11 Nov 2021 By Know Muslim
The effort of the son of Shah Abdul Quddus Gangohi رحمة الله عليه
It is with this in mind that our religious mentors prescribed restraining anger as the first exercise after repentance to anyone who approached them for guidance and reforming. They asked the seekers to go through tremendous effort to restrain anger.
Shaikh Abdul Quddus Gangohi رحمة الله عليه was a very eminent man of Allah, a saint. People came to him from different places of the world to seek advice and to reform themselves at his hands. But, his own son did not regard him with esteem. Father is there at home and everyone visits him to seek his blessings but the son is unconcerned. He is occupied in idle pursuit. It happens often that an elder man in the family is valued only after his death. So, when he died, his son opened his eyes and realized his mistake. He said to himself. "I lost a great opportunity while everyone else took advantage of my father's blessings. I sought nothing."
He sought out someone who visited his father regularly and reformed himself and received blessings from him more than anyone else. He hoped to ear and regain some blessings for himself from that man. He learnt that a holy man who suited these qualifications lived in Balkh while he lived in Gangohi in the United Provinces (India). So, he decided to go there and informed the holy man that he would visit him. That man awaited the son of his Shaikh outside the city together with his retinue. He received him with a warm welcome and brought him home. He arranged exceptional meals for him and treated him very well, The guest son-of his Shaikh said to him after a couple of days, "you have treated me with much love and affection and honored me highly but truly I have come with some other purpose." He asked him to name the purpose of his visit. He said, "My respected elder, I want to receive from you some of the blessings you derived from my father because I failed to gain anything from him while he was alive." His father's disciple and his own mentor said, "O, so you have come for that purpose. Well, from now on there will be no hospitality for you. You will not be given special treatment and no choice meals will be served to you. From now on, you will stay next to the Hammam (bathrooms) situated near the mosque. You will have to sleep there. You will have to burn the fire and heat the water for the Hammam and collect the fuel for the fire-wood and garbage." It was the winter season and water had to be heated for the worshippers to perform ablution. The son was told that he had to do all that and nothing more. No recital was prescribed for him. What a fall from the honorable reception to the task appointed for him!
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