Mawlana Khalid Baghdadi 

(Passed away in Damascus, Dhul-Qâdah 11, 1242 H/June 6, 1827 CE)

Translated from Mehmed Zâhid Kotku Rh.A, Tasavvufî Ahlak, Istanbul: Bahar Yayinevi, 1979, vol. 2, pp. 220-31

Shaikh Mawlana Khalid-i Baghdâdî 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), Kelâm (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 Naqshî, Qàdirî, Suhrawardî, Chishtî, and Kubrawardî tariqas.

Mawlana Khalid was well versed in Hadith; he would recite ahadith in great numbers. He raised thousands of students. His divân 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 Pîr Mikâil-- a perfect walî. His mother was an offspring of Fatimî Pir Khidir--also a perfect walî. 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 Beyârî, 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 Mawlâna Khalid went to Sunduj (Hemedân) to study mathematics, geometry, astronomy and celestial mechanics under the instruction of a great scholar Shaikh Muhammed Qàsim-i Sundujî. 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, Rehâ, Damascus, Aleppo, and Hijaz. In these locations, he visited famous scholars. He attended discourses of Shaikh Muhammad Kuzberî who was a scholar of hadith. He learned ahadith from the shaikh. Shaikh Kuzberî had a special treatment for Mawlana Khalid. His special disciple Shaikh Mustafa Kurdî, on behalf of Shaikh Kuzberi, authorized Mawlana Khalid to guide in Qàdiri 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 Abd Alllah 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 Jihanâbâd (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 Jihanâbâd. 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 Ismâil Kâshî 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 Bâyazîd-i Bestâmî 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 Jelîlil-Me'nus Imam Alî Rizâ in Tavs. He then 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 Dârul-ilim. The scholars he met described him as an "awesome flood and storm of knowledge." Mawlana Khalid then visited a great scholar and walî Shaikh Muammar Senâullah 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 alâ barakatillâhi taâlâ ilâ hidhmat-i akhina wa sayyidinâ ash-Shaikh Abd Alllah. -- Your advancement and purpose is with Shaikh Abd Alllah. Your progress and pledge are with him.'

I realized that my shaikh has attracted me with a strong spiritual power. I headed to Delhi, which was known as Jihanâbâd, and finally arrived in the city. It had taken me one year to arrive in Delhi. As I got closer to him, I saw signs of him and felt his presence. Before I arrived, he informed his close companions about my arrival.

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 Abd Alllah 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 Abd Alllah Dehlewi QS wrote with his own hands in the letters in Minhaju'l-Abidîn 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 Abd Alllah 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 Râfizî scholars, yet they were angry at him out of envy. (He memorized the books of the Twelve Imams Ithna Ashari, the source of guidance for the descendents of Ali). 

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 Abdulqàdir Geylânî 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, Sàid 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, Amâdiye, 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 Maqâmât-i Harîrî, yet it was not completed. He has a commentary on the Jibrîl 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 divân (a collection of poems) which was written in 1235 H. He taught Hadith Methodology, Tasawwuf, and Rusûm (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 for His Deputies

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent.

I recommend strongly that you hold onto the Sunnah of the Prophet. Stay away from the rituals of the jahiliyya and from the rejected bid'ah (innovations in religion). You should not be captivated by the ostentatious attire and attitude of the Sufis. Do not be close to the kings, ministers, governors, rulers, and some ordinary people because it would lead to bad accusations about you. When you face two mischiefs, prefer the one that is less harmful. One who observes the recommendation of others is an auspicious person. There is no doubt that serving for the needs of the disciples is a form of worship. Do not be with the kings, rulers and oppressors because you do not have the power to correct them. Do not backbite about them. Do not consider yourself greater or better, nor do feel proud. Do not assume that they are oppressors and you are virtuous because such an assumption originates from ignorance, pride, and self-admiration. You should pray for them and wish correction and guidance for them. Imam Taberânî included in his Mu'jam a hadith from our beloved Prophet (SAS): "Do not curse the Ummah. Invite them to the salvation because their salvation is your salvation."

