Mawlana Fadl al-Haq Khayrabadi [d.1278 H / 1861 CE] 'alayhir rahman w'al ridwan

An exceptional thinker and scholar of the sub-continent who was born in Khayrabad [1212H]. An officer of the Independance Movement (1857 CE), who studied first under his father Mawlana Fazl al-Imam, then completed his studies in hadith with Shah Abd 'al-Qadir. In the era of the East India Company, he was employed as a 'sir', in relation to the Commissioner of Delhi. He was appointed in many provinces, in various branches. He held a great station in logic, philosophy, literature, law, poetry, and religious knowledge ('ulum-e-diniyyah). He was also a student of SHAH ABDUL AZIZ MUHADDITH DIHLAWI [d.1823 CE] 'alayhir rahman.

Mawlana Fadl-e-Haqq Khayrabadi resided in Delhi. The gatherings of many famous poets such as Ghalib, Mu'min, Suhba'i, and Shayftah took place at his dwellings.

Literate and intellect scholars ('ulama'), such as Mawlana Mamluk 'Ali, Mawlwi Karimullah and Mawlana Nasir al-Din Shafi'i would gather to have educational seminars. Mawlana Fazl-e-Haq himself used to take great interest in poetry and literature. According to one narration, he had compiled in excess of 4000 Arabic couplets alone. Mirza Ghalib was from one of his closest friends relating to poetry.

On the issue of the 'possibility of another Messenger' (Imtina'e-Nazir), he debated with the misguided Shah Isma'il Dihlawi (deoband/tablighi jama'at). He authored many treatises in opposition to the heretical views of Shah Isma'il.

His works are mainly based upon the laws pertaining to logic (mantiq). Some of his most famous works are :


            Imtina an-Nazir
            Tahqeeq al-Fatwa fi Ibtal al-Taghawa

Mawlana Fadl-e-Haqq was embroiled in the war of independance in 1857. Upon the accusation of being a rebel, the British sentenced him to life imprisonment. He passed away during his detention in 1861 [1278 Hijri], in the Andiman-Nicobar island.

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In Makka and Madina there were the "great scholars of the age", most notably the theologists and jurists of the different law-schools. These would teach in the Haram mosque (that is, the Great Mosque of the Ka'aba) and in the Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's) mosque in Madina according to fixed schedules. Among these, by far the most influential was Shaykh al-Islam Sayyad Ahmad Zayni Dahlan (Allah be pleased with him).

1- Sharhu Matn-il-Alfiyyah; (an explanation of the text of al-Alfiyyah in the Arabic language)
2- Tarikh-ud-Duwal-il-Islamiyyah bil-Jadawil-il Mardiyyah; (a history of the Islamic states)
3- Fath-ul-Jawad-il-Mannan 'alal-'Aqidat-il-Musammati bi Fayd-ir-Rahman fi Tajwid-il-Qur'an; (a summary of the tajwid rules of recitation of the Qur'an)
4- Khulasat-ul-Kalam fi Umara'-il-Balad-il-Haram; (the history of the rulers of Makkah)
5- Al-Futuhat-ul-Islamiyyah; (a history of the opening of the different countries by Muslims)
6- Tanbih-ul-Ghafilin, Mukhtasaru Minhaj-il-'Abidin; (a summary exposing the good manners of the worshippers)
7- Ad-Durar-us-Saniyyah fir-Raddi 'alal-Wahhabiyyah; (a treatise refuting the Wahhabiys)
8- Sharh-ul-Ajurrummiyyah; (an explanation of an Arabic grammar text)
9- Fitnat-ul-Wahhabiyyah; [this booklet] (a treatise of the tribulations inflicted by the Wahhabiyyah sect).

Haji Zafar Ahmad Imdadullah Muhajir Makki [d.1317H/1899 CE] 'alayhir al-rahman w'al ridwan

Born: 22 Safar 1233h/1st January 1818
Died: 13 Jamadi-al-Akhir 1317h/19th October 1899

A great and pious personality, a kamil shaykh [complete saint] and a great sufi scholar. Born in Nanota, district Saharanpur, India.


