Shaeed-E-Salis & His Forgotten Descendants

Jahangir(Left) Who Ordered Execution of Shaeed-E-Salis & His 
beloved Wife Noorhajhan(Right) Who Failed To Prevent It.

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Like sons of Shaeed-E-Salis (Third martyr), his grandsons and descendants also remain forgotten. It is quite surprising as all of them were not only great scholars but also attained high positions in Bengal government. Moreover, they also made great contribution to the propagation of Imami faith .Mirza Muhammad Jafar, the grandson of Shaeed-e-Salis Qazi Nurullah Shustri was a scholar like his father and uncles. He wrote forward to the second volume of a famous book. His grandson Syed Ali was also pious and scholar. He dedicated his life to the preservation of his illustrious grandfather’s monumental works on tenets of Islam, theory of divine justice and jurisprudence. It is mainly because of his efforts the works of third Imami martyr has survived.

The descendants of Ala-ul-Mulk and Ala-Ud-Daula, two of the five sons of Qazi Nurullah also flourished under the Bengal government. They resided in Murshidabad and Azimabad (Modern Patna) and held significant designations. The most senior among them was Mir Jamal Uddin Hussain. His son Muhammad Raza alias Mir Mahdi was also a prominent figure. Both father and son worked ceaselessly to promote the message of Imam Hussain and Imami ideology. They carried on their mission so meticulously that they never became target of the rulers who at times were not much friendly.    

The earliest reference to the works of third martyr is found in the accounts of Mirza Muhammad Sadiq. He was born at Surat in 1609.His father Muhammad Salih Zubairi Isphahani Azadani  was in the service of famous poet and Mughal governor  Abdur Rahim Khan-e-Khana. Shahjahan who had appointed a son of martyr Qazi as tutor to his son Shuja appointed Sadiq  as ‘Waqya Navees’(official news writer) and granted him a Jagir in Bengal after ascending throne in 1627. His telants got new wings when he happened to meet the family members of  Qazi Nurullah in Bengal. Sadiq spent his time in Jahangirabad ( Modern Name Dacca).Under the guidance of  Syed Ala Ul Mulk and Abu Maali ,he produced Subh-e-Sadiq .He directly borrowed many a biographies from the monumental work of Qazi Nurullah known to world as Majalis-e-Momneen. Likewise, he used anecdotes proverbs and extracts on different scholarly subjects from the works of Shaheed-E-Salis in his other book titled Shaeed-E-Sadiq. The author has produced his books in such a lucid style and manner that the readers never realize that they reading translation.

An Arial View of Third martyr's Shrine At Agra-India

The credit for brining to light the sons ,grandsons and descendants of Shaeed-E-Salis to noted historian Syed Athar Abbas Rizvi who is known for his work on Sufism and Twelvers. However, more research is required to find out the last resting places of most of them. Even the exact date of their births and deaths are also not known. Imami scholars should pay attention in this context. It will be a befitting tribute to Shahid-E-Salis who was executed on the orders of Jahangir for promoting the teachings of Masoomeen. His descendants also dedicated themselves to his incomplete mission. Hence, they too deserve much awareness among the lovers of Holy Prophet and his pious progeny. It may here be appropriate to narrate the circumstances leading to martyrdom of Qazi Nurullah. He was flogged to death on september 7, 1610 in the middle of night on the order of Jahangir as a result of a conspiracy hatched by his opponents for writing the book 'Ihqaqul Haque'.His opponents were of the view that the book contained objectionable material against their sect. (Photo Courtesy-Google Images)