Visits by ‘Ulama Ikram

Muslim scholar from India and more recently Pakistan started visiting Guyana from the 1930’s onwards. They were all accomplished scholars in Islamic subjects of tajweed, arabic, fiqh, history, prophetic healing, philosophy, poetry as well as possessing deep knowledge of tasawwuf. In fact, most of them that came to Guyana were Sufi masters belonging to the Qadiriyya order.

The scholars who visited Guyana were aware that Muslims from India had migrated to various parts of the world starting from the mid-nineteenth century as indentured labourers. They had the desire to reconnect with the descendants of these Muslim migrants in their adopted homelands. Their motive for visiting these countries was two fold. Firstly, they felt it was necessary to assist Muslim communities(jamaah) to become more organised. They encouraged Muslims to form organisations(anjumans) which would give them a united voice and would be taken seriously by their respective governments. Two such examples of this are the formation of The United Sadr Anjuman in Guyana and Anjuman Sunnah wal Jamaah Association (ASJA) in Trinidad by these visiting scholars. Their other reason for visiting countries such as Guyana was to re-acquaint Muslims of the beliefs of their forefathers; that is, the Ahl Sunna wal Jamaah. In so doing they were able to inspire the vast majority of Muslim Guyanese to become re-connected to their spiritual heritage and original Islamic teachings handed down to them by their forefathers.

وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَـٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا

And all who obey God and the Apostle are in the company of those on whom is the Grace of Allah: of the prophets, the sincere lovers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous; Ah! what a beautiful fellowship. [An-Nisa, v69-70]

9.1 Hazrat Maulana Sayed Shams-ud-din al-Qadiri Rahmatullah Alaih

After one hundred years of migration of Indian Muslims to Guyana, Maulana Sayed Shams-ud-din from Bombay, India was the first famous scholar and sufi teacher to have visited Guyana. This great scholar visited Guyana for six months in 1937.

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9.2  Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui al-Qadiri Rahmatullah Alaih                        
 

Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui visited Guyana in 1950 during his six months stay in the Caribbean. During this time he worked to established Islam by strengthening the Ahl Sunna wal Jamaah, the Qadiriyya tariqah and gave dawa (the message of Islam) to those he came into contact.

Haji Karamat Khan of Mahaicony Cr. and other hujjaj from British Guiana were invited to visit Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui in 1949 in Meerut, India after completing their hajj. Here we see Maulana Abdul Aleem bidding farewell to his guests from Br. Guiana.

My heart yearns to show its bleeding scars
And to teach everyone on earth the laws
Which might make blessed life’s span
This is my yearning and this is my aim
This is my intention and this is my claim
With this I yearn to scan the glob
And deliver to humanity the message of Hope
[An extract from a poem by Maulana Shah Abdul Aleem Siddiqui written as a student]

The other significant chain of ‘ulama that maintained a link with the Muslims of Guyana belonged to the lineage of Amir-ul-Momineen Hazrat Syedinna Abu Bakr Siddiq Radi Allah Anhu, the first caliph of Islam. The first in line of these great men to have visited Guyana was The Great Preacher of Islam - Muballigh-e-Azam Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui Rahmatullah Alaih in 1950. Maulana Abdul Aleem and later his progeny have since remained connected with the Muslims of Guyana both within the country and those Muslim Guyanese who migrated to Europe and North America in the 1970's. The other important fact to bear in mind is that Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui was a Sufi teacher of the Qadiriyya order and was a khalifa of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan of Bareilly, India.

The way by which Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui made his way to Guyana was through the Divine Mercy of Allah Azza wa Jal. According to Haji Ramjohn Rahmatulla alaih of No. 78 Village, he and others had met Maulana Abdul Aleem in Mecca during the hajj of 1949. It was on this occasion that Maulana Abdul Aleem then invited these hujjaj to visit him in his home city of Meerut, India on their return trip to British Guiana. What made this meeting in Mecca even more impressive was that Haji Ramjohn had met Maulana Abdul Aleem initially inside the Holy Kaba itself, a sanctum today, which is reserved only for kings and princes. When I first heard this story I immediately understood the profound nature of this meeting and the impact it would have on Islam in Guyana.

