Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad
Encyclopedia
Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad , was an eminent legal scholar of Qur'an
, Hadith
, and the Hanafi
school of Islamic law
. As a master of all the branches of contemporary knowledge of Islam, he was an acknowledged authority on Muslim jurisprudence. He was also a Sufi
saint of Chishti Order
, and perhaps the only Sufi in the Indian subcontinent who did not establish the 'Khanqah
',"Darbar" or Astana ‘Aliya and forbade his descendants not to establish Dargah
after his death and made a will to bury him in the ordinary grave. He was against all the practices resulting in undue homage to the tombs and graves of sufis and saints. He believed that Islam was corrupted by sufism, pantheism, theology (Kalam
), philosophy and by all sorts of superstitious beliefs. Belonging to a qadi
's family which had, since the 16th century, been prominent among the landed aristocracy of the Soon Valley
, he adopted 'Faqr' (spiritual poverty) and 'Darwayshi' (asceticism). Unlike other pirs
of Punjab he did not change his monkish cap to lordly turban. He was also a "Hakeem" (herbal medicine practitioner), but his greatness as a Hakeem and Sufi was eclipsed by his greatness as a jurist.
, Soon Valley. He belonged to Awan (Pakistan)
tribe of ancient repute. His full name was Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad al hashmi,al alwi, al hanafi. He was a descendant of Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph of Islam from Al-Abbas ibn Ali. In his ancestry we find great names, great scholars and sufis. On the maternal side, he was grand son of Qazi Kalim Allah, the famous Muslim qadi and jurist of Naushera in the time of Mughal
Emperors. He got his early religious education from his learned father Hazrat Qazi Ghulam Muhammad. He learned, Qur'an, Hadith, Fiqh from him and mastered the Arabic and Persian
grammar. He also received excellent education under his grandfather, who was a great scholar of Hanafi school of law. After completing his early education, he went to Sial Sharif and took the Bait (pledge of discipleship) at the hands of Hazrat Shams-ud-Din Sialvi of Sial Sharif
. Through the training received from Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi, he learnt the fundamentals of sufism. He was much impressed by the spiritual attainments of Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi who introduced him to mystic way of life and granted to him the spiritual insights. Under his training he had undergone or experienced mystic trances. He now came to see through illumination (Ishraq) what he had previously learnt theoretically from books. Having reached both formal and spiritual perfection, he returned to the practical world.
and downfall of Mughal Empire
, the Muslims were deprived of their political authority and their law was replaced by English law
. Their language and laws were displaced through the system of English language and law. The Indian Rebellion of 1857
marked the end of Mughal rule. The Muslims in the words of W. W. Hunter, "found their prestige gone, their laws replaced, their language shelved and their education shorn of its monetary value" According to Tanveer Khalid "The British Government, though gradually, abrogated the Islamic Law. The whole of Muslim Criminal law was superseded by the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Indian Evidence Act and the Indian Contract Act replaced the Islamic law. The Indian Majority Act, 1875, abrogated Muslim Law except in matters relating to marriage, dower and divorce. The Caste Disabilities Act, 1850, 'abolished the civil disabilities which Muslim Law attached to apostasy."
In this period of turmoil the Muslims of Soon Valley needed the guidance of Islam for their private and public life. They also needed to obtain fatwa
to guide them in everyday life. Belonging to the remote area of Soon Valley, surrounded by high hills and without road connected to District Shahpur, and with low literacy rate, the people of this area began to face numerous changes as a result of the greater socialization with the advent of British. This has given rise to new issues and problems related to the shariah law and their private and public life.
In these circumstances Qazi mian Muhammad being as a son of Qazi family came forward for the preservation of Islamic law in the Soon Valley. It was at this critical juncture that he appeared as 'Mujtahid'.
He was a great legal scholar of the Hanafi school of Islamic law. He preferred this school because, among the four established Sunni schools of legal thought in Islam, the Hanafi school is the oldest. It has a reputation for putting greater emphasis on the role of reason and being slightly more liberal than the other three schools. He knew Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages. His legal scholarship was unparalleled in the area. During the period of British rule, when cases were decided according to English law, Muslims consulted him for his legal opinions on Islamic laws. His verdicts and fatwas were sought and quoted about religious questions on which he was held to be an authority. He rendered a great service to Islamic laws and Fiqah. He was also a Muhaddith (one who specializes in Hadith literature). He issued many fatwa on important issues at the request of the Muslims of his time. Muslims scholars from all the British India asked him for his legal opinion on the important issues concerning Islamic law. The excellence of Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad as a great jurist had been widely accepted in his time.
He helped the common Muslim not to lose heart in the years of his servitude, poverty and deprivation. He also established a mosque in Naushera; the call for prayers went forth from the minarets five times a day, allegiance was proclaimed to God and Muhammad punctually and persistently. His contribution to the preservation of Islam in the Soon valley in the period of turmoil cannot be forgotten by his people.
