Shaykh Abu Ahmad as-Sughuri

Shaykh Abu Ahmad as-Sughuri (may God sanctify his innermost being), the thirty sixth Shaykh in the Naqshbandi Golden Chain, said the following:-

“I have been in Hijaz for Hajj thirty seven times. Seven times I was there with my physical being, in material existence, and thirty times I was present at Arafat with my spiritual being. Sometimes people met me in Makkatu-l-Mukarramah or on Arafat and said, ‘O Shaykh, welcome. How are you here? When we were leaving to go on Hajj, you we making dua for us and farewelled us in Daghestan.’ The Shaykh replied, ‘O my sons, after you left, another caravan came and asked me to come on Hajj, so I did.”

Shaykh Nazim commented on this, “when they tried to take and kiss his hand, the Shaykh did not give it because if he did, they would have felt nothing. They may have become frightened when they saw his hand was only an appearance without material. Therefore, ‘They ask you (Muhammad) about the soul. Say ‘The soul is by my Lord’s order.’ (Quran 17:85)”