| MAWLANA KHALID-I BAGHDADI QS (1776-1827)
(Passed away in Damascus, Dhul-Qādah 11, 1242 H/June
6, 1827 CE)
Translated from Mehmed Zāhid Kotku Rh.A, Tasavvufī Ahlak, Istanbul: Bahar Yayinevi, 1979, vol. 2, pp. 220-31 Shaikh Mawlana Khalid-i Baghdādī was a tall man with a large body, white-pink complexion, and large black eyes. The middle of his nose was high; his teeth, separated; his face, illuminated. He kept a smile all the time. His beard was large and black; his chest, wide; his arms, long. He had a dignified and awesome look that incurred a respect in people towards him. He was the greatest scholar of his time; he was extremely knowledgeable in the fields of Exegetics, Hadith, Fiqh (Jurisprudence), Mantiq (Logic), Mutawwel (Extensions), Kelām (Theology), and Hikmah (Wisdom). In addition to these fields, he was also knowledgeable in geometry, astronomy, and in other sciences as well as spiritual fields. People who were involved in spirituality were quite anxious to attend his discourses. He was a mujaddid (one who renews) and a guide in Naqshī, Qądirī, Suhrawardī, Chishtī, and Kubrawardī tariqas. Mawlana Khalid was well versed in Hadith; he would recite ahadith in great numbers. He raised thousands of students. His divān and other works are quite famous. Shaikh Mawlana Khalid was a descendent of Hadrat Othman RA. His father was Hasan ibn-i Ahmed, an offspring of Pīr Mikāil-- a perfect walī. His mother was an offspring of Fatimī Pir Khidir--also a perfect walī. Shaikh Khalid was born in Karabagh town of Baban province in 1190 H (estimated). It is at a distance about 5 miles from the town Sulaymaniye in Iraq. Shaikh Khalid spent his childhood in this town and received his first education there. He studied the Qur'an and Arabic grammar and advanced well in poetry and prose before he reached puberty. In his youth, he practiced piety, hunger, and retreat. He traveled far distances to seek knowledge and returned to his hometown. He also studied under the guidance of Shaikh Abdulkarim Berzenji KS, Molla Ibrahim-i Beyārī, and Shaikh Abdurrahim-i Berzenji. Later he returned to Sulaymaniye to study mutawwel and hikmah. He went to Baghdad to study muhtasar muntaha (a branch of methodology). He returned home as well informed in all of these fields. Shaikh Khalid had a strong memory and a bright intelligence; he would answer any question posed to him. He became renowned by his knowledge throughout the Muslim lands. He was asked to teach at the madrasa, yet he refused saying that he was not qualified to teach. Later on Mawlāna Khalid went to Sunduj (Hemedān) to study mathematics, geometry, astronomy and celestial mechanics under the instruction of a great scholar Shaikh Muhammed Qąsim-i Sundujī. After the completion of the studies, Mawlana Khalid returned to his home town. After Shaikh Abdulkarim passed away in 1213 H, Mawlana Khalid started teaching at the madrasa in Sulaymaniye. Mawlana Khalid did not value this world or those who are only after the worldly gains. He was a devout believer seeking the pleasure of Allah. He was never afraid to tell the truth and convey the message of Allah and His Prophet. His words were effective; his lifestyle, well taken. He would prefer the most virtuous one if he had a choice. His contemporaries would be jealous of him. He lived a simple life; he was content and patient. He would be totally immersed in ecstatic contemplation and beatitude at all times. In 1220 H, Mawlana Khalid had a desire to do the Pilgrimage and visit the illuminated mosque of the Prophet. He left his town and traveled through Musul, Diyarbakir, Rehā, Damascus, Aleppo, and Hijaz. In these locations, he visited famous scholars. He attended discourses of Shaikh Muhammad Kuzberī who was a scholar of hadith. He learned ahadith from the shaikh. Shaikh Kuzberī had a special treatment for Mawlana Khalid. His special disciple Shaikh Mustafa Kurdī, on behalf of Shaikh Kuzberi, authorized Mawlana Khalid to guide in Qądiri Tariqa. When Mawlana Khalid arrived in Madina al-Munawwarah, he recited a poem in praise of the Prophet. The lyrics were in Persian. He stayed in Madina as long as the other pilgrims did. While in Madina, he spent almost all of his time in the Mosque of the Prophet. Mawlana Khalid described his experience during the trip: In Madina al-Munawwara, I sought a righteous person to get some advice. I saw a man making wudu'. I noticed that he washed his feet first, then