An encounter with one Sufi (Zafar Sahab)

(I am posting following as an event of life. I never took things very seriously as described to me here. But I should attest that many things predicted here came true in my life. Whenever I had any good success in worldly affairs/profession - I recalled Zafar Sahab. Sorry for little lengthy post.)



Ab tak ye sab ya to qisse khanioN main parha tha ya buzurgoN ki zabani suna tha. 

Zafar sahab se meri mulaqat Karachi main hui. Woh cousin ki dukan pe koi cheez lene aaye the. Unke haat main Fareedudin Attar ki 'Mantiq-ut-Tayr' (The Conference of the Birds) thi. Main ne shoq zahir kiya to bole: "Rakh lo mian! Shayed tumhare liye hi bheji gai hai!"

UnhoN ne bataya, unke gareeb khane pe har jumeraat mehfil hoti hai. Main kabhi kabhi wahan jaane laga. WahiN unke sufiana silsile ke kuch logoN se mulaqat hui. 

Main duniya bhar ka 'jhap jhaliya' sirf 'curious' tha! Mujhe Allah se wisal ki na kabhi aarzoo hui aur na walion ke qissoN ne mujhe kabhi mashoor kiya! 

Zafar sahab - saaf suthri wazaa ke aadmi thi. British civil service ka asar tha is liye angrezi ziyada bolte the! Kahin se andaza nai hota tha ke sufism ke raaste ke musafir hain. UnhoN ne kai baar chaha ke unke aastane pe 'regular' ho jaun - magar mujhe to Allah aur rasool ki zaat pe bhi shaq tha is liye dur rehta!

Phir main America aa gaya - unse taaluq kam ho gaya! Bohat baras beet gaye.

4 baras pehle Pakistan gaya to socha Zafar sahab se mil aaun. Bohat piyar se mile. Ye woh zamana tha jab gherulu halat aur bachhe ki pareshani se dimag ma'uf tha. Milte hi bole: "Hum na bulate to tum to kabhi is des na aate! Aao bahir sarak pe walk kerte hain". Mere bataye bagair kehne lage: ".Tumhari pareshani baja hai. Dekho! ye dukh sukh, ameeri gareebi, beemari sahet - sab dhoop chaun hai! Achha waqt bhi guzar jaata hai aur bura bhi. Rab ne tumhari ungli pakar rakhi hai, us pe bharosa kerna sikho".

Phir sufism pe baat hone lagi. Bole: "Tum bohat confuse lagte ho. Tumhara dimag Allah ko manta hai, magar dil ragib nahi hota. Tum Mirza Galib ki tarah 'la-ilaha' aur 'illal-lah' ke beech main muall'aq ho. Kaaba-o-kaleesa ki zad main ho."

Main ne poocha: "Kiya sufism Allah tak jaane ka short cut hai?"
Hasne lage, bole: "Allah tak jaane ka short cut to nahi - magar sab se ziyada 'comforting way' zaroor hai"

Main ne poocha: "Kiya sufi banne se aadmi maujize kerne lagta hai? Jese Hazrat Essa murdon ko zinda kerte the. Kiya insaan Hazrat Shams ki tarah paani pe chalne lagta hai"?

UnhoN ne jawab diya:  "Maujize kerne ki taqat behkawa, khilona aur rukawat hai. Us ke 'display' ki ijazat sirf khas halat main hai. Kai sufi, yogi aur achhe achhe Allah wale, is manzil pe aa ke ya to 'dabba pir' ban jaate hain, ya sab kuch ganwa dete hain."

Phir kafi der hum chup chap walk kerte rahe. Phir bole: "Main ne apne 'mursheed' se ijazat le li hai. Kiya tum koi maujiza dekh lo ge to aik baar koshish karo ge? Tum isi raaste ke aadmi ho. Bus therao ki kefiyat main ho." Main ne kaha waada raha. 

Woh kafi der mujhe dekhte rahe phir bole: "Is sarak pe jis jis gaari pe nazar daalo ge uska darwaza khul jaaye ga". Main aik ke baad aik 'car'  pe nazar daalta - aur uska darwaza aese khul jaata jese kisi ne bethne ke liye open kiya ho! Ye bhi aik ajab aalam tha. Mera dil bhara huwa tha aur aankhe laal thi. Hum chalte jaate aur gariaN khulti jaati. 

Kuch der baad sab kuch normal ho gaya. Meri zaban se sirf nikla: "WOW" 

(was it just an illusion like David Copperfield show?)

Main ne jab chalne ki i.jazat maangi to bole: "Ab ke wapas jao ge to tumhare naseeb main bohat kuch likha hai. Duniya bhi Deen bhi.  Jis cheez ki aarzoo kero ge saamne aa khari hogi. Magar aik baar Allah ke raaste ka muasafir ban ke dekho. Bohat aage jaao ge. Hazrat Owais Qarni tumhare mursheed-o-hadi hain. Tum se bohat piyar kerte hain."

Main ne sir hila diya (Yaqeen tab bhi nahi aaya)

Kuch arsa pehle Zafar sahab Karachi main faut  ho gaye - magar meri manzil abhi Josh Maleehabadi ke maslak se aage nahi gai!