Shaykh Sayyid Nur Muhammad al-Badawani

Shaykh Sayyid Nur Muhammad al-Badawani (may God sanctify his innermost being) is the twenty eighth Shaykh in the Naqshbandi Golden Chain.

He was born in 1664 AD in India. He was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

He began his early life in a state of self-effacement. He remained in that state for fifteen years, during which time he was never out of that state except during his prayers. When he prayed he would return to self-awareness and perform the daily prayers. He would then return to his former state. He was careful to eat only from the earnings made by his own hands. He only ate bread baked himself, which he ate in small amounts. He spent much of his time in meditation and contemplation. When the bread was finished, he would prepare more and then return to contemplation and meditation. He was in the service of Shaykh Muhammad Sayfuddin for many years. He also served Shaykh Muhammad Muhsin, son of the great narrator of Tradition of his time, and Shaykh Abdul Haqq, one of the caliphs of Shaykh Muhammad Masum, until by means of his service, he reached a high state of perfection.

He used to say, “For the past thirty years, the thought, ‘How am I going to make a living?’ never came to my heart. The subject of provision never came to my heart but I ate when I felt the need”. He never ate food from a proud person, as he said, “The food of the proud contains darkness.”

If he borrowed a book, he would read it in three days, because he said, “The reflection of the darkness and ignorance of the owner of the book will be reflected onto me.”

His Caliph, Shaykh Habib Allah, used to cry when he remembered him and he would say to his followers, “You did not see that holy person – but if you did, he would have renewed your faith in God’s power, just to see that God had created such a person.”

Shaykh Habib Allah said, “Shaykh Nur Muhammad’s visions were extremely detailed and precise. He used to see with his heart better than anyone can see with their eyes. He told me one time when I entered his presence, ‘O my son, I see traces of adultery in you. What have you done today?’ I said, ‘O my Shaykh, when I was coming to you my eyes saw a woman in the street.’ He said, ‘Next time take care to protect your eyes.”

Shaykh Habib Allah also said, “One time as I was on my way to visit the Shaykh, I saw an alcoholic in the street. When I arrived to meet the Shaykh, he said, “I am seeing traces of alcohol on you.” I realized from this, that everything in this life is a reflection from one person to another and the character of one person is reflected onto another. That is why we have to keep ourselves very clean at all times and keep company with the people of God.”

Shaykh Nur Muhammad was so pious that he spent much of his time reading and studying the ethics and character of the Prophet and also the character and good conduct of the Saints. He adhered strictly to the form and intent of the Prophet in all his actions, as illustrated by the following incident – one day he entered the bathroom with his right foot, which is contrary to the practice of the Prophet. It resulted in him being constipated for three days, because he had strayed from the propriety of the ‘Sunnah’ in that single step. He asked God’s forgiveness and God relieved him of his distress.

Shaykh Habib Allah said, “One day a lady came to Shaykh Nur Muhammad and said, ‘O my Shaykh, a spiritual being (‘jinn’) kidnapped my daughter. I have tried by every means to get her back but to no avail. He meditated on the matter for about an hour and then said, ‘Your daughter will come tomorrow, around the time of the afternoon prayer, so go and rest.’ The lady reported later, ‘I was so eager for that time to come and for my daughter to appear, that I could hardly rest. At exactly the time the Shaykh had said, I heard a knock on the door. My daughter walked in, and I asked her what had happened? She said, ‘I had been kidnapped and taken to the desert by a ‘jinn’. While I was there, a Shaykh came, took me by the hand and brought me here.”

Shaykh Nur Muhammad al-Badawani died in 1723 and is buried in Delhi in India. He passed the secret of the Order on to his successor, Shaykh Shamsuddin Habib Allah.

May Allah be well pleased with him.

 

Source:- ‘The Naqshbandi Way – History and Guidebook of the Saints of the Golden Chain’ by Mawlana Shaykh Hisham.