Ibrahim Malik Baya was a

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 ...

saint of Suhrawardiyya order and a warrior who arrived in South Bihar, India, in the 14th century and defeated the tribal Kol chiefdoms, who had been oppressing the local Muslims. He was a contemporary of

Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri, popularly known as Makhdoom-ul-Mulk Bihari and Makhdoom-e-Jahan (1263–1381), was a 13th-century Sufi mystic and saint active in medieval Bihar. He was a maternal grandson of Pir Jagjot(''Sayyid Shihab Ad-Din Su ...

, Syed Ahmed Jajneri, Muzaffar Shams Balkhi, Shah Ahmed Sistani and Syed Ahmad Charamposh. He was sent in a war with Raja Birthal, in which he defeated Raja Birthal. Malik Ibrahim Baya tomb is protected under

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

and is a tourism spot in Bihar Sharif Nalanda.

Early life

Malik Baya was a distinguished military general, and a Sufi saint as well. When the

Abbasids The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes i ...

persecuted his ancestors, they escaped to Ghazni. He was born and raised in Ghazni. Malik Baya received his education and military training in

Ghazni Ghazni (, ), historically known as Ghaznayn () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana (), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan with a population of around 190,000 people. The city is strategica ...

and then he came to Delhi to serve under the tutelage of

Muhammad bin Tughlaq Muhammad bin Tughluq (; ; 1290 – 20 March 1351), or Muhammad II, also named Jauna Khan as Crown Prince, further known by his epithets, The Eccentric Prince, or The Mad Sultan, was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from 4 February 1 ...

History

Malik Baya belonged to

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. He came to India during the time of Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq and became commander-in-chief in 1324. The word Bayu' is the twisted from a Persian word ''Beya'' (lit. Come on). Malik Baya after his first victory over Bihar, went to inform the matter to Muhammad bin Tughlaq, who being pleased with his remarkable win said: ''malik biya benasheen'' (lit. O Chief come and Sit down). During the reign of Sultan Tughlaq, even though the State of Bihar was under the control of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, for all practical purposes, its rulers were autonomous. The Sultan received numerous complaints against the Raja Bithal, the Governor (Subedar) of Bihar, who was not only a tyrant but also a rebel against the Sultan of Delhi. The Sultan sent his general, Syed Ibrahim Malik, to punish Raja Bithal. After a fierce battle, the Raja was killed and his army was defeated. The conquest of Bihar was a remarkable achievement, and on this occasion, the Sultan conferred upon Malik Baya the title of "''Madarul Mulk''" means Malik or Saif-o-Daulat (Administrator or King of Sword and Wealth). In

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

, Malik Baya led many expeditions such as Deora and Khatangi etc. and defeated Raja Baithal and was appointed as a Governor of Bihar by Mohammad bin Tughlaq. Syed Ibrahim Malik also served as Governor of Bihar and general for a few years from 1351 to 1353, during the reign of Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq. During his reign, he fought his last pitched battles with Raja Hans Kumar and conquer Rohtasgarh Fort.

Death and legacy

Malik Baya died on Sunday, 13th Dul Hajj 753 AH corresponding to 20 January 1353 AD. His body was brought to

Bihar Sharif Bihar Sharif is the headquarters of Nalanda district and the fifth-largest sub-metropolitan area in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Its name is a combination of two words: ''Bihar'', derived from '' vihara'' (meaning monastery), also the nam ...

for burial, where he had lived nearly his entire life with his family, relatives, and kinsmen. He was buried on Peer Pahadi, Bihar Sharif and the foundation stone his Makbara was led by

and it was constructed by Daud Mallick, elder adopted son of Baya.

References

Sources

Articles on mysticism of Ibn Arabi
from the Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society
Mysticism in Islam
a lecture by

William Chittick William Clark Chittick (born June 29, 1943) is an American philosopher, writer, translator, and interpreter of classical Islamic philosophical and mystical texts. He is best known for his work on Rumi and Ibn 'Arabi, and has written extensively ...

Sufism
From a site dedicated to various esoteric systems

from SUFIS OF INDIA PAKISTAN AND BANGLADESH :volume-1 BY Nagendra Kr Singh page no -256

from Sufi movements in eastern India by Mohammad Yahya Tamizi.page no-199

from BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCYCOPEDIA OF SUFIS SOUTH ASIA By N.Hanif IN PAGE NO-160. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bayu Malik Ibrahim Indian people of Arab descent Afghan Arabs Indian Sufis History of Bihar People from the Delhi Sultanate 1353 deaths Assassinated people of the medieval Islamic world Year of birth unknown People from Bihar Sharif People assassinated in the 14th century

Early life

History

Death and legacy

See also

References

Sources