his arms, and finally his face. I thought he did not know how to make wudu'. Before I said anything, he turned to me and said, "When you go to Makkah, do not get involved in matters like this." I figured that he was a great person. I apologized and asked where he was from. He was from Yemen. I asked for an advice just like an illiterate man asking for an advice from a scholar. He advised me on many matters. Then he said: "If you see anybody in Makka doing something that appears to be contradicting the Shariah, do not say anything." When I arrived in Makkah, in the Masjid al Haram, I intended to follow the advice of that man. I went to the Masjid al Haram early in the morning to get the rewards equivalent to slaughtering a camel for sacrifice. I sat facing the Ka'ba and started reading some prayers. I saw a black-bearded man sitting across from me turning his back to Ka'ba. I criticized the man by heart: "This man has no manners; he should face Ka'ba." Immediately he responded: "The respect for a believer is more important than the respect for Ka'ba in the sight of Allah. Why do you object me for turning towards you instead of Ka'ba? Did you forget the recommendation given you in Madina?" I had no doubt that that man was one of the awliyaullah. I was sure that he had disguised himself with such behaviors. I grabbed his hand and asked for forgiveness. I asked him to guide me to the truth. He said, "Your progress is not in this locality." He lifted his foot and asked, "Look at Delhi!" I looked and saw the town of Delhi clearly. "Your progress will be in that part of the world. You will receive a sign from there." I was very pleased to experience the guidance through that man. After the rituals of the Pilgrimage, I returned to Damascus. It was my second visit to Damascus. The scholars I met had affection towards me. After performing the Pilgrimage, Mawlana Khalid returned home and concentrated on zuhd (piety). One day, a disciple of Abdullah Dehlewi QS visited Mawlana Khalid and told him that his shaikh was a perfect guide in the Naqshbandi tariqa, mannered with the manners of the Prophet, and a practicing scholar of the truth and spirituality. He added that if Mawlana Khalid visited him in Jihanābād (Delhi) and attended his service, he would attain his spiritual desires. The words of the disciple from India left an indelible effect in the heart of Mawlana Khalid. He decided to go to Jihanābād. He left his teaching post at the madrasa and traveled through the desert with white camels and arrived in Tehran. He met a mujtehid named Ismāil Kāshī and had long discussions with him. In the end Mawlana Khalid had him dumbfounded. After Tehran, Mawlana Khalid went to Bestam. He visited the stage of Bāyazīd-i Bestāmī QS, a leader of tariqa. He recited a poem in praise of him in Persian. Mawlana Khalid also visited the awliyaullah in the towns of Harqan, Semman, and Nishabur. He also visited Seyyid Jelīlil-Me'nus Imam Alī Rizā in Tavs. Due to the excessive practice of bid'a (innovations in religion), he did not stay in that locality for long. He arrived in Herat and visited local scholars. He had discussions with them on various issues. These Afghan scholars were quite impressed by Mawlana Khalid and described him as "an ocean of knowledge without shores." After departing from Herat, Mawlana Khalid started seeing extraordinary revelations. He visited scholars in Kandehar, Kabul and Dārul-ilim. The scholars he met described him as an "awesome flood and storm of knowledge." Mawlana Khalid then visited a great scholar and walī Shaikh Muammar Senāullah en-Naqshbandi. He asked for prayers and spiritual help from the shaikh. Mawlana Khalid described his experience: I had a dream that night. In the dream, the shaikh bit me on the face and tried to pull me with his blessed teeth. He could not move me. In the morning, before I said anything about my dream, he said: 'Sir alā barakatillāhi taālā ilā hidhmat-i akhina wa sayyidinā ash-Shaikh Abdullah. -- Your advancement and purpose is with Shaikh Abdullah. Your progress and pledge are with him.'When Mawlana Khalid reached his shaikh, he recited an Arabic qasida (poem) to praise him and ask spiritual help from him. He also praised Almighty Allah for reaching his destination. Having arrived in Delhi, he distributed to the needy whatever was left from the provisions he took with him for the journey. He dedicated himself for the service of