He was born in Kharqan in 352 Hijri, 963 A.D. His name was Ali and family name was Abul Hassan. His father’s name was Ahmed. He was esoterically related to Bayazid Bistami. His path training was done by Bayazid’s spirituality through the Uwaisiyya method because he was born after the death of Bayazid.

Bayazid used to go to Rebat Dhestan to visit the shrines of martyrs (Shuhada) once each year. When he would reach Kharqan, he would breathe deeply in the air as to smell something. On asking by his disciples. he said: "On this land of thieves, I feel the smell of a perfect man whose family name will be Abul Hassan and name will be Ali." His prediction came true word by word.

Khwaja Abul Hassan Kharqani was unlettered, and professionally was a farmer. For twenty years, he used to go to visit the tomb of Hadrat Bayazid Bistami at nights, and would perform meditation there till the dawn, and then would come back to Kharqan. One night he heard the voice of Bayazid coming from the grave: "O Abul Hassan! It's your time." Abul Hassan replied: "I'm uneducated & don't have know-how about the Islamic Laws, so please guide me in the matter." Bayazid told him to go to Kharqan, after reaching to Kharqan, he memorized the Qur’an in only 24 days.

Once he was digging into his field, some silver appeared from there. He paid no attention, and started to dig to some other part of the field, from where gold appeared. He paid no attention, and continued to dig other parts of the field, and on every part of the field appeared some precious matter. But he never touched them, and said: "Abul Hassan isn't interested in such things, but only in You."

He used to stop ploughing the field during prayer time, and performed his prayers, and when he come back, he would find all field had been ploughed.

One of his disciples wished to go to the mountain of Lebanon to meet Qutub-al-Aqtab (The Monarch of all Spiritual Monarchs). Khwaja Abul Hassan granted him permission to go. When he reached there, he found some people who were gathered around a dead body & were waiting for some one. He asked them that for whom they are waiting? They replied that they are waiting for the Qutub-al-Aqtab to come & lead the Janaza prayer. He was pleased after hearing that, and he also started to wait with them for the Qutub-al-Aqtab. After some while a dervish arrived there, and people started to stand in a row to start the prayer. When that person looked at the dervish, he was surprised, as he was his Murshid Hadrat Abul Hassan. Then he fell on his knees, and said that he didn't know about his reality. Abul Hassan told him to keep quiet, and don't tell any one about that, as it is a mystery of him.

Once Hadrat Abul Hassan went to Iraq, and there he visited a madrasa (religious school) where people learned Hadith. One man there, told him that nowadays there isn't any teacher to teach Hadith to them. Abul Hassan told him: "I am here, I am the person who was unlettered, but God taught me by His grace & blessing." The person did not believe he could teach them Hadith. But on the same night, the Holy Prophet came to his dream and said that Abul Hassan was right. So on the next day, that person apologized to Abul Hassan, and started to learn Hadith from him. During the lessons, some times Hadrat Abul Hassan used to tell him "this Hadith is a false one". So one day the student inquired him that how could he say that which Hadith is true one & which is the false one? Hadrat Abul Hassan replied: "During the lessons of Hadith, the Holy Prophet sits before me, and if you recite the right Hadith, his face turns pleasant; And if you recite any false Hadith, his face turns unpleasant, so from that expression I understand which Hadith is a false one."

A Sufi Saint, Hadrat Abu Sa'id visited him, and expressed willingness of exchanging his spiritual strength with him. Hadrat Abul Hassan agreed, and embraced him, they both exchanged their spiritual strength. After that, Hadrat Abul Hassan shouted for some while & then fell into Jazb (spiritual ecstasy). While Abu Sa'id went to his home quietly, where he sat whole night by downing his head on his knees, and crying all the time. On the next day, Abu Sai'd came to Abul Hassan & said: "I don't have such power to bear your spiritual strength, so take your strength now & give me mine." They embraced each other again, and came to their earlier conditions.

Once, the famous Muslim scientist Ibn Sina (also called Bu Ali Sina) visited his home to meet him. But at that time he wasn't there, so Ibn Sina asked his wife: "Where is Shaikh?". She replied: "Why do you call a heretic & liar a Shaikh? I don't know where he actually is, but I think that he might be in the jungle, cutting the wood." Ibn Sina went to the jungle, and saw that Abul Hassan is putting the wood on a Lion. He was surprised for a while by watching that. Ibn Sina said: "God gave you a higher spiritual rank, then why your wife is so rude?" Abul Hassan replied: "If I would not bear the burden of a goat (his wife), then how could a lion bear mine?"

