Common Petitioners & Everyday Matters

عام اہلِ غرض کا سلسلہ اور علاجات

The Stream of Common Petitioners

(Spiritual remedies, diverse prescriptions, Qurʾānic verses, treatments for various afflictions, and sundry formulae)

After the morning lesson was over, a continuous stream of common petitioners would arrive throughout the day. Someone sought duʿāʾ (supplication); someone was a ṭālib (seeker) of the path; someone wished his āsīb-zada (possessed) relative to be treated; someone came seeking the favour of Ḥaḍrat's supplication for a suitable livelihood; some came seeking his intercession with an officer or official. Some people came with various legal and scholarly problems, seeking fatwā (legal opinions). Some brought their illnesses — whether physical or spiritual — and wished to have them diagnosed and cured. At all times, in season and out of season, this was the unbroken state of affairs. Ḥaḍrat, in his all-embracing compassion, would address himself to each one with full attention — whether the matter concerned a difficulty or a complaint — and he would simply sit and listen. Many people had the conviction that if a word of blessing passed from Ḥaḍrat's lips, the most intractable problem would be resolved; and they were equally certain that Ḥaḍrat kept nothing hidden in his heart that he left unspoken.

To those who came to him, Ḥaḍrat listened with the utmost kindness, warmth, and compassion. He would ask after an illness and if a person was unwell, he would prescribe remedies and have medicines made up. He would counsel them about the Names of Allāh (asmāʾ Allāh) and Qurʾānic verses to recite. He would pray for them and would fill them with good hope in Allāh. This gave one's spirit a new vitality; a new strength was gained and one returned with fresh resolve. On occasion he would also prepare a taʿwīdh (amulet) for those who were completely illiterate and unable to read.

Sometimes a person with bad intentions would come and present his purpose. Ḥaḍrat would identify the appropriate ism Ilāhī (Divine Name) or Qurʾānic verse and would insist on reciting it, urging the person emphatically, saying: "Keep the name of Allāh upon your lips and do not trouble yourself to carry out this aim." His manner towards such people was one of gracious deterrence.

If someone afflicted with āsīb (spirit-possession) or a misfortune came, Ḥaḍrat would send him to Pāshā Ṣāhib. Pāshā Ṣāhib was Ḥaḍrat's maternal uncle (māmūn zād) and was also his murīd (disciple). He had been Ḥaḍrat's son-in-law as well for a period. His financial circumstances had been straitened for some time. Through this arrangement, Ḥaḍrat helped him. Whoever came afflicted with possession would be sent to Pāshā Ṣāhib, who would utter Ṣadr Ṣāhib (Shaykh Ṣadr al-Dīn) as a wird (litany) — reciting Yā Waḥid, Yā Aḥad or Yā Ṣamad over the patient's head — and the person would recover their full composure, his personality would be restored, and he would go away. Ḥaḍrat would say about such cases: "Go to him and have Sayyid ʿAbd al-Quddūs recite the fātiḥa (opening prayer) over you and cure you."

Dealing with Jinn and Spirits

Ḥaḍrat used to say: "Evil spirits cannot endure my company, for I myself am not able to tolerate their wickedness." Shayāṭīn (devils) would come pressing in on all sides but then flee immediately from his presence. Shayāṭīn would crowd around him — for the shayāṭīn are strengthened by those who come near them — and for the purpose of repelling them he would recite Yā Laḥiqq Anta'l-Mawjūd wa Mā Siwāk Mafqūd aloud as well.

To those who came afflicted with parnā (a spirit's visitation) Ḥaḍrat would say: "Go to him" — meaning Pāshā Ṣāhib — "and he will try to cure you." He would make much effort. The div (demon), the chāl (the mischievous spirit), the jinn — Ḥaḍrat would watch their antics with amusement. When they tried to compel a woman or girl to prostrate before them, Ḥaḍrat would set them straight at once. Ḥaḍrat would say: "Give them duʿāʾ (prayer), always speak gently to them; recite the prayer for seeking refuge, prostrate yourself in humility before Allāh, and seek His forgiveness."

Ḥaḍrat would say: "Every human being has been given certain powers by Allāh — use them for their benefit, give them uplift, take up their task." He also said:

• Instead of expending his psychic powers, let him give the zakāt (spiritual alms) of those powers — link himself to the pure spirits (arwāḥ ṭayyiba) through these powers so that they become his instruments of action.

• Evil spirits (arwāḥ khabītha) or astral spirits (arwāḥ nujūm) lend their aid but only temporarily, up to the point where the astral alignment holds. I have no verified knowledge regarding this matter.

He also said: "Some people do not employ their own psychic powers, but rather call upon Allāh and the pure spirits (arwāḥ ṭayyiba) to act on Allāh's behalf — for Allāh's own protection and honour are upon them — so that Allāh manifests things through them in an extraordinary way for the purpose of honouring and dignifying them. This is a karāma (saintly miracle). In miracles there is no desire to intervene — to intervene of one's own will would not be a miracle."

He said on one occasion: "If unlawful means are employed for unlawful ends, that too is mere conjuring." He also said: "One should not break another person's neck for unlawful purposes — this is not our responsibility. This is an angelic function. Angels are the kind of beings who afflict those who cause harm to others through their magical workings — and it is the angels who bear responsibility for this. I therefore engage in no such workings."

He said: "Harm from magical operations arrives through the workings and the harm is equal in measure. The effect of the Qurʾānic verse is also to counteract the working. For this, someone knowledgeable in the action and the verse is needed. A prayer (duʿāʾ) is not an action of a disbeliever. Even a disbeliever reciting the Qurʾān can benefit from the Qurʾānic verse — and I have seen a Hindu reading the Qurʾān benefiting from it — and similarly causing harm to others."

He said: "Those people who make friends with shayāṭīn — Allāh keeps their minds busy with reading old material so that they do not think about new things." He further observed: "The human being is Allāh's vicegerent (khalīfa). He has been given authority over the world and every thing is subject to him. But his power is that of Allāh: Allāh has set limits on it — he is to remain within those limits under Allāh's command, and is to keep himself away from transgression. No one's will is operative in this — Allāh's will and course run continuously. Any action beyond the ordinary in this is a miracle — Ḥaḍrat was Qādirī by nisbat (spiritual affiliation). Qādirī taʿlīm (spiritual training) involves not keeping one's own will engaged in any action — to have one's own will removed from any work. Ordinary illness has its natural course — extraordinary illness is when an ordinary person cannot do anything about it and someone else comes in. This is a karāma. But ordinary illness too is eventually resolved."

Ordinary illness involves exerting psychic power and extraordinary illness too involves exerting it — and a Muslim with faith can also counteract shayāṭīn or jinn. The light of faith and certainty (yaqīn) in Muslims is their shield against the darkness of the shayāṭīn. The effect of speech on the shayāṭīn and jinn does not apply when there is no interest from their side — the light of faith and certainty is visible against them. Shayāṭīn and jinn are bound more to worldly people and elders of great austerity who possess greater spiritual elevation. Ḥaḍrat used to generally advise those afflicted by āsīb to keep wuḍūʾ (ablution) and to insistently recite the istighfār al-ʿaẓīm (the great formula of seeking forgiveness) at all times.

