Biography of Hazrat Sayed Muhammad Khaksaar All Shah (RA)
Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) hails from Kalyani, a small but important town in the state of Hyderabad, India. Its history dates back 3000 years. After India’s independence in 1947 and the division of states on linguistic basis, in 1956 Kalyani was renamed as Basava Kalyani in memory of Vishvaguru Basavanna, a great Hindu philosopher, poet and revolutionary. It was ruled by many Hindu and Muslim dynasties, including many Delhi Sultanates, the Mughals and the Hyderabad Nizams. The maps were redrawn and today it is officially included in the district of Bidar in the state of Karnataka.
During the early period of its history, especially during the 12th Century, it was a centre of great social and religious movements. It also used to be the capital city of many of the earlier dynasties. With regard to the population, Kalyani has an almost equal number of Hindus and Muslims with small minorities in the other religious groups. The Kannada language is spoken by the majority of the population, but Marathi, Hindi and Urdu are also spoken in the town. There are many historical places in Kalyani such as a Fort, many temples, Islamic monuments and shrines and much more of historical importance.
It was in the 1930’s and 1940’s that Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) decided to visit the Konkan villages in the district of Kolaba in the state of Maharashtra. The name of the district has since then been changed to Raigad. He used to travel quite extensively in the Konkan region and his charismatic personality attracted many followers and admirers, some of whom became his Mureeds at regular intervals. His attachment to his Mureeds was of such a nature that he used to visit them quite frequently, many times upon the invitations of his Mureeds. His most senior Mureeds were staying at that time in the two adjacent villages of Kumla and Jui. Hazrat Karamat Ali Shah (RA) and his younger brother Hazrat Maqsood Ali Shah (RA) were residents of Kumla; and after having received Khilafat from Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA), Hazrat Karamat Ali Shah (RA) became the most senior member of the Mureeds in Kumla and Jui. Thus Kumla became the “headquarters” of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) whenever he visited the Konkan area.
During this period, many of the residents of the Konkan area, especially Jui, had immigrated to South Africa to settle there and to open up small businesses. Amongst them were Mr Abdur Rahman Burood, Mr Ahmed Saheb Burood, Mr Abdoola Mia Burood, Mr Alli Mia Burood, Mr Abdul Wahab Burood and some others from Jui. There were many other senior Mureeds also from the Konkan district such as Mr Abdullah Sirkhot, Mr Ismail Petkar, Mr Ebrahim Bala (Bapoo) Samnakay, Mr Saleh Mia Umalkar. Most of them used to make many extended visits to their villages when necessary. They were thus able to be in contact with their Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) even though most of them were now settled in South Africa. It is interesting to note that on many occasions the Mureeds in South Africa had invited Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) to visit them, but he was reluctant to do so for reasons best known to himself.
Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) was descended from a noble Sayed Sadat family and was in possession of four Khilafats from four different Silsilas, namely Qaaderia, Chistia, Iftikhaari and Madarriya. The Madarriya Silsila is also known as the Tabquatia Silsila. He inherited the Qaderi Khilafat from Hazrat Dildar Ali Shah (RA) and the Iftigari Khilafat from Hazrat Moulana Noorullah Hussaini (RA). The Madarriya/Tabaqatia Khilafat he received from Hazrat Mahmoud Allah (RA).
To the best of our knowledge Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) had four Khalifas, all of them from India. There are those who say that he had seven Khalifas and some others say that he had 11. But Allah knows best. One of his Khalifas was Hazrat Badshah Nisaar Ali Shah (RA), who stayed in South Africa for many years. He was a Mureed of Hazrat Rafick Ali Shah (RA) who was the Khalifa of the Warsi Silsila in the Konkan district of Maharashtra. Hazrat Rafick Ali Shah (RA), whose Mazhaar Shareef is in the village of Wani Purar, was a contemporary of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) who used to visit him on several occasions. When the time was appropriate, Hazrat Rafick Ali Shah (RA) had foretold the coming of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) to the Konkan area and that Hazrat Nisaar Ali Shah (RA) was destined to receive Khilafat from him. And that is exactly what happened! As predicted, Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) did after some years make his appearance in the area and immediately made Hazrat Badshah Nisaar Ali Shah (RA) his Khalifa in the Qaderi/Chistia Silsila. His other prominent Khalifa was Hazrat Karamat Ali Shah (RA) from Kumla which was his usual place of residence when he was in the Konkan area. His other two Khalifas were Hazrat Hag Numa Ali Shah (RA) from the Ratnagiri district in Konkan and his younger brother Hazrat Nizamudin Ali Shah (RA) in Kalyani, Hyderabad.
As mentioned elsewhere Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) used to visit his Mureeds on many occasions and some of his visits used to be for extended periods. One such visit was for a period of six months when most of his Mureeds, even those that had settled in South Africa, were then present in the two adjacent villages of Jui and Kumla. For the sake of convenience the senior Mureeds decided to erect a small tent on a hill in Jui so that all the Mureeds could assemble here every night in the presence of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) who used to impart spiritual knowledge and guidance to all his Mureeds. Sometimes entire nights used to be spent in his glorious company. These Mureeds were indeed fortunate and blessed to have derived the maximum benefit from his divine knowledge which was like an ocean without a shore. His knowledge was of the highest spiritual order which often used to defy the very parameters of Tariqat, Marifat and Haqiqat and to delve into the mysteries of the unseen world.
Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) was also a poet par excellence, and his Sufi poetry is of such a superior nature that it is probably unequalled in modern times. We are, nevertheless, extremely fortunate that much of his poetry has been preserved by his Mureeds and Khalifas and is now readily available to posterity. In fact, some of his poems are today recited by various Ulema, Naat readers at Meelads, Urs Shareefs and other religious gatherings. Some of his poems have been put to music and sung by our local Qawals up to the present day. During this period Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah’s (RA) fame spread far and wide in the Konkan district. Of course, the many miracles that were witnessed by his Mureeds and others no doubt contributed to this.
It is virtually impossible to recall and narrate all his many miracles, but some of them that have been witnessed and verified by his Mureeds and Khalifas can be mentioned here: When Mr Ahmed Saheb Burood and his cousin Mr Abdoola Mia Burood, both residents of Jui, first arrived in South Africa in the early 1920’s, they were were totally unaware of the name of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA). They were young men at that time and the path of Sufism was, to say the least, a foreign concept to them. Although both were very learned men and extremely well versed in the knowledge of the Quran and Hadith, they had doubts about the authenticity of Sufism and the validity of esoteric knowledge that was supposed to be possessed by the Masters of Sufism. Although sceptical, their curiosity was nevertheless aroused because of their contact with friends and associates who were more favourably inclined towards the Sufis and Aulia Allah.
Several years later, they received news from friends and relatives in India that a very great and powerful Murshid had arrived in the Konkan district and that they should, without wasting any time, come to India to meet him and to take bayyat from him. After much deliberation they decided to go to India to meet this great Pir-o. Murshid that everyone was talking about. Upon their arrival in their village Jui they found out that his name was ‘Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah’ and that he came from Kalyani in Hyderabad; and also that he was presently staying in Kumla at the residence of Hazrat Karamat Ali Shah (RA). The two of them decided that they would devise a test for Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) before they would be prepared to acknowledge and accept him as their Pir-o-Murshid. They did some extensive research and eventually prepared three very difficult and intricate questions presumably based on the Quran. They agreed that if Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) answered the three questions to their own satisfaction and knowledge, then they would accept him as their Murshid without any hesitation. They therefore wrote the three questions on a piece of paper and one of them put it in his pocket. Then, on one rainy evening, both of them walked to nearby Kumla and entered the courtyard of the house where Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) was holding a discourse with some of his Mureeds. Then a very miraculous thing happened! Whilst they were busy washing their muddy feet and making Wudhu in the veranda of the house, they heard Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) telling his Mureeds inside the house, had a there were two gentlemen from Jui who have come to see him and that they had three questions written on a piece of paper which they wanted him to answer. Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) then mentioned the three questions consecutively and also provided the secret answers to his Mureeds during his discourse. The two brothers were so shocked and surprised that they could not believe their own ears. The three questions were only known to themselves and yet Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) knew about them and also the correct answers! They were rendered speechless and gradually came to the realization that what they had just witnessed was nothing short of a miracle. This occurrence immediately removed all doubts from their hearts and both of them entered the room where Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) was seated. After the requisite greetings were exchanged both of them fell down to his feet, asked for his forgiveness, and took bayyat on his hands without any further questions being asked.
Another miracle of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) was the one related to us by his Khalifa Hazrat Karamat Ali Shah (RA) when he visited South Africa in 1991. He and his close friend Mr Abdoola Mia Burood and some of their fellow Mureeds had once decided to visit Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) in Kalyani, Hyderabad and to stay with him for a few days. It so happened that on one occasion an unusually large number of guests came to Kalyani to visit their Murshid. As it was approaching lunch time, Hazrat Karamat Ali Shah (RA) and Mr Abdoola Mia Burood became rather concerned about how they would be able to prepare lunch for such a large number of guests. They were well aware of the material poverty of their Murshid and his household was devoid of any suitable provisions that could be offered to the guests. They had no other alternative but to approach Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) privately and to inform him about their predicament. To their surprise, their Murshid smiled and told them not to worry about the matter at all. He then put his hand into the pocket of his cloak and suddenly produced a large bundle of money which he handed over to them. He then instructed them to go to the bazaar and purchase whatever vegetables and ingredients they needed to prepare and cook a delicious meal for their guests. As can be imagined, the two Mureeds were absolutely bewildered and stunned to have had the privilege of witnessing this miracle right in front of their eyes. Nevertheless, they hastily went to the bazaar and purchased all the required ingredients and in due time lunch was served to the guests. After the departure of all the guests, the two friends were discussing the instant miracle that they had just witnessed and were, needless to say, fascinated and intrigued by that occurrence. Both of them were quite aware of the fact that Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) never used to have any money with him, so they wondered where the money appeared from. They were both young men at the time and were rather bold and daring, and therefore could not resist the temptation to investigate the matter further and to try to solve this mystery. They devised a plan to catch Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) unawares and to see what was in the pockets of his cloak. One day the opportunity presented itself when the two of them were accompanying him on one of his walks in Kalyani. Mr Abdoola Mia Burood was a very tall and strong man and thus he, in accordance with their plan of action, came from behind Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) and grabbed him in a powerful grip whilst Hazrat Karamat Ali Shah (RA) was about to put his hand into the pocket of the cloak. Then, in a flash Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) flicked his wrists and both of them fell down flat on their backs with such tremendous force that they were momentarily stunned. When they eventually recovered from this ordeal and came to their feet, Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) asked them what they were trying to do. They apologized profusely and asked for his forgiveness but not before revealing their intentions. Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) did of course forgive them but issued a very stern warning not to ever attempt to do something like that in the future and also not to test his patience. Thus was this incident put to rest, although it did become an exciting topic of discussion amongst the Mureeds for many years.
