shah e mardan

Compiled by: Sayyid Saqib, Zubair, Barakat and Mufti Khatam Sharif Date: 28/08/14 of 14

بسم اللہ الرمحن الرحیم

In the name of Allah, most Kind most Merciful

Khatam Sharif

In honour of the venerable

شاہ مرداینShah e Mardan

‘Ali is my Imam and I am his slave. May a thousand lives be sacrificed in the name of Ali. I am a devotee of Ali, a free spirit and intoxicated.

I am a slave of Ali, the chosen one. I am the leader of all sinners,

And a street dog of the lion Allah.’

Introduction

A Bedouin emerged in the horizon of the desert sands, exhausted and alone,

stumbling through the gates of the blessed city of Madinah. He searched for a tavern

of hope, and for someone who could dispel his worries. He enquired, ‘Is there

anyone who can help a desolate soul like me?’

After a few moments of hearing his pleas someone called out, ‘O you who is looking

for aid, look no further than the progeny of the al-Mustafa. Seek out Imam Hassan

for he is the most generous of them all’. Filled with anxiety and excitement, the

Bedouin searched from one door to another, until he found the threshold of Imam

Hassan . He knocked and entered into his house. There he saw a man, of the

most striking features, and possessing the most beautiful etiquettes.

Imam Hassan enquired, ‘Come, please sit and tell me how I may be of service to

you, kind sir?’ ‘I have been led to believe you are a person with whom God has

bestowed the honour of generosity, and I have therefore come seeking your help’,


replied the Bedouin. ‘I require 200 dirhams to perform the wedding ceremony of my

daughter but I would be happy to accept anything that you can contribute towards

this amount’.

Imam Hassan signalled to his servant to bring 2000 dirhams and to give them to

this man. Upon receiving this money, the Bedouin was startled at how much he was

being given, but before he could utter anything, Imam Hassan said, ‘Take this for

your needs, I hope this is sufficient.’

The Bedouin then returned to the Mosque in utter joy. Upon entering the Mosque he

saw, a man lying asleep in his tattered clothes covered in dust. The man looked in a

worse state than him at the point of his entry into Madinah. After assessing the

man’s pitiful state he thought, ‘if only this poor man knew about what Imam Hassan

has done for me.’

He then began to awake the man and exclaimed, ‘Don’t lie there in despair, and pick

yourself up my friend, for there is someone who can help you. He is the most

generous of this city and he does not discriminate with his wealth.’ The man took one

look at him and went back to sleep. ‘What a strange fellow’ the Bedouin exclaimed.

He was about to try and awake him again when suddenly one of the other people in

the mosque shouted out, ‘O you fool! Are you not aware to whom you are speaking

to? This is no beggar or an ordinary person; he is none other than the Lion of God,

the father of Imam Hassan and the Leader of Man (Shah e Mardan)!’

Leader of Man

In the beginning of creation, Allah Almighty chose Rasulullah for the esteemed

role of leader of all the prophets ‘Sayyid ul Mursalin’. The beloved prophet himself

has confirmed this in his saying, ‘I was a Prophet when Adam was between clay and

water’. Unlike the view held in popular belief Rasulullah’s prophet hood did not

begin when he turned forty. He was a prophet before creation and the Qur’an

mentions the covenant (Mithaaq an Nabiyin) in which all the prophets gave an oath

to support Rasulullah

Likewise Allah Almighty also sanctioned a role that would have authority over all the

saints from the beginning of time until the end. Although prophet hood ceased with

the seal of Prophets, sainthood has continued and therefore the role of the one who

overlooks continues to this day. This role is aptly titled ‘The Leader of Man’ and

commonly known by the masses through the Farsi title ‘Shah e Mardan.’

Shah e Mardan has been granted the authority to instruct and guide the elite of

mankind, the Awliya; from all generations including those who came in the time of

previous prophets. Like Rasulullah who guided all the prophets before his physical


emergence, Shah e Mardan has spiritually guided and instructed the Awliya of all

Ummahs even before his physical emergence into this world.

Shah e Mardan is the fountain of guidance for all those who seek nearness to

their Lord and through his spirituality are inspired and guided towards Him.

The one who bears this great responsibility and trust, is none other than the great

Lion of God, the father of lmam Hassan and Imam Husayn , the son in law and

cousin of the Prophet , the great Sahabi, Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib (May Allah

ennoble his face).

