ER.MOHAMMAD ASHRAF FAZILI
Baba Latif-ud-Din
Latif-ud-Din is said to have been chief of Maru Adavin (now Anantnag) and to have called one day on Shaikh Noor-ud-Din, who asked the purpose of the visit; he replied that he wanted his friendship. Noor-ud-Din answered that there could be no friendship between them unless he accepted Islam. Latif-ud-Din yielded and at the same time gave up the post and became the disciple of the Shaikh. The story of Noor-ud-Din approaching Bhuma Sadh (Bam-ud-Din) dressed in a bloody cowskin is quite incompatible with the character of the Shaikh. The tradition that Shaikh Noor-ud-Din made conversion to Islam a condition of his helping Zain-ud-Din, when he was sick is also irreconcilable with Noor-ud-Din’s humanitarian bent of mind. Mulla Ahmad bin Sabir says that Zain-ud-Din was searching for a Pir, when he met Noor-ud-Din and became his disciple. His version accords better with Noor-ud-Din’s known character. All these stories seem to have been concocted and designed to prove Noor-ud-Din’s zeal and missionary spirit. But in his recorded remarks there is no mention of this zeal and he is said to have remarked once, “I am prejudiced against nobody and I seek to influence nobody.” Had he been orthodox and narrow minded he would not have recognized Lalla as an avatar and superior to himself. In his sayings, he strongly advises people to live in peace and asks both Hindus and Muslims to live as brothers. It is more likely that the simplicity love of mankind and sympathy with human suffering of Noor-ud-Din appealed to the people of other communities, and many became his disciples and later on accepted Islam.
Baba Bam-ud-Din
After enrolling himself as one of the disciples of Noor-ud-Din, Bam-ud-Din is said to have lived for twelve years, eating crushed limestones and water as food. This seems to be an exaggeration but speaks at least of the reputation for piety. He is said to have kept no servant and never troubled himself about keeping a proper kitchen. Bam-ud-Din, like his mentor, sought solitude. Ehen Ali Shah (king) (1413-1420) wanted to see him, he said that if the visit was really necessary, he should not come in his royal robes. The Sultan attended Bam-ud-Din in the dress of a peasant. On this Bam-ud-Din said, “You have taken off the dress of a king, but you have not taken your mind from the cares of your kingdom. You refuse to remove the cotton wool of heedlessness from your ears so what use would my company and advice be to you? The nature of rulers is like fire and the counsel and advice od saints like air; the fir flares up in the air”. Again, the Sultan asked if he could do anything for him. Bam-ud-Din replied: “Do not come to see me again, and do not mention my name in your court.” The Sultan retorted: “What deep enmity you have for ordinary men”. The reply was: “Only because I am enemy of worldliness”. When the Sultan left, Bam-ud-Din threw the mat, on which the Sultan had been sitting, in the river. On his death Zain-ud-Din miraculously attended his funeral when he was in Tibet – a far off distance of over a month’s travel. The death of Bam-ud-din is inferred to have taken place after 1420 AD. Bam-ud-Din is buried at Bamzu, where he is supposed to have maintained his idols and performed his worship as a Hindu and prayed as a Muslim Reshi. (There is a cave nearby in which a many centuries old temple of limestone still stands undisturbed even by weathering).
Baba Zain-ud-Din
The most distinguished of all the disciples of Shaikh Noor-ud-Din was Zain-ud-Din. His piety and austerity earned a great name for him. Shaikh Noor-ud-Din held him in great esteem and in one of his sayings he pays glowing tributes to him: “My Zaina (Zain-ud-Din) is a fountain of the water of immortality, such is his devotion to the Almighty that he excels his guide.” After serving his preceptor for many years, Zain-ud-Din under the orders of his Shaikh, moved to Aish Muqam and stayed there in a cave. Like many other Rishis, he applied himself to a life of simplicity and celibacy and adopted the forms of worship which the Rishis considered more effective. Many miracles of Zain-ud-Din are mentioned, and his shrine is located in Aish Muqam. Many miracles are also attributed to another disciple Baba Latif-ud-Din. He was a rich man. He gave up the worldly desires and adopted simplicity. He was buried at Poshkar. Likewise, Baba Nasr-ud-Din said goodbye to the world and remained in the service of Shaikh Noor-ud-Din till his last day. On his name many “Shalooks’ were stated by Shaikh Noor-ud-Din. Baba Nasr-ud-Din became the successor of Shaikh Noor-ud-Din at Chrar-i-Sharief on his death ans Baba also passed away on 855 AH/ 1451 AD and was buried near his preceptor at Chrar-i-Sharief. Another disciple of Shaikh Noor-ud-Din was Qiyam-ud-Din, who started to live at Manzgam and sat in a room near the spring of Dood-Pukhar. He would keep fast like other Rishis and would eat only wild vegetables. He was reduced to skin and bone only due to the hardships and austere penance to which he had applied himself. When questioned why he reduced himself to this state, Qiyam-ud-Din burst into tears and said: |I am not literate enough to teach or guide anyone; I have not read the Quran, if I could, I might draw near God. What other form of worship remains, but to enfeeble myself, to abandon food and to practice austerities? Thus I might move God to forgive me my sins.” He died in Manzgam and was buried there. It is speculated that he outlived his preceptor.
Disciples of Baba Bam-ud-Din:
One of the distinguished disciples of Bam-ud-Din was Shams-ud-Din. He hailed from Maru-Wardwan. After completing his preliminary stages of the Rishi path, he settled down at a village in the pargana of Kuthar. He starved himself to a Skelton. He was so feeble that he could not sit down or rise up and therefore used to lie all the time in a wooden box. When asked why he does so, he replied, “I do it so that I may avoid any contact with the world, from the moment of leaving my mother’s tomb until I am placed in my grave. Thus I shall pass uncontaminated from this world to the next.” He had the reputation of preserving his disciple from all calamities. He breathed his last at Pargana Divsar in the village Tarigam. Another disciple of Bam-ud-din was Hanif-ud-Din. He was a native of the village Akhal in the Pargana of Lar. He is said to have been very rich. Later when he came in contact with Bam-ud-Din, he renounced the world and became his disciple. After serving his preceptor for some years, Hanif-ud-Din went to the village of Yar (in the Pargana Lar), where he lived alone in a cell. After some time he moved to his native village, Akhal, where he stayed in the house of his disciple. He however left this place for Yar due to an undesirable incident, here he died on 7 Jamad-ul-Awal, 899 AH/ 22 May, 1485 AD. Rajb-ud-Din was another prominent disciple of Bam-ud-Din. It is said that he and his two brothers, Shawkat Mir and Fakhr-ud-Din Mir, were intimate companions of the ruler of the time and thus used to live a life of ease and merriment. One day they met Bam-ud-Din on the road and told him to carry their jug of wine home for them and serve it. But every cup he poured turned to milk. They asked who he was, and on hearing that Bam-ud-Din, a holy man, was among them, renounced their old ways and became his disciples. Rajb-ud-Din is said to have applied himself to great spiritual penance under the direction of Bam-ud-Din. Later he settled down at the mountain of Naganaran in Martand, where he lived until his death. Some sources tell us that he kept himself busy reciting the Quran and used to earn his livelihood by copying it. This makes the life of Rajb-ud-Din unusual, for no earlier Rishi is known to have concerned himself with the Quran. Rajb-ud-din is said to have many disciples, among whom the most distinguished was Nauroz Rishi. He left the village Naganaran due to an unpleasant incident and lived in the house of Sani Pandit in the village of Gaurigam and was nominated as his successor by Rajb-ud-din on his death, whereupon he returned to Naganaran. He was however buried in village Gaurigam on his mysterious death. Among the disciples of Nauroz Rishi is mentioned Hardi Rishi, who succeeded him as the head of the Rishis at Naganaran. Contrary to the accepted practice, Hardi Reshi urged his disciples to earn their own livelihood. He directed them to take up agriculture, saying that if they had not the strength to do much, they should at least cultivate daily an area the size of his prayer-carpet. He is said to have lived for seven years after the death of his preceptor and when he died he was buried at Naganaran. Among his prominent disciples was Nandi Rishi. He lived in solitude for many years at Naganaran, making it his practice not to show his face to any woman, not even his sister. Before he died, Nandi Reshi appointed Baba Haji Rishi as his successor and was buried at Naganaran. As he had foreseen, he was succeeded by Baba Haji, whose miracles are famous. He too was buried at Naganaran on his death. It seems that his disciples may have broken up; no successor is known, and the line of Bam-ud-Din appears to have ended with him.
….to be continued
The author is a former Chief Engineer
