Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān in a praise session at the Amman takya, Jordan (17 May 2017).
The dervish must have the manners, etiquette, and behaviours of the Messenger (PBUH). The dervish must emulate the honourable Messenger (PBUH). Anyone who hurts his family, his kin, or people in general is not a dervish. The dervish must apply the noble ḥadīth to himself, “The best of people are those who benefit others”. He must be among the best of people.
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān (Sermon, 22 January 2010)
A prophet’s muʿjizas (miracles) are necessary for people to believe in his message. Prophethood is a call related to the unseen, so for those who live in the visible world to believe in it, evidence of its belonging to the unseen world is needed. Miracles are proofs of the reality of the unseen world that prophethood speaks of, as they are a window in the natural world into the supernatural world. Originating from a prophet, they prove that that particular prophet has been sent by Allah Almighty, the Knower of the seen and unseen. Muʿjizas humble the intellect and assure it of the messenger’s truthfulness in speaking on behalf of the Sender. Religion presents a unique, consistent interpretation of life and the universe, both its visible and hidden aspects. Supernatural occurrences are proofs of this revelation.
Yet, faith is more than just an intellectual conviction. It is also a state of the heart. Faith is a combination of conviction of the intellect and love in the heart. A person’s actions are not solely driven by their intellectual convictions. In fact, the role of rational arguments and logic is limited relative to the role of emotions. Emotions play a bigger role in a person’s actions, even if people are tempted to believe that their actions are more rational than emotional. This false belief makes them feel that their actions are closer to being right. A person often justifies their actions, including their mistakes, using rational arguments and logic, when it is clear to others that their actions were emotionally driven. Hence, rational conviction does not suffice as a method to mend a person’s actions to align them with the requirements of faith. A person needs to have love in their heart that inclines them towards good deeds and diverts them from doing bad. If mental conviction comes from the logic of prophethood and its miracles, then what is this love in the heart and what is its source?
This love is love for Allah (mighty and sublime is He). Its origin is love for the one whom Allah sent as a guide to Him. Humans know the Sender (mighty and sublime is He) by way of a messenger from Him. The messenger must reflect the beautiful attributes of the Sender so that love for the messenger and, consequently, love for the Sender can grow in the hearts of the people to whom the messenger was sent. Allah blessed our Master Muḥammad (PBUH) by showering him with the most beautiful of traits. He addressed him in His noble Book, praising his noble qualities, “Indeed, you are of a great moral character” (al-Qalam 68:4). One of those great character traits was his mercy and compassion for believers:
Among them are those who abuse the Prophet and say, “He is an ear”. Say, “[It is] an ear of goodness for you that believes in Allah, believes the believers, and is a mercy to those who believe among you”. Those who hurt the Messenger of Allah—for them is a painful punishment. (Al–Tawba 9:61)
There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves, grievous to him is what you suffer, concerned over you is he, to the believers he is kind and merciful. (Al–Tawba 9:128)
The noble Qur’an shows that the Prophet Muḥammad’s (PBUH) mercy and softheartedness were necessary for the success of his mission:
So by mercy from Allah [O Muḥammad!] you have been lenient with them. Had you been rude, harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them, ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. When you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who are reliant. (Āl ʿImrān 3:159)
It is evident that this noble verse is referring to those who were physically close to the Messenger (PBUH), that is, “the Companions”. If the Prophet (PBUH) did not show mercy, softheartedness, and tenderness, which are the opposites of harshness, coarseness, and incivility, even his closest Companions would have left him. It is clear from the command to the Prophet (PBUH) to pardon and forgive them that he treated them with mercy and softheartedness, rather than rudeness or harshness, even when they made mistakes.
