After Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions, his descendants who came to be known as Sayyids went to great pains to disseminate the message of Islam. They left their native places and travelled to different parts of the world to continue the mission of ‘dawah’. Some settled far away from their birthplaces and later their progeny took surnames based on the places they originated from. It gave rise to various branches of the Syed dynasty like Hamdani, Bukhari, Andrabi, etc. emerging from Hamdan of Iran, Bukhara of Uzbekistan, and Andrab of Iran respectively.
In Kashmir, the history of Andrabi Sayyids is as old as its Islamization. Available records reveal that a devout Muslim Sayyid Ahmad Andrabi and his son Sayyid Muhammad Andrabi accompanied Mir Syed Ali Hamdani when he visited the valley of Kashmir during the reign of Sultan Qutub-ud-Din -775-792.A.H./1373-89A.D. On the directions of Syed Ali Hamdani, the father and son stayed in the valley, and markedly influenced its religious and cultural landscape. Through them, flourished a new family of Andrabi Sayyids, which provided august ecclesiastic personalities who played wondrous roles in mending the destiny of the masses. And one among them was Sayyid Hafizullah Andrabi Sahb.
Sayyid Hafiz was born on 12 May 1928 and left for heavenly abode on 21 October 2003. In this period, Sayyid Hafiz rose to fame as a seer, savant, leader, and beacon of light to the followers of the spiritual path. He was one of the successors of a mystic Hazrat Noor-Shahi Baghdadi (R.a) and was the custodian of Saint’s Shrine located at Kund, an area adjacent to the famous town of district Kulgam-Qazigund. Later, Sayyid Hafiz moved to the main town of Qazigund to settle there along with his family.
He was mentored by acclaimed Sufis like; Hazrat Syed Jamaat Ali Shah Sahib, Hazrat Shakyh Abdul SamadNaqshbandi Sahib, and Hazrat Syed Mir Abdullah Shah QadriMantaqi Sahib. All three awarded him Khilafat, which authorized him to initiate aspirants into Qadri, Naqshbandi, Chistia, and Mujadadia Sufi orders.
Sayyid Hafiz spent his entire life in prayers, meditation, and penance. After observing his level of devoutness, experiencing his spiritual potency, and his miracles, he was recognized as a saint by all. He guided hundreds of people – who, too, acquired eminence in spiritualism.
The pious soul didn’t limit himself to prayer mat, rosary, & seclusion but contributed to the propagation of Islam by establishing a religious college namely – Gousia Arabic College (Trust), an English medium school – Gousia Public School in his residing town Qazigund. The two institutes are operational even now and have furnished remarkable results so far.
Sayyid Hafiz was a religious scholar and was among the bright students of Mufasir’e Quran Allama Syed Muhammad Qasim Shah Bukhari (R.a). Syed Qasim Shah Bukhari and all other learned people would hold him in high esteem. In Seerat’e Bukhari, prodigious intellectual and man of letters, Molana ShowkatHussainKeng entitles him ‘Ala’Hazrat.
Sayyid Hafiz has authored a few books as well and to cater to specific needs, he would sometimes assign the task of writing to his students. In this way, on his directions, dozens of books have been written excluding his own works. He was also a poet but mainly wrote na’at (devotional poetry in praise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Most of his poems possess simplicity and directness and reflect his bred-in-the-bone love for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He concludes one of his naats as ‘Thawtan Hafiz Hifazatas Andar: Daag Chonuichu Tas Jabeenas Manz’ (Place this Hafiz under your protection; he has the mark of your slavery on his brow).
After his departure, his elder son Syed Muhammad Shafi Andrabi, father’s spiritual confidante, was declared his successor. Sayyid Shafi was a teacher by profession. Besides gaining contemporary education, he has received proper religious guidance from his father and proved to be an able son who is efficiently carrying forward his father’s legacy. He is an orator, and writer, and also has spiritual expertise. Uniquely and pridefully, he uses the pen name Ibn’e Hafiz meaning ‘Son of Hafiz’ to express his reverence for his father. Every year he supervises the publication of books, pamphlets, and posters, generally to address pressing religious issues, and writes forewords, articles, opinion pieces etc. for religious books and journals regularly. On top of that, he serves as chief rector of Gousia Arabic College Trust and is leading a Sunni organization Anjuman e AhlesunnatwaJamaat.
Sayyid Hafiz laid the foundation of a mosque for students of the aforementioned institutes but couldn’t see that taking final shape. Howbeit, Sayyid Shafi played a paramount role in transforming his father’s dream into reality. Under his supervision, the construction of a grand mosque – Masjid e Noor was finalized at the chosen spot. The two-storied mosque, which is a magnificent piece of art, is not just a place for prayers, it is a kind of Khanqah, wherein monthly and yearly religious and soul-refining assemblies are held that assist the devotees in their divine enrichment and other attendees to enhance their faith-based understanding. Also, it has developed into a central mosque of the town, thanks to the efforts of Sayyid Shafi and the mentees of Sayyid Hafiz. Sayyid Shafi is determined to pass on the legacy to the next generation. His family takes part in religious affairs and seems zealous to protect its sacred heritage, which is heartening.
Sayyid Hafiz was entombed in the courtyard of Masjid-e-Noor. A small but exquisite mausoleum has also been built as a tribute to him. People from near and far-off places visit the mausoleum every year to pay obeisance to this religious, righteous, and generous man.
The writer hails from Seer Hamdan. He is a student, tutor, columnist, and co-author of book #55_Stories. He tweets @zeeshan_rk and can be mailed @[email protected]

Zeeshan Rasool Khan