Khwaja Ahrar brought to light Other Sufi Saints, He gave much importance and reverence to the sayings and insights of other saints especially the ones whose company he personally attended. He learned from the spiritual wisdom of many saints, he used to cite several of them to explain various subjects especially Sufism and spiritual journey. During those times, many people misunderstood the concept of spirituality, they often couldn’t relate religion and salvation but Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar is accredited with providing enlightening details on the subject to improve the concepts of his followers and those seeking the spiritual path.
Khwaja Ahrar once gave the reference of Abu-Talib-Al- Makki’s saying
“One must put in every effort to make certain that no desire remains in the heart except for God’s love.” He explained the context of this saying that if a person wishes to explore oneself, is striving for God’s providential grace and the manifestation of His blessings, it is important to keep worldly wishes aside. The heart should be pure with the only remembrance of Allah and it should only yearn for His mercy and generosity. Only then one can truly grasp the feeling of getting close to the Lord.
Khwaja Ahrar brought to light the intriguing concept of traits of a human being
No one is flawless and no one is perfect either. Humans are a combination of both good and bad qualities. He explained it in such a compelling manner by saying, “Many a time, you hear bad things about you, so one shouldn’t contemplate whether those bad traits really exist in a person.” If you are being called by names like “dog” or “pig” you should know that we humans are a combination of angelic and demonic characteristics. We can’t be wholly nice or completely evil. One should always self-analyze to see which qualities or attributes excel though.
Khwaja Ahrar narrated an incident quoted by Khwaja Baha ad-Din Naqshband,
he once observed two people in Mecca. One possessed the lower level of spiritual quest and the other one had a higher level. The one with the lower level was fixated to the door of Ka’ba praying to God for things, the other was wandering in the marketing shopping with gold coins but he wasn’t forgetful of the Lord. This incident made Khwaja Baha ad-Din wondered what spiritual aspiration actually is. This was the concept later validated by Khwaja Ahrar as well; he was a great businessman yet an aspiring Sufi leader, one of the kind, undoubtedly!
On the subject of spiritual purity,
Khwaja Ahrar gave the reference of an incident respectable Bayazid encountered once. While he was walking, he came across a wet dog, to keep his clothes safe from getting wet from the water he rolled his sleeves and squeezed back a little. At that very moment, the dog spoke and said if the drops of water from my mouth or body had damped your clothes; it could be washed away easily but the filth that you just put on your inner self by considering yourself better and superior than me can’t be wiped away with water or anything else.
Khwaja Ahrar told his followers to be loyal and sincere in their spiritual quest always. He explained pretentious intentions could ruin a traveler’s journey. He gave an example of how Mawlana Nizam ad-Din addressed this topic. Once in a meeting, he noticed a person who had bowed his head and assumed the posture as if he was in the state of spiritual immersion. He asked him to raise his head and said, “I saw a smoke cloud above you, what kind of spiritual immersion could have enticed you?”
Khwaja Ahrar was of the view that genuineness in one’s intentions is really vital for reaching a certain path in the spiritual journey. He went on to explain how honesty is really significant for success in every single matter of life. An endeavor done half-heartedly would never bring the desired results. And if one really seeks the path of wisdom and mysticism one should have the purity of intentions.
On enlightening about the topic of sin,
Khwaja Ahrar gave reference of Junaid who was the greatest of Sufi leaders. He said that a true spiritual seeker is the one who doesn’t commit a sin for two decades. He explained it further that we are humans and therefore quite susceptible to sins but the real believer is the one who endeavors to save him from committing a sin. This is what differentiates him from the other lot. So if one strives to be on the path of God, he should try his best to save himself from the evils and even if a sin is committed he turns to the Lord for forgiveness as He is the most merciful.
Khwaja Ahrar was a staunch supporter of hard work and lawful earning. He always encouraged his followers to venture into agriculture and trade to earn a good living. He used to tell them that a person who works hard and earns hard for his family is the one closest to God. He himself invested time and effort in expanding his business and agricultural endeavors and God bestowed him with so much wealth that it was difficult to keep its count.
He quoted Abd al-Khaliq Ghujdawani to authenticate this point
He said Abd al-Khaliq Ghujdawani was of the view that it is important for a person to not burden his fellow-men and this can only be done through lawful earning. A person who doesn’t work is a burden on society and his family. It is therefore imperative for people to realize that God hasn’t sent them to stay idle and wait for the earning to come their way. He is invariably the best distributor but He rewards those who spend effort and work hard to make a living. He loves the ones who strive to earn a lawful earning to feed them and their families.
Khwaja Ahrar gave innumerable lessons by giving references to his teachers and Sufi saints.
