Hzt Bayzid bistami

7/27/2019 Hzt Bayzid bistami

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"I want not to want except what He (Allah) wants."- Tayfur bin 'Isa Abu Yazid al-Bistami q.s. -

Bayazid al-Bistami was among one of the greatest Sufis of

all time. Bayazid'sgrandfather was a Zoroastrian and had high position inBastam (north easternPersia). Bayazid was among the shatta Sufis. Shatta Sufisare those who areenraptured by the Divine love and are annihilated in theTruth. Bistami said:It takes more than two hundred years until a flower such asI grows in thegarden of the universe. Abu Saiid, another Sufi of ninthcentury, said: Theworld is enraptured by Bayazid, and Bayazid sees nothingexcept the Divine.

Bayazid made a detailed study of the statutes of Islamiclaw (shari'a) andpracticed a strict regimen of self-denial (zuhd). All hislife he was assiduousin the practice of his religious obligations and inobserving voluntaryworship. He urged his students (murids) to put theiraffairs in the hands ofAllah and he encouraged them to accept sincerely the puredoctrine of tawhid

(the Oneness of God). This doctrine consisted of fiveessentials: to keep theobligations according to the Qur'an and Sunnah, to alwaysspeak the truth, tokeep the heart free from hatred, to avoid forbidden foodand to shuninnovations (bid'a).

He traveled around the world and served more than onehundred teachers andmasters, and learned from them all. It is said he took over

twelve years forhis pilgrim to Mecca. He performed two prayers in everysmall village and inevery stop he made to the house of God. He said: The houseof God is not like aking's palace that you can enter whenever you wish andenter fast. When hearrived Mecca, again he performed many prayers.


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He said: I stood with the pious and I didn't find any

progress with them. Istood with the warriors in the cause and I didn't find asingle step ofprogress with them. I stood with those who pray excessivelyand those who fastexcessively and I didn't make a footstep of progress. ThenI said, O Allah,what is the way to You? and Allah said, Leave yourself andcome.

Bayazid said: I have come to know Allah through Allah,and I have come toknow what is other than Allah with the light of Allah. Hesaid: Allah hasgranted his servants favors for the purpose of bringing

them closer to Him.Instead they are fascinated with the favors and aredrifting farther from Him.And Bayazid prayed to Allah: O Allah, You have created thiscreation withouttheir knowledge and You have placed on them a trust withouttheir will. If Youdon't help them who will help them?A man asked Bayazid: Show me a deed by which I will

approach my Lord. Bayazid

replied: Love the friends of Allah in order that they willlove you. Love hissaints until they love you. Because Allah looks at thehearts of His saints andHe will see your name engraved (Naqsh) in the heart of Hissaints and He willforgive you."

Many Muslim scholars in his time, and many after histime, said that Bayazidal-Bistami was the first one to spread the reality of

Annihilation (fana').Even that strictest of scholars, Ibn Taymiyya, who came inthe 7th CenturyA.H., admired Bayazid for this and considered him to be oneof his masters. IbnTaymiyya said about him: There are two categories of fana':one is for the


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perfect Prophets and saints, and one is for seekers fromamong the saints andpious people (saliheen). Bayazid al-Bistami is from thefirst category of thosewho experience fana', which means the complete renunciationof anything otherthan God. He accepts none except God. He worships noneexcept Him, and he asksfrom none except Him. And Ibn Taymiyya continues, quotingBayazid saying: Iwant not to want except what He wants.

Dhul Nun (Zunun) al-Misri had sent one of his students toBayazid saying: Yousleep, you rest, be aware that caravan will pass you by.Bayazid said: It takessomeone like me who sleeps at night but arrives at the

destination, beforedawn, and before the arrival of the caravan. Upon hearingthis Dhul Nun (Zunun)cried saying: we are not at the same level as Bayzid.

Bayazid said: Whatever I was searching to find in mypurification,mortification, striving, servitude I found in serving mymother. One night mymother woke up and asked me for a glass of water. I hurriedto bring her some

water. I searched around the house and there was no waterin the container norin the bucket. It was a cold night. I went outside to thespring to get somewater. When I came back my mother was sleep. So I stayedbeside her bed, withthe glass of water. Near dawn she woke up and upon hearingthe story she tookthe water, drunk, and prayed for me. In that morning, Ifound whatever I waslooking for.

