MAHBUB-UL-AALAM HAZRAT SHAIKH HAMZA MAKHDUM (RA)

Part 1
He hailed from the Chandar Vanshi dynasty of kings. In Vedic times, the rulers of Aryans used to be either from Suraj Vanshi or Chandar Vanshi dynasties, according to the Devmalas of Hindus. One dynasty would trace its family tree to the Sun and the other to the Moon. A third dynasty made its family tree rooted in Fire (Agni Kul). From Fire, four-hundred Brahmans were created for its protection. These are all legends. However, it is a fact that the Aryans who migrated from Central Asia were wanderers. It is possible to guess their high culture from the Vedas, which according to religious faith are revealed books, but there is no proof according to scientific or historical analysis that can show how their intellectual ability and high culture was produced.
Ruling families were considered higher than other families. The Suraj Vanshi and Chandar Vanshi Rajas ruled northern India till the arrival of Islamic supremacy in the region. Among the Rajas of Chandar Vanshi dynasty was one Raja Malchandar, the ruler of Nagarkot (Kangda) in 526 AH. After his death his son Susran Chandar succeeded him. After occupying the throne for some time, his cousins defeated him and he fled to Kashmir. Those days Raja Jay Singh was the king of Kashmir. He gave shelter to Susran Chandar on account of friendship and family considerations and gifted the area of Lar as jagir and appointed him as Wazir in charge of armed forces. After Susran Chandar, his son and then his grandsons held the post of Wazir and Wazir—i-Azam till 725 AH.
When Zulqadar Khan (Zulchu) attacked Kashmir, Raja Sahadev fled to Kishtwar. His Wazir, Ram Chandar, the descendant of Malchandar, remained confined in the fort of Kangar. After the destruction of Turkish army, Ram Chandar occupied the throne and ruled Kashmir. After some months Rinchan Shah attacked and Ram Chandar was killed along with his companions in the fort of Inderkot. Rinchan Shah married Kota Rani, the daughter of Ram Chandar, and his son Rawan Chandar converted to Islam and was given the title of Raina. Those days the Chief Minister was called Raina and Rawan Chandar became famous as Rawan Raina. The progeny of Rawan Raina continued to serve as Chief Ministers of the Sultans of Kashmir from one generation to other. Hilmat Raina was the army chief in the reign of Budshah and his brother Ahmad Raina was the Chief Minister. He was killed by Malik Ahmad Yatoo along with the Baihaqi Sayids. His son Ziti Raina started living in Tujar village of Zainagir area, which was his inherited jagir. His son Usman Raina was a distinguished, perfect, bright Sufi saint, a man of inner awareness and tariqat possessing an unusual grace. He was the father of Hazrat Mahboob-ul-Aalam Makhdum Shaikh Hamza (RA). In Baharistan-i-Shahi, the author has described the family tree of Hazrat Makhdum as follows:
1) Malchandar
2) Susran Chandar
3) Kahkah Chandar
4) Balad Chandar
5) Sangram Chandar
6) Ram Chandar
7) Rawan Raina, Kota Rani (Rawan Raina, Wazir of Rinchan Shah, and Kota Rani, queen of Rinchan Shah)
8) Dawlat Raina (Wazir of Sutan Sikandar)
9) Abdal Raina
10) Jahangir Raina (Wazir of Hasan Shah)
11) Ziti Raina (He settled in Tujjar village, his jagir)
12) Ahmad Raina (Chief Minister in Budshah’s
regime)
13) Usman Raina (lived in Tujar village, his
jagir, and was a saint)
14) Hamza Raina (Hazrat Mahbub-ul Aalam
Makhdum Sultan-i-Kashmir)
Hazrat Makhdum was born in 900 AH and the chronogram of his birth is “Khas dahar”. From his childhood he had affinity towards pious people and Sufis. He never spoke a lie. One of his feet was turned a little, but it was not causing any obstruction in walking or his work. He was adept in horse riding and hitting the target with an indigenous device called “gulela”. He would learn his lessons at a local madrasa. One day he was playing “gulli danda” with children when on way to school. Suddenly his father passed that way. He beat him so severely that he fell ill. In his sickness he took an oath that he will never play gulli danda and shall go to the city to acquire knowledge. When cured, he went to the city along with his grandfather Ziti Raina and met Baba Fathullah (son of Baba Ismail), who was the preceptor of the Raina family, and learnt from him the Quran for one year at the Khanqah at Koh-i-Maran.
After that, Hamza got busy in acquiring religious knowledge at the madrasa at Khanqah of Shamasi Chak, which was established for offering of prayers by Baba Ismail. He spent twenty years in this madrasa in acquiring the knowledge of Fiqh, Hadith, Tafsir, Mantiq (logic), philosophy, etiquette, award, azkar and Tasawuf. Along with that he underwent training of prayers, worship, mujahidah, mushahidah and meditation. He would say that due to his young age, “I was not given a separate room in the Khanqah. One person used to recite Surah Kahaf in loud voice at midnight in the Tahajjud prayers. I would follow him and listen to his recitation after performing ablutions. In a few days this whole surah was inscribed in my memory and one day I recited the whole Surah in front of the dervesh. He got surprised and kissed my hands. This midnight awakening became my habit since then. I studied Quran from Moulana Dervesh, the Imam of the Khanqah, and learnt the Qirat from a hafiz of Arabic. I never abandoned the daily recitation of Quran and the desire for a spiritual guide was always there in my heart for my guidance. With the grace of God, I would receive instructions on wird-o-wazaif, the lessons and insistence on zikr-o-azkar, from hidden sources or from the souls of prophets or revelations from the unknown.
