KHANQAH DOGRAN AND TOMB OF HAJI DEWAN NIAMATULLAH (RA) (2018)

Date of Visit 08-03-2018

Embarking on a quest to find an old Mughal-era mosque, I set foot in the captivating city of Khanqah Dogran, nestled within the Sheikhupura District of Pakistan's Punjab province. Though my search for the mosque proved unsuccessful, fate had other plans in store for me. As disappointment threatened to overshadow my visit, the town unveiled a tapestry of historical wonders that delighted my curious spirit.

Once a part of the Gujranwala District until 1922, Khanqah Dogran has now found its place within the Safdarabad Tehsil of Sheikhupura District. Situated along the Sargodha to Sheikhupura Road, this enchanting city lies fifteen miles west of Farooqabad. When Nankana Sahib was established as a district, both Khanqah Dogran and Safdarabad earned the privilege of being included as cities within this newly formed administrative region known as Nankana Sahib.

The roots of Khanqah Dogran run deep, tracing back an impressive five centuries to its alleged founder, Haji Dewan Niamatullah Soharwardi (RA). In ancient records, the town was known by the name Cha Masroor, but with the arrival of Haji Dewan Niametullah (RA), a new chapter began, and the town adopted the name "Khita Dogran," meaning the land of Dogar. However, upon the passing of Dewan Saheb, the town underwent yet another transformation, becoming the Khanqah Dogran we know today. The name carries an intriguing literary meaning, referring to the 'graveyard of Dogar's.' Within the city, a peaceful graveyard stands as a testament to its storied past, housing the tomb of Haji Dewan Niamtullah Soharwardi, the esteemed founder, alongside the resting places of four other family members. Khanqah Dogran has also earned its reputation as a city of saints, with revered figures like Hazrat Pir Masoom Shah and Mahdas Abdalvi Hazrat Abdul Karim Chisti Rizvi dedicating their lives to the teachings of Islam. Their final resting places, marked by tombs, become sacred sites that add to the city's spiritual tapestry.

As I explored further, I discovered the architectural remnants of a bygone era—pre-partition houses that bear witness to the city's multicultural heritage. Constructed by Hindu families, these houses serve as poignant reminders of the harmonious coexistence that once thrived within Khanqah Dogran's walls. Amidst this historical charm, the remnants of a Hindu Temple still stand, echoing the echoes of devotion and religious diversity that were once celebrated here. And let's not forget the vibrant heartbeat of the city—the Farmer's Market. This bustling hub of activity brings together locals and traders, immersing visitors in a vibrant tapestry of colors, scents, and flavors.

Venturing to the south of Khanqah Dogran, I stumbled upon the remains of an ancient mound—a precious relic from the past. These remnants tell a tale of a Buddhist town called Usrur, which once flourished in this very location. To uncover the intricate details of this remarkable discovery, I invite you to delve into another blog that reveals the fascinating history behind this mound and its significance to the region.

Though my original purpose may not have been fulfilled, my journey through Khanqah Dogran proved to be an extraordinary experience. As I bid farewell to this captivating city, I carry with me cherished memories of its rich history, spiritual legacy, and vibrant cultural tapestry.

Tomb of Haji Dewan Niamat 

Mela at Khanqah Dogran

Hindu Temple at Khanqah Dogran

Pre-Partition houses

Tomb of Sheikh Musa Ahangar's Lahore (2018)

**Date of Visit18.08.2018

(All pictures and writeup text used in this blog, is author's property, kindly respect copyrights)

The shrine of Sheikh Musa Ahangar, a celebrated 15th-century saint, is located approximately one mile west of Lahore's walled city, along Mcleod Road. To reach the shrine, travel north towards the Railway Station and take a turn beyond Chowk Qilla Gujjar Singh, near the junction of Nicholson, Mcleod, and Flemming Roads. Entering the narrow Chiragh Din Street on the left (west), the shrine’s entrance is marked by an old arched gateway with a plaque that reads Mazar Sharif Hazrat Sheikh Musa Ahangar (Tomb of Sheikh Musa Ahangar). Inside the gateway lies a serene courtyard shaded by large trees, dominated by the imposing 16th-century tomb.

At the center of the courtyard stands a square tomb chamber, with openings on three sides. A rectangular mihrab projection adorns the western side, while northern and eastern openings are screened with small bricks. A small doorway, featuring a recent marble threshold, provides access to the tomb chamber. Constructed between 1519 and 1560, this tomb is among the earliest surviving Mughal-period structures in Lahore. It is also notable for its pre-Shahjahani tile work, showcasing a unique transitional style between the Multan and Lahore schools of architecture. The glazed tile decorations reflect influences from the Multani tradition.