He said: I made four mistakes in my preliminary steps inthis way: I thoughtthat I remember Him and I know Him and I love Him and Iseek Him, but when Ireached Him I saw that His remembering of me preceded myremembrance of Him,


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and His knowledge about me preceded my knowledge of Him andHis love towards mewas more ancient than my love towards Him, and He sought mein order that Iwould begin to seek Him.Adh-Dhahabi quoted him in many great matters, among which

were: Praise to Me,for My greatest Glory! And: There is nothing in this robe Iam wearing exceptAllah. Adh-Dhahabi's teacher Ibn Taymiyya explained: Hedidn't see himself asexisting any longer, but only saw the existence of Allah,due to hisself-denial.Adh-Dhahabi further relates: He said, O Allah, what is

your Fire, it isnothing. Let me be the one person to go into your Fire andeveryone else willbe saved. And what is your Paradise? It is a toy forchildren. And who arethose unbelievers who you want to torture? They are yourservants. Forgive them.A prayer remained from Bayazid:

Oh, Allah, how long this "you" and "I" remain between Youand I. Take this "I"

from me so all that remains is "You".Oh, Allah, when I am with You I am greater than all; when Iam without You I amnothing.Oh, Allah, my poverty took me to you and Your blessingsprotected my poverty.

One of the followers of Dhul Nun al-Misri was followingBayazid. Bayazidasked him: Who do you want? He replied: I want Bayazid.Bayazid replied: O my

son, Bayazid is wanting Bayazid for forty years and isstill not finding him.That murid of Dhul Nun then went to him and narrated thisincident to him. Onhearing it Dhul Nun fainted. He explained later saying: Mymaster Bayazid haslost himself in Allah's love. That causes him to try tofind himself again.


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Ibn Hajar said, in reference to Bayazid's famous

utterances: Allah knows thesecret and Allah knows the heart. Whatever Aba Yazid spokefrom the Knowledgeof Realities the people of his time did not understand.They condemned him andexiled him seven times from his city. Every time he wasexiled, terribleafflictions would strike the city until the people wouldcall him back, pledgeallegiance to him, and accept him as a real saint. Attarand Arusi relate thatBayazid said, when he was exiled from his city: O Blessedcity, whose refuse isBayazid!

Bayazid said: I became like an iron master for twelveyears. I put my nafsand ego in the stove of discipline, and prepare it with thefire of striving,mold it on the platform of remorse, hammer it with regretuntil my nafs becamemy mirror. I was my own mirror for five years. Until oneday when I thought Iwas the greatest among great learned. As soon as thisthought came to my mind,I packed up and went to Khorasan. I stayed in a shelter and

promised myselfthat I would not leave this place unless I receive amessage from Allah. On thefourth day I saw a camel rider coming towards me. A thoughtpassed my mind thatI could stop that camel right there. The rider looked at meand said: Do notmake me to destroy Bastam and Bayazid altogether. I lost mysenses. When mysenses came back to me I asked him: Where are you comingfrom? he said: From

the side where your promise is kept. Then he said: Bayazid,keep and protectyour heart; then he left. It is said after thisincident whatever passed through Bayazid's mind would

appear in front of him.There is no written book left from Bayzid and we can readabout him and hiswords in Tazkerat-al Olia by Shaykh Faridd'udin Athar q.s.


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One time Bayazid said: Allah the Most Just called me into

His Presence andsaid to me: O Bayazid how did you arrive in My Presence? Ireplied: Throughzuhd, by renouncing the world. He said: The value of thelower world is likethe wing of a mosquito. What kind of renunciation have youcome with? I said: OAllah, forgive me. Then I said: O Allah, I came to youthrough tawakkul, bydependence on You. Then He said: Did I ever betray thetrust which I promisedyou? I said: O Allah forgive me. Then I said: O Allah, Icame to you throughYou. At that time Allah said: Now We accept you.

Every time he had a Divine revelation, he fasten a zunar(a Sufi belt) and hehad over seventy zunar. When the time of his passing wasclose, he went to thealtar, put on one zunar, an old reversed rob, backward hatand said: Oh, Allah,this is how I see myself. I am not offering You my life'smortification, myconstant prayers, my day and night fasting, You know thatnothing will take mefrom You. I confess that I am shameful, I have nothing, You

are the One who hasgiven me all this fortune. I witness that there is no godbut You. Your haveaccepted me. Purify me from my errors, forgive my faults,wash away myshortcomings.

