Ashraf Jahangir Semnani

Sultan Syed Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani[1] (Urdu: سلطن سئد مخدم اسرف جہانگر سمنن‎), (Hindi: सुल्तान सय्यद मखदूम अशरफ जहांगीर सीमनानी)‎ (1285–1386) [2][3][4][5] was a sufi saint born in Semnan, Iran. He was the founder of Ashrafi sufi order.[6]

Ashraf Jahangir Semnani
Title	Jahangir Ghousul Alam Mehboobe-Yazdani Qudwatul Kubra Sultan Ashraf Jahangir Makhdoom-e-Simnani
Personal
Born	Mir Ahauddin Syed Ashraf 1285 (AH 709) Semnan (in modern Iran)
Died	1386 (AH 28 Muharram 808H ) Kichhauchha, India
Religion	Islam
Muslim leader
Based in	Kichaucha, Northern India
Period in office	Late 12th century and early 13th century
Predecessor	Alaul Haq Pandavi
Successor	Abdur-Razzaq Nurul-Ain

His father Sultan Ibrahim Noorbakshi was the king of Semnan.[7] He traced his lineage to Muhammad through his grandson Imam Hussain. His mother Bibi Khadija was a descendant of the Turkish Sufi saint Khwaja Ahmed Yasawi.[8]

Lineage

He traced his lineage to Muhammad through Imam Hussain.[9]

Early Life

After death of his father, he became king at the age of 17. He was always inclined towards sufism and always kept company of the sufis of his time most notably Ruknuddin Ala ul Daula Semnani.[10]

At the age of 23 he abdicated his throne to his brother Sultan Sayyid Muhammad also sought permission from his mother and set on his journey to meet his master Ala ul Haq Pandwi in Bengal.[11][12]

Travels

He travelled in South India to Gulbarga and then to Sarandib and he also visited Mecca and Madinah.[10]

Meeting with other Sufis

While on his travels he met Mir Syed Ali Hamdani, Hafiz shirazi, Bande Nawaz and Sultan Walad (Jalaluddin Rumi’s Son)[10]

Shrine and Urs

His shrine is located in Kichhauchha Sharif, Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India. His Urs (demise anniversary) is commemorated on 28 Muharram and visited millions of devotees every year in Kichhauchha Sharif.

See also

• Ala ud-Daula Simnani
• Alaul Haq Pandavi
• Ashrafia
• Sufi Saints of South Asia
• Wahab Ashrafi
• Syed Mohammed Madni Ashraf
• Syed Mohammed Mukhtar Ashraf

References

1. "सैय्यद मखदूम अशरफ: बादश्‍ााहत ठुकराने वाले महान सूफी संत!" (in Hindi).
2. Hanif, N. (2000). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia. Sarup & Sons. ISBN 9788176250870.
3. Hayate Makhdoom Syed Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (1975), Second Edition (2017) ISBN 978-93-85295-54-6 Syed Waheed Ashraf (2017), HAYATE MAKHDOOM SYED ASHRAF JAHANGIR SEMNANI (2nd Ed.), MAKTABA JAMIA LIMITED, SHAMSHAD MARKET, ALIGARH-202002, U.P. INDIA, OL 26384309MCS1 maint: location (link).
4. ‘'MUQADDEMA-E- LATĀIF-E-ASHRAFI' Book in PERSIAN, Published by Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
5. Akhbarul Akhyar' By Abdal Haqq Muhaddith Dehlwi [d.1052H-1642]. A short biography of the prominent sufis of India have been mentioned in this book including that of Ashraf Jahangir Semnani
6. Life and Times of Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (RAH) by Dr. Syed Nurusyyidyn Madani Ashraf Ashraf, Syed; Madani, Nurusyyidyn (3 September 2019). Life and Times of Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (RAH). Amazon. ASIN B07XBYV1V8.}}
7. Ernst, C.; Lawrence, B. (30 April 2016). Sufi Martyrs of Love: The Chishti Order in South Asia and Beyond. Springer. ISBN 9781137095817.
8. Ernst, C.; Lawrence, B. (30 April 2016). Sufi Martyrs of Love: The Chishti Order in South Asia and Beyond. Springer. ISBN 9781137095817.
9. Aala Hazrat Ashrafi Miyan (2015). Sahaife Ashrafi.
10. Shaykh Abdul Rahman Chishti. Mir-at ul-Israr - Urdu translation (in Urdu).
11. Mufti Ghulam Sarwar Lahori. Khazinat-ul-Asfiya (Urdu translation) 4 volumes.
12. Shaykh Abdul Rahman Chishti. Mir-at ul-Israr - Urdu translation (in Urdu).

Further reading

• Syed Waheed Ashraf (2010), Lataife Ashrafi & Maktubaate Ashrafi As Sources of Indian Medieval History (Lataife Ashrafi & Maktubvate Ashrafi As Sources of Indian Medieval History ed.), Baroda, Gujarat, India: Makhdoom Syed Ashraf Jahangir Academy, Baroda, OL 25423260M