Syed Baba Fakhr al-Din al-Hasani al-Hussaini (d. 1295 CE/ 694 AH) commonly known as Baba Fakhruddin was a

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

Suhrawardiyya The Suhrawardi order (, ) is a tariqa, Sufi order founded by Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi, Abu ’l-Nad̲j̲īb Suhrawardī (died 1168). Lacking a centralised structure, it eventually divided into various branches. The order was especially prominent i ...

order from present-day Eastern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. Baba Fakhruddin was a disciple and successor of Pir Nathar Tabl e Aalam Badshah Natahar Vali of

Tiruchirappalli Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...

. He was ''Shahanshaah'' (King of Kings) of Sistan and Shahpur of present-day Eastern

later abdicated the throne to take the path of Sufism. He was a direct descendant of

Mohammed Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...

through Imam Hassan paternally and Imam Hussain maternally. He traveled on foot from Sistan to

via Makkah, Madina, Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Gujrat states of India where he was initiated into the Qalandariyya Suhrawardiyya order by his

Murshid ''Murshid'' () is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher", derived from the root ''r-sh-d'', with the basic meaning of having integrity, being sensible, mature. Particularly in Sufism it refers to a Spiritual director, spiritual guide. The term is freque ...

Tabl e Aalam Nathar Vali at

. He was later accorded spiritual succession by his murshid and was set to find his abode where the ''

Miswak The miswak is a teeth-cleaning twig made from the '' Salvadora persica'' tree. The miswak's properties have been described thus: "Apart from their antibacterial activity which may help control the formation and activity of dental plaque, they c ...

'' spurt leaves. Baba Fakhruddin made Penukonda his home and final resting place.

Parentage and ancesotors

According to ''Shahgada Qalandar'', a biographical account of the life of Baba Fakhruddin by his nephew and successor Syed Yusuf Qattal Hussaini, Baba Fakhruddin was born in 564 AH to Sultan Syed Hussain, Syeda Bibi Fatima Sagir. His ancestors were descendants of Muhammad and were from Makkah and his grand uncle, Sultan Mohammed Hussain, was the Sharief of Makkah. Sultan Abul Khasim, the grandfather of Baba Fakhruddin invaded and conquered Sistan from Akhahir on the orders of elder brother Sultan Mohammed Hussain, the Sharief of Makkah. After the conquest and Syed Hussain became the Sultan of Sistan and Shahpur. Baba Fakhruddin was an expert in Quranic studies and an Islamic jurist, he also was adept in battle skills. He ascended to the throne of Sistan and Shahpur and became ''Shahanshaah'' (King of Kings) of Sistan and Shahpur after his father. He was a great king loved by his subjects until he decided to abdicate the throne and renounced worldly pleasures to seek the path of Sufism.

Life as a Qalandar

Baba Fakhruddin abdicated the throne and became a dervish and traveled to many cities in search of a perfect master and found his guide and master Nathar Vali in

. Nathar Vali himself was a Persian King who too abdicated the throne in search of God. Baba Fakhruddin served his master for 23 years and became a perfect master himself and was appointed

Khalifa ''Khalifa'' or ''Khalifah'' (; commonly "caliph" in English) is a name or title which means "successor", "ruler" or "leader". It most commonly refers to the leader of a Caliphate, but is also used as a title among various Islamic religious groups ...

(Spiritual Successor) by his

. Nathar Vali gave Baba Fakhruddin 300 qalandars from his 900 qalandars and ordered them to accompany Baba Fakhruddin and sent them towards Penukonda, his final abode. He undertook severe penance, self-mortification practices (''mujāhadah'' ) and became engrossed in prayers for a long stretch of periods without food or water and attained higher spiritual stations, and showed several miracles during his lifetime.Tariq e Hazrat Syed Sultan Baba Fakhruddin by Hazrat Khwaja Syed Shah Baba Abdal Hussaini Suhrawardi He remained celibate throughout his life and devoted himself to God. His nephew Yusuf Qattal Hussaini became his

- spiritual successor and the custodianship of the shrine continued in his family to date. Baba Fakhruddin lived a life of 126 years (130 Lunar years) and departed this world on Thursday 12 Jumada al-Thani 694 AH/ 5 May 1295 CE, after Zuhr prayers.