Bayazid used to repeat: Allah, Allah and when he wasdying he was repeatingAllah and said: Oh, Allah, I remembered You only as if I

was an ignorant, nowthat I am dying, I am negligent of worshipping You, and Ido not know when Iagain be at Your presence. It is said he was repeating thezikr of Allah whenhe died. Abu Musa, one of his disciple, was not there whenBayazid passed away.


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He said: I had a dream that I was carrying the universe onmy shoulder. I wokeup and went to Bayazid to tell him my dream when I found hepassed away; and onthat morning I was one of the people carrying Bayazid bodyon our shoulders. Iforgot that dream but at night I saw in my dream who said:the universe thatyou were carrying on your shoulder was my body. Bayaziddied in the year of 260hijrat (881).

From Wiyoso Hadi al-Jawi's quotes/poems: What a truth/Some servants speakabout Al-Haqq (the Truth), but they don't even understandBayazid/Some servantsspeak about Bayazid, but they don't even know Al-Haqq/

Whoever really knowsAl-Haqq, will understand Bayazid/ Whoever reallyunderstands Bayazid, will knowAl-Haqq/ Allahu Allah.

From Tazkerat-al-Olia, we also read the following: Oncesomeone askedBayazid, "How did you become such a great, learned Sufi?"Bayazid replied, "Onenight, when I was a child, I left the city to go to thedesert. The moon was

shining and the world was at peace. Suddenly I had avision; I saw anilluminated silhouette. The image was so bright that thelight of the sunlooked like a pale image compared to this illumination. Ifell into a state ofrapture and a deep feeling of joy came over me. I whisperedto myself, 'Oh,Allah, such a beautiful gate, yet empty, such an almightyrealm, yet lonesome!'I heard a voice saying, 'The doorstep is empty, not because

no one comes,rather no one is admitted to come. This is not the realm ofthe impure; notmany have the honor for admittance.'I thought, from whom inthe creation couldI call upon to intercede for my admittance and I rememberedthat the only one


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to intercede was the Prophet Mohammad, salute to Him, and Ishould notcall upon anyone but wait for Him to give me permission to

enter. It was thenthat I received a message saying, "Because of suchpoliteness I will raise yourname so you will be remembered as Sultan of the Sufis,Bayazid.'"

Bayazid said: The voice of revelation echoes in my chestsaying: my treasurebox is filled with honest servitude and praiseworthydevotion. Offer Me what Ido not have. And I say: I offer You my need, my longing andmy broken heart.

Bayazid said: As long as the servant thinks that there is

among the Believerssomeone lower than himself, that servant still has pride.

Bayazid said: In my life of service and devotion toAllah, I ought to haveperformed a prayer worthy of Him, I thought. So manymornings and nights Iperformed prayers and every time I thought that this wasonly worthy of Bayazidand not Allah, so one day I cried and I begged: Oh, Allah,I have tried to

worship You as You deserve and pray a prayer worthy of Youand I have failed,so there are many among the people of the world who do notpray; take me as oneof them. (translator's note: Abu Turab Nakhshabi, ShaghighBalkhi, Raee, YahaMuab-i-Razi, were among the accompanies of Bayazid).

Munawi related that one day, Bayazid attended the classof a faqih(jurisprudent) who was explaining the laws of inheritance:

When a man dies andleaves such-and-such, his son will have such-and-such, etc.Bayazid exclaimed:O faqih, O faqih! What would you say of a man who diedleaving nothing but God?People began to cry, and Bayazid continued: The slavepossesses nothing; when


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he dies, he leaves nothing but his own master. He is suchas Allah created himin the beginning. And he recited: You shall return to usalone, as we createdyou the first time [6:94].

Sahl at-Tustari sent a letter to Bayazid which read: Hereis a man who dranka drink which leaves him forever refreshed. Bayazidreplied: Here is a man whohas drunk all existences, but whose mouth is dry and burnwith thirst.

Ibrahim Khawwas said: The way that Allah showed to him,with the mostdelicate word and the simplest explanation, was to 'leaveyour self-interest in

the two worlds, the dunya and the Hereafter, leaveeverything other than Mebehind.' That is the best and easiest way to come to AllahAlmighty andExalted, the most perfect and highest state of affirmingOneness, not to acceptanything or anyone except Allah the Most High.

Excerpts from:- History and Guidebook of the Saints of the Golden Chain

by As-Sayyid Shaykh

MH Kabbani- Al-Momenon: The Faithful by MahTalat Etemad-Moghadam

Angha- Hadi al-Jawi (Hadi from Java)'s quotes/poems from

received e-mails

Documents

Hzt Bayzid bistami