Bazm A Sultania 3.18

Sayyiduna Khwaja Shaykh Muhammad Sadiq al-Naqshbandi Rahimahullah of Gulhar Sharif Kotli Azad Kashmir

Introduction

This branch (al-Bakri al-Siddiqi) originally ruled Yemen and left its governance in order to spread the Din. This love for the Din and knowledge brought them out of the Arabian Peninsula and into Iran, Hindustan and finally Kashmir.

Rasul Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said,

“When Allah loves some person, He sends for Jibril and commands him: Verily, I love such and such a person; you should also love him, so Jibril loves him as well. Then Jibril proclaims in the heavens that Allah loves such and such a person; you should also love him. Then the residents of the heavens love him as well. Then his love is sent down to the earth (the world)”

Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, and Musnad Ahmad.

The theme of this Hadith Sharif beautifully manifests itself in the person of Hazrat Sahib رحمت اللہعلیہ .

His fame has not only spread in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan but also in Arabia and non-Arab lands. The hand of nature (God) carved him like a precious diamond and from whatever angle one observes one sees a new colour and a new shape. His physical appearance, life, speech, character, movements, habits, virtues and manners, indeed, whichever aspect one observes, one cries out: “His every action pulls the heartstrings.” The Divine Will operates in mysterious ways and creates reasons to bring about its purpose. It was the Divine Will that appointed Hazrat Sahib رحمت اللہعلیہ to turn Kotli into a centre of guidance. Through Hazrat Sahib رحمت اللہعلیہ the people of Kotli were taken out of the darkness and in to the light and for this favour they can never thank Allah enough. Due to Hazrat Sahib’s efforts every home in this area became familiar with the Din.

Family Background

Some of our friends do not know the lineage of Hazrat Sahib رحمت اللہ علیہ and for their information a summary of his ancestors is provided. Hazrat Khwaja Muhammad Sadiq رحمت اللہ علیہ known as ‘Hazrat Sahib’ رحمت اللہعلیہ is of pure Arab ancestry and a descendent of Hazrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq’s رضی اللہ عنہ eldest son Hazrat Abd al-Rahman رضی اللہ عنہ . His genealogy links him with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq رضی اللہ عنہ through 37 generations. This branch of the family was always interested in knowledge and spreading the Din. Seven generations after Hazrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq رضی اللہ عنہ , his descendent, Hazrat Ahmad bin Mahmud رحمت اللہ علیہ became the ruler of Yemen. His fourth successor, Hazrat Kamal al-Din Muhammad Yemeni رحمت اللہ علیہ(whose students include Shaykh Baha al-Din Zakariyya Multani تمحر اللہ ہیلع ), left his rule in Yemen and settled in Madinah al-Munawwarah and for fifty years taught Hadith Sharif in the neighbourhood of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم . He was later appointed as the Qadi of Sistan in Iran. This position was occupied by his descendents for the next six generations.

The Arrival of His Great Ancestor to the Indo-Pak Subcontinent Hazrat Shaykh Qiwam al-Din bin Husam al-Din رحمت اللہ علیہ was the first ancestor of Hazrat Sahib رحمت اللہ علیہ to enter Hindustan. He was the seventeenth descendent of Hazrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq رضی اللہ عنہ and the sixth descendent of Hazrat Kamal al-Din Muhammad Yemeni رحمت اللہ علیہ . In 700 A.H /1300 CE at the request of the Tughluq Sultans he arrived with his nephews in Delhi. Prior to his arrival in Delhi he was the Qadi of Jjnayr in Sistan in the kingdom of Iran. In Delhi he received khilafat from Hazrat Nizam al-Din Awliya رحمت اللہ علیہ . The King of the time appointed him as the Qadi (judge) and sent him to Rohtak (Haryana District); which is located seventy kilometres North West of Delhi. He and his wife Ayn al-Badr bint Qadi Sultan Muhammad Surkh Dhu al-Qarni رحمت اللہ علیہ are buried in the fort in Rohtak. This fort was constructed by the Yemeni Shuyukh under the supervision of Qadi Sultan Muhammad Surkh Dhu al-Qarni رحمت اللہ علیہ . Until 1947 his descendents lived in the village called Mehm, thirty kilometres from Rohtak in their regal forts (due to the al-Bakri al-Siddiqi family this area was named Mehm Sharif). These forts are mentioned by Abu al-Fadl in his book A’ain-e Akbari (p.922-1003).

The Family’s Contributions and Achievements

“Some members of this family held prominent posts under the Pathan Sultans of Delhi and the Mughal Emperors. In addition, the family played an important role in the conversion and the transformation of the Rajputs in the districts of Hisar, Rohtak, Karnal and Gurgoan.

