Mahboob-ul Aalam (RA):Pinnacle of our Spiritual Legacy(Dr. S. Iqbal Quraishi)

Kohi maran SRINAGAR KASHMIR

Shukur lillah Haale mann har lahza Neiko tar shud ast
Shaikhe Shaikhan Shaikh Humzah ta maraa rahbar shud ast
(Allamah Khaki)

Kashmir being famous in the world for its picturesque beauty that nature has bestowed her abundantly led it to be known as paradise on earth
Gar Firdows barr roye zameen ast,
hameen ast o hameen ast o hameen ast.
Its environs full of serenity has produced and attracted lots of personalities who were in search of Absolute Truth & Reality and wanted to dissolve their existence with the nature’s ecstatic dance. This perseverance was so much passionate that this region became a hub for spiritual experiences by the Sufi saints to unravel the secrets and mysteries of the Truth and therefore, evolved to be known as Pir waer (The Garden of Saints).

The surroundings laid a great impact on the psyche of the people of Kashmir to make them subtle and humane. The onset of Islam to this region was welcomed by the then Buddhist ruler Rinchen Shah (who was in search of Truth)when one of the great Saint of Suhrawordi order namely Hz.Sayyid Sharf ud Din Bulbul was meditating on the bank of river Jehtum and Rinchen Shah along with his wife were overwhelmed by the spiritual impact of the saint and embraced Islam. History bears testimony to the fact that the people of Kashmir embraced Islam primarily by experiencing its spiritual manifestations which were transmitted by the Sufi Saints who had come here mostly from Central Asia- the then treasure of spiritual movements and orders.

The process continued and within a short span of time majority of the population in Kashmir was attracted towards islam and embraced it as the way of experiencing their lives in enlightenment, certainly with the untiring efforts of the Saints such as Hz. Shah e Hamadon, Hz. Soyyid Husain Simnani and Hz, Mir Muhammad Hamadani, predominantly, by the influence of their moral & spiritual character. To mention a few more Sayyid Muhammad Rufal at Asfahani, Sayyid Ahmad Quraishi, Sayyid Muhammad Quraishi, Shaikh Noor ud Din Reshi, Baba Nasr ud Din Reshi, Sayyid Ali Aali Balkhi, Baba Boom ud Din Reshi, Baba Zain ud Din Reshi, Babo Lateef ud Din Reshi, Baba Nawroze Resh|, Baba Shakoor ud Din Reshi, Sayyid Muhommad Madani, Shaikh Baha ud Din Kubrawi, Sayyid Jomal ud Din Bukhari, Sayyid Mansoor, Sayyid Hassan Mantagi, Sayyid Muhammad Amin Owaisi, Mir Mirak Andrabi, Shaikh Homzahh Makhdoom; Mir Sayyid Ahmad Kirmani,

Shaikh Yaqoub Sarfi, Makhdoom Haji Ahmad Qari Al-Quraishi and Khwaja Tahir Rafiqui. As the list is endless to be mentioned and there has been a tremendous contribution of these personalities not only in grooming the collective character of the people of Kashmir but also by creating a treasure of knowledge & literature that exists both in published and unpublished forms. The literature expounds various dimensions of knowledge & wisdom which includes numerous dimensions of Tasowwuf as well, wherein, the secrets of Sufi experiences and observations have been recorded.
Since last more than six hundred years now, our Patron saint Alamdaer e khitaye Kashmir, Hz. Shalkh-ul Aalam has soothed the generation after generation by his teachings recorded in Shruks which had a great impact on the people from all walks of life irrespective of cast, colour and creed. History bears witness to the fact that Shaikh-u/ Aalam carries a distinct and iconic status for this region. He not only played a very significant role in awakening the people against the tyranny but also influenced all the then existent ideologies and dogmas by the fundamentals of Tawheed, Tassawuf and Gnosticism.

Likewise, Hz. Sultan-ul Aarifeen Shaikh Hamzah Makhdoom carried on the mission of his predecessors and
strictly practiced the Shariah. Hz. Makhdoom was bom at Tujar Sharief in 900 A.H. In his infancy his mother suffered from the scarcity of milk to feed him, so a nurse was called but astonishingly he didn’t accept her milk for many a days and
ultimately it was unrevealed that the nurse had come to feed Hz. Mokhdoom without the permission of her husband, Keeping in view the spiritual inclination Hz. Makhdoom was brought to Srinagar by his grandfather Zaitee Raina, where, he imbibed Quranic knowledge from Baba Fatehullah within a record time. Then Hz. Makhdoom was advised to join renowned and prestigious Madrassah Dar-ush Shifa located near the foothills of Kah-i Maran.