There is great wisdom in this divine revelation. Over the years, the Companions had been first-hand witnesses to the revelation of the Qur’an and directly and continuously witnessed an abundance of miracles of the Prophet (PBUH). Yet these alone would not have been enough to prevent the Companions from deserting him, had Allah not combined them with putting exceptional mercy and deep tenderness in his heart. Indeed, this mercy was behind many of his miracles that helped people with their needs, aiding them in both religious and worldly matters. The secret behind Islam’s continuous spreading is not solely the Qur’an, as those who wish to belittle or limit the role of the Messenger (PBUH) claim, nor is it even the Qur’an and miracles together. The secret is a combination of the Qur’an, the miracles of the Qur’an’s possessor (PBUH), and his wholesome traits of mercy, softness, and compassion, in particular, and his fine character in general.[1]
Wholesome character traits are a necessity of prophethood. A prophet must be an exemplary role model, as Allah (exalted and high is He) has described our noble prophet, “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often” (al-Ᾱḥzāb 33:21). Following a prophet means taking him as an exemplar, so he must exemplify the qualities that Allah wants people to have. Admirable traits also attract the heart, the same way loathsome traits repel it. It is incumbent upon every prophet to be of an elevated moral character. Hence, Allah Almighty commends our Master Muḥammad’s (PBUH) moral character beyond all praise, “Indeed, you are of a tremendous moral character” (al-Qalam 68:4). The Messenger (PBUH) said, “I have not been sent except to perfect the best of conduct”.[2] He also directly linked ʾĪmān with moral character, “The most perfect of believers are those who are best in character”.[3]
An elevated moral character is like karāmas in being fruits and signs of a person’s righteousness and spiritual advancement and in being a requirement for reforming others. People proactively seek a righteous person because they see him as a source of blessings and good that they can freely avail themselves of. Yet they stay away from a righteous reformer and often even take him for an enemy because he reminds them of the difference between their condition and the state that they should be in and urges them to work and change. Reforming others requires from the spiritual reformer fine traits, miracles, and various visible and subtle skills so that he can influence people.
Since the Shaikhs of Ṭarīqa are representatives of the Prophet (PBUH), whom He selected, Allah has bequeathed his states to them. The same way karāmas happen at the hands of a Shaikh of Ṭarīqa because they are an extension of the Prophetic muʿjizas and ceaseless proof of these miracles, the Shaikh also inherits the Prophet’s (PBUH) moral character. There are countless karāmas of Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad that show his inheritance of the way and blessing of the Messenger (PBUH). Similarly, he had Muḥammadan traits that would attract the heart and assure it that he was an inheritor of the Prophet (PBUH).
Allah inculcates in the person He chooses as a Shaikh of Ṭarīqa an instinctive inclination for good traits and provides the circumstances and upbringing that make him acquire those attributes. When he assumes the Shaikhdom, the Shaikh’s internal state, conduct, and qualities begin to transform and evolve, rapidly and tremendously, to reflect the requirements and responsibilities of representing the Messenger (PBUH) among people. We will now review some of the Muḥammadan traits of Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān.
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān and Shaikh Nahro in London, Britain (middle 2000).
20.1 Modesty
Modesty showed in our Shaikh’s actions and words. A sign of this deep modesty was that he would avoid attributing any karāmas to himself, ascribing them instead to the Prophet (PBUH) or the Shaikhs. Even when the karāma included clear evidence of his involvement, such as being seen by the person who experienced the karāma, our Shaikh would avoid relating it to himself.
He used to describe himself as a “Servant of the Poor”—a title that the Kasnazānī Shaikhs have proudly bestowed upon themselves. The sanctity with which disciples regarded him and their great reverence for him, being the Master of Ṭarīqa, did not stop him from using this title and repeating the adage “a people’s master is their servant”. He gave disciples a striking lesson in humility, obeying Allah’s command, “Lower your wing to the believers” (al-Ḥijr 15:88). We find an explanation of the saying “a people’s master is their servant” in the Messenger’s (PBUH) ḥadīth, “Most beloved to Allah (exalted is He) are those who benefit people most”.[4] Our Shaikh had many beautiful, moving words in this regard, as in this example:
I would cherish that I every day clean the takya myself, wash the takya, and clean the dervishes’ shoes. It is an honour for me to clean the shoes of the dervishes who come to the takya seeking Allah’s Face because the takya is Allah’s house (exalted and high is He): “In homes that Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name to be mentioned therein” (al-Nūr 24:36). I am a Shaikh, but I am a servant; I am a Shaikh, but I am the smallest person in Ṭarīqa. The Shaikh must be a servant, and he must teach his brothers, the caliphs, and his sons, the dervishes, about service.[5]
A sign of our Shaikh’s modesty and his service to disciples was his concern for every seeker that visited him and how he allocated time for them, regardless of their social, economic, or cultural standing. Many people of high social standing loved to visit him and spend time with him, so had he wanted, he could have spent most of his time allocated for visitors with them. While dedicating some attention to society’s elite, he spent the majority of his time with ordinary people, discussing matters related to dervishes, preaching to them, asking about them, and listening to their needs. A moving situation that his visitors often saw was how he patiently and attentively listened to the details of the needs of the simplest dervishes, some of whom had just taken the pledge. In addition to praying for the one in need, he would, depending on the need, prescribe a specific dhikr for him, advise him, or direct one of his assistants to give him what he needed, such as preparing herbal medicine for an illness he had, providing him with information he was unaware of, directing him to someone he needed to connect with, or helping him financially. The number of visitors with needs did not dissuade him from demonstrating such concern.
