Fatman- Shrine originated from a Hindu Raja's Grant to an Islamic Scholar
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| Zuljana procession taken out from Fatmain,Varanasi |
By Prof.Mazhar Naqvi
Rauza-E-Fatman is one of the holiest 1338 Muslim
shrines existing in Hindu’s most sacred Varanasi city, formerly known as
Banaras.. The shrine not only conveys the message of communal harmony and
peaceful coexistence but also serves as the main center of Muharram ceremonies observed
with traditional reverence by the followers of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad and his ‘Ahle-
Bait’( Progeny) in the city of Lord Shiva. It is considered to be a symbol of Hindu-
Muslim unity as the shrines stand on the land granted by Raja of Banaras to a
great Islamic scholar and ardent devotee of ‘Ahle-Bait’, Sheikh Muhammad ‘Ali
"Hazin" Gilani (1692-1766).
The sheikh had arrived in India from Isphahan (Iran)
in 1734 after becoming embroiled in an insurrection against Nadir Shah’s
governor of Lar province. Initially, he tried to settle down in Multan, Lahore
and Delhi but his haughtiness as an upper class Iranian with great scholarly
and literary talents earned him more enemies than friends. He even refused to occupy
a coveted post offered by the Mughal emperor. Finding the atmosphere in Delhi
not congenial for his mission to propagate the true teachings of Islam, he
headed for Bengal in 1748 but found solace in a pre-dominantly Hindu city in
1750.The scholar who had declined royal favor of a powerful king accepted the
land grant and cash from a petty ruler to build two mosques and a tomb for
himself. He did so after observing the keenness of elite Hindus, especially Brahmins,
to learn Persian and encourage multi-religious characteristics.
He
devoted the most of his time in writing and teaching Persian poetry, without,
however, giving up his religious role. He composed many fine qasidas in praise of Hazrat 'Ali, Imam Ali Musa Raza, Imam
Ahmad bin Musa al-Kazim, and Imam Mahdi Akhiriuzzaman in his Diwan.
Hazin's construction of his house, grave, mosques and garden at Fatman; his
composition of Risala-i-Imamat; al-Ighasat fi'l Imamat; Risala fil
Imamat ; and Qasida-i-Lamiyya lend further support to spread of love
for Ahle-Bait in the neighboring parts of Varanasi.
The
spot where Sheikh wished to be buried was a thorny, uneven and unleveled land. He
improved it into a cultivable state and allotted a part of it for his grave and
declaring the rest of the land granted to him as a waqf(Trust). Towards the end of his life,
Hazin passed his days with bare necessities and solitude. He did not visit the
house of any one—rich or poor. He did not receive anything from anybody; rather
he gave frequently to the poor as his means permitted. He led
an irreproachable life and desired only union with God..He used to visit the
proposed site of his burial on Thursdays and sit there to distribute alms to
the needy.
The
construction of shrine began when Sheikh happened to be sleeping under a myrtle
tree at the spot where his grave exists now. He had a dreadful dream. Hazin saw
in his dream drops of blood dripping from the leaves of the tree with all his
clothes drenched in blood. The frightened Sheikh, with a horrible scream on his
lips, tried to interpret the dream. While pondering, it suddenly flashed to him
that Bibi Fatima, daughter of Prophet Muhammad, was expecting him to erect a
shrine in her honor. Hazin devoted rest of his life to the construction of a
rauza for Bibi Fatima from whose pious name the shrine derives its own identity
as Fatman. The shrine today not only contains rauza of Bibi Fatima but also the
imprint of the right hand of her husband and spiritual successor of the Prophet,
Hazrat Ali. The imprint is made of a slate-colored stone and is placed in a
lowly room. The sheikh on the basis of his dream was of the view that ‘Astana’(Dargah)
of Hazrat Saiyid-un-Nisa Fatimat-az-Zahra and the imprint attributed to his Shah-E-Mardan ,Hazrat Ali existed
at the site of Fatman time immemorial and he was only chosen to expose them to
people at large.
Devotees
of ‘Ahle-Bait has also contributed generously on the development and renovation
of Fatman by erecting shrines dedicated
to Imam Husain, Maula Abbas and other martyrs of Karbala. The place is also
dotted by Imambara and mosque amidst the tomb of Hazin is near Rauza of Bibi
Fatima. His simple grave is built of red stone on a raised platform. There is
nothing elaborate or pompous about it. It is not even covered, indicating that
he was simply a slave of Masoomeen. Fatman is also used as graveyard and happens
to be the last resting place of eminent scholars and personalities, including
Bharat Ratna and Shehnai Maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan. There is very little
open space left at the shrine for burial as every lover of ‘Ahle-Bait prefers
to be buried here. The only shortcoming on the part of devotees has been the neglect
of shrine’s founder as no serious effort has been made to publish the works of
Hazin or hold annual religious congregations for his ‘Isaal-e-Sawab’. Such initiatives will be a befitting tribute
to a great scholar and poet who was born
in a happy little family of scholars with a decent family income. Then, he fell
prey to innumerable and interminable grieves. He lost his father in 1127 A.H.
and mother 2 years later, followed by the death of two brothers in the prime of
their youth in 1134 A.H. His native land was devastated by Afghans, Turks, and
Russians, and the royal Safavi family of his patrons exterminated by Nadir
Shah. Hazin also lost many friends throughout Iran. His library and all his
possessions also extinguished in the series of hardships that befell on him. Yet
nothing could deter him from dedicating his to promotion and preservation of
azadari in a place far from his native land.
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| Hindus performing Aag ka Maatam |
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