The tomb’s simple square design is constructed using thin Mughalai bricks, with five-foot-thick walls that slightly taper in line with Multani traditions. The exterior features double-storeyed blind windows flanking the central windows, and a three-foot-high parapet above the roofline. A break in the parapet on the western side allows access via a ladder.

The dome, measuring over 15 feet in diameter, has a slightly shouldered profile and rests on a cylindrical neck. The transition from the square chamber to the dome is achieved using a series of niches: four large ones in the corners, forming an octagon, and 16 additional niches supporting a ring of 32 smaller niches above. Spearhead brackets provide further structural support. The dome is clad in turquoise blue wedge-shaped bricks, while the neck features lapis lazuli tiles arranged diagonally, separated by bands of terracotta molding. The upper sections of the walls display similar tilework, while the lower sections highlight the intricate brick patterns. Inside, the tomb chamber’s surfaces are adorned with fresco paintings and cusped arches inset with panels. While much of the original enameled green ceramic tiles noted by historian Latif have disappeared, traces of these decorative elements remain.

Natural light filters into the tomb through screened arches and windows above each opening. The interior of the dome is painted with an eight-pointed star pattern and roundels. Quranic verses, inscribed in Tughra script on the interior window borders, are accompanied by floral and geometric motifs in raised molding. The saint’s grave rests on a raised marble-tiled platform, though no ancient inscriptions survive.

The shrine exudes a tranquil ambiance, heightened by its unaltered historic character and the aged trees within its courtyard. While it is not as meticulously maintained as some other sites, its original features contribute to its sanctity and peaceful atmosphere.

The shrine compound includes several graves, including two located in a basement under a raised platform in the northeastern corner. One of these belongs to a Hindu woman who converted to Islam after witnessing a miracle by Sheikh Musa Ahangar. The basement graves are accessed through a small arched opening, and identical grave markers are visible above.

Sheikh Musa Ahangar, revered during the Lodhi period, was a blacksmith by profession, earning him the title Ahangar (ironsmith). His life and miracles are documented by Sheikh Abu Bakr in the Tazkira-e-Kutbul Alam. One famous account tells of a Hindu woman who brought the saint a spindle to straighten. Mesmerized by her beauty, the saint gazed at her, prompting the woman to accuse him of improper intentions. To prove his purity, the saint declared his admiration for the Creator’s craftsmanship and passed a red-hot spindle over his eyes, leaving them unharmed while the spindle turned to gold. The woman, awestruck by the miracle, embraced Islam.

Abul Fazl, the court historian of Akbar, also mentions Sheikh Musa Ahangar, noting his miracles and his burial in Lahore during Akbar’s early reign.

Hazrat Sheikh Abul Maali (RA) (2018)

16.09.2018(C)

Hazrat Sheikh Abul Maali (RA) shrine is situated at dil Muhammad road Lahore, Punjab Pakistan. His good name was Syed Khair ud Din, and sir name Abul Maali.  His father was related to the Syed family of Kirman Iran, Kirman was a fluoresce of Iran at that time. His ancestor Syed Faiz Ullah along with his son Syed Mubarak migrated from Kirman to Hindustan during the seven-hundreds and ninety-six Hijri. They settled in the area of Uch Sharif in Bahawalpur.

Then, this family shifted to the town of Daud Cha near Multan. In 1630 AD part of this family move to Shergarh and settled there. On, 10 Zilhaj, 960 Hijri Sunday this great saint of Islam Shah Abul Maali (RA) was born at Shergarh. The name of his father was Syed Rahamut Ullah and the name of his Grandfather was Syed Fateh Ullah. Syed Rahamut Ullah was brother of Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Daud Bandagi Kirmani (RA).  The Shrine of Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Daud Bandagi Kirmani (RA) is present at Shergarh. Another brother of Syed Rahamut Ullah (RA) was Syed Jalaluddin (RA), whose shrine is at Kotha Syed Jalal Sindh Pakistan.

Hazrat's paternal lineage joins Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jillani (RA) after 14 steps.

Hazrat Shah Abul Maali (RA) got maturity in literal knowledge and then was dominated by the spirit of Allah’s love. Dominate with that spirit he spent some time in seclusion in jungles and deserts. Life seclusion gives perfection in the love of Allah and it was connected with Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) cave era.

