DISCOURSES OF SULTAN-UL-ASHIQEEN
(Part 13)

(24-APR-2026)

The Bond Between Allah and His Chosen Servants

Allah Almighty surely subjects His chosen servants to the same trials, illnesses and hardships that He ordains for ordinary people. Were He not to do so, then the common folk would surpass the chosen ones in merit. Therefore, He tests His special servants with the very same difficulties faced by all.

Pakistan as a Future Superpower

I do not possess knowledge of the ‘Unseen,’ yet a time shall come when Pakistan will emerge as a superpower. It will not happen overnight; rather, circumstances will gradually evolve toward that end. Though the Arab world may not value Pakistan today, the day is coming when they will seek its support with humility.

Good from Evil and Evil from Good

When Allah wills, He can extract a subtle opportunity even from the mistake of an individual through which He grants benefit to His servant. For instance, when India attacked Pakistan, Allah brought forth good for Pakistan from that event. Allah states in the Quran:
یُخْرِجُ الْحَیَّ مِنَ الْمَیِّتِ وَ یُخْرِجُ الْمَیِّتَ مِنَ الْحَیِّ (Surah Ar-Rum 30:19)
Meaning: It is He who brings out the living from the dead, and [who] brings out the dead from the living. Similarly, He extracts good from evil and evil from good.

Great Tasks Through the Prophet’s Progeny

Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen said:
The Holy Prophet has immense love for his progeny. Therefore, whatever significant tasks are to be accomplished, Allah will have them performed through the family of the Holy Prophet.
Nowadays, people are referring to the progeny of the Holy Prophet as Yazid (God forbid). Can the progeny of the Holy Prophet ever be Yazid? The Holy Prophet stated that at the Fountain of Kauthar, the Quran and the People of the Cloak (Ahl al-Bayt) will arrive together. Just as people are now against the progeny of the Holy Prophet, the first group to stand in opposition to Imam Mahdi will also be from among the Muslims.

The Principles of Allah

Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen said:
The principles of Nature are uniform; they never change. Allah states:
لَا تَبْدِیْلَ لِکَلِمٰتِ اللّٰہِ (Surah Yunus 10:64)
Meaning: No change can there be in the words of Allah.
The principles of Allah are the same for an individual as they are for nations. That is to say, the reasons for which He grants rise to nations are the same reasons for which He grants a high station to an individual if they adopt them.

What is Religion?

Someone asked, “What is religion?” Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen replied, “The essence of religion is for a human being to recognise their true station and then attain it. The true essence of a human is the Divine soul (Ruh-e-Qudsi); the state of this spirit exists in the ‘Realm of Divinity’. True success lies in a human travelling internally from the ‘Physical Realm’ to reach the ‘Realm of Divinity’. This is the true origin of man. Regarding this station, Allah states in a Qudsi Hadith: Man is My secret, and I am the secret of man. Regarding this same station, the Holy Prophet said: He who recognises himself, recognises his Lord. Altaf Hussain Hali also alluded to this station when he said:

Explanation: It is better to be a human than an angel, but it requires more hard work.

What is Meant by the "Heart"?

Someone asked, “Does this heart within the chest attain gnosis?” Sultan-ul-Faqr VII Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen replied, “By ‘heart,’ ‘mind,’ or ‘Qalb,’ we do not mean this physical organ in the chest. This physical heart exists in animals and even in the deceased. By ‘heart,’ we mean the soul; by ‘the esoteric being’ (Batin), we also mean the soul. It is the soul alone that attains the gnosis of Allah. Regarding Pir Mohammad Abdul Ghafoor Shah, he remarked that he was a personality of 'Jalali' (majestic and awe-inspiring disposition).

The Rights of Wives

Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen said: Islam has granted immense rights to wives. It is a man’s duty to provide sustenance and fulfil all the necessities of life for his wife. If a woman breastfeeds her child, she is entitled to seek compensation from her husband for it; if she does not, it is considered a favour and an act of kindness on her part. People often confine women to the home in the name of Islam, yet Islam does not imprison women. Had that been the case, such a command would have been issued to Hazrat Khadijah first.
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen further stated: One must never strike a woman on the face. In fact, one should not strike her at all. Remember! In Islam, women hold greater rights. A wife has a right to her husband’s earnings, but a husband has no right to his wife’s earnings. Religious scholars often keep these matters hidden from the general public.