He said about jinn: "Jinn are a nation — from one people. Some among them are Muslims and some disbelievers. They include women and men, good and bad, young and old, healthy and sick. They too die. Their lifespan is rather long — longer than human lives." He said: "In common discourse people are unaware of those things with which we ourselves are unfamiliar — but the traditions (aḥādīth) prove this, and the sayings of the elders of the faith likewise. We too have had some experience. The jinn who themselves appear before Ḥaḍrat — he too has confirmed this."

He said on one occasion: "Sometimes spirits appear on humans in the form of animals — they take the form of a serpent or a human being." He said: "In animal form, all the animal's limbs become attached to them — so if they come in the form of a snake and something strikes them, they too are hurt."

He said: "When the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ was present, jinn would come before him. Ḥaḍrat ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu), Ḥaḍrat Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu), Ḥaḍrat ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu), and other Companions (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhum) narrated reports from them." He said: "Jinn and men are both charged with religious obligations (mukallaf)." He said: "Many Companions, indeed those at whose blessed hands the Prophet ﷺ had taken the pledge of allegiance, were also jinn. The Companion used to be present at his master's side and the master narrated from him from ʿan fulān ʿan fulān, and scholars accept this chain — for the Companion's age (approximately one thousand years) was very great."

Sometimes it happens that shayāṭīn abandon their oppression and grant aid — some shayāṭīn manifest their enmity and vengefulness in the form of illness. The drugs of disbelievers are of no avail against this. For repelling such attacks, he should recite Aʿūdhu bi'llāh al-ʿaẓīm, then recite Aʿūdhu billāh from the last verse of Sūrat al-Falaq through to the final Sūra of al-Nās. For the treatment of siḥr (magic/sorcery), he should recite from Aʿūdhu billāh through to the last verse of Sūrat al-Nās, then blow upon the patient. For the final treatment, he should blow upon the patient's chest and hands. Ḥaḍrat used to advise this.

(Shān ḥazrat — Shān-e-Ḥazrat is the proper name of a well-known litany. If the patient's name from among these unlisted names is read — meaning names of the Khwāja of jinn — then reading this litany would also drive away the spirits. The distinguishing feature between the two is, however, that certainty and faith must accompany the recitation.)

Ḥaḍrat would say: "At root there is certainty; certainty comes through faith — whoever has the greater certainty will prevail. The disbeliever will never prevail."

Ḥaḍrat used to say: "Women in the company of their husbands who come with complaints or demands — if there is no real difficulty or complaint — Ḥaḍrat would only advise them: 'Keep up prayer and the remembrance of Allāh, live well with your husband, strive for goodness in life, and thank Allāh for coming things — be grateful; the things you do not know will come; if trouble comes you will not be able to endure it.'" He said: "When there is a real difficulty, recite: Allāhumma ḥallatʾl-ʿuqda wa-rḍanī waraḍ ʿannī ."

He said on one occasion: "It is not permissible to witness a shameful thing at the proper time of testimony." For example, a student's complaint before his teacher, a child's complaint before his father about someone seeking to arrange marriage, a wife's complaint before her husband — in those matters, to say something evil about someone is not permissible.

He said about the husband and wife: "When the wife sits before him and comes from inattention or is suddenly provoked, he should first of all become a servant and erect no government in his soul. Allāh has given him wisdom too. Try to understand them — what has come is what is coming. The things you do not know are coming — be grateful for this. If trouble comes it will be unendurable. Be satisfied." He also said: "Recite Yā Wadūd and this supplication."

Some women who, because of their husband's ill-conduct and misfortunes, had no recourse but to complain before their distant relatives — Ḥaḍrat would say to them: "Faryād Allāh, Ḥabīb Allāh, Maqbūl Allāh — with these, faryād (complaint) became maqbūl (accepted), Mīrā Dil Shād rahē Agar Mīrā-dil shād rahē (My heart may remain glad if my heart remains glad — the heart's gladness comes from God) ." If the wife kept walking away and Ḥaḍrat was compelled by love to follow her petition, he said: "Instead of complaining to ʿAlī's father, or to Fāṭima's father, or to ʿAlī's father, or to Fāṭima's father — keep reciting this endlessly."

On two occasions Ḥaḍrat gave a lesson, saying:

سب کام ہیں اپنے پیاروں سے    میں اور اس کا پیار بھلا

All tasks rest with one's beloved — and what of my love and hers?

میں لپٹ رہوں گی سینے سے    تیرے لگے کا بار بھلا

I shall cling to the breast — what burden of your affection!

خیر سے مجھ کو کام نہیں    میں اور میرا یار بھلا

I want nothing of anyone's well-being — only my beloved and I.

Spirit Possession: Encounters and Observations

He said: "A dear friend — the beloved is also a fount of love. Marriage is only complete after the person has become human. Then said: "The walāya (sainthood) condition — the jadhb (spiritual attraction, rapture) is needed for the perception of realities, for the helplessness of the intellect before Truth. But the condition for it to be sustained is to be beyond the reach of will — at a single point of thought, the majdhūb (one seized by rapture) could become absent in his inner state. This is pointless. It is according to the degree of inner states. Then addressing Ḥazrat-e-Qiblā he said: 'Tell the God-servant, tell him apart from me — we say things here that your understanding may not grasp. The real work is to carry out Allāh's work properly on the basis of sifāt-e-sabʿa (seven divine attributes) — wife is the nearest thing, truly the greatest blessing of this world — she is the best of things in the world. The greatest blessing is to transmit love.'"

He said: "Love is a spiritual thing — its fruits are also spiritual. The early people derived love from tawḥīd (divine unity). If finally it becomes animal passion, it does not reach tawḥīd."

میری شادی ہوکر کچھ ہی دن ہوئے تھے حضرت کا ایک شعر میرے پیش نظر تھا

Only a few days had passed since my marriage when a couplet of Ḥaḍrat came before my eyes:

سب تماشے ہیں پیارے کے پیارے

All these spectacles are of the beloved, for the beloved.

کیا دولسا کدمصر کی دلہن

What a wondrous thing — like the bride of Egypt.

Tawḥīd had prevailed. One day Ḥaḍrat passed by quickly. He said: "Move along a little." He said: "What is your ailment? What is your target? Now what target are you shooting at? Now what is your ailment — is it an illness you pursue? Keep your gaze fixed on the target, not on the ailment." He said: "Do not be distracted by time — keep your gaze on rights and duties. Always be occupied with good character, morals, and habits — we two will grow together as husband and wife. But as we age we too will pass away, leaving love behind, for love is not animal desire but remains purely as character — yet love itself departs too. The most affected person becomes the most beloved, and the most beloved is the most moved. The beloved is subject to every wish — and this thing comes to be said to the wife."

He said: "Who is making this claim that this is my child and that is my child? Do only women make such claims? There are people who do not feel their wives' love — they do not value their wife's love. The wife is the centre of love — she is the peace of the heart, the tranquillity of the soul."

He said on one occasion: "Medicines of various kinds cannot give one cure — but an appropriate remedy must be found for each. This is the way each illness is diagnosed." Ḥaḍrat used to prescribe for each illness the verse of the Qurʾān suitable for it and instruct them to recite it, since it was of benefit in that state. Qurʾānic verses are selected by wisdom under divine arrangement — from those verses, Allāh's knowledge reaches one who recites them. Qurʾān keeps numerous passages in motion. It is from the Qurʾān that the light of faith becomes clear — Qurʾān is a cure for the ailments of the breast; it ought to be used and faith ought to grow by it.

