Khwaja Muhammad Sirajuddin Naqshbandi ( ur, ) was a prominent

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of reli ...

and

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

shaikh of the

Naqshbandi The Naqshbandi ( fa, نقشبندی)), Neqshebendi ( ku, نه‌قشه‌به‌ندی), and Nakşibendi (in Turkish) is a major Sunni order of Sufism. Its name is derived from Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari. Naqshbandi masters trace their ...

Sufi order in South Asia (present day Pakistan), and a leader of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

(1897–1899). He was born in 1879 and died in 1915 at Mussa Zai Sharif, Dera Ismail Khan (present day Pakistan). His legacy and influence are still widespread around the world in terms of his followers and his methodology. He was a descendant of the first leader to build the Taj Mahal.

Biography

Born on 15

Muharram Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after R ...

1297 AH (30 December 1879) at Mussa Zai Sharif, Dera Ismail Khan (present day Pakistan), Muhammad Sirajuddin Naqshbandi was the son and successor of the famous

Sheikh

Khwaja Muhammad Usman Damani Khwaja Muhammad Usman Damani ( ur, ) was a prominent Muslim scholar and Sufism, Sufi Sheikh, shaykh of Naqshbandi tariqah of the 19th century (1828–1897) in South Asia (present day Pakistan). Early life He was born to Mawlana Moosa Jan in 1 ...

. He studied with Mullah Shah Muhammad and graduated at the age of fourteen. He took Sulook (spiritual guidance) from his father and studied the books of

Tasawwuf Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

such as the ''Maktubat'' (letters) of Imam Rabbani Shaykh Ahmed Sirhindi and the ''Maktubat'' (letters) of Khawaja Muhammad Masum.Jalwa Gah-e-Dost (Urdu) 2nd edition (2008) by Khwaja Muhammad Tahir Bakhsh
His father awarded him a

Khilafat A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

(

Ijazah An ''ijazah'' ( ar, الإِجازَة, "permission", "authorization", "license"; plural: ''ijazahs'' or ''ijazat'') is a license authorizing its holder to transmit a certain text or subject, which is issued by someone already possessing such au ...

in Sufism) on 3 Dhū al-Qa‘dah 1311 AH (10 May 1894) and gave him a written Ijazat-nama ( Sanad). In 1324 AH, he went to Makkah and Madinah for the Muslim pilgrimage

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

and visited the Roza of the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

with thirty-six other companions. His companion, Haji Mullah Sadr, wrote that when Muhammad Sirajuddin Naqshbandi was visiting Madinah one day, the sheikh took a bath and then went to visit the grave of Muhammad. There he met with the Mujawirs (persons responsible for maintaining a shrine) and spoke with them. During this time the Mujawirs gave Muhammad Sirajuddin Naqshbandi (an Arabic dress), as well as a burning candle. Using the candle he lit two

cressets A cresset is a metal cup or basket, often mounted to or suspended from a pole, containing oil, pitch, a rope steeped in rosin or something flammable. They are burned as a light or beacon. Cressets mounted on the walls of Renaissance palaces in ...

and entered the

Roza Roza may refer to: People Last name *Fernando Luiz Roza (b. 1985), Brazilian soccer player *Lita Roza (1926–2008), British singer First name *Roza Anagnosti (born 1943) Albanian actress *Roza Baglanova (1922–2011), Soviet/Kazakh opera ...

of the shrine of Muhammad while wearing the dress he was given. After praying for long while, he came out and expressed gratitude to the Mujawirs. Khwaja Sirajuddin awarded approximately thirty-six persons with Khilafat. His most famous Khalifa and successor was

Pir Fazal Ali Qureshi Hazrat Mawlana Pir Fazal Ali Shah Qureshi ( ur, ) was an Islamic scholar and the leading Naqshbandi Shaikh of colonial India in the early twentieth century. He was born to Murad Ali Shah in 1270 AH (1853 or 1854) in Daud Khel, Punjab, and died ...

- a prominent sheikh whose spiritual legacy is still active throughout the world.Short biography in Urdu by Mukhtar Ahmed Khokhar
At age thirty-five, Khwaja Sirajuddin fell severely ill. Seeking help, he consulted with

Hakim Ajmal Khan Mohammad Ajmal Khan (11 February 1868 – 29 December 1927), better known as Hakim Ajmal Khan, was a physician in Delhi, India, and one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia University. He also founded another institution, Ayurvedic ...

, but unfortunately was unable to recover and died as a result of his illness -

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

and fever - on Friday 26 Rabi al-Awwal 1333 AH (12 February 1915). He was buried alongside his father's grave at Mussa Zai Sharif in Dera Ismail Khan, India. His letters, written to various persons, are published with an Urdu translation. The collection is part of the book in which letters of his father are also included.

Spiritual chain of succession

Khwaja Sirajuddin Naqshbandi belongs to the

Mujaddid A ''mujaddid'' ( ar, مجدد), is an Islamic term for one who brings "renewal" ( ar, تجديد, translit=tajdid, label=none) to the religion. According to the popular Muslim tradition, it refers to a person who appears at the turn of every ...

i order of Sufism, which is the main branch of

Sufi

tariqah A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...

. His spiritual lineage goes to

, through Sheikh

Ahmad Sirhindi Aḥmad al-Fārūqī as-Sirhindī (1564-1624) was a South Asian Islamic scholar from Punjab, Hanafi jurist, and member of the Naqshbandī Sufi order. He has been described by some followers as a Mujaddid, meaning a “reviver", for his work in ...

, the Mujaddid of the eleventh Hijri century.

References

External links

Jalwa Gah-e-Dost (Urdu) 2nd edition (2008) by Khwaja Muhammad Tahir Bakhshi

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirajuddin Naqshbandi Naqshbandi order People from Dera Ismail Khan District Pashtun Sufis 1879 births 1915 deaths People from British India