VISITING SHRINES OF THE SAINTS

 

 Photograph taken by me (HMStork)

         

Updated 21 Feb 2025            

          Many are known to visit the shrines of the saints in Islam. As a Sufi myself, I have done so and I have had varying experiences. What I am presenting here is an Analogical Argument based on existing material, my personal experiences and conclusions.

       In an article titled: The Deceased and The Grave/Seeking Intercession of The Deceased in my blog, I have dealt with the misconception based on the general view that existence comes to an end with death. I have proven this to be a serious error. One needs to read this article in my blog before reading the current one.
      Tahera Aftab, in her book on Sufi Women of South Asia: Chapter 8 Sufi Shrines: Manifesting the Deceased Sufi states that Nizamu’ddin Awliya mentioned to his audience that Ahmad, one of his friends from Badayun, though illiterate, was a highly devout person with the virtues of an abdāl and often discussed and investigated religious issues. Sometime after his death, he appeared in a dream of Nizamuddin Awliya, and as usual, he questioned certain issues regarding religion and faith. Nizamuddin Awliya wondered why all these queries as he was dead. Ahmad in the dream asked Nizamuddin Awliya, “Do you deem friends of Allah as dead?”
     Nizamu’ddin Awliya’s purpose of presenting all these stories in the form of dreams, parables and anecdotes was intended to explain that virtuous and pious people are not dead in the normal sense.
     On another occasion, Nizamuddin Awliya made mention that when Baba Farid (Farīduddīn Masūd Ganjshakar, the 13 century Sufi Saint from Punjab) was seriously ill towards the end of his life, he commanded him and a few other fellow disciples to spend the night at a certain shrine/cave (ḥazīrā) praying for his health. They did so but on their return found out that their supplications were not answered. At another gathering on the 23rd of Ramadhan, Nizamuddin Awliya not only repeated the above story but also added that Baba Farids had said that their supplications had no effect. However, recalling his mother, Nizamuddin Awliya said that several times when she fell ill, she asked him to visit the shrines of saints and martyrs and pray for her recovery and on his return, she would say that her health showed signs of improvement. The moral of these stories is that effectiveness of supplications is neither caused by the power of the dead saint nor by the humility of the supplicant; supplications are answered by Allah. 
      One very significant dream I had involved Hadrat Syed Zauqi Shah, Hadrat Shahidullah Faridi’s shaykh dated 18 Dec 2022 at 3 am: I was at a place where people gathered. Hadrat Syed Zauqi Shah (Rahimullah) turned up. He was looking out for me. I saw him as I hid in a corner. He looked young. Then he spotted me and came towards me. I went forward to embrace him. I was weeping. I was so pleased. He said that he was looking for me. I am not quite sure but it appeared that he took hold of his long shawl across his shoulders and placed it on around my shoulders. I am not sure whether it was something I desired or that he did it to me. After that he sat on a bed and I sat beside him. There was another person standing facing us. I could not make him out. Was it Hadrat Shahidullah Faridi or someone else? He said something about the on goings above. Hadrat Syed Zauqi said he wanted to take a rest. I assumed that he traveled from very far away. During this period of time, I woke up several times and went back to sleep and the dream just continued until 4.45 am, I usually wake up by then to get ready to pray my Tahjud and perform Muraqabah. I have also had direct responses to invocations in times of desperate need. I am unable to present them because they involve individuals who tried to harm me and who are still alive. Kindly look up my article on VALIDITY OF DREAMS in my blogspot.  I do visit the shrines of saints but observe ‘adab’ in accordance with the Shari’ah of Islam.
     Most Singaporeans are familiar with Habib Noh. He is one of the most well-known saints of Singapore with a glorious past. In concluding, I would say that it is Allah who responds to the supplicant and to some extent it depends on the individual’s state of piety.  [Mokhtar Stork 18 July 2024]