Drinking Vessels (Qurʾānic Water)

For tark-e-khwārī (giving up alcohol-drinking), Ḥaḍrat would recite the following verses and blow upon water for the person to drink:

إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

"Verily, wine (khamr), gambling, idols, and divining arrows are but filth from the work of Shayṭān, so avoid them so that you may prosper." (Sūrat al-Māʾida, 5:90)

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَا أَكْبَرُ مِن نَّفْعِهِمَا

"They ask you about wine and gambling — say: in both is great sin and some benefit for people, but their sin is greater than their benefit." (Sūrat al-Baqara, 2:219)

There is the account of one occasion: A certain gentleman of good standing and family honour had become accustomed to drinking. His relatives and family tried hard and brought him to Ḥaḍrat. In the morning, hoping to come under the shelter of Ḥaḍrat's protection and thus be freed from the grip of this evil habit and curse, they presented him. Ḥaḍrat looked at them without scolding. He said: "If you wish to be cured, you must yourself promise to stop. If you make this promise to me — he told them — it will be done, for making a promise before me means making a promise before Allāh." The person made the promise and became bound. Ḥaḍrat had specifically brought close friends and relatives in order to witness this vow. The friends came back without excuses and were soon caught up in dhikr (remembrance) and contemplation together.

Ḥaḍrat's supplication and attention gave the power of several new strengths and one returned with new resolve. Such women as, due to their husbands' ill conduct, had been compelled to weeping and lamenting — Ḥaḍrat would say to them: "Faryād Allāh (cry unto God), Ḥabīb Allāh (beloved of God), Maqbūl Allāh (acceptable to God) — Dād Allāh, Faryād Allāh, Maqbūl Allāh." If the wife kept walking away and would not come to Fāṭima's father or ʿAlī's father but instead kept crying, Ḥaḍrat could not but reply with compassion.

On two occasions Ḥaḍrat gave a dars (teaching) about this. He said:

حبس رنگ میں آڑ کچھ نہیں ہے پروا

Behind the veil of colour there is nothing to fear.

اس ناز و ادا سے تم کو پہچاننا ہوں میں

It is by this coquetry and grace that I recognise you.

(These are lines of Ḥaḍrat Ṣiddīqī, raḥimahu'llāh)

He said: "I am poor — I spare neither the shayāṭīn nor strike them down — but I sit in the midst of their gathering and settle it." This statement of guidance was accompanied by an actual incident before Ḥaḍrat. Ḥaḍrat said: "On one occasion during a gathering there was a person upon whom the shayāṭīn were prevailing — I saw them. In the name of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān and your name, Shaykh Ṣadr al-Dīn — from you and from Shaykh Ṣadr al-Dīn's side — tell me: what work is God giving me to do? O God, why do you hide from me? God, shall I find you? What am I to do? I went towards the shayāṭīn — one form appeared, very red, extremely angry. Name — my name is Mīrān. Now I shall not spare you. The world-dwellers all sleep, but I am at my master's side — my master the murshid has cooled the fire for me."

حبس رنگ میں آڑ کچھ نہیں ہے پروا

Behind the veil of colour there is nothing to fear.

اس ناز و ادا سے تم کو پہچاننا ہوں میں

It is by this coquetry and grace that I recognise you.

He said: "I am poor — I do not chase the shayāṭīn or beat them — but I sit in the midst and settle it." He said: "On one occasion there was a gathering where a person upon whom the shayāṭīn were prevailing was present. I saw them. I took the position of attacking this centre of the shayāṭīn. God, what shall you hide from me? I said: 'God, what is it that you are hiding from me? O God, will you remain hidden from me?' I went to the shayāṭīn and saw them — in the name of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān and your name, Shaykh Ṣadr al-Dīn, and your disciples — you are causing harm to Muslims: I called upon the name of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Their faith was becoming weakened and they were about to become disbelievers. Then they promised me that they would not be hostile any more. Their promises were fulfilled and they returned." He added: "They came and set themselves to dhikr and contemplation together."

Remedies for Specific Ailments

Cases of Marriage and Progeny

Women who had no children — he used to advise them to recite the following: Rabbi lā tadharnī fardā wa-Anta khayru'l-wārithīn ("My Lord, do not leave me solitary, and You are the best of inheritors" — Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ 21:89). He would prescribe them to give the child water in which some recitation had been blown. He said: "Give them dāl (the letter D)" — meaning to blow recitation over food. He said at the end: "Give them a taʿwīdha (amulet)." The Allāh-favoured women who married by the grace of Allāh — such was the instance of Muṣbaḥ al-Dīn Qādirī Akzīkūnū whose hope had been for children and who eventually received them through Ḥaḍrat's blessed prayer. Both husband and wife came day by day to Ḥaḍrat's service. Ḥaḍrat told them to use the saliva on their fingers. Both said: "Our tongue cannot say that Allāh has not given us children." Both told Ḥaḍrat with their own tongue that it had come to pass. He replied: "Allāh has given — al-ḥamduli'llāh." And Allāh gave them a child.

Regarding Ḥaḍrat's blessed speech — no word ever went back unreturned, as though his blessed hand held a seal upon every word after it had been said.

Similarly, the daughter of Ḥaḍrat's son-in-law Qāḍī Baṣīr al-Dīn Ṣāḥib Fārūqī and her husband the musician Ghāzī al-Dīn Qayyim Ṣāḥib had no children and had been married for many years. At last they came to Ḥaḍrat. Ḥaḍrat prayed for them with Allāh's blessing — such beneficiaries are innumerable; the list is long.

Ḥaḍrat used to give some people fruits with the directive that they would have children. Ḥaḍrat would sometimes tell them not to discard the rind but to keep it with them — at times he would instruct both husband and wife to eat it together, at times he would instruct only the wife to eat.

Regarding Ḥaḍrat's daughter-in-law Khwāja Bēgam Ṣāḥiba, wife of Maḥmūd ʿAbd al-Ghabūr Ṣiddīqī — all their daughters and sons had no children and there was a great longing for offspring. One of his son-in-law ʿAlī Ḥaydari Ṣāḥib's wife, Ṭāhira Bēgam Ṣāḥibzādī, had great desire for children. ʿAlī Ḥaydari Ṣāḥib also had great desire for children. Ḥaḍrat's honourable wife, on the other hand, would repeatedly remind Ḥaḍrat about them. One time Ḥaḍrat's pious wife indicated — from the wife's heart, it seemed, came a feeling — and Ḥaḍrat said: "I do not know, but this pomegranate will make that girl eat and Allāh will give them a child." Khwāja Bēgam took the pomegranate to her daughter-in-law's house and handed it to Fāṭima Bēgam Ṣāḥibzādī. And Ḥaḍrat sent further instructions: "The pomegranate will be: 'Eat it and Allāh will give you a child.' — 'Eat it, Allāh will give you a child.' — 'Eat it, Allāh will give you a child.'"

The reading: "By this the pomegranate will give you a child." And one such pomegranate will give him a child and the next will give him another child, the third will give — and he said: "And one child for Mūsayyī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Ṣāḥib and one child for Ṭāhira Bēgam Ṣāḥibzādī and one child for the wife of Sayyid Allāh Qādirī Ṣāḥib, and a child — and 'Eat it, Allāh will give you a child.'"

