Shah-e-Hamadan Mir Syed Ali Hamdani—The Founder of Islam in Kashmir and his Sufi Lineage and Legacy! On the Occasion of his Divine Wedding (Urs Mubarak—12th June Onwards)
By Ghulam Rasool
Dehlvi, New Age Islam
11 June
2024
Shah-e-Hamadan Had A Deeper Understanding And
Gnosis (Ma’rifat) Of Both The Creator
And The Creation. He Emphasized That the Utility Of Faith (Deen) Lies In An Obedience To The Creator Of The Universe For The
Well-Being Of Mankind And Serving Them In The Right Path
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The people
of Kashmir are indebted to Amir-i-Kabir Shah-e-Hamadan Mir Syed Ali Hamdani,
may God bless him, precisely for two main reasons: firstly, for the promotion
of actual Islam in the Valley and secondly for the development of a rich
cultural tradition imbued in Rishi-Sufism.
He was the proponent of Ibn ul Arabi’s idea of Wahdatul Wajud—Unity of the Being or Existence— and introduced it
in the Valley of Kashmir with his insightful commentaries on his key texts 'Fusus al-Hikam' and 'Al-Insan al-Kamal'. Viewed from this
philosophical perspective, many fountains of spiritual knowledge and mystical
wisdom have sprung up in the current cultural setting of Kashmir from the
writings and teachings of Shah e Hamdan.
The early
period of the Shahmari dynasty is characterized by the fact that a large group
of Sufi mystics from Central Asia, especially Sheikh Syed Ali Hamdani, entered
the valley of Kashmir. He played a very pivotal role in the development of
Islam in Kashmir and it is due to his efforts that Kashmir came to be known as
'Peer Wari'. Shah e Hamdan is also known as 'Amir e Kabir' as he is one of most
prominent Sufi sages of the 14th century AD who belonged to the Kubrawiyya Silsilah,
a significant Sufi lineage rooted in Central Asia. Through his teachings both
in prose and poetry, Shah-e-Hamadan has shown the true love between the Creator
(Khaliq) and the Created (Makhlooq). In his Sufi thoughts, he has
laid greater emphasis on this divine and everlasting connection and thus has
emphasized the spiritual salvation and ultimate liberation of an individual.
Shah e
Hamdan's poetry touches various aspects of human life. It introduces us to the
great principles of life and actually exposes us to the philosophy of life,
which is why he deserves a unique place in the realm of Sufi Mystics and Muslim
philosophers of the world. He not only played a key role in spreading Islam in
Kashmir but also brought along with him various arts, handicrafts, modern
sciences, cultural sciences, artefacts, pashminas and other crafts in the
Kashmir Valley. He invited various experts, artisans and industrialists from
Iran to present their art in Kashmir. Thus, a great social, cultural and
economic revolution took place in Kashmir at the hands of Shah-e-Hamadan RA.
Therefore, he is considered one of the great reformers of Islam who travelled
to a large part of the known world in his service to mankind through the three
main messages: Truth, Peace and Justice.
It is
mentioned in historical records that Shah-e-Hamadan came along with 700 Sadaat or Syedzadgaan (the Prophet’s progeny) who were exceptionally skilled
companions. They introduced the local people of Kashmir to better and more
profitable occupations such as carpet-weaving and shawl-weaving. These talented
artisans taught the local population the codes of pashmina, textiles and carpet
making. . The state of Jammu and Kashmir, especially Ladakh, has greatly
benefited from their active involvement and support in the textile industry.
The development of the textile industry in Kashmir increased their importance,
which led to a trend of migration from Kashmir to Ladakh, as a result of which
a good number of Kashmiri Muslims settled in Ladakh, where they practiced
writing, calligraphy and coinage as their prestigious professions. Art was thus
introduced in Ladakh too at the hands of Sufi saints from Central Asia.
Shah-e-Hamadan
accompanied by these Sadaat played an important role in the promotion of
various handicraft activities and brought it from home to home in Kashmir. It
is obvious that there was a dire need of talented people for the promotion of
such professions and as a result, a large part of the society was provided with
better jobs and employment. However, being a Sufi in principle, Shah-e-Hamadan
did not attach much importance to worldly affairs and from a young age he
abandoned materialism and took refuge in the bosom of Sufism.
