One of the leading Shaikhs who
paid glowing tribute to him [Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah
be well pleased with him)] was that splendid exemplar, Shaikh Raslan
ad-Dimashqi (may Allah be well pleased with him).
He was one of the pre-eminent Shaikhs of Syria, one of those remarkable
individuals who know through direct experience [a'yan al-'arifin], and
one of those who are outstanding on account of their superior skills.
He was endowed with lofty indications, with elevated aspirations, with
truthful expressions, with supernatural charismatic exploits [karamat
khariqa], with majestic spiritual stations, and with exalted
situations. He held the highest degree of directly acquired forms of
knowledge [ma'arif], the loftiest position in the realm of the
realities [haqa'iq], and the foremost standing in nearness, clear
unveiling and brilliant illumination [fath], as well as a firmly
established empowerment and an effective aptitude for management.
He is one of the leading figures of this [spiritual] business, and one
of its pillars, in terms of learning ['ilm] and practice ['amal], real
achievement [tahqiq], direct knowledge [ma'rifa], and indifference to
worldly concerns [zuhd]. He is one of those whom Allah (Exalted is He)
has brought to the notice of his fellow creatures, and upon whom He has
conferred acceptance and abundant veneration in their sight. He put him
in firm possession of the spiritual states [ahwal] and of sainthood
[wilaya], made him privy to the mysteries of the universe [asrar
al-kawn], and granted him freedom of disposal in the realm of existence
[wujud]. At his hands, He manifested wondrous marvels, for his sake He
disrupted the customary patterns of nature, and He appointed him as a
leader [imam] for the spiritual travelers [salikin].
He eventually became responsible for the training of all the seekers
[muridin] in Syria. A group of its Shaikhs became affiliated with him,
and not a few of its inhabitants enjoyed the benefit of his fellowship.
The religious scholars ['ulama'] and the elders (may Allah be well
pleased with them) pointed him out with profound respect and reverent
admiration. Various animals used for transport alighted in his
courtyard, arriving from every direction and by every route, and riders
followed in his tracks from every deep ravine [min kulli fajjin 'amiq].3
Shaikh Raslan ad-Dimashqi (may Allah be well pleased with him) was
charming, graceful, courteous and humble. He combined the most noble
traits of character, the most perfect manners, and the most excellent
attributes. He was also endowed with a sublime way of speaking about
the process of real experiences [minhaj al-haqa'iq].
He explained, for instance, that one who knows by experience [al-'arif]
is closely monitored in everything by his direct vision [mushahada],
and that intimate knowledge [ma'rifa] becomes manifest in the
revelation of insight. This is because one who knows by direct
experience has already reached his spiritual destination [al-'arif
wasil], but then the secrets of Allah (Exalted is He) are conveyed to
him in a complete totality, by the lights that make him privy to the
facts of the unseen [shawahid al-ghaib], and privy to the secret of
control. Thus he is taken from his own person [nafs], then restored to
his own person, firmly established in his heart. His being taken from
his own person is an act of bringing near [to the Lord], while his
being restored to his own person is a training exercise [tahdhib], and
his self-control is a special assignment [takhsis]. The bringing near
[taqrib] causes him to witness, the training causes him to exist, and
the special assignment gives him a separate identity. Thus his separate
identity [tafrid] is his existence [wujud], his existence is his
witnessing [shuhud], and his witnessing is his witnessing. As Allah
(Exalted is He) has told us:
The eyes do not perceive Him,
[la tudriku-hu 'l-absaru] – but He perceives the eyes. [wa Huwa yudriku
'l-absar]. (6:104)
So His perceiving of the eyes is witnessed by the faculties of insight
[basa'ir].
It was the enlightened Shaikh Abu Muhammad Ibrahim ibn Mahmud al-Ya'li
who said:
"One day in the springtime, Shaikh Raslan (may Allah be well pleased
with him) was in one of the gardens of Damascus, together with a group
of his companions. One of them said to him: 'O my master, what is the
saint [wali] who is fully endowed with the principles of enablement
[ahkam at-tamkin].' 'My dear young son,' he replied, 'he is the one
whom Allah (Exalted is He) has invested with the reins of management
[tasrif].' His companion then asked: 'What is the distinctive mark of
that condition, O my master?'