, and his masterpiece The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya) in 37 volumes was his specialization. In his Anwar Shamsia, Maulvi Ameer Baksh says that he was an ardent reader of Ibn Arabi book The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya), and was an authority on his teaching. It was stated in "Hu al-Hameed" by Sahibzada Muhammad Masood Ahmad that once Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah
was unable to understand one point of Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, then qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad satisfied him by his interpretation. He acknowledged Ibn Arabi superiority in philosophy and spiritual insight, but he never followed him if he found him deviating from Sunnah
.
He used his knowledge of Islamic mysticism, sufism and "Wahdt al Wujud" only for purely academic purposes and never allowed his devotees, followers and descendants to treat him as a Pir. Although, he was capable of creating a 'Khanqah
', 'Darbar' a centre of sufi mysticism, and though Hazrat Shams-ud-Din Sialvi of Sial Sharif authorized him to do so,he did not created any 'Gadi' or 'Drabar', and also forbade his descendants to do this, as he was also a strong critic of Darbars and "family Gadi Nasheen". He also forbade his descendants not to establish Dargah
after his death and made a will to bury him in the ordinary grave. After his death his elder son Qazi Mazhar Qayyum
made every effort to stop the people from making Dargah of the grave of his father.
He was a sufi and Alim
at the same time. In the words of Sarah F. D. Ansari, "Rigid distinctions have been drawn between ulama (plural of Alim) and sufis. They have been portrayed as antithetical, irreconcilable representatives of the same truth and consequently very different from the point of view of their relationships with governments of the day. As guardians of the Sharia
, ulama were officially appointed as muftis and qazis to interpret and administer God's Law. They often came to rely on the state for their livelihood in the form of stipends and grants; they tended to become involved in worldly interests, which could lead them both to be distracted from essentially spiritual matters and to identify with the concerns of rulers rather than those of ordinary Muslims. Sufis, on the other hand, sought to gain knowledge of God in their hearts. By following the path, which meant observing various techniques of spiritual development, they aimed to obliterate self in unison with God. Because they placed greater emphasis on spiritual growth rather than on the letter of God's law, they were often able to reach out to people of other faiths, indeed to draw them towards Islam. For these reasons, and because they depended on the offerings of the pious rather than the gifts of kings, they often tended to stand aloof from state power and its representatives." But he never accepted the offerings of the pious and stipends and grants by the government as his ancestral land was more than his needs.
He did not change his monkish cap to lordly tassel, unlike other pirs of Punjab who became big feudal lords. Sir Muhammad Iqbal criticized the pirs of Punjab in his poem (پنچاب کے پيرزادوں سے) "TO THE PUNJAB PIRS". In this poem he imagined that he visited the tomb of reformer Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi
and asked him for the saints’ gift and blessings. The spirit of saint replied that God's people i.e., Pirs and sufis have no portion in this land of five rivers i.e., Punjab, where lordly tassel or turban sprouts from monkish cap. Pirs and "Sajjada nashins, claimed to be the descendants of the Sufi, ‘saints’, intermediaries between the Faithful and their God, and this cut against the grain of Islamic orthodoxy. As beneficiaries, in cash and in kind, of their special religious status, these sajjada nashins had become men of local standing in their own right." In the Punjab, the sajjada nashin or pir families were not so rich in terms of land as the great land lords of Punjab but these sajjada nashin or pir families exerted great political and religious influence over the people. The British could not administer the area without their help and no political party could win the election without their help. Sir Muhammad Iqbal while criticizing this role of pirs of Punjab, says:
He had correspondence with various famous Sufis of his time including Hazrat Shams-ud-Din Sialvi of Sial Sharif, Hazrat Khawaja Muhammad-ud-Din, Hazrat Khawaja Zia-ud-Din, Pir Meher Ali Shah
, Pir Jalalpur Sharif. He inherited a library of rare Arabic manuscripts from his ancestors, to which he added every rare book or manuscript that he could find. He left many books still in the form of manuscripts, religious decisions, letters, and notes.
died in 1883, his disciple Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad was so mourned and depressed that now with whom he would learned and discussed Sufism and Ibn Arabi philosophy. According to Maulvi Ameer Baksh, Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad was an ardent reader of Ibn Arabi book The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya), and was an authority on his teaching. The study of great Sufi, Ibn Arabi
, and his masterpiece The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya) in 37 volumes was his specialization. He died in 1920, leaving his younger comrade Pir Meher Ali Shah
as the only authority on this subject in India.
Both were disciples of Hazrat Khawaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi
. Through the training received from Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi, they learnt the fundamentals of sufism. The great Sufi introduced them to mystic way of life and granted to them the spiritual insights. They now came to see through illumination (Ishraq) what they had previously learnt theoretically from books. However, having reached both formal and spiritual perfection, he returned to the world of books and Muslim jurisprudence. But his younger comrade, Pir Meher Ali Shah went ahead and had undergone or experienced mystic trances at highest level. He used to spent all summer and winter nights sitting on a slab of stone in the shape of a prayer mat, devoted to prayer and meditation. With this practice, once his legs became unable to move.
