Khan Bahadur Muhammad Habibullah khan Durrani

( Father of Baba Durrani r.a )

A flowing beard, the external symbol of internal purity, imparts to khan Bahadur Habibullah a patriarchal look. Mr. Habibullah khan is a lineal descendant of Ahmed Shah Abdali the victor of the famous battle of Panipat.In the early years of the nineteenth century, Sirdar khan Durrani, left Delhi and went to Calcutta. From there he moved southwards and when he was passing through Kottanm state, now called Tuni state, he attracted the notice of the Rajah Sahib who immediately offered him a high position in his army. Sirdar Khan Durrani showed rare skill and courage in the war against the Rajah of Nellipudi.The Rajah of Kottam was so much impressed with the valour and military genius of Sirdar Khan that he did not want the latter to leave his state. The Raja arranged the marriage of Sirdar Khan with the daughter of his own commander-in-chief; Salar Masood Durrani.This is how the Durranis came to settle down in the Circars.

Mr. Habibullah Khan after graduating in 1895 from the Arts College in Rajahmundry entered Government Services. In 1911, he became a Deputy Collector. His service to the Muslim community dates from 1913 when he was posted at Guntur as Deputy Collector. This district has a very large Muslim population. But the Muslims of Guntur are both economically and educationally very backward. Till 1913, this district could not produce more than three Muslim matriculates. This was not due to any lack of educational facilities; for in Guntur Town alone there were at the time two educational institutions, an Intermediate college and a High School. Mr. Durrani made up his mind to work for the educational uplift of the Muslim community. He wanted this work to be done in an organized way and therefore he started an Anjuman with the twofold object of bringing about the social and educational uplift of the Muslim community and of removing erroneous notions about Islam. He was elected its President. He realized that no organization could survive long, unless it had a permanent source of income and there for he acquired for the Anjuman a centrally situated site in the town where a beautiful

building, with a big prayer hall, was constructed, along with a few godowns which fetch a monthly rent of Rs.250.In addition to this, the Anjuman owns 100 acres of arable land. This Anjuman has brought about a remarkable awakening among the Muslims of Guntur who have taken to education. Guntur has been able to produce a large number of Muslim Graduate.

Mr. Habibullah later on was transferred to Russel Kunda, Ganjam District, which then formed part of the Province of Madras but which now forms part of Orissa. Here also he established an Anjuman and constructed for it a building at a cost of Rs.15, 000. This building is a beautiful specimen of Saracenic architecture. In the village of Bhabhandu, where stonebreakers are all Muslims, there was no facility for the study of Islam. They were therefore Muslims only in name. He started for them a religious school, which has done much good work and for the maintenance of which he is still contributing generously. His fame as an efficient and honest officer spread far and wide and at the request of the Nawab Sahib his services were lent to the Banganapalli state. As the Dewan of that tiny state, he introduced many reforms and increased its revenue. After serving for two years as the Dewan of Banganapalli, he was posted to Kistna district as a Deputy Collector. The Kistna Dt. Board was superseded and Mr. Habibullah Khan was appointed Special Officer. He then got a promotion and was posted to south Arcot as District Collector. If a man has the will to serve the community, he can do it even though he may be a Government Servant. Mr.Habibullah Khan had this will and therefore he did much for the Muslim community as an official.

Mr. Habibullah Khan is a linguist. He knows Arabic, Persian, Telugu, Oriya and English. He is a voracious reader. He has a good collection of manuscripts, particularly of the Holy Quran, which have been estimated by representatives of large European Publishing Concerns to several thousands of pounds sterling. He also has a very good collection of rosaries and walking sticks. His sons, all of whom are highly educated, are well placed in life.

Published by: Muslim News Services Moghal Court, Mylapore, Madras,(India)

Ubaidullah Durrani: A Profile By Syed Hameed Ali Shah

A thesis submitted to Pakistan Study Centre, University of Peshawar in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Master of Arts in Pakistan Studies.

Introduction

After the war of independence of 1857, Muslims were targeted badly by the British Government because they thought that mainly Muslims responsible for this uprising. They treated them very cruelly. Many of the Muslims were put to death and properties and Jagirs were taken from them as revenge. The elite class of the Muslims came under the direct wrath of the British. All the sons of Bahadur Shah Zafar were beheaded. Muslims were deteriorated in all the fields of life i-e Educationally, Socially, Politically and Economically.

