Hazrat Shah Jalal
Encyclopedia
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
particularly in the region of Sylhet
Sylhet Division
Sylhet Division , also known as Greater Sylhet or Sylhet region, is the northeastern division of Bangladesh, named after its main city, Sylhet...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. Jalal's name is associated with the Muslim conquest of Sylhet, for which he is given the most credit. He was buried at Sylhet
Sylhet
Sylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
. Shahjalal International Airport, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
's main airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
is named in honour of this saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
.
visit this address link for know to Hazrat Shah Jalal Yemani (R).......
http://www.hazratshahjalalyemeni.com
Early life and education
Born Makhdum Jalal ad-Deen bin Muhammad, he was later known as Shaikh-ul-Mashaikh he was also known as Yamani(R) Hazrat Shah Jalal ad-Din al-Mujarrad (the last name could be related to his lifelong celibacy or performing of prayers in solitary milieu). Shah Jalal's date and place of birth is unclear. Various traditions, folklore and historical documents differ. A number of scholars claim that he was born in 1271 in KonyaKonya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and later moved to Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, either as a child or adult, while vast majority of scholars believe he was born in Quni, Hadramout in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. He was the son of a Muslim cleric, who was a contemporary of the Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
poet and Sufi saint, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi
Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī , also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī and popularly known as Mevlānā in Turkey and Mawlānā in Iran and Afghanistan but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi was a 13th-century Persian Muslim poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic...
. He was educated and raised by his maternal uncle, Syed Ahmed Kabir, in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. He excelled in his studies and became a Hafiz (one who has committed the 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...
to memory) and was proficient in Islamic theology. He achieved Kamaliyat (spiritual perfection) after 30 years of study and meditation.
Travel to India
According to legend, one day his uncle, Sheikh Kabir gave Shah Jalal a handful of soil and asked him to travel to HindustanHindustan
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"...
(India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) with the instruction that he should settle in whichever place in Hindustan the earth of which matched completely the smell and color of that soil, and that he should devote his life to the propagation and establishment of Islam in that place.
Shah Jalal journeyed eastward and reached India in c. 1300, where he met with many great scholars and mystics
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
. In Delhi, he met with Nizam Uddin Aulia, another major Sufi mystic and scholar.
in the book of tajkeratul aulia written by Hazrat Sheik fariduddin Attar Shahjajal was born in yemen in 1322 and died in 1384 which appears to be incorrect since Hazrat shahjalal (RA) met Hazrat Khaja Mainuddin Chisty (RA) and Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi in the year c.1300 which is hitorically proved fact,whereas the author Fariduddin Attar born in the year c.1092 and died in hands of tatar dacoits within 100 year. Some unscruphulous publisher wrote that life scatch and included in the original Tajkeratul Awlia, as admitted by the Bangladeshi translator Md. Mustafijur Rahman that he has added some life scatch in the Bangladeshi edition published in the year 2003 by Meena Book House.
Conquest of Sylhet
Dduring the conquest of Sylhet a tribal chieftain named Gour Govinda ruled the Sylhet area, which was called Gaur Kingdom, and then predominantly inhabited by tribal people of Mongoloid origin. Govinda himself was of Tepra tribe of Tripura. Sheikh Burhanuddin, a Muslim who lived in the area under his control once sacrificed a cow to celebrate the birth of his son. A crow snatched a piece of the dead meat and it fell from its beak onto the house of a BrahminBrahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
Hindu, for whom cows were sacred. According to another tradition, the piece of flesh fell on the temple of the king himself, which he took as a great offence. On the orders of the king, Burhanuddin's hands were said to have been cut off and his son killed. Burhanuddin went to the Sultan of Gaur, Shamsuddin Firuz Shah, to whom he submitted a plea for justice. The Sultan accordingly sent an army under the command of his nephew Sikandar Khan Ghazi. He was, however, stopped by rains and flooding. The Sultan then ordered his Sipah Salar (armed forces chief) Nasiruddin to lead the war.
At this time, Shah Jalal (R) was requested by Nizam Uddin
Nizamuddin Auliya
Sultan-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...
at the behest of Sultan Firoz Shah to travel to Sylhet along with Sikander Khan Ghazi to rescue Sheikh Burhan Uddin. With 360 followers, including his nephew Shah Paran
Shah Paran
Shah Paran was a renowned Sufi saint of the Suhrawardiyya and Jalalia order. It is said that he was the son of a sister of Hazrat Shah Jalal and was born in Hadramaut, Yemen. He was an accomplice of his uncle, Shah Jalal, with whom he arrived in India. In 1303 AD, He took part in the expedition...
, he reached Bengal and joined the Muslim army in the Sylhet campaign.
Knowing that Shah Jalal was advancing towards Sylhet, Raja Gaur Govinda, the king, removed all ferry boats from the river Surma
Surma
Surma may refer to:* Surma — a beast which guards the gates of the Underworld;* Surma people — a pastoralist ethnic group in western Ethiopia;* Kohl — another name for the eyelash dye and eye cosmetic;...