In 1933, Pir Meher Ali Shah was absorbed in in his mediation and mystic trances. In the same year the great philosopher, Sir Muhammad Iqbal had to give lecture on Cambridge University on Ibn Arabi concept of Space and Time. He wrote a letter to Pir Meher Ali Shah stating that now there was no body in whole Hindustan
, to whom he could consulted in this matter, requesting him to tell about Ibn Arabi concept of Space and Time. In this letter Sir Muhammad Iqbal also stated with respect the he knew that the learned Pir was disturbed due to his mediation, but as his motive was service of Islam, therefore he dared to ask him a question. Pir Meher Ali shah, however due to his mediation, bad health, and old age could not replied. He died in 1937. Next year, Sir Muhammad Iqbal also died.
, and Aligarh Movement
. Despite the strong opposition of conservative Muslim Ulema, he supported this movement in his area.He requested to the British Deputy Commissioner of District Shahpur
, now District Sargodha
, to establish a High School in Naushera. Unlike the Ulema of his time he was very broadminded, and send his third son to the school. For its success, the Aligarh Movement depended wholly on public donations. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan made notable personal contributions and went whole India, and overboard in his fund collection drive. He organized lotteries, staged drama and felt no hesitation to visit any place, including red light areas, to collect money. Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad himself gave donation and persuaded all local influential landlords to contribute in this regard.
60 conservative Ulema
and Alims had signed fatwas accusing Sir Syed of disbelief and apostasy. There was total consensus among the Ulema and Alims, only divine approval was missing. Maulvi Ali Bakhsh did the needful and travelled to Mecca and Medina on the pretext of pilgrimage and secured a fatwa calling for beheading of Sir Syed if he repented not and persisted with his plan to establish the college. But Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad urged his people to support Aligarh movement.
He was also a "Hakeem" (herbal medicine practitioner) of first rank, and he did not take any remuneration from his people. and afterward, his elder son Qazi Mahar Qayyum (Raees azam Naushera) made a great name in this field.
He died on 20 Jan 1920. He was buried in Naushera, Soon Valley, where his grave became an object of veneration
.
He died in 1952. He was buried in Naushera, Soon Valley
His brilliant son Dr. Mazafar ul Haq was the first of those Pakistanis who had M.B.B.S. degree.
He led a very simple life, and according to the notable and pious people of his time, like his father, his life was an example of the lives of early Companions sahaba
of Prophet Muhammad.
He died in 1954. He was buried in Naushera, Soon Valley
Qazi Zafar Hussain
, was the third son of Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad.
In 1945, he was awarded by the title of "Khan sahib" by the British Government in recognition of his services. He used his family and political influence to help the people of his area. He died in 1968. He was buried in Naushera, Soon Valley.
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...
, Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, and the Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
school of Islamic law
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
. As a master of all the branches of contemporary knowledge of Islam, he was an acknowledged authority on Muslim jurisprudence. He was also a Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
saint of Chishti Order
Chishti Order
The Chishtī Order is a Sufi order within the mystic branches of Islam which was founded in Chisht, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan about 930 CE. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. The doctrine of the Chishti Order is based on walāya, which is a...
, and perhaps the only Sufi in the Indian subcontinent who did not establish the 'Khanqah
Khanqah
A Khanqah, Khaniqah , ribat, zawiya, or tekke is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood, or tariqa, and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation...
',"Darbar" or Astana ‘Aliya and forbade his descendants not to establish Dargah
Dargah
A Dargah is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims visit the shrine known as . Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah...
after his death and made a will to bury him in the ordinary grave. He was against all the practices resulting in undue homage to the tombs and graves of sufis and saints. He believed that Islam was corrupted by sufism, pantheism, theology (Kalam
Kalam
ʿIlm al-Kalām is the Islamic philosophical discipline of seeking theological principles through dialectic. Kalām in Islamic practice relates to the discipline of seeking theological knowledge through debate and argument. A scholar of kalām is referred to as a mutakallim...
), philosophy and by all sorts of superstitious beliefs. Belonging to a qadi
Qadi
Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...
's family which had, since the 16th century, been prominent among the landed aristocracy of the Soon Valley
Soon Valley
The 'Soon Valley' The 'Soon Valley' The 'Soon Valley' (Urdu: The 'Soon Valley' ([[Urdu]]: The 'Soon Valley' ([[Urdu]]: [[وادئ سون)]] or Soon Sakesar is one of the famous valleys of [[Pakistan]] situated in the central [[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]] province. The Valley is situated in the north west...
, he adopted 'Faqr' (spiritual poverty) and 'Darwayshi' (asceticism). Unlike other pirs
Pir (Sufism)
Pir or Peer is a title for a Sufi master equally used in the nath tradition. They are also referred to as a Hazrat or Shaikh, which is Arabic for Old Man. The title is often translated into English as "saint" and could be interpreted as "Elder". In Sufism a Pir's role is to guide and instruct his...
of Punjab he did not change his monkish cap to lordly turban. He was also a "Hakeem" (herbal medicine practitioner), but his greatness as a Hakeem and Sufi was eclipsed by his greatness as a jurist.
