Martyrdom of Shaheed-E-Salis-A Question Mark on Jehangir's Justice

Entrance of Dargah Shaheed-E-Salis Qazi Nurullah Shustri in Agra-India

Dr..Mazhar Naqvi

The barbaric execution of Shaheed-e-Salis (Third Martyr) Qazi Nurullah Shustri will always put a question mark on the justice of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Among all the Mughal Emperors, Jahangir is famous for his exemplary justice. He had installed an unusual gold chain to link his private chamber to an outpost near the gateway to Agra Fort from the side of river Yamuna. The chain was made of gold, eighty feet long, and had sixty bells attached to it. The objective was to enable ordinary people to get Emperor’s attention simply by rattling it. Any aggrieved or needy person could pull the chain to claim a personal hearing from Emperor himself.

Yet under the influence of anti Ahle-Bait Ulemas, he extinguished the flame of Qazi Nurullah’s pious life without literally given him a chance of hearing. He fully ignored his favorite Queen Nur Jahan’s pleas for amnesty and when she caught hold of Jahangir’s hand to prevent him from signing death warrant, the infuriated Emperor pulled out a burning ember from the fire-place and burnt her wrist put. He then left the palace in a huff and ensured the quick execution of Qazi, leaving the queen yelling in pain. His hasty decision deprived the followers of Ahle-Bait in India from the services of scholar blessed with ‘Sina-Ba-Sina Ilm’ (Transfer of holy injunctions heart by heart).On the instructions of Jahangir, Qazi was arrested from his house, disrobed and the hangman’s noose was put around his neck. Immediately on hanging, the executioners started flogging him also and by15^th flog, Qazi breathed his last. But they continued to flog his dead body as the decree issued against him was for 100 floggings. They pulled his tongue out and put boiling material on his head. His skull was exposed as a result and then his body was thrown at a garbage dump of the Agra.

His body remained at the garbage without shroud and awaited burial for three days. Three versions find mentions in the historic accounts and legends about his burial. One version reveals that since he was martyred on the orders Jahangir, the entire population of Agra was scared of arranging his burial. However, two Afghans who were the followers of Ahle-Bait and were on the visit of Agra took the initiative and buried Qazi where his mausoleum stands today. One of them was Syed Raju Bukhari who had reached Agra to meet the Qazi and was fortunate enough to meet him twice before his tragic execution.

The second version tells that when Jahangir slept on the third night after ordering the brutal killing of Qazi, he saw the Prophet Muhammad in his dream who very angrily told the Emperor “You have been very cruel on my son and why are you not allowing his last rites” The dream left Jahangir greatly perturbed and the next morning he announced whoever wanted to bury the Qazi can do so. Then, the people came out and arranged for the burial of the Qazi who fell prey to the dirty politics of Ulema wanting his death for propagating Imami faith. The third and most popular version says that an Iranian chieftain lived near Agra at a place technically falling under the territorial jurisdiction of Gwalior State. He saw Bibi Fatima in his dream, telling him  ”The body of my son is lying without the shroud and grave outside Agra. If you are my follower, go and bury my son with your own hands.” The following morning he assembled  all the Iranian traders and Reached Agra along  with his own contingent of guards. He found the body lying on the garbage dump and Syed Raju was sitting near the head of the Qazi. The chieftain got immediately a grave dug out and laid with  great reverence the Qazi who was   martyred on 26 Rabi al Awwal in 1019 Hijri.

Qazi Nurullah was born at Shustar in the Khuzistan Province of Iran in the year 956 H (1549 A.D). His early education was in the tutelage of his father and uncle. At the age of 19 years,  he moved to Mashhad –E-Muqaddas to join Hauza-E-Ilmiya for higher studies. At the age of 35 years, he felt the need of his services in India. He arrived in India during the regime of Akbar and spent 26 years in different centers of the country to spread the message of Ahle-Bait secretly before joining the court of Akbar.

In 1995 Hijri, Qazi Moin ud Deen, the chief Qazi of Mughal Court, sought retirement due to his old age. Akbar appointed Shustri as Chief Qazi and he came to be known as Qazi Nurullah Shustri. He accepted the position on the condition to deliver justice not on the basis of just one Fiqh but in consultation with any of the Fiqhs, namely Hanafi, Hanbali, Shafaee or Maliki.  Akbar granted him permission, thinking what difference it would make when all the Muslims were unanimous in accepting all the four Fiqhs. Blessed with extra-ordinary brilliance and intelligence, Qazi‘s verdicts established him as the most appropriate person for the coveted post. His growing popularity caused much heart burning among the enemies of Ahle Bait under the garb of Ulema. They could not succeed in their attempt to get him replaced  even after lodging repeated complaints against him. Whenever questioned by Akbar ,he always insisted for proof against him and left his opponents speechless.