“Once it so happened that some saints were reciting “Hirz-i-Yamani” sitting in a circle. I too got a direction from the unknown that I should recite it along with them. When I recited it once with them, it became inscribed in my memory and then I made it my routine practice with the permission of these saints. Like that, many things were found from the unknown and I brought these into practice. Whenever I would be slow or negligent in the works of ‘salook’, I would be scolded from the unknown and would be made aware and stopped from being negligent and easygoing. Once a friend invited me on a dinner and gave me some money as a gift. I thought this sum can be used for buying paper and ink. I took this in my hand and proceeded to Khanqah. While walking, I fell in a muddy ditch. I was drenched in mud from head to foot; whatever was in my hand got lost. At night I was sitting worried and sad when a person came and began advising me, saying that your falling in the ditch was due to being discourteous; henceforth, be careful and do not get attracted towards the world, and don’t be moved by it as it is an obstruction in treading the path.
“Similarly, if I would be negligent in arising for Tahajjud (midnight) prayers, the door of my room would be knocked on and a loud voice would be heard, “Get up, time has struck”. If I would feel apprehension in doing some work, I would be informed to perform it or not, either when I would be awake or in sleep. Once I started studying Fiqah with Moulana Lutfullah, the teacher of the Khanqah of Dar-us-Shifa. When I opened the book in the night time, I had forgotten the whole lesson that I had learnt. Over this issue I wept throughout the night. In the morning a voice told me that you should read like this. With this voice my lesson was recollected and I repeated it. Likewise, I would be trained repeatedly from the unknown source and my grasp had increased so much that my teacher would think that I have already read this lesson from some other teacher. Sometimes Prophet Mohammad (SAW) would appear along with Sahabis and would teach and advise me.
“Once a person had returned from Hajj pilgrimage. People would go to meet him and I, too, went. The Haji received me with great warmth and love and asked me what I was studying. I told him about the books of Fiqah that I was reading. He told me not to read such books and instead read Risala Imamya and other better books. I asked, Are these books that are read by Shias? How are they better ones? He said no, these books are the true ones. I understood that he must be a Shia and came out of the meeting with a sense of suffocation. I lapsed into serious thought if I should differ in the matters of religion. I didn’t know. I went into one mosque near Koh-i-Maran and did not eat anything for three days. The third night, I was overtaken by deep sleep and saw in a dream that the sun has risen and people have gathered outside the mosque. I asked the people from the window about the matter. They replied that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is coming here. When I saw the procession of the Prophet (SAW), I offered salutations. Suddenly, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) entered the mosque and said, if you want everlasting rest and freedom, then next to Allah keep the four Khalifas dear to your heart and till you are in this world, be steadfast on the religion of Ahli Sunnat-wal-Jamaat. The people you are seeing are Satans; abstain from their works and their talks. Then Hazrat Umar Farooq (RA) entered the door and advised me similarly, then entered Hazrat Usaman (RA) and advised me same way, then entered Hazrat Ali (RA) and said: “O dear one, whoever does not consider these friends better than other sahabis, he cannot be the beloved of the fourth one. Allah and His Prophet (SAW) and these three friends and me are angry with him, besides all the faithful (Moomin) and the angels.” After saying this, they all were not seen.
“Once in the Jamia mosque after Friday prayers, a person with white beard and clad in green dress came and shook hands with me. Holding my hand he took me to the ground of Zaldagar, where he turned to Qibla and made a prayer. I felt in a strange state. Then he took me to the Mohalla Khanda Bhavan. There we sat on the banks of a channel under the shade of a willow tree. He continued to advise me in the night and showed me strange things. I understood that this saint is Hazrat Khizar (AS). With great humility, I requested him to provide some ‘wazifas’ for remembrance of God and for thanking him. He told me whatever you are reciting, continue with that; I give you permission for all, besides I have to meet you many more times. After that I offered ‘Asr’ prayers behind him (he being Imam and I the follower) and after prayers he went out of my sight. Thereafter in many meetings he told me the solution to difficult situations, setting right of events, and about secret states.
“In the beginning of one winter, the rivers had frozen and one night I tried to enter a hamam to take bath but people inside did not open the door. I was worried that the time of ‘tahajjud’ prayers was expiring. I went to the river bank and broke the ice and took bath. The same moment Allah showed me his glimpse to comfort me and was very kind to me in many matters. Thereafter I would always take bath in cold water and would enjoy it. It became my habit to take bath in the last part of the night for twenty years and I would take bath during the day time also two or three times. This habit is liked by all religions and is effective for inner purification.”

Part 2 tomorrow

The translator is a former Chief Engineer. [email protected]

Mohammad Ashraf Fazili