Sir syed was the first Muslim leader and a reformer who took initiative and decided to aware the Muslims from the importance of modern education. he started a series of schools. He founded Mohammedan Anglo Oriental School, which later on became a college and in 1920 it became a university. This education system was based on modern education. Apart from this, some religious thinkers established some religious schools i-e Deoband, Nadwa tul ulama and many more. The Deoband was purely based on religious education while Nadwa-tul-ulama was the combination of both the modern and religious education.

Technical education is important for the development of a country or community. That is why Ubaidullah Durrani felt that Aligarh University and Deoband were fully capable of creating ICS officers and religious doctorate respectively but the technical education, which acts as a backbone for the development of a nation is completely ignored. He founded a polytechnic institute in Aligarh for

Muslims, which later on become college,Aligarh engineering college and presently it is a part of Aligarh University.

Ubaidullah Durrani was an electrical engineer, a philosopher and a scientist. He traveled around the world. He was an extraordinary homoeopathic doctor famous for his gift of healing; He was a un usual social worker who served people every day of his life tirelessly and joyfully. He was a brilliant writer, a gifted poet and an exceptional botanist. He grew a large number of plants in his ashram in Pakistan. This includes hundreds of varieties of cacti. Each one of these he attended himself. He could fly a plane.

In 1954 he came to Pakistan on the command of his mentor and became the acting principal of Peshawar engineering college. He served Peshawar engineering college for about 16 years. In 1970 he retired from engineering college. From 1980-1988 he remained the member of majlis-i-shura during Zia-ul-haq regime. He spent the last days of his life in Qadir Nagar Buner.

He was not only an educationist but was also a spiritualist. Throughout his life he was in touch with the Sufis of his time and he did not adopt a specific Sufi order. First he became a disciple of Baba Tajuddin Nagpuri. In 1925 after the death of Baba Tajuddin he became a disciple of Baba Qadir awlia till 1958. He remained in touch with various saints and faqirs. He was a philosopher and he has own philosophical and religious thought about various elements of Islam. His life has three main objectives: (1) The grief of Muslim Ummah (2) His services to humanity and (3) The love of Muhammad (PBUH).

He was a great homoeopathic doctor. He used to give free homoeopathic medicines to the patients. On every Friday he would encamp in his clinic, he would be assisted by some of his disciples. He would charge nothing. He first started his first clinic in front lawn of Convocation Hall of Peshawar University but due to some administrative

problems he was shifted to upper Tehkal and after some time he shifted his clinic to Peshawar University.

The present study is an attempt to encompass the life and services of Ubaidullah Durrani. After studying some addition of Nishan-e-rah, I was so much impressed that after consulting my worthy advisor Doctor Abdullah Khan. I decided to under take this research on the life and services of Ubaidullah Durrani.

I have divided my thesis in four chapters. In the first chapter I have tried to cover the family background and early life. The second chapter covers his educational and social services. The third chapter is about his philosophic thought. The fourth chapter highlights his religious thought.

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ON BRINGING UP OF INFANTS, TEENAGERS AND TRAINING OF ADULTS –

BABAJANS PERSPECTIVE.

This article presents some of the philosophies and practices followed, recommended and approved by Babajan regarding the parenting of infants, bringing up of teenagers and training of adults. Since the article consists of different instances in different periods of time, please forgive the lack of continuation at some places.

The underlying concept behind all this training can be summarized by one word "LOVE". Babajan often used to quote Lala Abdur-Raheem (a professor, and later on the head of an orphanage), "The strongest discipline is the discipline of Love." This sentence represents discipline in the most positive sense and in fact gives a new dimension to the meaning of the word "discipline". That is exactly what Babajan practiced through out this life and with every one. 1. Infant training and training of children in their early years..

On the birth of an infant, if requested by the parents, Babajan would hold the child in his loving arms and sing Azan with a very gentle voice, into the ear of the child. Babajan was very careful in naming the child. He would look into the meaning of the name and choose a name with a good destiny. Sometime back he named a lot of boys with the name Ali and a lot of girls with the name Ayesha. On being asked the reason he replied, "The future needs a lot of Alis."