The Difference Between the Prayer of a Sufi and a Scholar

Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen said: The difference between the prayer of a Sufi and a scholar lies in the ‘presence of the inward’. A prayer performed without the presence of the inward is folded up and cast back at the person’s face. The Saints and Sufis prostrate while beholding Allah, whereas the scholar prostrates in the dark. The prostration of the Saints is the ‘Prostration of Vision’ (Sajda-e-Deedar), while the prostration of the common folk is merely a ‘Prostration to a Wall’ (Sajda-e-Deewar).

If you want to find Allah, go to Bishr al-Hafi

Someone mentioned the knowledge of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, upon which Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen said: “When people used to come to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, he would say, ‘If you want knowledge, stay here, and if you want Allah, go to Bishr al-Hafi.’”

When does a person understand the Quran?

Someone asked that many verses of the Quran are simply not understood. Sultan-ul-Faqr VII Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen replied, “Until a person negates his own self, he cannot understand the word of Allah.”

How is Divine favour attained?

Someone asked, “Which seeker attains Divine favour from a spiritual guide?”
Sultan-ul-Faqr VII Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen said: Sultan Bahoo says that the seeker should be astute. Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani says that the seeker should be sagacious. Pir Syed Mohammad Bahadur Ali Shah Sahib says regarding his spiritual guide, Pir Mohammad Abdul Ghafoor Shah Sahib:
پاون فیض جو ہن ہوشیار
Meaning: Those who are astute attain grace.
Only those seekers attain spiritual grace who are astute and wise. Because the spiritual guide does not have to say anything verbally. Worldly matters are what are spoken with the tongue.

Two types of seekers

Someone asked that many people pledge allegiance, but not everyone receives the same Divine favour? Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen replied, “One thing is to pledge allegiance and receive the Ism-e-Allah Zaat, and another thing is to walk on this path and attain the reality of Ism-e-Allah Zaat. There is a significant difference between the two. Reaching the reality is the true Divine favour.

Submission and Contentment

Sultan-ul-Faqr VII Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen said:
The seekers of truth never complain, neither to Allah nor to the spiritual guide. Whatever the circumstances may be, they remain happy in the happiness of the Beloved and keep their heads bowed at all times. A true lover is one who, when the Beloved wishes to slay him, offers his head forward himself. Just as Prophet Ishmael himself said to Prophet Abraham, that whatever dream he had seen, meaning to sacrifice him, act upon it.
The holder of the exalted station, Imam Husayn, was the Imam of the time and the Universal Divine Man of that era, and held the position of the Deputy of the Messenger of Allah. The Universal Divine Man cannot pledge allegiance to anyone. The tongue of the Universal Divine Man is the tongue of Kun ("Be"). If he had pointed towards the River Euphrates, it would have moved to the tents. If he had pointed towards the sky, it would have started raining. If he had pointed towards the sand of Karbala, its storm would have drowned Yazid’s army. But on one side was all this power, and on the other side was the will of Allah. He bowed his head in submission to the will of Allah.

The Reality of True Submission

A true lover is one who accepts his own slaughter at the hands of the Beloved, and despite hardships and calamities, neither turns away from love nor do his feet falter in the path of submission, even if millions of swords pierce his body. The lover looks towards the will of the Beloved. On one side, he sees this power and authority given to him by Allah, and on the other side, he sees His will. At that time, Allah says, “I do not forbid you, do whatever your heart desires,” and the lover prefers the will of God. Peace is in submission, life is in submission, the destination of Faqr is attained through submission. This is a very difficult stage. Many Fakirs fell from the stage of submission. When hardship arrived, they stumbled. There are many such incidents. But no one like Imam Husayn was ever born.
Everyone was slaughtered in front of him. All children and brothers were sacrificed, and in the end, his turn came. The easy way was for him to be martyred first and the rest to happen later. But no! The will of God was that everyone be martyred in front of him, and then, in the end, his turn would come, so that he watches all his children, brothers, and nephews being slaughtered in front of him. This is submission. In these circumstances, a person’s endurance vanishes. Children were thirsty, close to dying of thirst. Yet here, if one points with the little finger, water erupts from the ground. Getting water was no big feat. Sultan Bahoo considers himself the dust of the feet of Imam Husayn. He threw a pebble in Kalar Kahar, and a spring started flowing, which continues to flow to this day.