Khwāja Bēgam's child became a full one-year-old boy. He had gone far from his father's care and could not look after him properly. Ḥaḍrat asked them: "Have we given you a child? How did you?" They replied: "We have given you both a joint answer." Ḥaḍrat said: "I take care of myself, what shall I give you? It is in my prayer that you both become blessed with children — do not give the child to me." Both said by their own tongue what had come to pass. He replied: "Allāh has given — al-ḥamduli'llāh." And Allāh gave the child. And then he said: "Allāh will give you a child — go and Allāh will grant you one."

If women who had no children were extravagant in their complaints and excessive in their words, Ḥaḍrat used to direct them toward their husband's rights by saying: "Eat together, drink together, do not quarrel — leave unnecessary matters and leave superfluous talk." He would refer them to their husband. At times he would address the girl directly, saying: "Do not let it come to be. Do not quarrel; if any girl is to be consulted for matters of marriage, ask from those who understand." He used to give general guidance in marriage matters: "Not eating together, drinking together; keep up a mutual goodness — have a few children — have a house in the world, pair up joyfully — are you so alone? Things come in pairs — keep the world in pairs." At times God would make them move quickly. He would say: "Do not worry — keep this up twice, thrice" — meaning Ḥaḍrat's prescribed recitation and taʿwīdha (amulet) — "and if you have been married one year and two hundred and eighty-five days without children and you need a taʿwīdha, it is your fault to throw it away at the games."

On Taʿwīdha (Amulets)

He said on one occasion about the taʿwīdha: "The taʿwīdha has an effect externally and internally — the internal effect works on the hearts and the external works on the mind. This is experience — for those who have tried this, the certainty is theirs. As for others, there is no certainty for them — this is my philosophy. I will not confirm taʿwīdha to others from a single nawāfil prayer." He then said: "Those women to whom Ḥaḍrat had prescribed recitation or was pious or without blemish — some of them would recite the verse Rabb lā tadharnī fardā wa-Anta khayru'l-wārithīn (My Lord, do not leave me solitary, and You are the best of inheritors). Some would prescribe calling upon the child's soul: 'Arjiʿū, Arjiʿū, Arjiʿū' (arjaʿ, arjaʿ — return, return) and the child would come back and forth, and it seemed that the child had come immediately after the investigation."

Qurʾānic Prescriptions for Various Conditions

For Anxiety, Worry, and Distress of Heart

For khuftān (anxiety), ikhlāj (palpitation), and hawl-e-dil (heart-constriction) — whenever any complaint was made, Ḥaḍrat would prescribe accordingly:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

"Those who believe, and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allāh — verily, in the remembrance of Allāh do hearts find rest." (Sūrat al-Raʿd, 13:28)

If this verse is recited and the heart is struck with it, satanic thoughts and whispers are repelled. Peace and tranquillity are obtained.

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِيَزْدَادُوا إِيمَانًا مَّعَ إِيمَانِهِمْ وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا

"He it is who sent down tranquillity (sakīna) into the hearts of the believers, that they might add faith to their faith — and unto Allāh belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth; and Allāh is All-Knowing, All-Wise." (Sūrat al-Fatḥ, 48:4)

He would prescribe: "Recite this verse and recite durūd (blessings) of various types." He would further instruct: "And recite wa-mā arsalnāka illā raḥmatan li'l-ʿālamīn (We have not sent you but as a mercy for the worlds — Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ 21:107) and reciting durūd sharīf (the prayer of blessing upon the Prophet ﷺ) causes whatever anxiety there is to be lifted and a certain calm descends."

For the Ill (General)

For the ill with ailments of the chest (dhāt al-janb), Ḥaḍrat prescribed the following verses to be recited:

أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ ۝ وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ ۝ الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ

"Have We not opened your breast for you? And removed from you your burden that had weighed heavily on your back?" (Sūrat al-Sharḥ, 94:1–3)

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ

"O people! There has come to you an admonition from your Lord and a healing for what is in the breasts." (Sūrat Yūnus, 10:57)

رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي ۝ وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي ۝ وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِي ۝ يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي

"My Lord! Open my breast for me, and ease my task for me, and loose a knot from my tongue, that they may understand my words." (Sūrat Ṭā-Hā, 20:25–28) — (He would instruct reciting this verse aloud while blowing out the words)

and wa-yashfi ṣudūr qawmin muʾminīn ("and He will heal the breasts of a believing people" — Sūrat al-Tawba, 9:14).

For Excessive Urination or Involuntary Discharge

For kasrat-e-bawl (excessive urination), piśāb kā qaṭṭār (urinary dripping), istiḥāḍa (irregular bleeding), and safīd pānī kī ziyādatī (excessive white discharge) — he prescribed the following verses to be blown upon water and then drunk:

يَا قَابِضُ كُرَّتِ سِلَّتِيَّن وَنِيَّـز فَتَقَبَّضْنَاهُ قَبْضًا يَسِيرًا ۝ وَقِيلَ يَا أَرْضُ ابْلَعِي مَاءَكِ وَيَا سَمَاءُ أَقْلِعِي

"O Constrictor, O Restrainer — 'And the water was made to subside, and: O earth, swallow your water, and O sky, cease'" (Sūrat Hūd, 11:44 — abridged rendering)

and wa-ghayyḍa'l-māʾu wa-quḍiya'l-amr ("and the water subsided and the matter was concluded" — Sūrat Hūd 11:44).

If urination was troublesome or the flow continuous, he would direct to recite the following verses and blow upon water for the person to drink:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ۝ وَيُثَبِّتَ الْجِبَالَ بَسًّا ۝ فَكَانَتْ هَبَاءً مُّنبَثًّا ۝ وَحَمَلَتِ الْأَرْضَ وَالْجِبَالُ فَدُكَّتَا دَكَّةً وَاحِدَةً ۝ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا ۝ فَفَتَحْنَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاءِ

"In the name of Allāh the Most Gracious the Most Merciful — and the mountains were crumbled to dust; the earth and mountains were lifted and crushed with a single crushing; and We said: 'Strike the rock with your staff,' and twelve springs gushed forth from it; and We opened the gates of heaven." (composite of Sūrat al-Wāqiʿa 56:5–6, Sūrat al-Ḥāqqa 69:14, Sūrat al-Baqara 2:60, and Sūrat al-Qamar 54:11)

بِمَاءٍ مُّنهَمِرٍ ۝ وَفَجَّرْنَا الْأَرْضَ عُيُونًا فَالْتَقَى الْمَاءُ عَلَىٰ أَمْرٍ قَدْ قُدِرَ

"…with water pouring down in torrents, and We caused the earth to gush forth with springs — so the waters met for a matter already decreed." (Sūrat al-Qamar, 54:11–12)

He would recite these to the person and blow upon them, adding: "Eat some bread and have the patient eat this too."

For Fever

For bukhār (fever): to be recited over the patient and blown upon them, and to be rubbed on the patient's body:

يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۝ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ

"O fire! Be cool and a means of safety for Ibrāhīm!" (Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ, 21:69) — "Repel evil with what is better." (Sūrat al-Muʾminūn, 23:96)

In addition to these verses, he would prescribe the following for the patient in various ways.