"The Shaikh responded by picking up four twigs. He singled out one of
them and said: 'This twig represents the summer. He singled out another
and said: 'This twig stands for the fall, the autumn season.' He
singled out another and said: 'This one represents the winter.' Then he
singled out yet another and said: 'This one stands for the spring.' He
then took the twig which he had designated for the summer, and waved it
to and fro with his hand. As he did so, the weather grew intensely hot.
Then he threw that twig away, picked out the one he had designated for
the fall or autumn, and waved it to and fro. As he did so, along came
all the typical features of autumn and the season of the fall. Then he
threw that twig away, picked out the one he had designated for the
winter, and waved it to and fro. As he did so, the winter winds began
to blow, the weather grew bitterly cold, and then the leaves began to
wither on the trees in the garden, and so on. Then he threw that twig
away, held onto the one he had designated for the spring, and waved it
to and fro. As he did so, the trees turned green with fresh leaves, the
branches began to blossom, and the breezes of springtime blew.
"Then he gazed at the birds on the trees in the garden. He went over to
one of the trees, gave it a shake, and signaled to the bird perched on
it: 'Glorify your Creator!' The bird responded by warbling a most
lovely tune, filling the listeners with sheer delight. Then he moved
over to another tree, and did the same again, and so on, until he had
come to each of the trees. Of all the birds, only one had failed to
break into song, so the Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him)
said to it: 'May you not stay alive!'-and it promptly fell dead on the
ground."
On another occasion, fifteen men came to visit him, but the only food
he had in store consisted of five flat loaves of bread. He set these
before them, after crumbling them with careful precision, and said: "In
the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. O Allah,
bless us in what you have provided for us, for You are the Best of
providers!" Even when they had eaten till their hunger was fully
satisfied, a quantity was still left over, so he divided it amongst
them, piece by piece, and they traveled on to Baghdad, eating from it
throughout the entire length of their journey.
It was Abu Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Kurdi who said: "I once saw the Shaikh
(may Allah be well pleased with him) traveling through the air. At one
time he would be walking, at one time he would be traveling in a
cross-legged posture, at one time he would be flying by like an arrow,
and at one time he would be passing over the water."
He went on to say: "I also saw him at 'Arafat, and at all the sacred
shrines [masha'ir]. Then I lost sight of him, so when I came to
Damascus I asked the people of that city about him, and they told me:
'By Allah, he has not been absent from us for as much as one whole day,
except on the Day of 'Arafa, part of the Day of Sacrifice [Yawm
an-Nahr], and the Days of Tashriq.'"
He also said: "I saw him sitting one day with a lion snuggled against
his feet, but he was too absorbed to take the slightest notice of the
lion.
"One day I saw him on the outskirts of Damascus, throwing pebbles, so I
asked him to explain, and he said: 'These are arrows, aimed at the
Franks.' At that very point in time, the Franks had moved out toward
the coast, pursued by an army of the Muslims. Shortly after that,
people said: 'We saw pebbles descending from the sky, raining down
through the air upon the heads of the Franks.' A large number of them
perished because of the stones cast by the Shaikh. It even happened
that a single pebble would strike a mounted knight, and he and his
horse would both be destroyed, through the grace of the Shaikh (may
Allah be well pleased with him)."
He was resident (may Allah be well pleased with him) in Damascus, which
he regarded as his home town, and it was there that he died. He was
buried on its outskirts, and his tomb is a conspicuous site, regularly
visited down to this day of ours.4 While his bier was being carried on
the necks of the bearers, green birds attended and perched on his bier.
The people also saw cavaliers mounted on gray horses, circling around
the funeral procession. They had never seen them before, nor did they
ever see them afterwards.
May Allah be well pleased with him!
Reference: http://www.al-baz.com/excerpts/Affirmation.html
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