A
great venerated Muslim Saint by the name of Ash Sheik Usman
Wali Allah whose blessings are invoked by millions of Muslims
and Non-Muslims in Sri Lanka and abroad. This Shrine which has
been in existence for several centuries, is a place of great
significance and veneration by Muslims as well as large number
of Buddhists, Hindus and Christians.
This
is manifestly clear and can be evidenced by the large crowds
that throng the Dharga on Thursdays and Sundays, to invoke the
blessings of the great Saint, who accordingly to many sources
and their personal experiences have received success from Allah,
by this Saints intercession. The Shrine is a monument to this
Saint, and has been maintained as a place of veneration for
several centuries.
http://shaikhusmanwali.com/index.shtml
Some
Dargahs & Important Ziyarat Places in Srilanka.
1) Prophet Hazrat Syedina Azam Alaihis salatus salaams
Peak ( Famous as Adams Peak ) The First Foot Mark
on Earth by Prophet Hazrat Adam (Alaihis Salaam)
2) Mazars Shareef of Sahabi-e-Rasool Sal-lal-lahu Alaihi Wa
Sallam in Osanagoda
3) Dafther Jailany, at the edge of the Balangoda plateau in
the Ratnapura district
4) Dargah Shareef of Hazrat Syed Jabbar Ali Shah (RA) in Kathirkamam
5) Dargah Shareef of Qutub- us-Sailan : the Muslim Patron Saint
of Lanka Syedina as-Sheikh Hazrat Usman Siddique (RA) Ibn Hazrat
Ahdurrahman (RA) in Colombo
FIRST FOOT MARK ON EARTH OF HAZRAT ADAM ALAIHIS SALLAM.
Jutting
sharply skyward from the lush jungles of southwestern Sri Lanka
is the 7362 foot (2243 meter) peak of Sri Pada, the 'Holy Footprint'.
Also called Adams Peak, the mountain has the unique distinction
of being sacred to the followers of four of the world's major
religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. Long
before the development of these religions, however, the mountain
was worshipped by the aboriginal inhabitants of Sri Lanka, the
Veddas. Their name for the peak was Samanala Kanda; Saman being
one of the four guardian deities of the island. For Hindus,
the name of the mountain is Sivan Adi Padham, because it was
the world-creative dance of the god Shiva that left the giant
footprint (5 feet 7 inches by 2 feet 6 inches). According to
Buddhist traditions from as early as 300 BC, the real print
is actually beneath this larger marking. Imprinted on a huge
sapphire, it was left by the Buddha during the third and final
of his legendary visits to Sri Lanka. When Portuguese Christians
came to the island in the 16th century they claimed the impression
to be the footprint of St. Thomas who, according to legend,
first brought Christianity to Sri Lanka.
But in fact, it is the footprint of Prophet Adam (A.S) where
he stood for a thousand years of penance on one foot. When Prophet
Adam (A.S) was expelled from heaven, God put him on the peak
to make the shock less terrible - Ceylon being that place on
earth closest to and most like heaven.
The mountain is more easily seen from the sea than from land,
and also more impressive. Early Arab seafarers fascinated with
the pyramidal peak wrote of it as "the highest mountain
in the world" (it is not even the highest in Sri Lanka),
and "visible from three days sail". The ancient Sinhalese
also believed it to be of great height and a native legend tells
"from Seyllan to Paradise is forty miles, and the sound
of the fountains of Paradise is heard here". Visited by
many early world travelers, among them the Arab Ibn Batuta (1304-1368)
and the Venetian Marco Polo (1254-1324), Adams Peak attained
a legendary status as a mystic pilgrimage destination. Today
the pilgrimage season commences in December and continues until
the beginning of the monsoon rains in April (from May to October
the mountain is obscurred by clouds). Certain parts of the path
leading up the mountain are extremely steep and the climbing
chains secured in these sections are said to have been placed
by Alexander the Great (365-323 BC), though there is no evidence
that he made it this far south on his Asia travels. Atop the
peak is an oblong platform (74 x 24 feet) where stands a small
Buddhist temple and the shrine of Saman with the strange footprint.
Votive offerings are made here, especially of a coil of silver
as long as the donor is tall, for recovery from sickness; and
rain-water taken from the footprint is known to have a wonderful
healing power. Adams Peak is also called Samanalakande
or the 'butterfly mountain' because of the myriads of small
butterflies that fly from all over the island to die upon the
sacred mountain.
