The Pride of the Awliyah

The Arif (knower of Allah) the unlettered

Sidi Ali Al-Khowas (may Allah show him
mercy) (d. 949 after migration)
Source: Bahr Al-Wilyah Al-Muhammadiyyah fi Manaqib A'alam Al-Sufiyyah by
Professor Jawad Abu Al-Yazid Al-Mahdi p. 575-583.1

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http://www.kasnazan.com/article.php?id=1010
The Truth (the Exalted) created His beloved for himself and brought them up with
His care. He made their hearts treasure troves of gnosis and cast in them subtle
secrets that the intellects cannot grasp. Are they not the lights that Allah (the Exalted)
fills the realms of His kingdoms. They prostrate from the basis of servitude that brings
their journey close. Their sweetness is the best rank and whoever is successful with
their company achieves arrival to the announced King. From those who have arrived,
one of the known spiritual teachers, mine of piety, sincerity and elite of the Awliyah,
light of the world, Ali Al-Khowas Al-Baralsi2 (may Allah show him mercy).

One of the masters of the Sufis, one of the pillars of the spiritual path, a scholar
capable of rearing souls, at whose hands Imams and notables came. It should suffice
you to know that one of his offspring in this path was the Imam, the knower,
conveyer of spirituality, Sidi Abdulwahab Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy).

Imam Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) was a spiritual personality who
encompassed the peak of gnosis and realisation of the names of the stations (of the
path). If we were to travel, we would know that all this was divine gifts, which were
given to the pole Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) that would cause narrow
constriction to us, and it would bewilder our intellects in the face of such chosen gifts
that have no limit, no description and no limitation. However, we will travel deeply
into this personality so let us prepare ourselves. So let the knower Al-Khowas (may
Allah show him mercy) allow us acquire light from his blessed life story and swim in

2
A place in Egypt.
the ocean of the gift of reflection and pondering, so we realise the bounty of Allah
(the Exalted) upon his Awliyah and their virtues over all the people.

The spiritual introduction for the knower Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy)
was asking for a spiritual watering hole which is drank from then others are quenched
their thirst. To put you at ease about all you will know about Al-Khowas (may Allah
show him mercy) was divine gifts and openings from where we know he was given
spiritual training at the hands of Muhammadan pole Sidi Ibrahim Al-Matbawali (may
Allah show him mercy).

The erudite scholar Al-Munawi (may Allah show him mercy) said in his biography of
the knower Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy), "He began to work by selling
sycamore during his youth with the scholar Ibrahim Al-Matbawali (may Allah show
him mercy), with blessing. Then he gave him permission to open an olive shop which
he remained doing for forty years until he left it. Then he interweaved atalkhawus
(unidentified) until he died."

The rank of pole Al-Matbawali (may Allah show him mercy) was not hidden among
those who had preceded him in spiritual realisation. It is sufficient to indicate here
those similar in rank to Sheikh the knower Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy)
during this period which he spoke about by the blessings of Allah (the Exalted), he
said, "We are five in the world who have no Sheikh except the Messenger of Allah
(may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him): Al-Ja'aydi (meaning himself),
Sheikh Abu Madyan, Sheikh Abdurrahim Al-Fatawayib, Sheikh Abu As-Sa'ud ibn Abi
Al-A'shaiar and Sheikh Abu Al-Hassan As-Shadhali (may Allah show them mercy)."3
These five that were mentioned by the knower Al-Matbawali (may Allah show him
mercy) came from a similar Muhammadan teaching in their time. They are the leaders
of the people of the earth in their knowledge of Allah (the Exalted) and their
truthfulness in their worship of Him.

On the basis of this reality which we know the rank of the pole Al-Matbawali (may
Allah show him mercy) the teacher of the knower Al-Khowas (may Allah show him
mercy). There is no doubt that we will find very many of the fruits of the spiritual
training. Sidi Ali (may Allah show him mercy) submitted himself to his Sheikh to
arrive to the stations of the (realised) men. He made an agreement (oath) with his
teacher to purify and train spiritually until he became the form of his teacher like a
mirror image of his person (teacher). After the pole Al-Matbawali (may Allah show
him mercy), he (Al-Khowas) would be his successor after him. It was this influence
for Sidi Ali Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) that was indicated that his rank
was Ibrahamic. When Imam Al-Sha'rani mentioned in Latif Al-Minan/Subtle Blessings
that his Sheikh said, "I took this path of mine from Sidi Ibrahim from the Messenger
of Allah (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him)." He would sometimes say,
"I took this path of mine from our father Ibrahim the bosom friend (upon him
peace)."