Babajan was very sensitive to the crying of infants. He wanted immediate attention to be paid if the infant is crying. Which in turn means, that he did not like delaying attention or neglecting a crying child. With infants sometimes he would lightly snap his fingers on either side of the infant's head and would watch whether the infant would turn his head towards the direction of the sound. Thus he would be testing the hearing reflexes of the child. Also Babajan used to say that we should not say NO to toddlers and children when they are being obstinate, rather divert their attention with something else. Saying "NO" brings out negativity in the child. Babajan loved holding children and children would love to sit in his lap. Somehow even the naughtiest of children would sit very peacefully in his lap and would not like to get down. Considerate parents would take their child off Babajan's lap taking care not to tire Babajan. Babajan would talk to children at the level of their intelligence. He would talk to them about school. With some children he would appreciate the memorization and recitation of Urdu/ Farsi poetry.

Mostly when visiting people who had children, he would take sweets and give it to the children. If I remember right it was mostly sweets and not toffee. 2.Training of teenagers.

Babajan would always encourage healthy activities in teenagers. In Qadir Nagar he would sometimes ask the teenagers to make a team for hiking. He would always

appoint a leader of the team. As the teenagers would be climbing, Babajan would stand with a pair of binoculars and watch them. After their return he would ask and listen to a detailed report of the events.

Once a teenager asked Babajan about dancing. Babajan replied that it is a very good thing as it puts the soul and body in harmony. Youngsters would never feel any generation gap with Babajan. They always felt as if Babajan belonged to their generation and would feel free to discuss anything -really anything with Babajan.

Whenever students asked him to pray during exam time, he would in turn ask questions on their subject matter. He would advise them to prepare for exam by writing as much as they can (for writing improves the recall coordination with hand).

During wedding days he would encourage the girls to sing songs and have "halla - gulla". He would always praise well-dressed girls in general.

He advised youngsters to have an aim. One of the youngsters was not sure what his aim should be, and he asked Babajan to advise him. Babajan replied, "For example, now you are a first year engineering student. Your aim should be to do well in exams and go to second year engineering.... and when you reach that aim.. Aim for the third year and so on..."This taught the youngster two things. First the priority and importance of education. Second that our aims should be down to earth practical and not something in the air. 3. Training of adults.

Once Babajan related an incident to one of his disciples who had started teaching at a university. The incident has deep messages for conflict resolution, managing mobs, as well as dealing with the young psyche. The incident relates to the time when Babajan was the principal of Engineering College Peshawar. One day early in the morning

he got a call at home from a high civil authority (I don't remember whether DC or Governor) that his students have come out of the university in the form of a procession. They are going toward the British Council with the probable intention of damaging it. The police have been lined up in front of the British council and have been ordered to stop the students reaching the British Council, and have been permitted to open fire on the mob if necessary.

Babajan took his car and met the procession half way. He told the leaders of the procession that he agrees with their cause and would march with them to the British Council. The students became very happy that their principal is joining them in their procession and cause. When the procession reached near the police blockade, the police chiefs knew babajan and ordered the police not to open fire. Then Babajan went and talked with the police chiefs, that he is the principal and is fully responsible for his students (their activities and their lives). He asked the police to get aside and assured them that it will be a passive demonstration and procession only. No harm would be caused to the British council. The police agreed to get aside. Then Babajan came to the students and told them that see there is no confrontation. Your principal is with you and you guys have made your point. Let us not do any breaking of windows etc. We will have a peaceful demonstration and then go back. The students respected their principal very much. They were proud to participate in a historic procession where the principal is leading the students. They gladly listened and obeyed their principal their leader. Babajan had already ordered the college busses to come and took all the students back to college without a single drop of blood being shed or a single window broken. After relating this incident to this disciple, Babajan was also kind enough to tell the moral of the story. The moral of the story is that we should not cause confrontation (as it causes aggravation of the situation) but rather walk a few steps

With them and then turn them around. What a revolutionary way, so gentle and loving to deal with a crisis!

May Allah give us all the ability to act upon the model of life presented and practiced by Babajan. His training would always be by setting a personal example. He rarely told people what to do or what not to do. It was his personal example that impressed people. Babajan never criticized anybody. He would rather reinforce whatever little positive qualities that existed in the person and the bad habits would go away. He said, "You cannot fight darkness, you just have to turn on the light."

