Wahid Baksh Sial Rabbani
Captain Wahid Baksh Sial Rabbani (Retired) was a Pakistani saint in the Chishti (Sabri branch) order of Sufis.
He was initiated into the Chishtiyya Spiritual Order in 1940 by Hazrat Maulana Syed Muhammad Zauqi Shah (1878-1951). He remained under Hazrat Zauqi Shah's teaching for about 12 years, and then received khilafat (became his successor), along with Shah Shahidullah Faridi, Maulana Umar Bhai, and Maulana Abdus Salam. He was a practicing Sufi for 54 years until his wisaal (union) at 9:30 am on April 21, 1995.
Education and Carrier
He completed his B.A. and then joined the Bahwalpur State Forces and qualified at the Indian Military Academy Dehra Dun (India) in 1933. He participated in the Second World War in Malaya. He retired from military service in 1946 and joined the Civil Secretariat of the Bahawalpur Government. He was transferred to the West Pakistan secretariat, Lahore, in 1955, and retired in 1968.
Work
Books
He wrote several important books in Urdu and English, such as Islamic Sufism, Mushahida-e-Haq, Maqam-e-Ganjshakar, Reactivsation of Islam, Hajj-e-Zauqi, Ruhaniyat-e-Islam, etc. He also translated significant Sufi books from Persian to Urdu, including Mirat-ul-Asrar, Iqtabas-ul-Anwar, Maktoobat-i-Quddusiya, Maqabis-ul-Majalis, Talqeen-e-Ladunni, etc.
Translation Work
His translations with commentary of Lawaih-e-Jami, Jawami-ul-Kalim, and Kashful Mahjub have also been published. His commentary on Kashful Mahjub (published in Urdu and English and popularly available) is a masterpiece and first-ever in the history of Sufism.
Other
He also collected his Shaikh Hazrat Zauqi Shah's discourses and published them under the title Tarbiat-ul-Ushaq (Training of the Lovers), which is now available in English as well. This highly readable and beautifully written book focuses on the highest spiritual states and stations.
He also worked on the history of Sufism and Sufi Texts and Teachings in English, encompassing the entire Muslim world, and wrote United States of Islam, discussing the notion of pan-Islamism, with a vision for the rise of the Muslim world. He also translated Sirr-e-Dilbaran, an encyclopedia of Sufi terminology, a work in Urdu by Hazrat Zauqi Shah. His articles also appeared in the series "The Sufi Path."
Followers
His followers are in Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, Mauritius, the United States, Canada, France and the United Kingdom.
Death
He was buried in his hometown of Allahabad, in district Rahim Yar Khan (Pakistan).
Disciples
The disciples of Hazrat continue to publish his works and those of other Masters of their Order.
References
- Captain Wahid Baksh Rabbani, Islamic Sufism. "About the author". 1995: Justice Muhammad Akbar Academy, Pakistan.