He would say: "Blow on the fever for four consecutive days from all four sides so that the patient faces towards you — and 100 times recite Yā Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, Yā Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, Yā Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, Yā Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī — and blow upon the patient. It is God's lion (sher-e-Khudā) and will remain going. For the protection of pregnancy (haml) he prescribed the following:

يَا حَفِيظُ ۝ يَا قَوِيُّ يَا مَتِينُ ۝ خُذُوا مَا آتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ ۝ وَحَفِظْنَا مِن كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ مَّارِدٍ ۝ فَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًا وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ ۝ وَلَا يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

"O Preserver, O Strong, O Firm — 'Hold fast what We have given you with strength' — 'and We guarded against every rebellious shayṭān' — 'Allāh is the best Guardian and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful' — 'their preservation tires Him not and He is the Most High, the Most Great.'" (Composite of Sūrat al-Baqara 2:255, Sūrat al-Aʿrāf 7:171, Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt 37:7, Sūrat Yūsuf 12:64, and Āyat al-Kursī)

For ease of childbirth (zindagī āsān honay ke liʾe) — he would instruct the expectant mother and the one accompanying her to recite:

وَالْقِتَ مَا فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّتْ ۝ فَصَّلْ يَا الصَّنِّهَىٰ كُلَّ صَعْبٍ بِحُرْمَةِ سَيِّدِ الْأَبْرَارِ صَهَّل صَهَّل

"And throws out what is in it and becomes empty" (Sūrat al-Inshiqāq, 84:4) — "O Allāh, ease every difficulty by the honour of the Master of the Righteous — ease, ease."

For ease of livelihood (rizq kī kushādagī): — he prescribed the following for every case of hardship:

يَا رَازِقُ يَا بَاسِطُ ۝ يَا رَزَّاقُ يَا وَهَّابُ يَا مُغْنِي ۝ يَا رَزَّاقُ يَا وَهَّابُ يَا جَوَادُ يَا كَرِيمُ ۝ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ

"O Provider, O Expander — O All-Providing, O All-Bestowing, O All-Enriching — O All-Providing, O All-Bestowing, O All-Generous, O All-Bountiful — verily Allāh is the All-Provider, the Lord of Power, the Most Strong." (Divine Names followed by Sūrat al-Dhāriyāt, 51:58)

He would recite Sūrat al-Inshirāḥ and Sūrat al-Quwwat al-Mutayn together, with Sūrat al-ʿAṣr between them — seven times together — and then Sūrat Quraysh and recite: wa-aṭʿamahum min jūʿ wa-āmanahum min khawf ("He fed them against hunger and gave them security against fear" — Sūrat Quraysh, 106:4) — to be repeated.

For the repayment of debt (adāʾī qarz), he would prescribe:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ۝ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ۝ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ۝ يَا مُحَمَّدُ مَدَدٌ

"In the name of Allāh the Most Gracious the Most Merciful — Say: He is Allāh, the One — Allāh the Eternal Refuge — O Muḥammad, assistance!" (Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ, 112:1–2, followed by the formula of seeking the Prophet's ﷺ aid)

To be recited 200 times.

وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَىٰ

"And soon your Lord will give you so that you will be pleased." (Sūrat al-Ḍuḥā, 93:5)

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ۝ قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَاءُ ۝ تُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَتَرْزُقُ مَن تَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ۝ يَا رَحْمَٰنُ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَرَحِيمَهُمَا تُعْطِي مِنْهُمَا مَا تَشَاءُ وَتَمْنَعُ مِنْهُمَا مَا تَشَاءُ ارْحَمْنِي رَحْمَةً تُغْنِينِي عَنِ رَحْمَةِ مَن سِوَاكَ

"In the name of Allāh the Most Gracious the Most Merciful — Say: O Allāh, Master of the Kingdom, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You withdraw sovereignty from whom You will; You exalt whom You will and You abase whom You will… You give sustenance to whom You will without reckoning — O Most Merciful of the world and the Hereafter, grant me a mercy that makes me independent of the mercy of any other than You." (Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, 3:26–27, followed by a supplication — this is a ḥadīth supplication according to the text)

For every kind of quick-resolving illness (har qism kī jaldī amrāḍ ke liʾe): he would have the verse recited and blow upon them, rub over them, and have them rub themselves:

كُلَّمَا نَضِجَتْ جُلُودُهُم بَدَّلْنَاهُمْ جُلُودًا غَيْرَهَا

"Every time their skins are burnt up, We shall replace them with other skins." (Sūrat al-Nisāʾ, 4:56)

For the burning of wounds (dāgh-e-zakhm) and also for some diseases accompanied by fever, the following duʿāʾ would be prescribed:

اللَّهُمَّ أَنتَ الشَّافِي وَأَنتَ الْكَافِي فَاشْفِنِي فَاكْفِنِي وَأَنتَ الْعَافِي فَعَافِنِي

"O Allāh, You are the Healer and You are the Sufficient — so heal me and suffice me; and You are the Bestower of Well-being — so grant me well-being."

For Eyesight

For birāʾī chashm (poor eyesight) — he would prescribe:

فَكَشَفْنَا عَنكَ غِطَاءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ الْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ ۝ اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۝ يَا نُورُ ۝ سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

"We have lifted the veil from you, so your sight today is keen" (Sūrat Qāf, 50:22) — "Allāh is the Light of the heavens and the earth" (Sūrat al-Nūr, 24:35) — "O Light" — "Glory be to Him who carried His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Furthest Mosque, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs — truly He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing." (Sūrat al-Isrāʾ, 17:1)

and: Yā Baṣīr. — (This verse would also be prescribed as part of the chain for the overall chain of eyesight matters.)

For eyesight remedy: recite lā ilāha illā Allāhu Muḥammadun rasūlu'llāh, brighten the gaze, and press the fingertips to the eyes — pressing one hand's fingertips against the lips and then blowing on the eyes; blow over the part of the eye that has reached the eyelashes.

For nafkh (belching) and gas — he prescribed reciting while lying face down on the stomach:

فَسَخَّرْنَا لَهُ الرِّيحَ تَجْرِي بِأَمْرِهِ رُخَاءً حَيْثُ أَصَابَ

"So We subjected the wind to him, running gently by his command to wherever he desired." (Sūrat Ṣād, 38:36)

For ʿāriḍa-e-qalb (cardiac complaints) he would instruct the following verse to be recited:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ۝ يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ

"In the name of Allāh the Most Gracious the Most Merciful — Allāh keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in the life of this world and in the Hereafter." (Sūrat Ibrāhīm, 14:27)

For weak joints and to strengthen them — he would prescribe forty times recitation and then rubbing on the joints to be massaged:

Qāl man Yaḥyā'l-ʿIẓāma wa-hiya ramīm — qul yuḥyīhā'lladhī anshaʾahā awwala marratin wa-huwa bi-kulli khalqin ʿalīm ("He said: who will give life to bones after they have rotted away? Say: He will give them life who created them the first time — and He has knowledge of every creation" — Sūrat Yā-Sīn, 36:78–79) — to be recited forty times and then the limbs massaged.

For the eye of the qalb (spiritual heart) he would prescribe:

وَإِن يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ

"And indeed, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the reminder, and they say: he is surely possessed." (Sūrat al-Qalam, 68:51)

In addition to this: bismi'llāhi'lladhī lā yaḍurru maʿa ismihi shayʾ fi'l-arḍi wa-lā fi'l-samāʾi wa-huwa'l-samīʿu'l-ʿalīm ("In the name of Allāh with whose name nothing in the earth nor in the heaven can harm, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing") — and the two muʿawwidhatān (Sūrat al-Falaq and Sūrat al-Nās) to be recited.

