Data Darbar Complex
Abul Hassan Ali Ibn Usman al-Jullabi al-Hajveri al-Ghaznavi or Abul Hassan Ali Hajveri (sometimes spelled Hujwiri, Hajweri, Hajveri), also known as Data Ganj Bakhsh, which means the master who bestows treasures or Daata Sahib, was a Persian Sufi & scholar in the 11th century. He significantly contributed to the spreading of Islam in South Asia.
He was born around 990 CE near Ghazni, present day Afghanistan, during the Ghaznavid Empire & died in Lahore (in present-day Punjab, Pakistan) in 1077 CE. His most famous work is Revelation of the Veild Kashf Al-Mahjub (Unveiling the Veiled), written in the Persian language. The work, which is one of the earliest & most respected treaties of Sufism, debates Sufi doctrines of the past.
Ali Hujwiri is also famous for his mausoleum in Lahore, which is surrounded by a large marble courtyard, a mosque & other buildings. It is the most frequented of all the shrines in that city & one of the most famous in Pakistan & nearby countries. His name is a household word & his mausoleum the object of pilgrimage from distant places.
Background:
Ali Hujwiri is both al-Hassani & al-Hussaini Sayyid. His father is al-Hassani Sayyid & his mother is al-Hussaini. Abul Hassan Ali bin Usman Al-Hujwiri Al-Jullabi Al-Ghazanvi was born in Ghazni (Hujwiri) where his family had settled & the members of which were passionate for devoutness & learning. He was known as Ali Al-Hujwiri Al-Jullabi, Al-Ghazanvi because he lived for a long time in Hajver & Jullab, the two suburbs (Mazafat) of the city of Ghazni located in Afghanistan. In spite of Hazrat Ali bin Usman Al-Hujwiri's popularity & deep reverence; coming across his life biography is very much tortuous. Much of his life history & thought came from his own authentic reference Kashf al-Mahjub.
Life:
Ali Hajveri studied Sufism under Abu al-Fazal Muhammad, who was a student of Abul Hassan al-Husri. Abu al-Fazal Muhammad bin al-Hassan was well-versed in tafsir & riwayat. Ali Hujwiri travelled far & wide through the Indus to the Caspian Sea. Among the countries & places which he visited were Azerbaijan, the tomb of Bayazid al-Bistam, Damascus, Ramla & Bayt al-Jinn in Syria. In Khusran alone he is reported to have met 300 Sufis. Al-Hujwiri was associated with the most well-known Sufi orders in the subcontinent, such as the Qadiri, Soharwardi, Naqshbandi & the Junaidi orders. Hujwiri belonged to the Junadia school of Sufism, founded by Junaid Baghdadi, a major Sufi saint of Baghdad. Hujwiri is also viewed as an important intercessor for many Sufis. Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri, a chief saint of the Chishti order, stated that an aspiring murid (disciple) one who does not (yet) have a murshid (spiritual master), should read Ali Hujwiri book Kashf al-Mahjub, as that would be (temporarily) enough for his spiritual guidance. He settled for some time in Iraq where he had a short experience with married life.
Al-Hujwiri was a contemporary of al-Qushairi. During his travels, he met with many eminent Sufis, saw & felt the slow transformation of Sufism from simple asceticism & adoration of God to a highly developed theosophical cult considerably influenced by pantheistic ideas. He is the link between Mysticism as it developed in Persia, Khurasan & the form it took in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.
Al-Hujwiri came to Lahore under orders from his Pir as successor to Shaikh Hussain Zanjani at a time when as a result of irruption of the Seljuks on one side & the rising tide of Hindu resistance on the order, the Ghaznavid Empire began to dismember rapidly & life in Ghazni itself was disrupted. The saint had to leave Ghazni in difficult circumstances, leaving his books behind. According to Faw'aid-ul-Fu'ad, Ali Hujwiri reached Lahore at night & in the morning found the people bringing out the bier of Shaikh Husain Zanjani whom he replaced in Lahore.
Although a Sunni Hanafi, Hujwiri's theology was reconciled with the concept of Sufi annihilation. However he strenuously campaigned against the doctrine that human personalities can be merged with God, instead likening annihilation to burning by fire which allows the substance to acquire fire like properties while retaining its own individuality. He also was a great upholder of the Sharia & rebuffed the idea that outward observances of Islam are not important for Sufis. Hujwiri believed that individuals should not claim to have attained "marifat" or gnosis because it meant that one was prideful & that true understanding of God should be a silent understanding.
Ali Hujwiri is said to have died on the twentieth of the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal 465 H.E, but the date, the month & year are all conjectural. Most early writers agree on 455 H.E. as the year of his death, on the basis of the various chronograms.