His fathers name was Hafiz Muhammad Amin al-Faruqi 'alayhir rahman and who named him as 'Imdad Hussain', but Mawlana Muhammad Is'haq Muhaddith Dehlawi 'alayhir rahman referred to him as 'Imdadullah.'  His historical name is Zafar Ahmad. He was descended from Amir al-Momineen Hadrat Umar al-Faruq Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu and was thus a 'faruqi.' His mother paid particular attention to him in comparison to his other brothers and sisters, but sadly he was only 7 years of age when she passed away. His brothers and sisters did not pay any particular attention towards his studies, so he took it upon himself to acquire knowledge and further his studies. Through his studies, and through his inner interest (batni shawq) he started memorising the Qur'an al-karim, although certain barriers faced by him, prevented him from memorising the Qur'an completely. 

At the age of 16, he travelled to Delhi with Mawlana Mamluk 'Ali Nanotwi, (with whom he was related to, through his mothers side), where he obtained some education in the Persian (Farsi) language, and in Arabic lexicology (Nahw). He studied Mishqat Shareef with Mawlana Muhammad Qalandari Muhaddith Jalalabadi 'alayhir rahman, and studied 'Hisn-e-Hasin' and 'Fiqh Akbar', under Mawlana Abdur Rahim Nanotwi 'alayhir rahman.

It was sometime at this stage in his life, he dreamt that he was in the presence of the Beloved Messenger of Allah, Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam;-

Because of Rasullallah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam's 'jalal' [majestic-character] he was unable to move forward. Suddenly his grandfather Hadrat Bilali 'alayhir rahman arrived and took him by the hand to the presence of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. The Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam then took his hand and placed it in the hand of Hadrat Mayanji Nur Muhammad.

After this event he remained in a state of idhtirar [constraint]. After many years, one of his former teachers Mawlana Muhammad Qalandar Muhaddith Jalalabadi 'alayhir rahman took him in the presence of Hadrat Mayanji Nur Muhammad Janjhanwi 'alayhir rahman and Haji Imdadullah took bayt [oath] on his hands. Therefore up until a certain time he stayed in the presence of Hadrat Mayanji Nur Muhammad 'alayhir rahman, and made riyadah, and mujahadah, after which he obtained the path known as 'suluk'. He was then granted with the 'khilafat'.

He was bestowed with the blessing of seeing the 'Haramayn Sharifayn' and after performing the rites of Hajj [1260H/1844CE], he resided at the presence of Shah Muhammad Is'haq Muhaddith Dehlawi 'alayhir rahman at Makkah-tul-Mukarramah. Having been granted his blessings and baraka, he went to Madina-tul-Munawwarah to visit the shrine of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, at which stage he found harmony and tranquility. On his return, he stayed for a few days at Makkah-tul-Mukarramah, afterwhich he returned back to India, in [1262H/1846CE].

Due to the political turmoil and misorganisation in India he decided migrate [1276H] to Makkah-tul-Mukarramah, and thus spent the remaining 41 years of his life there. This is the reason why he is regarded as 'Muhajir-e-Makki'. The Masha'ikh of Makkah-tul-Mukarramah used to pay visitation to him, and quench their spiritual thirst therein as he held a distinguished status amongst them.

There is a secretive narration (kashf), that at one point Pir Mehr 'Ali Shah Sahib Golrawi [d.1356H] 'alayhir rahman went to perform the Hajj, and as a blessing (tabarrukann) swore allegiance [bayt] to him, and decided to reside there on a temporary basis. Haji Imdadullah 'alayhir rahman prevented Pir Mehr Ali Sahib 'alayhir rahman from remaining, as he stated that in the near future there will rise a mischief in India, and that he must go there. That even if you sit silently in India, then that mischief will not rise, and there will be peace in the country. Pir Mehr Ali Shah Sahib 'alayhir rahman interpreted this 'Kashf' to mean the mischief of the deviant new sect known as 'Qadianis'. Thus the false beliefs of the Qadianis were profusely challenged, refuted and defeated by word of mouth, and by pen.

