A host of Sayids arrived thereafter, prominent among these being : (1) Sayid Jalal-ud-Din of Bukhara known as Makhdum Jahanyan Jahangasht-the disciple ofSheikh Rukn-ud-Din Alam (son of Hazrat Baha-ud-Din zakarya Multani) who arrived in 748 AH and left Kashmir after a short stay. (2) Sayid Taj-ud-Din ( the cousin of Mir Sayid Ali Hamdani or Shah Hamadan ), who arrived in 760 AH, in the reign of Sutan Shihab-ud-Din and was accompanied by Sayid Masud andSayid Yousuf, his disciples, who lie buried near his tomb in Mohalla Shihampur, a quarter of Srinagar. (3) Sayid Husain Simnani, who was the younger brother ofSayid Taj-ud-Din, a disciple of Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Alam and came in 773 AH.Sayid Husain lies buried in a beautiful shrine in Kulgam. The other brother is buried at Shihampora (Nowhatta)
MIR SAYID ALI HAMADANI
Born in 714 AH/ 1314 AD at Hamadan Iran, with his genealogy traced to Hazrat Alithrough Imam Husain, he being the 16th in direct decent from Ali b. Abi Talib. He studied Islamic theology, acquired knowledge and learnt tasawwuf under Sayid Alaud Din Simnani, his maternal uncle. He became the disciple of Sheikh Abul Barakat Taqi-ud-Din Ali Dosti, thereafter Sheikh Sharaf-ud-Din MahmudMuzdaqani in Ray. Shah Hamadan visited several countries, journeyed for about 21 years and thus came in contact with several sufis (mystics)and ulama (divines) of the age and profited by association with them. Shah Hamadan travelled three times round the world and met 1400 saints. After returning to his native place,Shah Hamadan left for Kashmir along with 700 Sayids in the reign of Sultan Shihab-ud-Din in 774 AH/ 1732 AD. Sultan Shihab-ud-Din had gone on an expedition against the ruler of Ohund. After 4 months stay, Shah Hamadan left for the scene of the battle and persuaded both sides to come to peace. Shah Hamadan then proceeded to Mecca and came back to the valley in 781 AH/ 1379 AD. in the time of Sultan Qutb-ud-Din. After a stay of two and a half years, he went to Ladakh in 783 AH en route for Turkistan. The third visit of Shah Hamadan took place in 785 AH/ 1383 AD. But he had to leave Kashmir on account of ill-health and stayed at Pakhli for ten days at the request of the ruler of that place whose name was Sultan Muhammad. From Pakhli Shah Hamadan reached in the vicinity of Kunar, where after a short stay, he had a relapse on 1st Zilhajja 786 AH/ 1384 AD and ate nothing for five days. On the 5th Zilhajja, he drank water several times, and on the same night, he breathed his last at the age of 72. On the death-bed Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir=Rahim was on his lips, and this, strangely enough , gives the date of his demise. He was buried at Khatlan two miles away from Kunar according to the wishes of his disciples. THE Moghul king Babar visited the shrine of Shah Hamadan in 920 AHl 1514 AD, after capturing the Chaghan-Sarai.
Shah Hamadan belonged to the Kubravi order of Sufis founded by Shaikh Najm-ud-Din Kubra of Khwarizm who died in 618 AH/ 1221 AD. The Kubravis are a branch of Suhrawardi Sufis. That the conversion of the valley to Islam was furthered by the presence of Shah Hamadan is beyond doubt. His prominent co-workers were : Mir Sayid Haidar, 2. Sayid Jamal-ud-Din, 3.Sayid Kamal-i-Sani, 4. SayidJamal-ud-Din Alai, 5. Sayid Rukn-ud-Din, 6. Sayid Muhammad, 7. Sayid Azizullah. They established hospices all over the country which served as centers for the propagation of their religion in every nook and corner of Kashmir and by their influence furthered the acceptance of the faith of the Prophet of Arabia. The newly converted people of their own accord, converted temples into mosques on change of their faith. The Sultan Qutb-ud-Din acknowledged the greatness of the Sayid and adopted the directions as prescribed in Shariah.
