Mahdavi
Encyclopedia
Mahdavi Islam is a sect within Islam, founded by Hazrath Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri in India in the 15th century CE. Jaunpuri declared himself to be the Imam Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer in Islam, and the denomination takes its name from the term mahdi ("guided"). The Mahdavi regard Jaunpuri as the Imam Mahdi, the Caliph
of Allah and the second most important figure after the Islamic prophet Muhammad
. Both the prophet and imam are considered to be masum (معصوم, "infallible") and equal to each other in every aspect.
According to Islamic theology "Mehdi" means 'the divinely guided one' or 'the directed one'. Mohammed, the last of the prophets, informed that Allah will send His Caliph in the Ummah of Mohammed, to invite people towards right path. It was prophesied by Mohammed that; an illustrious son from his progeny would appear after him who would establish the just and true religion as it was in his own time. Mohammed foretold about the advent of Mehdi (the promised) through his various traditions
which was, at that time, a famous center of Muslim scholars. He stands 19th in the lineage of Ali Ibn Abu-Talib and descends from Imam-e-Hussain, the grandson of Mohammed.
Syed Mohammed, neither presented any new religion nor claimed himself to be a prophet
, but declared himself as "the promised Mehdi", and a Caliph of Allah. He taught the true inner meaning of Qur'an
and strictly adhered to Sunnah
of Mohammed. Once, the promised Mehdi said, "My religion is the Book of Allah (Qur'an) and the following of Mohammed". He proclaimed himself as the Promised Mehdi on three different occasions: First at Mecca in 901 AH, then at Ahmedabad
in 903 AH, and for the third time at Badli
in 905 AH.
After the Dawa-e-Muakkada at Badli, Imam wrote letters to kings and noted scholars inviting them to testify his claim and accept him as the Promised Mehdi. Several delegations of scholars came to the Imam and accepted him as promised Mehdi after clarifying their doubts. From Badli, he went to the Indian cities of Tharod, Jalor, Nagaur
, Jaisalmer
, and entered into Sindh
province. This journey was very difficult, but they were able to cross the vast desert where food and water were scarce for miles.
It was in 908 AH, when Syed Mohammed was at Kaha
(Thatta, Sindh), that he claimed that Allah revealed to him that the 27th of Ramadan is the Night of Divine Determination (Lailatul-Qadr). He also claimed that Allah ordained him to offer two Rakah
of prayer as a thanksgiving for His blessings. Thus, Syed Mohammed offered this prayer after midnight along with members of his family and the members of Dairah (a community circle following the practice of Mohammed). This is why every Mahdavi performs Dhikr-ullah during the whole night and offers this two Rakahs of prayer on that night as an obligatory thanksgiving, after Isha
prayer.
From Sindh, the Imam reached Kandahar
through Khurasan
. There were thousands of people in this journey who had joined the Imam as his followers. While passing through a hilly track, the Imam climbed a hillock and turned back to see the caravan. This caravan included women and children, young and old, kings (those who left their kingdoms to join this holy mission), scholars, priests etc. These people could have a comfortable life at their homeland, but, for their conviction to the path of Allah, they were coming behind the Imam without complaining the hardship of the journey. At this point the Imam prayed Allah thus:
Imam reached Kandahar after completing the journey of Khurasan. He stayed here for a fortnight. The acceptance of Imam Mehdi by the governor of Kandahar had a very positive effect. Finally the Imam reached Farah
. As usual he started delivering his sermons (Bayan-e-Qur’an) at this place. The governor of Farah, Mir Dhunoon Baig, after learning about the Imam, came to one of his sermons. At that time thousands of people from Farah were listening to the sermons. At the end of the sermon, Mir Dhunoon wanted to verify the truth of his claim as promised Mehdi (for test of a Hadith by Mir Dhunoon, see an article under literature).
