[Q 611] Meaning of Chilla Explained

QUESTION:

What is chila? We here about awliya doing chila

ANSWER:

In the lives of Awliya (Awliya – friends of Allah) علیھم رحمۃ الرحمٰن, the practice of chilla kashi (chilla kashi – spiritual retreat) is quite prominent.

To attain the قرب (qurb – closeness) of Allah عزوجل and to achieve purification of the heart and other righteous objectives, the بزرگانِ دین (buzurgan-e-deen – pious elders) who tread the path of ولایت (wilayat – sainthood) adopt seclusion, engaging with complete focus in specific awrad o wazaif (awrad o wazaif – litanies and supplications) and zikrullah (zikrullah – remembrance of Allah). This practice is called chilla.

The word chilla is derived from chehl, meaning forty. Since the duration of such spiritual discipline is most often forty days, it is called chilla.

Its basis is found in the Qur’an and Hadith. In the Qur’an, Allah تعالى states:

وَ اِذْ وٰعَدْنَا مُوْسٰۤى اَرْبَعِیْنَ لَیْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِنْۢ بَعْدِهٖ وَ اَنْتُمْ ظٰلِمُوْنَ(51)

Translation from Kanz-ul-Irfan: And remember when We promised Mūsā forty nights, then you took the calf (in worship) after him, and you were in actual fact oppressors.

In Tafsir Sirat-ul-Jinan, it is mentioned that after the destruction of Fir‘awn and his people, when Hazrat Musa عليه السلام returned with Bani Israel, Allah تعالى promised to grant the Torah. For this, a period of thirty days was set, then increased by ten more days, making forty days in total (as mentioned in Surah Al-A‘raf, verse 142). During these forty days and nights, Hazrat Musa عليه السلام stayed on Mount Tur, refrained from speaking to people, and devoted himself entirely, after appointing Hazrat Harun عليه السلام as his deputy. Allah تعالى then granted him the Torah in written tablets.

Similarly, in Hadith Mubarak, it is mentioned that Aaqa Kareem صلى الله عليه وآلہ وسلم would seclude himself in the cave of Hira for several nights to engage in عبادت (ibadat – worship) and to increase in closeness to Allah عزوجل:

عن عائشة أم المؤمنين أنها قالت: أول ما بدئ به رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من الوحي الرؤيا الصالحة في النوم، فكان لا يرى رؤيا إلا جاءت مثل فلق الصبح، ثم حبب إليه الخلاء، وكان يخلو بغار حراء فيتحنث فيه – وهو التعبد – الليالي ذوات العدد قبل أن ينزع إلى أهله، ويتزود لذلك، ثم يرجع إلى خديجة فيتزود لمثلها، حتى جاءه الحق وهو في غار حراء
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 3)

Answered by: Mubashir Attari (AskMufti Scholar)
Translated answer
Date: 10th April 2026.