in religious sciences, and for thirty-five years he also acted as
mufti,
giving
his legal opinion on a variety of issues.
3
He thus blended a profound
knowledge of Islamic law with a mystical fervour for spiritual life. Though
apparently committed ideologically to the Hambalite School, he maintained
a certain broadness of approach, for according to a report, he acted as the
guardian of Imam Abu Hanifah’s tomb.
During his lifetime, there were certain misgivings about his status as a
Sufi teacher. But this was due to a misunderstanding of his endeavours.
Most certainly, the Shaykh looked after a community centre dedicated to
the practice of mystic spirituality, but since the
silsila
was organized formally
only at a later period, his mystic strivings were not given an organizational
framework during his lifetime. For a deep and insightful presentation of
Sufi idealism, one must consult his
Ghunyat al-Talibin
(‘That Which is
Sufficient for Seekers’), the text most studied by latter day Qadris.
One of his greatest achievements was the extensive revitalization of
Muslim spiritual culture. Some of the founders of other mystic orders—
like Khwajah Muinuddin Chishti and Shaykh Najibuddin Suhrawardi—
derived great benefit from directly associating with him, coming under
the sway of his mystic ideas. Ibn ‘Arabi considered him his mentor and
refers to him often in his writings, going even to the extent of citing him as
an example of the perfect
khalifah
who showed himself to the world and
practiced worldly sovereignty, and whose excellence was independent of
the revelation of the Prophet Muhammad.
4
3
ibid. p. 95
4
Ibn ‘Arabi, Fusus al Hikam, para 16
