Hazrat Shah Jalal

Hazrat Shah Jalal Mazar Mosque

Hazrat Shah Jalal:

Full Name:(Yamanī Shāh Jalāl ad-Dīn al-Mujarrad) is a celebrated Sufi Muslim figure in Bengal. Jalal's name is associated with the Muslim conquest of north-eastern Bengal and the spread of Islam in Bangladesh through Sufism. He was buried in Sylhet, Bangladesh, formerly known as Jalalabad, while the country's main airport is named in his honour.

Personal Info:

Religion:Islam

Personal: Born 669 AH (1271 CE)Hadramaut, Yemen

Died: 746 AH (1347 CE)Sylhet, Bengal (now in Bangladesh)

Based in: Sylhet (initially Hadramaut)

Title: Shaykh-ul-Mashāykh, Al-Mujarrad Khalifa

Predecessor: Syed Ahmed Kabir

Successor: Shah Paran

Hazrat Shah Jala Life:

During the later stages of his life, Shah Jalal devoted himself to propagating Islam. Under his guidance, thousands of Hindus and Buddhists converted to Islam. Shah Jalal became so renowned that the famous traveller Ibn Battuta, then in Chittagong, made a one-month journey through the mountains of Kamaru near Sylhet to meet him.[3] On his way to Sylhet, Ibn Batuta was greeted by several of Shah Jalal's disciples who had come to assist him on his journey many days before he had arrived. At the meeting in 1345 CE, Ibn Batuta noted that Shah Jalal was tall and lean, fair in complexion and lived by the mosque in a cave, where his only item of value was a goat he kept for milk, butter, and yogurt. He observed that the companions of the Shah Jalal were foreign and known for their strength and bravery. He also mentions that many people would visit the Shah to seek guidance.[4]

The meeting between Ibn Batuta and Shah Jalal is described in his Arabic travelogue, Rihla (The Journey). Amir Khusrau also gives an account of Shah Jalal's conquest of Sylhet in his book Afdalul Hawaade. Even today in Hadramaut, Yemen, Shah Jalal's name is established in folklore.[5]

The exact date of his death is unknown, but he is reported by Ibn Batuta to have died in 746 AH (1347 CE). He left behind two descendants, with many still living in Sylhet today. He is buried in Sylhet in his Dargah (tomb), which is located in a neighborhood now known as Dargah Mohalla. His shrine is famous in Sylhet and throughout Bangladesh, with hundreds of devotees visiting daily. The largest mosque in Sylhet was built at the Dargah (also one of the largest in Bangladesh).

The Shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal:

Shrine of Saint Hazrat Shah Jalal is the most historical interest in Sylhet town. Today, more than six hundred years after his death, the shrine is visited by innumerable devotees of every caste and creed, who make the journey from far away places. Legend says, the great saint who came from Delhi to preach Islam and defeated the then Hindu Raja (king) Gour Gobinda, transformed the witchcraft followers of the Raja into catfishes which are still alive in the tank adjacent to the shrine Swords, the holy Quran and the robes of the holy saint are still preserved in the shrine.