Foot mark of Hazrat Adam ( A.S ) in Sri Lanka first footmark
on Earth in Srilanka
Adam's Peak (Sri Pada) & Peak Wilderness Sanctuary
Horton Plains national Park borders the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary,
a crescent, 40 km (25 mile) swathe of montane forest that can
be approached from Dalhousie, 25 km (15miles) west of Nuwara
Eliya - Colmbo road, or from Carney, 8km (5 miles) north of
Ratnapura.
Endless
Stairs Hazrat Adam (A.S)s Peak
Hazrat
Adam Alaihis Salaams Peak Sripada- Srilanka
Triangular photo of Hazrat Adam Alaihis Salaams Peak -
Srilanka
SIGN BOARD DIRECTION TO HAZRAT ADAM (A.S)S PEAK
Shadow West of Hazrat Adam (A.S)s Peak in Sripada, Srilanka.
View
of Hazrat Adam Alaihis Salaams Peak - Srilanka
Hazrat
Adam Alaihis Salaams Peak - Srilanka
Mazar-e-Shareefs of Sahabis
( Campanions of Beloved Prophet Sal-lal-lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam
) in Srilanka.
Mazars
Jang-e-Badr Sahabas in Osanagoda-Galle-Srilanka
Dafthar Jailani ( Sacred Rock Cave & Masjid )
Dafther Jailany, at the edge of the Balangoda plateau in the
Ratnapura district of Sri Lanka, is a mountain retreat on the
ancient road from Galle to Ratnapura and Adam's Peak. The rock
cave mosque at Dafther Jailany is associated with one of the
greatest saints in Islamic history, namely Sheikh Muhiyadeen
Abdul Qadir Gilani.
Rock
Cave Dafther Jillani (Rizwan Allahi Thaalah Alaihim Ajmaeen
)
Masjid
Dafther Jillani (Rizwan Allahi Thaalah Alaihim Ajmaeen )
The Saint and Dafter Jailany are linked by more than name: rock
carvings, Arabic inscriptions, writings, tombstones and legend
indicate that the saint meditated at Dafther Jailany for a period,
and there are many stories about the saint's visit and his impact
on Dafther Jailany.
Today,
Dafther Jailany is the main focal point for Sufism in Sri Lanka,
and this is the story of this sacred rock cave mosque.
www.jailani.org/mosaics.htm
Qutub- us- ailan: the Muslim Patron Saint of Lanka
Hazrat
Sheikh Usman Voliyullah Dargah Sharief
Dewatagaha
Mosque in
Liptons Circus, Colombo, has become a byword in every
Muslim home, and no Muslim passes the shrine of the saint without
paying his respects.
The 150-year-old shrine the resting-place of the Muslim saint,
His Holiness Hazrat Syedina as-Sheikh Usman Siddique Ibn Ahdurrahman
(RA), who visited Ceylon from Arafat, Arabia and visited Adams
Peak and Dafter Jailani shrine at Balangoda, and later resided
in what was later known as Cinnamon Gardens, has an interesting
history behind it.
In
1820 a Sinhalese woman oil monger, the sole wage-earner of the
family, was going on her daily rounds, traveling from Bambalapitiya
through the cinnamon jungle to Maradana.In this jungle she tripped
over the root of a cadju tree and fell. Her clay pot was smashed
to pieces. Aiyo, aiyo! she cried out, My family
will have no food today. My only means of earning has been destroyed.
She wept her eyes out in desperation and exhausted, fell fast
asleep.
A voice awakened her. It asked her not to despair and bade her
rise, assuring her that everything would be well soon. She looked
up and found no one in sight and in de speration burst into
tears again.
Again the voice repeated the reassuring words. This was incredible
as she had hardly seen any human being within earshot in that
dense jungle. Suddenly she saw an old man in green garb and
his holy mien was an inspiring sight to the stricken woman.
You have nothing to fear, he told her. I shall
give you back your oil. Only fetch me a pot.
The woman started off towards Maradana to the house of a regular
customer, a Muslim by the name of Mamma Lebbe and asked his
mother to give her a new pot. When the latter queried this strange
request the oil monger said: I shall come back and tell
you my story.
She returned with the pot to the jungle to find the old man
reclining against a dawata or devata
tree. He directed her to place the pot where the first one was
broken. He pressed his foot on the ground and, behold, oil bubbled
up from the ground!
The woman was speechless with amazement. Picking some leaves
from a cadju tree he asked her to scoop up the oil with them
and fill her pot. You can now earn your living,
he told her and also requested her to inform her Muslim customers
and show them the spot where he appeared.