Birth

Shah e Mardan’s mother was called Fatimah bint Asad and his father was Abd e

Manaaf, more commonly known as Abu Talib. He was the paternal uncle of

Rasulullah . While Shah e Mardan was in the womb of his mother, he would

prevent his mother from prostrating to any idol. One day, as she was performing

Tawaaf around the Ka’ba she felt the pains of labour. With no person to aid her, she

became worried but then she heard a voice from the unseen instructing her to enter

the Ka’ba. It was inside the Ka’ba that she gave birth to Shah e Mardan .

Rasulullah named the baby ‘Ali’ and also placed his blessed saliva in the baby’s

mouth. After doing this, in jest he warned other family members from getting too

close, as the baby was prone to scratching. His mother then remarked, ‘he is

Haydar, a ferocious lion!’ Rasulullah shared a unique bond with Shah e Mardan

and his family, as he would often refer to Shah e Mardan’s mother as ‘My mother

after my mother.’

Childhood/ Conversion

Shah e Mardan was at the tender age of ten when he first encountered Rasulullah

and his blessed wife, Sayyidah Khadijah praying. Shah e Mardan became

intrigued by the unusual actions and he enquired from Rasulullah about this

strange practice. Despite his young age, Rasulullah explained to him the

message of Islam and then invited him to join the ‘new’ religion. Shah e Mardan

decided to seek his father’s permission before pledging his allegiance but later

returned without having asked his father. He had remembered an earlier counsel

from his father that he now acted upon. His father had advised him to always follow

and obey his cousin. He became the first child to accept Islam at the hands of

Rasulullah .

Although Shah e Mardan grew up in the same house of Rasulullah he was

extremely shy and modest in his blessed presence. Later in life he remained shy and


refrained from asking Rasulullah questions directly, and would request other

companions to ask on his behalf.

Shah e Mardan’s loyalty and support for Rasulullah existed from the very

beginning. In particular on one occasion, Shah e Mardan was instructed by

Rasulullah to prepare food sufficient for one person but also to invite all of his

paternal uncles for a meal. At the meal Rasulullah took only one morsel from the

dish and then distributed the rest to his uncles. Shah e Mardan later mentioned,

‘the food I brought was only sufficient for one person, yet every person ate to his fill

with some still remaining.’

Rasulullah then presented Islam to his family and they were all quick to disparage

his call. In particular, Abu Lahb went as far as to insult his nephew and ridicule his

message. Rasulullah requested support from his family in this divine mission and

Shah e Mardan was quick to voice his. He stood with such courage amongst his

elders and thumped his chest and said, ‘I will support you O Messenger of God!’

Migration

When the order for migration came, Rasulullah instructed Shah e Mardan to

stay in Makkah and to sleep on his bed and in the morning to return all the

belongings that had been left with him. It was at the same time, the leaders of the

Quraysh were conspiring to assassinate Rasulullah in his home. The Quraysh

agreed to send one member from each to tribe to take part in this assassination, so

the family of Rasulullah would be unable to avenge his death against all tribes

and would instead have to settle for ‘blood money’. When the assassins arrived

during the night, they were shocked to see that Shah e Mardan was sleeping in

the bed of Rasulullah . The assassins then quickly retreated.

The following morning, Shah e Mardan proceeded to return all the belongings that

were entrusted to Rasulullah . Shah e Mardan was able to return all the

belongings; however he encountered an individual who claimed to have left some

money with Rasulullah , which hadn’t been returned to him and he also claimed to

have testimony to this from reliable witnesses. Shah e Mardan then sought to

speak privately to each witness. Shah e Mardan asked each of the witnesses how

much money had been left in the trust of Rasulullah and on which day it was left.

It soon transpired from the conflicting information given by the witnesses and the

man himself that the claim was in fact false. Shah e Mardan was quick to dispel

the false claim with his intelligent wisdom despite his youthful age. Shah e Mardan

then proceeded to make his migration as per the instructions of Rasulullah .

Shah e Mardan


Shah e Mardan later joined Rasulullah and the other companions in Madinah.

It is evident from his childhood and youth that Shah e Mardan possessed all the

qualities befitting the ‘Leader of Man’. This is why Rasulullah took it upon himself

to guide Shah e Mardan from a young age. He was the ideal student and a

constant source of support throughout.

