Khwaja Fazal Mohammed

Khwaja Fazal Mohammed (1805 – 1868) was a Sufi Pīr and philosopher of the Ni'matullāhī order.[1] He served as the Samanta of Madhi (presently known as Kamkhyangar) from 1834 to 1868.[2] Khwaja Fazal Mohammed played an instrumental role in bringing the teachings of Ni'matullāhī order to Odisha. His tomb at Angul is the only tomb of a Ni'mātullāhī wali in Odisha and is revered by both Hindus and Muslims.[1][3]

Khwaja Pir Fazal Mohammed
Born1805
Dhenkanal State, Company Raj (present day : Dhenkanal, Odisha)
Died10 February 1868(1868-02-10) (aged 62–63)
Angul, Odisha
Resting placeBada Majara, Angul
Spouse(s)Dilshaad Ara Begum
ChildrenAtharuddin Mohammed, Begum Noor
Parent(s)
  • Khwaja Afzal Mohammed (father)
RelativesSayeed Mohammed (grandson), Afzal-ul Amin (great grandson)

Ancestry

Khwaja Fazal Mohammed was one of the direct descendants of Shah Khalilullah, the qutub of Ni'matullāhī order. Fazal's ancestry can be traced back to Shah Nimatullah Wali, the 14th century Persian Sufi master of Iran and Musa al Kadhim, the 7th Imam and a renowned scholar who was a contemporary of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur.[4][5]

Life

In the initial years Fazal Mohammed popularized the teachings of the qutub of the Ni'matullāhī order in Odisha. He later left spiritualism and joined the service of the Raja of Dhenkanal State. Fazal was appointed as the Samanta of Madhi gada by Raja Bhagiratha Mahendra. He assisted the Raja in his tiger hunting campaigns, the Raja in his life had killed not fewer than 352 tigers.[2]

Fazal Mohammed married Dilshaad ara Begum, the daughter of Sheikh Nurullah Ali who again was from the same spiritual order, they had a son named Atharuddin Mohammed who would grow up to be the Diwan of Dhenkanal.[6]

Tomb

In 1868, Fazal Mohammed while on his way to a distant court, suffered from a heart attack and fell down from his horse, he died there. As per the Sunni Ni'matullāhī traditions, he was buried in the same spot and a tomb was built upon his grave which was commissioned by the Raja himself.[7]

Today, his tomb at Solada, Angul is revered mostly by Hindus and is taken care of by the local tribals and hindu villagers.[8] The Choti Masjid built at Cuttack near Qadam e Rasool is dedicated to Fazal Mohammed and is named after him.[9]

References
  1. Khan, M. Q. (2014). The Healing Touch of Sufism in Odisha. District Council of Culture. ISBN 9798191108667.
  2. Rathore, Abhinay. "Dhenkanal (Princely State)". Rajput Provinces of India. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  3. Mohammad Quamruddin Khan (2014). The healing touch of Sufism in Odisha. Cuttack: District Council of Culture.
  4. Lethbridge, Sir Robert. The Golden Handbook. p. 246.
  5. "Abu Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Mansur Facts". biography.yourdictionary.com. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  6. "Odisha Tourism : DHENKANAL WARS WILDERNESS AND ROYAL HOSPITALITY". odishatourism.gov.in. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  7. Nov 29, Binita Jaiswal / TNN /; 2013; Ist, 00:38. "Govt to bring out book on Cuttack's rich Sufi history | Bhubaneswar News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 October 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. "Places of Interest | Angul District : Odisha | India". Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  9. "Cuttack samithi of Cuttack district (Odisha) does Seva | Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations India". Retrieved 8 October 2020.
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