ABU L-QASIM B. ALI B. ABDALLAH AL-GURGANI (may God prolong his li ! or "h! #!n! i" o $s and o all Mosl!

ms%& In his time he was unique and incomparable. His beginning (ibtida) was very excellent and strong, and his journeys were performed with punctilious observance (of the sacred law). t that time the hearts of all initiates (ahl-i dargah) were turned towards him, and all see!ers (Taliban) had a firm belief in him. He possessed a marvelous power of revealing the inward experiences of novices (kashf-i waqi muridan), and he was learned in various branches of !nowledge. ll his disciples are ornaments of the society in which they move. "lease #od, he will have an excellent successor, whose authority the whole body of $ufis will recogni%e, namely, bu lf al&'adl b. (uhammad al& 'armadhi (may #od lengthen his days)),* who has not omitted to fulfil his duty towards his master, and has turned his bac! on all (worldly) things, and through the blessings of that (renunciation) has been made by #od the spiritual mouthpiece (zaban-i hal) of that venerable $hay!h. +ne day I was seated in the $hay!h,s presence and was recounting to him my experiences and visions, in order that he might test them, for he had unrivalled s!ill in this. He was listening !indly to what I said. -he vanity and enthusiasm of youth made me eager to relate those matters, and the thought occurred to me that perhaps the $hay!h, in his novitiate, did not enjoy such experiences, or he would not show so much humility towards me and be so anxious to inquire concerning my spiritual state. -he $hay!h perceived what I was thin!ing. .(y dear friend,/ he said, .you must !now that my humility is not on account of you or your experiences, but is shown towards Him who brings experiences to pass. -hey are not peculiar to yourself, but common to all see!ers of #od./ +n hearing him say this I was utterly ta!en abac!. He saw my confusion and said0 .+ my son, (an has no further relation to this "ath except that, when he is attached to it, he imagines that he has found it, and when he is deposed from it he clothes his imagination in words. Hence both his negation and his affirmation, both his non&existence and existence, are imagination. (an never escapes from the prison of imagination. It behoves him to stand li!e a slave at the door and put away from himself every relation (nisbat) except that of manhood and obedience./ fterwards I had much spiritual conversation with him, but if I were to enter upon the tas! of setting forth his extraordinary powers my purpose would be defeated. fter the death of Ha%rat 1hwaja bul 2asim #uargani (3. .). He passed on the $ecret of the #olden 4hain to bu 5 li al&'adl bin (uhammad al&'armadhi at&-usi (q). Ref: Khasful Mahjub