Once, Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi visited Kharqan, to meet Hadrat Abul Hassan. After reaching to Kharqan, he told his servant: "Go to Abul Hassan & tell him that I've come here to see you, so kindly pay a visit to me. And if he refuses to visit me, then you recite the Qur'anic Aya't: 'Obey Allah, and His Prophet, as well as obey your ruler'." So when the servant went to Hadrat Abul Hassan, and asked him to visit Mahmood, but Abul Hassan refused. So then the servant recited the same Aya't. After listening to that Aya't, Hadrat Abul Hassan said: "Tell your Mahmood that I'm so deeply drowned in Allah, that I feel shame to obey the Prophet, and in such condition how could I obey the ruler?" When the servant went back to Mahmood, and told him about Abul Hassan's words, Mahmood said that he thought Abul Hassan to be a common Sufi, but in fact he is a very great one.

Later Mahmood disguised himself as his servant Ayaz, and disguised Ayaz as himself. He also disguised some females as his male soldiers, then he went with them to Hadrat Abul Hassan. Ayaz met him as if he is Mahmood, but Abul Hassan didn't pay attention to him. When Mahmood asked him that why he didn't pay respect to the king? He replied: "It's an illusion." Mahmood replied: "It's not such an illusion that the falcon like you could be entangled in that." After listening to that, Abul Hassan held Mahmood's hand and said by pointing out the soldiers: "First let these females to go out." Mahmood asked them to leave, and they left immediately. Then Mahmood asked him to tell anything about Bayazid Bistami. Abul Hassan said: "Bayazid said, who ever sees me, would be blessed." Mahmood asked: "Was he greater than the Holy Prophet, because the heretic persons like Abu Lahab & Abu Jahal also seen the Holy Prophet, but still they were not blessed." Abul Hassan replied: "Keep your limits, Mahmood! No one actually seen the Holy Prophet except the Khulfa-e-Rashideen (The four caliphs) & the Sahaba (The companions), and Qur'an also proves that by saying: "O Prophet, You are watching them clearly, though they aren't watching You at all." After listening that, Mahmood was speechless. After some while Mahmood requested him to give him any spiritual gift. Once Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi called on Hadrat Kharqani and requested for some souvenir. Hadrat Kharqani gave him his shirt.

When Mahmood Ghaznavi attacked at Somnath (India) and was about to be defeated, in perplexity he held that shirt in his hand and bowed down and prayed: "O' Allah, for the sake of honor of this shirt, bestow us with victory over the infidels. Whatever wealth I get here, I’ll distribute among dervishes."

With this prayer, the infidels started shattering and Sultan Mahmood was blessed with victory. At night Sultan dreamed that Hadrat Kharqani was saying: "Mahmood, you lost the honor of my shirt. If you had prayed that all the infidels might become Muslims, they all would have become Muslims by the grace of Allah."

His sayings

• Hadrat Abul Hassan had written on the door of his khaneqah: “Anyone who comes to this house, give him food and do not ask about his faith. Because, as he merits a life next to the exalted God, no doubt he deserves a meal on my table.”
   
• “I feel, I hear, I speak, but I do not exist.”
• There are 24 hours in a day. I die a thousand times in an hour, and I cannot explain the other 23 hours.
• People cannot describe me. No matter in which words or in which terms they present me, I am the opposite of what they say.
• I am neither a Sufi, nor an ‘Alim, nor a pious. Oh Lord, you are the one and only, and I am one of your oneness.
• What if there were neither the Hell nor the Heaven. So that we could see the real devout person.
• A scholar  (‘Alim) wakes up early in the morning and thinks how to increase his knowledge. A pious wakes up and seeks how to increase his faith. But Abul-Hassan thinks how to make a human being happy.
• The one who said "I reached to Allah (to the God, to the Truth and Reality)", he did not. And the one who said "He (God) himself made me reach him", he reached to Allah (or he attained the reality).
• He was asked: "Where did you see the God?" He answered: "...wherever I did not see my own self."
• Whatever exists in the entire universe, it is also in your own heart. You have to gain the ability to see it.
• The one who fell in Love found Allah. And the one who found Allah, forgot his own self.
• In the whole world only one person understood me, and it was Bayazid

Khwaja Abul Hassan Ali al-Kharqani (R.A) died on 10^th Moharram, 425 Hijri, 1034 A.D.