Holy
Tomb in Tanta
Hazrat
Sayed Ahmed Al Badwi
The Shaykh
al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi was a Muslim saint and also the founder
of the Badawiyyah Sufi order. He was born in Fez, Morocco in
596 AH and died in Tanta, Egypt in 675 AH. He was noted for
his ascetic behavior, and was also known to perform many miracles.
Many false
stories have unfortunately also been attributed to him, including
by those who claim to be Sufi teachers.
According
to the famous Muslim writer al-Sayyid Muhammad Murtada al-Zabidi
(d. 1205 AH), the full genealogy of al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi
is Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn
Isma'il ibn 'Umar ibn 'Ali ibn Uthman ibn al-Husayn ibn Muhammad
ibn Musa al-Ashhab ibn Yahya ibn 'Isa ibn 'Ali ibn Muhammad
ibn Hasan ibn Ja'far ibn 'Ali al-Hadi ibn Muhammad al-Jawad
ibn 'Ali ar-Rida ibn Musa al-Kazim ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq ibn Muhammad
al-Baqir ibn [Zain al-'Abidin] 'Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Fatimah,
daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah shower blessings
and peace upon him and his family members.
His Life
:
Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi was the youngest of the seven children
of al-Sayyid 'Ali. His siblings were al-Hasan (the eldest, born
in 583 AH), Muhammad, Fatimah, Zainab, Ruqayyah, and Fiddah.
Even from
a young age, al-Sayyid Ahmad was already known as al-Badawi
(the bedouin) as he liked to cover his face, imitating the behaviour
of the desert dwellers.
And while
he was still living in Fez, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi was brought
by his brother al-Sayyid al-Hasan to meet a Sufi shaykh by the
name of 'Abd al-Jalil ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Naisaburi, who recognized
the spiritual talent of the young boy and gave him initiation
into the Sufi path.
In 603 AH,
al-Sayyid 'Ali heard a voice in his dream telling him to migrate
to Makkah al-Mukarramah. So he took his family, including the
seven year old al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi, to move to Makkah
al-Mukarramah. The journey took approximately four years. They
stopped at several places including Cairo, which at that time
was under the rule of al-Sultan Sayfuddin al-'Adil al-Ayyubi.
When they
finally reached Makkah al-Mukarramah, they were warmly welcomed
by the leaders of the shurafa' (descendants of the Prophet Muhammad,
may Allah shower blessings and peace upon him and his family
members).
In Makkah
al-Mukarramah, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi studied and memorized
the Quran. He also attended lessons on al-Hadith and on al-Fiqh
based on the madhhab (school of thought in Islamic jurispudence)
of al-Imam al-Shafi'i.
After being
introduced to the world of Sufism, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi
would spent a lot of his time in spiritual seclusion. One of
his favourite spots was on Jabal Abi Qubais, which is located
near Masjid al-Haram.
In 633 AH,
in a vision, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi was spiritually visited
by al-Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (d. 561 AH) and al-Shaykh
Ahmad al-Rifa'i (d. 578 AH) who invited him to visit their tombs.
The next
day, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi left Makkah al-Mukarramah and
set out to visit the tombs of the righteous ones in Iraq, accompanied
by his elder brother al-Sayyid al-Hasan.
Before they
reached Umm 'Abidah, the resting place of al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i,
al-Sayyid al-Hasan decided to go back to Makkah al-Mukarramah
for he missed his family. Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi continued
his journey alone and met with many adventures including defeating
the enchantress called Fatimah near Umm 'Abidah.
In one of
the most misquoted anecdotes, it was related that while al-Shaykh
Ahmad al-Badawi was in Iraq, he was offered by al-Shaykh 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Jilani and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i [in their spiritual
forms] the keys to the spiritual kingdoms of Iraq, Yemen, India,
Iconium, and all the Muslim lands in the East and the West,
for the keys were in their hands.
Al-Sayyid
Ahmad al-Badawi politely declined. [According to one version
of the story, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi said that he would only
take the keys from the hand of the Prophet Muhammad himself,
may Allah shower blessings and peace upon him and his family
members.]
After visiting
the tombs of the pious ones in Iraq, including that of his ancestor
al-Imam Musa al-Kazim, and receving further spiritual illumination
after spending some time in meditation there, al-Sayyid Ahmad
al-Badawi headed home.
Back in
Makkah al-Mukarramah, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi reported to
his brother al-Sayyid al-Hasan on the offer of the keys to the
spiritual kingdoms by the two spiritual poles al-Shaykh 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Jilani and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i.
Al-Sayyid
al-Hasan told his younger brother, "Verily, inviting people
to the path of Allah is the key to goodness. What al-Shaykh
'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani and al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i had wanted
was that you follow their path in inviting people to God. And
their path is none other than following the Quran and the Sunnah.