Shah Hamdan besides being a saint was an author of 170 works, to name a few: Zakhiratul Maluk, Risala Noorya, Risala Maktoobat, Marifat-i-Soorat wa Seerat-i-Insan, Dar Haqaiq-i-Tawbah, Hal-i-Nasoos alal Fasoos, Sharhi Qasida Khmrya Farizya, Fasoos-ul-Hikam, Risala Al-Istilahat, Ilm-ul-Qyafah, Dah Qaidah, Kitab-ul Muwadata fil Quraba, Kitab-us-Sabein fi fazayili Amir-ul-Moominin, Arbayeen-i-Amiryah, Rawzatul Firdous, Firdaus-ul-Akhbar, Manazil-us-salikin, Awarad-i-Fathiyah, Khulasat-ul-Manaqib. Shah Hamdan was also a poet. His ghazals or odes are naturally Sufistic. The Chihil Asrar is a small collection of religious and mystical poems. Among the 700 Sayids who accompanied Shah Hamadan, the names of only a few are mentioned in the history, the mention of some shall follow in later pages. Besides bringing the guidance of Islam, they had brought with them skills of handicrafts from Iran and Central Asia, which were taught to the locals and a new order of craftsmanship and trade got developed here.
Mir Muhammad Hamadani.
Shah Hamdan was suceeded by his son Mir Muhammad Hamadani in enforcing of Islamic Shariah or law in Kashmir. Mir Muhammad Hamadani was born in 774 AH/ 1372 AD and was 12 years old when his father died. It is said that before his death in 1384, Shah Hamadan had handed over to Maulana Sarai for transmission to two of his prominent Khalifas- Khwaja Ishaq of Khatlan and Maulana Nur-ud-Din Jafar of Badakhshan-certain documents which contained his Wasiyat-Nama(Parting advice or bequest) and Khilafat-nama(or document conveying succession). Khwaja Ishaq and Maulana Nur-ud-Din in turn delivered the documents to Mir Muhammad with the exception of Khilafat-nama, the document conveying succession, which the former retained himself, saying that it could only be made over to one who proved worthy of it. This was apparently a hint for Mir Muhammad that he should exert himself to follow in the footsteps of his great father. Mir Muhammad accordingly studied under these prominent admirers of his father, and in course of time acquired succession to his father’s position of spiritual pre-eminence. He was the author of a treatise on Sufi-ism and wrote a commentary on the Shamsiyah, a well- known book in Arabic on logic.
On arrival in Kashmir in 796 AH/ 1393 AD, Mir Muhammad was received with great honor by Sultan Sikandar. Malik Suhabhatta- a brahman who was the Prime Minister and Commander of the army was so impressed with the personality and the simplicity of his faith, life and teachings that he embraced Islam along with his whole family. Suhabhatta adopted the new name of Malik Saif-uf-Din and offered his daughter-renamed Bibi Baria, in marriage to Mir Muhammad Hamadani.
Un-Islamic practices like distillation and sale and use of wine were prohibited. Sati (self-immolation by a widow on the funeral pyre of her husband) was forbidden. Gambling and nach (dancing by girls) were prohibited. Mir Muhammad stayed for about 22 years in Kashmir and left for Hajj in 817 AH. On his return from Mecca, he went back to Khatlan, where he died in 854 AH/ 1450 AD and was buried near his father. Mir Muhammad on entering the valley, was accompanied by 300 Sayids;Shah Hamadan, his father having as already noted, brought 700 of them. Kashmir had therefore a total influx of one thousand Sayids from Turkistan. Shah Hamadan, it is said converted 37,000 to Islam, Bulbul Shah having already made 10,000 converts. Mostly these were mass conversions. Sayid Baqir of Thune Wusan,and his 1200 Sayids must have canvassed about Islam about 100 years earlier.
Historians say that the magnitude of the change brought about by the advent of such a large number of Sayids into the Valley stimulated the tendency to mysticism for which Vedantism and Buddhism had already paved the way. It has been remarked that Islam does not countenance the enervating type of ’Tasawwuf’.
Naturally this type of Sayids influenced the more pronounced Muslim mystics of Kashmir. These Muslim mystics, well-known as Rishis or Babas or hermits, furthered the spread of Islam by their extreme piety and utter self-abnegation which influenced the people to a change of creed.