In order to
acquire mystical knowledge and attain perfection in Sufism, he acquired grace
from his maternal uncle Hazrat Syed Alauddin Samnani RA, who was
well-established as a great spiritual saint belonging to a noble Sufi lineage.
Along with inner cleansing of his ‘self’ (Nafs) by undergoing an intense
spiritual training and practical guidance from the Islamic luminaries of his
times, Shah-e-Hamadan also had an inclination towards universal values and
essential messages of Mysticism. He first augmented them travelling the world
over around three times and then preached and promulgated them in the Valley of
Kashmir.
Significantly,
Shah-e-Hamdan's work as a commentator on Ibn ul Arabi's Wujudi philosophy
played a key role in making him a well-known figure in South Asian Sufi
literature. He had the special privilege of presenting the philosophy of Ibn
Arabi in South Asia in local settings. Andalusia’s Ibn al-Arabi or Ibn
Arabi—commonly known as “Shaikh-e-Akbar” (the greatest Sufi master)—was one of
the brightest Muslim mystics who rescued the soul of Islam from the clutches of
literalist extremists. His religious thoughts and mystical theories propounded
an inclusivist and pluralistic theology in the spirit of Sufism. He professed
and practised Islam as the religion of unconditional love (Muhabbat-e-Ghair Mashroot) and as a spiritual path to eternal
salvation through the prism of Wahdat-ul-Wajud
(Unity of the Existence). Both his Deen (faith) and Shariat (law) were
translated into an inclusive love and a wide embrace for one and all.
Therefore, the extremist forces within Islam frowned upon his teachings, his
intellectual moorings and the scholarly Sufi tradition he left behind, as they
challenge the exclusivist and divisive sects and schools of thought even today.
As a matter
of fact, Ibn Arabi's postulate of Wahdatul
Wujood wielded great influence on Shah-e-Hamadan and later on other
prominent Muslim mystics and Rishi-Sufi sages in the Valley. Most Rishi-Sufis
in Kashmir—inspired by Shah-e-Hamadan—were actually “Wujoodi” (practitioners of the Wahdat
ul-Wujood doctrine). They strongly believed that the light of the Creator
is present in all Creations, and therefore, they taught their followers to
respect people of all faith traditions. As a result, they were loved and
admired by all and sundry. People of all castes and creeds, faiths and
traditions were equally inspired by their concept of Wahdat— Unity of Mankind and Oneness of God—which is an ultimate
understanding of Tawheed.
Today, once
again in the social, religious, cultural and economic milieu of Kashmir, the
actual Sufi thoughts of Shah-e-Hamadan have to rule the roost. His balanced
views of Islam are only a hopeful sign in the midst of a mutual friction of the
Valley. He preached Islam in different parts of the world. But in Kashmir, he
actually ‘revived’ and ‘restored’ Islam with the help of 700 Sadaat whose
adherents sprang up as Rishi-Sufis. The way they undertook the gigantic task of
Da'wat-e-Deen in Kashmir, with their
public gatherings, closed sermons, local writings and beautiful Sufi
discourses, is greatly appreciated by world scholars, intellectuals and
medieval historians. In his book "Haft Iqleem", Amir Ahmad Razi
writes that Shah-e-Hamdan traveled around the world three times and met
fourteen hundred saints. But in the end, it can be safely said, he chose the
heaven on earth—Kashmir—as his last spiritual resort.
One cannot
deny the fact that there is a greater need to revive the mystical thoughts of
Shah-e-Hamdan today, not only to preserve the true Islamic teachings, but also
to protect Islam from the clutches of evils. In the eyes of Shah-e-Hamdan,
misinterpretation of Islam was the worst treatment meted out by the maulvis to
the common Muslims under the false grabs which cannot be tolerated.
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A
Regular Columnist with Newageislam.com, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Indo-Islamic
scholar, Sufi poet and English-Arabic-Urdu-Hindi writer with a background in a
leading Sufi Islamic seminary in India. He is currently serving as Head of
International Affairs at Voice for Peace & Justice, Jammu & Kashmir.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism