Since love for you became fixed in my heart,
The outer body has become immaterial,
And not a moment is there fearfulness.
Salutations to you, Khwaja Uthman Haruni,
Make me independent of both the worlds.
The greatness of Hazrat Khwaja Uthman Haruni r.a can be measured simply glancing at the auliya-allah that sprang from his disciples, foremost of whom was the mighty saint of India, Khwaja Moin Uddin Chishti r.a. He was born in the village of Harun in Khurasan, a direct descendant of the Holy Prophet swm. By virtue of his knowledge and striving in the path of Allah, he became known as one of the greatest shaykh of his time.
Khwaja Uthman travelled very widely, and it was during one of these journeys that he encountered Haji Shairf Zandani. When he saw the glorious face of Haji Sharif r.a, he immediately placed his head at his feet and begged him to initiate him as his murid. He then devoted most of his time to seclusion and the conquering of his base desires. Upon receiving the Khalifat from Hazrat Haji Sharif Zindani r.a, a four-sided Topi was placed on his head Khwaja Sharif told him, “this cap represents four renunciations renouncing desire, renouncing sleep. Renouncing the world and renouncing the hereafter for Allah alone. This is the path of the Chishtiyah.”
For ten years he undertook strenuous mujhadahs, during which period he did not sleep by night nor eat his fill. Hazrat Khwaja Uthman was a hafiz al-Quran, and performed two complete recitations daily. It was due to these great strivings that he attained the pinnacle of spiritual glory. The effect of his tawajhu was such that whomever he bent his gaze on would renounce sin; and his muridin were characterized by a disdain for the world and proximity to the Divine.
One such murid was the great master of Indian tasawwuf, Khwaja Moin Uddin Chishti r.a , whose suluk Khwaja Uthman completed over a period of twenty-four hours. After he had molded this great servant of Islam, Uthman dispatched him to Ajmer in accordance with the instructions of Rasulullah swm. Often tales are told of the love that disciples have for their masters; but in this case, such was the longing of master for disciple that Khwaja Uthamn r.a decided to follow him to India. He embarked on this journey with another of his disciples, Khwaja Fakhr ad-Din, bringing many more people into the fold of Islam along the way.
Once they stopped in an area inhabited by Zoroastrians and needed a fire to break their fast. Coming across a great palace, they were refused permission to use the sacred fire to cook. Greatly upset that people should worship a creation of Allah rather than Allah Himself. Khwaja Uthman met with the king, whose name was Mohisa. He found him sitting on an iron throne with his seven-year old son on his lap. The Zoroastrians’ argument was that fire was divine because it was pure and burnt all that was exposed to. Khwaja Uthman laid down a challenge that if he could walk into the fire without being burnt, the king and his subjects should accept Islam. As soon as Mohisa agreed, the great saint suddenly snatched the king’s son off his lap and, to the horror of all, walked fiercely into the huge blaze. As he did so, he recited the following Quranic aayah”
“We (Allah) Said, Oh Fire! Be thou Cool and a place of safety for Ibrahim.”
Immediately, Allah caused the same miracle to work for Khwaja Uthaman r.a neither he nor the child were burnt even the slightest. Upon emerging and being asked what it had been like, Mohisa’s son replied that it was as though they had been in a beautiful garden. At this manifest miracle, the king and all his subjects became Muslim, and Khwaja Uthman r.a spent another year and a half in their company, teaching Mohisa and his son about the inner aspects of Islam. In time, by the grace of Allah, they too became saints.
Another time, an old woman whose son had disappeared forty years ago came to him for aid. He instructed everyone present to recite sura al-Fatiha five times and then told the woman to go home. He used to say, “ a friend of Allah has three qualities; generosity like the sea ( which gives unceasingly), affection like the sun(which warms all without discrimination) and humility like earth ( which considers itself lowly enough for all to tread upon it.)”
The generosity and kindness was evident in his won character, as can be gauged from the following story. A jealous neighbor bore great dislike for the saint, and used to go out of his way to trouble him. After the man died, he was seen in a dream and asked about his experiences in the grave. He said that just as the angels were about to begin his punishment, Khwaja Uthamn r.a came and forbade the angels from punishing him. Allah then tols the angels that he had forgiven the man because of the wasilah of His beloved. When Khwaja Utham r.a was asked why he done this for a man who detested him, he replied that it was the practice of his beloved Rasullualh r.a to make duaa for both friend and enemy alike.
In this way Khwaja Uthman r.a attained unity in Madina on the 5th Shawwal 617 AH, and was buried close to the mazar of his namesake Sayyidna Utham al-Ghani r.a. Unfortunately both these blessed places were destroyed by the Saudi regime, a result of its adherence to the narrow wahhabi doctrine.