him. He has risen high up, leaving her among those of her race. So he is obliged to feel affection for her, just as he is obliged to feel affection for others. If the Gnostic goes out to give alms, he should offer his charity to the first Muslim whom he meets. If he leaves this poor man and gives alms to another, he has moved from the satisfaction of his Lord to the pleasure of his own soul. Since the gnostic owes his livelihood to His Creator, he knows that he is a messenger to the world of animal souls and should share with them that with which he has been provided. The first soul to meet him is his own soul, not that of another. The souls of others are not his closest relatives, his own soul is his next of kin: she abides by his door and is the first to meet him when he opens the door. She begs him to give her that with which he has been entrusted, and since she is the first to ask, he should serve her before anyone else.”

The man of law alludes to this secret when he says: “Begin with your self, then those whom you support. Relatives are the most suitable as the recipients of your charity because they are attached to you and remain at your door.” Other people are not so attached to you, nor do they wait at your door like your soul and your next of kin.

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There is more about Uways translated in the Excerpt from the Ruh al-Quds in “Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi, A commemorative Volume”, 1993.

Thank you for taking the trouble to copy this excerpt. One can only stand in wonder at this discernment from the writings of Ibn al Arabi and in the behaviour of God’s saints.