From now on, do not accept the kings, rulers or oppressors to the tariqa. Do not initiate, to the tariqa, businessmen who are lost in the benefits for this life or scholars who use their knowledge for fame and rank. Do not initiate those who associate their idleness and laziness with the tariqa, for they act virtuously towards people and get their trust; however, when they see a worldly rank or a benefit, they jump on it as a tiger jumping over its prey. When they are treated as equal to deputies, they would not like it. If they are considered as ordinary disciples, they rage. If they seek to be a deputy for fame, stay away from them because some people too would point to them and want to be deputies and attempt to collect money through it.

Let it be known that one who is the dearest to me is the one who has the least number of followers and who has no connections with those who seek only this life. I love one who have the most burden and chores. I love one who occupies himself with fiqh and ahadith. As pointed in a hadith, if one gets closer to the ruler, he gets farther away from Almighty Allah.

The more disciples a deputy has, the more Satans he would have to deal. The tendency towards the property, wealth, fame and position in this world is tantamount to giving up the religion in return to worldly gains. It would be an utter depravity for them. Do not let Satan fool you. If your followers increase in number, it would be hard for you to recite the entire Qur'an everyday. A good disciple free from all bad characteristics and moral ills is better than thousands of idle and lazy disciples. Thirty disciples would be sufficient to recite the Qur'an a day. One could get help from the righteous neighbors. If it is not easy, then remember the verse: "Lâ yukallifullahi nafsan illâ wus'ahâ--Allah charges no soul except to his capacity." (Qur'an 2:286)

Recommendation of Mawlana Khalid for His Disciples

In the name of Allah, The Merciful, The Beneficent.

Praise be to Allah. Peace and Blessings of Allah be with our master Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.

First of all, I recommend you fear Allah and feel His presence at all times. Then, I recommend you do not cause any trouble for people (especially when you are in the two Holy Shrines, i.e., Masjid Al Haram in Makkah and Masjid an-Nabawi in Madina). Do not backbite about anybody even if they backbite about you. Do not take anything of this world for the benefit of your nafs. If you take anything of this world, make sure that it complies with the Shariah and that it is spent on a good cause. Do not spend it on the desires of your nafs while your believing brothers are hungry and needy. Do not belittle, despise or insult anybody, nor consider yourself above anybody. Summon all of your efforts on worship, yet still assume you have no good deeds accumulated. The intention is the pith of the worship, and there will be no intention without sincerity (ikhlas). If one above you [i.e., your guide or your role model] has no sincerity, it will be impossible for you to acquire it, either. If you do not consider yourself bankrupt for your deeds, you will be utterly ignorant. When you consider yourself bankrupt, do not lose hope about the mercy of Allah. The mercy of Allah for a servant is better than the worship of the mankind and of the djins. "Say, in the bounty of Allah and His mercy--in that let them rejoice; it is better than that they amass [from the benefits of this life]." (Qur'an 10:58)

Do not make the grace of Allah a cause to abandon the worship; it would be a trick of Satan. Continue the dhikr by heart. Do not get tired of dhikr. Even when you walk, put your trust in Allah and hold on to the power of Allah. Ask for assistance from the spirituality of our sâdât-i kibâr (great guides in the tariqa). Respect the scholars and those who study or memorize the Qur'an; be courteous towards them. Recite Qur'an as much as you can. Pay attention to fiqh (jurisprudence) studies more than any other study. Do not let huzur-u qalbî (peace of mind) prevent you from studying fiqh. Do not seek government administrative jobs even if they want you for the position. Pray for the correction and improvement of the leader of Muslims, the rulers and administrators. Pray to Allah so that Islam overpowers the disbelief. Do not consider your existence significant, and be ready do give away what you have. Be content with what you have. Hold on to the Sunnah of the Prophet.

Perform the voluntary prayers including the tahajjud (night prayer) ishraq (about 45 minutes after sunrise), awwabîn (after sunset prayer), and duhâ (about one hour before the noon prayer). Keep your wudu' at all times. Recite the following tasbih three times a day:

[Subhânallàhi wa bihamdihî wa adede khalqihî wa ridà nafsihî wa zinete arshihî wa midâde kalimâtih]. (There are ahadith that recommend reciting this tasbih one hundred times a day.) Sallallâhu teâlâ wa selâmuhû aleyhi wa alâ âlihî wa sahbihî ebede'l ebedeyn wal hamdulillâhi Rab'bi'l-âlemîn...

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 Kurdî 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.