Sheikh Noor-ud-din Wali
Encyclopedia
Sheikh Noor-ud-din, also known as Nund Rishi, was a famous Kashmiri saint who belonged to the Rishi order
. He belonged to a Rajput lineage of Kisthwar. He was born in 1377 CE
, corresponding to 779 Hijri
and he died at the age of 63 years in the year of 1440 CE or 842 Hijri
. In various circles, is also called Alamdar-e-Kashmir and Sheikh-ul-Alam and is the patron saint of Kashmiris, highly revered by both Muslims and Hindus.
, in 779 A.H. = 1377 A.C, on the day of the Eid al-Adha. His father's name was Shaikh Salar-ud-din his mother Sadra, was called Sadra Moji or Sadra Deddi. In Kashmir, Moji means 'mother' and Deddi denotes 'elderly.' Both the parents were well-known for their piety. It was a period when Kashmir was ruled by the sultans Qutub-ud-Din, Sikandar
, Ali Shah, and Zain-ul-Abidin
.
When Nur-ud-din (RA) grew up, his stepbrothers began to trouble him. They were rogues, while he was saintly. Once or twice he accompanied them to find work but felt that he could not be happy with them. He was then apprenticed to a couple of traders, one after the other. There, too, he felt disgusted with the ways of the world, and, deciding upon renunciation, retired to caves for meditation at the age of thirty. It is said that he lived for twelve years in the wilderness. Hence, perhaps, kaimuh is given the derivation of kai-wan (or ban, a forest) in rustic belief. The actual cave of contemplation is shown in kaimuh and is about 10 feet deep. In his last days, the saint sustained life on one cup of milk daily. Finally, he reduced himself to water alone, and died at the age of 63, in the reign of sultan Zain-ul-Abidin, in 842 A. H. = 1438 A.C. Shams-ul-Arifin or 'the sun of the pious' is the chronogram
which gives the date of his death. The Sultan accompanied his bier to the grave. The burial prayers were led by a great divine or 'Alim of the age, Makhdum Baba Usman Uchchap Ganai. The tomb of Shaikh Nur-ud-din at Charari Sharief
, a small town perched on a dry bare hill, 20 miles south west of Srinagar, is visited by thousands of people to the present day.
During his lifetime, he witnessed a gradual cultural and religious transformation of the people of the valley, from Hinduism
to Islam
. Various historical events helped to shape his mind in such a manner that he produced some works of philosophy, in his own manner of verses and poetry.
Sheikh ul-Alam was deeply affected by such events and this is apparent in a majority of his verses.
The biggest event that occurred in the Sheikh's childhood was the coming of another Muslim preacher, Amir Kabir Mir Syed Hamadani
, to Kashmir. Shah Hamadan, as he was popularly called, came to Kashmir in September 1372 CE, 1379 CE and the third time in the year 1383 CE.
Shaikh Nur-ud-din- appears to have married Zai Ded from Dadasara, Tral, Pulwama( her father Akber-u-Din(RA) and two brothers "Kamal-u-din"(RA) and "Jamal-u-din"RA) are buried at Dadasara Tral, people of the area visited their shrine for "Dua" to fulfil their needs ) and had two sons and one daughter. On the death of the children, Zai Ded also renounced the world, and became a hermit
. She was buried at Kaimuh on her death.
The simplicity and purity of Shaikh Nur-ud-din's life have deeply impressed the Kashmiri who entertains the highest veneration for the saint. In fact, the Afghan governor, Ata Muhammad Khan, gave, as it were, expression to public sentiment when coins were struck by him in the name of Shaikh Nur-ud-din in 1223-25 A.H. (1808-10 CE). No other saint perhaps in human history has ever had coins struck in his honour.
Sheikh Nur al-Din Wali is one of the most prominent scholars and Du'ah of Kashmir. He used his poetry as tool to spread the true knowledge of Islam. His poetry is commonly known as Shrukhs. Tawhid
, Risala
, Ma'ad, human lust
etc are main subjects of his poetry. He vehemently criticizes the so called Mullas and other pseudo-scholars of Islam.