See-khee yaheen merey dil-e-kafir ney bandagee Rab-bhi Kareem hai to teree rahguzar mey hai

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POSITIVITY AND FEAR

Fatima Durrani, USA I remember fondly my visits to Qadir Nagar during the

summers of the 1980’s. Being with Dada Jan and learning from him, his words, his actions, even by just sitting with him, you could absorb something for yourself. I would look forward to the mehfils we would have just before Maghrib time, when Dada Jan would sit on his reclining gray chair outside in front of his bedroom. Sometimes the topics would get heavy; sometimes he preferred to keep them light. We would talk of philosophy, of Islam, of metaphysics, sometimes of politics, of women’s rights, and child rearing. Sometimes the subjects were as simple as jokes, recipes, and music.

One summer when my family was still in Saudi Arabia and I was with Dada Jan in Qadir Nagar, a great plague was sweeping Mecca and Medina soon after Hajj season. Already, a friend of ours, Dr. Tasneem Shah, had caught meningitis during the plague and passed away. News of her death greatly worried me, and I knew that Ammi, Abu, Ali and Ayesha were going to visit Mecca and Medina

before they left Saudi Arabia too. Knowing that disease and plagues do not discriminate between people, and choose to victimize whomever they please, I was naturally scared for my family’s health. I had not told Dada Jan of my worries, not wishing to bother him with every small detail of my life. In the meantime, I went to Peshawar for a visit, and stayed there for a few weeks, but was still consumed with worry.

A few days after reaching Peshawar, one of my cousins arrived, just back from a short visit of Qadir Nagar. He said Dada Jan had sent me a letter, and gave me the envelope. I was surprised. I gently opened the envelope, and found a piece of paper inside which had only two lines of ink on it, in Dada Jan’s handwriting. Although I do not remember now the exact words, I do remember the message…“If you fear illness, it will come to you.”

As usual, Dada Jan knew what I was feeling. I put the letter down and knew that I should stop feeling scared, for if I did, indeed misfortune would arise. In my heart I thanked Dada Jan for his words.

All throughout America, there is an alternative healing philosophy actually being recognized more and more by the medical industry…it’s emerging in books, on TV, on videos...its called Energy Healing. Basically, it’s the same principle that Dada Jan taught…your own emotions and your own fears, your own negativity and your own weaknesses…they are your magnets for attracting bad circumstances. The negative energy in your body, mind and soul all unite to attract the worst of things, including illness, misfortune and calamity. If we replace that negative energy with positive energy with Love and Service to others this will cut not only the negative energy, but will also produce positive outcomes in your life. You will then attract good circumstances, by thinking positively.

Islam tells us simply that if we help others, Allah will help us. It is the same thing Baba Jan practiced, and the same thing that Energy Healing teaches. If we think good and positive thoughts and perform helpful and good actions, Fortune will come to us. If we fear the worst, we will have

the worst things happen to us. And I learned all about it from two lines in a letter from Baba Jan.

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786 ( Bismillah ! ) Babar Shaikh

It’s been exactly a week today since my ‘Master’ permitted me the visit. In this hour of the night when I have performed all my worldly chores and activities, the beauty and the ‘Might’ experienced are still resonating within my senses. I was there… Alhamdolillah I was there… Qadir Nagar… I was permitted to be there… Masha Allah… Alhamdolillah!

The morning when I started my journey, I actually started from my house to go and lecture at the university where I conduct Friday morning lectures with art students. The plan was to drive to the university and then finish the lecture early and drive directly to the airport where I would park my car and take the flight to Peshawar.

I arrived at the university an hour earlier than my schedule so I went down to the ceramic studio where my colleague and good friend named ‘Raania Durrani’ works. As I went into her office and we were talking about general things she brought out a ceramic medallion that she had cast from a metal medallion that she had picked up from India. She held the medallion and said…’here Babar, you can have it as I cast a few of these’… upon the medallion, within a crescent and a star (the Hilal) was inscribed ‘786’.

As the day passed it seemed that people where becoming a part of my forth coming visit… the parking attendant at the university who gave me a special parking under a tree because I had a bag containing Sweets and Chadar and I was afraid that the high Karachi temperature might spoil them, the care taker of the long parked vehicles at the airport, and the security officer at the entrance of the airport, asked me to pray for them at wherever I was going

to… Especially the security officer, when he stopped me he immediately pointed to the bag that was kept on the front seat and enquired what the contents were? When I told him it had Chadars for the offering his facial expression changed and leaning further into the car window he said ‘Mera Naam Zafar Hai…Aap Yaad Rakhiae Gaa…Aur Dua Meray Liyae Kariye Gaa’. Upon the involvement of these people, my nervousness lessened a bit and I said to myself, maybe it is because of these people and their asking that this body of Sin that is me might be permitted to reach my Manzil…

The airplane took off from Karachi airport for Peshawar… I placed the Chadars in the compartment above my head. This seat and compartment were the ones I kept imagining myself occupying a day before already… What can one say … at the work of Allah!