The grateful oil monger made obeisance to the saint and invoked
his blessings.
She hurried to the house of Mamma Lebbe and related her story
of the miracle to Mamma Lebbes mother. A party comprising
Mamma Lebbe, Periya Pitche, Meera Kani and the oil monger left
for the spot to investigate and found evidence of the miraclethe
broken pot, the seeping oil, the cadju tree, the cadju leaves
the davata tree (gaha), etc.
The party of Mushinis recited Yaseen and Fathiha and prayed:
Oh Vohiyullah (saint)! Praise be to Allah for having given
us the opportunity to bear witness to your miracle. Almighty
Allah, may You reveal to us the identity of this Voliyullah.
They returned to Mamma Lebbes mother and vouched for the
truth of the miracle and the accuracy of the womans report.
They bought up the rest of the womans oil after she had
finished her rounds and dismissed her after giving her a good
meal.
The Muslims of the area appointed Maniina Lebbe as their leader,
and Trustee of the shrine. The identity of the saint was still
unknown.
In 1847, twenty-seven years after the miracle, there came from
Maghrib to this Island a divine, Hazrat Sheikh Ali Jahbarooth
Moulana, who took up his residence at the Maradana Mosque, Colombo.
He was informed of the Dawatagaha miracle and on an appointed
Friday, after Jumma prayers, a party of Muslims headed by Jabbarooth
Moulana and including Katheeb Assena Lebbe, Sheikh Abdul Quadir
and others proceeded to the shrine and recited Kaththam Fathiha.
Hazrat Jabbarooth Moulana identified the grave of the saint.
He shrouded himself with his 'jubba' (robe), knelt by the grave
and sought communion with the saint. When he finally emerged
from the shroud his face seemed ablaze with divine light. He
announced to the assembled Muslims:
Oh, Almighty Allah, this is a most venerable saint. His
name is Seyed Usman Siddiq Ibn Abdurahman, one who came to this
Island on a pilgrimage to Adams Peak and after living
in the vicinity for some time, died here.
He then turned to Katheeb Thambi Lebbe and said, What
month is this?
Katheeb Thambi Lebbe said, Today is the fourth day of
the Muslim month of Zulqadha.
Hazrat Jabbarooth Moulana then told those assembled, We
shall recite Kaththam Fathiha for the ten days of this month
every year in the saints memory and distribute niyath.
He gave a sovereign to the Trustee, Mamma Lebbe, and asked him
to prepare ghee rice for the pilgrims. He also asked the Muslims
to find a flagpole. A bamboo stalk was found near Mamma Lebbes
house and handed over to Jabbarooth Moulana who exclaimed Marhaba!
Marhaba! and tearing a portion of his white turban, made
a flag of it, and planted the flagpole at the head of the grave.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Arab tomb-stone in Ceylon
Khalid Ibn abu Bakaya was a learned & pious Arab whom sent
by Caliph of Baghdad on a missionary to Ceylon. It is said that
he was responsible to build the first and largest mosque in
Colombo, which was said to be in Galle Buck.And it is said that
he died in Colombo and buried in this mosque ground.
And a tomb-stone was erected over his grave in the 10th century
A.D or 377 Hijiira, the inscription on the tomb-stone was sent
by the Caliph him self.
Over 800 years it had remained undisturbed over the grave. It
was removed by the Dutch Dissave of Colombo and later it was
used at the door-step of one of the officers.
During the time of British reign, the officials had discovered
this tomb-stone, sent it to a very clever erudite Arabic scholar
at Cambridge. After many attempts, got the inscription translated.
The script contained a prayer to Allah for the repose of the
soul of Khalid Ibn Abu Bakaya.
Source book SIR RAZEEK FAREED, by M.C.A Hassen
MUSLIM HISTORIC SITE IN BERUWALA SRILAKA ( Oldest Masjid in
Lanka )
Kechimalai Mosque Beruwala - One of the oldest
mosques in Sri Lanka. It is believed to be the site where the
first Arab Muslims landed in Sri Lanka
The Kechimalai Mosque Is the oldest Mosque in Sri Lanka. It
is believed the site of the mosque is where the first Muslims
landed in Sri Lanka.