He was a man of innate foresight and intuitive knowledge. One of his most famous and oft quoted couplets is (Kashmiri:"Ann poshi teli yeli wann poshi") meaning 'Food will last as long as forests last' Lal Ded the famous Shaivite
poetess of Kashmir was his contemporary. She had a great impact on his spiritual growth. He has in one of his poems prayed to God to grant him the same level of spiritual achievement as God had bestowed on Lal Ded.
His teachings were not to the liking of the Sayyid
s who had recently come from central Asia and wanted the sultan to implement a radical version of Islam. For this the sultans had him arrested and imprisoned for two years. Later the popular sultan Budshah (son of Sultan Sikandar Butshikan) who was of a secularist bent of mind had him rehabilitated.
His sayings are preserved in the Nur-nama, commonly available in Kashmir. The Nur-nama also gives the life of the saint. It was written by Baba Nasib-ud-din Ghazi in Persian about two centuries after the death of Shaikh Nur-ud-din.
Anecdotes of the life of this 'chief of the Rishis' are on the lips of the people throughout the valley.
University of Kashmir
is having a great honour to have Shaikh-ul-Alam Chair in his name.
"By bowing down, thou shalt not become a Rishi; the pounder in the rice- mill did not ever raise up its head."
"By entering a cave, God cannot be attained: the mongoose and the rat seldom come out of their holes".
"By bathing, the mind will not be cleansed: The fish and the otter never ascend the bank."
"If God was just pleased by fasting, the indigent rarely cook food in pots."
Once, on his way to a garden, accompanied by a disciple, he stopped and would not move. On his disciple requesting him to proceed, he made the following reply: "Every minute that I spend there, will be deducted from my stay in heaven".
On another occasion, when invited to a feast, Nur-ud-din went in ragged dress, earlier than the appointed time. The servants, not recognizing him, would not permit him to enter, and he had to go back to take his food at home. When all had sat for the sumptuous dinner, the Shaikh was specially sent for. He came, this time in a flowing chugha (cloak) and was given the seat of honour. But the Shaikh instead of partaking of the food stretched forth his sleeves and put them on to the plates. The people were astonished at the sight and asked him the reason. He replied: "The feast was not really for Nur-ud-Din but for the long sleeves!"
s, inns for the pilgrims and other physical features, the vendors of various prayer merchandise, food stalls etc. All combined to make it a place of pilgrimage for Kashmiris of all communities. The shrine contained 600 years old handmade Persian and Kashmir
carpets, ancient objects and scrolls, some antique copies of the Quran, extremely precious cut-glass chandeliers etc., all which were reduced to smoke and ashes during a firefight between the Indian army and militants. Both sides blame the other for the fire. Now the shrine has been rebuilt although the adjoining Khanqah is still under construction. It is unfortunate that militants seek refuge in ancient monuments, refuse to surrender and the ancient monument & pilgrims suffer in the ensuing gun battle.
Rishi order
The Rishi order of Kashmir is a Sufi tradition associated with religious harmony. Many of the saints held dear by Kashmiris to this day were Sufi Rishis. The original Rishis include Sheikh Noor-ud-din Wali also known as Nund Rishi...
. He belonged to a Rajput lineage of Kisthwar. He was born in 1377 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
, corresponding to 779 Hijri
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
and he died at the age of 63 years in the year of 1440 CE or 842 Hijri
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
. In various circles, is also called Alamdar-e-Kashmir and Sheikh-ul-Alam and is the patron saint of Kashmiris, highly revered by both Muslims and Hindus.
Biography
Shaikh Nur-ud-din (RA) was born in a village called Kaimuh (old name Katimusha), 7 km to the west of Bijbihara which is 60 km South east of SrinagarSrinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
, in 779 A.H. = 1377 A.C, on the day of the Eid al-Adha. His father's name was Shaikh Salar-ud-din his mother Sadra, was called Sadra Moji or Sadra Deddi. In Kashmir, Moji means 'mother' and Deddi denotes 'elderly.' Both the parents were well-known for their piety. It was a period when Kashmir was ruled by the sultans Qutub-ud-Din, Sikandar
Sikandar
Sikandar is the Persian version of the name Alexander, after Alexander the Great. It is used as male first name in Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia...