It is agreed that the Wali only comes together to the Prophet (upon him peace and
blessings upon him) in the realm of the souls after the soul of the wali is purified and
3
These where great wali's who had already realised the path at the hands of great spiritual masters and then
received knowledge and help directly. A murid/spiritual aspirant they need to align themselves to similar men
of the path to receive spiritual guidance. Just like someone who learns grammar must learn it from a teacher
not a book. The teacher being a living example.
emancipated from drosses by spiritual training. It is not omitted except by the
Ibrahimic fellowship which we indicated it by following the greatest of the Messengers
(Muhammad may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) because he is not our
master Ibrahim (upon him peace) is only by the link to our master Muhammad (may
Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him), because is the greatest Prophet.

Then Ali Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) was realised in which was the
Muhammadan inheritance by the wisdom of the inheritance of his teacher Al-
Matbawali (may Allah show him mercy). That was mentioned by Imam Al-Sha'rani
(may Allah show him mercy) that Sheikh Abu Al-Fadal Al-Ahmadi (may Allah show
him mercy) that Sidi Ali (may Allah show him mercy) did not die until he took from
the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) without any
mean (directly). This is why the pole Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy) was
proud that because between him and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bestow peace
and blessings upon him) in the spiritual upbringing was one man who was his teacher
Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy).

Sidi Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) inherited4 from Sidi Ibrahim Al-
Matbawali (may Allah show him mercy) and became a pole steeped in wilayah after
him (after Al-Matbawali's passing). It was from this manifestation of the inheritance
from his teacher, when they started to prepare the barrier every year against Yajoj and
Majoj.5 The Awliyah were present from all the corners of the earth it served as a
celebration to honour the pole Sidi Ibrahim (may Allah show him mercy). He would
receive lights of gnosis in this witnessing of the great soul, the blessed breezes,

4
This is inheritance of the spiritual rank of pervious wali. This is termed the sirr/secret of the wali.
5
These are leaders of an evil race who are trapped behind a great wall.
blessings and the hope of existence. The shadow of this barrier started by the pole Al-
Matbawali (may Allah show him mercy) until he moved on the proximity of his
Master (he died). When the pole Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) inherited,
he became the barrier, which was when he took the place of his teacher. Rather he
increased the barrier with the barrier of his teacher because he witnessed the testified
souls and the prophets as well as all the Awliyah.

Before we leave the speech on spiritual training of the spiritual personage of Imam Al-
Khowas (may Allah show him mercy). We add to this that the source of the water of
Al-Matbawali (may Allah show him mercy) from the water of another teacher and
that was Sidi Muhammad Abu Al-Barakat Al-Khayat (may Allah show him mercy).
He is buried, the scholar of Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy), is buried in the
proximity of the tomb of the Hussaynis (may Allah show them mercy) in Egypt. His
teacher Abu Al-Barakat (may Allah show him mercy) informed him of this when he
was alive, when he said to him, "O Ali, the tomb and the shire are known except to
you." What the Sheikh said was correct because the tomb was not known except him
and when Sidi Ali (may Allah show him mercy) joined his Lord (when he died), he
was placed next to his teacher, in the Islamic year 949. So the shrine became known
by Sidi Ali Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) despite that it was originally his
teachers (grave) Abu Al-Barakat (may Allah show him mercy).

