Muhammad Qadiri

The shrine of Sayyid Naushah Ganj Bakhsh at Ranmal Sharif,Tehsil Phalia (old district Gujrat) new district Mandi Bahauddin, Pakistan

Hadhrat Haji Sayyid Muhammad Naushah Ganj Bakhsh (21 August 1552 – 18 May 1654), a scholar, saint and preacher of Islam in South Asia, was the founder of the Naushahia branch of the Qadri order. He preached in the tenth and eleventh centuries Hijri (sixteenth and early seventeenth century AD). His adherents call themselves Qadri Naushahi, Naushahi or just Qadri, since he belonged to the Qadri order.

Birth and names

Syed Nausha Ganj Bakhsh Qadri (ra) was born on the first day of Ramadan in 959 A.H. (21 August 1552) at Ghogganwali, district Gujrat in Punjab, Pakistan. The name of his father was Ala’uddin (ra), who was respected for being a great Sufi of his own times. Despite all difficulties of undertaking a long journey in his days he had completed his pilgrimage to Mecca Mukarramah and Madinah Munawwarah seven times on foot, which shows how devoted to Islam he was.

At his birth he was named (Haji) Muhammad. This name was kept in accordance with some divine and supernatural messages. In the first instance he became famous by the name of Haji Muhammad. Later on he also became famous by the names of Haji Nausha, Abul Hashim, Bhoora Wala Pir (the enshrouded one), Mujaddid-i Islam (the great revival of the Islam), Nausha Ganj Bakhsh, Syed Nausha Pir and Nausha Pak. The name Nausha is also spelled and pronounced as Noshah.

His actual name is fully Sayyid (Syed) Haji Muhammad Nausha Ganj Bakhsh Qadri.

At his birth he was named Muhammad. Haji a title has become part of his name and he is known as Haji Muhammad. Later on he also adopted the names Haji Naushah (Noshāh), Abul Hashim, Hazrat Naushāh Walī, Bhoora Wala Pir (the enshrouded one), Mujaddid-i Azam (the great reviver of Islam), Naushah Ganj Bakhsh, Sayyid Naushah Pir and Naushah Pak. He claimed to have received the titles "Ganj Bakhsh" and "Naushah" in the presence of God. Both names are Persian words; Ganj Bakhsh means "bestower of hidden treasures" and Naushah means a young king or a bridegroom. He was also known as Maqām-i Naushāhat.

Genealogy

Haji Muhammad was a Sayyid (direct descendent of the family of Muhammad), a 33nd-generation scion of Ali Ibn Abi Talib.It has been recorded that the first of the ancestors of Syed Nausha Ganj Bakhsh Qadri (ra), who came to the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent, was Syed Awn ibn Ya‘la (ra), well known by the name of Qutb Shah Qadri (ra). This happened by order of Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) in the fifth century A.H. (about the eleventh century according to western era). Moreover, he was an uncle of Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani and one of his spiritual successors born in 1028 in Baghdad. He is also the first person who introduced the Qadiria Order in India. Qutb Shah Qadiri (ra) was an appointed Qutb (spiritual pole) by Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) for this Indian subcontinent. Due to his great efforts many of the Hindu tribes converted to the Islam. Among them are the tribes of Rajput, Chohan and Khokar. Most of them attained a blessed life in the religion. Qutb Shah Qadiri (ra) returned after his mission, that he did for many years, to Baghdad where he died in 1157. In this city you can also find his holy grave.

The son and the spiritual successor of Qutb Shah Qadiri (ra) was Syed Zaman Ali Muhsin. He spread the Islam in the southwest regions of the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent, Kohistan-i Namak and the surroundings of Saunsakesar. Many people converted due to him to the Islam and joined in his circle of Murids (spiritual disciples). His work for the religion even impressed the local ruler “Rani Bharat”, who later accepted the Islam as the true religion. The holy grave of Syed Zaman Ali Shah (ra) is located in Kirana, district Sargodha in Pakistan.

Syed Mahmud Shah (ra), better known as Pir Jalib, is one of the descendants of Syed Zaman Ali Shah (ra). He was an outstanding saint who possessed super natural gifts, called Tasarrufat. He was also called Pir Jalib, because of his numerous benefactions and his spiritual attraction. Like his forefathers he was a spiritual perfected person. His holy burial place is in Ramdiana, district Sargodha. Syed Shamsuddin Shahid (ra) was a great saint from the descendents of Pir Jalib. He always took with him his favourite weapon, a javelin. Hence he was called Sangin Shah Shahid. He became a martyr when he died during a battle in the way of Allah. Sangin Shah had two sons: Syed Ala’uddin Husain (ra) and Syed Rahimuddin (ra). The holy graves of both the brothers are situated in Ghogganwali, near Qadirabad in the district Gujrat, Pakistan.

