Mirzā Mazhar Jān-i Jānān (Urdu: مرزا مظہر جانِ جاناں), also known by his laqabShamsuddīn Habībullāh (1699–1781), was a renowned HanafiMaturidiNaqshbandīSufi poet of Delhi, distinguished as one of the "four pillars of Urdu poetry."[1] He was also known to his contemporaries as the sunnītarāsh, "Sunnicizer", for his absolute, unflinching commitment to and imitation of the Sunnah.[1]
The date of birth is variously given as 1111 or 1113 A.H, and it took place in Kālā Bāgh, Mālwa, according to one source, while according to another source he was born in Agra.[2]Shaikh Muhammad Tahir Bakhshi notes his date of birth as 11th Ramadan 1111 AH.[3] He was born into a noble family of Afghan parentage that served in the administration of the Mughals.[4] His father Mirzā Jān was employed in the army of the mighty Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Following a custom according to which the Emperor had the right to name the sons of his officers, Aurangzeb is reported to have said:[5]
"A son is the soul of his father. Since the name of his father is Mirzā Jān, the name of the son will be Jān-i Jānān."
His early religious instruction was entrusted to hājjī Afzal Siyālkōtī (hadith) and hāfiz Abd al-Rasūl Dihlawī (Qur'an). At the age of 18, he joined the Naqshbandī order under Nūr Muhammad Bada'ūni, who was closely connected to the teachings of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindī, and completed his studies in four years. He was also initiated in the Qādirī, Chishtī and Suhrawardī orders.[5]
In his prime, Mazhar was advised to write poetry in Urdu rather than Persian as the days of the latter language were said to be numbered in India. Besides authoring poetry and polemics, Mazhar also wrote a large number of letters relating to Sufi thought and practice.
Legacy and influence
Among his 'disciples' or Muridīn was the great Hanafī scholar, Qādī Thanāullāh Panipatī, who wrote a famous Tafsir of the Qur'an by the name Tafsir-i Mazharī, which he named after his teacher. Also in his spiritual lineage (silsila) came the great Hanafī jurist Imam Ibn 'Abidīn and the Qur'an exegete Allāma Alusī.
His Naqshbandī lineage came to be known as Mazhariyya Shamsiyya. Mazhar apparently authorized more disciples than any of his predecessors. He regularly corresponded with his deputies, and his letters form much of the basis of our knowledge about his life and ideas.[6]
He was succeeded by his khalifa (deputy) Abdullah alias Shah Ghulam Ali Dahlavi, who is considered Mujaddid of the 13th Islamic century by most Naqshbandi followers today. His tariqah spread to whole India and Middle East.
Death
Mirzā Mazhar was shot and seriously injured on the 7th of Muharram, of the year 1195 AH/1780 CE. The author of Āb-i Ḥayāt writes:[7]
"The cause of this murder was widely rumored in Delhi among high and low: that according to custom, on the seventh day [of Muḥarram], the standards were carried aloft [in procession]. Mirzā Mazhar sat by the side of the road in the upper veranda of his house, with some of his special disciples. Just as ordinary barbarous people do, his [Sunni] group and the [Shia] procession group may perhaps have hurled some insults and abuse, and some barbarous person was offended. Among them was one stony-hearted person named Faulād [=steel] Ḳhān, who was extremely barbarous. He did this evil deed. But Ḥakīm Qudratullāh Ḳhān 'Qāsim', in his anthology, says that in his poetry Mirzā Sahib used to compose a number of verses in praise of Hazrat ʿAlī, and some Sunni took this amiss and did this evil deed.
The author of Āb-i Ḥayāt, a determined Shi'a, has been suspected of indulging in partisan religious bias. Professor Frances Pritchett has noted that the latter account of the death of Mirzā Mazhar in Āb-i Ḥayāt is a deliberate distortion.[8] Professor Friedmann, as well as Annemarie Schimmel and Itzchad Weismann, have all noted that Mirzā Mazhar was killed by a Shi'ite zealot.[1][5][6]
Most of his Urdu biographers have also written that he was killed by a gunshot by a Shi'ite on 7th Muharram, and he died on 10th Muharram 1195 AH.[3]
Mirza Mazhar belonged to the Mujaddidi order of Sufism, which is the main branch of Naqshbandi Sufi tariqah. His spiritual lineage goes through Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi, the Mujaddid of eleventh Hijri century.[9]
Khulafa
In Maqamat Mazhari, his foremost Khalifa and successor Shah Ghulam Ali Dahlwai writes short biographies of many of his Khulafa (deputies). Among them were:[10]
Qadi Thanaullah Panipati, author of Tafsir Mazhari and other notable Islamic books, descendant of Usman the third caliph of Islam
^ abcAnd Muhammad is His Messenger: The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic piety, by Annemarie Schimmel (Chappel hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1985)
^Hazaron Khawaishen Aisi: The Wonderful World of Urdu Ghazals. Harper Collins. 2018. p. 3. ISBN9789353023409.
