Shaykh al-Mun`im al-Mukarram Alaul Haq Ganj-e-Nābāt | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1301 AD |
| Died | 1384-1398 AD(aged between 83 and 97) |
| Flourished | Late 12th century |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Akhi Siraj (father-in-law), Badr Islam Abu Zahid (grandson) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Denomination | Hanafi |
| Order | Chishti Order |
| Senior posting | |
| Teacher | Akhi Siraj, Nizām ul-Haq Sarfī |
Students | |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | Umar عمر |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | ibn As'ad بن أسعد |
| Epithet (Laqab) | Ala al-Haq wa ad-Din علاء الحق والدين Ala al-Haq علاء الحق |
| Toponymic (Nisba) | al-Khalidi الخالدي al-Bangali البنغالي Pandawi/Al-Bandawi پانڈوی/الباندوي |
Alā ul-Ḥaq wa ad-Dīn ʿUmar ibn As`ad al-Khālidī al-Bangālī (Arabic:علاء الحق والدين عمر بن أسعد الخالدي البنغالي), commonly known asAlaul Haq (Bengali:আলাউল হক) or reverentially by thesobriquetGanj-e-Nābāt (Persian:گنج نابات,Bengali:গঞ্জে নাবাত), was a 14th-centuryIslamic scholar ofBengal.[1] Posted inHazrat Pandua, he was the senior disciple and successor ofAkhi Siraj, and aBengal Sultanate government official.[2]
Alaul Haq Umar was born in 1301, in the city ofHazrat Pandua to aMuslim family. His father, Shaykh As`ad Khālidī,[3] migrated fromLahore to Pandua where he served as the Finance Minister of theSultanate of Bengal. His uncles, cousins and brothers also held high ranks in the Sultanate court.[4] Some sources claim that Haq was first taught by Nizamul Haq Sarfi, who was a senior scholar of Bengal based inLakhnauti and teacher of Nasiruddin Bahath. This claim however, has been doubted by others due to issues relating to time periods. After the death of his father, Haq was meant to have inherited two gardens worth 8000takas though someone else had taken possession of them. Haq never attempted to regain the inherited property.[2]
Excelling in his studies, Alaul Haq began calling himselfGanj-e-Nābāt and gained popularity in Bengal. This act was criticised byNizamuddin Auliya ofDelhi, as his teacher wasGanj-e-Shakar (treasure of sugar), and the title ofGanj-e-Nabat (store of fine sugar) was a sign of arrogance and superiority.Akhi Siraj of theChishti Order returned to Bengal on the advice of his teacher, Nizamuddin Auliya, where he was appointed as the country's court scholar. Alaul Haq became his student and dropped theGanj-e-Nabat title. There are many stories relating to Haq's relationship with his mentor Siraj. It is said that Haq would accompany his teacher with a cauldron on his head, and carrying an oven whilst barefooted so that he could his teacher could have hot meals, and would often have to walk in such a state in front of the homes of his relatives. This eventually led to Alaul Haq suffering fromalopecia.[5] This supposedly even took place during Siraj's numerousHajj visits.[6]
Alaul Haq was admired by his teacher Siraj to such an extent that he was made his successor and the husband of Siraj's daughter.[7]
Following the death of Siraj, Haq served as the court scholar; setting up akhanqah inHazrat Pandua and becoming an elite member of theSultan of BengalShamsuddin Ilyas Shah's government.[8] During the reign of SultanSikandar Shah, Haq was put in charge of the royal treasury of theBengal Sultanate.[2]
It is said that Alaul Haq was so generous to his students and the needy that his generosity outweighed that of the Sultan. As a result, he was banished toSonargaon for two years before being allowed to return to his Khanqah.[5][8]Ashraf Jahangir Semnani, a former ruler ofSemnan in modern-dayIran,[9] had abdicated his throne to become a student of Alaul Haq in Pandua.[10] His journey took two years and upon meeting Haq and his disciples in the outskirts of Pandua, Semnani was carried bydoli to Haq's khanqah where he was fed four handfuls of rice andpaan by Alaul Haq. Semnani studied under Alaul Haq for 12 years, before being instructed by him to go and propagate inJaunpur.[11][12][2]
نهاده تاج دولت بر سر من، علاء الحق والدین گنج نابات
Ala al-Haq wa ad-Din Ganj-i-Nabat has placed the crown ofDawlat upon my head
— Persian couplet recited by studentAshraf Jahangir Semnani after being received by Alaul Haq at the khanqah
It is suggested by'Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi, in hisAkhbar al Akhyar, that Alaul Haq died in the year 800 AH (1398 AD).[13] On the other hand, the guardians of Haq's shrine possess a book which cites his death in 786 AH (1384 AD). It has also been said that Alaul Haq'sjanaza was performed byJahaniyan Jahangasht.[5] His shrine, the Chhoti Dargah,[14] is one of the majordargahs of Bengal; located in the ruined city ofHazrat Pandua inMalda and adjacent to the other contemporary scholars of Bengal such asJalaluddin Tabrizi. Haq's disciples included his sonNur Qutb Alam (who was his successor), as well as the Sufi saintsAshraf Jahangir Semnani andHusayn Dhukkarposh.[15] Hisurs is commemorated from 23 to 25Rajab in Chhoti Dargah, presently inWest Bengal,India.[8] Alaul Haq's grandson, Badr Islam, and his great-grandson, Shaykh Zahid, were prominent scholars inSonargaon.[16]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link): A short biography of the prominent Sufis of India have been mentioned in this book including that of Alaul Haq Pandavi