Many stories have been told of the karamaat that occurred during Maulana Abdul Aleem’s visit to Guyana which were witnessed by many individuals. These miraculous events that took place during Maulana Abdul Aleem visit to Guyana are now very much part of the stories handed down from generation to generation amongst Muslims Guyanese.

9.3 Famous Karamat 

One such karamat often recalled is the time Maulana Abdul Aleem Rahmatullah Alaih was in Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana in 1950 at the residence of Mr. A.D Haq. His Eminence needed to cross the Demerara River by ferry to get to the neigbouring town of Vreed-en-Hoop for a program.  Maulana Sahib due to some pressing issues was running late on his appointment. He was told by his secretary that the ferry boat runs on a tight schedule and they will need a minimum of forty-five minutes to get to the ferry.

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9.6 Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani Siddiqui al-Qadiri Rahmatullah Alaih

Maulana Noorani Sahib came from a long line of scholars and saints within his family. His father being Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui means that his lineage goes back to Syedinna Abu Bakr Siddiqui Radi Allah Anhu. Maulana Noorani Sahib was a khalifah of the Qadiriyyah Sufil order handed down to him by his father. In addition to this, he had ijaza from several other tariqahs such as Shadhili, Naqshbandi, Chisti and Sanusi.

The signs of a true scholar and people of tariqah is that wherever they go they are not proponents of new organizations nor trends. Rather, they strengthen existing institutions which are of benefit to humanity. In recent times many so-called leaders have visited Guyana and have created divisions within the Muslim community ostensibly in the name of Islam. Before the arrival of such individuals in Guyana, ‘ulama such as Maulana Fazlur Ansari and Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani visited Guyana a number of times in the 1960’s and early 1970’s with the sole purpose of uplifting and uniting Muslims. This is the reason why the majority of present day Muslims, regardless of their ideologies, have such a high opinion of these scholars. They are generally known to be Muslim missionaries who came to Guyana to revive Islam with their knowledge and exemplary practice of the sunna.

Maulana Noorani's contribution to the Muslims of Guyana and this region was not in the form of schools or masajid named after him. Rather, his focus in Guyana was to rejuvenate Islam from within by rekindling the love for the Beloved Prophet Salalaahu alahi wa Sallam, the practice of the blessed sunna, and spiritual awakening through adherence and observance of the spirituality values of tariqah.

9.7 Maulood Shareef at No. 78 Village

Maulana Noorani was aware that by 1960, most of the educated men and Awliya Allah who came from India had passed away. Since there were only a handful of enlightened individuals left within the Muslim population, he felt it necessary to lay the foundation of a lasting presence of the Ahl Sunna wal Jamaah in Guyana. He knew the importance of preserving the pristine Islam brought to Guyana by our learned forefathers who came before from India. At this time in history these scholars, became acutely aware of the false concepts such as qadianism and deobandism being preached in India and Pakistan and wahabism in the Middle East. They were very concerned that these ideologies had begun to creep into the fabric of Islam in Guyana as in other countries.

As a young scholar Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani Siddiqui first visited Guyana in 1966 at the invitation of Haji Ramjohn Sahib and Haji Balli Sahib. The arrival of Maulana Noorani to the shores of Guyana raised the specter of hope for Muslims. This was the case whenever such scholars would visit Guyana. Many would agree that the effect of the visits of such scholars was that through the nur (light) they carried, a great revival of iman would be felt amongst believers. Few realized at the time what he was trying to accomplish when he reminded the people of the Islamic heritage they had inherited from their forefathers. He did this in order to prepare Muslims of the challenges traditional Sunni Islam would face in Guyana.

Upon crossing the Corentyne River on his first journey to Guyana, he arrived from Nikeri, Suriname to Springlands, Berbice. In one of his lectures Maulana Noorani Sahib mentioned when he visited Guyana for the first time, how emotional he felt when he arrived in Guyana that evening. He explained that despite being more than ten thousand miles away from the holy city of Madinah Shareef for the first time, when he arrived in Guyana much to his amazement, he was taken aback when he heard Urdu naats and qasidas being recited at No. 78 Village masjid. He recalled how the older men as well as the youth were reciting a naat which contained the following verse:

DaykaadeyYaa Ilaahi woh Madinah kaisi basti hai
Jahan par raat din Maula teri Rahmat barasti hai

O my Lord how I wish to see the Blessed city of Madinah
Where your Mercy is being showered day and night.