The disciple path
He was born of famous qadi's family of NausheraNaushera
Naushera, also Naoshera, Urdu نوشهره is a village and one of the 51 Union Councils of Khushab District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan.. Naushera is the main town of Soon Valley. Situated in the heart of Soon Valley, Naushera is surrounded by high hills, beautiful lakes, jungles, natural pools...
, Soon Valley. He belonged to Awan (Pakistan)
Awan (Pakistan)
Awan , is a South Asian Zamindar tribe, putatively of Arab origin, living predominantly in northern, central, and western parts of Punjab, Pakistan...
tribe of ancient repute. His full name was Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad al hashmi,al alwi, al hanafi. He was a descendant of Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph of Islam from Al-Abbas ibn Ali. In his ancestry we find great names, great scholars and sufis. On the maternal side, he was grand son of Qazi Kalim Allah, the famous Muslim qadi and jurist of Naushera in the time of Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperors. He got his early religious education from his learned father Hazrat Qazi Ghulam Muhammad. He learned, Qur'an, Hadith, Fiqh from him and mastered the Arabic and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
grammar. He also received excellent education under his grandfather, who was a great scholar of Hanafi school of law. After completing his early education, he went to Sial Sharif and took the Bait (pledge of discipleship) at the hands of Hazrat Shams-ud-Din Sialvi of Sial Sharif
Sial Sharif
Sial Sharif is a village in the Sargodha District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in Sahiwal Tehsil and lies 48km away from the city of Sargodha, about midway on the Sargodha-Jhang road.Its population is about 1,100 people...
. Through the training received from Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi, he learnt the fundamentals of sufism. He was much impressed by the spiritual attainments of Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi who introduced him to mystic way of life and granted to him the spiritual insights. Under his training he had undergone or experienced mystic trances. He now came to see through illumination (Ishraq) what he had previously learnt theoretically from books. Having reached both formal and spiritual perfection, he returned to the practical world.
The jurist path
With the advent of BritishBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and downfall of Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
, the Muslims were deprived of their political authority and their law was replaced by English law
English law
English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States except Louisiana...
. Their language and laws were displaced through the system of English language and law. The Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
marked the end of Mughal rule. The Muslims in the words of W. W. Hunter, "found their prestige gone, their laws replaced, their language shelved and their education shorn of its monetary value" According to Tanveer Khalid "The British Government, though gradually, abrogated the Islamic Law. The whole of Muslim Criminal law was superseded by the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Indian Evidence Act and the Indian Contract Act replaced the Islamic law. The Indian Majority Act, 1875, abrogated Muslim Law except in matters relating to marriage, dower and divorce. The Caste Disabilities Act, 1850, 'abolished the civil disabilities which Muslim Law attached to apostasy."
In this period of turmoil the Muslims of Soon Valley needed the guidance of Islam for their private and public life. They also needed to obtain fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
to guide them in everyday life. Belonging to the remote area of Soon Valley, surrounded by high hills and without road connected to District Shahpur, and with low literacy rate, the people of this area began to face numerous changes as a result of the greater socialization with the advent of British. This has given rise to new issues and problems related to the shariah law and their private and public life.
In these circumstances Qazi mian Muhammad being as a son of Qazi family came forward for the preservation of Islamic law in the Soon Valley. It was at this critical juncture that he appeared as 'Mujtahid'.
He was a great legal scholar of the Hanafi school of Islamic law. He preferred this school because, among the four established Sunni schools of legal thought in Islam, the Hanafi school is the oldest. It has a reputation for putting greater emphasis on the role of reason and being slightly more liberal than the other three schools. He knew Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages. His legal scholarship was unparalleled in the area. During the period of British rule, when cases were decided according to English law, Muslims consulted him for his legal opinions on Islamic laws. His verdicts and fatwas were sought and quoted about religious questions on which he was held to be an authority. He rendered a great service to Islamic laws and Fiqah. He was also a Muhaddith (one who specializes in Hadith literature). He issued many fatwa on important issues at the request of the Muslims of his time. Muslims scholars from all the British India asked him for his legal opinion on the important issues concerning Islamic law. The excellence of Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad as a great jurist had been widely accepted in his time.
He helped the common Muslim not to lose heart in the years of his servitude, poverty and deprivation. He also established a mosque in Naushera; the call for prayers went forth from the minarets five times a day, allegiance was proclaimed to God and Muhammad punctually and persistently. His contribution to the preservation of Islam in the Soon valley in the period of turmoil cannot be forgotten by his people.
The Sufi path
As a sufi, he was an authority on "Wahdt al Wujud", Sufism, and Muslim mysticism. The study of great Sufi, Ibn ArabiIbn Arabi
Ibn ʿArabī was an Andalusian Moorish Sufi mystic and philosopher. His full name was Abū 'Abdillāh Muḥammad ibn 'Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn `Arabī .-Biography:...
