Makhdoom Ali Mahimi Shafi'i (1372–1431 A.D) was a saint and scholar of international repute. He lived during the time of the Tughlaq dynasty and that of Sultan Ahmed Shah of Gujarat, and was married to the Sultan's sister. He is widely acknowledged for his scholarly treatises, liberal views and humanist ideals. Mahimi was born into a family of

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

travelers from Iraq who had settled down on the island of Mahim known as Nawayath, one of the seven islands that later formed the city of Bombay (now

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

). Not much is known of his early childhood. He later became the follower of disciples of

Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani ( fa, میر سید علی همدانی; CE) was a Persian scholar, poet and a Sufi Muslim saint of the Kubrawiya order. He was born in Hamadan, Iran and preached Islam in Central Asia and Kashmir as he travelled to p ...

ShafI'i and became the master of Kubrawiya order.Great Sufis of South, page:44 print: Malabar, 1980 Mahimi's reputation grew after the Sultan of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, Ahmed Shah of the Muzaffarid dynasty, chose him to be the town's Qazi (the Head Muslim Judge/Cleric of a town). Mahimi was the first Indian scholar to write an

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...

on the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard 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 from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

, which gained critical acclimation from numerous Islamic scholars including Shah Waliullah Dehlavi. He authored more than 100 books but only 21 books are known, from which only 10 books are available in different libraries in India, he was given the moniker ''Qutub-e -Kokan'' (Kokan's

Pole Star A pole star or polar star is a star, preferably bright, nearly aligned with the axis of a rotating astronomical body. Currently, Earth's pole stars are Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris), a bright magnitude-2 star aligned approximately with its ...

). He was the first commentator of the Quran in India . His commentary is called "Tafsirur Rahman." It is available in

Al Azhar University , image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg , image_size = 250 , caption = Al-Azhar University portal , motto = , established = *970/972 first foundat ...

, Cairo and Ummul-Qura University, Makkah. Mahimi is revered by both the Muslims and

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s. All Muslim sects hold him in high esteem. After his death in 1431, he was buried in Mahim. The site later became a

Dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

(shrine) for devotees.

Urs festival

During the annual ten-day

Urs Urs (from ''‘Urs'') or ''Urus'' (literal meaning wedding), is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Naqshbandiyyah, Suhrawardiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, etc ...

festival celebrated on the 13th day of Shawwal as per the Muslim calendar, millions of devotees visit his dargah. The highlight of this is a procession of around eight thousand begins at the Mahim Police Station, believed to be the site of his residence. Two police officers from each of the eighty four city

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

stations represent the police whose association with the saint dates back to the saint's era. A representative of the Mumbai police who is the first to offer the "chaddar" (shawl) at the tomb on the first day of the festival. Legend has it that it was a

police constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

who gave water to the dying saint from his cap. Another story points to some miraculous assistance police officers once received from an old man, who they believed was the saint, in fighting smugglers. A room adjacent to the office of the senior inspector of police station contains a steel cupboard that houses the saint's preserved belongings such as his chair, a pair of sandals and his hand-written Qur'an which is considered to be a

calligraphic Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as ...

work of art. The room is opened once every year to the public. In 1920 the cupboard was purchased by a senior British police inspector, Raymond Esquire as a tribute to the saint he revered. On 2005-05-21, the government of Maharashtra named the JJ Flyover after the saint as a tribute to the saint. The 2.1 kilometre flyover is the longest viaduct in the country.

References

*''A saint revered by both Hindus and Muslims'', Mohammed Wajihuddin/ TNN, pg 4, ''Sunday

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...

'', Bombay, dated 2005-05-22
On Urs, Mumbai police keep tryst with Sufi saint
S Ahmed Ali
The Indian Express
Sunday, 2002-12-22 *Sayed Imamuddin Gulshan Aabadi, Barakat-ul-Awliya, Bombay. *Ghulam Azad Bilgrami, Rausat'ul-Awliya, Aurangabad, 1892-93. *Bombay Gazetteer, Volume III, Bombay, 1910. *S.M. Edwardes, Rise of Bombay, Bombay 1909. *Maulana A. R. Parvaz Islahi, Makhdum Ali Mahimi, Naqsh-e-Kokan Publication Trust, Bombay,1976. *Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan, Abjad-ul-Uloon, Bhopal,1295 AH. *Muhammed Yusuf Khatkhatey, Kashaful Maktoon *Fi-Halat-e-Haji Ali Makhdoom, Maktaba-e-Shihabi, Bombay,1903. *Towns and Islands of Bombay, Statistical account (Administration), Volume III, Bombay,1894. *Prof. Abdus Sattar Dalvi, Dargahs Abodes of the Saints.

Urs festival

References

See also

External links