Mir Syed Shams-ud-Din Muhammad Arāqi (; CE) was an Iranian, Muslim
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.
Araqi was part of the order of
Twelver Shia
Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the largest branch of Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as th ...
Sufis in
Jammu and Kashmir who greatly influenced the social fabric of the
Kashmir Valley
The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...
and its surrounding regions.
Early life
Araqi was born in Kundala, a village near
Suliqan, to Darvish Ibrahim and Firuza Khatun. Darvish was a Sufi dedicated to
Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani while Firuza was descended from a Sayyid family from
Qazvin
Qazvin (; ; ) is a city in the Central District (Qazvin County), Central District of Qazvin County, Qazvin province, Qazvin province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the largest city in the provi ...
.
As an adolescent, Araqi first encountered Nurbakhsh when the latter arrived in Suliqan but was told by Nurbakhsh himself not to engage in Sufi devotions due to family responsibilities. Soon after Nurbaksh's death around 1464, Araqi visited his grave and chose to follow the Noorbakshia path.
Career in Herat
Soon after deciding to join the
Noorbakshia order, Araqi spent nineteen years traveling and studying under various
khanqah
A Sufi lodge is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or ''tariqa'' and is a place for spiritual practice and religious education. They include structures also known as ''khānaqāh'', ''zāwiya'', ''ribāṭ'' ...
masters throughout Iran and Iraq. He eventually rose in the order's hierarchy and became settled in Durusht near
Tehran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
under master Qasim Fayzbakhsh.
When Timurid Sultan
Husayn Bayqara invited Qasim to join his court at
Herat
Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...
, Araqi accompanied him. In Herat, Araqi apparently undertook a mission for Bayqara to investigate if a king from Iraq was planning to conquer parts of Khurasan under Timurid control. Once back in Herat after determining that the plans were untrue, Araqi and Qasim were given rewards and elevated positions within the court.
[Bashir 2003, p. 205.]
Soon after the earlier mission, Araqi was sent as an envoy of Bayqara to Kashmir under the pretext of a diplomatic visit to the Kashmir royal court and gathering medicinal herbs for Qasim.
However, the embassy is not mentioned in Timurid histories and Qasim seems to have been the main supporter of the mission, likely meaning that the main purpose of the assignment was to expand the Noorbakshia order into Kashmir.
Career in Kashmir
From Herat, Araqi traveled to
Multan
Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...
and eventually arrived in Kashmir at around 1483. He was greeted by Sultan Hasan Shah and subsequently resided in Kashmir for 8 years. Initially taking the role of an ambassador, he eventually became an independent religious missionary. Araqi established himself in various
khanqahs or other venues during his stay and attracted followers to his order. However, Araqi also faced several political conflicts with other scholars in the royal court during this period. Around 1491, Araqi left Kashmir to return to Durusht but appointed one of his students, Mulla Ismail, to lead the order.
Araqi returned to Kashmir in 1503 after hearing that Mulla Ismail was allegedly going against the rules given to him over initiation and expansion of the order, although the unforeseen success of the order was likely what actually convinced Araqi to return. The Noorbakshia order throughout the rest of Araqi's life saw the order attain significant success along with influence in Kashmiri politics.
[Bashir 2003, pp. 220-224] He was able to convert several nobles and other powerful figures to the order.
Exile in Baltistan
For a brief period when Araqi was banished from Kashmir in 1505 due to political tensions at the court, he along with 50 other disciples sought refuge at
Skardu
Skardu (, Tibetan script: སྐར་མདོ, ) is a city located in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...
in
Baltistan
Baltistan (); also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet, is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan and constitutes a northern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
.
The local rulers welcomed him and treated him as a royal guest. He would soon return to Kashmir after staying in Baltistan for around 2 months. According to local traditions, Araqi and his followers converted many local
Balti to the order. Araqi chose one of his disciples, Haidar Hafiz, to stay in Skardu and continue to lead the order there.
Death
While sources do not give a specific year in which Araqi died, common dates given include 1515
or 1526. He was buried at
Zaddibal in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
His body was later shifted to
Chadoora for unknown reasons, and buried at a
Sufi Islamic shrine.
Legacy
He is considered by some to be the effective founder of
Shia Islam
Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...
in
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...
and
Gilgit–Baltistan, as well as in the rest of
Jammu and Kashmir and its adjoining areas.
Notes
Sources
* Bashir, Shahzad (2003). ''Messianic Hopes and Mystical Visions: The Nūrbakhshīya Between Medieval and Modern Islam''. University of South Carolina Press.
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Iranian Sufi saints
1484 births
1526 deaths
History of Kashmir
Kashmiri Sufi saints