, and his masterpiece The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya) in 37 volumes was his specialization. In his Anwar Shamsia, Maulvi Ameer Baksh says that he was an ardent reader of Ibn Arabi book The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya), and was an authority on his teaching. It was stated in "Hu al-Hameed" by Sahibzada Muhammad Masood Ahmad that once Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah
Pir Meher Ali Shah
Pir Syed Meher Ali Shah Gilani was born 14 April 1859 in Golra Sharif, which is located midway between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, in present-day Pakistan. The time just before his birth saw the Indian Rebellion of 1857 fought between the British and the sepoys allied with seven of the Princely...
was unable to understand one point of Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, then qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad satisfied him by his interpretation. He acknowledged Ibn Arabi superiority in philosophy and spiritual insight, but he never followed him if he found him deviating from 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...
.
He used his knowledge of Islamic mysticism, sufism and "Wahdt al Wujud" only for purely academic purposes and never allowed his devotees, followers and descendants to treat him as a Pir. Although, he was capable of creating a 'Khanqah
Khanqah
A Khanqah, Khaniqah , ribat, zawiya, or tekke is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood, or tariqa, and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation...
', 'Darbar' a centre of sufi mysticism, and though Hazrat Shams-ud-Din Sialvi of Sial Sharif authorized him to do so,he did not created any 'Gadi' or 'Drabar', and also forbade his descendants to do this, as he was also a strong critic of Darbars and "family Gadi Nasheen". He also forbade his descendants not to establish Dargah
Dargah
A Dargah is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims visit the shrine known as . Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah...
after his death and made a will to bury him in the ordinary grave. After his death his elder son Qazi Mazhar Qayyum
Qazi Mazhar Qayyum
Qazi Mazhar Qayyum 'Raees-Azam Naushera', came from a qadi's family which had, since the 16th century, been prominent among the landed aristocracy of the Soon Valley. He belonged to Awans tribe of ancient repute. He was the famous "Hakeem" , especially of Muslim medicine and unani medicine of Soon...
made every effort to stop the people from making Dargah of the grave of his father.
He was a sufi and Alim
Ulama
-In Islam:* Ulema, also transliterated "ulama", a community of legal scholars of Islam and its laws . See:**Nahdlatul Ulama **Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama **Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal**Jamiat ul-Ulama -Other:...
at the same time. In the words of Sarah F. D. Ansari, "Rigid distinctions have been drawn between ulama (plural of Alim) and sufis. They have been portrayed as antithetical, irreconcilable representatives of the same truth and consequently very different from the point of view of their relationships with governments of the day. As guardians of the Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
, ulama were officially appointed as muftis and qazis to interpret and administer God's Law. They often came to rely on the state for their livelihood in the form of stipends and grants; they tended to become involved in worldly interests, which could lead them both to be distracted from essentially spiritual matters and to identify with the concerns of rulers rather than those of ordinary Muslims. Sufis, on the other hand, sought to gain knowledge of God in their hearts. By following the path, which meant observing various techniques of spiritual development, they aimed to obliterate self in unison with God. Because they placed greater emphasis on spiritual growth rather than on the letter of God's law, they were often able to reach out to people of other faiths, indeed to draw them towards Islam. For these reasons, and because they depended on the offerings of the pious rather than the gifts of kings, they often tended to stand aloof from state power and its representatives." But he never accepted the offerings of the pious and stipends and grants by the government as his ancestral land was more than his needs.
He did not change his monkish cap to lordly tassel, unlike other pirs of Punjab who became big feudal lords. Sir Muhammad Iqbal criticized the pirs of Punjab in his poem (پنچاب کے پيرزادوں سے) "TO THE PUNJAB PIRS". In this poem he imagined that he visited the tomb of reformer Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi
Ahmad Sirhindi
Imām Rabbānī Shaykh Ahmad al-Farūqī al-Sirhindī was an Indian Islamic scholar from Punjab, a Hanafi jurist, and a prominent member of the Naqshbandī Sufi order. He is described as Mujaddid Alf Thānī, meaning the "reviver of the second millennium", for his work in rejuvenating Islam and opposing...
