Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Hazrat Shaykh Alaul Haq Pandavi: The Sufi saint of Chishtiyya order, Who Nurtured Bengal’s Spiritual Heart
By Adnan Faizi, New Age Islam
18 June 2025
Among the early architects of Bengal’s Chishti Sufi movement, Hazrat Shaykh Alaul Haq Pandavi (800 AH) stands as a towering yet quiet figure who nurtured disciples like Hazrat Ashraf Jahangir Semnani and Hazrat Noor Qutb Alam. As the son-in-law and successor of Hazrat Akhi Sirajuddin Usman, his presence helped make Pandua Sharif a permanent spiritual capital for the Chishtia silsila in eastern India.
Main Points:
1. Bengal’s most prominent Chishti after Hazrat Akhi Sirajuddin Usman
2. Murshid of Hazrat Makhdoom Syed Ashraf Jahangir Semnani
3. Married the daughter of Hazrat Akhi Sirajuddin Usman
4. Pandua became a Chishti headquarters under him
5. Spiritual chain recorded in Lataif-e-Ashrafi of Hazrat Makhdoom Syed Ashraf Jahangir Semnani.
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Introduction
In the 14th century, while Delhi was witnessing the peak of the Chishti Sufi golden age under Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya's successors, Bengal quietly developed its own powerful legacy. At the centre of this was Hazrat Shaykh Alaul Haq Pandavi, a murid, Khalifa, and eventually son-in-law of Hazrat Akhi Sirajuddin Usman. Through deep scholarship, exemplary Khidmat, and a nurturing mentorship of future spiritual leaders, he helped shape eastern India’s most enduring Chishti lineage.
Hazrat Alaul Haq Pandavi was honoured with titles such as “Shaykh al-Mun'eem al-Mukarram” and “Ganj-e-Nabaat”, reflecting his generous spiritual presence and the gentle sweetness of his teachings. These titles became symbols of the deep love and reverence he inspired within the Chishti tradition.
Early Life and Family Background
Hazrat Alaul Haq Pandavi was born in 1301, His father’s name was Umar bin Asad al-Khalidi (Asad Khalidi), a dignitary originally from Lahore who later served as the royal treasurer in the court of Sultan Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, the first Ilyas Shahi ruler of Bengal. This placed Hazrat Alaul Haq in a family of both administrative and spiritual significance.
He was raised in an environment where both political understanding and religious inclination coexisted, and this dual sensitivity would later reflect in his ability to guide sultans while maintaining spiritual independence. From his marriage to the daughter of Hazrat Akhi Sirajuddin Usman, he had a son Shaykh Noor-ul-Haq, later revered as Hazrat Noor Qutb Alam. He also had a daughter, who was married to the Chishti Sufi, Hazrat Fareed uddin.
Spiritual Training and Bay‘ah
He became a murid of Hazrat Akhi Sirajuddin Usman, the foremost Chishti figure of Bengal and himself a direct disciple of Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya. Hazrat Alaul Haq’s Bay’Ah into the Chishti Silsila marked a critical link in the eastern expansion of this Sufi order.
According to Lataif-e-Ashrafi, authored by his illustrious murid Hazrat Ashraf Jahangir Semnani, Hazrat Alaul Haq Pandavi is directly mentioned as a spiritual pillar and teacher. This authenticates his status not only as a Khalifa but as an integral transmitter of Chishti teachings in Bengal.
He also married the daughter of his Murshid Hazrat Akhi Siraj, thereby further strengthening the spiritual and familial bond between the two generations.
Khilafat and Role in Bengal
Hazrat Alaul Haq was granted Khilafat directly by Hazrat Akhi Siraj, making him the principal spiritual successor in Bengal. After the wisaal of his murshid, he established his base permanently in Pandua, the capital of Bengal at the time under Sultan Ilyas Shah and his successors.
According to scholarly sources like “Mujmua al-Bahrain: Time Lines”, Hazrat Alaul Haq is documented as the major spiritual inheritor of Hazrat Akhi Siraj in Bengal, anchoring the Chishti movement there. His influence on the royal courts was firm yet non-political often guiding rulers spiritually while refusing direct involvement in power.
Teaching and Disciples
His teaching style was rooted in classical Chishti values: Zikr-e-Jahri, Khidmat, Sama, humility, and discipline. He maintained a close-knit spiritual circle but also trained seekers from distant regions. Two of his most distinguished disciples shaped the next generation of Bengal’s Sufi history:
1. Hazrat Ashraf Jahangir Semnani – who initially came to Pandua as a seeker and later became a renowned Sufi saint of Kichhauchha.
2. Hazrat Noor Qutb Alam – his son and Khalifa, who continued his legacy and guided Bengal’s spiritual scene during the reign of later Ilyas Shahi rulers.
Both carried his silsila forward in ways that permanently shaped eastern Indian Islam.
Urs, Mazar, and Rituals
The exact date of Hazrat Alaul Haq Pandavi’s death is not definitively known. According to Akhbar-ul-Akhyar by ‘Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi, he passed away in 800 AH / 1398 CE, whereas a manuscript preserved by the caretakers of his shrine records his death as occurring in 786 AH / 1384 CE.
His shrine is located in Chhoti Dargah, Pandua, near the ruins of the historic Adina Masjid. This site remains an important spiritual and cultural space for Chishti followers in Bengal.
His annual Urs is observed in 23 to 25 Rajab with traditional Chishti rituals, including qawwalis, langar, and zikr assemblies. Historical records mention that his janaza was led by Hazrat Jalaluddin Jahaniyah Jahangasht, further attesting to his spiritual stature
Legacy
Hazrat Alaul Haq Pandavi’s legacy is visible not only in the disciples he trained but in the institutional identity he gave Bengal’s Sufi landscape. He transformed Pandua into a permanent Chishti headquarters. His Silsila continues through the lines of Hazrat Noor Qutb Alam and the traditions kept alive at Chhoti Dargah to this day.
His role was later documented in regional Malfuzat literature and scholarly accounts. While not as globally recognized as his Delhi counterparts, Hazrat Alaul Haq Pandavi’s name holds immense reverence in Bengal and parts of eastern India as the Roohani Quwwat behind Bengal’s enduring Chishti legacy.
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Adnan Faizi is a Peace and Harmony activist based in Delhi. He is an alumni of CCS University, Meerut.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/hazrat-shaykh-pandavi-sufi-saint-chishtiyya-spiritual/d/135904
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