Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His Mercy on him)

Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) is a descendent of Hadhrat Makhdoom Jahaniyan Jahangasht (May Allah shower His mercy on him).  His forefather was a native of Bukhara, but some generations ago, they had settled in Bukhara.  Thus, his birthplace is Kurnool.

 

Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His Mercy on Him) was an erudite scholar of both the normative sciences and the mystical sciences of Islam. He had a huge government post in Hyderabad and his salary was a couple of hundred per month.  As from childhood he was of a Sufistic bent of mind, in spite of the affluence, he led an ascetic life.  Each and every action of his would express his disillusionment with the material world.  He would spend day and night in worship and mortification.  Without his job having any bearing on it, as long as he was the judge, he was living example of “Dast Ba Kaar Dil Ba Yaar” (Hands busy in work and heart busy in communion with the Lord Almighty) and was instructing the populace by example that if this material world is sought in this manner, then it is not condemnable but in fact commendable.

 

Hadhrat Bukhari Shah gained the Qadri Nisbah through his own family and traversed the Naqshbandi path under Hadhrat Shah Sa’adullah (May Allah shower His mercy on him), whose blessed grave in Hyderabad, Urdu Shareef, Ghansi Bazaar is visited by one and all.  Then, his mortification increased so much that fasting everyday and standing in prayer every night was but a small example of it.  The intent of Almighty Allah was something else.  He had not been created to wander in the maze of employment even for a short period of time.  Thus, after finishing the required work of the court, Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) would spent the rest of his time in the company of Hadhrat Haji Mastan Shah Majzoob (May Allah shower His mercy on him).

 

If Hadhrat Shah Sa’adullah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) was the mentor and guide on his path to Allah, Hadhrat Haji Mastan (May Allah shower His mercy on him) was his guide in companionship.

 

One day, Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) requested Hadhrat Haji Mastan (May Allah shower His mercy on him) to give him some advice.  In reply, Hadhrat Haji (May Allah shower His mercy on him) recited a couplet and said:  Always keep this in your mind.  It is more than 1000 pieces of advice.

 

Rough translation of couplet:

 

That slave is better who performs worship and presents the shortcomings of his worship before Allah Most High……

 

Otherwise who can worship Allah Most High as it befits Him?

 

Before he passed away, Hadhrat Haji Mastan (May Allah shower His mercy on him) once sent for a glass of water, drank from it and asked Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) to drink away the rest of it.  He immediately drank it up.  He fainted and fell to the ground.  After some time, he regained consciousness, but his heart had completely turned away from the material world and all that it entails.

 

He wanted to fulfill his governmental duties, but couldn’t do them.  By itself, his heart inclined towards seclusion.  For some days, Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) was torn between these, then that incident took place which allowed people to glimpse the renouncement of Hadhrat Ibrahim bin Adham (May Allah shower His mercy on him) with their own eyes.

 

Hadhrat Haji Mastan Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) was in the throes of death and Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) was present before him as usual.  When Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) was reminded of his governmental work, he resolved to get up, but Hadhrat Haji (May Allah shower His mercy on him) called out to him:  Sit!  He sat back.  After some time, he again resolved to get up, then again Hadhrat Haji (May Allah shower His mercy on him) ordered:  Sit!  He again took his seat.  When he tried to get up for the third time and Hadhrat Haji (May Allah shower His mercy on him) ordered him to sit, he left everything else and gave himself up to Hadhrat Haji (May Allah shower His mercy on him).

 

When Hadhrat Haji (May Allah shower His mercy on him) passed away, people enshrouded him and buried him near the shrine of Hadhrat Ujale Shah Sahab (May Allah shower His mercy on him).  Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) sat near the blessed grave of Hadhrat Haji (May Allah shower His mercy on him) until his last moment.  He was ecstatic.  He forgot all about his relatives, his house and his job.

 

Nawab Turab Ali Khan Salar Jung Bahadur had much desire that this tiger of gnosis should be again imprisoned in the cage of this material world, but this sitting was not something ordinary.  Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) had to sit because of the command of a lover.  That’s why this mountain of steadfastness couldn’t be moved by the strong winds of the talk of any worldly person.  The truth be told, who had any desire left?  There was one heart and it was already given to the beloved.  Now from where should one get another heart to give to anybody else?  At that time, his condition was like this:

 

When you see, see only One.  If you know, know only One.  If you take someone’s name, take the name of the One only and if you search for someone, search for the One only.

 

Apart from the 5 daily Salaat, Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) could do no other work.  He had no thought of eating or of anything else.  If somebody gave him something to eat, he would have it.  If somebody gave something to wear, he would use it.  People thought it is but a mood, maybe it will change.  They even waited for some time.  When everyone despaired of this, then on the goading of Nawab Tahniyat Yaar Ud Daula Bahadur, Nawab Turab Ali Khan built a monastery in his time.  Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) stayed there for a long time.

