Syed Shah Yousufuddin and Syed Shah Sharifuddin were military commanders in the army of the last Mughal emperor

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

, who according to

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

sought their help in conquering the Kingdom of

Golconda Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparu ...

, a well-defended

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

atop a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

hill. According to the legend, during the

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

of Golconda, when Mughal ruler

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

was camped around the fort for several months, there was a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

that swept over the camped troops and blew away almost everything. The troops were left in the open and exposed to the elements. Only one tent remained; miraculously the

candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candles i ...

in the tent still burned, and the flicker of the candle attracted the attention of the troops. When the troops arrived at the tent they could see the shadows of two men inside. Upon investigating, they found that it was the tent of two of the commanders of Aurangzeb. They had been reading the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

in candlelight, and the storm blew over, but did not disturb them or their surroundings. They were made famous by this incident and recognized as great

saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

. When they died, they were buried in the village of Nampally,

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

. Their

graves A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

remain and are visited by people of all faiths. They are more popularly known as Yousuf Baba and Sharif Baba.

Title

Yousufuddin and Sharifuddin (better known as Yousufain or Shareefain) and his Khanqah known as Dargah Yousufain in Hyderabad.

Early life

Both Yousufuddin and Sharifuddin were originally from Shaam (now Syria). While on pilgrimage they met Sheikh E Azam Peer Kaleem ullah Jahanabadi in Mecca. They accompanied kaleem ullah Jahanabadi to Delhi and later on his instructions they joined the Moghal Force under Aurangzeb regime. After conquering Deccan they left forces and decided to stay in Hyderabad, where they were later buried.

Title

Early life

See also