For bī-khwābī (sleeplessness) — he would prescribe the following verses to be recited before sleeping:

وَجَعَلْنَا نَوْمَكُمْ سُبَاتًا ۝ وَضَرَبْنَا عَلَىٰ آذَانِهِمْ فِي الْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا

"And We made your sleep a means of rest" (Sūrat al-Nabāʾ, 78:9) — "And We sealed their ears in the Cave for a number of years." (Sūrat al-Kahf, 18:11)

For protection of oneself and one's property (har qism kī ḥifāẓat arẓī wa-samāwī ke liʾe), Ḥaḍrat used to generally prescribe the following verses to be recited and blown:

رَبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَن يَحْضُرُونِ ۝ أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّاتِ كُلِّهَا مِن شَرِّمَا خَلَقَ ۝ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ۝ فَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًا وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ ۝ وَلَا يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

"My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the promptings of the shayāṭīn, and I seek refuge with You, my Lord, lest they come near me" (Sūrat al-Muʾminūn, 23:97–98) — "I take refuge in the perfect words of Allāh from all evil He has created" — "In the name of Allāh with whose name nothing in the earth nor in the heaven can harm, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing" — "Allāh is the best Guardian and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful" (Sūrat Yūsuf, 12:64) — "their preservation tires Him not and He is the Most High, the Most Great." (Āyat al-Kursī, Sūrat al-Baqara, 2:255)

These verses would be recited repeatedly. The Āyat al-Kursī should be recited and this verse repeated:

وَلَا يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

"Their preservation tires Him not and He is the Most High, the Most Great." (Sūrat al-Baqara, 2:255)

Recite the Āyat al-Kursī — this verse would keep the prescribed amulet in force.

ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ السَّيِّئَةَ

"Repel evil with what is better." (Sūrat al-Muʾminūn, 23:96; cf. Sūrat Fuṣṣilat, 41:34)

— (Recite wa'l-qat mā fīhā wa-takhallat — blow upon the stomach — to be eaten.) For changes in circumstances towards the good:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ۝ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ ۝ إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَأْتِ بِخَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ

"In the name of Allāh the Most Gracious the Most Merciful — I take refuge with Allāh the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing from the accursed Shayṭān — If He wills, He will take you away and bring a new creation." (Sūrat Ibrāhīm, 14:19 / Sūrat Fāṭir, 35:16) — (This is highly beneficial for repelling evil thoughts and overcoming enemies.)

For one afflicted by an overpowering enemy: he would generally prescribe reciting one's own name in the count of one's prayer times (asmāʾ) — from the obligatory prayers and the nāfila (supererogatory) prayers between ẓuhr and ʿAṣr. Ḥaḍrat used to prescribe the count of ẓuhur prayer's sunna and the witr's count between them.

He said on one occasion: "People say: 'God, I think.' I also say 'God' — I too am truthful in saying it. He is our Helper — the things that are coming approach us because they are ours. Now the thing coming is your rescue — it is coming. The things you do not know — you were not aware of what was coming. The things coming now you have seen — and what you do not know yet has not yet come to you. Now the coming thing is your relief — if it does not come as relief you will not be able to endure it. Be patient — because when the coming is patient towards you, be grateful to Allāh. Acknowledge Allāh's grace in this — His grace has come."

He said: "When there is a difficulty, recite: Allāhumma ḥāliyta l-ʿuqda waraḍ ʿannī waraḍiy ʿannī."

He said on one occasion: "Blow on Sūrat al-Fātiḥa with the habit of making it a regular practice — for each illness, for it is beneficial to recite and blow. Sūrat al-Fātiḥa with Bismi'llāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm and eleven times Āmīn — this has a powerfully beneficial effect. Iyyāka naʿbudu wa-iyyāka nastaʿīn (Sūrat al-Fātiḥa, 1:5) — reciting Sūrat al-Fātiḥa repeatedly is highly effective as a solution to all difficulties in between."

Iyyāka naʿbudu wa-iyyāka nastaʿīn — repeat Sūrat al-Fātiḥa and Sūrat al-Nūr a million times together with full devotion and humility (khushūʿ wa-khuzūʿ). If someone is unable to do this, I have given permission (to recite Sūrat al-Fātiḥa with a single breath by blowing). This is how it is done — I have given permission for this.

"The healing of ʿAbdullāh brought Muḥammad ʿArabī" — (a phrase from the tradition of the Bukhārī) — refers to muḥammad ʿarabī, meaning Muḥammad of Arabia. In reality, Allāh does this healing in the same manner.

Spiritual Ailments: Sudden Illness (Salab Marāḍ)

Ḥaḍrat would feel the ailments of his era and the ailments of the passage of time as if he himself had contracted them — or rather, it was a way of recognising the inner strengths of the servants of Allāh — or it was a feeling of finding the relief of Allāh — or a way of settling himself. At times a sudden illness would afflict Ḥaḍrat — some severe fever would come and make things hot and then go away. Occasional serious illness: someone would come and Ḥaḍrat would treat that person's illness and suddenly Ḥaḍrat himself would have fever. The severe illness of some patients — Ḥaḍrat would treat and at times Ḥaḍrat himself would receive the illness.

Sudden illness (salab marāḍ) requires two points of attention: the first thing is that the person does not fall ill suddenly — but rather there is a gradual progression of illness; though the body in itself might suddenly become weak, the illness has come through gradual stages. Sudden illness is when the cure for illness is brought about slowly and regularly, and then the health that was built up gradually is suddenly lost. The concern is about the harm from the sudden loss of the illness that was gradually built up — sudden illness in this sense can be understood from its own cure.

The human being is Allāh's vicegerent on earth — he has been given authority over everything and everything is subject to him. But his power is that of Allāh's: Allāh has set limits on it — he is always to remain within those limits under both Allāh's command and his own non-interference. He himself remains subject to Allāh's command from both the side of action and the side of non-action. And he himself is restrained — no one's will is operative in Allāh's order — Allāh's will and course run continuously. Any action that is beyond ordinary which no person of ordinary will can do — this is a miracle. Ḥaḍrat was Qādirī by affiliation. Qādirī training involves not keeping one's own will engaged — to have one's own will removed from any ordinary work; beyond ordinary work, to keep no person of ordinary will engaged. This is a karāma. An ordinary person cannot do it — but this is a miracle, not a work of the ordinary. The extraordinary person has the extraordinary work's ability at which one arrives as a habit from the passing of days — and Ḥaḍrat's nearness was such that the extraordinary would appear as habit to those around him.

Sudden illness is exerting psychic power over a disbeliever — and a Muslim too can do this. Sudden illness is a work with one's own will and intention — but a Muslim's psychic power also does this. Sudden illness is when a person is fully represented externally and internally — there are three differences between the world and the disbeliever.

Miraculous Events and Extraordinary Occurrences

Ḥaḍrat said about the awliyāʾ (saints): "They — Awliyāʾ Allāh — are those who have fewer miracles (karāmāt) in them and whose knowledge of spiritual realities is greater. It is easier for them to recognise the elect (majdhūbīn) — Rijāl lā tulhīhim tijāratun wa-lā bayʿ ʿan dhikri'llāh ('Men whom neither commerce nor sale diverts from the remembrance of Allāh' — Sūrat al-Nūr, 24:37) — namely, the servants of God who are also engaged in trade and commerce yet whose remembrance of Allāh never stops." He said: "Ḥaḍrat's own belief was that the people whose karāmāt were so habitual that they could not reach the edges of anyone's fingers — those were the ones who did not see it as a marvel."