Syed Ala’uddin (ra)is reckoned among the great spiritual masters of the mystical path. He observed very accurately the Shair‘ah, the Islamic laws. He had the Kunyah (a nickname indicating a parental relationship) Abu Isma‘il with the extra appellation Pir Ghazi. Among his contemporaries, just as his younger brother, he was an exceptional saint, from whom supernatural powers have been revealed till today. Syed Ala’uddin (ra), whose holy grave is in Ghogganwali, is also the father of Syed Nausha Ganj Bakhsh Qadri (ra) [1]

34 Sayyid Hajji Muhammad Naushah Ganj Bakhsh, the son of
33 Sayyid Alauddin Husayn aka Pir Ghazi, the son of
32 Sayyid Abul Alā Shamsuddin Shah, the son of
31 Sayyid Abu Sulaiman Jalāluddin Muhammad, the son of
30 Sayyid Abdullah Zākir-i Hū, the son of
29 Sayyid Sāhibuddin Shah Muhammad, the son of
28 Sayyid Ghulām Muhammad, the son of
27 Sayyid Mu'izzuddīn Bilal, the son of
26 Sayyid Abdussamad Arif, the son of
25 Sayyid Atā'ullah, the son of
24 Sayyid Abdul Awwal Zāhid, the son of
23 Sayyid Mahmūd , the son of
22 Sayyid Kamāluddin Ahmad Zākir, the son of
21 Sayyid Abdul Mansūr Jalāluddin Sultan, the son of
20 Sayyid Muhammad, the son of
19 Sayyid Sa'īduddīn Sikandar, the son of
18 Sayyid Burhānuddīn Hubaira, the son of
17 Sayyid Jalāluddin Gohar Ali, the son of
16 Sayyid Izzuddīn Izzat, the son of
15 Sayyid Jamāluddin Ishaq, the son of
14 Sayyid Abdul Haqq, the son of
13 Sayyid Muhammad Shah / Khokhar, the son of
12 Sayyid Awn / Qutb Shah, the son of
11 Sayyid Yaʻla, the son of
10 Sayyid Abu Yalla Hamza Thāni, the son of
9 Sayyid Muhammad at Tayyār, the son of
8 Sayyid Qāsim, the son of
7 Sayyid ʻAlī, the son of
6 Sayyid Jaʻfar, the son of
5 Sayyid Abul Qāsim Hamza Akbar, the son of
4 Sayyid Abu ul Abbas Hasan, the son of
3 Sayyid Ubaydullāh Madanī, the son of
2 Abul Fadl ʻAbbās Alamdār, the son of
1 Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad

Ministry and teaching

Syed Nausha Ganj Bakhsh Qadri (ra) was a saint of Allah by birth. He was highly gifted with the qualities of intelligence and memory. The books of religious history of his times tell us that he memorised the holy Qur’an within a short period of three months only. Among his teachers in this world were Qari Qaimuddin and Shaikh Abdul Haqq (ra).

He was widely respected and honoured for his knowledge of Tasawwuf (Islamic mysticism), because his inner experience helped him to demonstrate his superiority in his field. Actually the knowledge infinitive mysticism came to him from Allah directly (Ilm-i Ladunni). Mirza Ahmed Beg Lahori records that one night two angels came and placed their fingers into the mouth of Syed Nausha. All of a sudden he became a learned and knowledgeable man in the field of Islamic mysticism. The next morning he told his teacher about this extraordinary spiritual experience. The teacher remarked: “There is no need for you to get further knowledge from me. Perhaps on the Day of Judgement I shall be rewarded with salvation of my soul for having given a few lessons to you before this glorious spiritual experience.”

Syed Nausha Pir (ra) was an expert in the religious field, like Fiqh (Islamic law), Hadith (the report of the practise and sayings of the Prophet), Tafsir (exegeses of the Qur’an), logics, philosophy and Kalam (theology concerning the tenets of belief). His comprehensive knowledge of the religion is evident from his sayings.