One night, when I was visiting the Shaikh in Amman, he was in a lot of pain due to some health issues. The following night, the takya was going to hold the annual celebration of the birthday of the Prophet (PBUH). During those celebrations, our Shaikh would stay in his assembly continuously for about eight hours, which would leave him exhausted. With seekers waiting to visit him, I politely suggested that it might be better for him to rest in his private room early that night and not receive visitors. He replied with the love of a father for his children on his face that he could not do that to dervishes who had come to see their Shaikh, some from another country or far city, who had left their business and family, and spent their time and money to see him. In his last years, he was in continuous pain, yet he would ignore the pain every night and day to meet dervishes and visitors and discharge his Shaikhdom duties.
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān during the construction of one of the takyas, with his assistant, Caliph Ḥājj Muḥammad Maḥmūd Chamchamāl, behind him (1980s).
20.2 Loyalty
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad had tremendous loyalty to anyone who served and aided Ṭarīqa. He would not forget a person’s help, no matter how small a gesture or how long ago, and he would not hesitate to lend a helping hand to him when he was in need. He would often inquire about the families of deceased dervishes, their condition, and whether they needed any assistance. These words of the Prophet (PBUH) were personified in our Shaikh, “The person who does not thank people does not thank Allah”.[6] Loyalty is one of the most beautiful forms of thankfulness.
Once he spoke about loyalty, saying, “See how loyal Allah (high is He) is to His servants!” He then quoted the following noble verse that does not contain the word “wafāʾ (loyalty)” but demonstrates most beautifully Allah’s loyalty towards his believing servants, “As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was a treasure for them beneath it, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord wanted that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. I did it not of my own accord” (al-Kahf 18:82). Because of the righteousness of the orphans’ father, Allah made Khaḍir fortify the wall, which was on the verge of crumbling, to hide their treasure until they grew up and found it and could make use of it. He went on to stress that loyalty is an attribute of Allah (exalted and high is He), hence “al-Wafī (The Loyal One)” is one of his beautiful names.[7] Scholars have identified noble verses that contain derivatives of the word wafāʾ related to Allah, such as, “That Day, Allah will pay them (yuwaffīhim) in full their deserved recompense” (al-Nūr 24:25). But I have not come across anyone noting the attribute of loyalty in verse 82 of al-Kahf, so the Shaikh’s was a new contribution to the interpretation of this verse. He went on to add that loyalty is a trait of the person who is “a believer, religious, and sagacious”.
One beauty of the company of our Shaikh was witnessing his actions embody his words. I heard his above words about loyalty in a private assembly that was attended by another caliph. Shortly afterwards, it was the time for the dervishes’ night visit to our Shaikh. Among the visitors was one of the sons of caliph Yūsuf Ḥasan Ṣāliḥ (may Allah show mercy to him) who served Ṭarīqa a lot before he was martyred in 2013. Our Shaikh received him with much generosity in loyalty to his father. He kissed him, sat him next to him, called him now and then “my son” and “my beloved”, and described his father as a “hero”.[8]
Even though there was a large number of people—dervishes and others—who have served Ṭarīqa, our Shaikh would remember all of them, which was a testament to his powerful memory before it was weakened by illness towards the end of his life. At times, someone who was not well known would visit him after a long absence, but he would surprise his assembly’s attendees by remembering that person and a service they did decades ago, including details from the distant past about that service that no one thought were possible to remember. He would often take the initiative of remembering those who had distanced themselves from Ṭarīqa and would send someone to call and ask about them, perhaps because of some help that person had once given. Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad’s loyalty was exceptional and not limited to those who were close to him. It included those who helped him or Ṭarīqa in a small way.
