fate

Mir Subhan (LAL- SAHAB)

I am not different from the God, nor is He different from me

I am my Beloved, my Beloved is in me,

We are two spirits in one body.

If you see me, You see Aim,

If you see Him, you see us both……… Hallaj

In 1319 Hijri, an ember adhered to pursue the Mujadidia Sirhindi school of Sufis at Kawdara came to the fore in the form of Al-Haj Faqir Mir Subhan Subla prevalently known as (Lal-Sahab). His father Faqir Mir Gaffar Kawdara of Mujadidia Sirhindi array was teeming with mysticism. The mother of Lal-Sahab was a niece of Hazrat Ahmad Sahab Macham Sirindi Abdaal (R.A) of Sheri Bhat Srinagar, leads the way of Mujadidia Sirhindi order in the valley. This array has been derived from the official head of Naqashbandia order Hazrat Moien-ud-din Naqashbandi (R.A) to Hazrat Mujadid ALifi Sani (R.A) whose mausoleum is in Sirhind Srief Punjab. Ahmad Sahab Macham Abdaal (R.A.) lived before 135 years at Sher-i- Bhat Alamgari Bazar. Ahmad Sahab Abdaal had 29 disciples; the well-known among them are Jenab Abdul Wahab Sahab of Khrew Shaar, Jinab Adul Rehman Bhat of Khrew, Jinab Abdul Rehman Lone of Khrew and Jinab Waza Mehmood of Shore Gari Mohalla Nawabazar. The first Astan-i- Aalia of Ahmad Sahab was built by Mir Gaffar, Mohad Sahab Bhat of Alamgari Bazar along with Wahab Sahab. It was a simple structure and later it was reconstructed by Lal- Sahab.

The Shrine of Hazrat Ahmad Sahab Macham Sirhindi (RA) Sheribhat Srinagar

 Waza sahab’s family and Thatroo family of Alamgari Bazar assisted Lal-Sahab in completion of the structure, and then it was modified in the year 2000 under the supervision of Jinab Mir Hassan Haseen Subla and Gulam Qadir Thatroo of Almagari Bazar.

The engraved stone at Ahmad Sahab Macham Abdaal (R.A.)by Lal Sahab( Mir Subhan)

Jinab Mir Hassan Haseen Subla first time introduced the Majlis of Katmat at Amad Sahab’s Astan-i- Aalia. People from all quarters used to come to participate and to get blessings.

The people attending worship belong to different sects and as such a brotherhood and common understanding among different factions of people has been a specialty at Ahmad Sahab’s Astan-i- Aalia. From the mother’s side Lal-Sahab was directly allied to the Mujadidia school of thought. And from his father Lal-Sahab was further intensified with the same order. Lal- Sahab was an exponent of Sufi culture to which he gave a family shape by conveying the wisdom accomplished after resolute efforts as slot into him by his Guru Jinab Abdul Ahad Beighpori (Awantipora), a pupil of Faqir Mir Gaffar Kawdara. Soon after the death of Faqir Mir Gafar, Lal- Sahab was embraced by Ahad Sahab who cultured him with astuteness. The quest of seeking truth continued and as such it leads Lal-Sahab to attain an exceptional position among the contemporaries. Meeting with Guru is a condition necessary and precedent to the working of His Grace, and does not entail any constraint of opportunity as one thinks of. The opportunities are offered to them who are ready to change themselves. The key is in the hands of the Guru. The perfect Guru is absolutely obligatory. And the best service that a disciple can render to the Guru is to follow instructions, to concentrate and to cross the stars, the sun and the moon, and contact Him on the astral planes within. The man must be eternally perfect. The Creator is within him and so is His complete creation. When a man has explored himself, he experiences the creation and The Creator within himself, and then he is eternally perfect.

Mir Subhano Yaras Zag To

Lagto Dostus Doosti

Qul-Shieon Yarjaoon Hadees Bozto

Ahmad Chu Shakli Insaan------------- Mir Subhan.

