Burhan al-Muwahhideen: The Spiritual Heritage of Hazrat Sayyid Shah Aal-e-Muhammad Marehrawi

By Syed Amjad Hussain, New Age Islam 11 April 2025 The Article Explores The Spiritual Legacy Of Hazrat Syed Shah Aal-E-Muhammad Marehrawi, Highlighting His Devotion, Teachings, And Impact As Burhan Al-Muwahhideen Within The Barkatiyya Sufi Tradition Of India Main Points: 1. Hazrat Syed Shah Aal-e-Muhammad Marehrawi was born into a deeply spiritual family and mentored by his saintly father. 2. His life embodied intense worship, asceticism, and spiritual struggle. 3. He lovingly guided seekers through practical, transformative methods. 4. He shunned worldly grandeur, preferring sincere dervishes. 5. His legacy endures through devoted spiritual successors. ------ Khanqah-e-Barakatiyya, Marehra Sharif, Uttar Pradesh ------ Introduction In the realm of the spiritual in India, Marehra Sharif has been a bastion of divine light and mystical sophistication for centuries. Among its most sacred patrons is Hazrat Syed Shah Aal-e-Muhammad Marehrawi, also reverentially referred to by the title Burhan al-Muwahhideen, the Proof of the Monotheists. A towering figure of piety, self-control, and spiritual leadership, he holds a central position in the history of Indian Sufism. He was the eldest son of Hazrat Syed Shah Barkatullah Marehrawi Pemi Ishqi, the renowned Qutb of his era, also referred to as Sahib al-Barakat, and the founder of the renowned Qadiriyya–Barkatiyya Sufi Order. Aala Hazrat Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi wrote, “Hubb-e-Ahl-e-Bait De Aal-e-Muhammad Ke Liye Kar Shaheed-e-Ishq Hamzaa Peshwa Ke Waaste" Birth and Early Life Hazrat Syed Shah Aal-e-Muhammad Marehrawi was born on the blessed night of 18th Ramadan 1111 AH (10 March 1700) as the eldest son of Hazrat Syed Shah Barkatullah Marehrawi Pemi Ishqi at Bilgram Sharif, a small town in today's Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh. He was surrounded by a spiritual atmosphere right from birth, his father being one of the greatest Sufi masters of the Indian subcontinent. It was under his great father's guidance that Hazrat Syed Shah Aal-e-Muhammad acquired his exoteric (zahiri) and esoteric (Baatini) education. He was then given Bay'ah (spiritual allegiance) and Khilaafat (spiritual succession) in an immediate transfer of authority from his father, and was identified early on as a steadfast adherent to spiritual regimens. Through his name and person is where the Barkatiyya Khanqah found itself to have been connected by the use of the term "Bari Sarkar" any "Sarkar-e-Kala'n" that still applied religiously to Marehra Sharif's higher spiritual order. A Life of Worship and Asceticism Hazrat Syed Shah Aal-e-Muhammad Marehrawi’s life was defined by his relentless pursuit of divine proximity through Ibadah (worship), Riyaazat (ascetic discipline), Mujaahida (spiritual struggle), and Sulook (mystical path). He devoted 18 consecutive years to intense spiritual practices and seclusion, including three uninterrupted years in I'tikaaf (retreat). His worship was so excessive that it left a visible indentation in his forehead due to prolonged prostration. His diet was meagre, indicative of his contempt for worldly delights and concentration on divine love. This excessive devotion had an impact on his physical well-being. He suffered from a chronic respiratory disease as a result of excessive asceticism. When he was brought to Delhi for treatment, the doctors allegedly stated, "The cure for such a spiritual malady lies not with us but with Sahib al-Barakat Hazrat Syed Shah Barkatullah Marehrawi Pemi Ishqi." Even though nobles, rulers, and governors sought him out, Hazrat Syed Shah Aal-e-Muhammad never allowed audiences with worldly dignitaries, instead choosing the companionship of genuine seekers, dervishes, and the poor. His court was always full of scholars of outward and inward sciences. Deep Love and Spiritual Affection He was the dearest and eldest son of Sahib al-Barakat Hazrat Syed Shah Barkatullah Marehrawi Pemi Ishqi, whom he was passionately fond of. His son and spiritual successor, Hazrat Syed Shah Hamza Ainee, described this relationship in moving words: “My grandfather, Hazrat Sahib al-Barakat, had such a deep love for Hazrat Aal-e-Muhammad that if he ever missed the congregational prayer due to any Shara'i (legal) excuse, my grandfather would say, 'I found no sweetness in prayer today'. Such was their mutual bond and companionship that Hazrat