🧚 Makhdum Niamat Ullah and Makhdum Nuh.

Early in the 18th century the greatest saint in Sind was Makhdum Niamat Ullah, the father of a still greater religious luminary, the famous Makhdum Nuh.1 So renowned was Makhdum Niamat Ullah that an ancient fakir more than a hundred years old and known as La Ikhtyar or the Independent One was so affected by the stories told of the saintly Makhdum Niamat Ullah, that he gave up his independent life and went to Torio in the Hala taluka on the chance of seeing the object of his admiration.2 Torio was not Makhdum Niamat’s usual place of residence, but La Ikhtyar had had a vision that it would be at Torio that he would see the Desired One.3

After some weeks Makhdum Niamat Ullah did go to Torio on business and passed La Ikhtyar, as he sat on his cot.4 At once the old fakir recognised the passer-by from the radiant glow on his countenance.5 The fakir got off his cot and made the saint sit on it and knelt at his feet.6 But as Makhdum sat, the fakir’s tame birds of which he had a large number suddenly flew away.7 The saint asked the reason and was told that he would be the father of a son who would love to shoot birds.8 When the fakir’s pets learnt this, they had flown away in terror.9 After bidding the fakir goodbye, Makhdum Niamat Ullah walked into the bazaar.10 As he passed a Hindu’s shop, the owner’s wife fell so desperately in love with him, that she begged him to take her away from her husband and marry her.11 The saint could not stoop to such wickedness; but to get rid of her importunities, he promised to fetch her away that very night.12 He left her and went to take a siesta in the shade of a high wall, some streets away.13 As he slept, a certain Amin, the chief of the Lankas, passed by on his way to Lower Sind.14 He had with him a comely marriageable daughter, who at once fell in love with the sleeping saint.15 Amin woke up Makhdum Niamat Ullah and offered his daughter to him in marriage.16 The saint gladly accepted the offer and was married to the beautiful girl the same evening.17 Next morning the Hindu woman saw the saint and going up to him, reproached him for not keeping his tryst.18 The saint explained that he was now a married man and must cleave to his wife.19 He, however, blessed the amorous Hindu lady and nine months from that very day, she presented to her husband a son called Zabhar.20

On the same day as Zabhar was born, the wife of Makhdum Niamat Ullah presented her lord with a son, the celebrated Makhdum Nuh.21 Even as a tiny baby, Makhdum Nuh shewed his precocious saintliness.22 When only six days old, he compelled the fakir La Ikhtyar, who was his devoted slave, to go through the ceremony of becoming his disciple.23 The fakir lived until his infantile preceptor was five years old; then he died at the ripe age of 106 and his tomb may still be seen at Old Hala.24 His reputation for independence has survived him and many persons who are in difficulties still visit his tomb and ask the Independent One for his advice.25

Makhdum Nuh took to the Koran, as the proverbial duck takes to water.26 At the age of seven he knew the mighty book by heart.27 At the age of fourteen he was vouchsafed a vision of no less a personage than Mahomed himself.28 As Makhdum Nuh was washing in the river his slate on which he had written some lines of the Koran, he saw a boat approach.29 In it were the Prophet, his son-in-law Ali and Huzrat Isa or Jesus.30 The boat stopped and the Holy Prophet called Makhdum Nuh by name.31 The boy went up to the boat and Jesus took his slate and wrote on one side of it fourteen lines.32 Then Ali took it and wrote on it eighteen lines and the boat glided away.33 The astonished Makhdum Nuh took his slate to his teacher, who found that what was written on it far transcended even his understanding.34 He asked his pupil what hand had written the lines.35 Makhdum Nuh told him about the three strangers in the boat; thereupon his teacher guessed what had happened and embraced the boy, as one to whom the Prophet had vouchsafed a vision.36

Makhdum Nuh became when he grew up, as prophesied by the fakir, a great bird-shot; but he also worked many and mighty miracles.37 His most famous achievement was connected with the great mosque at Tatta.38 This mosque had been built at a cost of many lakhs of rupees by the orders of the Moghul Emperor.39 When it was completed, the faithful noted with dismay that it did not correctly face the Kaaba.40 This was too dreadful for words; for unless a mosque faces the Kaaba properly, it is useless.41 The faithful, too, of Tatta had been bragging loudly to their neighbours about their future mosque and they now would be exposed to their mocking laughter.42 The faithful of Tatta appealed to Makhdum Nuh.43 He called to his aid another holy man Ali Shirazi and they assailed Allah with continuous and soul-compelling prayers.44 At first nothing happened and the faithful began to murmur discordantly at the failure of the two saints.45 “But verily” as the Koran has it, “some suspicions are as sins.”46 Another half hour’s steady prayer and the great edifice began to quiver.47 Makhdum Nuh then called on all true Musulmans present to tie ropes to the building and pull it round; and lo! and behold! under the combined pressure of the prayers of the saints and the pushings of the faithful, the great mosque turned round slowly and then stopped dead.48 It had come to face exactly in the true direction of Mecca.49

Even a man so holy as Makhdum Nuh could not escape from the malice of mankind.50 He had two great friends Muzaffar and Salar.51 Salar had promised his daughter in marriage to Muzaffar’s son.52 Unhappily a quarrel broke out between these two eminent men and Salar refused to give his daughter.53 Now in Sind marriageable girls are few and this was a home thrust.54 Muzaffar complained to Makhdum Nuh, who after hearing both sides ordered Salar to keep his promise.55 Salar obeyed, la mort dans l’âme; but he vented his spleen by cursing the said saint in the following quatrain:56