(Mir Subhan do hunt for a friend

Be friendly to friends

 Do listen to Qul Shieon Yarjaoon Hadith

Ahmad is in the semblance of a man)

The Life Absolute from which has sprung all that is felt, seen and perceived, and into which all again merges in time is a silent, motionless and eternal life which among the Sufi is called “Zat”. Man is drawn in two opposite directions by the supremacy of harmony: towards the Infinite and towards manifestation. He is less conscious of the former than the latter, and by facing towards one direction, he loses sight of the other. The Infinite being the essential spirit of all, finally attracts all to itself the Sufi gives the greatest importance to harmony with the Infinite which he realizes by recognition to the Will of God, the Beloved. There are two aspects of individual harmony: the harmony between body and soul, and the harmony between individuals. The true delight of the soul lies in Love, Harmony and Beauty. The more constant they are the greater is the satisfaction of the soul.

Famous Sufi poet Adul Ahad Zargar used to share his  Sufi poetry with Lal-Sahab because his Guru namely Abdul Gaffar Sahab Chitgari was a close friend of Lal- Sahab. Since the add-on of the two lead Zargar Sahab to be in close association with  Lal- Sahab . Well! Is it a matter of chance or Fate that the Grave Yard of the Ahad Zargar Sahab is next to Lal - Sahab at Gulab Teng Narwara Srinagar Kashmir popularly known for pashmina weaving. The Urs-i- pak of Lal- Sahab is being commemorated on every 19th July at Gulab Teng Narwara.

Lal-Sahab was married to Mukhta Begam, who gave birth to six sons and two daughters like Mohammed Sidiq, Mujtaba Ahmad, Bashir Ahmad, Mohammed Yousuf , Ghulam Hassan, a Sufi poet popularly Known as Mir Hassan Haseen and Doctor Mohi-ad- din. The family later on shifting to Buchwara Dalgate. Lal- Sahab joined the family business and soon established a business center of Kashmiri art and craft by the name and style of ‘Subla and Company’ in the year 1907 at Nawabazar. It is said that one day a foreigner called Lal- Sahab “Subla” and from that day till date the name Subla has become a family bequest. And as such “Subla and Company” got its name.

Lal- Sahab reached to a pinnacle when he was granted “Sang-i-Paras” that was confirmed by a Sufi saint of Utter Pradesh. It is said that when Bakshi Regime start declined in the valley, Abdul Rashid Bakshi visited U.P. where he met with a Qalander who conveyed to Abdul Rashid that a Kashmiri Qalander had forecast 12 years for Bakshi rule in Kashmir and now that the time has come when the said rule will expire. And in addition to it the U.P. Qalander also passed the clandestine of Lal- Sahab being at the position of “Sang-i-Paras”. Lal - Sahab according to Jinab Habibullah ( Habib Darwesh) of Malangpora was a staunch Muslim who used to offer five time prayers. Lal Sahab has time and again directed Jenab Habib Sahab not to listen to any Faqir who does not offer five time prayers.  

Mir Subhanno Woth Laie Sudrus

Sudra Mannzie Kam Durr Draie

Durath Khaltan Durr chie Shaie

LalasCha Durr ChieZaan…………. Mir Subhan.

Lal- Sahab was fond of  Kashmiri Sufi poetry bathed in music. The Mefil-i- Sama used to be a part of his life. The love of music as is called a celestial art for Sufi names music as “Giza-i- Ruh”, the food of the soul, and uses it as a source of spiritual perfection; for music fans the fire of the heart and the flame arising from it illumines the soul. The Sufi derives much more benefit from music in his meditation than from anything else. His devotional and meditative attitude makes him responsive to music, which helps him in his spiritual informant. A Sufi of all ages had taken a keen interest in music, in whatever land they may have dwelt. Sometimes a Sufi is in tears, sometimes he will sigh, sometimes expresses himself in motion (Rakhs). The sighing clears the path into the world of the unseen; the tears wash away the sins of ages, results the ‘Wajad’, a sacred ecstasy which the Sufis experience at Suma or Qawali. This rich vocal tradition is based on Indian and Pakistani classical melodies, semi-classical love songs, and melodic and free-rhythmic song poems. In modern times, Qawwali musicians also perform for major secular events. During these qawwalis they meditate on the ideal of their devotion, which is in accordance with their grade of development and they increase the fire of their devotion while listening to the music.