Old Photo of Masjid Kechimalai ( Oldest Masjid in Srilanka )
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAMOUS DARGAH SHAREEF OF SUFI SAINT IN KATHIRKAMAM
HAZRAT SYED JABBAR ALI SHAH BABA (RA)
Kataragama - The Timeless Shrine
According to Islamic tradition our forefather Hazrat Adam (alaihis
salaam ) first descended to earth in Serendib (modern Sri Lanka)
upon Adam's Peak. From the very beginning it seems that Serendib
was the nearest of all places on earth to heavenly Paradise.
And a great deal of this divine endowment is still preserved
in Serendib to this day.
Islamic
Kathirkamam is one of the foremost living examples. Its fabulous
wealth -- still largely untapped -- is amply testified by the
thousands of Muslim pilgrims who go there annually even from
distant places far beyond the shores of blessed Serendib. A
simple yet powerful Mosque & Shrine there are intimately
associated in quranic and pre-quranic lore with Hazarat Khizr
(alai), 'The Green Man', identified with the mysterious servant
of Allah and holy teacher of prophet Musa (Moses) spoken of
in the Holy Quran (Sura Khalf 'The Cave'), is believed to be
the discoverer of the Ma'ul Hayat or Water of Life.
VISIT BY NAQSHBANBI SHEIK UL MASHAYAK HAZRAT NASIM (DBT)
As the contemporary author M.C.A Hassan observes:
In olden days, people held this place in such reverence that
a Muslim traversing the wilds in the entire Eastern Province
and parts of the Northern Province shuddered to refer to Kataragama
by name. If one were to inquire from another as to where he
was going the latter's answer often was "to the Khizr region".
The surrounding hamlets were listed as places receiving the
patronage and blessings of Hazarat Khizr.
A parallel testimony is found in the 1870 report by the Government
Agent, Hambantota, Mr. Hudson who certified that:
Mohammadans of the Village of Hambantota and the nearby villages
come in vast numbers to Kataragama in search of a secret subterranean
spring, the waters of which, if drunk are said to endow a person
with the blessings of perpetual immortality.
The heart of the 'Khizr region' of Serendib, therefore is none
other than Kathirkamam or Khizr-gama as the place is also known
among Sri Lankan Muslims, many of whom, remarkably, claim to
have seen the ancient living prophet Hayat Nabi (Arabic: 'living
prophet') or Khizr himself. To this day, the reputed site of
the Ma'ul Hayat in Kathirkamam is occupied by an old Islamic
house of prayer also known as Khizr Maqaam or 'the (spiritual)
station of al-Khizr.'
Zikr or Rembrance
Originally a humble wattle-and-daub hut, the 'Khizr Room' as
it was called was occupied by pious recluses who came to live
a life of undisturbed prayer and poverty. They were faqirs or
'impoverished ones' in the genuine sense of being endowed with
the ornament of spiritual poverty. The tradition also survives
to this day.
Muslims believe that there are certain times and certain places
that yield a rich return to those steadfast ones wisely engaged
in profitable undertakings. The holy month of Ramazan, for instance,
represents an exceptional opportunity for believers to please
Almighty Allah with offerings of prayer, fasting, charity (zakat),
and 'remembrance' or zikr.
What exactly is it, however, that Sufis or Islamic mystics are
keen on 'remembering'? And who indeed is the mysterious figure
of al-Khizr that so many claim to have drawn inspiration and
blessings from -- and even to have met? And what connection
has Kathirkamam with a body of lore originating from far beyond
the shores of Serendib?
Often associated with the biblical prophet Elijah and St. George
the patron saint of England, al-Khizr in the traditions of Islam
is identified with an unknown servant of Allah who was blessed
by God 'out of His own knowledge' (min ladunni ilma) with exceptional
wisdom and the gift of perpetual life -- the Water of Life in
other words. Prophet Moses (alai), commanded by God to learn
of the higher mysteries from this servant of Allah, found Khizr
(alai) 'at the place where two currents meet and merge into
the sea (majma'ul-bahrain). Local tradition maintains that the
two currents are the visible Menik Ganga or River of Gems and
the hidden or underground current of grace (Tamil: arul) and
wisdom that issues from this site on the left bank of the Menik
Ganga -- al-Khidr's Fountain of Life.
Even prophet Moses himself, however, could not bear patiently
with Khizr's baffling lessons into the paradoxes of life. With
his third failure, Moses was obliged to part company with his
strange teacher.