, Ali Shah, and Zain-ul-Abidin
Zain-ul-Abidin
Sultan Ghiyas-ud-Din Zain-ul-Abidin was a sultan of Kashmir in the present day Jammu and Kashmir state of India. Mohibbul Hasan has said that "Of all the Sultans who sat on the throne of Kashmir, Zain-ul-Abidin was undoubtedly the greatest .....
.
When Nur-ud-din (RA) grew up, his stepbrothers began to trouble him. They were rogues, while he was saintly. Once or twice he accompanied them to find work but felt that he could not be happy with them. He was then apprenticed to a couple of traders, one after the other. There, too, he felt disgusted with the ways of the world, and, deciding upon renunciation, retired to caves for meditation at the age of thirty. It is said that he lived for twelve years in the wilderness. Hence, perhaps, kaimuh is given the derivation of kai-wan (or ban, a forest) in rustic belief. The actual cave of contemplation is shown in kaimuh and is about 10 feet deep. In his last days, the saint sustained life on one cup of milk daily. Finally, he reduced himself to water alone, and died at the age of 63, in the reign of sultan Zain-ul-Abidin, in 842 A. H. = 1438 A.C. Shams-ul-Arifin or 'the sun of the pious' is the chronogram
Chronogram
A chronogram is a sentence or inscription in which specific letters, interpreted as numerals, stand for a particular date when rearranged. The word, meaning "time writing", derives from the Greek words chronos and gramma . In the pure chronogram each word contains a numeral, the natural chronogram...
which gives the date of his death. The Sultan accompanied his bier to the grave. The burial prayers were led by a great divine or 'Alim of the age, Makhdum Baba Usman Uchchap Ganai. The tomb of Shaikh Nur-ud-din at Charari Sharief
Charari Sharief
Charari Sharief is a town and a notified area committee in Badgam district in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India.-Geography:...
, a small town perched on a dry bare hill, 20 miles south west of Srinagar, is visited by thousands of people to the present day.
During his lifetime, he witnessed a gradual cultural and religious transformation of the people of the valley, from Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Various historical events helped to shape his mind in such a manner that he produced some works of philosophy, in his own manner of verses and poetry.
Sheikh ul-Alam was deeply affected by such events and this is apparent in a majority of his verses.
The biggest event that occurred in the Sheikh's childhood was the coming of another Muslim preacher, Amir Kabir Mir Syed Hamadani
Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani
Mir Syed Ali bin Shahab-ud-Din Hamadani was a Persian Sūfī of the Kubrāwī order, a poet and a prominent Muslim scholar. He was born on Monday, 12th Rajab 714 AH in Hamadan and died in 786 AH in Kunar and was buried in Khatlan...
, to Kashmir. Shah Hamadan, as he was popularly called, came to Kashmir in September 1372 CE, 1379 CE and the third time in the year 1383 CE.
Shaikh Nur-ud-din- appears to have married Zai Ded from Dadasara, Tral, Pulwama( her father Akber-u-Din(RA) and two brothers "Kamal-u-din"(RA) and "Jamal-u-din"RA) are buried at Dadasara Tral, people of the area visited their shrine for "Dua" to fulfil their needs ) and had two sons and one daughter. On the death of the children, Zai Ded also renounced the world, and became a hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
. She was buried at Kaimuh on her death.
The simplicity and purity of Shaikh Nur-ud-din's life have deeply impressed the Kashmiri who entertains the highest veneration for the saint. In fact, the Afghan governor, Ata Muhammad Khan, gave, as it were, expression to public sentiment when coins were struck by him in the name of Shaikh Nur-ud-din in 1223-25 A.H. (1808-10 CE). No other saint perhaps in human history has ever had coins struck in his honour.
Works
Sheikh-ul-Alam is supposed to have loved Kashmir and its people very intensely and was a revolutionary himself.Sheikh Nur al-Din Wali is one of the most prominent scholars and Du'ah of Kashmir. He used his poetry as tool to spread the true knowledge of Islam. His poetry is commonly known as Shrukhs. Tawhid
Tawhid
Tawhid is the concept of monotheism in Islam. It is the religion's most fundamental concept and holds God is one and unique ....