This is the true path (tariqah) in Islam."
Al-Sayyid
Ahmad al-Badawi concurred with and appreciated the explanation
given by his elder brother al-Sayyid al-Hasan.
He studied
the Qur'an with the readers of the time. He possessed a courageous
heart, and was called al-Badawi because of his stuttering. When
the divine gifts came to him, drowning him in complete absorption
in Allah, his life completely changed. He shunned the company
of people; held to silence, and communicating only through gestures.
(one line left out).
His state continued to grow until he became as he is known.
In his sleep he saw three times someone saying, "Stand
and go to place of the rising sun. If you reach there, then
go to the place of the setting sun. Then travel to Tanta, for
surely this is your place, O young man!" This was in Shawwal,
633 H.
He went
to Iraq where he was welcomed by its Shaykhs, both living and
dead. He took on the blessed Sufi Kharqa through the permission
of Shaykh Bari who received it from Na'im al-Baghdadi who in
turn received it from Shaykh Ahmad al-Rafa'i, may Allah be pleased
with all of them. After reaching Tanta, al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi
stayed at the home of a trader by the name of Rukain (also known
as Ruknuddin) ibn Shuhait.
Al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi was very well received in Tanta. Many
people came to visit him, for they benefitted from his presence
and his teachings, and also from the barakah that flowed through
him. It was reported that al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi once said,
"The spiritual paupers (al-fuqara') are like the olive
fruit. Among them are the great ones and among them are the
small ones. For those who do not possess "oil", I
will be their "oil". I will aid them in all their
affairs and I will also help them overcome their difficulties.
Not on my own efforts and strengths, but through the barakah
of the Prophet, may Allah shower blessings and peace upon him
and his family members."
His Tariqa
:He
took bay'ah from Shaykh Ibn 'Abd Allah al-Naysaburi, from whom
there are a chain of seven shaykhs who received bay'a from al-Imam
Dawud al-Ta'iy who received it from Habib Allah al-'Ajami who
received from the Master of the Tabi'een, al-Hasan al-Basri,
who received it from Sayyiduna 'Ali, may Allah illumine his
face, who received it from al-Mustafa, the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
His State :
He was a big Qutb, he could cause his murids to grow in ma'rifa
by just looking at them. If he gave one of his murids a special
look he would raise him to the Maqam of al-Shuhud. He used to
fast continually for forty days, then break his fast. In most
of his states he would stare upward to the sky with eyes of
burning coal, shouting continuously.
His Attributes :
He was called the one with the two veils, for he always wore
two veils. He was tall with thick legs, full arms, and a big
face. His complection was between white and brown.
His Noble
Sayings :
Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The fuqara are like olives, among them are the big and small,
and he who has no oil; and I am his oil. Meaning, whoever is
truthful (sadiq) in his poverty, pure as the oil, living according
to the Book and the Sunnah, then I am his help in all matters,
providing for his needs in this world and the next-not by my
power and strength but by the barakah of the Prophet (Allah
bless him and grant him peace).
O Abd al-'Al, beware of love of this world, for it corrupts
the righteous deed as vinegar corrupts honey. Know, 'Abd al-'Al,
that Allah said: "Surely Allah is with those who possess
taqwa and those who do good" (16:128).
'Abd al-'Al, be concerned with the orphan, cloth the naked,
feed the hungry, honor the stranger and the guest, perhaps then
you will be among those whom Allah accepts.
'Abd al-'Al, you must do dhikr abundantly, and beware of being
among those who are heedless of Allah the High. Know that every
raka'ah at night is better than a thousand in the day.
The best of you in character is he who has the most belief in
Allah the High. Evil character corrupts good deeds like vinegar
corrupts honey.
'Abd al-'Al, this way of ours is built upon the Book, the Sunnah,
sidq, purity, loyalty, bearing injustice against oneself, and
fulfilling the promise.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Al said: While serving the Shaykh for forty
years I never saw him distracted from the worship of Allah for
an instant. One day I asked him about the reality of poverty
in the way of the sacred law (al-faqr al-shar'i) and he said:
According to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him)
the faqir (in Allah) has the following 12 signs: (1) he is an
'arif bi llah (i.e., having direct knowledge of Allah); (2)
he is obedient to Allah's commands; (3) he holds to the Sunnah
of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace); (4) he
is always pure; (5) in every situation he is pleased with Allah;
(6) he is certain of what is with Allah; (7) he is despairing
of what is in the hands of mankind; (8) he bears [patiently]
with hardships; (9) he hastens to fulfill Allah's command; (10)
he shows compassion for mankind; (11) he is humble before people;
(12) he knows that Shaytan is his enemy according to what Allah
the High says: "Surely, the Shaytan is your enemy, so take
him for an enemy" (35:6).
