Chosen Saints of God and the Bigoted Mullas — Page 19
Creator that he thought that he had become one with Him and in ecstacy of superhuman love he imagined that he had become a part of Allah”. (the Book ‘Anwaar-i-Auliya' p. 180-181: under the heading "Hussain Mansoor Hallaaj" and under the heading: "Was Mansoor an apostate?") (2) HAZRAT IMAM SHEIKH ABUL HASSAN ASH'ARI (died 324. Hijra). Sheikh Abul Hassan, the saint, had not played a mean part in undoing the harm done to Islam by the free-thinking Mu' tazalia sect and their spurious philosophy. In this art he was a past master and an excellent orator and a fine exponent. Over and above all this he was a very pious man of exceptionally good manners. He was a highly advanced sage in spiritual matters. He was imbued with great enthusiasm for propagating. Islam and the teachings of the Holy Quran. Because of his exceptional power of oration he was lovingly called the "Tongue of the Nation". . Allaama Abu Asfaraaeeni was generally accepted as a great scholar and a distinguished jurisprudent that his own knowledge as compared with the knowledge of Abul Hassan Bahili, one of Ashari's pupils, was like a drop in the ocean”. (Taareekhi-Déawat-o-'Azeemat”: part 1: p. 87-91). Even this highly praiseworthy and distinguished scholar of his age was not exempt from the attack of the heresy-framing mentality of the Mullah class of his time. He was also pronounced as a heretic and an apostate. (Weekly ‘Khurseed'; Sandela: 25th February, 1938: p. 6) (3) HAZRAT ABU BAKR SHIBLI (born 267 H. ; died 364. Hijra). Hazrat Shibli was the most leading figure of his age in mysticism. In fact he was incomparable in this line. His fame had reached far and wide because of the miracles he had worked. . He received a lot of troubles at the hands of the ignorant and the riff-raff. Several times he was denounced as a heretic as is mentioned in 'Al-Yawaqeet Wal-Jawahar, "Several times the verdict of heresy was pronounced against him". (p. 15: vol. 1) (4) HAZRAT ABU UTHMAN MAGHRABI (born 302 H. , died 373 Hijra). Hazrat Abu Othman Maghrabi was also a great 19