Lal- Sahab had only two disciples. It is said that one of the disciples in a frenzy disposition wished to put a figure on the spiritual power that his Guru had granted to him. The disciple had his way through a field were in a farmer was ploughing with the help of two bulls. The disciple hurled a handful of dust towards the bulls, follow-on the death of the animals. Next day the farmer registered a complaint to Lal-Sahab who called the disciple and conveyed a sharp message of his death at the weekend. The disciple was also told to arrange his coffin and to not to worry about the unmarried girl for that she would be taken care of. Well! The words of Sufi are like a sword that spares none when it comes to display. The message of Lal-Sahab got inveterate at the death of his disciple. From that day onwards Lal-Sahab clogged the discipleship. What one realizes the experience of one’s spiritual expansion is that one begins to feel in communion with living beings; not only with human beings, but with animals, with birds; with trees and with plants.

There are so many wonderful anecdotes that have been witnessed by the people about La-Sahab. It is important and my prime duty puts them for the readers to know the power of a Sufi. It is believed that an aide Abdul Rehman Khan of Padgam Pora Awanti Pora, who also performed Hajj along with Lal- Sahab, found him forthcoming to his home, the aide rushed to his home to inform his home people about Lal-Sahab’s advent and he hurried to bazaar to fetch the stuff. On his return he could not believe that Lal- Sahab’s absence. He rushed to Lal-Sahab’s home place on the bicycle and was flabbergasted to witness Lal-Sahab in his room. Lal-Sahab ordered the aide not to unfold this secret.

Sufis adopts a certain method of progress on the spiritual path and try to live as far away from the world as possible. They have great power of wonder-walking and insight. They are the dreamers and Lovers of the God. Abdul Rehman Khan of Padgam Pora Awanti Pora was once blessed by Lal-Sahab by visiting in his home but Lal- Sahab’s heart was itched by monitoring that the wife of the neighbor had emptied his plot by comatose the soil. The lady was the wife of Sarpanch. When Lal- Sahab asked the lady to stop the practice, she scolded him. On reaching to her home, she found her son had lost the power of speech. The lady has presented herself before Lal-Sahab and apologized, but during the night the burglars broke open her home and looted the belongings. The neighbor was clued-up to fill the chasm of the plot of Rehman Sahab by picking the soil from Awanti pora, and then only clemency will be approved. Since the neighbor followed the instructions and next day the thieves were caught by the Police and the stolen belonging was returned except a blanket for it was held as a fine for acquiring the interest from the poor against the credit the Sarpanch next day presented the statistics of the villagers and Lal-Sahab made the Sarpanch to obliterate the names of the credit holders.

The feature of belief is gained through the realization of God’s presence, not only in the heavens, but in one’s own surroundings. When a Sufi arrives, the belief becomes a living identity. To him The God is not only an arbitrator or a sustainer, but a friend who hears the snivel of his soul in the solitude, and knows the best and greatest secret he has in his heart.

Lal-Sahab was once on a business trip to Calcutta, while traveling a thought goaded him by way of raising a query that “Can there be a Qalander in the cacophony of city life”? A mystic voice reverted that “Presence of Qalanders cannot be denied from here”.

The voice is not only indicative of man’s character, but it is the expression of his spirit the voice is not only audible, but also visible, to those who can see it; the voice makes an impression on the otherworldly spheres, impressions which can be called audible but are visible at the same time. There are three principal kinds of voices. The Jelal voice, the Jemal voice, and the Kamal voice. The Jelal voices indicate power, the Jemal voice indicates Beauty, and the Kamal voice indicates wisdom. There are five qualities of the voices which are connected with the particular character of a person. The earthly quality of the voice is hope-giving, encouraging, tempting; the water quality is intoxicating, soothing, healing, uplifting, the fire quality is impressive, arousing, exciting, horrifying and the awakening, the air quality is uplifting, taking one far away from the planes of the earth.

It is said that once Lal-Sahab was in Suma at Gori Pora Pulwama and a man presented a cone of Isband to get primed, but Lal-Sahab kept the cone at a corner. Early in the morning when the same man asked for it, he was astonished to see that the cone was still left at the corner, when he reached home, he grumbled for the negligence by Lal-Sahab and narrated the story of the wife. After some time a woman in the neighborhood was under an enchantment of the spirit. The neighbor asked for Isband, the man offered the same but narrated the tale of the cone being neglected by Lal- Sahab. The neighbor burnt the same in abundance and the spirits appeared and lamented the loss of six children. The woman was taken to Lal- Sahab who cured her and solved the riddle of the cone by conveying that it was not necessary to prepare the cone but a glance of Qalander is enough to set the things right.