Then Shaykh 'Abd al-'Al asked him about reflection, tawbah,
dhikr, love of Allah (wajd), sabr, zuhd, iman, and his shaykh
and teacher, Ahmad al-Badawi, answered him in such a way that
it quenched the fire of rancor, comforted the ill, and demonstrated
Allah's knowledge (of all things). These words, known to the
nobles of knowledge and the Sufis, were found scattered about,
but the Sayyid revealed their reality, exposing them with purity
and clarity. He said the following about the above mentioned
technical terms:
Reflection (tafkir): Reflection upon Allah's creatures and His
creating not upon His essence, for surely thinking cannot encompass
Him.
Tawbah: Its reality is regret for wrongs committed, abandonment
of disobedience, asking for Allah's forgiveness with the tongue,
resolve not to return to the disobedience, and purity of heart.
This is the tawbat al-nasuh (sincere tawbah) to which Allah
orders us in His Mighty Book: "O you who believe, turn
in repentance to Allah a sincere turning" (66:8).
Dhikr:
The reality of dhikr is that it is with the heart not by
the tongue only. Dhikr with the tongue without the heart is
shallow. Remember Allah with a heart that is present and beware
of being distracted (ghaflah) from Allah, for surely it causes
the heart to become hard.
Wajd: Wajd is when the dhikr of the Real, la ilaha illa hu,
increases so that a light is cast into the heart from Allah's
presence, until the skin thrills, and there is longing for the
Beloved, la ilaha illa hu. The murid clings to wajd and attaches
himself entirely to Allah. When the wajd increases and he becomes
distracted in passionate love so that it becomes excessive,
then the murid reaches the high rank of spiritual elevation.
Patience
(sabr): It is pleasure with the hukm (ruling) of Allah and
submission to His command. It is when man rejoices in misfortune
just as he rejoices in good fortune. Allah says: "And give
good news to the patient, who when a misfortune befalls them,
say: surely we are Allah's and to Him we surely return"
(2: 155-156).
Zuhd:
Zuhd is opposing the nafs by leaving worldly desires; and
leaving the seven doors of the permitted in the fear that one
may fall into the prohibited.
Iman: Iman is the most precious thing; he who has the most belief
(iman) has the most taqwa. When the character (akhlaq) of the
murid is good, his iman increases; the best of you in character
is he who has the most belief in Allah.
When imparting
counsel to his khalifah, 'Abd al-'Al, Shaykh al-Badawi said:
Don't rejoice over the misfortune of any of Allah's creatures
or utter words that slander or defame. Never harm someone who
has harmed you. Show concern for someone who has wronged you.
Do good to whoever has done you evil and give to whoever has
withheld from you. Do you know who is the true, patient faqir?
I said: Please, continue to give me what is beneficial. Shaykh
al-Badawi continued: He is the one who when he gives he doesn't
ask to be thanked. And when the patient man losses his patience
because of Allah's hukm (ruling; i.e., He causes events to occur
that break the faqir's patience), he acts according to the Book
and the Sunnah.
The following words transmitted by Sayyid al-Bakri are the ultimate
expression of the secret of Shaykh al-Badawi's great spiritual
nature: He who has no knowledge ('ilm) will have no worth (qimah)
in this world or the next. He who has no forbearance (hilm)
will find no benefit in knowledge. He who is without generosity
(sakha') will have no portion of his wealth. He who has no sympathy
and concern (shafaqah) for mankind will find no intercessor
to plead his case (shifa'ah) before Allah. He who has no patience
(sabr) will obtain no success and goodness in his affairs. He
who has no taqwa (godfearingness) has no station (manzilah)
with Allah. And he who is deprived of these six qualities has
no place in the Garden (Jinnah).
His Nearness
to Allah :
Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi Allah Anhu) was drawing near
to Allah until he reached the door of divine presence and said
" O Allah please open the door for me" He was not
getting an answer until he met some one by the grace of Allah,
He saw that person on the street, an ordinary person, who looked
at him and said "O Ahmad" He did not even call him
"Shaikh Ahmad" to give him due respect. He said "O
Ahmad" you need the key to Allah Divine Presence? I have
that key. If u want it, come to me and i will give to u.
Many people among us , because they are proud of themselves
refuse to accept facts and truth, although they know, as a matter
of fact, that this is the right path. They are not accepting
because of their ego say "NO" so Ahmad ego said to
him, " How are u going to accept something from him? Dont
accept the key from him accept Allah.So he said brother i dont
take the key from u or any one else except the key maker. Who
are u ? you are nothing.
Then he kept striving to reach the divine presence until he
heard a voice saying to him, " O Ahmad", this life
is the life of cause an effect, I will not give the key to u.