He said on one occasion: "A Hindu group said to me: 'You — both Hindu and Muslim say so of you.' I replied: 'I am a Muslim — they say what they want about me.'"

He said: "Keeping to moderation is also right. According to the moment, every thing in the world is also its right." He said: "Incidents from Ḥaḍrat's life of many sicknesses — Ḥaḍrat's special disciple and beloved son-in-law Mawlānā Sayyid Muḥammad Ṣiddīqī Ḥusaynī (raḥimahu'llāh) used to say that what most people said was that the mercy of Allāh on Ḥaḍrat was great. The state of the world would pass through him — and the rapture and ecstasy in him — I used to be astonished by Ḥaḍrat's karāmāt. This state is related to such things — extraordinary occurrences, extraordinary habits and events — their effects grow by the fingers and from them he had no experience." (Taken from Banda-e-Ḥaqq, p. 381)

Here I shall also present as examples a few accounts of sudden illness and certain extraordinary occurrences.

The Account of Mawlānā Aḥmad Ḥusayn Ṣiddīqī (raḥimahu'llāh)

Ḥaḍrat's maternal nephew and son-in-law Mawlānā Aḥmad Ḥusayn Ṣiddīqī (raḥimahu'llāh) fell ill with a debilitating condition. He was afflicted with severe weakness — his body had become extremely emaciated, weight had gone far below normal, and his endurance had diminished greatly. His consciousness was affected; his senses had become dull and he was on the verge of unconsciousness — his life was despaired of. Doctor McKenna came and they sat by the bedside of Mawlānā in a carriage. A doctor was brought and when he examined him his life was despaired of as well. He came to Ḥaḍrat and relayed the situation. Ḥaḍrat said: "Bring him to me." When the doctor came back and the situation had been conveyed to Ḥaḍrat, he said: "Go, come back soon. This is difficult to endure — the burning in the illness — I will say what it is." He said: "Pull the cat towards you; move the cat; O cat, move towards me" — and so on. "Now never mind any more talk." The cat was not there — so it moved and came and then stopped. The temperature that day had been gradually falling — the chest's heat was lessening and the fever was gradually coming to an end.

At the time of Ḥaḍrat's stay in Rikāb Ganj (a quarter of Hyderabad), in every month during the time of residence a gathering of dhikr would take place after the Maghrib prayer every Thursday. This gathering would be held in the hall and samāʿ (spiritual audition) would take place at it, though this gathering was later disapproved. In this hall there were many devoted followers — one was an Arab devotee who had been Ḥaḍrat's companion for about forty years, his life's companion. Dhikr would go on; the gatherer was extremely quiet, disciplined, and steady. Every month, samāʿ was held in it. He would participate in it, coming to every gathering. On one occasion, the gathering was well attended — and a voice came as if rising from the depths of every soul, like little whimpering sounds coming close to the surface of the gathering. The gathering fell completely silent — all hearts were moved. Ḥaḍrat suddenly put his wound on his hand and signalled to the people with his finger and they fell silent. Some went far from Ḥaḍrat. He approached the gathering — this one was present at the gathering at that time and was a witness of it — they had no name and no trace of the gathering's presence.

Mawlānā Muḥammad Ḥusayn Qādirī Pādshāh Ṣāḥib (raḥimahu'llāh)

Mawlānā Muḥammad Ḥusayn Qādirī Pādshāh Ṣāḥib — the son of Ḥaḍrat and his murīd (disciple) — was afflicted with a strange illness. "Now the matter is from the world" — the doctors gave up. "God make something for him." Ḥusaynī Pādshāh Ṣāḥib was kind and good — and would himself be there as an elder and good companion to his children. At once his son-in-law called (meaning Ḥaḍrat's son-in-law to Ḥaḍrat): "If only you could come to my service (meaning Ḥaḍrat's own side) — I beg of you. I am in your service." — "Say: present, in your service." This was the time when Ḥaḍrat was there. The gentleman in question fell at Ḥaḍrat's feet and he praised Ḥusaynī Pādshāh Ṣāḥib greatly and took careful account of the delicacy of the occasion. He saw their life's thread cutting short and said: "I see that the life threads are cutting — now the entangling is happening, the disconnection is happening." He said: "Let me give a life for his life — attach and give life for him." Ḥaḍrat said later: "Allāh will also come — do not attach yourself — Allāh will give." It would come to pass and his life would come.

(This account is also from the age of Rikāb Ganj — a point about the time of youth.)

The Samāʿ Gathering and the Wind

On one occasion Ḥaḍrat sat at his home (actually at Rikāb Ganj — a detail from the period of youth) and a Hindu woman was coming to rest her child near him. The child's condition — its lungs were going — was very near death and was dying. Coming by, a group of Muslims asked Ḥusaynī Ṣāḥib: "Give it treatment." Now Ḥusaynī Pādshāh Ṣāḥib came to Ḥaḍrat. Ḥaḍrat at once started calling out and then the door opened as usual. The Hindu woman placed the child there. Then a little later Ḥaḍrat said: "The child is dying in the cold — come inside." From inside, as he listened to the child's affliction, the child's chest was burning from the cold's weakness. Ḥusaynī Pādshāh came to call: "Tell me about the child's state." They replied: "The doctor has already given up." Ḥaḍrat said: "Pull the cat" — meaning to pull the child towards himself. "Pull, pull, move towards me" — meaning to attend to the child. "Now never mind talk." — The second day, looking at it, they had been cured. In reality, all such events are in Allāh's complete power and knowledge — "Complete your story so that I may know it."

Ḥaḍrat used to prescribe Qurʾānic verses for ailments and provide them for every illness — blowing them upon the patient — which he had acquired for the benefit of Mawlānā Manṣūr ʿAlī Ṣāḥib's father as a learning of medicine. As a field of knowledge, Ḥaḍrat did not attend to its learning — sometimes he would prescribe medicines for treatment and at times he would just say "there is no need for medicine." He would give guidance to his students about various subjects: healers of Greek medicine (ḥukamāʾ-e-yūnānī) or herbal medicine (ṭibb-e-kulliyya) — giving them guidance on piety, compassion, grief, ease, cheerfulness, good character, and the secrets of divine ordainment. He would indicate some verses and Divine Names — which are the diseases' cure.

Unani (Greco-Islamic) Medicine

He said: "The current state of European medical knowledge is the advancement of ancient Greek medicine — all the research of Europe is based on ancient Greek medicine. The teachers of Arabs were the Greeks — it was through their channel that the ancient Greek and spiritual knowledge (rūḥānī ʿulūm) came to the Arabs. For centuries the physicians' efforts accumulated — and information came to us from Bukhārā and Herāt through Abū Bakr ibn Zakariyyā Rāzī and Abū'l-Qāsim and others. Their books are innumerable — Zahrāwī also produced many innovations. Ibn Zuhr, the outstanding physician, and the likes of Ibn Jarāḥ also passed through. In the last era of Unani treatments, among various colours of oil from various herbs mixed in water, he was finding benefit from it — but his busyness and death did not give him the opportunity to expand this interest."