The Incident of Kalar Kahar

The incident of Sultan Bahoo is that a Fakir passed through Kalar Kahar. I do not want to mention his name, he has great followers. But Dr. Altaf Ali has written his name in the book. It is also written in my book, but I have only given the reference of Dr. Altaf Ali. When that Fakir passed by there, there was a spring from where the entire population of Kalar Kahar used to fetch water. When that Fakir asked for water, the women of that area lied, “The water is bitter.” He said, “If it is bitter, then let it be bitter.” When they went and saw, the entire spring had become bitter. All the villagers ran and went to the Fakir and pleaded that the women had made a mistake. He said, “I cannot make the bitter sweet again; only one personality can do this, he will come here, making the bitter sweet is his work. Wait for that time.”
Then at one time, Sultan Bahoo went to that same hill and kept fasts. After Ramadan, people found out that a Fakir had come there. They requested that the water be made sweet again. He picked up a pebble and struck it on the ground. Wherever the pebble hit, a spring of sweet water erupted from there, and it continues to flow to this day. In Kalar Kahar, a lake has formed from this spring. Now it has become a recreation spot. Boats operate there, children go for outings, and school trips go there.

The Supreme Example of Imam Husayn

So, if the ordinary slaves of Imam Husayn can do all this, then what significance did it hold for him. I have narrated this one incident; there are countless such incidents. What was the difficulty for Imam Husayn that he would not even need to call the River Euphrates, rather if he just gestured to the ground, water would have erupted from the earth, and a spring would have started flowing. If a spring can start flowing from the rubbing of Hazrat Ishmael’s heels, then could it not happen with the gesture of Imam Husayn? But his Divine love demanded that he bow his head in submission to the will of Allah, therefore, he bowed his head in submission. That is why he is also called the King of Submission, the Emperor.

What is meant by 'Yaar' (Friend/Beloved)?

Sultan-ul-Faqr VII Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen said: By ‘Yaar’, all three, i.e., the spiritual guide, the Messenger and Allah are meant, but this is according to the spiritual station and state of the person. This is an internal matter. When a person is at the station of annihilation in the spiritual guide, then the spiritual guide is the ‘Yaar’. When he is at the station of annihilation in the Messenger and reaches the Messenger of Allah, then the Messenger of Allah is the ‘Yaar’. And when he becomes annihilated in Allah and reaches Allah, then Allah is the ‘Yaar’:
اِنَّمَا وَلِیُّکُمُ اللّٰہُ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ وَ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:55)
Meaning: Indeed, your real helper and friend is only Allah and His Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) and the believers (as well).
Whatever station you are at, that is your ‘Yaar’. The ‘Yaar’ can also be called the Beloved (Mahboob). Salat is also accepted only when the recognition of the ‘Yaar’ is attained.

The Station of Annihilation in the Spiritual Guide

Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen said, “In this state, the spiritual guide is seen everywhere. The spiritual guide is within, and the spiritual guide is outside, but this state is attained only when the seeker gives away everything he has and holds onto the spiritual guide with sincerity; then he becomes just like the spiritual guide. This is indeed annihilation in the spiritual guide. Sultan Bahoo says:
ربّ ملیا انہاں نوں باھوؒ، جنہاں ترٹی چوڑ چا کیتی ھوُ
Explanation: Allah is attained by those, O Bahoo, who sacrifice their everything.
فَلَا تَتَّخِذُوْا مِنْہُمْ اَوْلِیَآئَ حَتّٰی یُہَاجِرُوْا فِیْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰہ (Surah An-Nisa 4:89)
Meaning: And do not take (any of) them as an ally until they sacrifice everything for the cause of Allah.
As long as the seer and the one being seen are two separate entities, this is duality. This is not the perfect station. Union itself is Oneness.

The Seeker of Truth

Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen said, “A spiritual guide has many seekers, but a true seeker of Truth is very rare. A seeker must become a sincere seeker; for this, it is necessary to follow the spiritual guide both inwardly and outwardly, and then remain steadfast upon it.”

— Discourses of Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen, Part 13