Qutb ad-Dīn Haydar was a Persian

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, r ...

saint and Malāmatī- Qalāndārī

Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

, of possible Turkic origin, and is buried in Zava,

Khurasan Greater Khorāsān,Dabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 or Khorāsān ( pal, Xwarāsān; fa, خراسان ), is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plat ...

. Qazvini, author of the ''

Tarikh-i guzida The ''Tarikh-i guzida'' (also spelled ''Tarikh-e Gozideh'' ( fa, تاریخ گزیده, "Excerpt history"), is a compendium of Islamic history from the creation of the world until 1329, written by Hamdallah Mustawfi and finished in 1330.''E.J. Bri ...

'', states Haydar was alive at the time of the

Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire (1206-1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...

in 1220 and died in 1221 CE/618 AH. The date of his life helpfully indicates the time when the use of cannabis took hold in Islamic society. He apparently followed an ascetic discipline until he ate some marijuana that he found growing. He then took to eating it constantly. It was deemed compatible with a spiritual life, a positive aid even. "God almighty has granted you as a special favour an awareness of the virtues of this leaf, so that your use of it will dissipate the cares that obscure your souls and free your spirits from everything that might hamper them, keep carefully, then the deposit he has confided in you." Use of cannabis migrated into Iraq, Syria and Egypt where it was known as 'Haydar's Lady' or 'the Wine of Haydar'. Haydar – the Persian form of his name is Heydar – founded an order of mendicant

dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

es called as the '' Haydariyya'' known for their celibacy and self-mortification through piercing their own bodies with iron rings. His followers also wore felt and walked barefoot. According to al-Jawbari in his book ''Kashf al-Asrar'' (Unveiling the Secrets)"members of the Haydariyya dervish order took Hashish before staging their performances of self-mutilation, in order to numb the pain." Al-Jawbari's ''Kashf al-Asrar'' was written in 13th century Iraq. The author was a conjuror whose writing was an exposé of not only magic tricks but also the 'dodges' of beggars and other 'low-life'.Robert Irwin ''The Arabian Nights A Companion'' p.131 In fact the term ''hashishiyya'' is synonymous with 'low-life' and has been used as such for centuries in the Islamic world. He is also known by Heyder.

References

Year of birth missing 1221 deaths Iranian Sufis Bektashi Order History of the Alevis 13th-century Iranian people Cannabis and Islam Mystics from Iran {{Iran-bio-stub

See also

References