Beside the important languages such as Arabic and Persian he knew Kashmiri, Sanskrit and many another regional languages as well. After having Islamic knowledge, he specialized himself in spiritual exercises.

Golden Chain

At the age of twenty-nine years Muhammad accepted Shah Sulaimān Nūri as his spiritual guide, placing him in a Silsila (spiritual order or chain of saints) that stretched back to Abdul Qadir Jilani. This spiritual lineage ends via Ali Al-Murtaza at the final and Muhammad.[2]

1 Hazrat Muhammad Rasul Allah

2 Imam Abu ul Hasan Ali al Murtaza

3 Shaykh Abu Muhammad Hasan al Basri

4 Shaykh Abu Nasr Habib al Ajami

5 Shaykh Abu Sulaiman Daud ibn Ayaz al Tai

6 Shaykh Abu ul Mahfuz Maroofbin Firuz al Karkhi

7 Shaykh Abu ul Hasan Abdullah Al Sirri al Saqati

8 Shaykh Abu ul Qasim Junayd al Baghdadi

9 Shaykh Abu Bakr Yunus al Shibli

10 Shaykh AbdulAziz bin Harith al-Tamīmī

11 Shaykh Abu ul Fadl Abu al-Wahid al-Tamīmī

12 Shaykh Abu ul Farrukh Yusuf Tartusi

13 Shaykh Abu ul Hasan Ali al Hankari

14 Shaykh Abu Sa'id Mubarak ibn Ali al Makhzoomi

15 Sayyid Abdul-Qadir Gilani

16 Shaykh Sultan Ahmad

17 Sayyid Saifuddin Abdul Wahhāb al Gillani

18 Sayyid Safiyiuddin AbdusSallam al Gillani

19 Sayyid Abu Nasr al Gillani

20 Sayyid Kamaluddin al Gillani

21 Sayyid Muhiyuddin Abu ul Barkaat al Gillani

22 Sayyid Mas'ūduddin Muhammad Halbi

23 Sayyid Mahmud al Gillani

24 Sayyid Ziauddin Ali al Gilanial Gillani

25 Sayyid Amiruddin‌‌ Shah Mīr al Gilani

26 Sayyid Shamsuddīn Azam al Gilani

27 Sayyid Muhammad Ghaus Bandagi al Gillani

28 Sayyid Mubārak Haqqāni al Gillani

29 Sayyid Shah Muhammad Ma'rūf Khushābī

30 Sakhi Shah Sulaiman Nūri Huzoori

31 Haji Sayyid Muhammad Nausha Ganj Baksh [3]

In obedience to Shah Sulaimān Nūri's instructions, Muhammad left Ghogganwali and travelled around the subcontinent preaching. He prioritised education in his teaching, going so far as to tell his son that he should first give priority to his education and if he heard about his father's death he should not come back but pray for his salvation and continue to pursue his education.

According to popular tradition, Haji Muhammad experienced Ilhām (divine inspiration) after descending into a dried up well to meditate. After forty days, he was found there by a shepherd who took him out of the well and revived him with goat's milk. When Muhammad recovered consciousness, he expressed his displeasure at the interruption. Immediately afterwards, he was told that he had attained a very high status in the presence of God and was commanded to sit under a dried-out and withered tree. As soon as he sat there, it turned green and was laden with blossoms and fruit. From each leaf he heard the word "Naushah" ("bridegroom") and when he faced towards the local village, he heard all the jinn, the human beings, the animals and the angels calling "Naushah", "Naushah". All birds, all animals, trees and stones begun to say this name. Finally everything in the whole area began to call him "Naushah". At this point, he experienced his enlightenment.

All the teachings and rules of behaviour of Haji Muhammad were based on the Qur'an and the Hadīth, the statements of the Qādiria Order. He strongly rejected any practice that contradicted these teachings. According to him, someone who has adopted to follow the spiritual path, first of all has to have a sound knowledge of the religion. He should recite the Qur'an accurately, repeat the Kalima (declaration of faith), observe himself and perform the voluntary prayers, like the Awwābīn-prayer (an extra voluntary prayer after the evening-prayer, i.e. Maghrib). He performed the daily prescribed prayers in the mosque himself and recommended this also to his Murīds (disciples). He prohibited any spiritual exercises that he felt did not agree with the Sharī'ah.

