Sadia Dehlvi
A Sufi’s way to God
Khwaja Baqi Billah is a 16th-century Sufi from Delhi who gained remarkable popularity in a short duration.
The test of truthfulness
Truthfulness is not just confined to having an honest tongue. In Islam, sidq, truthfulness, is understood as the conformity of the outer with the inner, the action with the intention, the speech with the belief, and the practice with the preaching. The Quran defines prophets with the quality of truthfulness and calls upon people to keep the company of the sadiqeen, those who are truthful. Prophet Mohammad said, “I order you to be truthful, for indeed truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise.”
Is God your priority?
Id ul-Zuha, the festival of sacrifice, is the culmination of the Haj pilgrimage. It is celebrated on the 10th of Dhul Hijja, the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar.
The woman of both worlds
In the year 816 AD, the people of Egypt were in great distress. They feared a famine would come about, for the Nile did not flood as it did each year. Helpless, the people went to seek Sayyida Nafisa’s intercession with God for mercy. The pious woman gave them her veil and asked the people to cast it in the flowing waters of the Nile. The Egyptians acted on her advice and soon the waters rose to the desired heights.
Habib and his greed
Habib Ajmi of the eighth century was once an extremely wealthy moneylender from Persia. He lent money on interest to the people of Basra. Habib collected his dues daily, known never to return without having squeezed payments. When poorest of his debtors were unable to pay on time, he levied heavy penalty charges.
One day Habib visited a woman’s house to recover the money owed to him. She told him that her husband was away and that she had no money.
A Sufi and his shagird
On the 18th of Shawaal (September 19) falls the 707th Urs, death anniversary of Hazrat Amir Khusrau, one of my favourites in Indian medieval history. Unable to bear the grief following the death of his mentor Hazrat Nizamuddin, Khusrau died exactly six months later, in 1325 AD.
The celebrations at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah will commence a few days prior to the event, where haunting compositions of Khusrau will be sung in the evenings enthralling devotees as they have done for centuries.
Born in 1253 AD at Patiali, Amir Khusrau’s father died when he was just eight years old.
A day to rejoice
Id is a day to rejoice, particularly for those who have been able to fulfil Allah’s command to fast for an entire month.
Quran speaks to the pure
Ramzan is the month when God sent down the Quran, a month of blessings and intensive worship for Muslims.