After arriving late in Madinah, all the companions had been paired as brothers.

Feeling alone without a brother, Shah e Mardan asked, ‘Ya Rasulullah , who

will be my brother from the Ansar?’ Rasulullah replied, ‘You are my brother.’

In another tradition Rasulullah likened their relationship to that of Prophet Musa

and Prophet Harun . This close bond ship was illustrated in many of

Rasulullah’s other sayings about Shah e Mardan ,

‘Who’s ever Mawla I am, Ali is his Mawla’

‘My blood is his blood, my flesh is his flesh’

‘He is the wali and I am the master’

‘Indeed Ali is from me and I am from him and he is the supporter of all believers ’

Each tradition is profound and worthy of volumes but overall they clearly highlight the

role of Shah e Mardan in relation to Rasulullah ; and that these two

personalities should be inseparable in the sight of the believer. It is incumbent on

every believer therefore to accept Rasulullah as his master and also to accept

Shah e Mardan as his/her master.

Due to his close proximity to Rasulullah , Shah e Mardan easily adopted many

characteristics and was able to refine his nature. The saints upon achieving a certain

stage of development are guided directly by Shah e Mardan . This is the accepted

view amongst the tariqahs and explained in the Maktubat of Imam Rabbani (R).

Shah e Mardan has been chosen by Allah Almighty to be the leader of all men

and to be the father of sainthood. He is the medium that carries messages and

commands to the Awliya from Rasulullah and none will be able to attain any

spiritual success unless it is with the intervention of Shah e Mardan .

Apart from the Awliya, the masses have sought help from Shah e Mardan and

continue to do so today. Popularised in devotional music, films and anecdotes, he

also polarises the Muslims into two groups, lovers and haters. Rasulullah said

about this, ‘O Ali, two different groups will emerge. They will both be extremes. One

because they will love you too much and the other because they will hate you.’

The function of Shah e Mardan is to be a role model for all people whether Muslim

or non-Muslims as he possess qualities such as chivalry, generosity, bravery, loyalty,

strength, wisdom. These are the qualities that he grants and passes on to the saints

as they attain different levels and forms of spirituality. Even if you are fully granted

one of these characteristics it could lead to sainthood, yet Shah e Mardan


possessed them all. He has a link with each Sufi school of spirituality whether they

are Naqshbandi, Qadri, Chishti, Suhrawardi, Ba-alawi or Shadhili etc. This is

because they are all aware that Shah e Mardan is the key and without the leader

of the Awliya they will not know of their purpose, role and hence will not attain the

pleasure of Allah Almighty and Rasulullah .

Noble Characteristics

Apart from possessing an ennobled face about which Rasulullah exclusively said,

’to look at the face of Ali is worship’; Shah e Mardan also possessed innumerable

characteristics and qualities which are mentioned here.

Knowledge and Wisdom

It is a well known fact that there are more Ahadith in praise of Shah e Mardan

than any other Sahabi. Of them, one of the most famous sayings of Rasulullah is,

‘I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate.’ This saying not only highlights the

extent of Rasulullah’s own knowledge but also the vastness of Shah e Mardan’s

knowledge.

Shah e Mardan was known for his great wisdom and intelligence and he was able

to solve disputes so swiftly. On one particular occasion there were 3 men who were

quarrelling over how to share their 17 camels. The first man was due ½ a share, the

second man was due a 1/3 and the third man was due 1/9 of a share. Many people

tried to resolve this dispute but to no avail until this matter reached the attention of

Shah e Mardan . Upon hearing about this tricky situation, he immediately called for

his servant to bring a camel from his own stock and to put it amongst the 17 other

camels. Of course, now there were 18 camels in total.

So Shah e Mardan instructed the first man to take his share of ½ from the 18

camels, so he took his 9 camels and left. He then instructed the second man to take

his share of 1/3, so the man took his 6 camels and left. He then instructed the third

man to take his share of 1/9, so the man took his 2 camels and left. He then

instructed his servant to return the remaining one camel back to his stock. A matter

which seemed to be so difficult to resolve, yet Shah e Mardan was able to resolve

it so amicably.