Whenever Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) used to visit Kumla and also other villages and towns in the Konkan area, he used to make frequent visits to Unal. This is a very small village across the Savatri River diagonally opposite the village of Vahoor. It has a small hot water spring pool and many people go there to bathe in the mineral-rich waters which are reputed to have healing properties. But, more importantly, this is the location of the Mazhaar Shareef of Hazrat Sailani Shah (RA), a great Wali of Allah and a Mashaik of the Madarriya Silsila to which Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) was closely attached. That is the main reason why Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) used to go there more often than not. There was a great spiritual affinity between the two Walis of Allah and it is a well-known fact that many of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah’s (RA) Wazifas and Amals were always done here. Nobody really understood the exact spiritual relationship between the two great Aulias and it remains a mystery up to the present day.
One night when Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) was staying in Kumla, he summoned some of his senior Mureeds and informed them that he had to go to Unal that very same evening. It was during the rainy season and that particular night was very stormy indeed. His Mureeds tried to dissuade him because of the inclement weather conditions and also because the journey had to be made in a canoe on a flooded river. Unal was a fair distance from Kumla and during normal calm weather it used to take approximately 45 minutes to reach there by canoe. But Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) was adamant and insisted that it was imperative to make the journey that same night. So the Mureeds had no other option but to procure a large canoe and some of his more dedicated Mureeds decided to accompany him on what seemed to them a rather perilous journey. Amongst those that accompanied him were Hazrat Karamat Ali Shah (RA), Mr Abdoola Mia Burood, Mr Ahmed Saheb Burood and Hazrat Maqsood Ali Shah (RA).
The river on which they were to travel is the Savatri River which winds its way through the villages of the Konkan district and empties into the Indian Ocean near the town of Bankot on the western coast of India. When Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) and his companions boarded the canoe, the river was very rough and everyone was apprehensive to say the least. Then Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA), being aware of the uneasiness of his companions, told everyone to blindfold themselves and to recite what must have been probably an Ayat or Verse from the Holy Quran. Nobody was to remove the blindfolds until he instructed them to do so. After about five or ten minutes, Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) told everyone to remove their blindfolds, and when they did so the Mureeds suddenly realized that they had arrived at their destination. To their surprise they also observed that the river had become absolutely calm whilst travelling in the canoe and that they had experienced no discomfort whatsoever.
These are just some of the extraordinary events that occurred during the lifetime of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA). There are many more miracles and unusual phenomena that were individually experienced by many of his Mureeds and Khalifas but which must, of necessity, remain a secret as these are not meant to be divulged to the general public. Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) left this mundane world on the night of 9th Rajab 1376. His Mazhaar Shareef is in Kalyani, Hyderabad; now known as Basava Kalyani in the newly formed state of Karnataka, India. The Dargah complex is a magnificent structure and has many Mazhaars in its confines, including the Mazhaar of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA). There are two Mazhaars next to that of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA), one on the left of Hazrat Sayed Shah Dada Karaar Mohammed Malang (RA); and the one on the right is of Hazrat Sayed Shah Khaksaar Sufi (RA). These three Mazhaars are all next to each other in one enclosure of the Dargah Shareef which is surmounted by one of two beautiful green domes. The other dome is over the Mazhaar of Hazrat Inkisaar Ali Shah (RA) who is the son of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA). He received his Khilafat from Hazrat Nizamudin Ali Shah (RA) who is the younger brother of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA). Hazrat Inkisaar Ali Shah (RA) had also visited South Africa on several occasions and has quite a number of Mureeds in South Africa, especially in Roshnee. The Urs Shareef of Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA) is commemorated annually in Kalyani on a grand scale and many Mureeds of the Silsila from South Africa attend the Urs Shareef. Many Mashaiks and Sufis of all descriptions and various tariqas come to Kalyani to participate in this auspicious occasion which is held over a period of three or four days. As is to be expected the Mehfil-e-Sama is an integral feature of the Urs Shareef and many famous Qawals from all parts of India have attended the Urs Shareef of his eminence Hazrat Khaksaar Ali Shah (RA).
Reference:
Article published in the : Noor -e- Khaki Urs Committee 60th Urs Celebration Book.