When Haji Imdadullah 'alayhir rahman arrived back from the Hijaz, he enlightened India from mischiefs, with good words, and advice. Some people are sometimes known to be less learned and educated, but through their conformance of the sunnah, and through their actual deeds ('amal) they reach such a great stage that even great scholars ('ulama') gain their spiritual upbringing through them.



In Makkah, Haji Imdadullah 'alayhir rahman grew weak from illness and age that it was difficult for him to even turn over in bed. Hunger had diminished, and he soon passed away. He is laid to rest in Jannat al-Ma'laa, in Makkah.

He was generous in his manners, and had great virtues. He had sweetness in his speech, and met every individual with full valour. Whenever he met anyone, a smile would remain dancing at his face. He severly disliked bad manners, as the conforming to the sunnah, had become a habit.

From his works, include:

A commentary in the Persian language upon the 'Mathnavi', of Mawlana Rume 'alayhir rahman, namely, 'Gaza-e-Ruh', 'Jihad-e-Akbar', 'Mathnavi Tuhfat-ul-'Ush'shaq', 'Dar nama Ghazabnak', 'Irshad-e-Murshid', 'Dhiya'-al-Qulub', 'Wahdat-al-Wujud', 'Faysla Haft Mas'lah', 'Gulzar-e-Ma'rifat', 'Marqumat-e-Imdadiyyah', and 'Maktubat-e-Imdadiyyah', are all included.

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Hajji Hafidh Sayyad Waris Ali Shah [d.1323H ] 'alayhi al-rahmah wa'l-ridwan

Haji Waris Ali Shah rahmatullahi alayh of Dewah Shareef, U.P, India came from a distinguished family of Husayni Sayyads who had travelled from Nishapur in Iran. Waris Ali Shah's genealogy shows that he was born in the 26th generation of Hadrat Imam Husayn Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu. His father, Sayyad Qurban Ali Shah rahmatullahi alayh was a pious landlord and a man of immense knowledge having completed his education in Baghdad. The date of Waris Ali Shah's birth is disputed varying from 1233AH to 1238AH. The author of 'Ma'arif Warisya' has put the date of his birth as 1234AH corresponding to 1809 of the Common Era.



At the age of five he started learning the Qur'an and had committed it to memory by the age of seven.

For 12 long-years he travelled across the Arabia, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Iran, Turkey, Russia and Germany, it is said that he performed the Haj [pilgrimage] 10 times in the course of his travels. One day while inside the 'Ka'aba' [Sacred House of Allah, Makkah,] he began 'humming' a tune. The keeper of the 'Ka'aba' warned him and said 'You seem to forget that it is the house of God'. A quick response came from Haji Waris Ali Shah; 'Can you tell me a place where Allah is not present?'



From the date of his first Haj, Haji Waris Ali Shah discarded putting tailored clothes and started donning the Ihram (Unstitched cloth wrapped around the body during Haj). He had always travelled by foot and used no conveyance of any sort apart from the boats to cross the Seas.

He belonged to the Gujjar caste, and was a fourth generation descendant of Pir-e Shah Ghazi Qalandar Dumri-Vala, Allah be pleased with him, who was buried in Khari Sharif. Pir-e Shah Ghazi's khalifah was Khwajah Din Muhammad; and his khalifah was Mian Shamshuddin, who had three sons: Mian Bahaval Bakhsh, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh - the subject of this article -, and Mian 'Ali Bakhsh. Mian Muhammad Bakhsh's ancestors originated in Gujrat, but had later settled in the Mirpur district of Kashmir.

There is much disagreement about his year of birth. Mahbub 'Ali Faqir Qadiri, in a biography printed as an appendix to the text of Sayful Muluk gives the date as 1246 AH (1826 CE), a date also followed by the Shahkar Islami Encyclopedia; 1830 and 1843 are suggested in other works but are almost cetainly erroneous. Mian Muhammad Bakhsh himself states in his magnum opus - Sayful Muluk - that he completed the work during the spring in the month of Ramadan, 1279 AH (1863 CE), and that he was then thirty-three years of age- hence he must have been born in 1830.

