Translated, Compiled and Written by:

Muhammad Hassan Ali Teepu

Disciple of Sain Sakhi Qabool Muhammad IV
Dargah Sain Sachal Sarmast (RA) Khairpur SIND

Bismillah_ir-Rahman_ir-Raheem

Revelation Of Sufi Secrets

(Kashaf-al-Mehjoob)
A Treatise on Sufism
The Arabic word Islam reflects the security, peace and well being of its believers in both
the words. There is no god but Allah, Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah,
(___________) is the fundamental statement of Islamic belief. The Holy Profit
Muhammad (pbuh) was the renewer of the monotheistic faith that Prophet Abrahim (as)
had taught. Holy Quran, the revealed scripture and the practices (Sunnah) of the holy
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) are the integral and basic parts of the message of Islam.

Islam is against the Shirk (sharing in worshiping). It believes in oneness of God, means
only the Allah is God. Islamic ideology of religion stands on its two vital tenets:-
1- Monotheism
2- Prophet hood
No one could call Muslim him or herself until he or she doesn’t have faith in oneness of
Allah, means the Allah is the only God and the only authority in the universe and no one
else is like Allah in any sense of authority and power.

Second important tenet of Islam is the ideology of prophet hood. Allah sent His selected
men to deliver His message to the mankind. To develop a power of faith, right desires,
fear of Allah and build high level of moral and ethical values in a human or follower is a
main function of prophets. Every prophet tried to accomplish this function in his time and
created such a wonderful class of faithful people who give this word a new life by their
message and deeds. The process of sending prophets towards mankind is being stopped
on the prophethood of the last prophet of Allah the holy prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

The last Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did a great job among all the Holy Prophets of
Allah. In only about 23 years of preaching, Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) successfully
spread the message of Islam in his society. He was blessed with several hundred thousand
followers (men & women) of Islam. Holy Prophet of Allah (pbuh) trained a wonderful
class of people. In Islamic terminology we called them SAHABI or companions.

After the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) this class of companions took the
responsibility of spreading message of Islam. Every one of them performed his
responsibility like an institution and with in the nineteen years the light of Islam reached
Spain, North Africa, the Caucasus (Russia), North West China and India.

In the early days of Islam (period of Companions) TASAWUF or SUFISM as a popular

terminology was not exist although the sources of all the traditions and practices of
Sufism were available at that time.

Companions were used to follow the teachings of Quran and the Sunnah of Holy Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh). They had no need to follow any special knowledge that guides them
towards those deeds and practices which they were already naturally performing. Sufism
is same like one of those kinds of knowledge which were emerged in Muslim literature
on appropriate times. The companions and their followers (called TABAEEN) were not
claimed themselves as Sufis but infect they were, according to the later definitions of
Sufism.

Opponents of the Sufism (like Petro-Muslims) claim that the Sufism having originated
outside the Islam like Buddhism, Hinduism etc. and it is Shirk, actually these sort of
views are raised by those who want some negative propagation and have link with Petro-
Islam or from those simple Muslims who got the Islam as religion from their parents but
didn’t read the teachings and particularly history of Islam from a reliable source.

The holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is a great Imam (Highest leader) of all the Sufis of
Muslim Ummah, and there is no place of Shirk in Sufism.

Fundamentally a Sufi is that person who chosen the path of Sunnah and can access to an
individual contact with Allah. Sufi followers have a Shaykh (Murshid or Master), who
acts as a guide and leader to the divine path according to the teachings of Holly Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh). A Wali-Ullah (Friend of Allah) is a Sufi who has reached at the end
of the journey to Allah.

The early Sufis

The earliest Sufis were solitary mystic who attracted followers on the strength of their
personal saintliness, polite speaking, hospitality and noble character according to the
Sunnah. Early Sufis were Khawaja Owais Qarni, Khawaja Hassan Basri, Khawaja Sari-
Sakti, a noble lady Hazrat Rabia Basri, Hazrat Bayazid Bustami, Hazrat Junaid Bughdadi,
Mansoor Hallaj, Shah Shams Tabraizi may Allah be pleased with them all, and many
other notables. They all are well known and respectable through out the world

Far before the time of the popular Sufis of Muslim word like Maulan Jalal al-Din Rumi
the founder of Mevleviye Sufi Order, Khawaja Mu'in al-Din Chishti a great Master of
Chishtiya Sufi Order, Khawaja Baha' al-Din Naqshband a leader of Naqshbandiya Sufi
Order and Shaykh Shahab-u-din Soharwardy, we find very famous writings on Sufism,
and certainly these books served a lot and we also find so many examples of these books
in the messages of Maulan Jalal al-Din Rumi, Khawaja Mu'in al-Din Chishti and some
others.