In the period of Rikāb Ganj, Ḥaḍrat had one of B.D. Shin's medicinal preparations near him — which had been prepared by the pharmacist — and he used to employ them by himself out of necessity. He would treat children with them and also give them to those who needed them to relieve their suffering.

Unani Prescriptions

During his time in Medina, Ḥaḍrat made note of certain Unani treatments that he would prescribe for those with illnesses and conditions — and if someone benefited from them, he would give the formula and credit it to Allāh.

Ailments of the Head

Cold (nazla): Dissolve half a tola of cinnamon oil in warm water and drink.

Decoction for cold (joshānda-e-nazla): Bisfāʾij (fern/polypody) — 3 māsha; Banafsha (sweet violet flowers) — 2 dāna; Ḥannāb (jujube) — 2 dāna; Sipān (mulberry?) — 2 dāna; Limsūʾ (lemon?) — 1 māsha; Miṣrī (rock sugar) — 3 māsha; Muftī — 3 māsha.

Headache (dard-e-sar): For headache, it is beneficial to drink chamomile tea.

Half-head pain (dard-e-nīm sar): Put two drops of Gol-kān water in the nose — it is appropriate to pour into both nostrils as a remedy for headache.

Jilāb dākhilī (nasal drop medicine): From the chewing of a betel leaf, put a piece in the nostril and keep it there as a cure for cold, cough, and running nose.

2. Bōtān kā patta (castor-oil plant leaf): Take it and squeeze it as a nasal drop. Constriction of the womb (inqitāq al-raḥm) — also useful for those afflicted with āsīb (possession) and those who have suffered a stroke.

Remedy for head: Āmla (Indian gooseberry) dry, Qahniya dry, Sugar — roast their quantity in the night, warm in the morning and give to the patient.

2. Maghz-e-bādām sharīn (sweet almond kernel) — 4 māsha; Munzakidū — 4 māsha; Kuchū — 2 tola; Khushkhāsh — 3 māsha; Ḥarīra — take and prepare.

3. Marba-e-Bīlīla ya Āmla (preserved myrobalan or Indian gooseberry) — 2 māsha dry; take ḥarīra from it — this gives sleep too.

Weakness of the brain (ḍaʿf-e-dimāgh):
1. Bādam bōtī — 4 māsha; Kāl mirch (black pepper) — 4 māsha (grind); Miṣrī (rock sugar) or Shahad (honey) — after grinding lick it up and the brain will be strengthened.
2. Strengthening brain mixture (ḥarīra-e-muqawwī-e-dimāgh) — the formula of Ḥaḍrat Mawlānā Ghulām al-Dīn Ṣāḥib (God bless him), available at Galbandā Bāzār, Hyderabad: Maghz-e-bādām — 11 dāna; Maghz-e-pista — 11 dāna; Dānā-e-maḥal — 11 dāna; Maghzakidū — 3 māsha; Maghz-e-tarbūz (watermelon seeds) — 3 māsha; Nishāsta — 3 māsha; Rōghan-e-zard (clarified butter) — 3 māsha; Bhona-e-gandum — 2 māsha; Ḥarīra — take and prepare. Grind and eat before consulting a physician.
3. Kilūnjī (nigella) — 3 māsha; Badī bōtī (herb) — grind; pour its seeds in along the pepper's line as a remedy.

Ailments of the Chest and Lungs

Cough (khaṃsī):
1. Karnaj first pill — take it after grinding it. After each pill swallow it and it will be beneficial for the cough.
2. Kāckrā sanggī (?) ya Limsūʾ (lemon) — crush it and give it to cure the patient's cough.
3. Limsūʾ (lemon) — Nishāsta — Sugar — Bhōl — grind all of them, form a ball, and eating them with warm food is beneficial — dark cough (kālī khāṃsī) — beneficial.

Dark Cough (kālī khāṃsī): Heat a palm-sized piece of gum arabic in a small fire and put it there — inshāʾ Allāh, it will be beneficial as your third food.

Chest pains and other pains:
1. Apply glycerin and sandal together and rub.
2. Apply three māsha of Rōghan-e-kunjhid in a tola as a bandage on the pain.

Asthma (damma):
1. Apply onion juice boiled in Arab oil on the chest.
2. Karnaj first pill — grind and take it after swallowing; these pills are also beneficial for cough.

Ailments of the Heart

Heart palpitations (ikhlāj-e-qalb): Dhanna (coriander), Sauf (fennel), Lāʾichī (cardamom) — take equal weight and eat morning and evening four times.

Ailments of the Liver (Amrāḍ-e-Jigar)

Jaundice (yaqān): Take Phichkarī and Talīsa-sāg equal in weight and eat and take a pea. Food — take one māsha of honey and give two tablespoons of whey and eat.

For Itch

Grind the bark of Gurgasb (?) — apply its juice on the skin for three days continuously — up to seven days. To eat the leaves as a poultice — Ya-ṣafīda-e-jowār rōṭī — or if it is not possible to eat the poultice leave it to rot and if something comes to be split into two dals, add a little sāat and squeeze a little garlic and pepper and a little salt and use it with dry bread or a dried poultice.

Ailments of the Stomach

Stomach ailments (amrāḍ-e-maʿda): Sōnth (dry ginger), Sauf (fennel), Zīra (cumin) — whatever anyone eats will be beneficial.

Stomach pain: Maghz-gabga — 1 māsha; Lōng (cloves) — 2 in number — crush and form pills and use.

For Flatulence and Stomach Ailments

Flatulence (rīḥ):
1. Zīra (cumin) — when thoroughly blackened, dissolve this in water and pour into a bowl — when drinking it will come and cool off. Flatulence: to cure the patient, put one egg, two cloves, and two peppers in a bowl and grind and form pills from it together — eat with one food and the two foods will come together and the hand will be sealed at once — this will be beneficial as two foods.
2. Nīm-kā-gonbal (?) — 1 māsha; Siyāh mirch (black pepper) — 1 tola; Kāfūrī limon (camphor lime?) — take and form pills and eat them — three foods will be beneficial.
3. Nārajīl daryāʾī (coconut) — Zahr-e-muhra (bezoar stone) — take it mixed and lick it in the fire of a handful of it.

4. Sendā namak (rock salt) — 2 tola; namak noshādar qilmī (ammonium chloride crystals) — 1 tola; namak siyāh (black salt) — 1 tola; kāfūrī lemons (lemon-camphor?) — 5 in number — dissolve in water and keep sealed. Food — one ṭī .
5. Bajī kahār — plas-pāṭā equal in weight — form pills with Lōng and eat steadily — this will be beneficial.
6. Qilmī shorā, Miṣrī — mix and form a powder — this is beneficial for flatulence.
7. Pōdīna (mint) — 6 māsha; Lāʾichī — 3 māsha — give a boiling draught of water.
8. Ajwān (carom seeds) — 1 tola; Sauf (fennel) — 1 tola; namak siyāh — 1 dēṛh tola — form a powder and it will be beneficial for flatulence.

For Itching

Mawlānā Muḥammad Ḥusayn Ṣāḥib said: "Ilyas Barnī Ṣāḥib's murshid (guide) treated him for a painful itch (khāriś) — he said: 'I blew by myself as rice-lentil soup (dāl-chāwal) came to be.' So it became calm."

For Severe Constipation

Severe constipation (qabẓ-e-shadīd): Eat two pieces of dry date (anjīr khushk).