But Afterwards That Good Man, The Approaching To His Lord, The Averse To All Besides Him, The Desirous Of The
Abodes of futurity, the hoper for mercy, the Darwayah Abd-ullah[FN#14] son of
the Pilgrim Joseph the Afghan,
—Henceforward let him be known by the name of "Darwaysh King-in-the-name-of-Allah!"—hath ccome to us and visited us and begged of us instruction in the Saying of Unity. I therefore taught him the saying which I learned by ordinance from my Shaykh and my instructor and
[p.331] my paternal uncle Sayyid the Shaykh Abd al-Kadir[FN#15] the Kadiri, son of the Sayyid the Shaykh Abu Bakr the Kadiri, son of the Sayyid the Shaykh Ismail the Kadiri, son of the Sayyid the Shaykh Abd al-Wahhab the Kadiri, son of the Sayyid the Shaykh Nur al-Din the Kadiri, son of the Sayyid the Shaykh Shahdarwaysh the Kadiri, son of the Sayyid the Shaykh Husam al-Din the Kadiri, son of the Sayyid the Shaykh Nur al-Din the Kadiri, from his sire and Shaykh Waly al-Din the Kadiri, from his sire and Shaykh Zayn al-Din the Kadiri, from his sire and Shaykh Sharafil al-Din the Kadiri, from his sire and Shaykh Mohammed al-Hattak the Kadiri, from his sire and Shaykh Abd al-Aziz—Allah sanctify his honoured Sepulchre and Allah enlighten his Place of rest!—from his sire and Shaykh Sayyid the Polar Star of Existence, the White Pearl, the Polar Star of Holy Men, the Director of those that tread the Path, the Sayyid the Shaykh Muhiyy al-Din Abd al-Kadir of Jilan—Allah sanctify his honoured Sepulchre and Allah
enlighten his place of rest! Amen!—from his Shaykh the Shaykh Abu-Sa'id al-Mubarak al-Makhzumi, from his Shaykh the Shaykh Abu 'I Hasan, al-Hankari,
[p.332] from his Shaykh the Shaykh Abu Faras al-Tarsusi, from his Shaykh the Shaykh Abd al-Wahidal-Tamimi, from his Shaykh the Shaykh Abu 'l Kasim al-Junayd of Baghdad, from his Shaykh the Shaykh al-Sirri al-Sakati, from his Shaykh the Shaykh al-Ma'aruf al-Karkhi, from his Shaykh the Shaykh Da'ud al-Tai, from his Shaykh the Shaykh Habib al-'Ajami, from his Shaykh the Shaykh al-Hasan of Bussorah, from his Shaykh the Prince of True Believers, Ali Son of Abu Talib—Allah be satisfied with him! and
Allah honour his countenance!—from the Prophet of Allah, upon whom may Allah have mercy, from Jibrail, from the Omnipotent, the Glorious.
And afterwards we taught him (i.e. that good man Abdullah) the Saying of Unity, and ordered its recital 165 times after each
Farizah,[FN#16] and on all occasions according to his capability. And Allah have mercy upon our Lord Mohammed and upon His Family and upon His Companions one and all! And praise be to Allah, Lord of the (three) worlds!It is finished.There is no god but Allah! Number[FN#17] 165.
[FN#1] This document is written upon slips of paper pasted together, 4
feet 5 inches long, by about 6 1/2 inches broad, and contains
altogether 71 lines below the triangle. The divisions are in red ink.
It rolls up and fits into a cylinder of tin, to which are attached
small silk cords, to sling it over the shoulder when travelling or on
pilgrimage.
[FN#2] The names are here omitted for obvious reasons.
[FN#3] Facsimile of the seal of the Great Abd al-Kadir. This upon the
document is a sign that the owner has become a master in the craft.
[FN#4] This is the living Shaykh's seal, and is the only one applied to
the apprentice's diploma.
[FN#5] Or Prince of Princes, a particular degree in Tasawwuf.
[FN#6] Ghaus (Assistance) also means a person who, in Tasawwuf, has
arrived at the highest point to which fervour of devotion leads.
[FN#7] The human soul, and its supreme source.
[FN#8] For a short notice of this celebrated mystic, see d'Herbelot,
"Abdalcader.
[FN#9] "Hasan the Second," from whom sprung the Sharifs of Al-Hijaz.
[FN#10] Father to Abdullah, Father of Mohammed.
[FN#11] Dated by M.C. de Perceval about 130 years B.C.
[FN#12] Thus, between Adnan and Adam we have eighteen generations!
Al-Wakidi and Al-Tabiri give forty between Adnan and Ishmael, which Ibn
Khaldun, confirmed by M.C. de Perceval, thinks is too small a number.
The text, however, expresses the popular estimate. But it must be
remembered that the Prophet used to say, "beyond Adnan none but Allah
knoweth, and the genealogists lie."
[FN#13] Moslems cleaving to the Neptunian theory of earthy origin.
[FN#14] Your humble servant, gentle reader.
[FN#15] The former genealogy proved my master to be what is technically
called "Khalifah Jaddi," or hereditary in his dignity. The following
table shows that he is also "Khulfai" (adopted to succeed), and gives
the name and the descendants of the holy man who adopted him.
[FN#16] Each obligatory prayer is called a Farizah. The Shaykh
therefore directs the Saying of Unity, i.e. La ilaha illa llah, to be
repeated 825 times per diem.
[FN#17] i.e. number of repetitions after each obligatory prayer.
[p.333]APPENDIX IV.
THE NAVIGATION AND VOYAGES OF LUDOVICUS
VERTOMANNUS, GENTLEMAN OF ROME.
A.D. 1503.
THE first of the pilgrims to Meccah and Al-Madinah who has left an
authentic account of the Holy Cities is “Lewes Wertomannus (Lodovico
Bartema), gentelman of the citie of Rome.[FN#1]” If any man,” says this
aucthor, “shall demand of me the cause of this my voyage, certeynely I
can shewe no better reason than is the ardent desire of knowledge,
which hath moved many other to see the world and the miracles of God
therein.” In the year of our Lord 1503 he departed from Venice “with
prosperous wynds,” arrived at Alexandria and visited Babylon of Egypt,
Berynto, Tripoli, Antioch, and Damascus.
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