Muntakhab al-tawarikh 139: XVIII. Mir Sayyid ‘Ali of Ludhiana.
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 139
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XVIII. Mir Sayyid ‘Ali of Ludhiana.
139.1
He is one of the faithful men of this age, and is among the greatest of the spiritual representatives of Shaikh ‘Abdu-’r-Razzaq of Jhanjhana, a noted Shaikh, who was widely venerated by ecstatic mystics, and followed by those who had acquired learning and perfection. The Mir passed his eightieth year, and advanced well into his ninth decade, and throughout his precious life he never set foot outside his house once he had received authoritative permission to give religious instruction. He was resorted to by the great, and by all, both rich and poor. Many miracles are related of him, and whosoever was honoured by the Mir’s companionship, and in all sincerity enrolled himself among his disciples, obtained grace to avoid all forbidden things and wanton pastimes, to ally himself to the Fount of all grace, and to attain his true object. Among such was Muhammad Ja'far, the relative of Mirza Nizamu-’d-din Ahmad, an orthodox youth, but polluted with debauchery. When he travelled from Lahor to take up the faujdari of the pargana of Shamsabad, which was in the Mir's jagir, and reached Ludhiana, he enrolled himself among Mir Sayyid 'Ali's disciples, and, by God's grace, repented of his sins. And, leaving aside all things that should be shunned and everything that is forbidden, frequently begged the Mir to offer up a prayer that he might attain to the dignity of martyrdom.
139.2
The Mir offered up prayers in accordance with his request, and in the course of three or four months Muhammad Ja'far became so well known for his piety, abstinence, asceticism, and devotion, that he became an object of envy to many of the pious; and he, who used with much pride and pomp and with many attendants, to recite his night prayers, now drew water for his ceremonial ablutions without the help of any servant, and aroused nobody. In a short time the Mir's prayer was answered, and in a village in the pargana of Shamsabad Muhammad Ja'far attained to the dignity of martyrdom, fighting manfully against the warlike infidels. In that same year I waited on Mir Sayyid 'Ali, on that occasion on which I in company with Khwaja Nizamu-d-din Ahmad obtained leave to visit my beloved home.
139.3
The conversation turned on the martyrdom of Ja'far, and Mir Sayyid 'Ali said: "It is admissible for martyrs to satisfy their love of pleasure in this world as well (as in the next), as is certain from the following text -which occurs in the glorious word of God ‘ Nay, rather, alive with their Lord they are provided for, rejoicing.’ ” He then said, in this connection, “ There was a newly married youth who met his death by martyrdom in this neighbourhood, and after his death he used to return always on Friday nights, in appearance the same as when he was alive, and pass the night with his wife in conjugal intercourse.” I said, “ They say too that deceased martyrs are capable of begetting children in these circumstances, and it is well known that this is a fact. In the pargana town of Basawar, which was my birthplace, an Afghan named Ishaq suffered martyrdom but used to consort with his newly-married wife after his death, visiting her every Friday night. He ordered her to keep the matter secret, but shortly afterwards, when the woman became pregnant, she was accused of misconducting herself. On being much pressed she revealed the whole matter to her mother-in-law, Ishaq’s mother, and one Friday night showed her the form of her son. The mother cried out, calling her son by name, and tried to embrace him. The shape vanished, and from that day forth Ishaq appeared no more. His mother dug a well and named it after him, and the well exists to this day. How can these things be ?
139.4
” Mir Sayyid ‘Ali answered, “ They are possible, and they are not contrary to reason.” Mirza Nizamu-’d-din Ahmad said, “ It may be that a jinn appeared in the outward form of the Martyr.” The Mir said, “A jinn has not the power to appear in the semblance of the bodies of prophets, saints, pious men, and martyrs.” The death of the Mir occurred in the year H. 1002 (A.D. 1593-94), or H. 1003 (A.D. 1594-95). One of the learned men of the time found that the words, “ The religious leader of mankind,” gave the date of his death. The Mir's worthy son, Mir Sayyid Mahmud, has succeeded him.
139.5
He was the grandson of Maulānā Mu‘īn the preacher, a well-known man, the author of the Ma‘āriju-n-nubūwwah. Shaikh Mu‘īn (of whom I am writing) was an angel in human form. He was employed for some time under the farmān of the Khalīfah of the age, as Qāzī of Lāhor. They say that he never decided a case, and that if a plaintiff pressed for the decision of his suit he would, with much insistence and lamentation and with protestations of his own incompetence, say, “For God’s sake compromise the matter between you, so that I may avoid responsibility and have no cause for repentance or shame.” He would also say, “You both know all about the case; it is my misfortune that I, who know nothing of it, am left alone to decide between two who know all about it. Do not, then, give me cause to be ashamed before the Court of God, the Most High!” If a woman prayed for a separation from her husband on the ground of his absence from her he would provide her with means of livelihood to the extent of his ability, and would say, “Take this much for your subsistence and await your husband’s return; do not separate from him.” He devoted his subsistence allowance, over which he had exclusive rights, to the pay of scribes, whom he used to employ to copy valuable books, and he used to collate the copies and have them bound, and would then present them to students. This was his principal occupation and employment throughout his life, and he must have distributed thousands of such volumes to the people.
139.6
In the year H. 995 (A.D. 1587) he took his departure from this world, the sojourning place of toil, for the garden of eternity, leaving two sons, one of whom is famous in all nets and combats for his skill in wrestling, while the other is a noted pigeon-flier. On account of these accomplishments their names were mentioned to the Emperor, and he was a spectator of their performances. "The glory of the race of Yās" for the date of his death.
139.7
Mīr ‘Abdu-’l-Laṭīf's fortunate, noble, and orthodox son Mirzā Ghiyāsu-’d-dīn ‘Alī-yi-Ākhūnd, entitled Naqīb Khān, who is endowed with angelic qualities and adorned with the graces and perfection of learning, has no equal either in Arabia or in Persia in his knowledge of works on travel, of history, and of chronicles, as has been said before. The author is more intimate with him than with any of the courtiers, and was his schoolfellow from childhood. He is now strenuously employed, night and day, in the imperial service, and for a whole generation past has been engaged in reading works on history, books of story, and anecdotes, and legends, both in Persian and in Hindi, which latter works have in these days been translated. One may say indeed that he has become a part of the life of the Khalīfah of the age, who never dreams of losing his companionship for a moment. Of late he has been suffering from slight fever, but it is hoped that he will be blessed with a rapid recovery and complete restoration to health. Since the good are everywhere acceptable may they live long! As for the evil ones of the age, what need is there to utter prayers for them? The evil that they do brings its own reward and evil befalls the tongue which pollutes itself by the mention of these nameless scoundrels.