^ abJalwa Gah-e-Dost (Urdu) 2nd edition (2008) by Muhammad Tahir Bakhshi Naqshbandi: . Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
^Weismann, Itzchak (2019). "Jān-i Jānān, Maẓhar". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Stewart, Devin J. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE. Brill Online. ISSN 1873-9830.
^ abcMedieval Muslim views of Indian religion, Y. Friedmann, JOAS 95, 1975.
^ abThe Naqshbandiyya: orthodoxy and activism in a worldwide Sufi tradition, Itzchak Weismann, Routledge, 2007.
^Nets of awareness: Urdu poets and its critics, Frances W. Pritchett
^. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
^. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
External links
January 26, 2023
mirza, mazhar, janaan, other, people, named, mazhar, mazhar, disambiguation, mirzā, mazhar, jān, jānān, urdu, مرزا, مظہر, جان, جاناں, also, known, laqab, shamsuddīn, habībullāh, 1699, 1781, renowned, hanafi, maturidi, naqshbandī, sufi, poet, delhi, distinguish. For other people named Mazhar see Mazhar disambiguation Mirza Mazhar Jan i Janan Urdu مرزا مظہر جان جاناں also known by his laqab Shamsuddin Habibullah 1699 1781 was a renowned Hanafi Maturidi Naqshbandi Sufi poet of Delhi distinguished as one of the four pillars of Urdu poetry 1 He was also known to his contemporaries as the sunnitarash Sunnicizer for his absolute unflinching commitment to and imitation of the Sunnah 1 Mirza Mazhar Jan i JananBorn11th Ramadan 1111 A H 13 March 1699Mughal EmpireDied10th Muharram 1195 A H 6 January 1781 aged 81 RegionIslamic scholar SufiSchoolIslam Hanafi Maturidi SufiNotable ideasAcceptance of Hindus as Ahl i Kitab unflinching adherence to the SunnahInfluences Bahauddin Naqshband Hazrat Ishaan Ahmad Sirhindi Abu Hanifa Twelve ImamsInfluenced Shah Ghulam Ali Dahlavi Qadi Thanaullah Panipati Shah Waliullah Dehlawi Ibn Abidin Sayyid Mir JanHe established the Naqshbandi suborder Mazhariyya Shamsiyya Contents 1 Birth and early life 2 Legacy and influence 3 Death 4 Spiritual Chain of Succession 5 Khulafa 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksBirth and early life EditThe date of birth is variously given as 1111 or 1113 A H and it took place in Kala Bagh Malwa according to one source while according to another source he was born in Agra 2 Shaikh Muhammad Tahir Bakhshi notes his date of birth as 11th Ramadan 1111 AH 3 He was born into a noble family of Afghan parentage that served in the administration of the Mughals 4 His father Mirza Jan was employed in the army of the mighty Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Following a custom according to which the Emperor had the right to name the sons of his officers Aurangzeb is reported to have said 5 A son is the soul of his father Since the name of his father is Mirza Jan the name of the son will be Jan i Janan His early religious instruction was entrusted to hajji Afzal Siyalkōti hadith and hafiz Abd al Rasul Dihlawi Qur an At the age of 18 he joined the Naqshbandi order under Nur Muhammad Bada uni who was closely connected to the teachings of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi and completed his studies in four years He was also initiated in the Qadiri Chishti and Suhrawardi orders 5 In his prime Mazhar was advised to write poetry in Urdu rather than Persian as the days of the latter language were said to be numbered in India Besides authoring poetry and polemics Mazhar also wrote a large number of letters relating to Sufi thought and practice Legacy and influence EditAmong his disciples or Muridin was the great Hanafi scholar Qadi Thanaullah Panipati who wrote a famous Tafsir of the Qur an by the name Tafsir i Mazhari which he named after his teacher Also in his spiritual lineage silsila came the great Hanafi jurist Imam Ibn Abidin and the Qur an exegete Allama Alusi His Naqshbandi lineage came to be known as Mazhariyya Shamsiyya Mazhar apparently authorized more disciples than any of his predecessors He regularly corresponded with his deputies and his letters form much of the basis of our knowledge about his life and ideas 6 He was succeeded by his khalifa deputy Abdullah alias Shah Ghulam Ali Dahlavi who is considered Mujaddid of the 13th Islamic century