Respect of Sufis towards Ali Hujwiri:
Ali Hujwiri was buried near the mosque which he had built during his life-time. It has a been a practice of Sufi saints coming to South Asia to first visit the shrine of Ali Hujwiri. Upon arriving in the subcontinent, Moinuddin Chishti first came to Lahore to pay his respects at Daata Ganj-Bakhsh's shrine, where he spent quite some time in meditation & prayer before attaining enlightenment. He was then directed to settle in Ajmer Sharif & commence his spiritual mission to go further east & preach. Moinuddin Chishti paid homage to Ali Hujwiri in the following words:
Kashf Al-Mahjub:
Kashf al-Mahjub is held in high esteem as the first important treatise on Sufism in Persian. The date of the completion of the book cannot be determined with any certainty. It must have taken Hujwiri a long time to write it in Lahore without his personal collection of books. He was a prolific writer, perceptive & discriminating in his choice of topics.
Kashf al-Mahjub was written in response to the request of one Abu Sa'eed Al-Hujwiri who put the following questions to him: "Explain to me the true meaning of the Path of Sufism & the nature of the stations' (maqamat) of the Sufis & explain their doctrines & saying, & make clear to me their mystical allegories & the nature of Divine Love & how it is manifested in human hearts & why the intellect is unable to reach the essence thereof & why the soul recoils from the reality thereof & why the spirit is lulled in the purity thereof; & explain the practical aspect of Sufism which are connected with these theories."
Kashf al-Mahjub (Unveiling the Veiled) begins with a chapter on ilm. Hujwiri introduces the concept of experiential knowledge toward the end of the chapter.
When Ali-Hujwiri was asked what is Sufism? he replied, "In our times this science has been in reality obliterated, especially in this region, for people are all occupied with pleasure & have turned away from satisfying (God).
Other works:
Ali Hujwiri wrote a few more books (which are mentioned in Kashf-ul-Mahjub & listed by Professor Nichlolas in his English translation), but he himself mentions that all of those were stolen by other people. Some people think that the magazine Kashf-ul-Israr is also written by him, but Hakeem Muhammad Mosa Amaratsari believes the content of that work does not match Ali Hujwiri's erudition. Some of his works include the following:
- Minhaj-ud-Din on the method of Sufism, and an account of the Ahl al-Suffa & full biography of Mansur al-Hallaj;
- Asrar-ul-Khiraqq wa'l-ma'unat, on the patched frocks of the Sufis;
- Kitab-i-Fana-o-baqa, composed "in the vanity and rashness of youth", a work in explanation of the sayings of Mansur al-Hallaj
- Kitab-al-Bayan-li-ahl-al-iyan, on union with God;
- Bahr-ul-Qulub
- Al-Riayat li-huquq Allah, on Divine unity
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A closeup of the grave.
Gems of Wisdom by Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh (Radi ALLAH Ta'ala Anho):
- A person's nobility & elevation in status is not judged by miracles but by chastity & purity in his dealings.
- The deterioration of the entire nation is based on 3 things deteriorating - When the ruler is uneducated - When an Aalim does not practice upon his knowledge - & when the poor lose faith in ALLAH (Subhanuhu wa Ta'ala).
- If any desires based on you own desires enters any work then the blessings are taken away from it.
- Knowledge is expansive while a person’s life span is short, therefore it is not compulsory to learn the many different branches of knowledge although it is necessary to learn that much as is required to make deeds, actions proper & correct.
- To stay away from unmindfully wealthy, the lazy needy & the ignorant dervishes is regarded as worship & prayer.
- A Sufi is that person who has the Qur'an in one hand & the sunnah of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wasallam) in the other.
- Fanah (lost in the remembrance of ALLAH (Subhanuhu wa Ta'ala), it's explanation is the eradication of ignorance, to obtain knowledge, destroy desires & neglectfulness, to adopt constant remembrance of ALLAH (Subhanuhu wa Ta'ala). This quality now becomes to constant & that’s when the person is totally absorbed in ALLAH (Subhanuhu wa Ta'ala) as love as a result he becomes immortal by self destruction.
- Acceptance are of 2 types - firstly the acceptance of the servant by the supreme master ALLAH (Subhanuhu wa Ta'ala) & secondly the acceptance of the master by the servant ie. His every action & every decision is either followed or pleasurable in its prohibition. That person sees the "Hand" of ALLAH (Subhanuhu wa Ta'ala) in every bounty & he regards sorrow, happiness, life & death as the bounties of ALLAH (Subhanuhu wa Ta'ala).
- Tasawwuf (Sufism, Mysticism) has a few levels, firstly forgiveness, Secondly - Inclination towards ALLAH (Subhanuhu wa Ta'ala), Thirdly - abstinence from the pleasures of the World, Fourthly - Total reliance on ALLAH (Subhanuhu wa Ta'ala).
- To worship successfully the position of manifestations & observations is reached.
- Oh! Dear friends, seek knowledge, learn knowledge & practice on that knowledge.
- A poor person is he who possesses nothing in the World nor does he wish to possess anything nor does he show sorrow at the loss of any Worldly possession.
- Marriage is lawful for every man & woman. He who can support a wife & family, then it is Sunnah for him but he who cannot safeguard himself from Haram, it becomes Fard upon him to marry.
- The most excellent form of Ibadah is to oppose your desires.
- The example of the soul is similar to Shaytan and to oppose it is the wonder of worship.
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