Spiritual genealogy

Baba Fakhruddin was initiated into

Qalandariyya The Qalandariyya (), Qalandaris or Kalandaris are wandering Sufi dervishes. The writings of ''Qalandaris'' are not merely celebrations of libertinism, but affirmations of antinomial beliefs. The first references are found in the 11th-century ...

order of Sufism and the spiritual genealogy traces back to Imam Ali through several Imams and Qalandars namely Pir Nathar Tabl Alam Badshah, Shaikh Ali Zuwalqi of Shewan,

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Sayyid Shah Hussain Jafari al-Marwandi , (1177 - 19 February 1274) popularly known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (), was a Sufi saint and poet who is revered in South Asia. In Taqaiyah, his maternal grandfather changed his name to Usman al-Marwandi o ...

Ibrahim Mujarrad Karbalai Ibrahim may refer to: * Ibrahim (name), including a list of people with the name ** Abraham in Islam * Ibrahim (surah), a surah of the Qur'an * ''Ibrahim'' (play) or ''Ibrahim The Illustrious Bassa'', a 1676 tragedy by Elkanah Settle, based on a ...

, Syed Jamaluddin SaojiSaint revered by people of all religions , https://www.dawn.com/news/1066533 The merging of

branch with

chain possibly can be attributed to

however he was not a disciple of Bahauddin Zakariya Multani but a good friend whose legendary spiritual friendship is well known in Sindh, Pakistan as Char Yaar The attachment was so cordial and spiritual that their friendship became legendary and they were known as Chahar Yar (Four Friends), the other two friends were Farīd al-Dīn Masʿūd Ganj-i-Shakar and Jalaluddin "Surkh-Posh" Bukhari

Urs

Annually his death anniversary is commemorated on 12 Jumada al-Thani of the Islamic calendar. The urs ceremonies start with the Qalandariya flag hoisting at the shrine by ''Sajjada Nashein'', the Chief Hereditary custodian of the shrine who is from the family of Baba Yusuf Qattal Hussaini, the nephew, and successor of Baba Fakhruddin, on 6th Jumada al-Thani. Urs is observed from 6th to 14th Jumada al-Thani at his mausoleum in Penukonda. Several hundred thousand people from different countries, religions, and all walks of life gather to seek blessings.

Mausoleum

The shrine of Baba Fakhruddin is the chief seat in

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

for faqirs. Each year on the 1st day of Jamadi-ul-Akhar, the faqirs of all orders Banava,

Rifaʽi The Rifa'i order () is a prominent Sufi order (tariqa) within Sunni Islam founded by Ahmad al-Rifa'i and developed in the lower Iraq marshlands between Wasit and Basra. The Rifa'iyya had its greatest following until the 15th century C.E. whe ...

Madariyya The Madariyya is a Sufi order () popular in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the Mewat region, Bihar, Gujarat and West Bengal, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Known for its syncretist beliefs and its focus on internal ''Dhikr'', it ...

, Malang, and Shah Jalal congregate at this place and select their office bearers. The appointed faqir of Shah Banava goes on a two-year pilgrimage to the tombs of the saints in the Presidency. His mausoleum is located in Penukonda, Andhra Pradesh, India, and is accessible by road, and railway the closest airport is the Kempegowda InternationalAirport, Bangalore, India Image:Mazar_Baba_Fakhruddin_in_Penukonda_Anantapur.jpg, Mazar-e-Mubarak Baba Fakhruddin in renovated Mausoleum Image:Tree Planted by Baba in Dargah Premises.jpg, Tree Planted by Baba in Dargah Premises (Around 750 Yrs old) Image:Chilla Pahad near Penukonda, Andhra Pradesh India.jpg, Chilla Pahad - Small hill where Baba Prayed for years in a cave File:Footview.jpg, Rock bearing foot impression of Hazrat Baba Fakhruddin at Chilla Pahad Hazrat Baba Fakhruddin (RA) Website , http://www.babafakhruddin.com/

References

External links

Life Sketch of a Sufi Saint Baba Fakruddin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fakruddin, Baba Iranian Sufis Indian Sufi saints 1169 births Year of death unknown