and asked him for the saints’ gift and blessings. The spirit of saint replied that God's people i.e., Pirs and sufis have no portion in this land of five rivers i.e., Punjab, where lordly tassel or turban sprouts from monkish cap. Pirs and "Sajjada nashins, claimed to be the descendants of the Sufi, ‘saints’, intermediaries between the Faithful and their God, and this cut against the grain of Islamic orthodoxy. As beneficiaries, in cash and in kind, of their special religious status, these sajjada nashins had become men of local standing in their own right." In the Punjab, the sajjada nashin or pir families were not so rich in terms of land as the great land lords of Punjab but these sajjada nashin or pir families exerted great political and religious influence over the people. The British could not administer the area without their help and no political party could win the election without their help. Sir Muhammad Iqbal while criticizing this role of pirs of Punjab, says:
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حاضر ہوا ميں شيخ مجدد کي لحد پر وہ خاک کہ ہے زير فلک مطلع انوار اس خاک کے ذروں سے ہيں شرمندہ ستارے اس خاک ميں پوشيدہ ہے وہ صاحب اسرار گردن نہ جھکي جس کي جہانگير کے آگے جس کے نفس گرم سے ہے گرمي احرار وہ ہند ميں سرمايہء ملت کا نگہباں اللہ نے بر وقت کيا جس کو خبردار کي عرض يہ ميں نے کہ عطا فقر ہو مجھ کو آنکھيں مري بينا ہيں ، و ليکن نہيں بيدار! آئي يہ صدا سلسلہء فقر ہوا بند ہيں اہل نظر کشور پنجاب سے بيزار عارف کا ٹھکانا نہيں وہ خطہ کہ جس ميں پيدا کلہ فقر سے ہو طرئہ دستار باقي کلہ فقر سے تھا ولولہء حق طروں نے چڑھايا نشہء 'خدمت سرکار'! |
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He had correspondence with various famous Sufis of his time including Hazrat Shams-ud-Din Sialvi of Sial Sharif, Hazrat Khawaja Muhammad-ud-Din, Hazrat Khawaja Zia-ud-Din, Pir Meher Ali Shah
Pir Meher Ali Shah
Pir Syed Meher Ali Shah Gilani was born 14 April 1859 in Golra Sharif, which is located midway between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, in present-day Pakistan. The time just before his birth saw the Indian Rebellion of 1857 fought between the British and the sepoys allied with seven of the Princely...
, Pir Jalalpur Sharif. He inherited a library of rare Arabic manuscripts from his ancestors, to which he added every rare book or manuscript that he could find. He left many books still in the form of manuscripts, religious decisions, letters, and notes.
The Meccan Illuminations
As pointed out earlier, in his Anwar Shamsia, edition 1916, Maulvi Ameer Baksh says that when Hazrat Khawaja Shams-ud-din SialviSial Sharif
Sial Sharif is a village in the Sargodha District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in Sahiwal Tehsil and lies 48km away from the city of Sargodha, about midway on the Sargodha-Jhang road.Its population is about 1,100 people...
died in 1883, his disciple Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad was so mourned and depressed that now with whom he would learned and discussed Sufism and Ibn Arabi philosophy. According to Maulvi Ameer Baksh, Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad was an ardent reader of Ibn Arabi book The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya), and was an authority on his teaching. The study of great Sufi, Ibn Arabi
Ibn Arabi
Ibn ʿArabī was an Andalusian Moorish Sufi mystic and philosopher. His full name was Abū 'Abdillāh Muḥammad ibn 'Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn `Arabī .-Biography:...
, and his masterpiece The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya) in 37 volumes was his specialization. He died in 1920, leaving his younger comrade Pir Meher Ali Shah
Pir Meher Ali Shah
Pir Syed Meher Ali Shah Gilani was born 14 April 1859 in Golra Sharif, which is located midway between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, in present-day Pakistan. The time just before his birth saw the Indian Rebellion of 1857 fought between the British and the sepoys allied with seven of the Princely...
as the only authority on this subject in India.
Both were disciples of Hazrat Khawaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi
Sial Sharif
Sial Sharif is a village in the Sargodha District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in Sahiwal Tehsil and lies 48km away from the city of Sargodha, about midway on the Sargodha-Jhang road.Its population is about 1,100 people...
. Through the training received from Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi, they learnt the fundamentals of sufism. The great Sufi introduced them to mystic way of life and granted to them the spiritual insights. They now came to see through illumination (Ishraq) what they had previously learnt theoretically from books. However, having reached both formal and spiritual perfection, he returned to the world of books and Muslim jurisprudence. But his younger comrade, Pir Meher Ali Shah went ahead and had undergone or experienced mystic trances at highest level. He used to spent all summer and winter nights sitting on a slab of stone in the shape of a prayer mat, devoted to prayer and meditation. With this practice, once his legs became unable to move.
In 1933, Pir Meher Ali Shah was absorbed in in his mediation and mystic trances. In the same year the great philosopher, Sir Muhammad Iqbal had to give lecture on Cambridge University on Ibn Arabi concept of Space and Time. He wrote a letter to Pir Meher Ali Shah stating that now there was no body in whole Hindustan
Hindustan
Hindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"...
, to whom he could consulted in this matter, requesting him to tell about Ibn Arabi concept of Space and Time. In this letter Sir Muhammad Iqbal also stated with respect the he knew that the learned Pir was disturbed due to his mediation, but as his motive was service of Islam, therefore he dared to ask him a question. Pir Meher Ali shah, however due to his mediation, bad health, and old age could not replied. He died in 1937. Next year, Sir Muhammad Iqbal also died.
Sufi of the Chishti Order
Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad was a disciple and Khalifa of Hazrat Shams-ud-din Sialvi in the Silsila-e-Chishtia Nizamiyah. The following is the order of Silsila-e-Chishtia;- MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |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...
