Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari

Alauddin Ali Ahmed Kaliyari, also known as Sabir Kaliyari ("Patient Saint of Kaliyar"), was a prominent South Asian Sufi saint in the 13th century, a successor to Baba Fareed (1188–1280), and the first in the Sabiriya branch of the Chishti Order.

Today, his dargah (Sufi mausoleum) at Kaliyar village, near Haridwar, is one of the most revered shrines for Muslims in India, after Ajmer Sharif at Ajmer, Rajasthan, and is equally revered by Hindus and Muslims in South Asia.

Biography

Hazrat Syed Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir Kaliyari was born in Kohtwaal, a town in the district of Multan on 19 Rabi' al-awwal, 592 Hijri (1196). He was the son of Jamila Khatun, who was the elder sister of Baba Fareed. After the death of his father, Syed Abul Rahim, his mother brought him to Pakpattan in 1204 to Baba Fareed. The story of his being given the title Sabir is as follows:

His mother gave custody of Alauddin to her brother Baba Fareed and asked him to take care of the boy, whom he later made his disciple. Baba Fareed put him in charge of the langar (a shared kitchen). After a long time, Alauddin's mother came to see him and found him very weak. She was angry at her brother and demanded an explanation. Baba Fareed explained that he had been set in charge of the kitchen and hence should have had no shortage of food. When Alauddin was asked, he replied, "True, I was put in charge of the kitchen, but I was never told I could eat from it." When asked how he managed to remain alive, he revealed that he went to the jungle during his free time and ate whatever he found there. He was then given the name Sabir (Patient One).

He achieved the position of Kaliyar Sharif in AD 1253, after being anointed as the protector of Kaliyar village by Baba Fareed. He stayed at Kaliyar for the rest of his life and died here on 13 Rabi' al-awwal, 690 Hijri (1291). He had only one disciple, and a branch of the Chisti order, called Chisti Sabiri, was initiated through that disciple.

Family

Sabir's grandfather was Syed Abdul Wahab. Syed Abdul Wahab was the son of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jillani Meboob-e-Subhani Hasni-o-Hussaini.

Makhdum Sabir Pak was Sabir's nephew, disciple (mureed), and son-in-law. He was also the successor (Khalifa) of Baba Farid. The paternal genealogy of Baba Farid includes Umer Farooq, according to some historians, while others trace his lineage back to Abdullah, the son of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, who was the grandson of Imam Hussain.

Education and marriage legend

Sabir was recognized for his brilliance. His primary teacher was his uncle Baba Fareed. He focused on spiritual education and was frequently in zikr and silent.

It is said that after Sabir had reached the age of marriage, his mother asked her brother Baba Fareed to give his daughter in nikah (marriage) to Sabir. Fareed, knowing the condition of his disciple Sabir, told his sister that Sabir's marriage would not be possible until Sabir himself wanted to marry. However, after frequent urging from Sabir's mother, he relented and agreed to give his daughter to Sabir. On their wedding night when Sabir went to his bedroom, he saw the woman sitting on his right side, but he was unaware of her due to his intense meditation. After remaining seated in the same position for the whole night, she finally requested him to look at her. Sabir replied, "Who are you?" to which she answered, "I am your wife." Sabir stated, "Allah has no wife; he is ahad." At this, his wife burst into flames and was consumed, fulfilling the prophecy of Baba Fareed.

Death

When Sufi saints teach their disciples the concepts of fana (annihilation) and ba'qa (eternal union with God), the story of the death of Sabir is often used as an example.

Legend has it that, before his death, Sabir commanded his disciples that no one should touch his body after he died, nor should anyone give him a burial bath or bury him. Instead, his disciples were to wait until a man in white clothes and riding a horse should come, who would bathe his body. If they violated this command, they would die.

On his funeral day, his disciples discussed who it might be that would give him his burial bath. After an hour, the people of his congregation who had been appointed for his funeral heard the sound of horse coming and saw a man in white clothing riding the horse. The horseman came down and took the dead body of Sabir, took some water, and gave Sabir the burial bath. After preparing and reciting a burial prayer, the man buried the body and prepared to leave. At that moment, one of Sabir's disciples stopped him and asked, "Who are you, O lucky person, who gave bath to our master? Please show us your face." After multiple such questions, the horseman finally removed his veil, and the congregation saw that the man was none other than Sabir himself. They asked, "What is this?" Then Sabir replied and taught them the meaning of fana and ba'qa—that his body had to return to the soil again and perish (fana) but that what they now saw was the never-perishing spirit, which God had given him from heaven. Having explained this, he disappeared.

Successors

His successors include Khawaja Shams-ud-Din Turk Pani Patti, Shah Abdul Qudoos Gangohi, Shah Jalal-ud-Din, Noor-ul-Haq Ahmed Abdul Haq, Shah Mohammad Arif, Mustafa Ahmed Abdul Haq, Khawaja Qmar-ud-Din, Syed Ahmed Shah, and Abu Anees. However, only Khawaja Shams-Ud-Din Turk Pani Patti was made a Khalifa (successor) in his lifetime.

The successors and followers of Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari are called "Chishti Sabri".

Dargah and urs celebration

The dargah of Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari is Piran Kaliyar Sharif, seven kilometres from Roorkee, in Haridwar district, besides the Ganges canal, and is approachable by a metalled road. The tomb was built by Ibrahim Lodhi, a ruler of Delhi.

A 15-day urs celebration is held each year at the shrine, in the month of Rabi' al-awwal (May–June), and the dargah has become a symbol of national integration, as people throng to it in large numbers, regardless of their religion, caste, or creed. After the moon appears in the month of Rabi' al-awwal, the head priest goes to Sabir's old house in the village, where he reads the Khatam Sharif and then walks out with a plate on his head. The plate contains mehndi and dori. Next, he visits the dargah and reads the Fatiha. After this the dori is distributed to everyone in attendance. A mushaira and Qawwali take place at the dargah, and the mood is festive.

See also

• Sarkar Sabir Pak
• Sufism
• Chishti Order
• Nizamuddin Auliya
• Maudood Chishti
• Wali Kirani
• Muhammad Muslehuddin Siddiqui
• Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari
• Sufism
• Baba Fareeduddin Masood
• Sufi Barkat Ali

References

• http://www.sabri.us/
• http://sabirpia.webs.com/

Further reading

• E-book: Tadhkira Anwar-i-Sabiri – An account of Sabir's Enlightenment by Dar-ul-Ehsan Publications
• Mashaikh-e-Chist, by Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya, Translated by Mujlisul Ulama of South Africa, 1998
• Islam in India, by Vidyajyoti Institute of Religious Studies Islamic Section. Vikas Pub. House, 1985. ISBN 0706927516. page 61.
• Encyclopaedia of Sufism, Ed. Masood Ali Khan & S. Ram. New Delhi, Anmol, 2003, Vol 1–12. ISBN 81-261-1311-1.(Vol 5.) [1]

External links

• Official website of Sarkar Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir Kaliyari
• Website of Piran Kaliyar
• Biography of Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari
• MASHA'IKH-E-CHISHT
• www.darulehsan.org
• Pir Saidan Shah Sabir
• Sarkar Sabir Pak
• The Chishti Sabri Order
• Anwar-e-Sabri By Sheykh Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat Ali QSA (English version)
• The Qadiri order