My will is that the key to my door, for u is with that person
so go and get it from him, Now the matter was selected he had
heard it from Allah and has accepted.
Now he had to find that guide, but that guide had disappeared.
He had left him for six months the guide was secretly observing
Ahmad's heart seeing him search for him to and fro and pray
to Allah day and night "O Allah send that person back to
me" That person finally removed his viel he had been there
all the time revealing himself and Ahmad saw him last. so the
guide removed the veil and appeared to Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al
Badawi(Radi Allah Anhu) . Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi
Allah Anhu) said "O My Shaikh! I found u. "He did
not find him but the guide had removed the viel, it was he who
was unabel to notice him.and Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi
Allah Anhu) said oh y shaikh i accept u as a guide, the guide
replied if u accept me as a guide now u have to submit and surrender
give over your will to me completely. you cannot have a will
beside my will. You have built your knowledhe on a cliff. With
a breath from the wind of ego , it is going to collapse. I have
to first build for you a firm foundation. so , look into my
eyes. Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi Allah Anhu) look into
the guide eyes and the guide immediately removed all the knowledge
that Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi Allah Anhu) has learned
through books. "Through Books" means there are many
things written which comes out fro the ego of authors. So he
pulled out that knowledge from Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi
Allah Anhu) heart and disappeard. He left him for another six
month not knowing even how to say, Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Rahim,"
and not knowing how to prounce the holy name Allah.
Everyone in the city now began mocking Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al
Badawi(Radi Allah Anhu) who had become insane after having been
a great scholar. they thought that he was mentally ill because
there understanding was limited. All they could see that he
was following some one who was making him crazy, but Hazrat
Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi Allah Anhu) knew that he heard the
voice of Allah saying" your key is with that one. "No
one can make him crazy-he was only after that person with all
his focus.
If Hazrat
Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi Allah Anhu) had accepted from the
begening, when that one came to him by Allah wills, he would
not have passed through this test at that time. why make yourself
pass through a test? When u find the truth, the correct guide,
accept him immediately! dont play games with ur ego. So the
guide left him for another six months, then appeared to him
another time. In those six months Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi
Allah Anhu) had been searchin for him again. when he finally
apperead again, Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi Allah Anhu)
saw him and said " O my shaikh, i found u another time!
" At that time the guide looked into his eyes and through
them transferred from his heart to Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi
Allah Anhu) heart, internal Knowledge-the knowledge of the book
and its secrets - giving, giving , giving untul light was coming
from Hazrat Sayed Ahmed Al Badawi(Radi Allah Anhu) eyes, so
much that anyone who looked into his eyes would die. After that
he began to wear a veil(burqa). At that time he was abel to
enter into divine Presence, and he recived that key he had been
seekin so long.
Ahmad al-Badawi
(rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) was one of the great awliya' and was
the Khalifa to Shaikh Baree, who was one of the superiors of
tasawwuf and the Khalifa to 'Ali ibn Nuaym al-Baghdadi, who
was a great wali educated by Ahmad ar-Rifai (rahimahum-Allahu
ta'ala), a possessor of karamat and a Sharif. Ahmad al-Badawi,
who was a Sharif, too, passed away in Egypt in 675 A.H. Hundreds
of thousands of Muslims have attained faid by visiting his tomb
in Tanta every year, and nothing incongruous with Islam has
happened during the visits. [Mir'at al-Madina, p.1049.] As to
'Abd al-Qadir al-Geilani and Muhyiddin ibn al-'Arabi (rahimah-Allahu
ta'ala), their high status has been comprehended and explained
in hundreds of books only by Islamic scholars who were talented
like them. Al-Imam ar-Rabbani's (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) work
Maktubat is full of eulogy and praise for these great walis.
And great scholar 'Abd al-Ghani an-Nabulusi (rahimah-Allahu
ta'ala) wrote about their high honor in detail in Al-Hadiqa.
After the death of al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi in Tanta, his followers
came to visit his tomb regularly. Today, three special annual
festivals are celebrated in his honour, the centre of which
are held at the mosque bearing his name. The largest of these
festivals is very popular and is attended by up to three million
people from all walks of life in Egypt [and some parts of Sudan].
This
place is full of greenery and is situated at a small hill there
are all together.
Urs sharif is on 11th Rabiul Aakhir (Gyarvin
Sharif )
If you stay in India then you have to visit this place to see
how blessed this place is by the rehmat of Allah, If you want
to know any thing more fell free to ask me my email id is mazi_24fps@yahoo.co.in
This
above biography is quoted from the Book Hayat Wa Karamat Sayed
Ahmed Al-Badwi Radi Allahu anhu and few things are also taken
from the biography which is on the net.
Some People argue that the orignal Mazar is in Mumbai..
and Some say its in Egypt and ALLAH and Rasool (sallalhu ali
wasslam) knows best
Mazar
in India
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