When the plane was in landing position over Peshawar, my recitation of Durood Sharif became stronger… The plane landed! Saeed Bhai was waiting for me at the arrival section of the airport. It was like we had met many times before (even though this was the first time we were meeting) we got into a car and drove straight to 4B. Allah-Allah! My breath was almost gone when we actually pulled into the driveway… this was the house of Babajan…And…I was to be a guest here? No, this was too heavy for me to absorb. My nervousness lessened incredibly when I touched the feet of Pari Babo… we had tea together with Saeed Bhai and within the next hour I was as comfortable as my own home.

Later that evening we went to pay a visit to Hasan Akhtar Bhai who was also visiting Peshawar. It was so strange that in Karachi I live at a ten-minute car distance from Hasan Akhtar Bhai’s residence and I actually (after making several plans) could never meet him there. Mulaqaat Hooee Bhee Toh Peshawar Mae… It was also very special, since my devotion to Hazrat Muhammad Ubaid Ullah Khan Durrani (R.A) initially started as I read the first pages of the

(English version) of Hayat e Qadir, which Hasan Bhai had translated. After Maghrib we returned to 4B. It was on our journey back that I felt a slight heaviness on the left side of my chest becoming much stronger. There was a time when I wanted to ask Saeed Bhai to take me to a hospital so I could have it checked, but I didn’t do so………..After returning back to 4B Saeed Bhai brought out a treasure of tapes as a selection for our hearing. Everything was a treat, there tapes we some selected Mehfil tapes and also other audio treasures that Saeed Bhai wanted me to experience. It was then that Appi called from America to inquire if all was well and also asked me if we had eaten food… (Just few minutes before that I had started to think of a meal)… Amazed, Astonished and In Praise … that was my state…. ‘Alhamdolillah He Rabbil Aalemeen’

At night I slept right under a picture of Baba Qadir Awlia (R.A) what more can I say or ask for. We had intended to set out on our journey at an early hour but because of some unforeseen delays we actually started out after the clock struck 10 Am. We (Saeed Bhai and I) started to walk out of the 4B compound and onto the road. Saeed Bhai hailed a rickshaw and it stopped. Since we had bags with us the process of getting into the rickshaw was a slow one. As Saeed Bhai got into the rickshaw from the right hand side I walked to the left side to get in. As soon as I raised my foot to place it in the vehicle, the rickshaw driver pressed on to the accelerator. Saeed Bhai (with a smile on his face) protested to the driver who in return explained that he thought I was not supposed to go. Allah! My expression changed. I had only heard that it is not easy to go to the doorstep of ‘The Faqir’ today I was experiencing it. Still pretending as if nothing had happened, I rode along… on to the Bus station where we could catch a bus.

According to Saeed Bhai that day the Rickshaw driver took a route to the bus station that he (in all his life

living in Peshawar) had never taken… I was shaken… not physically shivering but scarred.

The plan was to take a Bus to another destination and not to Pir Baba, as Saeed Bhai thought it would be faster that way… but Allah had willed it, and before we knew it, we were sitting at the back seats of the bus directly to Pir Baba. The bus started when the conductor finally realizes that there were enough passengers… we left Peshawar… Bismillah!

It had now been nearly 25 minutes since the bus had left Peshawar and was speeding on the newly constructed motorway… I was reciting Durood Sharif and had set my eyes on the fast moving road… gushing winds blowing my hair all over my face as the sun shone directly over us… it was serene… serene even though the loud engine of the bus was enough to break any silent thoughts… but as if that was not what was meant to be……As the bus was going over the bridge constructed over the Kabul River, there was a loud blast… everyone in the bus including me was in shock and surprise… and before anyone knew it, the bus started to swing and sway from the left of the road to the right. Women and children started to scream… the left rear tire had burst…. Alhamdolillah the driver controlled the situation and brought the vehicle to a stop. Everyone got out… the tire was in really bad shape… finished and gone!