Shah e Mardan was also known for his simple yet powerful advice and it was due

to this advice that Sayyiduna Umar said on many occasions, ‘O! Abu al-Hasan, if

it was not for you, then Umar ibn al- Khattab would have been destroyed.’ This

acknowledgement from the great Sahabi himself is testimony to the fact that Shah e

Mardan possessed great wisdom, insight and intelligence.

Bravery/Warrior


‘La fata’ ila Ali, La Sayf ila Dhul Fiqar’.

‘There is no greater warrior than Ali; there is no greater sword then al Dhul Fiqar’.

In the battle of Khyber, a man by the name of Marhab came forward and challenged

the Muslims to a duel. Marhab was a man of a large stature and was feared and

undefeated in the Arab lands. He possessed the finest armour and the strongest

sword that was known to the Arabs. He approached the Muslims and challenged

them, ‘I am the undefeated warrior and will punish anyone who dares to fight me’.

Marhab then went on in his arrogance and began to speak of his many victories and

his ‘noble’ lineage.

It was at this point, Shah e Mardan bravely stepped forward and accepted

Marhab’s challenge. Marhab began to ridicule Shah e Mardan , ‘You are not fit

enough to fight me’. At this Shah e Mardan replied in great vigour, ‘I am Ali, the lion

of God. I fight in the name of God. Be prepared for your doom. He awaits you.’ The

fight commenced and with an instance, Shah e Mardan struck Marhab with his

sword and instantly killed him.

After this battle, there was a great siege at the city walls which lasted a few days.

The Muslims had tried to break through but with no joy. A day before the conquest,

Rasulullah gave glad tidings to Muslims, and said, ‘Tomorrow, I will give this

banner to a person upon whose hand Allah will grant success and victory. He loves

Allah and His messenger, and Allah and His messenger love him’. When the

companions heard this, they were eager to be the one about whom this was said.

They eagerly waited for the next day and everyone came with the hope to be the

chosen one.

When Rasulullah emerged he asked, ‘Where is Ali?’ The reply came from one of

the companions, ‘O messenger of Allah, Ali has an eye infection and he is unable to

see’. Rasulullah then asked for Shah e Mardan to be brought to him.

Rasulullah then placed his blessed saliva into Shah e Mardan’s eyes and the

infection was instantly healed. Rasulullah then placed the banner into the hands

of Shah e Mardan who then led the charge to the main gates of Khyber. Shah e

Mardan himself broke the gate and carried it on his back as a shield. It was only

after the battle that the companions realised how heavy the gate was; it took forty of

them to move it.

This feat of extraordinary strength was shown again in another story when an old

lady asked Shah e Mardan to carry a bundle of hay for her. Seeing it as a simple

task, he lifted the bundle by gripping the rope but was only able to bring it up to his

knees. Baffled by the weight and difficulty of the task he looked at the woman,

hoping for an explanation of some kind. The old lady remarked, ‘young man you are

truly strong. I am no old lady and this is not just a bundle of hay. I am Jibra’il and


this is the entire universe. No individual has ever managed to lift it off the floor never

mind bring it upto their knees.’

Darwishi and Generosity

Shah e Mardan was darwish by nature possessing nothing of this world and

having no desire for it. As Mian Muhammad Baksh beautifully illustrates in one of

his poems, ‘the good people keep their clothing away from the dirt.’ i.e. the pious

people keep their distance from the world. This was the case for Shah e Mardan

as he remained detached from dunya throughout his life.

Despite his own poverty he was the most generous of souls. He was always willing

to give to the needy. On one occasion, while sitting outside his home, a poor person

came to his door and asked for charity. Shah e Mardan called his son Imam

Hasan and said to him, ‘My son, go to your mother and ask her to give me the 10

dirhams which I gave to her earlier today.’ When the young Hasan requested the

money from his mother, she reluctantly gave them to her husband. When the beggar

had left, Sayyidah Fatimah asked her husband why he had given all that was in

their possession. She wondered if it would have been wise to keep one dirham to

meet the needs of the family. Shah e Mardan disapproved and he advised his

wife, ‘You are from the family of the Prophet ; he taught us to rely solely on Allah

and not on wealth. He taught us that whenever we give in the name of Allah, He will

increase the reward for us by tenfold.’