Mir Dhunoon and other scholars have accepted the Imam as the Promised Mehdi. The Governor wrote a letter to the king of Khurasan, Mirza Sultan Hussain about the Dawah of Syed Muhammad as the Promised Mehdi. He also mentioned in his letter that he has accepted him after due verification.
Sultan Hussain, the king of Khurasan, sent a delegation lead by Mullah Ali Faiyadh. They came and attended his sermon. At the end, they submitted that they were sent by the king with four vital questions. After getting a satisfactory response, they (members of the delegation) informed the king about the claim, personality, characteristics and knowledge of the Imam and his group. The king announced that basing on the valuable witness of the delegated scholars, he had accepted Miran Syed Muhammad (Juanpuri) as the Promised Mehdi.
Meanwhile, the other companions of the Imam, including Miran Syed Mahmood, eldest son of the Imam, Mian Syed Khundmir, Mian Shah Niamath, joined him from Gujarat. After the arrival of this delegation from Gujarat, Imam started preaching the faith much deeper.
The Imam had a fever; he called Mian Syed Khundmir and rested his head on Mian Syed Khundmir’s lap. He recited the following Qur’anic verse and explained the true inner meanings of this verse.
Syed Mohammed died on April 23, 1505 CE, or Zulquada 19th, 910 Hijri in the Islamic calender, at the age of 63 years at Farah in present day Afghanistan, where his tomb is situated.
Mahdavism spread in the Indian subcontinent (including modern Pakistan
), as well as in Afghanistan
and some parts of Iran
. Its followers are presently found in the Deccan and Gujarat regions of India and, in a related Zikri
form, in Karachi, Pakistan.
Communities of Mahdaviya historically lived in makeshift thatches, surrounded by a fence, called daïra
. These settlements, away from urban centers, were intended to separate believers from worldly desires in order to achieve didar (Urdu and [diːˈdɔːr], "visions of God").
Today, some dairas can be found in Channapatna
, near Bangalore
Kirgaval near Mysore, Dornabgatta near Shimoga, Manvi near Raichur, Hukkeri Pachapur near Belgaum, Palacodu,Bhavani, Panagudi in Tamil Nadu. Ausa
, Latur ,Osmanabad, Amaravati Achalpur and Puna in Maharashtra Chanchalguda
, Musheerabad, Kachiguda in Hyderabad, Kadapa in Andhra and in many parts of Gujarat,karnataka, Maharhastra, Rajasthan, Madhya pradesh.
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of Allah and the second most important figure after the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. Both the prophet and imam are considered to be masum (معصوم, "infallible") and equal to each other in every aspect.
According to Islamic theology "Mehdi" means 'the divinely guided one' or 'the directed one'. Mohammed, the last of the prophets, informed that Allah will send His Caliph in the Ummah of Mohammed, to invite people towards right path. It was prophesied by Mohammed that; an illustrious son from his progeny would appear after him who would establish the just and true religion as it was in his own time. Mohammed foretold about the advent of Mehdi (the promised) through his various traditions
History
Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri was born on 14th of Jamadi-ul-Awwal 847 H, (Sept. 9, 1443 AD) at JaunpurJaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
Jaunpur is a city and a municipal board in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Jaunpur district is located to the northwest of the district of Varanasi in the eastern part of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 census, Jaunpur district had a population...
which was, at that time, a famous center of Muslim scholars. He stands 19th in the lineage of Ali Ibn Abu-Talib and descends from Imam-e-Hussain, the grandson of Mohammed.
Syed Mohammed, neither presented any new religion nor claimed himself to be a prophet
Prophets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
, but declared himself as "the promised Mehdi", and a Caliph of Allah. He taught the true inner meaning of Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
and strictly adhered to Sunnah
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
of Mohammed. Once, the promised Mehdi said, "My religion is the Book of Allah (Qur'an) and the following of Mohammed". He proclaimed himself as the Promised Mehdi on three different occasions: First at Mecca in 901 AH, then at Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
in 903 AH, and for the third time at Badli
Badli
Badli is one of the oldest and biggest village in Delhi. History says that whenever Delhi was attacked Badli used to face the attack and used to be the camp of the invaders.-Overview:...
in 905 AH.