 

After a long period of time, again on the initiative of Nawab Tahniyat Yaar Ud Daula, Nawab Laiq Ali Khan, in his era, constructed a secure mosque and rooms near the blessed grave of Hadhrat Haji Mastan Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) under the supervision of Siddi Ambar Khansaama.

 

Again after a long period of time, Nawab Aasmaan Jah Bahadur in his era got the minarets, shade, etc. and finished the construction of the mosque.  This mosque is still standing in memoriam of its founders.

 

He spent his whole life in this mosque, where he had secluded himself from the world.  For those who want to see miracles, what can be a greater miracle than his being in one place for 30, 40 years.

 

Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) didn’t leave the blessed grave of Hadhrat Haji Mastan (May Allah shower His mercy on him) even for a single moment.  Almighty Allah desired that he should benefit the seekers of the Lord Almighty.  Thus, along with annihilation in Allah (Fana Fillah), he was also granted the station of existence with Allah Most High (Baqa Billah).

 

Those people who were searching for Almighty Allah for eons, in a single moment he would raise them from somewhere to somewhere else.  When this glad news was sounded, thousands of ailing hearts ran towards him.  His divine attentions showed their effect.  All of them became live hearts and spread in the surroundings.  Thousands of seekers of this world would come to him and go back successful from this door.

 

It was but a small miracle of his divine grace that the heart would turn towards the beloved and one would develop acute dislike of this material world.  The heart desired that either one should roam the forests or shut oneself in a room, bid goodbye to everything and everyone of this world and spend day and night in the remembrance of Allah Most High.

 

He would often exhort people to listen to or read the Mathnawi (of Maulana Rum).  He himself knew hundreds of couplets by heart.  In many sessions, he would recite these couplets with much fervor.  At that time, the whole assembly would be an illustration of surprise.  All the nobles and officials of the kingdom and even the Nizam himself would come to pay respects.  He would meet them also in the same way that he would meet the common people.  He would cheerfully meet the scholars and the like and would be very glad on their coming.

 

Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) saw the era of many nobles (Madaar Ul Ilhaam).  Each one of them desired to issue him some kind of grant.  However, his heart which had turned its back to the world didn’t accept it at.  It happened many times that the edict of the grant would be presented to him and he would refuse it saying:  Maybe it is for some other Bukhari.  I have no need for it.

 

He would accept gifts from the populace and put them under his bed.  Needy people would come to him and he would take from it and give it to that person with his fist fully closed in such a manner that no one would know what he had given to that person.

 

He would take care of his disciples in such a manner that each disciple would think that the Shaykh loves me the most.  Following the Sunnah and acting upon even minute rules was a part and parcel of his nature.

 

Hundreds of miracles were expressed at his hands, but the miracle which deserves to be mentioned the most is the one which was expressed after his demise.  In his life itself, he had instructed his caliphs:  My enshrouding and burial should be as per the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  It is mentioned in the Hadith, the Jurists have mentioned and even the Leader of the Sufis, Hadhrat Mohiuddin Ibn ‘Arabi (May Allah shower His mercy on him) has stressed a lot on this that the Salaat Ul Janaazah shouldn’t be offered in the mosque.  Thus, my Salaat Ul Janaazah shouldn’t be offered in a mosque.  After his demise, this order of his was forgotten by the people.

 

It was the custom in Hyderabad that most biers would be taken with a lot of pomp and splendor to Makkah Masjid and Salaat Ul Janaazah would be offered there.  As per this custom, people readied themselves to take the bier of Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him) to Makka Masjid.  Thousands of people were waiting in Makka Masjid.  His residence was outside the city and it was a rule that the biers coming from outside the city had to take permission from Nizam.  In spite of the fact that Nizam himself was an ardent devotee of Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him), hours passed and there was lot of delay in getting permission.  Thus, his Salaat Ul Janaazah was offered in the open space of the shrine of Hadhrat Ujale Shah Sahab (May Allah shower His mercy on him) with a congregation of thousands of persons.

 

After finishing the Salaat, it was announced that permission has been granted.  Then everybody remembered his wishes in this regard.  Each and every person called out thus:  Look at his steadfastness on the Shariah.  Even after death, he didn’t allow any work of his to be done against the Shariah.

 

These are the people who act on the Shariah.  These are the stalwarts of the Tariqah and the Haqeeqah.

 

It was the night preceding Friday, the time of Salaat Ul Tahajjud, when the reciter of the Holy Quran recited:  Qeelad Khulil Jannah, the pole of our times, the ecstatic seeker, Hadhrat Sayyid Muhammad Padshah Sahab Bukhari (May Allah shower His mercy on him) left us crying and started for paradise.

 [Excerpted from Gulzar-e-Auliya of Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan]

Watch out for the next part:  Some teachings of Hadhrat Bukhari Shah (May Allah shower His mercy on him)