According to the commentator Husain, al-Khizr was a general
in the army of Zul- Qarnain (Alexander the Great) while some
legends maintain that he was Alexander's cook. Either way, the
association of al-Khizr with Iskandar or Alexander the Great
has persisted from pre-Islamic times and is amply testified
over much of south, central, and western Asia. To this very
day, encounters with al-Khidr by pious believers continue to
occur, particularly at Khidr-gamam.
In Serendib, for instance, the principal Khizr shrine at Kathirkamam
is situated a scant three hundred meters from that of the ancient
war god Skanda or Iskandar deified. The two -- Iskandar and
Khidr -- are said to have come together in search of the Fountain
of Life; Khizr (alai) alone discovered and tasted the divine
elixir. What Iskandar doggedly sought, Khidr found without seeking,
they say.
As recently as the sixteenth century, so many mainland Sufis
continued to cross by way of Jaffna en route to Kathirkamam
that the Portuguese authorities feared a native plot to infiltrate
a mufti-clad army in to expel the colonialists. The old Jaffna
pilgrimage route, ordered to be sealed off, fell into relative
disuse thereafter. Yet many Sufi descendants still carry on
the tradition of pilgrimage to Kathirkamam to this day.
Saints
In 1845 Seyed Jabbar Ali Shah came from Bakhara in central Asia
to Kathirkamam in response to a divine summons. The saint lived
a long life of solitude, prayer, remembrance, and voluntary
poverty in Kathirkamam. His mausoleum today is a prominent feature
of the sacred premises that are said to contain at least sixty
unmarked graves of Muslim pilgrims.
The annual 15-day Kataragama festival in July is a spirited
occasion for Muslims no less than others. The colourful festival,
dating from antiquity, officially begins only with the kodi-yetrum
or ritual hoisting of an Islamic flag at the mosque, signifying
to Muslims the primacy or preeminent position of Islam. Although
pious Muslims keep strictly apart from non-Muslim practices,
the Kathirkamam Mosque & Shrine remains open to all humble
seekers of truth and admits pilgrims of every confession. Kathirkamam,
it is rightly said, is a place where every pilgrim is respected
and people of all religions may mingle openly, sharing freely
with others the spiritual food of their resective traditions.
Anticipating a growing stream of Muslim pilgrims to Kathirkamam,
the Mosque & Shrine under the even-handed stewardship of
M.H.A. Gaffar of Galle has undertaken an ambitious and well
thought-out programme of building restoration and expansion.
Under al-Haj Gaffar's personal direction, the old mosque has
been restored and improved to meet the needs of pilgrims while
also preserving and protecting the sacred character of the site.
A separate Muslim pilgrims' rest house with spacious facilities
is also under construction in the New Town with the support
of many Muslim donors.
And yet among modern Muslims there are some who declare that
it is shirk (idolatry) for believers to resort to the shrines
of saints, although even the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sal) himself
also did so.
In practice, however, many believers have found that the intercession
of Allah's beloved servants -- the awliya -- yields an astonishing
return in the divine grace, wisdom and peace of soul that, in
the final reckoning, is the best insurance and the only abiding
asset on Judgment Day.
This article was first published as in The Sunday Observer (Colombo)
of April 7, 1991.
Shahabuddin or Patrick Harrigan has been acting editor of the
Kataragama Research Publications Project since 1989
***************************************************
Below taken from : www,sufistudycircle.org
The Serendib Sufi Study Circle (founded in 1967) is dedicated
to learning, practising and propogating the teachings of our
beloved Sheikh His Holiness Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
(Rad).
His
Holiness Sheikh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (lovingly called Bawange or
Guru Bawa by his devotees) was first found by a group of religious
pilgrims in the early 1900s meditating in the jungles of Kataragama
in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Awed and inspired by his personality
and the depth of his wisdom, he was invited to a nearby village.
Since
that time, people of all walks of life from paupers to prime
ministers belonging to all religious and ethnic backgrounds
have flocked to see Sheikh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen to seek comfort,
guidance and help. Sheikh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen tirelessly spent
the rest of his life preaching, healing and comforting the many
souls that came to see him. He cultivated a farm in Jaffna to
feed the many people who came to him and constructed the Mankumban
Mosque.
Sheikh
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen supervising work on the farm in Sri Lanka.
The
Mosque of Sheikh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen in Mankumban, Jaffna, Sri
Lanka.
In
1971, he was invited by his American disciples to Philadelphia,
USA. Here too, people from all religious, social and ethnic
backgrounds flocked to hear him speak. In Philadelphia, Sheikh
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen founded the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship and
constructed the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Mosque.