Hearing this Sayyidah Fatimah became content at the act of her husband. During

the same sitting, a man approached Shah e Mardan and asked whether he would

like to buy a horse. Shah e Mardan expressed his interest but could not at the

moment as he had no money. The man agreed to accept a payment of 60 dirhams at

a later date and he left the horse in the ownership of Shah e Mardan . A short

while later, another man approached Shah e Mardan and asked whether he was

willing to sell the horse that was in his possession at a price of 160 dirhams. Shah e

Mardan agreed and sold the horse to this man. He then sent 60 dirhams to the

man he initially purchased it from and sent the remainder to his wife. Shah e Mardan

comforted his wife and remarked, ‘We gave 10 dirhams in the way of Allah, and

He repaid our generosity tenfold.’

On another occasion Shah e Mardan was praying when a beggar approached him

and beseeched his help. Out of his generous nature, he carefully removed his ring

whilst in prayer and with minimal movement threw it in the direction of the beggar.

Despite being in the middle of prayer, he was still willing to give.

Chivalry

There was no companion more chivalrous than Shah e Mardan . He was willing to

sacrifice his life for Rasulullah on many occasions and as mentioned before he lay


in Rasulullah’s bed when people came to assassinate him. It was during this

incident that Allah Almighty asked Jibra’il and Mika’il how much they loved

each other? They replied that they were the best of friends. Allah Almighty then

asked them, ‘Are you willing to give your life for your brother?’ The angels remained

silent. Allah Almighty then ordered His angels, ‘go and protect Ali ibn Talib, for he is

willing to give his life for his brother.’

On another occasion Shah e Mardan was fighting a duel with a non-believer.

When Shah e Mardan had over powered him and knocked him to the floor, he

was ready to behead him, however at that moment, the non-believer spat in the face

of Shah e Mardan . To the amazement of the unbeliever, Shah e Mardan re-

sheathed his sword and walked away. The man shouted, ‘You had me at your

mercy, yet you decided not to kill me? What made you to stop?’ Shah e Mardan

turned to the man and said, ‘I was fighting you in the name of God because you were

an enemy to the truth, but when you spat in my face, my anger took over and I did

not want to kill you for the pleasure of my ego, therefore you are free from me’.

These words penetrated the heart of this man and he knelt before Shah e Mardan

and accepted Islam.

Once a young man came and challenged Shah e Mardan to a duel. He asked the

young man, ‘we do not have a quarrel, so what is it that brings you to challenge me?’

The young man replied, ‘I seek my beloveds hand in marriage, but she refuses to

accept me unless I defeat the greatest warrior. Therefore I have come to defeat you

and show my beloved my courage’. Upon hearing this, Shah e Mardan lowered

his head and offered it to the young man and said, ‘I offer you my head, take it, you

do not need to fight me’. The young man did not want to accept victory in this

manner and felt humbled and ashamed before the Lion of God, having seen sense

he apologetically walked away.

Marriage

The nobles of the Quraysh asked Rasulullah for the hand of Sayyidah Fatimah

as she was the only remaining daughter who had not been wed. Prominent

companions like Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar also sought her

hand. They understood that this was not to be from Rasulullah’s apparent silence

on the matter. From discussing amongst themselves they concluded that Shah e

Mardan Sayyiduna Ali would be the best suitor, however he was too shy and

ashamed to ask directly.

A marriage that was preordained was not left to chance. As it would happen one of

the lady companions, went to Shah e Mardan and inquired as to what prevented

him from seeking the hand of Lady Fatimah . He replied, ‘I have nothing to offer for

her hand’.


‘Rasulullah will accept your proposal as these things do not concern him’, she

said.

Encouraged to ask he went to Rasulullah but could not speak and fell silent with

his head down dropped. Rasulullah asked him if there was something he desired

to speak about it. The ferocious ‘Lion of God’ tamed and unable to express his desire

could not bring the words to his mouth.

‘Perhaps then you have come to propose for Fatimah’s hand?’ asked Rasulullah

Now able to lift his head with relief, he replied in the affirmative. Rasulullah was

pleased and then explained to him that he had been waiting for him to propose.

Others had come and proposed for Sayyidah Fatimah but he had remained silent

because Allah Almighty had already revealed that she was to be bequeathed to him.

Then Rasulullah asked, ‘And do you have anything in the way of a dowry?’

Shah e Mardan had nothing worthy to offer as dowry but Rasulullah reminded

him that he had in his possession a shield given to him after a battle, which he could

now sell and use the proceeds as dowry.