Once he used the word Hazrat Ali Alaihis Salam.The Ulema of the other schools raised their voices and asked for his execution for using the suffix Alaihis Salam which they said  was reserved  only  for the prophets. The matter was taken up in Akbar’s court and the objection raised by Ulemas was read out. But one of the Ulema was not so bigoted. He laid the controversy at rest by reciting the couplet  in the court:' Gar lahmak lahmi Hadit e nabawi hai Bay Salle ala naam e Ali bay adabi hay ' (If ‘Ali’s flesh is my flesh is  Nabi’s hadith( tradition), then taking Ali’s name without ‘Salle Ala’ is gross bad manners!.)

Qazi Shustri continued to occupy his post even after the death of Akbar also. His successor Jahangir also gave him respect. His opponents also carried on their politics against him. They always looked for an opportunity to turn the emperor against Qazi Shustri. Frustrated over the mounting complaints against the Qazi, Jahangir asked for a proof that the Qazi was an enemy of the Sahaba( Companions), the Ulema chanced on a book, Majalis al Momineen, authored by Qazi Nurullah. In this book he had penned the profiles of all the Infallibles( Masumeens)  and he also included details about all the companions of the Prophet  who were the friends of the Ahle Bait. He hadn’t discussed about other prominent companions. Thus the Ulema took the book as a proof of his enmity against those companions. The other book that the Qazi was in the process of writing was “Ahqaq al Haq” on the lines of “Nahj al Haq” of Allama Hilli. This book covered all the five Pillars of Shia Islam (from Tauheed to Qayamat). One very bigoted enemy of the Ahle bait, a Shafaee Scholar, Fazl  authored a refutation of Allama Hilli’s book with the title of Abtaal al Baatil. Qazi Shustri had penned a fitting rejoinder to the book. He was also keeping a copy of  Ahqaq al Haq very carefully. He wasn’t even showing the book to his closest disciples. One person however managed to enter his inner circle of disciples, pretending to be  a great admirer of the Ahle Bait. One day, he stole the book and   handed over the Ulema working against Qazi. They read its contents and immediately drafted a Fatwa against Qazi. It is recorded 42 Ulema put their seals over the fatwa. Another historic record puts the figure at 55 Ulema. They declared Qazi  a heretic in their Fatwa and demanded his execution on the ground that  he had ridiculed the tenets of the Faith in his book. They forwarded the Fatwa to Jahangir. When Jahangir saw the Fatwa, he asked the Ulema about the punishment for such a heretic. They opined that he must be given four punishments: He was to be flogged a hundred times, he was to be forced to drink molten lead, his tongue to be pulled out of the mouth and  his head be severed from his body in the end. So meticulously the Ulema had brainwashed Jahangir that he ordered the killing of Qazi Shustri in accordance with the ruling given and sealed the fate of a great religious scholar without listening to his version nor interpretation.

He refused to act upon a suggestion given by one of his  friends to meet the king and tell him that  that he too had respect for those Companions of the Prophet who are recorded in history as the worst enemies of Ahle-Bait.. But Qazi Shustri said that his dissimulation at that juncture was not appropriate and spoil the hard work he had done on Indian soil for the propagation of Ahle Bait through a network of 1500 disciples trained secretly by him and sent in different directions to keep the memory of Karbala alive through their deeds. He preferred to die instead of taking U-Turn, for he was confident that his martyrdom for the propagation of the Faith of the Ahle Bait  was very important in India. He thought that the sacrifice that he was going to make would strengthen the cause of the Faith. History later proved how correct he was in his assessment. His great sacrifice for spreading the message of Ahle-Bait against all odds made him an obvious choice for the title of Third Martyr (Shaheed-E-Salis). His shrine on Dayalbagh road near Bhagwan Cinema crossing is visited by people with great reverence. Devotees from all faiths regularly offer prayers at his grave. As Bibi Fatima had called him as his son in the dream of Iranian chieftain, devotees make wish there and Allah fulfils them because of Khatoon-e-Jannat (Lady of Paradise).Moreover, his martyrdom endowed his disciples with new strength and they worked with greater zeal to propagate Imami faith. His veneration by people even today indicate his innocence and puts a question mark on Jahangiri Insaf (Justice).

( Reference available on Request)