Saeed Bhai looked at me and smiled… the spare tire of the bus was also not in a position to be used… the conductor was to go back to Peshawar and get the spare tire repaired… that was the plan of action that was revealed to us by the bus driver. Saeed Bhai laughed this time and looked at the Kabul River that passed under the bridge… we walked to the edge of the bridge and starred at the river. As we did so, a boat appeared from beneath… moving steadily and with reasonable speed, the boat cut along the river turning the entire view into a very picturesque film scene… Saeed Bhai looked at me again… ‘Do you know what a boat is symbolic of?’ he smiled again and said ‘Lets walk around, let’s find a

nice spot where we can rest for a bit’. I was still as astonished as before at whatever was happening… all I could do was follow… what was my Will? Was I supposed to have a Will? Could ‘I’ arrive at Qadir Nagar if ‘I’ wanted to? OR was it all ‘His’ Will… Yes - Without any doubt! This was the place and this was the time when I was to say goodbye to what ‘I’ was! My Will my Intellect, all was to be submitted. So… all I could do was follow. We found some trees and a pool of water and some green pastured nearby… there were some rocks on the bank and a cow was tied to one of the trees… the rope has knotted many a times around one of the rocks by now, and it seemed the cow had gone around that particular rock many a times. It was grazing on the grass… grazing as if this was the only meal she was to eat that entire day. The place was so quite that one could hear clearly the cutting of the grass by the teeth of the animal. I took off my shoes and sat on the bank… Saeed Bhai didn’t sit, he kept standing instead. After five minutes of being there, Saeed Bhai announced that we should walk around a bit more. I followed again… we walked along the water… some of it clean and most of it murky… some places that were under the shadow of the bridge had been taken by other passengers of the bus who thought a short nap might be a good idea… Saeed Bhai talked about the water and the bridge as I was trying my level best to extract every bit of symbolism from his words… the entire scene at some level reminded me of ‘Wither Ye Sadhu’… Allah – Allah!

After some time of sitting at another bank we moved back to the fist location… the cow was still there… its rope had become tighter than before yet it continued to eat the grass. A phone call was made to ‘Afaq Bhai’ in Karachi and Saeed Bhai explained to him the events that had taken place since that morning… I looked at Saeed Bhai and then I looked at the water again… All I was to do was to sit there and sit there and sit there… if it was not ‘His’ Will then the further journey was not possible… that was my total

understanding by this time. I had a short word with Afaq Bhai… he told me ‘Babar, nothing is a coincidence – every movement is calculated’………Another few minutes passed, by this time the cow had finished its meal and tuned towards the water… as it did so it went around the rock in such a manner that the knot that was tightening the rope unknotted itself. The cow (who now could mover freely) went around and started to gulp water in a very satisfied manner. Saeed Bhai said ‘Great! Now the knot is open – know it moves, Subhan Allah’! As he said this I felt that a huge weight had been taken off me… a laughter started forming inside me and I laughed out loudly – it was pure joy – as if life itself had returned… the owner of the cow also appeared out of no where and unknotted the cow from the tree, greeted us, also offered us a meal and when we said thanks, he smiled and walked off taking the cow with him. Saeed Bhai laughed again ‘Subhan Allah! Now that the Master has come and taken the animal along with him – know we will also go’ I looked back at the highway and sure enough, that very moment another bus pulled up and none other than our own mister conductor got off with the mended tire that he brought back from Peshawar. Now the bus moved. Subhan Allah Babajan! Subhan Allah! Allah – Allah the work of The Faqir, Allah – Allah!

The reminder of the journey to Pir Baba was Alhamdolillah as smooth as it could get. Sleeping and waking though and through, mountains and valleys ‘Pure Majesty’

We reached Pir Baba at the time of Asr… Walked passed the Mazar said Salaam and went to a place where Saeed Bhai asked me to wait while he went and looked for a car that could be hired to take us to Qadir Nagar. After fifteen minutes the car appeared, Saeed Bhai signaled me to bring the bags and sit in the car. Since the bag I was carrying had Chadars for the offering, I decided to open the left had side door and place the bag in. I did so, closed the door shut

and walked from behind the car to open the right hand side door and get in myself, but as I was reaching for the door, the driver pressed on the accelerator and the car pushed off… I was speechless, frozen in shock and in fear… I wanted to scream out but I could not. Saeed Bhai noticed I was not there and the car stopped a few feet after moving. I got in… Saeed Bhai looked at me, trying to smile but I could tell his face was full of surprise and wonder! I tried to appear normal, but inside I was not able to think or react anymore. It was ‘His’ Will and ‘His’ Doing!

