Ismail Qureshi al Hashmi

Hadhrat Makhdoom Shaikh Imaduddin Ismail Qureshi(Quraishi) Asadi al Hashmi ,a Suharwardi Shaikh - is one of the pioneers of Islamic preachers in District of Allahabad. He is the grand son of Shaikh Bahauddin Zakaria Multani and son of Shaikh Sadruddin Arif Multani.He is commonly knows as Makhdoom Shah of Bamrauli. (Allahabad - A Gazetteer ,Page 94-95 by C H Nevill 1911 )

Birth and education

Shaikh Ismail was born in 1259 /1260 AD in Multan and was brought up in Multan under the guidance of his father Shaikh Sadruddin and grand father Shaikh Bahauddin Zakaria. (Mirat al Asrar by Shaikh Abdul Rahman Chishti Page 919 Urdu Edition)

He was initiated into Suharwardi order at the hands of his grand father Shaikh Bahauddin Zakaria and trained by his father and his elder brother Shaikh Ruknuddin Abul Fateh alias Shah Rukn e Alam of Multan.Shah Ruknuddin kept his brother always with him and even in his visits to Delhi at the call of Alauddin Khilji. When Shah Ruknuddin visited Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya , his younger brother Shaikh Ismail was with him and asked some questions from both the holy men (see Akhbar al akhiyaar Page 148 - by Shaikh Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehalvi).

From Multan to Allahabad

Shaikh Ismail used to live mainly at Multan looking after the propagation and educative activities of his Khanqaah until the death of his elder brother Shah Ruknuddin who died in AD 1334.

Before the death of his brother he had a divine intuition to move to Allahabad which was called Prayag at that time,at this istance he travelled first to Delhi where the emperor Allauddin Khilji and his successor welcomed him. From there he travelled to Allahabad via kara and settled in a village named Bamhrauli or Bamrauli (Chail, Allahabad).Thus he is considered to be one of the earliest Shaikhs who settled in the environs of the present city of Allahabad. He started calling the people to the way of salvation, i.e Islam and at his hands a lot of Hindu tribes embraced Islam.

Adherence to Shariah

Shaikh Ismail strictly adhered to the basic tenets of Islam and did not like anything outside Shariah.He did not approve of singing,dancing in the name of Sam'a.He exhorted all to live a live of piety respecting their parents and fulfilling the duty of their creation by carrying out the responsibilities as the slave and viceregent of Allah. He loved the people irrespective of their caste,creed and religion.People loved him and thronged to visit ,see and consult him.

He erected a mosque over a small mound exactly on the banks of river ganges and it is where he was laid down to rest after his departure from this world.To this day the mosque stands as it is erected by the Shaikh with he himself resting there.

After living more than 50 years in that area and commanding respect and honour from all he passed away silently in 1349 AH. He was bestowed with the honorific title as "Makhdoom e Hind". Since centures all the great saints of Allahabad and environs have paid their obeisance to his great personality. No big dome was erected as per his wish and no Urs rituals are performed at his grave in accordance with the instructions of Shariah. ( See Manba al Ansaab - Chapter II -By Sayyid Muin al Haqq Jhoonsvi Manuscript British Library - India Office Collections, London )

The writer of Mirat al Asrar visited him mosque and tomb in the reign of Shahjahan and commented “ that it is a great place of barkat”.

He lived a simple life and never allowed his name and works to be highlighted in books and discourses, so is the case that except a very few people , not all know about him even in Allahabad.

Disciples

Students from all areas including Kara, Manikpur, Zafarabad, Jaunpur , Jhunsi ,Awadh ,thronged to be his student.Though a lot of students were his disciples but he authroized only three students with Khailafat,One Shaikh Abdul Rahim, Second Shaikh Ali, and third Sayyid Muhammad alias Shah Karak who eventually became his most famous disciple and became known as Shah Karak Majzoob(Abdal) of Kara Manikpur,Allahabad who is resting at Kara and is the most famous saint of Allahabad to this day.The fact is that he is more known than his master and mentor( Asral al Makhdumein by Shaikh Karim Yar , published 1893 Fatehpur)

References

* "Allahabd - A Gazetteer" by C H Nevill, 1911, Govt Press, United Provinces .
* "Akhbar al Akhyar" by Shaikh Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlavi, 16th Century. Urdu Edition 1990.
* "Manba al Ansaab" by Sayyid Muin al Haqq Jhoonsvi, Manuscript, British Library -India Office Collections, London .
* "Asral al Makhdumein" by Shaikh Karim Yar, 1893, Fatehpur .
* "Mirat al Asrar" by Shaikh Abdul Rahman Chishti, 1648, Printed Maktaba Jam e Noor, Delhi 1997
* "Tarikh Aina e Awadh" by Sayyid Shah Abul Hasan Qutubi Manikpuri, 1887, Nizami Press,Cawnpore .
* "Tazkirat al Makhdumeen" by Khalid Bin Umar, 2004, Manuscript

For more information contact Khalid Bin Umar at [e-mail]

http://www.urdustan.com/adeeb/nasr/azamk.htm - a reference to him is made here