Hazrath Sheikh Yusuf Sultan Shah Qadiri was the Master and Guide of more than ten prominent Sufi orders, still prevalent in the world. An ascetic who went on to seek the springs of gnosis for more than a decade and spent rigorous years on mountain tops and premises of great Sufi mashaikh’s maqams.
A reformer, who declared the Voice of Truth fearlessly and faced the cannon fires of enmity with cheerfulness and healthy dialogues. Hazrath Sultan Shah invited the world to Thouheed, which is the life-breath of the entire universe and all prophets and Gnostics. Whoever recognizes the Truth got to join in their union.
Hazrath Sultan Shah remained as the Arc of Noah (a), helping them escape from the great deluge of homicides and fatal killings on the edge of human history.
Hazrat’s Life-Sketch
Aluva:
Hazrat Sultan Shah was born and brought up at Thottumukham, Aluva in Eranakulam District of Kerala, India. Born to a well-famed family of Madina Origin, the Holy city of Prophet(s), Hazrat completed his primary education from Madrasas and schools at his own locality.
Haji Ali Dargah:
Hazrat Sultan Shah began his journey of Spiritual Seeking upon the hands of Sufi Fakhruddin Moulana(r), a famous Sufi saint at the younger age of fourteen, from Mumbai. It was a journey seeking to realize The Truth. Long years of meditation and Dikhr passed on. Hazrat’s first attempt was to achieve the Gate of Knowledge Hazrat Ali(r), by meditating for a span of six months on Joolan Maidans. Then after, Hazrat wished to achieve the spring of gnosis Hazrat Kidhr(a), meditating on the premises of Haji Ali Dargah and Islands near Mumbai and on mountain tops.
Baghdad:
Dargah Sherif of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani(r) at Baghdad, the capital city of the folk of Allah. Hazrath reached there, along with Mashaikhs at his younger age of eighteen. There Hazrath became Sultan, Sultan of all the worlds. Then and there, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani(r) called his young fellow member, putting the blessed palm upon his head, by the name Sufi Muhammad Yusuf Sultan.
Haji Malank:
When Hazrath returned from Baghdad, each and everybody got to call him by the name Sultan Baba. Then after, Hazrath spent long years in rigorous meditation on the mountains of Haji Malang, some hundred miles away from Kalyan in Mumbai. Hazrath sat in meditation near the Dargah Sheriff of Sheikh Abdul Rahman Haji Malank Baba(r), inside a cave upon the mountain top.
Ajmeer:
Hazrath spent long years in fasting meditation inside a cave on a mountain in the region of Ajmeer Shareef, and the locations in Thane and Bandup in Maharashtra. It was spiritual journey to realize Almighty Allah, and realize the Truth.
Shivapur:
Well famous Dargah Sherif of Shaikh Qamar Ali Darwesh Baba located at Sivapur near Pune City, it is a Centre of Living Miracles (Karamaths) visible to everybody visiting there. Hazrat was entrusted with duty of Khateeb at nearby Masjid on directions from Hazrath Qamar Ali Darwesh(r).
Sayyed Badshah Qadiri(r):
From Sivapur Masjid Hazrath Sultan Shah happened to meet with Sayyed Muhammad Badshah Qadiri Yamani(r), the great Sufi Saint and Master who preached the path of Kalima Tayyiba to the entire world. Hazrath Sultan Shah joined in the union of great Sufi order who proclaimed the path of Kalima Tayyiba.
Dargah of Pune:
Hazrat Sultan Shah Qadiri got the invitation into the Sufi order (Silsila) of Kalima Tayyiba upon the hands of Shaikh Madarshah Qadiri(r), whose abode of rest is at Pune and who was a Khalifa of Shaikh Badushah Qadiri(r).
Dargah of Wadi:
On the 10th of Dulqad month of Hijri calendar year 1395 (1975), Hazrat Sultan Shah was bestowed with the Khilafath and was declared as Shaikh Badushah Qadeer Yamani Qadiri(r)’s Khalifa in front of a number of Aulia-e-Kiram at a ceremony held at the centre of Sayyed Badushah Qadiri(r) in Wadi Halkatta Sherief in Gulbarga District of Karnataka.
Kalima Thayyiba:
Hazrath still spent a period of time in meditation with the flag of Kalima Thayyiba. Upon the compulsions from Mashaikhs, Hazrath agrees to marry. Hazrat returns to his home state of Kerala. Hazrath reached back home in Aluva, after a long span of seventeen years.
On the course of time, several attempts were made to spread misconceptions about Hazrath. Many of them were inexperienced about the path of Truth and Hazrath’s mode of conduct. From many corners attempts were made to make departments of Govt. as enemies of Hazrat.