The early Sufi Books

The authors of some early Sufi literature were Imam Qushery, Imam Ghazali and Syed
Ali Hujwery Daa_ta Gunj Bakhash may Allah be pleased with them done a great job for
the development of Sufism. In the wake of their famous books Risalah-e-Qusheriyah, Al-
minqaz al-zalala and Kashaf-al-Mehjoob the Ummah come to understand the
interrelationship of Shariyah (Islamic Law), Tarikah (Practices of Muslim Mysticism)
and the reality of Philosophy. Particularly in Kashaf-al-Mehjoob the author Syed Ali
Hujwery Daa_ta Gunj Bakhash (RA) wrote a detail on the lives of great Sufis of
different ages, their practices and deeds and the explanation of Sufi terminology.

Syed Ali Hujwery Daa_ta Gunj Bakhash (RA)strongly criticises and rejects the Shirk
and all the false theories which are against the teachings of Holy Quraan and Sunnah.

The origin of all the Sufis is same that is the Holy personality of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH), that is why one can easily find the similar waves of love, peace and Islamic
unity in their messages. The great Sufi Imam and the founder of Qadri Sufi Order
Syed_e_na Ghaus-ul-Azam Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jillani (RA) once expressed his views
after reading the Kashaf-al-Mehjoob the book of Syed Ali Hujwery Daa_ta Gunj
Bakhash (RA), that if I find the author of this book in my era, I could be the disciple of
him. Maulan Jalal al-Din Rumi of Turkey used to express so many Hakayaat (Stories)
which were nominally referred in Kashaf-al-Mehjoob.

It has a been a practice of Sufis coming to the Indian subcontinent to first visit the shrine
of Syed Ali Hujwery Daa_ta Gunj Bakhash (RA). Khawaja Mu'in al-Din Chishti (RA) a
great Master of Chishtiya Sufi Order in Indian Subcontinent first came to Lahore to pay
his respects at Data Ganj-Bakhsh upon his arriving in the subcontinent. There he was
spiritually directed to settle in Ajmer Sharif (now in India) and commence his Sufi
mission in Indian Subcontinent. Hazrat Khawaja Mu'in al-Din Chishti paid homage to
Syed Ali Hujwery Daa_ta Gunj Bakhash (RA) in the following words by accepting him
as a great and perfect master of all the Sufis.
Translation :

Gunj Bakhash, a mercy for the world,

Phenomenon of the light of Lord
Imperfects found a perfect master,
In him perfects got a great leader

The Ghazni Heritage

Some three hundred years after the Arab accupation of Sind, GHAZNI, which had
developed in to a major political, military and cultural centre on the outskirts of the
declining Abbasid Empire, became the base of operations against the subcontinent. In
1020AD Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi (998-103 AD) annexed Lahore. As the Southern
parts were already under Muslims, this annexation meant that by 1020 AD the areas
which constitute Pakistan today were under Muslim rule.

The heritage of Ghazni in the realm of language, religious practices and Law was even
more important than that of Sind. Ghaznavids introduced Persian, which was to be the
official and literary language during Muslim rule in India, vigorously patronized Sunni
Creed and promulgated Hanfi Law.

Master of the friends of God, Sultan of all the Sufis the Shaykh Syed Ali Hujwery
famous by the title of Daa_ta Gunj Bakhash Lahori (RA)is the leader of the class of those
holy luminaries who owing to high standards of love, devotion and followings of the holy
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)have gotten the high ranks of belovedhood and friendship of
Allah.
This class of Sufis has devoted themselves for the love of the beloved holy Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) that is why they also have granted the status of beloved and these
great Sufi dignitaries became the caliphs of Allah and the subordinates of His beloved
holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on the earth.

So their lives become the minarets of guidance and blessings for the mankind. Their
treasure of blessings is opened equally for the public at large regardless of creed and
people get guidance from them according to their own capacity and aptitude.

According to the same style the great master of Muslims, Sheykh Syed Ali Hujwery
Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh Lahori (RA) risen the flag of Islam between the Hindu community
of subcontinent of India and granted honour to Lahore with his precious presence, when
Ayaz, the slave of Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi was serving as governor of Lahore. There
are only few Sufis in the Ummah who got such a great love and respect through out the
world and Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh Lahori (RA) is one of them.

Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh (RA)

In the wake of incursions from the north, came amongst others, people of a different bent.
These included Sufi masters and religious scholars. These were the people who came not
to take away but to give. One of the most celebrated Sufi scholars was Sheykh Syed Ali
Hujwery. Widely venerated in south Asia as Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh, “Bestower of
Favours”, he is the patron Saint of Lahore.

His real name was Ali and Abu-al-Hassan was his patronymic. His father’s name was
Usman (Utoman). With reference to his native towns, he used the titles of Al-Julabi and
Al- Hujwery in his book Kashaf-al-Mehjoob. Julab and Hujwer are two towns of
Afghanistan in the out skirts of the famous city Ghazni.

Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh belongs to a Syed family, with eight stages his family chain links
with the fourth caliph of Islam Hazrat Ali bin abitalib (RA). According to the Nicolson
he was born in the end of the Tenth century of Christ or in the early decade of eleventh
century of Christ. But according to the Urdu Dai_ra Muarif-e-Islamiya Punjab University
Lahore, Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh was born in 400 AH/1010AD in Ghazni and he was died in
465 AH/1009 AD in Lahore.

There are very rare references are available about the life of Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh except
those events or experiences which he himself narrated in his famous book.

Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh spent a major part of his life in traveling for the sake of education
and spiritual guidance. He visited the leading Sufis of his era and benefited from them.
He traveled through Iraq, Syria, Persia, Kohastan, Azerbaijan, Tibristan, Kazakhstan,
Kirman, Tus, Mawara_an Nahar, Turkistan and Hijaz. Only in Khurasan he met with
three hundred leading Sufi Masters who had their own Sufi Orders.

The name of Spiritual master (Shaykh or Murshid) of Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh is Hazrat
Sye_de_na Abu al-Fazal Muhammad bin Hassan Khutli (may Allah pleased with him),
he was spiritually associated with the Junaydiya School of Sufism. Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh
described about his Master:

“ In tariqah (sufi practices ), I follow him. He was a big scholar of Tafseer

and Hadith and in Tariqah he was belong to the ways of Sheykh Junaid
Bhughdadi. ………. Sheykh Khutli spent sixty years in loneliness, in the
result he had been forgotten by the people. He was not adopted the Sufi
dressings and traditions, and was against the customary things. I didn’t see
any gracefull personality batter than this man of God. He said
“__________ worldly life is like a single day and we are observing fast”

Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh had gone through the hard spiritual exercises. He got the blessings
and guidance of leading scholars and Sufis of his era. He reached at a high place in
spiritualism that he became imam and a perfect master of the races. The great
philosophical poet and thinker of Pakistan Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal paid his tribute
to him in the following words:-
 “Syed Ali of Hujwer, master of the races, Khawaja Mu'in al-Din Chishti
respected his mausoleum like the haram (Holy mosque of Kaaba)”

Kashaf-al-Mehjoob
Sheykh Syed Ali Hujwery Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh was not only the scholar of Sufism but
also was the great learned of Holy Quran, hadith, history, language and literature. In the
early times of Islam scholars used to adapt Arabic language for any sort of religious
writings. This was a strong custom of that era perhaps they thought that the language of
Quraan and Hadith is Arabic so they should also used Arabic for religious writings too.
Even in the conquered areas of Persia we find the tradition of writing religious literature
in Arabic. One of the famous early books on Sufism “Risaslah-e-Qsheriya” by Imam
Abul Qasim Qushari (RA) was also written in Arabic language.

Although he had a strong command on Arabic language (as expressed from his writings)
but toke a courageous step to express the religious and Sufi thoughts in Persian for the
non Arabic people in the form of Kashaf-al-Mehjoob.

As we can find the names of his other books in Kashaf-al-Mehjoob but we can’t claim
about their language but till the present era we could only find his one book Kashaf-al-
Mehjoob without any modification. Because its so many hand written manuscripts are
available which were written in different times during the last nine centuries.

Syed Ali Hujweri started this book on the request of his deer companion Abu Saeed
Hujweri (RA). It is difficult to point out the place that where this book was started to
write during the long travels of Syed Ali Hujwery, but it is certain that it was completed
in Lahore. As the writer himself wrote in it, that this time it is not possible more than this
because I left my books in Ghazni and I am in Lahore a city of Hind (Indian
subcontinent). One can claims that in Persian language the Kashaf-al-Mehjoob is a first
ever book on Islamic thoughts of mysticism which was completed in Lahore. Owing to
its strong and powerful contents Kashaf-al-Mehjoob is as important nowadays as it was
nine centuries before and no one can praise it according to its status. Prof. Kaliq Nizami
wrote about it, that Kashaf-al-Mehjoob of Sheykh Hujweri not only clears the mind of
people about Sufism but also opens the ways of its developments.

