Qalander Ba Ba Auliya
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Abdal-e-Haq, Husn-e-Ukhra Syed Muhammad Azeem Barkhiya commonly renowned as Qalander Ba Ba Auliya (1898, Uttar Pradesh, India to January 27, 1979, Karachi), was a sufi, spiritual and religious leader and scholar in the field of Islam and Spiritualism from Pakistan. He was the founder of the Silsila-e-Azeemia (which is currently headed by Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi) and patron of monthly.Roohani Digest
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[edit] Birth and lineage
Syed Muhammad Azeem a.k.a. Qalandar Baba Awliya was born in 1898 in the town of Khorja, District Bulandshahr, Uttar Pardesh, India. Muhammad Azeem was the name given to him by his parents. He had a taste for poetry and wrote using the pen name of Burkhiya. He was the direct descendent of Muhammad through Imam Hassan al-Askari, the eleventh. Qalandar Baba's maternal grandfather was a cousin of the great Indian Sufi Saint Baba Tajuddin of Nagpur. His mother was adopted by Baba Tajuddin and hence Qalandar Baba always referred him as his maternal grandfather.
[edit] Early education
He gained his primary education from the local school of the town, matriculated from the city of Buland Shehr and was admitted to the Aligarh Muslim University for intermediate. Allah the Almighty makes proper arrangements for the training of the selected. Qalandar Baba Auliya was no exception. During his stay in Aligarh an inclination towards sainthood developed in him and he start spending most of his time in the shrine of Maulana Kabli situated in the cemetery. He used to go there early in the morning and would come back late in the evening.
[edit] Spiritual training
After completing the 12th grade education at Aligarh, Baba Tajuddin summoned him to Nagpur. The second part of his training (lasting nine years) was spent under the vigilant guidance of his maternal grandfather Baba Tajuddin Nagpuri who was a saint. In Nagpur, Baba Tajuddin told him to abandon his formal education to stay with him. Initially his father raised his objection but when Baba Tajuddin informed him that it was his decision, he agreed. Qalandar Baba Auliya lived with Baba Tajuddin in Nagpur for 9 years and received the divine knowledge. During his stay in Nagpur, his mother died, leaving four daughters and two sons. Qalandar Baba Auliya was the eldest son and most of his siblings were very young at the time. It was becoming difficult for him to serve as the surrogate parent for his siblings. Realizing that Baba Tajuddin arranged his marriage with one of his disciples' daughter in Delhi. Qalandar Baba moved his family to Delhi and worked there as a journalist until the partition of India in 1947.
After the partition, he migrated to Pakistan along with his family, and stayed in Karachi's Lyari subdivision. At the time, Karachi was not a fully developed city and finding a job was hard. He believed in hard work and was not ashamed of odd jobs to support his family. Later on, He chose journalism as a career and was appointed the sub-editor of the Daily Urdu Dawn.
In 1956 when Qutab-e-Arshad hazrat Abu'al Qalandar Ali Suharwardi (Hazrat Jee) visited Karachi, Qalandar Baba Auliya requested him to accept him as one of his disciples. Hazrat Jee told him to come to his hotel room at 3:00 am. It was freezing cold when he reached the hotel at 2:00am and occupied the doorsteps. Exactly at 3:00am Hazrat Jee opened the door and admitted him in. he asked him to sit before him and blew at his forehead three times. The first blow caused him to witness the Realm of the Souls. The second blow revealed the Realm of Angels and Divinity, and the third enabled him to behold the High Throne (Arsh-e-Mualla).
In 1956, a famous dervish of Suhurwardiya Sufi Order, Hazrat Abul-Fayz Qalandar Ali Suhurwardi, came to Karachi. Qalandar Baba Auliya met and asked to be initiated in his Order. The visiting Shaykh told him at arrive at his hotel room at three in the morning. It was during winter; nevertheless, Qalandar Baba Auliya went at 2 A.M. to the hotel where Hazrat Abul-Fayz was staying and sat at the doorsteps. At 3 A.M sharp, Shaykh Abul-Fayz opened the door of his room and summoned him inside. Qalandar Baba Auliya sat before Hazrat Abul-Fayz, and Hazrat Abul-Fayz blew three times on the forehead of Qalandar Baba Auliya. On first blow, the Alam-e-Arwah (Cosmic World) was revealed to Qalandar Baba Auliya; on the second blow, the Alam-e-Malkut (Angelic realm); on the third one, the Arsh-e-Mu'alla (The Divine Throne).
Hazrat Abul-Fayz Qalandar Ali Suhurwardi completed his teachings of Qutub-e-Irshad to Qalandar Baba Auliya, in three weeks. After that, he spiritually received divine knowledge from many saints including Shaikh Najamuddin Kubra. That phase ended when he received the divine knowledge directly from the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). During that entire phase, he remained sleepless for ten days. When Qalandar Baba Auliya was working as a journalist in the local magazine in Karachi, it was his routine that he would go to the residence of his beloved disciple Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi. There people from all walks of life would come to discuss various topics.
[edit] Death
One week before of his death, he told to his disciples and friends that, "I'm a guest here for a maximum of one week". He appointed Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi as the head of the Sufi Order of Azeemia. He died on January 27, 1979. His tomb is in the Shadman Town subdivision of Karachi.
[edit] Teachings
The essence of the teachings of Qalandar Baba Auliya is that man has not been created solely to pursue a livelihood in order to earn bread, to eat and clothe himself. The first and foremost purpose of his creation is that he should recognise his Own Self and have an intimate relationship with his Creator.
[edit] Books and publications
- Silsila-e-Azeemia inherited the following three books to spread the teachings of Qalandar Baba Auliya:
- Ruba'iyat-e-Qalandar Baba Auliya - a valued collection of enlightening mystic verses.
- Loh-o-Qalam - (The Pen and the Scripturum) - a treasure of divine knowledge of mysteries and secrets.
- Tazkira-e-Tajuddin Baba - an authentic work of metaphysical sciences and scientific interpretations of divine and wondrous work performed by spiritual people.