“O Makhdum, you have done an act not pleasing to God; You have set at nought what God had ordained.57 You will suffer by having your corpse put in three different places after your death.”58

The curse of this impious blasphemer was unhappily fulfilled.59 The river Indus twice threatened the spot where Makhdum Nuh had been buried.60 The second time the river approached so rapidly that the disciples had to remove their master’s body in broad daylight instead of at night, as was seemly.61 Heaven, however, came to their help.62 As they began to lift the body from the grave, the sky became overcast and a mist as thick as a London fog spread over the land, so that none could see the decaying remains of one who in life had been strong and beautiful.63 The saint’s body found its last resting place about two miles to the west of Old Hala.64 A small town has sprung up round the tomb and is known as Murtazabad.65 A beautiful mausoleum now stands over Makhdum Nuh’s grave and the cupola over it was erected in 1795 A.D. by Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur.66 On the tomb were engraved the following words in order to silence possible slanderers of the dead man:67

“If the wind were to blow furiously all over the world It could never extinguish the lamp of those accepted by the Most High.68 Men who spit on a lamp, lit by Almighty God soon find that they have in their folly, set fire to their own beards.”69

According to my chronicler, these lines had an excellent effect.70 They were the proper stuff to hand out to the back-biters.71

HAIDARABAD.72

Haidarabad was once known as Nerankot and the king of it was Raja Neran.73 He had a beautiful daughter, who, from the exquisite skill with which she darkened her eyes with Kanjal or lampblack, reddened her cheeks with rouge and coloured her finger nails with henna, was known as Nigar or the Painted lady.74 Her courage was, if possible, greater even than her beauty.75 She scorned to ride camels or horses, as other well born Hindu ladies did.76 The only beast she would bestride was a lion and every evening outside Nerankot she might have been seen riding a splendid maned lion, who, when bridled by her, was as docile as the meekest ambling palfrey, to the touch of her finger on the reins.77 Nor would she suffer cowardice in others.78 She vowed and made public her vow that she would wed no man who feared to saddle and mount a lion.79

It so happened that Shah Makai and Haidar Ali came about this time to Sind.80 Shah Makai’s real name was Shah Mahmud; but because he lived at Maka or Mecca, he was known as Shah Makai.81 Haidar Ali’s real name was Ali.82 But, because as a child he had torn to pieces a live snake with his bare hands, he was called Haidar Ali or the Ali who tore the “Hai” or snake.83 His fortune was as great as his childhood foretold; for in due course he became the son-in-law of the holy prophet and the fourth Imam of the Faithful.84 As the two friends journeyed through Sind, they came to hear the fame of Nigar’s beauty and courage.85 Straightway they hastened to Nerankot and one evening Shah Makai saw the lovely girl astride of her lion, riding outside the walls.86 He fell madly in love with her.87 Then he heard that she had vowed not to marry anyone, unless he could tame and mount a lion.88 Shah Makai as a true and devout believer, had but little difficulty in performing this feat and the next time that Nigar rode abroad, she saw to her surprise and pleasure Shah Makai astride of a maned lion, hardly less majestic than her own.89 She asked him who he was; and learning that he had broken in the lion for love of her, she vowed that she would wed him and no other.90 Shah Makai sought an audience of Neran Raja and asked for his daughter’s hand.91 Nigar, too, pressed her father to give his consent to the marriage.92 But the proud king’s heart was as hard as stone and although he heard the full tale of Shah Makai’s courtship, he refused to give his daughter to one who was not a Hindu, but a Mleccha.93 With contumely he drove Shah Makai from his Court.94 When Nigar vowed that in spite of her father she would wed the bold Arabian, Raja Neran threw her into a well and had a huge stone put over its mouth.95 The evil news reached Shah Makai.96 He tried to move the stone; but it was so big, that even he, saint though he was, failed.97 He implored the help of Haidar Ali.98 To that pillar of Islam the task was light.99 He mounted his white mule Dhul Dhul and made it dance on the top of the stone.100 Then he dismounted and throwing himself at full length on the ground, he prayed Allah to remove it.101 He had hardly finished his prayer, when the stone rolled aside and Nigar with Haidar Ali’s help was able to climb out of the well.102 He gave her to Shah Makai, who carried her off in triumph.103 But Haidar Ali cursed the wicked Neran; and stretching wide the five fingers of his right hand made the bhundo sign at him.104 Not long afterwards the curse was fulfilled.105 The Arabs landing on the sea coast of Sind swept through the land, stormed Nerankot and killed Raja Neran.106 For many centuries Nerankot lay in ruins.107 Then the wise and pious Ghulam Shah Kalhoro came to the spot and deeming it well fitted for the site of his capital city, he rebuilt Nerankot.108 While the new fortress was building, he raised a small mud stronghold close to the spot where Shah Makai and the beautiful Painted Lady were in their old age buried side by side.109 When Nerankot was finished, Ghulam Shah Kalhoro went to live in it and renamed it Haidarabad after Haidar Ali.110 He gave his mud stronghold to the Fakirs who guarded Shah Makai’s tomb.111 Up to Burton’s time a lion—said to be a descendant of Nigar’s riding lion—used to be kept in a cage under a tamarind tree, close to Shah Makai’s last resting place.112 The tree still stands, but the lion has vanished.113 The rise in the price of lion’s food was no doubt the cause of its disappearance.114