The principle savant, consoling ascetic, fundamental researcher. Sheikh Abu Masood Eshbili Andalusi. His Holiness was famous among the mystics and outstanding divine leaders of the right way. He met and conversed with many learned notables, as Sheikh Abdul Qader Jilani. He wore the robe of sincerity from the hands of His Holiness Abol-Barakat and under his attention was guided to the degree of perfection and attained the position of successor ship and his vicegerency and after him sat on the throne of guidance and was engaged in guidance of seekers and wayfarers. Among those who had found guidance, he endeavored to train Sheikh Abu Madyan till he led him to perfection and to the position to be his vicegerent. The death of His Holiness Sheikh Abu Masood was in the year 579 Hijri (1183 AD) and the words “Lover of truth” is the Article of Date for his death.[1]His sacred shrine in Bagdad is in the cemetery of Imam Ahmad Hanbal.
Contemporaries of His Holiness from Mystics and Sheikhs:
Seyed Ahmad Refaie
From Caliphs:
Al Nasser-li-Dinallah Abbasi
From Sultans:
Sultan Salah-e-din Ayyubi in Egypt
From religious authorities, jurists and philosophers:
1) Abu Abdullah Mohammad bin Mansoor bin Ahmad famed as Ibn Idris.
2) Abol Fatih Yahya bin Habashi famed as Shahab-e-din Sohrevardi
Few sayings of His Holiness:
Said, I was passing by the side of the Tigris River, it crossed in my mind, that does Almighty God have any worshippers who worship Him in water. This thought was still in my mind when the water of the Tigris River split open and a man appeared and said: yes, O Abu Masood, the Exalted God has worshippers who worship Him in water and I am one of them. I am from Takrit[2] and have come out from there and said after fifteen days in Takrit such specific event will occur. After fifteen days that event which he had said did occur as such. Also one day, among his disciples the Sheikh said: It is fifteen years now that the Exalted God has given me sovereignty over domain, but I do not exercise sovereignty. Ibn Taid who was among the audience asked: why don’t you exercise sovereignty? Said: I leave the sovereignty to the Exalted God, so to exercise sovereignty as what He wishes.
One of the dervishes who recently had come at his service saw a group of disciples gathered around the Sheikh, said: O’ Sheikh, the condition to step into this Tarigha and to be considered as of this class, is to be in their feature and I see all such qualities of all these points of view in you. Said: when I first stepped into this way, I was told to accept whatever comes from the Divine and do not see good or evil, thus when blessings reaches I am grateful and when distress reaches I am patient, the generosity of a dervish is not the prayer carpet or robe, it is a commandment that the servant knows and his God.
A part of his generosities:
Sheikh Rokn-e-din Ala- O- Douleh Semnani has said, when I used to go to the cemetery where Imam Hanbal was buried on the way there was a sacred dome and all the time I used to go there, I had not heard that an illumined righteous was buried there. When I wanted to pass there, I sensed a sign from the dome in my mind that, O: you, where are you going, come and also visit me too. I went and entered the interior of the dome, in there my time became pleasant, I saw his spirit which said: in the manner I lived, you also live. I asked: how did you live? Said: thus, I bequest you, whatever comes from the Divine, accept it. I said: If it were acceptable, will accept it. Said: anyhow, today it reaches you, accept it. I said: I shall do so. When I came to the city, I mentioned this incident to Sheikh Nour-e-din Abdul Rahman. Said: Do you know who does the dome belongs to? I said: No. Said: He is called Abu Masood, and he had a peculiar manner that whatever reached him from Divine, he did not refuse and did not want anything from anyone and wore the finest clothes and ate the finest food.
One day someone came to him and saw him wearing a turban round his head which was worth 200 dinars, said to himself what is this lavishment? When from this turban 200 dervishes can be clothed and fed? Why should one dervish wear it on his head? Sheikh Abu Masood got aware of this person’s thoughts by his illuminated insight. Said: O: you, I have not worn this turban on my own, if you want take and sell it and bring food for dervishes. That person went and sold the turban and arranged fine food and brought it after the next prayer session. When he came to the majlis session again, saw the same turban on the head of the Sheikh and got amazed. Sheikh said: Why are you surprised? Ask that person from where has he got this turban? The man asked that person. He said, last year I was on a ship, a strong wind blew against the ship, I made a vow if the ship reaches safely I would take a worthy turban to the Sheikh. It is for six months that I have been looking for a turban which my heart desires and could not find it, till today I saw this turban in the shop, said to myself, this is the turban that is worthy for the Sheikh. I purchased and brought it. Then Sheikh said, now you see someone else puts this turban on my head.
[1] In Farsi/Arabic tradition the people used to assign a digital value to alphabetic characters to transform the date of death to the meaning of words for better remembrance. This was called as ARTICLE OF DATE.
[2] Takrit is a town in Iraq located 140 kilometers northwest of Baghdad on the side of Tigris River.
Source : Sufism.ir