I should also mention that the strength of his memory was also seen when he was forced to cut his conversation with someone as a result of receiving an urgent phone call or dealing with an emergency, which might have taken several minutes to resolve. As soon as he would finish dealing with the issue, he would resume his conversation with that person from where they stopped as if he had been reading a book and had marked where he had left off!
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān during a praise session in Virginia, USA (9 September 2019).
20.3 Forbearance and Forgiveness
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad controlled his anger and loved forgiving people. If something upset him, his anger would be fleeting, “Those who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people. Allah loves the doers of good” (Āl ʿImrān 134). A beautiful facet of this Qur’anic verse is that it commands us to be charitable and forgiving towards everyone, without discrimination, meaning not only towards Muslims. There were many instances of people hurting our Shaikh in one way or another—because of a grudge, envy, or enmity towards Ṭarīqa—and him responding to that harm with patience, restraining anger, and even forgiveness and generosity. These are noble Prophetic attributes that Allah instilled in his honourable Prophet (PBUH), as in this command, “Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity will become as though he was a devoted friend” (Fuṣṣilat 34). Allah goes on to reveal that this immensely refined moral character can only be attained through much patience, but it is also a door to great good, “But none are granted it except those who are patient, and none are granted it except one having a great portion [of good]” (Fuṣṣilat 35). For instance, in the Ba’ath Party era in Iraq, there were many individuals whom government agencies charged with spying on our Shaikh and Ṭarīqa. They wrote confidential reports that sometimes harmed and led to problems for the Shaikh, Ṭarīqa, and dervishes. When that regime came to an end, our Shaikh did not try to take revenge on those spies, even when he knew who they were. Some of them even started to consistently frequent the takya and at times visit our Shaikh, who would not blame them for the past and would not even mention it.
Alongside his forgiving nature and tolerance towards those who harmed him and his family, as well as towards those who attacked Ṭarīqa from the outside, he was firm with any disciple that harmed it, by word or by deed, and brought its name into disrepute. Enemies of Ṭarīqa would particularly use whatever disciples did to attack it. Its reputation and image are a responsibility the Messenger (PBUH) and its Shaikhs entrust the Shaikh of the time with. It is incumbent upon him to protect and defend its purity. Our Shaikh would forgive the erring disciple when he repented, apologised, and reformed his ways.
20.4 Softheartedness
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad had an extremely soft and sensitive heart and was inclined to weeping. He would burst into tears when he heard the remembrance of Allah or when the Messenger (PBUH) and Shaikhs were mentioned. He was particularly sensitive to any mention of Imām Ḥusayn (peace be upon him) and the injustice he and his family suffered.
This softness of his heart was also seen in his interactions with disciples and people in general, and in his response to the hardships and difficult circumstances they faced, individually or as groups. As a Servant of the Poor, he was extremely generous with the poor and needy. Many families depended entirely on his assistance.
During the time of the difficult circumstances in Iraq caused by ISIS terrorist activities, which led to the displacement of many people, he cared for thousands of those families. He charged Shaikh Nahro with the responsibility of housing and feeding them, in addition to looking after their health and the rest of their needs. He converted his farm in Dora, Baghdad, into a massive camp to shelter displaced people, whether followers of Ṭarīqa or not. The number of people in the camp reached 35,000. The central takya in Sulaymāniyya also received large numbers of those refugees and assumed responsibility for their accommodation and living needs.
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān in a preaching session at the Sulaymaniyah takya, Iraq (middle 2000s).
20.5 A Cheerful Countenance
Our Shaikh had a cheerful disposition, always welcoming people with a smile on his handsome face. You could see on his illuminated face this description of the Prophet (PBUH) by the Companion ʿAbd Allah Ibn al-Ḥārith Ibn Jazʾ, “I never saw anyone smile more than the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)”.[9] This description embodies the Messenger’s advice (PBUH), “Smiling at your brother is an act of charity”.[10] Many an individual met our Shaikh with inward or outward enmity but his smile and cheerful disposition cleansed their hearts of all feelings of malice and enmity, filling it instead with amity and goodwill.