The language of Kashaf-al-Mehjoob is so simple and Syed Ali Hujweri explained many
Sufi secrets and terminologies in this book. He didn’t depend on his personal intuitions.
He depended strongly on the Holy Quraan, sunnah of Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
and some other authenticated and widely accepted Islamic books which were named in
Kashaf-al-Mehjoob as reference by himself. Khawaja Nizam-u-din Aauliya (RA) once
stated in a letter that, if any person, who have no Murshid or master then he should study
Kashaf-al-Mehjoob, this book will act for him as Murshid/master.

Daa_ta Sahib Syed Ali Hujweri (RA) referred so many verses of Holy Quraan, 137
Hadiths and 57 verses of poetry in kashaf-al-mehjoob. After the preface, he explained
the importance of ILM / knowledge, the FUKAR, Sufism, Sufi dressing etc., and then he
enlightened the life and sayings of great Sufi masters on the bases of their era.

First he discussed the pure and saintly lives of the companions of the Holy prophet
(pbuh), and then the Ahl-e-bait (family of Holy Prophet pbuh) and the Ashab-e-Sufah
(Companions of rugs). After them he starts a chapteron the introduction of the
TABA_EEN the followers of the Companions like Khawaja Qwais Qarni, Haram bin
Hayan, Khawaja Hassan Basri, here he quoted a saying of Khawaja Hassan Basri that he
who joined the company of ignorant ones, he will certainly be suspicious from the nobles
and their masters.

In the next chapter Syed Ali Hujweri (RA) discussed the lives and works of TABA
TABA_EEN (followers of the followers of Companions) like hazrat Habib-e-Ajami,
Malik bin Dinar, Imam Abu Hanifa, here in this discussion Daata Sahib writes a vision
oh him about the superiority of Imam Abu Hanifa(RA), that once I was in Syria and was
sleeping on head side in the mausoleum of the great companion of Holy Prophet pbuh
Syed-ena Bilal (RA) and saw a vision that I am in Makkah and see that the Holy Prophet
Muhammad pbuh is coming from the door of bani Shaybah and he kept an aged man in
his lap like a child with affection. I run towards the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and started
kissing his holy feet and was thinking about the aged man, Holy Prophet pbuh became
aware with my thinkings with help of his Holy wisdom. He told me that he is your Imam
and the Imam of the people of your city the Abu Hanifa. Daa_ta Gunj Bakhsh described
that after this vision I strongly attached with Imam Abu Hanifa and this vision made it
clear to me that Imam Abu Hanifa is among those personalities who are blessed with the
divine wisdom and could not make mistake because the Holy Prophet pbuh himself
guiding him.

After this Daa_ta Sahib discussed the Sufi experiences of Zun_nun Misri, Ibrahim bin
Adham, Ba_yazid Bustami, Maruf Karkhi, Imam shafai, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal,
Junaid of Bhaghdad, Mansoor hallaj etc., etc. and so many other Imam and Sufi masters
of Iraq, Faras (Iran) Kahastan, Azerbaijan, Tibristan and Ghazni to whom he himself met
in these cities or areas. He also discussed the theology of different sects of sufiism. He
wrote eleven more chapter in his book on the basics of Islam and named them as “unveil
the veil one, the two and so on. In these chapters he discussed the TAUBA (repentance)
prayer, Zakat, Fasting hajj etc. and explained the point of view of Sufis. In the end of the
kashaf-al-mehjoob he explain the SAMA (listening, particularly the listening of sufi
music).
Syed Ali Hujweri ended this book with this note that I request the help and repentance of
Allah, that he protect my inner and outer self from calamity and I advise the reader of this
book that he/she take care of the message of this book and all guidance are from the
Allah, thanks to Allah Lord of the worlds, many and many peace and salutations (Darood
and Salam) on His prophet Muhammad pbuh and on all who belongs to the Holy Prophet
pbuh, Ameen.

Syed Ali hujweri known as Daa_ta Gauj Bakhsh (RA) is among the early preachers of
Islam in the subcontinent and his mausoleum is a center of unity and spiritual satiation
for the public regardless of creed for the last 960 years in Lahore. He did immense
missionary work in an individual capacity and set an outstanding example for future
generations.