- Ali ibn Abu Talib
- Hazrat Khwaja Hasan Basri
- Hazrat Khwaja Abdul Wahid bin Zaid
- Hazrat Khwaja Fuzeel Ibn-e-Ayaaz
- Hazrat Khwaja Sultan Ibrahim Adham
- Hazrat Khwaja Sadeed-ud-din
- Hazrat Khwaja Ameen-ud-din
- Hazrat Khwaja Mumshaad
- Hazrat Khwaja Abi Ishaq Shami Chishti
- Hazrat Khwaja Syed Abi Ahmad Abdal Chishti
- Hazrat Khwaja Syed Abi Muhammad Chishti
- Hazrat Khwaja Syed Nasir-ud-din Chishti
- Hazrat Khwaja Syed Qutb-ud-din Maudud Chishti
- Hazrat Khwaja Makhdum Haji Sharif
- Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni
- Hazrat Khwaja Syed Moin-ud-din Chishti of Ajmer SharifMoinuddin ChishtiSultan-ul-Hind, Moinuddin Chishti was born in 1141 and died in 1230 CE. Also known as Gharīb Nawāz "Benefactor of the Poor" , he is the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of the Indian Subcontinent. He introduced and established the order in South Asia...
- Hazrat Khwaja Syed Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiar KakiQutbuddin Bakhtiar KakiQutub ul Aqtab Hazrat Khwaja Syed Muhammad Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki was a renowned Muslim Sufi mystic, saint and scholar of the Chishti Order from Delhi, India. He was the disciple and the spiritual successor of Moinuddin Chishti as head of the Chishti order. Before him the Chishti order in India...
- Hazrat Khwaja Baba Fareed-ud-din Ganjshakar
- Hazrat Khwaja Syed Nizaam-ud-din AwliaNizamuddin AuliyaSultan-ul-Mashaikh, Mehboob-e-Ilahi, Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya , also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to...
- Hazrat Khwaja Naseer-ud-din Charagh-e-Delhi
- Hazrat Khwaja Kamaal-ud-din
- Hazrat Khwaja Siraaj-ud-din
- Hazrat Khwaja I’lm-ud-din
- Hazrat Khwaja Mehmood Rajan
- Hazrat Khwaja Jamaal-ud-din Juman
- Hazrat Khwaja Jamaal-ud-din Hasan Muhammad Nuri
- Hazrat Khwaja Qutb Shams-ud-din Muhammad
- Hazrat Khwaja Muhammad
- Hazrat Khwaja Kaleem Ullah Jahanabadi
- Hazrat Khwaja Nizaam-ud-din Aurongabadi
- Hazrat Khwaja Fakhr-ud-din
- Hazrat Khwaja Nur Muhammad Mahaarvi
- Hazrat Khwaja Muhammad Sulaiman TaunsviKhawaja Shah SulemanMuhammad Suleman Taunsvi was a Sufi saint born to the Jafar Pakhtun tribe of Darug, Loralai District, Balochistan province, in what is now Pakistan. His dargah lies in Tehsil Taunsa of district Dera Ghazi Khan of Punjab province in Pakistan...
- Hazrat Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi
- Hazrat Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad
Aligarh Movement
He was a great admirer of Sir Syed Ahmed KhanSyed Ahmed Khan
Javad-ud Daula, Arif Jang, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, KCSI , commonly known as Sir Syed, was an Indian educator and politician, and an Islamic reformer and modernist...
, and Aligarh Movement
Aligarh Movement
Aligarh Movement was the movement led by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, to educate the Muslims of the South Asia after the defeat of the rebels in the Indian rebellion of 1857. It had enormous success and had a profound impact on the future of the subcontinent...
. Despite the strong opposition of conservative Muslim Ulema, he supported this movement in his area.He requested to the British Deputy Commissioner of District Shahpur
Shahpur (Punjab)
Shahpur is a city located in the west of Punjab province, Pakistan. It lies on the Jhelum River. Its old name was Rampur and it had a majority Hindu population until the 17th century...
, now District Sargodha
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
, to establish a High School in Naushera. Unlike the Ulema of his time he was very broadminded, and send his third son to the school. For its success, the Aligarh Movement depended wholly on public donations. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan made notable personal contributions and went whole India, and overboard in his fund collection drive. He organized lotteries, staged drama and felt no hesitation to visit any place, including red light areas, to collect money. Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad himself gave donation and persuaded all local influential landlords to contribute in this regard.
60 conservative Ulema
Ulema
Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...
and Alims had signed fatwas accusing Sir Syed of disbelief and apostasy. There was total consensus among the Ulema and Alims, only divine approval was missing. Maulvi Ali Bakhsh did the needful and travelled to Mecca and Medina on the pretext of pilgrimage and secured a fatwa calling for beheading of Sir Syed if he repented not and persisted with his plan to establish the college. But Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad urged his people to support Aligarh movement.
He was also a "Hakeem" (herbal medicine practitioner) of first rank, and he did not take any remuneration from his people. and afterward, his elder son Qazi Mahar Qayyum (Raees azam Naushera) made a great name in this field.
He died on 20 Jan 1920. He was buried in Naushera, Soon Valley, where his grave became an object of veneration
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
.
