Ata Hussain Fani Chishti facts for kids

Ata Hussain Fani (1816–1893), also known as Ata Hussain Gayavi, was a respected Sufi saint from the Chishti Order in South Asia. He was special because he was the first Sufi to go to Gaya, a place with very few Muslims, to share the message of Islam. He was also a talented writer, poet, linguist, and a great speaker. He reached the highest level of spirituality a Sufi could achieve in his time.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Ata Hussain Fani was born in 1816 in Patna City, Bihar, India. He came from a religious family of Sufi saints. His father, Sultan Ahmed Shaheed, raised him until Fani was 10 years old. After his father passed away, his grandfather, Ghulam Hussain Danapuri, took care of him.

After his grandfather's death, Fani was looked after by his uncle, Meer Qamruddin Husain Monami. His uncle taught him about the world and spiritual matters. Fani received a special certificate, called Khilafat-o-Ijazat, from his uncle when he finished his studies. This certificate allowed him to teach others.

Family History

Fani belonged to a well-known Syed family in Bihar. This means his family line could be traced back to Syedna Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, an important leader in Islam. After al-Baqir, his son Jafar al-Sadiq became the next leader of the Muslim community.

Journeys and Settlement

When Fani was 28 years old, he walked all the way to Mecca, a holy city for Muslims. This journey took him five years! It is said that he was spiritually guided by Muhammad to return to India. He was told to go to Gaya to spread Islam and become its spiritual leader, known as a Qutub.

He arrived in Gaya in 1850. He was welcomed by Syed Ashraf Hussain Sadrus Sudoor, the district judge of Gaya. The judge had already dreamed about Fani and was told to welcome him warmly. Fani lived, died, and was buried in Gaya.

Spiritual Journey

Fani was very knowledgeable in spiritual matters. He had permission to teach in about seventy major Sufi orders from around the world. This included many famous orders from eastern India. He was connected to fourteen main orders that led back to Muhammad.

He originally belonged to the Chistia Khizria Monamia order. He completed his spiritual training in the Abulolaiya order with his uncle, Syed Shah Qamruddin Monami. He also had strong spiritual connections with other famous Sufi saints like Mohiuddin Abdul Qadir Jilani, Baba Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Nizamuddin Auliya, and Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri.

Special Titles

Fani received many important titles. The most special one was Abdul Razzaq, given to him by Muhammad when he visited Medina. Other titles he was known by include:

• Shah-e-Ata
• Qutb-e-Gaya (meaning "Spiritual Leader of Gaya")
• Murshid-e-Aala (meaning "Highest Guide")
• Sarkar-e-Ata
• Hazrat-e-Fani

His Family and Successors

Fani married a descendant of Maqdum-e-Jahan Syed Sharfuddin Yahya. He had three children: one son and two daughters. Only two of his children had families that continued his lineage. His son, Syed Shah Ghulam Qutubuddin Chishti, was very important. The leadership of his family's spiritual center, called a Khanqah, always passed down through his son's family.

His Son: Syed Shah Ghulam Qutubuddin Chishti

Fani's only son, Syed Shah Ghulam Qutubuddin Chishti, was born in 1838. He became a student of his father in the Chishti Order. He spent his whole life with his father, learning everything from him, including spiritual wisdom. He passed away in 1887 at the age of 49. He had one son who continued the family line.

His Grandson: Syed Shah Nezamuddin Chishti Monami

Syed Shah Nezamuddin Chishti Monami was the only child of Shah Qutubuddin. He was born in 1860. Fani told him to become a student of his own father. He received permission to teach in all Sufi orders from both his father and grandfather. He also earned an engineering degree from Bankipur Engineering College in Patna.

Like his grandfather, he was skilled in many subjects. These included religious studies, history, law, engineering, medicine, and Tassawwuf (Sufi mysticism). He became Fani's successor after Fani's death in 1889. He visited the shrine of Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer before starting his duties as the leader of the Khanqah. He died in 1904 at the age of 44.

His Great-Grandson: Shah Hussainuddin Safi

Shah Hussainuddin Safi Chishti was the eldest son of Shah Nezamuddin Chishti. He was born in 1303 of the Islamic calendar. He became a student of his father in the Chishti Order and received permission to teach in all orders. He became the leader of the Khanqah in 1904. During his time, the Khanqah became very successful. People often said he was just like Shah-e-Ata.

He started many new ways of teaching and spreading Islamic knowledge:

• Halqae-Abulolaiya: This was a group for all Muslims. They held programs on the 17th of every Islamic month. Scholars and Sufis gave speeches at the Khanqah. This group also helped bury unknown deceased Muslims. It still exists today.
• Matbua-Monamia: This was a publishing house. It printed old books kept in the Khanqah's library. It was the first publishing house in Gaya. Hussainuddin published many books written by his ancestors, especially Fani. He also wrote biographies of important Islamic figures and travel stories.
• Hizbul-Foqra: In the early 1900s, new groups appeared that were against traditional Sunni Islam and Sufi centers. Hussainuddin created a group of learned people to stand against these activities in Bihar. He brought together scholars, masters, and Sufis from different orders and Khanqahs in Bihar.

He died in 1939 at the age of 55. His son, Amir-ul-Mashaiq Syed Shah Ghulam-e-Mustafa Ahmed Chishti, became the next leader of the Khanqah.

His Great-Great-Grandson: Amir-ul-Mashaiq Syed Shah Ghulam-e-Mustafa Ahmed Chishti

He was born on December 14, 1936. When he was only two and a half years old, his father, Shah Hussainuddin Safi, passed away. Before his death, his father named him as his successor.

Amir-ul-Mashaiq served as the leader of the Khanqah for 54 years. He passed away on January 30, 2012. His burial place is right next to Fani's tomb. He had thousands of students and followers in India, Pakistan, and the USA. He was known as Amir-ul-Mashaiq, meaning "the master of all masters," because many Sufis in Gaya learned spiritual lessons from him.

His Students and Followers

It is believed that Ata Hussain Fani had about 60,000 students across Asia. Many of them became successful Sufi masters themselves.

The Razzaqi Order

Since Shah-e-Ata was given the title of Abdul Razzaq, his students and followers proudly called themselves Sufis of the Razzaqi order. This is how the Razzaqi Order began.

Important Students

Unfortunately, much information about Fani's students was lost. This happened during India's First War of Independence in 1857. More information was lost when Wahhabi extremists formed Saudi Arabia, causing Sufis to leave that area. Also, the Partition of India in 1947 led to more loss of records.

However, some information has been found from Fani's book, Kaifya-tul-Aarfeen wa Nisbatul Aasheqeen. Since 1970, many successors of Fani's students have been found. They have helped share important information about the Razzaqi order. Here are a few of his most famous students:

Syed Shah Qazi Mazahir Imam

He was Fani's most beloved student. Qazi Mazahir was a very charming person. He founded his own Khanqah, called Khanqah Mazahirya, which still exists today. He passed away in 1942. His grandson, Syed Shah Qazi Najam Imam Chishti Monami Hifzullah, is the current leader of Khanqah Mazahirya.

Syed Shah Nudrat Hussain Burdawani

He was already the leader of his family's Khanqah in Burdwan, West Bengal. He was spiritually guided to go to Gaya and become Fani's student. He wrote down Fani's sayings in forty lessons. After completing his spiritual training, he returned to Burdwan. He was buried in his own Khanqah after his death.

See also

• Khwaja Wali Kirani
• Sufism