Stories and Sayings of Shaykh Khalid al-Baghdadi

Shaykh Khalid al-Baghdadi al-Uthmani as-Sulaymani (may God sanctify his innermost being), the thirty first Shaykh in the Naqshbandi Golden Chain, said the following:-

He recommended to his students:-“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent.

Praise be to God. Peace and blessings of God be with our master, Prophet Muhammad, his Family and his Companions.

First of all, I recommend you fear God and feel His presence at all times. Then, I recommend you not to cause any trouble for people (especially when you are in the two Holy Shrines – Masjid al-Haram in Makkah and Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina). Do not backbite anybody, even if they backbite you. Do not take anything of this world for the benefit of your ‘nafs’. If you take anything of this world, make sure that it complies with the Shariah and that it is spent in a good cause. Do not spend it on the desires of your ‘nafs’ while your believing brothers are hungry and needy. Do not belittle, despise or insult anybody, nor consider yourself above anybody. Summon all of your efforts in worship, yet still assume you have no good deeds accumulated. The intention is the core of the worship, and there will be no intention without sincerity (‘ikhlas’). If the one above you (i.e. your guide or your role model) has no sincerity, it will be impossible for you to acquire it. If you do not consider yourself bankrupt for your deeds, you will be utterly ignorant. When you consider yourself bankrupt, do not lose hope about the mercy of God. The mercy of God for a servant is better than the worship of mankind and of the ‘jinn:

“Say, (Prophet), ‘In God’s grace and mercy, let them rejoice: these are better than all they accumulate’. (Quran 10:58)”