20.6 Helping the Poor and Needy
Not only was he generous with those who helped Ṭarīqa or him but the Shaikh also loved to help anyone in need. Ṭarīqa Kasnazāniyya has always been a destination for the poor, needy, and orphans, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Even when experiencing financial difficulties, our Shaikh did not stop helping those who asked the takya for help. He considered poverty and destitution as holding serious consequences for the individual and society as a whole. He would always remind dervishes that every Muslim is obligated to help the poor and needy:
When people are poor, they turn to impermissible deeds. But if I, you, and others help them, then they will not resort to what is forbidden. Then, the poor person will say: “Allah has provided for me. My Muslim brothers, my dervish brothers, my good brothers help me; why should I turn to what is forbidden?”[11]
He would cite the noble verse, “Cooperate in righteousness and piety” (al-Māʾida 4:2), as a reminder that helping the poor and needy is one form of righteous collaboration that this noble verse obligates. He would also stress that this help is one of the responsibilities of the Muslims that the Prophet (PBUH) commanded in his ḥadīth, “Every one of you is a guardian, and every one of you is responsible for his subjects”.[12] This responsibility is also a manifestation of the love, compassion, and sympathy that the following honourable ḥadīth mentions, “In their mutual love, compassion, and sympathy, the believers are like a body. When a part of it suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever”.[13]
Our Master would often mention the noble verse “spend out of what We have provided for them”. The fact that it is mentioned in Allah’s Book six times (al-Baqara 2:3, al-Ᾱnfāl 8:3, al-Ḥajj 22:35, al-Qaṣaṣ 28:54, al-Sajda 32:16, al-Shūrā 42:38) is a testament to the importance of what it commands. He stressed that the majority of people have misunderstood this noble verse, thinking that it means to provide help to the poor and needy with what exceeds one’s need for sustenance. He explained that it urges the Muslim to spend from his daily sustenance, from what he eats and drinks, thus helping the needy from what he spends on himself and his family, “This way he is rewarded. You attain the reward when you think of the poor and orphan children as you think of your children”.[14]
The following beautiful incident shows how our Shaikh used to seek ways to help people. While walking in the markets of Amman, he saw something and wanted to buy it even though it seemed like he did not need it. He asked one of his assistants to enquire about its price. The seller demanded a price that was way above market value. The Shaikh asked his assistant to offer the seller a lower price, but the assistant told him that the price he was offering was still very high, only to be surprised by the reply, “I know, but I want to help this seller out!” At times, he would buy things that were overpriced to benefit the seller, perhaps because the seller was low on income or someone who helped the needy.
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān receiving visitors at his residence in London (middle 2000).
20.7 Charitableness towards Orphans
Our Master had special tenderness towards orphans, whom Allah Almighty singled out for mention in many noble verses. This is another trait that all Kasnazānī Shaikhs have. In one incident that demonstrates the extent of their love and care for orphans, Sultan ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Kasnazān was walking from Shāh al-Kasnazān’s reservoir to Karbchna’s mosque when he saw two orphans. He reached into his pocket to give them some money, but he did not find any. He asked the dervishes that were with him whether they were carrying money, but they also did not have any. The Shaikh lifted the orphans onto his shoulders and walked until they laughed, then they hopped off him. When people asked why he had done so, he replied that the displeasure of these two orphans would lead to Allah Almighty being displeased with him. He wanted to give them something to make them happy, and since he did not have any money, he carried them on his shoulders to please them. Shaikh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Kasnazān would also set aside food from the takya and go out at night to distribute it to orphans himself.
In another exploit of our Shaikhs in this regard, a woman came to meet Sultan Ḥusayn al-Kasnazān, but his attendants told her that he was preoccupied with worship. She insisted that they tell the Shaikh that a widow with orphans wanted to see him, and he agreed to see her. She told him that she was taking care of orphans and did not want to beg people for money, so she was asking for his help. The ascetic Shaikh did not have any money that he could give her, but he did not want to send her back empty-handed either. He pulled a golden tooth he had out of his mouth and gave it to her so that she could sell it and support herself and her orphans.
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān in Karbchna and behind him Mount Sagarma (1970s).