Sheikh
M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen has authored over twenty books on Islam
and spirituality and the Fellowship he founded recorded thousands
of hours of audio and video discourses.
Across
the United States, Canada and England, he won recognition from
religious scholars, journalists, educators and world leaders
as a true saint. Many entered into the fold of Islam through
his blessing. The United Nation's Assistant Secretary General,
Robert Muller, asked for Bawa Muhaiyaddeen's guidance on behalf
of all mankind. Time Magazine turned to him for clarification
during the hostage crisis in 1980. Shiekh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
touched the hearts of thousands of people by his overwhelming
compassion and wise words. He was interviewed by Psychology
Today, the Harvard Divinity Bulletin, the Philadelphia Inquirer,
and the Pittsburgh Press. Wherever he went, he tirelessly answered
the many personal and mystical questions that people brought
to him.
Sheikh
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen giving a discourse.
The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Mosque in Philadelphia, USA.
In
a cold winter day on 8th December 1986 Sheikh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
(Rad) returned to his Lord (May Allah be pleased with him).
His Mazaar is located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA.
The Mazaar of Sheikh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Rad) in Chester County,
Pennsylvania, USA.
INDIA : THE LAND OF HOLY PROPHETS
DO YOU KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
INDIA WAS THE LAND OF ISLAMIC PROPHETS!!!!!!
Starting
of Mankind is in India.The first man in earth is Hazrat Adam(AS).
Prophet Adam(AS) landed from paradise to Adam mountain in Srilanka.Sri
lanka is the part of ancient India.The grave (maqam) of Adam(AS)
and Hawwa beevi is in Mannar,Sri lanka. The foot prints of prophet
adam (AS) is seing in parapally,kerala and also in adam mountain.
Hazrat
Habeel (AS) is the holy son of Adam (AS).The grave (maqam) of
habeel is in Rameswaram,Tamilnadu,India.
Prophet
Shees(AS) is another son of Adam(AS).The grave(maqam) os Shees(AS)
is in Ayodya,Fizabad India.
Really
amazing thing is that, Prophet Nooh (AS) is living in India.The
grave (maqam ) is in ayodhya. Actually the word ayodya derived
from al-judi.
Bawa
Muhaiyaddeen
Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was a revered Sufi saint from
the island of Sri Lanka who shared his knowledge and experience
with people of every race and religion and from all parts of
the world. He belonged to the Qadri order of sufism. He first
came to the United States in 1971 and established The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
Fellowship of North America in Philadelphia. Since then branches
have spread throughout the United States
and Canada, as well as in Sri Lanka, Australia and the UK
Little
is known of his early personal history. Records of his life
began in the early 1900s when religious pilgrims traveling through
the jungles of Sri Lanka first caught glimpse of a holy man.
They were overwhelmed by the depth of divine knowledge that
he imparted. Sometime later a pilgrim invited him to a nearby
village, and with that began his public life as a teacher of
wisdom.
Throughout
Sri Lanka, people from all religious and ethnic traditions would
listen to his public discourses. Many consulted him on how to
conduct life's affairs, including public figures, politicians,
the poor, and the learned.
In
1971 Bawa Muhaiyaddeen accepted an invitation to visit the
United States. Here, once again, people from all religious,
social and ethnic backgrounds would join to hear him speak.
Across the United States, Canada and England, he won recognition
from religious scholars, journalists, educators and world leaders.
The United Nation's Assistant Secretary General, Robert Muller,
asked for Bawa Muhaiyaddeen's guidance on behalf of all mankind.
Time Magazine turned to him for clarification during the hostage
crisis in 1980. Thousands more were touched by his wise words
when interviewed in Psychology Today, the Harvard Divinity Bulletin,
the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Pittsburgh Press. Wherever
he went, he tirelessly answered the many personal and mystical
questions that people brought to him until his death on December
8th, 1986.
For
fifteen years, M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen authored over twenty
books and the Fellowship he founded recorded thousands of hours
of audio and video discourses. The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship
now serves as a thriving community dedicated to studying and
disseminating the vast treasury of his teachings.
The
name Muhaiyaddeen literally means 'the giver of life to the
true belief.' And indeed Bawa Muhaiyaddeen did spend his life
awakening and strengthening faith in God within people's hearts.
Though he was an unlettered man, he was able to guide and inspire
people from all walks of life.
Certain
scholars and leaders from the Islamic, Judaic, Christian, Hindu
and Sikh communities considered him a saint.
Taken
From : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bawa_Muhaiyaddeen
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