Haji Muhammad stated that one is not a Sufi (mystic) until one has purified oneself totally. This purification is achieved by eliminating sensual desires. These are eliminated when the nafs (the ego that inclines to evil) has been conquered. One conquers this by taking distance from pleasures in this worldly life and to consider them as transitory. One has to perform all one's actions in contradiction to one's nafs in order to attain this.

He gave instructions to his Murīd to consider death all the time and to be aware of it. "One has to live without any allegation or false attitude," he said. He stated that one can only become a good human being from fraternising with saints and holy men.

A focus of his teaching was sincere intention. He said that by sincerity and piety the body is cleaned and by eating Halal the tongue is cleaned. According to his teaching, one should not expound the deficiencies and small faults of others, but should rely on God's trust and be satisfied with His will. He paid much attention to taking care of parents and those who are poor and in need. He said that taking care of them can be a significant cause of attaining the divine grace. He also taught his followers to eat little and to keep awake in the night for voluntary prayers and recollections. "By waking up, the heart is illuminated," he said.

All his teachings stemmed from his interpretation of the Qur'an and the Hadīths, supported by the conclusions of the Mujtahidīn (those qualified to make religious decisions).

Haji Muhammad was said to have converted over two hundred thousand Hindus to Islam as well as followers of Christianity, Buddhism and Parsism.[4][5]

Tradition claims that a well-known Hindu leader, whose number of disciples exceeded more than one thousand and who possessed great skill in the black magic (Istidrāj), arrived one day accompanied by his followers. He asked permission to show his skill. He changed himself in three appearances: as an old man, a young man and as a child. After his performance he said that it took him twelve years to achieve this spiritual level, after withdrawing three times in Chillah (seclusion). Muhammad answered that he had wasted his life in pursuing this engagement, saying, "To take three different appearances comprises not any spiritual perfection at all. Accept that one is merged into the divine love in such a way, that when he looks at somebody, his heart is filled with this intense love." After saying this he pronounced the article of faith "Lā ilāha" ("there is no god")and glanced at the riverside of the Chenab, whereupon a wave of water splashed in his direction. From every drop that fell on the ground before him was heard: "Illallāh" ("except God"). The Hindu leader went into ecstasy and converted to Islam. All his disciples and admirers followed him in this.

Personal life

Haji Muhammad was married to the daughter of Sayyid Abu Nasr Fateh Muhammad Shah of Qutb Naushehra. His mother, Main Jīwnī, arranged this marriage. He had two sons and one daughter. Their names were Sayyid Muhammad Barkhurdar, Sayyid Muhammad Hashim and Sayyida Sairah Khatoon.

He was noted for his hospitality. Mirza Ahmed Beg Lahori states that he looked after his guests personally and arranged for their food himself. Allama Jamālullah says that once he and some of his pupils stayed in Sayyid Naushah's mosque. They were highly impressed when he sent food for them from his own house. It is on record that he directed his sons to look after the guests with special care, when he entrusted the work of preaching Islam to them.

He took part in many battles. It is recorded that once a renowned wrestler named Sher Ali Khan challenged Haji Muhammad to a trial of strength. Muhammad pressed Khan's hand so powerfully that blood came out of the wrestler's fingers. The wrestler fell down at his feet and begged to be forgiven.

He usually spent his time in the mosque in teaching the holy Qur'an, leading the prayers five times a day and leading additional Nafl prayers by the riverside in the night.

Haji Muhammad attempted to put the Sunnah in practice as precisely as possible. He said:

"My way of life is the Sharī'ah of the Prophet. My way of the Tarīqah is the Sharī'ah of the Prophet. The way of life of the Prophet implies also my way of life. To walk through the Sharī'ah is like walking on an illuminated way."

By day Muhammad always wore a big woollen sheet, as prescribed by the Sunnah. This piece of cloth is named bhoora in the Punjabi language, hence he was also called Bhoorawala Pir. Today, followers of his order also wear the bhoora.

Literary works

There are many works of Sayyid Naushāh Ganj Bakhsh. As time passes they are compiled and published from manuscripts. At present there are five books of poetry and prose:

According to Professor Ahmed Qureshi the following books are also written by Sayyid Naushah Pir: Diwan Urdu, Diwan Punjabi (two poems in respectively Urdu and Punjabi) and Mathnawi-ye Ganj ("The Mathnawi of Naushah Ganj Bakhsh").

