Shāh Amānat Shah (, ; died 1773), was an 18th-century

Sufi Muslim Sufism ( or ) is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are referred to as "Sufis" (from , ), and ...

figure in South Asia. He is regarded as one of the most prominent saints of

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

, in eastern

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Life

Shah Amanat was born into a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

family of Iraqi

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

origin. His forefathers migrated from

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

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 ...

; they were descendants of

Abdul Qadir Gilani Abdul Qadir Gilani (; ; c. 1077/78 – 1166) was a Hanbali scholar, preacher, and Sufi leader who was the eponym of the Qadiriyya, one of the oldest Sufi orders. He was born c. 1077/78 in the town of Na'if, Rezvanshahr in Gilan, Persia, ...

. His father's name was Niyamat. Shah Amanat later migrated to

. In

Murshidabad Murshidabad (), is a town in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. This town is the headquarters of Lalbag subdivision of Murshidabad district. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly river, Bhagirathi Riv ...

, Shah Amanat became a disciple of and pledged

bay'ah ''Bayʿah'' (, "Pledge of allegiance"), in Islamic terminology, is an oath of allegiance to a leader. It is known to have been practiced by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Bedouin culture it was a procedure for choosing the leader of the trib ...

to a

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, the language of the Kashmiris ethnic group People with the nam ...

Sufi scholar by the name of Shah Abdur Rahim Rizvi, for a number of years. Shah Abdur Rahim was the grandson of Khwaja Masum, the son of

Ahmad Sirhindi Ahmad Sirhindi (1564 – 1624/1625) was an Indian Islamic scholar, Hanafi jurist, and member of the Naqshbandī Sufi order who lived during the era of Mughal Empire. Ahmad Sirhindi opposed heterodox movements within the Mughal court such as D ...

. Shah Amanat travelled across

the subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

to learn about Islam in places such as

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 ...

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

and

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

. After 12 years, Shah Abdur Rahim advised Shah Amanat to migrate to Chittagong. Shah Amanat built himself a small cottage in a forest area in Chittagong to live in. He managed to get a job as a punkah wallah at the Chittagong Judge Court, and preferred a simple lifestyle without attracting much attention. He would attend prayers at Nawab Yasin Khan's Qadam Mubarak mosque. It was from this career at the court that he was nicknamed ''Meah'' ''Saheb''. However, after people realised his true identity, Shah Amanat began dedicating more of his public life towards religious propagation. Shah Amanat established Khanqah Amanatiya to preach Islam and

Naqshbandi Naqshbandi (Persian: نقشبندیه) is a major Sufi order within Sunni Islam, named after its 14th-century founder, Baha' al-Din Naqshband. Practitioners, known as Naqshbandis, trace their spiritual lineage (silsila) directly to the Prophet ...

ya, Mujaddedia, Qadirriyya, Chishtiya and

Madariya 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 w ...

Sufi order. Khanqah Amanatiya later became a Sufi hub in Bangladesh. One of his first disciple was Shah Sufi Muhammad Dayem of Dayera Sharif, Azimpur who later left for Azimabad. He had numerous disciples spread across the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

Death and legacy

In 1773, at the age of 125 years this great Sufi mystic passed away leaving the Khanqah Amanatiya and his estate in the hands of his only son Shahzada Muhammad Anwar Khan and was buried near his Khanqah in a

mazar (mausoleum) A ''mazār'' (), also transliterated as mazaar, also known as ''marqad'' () or in the Maghreb as ''ḍarīḥ'' (), is a mausoleum or shrine in some places of the world, typically that of a saint or notable religious leader. Medieval Arabic ...

. It is currently in the city of Chittagong; east of the Laldighi, Kotwali.

Successors' history

Shah Amanat Shah left his

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 ...

dynasty to his only son Anwar Khan, also known as Shahzada Muhammad Anwar Khan. The successor of the

dynasty is known as

Sajjada Nashin The ''Sajjāda Nashīn'' (; ) or ''Gaddi Nashin'' is a term of Persian origin, used chiefly within the Sufi traditions of South Asia referring to the successor or hereditary administrator of a Sufi master who typically functions as a custodian or ...