Now that we have wandered by the fountainhead of the perception of the soul which
from the knower Al-Khowas's (may Allah show him mercy) spiritual being. So that
we realise the fruit of this perception that we climb to the scattered morsels of
loftiness that stop at the honourable divine opening in the person of the knower Al-
Khowas (may Allah show him mercy). Here we find the necessity upon us to enter
the house from the door. The door of Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) and
Imam Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy), who was his student, at whose hands
he achieved a divine opening. He went to him when he was the most knowledge
(person) of the earth in the law of Allah (the Exalted) and the knowledge jurist in the
religion, more than them (scholars) in vastness and an Imam in several sciences of
gnosis. Therefore, this Imam went with all he could bear and from the gifts of an
illiterate man, he entered into the presence of Allah (the Exalted). But this illiterate
man, despite it (being illiterate), was a hidden treasure from one of the treasures of
Allah (the Exalted) on the earth. He submitted to this illiterate man said to this
scholar, "You will not be a scholar afterwards because you take your knowledge from
reports. As for us, we take our knowledge from Allah (the Exalted) directly. This
knowledge that is (received) without means is direct knowledge. The path to it is
spiritual training of the soul, purifying the heart from everything so that it can bear
light." He ordered him to sell all his books, give the value in charity, and leave the
study of knowledge for one complete year, then return to him. So he did that and
took to adhering to divine remembrance, he made an oath and was given the wird.
He said to him, "O 'Abd Al-Wahab, it is not open to you except by training (the
soul). So go to it tomorrow with the inkwell and paper and wait for the divine
opening." Imam Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy) followed the instruction of
his teacher to the letter. In exercising the soul, the divine opening came, so he took
the inkwell to paper to record the event. Then he took it to his teacher who ordered
him to erase it. In it was greyness of acquired knowledge. He continued to write and
erase until he shook with other worldly knowledge. He said to him, "Your matter is
complete, your rank is lofty, your mention has spread, and your heart narrates from
your Lord so write what you wish." Imam Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy)
informed us that after his opening he was immersed in a sea of knowledge of his
teacher the knower Al-Khowas, five times. Every time he found a share of the
treasures of the hidden knowledges. When he wanted to submerge a sixth time the sea
was blocked. It was said he acquired his share of the knowledge of his teacher the
knower. When Imam Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy) spoke about these five
submerging (events), "I did not find many vastness in the intellects or in their form
but the subject research was to implore the seeker of reality in any granted form."

The knower Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy) said when he was submerged
the first time into the ocean of his teacher's knowledge, he found all the knowledge,
which was present in the preserved tablet to this entire world about the different ranks
of the great truthful ones to lower levels of wilayah. The second time he found all the
honourable Quranic passages, below which was the commentary of whatever Allah
(the Exalted) willed of knowledge. The third time he found all the honoured prophetic
traditions with their commentary and evidences, as well as knowledges beyond
numeration. The fourth time he found the knowledge of specific interpretation by the
interpretation that was not taken accept from those complete (Awliyah) of the people
of Allah (the Exalted). The fifth time he found all the different realities, which cannot
be taken from the intellects of humanity, and the matters that baffle the intellects of
the intelligencia, after all that was given was divine gifts which forms cannot be
described. Imam Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy) made it clear that he did
not stop at the fifth time and there was no similarity to what was given from his
teacher Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) from the divine opening. He said,
"The ocean of the knowledges of our Sheikh (may Allah show him mercy) cannot be
realised or affirmed. Therefore, I intended to submerge in the subjects that bring one
close from the gentle shore by the listeners who are deluded in this, that there is no
rising for most of the Awliyah to it except as a virtue over others. You see what
pervades our intellects by the cloth of that divine gift. It has exceeded the extent of
thought and left the limits of forms! The reality is we are unable to refuse it in utter
submission and majesty.

َ‫ض َِل ا ْل َع ِظ ِيم‬

ْ َ‫اّلل ذو ا ْلف‬
ََ ‫اّلل ي ْؤ ِتي َِه َمن َيشَاءَ َو‬ ْ َ‫ذَ ِلكََ ف‬
ََِ َ‫ضل‬
"That is the bounty of Allah, He gives to whoever He wills and Allah possesses great
bounties."6

We continue to traverse with this knowing Wali who knew the limit of our ability in
what Allah (the Exalted) gives his bounty. The illiterate Sheikh would speak about
meanings of the Quran that came to baffle the understandings of the brilliant minds
of the scholars. Despite that was with their intellects and wiped their abilities from the
treasures of his knowledge.

He said, "From the scholars, meaning himself, who Allah (the Exalted) has given
wisdom in every letter repeated in the Great Quran and all the revealed books from
any letter you will from them. That is the bounty of Allah (the Exalted), He gives
whoever He wills and Allah possesses great bounties."

Another time he said, "A man is not considered to be with us, from the people of the
path, except if he knows the purified sacred law, generally, it sources, its abrogation's,
its abrogated from, specific and general rulings, whoever is ignorant of the one of the
wisdoms falls from the level of the (realised) men (of the spiritual path)."
6
Quran: Al-Jummah 62:4.
We intended that we be satiated from the hadith from the side of knowledge,
according to Al-Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) to confirm that this is the
reality of those steeped in spirituality.