, thereby cutting off any means of crossing into Sylhet
Sylhet
Sylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
. Legend has it that Shah Jalal crossed the river Surma by sitting on a Jainamaz (prayer rug). Upon reaching the opposite bank, he ordered the Azan
Azan
Azan may refer to:* Adhan or Azaan, Islamic call to prayer* Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria r. 1189-1196 or his son* Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria r. 1218-1241* Azan , Star Trek character* Azan , character in Greek mythology* Azan, Afghanistan...
(call to prayer) to be sounded, at which the magnificent palace of Gaur Govinda shattered. With Shah Jalal's help, the Hindus were completely defeated and crushed by the Muslim Army.
However, an inscription from Sylhet town, dated 1512-13, says that it was Sikandar Khan Ghazi who had actually conquered the town in the year 1303-4.
it was then later told, Shah Jalal found a match for the earth his uncle once gave him, and following to his uncle's wishes, he settled down in Sylhet
Sylhet
Sylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
, near Choukidhiki. It is from here that he preached Islam and became a celebrated Muslim figure in Bengal. He and his disciples traveled and settled as far as Mymensingh and Dhaka to spread the teachings of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, such as Shah Paran in Sylhet, Shah Malek Yemeni in Dhaka, Syed Ahmad Kolla Shahid in Comilla, Syed Nasiruddin in the region of Pargana Taraf, Haji Daria and Shaikh Ali Yemeni. An expedition to Chittagong was led by Khwaja Burhanuddin Qattan and Shah Badruddin. An expedition to Sunamganj was led by Shah Kamal Qattani, whose shrine is located in Shaharpara
Shaharpara
Shaharpara is a village in the northeastern part of Sunamganj District, Bangladesh and is approximately one hour drive away from Sylhet. It is at the heart of Sylhet Division and nestled beside the river Ratna....
, Sunamganj
Sunamganj District
The district of Sunamganj consists 3562 mosques, 560 temples and 61 churches.-History:The name Sunamganj is derived from its founder, Sipahi Sunamuddin, who established a bazaar on the bank of the river Surma. In the ancient period, Sunamganj was part of the Rarh Kingdom that included Sylhet,...
.
Later life
During the later stages of his life, Shah Jalal devoted himself to propagating Islam. Under his guidance, many thousands of Hindus and Buddhists converted to Islam. Shah Jalal became so renowned that even the world famous Ibn BattutaIbn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta , or simply Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad–Din , was a Muslim Moroccan Berber explorer, known for his extensive travels published in the Rihla...
, then in Chittagong, was asked to change his plans and go to Sylhet to meet this great saint. On his way to Sylhet, Ibn Batuta was greeted by several of Shah Jalal (R.A)'s disciples who had come to assist him on his journey many days before he had arrived. Once in the presence of Shah Jalal (R.A), Ibn Batuta noted that Shah Jalal (R.A) was tall and lean, fair in complexion and lived by the mosque in a cave, where his only item of value was a goat from which he extracted milk, butter, and yogurt. He observed that the companions of the sheikh were foreign and known for their strength and bravery. He also mentions that many people would visit the sheikh to seek guidance. Shah Jalal (R.A) was therefore instrumental in the spread of Islam throughout north east India, including Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
.
The meeting between Ibn Batuta and Shah Jalal is described in his travelogue in Arabic, Riḥlah Ibn Baṭūṭa (the Journey of Ibn Batuta). Amir Khusrau also gives an account of Shah Jalal (R.A)'s conquest of Sylhet in his book "Afdalul Hawaade". Even today in Hadramaut, Yemen, Sheikh Makhdum Jalaluddin's name is established in folklore.
The exact date of his death is unknown, but he is reported by Ibn Battuta to have died in 746 AH (1347 A.D). He left behind two descendants with many still living in Sylhet today. He is buried in Sylhet in his 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...
(tomb), which is located in a neighbourhood now known as Dargah Mohalla. His shrine is famous in Sylhet and throughout Bangladesh, with hundreds of devotees visiting daily. At the Dargah is also located the largest mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Sylhet, one of the largest in the country.
See also
- Islam in BangladeshIslam in BangladeshIslam is the largest religion of Bangladesh, the Muslim population is approximately 148.6 million, which is the third largest Muslim population in the world, constituting 90.4% of the total population as of 2010. Religion has always been a strong part of identity, but this has varied at different...
- SylhetSylhetSylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
- KonyaKonyaKonya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
- Hadhrami peopleHadhrami peopleThe Hadhrami or Hadharem are people from the Hadhramaut and their descendants in diaspora communities around the world. They speak Hadhrami Arabic....
- Shah ParanShah ParanShah Paran was a renowned Sufi saint of the Suhrawardiyya and Jalalia order. It is said that he was the son of a sister of Hazrat Shah Jalal and was born in Hadramaut, Yemen. He was an accomplice of his uncle, Shah Jalal, with whom he arrived in India. In 1303 AD, He took part in the expedition...
, his nephew and another Sufi saint - Nizamuddin AuliyaNizamuddin 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...
, his spiritual Friend - SufismSufismSufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
- Shah Siddiq, one of Shah Jalal's 360 followers and Sufi saint