by most Naqshbandi followers today His tariqah spread to whole India and Middle East Death EditMirza Mazhar was shot and seriously injured on the 7th of Muharram of the year 1195 AH 1780 CE The author of Ab i Ḥayat writes 7 The cause of this murder was widely rumored in Delhi among high and low that according to custom on the seventh day of Muḥarram the standards were carried aloft in procession Mirza Mazhar sat by the side of the road in the upper veranda of his house with some of his special disciples Just as ordinary barbarous people do his Sunni group and the Shia procession group may perhaps have hurled some insults and abuse and some barbarous person was offended Among them was one stony hearted person named Faulad steel Ḳhan who was extremely barbarous He did this evil deed But Ḥakim Qudratullah Ḳhan Qasim in his anthology says that in his poetry Mirza Sahib used to compose a number of verses in praise of Hazrat ʿAli and some Sunni took this amiss and did this evil deed The author of Ab i Ḥayat a determined Shi a has been suspected of indulging in partisan religious bias Professor Frances Pritchett has noted that the latter account of the death of Mirza Mazhar in Ab i Ḥayat is a deliberate distortion 8 Professor Friedmann as well as Annemarie Schimmel and Itzchad Weismann have all noted that Mirza Mazhar was killed by a Shi ite zealot 1 5 6 Most of his Urdu biographers have also written that he was killed by a gunshot by a Shi ite on 7th Muharram and he died on 10th Muharram 1195 AH 3 Spiritual Chain of Succession EditMain articles Naqshbandi Haqqani Golden Chain Naqshbandi Tahiri Golden Chain and Naqshbandi Hussaini Golden Chain Mirza Mazhar belonged to the Mujaddidi order of Sufism which is the main branch of Naqshbandi Sufi tariqah His spiritual lineage goes through Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi the Mujaddid of eleventh Hijri century 9 Khulafa EditIn Maqamat Mazhari his foremost Khalifa and successor Shah Ghulam Ali Dahlwai writes short biographies of many of his Khulafa deputies Among them were 10 Qadi Thanaullah Panipati author of Tafsir Mazhari and other notable Islamic books descendant of Usman the third caliph of Islam Mawlana FadalUllah elder brother of Qadi Thanaullah Panipati Mawlana AhmadUllah eldest son of Qadi Thanaullah Panipati famous for his braveness and fighting skills Wife of Qadi Thanaullah Panipati Shah NaimUllah Bahraichi Naqshbandi author of Mamoolaat e Mazhariya Basharaat e Mazhariya Hand written copy in British Museum India office London Shah Abdul Ghani Mujadidi Maulvi Kalim Faruqi scholar of Hadith and founder of the Maulvi family in SylhetSee also EditUrdu poetry List of Urdu language poetsReferences Edit a b c And Muhammad is His Messenger The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic piety by Annemarie Schimmel Chappel hill The University of North Carolina Press 1985 Hazaron Khawaishen Aisi The Wonderful World of Urdu Ghazals Harper Collins 2018 p 3 ISBN 9789353023409 a b Jalwa Gah e Dost Urdu 2nd edition 2008 by Muhammad Tahir Bakhshi Naqshbandi Jalwa Gah e Dost Archived from the original on 26 July 2011 Retrieved 5 July 2010 Weismann Itzchak 2019 Jan i Janan Maẓhar In Fleet Kate Kramer Gudrun Matringe Denis Nawas John Stewart Devin J eds Encyclopaedia of Islam THREE Brill Online ISSN 1873 9830 a b c Medieval Muslim views of Indian religion Y Friedmann JOAS 95 1975 a b The Naqshbandiyya orthodoxy and activism in a worldwide Sufi tradition Itzchak Weismann Routledge 2007 AB E ḤAYAT Shaping the Canon of Urdu Poetry MUḤAMMAD ḤUSAIN AZAD translated and edited by Frances W Pritchett in association with Shamsur Rahman Faruqi http dsal uchicago edu books PK2155 H8413 123141d3 html Nets of awareness Urdu poets and its critics Frances W Pritchett Golden Chain Shijra Archived from the original on 24 November 2010 Retrieved 14 July 2010 Maqamat e Mazhari Urdu Biography of Hazrat Mirza Mazhar Jan e Janan Archived from the original on 13 October 2011 Retrieved 8 July 2010 External links EditMaqamat Mazhari Urdu translation Biography of Mirza Mazhar Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mirza Mazhar Jan e Janaan amp oldid 1135189425, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
