Intercession

Tears are a person's greatest strength. Just as a mother fulfills the desires of a child who cries and pleads with her, the Lord grants His weeping child whatever they are crying for.

Saints see their own well-being in the well-being of all. They do not feel jealous or unhappy about others' progress; instead, they pray for others to be blessed with happiness just as they have been.

You not only save yourself, but you also become a dedicated advocate for peace, unity, progress, and prosperity of humanity.

The devotees naturally advocate for humanism and show compassion towards helpless humanity.

I will go and plead with the sage, and not go to the forest, my death is at the hands of Rama, the king.

I long for you, and I don't know what to do. I'm unable to live or die. I yearn for you, and I plead with you to listen. I have no peace, day or night.

Peace is not found in the hearts of worldly people, including ministers, advocates, businessmen, dictators, kings, and emperors.

yoga or shave off your matted locks; O yogis! if there had been some secret of yoga in the matted locks, then any yogi would not have gone for begging at different doors instead of absorbing in mediation on the Lord; if anyone recognise the essence, he achieves unity with the Supreme Essence; he sits at one place silently and does not go in search of Him at any other place; He, Who is without any form or figure and who is non-dual and garbless,

Upon him and his family and his companions be blessing and peace.” Then two intercessions: (9) “O God, forgive me and my parents who nourished me in my infancy, and forgive illmale and female believers and all male and female Muslims, whether they be alive or dead. Surely You are the Nearest Hearer who responds io petitions through Your mercy, O most Merciful of those who show mercy!” And finally: (10) “O God, do to me and to them now and later inspiritual and material affairs, and also with respect to the world beyond, what befits You, and do not do to us, O Lord, what befits us, for jou are Forgiving and Forbearing, Generous and Noble, Sovereign and Just, Full of Pity and Mercy.” Numbers 8,9, and 10 are each to be recited sven times, each recitation being preceded by the phrase “In the name of God the Source of Compassion, ever Compassionate.” The whole sequence is followed by invoking two of God’s ninety-nine names: 0 Enforcer (ya jabbar), twenty-one times; and 0 Mighty One (ya ‘aziz), fory-two times.

Then he narrated an anecdote about SHAYKH AHMAD MA‘SHUQ—may God show him mercy and favor. “He was observing a forty-day fast during winter. One night he left this retreat and came to a deserted river bank. Standing there, he prayed; ‘O God, I have come here only that you might tell me who I am.’ A voice boomed forth: ‘You are he from whom on the Day of Resurrection many will seek intercession to be spared the pain of Hell.’ Shaykh Ahmad replied: ‘I am not content (with that role).’ Again the voice boomed forth: ‘You are he due to whose vigilance on the Day of Resurrection many will be granted entrance into Heaven.’ To this Ahmad again replied: ‘I am still not content.

He reflected for a long time. Dear friends who were accompanying him pleaded: “Today is the day of celebration (‘id ) and people are expecting the master to return home and eat some food. Why are you tarrying at this place?’ The Shaykh replied: ‘From this ground I scent the aroma of hearts.’ At once he sought the owner of this plot, and purchasing the plot with his own funds, the Shaykh ordered his burial site to be constructed there.”

The master—may God remember him well—noted: “Tomorrow on he Day of Resurrection, [it will be said] ‘We believed and we were counted among the righteous.” How many ranks will there be for the poor {in heaven}? All creatures will plead, saying, ‘Would that we while we were in the world had been poor.” And those who suffer illness, how many ranks will there be for them on the Day of Judgment? All mankind will say, ‘Would that while we had been in the world we had been afficted with pain!” And God knows [what actually will happen]!”

Keeping fifty tankas for himself, ‘Arif gave the other fifty to the Shaykh. Smiling, Shaykh Farid ad-din remarked: ‘You have made this division on a brotherly basis [i.e., each receives half of the whole]! That ‘Arif became embarrassed. Immediately he handed over his fifty tankas to the Shaykh and, pleading for forgiveness, asked to renew his oath of loyalty as a disciple. The Shaykh gave him the hand of allegiance.

The servant in distress pleaded: “What kind of a request is this at such a moment?” The Shaykh was on his deathbed, yet they informed him about his son’s request. “Give him the key,” ordered the Shaykh. The son took the key and opening his father’s storeroom, he found less than six dinars, and even these six dinars were expended on the Shaykh (for his funeral)!”

He then gave an illustration of such a circumstance. “There was an ‘tal in Ajodhan who had been vexed by the governor of that region. Twofficial came to Shaykh al-Islam Farid ad-din—may God sanctify ‘slot seoret—and requested his intercession. The Shaykh sent greetss tothe governor and reported the official’s complaint. But the govmor remained engrossed in his own affairs. The Shaykh then told the

On this same subject he declared: “If a person asked someone else intercede and the latter did not comply, one might deduce that he did uthave the time or that he had not understood the request. One might to consider that the error or sin lay with the person who made the rewst and this might be the case [with the delegate who earlier arrived].”

Then the Shaykh—may God sanctify his lofty secret-—began to explain every line inthat poem, and in some places he improved it, and in others he noted tis appreciation. At this Shams became very happy.” The master—may od remember him with favor—made an aside: “The Shaykhs seldom tear poetry that is specifically intended to praise them. Look at the perfect spintual state of the Shaykh that he not only heard such poetry but viewed it favorably.” “In short, when he had finished listening to Kabir, ke asked: ‘What do you want?’ ‘I am indigent,’ pleaded Kabir, ‘and I mst provide for my aged mother.’ “Go fetch the alms of gratitude (shukrana), ordered the Shaykh.” At this point the master again interrupted his telling of the story.

snd the believer to Paradise, the infidel to Hell, for He is wise and He ats in accordance with His wisdom. Consider a man of wealth. He chooses to expend all that he has, but if he went and pitched his entire wealth down a well, would that be wise?” Then the master reflected on THE FATE OF THE BELIEVER. “If the believer leaves this world without repenting, there are three possible outcomes. It would be fitting ifGod Almighty, due to the blessing of that man’s faith, forgave him, orif God Almighty, out of His own bounteous grace, forgave him, or it might be due to the intercession of some third party that He would forgive him.

The boy drew nearer. The Maulana looked closely at him and noticed that he was riding a very fine horse. ‘If only he were to give me this horse,’ thought the Maulana to himself, ‘I could proceed on my journey with ease.’ Even while the governor’s son was pleading with him to stay, this thought kept recurring in his mind. When at last the boy realized that the Maulana was resolved to leave, he sighed, ‘Alas, this horse that I have been riding, please accept it as a parting gift.” The Maulana promptly mounted the horse and went riding off!

were buried in the vicinity. On our return he remarked: “Your visit produced no effect on me, that is, it didn’t relieve my distress.” I was speechless. But a friend of mine named ‘Ali Bihari spoke up, even though he was standing further away from the Shaykh. ‘We are deficient,’ he pleaded. ‘Only your essence is perfect. How can the prayers of the deficient produce an effect on those who are perfect?’ This remark did not register with the Shaykh, however; he seemed not to have heard what ‘Ali Bihari said. I repeated the same remark. Turning to me, he said: ‘I have asked God to provide you with whatever you seek from Him!’