this concept, Shaykh Ahmad concludes: “May God save us from their
blasphemous ideas.”
Shaykh Ahmad’s description of his personal spiritual experience was
unparalleled in its great clarity and precision. Khaliq Ahmad Nizami writes:
‘ShaykhAhmad’s clarity of thought invested the world of spiritual experience
with a touch of realism which was unique.’ Drawing on this experience,
ShaykhAhmad put forward his ideas so forcefully that the doctrine of
wahdat
ash shuhud
was accepted not only by his disciples but also by others who
were not associated with the order.
ShaykhAhmad laid the utmost emphasis on the observance of the
shariah
,
for, in some other orders, the
shariah
came to be relegated to a secondary
position. He also boldly criticized all the innovations (
bidat
), which were
not compatible with the teachings of the Qur’an and the
hadith
as has been
mentioned earlier. For example, he did not hesitate to oppose Akbar’s
attempt to evolve a new religion combining the teachings of different
religions. In any case, Akbar’s endeavours failed even in his own times for,
except for a tiny minority, no one was willing to convert to this man-made
religion; Akbar’s subjects did not even fear his displeasure on account of
their recalcitrance.
Shaykh Ahmad succeeded in putting an end to the influence of
din-i
ilahi
by approaching the Mughal nobles in Akbar’s court. He wrote letters
to them encouraging them to take an active stand in this matter. Ultimately,
Nawab Murtaza Khan and Shaykh Farid succeeded in persuading Jahangir to
defend the law of Islam. Aurangzeb, for his part, had great respect for the
Naqshbandi saints. In fact, he had received his spiritual instruction from the
sons of Shaykh Ahmad.
Shaykh Ahmad believed that a truly faithful Sufi would never transgress
the law or the
shariah
. He criticized the
ulama
for doing nothing but issuing
fatwas
(religious decrees), and for taking no pains to effect the internal
Th e Na q s h ba n d i Or d e r 176
