In this letter the Great Khwaja Baba (R.A.)
relates the story of a man who approached
the Great Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A.)
telling him that he (the man) had attained
wide knowledge of many subjects, but failed
to achieve his object. Khwaja
Usman-e-Harooni (R.A) told him that he must
do one thing to make himself a scholar. He
advised renunciation of the world, which is
the root of all evil. Renunciation is no
easy task until the love of God reaches its
highest pitch. A man must spend his life in
poverty abstinence and hunger, he must have
humility and submission because these are
the most valuable assets in real worship and
devotion, in order to know the way. Further,
the letter also describes Hatim's 8 lessons.
Hatim was a pupil and disciple of Khwaja
Usman-e-Harooni (R.A). Khwaja Usman Harooni
(R.A) asked his disciple as to what the man
had learnt in the 30 years he had spent as
his pupil and disciple. Hatim replied that
he had learned eight lessons which are
described as follows:
1. Hatim told his Sheikh that a man
should be endowed with virtues or good
deeds. The good deeds of a person draw to
him those who will sympathize with him till
death and not desert him.
2. Men have desires and are led by their
longings. Hatim reflected on this and
thought of the Quranic Verse "He who,
fearing God, checks animals desires shall
have his place in heaven." So Hatim tried
his best to check animal desires and derived
consolation from the worship of God.
3. A man should be content with a
simple life and not worldly pleasures
because what a man in this world is bound to
come to an end; what is put by and spent on
God is consigned in his care to be endowed
with eternity.
4. Reflecting on the poor conditions of
many people, Hatim learnt that abstinence
would bring him honour in the eyes of God.
5. Hatim determined to behave peacefully
towards everybody because he knew that
wealth, position and knowledge made people
envious and jealous of one another.
6. Hatim looked upon Satan as the enemy
of man, never to be followed or listened to.
It was only God that men owed allegiance to.
In God’s worship man did not go astray.
7. Hatim realized in the course of his
learning that God was responsible for the
subsistence of his creation. So he (Hatim)
devoted most of his time to the worship of
God because he knew that God would provide
him as he promised.
8. Hatim realized that he could rely on God
just as his creatures relied on something or
other like gold and silver.
Sheikh Khawja Usman-e-Harooni (R.A) was very
impressed on hearing the eight lessons that
Hatim, his disciples, had learned and prayed
for God's blessing on Hatim for learning
these eight lessons.
The Great Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hassan
Chishty (R.A) wrote finally in his letter to
his successor that it was good deed and not
knowledge which was really needed in the
final relationship with God.
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