‫مااتخذ هللا من ولي جاهل ولواتخذه لعلمه‬

Hadith, "Allah does not take a heedless wali and if he takes him then he teaches
him."7
I affirm this reality of his being from where we saw the illiterate Wali Sidi Ali Al-
Khowas (may Allah show him mercy) in the standing the teacher of scholars and the
Imam of the scholars in his time. The pole Al-Sha'rani authored many works of the
answers of his illiterate teacher from the questions from different horizons of
knowledge, realities and doubtful matters. His teacher would answer sometimes in
Syriac, Hebrew and Arabic. Imam Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy) named
the book Durr Al-Ghuwas 'ala fatwai Sidi Ali Al-Khowas/Flow of pearls from the legal
opinions of Sidi Ali Al-Khowas.8 This book has wonderful Quranic passages in the
knowledge's of realities and the tongue of indication. Then it ascended now because of
the state of the Sheikh, his virtues, miracles that he informed us and by his rank with
the people of Allah (the Exalted). Imam Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy)
mentioned that Sidi Ali Al-Khowas (may Allah be pleased with him) could look at a
man and know at glance all the sins and disobedience that he committed with his
truthful insight. He looked at the used ablution water of the people and he would

7
This hadith does not have a sound chain according to Al-Sakhawi in Al-Maqasad Al-Hassanah but it has
been proven over time. There is a question mark over any wali, pir or Sheikh who opposes the sacred law. He
could be an imposter; he should repent and not persist.
8
There is also another work called Al-Jawahir wa Al-Durr complied by Imam Sha'rani (may Allah show him
mercy).
know the sins that were forgiven when they fell into the water that was used.9 He
knew the people of these sins that were forgiven specifically and distinguished from
watering of all the sins and the others were major, minor and disliked sins. If he
looked into an inkwell, he would see letters that were written in it separate from the
ink (even though it was not written yet). His student Sidi Afdal Al-Din (may Allah
show him mercy) informed us that once he saw an inkwell by the first line that was
going to be written with. So the writer would observe until it was written and printed
books that was not informed but by the Sheikh verbatim.

Imam (Yusuf) Al-Nabahani (may Allah show him mercy) said in Jamia Al-
Karamat/Compilation of miracles of the Awliyah, "He was illiterate, he could not read
or write. He (may Allah show him mercy) used to speak about meanings of the great
Quran and the honourable Sunnah exquisite words that would baffle the scholars."

Then when he moved to Imam Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy), he said,
"Our Sheikh, Sheikh Ali Al-Khowas was known between the Awliyah by lineage
because could attribute each animal to the first creation of that type (so could
attribute) people too."

He (may Allah be pleased with him) could see, during the night and day, the actions
of people ascend to heavens specifically. He was like his teacher Al-Matbawali (may
Allah show him mercy), he would not pray Zuhur in small masjid ever but would
pray in the major congregational masjid (Barmalah Lad). He was always seen there
praying Zuhur. He (may Allah be pleased with him) was of the men of chivalry who
bear tribulations and seditions of the nation by their bodies and souls. He was one of
9
Abu Hanifah (may Allah show him mercy) had a similar miracle but asked for it to be removed - so he could
maintain a good opinion of other Muslims.
those who used to manage affairs. Imam Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy)
said he heard Sidi Muhammad ibn 'Anan (may Allah show him mercy) say, "No one
was considered from the leaders of states (Awliyah) that they could only enter Egypt
except by the permission of Sheikh Ali Al-Khowas."

Imam Al-Sha'rani (may Allah show him mercy) mentioned that Sidi Ali (may Allah
show him mercy) would know the deputies in the regions of the earth and he knew
the levels of opening in the hearts of knowers and all the remainder of the rest of
Awliyah of Allah (the Exalted).

After seeking pardon from our master the pole Al-Khowas (may Allah show him
mercy), that I am unable to give the right of his rank mentioned in my severely
limited speech. My effort was from he who was shackled in the limitations of his
spirituality from describing he who was free from all chains. He was taken to his
Master and his Beloved. He was close to him with intimacy from where no eye has
seen, no ear heard, and what never occurred to the hearts of man. May Allah be
pleased with you O master Al-Khowas and quench those who follow you the purist
sweetness, the purity that was specific for Al-Khowas from all the servants of Allah
(the Exalted). Amin (may Allah Accept).
We pray that Allah accepts this translation, forgives our families, teachers and all the
Muslims. May endless and countless blessings be showered upon the final Messenger
(may Allah bestow upon him peace and blessings), always and forever, upon his
family, the Awliyah and all the Prophets and Messengers. This translation was
completed on 16th Muharram 1437/30th October 2015 by Arfan Shah (Straight
Translations and Sheikhy notes).

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