Muharram and Kichaucha Urs

A View of Devotees at Urs of Hazrat Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani.
chaucha
 Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

The 631^st Urs(Death anniversary) of Hazrat Khawaja Syed Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani, a prominent Sufi credited with starting Alam procession in memory of Hazrat Abbas in India, was observed at his shrine in Kichaucha town of Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. As relics associated with Aal-E-Rasul(progeny of Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad) are displayed only on Muharram 28^th, the day Semnani breathed his last, lakhs of devotees from across the world converged at his shrine to have a glimpse of sacred ‘Tabbarukats’.

Born in 708 AH (1308 AD) in Semnan, Iran, Hazrat Semnani was a direct descendent of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad , his daughter Fatimah , through her son Hazrat Imam Husain ibn Ali  and his great grandson Imam Jafar Sadiq. His father, Hazrat Sultan Sayyad Ibrahim Noor Bakhshi Qutbuddin was governor of the region 20 years. Apart from being a noble and respected governor, he was also a proficient scholar of theology and inwardly inclined to tasuwwuf (mysticism).Semnani’s  mother, Bibi Khadija Begum, too was a very religious and pious lady. She devoted most of her time in prayer and recitation of the holy Quran. Bibi Khadija was renowned for fasting during the day and her punctuality in observing the tahajjud (late night) prayers.

Hazrat Makhdoom Ashraf was only 15 years old when his father passed away. He was  crowned as the sixth sultan of Semnan. Ruling over Semnan with utmost integrity and impartiality for twelve years, he however became a salik (traveller of the spiritual path) and became a seeker of marifa (inner knowledge gained through mystical means). It was in the pursuit of this knowledge that he would spend time in the company of holy men and mystics. His thirst for acquiring marifa propelled him to relinquish his throne and make way for India under divine command.Before arriving in India,Hazrat Semnani  visited Karbala and met  many a scholars there. He went to Baghdad  and reached Damascus before proceeding to Madina. He  spent a few months at the resting place of the Holy Prophet and also  travelled to Mecca.Travelling through Khorasan, Hazrat also visited Mashhad, the resting place of 8^th Imam Reza.

After reaching India, Hazrat Semnani called on his Peer at Pandua in Bengal who instructed him to settle down in eastern part of awadh. He came to Muhammadabad Gohna in the Azamgarh district. He held discussions with the local scholars. Semnani  read to them a book he had written on the lives of Khulfa-E-Rashideen. Some scholars criticized him for giving more details aboput Hazrat Ali as  compared to the other three Caliphs. They called him to the mosque on Friday to explain his point of view. A local scholar, Saiyid Khan, defended Hazrat by saying “ the criticism does not hold much ground as Semnani was from the family of Hazrat Ali and so he had every right to use exalting words about his illustrious ancestors.

After visiting several places, he settled down at Kichaucha with his relatives and followers. Khanzinat'l Asfiya, reveals  at the beginning of Muharram in 808 AH, his health began to deteriorate. He instructed his closest of mureeds to prepare his grave and construct his dargah (shrine). On 28 Muharram 808 AH, between Zuhr and Asr prayers, Hazrat Semnani  left this world. Since then, his Urs (death anniversary) is held each year between 26 and 29 Muharram. His shrine in Kichaucha Sharif is famous for being very effective in helping those affected by Jinn and his name is still invoked for this. Being a direct descendant of Aal-E-Rasool, he had great love for martyrs of Karbala. He introduced mourning rituals while residing at Kichaucha. It was he who brought out first Alam procession in memory of Hazrat Abbas during Muharram for the first time on Indian soil. As a result of his efforts, Kichaucha observes Muharram with solemnity and a number of processions are taken out till Ashura. Lakhs of devotees attend Ashra-e-Muharram and majority of them stay back till 28^th muharram to attend Urs ceremony as well.  He is believed to have required precious relics during his travels to Iraq, Syria, Arabia and Iran. His family too possessed a relic belonging to Hazrat Ali Asghar. On 28^th Muharram, Sajjada Nasheen brings these relics and devotees go berserk for glimpse of them. Parched garments of Hazrat Semnani are also displayed.The descendants of the illustrious Sufi are carrying out the traditions started by their master and known for giving befitting replies to those with Yazidi tendencies. Their unconditional love for Ahle-Bait makes them one of the most revered and authentic families of Hashemite Syyads residing in India.9References available on request. Photo courtesy Google Images)