Qazi Mazhar Qayyum
He was the eldest son of Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad, and was the famous "Hakeem" (herbal medicine practitioner), of Soon Valley. he was the authority on this subject in his time.He died in 1952. He was buried in Naushera, Soon Valley
Qazi Manzoor ul Haq
He was the second son of Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad. He was known as Imam Abu Hanifa of Naushera. He was a great scholar of Islamic law. In the age of British government when cases were decided according to English law, Muslims consulted him for his legal opinions on Islamic laws. He issued many "fatwas" like his father and made a great name in the field Hanafi school of law.His brilliant son Dr. Mazafar ul Haq was the first of those Pakistanis who had M.B.B.S. degree.
He led a very simple life, and according to the notable and pious people of his time, like his father, his life was an example of the lives of early Companions sahaba
Sahaba
In Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
of Prophet Muhammad.
He died in 1954. He was buried in Naushera, Soon Valley
Qazi Zafar Hussain
Khan SahibKhan Sahib
Khan Sahib - a compound of khan and sahib - was a formal title of respect and honour, which was conferred exclusively on Muslim, Parsi and Jewish subjects of the British Indian Empire...
Qazi Zafar Hussain
Qazi Zafar Hussain
Khan Sahib, Qazi Zafar Hussain came from a qadi's family which had, since the 16th century, been prominent among the landed aristocracy of the Soon Valley. He belonged to Awans tribe of ancient repute. He was awarded the title of Khan Sahib by the British Crown. This was a formal title, a compound...
, was the third son of Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad.
In 1945, he was awarded by the title of "Khan sahib" by the British Government in recognition of his services. He used his family and political influence to help the people of his area. He died in 1968. He was buried in Naushera, Soon Valley.
Genealogical table
Genealogical table from Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib to Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad- Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib
- Hazrat Al-Abbas ibn Ali
- Hazrat Ubaid Ullah bin Abbas
- Hazrat Hassan bin Ubaid Ullah
- Hazrat Hamza bin Hassan
- Hazrat Jafar bin Hamza
- Hazrat Ali bin Jaffar
- Hazrat Qasim bin Ali
- Hazrat Al-Tiar bin Ali
- Hazrat Hamza bin Al-Tiar
- Hazrat Yeila bin Hamza
- Hazrat Abdul-Allah Qutb Shah Awn ibn Ya‘lā
- Hazrat Abdullah
- Hazrat Saned ul Ulema
- Hazrat Muhammad Bahadur
- Hazrat Muhammad Badset
- Hazrat Muhammad Ghazi
- Hazrat Rahmat Khan
- Hazrat Daood
- Hazrat Ahmed Khan
- Hazrat Oajal khan
- Hazrat Muhammad Gohar
- Hazrat Muhammad Fateh Jang
- Hazrat Muhammad Ikhlaas
- Hazrat Muhammad Gohar
- Hazrat Muhammad Akbar
- Hazrat Muhammad Sarwar
- Hazrat Muhammad Bilal Ali
- Hazrat Muhammad Himayat Ali
- Hazrat Muhammad Hashim Derya
- Hazrat Muhammad Saeed
- Hazrat Khair Muhammad
- Hazrat Muhammad Khushal
- Hazrat Muhammad Arif
- Hazrat Mian Muhammad
- Hazrat Qazi Kalim Allah
- Hazrat Qazi Ghulam Muhammad
- Hazrat Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad
Sources
- This family genealogical table has been copied from a very ancient manuscript found in the library of Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad. Jamal ad-Din Hasan ibn Yusuf ibn 'Ali ibn Muthahhar al-HilliAl-HilliJamal ad-Din Hasan ibn Yusuf ibn 'Ali ibn Muthahhar al-Hilli , also known as al-Allamah al-Hilli , born December 15, 1250 CE , died December 18, 1325, was a Twelver Shia theologian and mujtahid. Known as a Marja , he was one of the greatest Muslim jurists and scholars of his time...
also mentioned the names of first twelve generations of this Genealogical table in his book Kihalastah al-Nisab, a treatise on the descendantsDescendants of Ali ibn Abi TalibAli was the first Imam of Shia Islam. He was a cousin of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, as well as Muhammad's son-in-law. He had several children by Fatima, Muhammad's daughter, as well as children by other wives...
of 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib', Alawi. This treatise also includes the descendants of Ali Ibn Abi Talib who migrated to other countries after the rise of Umayyad Caliphate. The author of 'Bab-ul-Awan', a history of Awan tribe, also mentions the names of first twelve generations in his book. 'Bab-ul-Awan', a history of Awan tribe, by Muhammad Noor ud Din Sulemani. edition 1923. - Anwar Shamsia, A biography of Pir Khawaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi, by Maulvi Ameer Baksh.Edition 1916.http://www.archive.org/details/AnExtractFromanwarShamsiaABiographyOfFamousSufiKhawaja
- Hu al-Hameed by Sahibzada Muhammad Masood Ahmad.
- Wadi Soon sakesar (The Soon Valley) by Sufi Sarwar, published by Al- Faisal Nashran, Lahore A joint venture of Lok Virsa, Islamabad and AL-Faisal Nashran, Lahore, copy right Lok Virsa, Islamabad 2002.