Saints and Rishis like Shaikh Nur-ud-Din, Baba Nasr-ud-Din, Baba Bam-ud-Din, Shaikh Hamza Makhdum, Sayid Ahmad Kirmani, Sayid Muhammad Hisari, Baba Zain-ud-Din, Baba Latif-ud-Din, Shukr-ud-Din, Hanif-ud-Din, Shah Vali Bukhari, Said Baba, khwaja Hasan Qari, by their example and percept, smoothed the path of Islam in its slow, steady and systematic conversion of practically the whole valley. Shaikh Nur-ud-Din- The Light of Faith- is the great national saint of Kashmir. The detail account of his life is available from history books. He was venerated by both Hindus and Muslims. Hindus call the saint Nunda Rishi or Sahajananda. His sayings are preserved in Nur-Nama written by Baba Nasib-ud-Din Ghazi in Persian about two centuries after the death of Shaikh Nur-ud-Din. He had four disciples namely Nasr-ud-din, Zain-ud-Din and Latif-ud-Din. Baba Nasr came of a rich family, who on coming in contact with Shaikh Nur-ud-Dingave up a life of ease and became a faithful disciple. Baba Bam-ud-Din was originally a Hindu by the name of Bhima Sadhi and got converted to Islam after seeing miracles performed by the Shaikh. Baba Laif-ud-Din, it is said, was a Hindu and accepted Islam after a long discussion with the Shaikh. Baba Zain-ud-Din was known as Zia Singh and hailed from Kishtwar. His father was killed by his enemies and Zia Singh became an orphan. Later on he came under the influence ofShaikh Nur-ud-Din and became a Muslim.
Sultan Sikandar:
The propagation of Islam in Kashmir received a strong impetus in the time of Sultan Sikandar, who has been blamed for his ‘bigotry in the persecution of Hindus of the Valley’ and is called by them ‘But-shiken’ or the iconoclast. Malik Suhabhatta, Sikandar,s minister, appears to be responsible for the destruction of a few temples that took place in Sikandar’s reign as Sikandar himself was an infant at his accession. According to Sir T.W.Arnold, Suhabhatta set on foot a fierce persecution of the adherents of his old faith: this, he did, probably, in order to show his zeal for his new religion. Ranjit Sitaram Pandit has also said the same thing. “Sikandar,” writes Ranjit,”had married a Hindu lady named Srisobha and was at first tolerant in religion like his predecessors but his powerful Hindu minister, Suhabhatta who became an apostate hated his former co-religionists with the hatred of a new convert. Perhaps these temples may also have been used as places of conspiracies against the State as pointed out by a local historian. But this sort of religious zeal is deplored, even prohibited in Islam. It is on record that Mir Muhammad Hamadani warned Suhabhatta against such action. Though Sikandar can be exonorated from his share of responsibility that rightly falls on Suhabhatta, but it is untrue that it was Sikandar who was to blame for the relentless persecution of every Hindu and the destruction of every temple.
Ruler /historian like Mirza Haidar Dughlat who invaded Kashmir in 1531 AD long after the death of Sikandar in 1414 AD, has written about temples in Kashmir in his ‘Tarikh-i-Rashidi’. He records, “First and foremost among the wonders of Kashmir stand her idol temples. In and around Kashmir, there are more than 150 temples which are built of blocks of hewn stone, fitted so accurately one upon the other, that there is no cement used. These stones have been so accurately placed in position, without plaster or mortar, that a sheet of paper could not be passed between the joints. The blocks are from three to twenty yards in length, one yard in in depth and one to five yards in breadth. The marvel is how these stones were transported and erected. The temples are all built on the same plan. There is a square enclosure which in some places reaches the height of thirty gaz, while each side is about 300 gaz long. Inside the enclosure there are pillars and on the top of pillars there are square capitals; on the top of these, separate parts are made out of one block of stone. On the pillars are fixed supports of the arches, and each arch is three or four gaz in width. Under the arch are a hall and a doorway. On the outside and inside of the arch are pillars of forty or fifty gaz in height having bases and capitals of stone. On the top of this are placed four pillars of one or two pieces of stone.
“The inside and the outside of the halls have the appearance of two porticos, and these are covered with one or two stones. The capitals, the ornamentation in relief, the cornices, the ‘dog-tooth’ work. The inside covering and the outside, are all crowded with pictures and paintings which I am incapable of describing. Some represent laughing and weeping figures, which astound the beholder. In the middle is a lofty throne of hewn stone, over that a dome made entirely of stone, which I cannot describe. In the rest of the world, there is not to be seen, or heard of, one building like this. How wonderful that there should here be a hundred and fifty of them.” Mirza Haidar may have made mistakes in the course of the narrative of his version of the history of Kashmir, but what he saw with his own eyes cannot be imaginary.
Jahangir (1605-1627 AD) speaks, “The lofty idol temples, which were built before the manifestation of Islam are still in existence, and are all built of stones which form foundation to roof are large and weigh 30 and 40 maunds one on the other.” As Jonaraja says, Sikandar urged by Suhabhatta “broke the images of Martanda, Vishaya, Isana, Charabhrit, Trpuresavara, Sesha, Suresavari, Varaha and others.”
For the destruction of temples we have, therefore, to attach the blame not to Sikandar but to the real destroyers – time and the elements, and defects of construction, which quakes and the imperfect fitting of the stones, observable in all Kashmirian temples,” remarks Stein, “are sufficient to explain the complete ruin notwithstanding the massive character of the materials” “Sikandar was brave and cultured,” says Lawrence, “and attracted learned Musalmans to his court.” In face of all this evidence, it is surprising that a number of writers should revel in holding up Sikandar to ignominy. Facts belie the charge.
The conversion to Islam of Khakha and Hatmal tribes of Rajputs inhabiting the area to the left bank of the Jhelum between Baramulla and Kohala is said to have taken place in the reign of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin. Khakhu Khan and Hatu, their leaders, were named Khakhu Khan and Hatim Khan. They took service at the court of the Sultan who granted them jagirs. The country between Muzaffarabad and Baramulla was “in the possession of the Rajas of Kuhkuh and Bubnah” before the visit of Mir ‘Izzatullah’ in 1812-13 AD. The area was known as Kuhistan or the Highlands of Kashmir,” he adds.
Shaikh Shams-ud-Din Iraqi.
The historians say that the conversion got fresh impetus by the arrival of Shaikh Shams-ud-Din Iraqi in 1487 AD, who was a preacher from Talish on the shores of CaspianSea. His father was Ibrahim and his mother came from a Musavi Sayid family of Qazvin. With the aid of his disciples, Mir Shams-ud-Din won over a large number of converts. According to Mirza Haidar Dughlat, Shams-ud-Din arrived from Iraq in the first reign of Sutan Fath Shah and converted many thousands of people. After this he was crowned in the name of the twelve Imams. The Shias of Kashmir contend that he was a true Shia, and that the Ahwat or ‘Most Comprehensive,’ a book in Arabic, containing the tenets of the Nur Bakhshi sect—prevalent in Baltistan—is not his composition. Firishta says that Mir Shams-ud-Dinwas a disciple of Sayid Muin-ud-Din Ali known as Shah Qasim Zar-bakhsh, the son of Sayid Muhammad Nur Bakhsh of Khurasan. Sayid Muhammad being a disciple of Khwaja Ishaq Khatlani.
Sultan Fath Shah made over to Mir Shams-ud-Din all the confiscated lands which had fallen to the crown, and in a short time, Chaks were converted by him. The Shia doctrine, however, did not gain much support from the people of the valley. Mir Shams-ud-Din Iraqi was buried at Jadi-bal, a quarter in Srinagar, near which Kaji Chak built a large Imambara in the reign of Sultan Muhammad Shah. The grave of Shaikh Iraqi is held in great veneration by the pro-Iraqi party of Shias of Kashmir as the pro-Iraqi party of Shias do not believe in his being a Sayid. Malik Haidar Chadur, himself a noted Shia, also calls him Shaikh Shams-ud-Din Iraqi in his Tarikh. There is a report that the dead body of Mir Shams-ud-Din Iraqi was removed to Chadur to avoid desecration by non-Shias.
SHAIKH HAMZA MAKHDUM
The spread of Shi’ism by Mir Shams-ud-Din Iraqi alarmed the Sunnis. Shaikh Hamza Makhbum by his influence and teaching exercised a considerable check on Shi’ism. Shaikh Hamza Makhdum was the son of Baba Usman and was born in 900 AH (1394 AD). The family was originally Chandravansi Rajput. The names ofShaikh Hamza’s Khalifa’s are Baba Ali Raina, Baba Daud Khaki, Baba Haidar Tulmuli, Khwaja Hasan Qari, Khwaja Ishaq Qari.
After elementary study of the Quran in Tujjar, his village, Shaikh Hamza was sent to Baba Ismail Kubravi, a well-known scholar of his time, who enrolled him in the college known as Dar-ush Shifa at the foot of the Kohi-Maran. Besides the Quran, in its exegesis, Traditions and the Fiqh, Shaikh Hamza studied Sufi-ism and allied sciences. One of his noted teachers was Akhund Mulla Lutfullah. Another wasMulla Fathulla Haqqani, the son of Baba Ismail Kubravi.
When Shaikh Hamza was a force in the land, he was deported by Ghazi Shah Chak, the Shia ruler of the time, from the city of Srinagar to a village called Biru (about 20 miles from Srinagar, via Magam in Tahsil Badgam) The Shaikh returned to the valley only after Ghazi Shah’s death.
A contemporary co-worker of Shaikh Hamza was Khwaja Tahir Rafiq Ashai Suhrawardi of Srinagar. Khwaja Tahir in his earlier days was a trader in cloth. He gave up trade after a period of twelve years and betook himself to the service of his religion. Pir Hasan Shah says that Yaqub Shah Chak wanted to get rid of him but felt afraid to carry out his intention. Like Shaikh Hamza, Khwaja Tahir Rafiq left Srinagar and passed nine years of his life in the hills of Maraj. Subsequently he stayed with Adar Shah, a leading Brahman of the Pargana Verinag. Adar Shah embraced Islam. It was here in consultation with Khwaja Tahir Rafiq that Shaikh Yaqub Sarfi, Baba Daud Khaki and others left for India to invite Akbar to invade Kashmir to relieve its people from the oppressive Shi’ism of the Chaks.
Shaikh Hamza was instrumental in setting up a large number of masjids in the Valley. He had also acquired control over his breath which he could hold pretty long. This particularly enabled him to enjoy cold baths during snows, which relieved his headaches due to long hours of devotional meditation.
Shaikh Hamza died at the age of 84 in 984 AH (1576 AD) during the reign of Ali Shah Chak. The Shaikh was buried in his favorite resort for meditation on a slope of the Kuh-i-Maran. Nawwab Inayatullah Khan Subadar during Mughal rule built the mausoleum in 1125 AH (1713 AD). It became dilapidated. Shaikh Ghulam Muhi-ud-Din, Governor during Sikh rule, rebuilt it, and is himself buried in the eastern side of the enclosure. People throng to the shrine every Thursday, Monday and on Urs days starting from 11th Safar to 24th Safar of Hijri Calendar.
The journeys of Mughal Emperors to Kashmir also appear to have effected peaceful conversions along the route, as we find Rajas, the descendants of Rajputs, who adopted Islam.
Shah Farid-ud-Din Qadiri, the son of Sayid Mustafa, a descendant of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani of Baghdad, was born in 1000 AH (1551 AD). After his education, his extensive travels, his Hajj, his contact with Shaikh Jalal-ud-Din Al-Maghribi in Mecca, and with Shaikh Muhyi-ud-Din Qadiri in Egypt, he left Baghdad to reach Sind. From Sind he went to Agra and then to Delhi towards the end of Shah Jahan’s reign. When Raja Jaya Singh, who was ascended the gaddi of Kishtwar in 1674 AD, was the ruler, Farid-ud-Din with his four companionsDarwish Mohammad, Shah Abdal, Sayid Baha-ud-Din Samnani and Yar Muhammad arrived in 1075 AH at the age of 75 to preach and propagate Islam in the Valley of Kishtwar. Jaya Singh’s successor in 1681, Kirat Singh also became Muslim and was given the name of Saadat Yar Khan by Aurangzeb in 1687. Hafiz Abul Qasim Qureshi Akbarabadi, son of Ghiyas-ud-Din, was appointed Shaikh-ul-Islam and Chief Justice of Kishtwar. Kirat Singh’s example was a further stimulus of his subjects. In 1717, Bhup Dei, Kirat’s sister was married to Farrukh Siyar, Emperor of Delhi. Kirat’s younger brother was Miyan Muhammad Khan.
