Yâ Hâbib Yâ Sâhib al-Qadam

Greatness

Is always built upon this foundation:

The ability To appear, speak and act

As the most Common Man.   

A Muslim fought an infidel one day
And as they fought requested time to pray.
He prayed and fought again, the infidel
Then asked for time to say his prayers as well;
He went aside to find a cleaner place
And there before his idol bowed his face.
The Muslim, when he saw him kneel and bow,
Said: "Victory is mine if i strike now."
But as he raised his sword for that last stroke,
A warning voice from highest heaven spoke:

"O Vicious wretch, from head to foot deceit,
What promises are these, you faithless cheat?
His blade was sheathed when you asked him for time;
For you to strike him now would be a crime,
Have you not read in our Quran the verse
‘Fulfil your promises’? And will you curse
The word you gave? The infidel was true;
He kept his promises? And so should you.
You offer evil in return for good-
With others act as yourself you would!
The infidel kept faith with you, and where
Is your fidelity, for all your prayer?
You are a Muslim, but false piety
Is less than this poor pagan’s loyalty"
The Muslim heard this speech and went apart;
Sweat poured from him, remorse accused his heart.

The pagan saw him as if spell bound stand,
Tears in his eyes, his sword still in his hand,
And asked: "Why do you weep" The man replied:
"My shame is not a matter i can hide"
He told him of the voice that he had heard
Reproaching him when he would break his word,
And ending said: "My tears antcipate
The fury of your vengeance and your hate"
But when the infidel had heard this tale,
His eyes were filled with tears, his face turned pale,
"God censures you for your disloyalty
And guards the life of His sworn enemy,
Can i continue to be faithless now?
I’ll burn my Gods, to Allah I will bow,
Expound His law! Too long my heart has lain
In darkness bound by superstition’s chain" 
What infidelity you give for love!
But I shall wait until the heavens above
Confront you with the actions you have done
And number them before you, one by one. 

A lover, tired out by the tears he wept,
Lay in exhaustion on the earth and slept;
When his beloved came and saw him there,
Sunk fast in sleep, at peace, without a care,
The beloved took a pen and in an instant wrote,
Then fastened to his sleeve, a little note.
When he awoke and read the words his pain
(increased a thousandfold) returned again -

"If you sell silver in the town" he read,
"The market’s opened, rouse your sleepy head;
If faith is your concern, pray through the night -

Prostrate yourself until the dawning light;
But if you are a lover, blush with shame;
Sleep is unworthy of the lovers name!
He watches with the wind throughout the day;
He sees the moon rise up and fade away-
But you do neither, though you weep and sigh;
Your love for me looks like an empty lie.
A man who sleeps before deaths sleep I call
A lover of himself, and that is all!
You’ve no idea of love, and may your sleep
Be like your ignorance - prolonged and deep!"

My religion is to be kept alive by Love:
life derived from this animal soul and head alone is a disgrace.
The sword of Love sweeps away the dust from the lover’s soul,
for this sword clears sins.

When the bodily dust is gone, my moon shines:
my spirit’s moon finds an open sky.
For so long, O Adored One, I’ve been beating this drum of love for You
to the tune of ‘See, my life depends upon my dying.’

If you do not possess the staff of caution and
discrimination, use the eyes of him who sees.
If there is no staff of caution and discrimination,
do not wander on the road without a guide

Syedina Jalaluddin Rumi, may Allah sanctify his soul & bless his secret

Syed Abul Hassan Bin Usman Bin Ali Al-Hajweri (Arabic: سید علی بن عثمان الہجوہری ) (sometimes spelled Hujwiri), also known as Shaikh Ali Hajweri, Data Ganj Bakhsh (Urdu: داتا گنج بخش ), or Data Sahib, was a scholar of Islam and a Sufi saint, and writer of the 11th century. He singificantly contributed to the spreading of Islam in South Asia.

He was born in Ghazna (in present day Afghanistan) and died in Lahore (in present day Punjab, Pakistan) in 1077 CE. His most famous work is Kashf al Mahjub (”Unveiling the Veiled”), which was the first Persian language treatise on Sufism. The work debates Sufi doctrines of the past. Hujwiri said that individuals should not claim to have attained “marifat” or gnosis because it meant that one was prideful. True understanding of God should be a silent understanding. and such was the gratitude of the people of Lahore for his spiritual gifts that they called him by the simple Hindi name “Data” (meaning “the giver”) or else “Data Ganj Bakhsh” (”the giver who bestows treasure”). Few details are known of the life of this man, though he came to exert a significant influence on the Muslim spiritual life through his writings, above all the famous Khasf al-Mahjub (Revelation of the Mystery). His tomb, which was built by the grandson of Sultan Mahmud, remains an important center for the followers of Sufism from all classes.

A sign of his importance for Sufism is the small shrine adjacent to Shaykh Hujwiri’s tomb, which is known today as the station of Shaykh Mu’in al-Din Chishti. When the latter came from Afghanistan to India in the closing years of the twelfth century, he is said to have stopped to pray and meditate at the tomb of Shaykh Hujwiri to seek permission to go further, since Data Ganj Bakhsh had spiritual authority over the entire Indian subcontinent. Shaykh Mu’in al-Din evidently received permission to proceed, together with the broadest authority, and as a result the Chishti school is probably the most extensive lineage in South Asia.

Hazrath Sayyid Ali Hujweri (Rahmatullahi alaihi) is a wali of such a high status that it is stated that Shaykh Abd al-Qadir Jilani (Rahmatullahi alaihi) said, when he was once mentioned in his gathering, “I, Abd al-Qadir, would have taken him as my Spiritual Guide if I was born in his time.” Khwaja Sahib who had reached such a high spiritual status, had such respect for Data Sahib, that he spent forty days at the feet of data Sahib. Before leaving Lahore he offered the following couplet in appreciation of Ali Hujwiri (Rahmatullahi alaihi)’s status:

Ganj Buksh Faize Alam Mazhare Nure Khuda

Naqesara Ra Pir e Kamil Kamila Ra Rahnuma.

He is a bestower of treasure (Ganj Baksh) reflecting Divine Light for the salvation of mankind.

To the unworthy he is a perfect guide, but to perfect souls, he is still a guide

Data Ali al Hujwiri is also viewed as an important intercessor for many Sufis.

His mausoleum, popularly known as Data Durbar, is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Visit The Web Site Of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh in Urdu and English

One night a man was crying, Allah Allah!
His lips grew sweet with the praising, until a cynic said,

"So, i have heard you calling out, but have you ever gotten any response?"

The man had no answer to that. He quit praying and fell into a confused sleep.

He dreamed he saw Hazrat Khidar, the guide, in thick green foilage.

"Why did you stop praising?"

"Because i’ve never heard anything back"

"This longing you express is the return message"

The grief you cry out from draws you toward union.

Your pure sadness that wants help is the secret cup.

Listen to the moan of a dog for its master.
That whining is the connection.

There are love dogs, no one knows the names of.

Give your life to be one of them.

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly
One day a small opening appeared
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours
It struggled to force its body through that little hole
Then it seemed to stop making any progress
It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could
And it could go no farther.

So the man decided to help the butterfly
He took a pair of scissors and snipped off
The remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily, BUT,
It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings
He continued to watch the butterfly
He expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge
And the body would contract
Neither happened!

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling
Around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
It was never able to fly.

The man acted with well-intentioned kindness
But he didn’t understand the consequences.
The restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get
Through the tiny opening, were nature’s way of forcing fluid
From the body of the butterfly once it achieved it’s freedom
From the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.
If nature allowed us to go through life without any
Obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as we could have been
And we could never fly

Have a great day, great life, and struggle a little.
Then fly!

Many hundreds of years ago there were two man of Kabul who fell upon very hard times. They lost all they owned and suffered great hardship and poverty. So great was their misfortune that, try as they might, they could not improve their position. Always something happened to them to cause them a setback. Great were the bodily hunger and distress of mind, which they suffered. Grief and sorrow lay upon them like a heavy cloud. One day one man said to the other: ‘We have suffered much and have toiled hard, yet there seems no hope of improving our lot. Let us leave this country and seek our fortune elsewhere. Surely that would be a wise move. The good sultan Mahmud is now reigning, and he is well known for his generosity. Let us go to Ghazna and try to see him. Then at least it will give us some hope that our miserable circumstances may be altered’.

So they set out for Ghazna and on the road they met a man who joined their company and walked with them. He was a very pious man and he seemed happy and contented; indeed it was as if he walked the earth like one of the blessed.

“Tell me, my brothers”, he asked the two men, “where are you going? And what is the purpose of your journey?”

“We have both suffered great and prolonged misfortune and have endured great hardship”, the two men replied. “In Kabul we have toiled hard and long and have yet failed to improve our lot, and having heard of the great generosity of sultan Mahmud and his concern for the poor and needy we have decided to make our way to him in the hope that he will look kindly upon us and help us back on the road of prosperity”.

The two men of Kabul then asked the stranger whither he was bound and what the object of his journey was.

“I, too, have nothing I can call my own in my country and my affairs too are going badly”, he replied. “I go in search of some lawful means of support, but I do not expect anything from sultan Mahmud or anyone like him. Sultan Mahmud and his kind are besieged by a hundred thousand men all hoping that he in his infinite grace and bounty will bestow some gift or favour upon them. I shall look elsewhere for a solution to my difficulties”.

The three men continued their journey in company and when at length they arrived in Ghazna they took up their lodging together in a ruined building.

One night the three men were sitting together in the ruin talking of this and that, and it so happened that at this time sultan Mahmud had left his palace with two close friends to take a walk in the moonlight. As they approached the ruin the sultan was attracted by the sound of voices; he walked on, discovered the three travellers and asked them who they were.

The two men of Kabul replied: “We have been crushed in the press of poverty and misfortune and are now distressed and helpless. We left our own country to seek some betterment of our lot elsewhere. Fate has led us hither and we hope that somehow, somewhere, the cloud of misery which envelops us will be lifted”.

“And what are your wishes?” inquired the sultan.

“Even if we say what our wishes are we know they will never be fulfilled”, said the two men of Kabul. “What useful purpose will be served by reciting them?”

And the sultan said: “It is the duty of men to help each other. Therefore, tell me your desires that I at least may know how you could be helped”.

The first man replied: “I was once prosperous and had great wealth. This world, with its chances and changes, ceased to be lucky for me, and the shame of my poverty and the disgrace of my family have caused me to leave my country. Now, if I had ten thousand dinars I could regard the sum as fresh capital and could then raise my head again and return to my country”.

The second man replied: “I had a dutiful and loving wife. The loveliness of her features surpassed the rose in beauty; the radiance of her face made the moon seem to decline in splendour. I loved her much and could not bear to be parted from her. But she died and I was so consumed with grief that I felt lost and helpless. If his highness the sultan were to present me with a member of his harem so that my life might once more be lighted by the sun of her presence, I would gladly return to my own country”.

The third man remaining silent, the sultan turned to him and said: “And have you no wish?” And the third man answered:

“I place all my trust in God. I need neither a wife nor gold. I turn my face towards the mercy of God by Whom all favours are granted. All our desires are known to God and God knows what we deserve. I place myself in His hands; He will grant whatever is right for me. All I ask of you is this: if you enjoy the favour of God and if He grants you your desires, please pray to Him for my sake that I may never follow a line of thought or action which is against His will”.

The sultan said no more and, without letting it be known who he was, rose and departed. Next morning he ordered that the three strangers whom he had met in the ruin be brought to his presence.

When the men saw the sultan and realised that he was the man with whom they had spoken on the previous evening, they thought at first that he was going to be angry with them. But the sultan asked each to step forward in turn and state his wants, and the two men of Kabul repeated what they had said before. When it was the turn of the third man to step forward and speak he said:

“Begging leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Sweet is the generosity of the noble-minded. O most kind of the rulers, may the treasury of your desires remain filled with the gold, silver and jewels of prosperity so long as the storehouse of God is full of blessings. Although many rejoice in your bounty and you yourself know the sweet taste of good deeds, those who have found their peace with God are so contented that they have no desire to take anything from another man. Contentment is not sweetened by the generosity of others and the delights of independence are far greater than any pleasure there may be in receiving gifts from others. I submit my hopes and longings only to God; He will grant what is right and good for me. I have no need to ask another man for anything”.

Now the sultan, who was not used to meeting such independence, tried to persuade the man to ask for some gift or favour, but the man could not be shaken from his avowed principles. The sultan then gave orders that the man who wanted a wife should be given one of the sultan’s own damsels, while the man who wanted money was presented with two purses of gold. He then commanded that all three men should return to their own countries. The three men accordingly set out on the road back to Kabul.

When the companions had walked about seven miles the man who had been given the gold began to feel tired from the weight of it so he handed it to his empty-handed friend, requesting him to carry it until he had rested a while.

After the three men had left the presence of the sultan, the ruler turned to his courtiers and said: “That independent man has put me greatly to shame. Although I tried to persuade him to accept a gift of some kind he would take nothing and when he left me I felt as if I was in the position of a poor man”.

Now one of the courtiers was a very greedy man, and greedy men are the natural enemies of the contented. “The sultans and kings of this world” – said the greedy courtier – “are God’s treasurers. Men who will not turn to their rulers for help or scorn their favours are guilty of the sin of pride and act contrary to the will of God. Such men deserve to die and should be punished”.

This statement greatly excited the sultan and he at once ordered one of his chamberlains to hasten along the road which the three men had taken and, leaving undisturbed the man with the gold and the man with the girl, to seize the man who was empty-handed, kill him and bring back his head to the sultan.

However it so happened that when the chamberlain overtook the tree men, the independent man was carrying the gold upon his back and the owner of the gold was empty-handed. The chamberlain acted swiftly and without wasting words. He cut off the head of the owner of the gold and returned it to the sultan.

When the sultan saw the head he exclaimed: “Thoughtless fellow, you have made a mistake!” and immediately sent off another chamberlain, commanding him to sever the head of the man who carried no burden. But it so happened that the owner of the girl had entrusted her to the independent man and had fallen a little behind. When the messenger came up he perceived the owner of the girl following empty-handed in the wake of the independent man and immediately cut off his head. He hurried back to the palace and presented the head to his master, but again the sultan cried in astonishment: “This man has also been killed by mistake!”

The sultan was thrown into great agitation, but when he had had time to think he became calm and saw that the grace of God had indeed sheltered the independent man from harm. He thereupon summoned another attendant and commanded him to follow the same road and bring into his presence the man who was walking along with both the gold and the girl.

When this was done and the independent man was once more standing before the sultan, the ruler said: “And what has become of your companions?”

“May the sultan prosper and live for ever!” answered the independent man. “He who presented my companions with the gold and the damsel has in return taken their lives. Any man who puts possessions before his Creator turns his face away from real happiness and will not pluck a single flower from the garden of his desires. Whoever turns away from God will find no happiness wherever else he turns”.

Once again he did not want to accept any gift from the sultan, but he asked that the families of the two murdered men would receive a large sum of money and then he left sultan Mahmud.

The attitude of the independent man greatly impressed the sultan and made him realise that this man had indeed tasted the sweets of the love and knowledge of God.

Aay khwaaja agar maal agar farzand ast
Peydaa-st ke moddat baqaayash chand ast
Khosh aanke delash be delbari darband ast
Kash baa del o jaan ahl-e del peyvand ast

O, man of importance, perhaps with money and offspring you may start,
But it is clear that with all these after a short time you will have to part.
Happy is he who connects his heart to the Beloved.
And with heart and soul is tied to the folk of heart.

Hadrat Baba Fariduddin Ganje Shakr (alaihir rahmah) was born on the 29th Shabaan in 569 A.H. in Khotwal, a village near Lahore. He was a direct descendant of Hadrat Umar Farooq (alaihir rahmah), the second Caliph of Islam.

It is narrated that a miracle occurred before his birth proving his Saintship. One day, during the pregnancy of his mother, she wanted to pluck some plums from her neighbour’s tree without his permission, but the child in her womb (Hadrat Baba Farid) created a severe pain in her stomach that forced her to abandon the idea of plucking. After a few years after Hadrat Baba Farid’s (alaihir rahmah) birth, his mother lovingly expressed: “My dear son, during your confinement I never ate anything which was unlawful.” Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah), however, smiled and said, “But, my dear mother, you wanted to pluck some plums from our neighbour’s tree without his permission when I had created a severe pain in your stomach which saved you from this unlawful act.”

After he had completed his early religious education at the age of 7 in Khotwal, his mother for higher education sent him to Multan. Here he stayed in a masjid where he learnt the Holy Quran by heart and studied Hadith, Fiqh, Philosophy and Logic under the tutorship of Moulana Minhajuddin.

During his studies, Hadrat Khwaja Qutbuddin (alaihir rahmah) of Delhi visited Multan where Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) became his mureed (disciple) in the Chistiya Silsila. Upon the instructions of his Peer-o-Murshid, he undertook a tour of Islamic countries, for about 18 years from 593 A.H. to 611 A.H. He travelled to Ghazni, Baghdad Shareef, Jerusalem, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Mecca and Medina meeting many great saints and Sufis. After the demise of Hadrat Khwaja Qutbuddin (alaihir rahmah) the mantle of spiritual leadership in the Chistiya Silsila fell on the shoulders of Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) when Khwaja Qutbuddin (alaihir rahmah) nominated him to be his Khalifa or spiritual successor.

It is narrated that when Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) visited Medina Shareef he was spiritually commanded by the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) to visit Baghdad Shareef and meet Hadrat Abdul Wahaab, son of Hadrat Ghaus-ul-Azam Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jilani (radi Allahu anhuma). He was to receive some sacred relics from him. Accordingly, when he reached Baghdad Shareef, he received a box from Hadrat Abdul Wahaab (alaihir rahmah) which contained the folowing holy relics: Two flag-poles which were used by the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) in some of the battles fought by him; one wooden bowl in which Huzoor (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) used to eat; one pair of scissors and one Turban which was used by the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).

Because of political upheavals in Delhi, he was obliged to shift the centre of the Chistiya mission from Delhi to Ajodhan now known as “Paak Patan”. The Khanqah of Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah), with his patronage, became a great university of “Moral and Spiritual Training.” Thousands of aspirants, scholars, dervishes and Sufis reaped benefit from this spiritual university. Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) reached the pinnacle of spiritual glory through extremely hard Mujahedas (spiritual striving) to gain mastery over the Nafs.

Once Hadrat Khwaja Qutbuddin (alaihir rahmah) ordered Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) to perform the “Chilla-e-Maakoos” for 40 days. This chilla was seldom undertaken by Sufis and was one of the most difficult tests of Hadrat Khwaja Baba Farid’s (alaihir rahmah) faith and courage. It was to be performed in a well by hanging himself in a reverse or headlong position with his feet tied up by a rope to a sturdy branch of a treetop.

Once, due to utter weakness, Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) helped himself to walk with the aid of a staff. But after a few steps, the colour of his face suddenly became purple, as if he was under heavy punishment. He threw away the staff. When Hadrat Khwaja Nizaamuddin (alaihir rahmah), who was escorting him, enquired the reason for this, Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) replied, “I wanted to take help of the staff, but Allah’s Displeasure frowned upon me for depending on other’s help instead of His. I, therefore, threw away the staff and felt highly ashamed of this weakness in my faith in Rabb, the Almighty.”

It is also narrated that once a trader was taking a caravan of camels laden with sugar from Multan to Delhi. When he was passing through Ajodhan (now Pakistan), Hadrat Baba Fariduddin (alaihir rahmah) enquired casually as to what he was carrying on his camels. The trader sarcastically replied, “It is salt.” Hadrat Baba Fariduddin (alaihir rahmah) also affirmed, “Yes, it may be salt.” When the trader reached Delhi, he was awfully perturbed to find that all his bags of sugar had turned to salt. He immediately returned to Ajodhan and apologised before Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah). Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) said: “If it is sugar then it shall be sugar.” The trader returned to Delhi and was pleased to find that the salt had turned back to sugar by the Grace of Almighty Allah. This is how Hadrat Baba Saheb (alaihir rahmah) received the title of “Ganje Shakr.”

One of the devotees of Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) named Mohammed Neshapuri lived in Gujerat and was coming to Delhi with three other companions. On their way in the jungle, robbers encountered them. Mohammed Neshapuri and his companions had no arms to defend themselves. In such a helpless state, Mohammed Neshapuri remembered his Peer, Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah), and also offered prayers seeking Allah?s help in their predicament. Suprisingly, the robbers threw away their arms and offered apology to the party and went away.

One day some poor people came from Arabia to see Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) and said that were strangers to the land and that all their money was spent before the end of the journey. Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) gave them some dried dates which were lying in front of him at the moment and said, “Take them and go. Your journey shall be completed by the Grace of Allah.” Apparently, these persons were very disappointed with such a “cheap gift”. After leaving the Khanqah, they wanted to throw away the dates, but just as they were about to do so, to their amazement, the dates turned into gold. Regretting their miscalculations, these people left happily uttering their heartfelt gratitude and prayers for Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah).

He fasted throughout his life and maintained his nightly prayers and devotions. Fear of Allah always dominated him. He was a staunch devotee of Prophet Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) and dedicated his entire life to the veneration of the Beloved Prophet’s (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) immortal glory. At the mention of the Holy Prophet’s (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) character he would often weep out of his love and devotion. Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) avoided to go near kings, government officials and the rich. He also warned his Khalifas, devotees and mureeds to avoid their company. He was a living picture of humility. Whatever he received was spent in the Name of Allah and his chest overwhelmed with mercy and forgiveness. Many miracles are attributed to him during his lifetime and after his passing away.

On the 5th of Muharram, during the Esha prayer while in the act of Sajdah, he uttered “Ya Hayyo Ya Qayyum” and with these words on his lips his soul disappeared into the Eternal Bliss of his Beloved Allah. Immediately a “Nida” or Divine Voice declared: “Dost ba Dost Pewast” - Friend has merged into the unity of “Friend” (Allah).

An old woman that was one of the devotees of the Saint presented a piece of cloth for the Kaffan of Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah). She implored: “I have not spun even a single thread of this cloth without having Wudhu. I had prepared it for my own coffin but if it is accepted for the Kaffan of this great Saint, I feel confident, Allah would be pleased with to pardon my sins and grant me salvation.” Hadrat Baba Farid?s (alaihir rahmah) son accepted this cloth as the Kaffan.

His Mazaar Shareef is in Paak Patan, Pakistan. Hadrat Sabir Paak, Hadrat Nizaamuddin Awliya and Hadrat Jamaluddin Hansi (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in) are among his favourite Mureeds and Khalifas. It is generally recognized that he had three wives and many children. Hadrat Baba Farid (alaihir rahmah) was indeed one of the most brilliant stars of the Chistiya Silsila and is held in high esteem by one and all.

KHANQAH IN JERUSALEM

It has been discovered that a Khanqah of Hadrat Baba Fareed (alaihir rahmah) is existing in Jerusalem. This Khanqah is built on one and a half acres of land and is now part of an Indian Trust. Four hundred years ago when Hadrat Baba Fareed Ganj-e-Shakr (alaihir rahmah) went to Jerusalem to make “Chil’la”, the Governor of Jerusalem at that time gave him two huge rooms that were attached to the Musjid on the law of Islamic Waqf. This place has now became a place of Ziyaarah for people from far and wide. Many people from India visit this Khanqah annually to gain blessings.