20.8 Giving Gifts
Our Shaikh liked to present gifts to people. He would not hesitate to gift rare or expensive things that he owned. His love for giving gifts to people was not only a feature of his generosity but also an application of the Prophet’s (PBUH) ḥadīth, “Exchange gifts, for it causes you to love one another”.[15]
One peculiarity of his behaviour was that at times he would buy a thing that he did not need and it seemed that there was no reason for him to purchase it. Later, it would turn out that he knew it would be of benefit in the future, often as a gift for someone. In early 2015, he was visiting a shop in Amman that sold prayer rugs when he asked his companion to purchase a prayer rug that had a picture of the Prophet Jesus on it and another that had the picture of his mother, Mary (peace be upon them both). The companion wondered why the Shaikh wanted these sorts of prayer rugs that Christians usually bought. He was visibly confused, so our Shaikh told him to get the prayer rugs and not to worry himself about the matter. About two months later, in early March, the Vatican ambassador to Jordan, Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, visited him in the takya, so the Shaikh sent for the prayer rugs and gifted them to the visitor!
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān in a praise session at the Amman takya, Jordan (5 January 2019).
20.9 Love for Children
Our Shaikh was fond of children. He loved playing with his grandchildren and devoted attention to the children of dervishes when they visited him with their families and spoke to them with tenderness and prayed for them. When he went to the marketplace, he would sometimes ask his assistants to bring some chocolates or treats to give to children whom they met in the market. He was even affected by the sight of children going to school on foot, saying that he wished he could provide a car for every child to take them to and from school.
As his house in Karbchna was located on a small hill and the number of houses in the small village did not exceed sixty, the nights there were perfectly quiet and he could hear any relatively loud sound. While worshipping at night, the sound of a crying child sometimes reached and pained him until he would find it difficult to continue his dhikrs or worship. He would ask one of his aids to go to the child’s house, enquire why the child was crying, and ask the family to try and satisfy the child’s need to stop the crying. If they could not, the aid would try to help them in fulfilling that need.
In 2010, the Shaikh used to go for a daily walk in an area on the way to the airport in Amman. One day, he saw young brothers, the oldest of whom was about seven years old and the other one year younger. They were from a very poor family that was living in a tent there. He asked his personal assistant, ʿῙsā, to help each with an amount of money. From then on, every day, the small children would wait at the point where the car would park and the Shaikh would start his walk. He would greet and joke with them and would give them whatever Allah had for them through him in money and sweets. This continued for four years and stopped only after the Shaikh changed the route of his daily walk.
Three years later, in 2017, he went back to his old daily walking route. When the car got close to its stopping place, the passengers noticed that someone on the back of a camel was following them. The driver parked the car facing the Qibla for our Shaikh to perform the sunset prayer. The camel rider disembarked at a distance and approached the car on foot while leading the camel. He greeted the disembarked passengers and asked ʿῙsā whether he recognised him. When ʿῙsā apologised and said that he did not, the rider told him that he was one of the two young brothers that the Shaikh helped for years. They had saved some of that money and bought a camel, which they had been using to support their family. He threw the leash and said in gratitude that the camel was actually theirs. ʿῙsā took him and the camel to the front passenger side of the car where our Shaikh was sitting. He was still doing his post-prayer dhikrs during which he would not speak, so he signalled with his hand enquiringly. ʿῙsā explained what the youth had told him. The Shaikh’s eyes welled up, and after finishing his dhikrs, he prayed for the youth and his family.
In the middle of 2015, I mentioned to our Shaikh that my brother had initiated the process to divorce his wife, and I asked for his prayer. His first reaction was to ask me whether they had children. When I confirmed that they had one ten-year-old son and another that was eight years old, he looked at me in sadness and expressed his pain for the effect of the divorce on the children. He asked whether there was any possibility of mending the relationship and avoiding the divorce. I said that the disagreement and conflict were too much for the marriage to continue and that divorce had become inevitable. He started asking me to look after my nephews as if he were talking about his grandsons, so much so that I found myself having to repeatedly reassure him that my brother and I would take good care of them!
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān receiving visitors at his residence in London (middle 2000).
20.10 Caring for the Mentally Ill
Our Shaikh had exceptional concern for the vulnerable in society, including the mentally and psychologically ill and those with special needs. Decades ago, when society lacked the awareness to treat these people with dignity and respect, he would care for them, look after their needs, and ask that they were treated well. When Iraq was under harsh economic embargoes after its occupation of Kuwait, someone told the Shaikh that there were cases of deaths among inpatients of the al-Rashād hospital for mental health due to a shortage of food. These patients suffered from a scarcity of food more than others because they were from vulnerable groups of society that received the least attention from the government and society in general. Our Shaikh had the main takya in Baghdad send food to the hospital daily. Happiness would pervade the hospital’s patients as soon as they saw the Kasnazānī emergency aid vehicle. After a while, the government, which treated Ṭarīqa and everything it did with caution and suspicion, told the Shaikh to stop this humanitarian initiative.
