excerpted from The Naqshbandi Sufi Way: History and Guidebook of the
Saints of the Golden Chain,
by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, KAZI,
1995.
Grandshaykh Abd Allah used to serve in his master's khaniqah. Every day hundreds of visitors arrived to visit the shaykh, most of them coming from Daghestan. Among the many visitors to the shaykh was the Russian teacher George Gurdjieff. Having recently arrived in Turkey, after a long and arduous escape from Russia at the time of the Communist revolution, Gurdjieff came to visit Shaykh Sharafuddin. He had had many contacts with Sufis of various orders and had been raised in, and had traveled extensively throughout, the long region of the Caucasus. He was pleased to find the inheritors of the distinguished Daghestani Naqshbandi lineage.
Shaykh Sharafuddin asked Shaykh Abd Allah to host their guest. Shaykh Abd Allah recounted the events of the meeting to several of his disciples many years later. As soon as they met, Shaykh Abd Allah said, "You are interested in the knowledge of the nine points. We can speak on it in the morning after the dawn prayer. Now you eat something and rest."
At the time of the dawn prayer, Shaykh Abd Allah called Gurdjieff to come and pray with him. As soon as the prayer finished, the shaykh began to recite Surah Ya Sin from the Holy Quran. As he finished reading, Gurdjieff approached him and asked if he could speak of what he had just experienced. Gurdjieff said, "As soon as you finished the prayer and began to recite, I saw you come to me and take my hand. We were transported to a beautiful rose garden. You told me that this garden is your garden and these roses are your disciples, each with his own color and perfume. You directed me to one particular red rose and said, 'That one is yours. Go smell it.' As I did, I saw the rose open and I disappeared within it. I entered its roots and they led me to your presence. I found myself entering into your heart and becoming a part of you. Through your spiritual power I was able to ascend to the knowledge of the power of the nine points. Then a voice, addressing me as Abd an-Nur, said, 'This light and knowledge have been granted to you from the Divine Presence of God to bring peace to your heart. However, you must not use the power of this knowledge.' The voice bid me farewell with the salutation of peace and the vision ended as you were finishing the recitation from the Quran. "
Shaykh Abd Allah replied, "Surah Ya Sin was called 'the Heart of the Quran' by the Holy Prophet (saws) and the knowledge of these nine points was opened to you through it. The vision was by the blessings of the verse, 'Peace! a Word (of salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful' [36:58]. Each of the nine points is represented by one of nine saints who are at the highest level in the Divine Presence. They are the keys to untold powers within the human being, but there is no permission to use these keys. This is a secret that in general will not be opened until the Last Days when the Mahdi appears and Jesus returns. This meeting of ours has been blessed. Keep it as a secret in your heart and do not speak of it in this life. Abd an-Nur, for that is your name with us, you are free to stay or go as your responsibilities allow. You are always welcome with us. You have attained safety in the Divine Presence. May God bless you and strengthen you in your work."