Sheikh Sadruddin 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 ...

mystic and chief of the jagir of Maler and an ancestor of the rulers of the

Malerkotla State The State of Malerkotla or Maler Kotla was a princely state of Afghan origin in the Punjab region established in the medieval era and lasting to the era of British India. It has been described as being a princely enclave. Its rulers belonged ...

. He received the area of Maler as jagir from

Bahlul Lodi Bahlul Khan Lodi (; died 12 July 1489) was the chief of the Afghan Lodi tribe. He was the founder of the Lodi dynasty from the Delhi Sultanate, upon the abdication of the last claimant from the previous Sayyid rule. Bahlul became Sultan of the ...

after marrying his daughter Taj Murassa in 1454. He belonged to

Sherwani A sherwani is a long-sleeved outer coat worn by men in South Asia. Like the Western frock coat, it is fitted, with some waist suppression; it falls to below the knees and is buttoned down the front. It can be collarless, have a shirt-style col ...

tribe of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

.Ali Khan, Iftikhar
History of the Ruling Family of Sheikh Sadruddin, Sadar-i-Jahan of Malerkotla, 1449 A.D. to 1948 A.D.
' (2000)
"Not only was he an Afghan but a Sherwani Afghan."

Early life

Sheikh Sadruddin was the son of Sheikh Ahmed Zinda Pir and grandson of

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Ali Shahbaz Khan. He was spiritually inclined from childhood as he came from a long line of

mystics (known as '' pirs''). In 1449, he settled in

Punjab region Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

at the bank of the

Sutlej The Sutlej River or the Satluj River is a major river in Asia, flowing through China, India and Pakistan, and is the longest of the five major rivers of the Punjab region. It is also known as ''Satadru''; and is the easternmost tributary of t ...

river (Bhumsi) to engage in religious activities.

Marriage

In 1451 one night,

Bahlul Khan Lodi Bahlul Khan Lodi (; died 12 July 1489) was the chief of the Afghan Lodi tribe. He was the founder of the Lodi dynasty from the Delhi Sultanate, upon the abdication of the last claimant from the previous Sayyid rule. Bahlul became Sultan of th ...

camped at Maler on his way to conquer

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 ...

. It was a stormy night and the only lamp aflame was in the hut on the mound. Bahlul went to meet the man whose lamp the harsh winds could not extinguish. Sheikh Sadruddin welcomed Bahlul into his hut and prophesied that Delhi would indeed be his. When Bahlul accomplished his mission (after conquering Delhi) the Sultan returned and in 1454 married his daughter Taj Murassa Begum to Sheikh Sadruddin, and gave her a number of villages in the region as a marriage portion. The Sheikh and his Afghan wife had two children–a daughter, Bibi Mangi, and a son, Sheikh Hassan Muhammad. In 1458, Sheikh Sadruddin also married Bhatiyaniji Murtaza Begum, the daughter of Rai Bahram Bhatti (the Bhati Rajput ruler of Kapurthala - a nearby principality) and had two more sons, Sheikh Muhammad Isa and Sheikh Muhammad Musa.

Career

He sometimes served as Sardar-i-Jahan (Chief Judicial Officer) during the reign of

Death

The Sheikh died in 1515 C.E. He was buried at the same place where he always used to pray. Other family members of the family were also buried near the Mazaar of Sheikh Sadr-ud-Din. According to a history written by Iftikhar Ali Khan, the last Nawab of the

; Bayazid Khan (Six Generation of Baba Hazrat Sheikh) was responsible for the building of the tomb shrine, Baba Hazrat Sheikh

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 ...

Malerkotla Malerkotla is a city and the district headquarters of Malerkotla district in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It served as the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj. The state acceded to the Dominion of India, un ...

References

{{Reflist 15th-century Indian people 1515 deaths