The chief temple of Kishtwar in the centre of the town was converted into a mosque, and now has the tomb of Shah Farid-ud-Din along with his youngest child Anwar-ud-Din, who died in infancy. In the second chamber, lies Akhyar-ud-Din. The tomb of Asrar-ud-Din, stands at the other end of the town towards the Chaugan, the extensive open heath of Kishtwar. Asrar-ud-Din died at the early age of 18 in 1097 AH (1085 AD). Akhyar-ud-Din, the second son, survived his father.Akhyar had his early education at Bhatan, in Gurdaspur, Punjab under Sayid Badr-ud-Din, Diwan of Masaniyan, the well known saintly scholar of that place and later benefited by contact with several teachers at Lahore, Sialkote, Delhi etc. On his return to Kishtwar, he helped in the spread of Islam. Akhyar died on the 7th Zulhajj, 1138 AH (1725 AD)
Afghan rule also tended to increase the number of converts to Islam. A Brahman originally of Rajwar and laterly of Soura near Srinagar, accepted Islam at the hands of Mir Abdur Rashid Baihaqi (d.1180 AH=1766 AD), and was named Shaikh Abdullah who was the great great-grand father of Shaikh Mohammad Abdullah the famous leader of Kashmir. Even during Dogra rule, there is a notable instance of conversion, Sardar Waryam Singh, a tahsildar of Kashmir, became a Muslim under the influence of Shah Abdur Rahim Safapuri.
Thus the spread of Islam in the Valley of Kashmir has been generally peaceful. Islam was introduced by a simple faqir or friar, named Bulbul Shah, whose simplicity and piety impressed the reigning sovereign of the time, Rinchan. The work was taken up and continued by faqirs and though occasionally stimulated by the zeal of a convert like Maslik Saif-ud-Din under a Sultan like Sikandar, its widespread peaceful penetration was due to the piety, purity and simplicity of the Muslim rishis and saints who denied pleasures to themselves and worked for others. Thus the great Prophet who took pride in faqr or poverty, found fuqara (faqirs or friars) to propagate his faith in the Valley of Kashmir.
Among the saints/scholars who arrived in Kashmir, we find only a few to mention. During the early period of Sultans the two noteworthy saints who reached here were Sayid Taj-ud-Din and Hazrat Mir Husain Simnani. Simnan is a city of Iran. They were sent by Mir Sayid Ali Hamadani to assess the religious atmosphere here. Sayid Husain and Sayid Taj-ud-Din were the cousins of Mir Sayid AliHamadani being the sons of Mir Mohammad. They reached Kashmir in the reign of Sultan Shahab-ud-Din. Hazrat Mir Sayid Husain settled in Kulgam Kashmir and benefited lot many people with outer and inner knowledge. Many miracles could be performed by him. He had control over water fire and wild animals. Salar Sanz (Salar-i-Din), the father of Shaikh Noor-ud-Din got converted to Islam on the hands of Sayid Husain. The great Saint of Kashmir Shaikh Noor-ud-Din would attend on Sayid, travelling all the way from Kaimoh village and get benefited in Sufi salook. Sayid Husain passed away in 792 AH and is buried in Aaminoo Kulgam along with his nephew Mir Sayid Haidar who too possessed miraculous powers. A magnificient shrine stands as a memorial to the reverence with which the people held him. Sayid Taj-ud-Din reached Kashmir in 762 AH and lies buried in Mohalla Shahab-ud-Dinpora ( Nowhatta) Srinagar. The Sultan built a Khanqah for him and granted the revenue of the village Nagam for its maintenance. It is said that Sultan used to consult Taj-ud-Din both on religious and administrative matters. In fact it was due to Sultan’s patronage that Taj-ud-Din invited his brother Sayid Husain to join him. The Sultan received the latter well and helped him to settle at the village of Kulgam. A state grant was ordered for the maintenance of his kitchen, which was open to all sections of people and his interest in their welfare helped him to a great deal in converting them to Islam.
The name of other Sayids who was among early-age disciples of Mir Sayid Ali Hamadani, was Sayid Kabir Baihaqi. It is said that when Sayid Ali converted the chief Brahman of Kali-Mandir at Srinagar to Islam and turned the temple into a mosque, he ordered Sayid Kabir to settle there and preach the truth of Islam to the people. However after the departure of Sayid Ali, Sayid Kabir shifted to nearby Mohalla Daribal in Srinagar and lived for the rest of his life there.
One of the very few followers of Sayid Ali, who brought their families with them to Kashmir was Mir Sayid Jamal-ud-Din Atai. However, unlike his spiritual master, he was not a teacher or a preacher, but lived an ascetic life in retirement at the village Chitar in the pargana Khovurpura. (To be continued in Part III)
No comments:
Post a Comment