Background of Criticism:
Hazrath Sultan Shah settled in Kerala in the year 1975. Hazrath reached here after realizing the Truth experientially. In Kerala, it was a situation, where so many false coins existed both among the Ulema and nominal Sufi guides. Hazrath never endeavored to form a movement on the purpose of reformation. Even though, Hazrath was compelled to disclose the Truth of his Mission on many occasions. Many groups, who feared their survival in the society, didn’t digest Hazrath’s disclosures well. They began to feed on enmity.
Many who proclaimed enmity in public happened to meet death on piteous conditions; some spread rumors that these expirations were on account of curse from Hazrath. So the groups, who declared enmity in public earlier, went back to recluse. Still they continued their adversity. Crowds were pulling in more and more at the holy presence of Hazrath Shaikh. This provoked the aforesaid group and they induced Ulema Associations to issue Fatwa against Hazrath. Hazrath Shaikh made his mission well into public bestowing his Khilafath to six renowned scholars in a prestigious ceremony in the year of 1999. This brought more enmity from jealous groups. Hazrath bestowed Khilafath to another 12 more in the year 2002. This conference went on to become a topic of discussion on several venues.
On the 26th day of February in 2006, Hazrath Sultan Shah was honored by prominent persons from Ulema of Delhi, at a ceremony held on the premises of Hazrath Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah Sharif, one of the major sufi centers in India. On the same occasion 19 Mahbubi students were granted with Mahbubi Degree, who completed a research course on Sufism Studies, after being expelled from Academy of Darul Huda on account of initiating into the path of Hazrat. In the meantime, the classmates of these students were not provided degrees from the Academy, who has already completed their courses from the institute. The institute authorities were in fear of being questioned on account of expelling students without any fatwa from Ulema Association. The Mahbubi convocation ceremony held at Hazrath Nizamuddin Dargah brought the institute into a dire situation. The institute at that time was led by two prominent figures from the Ulema Association. This brought the authority into terminal anxiety as they were challenged with ground realities from Delhi. The Ulama Association was compelled to conduct meeting urgently to issue Fatwa against Hazrat Sultan Shah.
As a result of this meeting, they issued a fatwa stating the great Sufi order of Kalima Tayyiba was out of the religion, in the very month of March itself.
After this issuance of Fatwa, the press conference at Kozhikode in Kerala attended by expelled students of the Institute explaining the Fatwa was a product of Academy to save its face, was accepted with high media coverage. Fatwa was not based on Islamic principles, they argued.
Ulema Association was not ready to explain details of its fatwa even after weeks of its issuance. As a result, many publications, like Mattoli, made fun of Ulema Association’s endeavor.
After all, Ulema association conducted conferences of explanation upon urgency from the People, at Manjeri and Valanchery (Places in Kerala). Meanwhile, these criticisms were dealt well by the young Scholars of Jeealni Study Centre which runs under the supervision of Hazrath Sultan Shah.
In the meantime, many prominent scholars and Sufi Ulema who met at National Tasawwuf Conference held in Capital city of Delhi, questioned the fatwa of Kerala Ulema Associations, and they asked to revoke the same one. This meeting swept away the soil of Justification for Kerala Ulama’s arguments of majority support for their fatwa. As the criticism was coming forth from several directions, Hazrath Shaikh himself came forward to organize an association on the purpose of answering them. Hazrath laid foundation for the centre of his activities named Jeelani Sheriff at Aluva, Kizhakke Desham, near to Cochin, Kerala and established a research there.
Hazrat also established an association by the name Sultaniya Foundation in order to strengthen and promote his mission of Khilafath.
The great conference held on the premises of Jeelani Sharif - asthana e Sultan, on the occasion of Khilafath Anniversary which was conducted on 26, 27, 28 and 29thdays of April 2007, to emphasize the message of Hazrath’s spiritual mission made a big history. Several programs were also held on the same occasion in different centers in India, like Delhi and other cities. Many important figures from different spheres of Indian social life took part in the conferences.
Hazrath Sultan Shah strongly criticized the ill attempts of some to exploit his disciples financially and organize Ziyarath tours including women in a mode averse to the code of conduct stipulated by Sharia of Islam. As a result many of them falsely attempted to charge files against Hazrat Sultan Shah, giving misinterpretations to Police and Media. But, Hazrat Sultan Shah allowed the police officials to enter his premises peacefully and cooperated with legal institutions very cordially. You can never cover the Truth up. Even if I were to lose my head for the sake of the Truth, I am not ready to bow in front of untruth. If these false Ulema never cease to cheat over their society, terror and fright will prevail in this world. Sharia is the external side of Religion, as much as Tariqa is the internal side of Religion. Nobody can become a Muslim unless abiding by both these sides. And the worst blame of this current age is on those false Ulema groups who are devils inside, and dressed up scholars outside.
Connect with Us