where nobody can see.” He also gave a bird and knife to the young man and said the same thing. Each one of them slaughtered the bird and returned, but the young man came back with the bird alive in his hands. The Sufi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه said: “Why did you not slaughter the bird like everyone else?” The young man replied: “I could not find a place where I was completely hidden, for Allah Almighty is always watching me, in every place.” After witnessing this, the followers admired his Muraqabah [meaning the action of leaving everything and only focusing on Allah Almighty] and said: “You are undoubtedly deserving of honour and respect.”^[1]

Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه went with his father (Maulana Naqi Ali Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه) to Shah Aal-e-Rasool Ahmed Qadiri رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, pledged allegiance and entered the Qadiriyyah order. The Shaykh [along with making Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه a follower of the order] gave him authority and made him a representative in all Sufi orders. He also granted him authority in Hadith.^[2] Shah Aal-e-Rasool رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه did all of this despite being extremely cautious in these affairs.

[After seeing what he had been granted as soon as he became a disciple] a man from the lodge could not contain himself and said: “Master! Making someone a representative in your family is only given after great spiritual effort and struggle, yet you made him a representative immediately!” Shah Aal-e-Rasool رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه said [whilst highlighting the reason for his superiority]: “People come to me with an impure heart and Nafs. It takes a long time to purify them. However, he came to me with a pure soul; he only required a link, which I gave to him.” He then said to the onlookers: “A thought had been troubling me for some time. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه, that has been removed today. On the Day of Judgement when Allah Almighty asks, ‘What has