Abu Bakr al-Shibli

[1][2] Abu Bakr Shibli was born in Samarra, although his family was of Iranian origin from the village of Shibliyah in Osrushana, Transoxania.

Abu Bakr al-Shibli was a high official of Baghdad before he embarked on the spiritual path and became a disciple of Junayd Baghdadi.

Meanwhile, in the Sultanate, the Caliph realised that Shibli had not committed any wrongdoing and a search party was sent out to find him.

The officials carried a set of royal robes that the Caliph had sent for Shibli to wear.

The officials offered the robes to Shibli saying that a decree had been passed reinstating him and that he could return without fear of being prosecuted.

How angry great God should be that even after He gave me the robe of His Divine Love, I shunted all His duties and went about aimlessly in this world forgetting Him every moment?

The Caliph thought that Shibli was mad, revoked his order of restitution and threw him out of the palace.

Later he met Abul-Qasim Mohammad Al-Junayd of Baghdad and recognised his spiritual greatness: "O revered One!

In reply, Junayd smiled and said, "You have to struggle and undergo several hardships to attain that jewel."

Shibli set off to beg for food in Baghdad, where he had enjoyed an enormous influence.

Junayd bade Shibli to go around the kingdom and beg pardons from all those he had wronged during his tenure in the Caliph's court.

Hence, Junayd Baghdadi conferred khilafat upon Abu Bakr Shibli who led the order after him.

Shibli preached to others to repeat Allah's name incessantly for emancipation which is known as dhikr in Sufi terminology.

However, the moment he realised that their repetitions were only outward and not bursts of devotion, he stopped advocating the invocation of the Name as a spiritual practice.

A divine voice told him: "He who has surrendered to God, who is dead to all worldly phenomena, cannot be harmed by the elements."

Shibli replied, "I am mourning because people don't have love for God but are only outwardly happy.

The spiritual lineage of Abu Bakr Shibli which reached him from Prophet Mohammad was as follows:[5] Of his khalifahs, Abdul Aziz bin Hars bin Asad Yemeni Tamimi, continued his teachings and order.

Junayd blessed his disciple and declared that he had achieved the Ultimate Vision of Supreme Reality.