Maulana Noorani Sahib explained that what he had experienced was a burning love for the Beloved Prophet (Ishq-e-Nabi) in the hearts of the ordinary Muslims of Guyana. He mentioned that this love, so strikingly evident, could only have been sustained for over a century by the teachings passed on to successive generations by the pious elders (buzurghs) who possessed spiritual knowledge. Though, they might have appeared somewhat simple on the outside, they were undoubtedly carriers of knowledge handed down to them by men of tariqah who came to Guyana in its early history – the Awliya Allah, as detailed in earlier chapters.

 9.8 System of Maulood Shareef

Salimu Yaa qaum bal, Salu ala Sadiril Amin
Mustafa ma’a jaa a’ilaah, Rahmatalil ‘Alameen

Maulana Noorani Sahib explained that these great teachers or Awliya Allah had borrowed the system of maulood shareef to preserve Islam in Guyana . This practice originates from the occasion of Mawlid-an-Nabi Salalaahu alahi wa Sallam or the celebration of the birth of the Beloved Prophet Salalaahu alahi wa Sallam as performed by the Holy Prophet himself according to Imam Suyuti²⁴ and is the universal practice of the Ahl Sunna wal Jammat up to today.

Maulana Noorani Sahib further explained that maulood shareef was used as an informal teaching methodology by ‘ulama and shuyukh to disseminate mainly aqida (Islamic belief) to the illiterate Muslim masses. This happened at a time when books and madressahs were not easily available to the common Muslim. The shuyukh and people of tariqah used maulood shareef to educate and preserve Islam amongst common folks.

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9.9 Muslims exposed to other ideologies

Maulana Noorani Sahib was aware that the Awliya Allah had played a significant role in preserving the love for Allah’s Beloved Prophet Salalaahu alahi wa Sallam by the ordinary Muslims of Guyana for over a century. He recognised that the Islam brought by the early Awliya Allah and the buzurgs had a long lasting impact on the Muslims of Guyana. Equally important, he also recognized the looming dangers which lie ahead for Islam in Guyana in the form of a new ideology called wahibism. Through his extensive travels in the Muslim world, he saw first hand the impact this ideology had in other parts of the Muslim world. In particular, he witnessed the havoc and confusion this form of teaching had on the Muslim ummah where there were no proper institutions of higher learning and men of knowledge.

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Recent and Living Awliya Allah
 

The Awliya Allah passed on their knowledge to selected people amongst the second generation. Fortunately, for the Muslims of Guyana, there were such men and women who chose a life of piety and dedication to Islam. Despite the many attractions of duniya they were exposed to, they chose a lifestyle of modesty, love and giving to Allah’s creation. According to a hadith, Hadrat Thabit bin Thawban narrated that the Messenger of Allah Salalaahu alahi wa Sallam said:

”Blessed are the sincere ones, for they are the light of guidance and dispels darkness and adversities in this world.”

 Thanks and praise to Allah Subhanhu wa T’ala, I was lucky and blessed to meet some of these special people.

10.1  al-Haj Asghar Ali al-Qadiri Rahmatullah Alaih (d 2006)

Also known as Haji “Rush” from Springlands, Berbice. The grandson of an African slave who became a mureed, a confidant, and a trusted friend of Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani. 

As a disciple (mureed) Haji Rush migrated to the Netherlands in the early 1980’s. His devotion to his murshid Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani and to his community is a great lesson for all. However, his most endearing quality was his love and attachment for the Holy Prophet Salalaahu alahi wa Sallam. This special quality propelled him to great spiritual heights and was given ijaza (permission) by Maulana Noorani to offer spiritual healing to those in need of it. Countless Muslims of the Netherlands and Europe came to his door for treatment of all kinds of diseases and spiritual help.

Both the Muslims of Guyana and Surinamese Muslims of The Netherlands lay claim to be associated to this humble servant of Allah Azza wa Jal. Haji Rush Sahib died in 2006 and is buried in Amsterdam. His descendants are today very active in the field of Islamic D'awa.

