Possessor of Knowledge and Learing, Assembler of Generosities and Discoverer, Transcendental Knower His Holiness Sheikh Ahmad Ghazali. His family name was Abol Futuh and his respected name Ahmad son of Mohammad bin Ahmad Toosi Ghazali[1]. He is the younger brother of the famous Hojat-ol-Islam Abu Hamed Mohammad Ghazali. His Holiness was a distinguished and outstanding jurist and in the beginning of adolescence in place of his brother Abu Hamed used to teach in the Nazmiyeh School of Baghdad, till he met Sheikh Abubakr Nassaj and devoted his heart to him and repented by his hands and obtained inspiration and under his auspicious training reached perfection, till he attained to be the successor and vicegerent of his spiritual guide.

His Holiness has authoritative compilations and ascertainments and outstanding treatises, including Treatise of Savaneh, Lobab ol Ihya, Al-Zakhiratoh fi Elm-el-Basirat, etc. He was unique during his own time in external sciences and esoteric perfection and facial charm and versatile in rhetoric. After His Holiness Abubakr Nassaj, the throne of guidance was adorned and illumined by his presence for 30 years. He trained illumined righteous such as Sheikh Abolfazl Baghdadi and Ain-ul-Qozat Hamadani and Sheikh Abu Najeeb-o-din Sohrevardi and Sheikh Ahmad Balkhi and Shams ul a'immeh Raazi and gave them permission to guide.

As cited, His Holiness was on the throne of guidance for 30 years and in the year 570 Hijri (1175 A.C) vacated the robe and handed over the affairs of guidance and leading people to his successor and vicegerent Abolfazl Baghdadi[2].

Contemporaries of His Holiness from Mystics and Sheikhs:

1) Sheikh Majdood bin Adam famed as Hakim Sanaie

2) Abolqasem Hebatullah bin Abdul Vareth Shirazi

3) Ahmad bin Ali famed as Ibn Zohar Sufi

4) Sheikh Ahmad Jam

 

From Jurisprudents and Jurists:

1) Abu Hamed Mohammad Hojatol-Islam, His Holiness’ brother

2) Jarullah Zamakhshari

3) Jamal-e-din Abu Is’haq Shirazi

4) Hossain bin Qasem bin Khamis famed as Ibn Khamis

 

From Caliphs:

1) Al-Mostaz’har o Billah and Al-Mostarshed o Billah Abbasi and Al-Mostaali Billah and Al-amer o biahkam-ullah Fatemi Esmaili

 

From Sultans and Amirs:

1) Rokn-e-din Barkiyaraq bin Malik Shah

2) Abu Shoja Mohammad bin Malik Shah Saljuqi

3) Masood bin Ebrahim Qaznavi

4) Arslan Shah bin Masood Qaznavi

 

Short account of His Holiness’ sayings

In one of the chapters of the treatise of Savaneh, His Holiness states that the beloved in every situation is a beloved, then magnanimity is his attribute and the lover in every situation is a lover and humbleness is his attribute and the beloved always comprehends the lover, then humbleness always is the lover’s attribute. And nothing can comprehend the beloved because he has himself, therefore his attribute is magnanimity. Moreover, in the Savaneh he states, at the beginning the lover has clamor and turmoil and lamentation, that the burning of love of guardianship has not been grasped yet and when reaches perfection, guardianship is grasped. Narration of lamentation is for God only whose existence is eternal and also impurity is transformed to purity. And has also said that, although the lover regards His friend as friend and His enemy as enemy but when reaches perfection, it will reverse, due to sense of honor, and takes His friend as enemy and enemy as friend, and on His name he becomes zealous. A favor from God.

A part of His Holiness’ generosities:

One day someone asked His Holiness the condition of his brother Hojat-ol-Islam. Said: He is in blood. The questioner came out and started looking for Hojat-ol-Islam, and found him in the mosque. From the sayings of Sheikh Ahmad remained astonished. He informed the matter to Hojat-ol-Islam that your brother mentioned you are in blood. Hojat-ol-Islam said: Sheikh has said right that I was thinking about a problem from the matters of women’s menstruation and all myself was drowned in blood. My brother saw this by the light of divine guardianship. And it is also said that when his brother Hojat-ol-Islam Ghazali once said to His Holiness angrily: group of worshippers come to observe prayers behind this worshipper (me) from distant towns and they consider this as an reserve for the Next World, but why you, despite of being my brother and near to me, do not pray behind me, this conduct from spiritual wayfaring is unlikely! Sheikh said: If you stand as congregational prayer leader and in performing prayers you pay more attention in what you say, then I will adhere and follow and never disobey. Afterwards accompanying with Hojat-ol-Islam went to the mosque till it was time for prayers and Hojat–ol-Islam as the congregational prayer leader occupied in prayer. Sheikh also followed him in prayers and in middle of the prayers left the mosque, came out and with his disciples’ re-established prayers. When Hojat-ol-Islam finished prayers and left the mosque, he met the Sheikh and said with anger, why did you break the prayers and left the mosque? Sheikh said: I acted upon the necessities of our condition, till the Hazarat Hojat-ol-Islam was in prayers, we observed conditions of following him and when he went out to water his horse, we remained without an Imam (prayer leader) and could not complete the prayer. Hojat-ol-Islam got a pleasant feeling then and said: Glory be to the Almighty God, who has servants who are spies of the hearts, my brother says right, in the middle of prayers, it crossed my mind that, whether I gave water to my horse today. It is said that, after then Hojat-ol-Islam was inclined to spiritual wayfaring.