The vision of the Divine being in glory is the ideal and the chief aim of the Sufi. It is only possible when the body, mind and soul of the aspirant is intoxicated with the love of God. The Vision assumes different forms corresponding to the degree of this love.

Lal-Sahab’s wife one day articulated something that was indecent to hear, Lal-Sahab just looked at her and she lost the power of speech. She remained under this condition for a month and when the in-laws of Lal-Sahab came to know about this occurrence, the father-in-law of Lal-Sahab insisted to take the daughter from the house; Lal-Sahab called the dejected wife and freed her from the punishment.

In a similar kind of incident an old man appeared before him to look for the cure whose food pipe was badly involved in some unknown disease. The patient was nourished through an artificial food pipe. The patient offered a handsome amount but Lal-Sahab instead of accepting the cash directed the patient to arrange his coffin for his involvement of putting the hands to others.

The affluent ethnicity of Sufism is still a part and parcel of the family of Mir Hassan Haseen’s Aashiani Eram Buchwara Dalgate. Being the youngest son Lal- Sahab called him when he was about to depart from this world and transported the knowledge of truth through confrontation. From that day Aashiani Eram has been a center of seeking the knowledge of truth. He is popularly known as Mir Hassan, his contribution to promote Kashmiri Sufi poetry is inexplicable. He is the author of many famous books. Most of his Gazals have been translated by the author of paper.

Page No 141 of the Book( Aqs-i- Sarmadi)

Proceeded I for you to feel affection

You reduced me to rubble

You smoldered and routed me

I didn’t grumble.

The love trimmed me down

To whom I shall narrate serenely

You placed me on the love blaze

You reduced me to rubble.

Don’t be so pitiless

I am utterly ruined

The beloved is carefree

You reduced me to rubble.

Let me forfeit the family unit

Do come oh! Dear to me

(I) sent the ‘girl Friday’ and handmaidens

You reduced me to rubble.

The moment you put on view thy face

Bruised my chest ruthlessly

Tied (me) by the movement of hair lock

You reduced me to rubble.

Shot at me the arrows of love

In a jiffy (you) wrecked me

(You) located thyself in the rear of veils

You reduced me to rubble.

Liberated (I) from the losses and gains

In love got badly drawn in

Without you whom shall I call?

You reduced me to rubble.

To Mir Haseen of Buchwara

(You) ripped his chest

Can’t disclose (His) affliction

You reduced me to rubble.

 Since Lal- Sahab has written a few Gazals only for it is said that Mir Ahmad Sahab Macham Sirhindi (R.A) has showed unwillingness for the reason known to him and Lal- Sahab dried his pen, but the art of writing poetry has been spared for Mir Hassan Haseen whose book Aqsi Sarmadi  and Ganj-u-Marifat has been recently released by cultural academy.

Lal- Sahab once visited Nanital to sell shawls, while approaching to a hillside, his feet slipped and the bundle of shawls felt aside and Lal- Sahab was about to fall into a crater and someone came to his rescue. When Lal-Sahab came back after spending six months in Nanital, he presented himself before his Guru who informed him that he had to come up to Nanital to save him.

 God made man in His own image. Man is the creation. It is only human form that man is endowed with superior faculties and is better off than the lower creations; yet in this human form also, no one can claim that e is perfectly happy. When this is the case with the top of the creation, what can be said of the lower forms? Their life is simply miserable and being devoid of the senses, they cannot liberate themselves from birth and death.

It is only a man – and not even angels who have been endowed by the Almighty with faculties, by developing which he can attain the highest Spiritual Region, provided he is initiated by a perfect Master and works hard to elevate his soul to the higher regions. Without a perfect Master, however hard one may try, he cannot make progress in the spiritual world.

When we are associated with Masters we come under their influence. They talk of our latent strengths, of our spiritual origin. Dr. Jonson says: “ Living Master is necessary. To follow a Master not alive is fruitless”. The main purpose of human life is to achieve union with the Creator and cannot be achieved by following a particular religion. It is possible to see God within and that can be experienced by loving God and His creation. The God Himself is the embodiment of love and He wants all of us to experience love.

Mursid Junaid has said: that love signifies the entering into the qualities of the Beloved in exchange for the qualities of the love.

I underwent millions of hardships

To see the Beloved outside;

But it was by looking into myself that I found Him:

My Friend is within me.

First, mislay yourself

One who annihilates oneself will attain Him;

Turn your face within,

He is with you.