Barkati Silsila, a silsila of Sufism, has its roots in the Bilgram, a small town of United Provinces, India. The barkati Silsila is a sub-branch of the Qadri Sufi Silsila of Baghdad.
The name of this silsila came after the saint of Marehra, Shah Barkatullah, who was great grandson of Mir Abdul Jaleel Bilgrami. In the beginning, Shah Barkatullah followed the Chishti Order of Sunni Mysticism in India. Later he went to Kalpi where Syed Shah Fadhlullah initiated him in Qadri order. From then onwards Shah Barkatullah adopted the Qadiri Silsila as his medium of initiation. [bay'ah, or taking allegiance is the sufi initiation]
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He was a versatile poet in Braj and Persian. His collective works in Braj Bhasha entitled Pem Prakaas have been an inspiration for many scholars, both Hindu and Muslim, to obtain their doctorate on Shah Barkatullah. The Diwan-e-Ishqui is the collective work of Shah Barkatullah alias Ishqui Marehravi in Persian.He was the principal link in the chain of Sufism in India. He ruled the spiritual horizon at a time when the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir was ruling the country from Delhi.
He was a true secular seer having his disciples both among Hindus and Muslims. His spiritual lineage became known as Barkaati Silsila. Shah Barkatullah’s legacy was carried out by his noble son Shah Aley Muhammad. Since he was the eldest son of Shah Barkatullah, he was known as Sarkar-e-Kalan. Shah Aley Muhammad dedicated himself to meditation and Dhikr. His son, the third Qutub of Marehra, namely Syed Shah Hamza was a remarkable author who wrote many treatises on various Islamic Mystical subjects. His famous works are Kaashiful Astaar and Fassul Kalimaat. Shah Hamza’s son Syed Shah Aley Ahmad Achchey Miyan possessed a miraculous personality. He cured the ailing masses through his spiritual powers and became so popular that the town of Marehra came to be known as the Marehra of Achchey Miyan. The eldest brother of Shah Amir-e-Alam namely Syed Shah Aley Rasool Ahmadi was a spiritual doyen of high caliber. He embodied the dynamics of Chishti and Qadri order. He was followed by Hazrat Shah Abul Hussain Ahmad-e-Noori alias Miyan Sahab who was the last Qutub of Marehra dynasty. Thus the Dargah of Shah Barkatullah is a unique monastery where seven saints in the category of Qutub lay under one dome. The seat of Hazrat Noori Miyan was inherited by his cousin Syed Shah Mehdi Hasan Sahab who was very much revered by the rulers of princely states like the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Nawab of Farkhabad, and the Nawab of Rampur State.
The Syed Miyan of Marehra was also an established Aalim and Mufti of his time. He obtained his post graduation degree in Islamic Studies from Ajmer and Lahore. His Fatwas were produced in the High Court of Bombay to settle the property disputes or Talaq issues. He was the community Qazi of the Bakr Qassab Jama’t in Mumbai and was their Imam as well.
He was the Sajjadah-Nasheen and Mutawalli of Dargah Shah Barkatullah in Marehra. He toured almost every part of the country and communicated to the masses the message of oneness and brotherhood. He authored three books namely, Muqaddas Khatoon, Nai Roshni and Faiz-e-tambih. The Syed Miyan was a versatile Urdu poet of high standard. He belonged to the famous lineage of Dagh Dehlavi through his poet uncle and the most favourite disciple of Dagh, named Hazrat Ahsan Marehravi. The younger brother of Hazrat syedul ulema was Hazrat Syed Shah Mustafa Haider Hasan Miya Marehrwi. he was the direct successor of Hazrat Syed shah Ismail Hasan Sahib Marehrwi and Hazrat Syed shah Mohammad miya marehrwi.[1]
He was the Sajjadanasheen before Hazrat Ameen Mian Qadri.
It has been translated into Urdu by Syed Ameen Mian Qaudri [1].
The Syed Miyan was the Founder-President of the All India Sunni Jamiatul Ulema which enjoyed a principal position among the organizations for the religious, cultural and political welfare of Indian Muslims.
This Khanqah has built many Madrsas and Modern Educational Institutions among Which the Chain of Al-Barkat Educational Institution is noteworthy [2] through the country.