Sheikh Abul Hassan Kharaqani

Sheikh Abul Hassan Kharaqani is among the most well-known and well-respected Sufis. Kharaqani was born in Kharaqan, a village near Bastam in the state of Khurasan (northeastern Iran) in 963. His parents were farmers, and he also earned his living through farming. Kharaqani had two sons, both of whom were Sufi practitioners following their father’s footsteps. One of Kharaqani’s students was the great mystic of Khurasan, Abdullah Ansari (d. 1089).

It is narrated that for over twelve years Abul Hassan performed jamaat prayers in Kharaqan, then would go to Bastam, pray and meditate on Bayazid’s grave, and the next morning come back to Kharaqan to lead people in prayers. One day he heard Bayazid’s voice saying: “Abul Hassan, it is time for you to lead. I have seen your light when I passed by Kharaqan one hundred thirty years ago. I knew that you were a chosen servant of Allah. So seek the help of that light and find what you need to discover.”

When the time of his passing came close he asked people to bury him thirty meters deeper than normal and said: “It is not respectful that my body is buried equal or higher than Bayazid’s body.” Kharaqani died in 1033 and was buried on the hills of Kharaqan. His mausoleum includes a library and a room that hosts visitors and is a place of pilgrimage; it is recorded as one of the National Heritages of Iran.