, Risala
Risala
Risāla means "message" in Arabic. It is also an Islamic term that has a broader meaning.- Islamic term :The Message is sometimes a way to refer to Islam. In the Islamic context, ar-Risāla means scriptures revealed from God through a Messenger to the people...
, Ma'ad, human lust
Lust
Lust is an emotional force that is directly associated with the thinking or fantasizing about one's desire, usually in a sexual way.-Etymology:The word lust is phonetically similar to the ancient Roman lustrum, which literally meant "purification"...
etc are main subjects of his poetry. He vehemently criticizes the so called Mullas and other pseudo-scholars of Islam.
He was a man of innate foresight and intuitive knowledge. One of his most famous and oft quoted couplets is (Kashmiri:"Ann poshi teli yeli wann poshi") meaning 'Food will last as long as forests last' Lal Ded the famous Shaivite
Kashmir Shaivism
Among the various Hindu philosophies, Kashmir Shaivism is a school of Śaivism consisting of Trika and its philosophical articulation Pratyabhijña...
poetess of Kashmir was his contemporary. She had a great impact on his spiritual growth. He has in one of his poems prayed to God to grant him the same level of spiritual achievement as God had bestowed on Lal Ded.
His teachings were not to the liking of the Sayyid
Sayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
s who had recently come from central Asia and wanted the sultan to implement a radical version of Islam. For this the sultans had him arrested and imprisoned for two years. Later the popular sultan Budshah (son of Sultan Sikandar Butshikan) who was of a secularist bent of mind had him rehabilitated.
His sayings are preserved in the Nur-nama, commonly available in Kashmir. The Nur-nama also gives the life of the saint. It was written by Baba Nasib-ud-din Ghazi in Persian about two centuries after the death of Shaikh Nur-ud-din.
Anecdotes of the life of this 'chief of the Rishis' are on the lips of the people throughout the valley.
University of Kashmir
University of Kashmir
-Faculties/Departments:* Arts** Department of Arabic** Department of Urdu** Department of English** Department of Kashmiri** Department of Foreign Languages** Department of Library and Information Science** Department of Linguistics...
is having a great honour to have Shaikh-ul-Alam Chair in his name.
Famous Sayings
The saint's attack on hypocrisy is interesting says he:"By bowing down, thou shalt not become a Rishi; the pounder in the rice- mill did not ever raise up its head."
"By entering a cave, God cannot be attained: the mongoose and the rat seldom come out of their holes".
"By bathing, the mind will not be cleansed: The fish and the otter never ascend the bank."
"If God was just pleased by fasting, the indigent rarely cook food in pots."
Once, on his way to a garden, accompanied by a disciple, he stopped and would not move. On his disciple requesting him to proceed, he made the following reply: "Every minute that I spend there, will be deducted from my stay in heaven".
On another occasion, when invited to a feast, Nur-ud-din went in ragged dress, earlier than the appointed time. The servants, not recognizing him, would not permit him to enter, and he had to go back to take his food at home. When all had sat for the sumptuous dinner, the Shaikh was specially sent for. He came, this time in a flowing chugha (cloak) and was given the seat of honour. But the Shaikh instead of partaking of the food stretched forth his sleeves and put them on to the plates. The people were astonished at the sight and asked him the reason. He replied: "The feast was not really for Nur-ud-Din but for the long sleeves!"
Shrine
The shrine of Sheikh-ul-Alam, in addition to the structure itself, contained its attached KhanqahKhanqah
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...
s, inns for the pilgrims and other physical features, the vendors of various prayer merchandise, food stalls etc. All combined to make it a place of pilgrimage for Kashmiris of all communities. The shrine contained 600 years old handmade Persian and Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
carpets, ancient objects and scrolls, some antique copies of the Quran, extremely precious cut-glass chandeliers etc., all which were reduced to smoke and ashes during a firefight between the Indian army and militants. Both sides blame the other for the fire. Now the shrine has been rebuilt although the adjoining Khanqah is still under construction. It is unfortunate that militants seek refuge in ancient monuments, refuse to surrender and the ancient monument & pilgrims suffer in the ensuing gun battle.