Hazrat went to Delhi to find his spiritual guide, where he met a mystic, who told him to return back to Shergarh. When he returned back he followed his Uncle Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Daud Bandagi Sheikh on Qadri's spiritual path. He served his spiritual mentor Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Daud Bandagi for years and then his mentor commissioned him to Lahore. During his journey from Shergarh to Lahore, he constructed water ponds, wells, and flower beds in multiple places, a few of which are still present. As he settled in Lahore, he was impressed and became a favorite of the masses. His love for Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jillani (RA) was at its climax. He was used to admitting a person in his discipline and the very next night the disciple was blessed with the sight of Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jillani (RA). He wrote a book to pay his tribute to Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jillani named ‘Tofa tul Qadaria’. He has written another book on Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He was a writer, and a poet, and his poetry was in the Persian language. He has written multiple books few names are Dewan Urabati, Ifat ul Qadri, Risala guldasta, Risala nooria, and Risala munsaja,

He served the cause of Islam in Lahore for decades Let us recalls some of his prominent miracles

Mughal Prince Dara Shukoh wrote in his book Seena ul Ulia. I, in the company of Niamey Ali, submitted to Shah Abul Maali's presence; meanwhile, a devotee submitted a beautiful Tasbeeh to Hazrat Saheb. I thought in my mind, that it would be very fortunate for me if Shah sb bestowed this Tasbeeh on me. When we intended to depart the session, Shah Sb called me and said you can take this Tasbeeh. He also advises me to read Doord on it 100 times daily which would reward you, me, and the original donator of Tasbeeh.

Hazrat Shah Abul Maali's (RA) first matrimony was done with the daughter of Hazrat Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Daud Bandagi Kirmani (RA). That pious woman died soon after marriage. Hazrat sahib's second matrimony was with the maternal granddaughter of King Jahangir, she elapsed in Lahore and was buried in Mohala Abul Maali women's graveyard. This woman got eleven spaces in kinship with the king. That was a lot of lands extended from the civil court from Lahore to Mohala Shah Mali. His descent allows the construction of Dyal Singh college on this land.

Shah Sahib got eight sons one of his got Shaheed fighting against the Sikh army and his shrine is at Hussaingarh.

Hazrat Shah Abu al Mali died in 1025 Hijri at Lahore. His mausoleum was constructed in his life. Near his mausoleum a mosque was also present there Shah Sahib used to preach during the times he spent in Lahore.

Mosque

Mosque

Mosque

Domes of Mosque

Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Daud Bandagi Kirmani (2018)

Date of Visit 06-03-2018

(All pictures and writeup text used in this blog, is author property, kindly respect copyrights)

Syed Muhammad Ibrahim alias Shaikh Daud Bandagi Kirmani was a famous 16th-century saint of the Qadiri order. His grandfather and great grandfather migrated from Kirman to Sitpur, Muzzafargarh in circa 1410. Muhammad Ibrahim was born in Sitpur in 1513 AD (919 AH). After receiving formal religious instruction in Dipalpur and Lahore at the hands of eminent scholars of the time, Shaikh Daud decided to relinquish all worldly and material pursuits and chose for himself the path of esotericism. Shaikh Daud, in the quest of spiritual enlightenment, spent years in extreme worship, complete solitude, and absolute self-denial. Although he obtained sainthood through the "Owaisi tariqat", that is, without recourse to any outward teacher or murshid, Shaikh Daud later joined the Qadiri Order at the hands of Shaikh Hamid Gillani Uchi at Satghara. After formally becoming a member of the influential Qadiri Silsilah, Daud Bandagi Kirmani established his khankah in the remote village of Shergarh (in present-day District Okara) which subsequently became the center of the Qadiri order and started to attract multitudes of people from all walks of life. Daud Bandagi Kirmani through his sanctity, egalitarianism, and compassion converted a large number of Jat and Rajput Hindu tribes of Punjab to Islam. Some of the tribes converted either fully or partially by the saint are, the Chatta's, Cheema's, Virk's, Bajwa's, Tarrar's, Sahi's, Wattoo's, Majhiana's, etc.

Some of the famous disciples of the saint were, Shah Abul Muali Kirmani Qadiri (his nephew and son-in-law), Mullah Abdul Qadir Badaoni (the famous historian during the time of Akbar), Shaikh Jalaluddin alias Behlol Dehlavi (the maternal ancestor of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad), Shaikh Abu Ishaq Muzangi, etc.

Shaikh Daud Bandagi Kirmani passed away in 1575 AD (982 AH). His mausoleum in Shergarh is a splendid example of early Mughal architecture. The interior of the mausoleum is decorated with intricate Naqashi – fresco. On each of the eight interior panels is a Persian couplet by Shah Abul Muali extolling the virtues of the saint. The annual Urs celebration of the Shaikh is held in Shergarh from the 13th to the 17th of March. Tens of thousands of devotees from all parts of the country throng in Shergarh to pay homage to the saint who brought their forefathers into the fold of Islam more than four centuries ago.

