Monday, May 10, 2010
On the south, the area, replete with series of large jaal trees, has the unique and blessed honour of being the resting place of the eminent and great Sufi saint Syed Mehboob Alam, popularly known as Hazrat Shah Jewna.
Spreading of Islam in the subcontinent is the sweet fruit of the hard labour of Sufis and saints.
The ‘darbar’ [court] of Hazrat Shah Jewna enjoys a prominent place in this revered prestigious list. The aim and ambition of all the saints of this lineage was to convey the message of Islam to the local population through their own role model, inspirational teachings and motivational personal lifestyles.
The famous saint (after whom the town has been named) converted scores of local tribes to Islam. On 10 May every year, people from all over the country and from abroad throng Shah Jewna to witness ‘Rasm-e-Chiragh’ a pure passionate spiritual ceremony in which the Sajjada Nasheen, the descendant of Hazrat Shah Jewna, hoists the traditional lighted oil-lamp in the presence of hundreds of thousands of spiritually enriched devotees.
The lamp-hoisting ceremony marks the climax of annual celebrations held at the shrine of Hazrat Pir Shah Jewna. The celebrations commence every year on the 4th May (22nd Besakh) when the Sajjada Nasheen, replete with the centuries old turban and sacred ornaments of Hazrat Shah Jewna, arrives at the Darbar-e-Alia, performing the almost five centuries old traditional ceremony of ‘Kiri’. The heir to the Shah Jewna shrine spends the next seven days confined to the contours of the holy ‘darbar’ in the performance of his traditional rituals and religious obligations.
During these days, devotees, and disciples from across the country and abroad, throng the Darbar-e-Alia to pay homage to the great Saint and seek sacred blessings. The Sajjada Nasheen bestows ‘Ziarat’ to these devotees during the seven-day celebrations at the holy ‘darbar’.
During the annual Urs of the great Sufi Saint, the passionate devotees from across the country will not only offer obeisance but will also invoke Allah’s blessing to get their wishes answered. With traditional beat of drum, folk dances and multi-coloured flags, the devotees start pouring in in the town to express their devotion and reverence to the great Sufi Saint.
The annual celebrations at shrine of Pir Shah Jewna are held to commemorate the services rendered by great Sufi to the mankind. Pir Shah Jewna was a source of spiritual strength for humanity. He had firm belief in the injunctions of Holy Quran and was emotionally attached to Holy Prophet (PBUH). Researchers have failed to find another saint who attached himself so strongly to this, one Surah, alone.
The great grand father of Pir Shah Jewna was Makhdoom Syed Jalaluddin Surkh Bukhari who migrated to the sub-continent from Bukhara in the reign of slave dynasty. Hazrat Shah Jewna is linked to Hazrat Imam Ali Naqi by 16 generations and Makhdoom Syed Jalud Din Surkh Bukhari by eight generations.
Hazrat Shah Jewna was born in 1493 (895 AH) in Qanuj (now a district of Uttar Pradesh in India) during Sikandar Lodhi’s reign. At the time of his birth, his father Syed Sadr-ud-Din Shah Kabir was away from Qanuj and he saw a dream in which it was revealed upon him that a third lamp has been lit in his house. He came back home, kissed the newborn on his forehead and said that the child exuded spiritualism. He named his son as Syed Mehboob Alam.
Pir Shah Jewna led a pious life from the time of his childhood. He used to recite Holy Quran ubiquitously and had imbibed the ways of living from Surah Muzammil. He continuously recited verses from the Holy Quran, daily, on his way to River Chenab from his abode. The rustics were impressed by his recitational abilities. Not only did the people listen to his inspirational recitation from the Holy Quran but birds and animals used to encircle him during recitation.
It is common knowledge that he recited Surah Muzammil ten million times in the ‘Bela’ of Chenab River. As such he is also referred to as Pir Croreia (crore). Hazrat Shah Jewna’s grandfather Syed Zain ul Abideen and father Syed Shah Kabir were noted scholars of their time. He benefited from them in the field of spiritualism. He got education in Arabic, Persian, Quran, Tafsir, Hadith and Islamic jurisprudence from his teacher Qazi Bahauddin. And thus became a renowned scholar.
During 1556, the son of Qanuj’s Raja was playing with his friends. The play turned into a scuffle and somebody stabbed Raja’s son in his back and he died of the wound. The deeply grieved father came to Pir Shah Jewna and begged him to give life to his son.
Pir Shah Jewna left Qanuj for good in 1558 and stayed at Hyderabad Deccan for a short while and then went to the shrine of Nasir-du-Din Cheragh Dehlvi.
There he had a revelation that he should proceed to western part of sub-continent. In this journey he first arrived at Lahore and then left on foot for Paeel Pidhrar — an acid area without any vegetation at that time. During his stay over there he prayed to God for water and soon springs of water started coming out of rocky landscape. These springs of water changed the whole landscape of that area. A proof of Shah Jewna’s blessings also exists even today in that area.
This well is known as ‘peers’ well and people used the water of this to cure their physical and spiritual ailments.
He left for Jhang after brief stopover at Pidhrar. His great grand father Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari had previously inhabited the city of Jhang. Sial tribe of Jhang was follower of Shah Jewna’s grandfather Makhdoom Jalaluddin. ‘Heer’ daughter of Choochak Sial was disciple of Syed Ahmed Kabir, grandfather of Shah Jewna.
In 1559, Shah Jewna landed in a village 30 km away form Jhang, and made this place a centre of his missionary activities. In no time this small village developed into a town and later came to be known as ‘Shah Jewna’. At that time ‘Mural’ Rajputs ruled Shah Jewna and they along with many other tribes like Bharwanas, Jappas, Khokhar, Chadhars, Bhattis, Baloch, Rajokas entered the fold of Islam.
Shah Jawna’s son Habib was also a saint and earned the reputation as Sakhi (Generous). He used to arrange meals at his house twice a day for the poor.
The historians told that once a local chieftain, out of sheer jealously, asked the rich of his area not to contribute in Langer (daily meal) of Sakhi Habib. Habib learnt of this and said that the quantity of Langer be increased and recited some verses from Holy Quran. A few days later chieftain inquired about the Langer and to his disappointment he was told that it is now prepared in a quantity twice to the original one.
He felt ashamed and said it is divine Langer (meal) and it cannot be stopped. Many miracles are also related to Shah Jewna’s grandson Ladhan Imam, grandson of Shah Jewna who was also a saint by birth. One day he was playing outside the walled city when suddenly the invaders attacked the city. He jumped on to a wall and started reciting verses of the Holy Quran.
It is a popular belief that a serpent came out of the wall and he used it as a whip. He ordered the wall to run and it ran until he reached to safety. The relics of that wall can be seen even today and are known as ‘Peer Ghora’ (horse of saint).
Many Sufis were born to this family of Shah Jewna after Ladhan Imam. Many of them rose to the ranks of Ghaus, Qutab and Abdal.
Hazrat Shah Jewna has seen the rule of Sikandar Lodhi, Ibrahim Lodhi, Zahir ud Din Babar, Nasir ud Din Humayun, Sher Shah Suri and Jala Ud Din Akbar and remained busy in spreading the message of Islam.
He left for his eternal abode in 1569 (971 AH) during the reign of Akbar. At that time the ruler of Delhi was Syed Abdul Wahab Bukhari. Similarly Shaikh Farid ud Din Bukhari was very close to the emperor. Both these personalities were close relations of Hazrat Shah Jewna.
They and several other prominent nobles of Delhi ‘darbar’ came to Shah Jewna at his death. A delegation representing Emperor Akbar also accompanied them as a token of respect for the deceased.
About 460 years have passed since his death, but even today people come to his shrine and get blessed with his ‘faiz’.
Pilgrims come to pay homage and get the wealth of inner peace in return. Their prayers are answered. In this age of moral degradation, the message from Hazrat Shah Jewna is still one of piety, humility and morality.
Grandfather of Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat current spiritual heir to ‘darbar’ Makhdoom Khizar Hayat was also a renowned Sufi while his father Makhdoom Muhammad Ghaus took active part in Pakistan Movement. People come to the shrine of Shah Jewna for the fulfilment of their dreams, to get cure of their diseases and some for spiritual enrichment.
The spiritual-heir to the shrine is said to be blessed with power to cure. The current spiritual-heir, Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, when praying for his devotees, continuously urges them to regulate their lives in accordance with the teaching of these revered saints who were shining beacon of lights of Islam and a tremendous source of spiritual emancipation for humanity.
The spread of Islam today, its message of eternal peace and undiluted love for mankind owes a great deal to these revered spiritual saints of the sub-continent, as Hazrat Shah Jewna, who through the strength of their character, zeal, inspirational teachings, knowledge, ‘Karamaat’ and love of the Holy Quran, transformed the barren souls of teeming millions into apostles of love, understanding, compassion and deep rooted faith.
[Picture: Map of Pakistan with the city of Jhang. Photo: Wiki.]
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