The Imperial Coronation Delhi Darbar, 1911 printed in Madras (p.381)

During the Muslim rule this al-Bakri al-Siddiqi branch continually occupied places of knowledge, honour, spirituality and leadership. The family held the post of the local Qadi (judge), Mufti, (authority on religious rulings) Muhtasib, (inspector) Amir-e Adl (chief justice), Khatib (orator) of Friday and Eid prayers. In addition they had held high offices in both civil and military ranks at a national level. They also contributed greatly in the fields of literature, education and propagating Islam in the surrounding districts of Delhi: Rohtak, Gurgoan, Hisar, Karnal and so forth. They also played an important part in the conversion and guidance of Hindu,Jats and Rajputs and some other tribes to Islam.

The Period of Tribulation

A few years after the British East India Company took full control of Hindustan, they changed the administrative language and the system of governance, consequently the function of the Qazi and Mufti was terminated. And, in accordance with the Third Act of 1838 Section Five, all of their land grants were confiscated and the office holders (Qazi and Mufti) were made redundant. As for their role in the Battle of Independence in 1857, this family was branded the leaders of the rebels and subsequently fourteen prominent members of the family were martyred. Their homes were dug up to two feet deep in order to find weapons and consequently numerous relics and artefacts that had been in the family’s possession for centuries were stolen by the soldiers. The walls of their fort were demolished. Despite all these destructions the government was not able to stop the religious efforts of this family as it continued to teach and spread Islam. During the British Raj the financial situation of the family was adverse. Although a few were wealthy, most were at the mercy of local petty rulers. During the 138 years of the British Raj this family’s recognition was in the field of knowledge and nobility.

According to the 1880 Census of the Rohtak District, there were just eighteen Christians from the indigenous population and half of the fourteen per cent of the Muslim population comprised of people whose ancestors had recently converted to Islam. The historical achievement of the al-Bakri al-Siddiqi family of the Rohtak District was that they prevented people from being converted to Christianity despite the fact that they (Christians) were openly supported by the British government. Due to the efforts of this family one European Officer stationed at Delhi converted to Islam and thousands of Jats, Rajputs, Kai’sath, Jogis and so forth also embraced to Islam.

During the British Raj the writers from this family made valuable contributions in the field of Urdu literature; composing and translating works on Sufism, Jurisprudence, Medicine, Critique, History, Biographies, Biography of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم , Law, Philosophy, Ethics, Politics, Astronomy, Municipal administration, Logic, Literature, Morphology, Syntax, Dictionaries, Comparative Religions and so forth.

The contributions of the family were mentioned in the report of the Delhi Darbar held in 1911. “This family has occupied prominent offices generation after generation for many centuries. Some members of this family simultaneously held key posts such as Qazi, Chief Justice, Muhtasib, Mufti, Mutawalli (guardian) and Khatib.”

For one family to hold prominent posts for five centuries clearly suggests that this family possessed qualities such as knowledge, wisdom and administrative skills. In the field of politics the family played an important part in the independence movement of India and Pakistan. During the partition of 1947 one tenth of the Muslim population of Rohtak was martyred and the rest were forced to flee to Pakistan. Presently most of the descendents of Shaykh Qiwam al-Din Rohtaki are settled in Pakistan.

The Arrival of a Beloved Son of the al-Bakri al-Siddiqi Family to the State of Jammu and Kashmir

The ruler of Mirpur, Sultan Fateh Muhammad Khan Ghakkar تمحر اللہ ہیلع , received the title of (Sultan) from the Mughal Emperor Awrangzaib Alamgir رحمت اللہ علیہ. He founded the area called Fatehpur and also ruled Chalayar and the present district of Kotli (1051 A.H/1640 C.E). He had the history of the Ghakkars written entitled: Tarikh Fateh Khani, which contained authentic accounts of the period. It was on his request that Qazi Fath Allah Qadri Shattari Rohtaki رحمت اللہ علیہcame to Mirpur as the Chief Judge and settled there. In this way the service for the Din led this al-Bakri al-Siddiqi branch from Makkah Sharif, Madinah Sharif, Yemen, Sistan (Iran), Hindustan and finally to Mirpur.

Sultan Fateh Muhammad Khan Ghakkar رحمت اللہ علیہwas a very pious and God fearing person. He married his daughter off to Hazrat Qazi Fath Allah, who subsequently moved from Rohtak to Mirpur where he built the city’s first mosque. He was travelling to Delhi and whilst en route he died on 16th October 1677 in an area called Dar Samalaka (Panipat). His body was brought back to Mirpur with a royal escort and laid to rest in the family cemetery. This spiritual centre (shrine) remained intact until the onslaught of the Sikhs. When the Sikhs took control of Mirpur this family suffered persecution like other Muslims. After the Sikh occupation of the state,