Muhammad Jafar The Great Hockey Star And Sportsman (2018)

06-03-2018

Muhammad Jafar hailed from a prominent Sayyid family of Shergarh in Montgomery District. He joined the Aitchison College, Lahore at the tender age of eight and soon developed into a promising youth with a special aptitude for games and supports. As a student he did not give the impression of begin intellectually outstanding in the beginning. But his mind flowered gradually and he ultimately grew into youth of exceptional ability and freshness of outlook. It was this all round worth which enabled him to win Rivaz Gold Medal in sports,, studies, character, and capacities for leadership.

Although hockey was the favorite game of jafar, yet he excelled in all games and supports. He was not only an excellent swimmer, diver, and gymnast but he was also an athlete and tennis player of unusual caliber, at Aitchison College, he won the Aitchison Challenge Cup for being the best athlete and Hutchinson Challenge Cup for being the most brilliant player of tennis. Mr. A.A. Ritchie on the staff of Aitchison College cvinced uncrring insight by training Jafar as a left out in hockey. He acquired such a remarkable skill and swiftness in that position that he became the topmost left extreme of the world.

After passing his diploma from Aitchison College, he joined the Government College Lahore and became an exceptionally distinguished member of its hockey team. He was the member of all India hockey team in the Olympics games held at Los Angeles in 1932 and at Berlin in 1936. The goal that he scored against the German team at Berlin was a unique example of individual effort. He graduated soon after his return from America and was nominated to the post of extra-assistant by the Government. The comment on the Jafar in the American and German press was highly complementary and he was applauded as the best representative of India. He never forgot his religious and family tradition in an alien atmosphere and resisted all temptation with a firmness of character that made him the cynosure of all eyes. He commanded respect for his steadfast adherence to truth and a spirit of sincerity in his friendship and devotion. The example of his faultless character was so inspiring that it kept others from going astray. He was born and bred in a wholesome rural atmosphere untainted by the artificialities and sophistications of an alien system of education and environment. His culture did not spring from a cheap veneer of mere outward decorum but was the outcome of the bed rock principles of morality and decency. It is pity that a life of such exceptional promise was cut short in its prime. While duck shooting, he was drowned in an inlet of the River Ravi. Mysterious are the ways of God and we cannot question his decrees.

Jafar was a youth of Catholic interests. His hobbies, maintenance of a diary, hawking, hunting     and fresh experiments in agriculture also bespeak his love of nature and healthful living.

A conspicuous and unforgettable trait of his character was humility combined with the highest type of frankness and independence of spirit. When he devote supported him for the captainship of the hockey Olympic team at Berlin, he had the grace and sporting spirit to say. ’’I play hockey for the love of game and shall be proud to play under the caption ship of Dyhan Chand.’’ Jafar’s ideal of life may be summed up in the following lines of Tennyson in which sir Galahad, the purest of all knights of the round table speak of himself: “my strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is pure”  

Grave and Eptiaph

he inscription on the gravestone reads "Syed Mohammad Jaffar Shah Kirmani son of Syed Nawazish Hussain Shah Kirmani" "Date of Birth: December 1911. Date of Death: March 1937"

"(Late) Syed Mohammad Jaffar was one of the greatest players of hockey, who was selected for 1928 for United India (All India) Olympics Hockey team but he could not participate in that global event due to his youthful age. In 1932 All India Hockey Team which participated in Los Angeles (USA) Olympics, he was considered one of the best players in the world on the position of "Left-Out", although he was one of the youngest. He participated once again in 1936 tournament in the global tournament as vice-captain. Out of magnanimity of his heart, he decided not to be a candidate for the captaincy in favour of Dhyan Chand, although initially, he was being considered as captain of this victorious team because of his professionalism and skill level. He was not only a brilliant sportsman and a great representative (and an asset) of the country, he was also a figure of exemplary mannerism and conduct.

On a fateful evening in 1938, while on a hunting expedition on river Ravi near Lakho Dehar, he accidentally gave his life away to the river. He saddened his huge fan following and opted to respond to the call of the God."

"Gravestone laid down by Syed Javed Hassan son of (Late) Syed Mohammad Hassan"

An Urdu verse is also inscribed on the tombstone.

وہی جواں ہے قبیلے کی آنکھ کا تارا شباب ہے جسکا بے داغ ظرب ہے کاری