Khwaja Ahrar Enlightening Elucidation, He knew God had chosen him for the spiritual path since his early childhood. He himself quoted, “Once he saw Prophet Jesus in his dream when he mentioned it, someone interpreted it as Khwaja should become a physician, but he wasn’t satisfied with the meaning explained, he knew it had a deeper meaning. As Prophet Jesus was considered a symbol of healing he later realized that he was chosen for healing the hearts, spiritual cleansing was the intended meaning of the dream he saw.”
Khwaja once saw Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his companions in the dream. The Prophet asked him to carry him to the mountain; Khwaja did as he was told. Prophet said I knew you had this strength, the purpose of all this was to make it evident to the people as well.
On his spiritual journey, Khwaja Ahrar took guidance from Prophet Muhammad’s life and traditions. He explained his ways and teachings to his followers in detail so that they learn the rationality of Prophet’s sayings and his Sunnah.
Here are some insightful interpretations of Khwaja Ahrar on Prophet’s sayings.
“Contentment is a never-ending treasure.”
This saying on heart’s satisfaction has been explained so marvelously by Khwaja Ahrar. He said that being contented with what you have takes you out of all inferiority complexes; it gives you the feeling of wholesomeness where you don’t wish for more. He commented that if a person has a handful of rice or flour and he knows how to make use of that, he variably knows what satisfaction of the heart means. He further said that if someone is wandering in the desert with no sign of water or food, he shouldn’t worry about it that is the reality of gratification, being contented with your situation.
Another saying of Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him), “The Surah of Hud turned me into a grey-haired old man”!
Khwaja Ahrar interpreted the above saying of Prophet as the command of righteousness was given by God in Surah Hud. The journey of being righteous isn’t unswerving; it requires a person to be headstrong in his actions, words and moral beliefs. Everything else becomes insignificant be it supernatural power or charisma, an important deed is staying righteous and it takes a lot of heart to be on the right path.
“Proud behavior is an act of charity serving on the proud.”
Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar explained the above saying of Prophet (Peace be upon him) in the following words, he said pride isn’t necessarily a bad trait; there are two kinds of it. The contemptible pride is the one that makes a human feels superior over his fellow men be it because of wealth, beauty or any other reason as these are the God-given blessings that shouldn’t be considered your own virtue. Second kind the good pride is the one that makes a believer to ignore everyone else but God, which is the real pride that makes you believe in God and his generosity so you stop expecting from others and turn to His mercy.
“My Lord has trained me and he has trained me well.”
Khwaja Ahrar grasped the true meaning of the above prophet’s saying and elucidated it to the followers as; God trained the prophet with the best virtues, piousness, kindness, generosity, mannerism, and patience. When the beloved and the lover have such a worthwhile relationship with such amazing virtues why would the Lord not be pleased with His creation? This is a heart touching and instructive explanation of such a thought-provoking Prophetic tradition by Khwaja Ahrar that helped many to understand the meaning of existence and how God’s love can be attained.
Khwaja Ahrar’s wisdom and understanding of religion were unparalleled as compared to his contemporary leaders. He had the power to mesmerize his listeners with logical and extempore arguments, be it the interpretation of Quranic verses, Prophetic traditions or everyday life issues, his followers and other attendees of the sermon would be spellbound listening to how he comprehended the topic at hand and explaining it in a compelling manner that would be easily understood and remembered by all.
Those who spent time in Khwaja Ahrar’s company were deeply touched by his conversations; he would never make an indecent or illogical comment on anything or anyone. His demeanor and charisma were obvious from the flow of his arguments and the tone of his voice. This was the reason countless people were attracted to Naqshbandi doctrine during his times, he never forced anyone to listen to him or give him reverence and it came naturally because of his kindness and charm. People would travel far and wide to be in his company and he would treat everyone with politeness and affection.
In Rashat- Ain Al- Hayat,
there is a quote by Khwaja Ahrar that he said, “Spiritual progress is achieved through work and effort whereas immersion and salvage require a person not to work.” His whole life was the manifestation of this saying. He abolished the conventional norms attached to spirituality and Sufism and brought in the real spirit of it through enlightening explanation of Quran and Sunnah. He dedicated his efforts towards streamlining laws pertaining to social and economic issues of the Muslims of his times so that the evil practices were abolished and got replaced with Islamic ones.
His audacity and sagacity made him the most reverend leader across Tashkent. He was awed for his wisdom and spiritual power but simplicity and kindness were the virtues he never took abstinence from. He ardently followed the prophetic traditions and took inspiration from his life; he took measures to improve the lives of his followers. Instead of meditating alone he would preach lessons of compassion and helpfulness to the people, he was indeed the reason Sufism saw its golden days not only in Asia but other parts of the world as well. He changed the perception of Sufi leaders by being more than a philanthropist and a philosopher.