, who serves the people. Shahzada Alef Khan, only son of Shahzada Muhammad Anwar Khan, died before his father, leaving behind his son Shahzada Aliyar Khan. Shahzada Aliyar Khan became the

of the

Dargah Sharif A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervis ...

and Khanqah Amanatiya after his grand father Shahzada Anwar Khan died shortly after 1840 AD. He continued the legacy and managed Khanqah Amanatiya. The amount of free meals also known as

Langar Langar may refer to: Community eating *Langar (Sikhism) *Langar (Sufism) Places Afghanistan *Langar, Badakhshan, Afghanistan *Langar, Bamyan, Afghanistan *Langar, Faryab, Afghanistan *Langar, Herat, Afghanistan *Langar, Wardak, Afghanistan ...

was increased at his time as people visiting the

increased considerably. This system of providing Langar was established by Shah Sufi Amanat Shah in his Khanqah and continued till date by the Sajjada Nashins. Shahzada Fazr Ali Khan, only son of Shahzada Aliyar Khan succeeded his father as the

of Dargah Sharif and Khanqah Amanatiya. After living a glorious Sufi life he died in 1890 AD leaving the

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'' ...

and

on his son Shahzada Sher Ali Khan's responsibility. Shahzada Sher Ali Khan had four sons: Shahzada Fouzul Kabir Khan (1914–1982), Shahzada Fouzul Azim Khan (1920–1978), Shahzada Fouzul Karim Khan (1923–1962), and Shahzada Fouzul Ali Khan (1935–2009). In 1942, when Shahzada Sher Ali Khan died, his four sons became the

of Dargah Sharif and Khanqah Amanatiya, and continued to serve the people and the path of

Sufism 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 ...

. The ''sons'' of the ''four'' brothers became the

, the dynasty is currently under the supervision of them - the seventh generation of Shah Sufi Amanat Shah.

Influence

Shah Sufi Amanat Shah's Dargah has been a place where people from different religions interconnect. His influence among the Bangladeshi people can be seen through the village songs, Sufi qawalis, and shops, institutions after his name. His name can also be seen on the body of many vehicles in Chittagong. Most of the Sufi lineages of Bangladesh comes from him. The famous Shah Amanat Bridge was named after him. In

Halishahar Halishahar () is a Administrative divisions of Bangladesh, thana of Chattogram District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. Halishahar Housing Estate is a large residential area in Chattogram. Geography Total area of this thana is 9.64 km2 ...

, there is a school named after Shah Amanat called the Shah Amanat Shishu Niketan. There is also a power and energy company called Shah Amanat Prakritik Gas Co. Ltd. owned by S. Alam Group of Industries.

Shah Amanat International Airport Shah Amanat International Airport () is an international airport serving Bangladesh's southeastern port city of Chattogram. Operated and maintained by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, it is the second-largest international airpor ...

was also named after him.

Gallery

File:Shah Amanat Hall at CU 10.JPG, Shah Amanat Hall at the

University of Chittagong The University of Chittagong () also known as Chittagong University (CU), is a public research university located in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It was established on 18 November 1966. It is the fifth oldest university of Bangladesh. Having an area ...

. File:ShahAmanatAirport-01.jpg,

Patenga Patenga () is a sea beach of the Bay of Bengal, located south from the port city of Chattogram, Bangladesh. It is near to the mouth of the Karnaphuli River. The beach is very close to the Bangladesh Naval Academy of the Bangladesh Navy and Shah ...

File:The Shah Amanat Bridge Picture of 3rd KB.jpg, Shah Amanat Bridge

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amanat, Shah People from Chittagong 18th-century Indian Muslims People from Bihar Sharif Bengali Sufi saints Naqshbandi order 1773 deaths Year of birth missing