The Pearl of Wisdom - Introduction
Introduction
In the Name of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful
By the Grace of Allah, I have completed the translation of His Holiness Guru Bawa Muhiyaiddeen’s manuscript “Guru Mani”. Praise be to Allah! Under the mystical guidance and inspiration of His Holiness I undertook this onerous task with great trepidation and awe. “The Pearl of Wisdom” as I have named it, is therefore, a tribute of love and dedication from the depths of my heart to my Sheikh.
It has taken two years to complete “The Pearl of Wisdom”, the English translation of “Guru Mani”, during which time I suffered two setbacks. I had two bouts of illness after two falls but neither of these deterred me from my purpose. I am humbly aware that a few others before me had unsuccessfully attempted this task.
The original “Guru Mani” was written in the 1940’s in Tamil, a Dravidian language deeply rooted in tradition and in a rich cultural background. It is said that under the dictation of His Holiness, “Guru Mani” was handwritten by an unsophisticated goldsmith at a time when modern equipments like typewriters and tape recorders were not available at Bawa’s ashram in Jaffna.
This book is a continuous narration in conversational style between Guru and disciple, spoken in the traditional sufi way of imparting knowledge to the uninitiated, of the mystery of life here and in the hereafter.
Up to now, this rare work has been beyond the reach of the English speaking reader who is in the pursuit of truth within truth and of wisdom within wisdom and seeks to delve into the mystical realms of the Sufis. “The Pearl of Wisdom” is the caption I have chosen for my translation because it is indeed a veritable pearl of purity and wisdom which His Holiness reveals to the world within the pages of this book.
I have re-arranged a few portions of the narration to maintain a smooth flow of thought and to make the rendition more intelligible to the English language reader. This book is compartmentalised into forty chapters (in itself a mystical number) not losing sight of the continuity of the original.
People of all faiths and religions and of many races and hues gathered round His Holiness to listen to His discourses during His lifetime on earth. In Jaffna, North Sri Lanka, which has a predominantly Hindu cultural background, His Holiness often sought to clarify or explain a point by referring to the Hindu epics. Some of these references quoted in this book, for example, are found in chapter thirty-three, "The Ten Evil Sins". These ten characters were men of great eminence who had to suffer degradation because of a flaw in their character.
“The Pearl of Wisdom” I hope, will satisfy the English-speaking disciples of His Holiness in particular and the seekers of truth in general. Those who encouraged me and helped me in my work, I have separately thanked in my formal acknowledgement. But I must specifically speak of my friend, Dr P Balachanthiran, who day after day, came to my Villa to help me through the editing stage of the translation. His help has been invaluable. My wife, Ameena, assisted me in no small measure by computer-typing the entire manuscript, despite her household duties. My son, Dr Abdul Mahir, MSc; PhD, volunteered to publish the “ Pearl of Wisdom” at his own expense, for which Allah will reward him. Aameen.
My friend, Hilmy Mohideen, the President of the Colombo Serendib Sufi Study Circle, was a great source of encouragement with his inimitable gentle, soft-spoken words. The other stars in my firmament are my beloved children, Dr Mahir, Alia, Inshira, Ahmad Sasha, Khwaja Muhaiyaddeen, Noorul Nissa and my grandson Arshad Hamdan Mahir and many close relatives and friends who helped to kindle the lamp of inspiration at all times.
Among the few pictures contained in “The Pearl of Wisdom” are two portraits, one by my son, Dr Mahir, at the age of 15 years and the other by my son-in-law, Ahmad Alexandre Vladimirovich Smeiman, a Russian artist who is a great devotee of His Holiness.
In the original “Guru Mani” are many tributes in verse to His Holiness by His loving disciples, some of which are anonymous. I have translated two of them. I seek forgiveness from His Holiness Guru Bawa Muhaiyaddeen and from all His disciples for any omissions and errors I would have inadvertently committed in my translation. May Allah forgive me for any mistakes.
For the successful completion of this task I say, "Alhamdulillah, Mashallah, Subhanallah, Allahuakber! "
Mohamedali Sultan Abdul Cader
(Formerly of the Ceylon Administrative Service and Minister of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Moscow, USSR.)
M S A Cader
“Villa Quadir”, No 2, Keells Private Homes,
Pothuarawa Road, Malabe, Sri Lanka. Tel: 2561674
January 1st 2000.