15^th Qutb

His Holiness

Sheikh Abdollah Yafei

  

The Congregator of Both Aspects, The Pillar of religion and The Quintessence of Muslims. His Excellency Sheikh Abdollah Yafei. His noble name Abdollah bin Asad al-Yafei, his family name Abu al-Saadat and his spiritual title is Afif-e-din. He was given the title “Resident of the two Shrines “due to his prolonged stay in Mecca and Medina. His birthplace Yafe is a district of Yemen and for this reason he was well famed as Yafei. He was a distinguished Sheikh and religious authority of many great mystics and illumined righteous and possessed both knowledge of external and esoteric sciences. He received the robe of sincerity and permission to instruct and guide from six Sheikhs of the tarigha orders. First: His Holiness Sheikh Salih Berberi, Second: Borhan-e-din bin Ali al-Alavi, Third: Razi-e-din Ebrahim abi Mohammad Tabari Makki, Fourth: Sheikh Najm-e-din Abdollah Isfahani, Fifth: Shahab-e-din Ahmad Shazili Sixth: Sheikh Nour-e-din Ali bin Abdollah Sufi. His magnanimity of esoteric spiritual levels and prominence of Gnostic levels is enough to cite that Shah Seyed Naimatullah Wali was trained and nourished under his guidance and reached the degree of perfection.

His Holiness has writings and compilations in the external sciences on the principles of religion and exegesis and Sufism and history and other fields, which are greatly beneficial for the seekers and all of them are fully comprehensive and fully fulfills the intention of the compiler. Among them Merat al-Janan fi Marafateh Havades-e-Zaman which is known as the history of Yafei. From this visage His Holiness is also considered as an outstanding Islamic historian. Next is Rozateh-al-Riyahin and the next is Dorr-ul-Tanzim fi Haghayeqe al-Koran al-Azim, and the next is Al- Ershad Va Nazar fi Zekrullah Taala and the next is Nashr Al Mahasen al-Aliyeh, and the next is Badye ul Eelal al Monfasaleh fi Rade ala al Motazaleh, next Kefayet al Motaghed, next Nasr al Reyhan, next al Shamas al Moalim and also a Divan (poetical work) titled as Ketab Al Dor. The year of his death is mentioned in disagreement from 760 Hijri (1349 AD) to 768 Hijri (1367 AD), but what is mentioned in Reyhanate-al-Adab is considered more correct. In this book the death of His Holiness is mentioned in 760 Hijri (1359 AD) and the sentence “One who is served by the devoted virtuous” is used as "Date Article"[1] for his death. However, the period he was on the throne of guidance, taking into consideration the disputed date of his death was 50 or 56 years. His Holiness handed over his caliphate and successorship to His Holiness Shah Seyed Naimatullah Wali and made him responsible for the revival of the respectable Sufi Order.

 

Notable contemporaries of His Holiness from Mystics and Sheikhs:

1) Abu Abdollah Mohammad, known as Abi Motrif Andulesi

2) Jamal-e-din Abu Abdollah Mohammad Zahabi

3) Sheikh Masood al Jawee

4) Najm-e-din Abdollah Bin Mohammad Isfahani

5) Sheikh Ala–ul-Douleh Kharazmi

6) Amir Seyed ali Hamedani

7) Sheikh Kamal Khojandi

 

From jurists:

1) Ahmad Abi Mohammad Abdulhalim Bin Temiyeh, famed as Ibn Temiyeh, a Hanbali jurisprudent, which the Wahabis religious tenets is based on his doctrine.

2) Abu Omar Ez-e-din Abdulaziz Bin Mohammad Bin Ebrahim, famed as Ibn Jamaye, a Shafeyie scholar.

3) Masood Bin Omar  with the title of Saad-e-din, well known as Molla Saad Taftazani

 

From Sultans and Amirs:

1) Sultan Abu Saeed Bahadur Khan Moghol

 

From Poets:

1) Khajeh Hafez Shirazi

2) Sheikh Kamal-e-din Masood Khojandi

 

A part of His Holiness' sayings:

Said: In the beginning I doubted whether to go toward seeking the spiritual science which brings about virtue or to turn toward servitude which brings about devotion and soundness from the plagues of calamities. In this struggle and mental anxiety, I could neither sleep nor rest. I had a book which I would study it day and night. In this restlessness I opened the book and I saw a page in it which I had never seen it to that time and in that page I saw few verses which I had not ever heard from anyone; and the verses were:

 

Turn your face from specters

And leave the affairs to Divine providence

Perhaps how many a time hardships eventually change to happiness

And unpleasant change to comfort

And perhaps many things seem to be painful and difficult

But has a good and satisfying conclusion

The almighty God does whatever He wills

Discontent of worshippers has no effect

Therefore, you don’t protest.

 

Since I read the verses, I felt that water was thrown on my fire, and the intensity of heat and mental anguish was extinguished.

 

From the generosities of His Holiness:

Sheikh Ala-e-din Kharazmi said: one night in my own privacy in Damascus after the evening prayers, I was sitting awake and within the confine of myself, I saw two men with myself. I did not know from where they had come in. For an hour they spoke to me and with each other exchanged the situation of the fughara (dervishes). They mentioned about a man from Damascus and praised him and said that he is an excellent person and if you would have known from where he eats his spiritual food. After that they said: give our greetings to your companion Abdullah Yafei. I said: how do you know that he is in Hejaz?)[2]. They said: it is not hidden for us and got up and went towards the Mehrab,[3] thought I guessed they wanted to pray but walked out of the wall.