Mentally and psychologically ill patients and those with special needs would sometimes come or be brought to the takya seeking blessings and a cure. Our Master’s instruction was to treat even those who suffered from behavioural problems well and to be generous in feeding them.
In the 1980s and 1990s, a retired policeman named ʿAbd Allah (may Allah have mercy on him) with special needs frequented the central takya in Baghdad daily, often for long hours. He had no family to care for him. Our Shaikh ensured that he was looked after well, treated him with special kindness, and chatted with him now and then to teach dervishes to treat this vulnerable group of people with dignity and leniency. When ʿAbd Allah was afflicted with a severe illness, the Shaikh asked a caliph to accompany him for as long as he stayed in the hospital and to donate blood to him. When ʿAbd Allah passed away, our Master instructed dervishes to bury him as his family would have done.
20.11 Compassion towards Animals
Our Shaikh’s wholesome nature, compassion and softheartedness were not limited to people only. They encompassed all creation, including animals and plants. This is the disposition of every Shaikh of Ṭarīqa, having inherited softheartedness and compassion from their Master (PBUH). The greatest teacher (PBUH) told his Companions the following story:
A man was walking when he became thirsty. He went down a well and drank from it. As soon as he came out, he came upon a panting dog eating mud out of thirst. He said: “This dog is suffering from the same thirst I was suffering from”. He [went back down into the well], filled his shoe [with water], gripped it with his teeth, climbed back out, and gave the dog water. Allah thanked and forgave him.
The Companions asked him, “O Messenger of Allah, is there a reward for us in serving animals?” He said, “There is a reward in serving any living thing”.[16]
This ḥadīth reminds us of a touching incident that took place one afternoon in the summer of 2016. While on his daily walk in the Jabal area in Amman, the Shaikh heard a faint sound coming from the shrubs and thorny plants on the side of the road. He asked his personal assistant, ʿῙsā, to investigate. It turned out that there was a very young puppy that was seriously thirsty and hungry. It looked like, for some reason, its mother had abandoned it, so it was left unfed for days.
When he saw the puppy, the Shaikh broke down in tears, as if he had lost someone dear to him! He asked ʿῙsā to quickly bring to the puppy water and any food they had in the car. ʿῙsā gave the Shaikh a bottle of water and a container. He poured water into the container and gave it back to ʿῙsā who put it in front of the puppy. The way the little animal began to drink the water showed that he was extremely thirsty, in particular as the weather had been very hot. The Shaikh then threw biscuits to the puppy, which was the only food they had. The impact of this situation on our Shaikh’s assistants was further increased by seeing him raise his hands to the sky while crying and praying, “My Lord, forgive me for the sake of this dog!” He would come to the same spot every day and bring water and food from the takya for the puppy until its health was restored. Up until his last visit to America, now and then our Shaikh would take food to the dogs in that area. The dogs started to gather around the car as soon as they spotted it!
There are many events and karāmas that demonstrate the sympathy of the Shaikhs towards animals and their care for them. We will recount some of these. In the 1990s, the Shaikhs informed our Shaikh that the fish in his farm in Dora were hungry. After enquiring from the people in charge of the farm, he learned that the fish had been left without food for three days. He personally went to the farm and fed them. The way the fish competed for the food showed how hungry they were.[17]
In 2006, he phoned, from Amman, a caretaker of the Sulaymāniyya takya and told him that this night, the Shaikhs had informed him that the takya’s dogs were hungry and asked him to look after them. When a dervish called Ḥājj Laṭīf went out looking for the dogs, he found them all gathered in one place as if they were waiting for him! He signalled to them and they followed him to where he had the food.[18] Our Shaikh would also remind the takya’s caretakers now and then of the necessity of feeding the takya’s dogs.
A similar karāma occurred one morning in 2014 or 2015. He contacted from Amman a caretaker of his farm in Sulaymāniyya and told him that the Shaikhs had informed him that the dogs were hungry and asked him to feed them. It turned out that those in charge of the farm had not fed the dogs for four days.
Having compassion for every creature was one of the noble traits of the Prophet, “We have not sent you [O Muhammad!] except as a mercy to the worlds” (21:107). Mercy and softheartedness were characteristics that our Shaikh particularly acquired a great deal of after he assumed the Shaikhdom.
Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān in a dhikr circle at the Sulaymaniyah takya (possibly 2005/2006).
20.12 Joking
Alongside his seriousness and firmness in managing the affairs of Ṭarīqa and its dervishes and his keenness on adhering to the commands and prohibitions of Sharia and Ṭarīqa, the Shaikh liked to joke when the time was right. At times, he would make light, humorous conversation with a dervish who was clever and witty, and he also enjoyed listening to stories of funny pranks. Managing the Ṭarīqa’s affairs and challenges that arise place the Shaikh under stress, so laughter plays a healthy role in relieving it. The Companion ʿIkrima described the Prophet (PBUH) as follows, “The Prophet was a bit of a jokester”.[19] When Ibn ʿAbbās was asked whether the Prophet (PBUH) joked, he replied, “The Prophet (PBUH) would joke”.[20] The Companion Nuʿaymān Ibn ʿAmrū al-Ᾱnṣārī often joked and laughed, and the Prophet (PBUH) enjoyed his jokes and humour.[21]
Here is a lovely story about our Shaikh. Caliph Yāsīn Sūfī was joking with some dervishes in the central takya in Baghdad when a caliph named Ṭāhā called him and advised him to stop joking in the takya. Even though Yāsīn knew there was no harm in joking with dervishes, he stopped out of respect for this older caliph. The topic of the conversation between the two had changed by the time our Shaikh’s assistant came to inform Yāsīn that the Shaikh wanted to see him in his lounge. Yāsīn was surprised when the Shaikh told him that earlier that day he obtained a book that compiled all reports of the Messenger’s (PBUH) jokes! Then he called his wife and asked her to bring the book and lend it to the caliph to read. Before the latter left, our Master related a joke from the book.
After leaving, caliph Yāsīn went to Ḥajj Ṭāhā and asked him, smiling, what he had said to him before he went to see our Shaikh. Ṭāhā replied that he had advised him not to joke in the takya. Yāsīn told him that our Master had sent for him to give him a book that compiled the Prophet’s (PBUH) jokes and banter! Ḥajj Ṭāhā was stunned by the Shaikh’s precisely timed intervention and realised that his objection to joking had no basis in the Prophetic Sunna. One detail about this karāma is that the book was not in our Shaikh’s hands at the time of the incident, but he had to send for it. It is evident that he knew what had happened between Yāsīn and Ṭāhā, so he called the former and then sent for the book to lend it to him.
[1] Fatoohi, “Leadership qualities”.
[2] Al-Bayhaqī, Al-Sunan al-kubrā, X, no. 20782, p. 323; Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, Musnad al-Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, XIV, no. 8952, p. 513.
[3] Al-Ṭabarānī, Al-Muʿjam Al-Ṣaghīr, I, no. 605, p. 362.
[4] Al-Ṭabarānī, Al-Muʿjam al-kabīr, XII, no. 13646, p. 453.
[5] Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān, sermon, 22 December 2005.
[6] Abū Dāwūd, Sunan, VII, no. 4811, p. 188.
[7] Al-Qurṭubī, Al-Asnā fī-sharḥ asmāʾ Allah al-ḥusnā, I, pp. 422-423.
[8] Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān, sermon, 16 June 2018.
[9] Al-Tirmidhī, Al-Jāmiʿ al-kabīr, VI, no. 3641, p. 30.
[10] Ibid., III, no. 1956, p. 506.
[11] Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān, sermon, 16 September 2013.
[12] Al-Bukhārī, Al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaḥīḥ, I, no. 872, p. 261.
[13] Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, IV, no. 2586, p. 1999-2000.
[14] Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān, sermon, 11 August 2013.
[15] Mālik b. Anas, Muwaṭṭaʾ, V, no. 3368, p. 1334.
[16] Al-Bukhārī, Al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaḥīḥ, II, no. 2292, p. 16.
[17] Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān, sermon, 29 October 2019.
[18] Shaikh Muḥammad al-Muḥammad al-Kasnazān, sermon, 2006; 29 October 2019.
[19] Al-Ᾱṣbahānī, Akhlāq al-nabī wa-ʾādābuh, I, p. 495.
[20] Ibid., I, p. 487.
[21] Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, Al-Istīʿāb fī-maʿrifat al-aṣḥāb, 1526-1530.
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