Quotations

"O friend, withdraw yourself from the world."
"If you don't, you have once to do that."
"Don't spoil your time of life."
"Leave the fame of the world behind you."
"O my true friend, follow your Murshid (guide)."
"Do this in sincere surrendering in the heart with belief."
"Commemorate the Kalima, so that you will not lose it."
"The sufferings of this world and the last moment [death]."
"You can only prevail by this!"

Death

Haji Muhammad died of natural causes on Monday, the fifteenth of the Islamic month Rabī 'ul-Awwal 1064 A.H., aged one hundred and five. This date corresponds to Monday the eighteenth May 1654 A.D. He was buried in the village named Naushehra in Gujrat. His body was later interred at Ranmal Sharif in Gujrat. His grave is open to the public. The part of land on which his grave has been buried, belongs to the territory of Ranmal Sharif. The number of plot was formerly 220 and at the present 84/1.

Due to flooding in 1757 his body was transferred from its original burial site. According to tradition, when his coffin surfaced, his body was entirely intact, even his shroud was unharmed. After being damaged again by the river Chenab his coffin was finally moved to the west of Ranmal Sharif. In 1950 this new tomb was damaged by rain. Consequently the supports subsided and cracks appeared in the tomb. His death anniversary ('Urs) is held at this place every year again. Urs starts on 2nd Thursday of Har (Bikrami Calendar), which falls in the last 10 days of June and usually lasts 3 days. Thursday and Friday for men and Saturday for women.

Successors

Among his renowned spiritual successors are:

1 Sayyid Muhammad Barkhurdar (His Son)

2 Sayyid Muhammad Hashim Shah (His Son)

3 Shah Hafiz Mamūri (His Son in law)

4 Hafiz Nūr Muhammad

5 Shah Abdurrahman Pak

6 Pir Muhammad Sachyār aka Gharib Nawaz

7 Fuzail Kabuli

8 Sayyid Shah Muhammad Shahīd

9 Hazrat Muhammad Ismaīl

10 Abdulhakim Sialkoti

11 Nazr Muhammad Kunjāhi

12 Allama Abul Baqa

13 Khushi Muhammad Kunjāhi

14 Radiyuddin Kunjāhi.[6]

As a consequence of spiritual succession, the Qādirī Naushāhī Order now includes many sub-branches carrying the name of the successors after Sayyid Naushah Pir, such as Barkhurdārī Naushahī, Hāshimī Naushāhī, Suchyārī Naushāhī. The current head of the Naushahi Hashmi order is Shaykh Sayyid Mahroof Hussain Shah Naushahi Hashmi Qadiri, who founded the Sufi organisation Jamiyat tabligh ul Islam in 1962 in the United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.qadri-naushahi.com/Resource/Nausha_Peer_RA.htm
  2. ↑ (Tazkerah Naushahi copied 1190 AD Punjab University Library)
  3. ↑ Ashjar Taiba Qadria Naqshbandia Compiled by Muhib ul Fuqara Jamshed Rasul (Sb)
  4. ↑ The Preaching of Islam by Sir Thomas W. Arnold
  5. ↑ Langue la literature Hindoustanies de 1850 à 1869 by M. J. H. Garcin de Tassy.
  6. ↑ Tazkira e Aslaf by Qari Shahid Ali Multani Qadri
  • Maulvi Muhammad Ashraf Manchari (Kanz-ur-Rahmat)
  • Muhammad Māh Sadāqat Kunjāhi (Thawāqib ul-Manāqib)
  • Mirza Ahmed Beg Lahori (Risālah al-'Ijāz)
  • Hafiz Muhammad Hayāt Barkhurdari (Tadhkirah Naushahia)
  • Pir Kamāl Lahori (Tahā'if-i Qudsia)
  • Muhammad Hashim Shah (1735–1843) (Chahār Bahār)
  • Mufti Ghulām Sarwar Lahori (Hadīqat ul-Awliyā, Khazīnat al-Asfiyā)
  • Sayyid Sharif Ahmed Sharafat Naushahi Burkhurdari (1907–1983) (Tazkara Naushah Ganj Bakhsh, Azkār-i Naushahia, Ganj ul-Asrār)
  • Shaykh Sayyid Abul Kamāl Barq Shah Naushahi Hashmi Qadiri (1924–1985): Naushah Ganj Bakhsh aur unki Talīmāt, Shajarah Sharīf Naushahī, Karāmāt-i Naushah Pīr and many other writings.

External links