After a short journey, the car stopped at a barrier. ‘We are here Babar Bhai’ Saeed Bhai said. I took my bag placed it on my shoulders and walked past the barrier. Bismillah!

Appi had told me how Babajan always used to welcome people when they first came to Qadir Nagar, ‘I am sure Babar, Insha Allah you will get the same kind of welcome’ is what Appi had told me a day before I started my journey to Peshawar… And Subhan Allah! As we entered… a very sweet fragrance could be felt every where … all my expressions changed into a smile… ‘Is that the Minaar of Wali Masjid Saeed Bhai?’ I asked ‘yes it is’ was the reply… I was down on my knees, in Sajda… Alhamdolillah … I had arrived… that was the ‘Pehla Sajda’. Behold – that Body of Nur Behold – Zikr e Allah, that Zahoor Behold – Passion that elevates to the skies Behold – those eyes that reflect a thousand Durood

Nur Ala Nur – Nur Ala Nur

Bismillah

NISHAN-E-RAH

Dedicated to the Teachings and Mission of Baba jan

Prof. Muhammad Ubaid Ullah Durrani (R.A)

Contents In charge Publication My Master……………….2 Malik Abdul Rahim K.M.A.Samdani

Khan Bahadur Muhammad Editor Urdu Section Habib ullah Durrani…. 37 M.Saeed Ubaidullah Durrani ……39

Syed Hameed Ali Shah Editor English Section BabaJan’s Perspective..… 41 Inam Ahmed Positivity and Fear………45

Fatima Durrani,(USA Cover Page Design 786 (Bismillah!)………....47 Babar Sheikh Babar Sheikh (English Side) Hasan Ali Akhtar Dua………………...……53 (Urdu side) (Hayat-e-Qadir)

The Nishan-e-Rah may not necessarily agree with the opinion of the writers

Address, Email & Web

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aì~, (Prayer,Supplication,Entreaty) Our prayer is ‘O’ Omnipotent that you forgive the sins of this ummat. This small boat of your Beloved, Sall Allah ‘O’ AleheWa Sallam, is caught in a whirlpool. Give, ’O’ Lord this boat a direction and guide it to its destiny. We are all helpless and downtrodden. Please ‘O’ Lord save the honour of the “black mantel” of the Pride of all Fuqra” Sall Allah. Our hearts have become cold and lifeless. Warm these hearts with the warmth of “Iman”- the “Faith”. ‘O’ Lord, our sin that we deny even you, can be forgiven only and only by You.‘O’ Forgiver and Merciful, we are caught in a malady for the last three and a half hundreds years. Remove ‘O’ Lord this malady. Infuse the spirit of bilal in our Azan ‘O’ Lord Bless us, our prayers –Namaz – with complete absorption and devotion of Maula (Ali). Let our actions be guided towards you, ‘O’ Lord if you are please with us there is none who can displease us, the entire nature becomes subservient to us. ‘O’ Majesty of the worlds grant the utterly despised Muslims, the grandeur which behoves those who chant your name. Sall Allah Aleka Ya Muhammad. Blessed be your name ‘O’ our Lord Muhammad. ‘O’ King of universe your love was the compassion for ummat. We chant your name and we will continue doing so. We are ashamed of our evil deeds and unworthy designs. You are the intercessor of the day of resurrection. When really is the day of resurrection? It is only through your munificence, your love can be revived in our hearts. Arhamna ! Arhamna !! Arhamna!!! Have pity on us, have pity on us, have pity on us. You are alive, you are perpetual. Come! Your ummat is asleep. Awaken it. Revive it. ‘O’ Pir kamil, my vision cannot reach you. What can I ask? For what should I pray? You see all. It is your job to awaken this ummat. My destiny is thy pen, and thy pen is on the throne of Allah. It has written some- it is writing some more. What is the WILL of Allah except the wish of the heart of a lover. Forbearance. This is all true but why do you preach Forbearance in such helpless subservience. ‘O’ the elevated being pull us out of this pit of indignity. Give every individual of this ummat-e-Muhammadi a bright face and so bestow your favour on this world.”O you” none but “O You”, Divert the humanity from the path of material worship to Truth worship.