After the Dawa-e-Muakkada at Badli, Imam wrote letters to kings and noted scholars inviting them to testify his claim and accept him as the Promised Mehdi. Several delegations of scholars came to the Imam and accepted him as promised Mehdi after clarifying their doubts. From Badli, he went to the Indian cities of Tharod, Jalor, Nagaur
Nagaur
Nagaur is a city in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Nagaur District. The Nagaur city lies about midway between Jodhpur and Bikaner. It was founded by the Naga Kshatriyas.- History :...
, Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Jaysalmer , nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain...
, and entered into Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
province. This journey was very difficult, but they were able to cross the vast desert where food and water were scarce for miles.
It was in 908 AH, when Syed Mohammed was at Kaha
Kaha
-Places:*Kaha, Azerbaijan, a town in Azerbaijan*Kaha, Parang, a barangay in Parang, Sulu, Philippines*Te Kaha, a town in New Zealand*Kaha-ri - a district of Usi province, North Korea*Qaha, a city in Egypt, often spelt Kaha...
(Thatta, Sindh), that he claimed that Allah revealed to him that the 27th of Ramadan is the Night of Divine Determination (Lailatul-Qadr). He also claimed that Allah ordained him to offer two Rakah
Rakah
Rakah may refer to:* Maki , a communist party in Israel, now renamed Maki* Raka'ah, one unit of Islamic prayer, or Salah...
of prayer as a thanksgiving for His blessings. Thus, Syed Mohammed offered this prayer after midnight along with members of his family and the members of Dairah (a community circle following the practice of Mohammed). This is why every Mahdavi performs Dhikr-ullah during the whole night and offers this two Rakahs of prayer on that night as an obligatory thanksgiving, after Isha
Isha
* Hebrew word meaning "woman"* Isha'a, the Fard daily Salah prayers in Islam* A Sanskrit term for "God, deity", see Ishvara* A name meaning: deity; the ruling Goddess; the Lord, One who protects, Supreme.* Another name of Goddess Kali* An Indian given name...
prayer.
From Sindh, the Imam reached Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
through Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
. There were thousands of people in this journey who had joined the Imam as his followers. While passing through a hilly track, the Imam climbed a hillock and turned back to see the caravan. This caravan included women and children, young and old, kings (those who left their kingdoms to join this holy mission), scholars, priests etc. These people could have a comfortable life at their homeland, but, for their conviction to the path of Allah, they were coming behind the Imam without complaining the hardship of the journey. At this point the Imam prayed Allah thus:
O God! Omniscient and Omnipresent thou know that I did not hold any dearest thing of these people nor I can give them “any riches than they love. Know then why they are undergoing such hardships. Excepting Thy love and desire to visualize thou, they had no other desire. Bless them with thy mercy.”
Imam reached Kandahar after completing the journey of Khurasan. He stayed here for a fortnight. The acceptance of Imam Mehdi by the governor of Kandahar had a very positive effect. Finally the Imam reached Farah
Farah, Afghanistan
Farah is a city in western Afghanistan, situated at 650 m altitude, and located on the Farah River. It is the capital of Farah Province, and has a population of approximately 109,409....
. As usual he started delivering his sermons (Bayan-e-Qur’an) at this place. The governor of Farah, Mir Dhunoon Baig, after learning about the Imam, came to one of his sermons. At that time thousands of people from Farah were listening to the sermons. At the end of the sermon, Mir Dhunoon wanted to verify the truth of his claim as promised Mehdi (for test of a Hadith by Mir Dhunoon, see an article under literature).
Mir Dhunoon and other scholars have accepted the Imam as the Promised Mehdi. The Governor wrote a letter to the king of Khurasan, Mirza Sultan Hussain about the Dawah of Syed Muhammad as the Promised Mehdi. He also mentioned in his letter that he has accepted him after due verification.
