Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani


Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani was a Persian Sūfī of the Kubrawiya order, a poet and a Muslim scholar. He was born in Hamadan, and was buried in Khatlan Tajikistan. He was known as Shāh-e-Hamadān, Amīr-i Kabīr, and Ali Sani.

Early life

The title "Sayyid" indicates that he was a descendant of Prophet Muhammad, possibly from both sides of his family.
Hamadani spent his early years under the tutelage of Ala ud-Daula Simnani, a famous Kubrawiya saint from Semnan, Iran. Despite his teacher's opposition to Ibn Arabi's explication of the wahdat al-wujud, Hamadani wrote Risala-i-Wujudiyya, a tract in defense of that doctrine, as well as two commentaries on Fusus al-Hikam, Ibn Arabi's work on Al-Insān al-Kāmil. Hamadani is credited with introducing the philosophy of Ibn-Arabi to South Asia.

Travels

Sayyid Ali Hamadani traveled widelyit is said he traversed the known world from East to West three times. In 774AH/1372AD Hamadani lived in Kashmir. After Sharaf-ud-Din Abdul Rehman Bulbul Shah, he was the second important Muslim to visit Kashmir. Hamadani went to Mecca, and returned to Kashmir in 781/1379, stayed for two and a half years, and then went to Turkistan by way of Ladakh. He returned to Kashmir for a third time in 785/1383 and left because of ill health. Hamadani is regarded as having brought various crafts and industries from Iran into Kashmir; it is said that he brought with him 700 followers. The growth of the textile industry in Kashmir increased its demand for fine wool, which in turn meant that Kashmiri Muslim groups settled in Ladakh, bringing with them crafts such as minting and writing.
Hamadani traveled and preached Islam in different parts of the world such as Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, China, Syria, and Turkestan.
Hamadani died on his way back to Central Asia at a site close to present day Mansehra town in North-West Pakistan. His body was carried by his disciples to Khatlan, Tajikistan, where his shrine is located.

Influence

His disciple Sayyid Ishaq al-Khatlani was in turn the master of Shah Syed Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani. He wrote the following rules in Zakhirat-ul Maluk to Islamize Kashmir:
According to a study by Sambalpur University, Hamadani was responsible for conversion of 37000 Kashmiri people to Islam, 37000 kashmiri people detail gives from old manuscript "reshinama" according "reshinama" 37000 people converted Islam in one day at one place namely khanqah shah Hamdan srinagar, and that time whole population of kashmir was five to six lacs thereafter according to "resinama" the above said population have accepted Islam.

Works

One manuscript contains eleven works ascribed to Hamadani.
Syed Abdur-Rehman Hamdani in his book “Salar-e-Ajjam” has listed 68 Books and 23 Pamphlets by Shah-e-Hamdan