Call for Everyone to be Azadar-E-Hussain-Noorul Haqiqat
By Dr.Mazhar Naqvi
“Hamesha azadaar‐e‐Husnain ho
Ke dil ko tere har tarha chain ho”
(Always perform Azadari of Imam Husain
So that your heart remains full of peace)
Written with an emotional appeal to call everyone to conduct Muharram ceremonies for eternal peace, the above verse has been taken from the book ‘Noorul- Haqiqat’ (Light of Truth).Authored by the worthy successor of Sufi Roshan Ali Shah who had built an Imambara in Gorakhpur way back in 1780, the book may not be a masterpiece from literary standards but it surely reflects the great reverence a true Sufi holds for the prophet and his progeny (Ahle-Bait).
The chance encounter of Sufi Roshan Ali Shah and Nawab Asaf Ud Daula in the jungle of Gorakhpur is a well- known fact of history, How the meeting between the Sufi and Nawab led to the enhancement of Imambara and grandeur in Muharram rituals too is also preserved with the successors Roshan Ali Shah who are endearingly called as Miyan Saheb even today. The first successor of Roshan Ali Shah was Syed Ahmad Ali Shah. He was son of Mir Faulad Ali, a religious preacher from Bokhara. Roshan Ali Shah had adopted Ahmad Ali Shah as his successor when he was just 5 year old.
Sufi Roshan Ali was indeed a visionary and a mystic with divine power. The selection made by him proved absolutely correct in years to come. Ahmad Ali Shah not only emerged as a poet and man of letters but also turned Gorakhpur as the most prominent centers of azadari in the eastern Uttar Pradesh. Moreover, he also proved to be a true follower of Ahle-Bait as is evident from his praise of Prophet Muhammad, Hazrat Ali and importance given to azadari Imam Hussain in Noor-Ul-Haqiqat.
Ahmad Ali had written Noorul Haqiqat as a sequel to his earlier work titled as ‘Kashaful Bhagawat Gorakhpur’. Composed in 1860, the book has not been written in a traditional form. It starts with the portrayal of socio- economic conditions prevailing in Gorakhpur after the disturbance of 1857.But it concludes with glorious praise of Prophet and his son-in-law Hazrat Ali.
He says
“Ke kya‐kya Payambar ki hai izz‐o‐shaan
Hai maddah jis ka Khuda‐e‐jahaan
Khulasa yeh hai baad hubb‐e‐nabi
Hui farz sab ko wala‐e‐Ali
Sharaf hai hadis‐e‐nabi se wuzu
Ali ko kaha apna jism apni rooh
Barabar samajh un ko aiye nek‐khoo
Yeh maani mein hain ek surat mein do
Nabi ka agarche hai aali maqaam
Ali bhi hain hum‐naam rabb‐e‐anaam
Nabi ne jo meh ko do‐parah kiya
Ali ne bhi khur ko isharah kiya
(Prophet is extremely honorable and is most praiseworthy. After him the next
Most revered figure and worthy of praise is Ali. He was very so close to the Prophet and literally was his soul. Apparently, they were separate from each other physically but truly speaking they were inseparable in reality. As the Prophet had split the moon into two so was Ali capable of signaling the sun.)
Not satisfied with this much praise in the wake of the exalted position of the Prophet Muhammad and Maula Ali, the poet further praises :
“Dil‐e‐maah ek dam mein shaq ho gaya
Rukh‐e‐meher su‐e‐ufaq ho gaya
Nabi se nubuwat ne payi jila
Ali se vilayat ko rutba mila
Kahan tak Karun main sana‐e‐Ali
Gaya dosh‐e‐Ahmad pe paa‐e‐Ali
Sedullah jo Quran mein hai likha
Ali waqaee hain woh dast‐e Khuda
Ali ki hai Quran mein wasf‐e‐sana
Kahin hal ataa hai kahin la fata”
(“One should fill his heart with affection for the Prophet. As was prophet hood graced by the Prophet, so was ruler ship graced by Ali. Ali has helped in the propagation of Nabi’s faith. Ali deserves endless praise and he is incapable of doing and can’t do justice to his greatness.” (Verses 554‐572)
The poet then calls everyone to perform azadari of Imam Husain to find solace in this temporary world and the permanent world hereafter. But then again he talks about the greatness of Hazrat Ali :
“Ali ki mohabbat badi cheez hai
Samajhta hai woh jis ko tameez hai
Yeh hi aish duniya mein dikhlayenge
Yeh hi tere uqba mein kaam aayenge
Karenge yeh hi naar‐o‐dozakh haraam
Yeh hi mujh ko jannat mein denge maqaam
Jo shaitaan ko chahe toh kar de wali
Woh hubb‐e‐Ali hai woh hubb‐e‐Ali”
(“Love of Ali is also a great treasure. Only one who is an intellect can understand his greatness. Ali is the one who helps in this world and hereafter. Ali makes a person successful in this life and decides who deserves a place in Paradise and Hell. Love of Ali is so powerful that it can convert a devil into an angle.”)
As a true follower of Ahle- Bait, the author has also strongly advised that an individual should not be narrow minded nor his hear should have any communalism. He should be courteous with everyone. Both Hindus and Muslims should be friends. One should always try to help the needy and if anyone I n difficulty approaches you, the needy should be helped generously. It is wise to offer him more than what he expects or deserves as the God has promised to ignore your faults if you carry out good deeds.
Noorul- Haqiqat appears to be a containing the sermons of Hazrat Ali. The influence of Imam Ali’s sermons are visible in those verses where he suggests to the readers to trust only their proven well-wishers and patron. Always keep aloof from those, whose religion is hate- spreading. If you spend you life in prayer and piety no harm will ever befall you. One who brings falsehood on his tongue shall never be blessed with the light of knowledge; conduct should be so very righteous that your name may be famous as the truthful one.
It is unfortunate that the name of Sufi Roshan Ali Shah and his successor Ahmad Ali is restricted to only eastern part of Uttar Pradesh (India) as great admirer and devotee of Prophet Muhammad and his family. They deserve more attention from historians and culture activists as they used the Muharram rituals as harbinger of inter-faith understanding at a time when Awadh Kingdom was trying to gain stability and little literature was available on the tragic events of Karbala. Ahmad Ali’s efforts not only established Sufi Roshan Ali as a great Azadar Sufi but also gave birth to Miyan sahib cult which attained tremendous popularity during British India but strangely lost much of its sheen after 1947.
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