Aal-e-Muhammad never left his father's side even for a moment.” Hazrat Aal-e-Muhammad kept his great father informed about everything he did and never attempted anything important without consulting him, a sign of his total submission to the spiritual hierarchy. Spiritual Instruction and Miraculous Guidance Hazrat Aal-e-Muhammad's spiritual pedagogy was characterised by depth of wisdom. He was entrusted with the tarbiyat (training) of Sufi seekers by his father, a responsibility he executed with utmost diligence and understanding. He possessed a singular capacity for benefiting even those disciples who had stumbled under the guidance of other Shaykhs. He would employ the identical awraad (litanies) and a'maal (spiritual exercises) they had originally been prescribed, facilitating their ultimate development, often letting them believe it was miraculously from their first Shaykh, thereby strengthening their loyalty rather than claiming credit for himself. In one instance, a man came to Hazrat Aal-e-Muhammad complaining of spiritual aridity and inability to stay immersed in God's remembrance. Hazrat kept him waiting for a response and instead ordered his attendant to confine the seeker in a hot room in the June summer, providing him only with dry millet bread and fish. Dried up and desperate, the man was finally released by evening. When asked what he wanted, he yelled, "Water!" Hazrat smiled and replied: "If you had wished for God with such longing and yearning, you would have experienced spiritual intoxication in His remembrance." This was Hazrat Aal-e-Muhammad's method: to awaken inner desire (shauq) through experience, not instruction. Influences on Scholars and Seekers One of the most poignant descriptions is that of Maulana Tufail Itraulvi Bilgrami, a learned scholar and seeker who, after visiting Hazrat Aal-e-Muhammad, was struck by the fiery blaze of divine love he witnessed at the Khanqah. Reduced to tears, Maulana announced his decision to renounce worldly life and spend the rest of his years in the shade of Hazrat's spiritual home. When Maulana was told he had to first return his friends to Bilgram, Hazrat Barkatullah comforted him with so much love and confidence that he departed with peace in his heart, vowing to return when called. Marriage and Family Hazrat Syed Shah Aal-e-Muhammad Marehrawi married the daughter of his maternal uncle, Hazrat Shah Azmatullah. Two sons were born from this marriage, Hazrat Syed Shah Hamza Ainee and Hazrat Syed Shah Haqqani, both of whom followed in his spiritual footsteps. He also had one daughter. Demise and Resting Place Hazrat Aal-e-Muhammad Marehrawi departed this mortal world on 16th Ramadan 1164 AH at Marehra Sharif, Uttar Pradesh. He rests beside the grave of his father, Hazrat Syed Shah Barkatullah, in a specially built shrine. His maqbara continues to draw seekers and devotees from across the Indian subcontinent and abroad. Legacy and Spiritual Heirs Hazrat Aal-e-Muhammad’s legacy remains firmly rooted in the religious history of the Barkatiyya order. His Khulafā' (designated spiritual deputies) are too numerous to count, but among the most renowned are Hazrat Sayyid Shah Hamza Ainee, Hazrat Sayyid Shah Muhammad Haqqani, Hazrat Shah Buzurg Marehrawi, Hazrat Mufti Jalaluddin and Hazrat Shah Muhammad Shakir. Each of these saints played a pivotal role in expanding the spiritual teachings and disciplines propagated by Hazrat Aal-e-Muhammad. His life stands as a testament to the redemptive power of sincere devotion, rigorous discipline, and unwavering submission to God's will. In an age that often seeks instantaneous spirituality, his story is a reminder that true spiritual elevation is attained through perseverance, sincerity, and self-effacement. Today, his name still illuminates the hearts of seekers, and his khanqah continues to thrive as an abode of divine unity and love, a living heritage of Burhan al-Muwahhideen. References 1. Ahmad Mujtaba Siddiqi Barkati "Hayat-e-Mashaikh-e-Marehra" 2. Abdul Mujtaba Rizvi (2002) "Tazkira-e-Mashaikh-e-Qadiriyya Barakatiyya Razaviyya" Al-Majmaul Misbah Mobarakpur, Azamgarh ------ Syed Amjad Hussain is an author and Independent research scholar on Sufism and Islam. He is currently working on his book 'Bihar Aur Sufivad', based on the history of Sufism in Bihar. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/burhan-muwahhideen-spiritual-heritage-aal-marehrawi/d/135125 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism