Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) was born in Khorasan in a village known as Haroon. He was a direct descendant of the Holy Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) travelled very widely and during one of his travels he met with Hazrat Haji Shareef Zandani (R.A). When he saw the glorious face of Haji Shareef Zandani (R.A) he immediately placed his head at his feet and begged him to initiate him as his mureed/disciple. Haji Shareef Zandani (R.A) gladly accepted him as his mureed cutting some hair from his forehead and placing the four-sided cap upon Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A)’s head. His Murshid then instructed him to strictly adhere to the practice and teachings of the Holy Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and the masters of the Chishtia Order and that he should give up the love of this world and the people, to love, respect and live among the poor, to think of himself as low and show utmost respect to the rest, to avoid any form of pride, for only after following this will one be fit for wearing the four-sided cap and the garb of the Durwesh. Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) accepted these conditions and followed them strictly. After three years Hazrat Haji Shareef Zandani (R.A) bestowed upon him the Khilaafat and made him his successor.
For approximately 10 years he undertook strenuous Mujahedas (spiritual strivings) and during this period he never slept during the nights nor ate to his stomach’s fill. Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) was a Hafiz of the Holy Quraan and completed two complete recitations daily, one during the day and the other one during the night. It was due to his great spiritual strivings that he attained the pinnacle of spiritual glory. The effect of his glance was such that whoever he looked at with his spiritual glance became a Perfect Durwesh and whoever became his Mureed, the love of this world left his heart and he immediately attained divine proximity with his creator.
It is reported that when Hazrat used to perform salaah, a voice from the unseen used to call out “O Usman, We have accepted your salaah. So ask for whatever you wish.”
Hazrat Khwaja Usman used to reply, “Ya Allah, I ask only for You.”
The voice then used to say, “O Usman, this desire of yours will be fulfilled but also ask for something else.”
The Khwaja Usman used to ask, “O Allah forgive the sinners from the Ummat of Hazrat Muhammad (Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam).”
The voice then used to say, “Your wish has been granted and 3000 people from the Ummat of Rasoolallah (Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has been forgiven.”
This used to be situation every Namaaz and this used to be his dua.
There are many Karamats/Miracles that are attributed to Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A). Listed below are a few:
- Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddeen Chishti Ajmeri (R.A) who was his beloved Mureed says that during one of their travels together they came to a bank of a very large river but there was no boat to be seen to take them across. Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) then told him to close his eyes and after a few seconds asked him to open his eyes. He was amazed to see both of them miraculously on the other side of the river.
- Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddeen Chishti Ajmeri (R.A) says that once a Mureed of Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) had passed away. After the burial all the people had left beside himself. He went beside the grave and engaged himself in some Zikr of Allah. At that time he saw Munkar and Nakeer had appeared in the grave to question the deceased. Thereafter he saw that his Murshid Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) also appeared in the grave of his Mureed and made dua and requested Allah to forgive his Mureed because he belongs to him. Thereafter Allah had commanded the angel to leave the deceased alone because he belonged to his friend and he has forgiven him.
- Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) loved to listen to Sama but the ruler and the Ulama of that time were totally against this practice. The ruler issued a decree that whoever attends the Mehfil-e- Sama of Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) would be beheaded. When Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) heard about this he said that the listening of Sama was a practice of the Khwajegaan –e-Chisht and under no circumstance would he give it up. The next day he arranged a meeting inviting all the Ulama regarding the controversy. On one side were seated all the Ulama and on the other side was Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A). When the discussion started all the Ulama found that all their knowledge had disappeared so much that they could not even remember the letters of the alphabet. Facing this type of embarrassment all the Ulama fell at the feet of the Grand Master, begging him to return their years of hard earned knowledge. Feeling pity on them he cast one glance at them returning not only their external knowledge but also inserting in their hearts the internal knowledge. All the Ulama begged Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) for forgiveness and after this incident neither did the ruler nor the Ulama ever harass The Great Khwaja again.
- Hazrat Khwaja Ghareeb Nawaaz (R.A) says that during one of his travels with his murshid they came to a place known as Ray which was a tavern for the fire-worshippers.On reaching the place, Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) stayed under a tree. He asked his mureed Khwaja Fakhrudeen “Bring fire and prepare food to be ready by the time of my breaking fast.”He went to the fire-worshippers to fetch fire but they refused to give him fire and said,”This is our God. We cannot give fire. Khwaja Fakhrudeen returned and narrated the whole story to his Murshid. Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni Renewed his ablution and went there himself. There he saw a man named Yaksha, sitting on an iron throne, with a seven year old child in his lap, surrounded by many fire-worshippers, worshipping fire. He addressed the old man saying “what is the use of worshipping fire ?This is one of the commonest creations of God, which is extinguished by a little water. Why not worship the creator whose creation it is?” The man replied “ fire is our religion and for us it is a source of salvation.” Thereupon the great Khwaja said “you have been worshipping it for so long, drop your hand in it . If it is a source of salvation then it will not burn you.” The old man argued “it is the nature for fire to burn, who can dare put his hand in it and hope to be safe ?” He replied “ this is under the command of Allah and it will not burn without Allah’s command.” Having said thus he took the boy in the old mans lap reciting some verses from the Quran and walked into the blazing fire. Seeing all this the fire- worshippers began to make hue and cry . Having stayed in the fire for four hours he emerged with the boy safe and sound. The old man was delighted to see his son come out of the fire safe and sound. He enquired from the boy as to what he had seen in the fire. The boy replied “due to the Sheikh I was sitting in a garden therein.” The fire- worshippers repented and became muslims and the mureeds of Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A). He named Yaksha as Abdulla and his son was named Ibrahim.
Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni (R.A) passed away on the 5th of Shawaal and was buried in Makkah Mukarramah. Unfortunately his Mazaar was destroyed by the present Wahabi Saudi government.