Naushah Ganj Bakhsh
Naushāh Ganj Bakhsh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | c. 1552 |
| Died | c. 1654 (aged 101 or 102) |
| Resting place | Ranmal, Phalia Tehsil, Mandi Bahauddin District, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Main interests | |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Philosophy | Sufism |
| Tariqa | Qadri |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
Influenced | |
| Part of a series on Islam Sufism |
|---|
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Haji Muhammad Naushāh Ganj Bakhsh (21 August 1552 – 18 May 1654) was a Punjabi Muslim Sufi poet, saint and scholar from Phalia in Punjab.[1] He was the founder of the Naushahiah branch of the Qadiriyya Sufi order, and his successors came to be known as Naushāhiyyas.[2]
Biography
[edit]Muhammad Naushah was born on 21 August 1552 in Phalia, Punjab to a Punjabi Khokhar family.[2] His father, Hajji Ala’uddin Qadiri, was an ascetic, while his mother Bibi Jiuni belonged to a respectable family.[3]
Naushāh was the most outstanding disciple of Sufi saint Shah Sulaimān Nūri of Naushera.[2] He later shifted to Shahanpal in Mandi Bahauddin where he died in 1654.
Teachings
[edit]
Naushāh was respected by his contemporaries including nobles and rulers.[3] He accepted the syncretic approach of Kabir and Guru Nanak but with more emphasis on monotheism or the oneness of God. Like Kabir, he rejected caste and criticised the idea of transmigration of souls.[4] Naushāh enrolled his followers from different castes and occupations. They were Bhattis, Mochis, Lohars, Tarkhans, Awans, Jats and others.[5] He condemned the caste system in his following dohras (a rhyming couplet in the Punjabi poetry):
"Saiyid and Jat, both are human beings. Both are the sons of Adam and Eve.
Naushah do not ask the descent of a faqir, but enquire about the way that leads to Lord. This is the right mode of speech."[5]
Literary works
[edit]The following works have been published:[6]
- Kulliyāt-i Naushāh: (Urdu poetry) consisting of 76 Risala's and 2400 verses.
- Kulliyāt-i Naushāh: (Punjabi poetry) In this work 126 Risala's of about four thousand verses are alphabetically arranged.
- Ma‘ārif-i Tasawwuf: (Persian poetry) dealing with assignments on the spiritual path.
- Mawā'iz-i Naushāh Pīr: (Punjabi prose) comprises delivered speeches and advices.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Hadi 1995, p. 405.
- 1 2 3 Hanif 2000, p. 167.
- 1 2 Bilgrami 1994, p. 227.
- ↑ Bales 2020, p. 116.
- 1 2 Bilgrami 1994, p. 232.
- ↑ Hadi 1995, p. 406.
Sources
[edit]- Bilgrami, Fatima Z. (1994). "Contributions of the "Qadiris" to the Folk Poetry of Punjab". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 55: 225–236. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44143361.
- Hadi, Nabi (1995). Dictionary of Indo-Persian Literature. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. ISBN 978-81-7017-311-3.
- Hanif, N. (2000). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia. Sarup & Sons. ISBN 978-81-7625-087-0.
- Bales, John (2020). "Sufism in the Punjab, Pakistan". In Riddell, Peter G.; Nicholls, Ruth J. (eds.). Insights into Sufism: Voices from the Heart. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5275-5748-2.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1552 births
- 1654 deaths
- 16th-century poets
- 16th-century mystics
- 17th-century poets
- 17th-century mystics
- 16th-century Mughal Empire people
- 17th-century Mughal Empire people
- People from Phalia Tehsil
- People from Mandi Bahauddin District
- Punjabi-language poets
- Punjabi Muslims
- Punjabi Sufis
- Punjabi Sufi saints
- Qadiri order
- Sufi poets
- Sufi shrines in Pakistan
- Sufis from the Mughal Empire