The Counsel

Wise advise offered by the Lordly Cardinal Pole, Muhyiddīn ‘Abdu-l Qādir al-Jīlanī, to his son
and inheritor, Tājuddīn Abū Bakr ‘Abdu-r Razzāq al-Jīlī, Allah be pleased with them both.

Our venerable guide and revered master, Tājuddīn Abu Bakr ‘Abdu-r Razzaq al-Baghdādī (may
Allah sanctify his innermost being), asked his esteemed and noble father for advice. The Lordly
Cardinal Pole [al-Qutb al-Rabbāni] and the Greatest Helper [al-Ghawth al-A’zam] responded:

“O my son, may Allah  bestow His Enabling Grace [tawfīq] upon us, and upon you, and all
the Muslims. Āmīn. This you must know and understand: I am advising you to practice true
devotion [taqwā] to Allah, and obedience to Him, and adherence to the Sacred Law [shar’],
and careful observance of the limits [ḥudūd] set by Him.

O my son, may Allah  bestow His Enabling Grace upon us, and upon you, and all the
Muslims. You must also know that this Spiritual Path [Ṭarīqa] of ours is founded upon the
Book [Al-Qur’ān] and the Sunna, the integrity of [the feelings within] the breasts, the
generosity of the hand, the giving of liberal donation, abstinence from crudity, endurance
of injury, and readiness to pardon the mistakes of our spiritual brethren [ikhwān].

I am also advising you, O my son, to make a practice of spiritual poverty [faqr], which means
preserving the ordinances of the Sheikhs, maintaining good relations with spiritual
brethren, giving sincere counsel to juniors and seniors alike, and refraining from
argumentation, except where matters of religion are at stake.

O my son, may Allah  bestow His Enabling Grace upon us, and upon you, and all the
Muslims. You must also know that the true significance of spiritual poverty [faqr] is that
you are not in need of anyone like yourself, while the true significance of spiritual affluence
[ghinā] is that you are independent of anyone like yourself.

As for spiritual culture [taṣawwuf], it is a state that does not belong to anyone who indulges
in idle talk and gossip. When you have an opinion to offer, you should not begin by
expressing it in terms of knowledgeability. You should rather present it initially as an
expression of sympathetic friendliness. This is because knowledgeability tends to alienate
the listener, whereas friendliness makes him feel comfortably at ease.

O my son, may Allah  bestow His Enabling Grace upon us, and upon you, and all the
Muslims. You must also know that spiritual culture [taṣawwuf] is built on eight fundamental
qualities namely:

1. Liberal generosity [sakhā’]

2. Contentment [riḍā’]
3. Patience [ṣabr]
4. Symbolic instruction [ishāra]
5. Living away from home [ghurba]
6. Wearing of wool [ṣūf]
7. Wandering travel [siyāḥa]
8. Spiritual poverty [faqr]

Reproduced by TAQWA.sg 1
The Counsel © 2000. Al-Baz Publishing, Inc.

• Liberal generosity is the special virtue of Allah’s Prophet Abraham [Ibrāhīm] 

• Contentment is the special virtue of Allah’s Prophet Isaac [Isḥāq] 
• Patience is the special virtue of Allah’s Prophet Job [Ayyūb] 
• Symbolic instruction is the special talent of Allah’s Prophet Zachariah [Zakariyyā] 
• Life in exile is the special characteristic of Allah’s Prophet Joseph [Yūsuf] 
• Wearing of wool is the special property of Allah’s Prophet John Baptist [Yaḥyā] 
• Wandering travel is the special feature of Allah’s Prophet Jesus [‘Īsā] 
• Spiritual poverty is the special characteristic of Allah’s Prophet and Messenger, our dear friend,
chieftain and intercessor, the owner of vast respect, Muhammad the chosen [al-Muṣṭafā] (may
Allah bless him and give him peace, and may He ennoble, honour, glorify, and exalt him).

You must also regard it as your duty, O my son, to maintain a dignified detachment in the
company of the rich, and an attitude of humble self-effacement in the company of the poor.
You must practice sincere devotion [ikhlāṣ], which means forgetting about the impression
you may be making on your fellow creatures [khalq], and paying constant attention to the
view of the Creator [khāliq].

You must not entertain suspicious doubts about Allah, where the material means [asbāb] are
concerned. You must rely on Him with confidence in all circumstances and conditions. You
must not entrust your needs to anyone else, on the basis of some connection between you
and him, such as kinship, affection, and friendship.

It is incumbent upon you to provide the spiritual paupers [al-fuqarā’] with three forms of
service. The first of these is modest humility. The second is good moral conduct. The third
is a complete lack of selfishness. You must put your lower self [nafs] to death, so that you
may come to life.

The nearest of all creatures [khalq] to Allah  is the one who is richest in good character
[khuluq], and the most meritorious of all deeds is the preservation of the innermost being
[sirr] from paying attention to anything apart from Allah.

It is also incumbent upon you, when you are together with the spiritual paupers, to engage
in the mutual counselling of patience [ṣabr] and the mutual counselling of truth [ḥaqq]. As
far as this world is concerned, two things should be enough for you: the fellowship of a
spiritual pauper [faqīr] and the respect of a saint [walī].

You must also know, O my son, that the spiritual pauper has absolutely no need of anything
apart from Allah . You must also know, O my son, that aggressive behaviour toward
someone below you is actually a form of weakness, while such behaviour toward someone
superior to you is a form of boastful pride. Spiritual poverty [faqr] and spiritual culture
[taṣawwuf] are two very serious matters, so you must not mix them with any kind of
frivolity.

This is my advice to you, and to anyone else among the seekers [muridīn] who is capable of
heeding it. May Allah  cause them to multiply, and may He enable you and us to succeed
in fulfilling all that we have mentioned and explained.

May He include us among those who follow in the footsteps of the righteous forbearers [al-
Ṣalaf al-Ṣāliḥīn], and who follow in their footsteps in honour of our master, Prophet, and
intercessor, Muhammad. May Allah bless him, his family, and his Companions. May He
grant them abundant peace, till Judgement Day. Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.

Reproduced by TAQWA.sg 2