purification which was necessary for receiving divine inspiration. Shaykh
Ahmad, moreover, did not spare those Sufis who indulged in senseless
wrangling.The Shaykh and other Naqshbandi saints, as well as disapproving
of music and dance to induce ecstasy, also did not like the loud utterance of
God’s name, for when God was as close to us as our jugular vein as the
Qur’an said, what was the point of loud recitation? Shaykh Ahmad writes
in one of his letters: “with the Naqshbandi Sufis, guidance and discipline
depend upon one’s submission to and acknowledgement of the prophetic
institution. It has nothing to do with external trappings such as the cap or
the genealogy of the Shaykh.”
10
Here is yet another excerpt from Shaykh Ahmad’s letters, published
under the title
Maktubat-e-Mujaddid
:
“The mysticism of the Sufis and their relations and inspirations are to
be accepted only if they conform to the
shariah
; otherwise they are to be
rejected... An abundance of miracles is not a sign of spiritual superiority...
The real miracle of the saintly men is the purification of the souls of their
disciples.The soul being immaterial, they have to turn their attention away
from materialism. The distinction between a true and a false devotee is
that the former adheres strictly to the
shariah
, while the latter adheres to
his own whims and fancies… Submission to the Prophet’s tradition is the
real bliss.”
The Successors of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi
Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi’s family adopted his religious mission with total
zeal and fervour. He was blessed with four sons: Muhammad Sadiq,
Muhammad Said, Muhammad Masum and MuhammadYahya. Not only his
sons but also a number of his grandsons involved themselves in this task of
religious revival.
10
Maktubat-e-Mujaddid, book I, letter 221