On the way to the bazaar he met Sayyiduna Uthman to whom he offered the

shield for 400 dirhams. Sayyiduna Uthman always seeking out opportunities to

help others declined to take the shield but still gave 400 dirhams to Shah e Mardan

to use for dowry and advised him to keep the shield as he would need it for future

battles.

Shah e Mardan was not one to horde items, so he presented the 400 dirhams and

the shield to Rasulullah as dowry. The marriage was simple and Rasulullah

gifted his daughter a velvet garment, a water skin and a leather pillow stuffed with

grass.

The next day Rasulullah visited the newlyweds. As he called out for them, the

companion Umm e Ayman jokingly said, ‘you call him your brother yet you have

married your daughter to him?’ Rasulullah replied, ’yes, he is my brother in this

life and the next life’. When the couple came out, Rasulullah sprinkled water over

both of them and said to the groom, ‘I have given to you the dearest in the household

to me.’

It was a practiced sunnah that a feast be laid out after a wedding, however, on the

account of Shah e Mardan’s impoverished state he was not able to perform this

rewarding sunnah. The other companions realising the situation each volunteered to

provide something for the feast, be it meat or barley.


Then Rasulullah again blessed Shah e Mardan by pouring water over his head;

water which he had left over from performing wudu. He prayed, ‘O! Allah bless them

and their offspring’. This tradition of a holy, pious person blessing the union of a

married couple continues to this day.

Once married and living together the impoverished conditions remained unchanged

with hunger and hardship being their companions throughout. They would sleep on

the floor using a piece of leather as their bedding which during the day was used for

other purposes.

On one occasion they had not eaten for many days when Shah e Mardan

emerged from his house to find a coin on the ground. A moment of hesitation

stopped him from picking it up; after all it wasn’t his to take. Then a divine thought

came to him and he picked it up and bought some flour with it. He took the flour

home and Sayyidah Fatimah made bread with it. As she was extremely hungry

and fatigued she could not concentrate whilst she was making the dough. Her head

kept on falling into the flour as she was making it.

When the bread was prepared, Shah e Mardan without taking anything from it

presented it before Rasulullah and explained how he had the found the coin.

Rasulullah advised that he should partake in this as Allah Almighty had provided

this as sustenance and there was no sin in it.

In another narration, Shah e Mardan was again in the same predicament and on

this occasion he had to venture to the outskirts of Madinah seeking work. He saw a

woman gathering some dirt and he offered to draw water from the well for her in

exchange for payment. She took up the offer in return for a date for each bucket of

water drawn. Shah e Mardan accepted the terms and set about drawing the

water. In total he drew sixteen buckets and was compensated duly with sixteen

dates, however this had come at a cost; his hands were swollen severely from using

the coarse rope and pulling up the heavy buckets of water. Before anything Shah e

Mardan presented his hard earned payment to Rasulullah who took some of

these dates for blessings.

As Rasulullah only lived next door he would frequently visit the couple. One early

morning the couple were awakened by Rasulullah to pray tahajjud. Then he

returned home to only return later when he could not hear the couple praying. Upon

returning Rasulullah told them to awake and pray. Shah e Mardan stood up

rubbing his eyes and remarked, ‘Ya Rasulullah , our souls are in Allah’s hands, if

He wants us to wake up then we will’. Rasulullah struck his thigh and mockingly

said, ‘we will not pray anything but which has been decreed to us’. Then he recited

the following Qur’anic ayat, ‘indeed man is argumentative’.


Without any help Sayyidah Fatimah performed the household chores such as

grinding the wheat, cleaning and fetching water from the distant wells. The leather

pouch in which she carried the water would leave marks on her back. Shah e

Mardan out of compassion advised her to ask for a servant from her father.

She went to her father but out of shame could not come to ask for a helper and

returned home to inform her husband. Shah e Mardan then convinced her to go

with him to Rasulullah and once there he encouraged her to speak. Hesitantly she

mentioned her hardship; that bringing water gave her pains in the chest and

grounding the flour made her hands sore.

