‘Abd al-Quddūs Jalāl ad-Dīn (), best known as Shah Makhdum (), and also known as Rupos, was a Sufi Muslim figure in

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 ...

. He is associated with the

spread of Islam The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...

into the

Varendra Varendra (), also known as Barind (), was an ancient and historical territory of Northern Bengal, now mostly in Bangladesh and a little portion in the Indian state of West Bengal and Eastern Bihar. It formed part of the Pundravardhana or Pund ...

region of

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 ...

. He arrived in Bengal with his elder brother Syed Ahmad (Miran Shah) 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 ...

Shah Makhdum Airport Shah Makhdum Airport, Rajshahi is a domestic airport serving Rajshahi, the principal city of the Rajshahi Division in Bangladesh. The airport‌ is located at Nowhata, about 10 kilometers north from city center of Rajshahi and named after Sufi ...

Rajshahi Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major Urban area, urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi Distr ...

is named after him.

Life

The exact birth date of Shah Makhdum is not known but he was born in

. His father was Azala Shah, who was said to have been a descendant 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, ...

. He came to

Lakshmipur Lakshmipur () is a city and headquarter of Lakshmipur District in the Chittagong Division, Bangladesh. Demographics According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Lakshmipur had 17,009 households and a population of 83,112. 18,345 (22.07%) were u ...

Noakhali Noakhali District (), historically known as Bhulua (), is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in Chattogram Division. It was established as a district in 1821, and officially named Noakhali in 1868. The distr ...

, where he established a

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'' ...

in the village now known as Shyampur. His elder brother, Syed Ahmad Miran Shah, established a khanqah in the nearby village of Kanchanpur. He earned the nickname of Rupos as he was known to cover his face with a piece of cloth in the manner of a section of the saints of the

Chishti Order The Chishti order () is a Sufi Tariqa, order of Sunni Islam named after the town of Chishti Sharif District, Chisht, Afghanistan where it was initiated by Abu Ishaq Shami. The order was brought to Herat and later spread across South Asia by Mu ...

. Two years later, he migrated with his companions to Bagha in

after hearing that contemporary Muslim preacher Shah Turkan and his comrades had been murdered by the local tantric

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

Angsu Deo Chandavandi Varmabhoj and sacrificed to

Mahakala Mahākāla (, ) is a deity common to Hinduism and Buddhism. In Buddhism, Mahākāla is regarded as a ''Dharmapala, Dharmapāla'' ("Protector of the Dharma") and a Wrathful deities, wrathful manifestation of a The Buddha, Buddha, while in Hindu ...

. To avenge Turkan, Makhdum and his companions defeated the Raja and subsequently established a khanqah in

Rampur Boalia Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolitan city and a major urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous division and district. Located on the north bank of the Padma Rive ...

(modern-day Rajshahi City). Makhdum then sent his companions to the adjoining areas to set up khanqahs and preach

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. Bagha was later renamed to Makhdumnagar in his honour. Some of his companions here included Syed Shah Abbas, Syed Dilal Bukhari, Shah Sultan, Shah Karam Ali and Nusrat Shah. Shah Makhdum spent the rest of his life propagating

in Rajshahi region.

Death

It is unknown how, but Makhdum died on 27

Rajab Rajab () is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of the classical Arabic verb ''rajaba'' is "to respect", which could also mean "be awe or be in fear", of which Rajab is a derivative. This month is regarded as one ...

and was buried at Dargah Para in

. Although some sources mention the year corresponding to 1313 CE others suggest he died in 1592 CE aged 117. During the

Mughal period The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

, Ali Quli Beg, a

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 ...

and servant of

Abbas the Great Abbas I (; 27 January 1571 – 19 January 1629), commonly known as Abbas the Great (), was the fifth Safavid Iran, Safavid shah of Iran from 1588 to 1629. The third son of Mohammad Khodabanda, Shah Mohammad Khodabanda, he is generally considered ...

, constructed a square-shaped one-domed

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 ...

above the grave. Devotees commemorate Makhdum's death every year with an

urs Urs (from ''‘Urs'') or Urus (literal meaning wedding), is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Naqshbandiyyah, Suhrawardiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, etc. ...

on 27

at the

Dargah 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 dervi ...

premise. The Mutawalli (guardian) of the shrine in 1877 stated that the shrine estate was made rent-free as a gift by Mughal emperor

Humayun Nasir al-Din Muhammad (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), commonly known by his regnal name Humayun (), was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from ...

. In 1904, the ninth Mutawalli of the estate, Ghulam Akbar, made a statement at the

Rajshahi District Rajshahi District () is a district in mid-western Bangladesh. It is a part of Rajshahi Division. The metropolitan city of Rajshahi is in Rajshahi District. Geography Rajshahi District is bounded by Naogaon District to the north, Natore Distric ...

Court mentioning that although the estate was established in 1634, Shah Makhdum Rupos was alive 450 years before that (thus placing him in the 12th century in 1184 AD). Shah Nur was the first Mutawalli of the shrine.

Eponyms

* Shah Makhdum Thana *Shah Mokhdum Medical College *Shah Makdum Hall,

University of Rajshahi The University of Rajshahi (), also known as Rajshahi University (RU), is a public research university located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and third largest university in Bangladesh. The university's 59 departments are or ...

*Shah Mokhdum College, Rajshahi

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Makhdum Rupos, Shah Indian people of Arab descent Indian people of Iraqi descent People from Baghdad 14th-century Indian Muslims 14th-century Indian people 13th-century Indian Muslims 13th-century Indian people Bengali Sufi saints Sufi mystics People from Rajshahi District 1313 deaths 1592 deaths