Syed Faiz Ali Shah, the 40th descendant of Hazrat Muhammad ( PBHM) .
He has substantially followed the legacy of his ancestors in carrying forward the essence of sufism.
Sufism is as old as several other diverse cultures prevalent in the City Of Taj - Agra. It is an ancient culture that is still followed by religious people with devotion.
He told us the articulate insight of sufism, the core of which is Tasawwuf - "raah jo apne sudhar aur adhyatm ki taraf le jaye" meaning "a path that leads to our betterment".
He then narrated about the durgah of Hazrat Amjad Ali Shah Azhar Akbarabadi and Maikash Akbarabadi (1902-1993). This durgah is popularly known as: Dargah Panja Madrsa .
Syed Muhammad Ali Shah 'Maikash' Qadri Niazi was a scholar of Arabic, Pershian and Urdu. He was a mystic scion of a well-known Sufi house and a distinguised poet.
Some of his ethereal pieces are mentioned-below:
*Aa Aashiqon men beth fana aashiqon se seekh.*
*yeh husn khush hijab hai aye behijab-e-husn*
(Translation: Come sit among lovers and learn self-effacement. This beauty is in itself modesty O, innocent beauty).
The beauty with which he defines hijab (bashfulness), Husn (beauty) and Ishq (love) is exceptional. Maikash has inherited his mysticism from his Great Grandfather - Syed Amjad Ali Shah' Asghar', his grandfather Syed Muzaffar Ali Shah 'Allahi' and his father Syed Ashgar Ali Shah, who were held in esteem for there metaphysical merits by people of all creeds and heads of the Sufi sects. Syed Muzaffar Ali Shah was the author of 'Jawahar-e-Galib' (jewels of the supernatural) , a work still comsidered as an authority of mysticism.
This background helps to analyse and assess the factors that helps influenced Maikash's spiritual and poetic thoghts, for he is not only the heir and successor to a recognized school of Sufism but also a mystigogue in his own right. His poetry is imbued with mysticism; his pseudonym 'Maikash' (tippler) refers to an addict of the mystical wine.
He declares:
*Hum nahin peete aye saqi, ha magar is tarah,*
*Tere hathon se, tere pheloo men, tere jaam se.*
(Translation: Do not drink, O Beloved, but yes in this guise, by thy hands, thy side and thy cup)
His thinking is still more articulately expressed in these lines:
*Bekhudi dour tha, jaam-e-jamal-e- yaar tha*
*Kya baton mai wahan saqi tha Mai-Khawar tha,*
*Raat mainoshi se meri bada Sarshaar tha.*
(Translation: Was starts of oblivion, there was the cup of the Beloved's resplendence: How am I to judge whether I was the cup- server or the drinker? Last night the wine itself was saturated by drinking).
Muhammad Ali Shah was born in Agra and lost his father when he was only two years of age. He was brought up by his mother, who was an accomplished lady. She taught her children herself, and engaged able tutors to help her educate them. Later, she got Muhammad Ali admitted to Madarsa Aaliah at Jama Masjid, Agra, from where he gratuated at the age of nineteen. This was a remarkable achievement for people generally made that grade about middle age.
As he was supposed to be the Sajjadanasheen of his Khanqah (successor to a monestic seat) he had to attend and study the practical, theoretical and philosophical aspects of Sufism. That is why he was free of the ostentation generally found among peerzadas (disciples of divines) of his time.
Agra and Sufism has a lot in common according to him. Like, the prime motive of sufism is to augment unconditional love, equality and unity among mankind, which is quite similar to the aura present in Agra. Many organizations in Agra are doing great jobs by trying to discover the history of our city and bringing into light the culture and rituals of our ancestors. He added, that if all the people in Agra follow their cultures along with promoting and embracing other cultures as well.
He concluded this beautiful virtual excursion in the world of sufism by telling that if all of us as individuals understand our cultures and work on carrying it forward to the next generations, only then can we sustain the ethnicity of our nation.
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