SULTANUL ARIFEEN HAZRAT SHEIKH HAMZA MAKHDOOM KASHMIRI (RA) (900-984 AH) (Annual Urs day- 24 th Safar 1422 AH) His Mausoleum is known as Makhdoom Sahib. It is a shrine on the southern side of the Hari Parbhat hill and is visited not only by Muslims but by people of all faiths. Sultan-Ul-Arifeen Hazrat Sheikh Hamza Makhdum R.A., entitled Mehboob-Ul-Alam, and Sultan-Ul-Arifeen, popularly known as Makdoom Sahib, was born in 900 AH- to Baba Usman, of the Chandra-Vanshi Rajput -Raina Family (The Family name of Followers of Hindu Mythology called as Pandits or Brahmins in the region of India Held Kashmir. His family tree ‘Shajra Nasb’ mentioned in Baharistan-i-Shahi is as: Shekh Hamza Makhdoom Raina s/o Usman Raina s/o Ahmad Raina s/o Zeeti Raina s/o Jahangir Raina s/o Abdal Raina s/o Daulat Raina s/o Rawan Raina-Kota Rani s/o Ram Chandar s/o Sangram Chandar s/o Balad Chandar s/o Kakah Chandar s/o Raja Susram Chandar -‘migrant’ s/o Malchandar-Raja of Nagar Kot -Kangra in 526 AH)- a hereditary landlord, a scholar and a mystic saint of high order. Sheikh Hamza Makhdum R.A. in this manner, inherited the mysticism He inherited the mysticism, and from the very childhood was inclined to the company of holy men, and to the truth. Having read the holy Quran in the village, he went to the seminary of Sheikh Ismial Kabroi for higher studies. Once he was playing instead of going to elementary school (maktab) His father happened to come there, grew angry, and beat him so severely that he fell ill. From the day he pledged that he would never play. With his Grand Father Zaiti-Raina, he went to see Fatah Ullah (son of Hazrat Baba Ismial) the spiritual teacher of the Rena tribe, and learnt the Qu’Oran for a year in the monastery at Shamsi-Chak here he was enrolled into the seminary of Baba Ismial Kabroi, as a student, for higher studies. He studied the Jurisprudence, Tradition, Logic, Philosophy, Ethics, and Mysticism. When Hazrat Sayid Jamal-ud-Din Bukhari reched this city, Sheikh Hamza called on him after recieving spiritual direction and was bestowed with initiation in various orders particularly thr Suhrawardiya and Chishtya. This association continued for six months and recieved great blessings. In a short time he mastered seven orders and after his Murshid left, he was installed with authority on the seat od abstinence and to register others ,besides being blessed with miraculous powers.He remained determined and punctual on prayers, abstinence etc. He would be awoke full nights on holding breath and offering the prescribed prayers and would not rest a while. Later on he would help solve the problems of his seekers with miraculous powers. The title Sultan-Ul-Arifeen indicates to serious efforts and painstaking prayers did. During his studies s he meditated. Baba Davood opines that Hazrat Makhdoom did not rest during night for years but remained engaged in prayers. Sultan-Ul-Arifeen says, “I was directed to say the daruds, mention of the names, and prayers because of His kindness and whenever I sluggish in the conduct I was reprimanded. “Hard work and painstaking prayers in the early youth made him old before time. The great sage followed the Sunni (Tradition) strictly not only in prayers but also in table manners, dress, manners, and etc. He scrupulously followed the Prophet and his love for him knew no bounds. These things helped him to reach the highest rank. Later, he had to forsake his love for isolation in order to serve the people. He remarks: “In the early days I had completely abandoned the company of the people. God granted me the gift of peace at heart and composure of mind. He ordered me to serve the people so I came and started delivering the Message.” Generally the sages are indifferent to the Shairah. In the case of the persons of the Rishiyat Order, the indifference is evident. The suppression of self, renunciation of physical demands, asceticism, and other local effects are clearly visible on sages and the Islam here. His greatest contribution was that he