Rasulullah replied, ‘Allah will not give it to you and leave the Ahl e Sufa’. Nothing

further to say on the matter, the couple returned home dejected. Later Rasulullah

came to visit them and gave words of encouragement, ‘shall I not tell you something

which is better than what you ask for? Jibra’il has taught me the following prayer to

be read after every salah and before going to bed; say Subhan Allah 33 times,

Alhamdu lillah 33 times and Allahu Akbar 34 times. This is of more benefit to you

than a maid or servant; Allah will remove your tiredness and difficulty through His

remembrance.’

This remembrance, the couple maintained to their dying days and Shah e Mardan

from his own admission did not miss this even whilst in the midst of the most critical

battle.

The couple were blessed with a boy born on 3rd of Ramadhan. Shah e Mardan

named him Harb (meaning war). Rasulullah disapproved of this name and

decided to name him after one of the son’s of Prophet Aaron . His name in

Hebrew was Shabar which translated into Hasan in Arabic. Rasulullah held Hasan

in his arms, kissed him and then performed the adhaan and iqamat in the

respective ears.

Shah e Mardan also had another son who he initially named Harb but Rasulullah

named him Husayn after the second son of Prophet Aaron , Shabir. They

also had two daughters, Sayyidah Zaynab and Sayyidah Umm e Kulthum .

Conclusion

The descendants of Shah e Mardan and Sayyidah Fatimah have spread

throughout all communities of the world and are held in a special status by the

believers. They too like their esteemed grandparents are a constant support for the

believers in worldly and spiritual matters.

His blessed wife, Sayyidah Fatimah is also his supporter and helper in spiritual

matters. She has the right to veto any promotion or demotion. Her approval must be

granted before anyone is admitted into the divine court. In this divine court, in which


the Awliya gather, the central position is occupied by Rasulullah . He conveys

instructions to Shah e Mardan who in turn conveys the instructions to the Awliya.

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim was one of those elite personalities present in this

divinely court. Such was his connection that in the latter part of his life, he frequently

spoke about Shah e Mardan . Furthermore, he would meet with Shah e Mardan

and converse with him as he would converse with other people. Such was his

elevated rank which he attained through Shah e Mardan’s approval.

To truly appreciate and understand the role of Shah e Mardan you must be a

person of beauty; who appreciates beauty; and sees beauty in everything; only then

will the veils be lifted and the heart be connected with Shah e Mardan .

In the Mathnawi, Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi relates a story about a reed. After

Rasulullah had returned from the Mi’raj he called for Shah e Mardan . When he

arrived, Rasulullah said, ‘Close the door for this is only a matter between me and

you. You cannot discuss these matters with anyone else, because Allah has given

me permission to disclose 30, 000 matters of divine secrets to any one of my

companions.’ Rasulullah then revealed secret after secret to Shah e Mardan .

Within a short space of time Shah e Mardan’s stomach started to enlarge and

subsequently his health deteriorated. He understood the reason for this was the

secrets he had been told were too heavy to ‘carry’. When this became too much for

him, he found a desolate well and where he let out all the secrets. It just so

transpired that from the bottom of this well, grew some reed plants. A young

shepherd walking past one day noticed this reed, and so he decided to cut it to make

a flute.

Shortly after it came to Rasulullah’s attention that a shepherd boy was playing a

flute that made the animals behave strangely and go without food. So Rasulullah

asked the companions to bring the young shepherd to him. When the shepherd

arrived, Rasulullah asked him to play the flute. Upon hearing its sounds,

Rasulullah summoned Shah e Mardan and said, ‘These are the secrets I told

you!’

Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi explains that every wali is a nay, a reed. They are all

therefore carrying divine secrets from Shah e Mardan and he speaks through

them.

Shah e Mardan was martyred whilst performing his prayers on 17th Ramadhan.

The assailant was apprehended but as Shah e Mardan lay breathing his last few

breaths, he took pity upon his attacker. He asked the people to bring water for his

attacker as he saw the signs of thirst on his face. Just as Rasulullah’s last


moments were occupied in the thought of others, Shah e Mardan also instructed

his companions to treat the criminal with fairness and justice.

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim mentioned that Shah e Mardan had instructed his

companions to place his body on a camel and to allow it to roam in the desert.

Sometime later a caravan of people arrived and enquired from the residents for their

apparent sombre mood. Holding back their tears, they informed the travellers of the

sad news of Shah e Mardan’s demise.

‘What are you saying? We just saw Shah e Mardan in the desert mounted on his

camel, alive and well’

Al Fatiha

shah e mardan

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