Shaikh Abdullah Dehlewi QS who was the spiritual pole of the subcontinent area. He completed his spiritual progress in five months. "It is a bounty from Almighty Allah; He gives it to whomever He is pleased with." (Qur'an 2:247) "Allah possesses splendid bounty!" (Qur'an 57: 21, 57:29, 62:4) Man has no right to be proud for the bounty that Almighty Allah has blessed him with. It is for some special beloved servants. The Creator of Earth and heavens and everything in them provides the results for some in an instant, for some over a year. In fact, Hadrat Abdullah Dehlewi QS wrote with his own hands in the letters in Minhaju'l-Abidīn that Mawlana Khalid received what he wanted in the spiritual realm in the complete sense. Having served a year to his spiritual guide, Mawlana Khalid asked for permission to return to his home in order to spread the tariqa there and guide Muslims. His guide, Shaikh Abdullah Dehlewi walked four miles with Mawlana Khalid to see him off. Mawlana Khalid traveled on the land and on the sea for fifty days before reaching his hometown. During the journey, he did not eat or drink but busy himself with the dhikr of Allah. On his way, he stopped at Shiraz and Isfahan to preach people. He had some discussions with Rāfizī scholars, yet they were angry at him out of envy. They wanted to kill him, but they could not succeed. Mawlana Khalid QS also stopped by Hamedan (Sunduj) and arrived in Sulaymaniye in the year 1226 H. The elite of his hometown welcomed him with respect and gifts. Upon the advice of his shaikh, he went to the locality of Zor. He visited the stages of awliya and the tekke of Hadrat Abdulqądir Geylānī QS. He stayed there for five months preaching people about the essentials of the creed and the worship. After he returned home, some contemporary scholars developed jealousy and envy for him. They attacked him with false accusations. He would respond to them with well wishes and prayers. In 1228 H, those scholars wrote a letter to the Governor of Baghdad, Sąid Pasha. They requested that Mawlana Khalid be removed from Baghdad. The Governor forwarded the letter to the Mufti Mehmed Emin Effendi. Meanwhile, some scholars in Baghdad suggested Mawlana Khalid return to his hometown. He returned to his home town after some traveling through the towns of Kirkuk, Erbil, Musul, Amādiye, Ayintab (Antep), Aleppo, and Damascus. People benefited from him in a great deal. Mawlana Khalid QS was very generous. He was also well-mannered, patient, and enduring. His speech was poetic, clear, and extremely enjoyable. On the path of Allah, he would not mind the criticism and would prefer the most virtuous way of the deeds. He would protect orphans and widows, prepare his own food, and would not accept any food from others. Mawlana Khalid QS had a work on Maqāmāt-i Harīrī, yet it was not completed. He has a commentary on the Jibrīl Hadith in which he described the creed of Islam in Persian. As a matter of fact, most of his works were in Persian. He has a divān (a collection of poems) which was written in 1235 H. He taught Hadith Methodology, Tasawwuf, and Rusūm (the formal worship and rites). He would treat the sick. Mawlana Khalid QS took his family from Baghdad and settled in Damascus in 1238 H. He purchased a house in the section of Qinwat and allocated portion of it to be used as a mosque. He had daily prayers performed there. He would look for old mosques and have them repaired. He spread his kindness and generosity, knowledge, hikmah and virtues. He sent many of his disciples to various parts of the world to spread the lights of the Great Naqshbandi Tariqa. Recommendations of Mawlana Khalid QS for His Deputies In the name of Allah, The Merciful, The Beneficent. Recommendation of Mawlana Khalid QS for His Disciples In the name of Allah, The Merciful, The Beneficent. 
Almighty Allah informed Mawlana Khalid about his departure from this world. Mawlana Khalid QS asked his grave to be prepared. He selected the place in Salihiyye, at the outskirts of Damascus, across from the stage of "forties." He got sick three days after the grave was prepared. He passed away on the 11 the of Dhul Qa'da 1242 H on the evening of Friday. He appointed his deputy Shaikh Ismail Kurdī for his stage. Let your purpose in everything you do be getting closer to Almighty Allah. We will be accounted for every moment we live in this life.
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