The Three Heads

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وَٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَٱلَّذِي خَبُثَ لاَ يَخْرُجُ إِلاَّ نَكِداً كَذٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَۖ

'As for the good land, its vegetation comes forth by permission of its Lord.While as for the bad, it comes forth only miserably. Even so, We dispense the signs for a people who are thankful.'

(Surat al-A'raaf: 58)

This article was written by Ra'sul Hududil Mayameen Janab Syedi Aziz Bhaisaheb Qutbuddin in 2014.

The 23^rd of Muharram is the Urus Mubarak of Syedi Hasanpeer Shaheed. Mawlaya Hasanpeer Saheb was a great Aalim in the early days of Da’wat in India, before the period of Satar. He was in the lineage of Mawlaya Abdullah, one of the first two Dai’s sent by Mustansir Imam to India.

Syedna Taher Saifuddin narrates in his Risalah Khaza’inu Imamil Muttaqeen (1372H, p. 306) that the ruler in Patan at the time of Syedi Hasanpeer Shaheed was Feershah. On one occasion Feershah received 3 gold statues of identical heads inlaid with jewels as a gift from the Byzantine emperor. The Emperor sent a message along with the gift asking at what price Feershah valued the three headsand whether there was any difference between the three. The king and his courtiers were perplexed as the three heads looked exactly the same. Due to a previous encounter in which Feershah had been impressed with Syedi Hasanpeer’s knowledge, he called upon him to solve the mystery of the three seemingly identical gold heads.

Syedi Hasanpeer examined the heads and called for some water. He poured water down the ear of the first head and it flowed out of its mouth. Syedi Hasanpeer said that this is the head of an imbecile (ihmaq) – he slanders those who give him wise counsel. He can keep no secret or confidence. He simply repeats what he hears without any consideration – whether true or false. He then poured water in the ear of the second head and it readily flowed out of the other ear. Syedi Hasanpeer said that this is the head of an incompetent ignoramus (jaahil). He retains nothing of what he hears. Last, he poured water in the ear of the third head and it flowed down straight through its neck. He receives and digests the wisdom and knowledge that is given to him. He safeguards this knowledge and draws upon it in his life. Syedi Hasanpeer revealed that this is the head of a learned and virtuous man (Saalih Adeeb). He added that this head’s digestion of the water is like a precious red ruby that is worthy of being in the treasury of a king and like a ’good piece of land – that receiving the water of divine knowledge - its vegetation comes forth by permission of its Lord’ (with reference to the Qur’anic ayat quoted above from Surat al-A’raaf:58).

Feershah was impressed. He told his courtiers that, “Syedi Hasanpeer is truly a man of God (waliyullah)”. Many in the ruler’s court felt jealous and conspired to eventually assassinate Syedi Hasanpeer.

We must wonder – how much of the wisdom that we have received from our hudaat – from Syedna Taher Saifuddin, Syedna Burhanuddin and Syedna Qutbuddin— have we retained? At a time when the words spoken by Syedna Taher Saifuddin have been forgotten (or have flowed out of the other ear!) and when people repeat whatever they hear without consideration (from the ear directly to the mouth)…may our ‘head’ be one that listens and digests the wise counsel that it receives. May we take ‘ibrat and learn from the stories of the Anbiya’ and of the times gone past. May these lessons shape our thought, belief and action in the present day.

We also pray that may Allah Ta’ala grant us the ne’mat of the ziarat of Syedi Hasanpeer. Syedna Burhanuddin RA visited Denmal many times for ziarat and on the last trip during Shehrullah, Syedna Qutbuddin was due to stay back in Mumbai but at the last minute, Syedna Burhanuddin said “bhai bhi saathe aawi jaaw.”.

The nazaraat of Syedna Burhanuddin ^RA continue to flow to those who are learned and virtuous. Clearly, they do not flow to those who simply utter and repeat what they hear without consideration.

The qasida written by Syedi Abdul Qadir Hakimuddin ^RA and the salaam written by Shz. Dr. Tahera baisaheba in the shaan of Syedi Hasanpeer Shaheed has been uploaded on Fatemidawat.com. Mumineen are urged to recite these on Urus Mubarak day.