He was brought up in a very religious environment, and received his early education at home. He was later sent with his elder brother, Mian Bahaval, to the nearby village of Samval Sharif to study religious sciences, especially the science of Hadith in the madrassah of Hafiz Muhammad 'Ali. Hafiz Muhammad 'Ali had a brother, Hafiz Nasir, who was a majzub, and had renounced worldly matters; this dervish resided at that time in the mosque at Samval Sharif. From childhood Mian Muhammad had exhibited a penchant for poetry, and was especially fond of reading Yusuf o Zulaikha by Nur ad-Din Abd ar-Rahman Jami May Allah be pleased with him. During his time at the madrassah Hafiz Nasir would often beg him to sing some lines from Jami's poetry, and upon hearing it so expertly rendered would invariably fall into a state of spiritual intoxication.

Mian Muhammad was still only fifteen years old when his father, falling seriously ill, and realising that he was on his deathbed, called all his students and local notaries to see him. Mian Shamshuddin told his visitors that it was his duty to pass on the spiritual lineage that he had received through his family from Pir-e Shah Ghazi Qalandar Dumri-Vala; he pointed to his own son, Mian Muhammad, and told those assembled that he could find nobody more suitable than he to whom he might award this privilege. Everybody agreed, the young man's reputation had already spread far and wide. Mian Muhammad, however, spoke up and disagreed, saying that he could not bear to stand by and allow his elder brother Bahavul to be deprived of the honour. The old man was filled with so much love for his son that he stood up and leaving his bed grasped his son by the arms; he led him to one corner and made him face the approximate direction of Baghdad, and then he addressed the founder of their Sufi Order, Ghawth al-Adham Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani May Allah sanctify his secret, presenting his son to him as his spiritual successor. Shortly after this incident his father died. Mian Muhammad continued to reside in his family home for a further four years, then at the age of nineteen he moved into the khanqah, where he remained for the rest of his life. Both his brothers combined both religion and worldly affairs in their lives, but he was only interested in spirituality, and never married - unlike them.

Despite the fact that he had essentially been made a khalifah (successor) of his father, he realised that he still needed to make a formal pledge of allegiance or bay'ah (oath) to a Sufi master. Having completed his formal education he began to travel, seeking out deserted locations where he would busy himself in prayer and spiritual practices, shunning the company of his fellow-men. He took the Sufi pledge of allegiance or bay'ah with Hadrat Ghulam Muhammad 'alayhir rahman, who was the khalifah of Baba Baduh Shah Abdal, the khalifah of Haji Bagasher (of Darkali Mamuri Sharif, near Kallar Syedan District Rawalpindi), the khalifah again of Pir-e Shah Ghazi Qalandar Dumri-Vala. He is also said to have travelled for a while to Srinagar, where he benefitted greatly from Shaykh Ahmad Vali May Allah be pleased with him.

His works include:

He also wrote a commentary on the Arabic Qasidat-ul-Burda of Imam al-Busairi May Allah be pleased with him and his most famous work, entitled Safarul ‘Ishq (The Journey of Ardent Love), but better known as Sayful Muluk.

He died on the 7th of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah 1324 AH (1907 CE), and was buried in Khari Sharif, not far from his illustrious great great grandfather Pir-e Shah Ghazi Qalandar Dumri-Vala. To this day many thousands people visit his tomb with the intention of receiving spiritual blessings.

References:

Shahkar Islami Encyclopedia: Sayyad Qasim Mahmud. (Lahore, n.d.) [In Urdu.]

Sharh-e Kalam-e Mian Muhammad Baksh Saiful Muluk o Badi’ul Jamal: Abul Kashif Qadiri. (Lahore, n.d.) [In Urdu.]

Sayful Maluk Urdu Text