Letter No. 2- On Nearness to God

“In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. One afflicted with the pain of eagerness to see God and the dervish bearing oppression, my brother, Khwaja Qutubuddin of Delhi, may the most high God grant you the happiness of both the worlds.

“After Salaams enjoined by the practice of the holy Prophet, I want to set out as below:-

“Khwaja Najmuddin the younger, Khwaja Mohammed Tariq and other dervishes were once in attendance upon Khwaja Usman Harooni, may his grave be hallowed. Meanwhile a man came to the Khwaja and asked, “How to God?” He replied- “The best way of knowing it is the doing of good deeds. Know it for certain that on him the door of nearness is opened who is given the power of doing good deeds.” Then, with tears in his eyes, he continues-

“There was a man who had a maid-servant who observed punctuality of time. She used to get up at midnight, perform ablutions and offer two rakats of Namaaz (a sacred inclination of head so that palms of hands rest upon the knees in prayers), thank God, and pray with raised hands, ‘O God, I have already reached Thee, do not now keep me away from Thee. When her master heard this, he asked her, ‘How do you know you have reached the nearness to God?’ She replied, ‘I know this, because He has given me the power to get up at midnight to offer two rakats of prayer.’ The master said, ‘Go away, O maid-servant, I set thee free for God.’

“So one ought to worship God day and night so that one’s name may be entered in the register of the pious, and one be saved from the thralldom of one’s desires and the devil

– And Salaams.”

“In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. One afflicted with the pain of eagerness to see God and the dervish bearing oppression, my brother, Khwaja Qutubuddin of Delhi, may the most high God grant you the happiness of both the worlds.

“After Salaams enjoined by the practice of the holy Prophet, I want to set out as below:-

“Khwaja Najmuddin the younger, Khwaja Mohammed Tariq and other dervishes were once in attendance upon Khwaja Usman Harooni, may his grave be hallowed. Meanwhile a man came to the Khwaja and asked, “How to God?” He replied- “The best way of knowing it is the doing of good deeds. Know it for certain that on him the door of nearness is opened who is given the power of doing good deeds.” Then, with tears in his eyes, he continues-

“There was a man who had a maid-servant who observed punctuality of time. She used to get up at midnight, perform ablutions and offer two rakats of Namaaz (a sacred inclination of head so that palms of hands rest upon the knees in prayers), thank God, and pray with raised hands, ‘O God, I have already reached Thee, do not now keep me away from Thee. When her master heard this, he asked her, ‘How do you know you have reached the nearness to God?’ She replied, ‘I know this, because He has given me the power to get up at midnight to offer two rakats of prayer.’ The master said, ‘Go away, O maid-servant, I set thee free for God.’

“So one ought to worship God day and night so that one’s name may be entered in the register of the pious, and one be saved from the thralldom of one’s desires and the devil

– And Salaams.”