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Chirag-i Rawshan - Background to the Isma`ili Da`wat in the Northern Areas of Pakistan

Background to the Isma`ili Da`wat in the Northern Areas of Pakistan

Tags: Nasir-i Khusraw, Hunza

Early life of Hakim Nasir-i Khusraw and his education:

Pir Nasir himself has referred to his vast and extensive learning in several places of his Diwan, such as:

Whatever kind of knowledge I heard of
I sat adjacent to its door (to acquire it).

Not any kind of knowledge was left
Of which I did not benefit more or less.

There is an interesting account of his learning in a spurious Sargudhasht (autobiography) attributed to him. In the Sargudhasht there are many things which have nothing to do with Pir Nasir's life but the description of his education seems to be quite close to what is found in his Diwan, which is summarized by Mawlawi `Abd ar-Razzaq Kanpuri, who translated his Safar-namah into Urdu, as follows:

After the four stages (of growth), when he attained the rational faculty, he was sent to school in his sixth year. By the age of nine he had memorised the entire Qur'an. During the following five years he studied literature, grammar, prosody, and arithmetic. After acquiring elementary education, he studied astrology, astronomy, geomancy, Euclid and the Almagest for three years. At the age of seventeen he began his studies in literature, jurisprudence, exegesis of the Holy Qur'an and Hadith. He studied specifically Imam Muhammad Shaybani's Jami`-i Kabir and Siyar-i Kabir and in connection with his Qur'anic studies he studied some three hundred commentaries, both those included in the syllabus and others on his own initiative. Thereafter he studied Greek philosophy for fifteen years. He remained in Balkh until adulthood. In addition to Persian which was his mother tongue, he knew Arabic, Turkish, Greek, Hebrew and Hindustani (Sindhi). His knowledge of Hebrew is confirmed by his Safar-namah.

At the age of thirty-two he studied the Old Testament, the Psalms and the Gospel under Jewish scholars and then he studied them critically himself for a further six years. He also studied the Metaphysical Logic and Physical Logic system expounded by the sage Jamasb, medicine and mathematics and finally Sufism, Spiritualism, Evocation and Talismans. At the approximate age of forty-four, Nasir-i Khusraw emerged as a matchless sage, philosopher, scholar, dialectician and poet. He acquired all these sciences in Balkh, Bukhara, `Iraq and in the province of Khurasan, where the leading authorities of these sciences lived at that time. Nasir was so well known in his time for his erudition that even the Jewish and Christian scholars sought his help to study their own religious books.

Hakim Nasir's Wisdom-filled Dream:

He says in his Safar-namah: I used to drink wine. The Holy Prophet said: "Tell the truth, even if it be against your own selves". One night in a dream I saw someone saying to me: How long will you continue to drink this wine, which destroys man's intellect? If you were to stay sober, it would be better for you.

In reply I said: The wise have not been able to come up with anything other than this to lessen the sorrow of this world.

To be without one's senses is not repose, he answered. He cannot be called wise who leads men to senselessness. Rather, one should seek that which increases reason and wisdom.

Where can I find such a thing? I asked. He said: He who seeks, finds. And then he pointed toward the qiblah and said no more.

Some scholars think that the dream which Pir Nasir-i Khusraw has mentioned is an example of him having been influenced by an Isma`ili da`i. This is most probably true, because he quite often uses allegorical and parabolic language in his writings. It is true that a great da`i prohibited him to drink and indicated to him the Imam of the time, who is the fountainhead of intellect. Such a systematic and luminous dream is not possible if one is drunk.

Pir Nasir-i Khusraw in Yumgan:

Professor Bertels in his work "Nasir-i Khusraw and Isma`ilis" has written that the valley of Yumgan became the true seat of the Hujjat of Khurasan (i.e Nasir-i Khusraw). He writes that it is not wrong for people to say "Shah Nasir", because the close circle of the da`wat considered him to be the king of knowledge and wisdom. He says that Nasir-i Khusraw in Yumgan continued the chain of da`wat. He used to send letters inviting people to the Isma`ili Tariqah, as is found in his Diwan:

Har sāl yakī kitāb-i da`wat
Ba-atrāf-i jahān hamī firistam

Tā dānad khasm-i man kih chun tū
Dar dīn nah da`īf-ū khwār-ū sustam.

I send a letter of da`wat every year to all directions of the world;
So that the adversary may know that in religion; I am not weak, abject and idle like you.

In many of his qasa'id he says: Although I live in a cave far from and cut off from my familiar country, in the eyes of my friends I am esteemed and respected.

As he says in his Rawshana'i-namah:

Za Hujjat īn sukhanhā yād mīdār
Kih dar Yumgān nishastah pādshāhwār

Remember these words of the Hujjat
Who sits in Yumgan like a king.

The above-mentioned book notes that Pir Nasir had correspondence from Yumgan with the centre of the da`wat in Egypt. It also notes that Pir Nasir wrote most of his philosophical works in Yumgan, including Rawshana'i-namah, Jami`u'l-Hikmatayn and Zadu'l-Musafirin (pp. 185-86).

The Centre and Source of Da`wat-i Nasiri:

It is clear as broad daylight that the light of the Isma`ili da`wat spread to Chitral, the Northern Areas, Sariqul and Yarqand, from Badakhshan. The fountainhead of the light of the lamps of knowledge and wisdom and recognition of Imam, which were lit by Pirs, Da`is, Mu`allims and their representatives was one only, which the celebrated Pir, by the command of the exalted Imam, had prepared with great difficulties in Badakhshan. The treasures of this immense light were in the form of voluminous books, as well as in the form of an army of knowledge able to fight against the darkness of ignorance having been equipped with the knowledge and wisdom of Nasir.

There is no doubt that just as Hazrat Hasan-i Sabbah had established a physical fortress (in Alamut), Pir Nasir made a fortress of knowledge and wisdom in Badakhshan which, Hulegu Khan, or even thousands like him could not destroy. The proof of this is Pir Nasir's precious books which are a source of pride not only to the world of Isma`ilism, but are also found in educational and intellectual centres all over the world.

Hakim Nasir-i Khusraw accomplished the duty of da`wat with great boldness and wisdom and made the best use of the time available to him. That is, when freedom and opportunity were available, he performed the da`wat and jihad with his tongue and when things were made difficult by his adversaries, he used his pen, so that the chain of da`wat and sincere advice would continue forever.

Beginning of the Ithna`ashari Madhhab in Hunza:

In olden times the religion of Islam was alien to the inhabitants of Hunza. Their rites consisted of cremating the dead or burying them with some of their possessions. From circumstantial evidence, it seems that the traditions of Buddhism and Zoroastrianism were widespread in the area. People used to worship boyn (pl. boyo) which is a small animal like a puppy. The boyo used to live under juniper trees or on rocky land. People placed some offerings of butter, milk or the blood of sheep for them. It was considered a good omen if they appeared and liked the offerings.

It is said that when `Ayashu bin Mayuritham became the ruler of Hunza, he married Shah Khatun bint Abdal Khan of Baltistan and it is because of this marriage that the da`wat of Islam first came to Hunza from Baltistan in the form of Ithna`asharism and then gradually spread in the surrounding areas. Nonetheless, for a long time people used to revere boyo despite being advised against idolatry by the preachers of Islam.

Beginning of the Light of the Isma`ili Da`wat in Hunza:

In Hunza, the first ruler from the dynasty of `Ayashu was Girkis. The fifth ruler from this dynasty `Ayashu Sughay bin Mayuritham married Shah Khatun bint Abdal Khan of Baltistan and the Ithna`ashari madhhab began in Hunza.

The nineteenth ruler of this line was Silum Khan who, in the last days of his life, personally accepted the Isma`ili madhhab and feeling lonely, asked Pir Shah Husayn ibn Shah Ardabil: "Who will perform my funeral rites and ceremonies?" The Pir answered: "God willing, at that time one of the Isma`ili da`is will come".

When Silum Khan was on his death bed, he was worried about his funeral rites and prayers and waited for someone to come to fulfil the promise of the Pir. Therefore, he constantly asked his confidantes to see if anyone was coming. Finally the news came that a rider was coming from far away. He was Pir Shah Husayn ibn Shah Ardabil. He consoled Silum Khan according to the promise and when Silum died, he performed his burial rites and the funeral prayer.

Note: Huzurmukhi Khalifah Mihrban Shah (1910-1991) bin Gulbahar Shah told us on the authority of Khisanay Sayyid that during the Imamat of Mawlana Qasim Shah (a.s.), Taj Mughul conquered Hunza after conquering Gilgit. However, it appears that he did not make proper arrangements for the true da`wat, and people forgot this sacred madhhab. All this happened approximately six hundred years ago.

Nasir Hunzai,
11th April, 1993.