delivered it in its purest form to the people. He followed the Shairah strictly but asked others to do it; opposed to their reluctance of legitimate things; joined the Shairah with Rishiyat and asked the people to follow into the footsteps of the Prophet; and relieved them of their superstitions. He made Hirdey Rishi eat meat under his orders, wore rich dress, declared superstitions as untrue, opposed and exposed the hypocrites, advised to work hard continuously, observed personal hygiene and cleanliness and instructed to take lawful food and to lead pious and pure life. These are the teachings that show that he tried to build a society on the pattern of the Book and Shairah. His greatest contribution was that he instructed the people to forsake superstitions and Un-Islamic activities through his speech and actions. Numerous instances can be cited from his life. One of them is: Two streams flowed in Nadi-hil, and there stood a bied tree between them. The blasphemous held it sacred and observed many rites. Nobody could go by it during night. If anyone did, he was stuck in superstitions and made offerings for his relief. When Sheikh reached the place he declared, “The Jins and Satins have fled.” He ordered for the cleaning of the streams and building of bathrooms. He relentlessly fought against such superstitions and practices, stayed at the, places to make the people fearless, got mosques built there, for instance cleansed the stream ‘Bech-nag’ at Karora and built a mosque there. Similar practices and superstitions were prevalent at Shinga-pal stream in village Barar; he too stayed there and built a mosque under the supervision of Abdul Rashid. He too built a mosque in village Aham. Wherever he observed people entangled in them, reached there, and removed their fears from his deeds. The greatest contribution of Sheikh Hamza Makhdum is the negation of the spread of the Shiat, by Sheikh Shamsuddin Iraqi, under state patronage. He made Sheikh Shamsuddin Iraqi’s efforts in effective and strengthened the tottering beliefs of the people. Sultan-Ul-Arifin’s whole life was full of strange revelations and miracles. One of them to quote is: One day he went to the house of a saint Sheikh Khawaja Ishaq, and was served with roasted birds for the breaking of the fast (Iftar). The sage ate them, collected their bones raised his hands in prayer, and the bones joined together, the birds came to life and flew out of the window. Among his prestigious follower was the great scholar of the time Sheikh Baba Dawood Khaki (RA), who has written all the facts about Hazrat Makhdoom in his book “WIRD-UL-MUREEDI” and states that he had attained the stage of “ABDAL” and was acting upon all the known orders (SISILA’S). Besides he was also doing ‘zikr-i-jahar’ on Yaswya order. There is long list of followers of Hazrat Sheikh Hamza, who in turn had achieved great heights in their spiritual field. Among these being Khwaja Ishaq Qari, Khwaja Hasan Qari, Maulana Mir Mohammad Afzal. Sheikh Hasan,Sheikh Bahram Gortangi, Sheikh Haidar Lari,Sheikh Bayazid Shimnagi,Mulla Feroz Mufti,Hazrat Hardi Reshi Baba, Sheikh Nauroz Reshi, Maulana Khwaja Shamsuddin Pal,Maulana Dawood Tusi, Khwaja Ibrahim Koul Malarati etc. The Suhrawardya order has flourished in the valley along with other common orders like Qadrya, Kubraviya, Naqshbandya and Chishtya silsilas. Sheikh Hamza Makhdum died in the Hijri year 984 during the reign of Sultan Ali Shah Chak. His colleague Khwaja Tahir Rafique said his funeral prayer. He was buried near Kohi- Maran (Hari Parbat). Thousands of people visit the shrine on Thursdays and Mondays, besides every 13th of Muslim Calender and also for13 days before the annual Urs on 24th Safar every year, to pay their respects and receive his blessings. History records that earlier to the coming up of the shrine of Makhdoom Sahib, people of the city used to visit the shrine of Madin Sahib at Hawal as new capital Naushehar was located near-by.
Er. Mohammad Ashraf Fazili (Retd. Chief Engineer)
My Blog 