“After elementary study of the Quran in Tujjar, his village, Shaikh Hamzah was sent to Baba Ismail Kubrawi, a well-known scholar of his time, who enrolled him in the college known as the Dar-ush-Shifa at the foot of the Koh-l-Maran. Besides the Quran, its exegesis,Traditions and the Fiqh, Shaykh Hamzah (r.a) studied Sufism and allied sclences One of his noted teachers was Akhund Mulla butfullah, Another was Mulla Fathullah Haqqani, the san
of Baba Ismail Kubrawl.” (G.M.0. Sufl, Kashir-
Being a History of Kashmir, Vol |, All Mohammad &
Sons, 1970, 2008, p. 112}

Hz. Makhdoom used to go to Khangoh e Shamsi Chek for performing Dhikir to satiate his spiritual quest. The book Asrar-ul Abrar mentions that Hz. Makhdoom said that he was bestowed with knowledge from Gaib (unseen), moreover Allama Khaki says in the masterpiece Wird-ul Mureedeen:

Chu Khuda ime ludini kard taileemash ze mehor

Bahre osror-i ilighl aalimay amhar shud ast

Knowledge to him was bestowed by the Creator Himself
Thus in the mysteries of creation he acclaimed Mastery

Furthermore, Khwaja Azam Dedmari mentions in Woqiyate Kashmir that Hz. Makhdoom was initially guided from Gaib and thereby, points towards his association with Uwaisi silsilah and then, once Hz. Makhdoom in a dream saw Prophet (PBUH) wherein, he ordered him to take Bayah (oath) on the hands of Hz. Sayyid Jamal ud Din Bukhari who would reach to him very scon. And the same thing happened and Hz Makhdoom took Bayah on the hands of Hz. Sayyid and entered into the Suhrawardi silsilah, as Allamah Khaki says:
Gam na bayad khurd maoraan rowze hashr az tishnagi
Mumbaye een silsilah chu Saqiye Kawser shud ast
Let us not be worried about the thirst on the doomsday
As the origin of this silsilah is the holy Prophet (PBUH)
{Saqi-e-Kousar) himself

Hz. Makhdoom throughout his life practiced and transmitted the secrets of spiritual enlightenment, ecstasy and frenzy amongst the hundreds and thousands of disciples along the lengths and breadths of this region in order to know and go nearer to the Absolute Reality and achieve purification, as the holy Quran proclaims, “But those will prosper who purify themselves (87:14).

Prof. Syed Mohi ud Din Habib who translated a book of Abdul Majeed Raina’s Sultan-ul Aarifeen Spiritual Epitome of Kashmir writes:

Allah had favoured Hz. Mahboob-ul Aalam Sultan-ul Aarifeen with such high status and unlimited blessings that in every word and action and in happenings and events a clear glimpse of his intuitions, miracles and manifestations were reflected. There is no limit to his spiritual events and manifestations. Baba Daud Khaki writes once an idea came to my mind that | shall write a bit about the miracles and the manifestations of my guide which | saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears. The time came when by the Divine help and favour of God | decided to write an eulogy about him and produced in me the power to present his miracles, his status and spiritual manifestations”.

It is a well established fact that the people of Kashmir embraced Islam under the influence of Sufis and the impact is so strong that they by and large for the last 700 years adhered to Islamic faith and practices associated to Sufi culture of tolerance, accommodation, togetherness and harmony without any apparent serious difference or conflict among sects or religions. Kashmir is an unique place in the world where Islam was spread through spiritual (Sufistic) influences exhibiting great degree of forbearance, love and peace amongst the masses, which unfortunately at present is diminishing every day in and day out.

Hz. Makhdoom as a missionary with great zest and zeal travelled along length and breadth of the region to disseminate the real message & teachings of Islam. He was instrumental in setting up a large number of masjids all over the region and a galaxy of disciples of highest intellect were groomed by Hz. Makhdoom who in turn vehemently worked on the ground amongst the common masses both individually and collectively to spread the real message of islam. The prominent disciples are Hz. Mir Baba Haider Tulmuil, Hz. Baba Dawood Khaki, Hz, Shaikh Ahmad Chogii, Hz Khwaja Hasan Qari, Hz Khwaja Ishaag Qari, Hz. Khwaja Sikandarpuri, Hz. Baba Ali Raina, Hz. Meeram Bazaz, Hz. Shaikh Rupa Rishi, Hz. Shaikh Babs Harde Rishi, Hz, Sayyid Mir Khan, Hz, Mullah Feroz Ganai, Hz. Mullah Shams ud Din Pal, Hz. Khwaja Attar Ganai, Hazrat Mubarak Khan Baihagi, Hz. Khwaja Usman Kout, Hz. Mutlah Soff Baba, Hz. Mullah Sofi Ahad, Hz. Mir Abdullah Qazi, Hz. Khwaja Bahram, Hz. Mian Manik Shah, Hz. Khwaja Dawood Tusi, Hz. Regu Dar, Shaikh Behram Gortengoo, Maulana Mir Muhammad Afzal, Hz. Shaikh Bayazid, Hz. Shaikh Hassan Baba Mutawalll, and Majzoob Zeeti Shah Dragmullah.
Later on the mission was continued by the great missionaries like Hz. Baba Naseeb-ud Din Gazi and Hz. Shaikh Dawood Batmatoo and the Silsilah is still in continuum and having deep roots in unrevealing the complexities of the knowledge and
wisdom to know the Absolute Reality. Moreover, the endeavours put forth by Hz. Makhdoom in institutionalizing the integrated holistic system of education by introducing the concept of Taleem and Tarbiyat. Hz. Makhdoom then became the Muhtamim-e Aala {rector) of Dar-ul Shifa and also developed a library in the vicinity of Hz. Sayyid Belaad-e Rumi’s shrine.

Few masterpiece literary works written by the disciples of Hz. Makhdoom are:

Wirdul Mureedin and its interpretation Dastur~ul-Salikeen — Baba Dawood Khaki, Risalae Sultani- Shaikh Ahmad Choguli, Hidayat-ul Mukhliseen – Baba Haider Tulmull, Chilchilat-ul Aarifeen – Shiakh Ishaaq Qari, Tazkirat-ul Murshideen — Khwaja Meeram Bazaz, Tazkirat-ul Aarifeen — Baba Ali Raina, Ramooz ul Talibeen – Maulana Jafar. And the later contributions are Noornama — Baba Naseeh ud Din Gazi, Asrar-ul Abrar — Baba Dawood Mishkati, Sultani — Mullah Baha- ud Din Mattoo etc. Almost every historian and chronicler of Kashmir has mentioned the role and contribution of Shaikh Hamzah with high reverence. Most of the poets especially Mathnavi writers and sufi poets of Kashmir have composed eulogies of this reversed saints.

Notwithstanding that, from the later part of last century differences among sects or religions have surfaced vehemently and the culture of tolerance and accommodation diluted with adverse effects on peace and harmony, has led the people of Kashmir towards a Moral & Spiritual vacuum. In fact, to undermine and trivialize the real message and philosophy of Tasawwuf there is a type of critical incompetence, alas, too frequent, that tries to hide its native sterility behind a barrage of fine and impressive words. Vague
thinking, ill-formed generalizations, diffusive and rambling developments of half baked ideas often acquire a deceptive
appearance of exactness and solidity by the well-known trick of camouflaging words.

Those people who claim to have understood the problems of ailing humanity should study the life and works of the great saints like Hz. Makhdoom to re-evaluate and re- access their claims, as the Ziyarah stands out, even in this era of materialistic predominance, for those who are In the quest of the Divine search.

As Allah says, “Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to me, | shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything loved more by Me, the religious duties have enjoined upon him and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that | shall love him. | am his Hearing with which he hears, his Seeing with which he sees, his Hand with which he strikes and his Foot with which he walks. Were he to ask (something) of, | would surely give it to him and were he to ask Me for refuge | would surely grant him. | do not hesitate anything as much | hesitate about (seizing) the soul of My faithful servant … he hates death and | hate hurting him” (Hadith e Qudsi, Sahih Al. Bukheri).
To conclude, in the present chaotic upheaval of global happenings the fundamentals of human values have come under a severe disqualification and amongst these values the most strived for is the peace of mind, which has often been breached on one pretext or the other but if one turns the leaves of history it becomes evident that individuals even in messy times generally enjoyed a peaceful orientation but in our times the most severely hit segment of serenity is an individual which results in restless family and a reactive society. It is thus very important to ravish a way out which can at least bring human beings together under the overwhelming Influence of an atmosphere of tranquility. In such an unpleasant atmosphere spirituality is the only tool which can
gradually grow and will take the shape of soul for every aspect of life. To conclude | quote the words of Mirza Kamal-ud Din
Shaida says:
Aap ki seerat soraapaa jazbaye Islam hai
Aap ki sawaaz may tawheed ka paigaam hai
Khoke pag say aap kay Khaki bhi Afiaki hua
Baarokaliah keemlyah woh paykare khaki hua

(Dr. S. Iqbal Quraishi)

HEAD, international Centre for Spiritual Studies,
Islamic University of Science & Technology

ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN ALAMDAR JOURNAL 2016