Sultan Hussain, the king of Khurasan, sent a delegation lead by Mullah Ali Faiyadh. They came and attended his sermon. At the end, they submitted that they were sent by the king with four vital questions. After getting a satisfactory response, they (members of the delegation) informed the king about the claim, personality, characteristics and knowledge of the Imam and his group. The king announced that basing on the valuable witness of the delegated scholars, he had accepted Miran Syed Muhammad (Juanpuri) as the Promised Mehdi.
Meanwhile, the other companions of the Imam, including Miran Syed Mahmood, eldest son of the Imam, Mian Syed Khundmir, Mian Shah Niamath, joined him from Gujarat. After the arrival of this delegation from Gujarat, Imam started preaching the faith much deeper.
The Imam had a fever; he called Mian Syed Khundmir and rested his head on Mian Syed Khundmir’s lap. He recited the following Qur’anic verse and explained the true inner meanings of this verse.
Say thou (O Muhammad) “This is my way, I do invite unto Allah on an insight clear as the seeing with one’s eyes, I and the one who followeth me. Glory be to Allah! and I am not of the polytheists!” ( Al-Qur’an 12/108)
Syed Mohammed died on April 23, 1505 CE, or Zulquada 19th, 910 Hijri in the Islamic calender, at the age of 63 years at Farah in present day Afghanistan, where his tomb is situated.
Mahdavism spread in the Indian subcontinent (including modern Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
), as well as in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and some parts of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Its followers are presently found in the Deccan and Gujarat regions of India and, in a related Zikri
Zikri
The Zikris are a branch of Islam settled in Balochistan region of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. They are followers of Imam e Akhar Zama . The name Zikri comes from the Arabic word dhikr . The Zikri sect developed within Sunni Hanafi during the 18th century Mahdi movement as a reaction to British...
form, in Karachi, Pakistan.
Communities of Mahdaviya historically lived in makeshift thatches, surrounded by a fence, called daïra
Daïra
A daïra |circle]]; plural dawaïr) is an administrative division of a wilaya in Algeria and in Western Sahara. Another transliteration of the word is Daerah.*Daïra of Algeria*Daïra of Western Sahara-See also:* Provinces of Algeria...
. These settlements, away from urban centers, were intended to separate believers from worldly desires in order to achieve didar (Urdu and [diːˈdɔːr], "visions of God").
Today, some dairas can be found in Channapatna
Channapatna
Channapatna is a small city located 60 km south-west of Bangalore, India on Bangalore-Mysore state highway.The city is famous for its wooden toys and lacquerware. In the native language , Channapatna is also called as "goMbegaLa ooru" meaning toys town in English. These toys are manufactured...
, near Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
Kirgaval near Mysore, Dornabgatta near Shimoga, Manvi near Raichur, Hukkeri Pachapur near Belgaum, Palacodu,Bhavani, Panagudi in Tamil Nadu. Ausa
Ausa
Ausa is a city and a municipal council in Latur District in the state of Maharashtra, India.- Geography :Ausa is located at . It has an average elevation of 634 metres ....
, Latur ,Osmanabad, Amaravati Achalpur and Puna in Maharashtra Chanchalguda
Chanchalguda
Chanchalguda is one of the old suburbs in Hyderabad, India. It is part of the old city of Hyderabad and is close to Saidabad.There is a big jail called as Chanchalguda Central Jail which was set up during the time of the Nizams....
, Musheerabad, Kachiguda in Hyderabad, Kadapa in Andhra and in many parts of Gujarat,karnataka, Maharhastra, Rajasthan, Madhya pradesh.
Sources
- Timothy R. Furnish, Holiest Wars: Islamic Mahdis, their Jihads, and Osama bin Laden, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005, pp 38–41
- L.K.A Iyer, The Mysore: Tribes and Castes, Vol IV, Mittal Publications, 1988, pg 374