# Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi ق
> *If God causes one to approach Him,*
> *He reveals Himself to him as the object of his desire, without his knowing,*
> *As the fire of Moses, which he saw through the eye of his need,*
> *And who is the Divinity which he did not recognize.*
> *If thou understandeth my words*
> *thou knowest that thou hast need of the apparent form:*
> *If Moses had searched for something other than the fire*
> *He would have seen Him in that, and not inversely.*
>
> — Ibn 'Arabi, Fusus al-Hikam
Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi ق
He was the Pearl of the Crown of the Knowledgeable Saints. He was the Treasure of Those who Came Before and of Those who Came After. In him were combined all their favors and generosity. He was the Sinai of Divine Manifestation, the Furthermost Lote Tree of the Unique Knowledge, and the Fountain of the Hidden Prophetic Knowledge. He was the Genius of Scholars and he was the Sultan of the Earth, which smiled when he was born and was honored by his existence. He was the perfect Perfected Guide. He was the Caller to Allah's presence, the One Qutb and the Unique Heavenly Imam. He was the Reviver of the Second Millennium, Sayyidina wa Mawlana (our Leader and Master) ash-Shaikh Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi.
He was born on the day of 'Ashura, the 10th of Muharram in the year 971 H., in the village of Sihar Nidbasin. In some translations it is called Sirhind in the city of Lahore, in India. He received his knowledge and education through his father and through many shaikhs in his time. He made progress in three tariqats: Suhrawardiyya, Qadiriyya, and Chistiyya. He was given permission to train followers in all three tariqats at the age of 17 years. He was busy in spreading the teachings of these tariqats and in guiding his followers, yet he felt that something was missing in himself and he was continuously searching for it. He felt an interest in the Naqshbandi Sufi Order, because he could see by means of the secrets of the other three tariqats that it was the best and highest. His spiritual progress eventually brought him to the presence of the Ghawth and Qutb of his time, ash-Shaikh Muhammad al-Baqi, who had been sent from Samarqand to India by the order of his shaikh, Muhammad al-Amkanaki. He took the Naqshbandi Order from the shaikh and stayed with him for two months and some days, until Sayyidina Muhammad al-Baqi opened to his heart the secret of this tariqat and gave him authorization to train his murids in the Order. He said about him, "He is the highest Qutb in this time."
Prophetic Predictions
The Prophet ﷺ predicted his advent in one of his hadith when he said, "There will be among my nation a man called Silah. By his intercession many people will be saved." It was mentioned in the collection of Suyuti, Jam' ul-Jawami'. What confirmed the truth of this hadith is what Imam Rabbani wrote about himself: "God has made me the Silah between the two Oceans." Silah means "connection." So he meant that God had made him a connection between the two oceans — the two knowledges, external and internal.
Shaikh Mir Husamuddin said, "I saw the Prophet ﷺ in one of my dreams standing on the minbar (pulpit) and praising Shaikh Ahmad as-Sirhindi. The Prophet ﷺ was saying, 'I am proud and happy with his presence among my Nation. God has made him a reviver of the religion.'"
Many saints predicted his advent. One of them was Shaikh Ahmad al-Jami' ق. He said:
"After me will appear seventeen men of the People of God, all of whom are named Ahmad and the last one among them will be at the head of the millennium. He is going to be the highest of them and he is going to receive the state of Unveiling. He is going to revive this religion."
Another to predict his advent was Mawlana Khwaja al-Amkanaki ق. He said to his khalif, "A man from India is going to appear. He will be the Imam of his century. He will be trained by you, so hurry to meet him, because the people of God are awaiting his arrival." Muhammad al-Baqi ق said, "That is why I moved from Bukhara to India." When they met he told him, "You are the one whose appearance the shaikh Muhammad Khwaja al-Amkanaki predicted. When I saw you I knew you were the Qutb of your time. When I entered the region of Sirhind in India, I found a lamp which was so big and so bright that its light reached up to the heavens. Everyone took from that lamp's light. You are that lamp."
The Seeking of the Kings and the Kings of Seeking
Sayyidina Ahmad al-Faruqi said:
"Let it be known to you that the Heavenly Guardians attracted me because They wanted me to be attracted, and They facilitated for me the passage through time and space (at-tayy) in the different states of the seeker. I found that God is the Essence of all matter, as it had been said by the People of Sufism. Then I found God in all matter without incarnation (hulul). Then I found God together with all matter. Then I saw Him ahead of everything and then I saw Him following everything. Finally I reached a state where I saw Him and I saw nothing else. This is what is meant by the term, Witnessing the Oneness, which is also the state of Annihilation (fana'). That is the first step in Sainthood, and the highest state in the Beginning of the Way. This vision appears first on the horizons, then secondly in the Self. Then I have been lifted to the station of Subsistence (baqa') which is the second step in Sainthood.
"This is a station which many saints did not speak about because they did not reach it. All of them speak about the Station of Annihilation, but following that state is Subsistence. In that state I found all creation another time, but I found that the essence of all these creations is Allah, and Allah's Essence is the Essence of Myself. Then I found Allah in everything, but in reality in myself. I was raised to a higher state, to find Allah with everything, but in reality He was with myself. Then I was lifted to see Him preceding everything, but in reality He was preceding myself. Then I was lifted to a state where He was following everything, but in reality He was following myself. Then I saw Him in everything, but in reality He was in myself. Then I saw everything and I didn't see God. And this is the end of the Stations by which They had brought me back to the beginning. In sum, they lifted me to the Station of Annihilation, then to the station of Existence, then they brought me back to be with people, in the Station of the common people. This is the highest state in guiding people to the Presence of God. It is the perfect state of guidance, because it matches the understanding of human beings."
Spiritual Stations and Divine Revelations
He said, "I accompanied today one who has reached the End of Ends, the Qutub of all Creatures, the Perfect Man, Shaikh Muhammad al-Baqi. Through him I received incredible blessings, and by his blessing I was granted a power of attraction that allowed me to reach every human being that Allah had created. I was honored to attain a station that combines the state of the Ending with the state of the Beginning. I achieved all the states of Seeking and I reached the Ending, which is the meaning of 'Reaching the name of ar-Rabb' (the Sustainer), by the support of the Lion of God, Asadullah, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, May God ennoble his face. I was raised up to the state of the Throne, which is the Reality of the Truth of Muhammad, by the support (madad) of Shaikh Shah Baha'uddin Naqshband. Then I was lifted even higher, to the state of Beauty, which is the state of the Truth of the Muhammadan Qutbs, by the support of the Prophetic Holy Spirit."
I was supported by Shaikh Ala'addin al-Attar, from whom I received the states of the Greatest Spiritual Poles (al-qutubiyyati-l-'uzma) from the Presence of Muhammad ﷺ. Then Allah's Heavenly Care attracted me and I ascended to a State that is beyond that of the Qutubs, the Special Original State. Here the support of al-Ghawth al-'Azham, 'Abdul Qadir Jilani ق pushed me up to the State of the Origin of Origins. Then I was ordered to come back down, and as I was descending I passed by all 39 tariqats other than the Naqshbandiyya and the Qadiriyya. I looked at the states of their shaikhs and they greeted me and saluted me and they threw on me all their treasures and all their private knowledge, which unveiled to me realities which had never been unveiled to any person in my time.
Then on my descent I met Khidr ﷺ, and he adorned me with the Heavenly Knowledge ('ilmu-l-ladunni) before I reached the state of the Qutubs.
The Four Movements of Spiritual Journey
In his famous work Maktubat, he outlined the four movements of the spiritual journey:
Moving to Allah is a vertical movement from the lower stations to the higher stations; until the movement surpasses time and space and all the states dissolve into what is called the Necessary Knowledge ('ilm ul-wajib) of Allah. This is also called Annihilation (fana').
Moving in Allah is the stage in which the seeker moves from the station of Names and Attributes to a state which neither word nor sign can describe. This is the State of Existence in Allah called Baqa.
Moving from Allah is the stage in which the seeker returns from the heavenly world to the world of cause and effect, descending from the highest station of knowledge to the lowest. Here he forgets Allah by Allah, and he knows Allah with Allah, and he returns from Allah to Allah. This is called the State of the Farthest and the Nearest.
Moving in things is a movement within creation. This involves knowing intimately all elements and states in this world after having vanished in Annihilation. Here the seeker can achieve the State of Guidance, which is the state of the prophets and the people following the footsteps of the Prophet ﷺ. It brings the Divine Knowledge into the world of creation in order to establish Guidance.
Death and Legacy
He died on the 17th of Safar 1034 H. at the age of 63. He was buried in the village of Sirhind. He was a shaikh in the four tariqats: Naqshbandi, Qadiri, Chisti and Suhrawardi. He preferred the Naqshbandi, because he said, "It is the Mother of all tariqats."
He passed the secret of the revered Golden Chain to Shaikh Muhammad Masum ق.
The Living Legacy
Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi ق, known as Mujaddid Alf Thani (Renovator of the Second Millennium), represents one of Islam's greatest spiritual and intellectual figures. His contributions include:
The Doctrine of Wahdat ash-Shuhud
He refined the understanding of divine unity, emphasizing witnessing oneness rather than existential unity, providing a balanced approach to mystical realization.
The Science of Spiritual Stations
His detailed mapping of spiritual states and stations became foundational for understanding the mystic's journey through fanā' and baqā'.
Integration of Law and Mysticism
He demonstrated that the highest spiritual realization must be grounded in complete adherence to Islamic law and prophetic example.
The Prophetic Light Doctrine
He taught that spiritual knowledge comes directly from the light of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, emphasizing the centrality of prophetic guidance in mystical realization.
Through Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi ق, the Golden Chain received its most comprehensive systematization of mystical doctrine and practice, establishing principles that would guide the Order for centuries to come and earning him recognition as the renovator of Islam for the entire second millennium.