10.2 Pir Hafiz Ameer Khan Naqshbandi

Pir Hafiz Ameer Khan Sahib is one of the most educated and spiritual men alive today who hails from Guyana. He is the great-grandson of the Hazrat Pir Hafiz Chand Khan and the grandson of Hafiz Moulvi Ismael Khan. The mother of Pir Ameer Khan, Khadija was herself a waliya, and is the daughter of Hafiz Ismael. His family settled at Leguan Island in the Essequibo River after finishing their indentureship where Pir Ameer Sahib was born in 1927.  At the time of his birth, the azan was read in his ear by his great-grandfather Hazrat Pir Chand Khan Rahmatullah alaih and was given the nickname “Pir Badshah Salamat”.

As a young man, Pir Ameer Khan came into contact with Hazrat Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui Rahmatullah Alaih in 1950 during his visit to Guyana. Upon the insistence of his father and due to his keen interest in wanting to pursue Islamic studies he took bayah and was initiated into the Qadiriyya order at the tender age of twenty three. He then left for the holy city of Madinah al-Munawwarah wherein lies our Beloved Prophet Salalaahu alahi wa Sallam.

During his studies in Madinah Shareef, he was under the spiritual guidance of Hazrat Pir Bakshi Mustafa Ali Khan Rahmatullah Alaih, a good friend of Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui, who resided in this holy city. Pir Bakshi Mustafa spoke English well and was able to converse with his young student. With the permission of Maulana Abdul Aleem, the young student took bayah with Pir Bakshi Mustafa and was initiated in the Naqshbandi-Mujadidi tariqah. In Madinah Shareef, Pir Ameer Khan Sahib became exposed to scholars and shuyukh from various part of the world including Qutb-e-Madinah Maulana Ziauddin Rahmatullah Alaih, the father-in-law of Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani.

In the holy city of al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, Pir Ameer Khan was one of the few who performed the ghusl (funeral bath) of Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui Rahmatullah Alaih. Known as the “Roving Ambassador of Islam”, Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui is buried in Janatul Baqi at the feet of Ummul Mumineen Syedinna Aisha Siddiqui Radi Allah Anha. This cemetery is only a short walk from Masjid Nabawi Shareef; i.e. The Prophet’s mosque where Rasoolulaah is buried. In Janatul Baqi is buried many sahaba and saints throughout the ages.

The wife of Pir Ameer Khan Sahib is a descendant of Hazrat Mohamed Baksh Rahmtuallah Alaih, a famous wali who came from India and settled in Br. Guiana. Hazrat Mohamed Baksh belonged to the family of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Rahmatullah Alaih, the famous Muslim saint of India (1238–1325).

10.5 Burial of Yusuf Ali

Upon completion of his Islamic studies in Madinah Shareef, Pir Ameer Khan Sahib pursued a degree in law in London, UK. It is said that greatness is not something that is pursued, but rather entrusted upon those whom Allah Azza wa Jal selects. Of the many events which indicate the maqaam (status) of Pir Ameer Khan, even as a young student, was the way in which Allah Azza wa Jal entrusted him with His Favours.

The young Pir Ameer Khan Sahib was the only person selected by Allah Jalla Jalallahu to perform the ghusl (funeral bath) and janaza of Hafiz Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the famous translator of the Holy Quran into English published in 1938. Yusuf Ali’s valuable translation with commentaries is, up to today, the most widely read English translation of the Holy Quran.

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10.6 Spiritual healer

Pir Ameer Khan Sahib has ijaza for a number of tariqahs including; Naqshbandi, Chisti, and Qadiri.  Where ever his travels take him, he is well known for his spiritual and healing abilities. Currently, Pir Ameer Khan Sahib is retired and resides in the USA. Like his forefathers, he offers his services freely to anyone who knocks on his door. He is well known amongst the Indo-Pakistani community of USA. Countless karamaat have been compiled, by both the media and anecdotal accounts, of his extraordinary ability to cure especially the terminally ill. Here is one example:

“Here is Safdar Iqbal,a Pakistani national, who
was declared “legally dead” in the Parkland
hospital, Dallas. He was admitted in the hospital
in a state of coma on May 1, 2009 and walked
out of the hospital cured on May 18, 2009. This
as the outcome of  Pir Sahib’s  thirty minute
prayer besides his bed on the first day. His
dazzled doctor is on his way to embracing
Islam” [Saeed Qureshi, Dallas, 2009]

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