Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
Today marks the urs of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani (aka Imam e Kashmir Shah-i-Hamdan) QS. He was a prince born in the ruling family of Hamdan, but he chose the way of zuhud and left everything for the sake of Haq.
Initially, his holiness acquired the knowledge of Shariyat and was a disciple of Ala ud-Daula Simnani QS during his teenage. Later he was guided to Sheykh Mehmood Muzdagani QS were he received spiritual training in Silsila e Kubrawiya and was bestowed authority in it.
He was commanded by Prophet AS to travel to Kashmir to spread the light of Islam in this region. In the historical records, he traveled three times to this region. He established the khankahs (Sufi lounges) at the heart of Srinagar and Ladakh to train people in both Shariyat and Tarikat. A saint with a king's vision, he brought various crafts and industries from Iran which had a deep positive impact on Kashmir's economy and culture. After his third visit to Kashmir, he left intending to make a pilgrimage to Mecca but on the way, he veiled (passed away). By his will, his mubarak body was taken to Tajikistan and was buried there.
Shah e Hamdan QS didn't only spread Islam in Kashmir, but he also sent his students to as far as Indonesia. One of the wali of the Wali Songo group of Indonesia - Sheykh Maulana Malik Ibrahim QS was a disciple of Shah e Hamdan. And still, in some of the places in Indonesia, the famous Awrad Fatiha is recited.
In the tapestry of time, Shah-e-Hamdan (QS) and Shah-e-Naqshband (QS) shared the same luminous era, their spiritual journeys intertwined like threads of a divine weave King Timur also lived in the same time. In common folks, it's said Shah e Hamdan and King Timur had a bad relationship. Timur who is seen as an oppressor was not liked by Shah e Hamdan QS and at various points when Timur was coming heavy on Ahl e Bayt, Ali Sani QS confronted him. But when I traveled to the Bhukhara Shareef with Sheykh Effendi, I learned that Timur was a mureed of and supported by Shah e Naqashband and he respected Awliyas and built several shrines for them. This is a realm reserved for the Awliyas. Our Shaykh has imparted the wisdom of humility to us, teaching us to respectfully observe and not to intrude upon their sacred discourse.
Shah e Hamdan QS authored many books including the famous Awrad E Fatiha, Zakhirat ul-Muluk, Chehl Asraar (Forty Secrets), etc. It is said the Awrad E Fatiha was collected from 1400 Awliyas during his travel and later it was compiled into a book. Shah E Hamdan QS gave common permission to the people of Kashmir to recite it daily as Wazifa to make spiritual progress. The people of Kashmir have held Awrad Fatiha close to their hearts for centuries but the oppressors of the 20th and 21st centuries, the Wahabi-Deobandis, ran a heavy campaign against it and tried to prove its evil innovation and refined people from reading it. There has been a significant decline in reciting the Awrad e Fatiha and thus people of Kashmir have forgotten and are forgetting their Imam's tarbiyat.
One of the incidents about Award e Fatiha that I would like to note here is of a Kashmiri deobandi scholar Adil Siddiqui. He in his speech said openly that people have mutated the Awrad e Fatiha and added shirkiya words into it. Thus forbidding people from reading it. Later when other scholars confronted him and asked to show those sentences that had been added, he couldn't. He asked for forgiveness but the damage was already done. Also, Some scholars and local imams may try to convince you that it's acceptable to read the Awrad but to skip the selam part at the end. It's important to understand that this is a misguided view and they are wrong. May Allah save us from such scholars. These kinds of scholars are open enemies of Islam and will be given a great punishment in the divine court.
During Makhdoom Sahab's time, Shah Kirman QS traveled to Kashmir to spread the light of Silsila e Soharwardia. He saw the people of Kashmir from all groups reading Awrad and he thought it's not right. He asked people to stop reading it because they didn't know the value of it as the Awrad e Fatiha came from great heavenly stations to Earth. On the advice of Shah Kirman QS, many people stopped reading it. Then after a time when Shah Kirman QS started to leave Kashmir, but on the outskirts of Srinagar city Narbal, he saw a beautiful man with a black beard holding a sword. The man said to him in a very angry tone who were you to stop people from reading Award e Fatiha while I have given them permission to read it. The Shah Kirman inquired the man who he was? The man replied that he was Mir Syyid Ali Hamdani. Then Shah Kirman QS didn't leave Kashmir and spent the rest of his life advising people to read Awrad Fatiha. He went from house to house asking people to read award e Fatiha. Now, Just think how sad Shah-i-Hamdan would be if he saw these Wahabi Deobandi scholars and their followers who, despite their hypocrisy, have the audacity to criticize his writings."
The friends of Allah have the power to appear anywhere whenever they want even when it has been centuries since their passing away. My Sultan, Sheykh Lokman Effendi says that when a friend of Allah is living it is like a sword in sheath, but when the Awlia'Allah passes away it's like a sword that had been pulled off from the sheath. The Shah Hamdan's soul is always with his seekers guiding them to the path of haq.
Shah e Hamdan QS was a flag bearer of Alh e Sunnat Wal Jamat and he taught the true aqeeda and adab of Allah, Prophet As, and the awliyas to the people of Kashmir. The people of Kashmir had that seed of recognizing the light of wahdaniyat from ancient times and therefore quickly became attracted to the light of Islam that was brought by Imam Kashmiri QS.
The people of Kashmir practiced the real Islam for centuries which was brought by Shah Hamdan QS without any deviance. From the teachings of Shah E Hamdan QS people used to believe in saints and intersession of holy ones as it is the basic aqida of Ahl e Sunnat wal jamaat. The Prophet AS has said: “Ask for your needs from the people of my ummah who are merciful. You will find sustenance and your wishes will be fulfilled.” [Al-`Uqaili and Tabrāni in al-Awsat]. Kashmiris holding tightly to the traditions - thus the famous poem in Kashmiri-Persian reads:
Ay Badshah e ba hasham,
Ya Shah e hamdan Al madd,`
`Mehboob i haq ul haq tuhe
Noor e nabi bar haq tuhe,
Bar awlia roonak tuhe
Ya Shah e hamdan Al madd,
`Islam rehbani tuhe,
Bani musalmani tuhe,
By shaq Ali Sani tuhe
Ya Shah e hamdan Al madd.`
`Hamdan faryaadi emy,
Az soz e dil nada demy,
Vuin demy padan pemy,
Ya Shah e hamdan Al madd.`
`Bartal che aamth es gadda,
Kecha deyu rah e khuda,
Chu dun jahanan-hind badsha
Ya Shah e hamdan Al madd.`
`Deenas kru yeeri setha,
Nabiyan che kurny marhaba,
Ye gov 'tu izzo mantasha'
Ya Shah e hamdan Al madd.`
`Kashmir rah abadaad kun,
Az dard o gum azaad kun,
Bahar e khuda dil shad kun,
Ya Shah e hamdan Al madd.`
