Sheikh
Noor-ud-Din Wali (R.A) or Nund Reshi is a famous Sufi saint from Kashmir. He
was born in 1377 CE on the day of Eid al-Adha. He is also known as Sheikh ul
Alam and Alamdar-e-Kashmir. He is highly respected by both Muslims as well as
Hindus.
Sheikh
Noor-ud-Din Wali was born in Qaimoh. It is a village in the district of Kulgam.
His father’s name was Salar-ud-din. He was a Chowkidar (night watchman). His
mother’s name was Sadra. She was also known as Sadra Mouj and Sadra Ded. They
were well known for being devoted. They accepted Islam and became Muslims
through Hazrat Mir Syed Simnania (R.A.). He was a famous Islamic scholar. His
mausoleum is in Kulgam.
There
are a few tales related to his birth and the time after it. It is sad that his
parents were eager to have a son after their marriage. Salar-ud-din was a
chowkidar in Khai village. It was full moon night, and he was doing his duties.
He reached the village’s edge and took a bit of a rest next to a sadhu’s hut.
The sadhu was not just an expert in astronomy, but also a developed
spiritualist.
Salar
overheard that the sadhu was telling his wife about a bouquet of roses. These
roses were going to emerge from the spring of Khaijogipora at midnight. It was
that very night that if any lady would breathe in the aroma of those roses, she
might give birth to a saint of the universe.
Within
a split second, a bouquet of lilies would arrive in its place, replacing the
roses. Any other woman who would pick the lilies and breathe in their smell
would also give birth to a saint. The latter one would be of inferior stature.
After
hearing this, Salar-ud-din ran towards his home. He told his wife about the
incident. Thus, they rushed towards the spring, where they discovered a bouquet
of roses. The bouquet was poking out of its clear, milky water.
Sadra
took a whiff of the bouquet after picking it up. While they were heading back
to home, they saw the Sadhu and his wife walking towards the same spring. Sadra
was swayed by a wonderful smell; the yogi could tell by the way she was
expressing herself.
It is
said that after nine months, she gave birth to a son. It is also said that the
baby didn’t drink the milk from his mother for three consecutive days. His parents
were worried. On the evening of the third day, Lal Ded came to their home. She
took the baby and buzzes few words in his ear.
If not ashamed of being born,
Why to feel shy of the worldly pleasures?
After this, the baby started drinking the milk from her breast. This is how he had his first taste of the world. Lal Ded then returned the child to her mother after he felt satisfied. She warned by saying, "Let you take care of my spiritual successor."
It is said he was named
by Syed Hussain Simnani. His parents used to call him “Nund”. He later used
this as his pen name. We have very few records of his early life. However, it
is obvious that he was an intelligent kid. This led people to believe that his
accomplishments were the result of his spirituality.
The historians or
anthologists never tried to learn about his early age. They were only
interested in his miraculous deeds. So they only collected the information that
was relevant to their subjects. Some of his verses tell us about his early
life. They are connected with tradition. They throw some light on his childhood
and youth.
Nund Reshi was taken to
the local maktab by his mother. There he was taught the first two letters of
the Arabic alphabet, “Alif” and “Bay,” by the teacher. He repeated the first letter
“Alif” with happiness but denied repeating the second
letter “Bay.” His teacher scolded
him. He replied by saying, “Alif “is Allah, who is the
one and only. “Bay “creates duality. The
teacher got annoyed by the kid. He expelled him from the institution.
It disappointed her
mother very much. She took her to a weaving centre. There, he started working
as a trainee. He remained very nice to his master and was learning the
profession. He noticed that the weaver uses his teeth to cut the thread as he
plays the shuttle on the loom. He would also swallow the broken bits. The
little student told the teacher that he was misappropriating the things that
were given to him.
The master felt
embarrassed. He called his mother. He requested that she take his son back. He said that “he is an
ascetic kid. And he cannot pick up worldly occupations.” This prevented the
master from enjoying the company of the bright little boy.
Her frustrated mother
took him back. Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali (R.A) had two stepbrothers, Shash and Gundro. She requested that they train him as a night watchman. But
instead of training, they started spoiling him. They were rogues, while Nund was a saint. They began to bother him as he
grew up. He joined them a few times to find work. Nund realised that he couldn’t be happy with them.
He then apprenticed with a few traders. There, too, he felt disillusioned with
the methods of the world.
At the age of thirty,
Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali (R.A) decided to retreat to a cave for meditation. The
cave where he did his meditation is in Qaimoh. It is ten feet deep. It is said
that he spent his twelve years in the forest. In his last days, he kept himself
to one cup of milk a day. And finally, he limited himself to only water.
Nund Reshi passed away at the age of 63 in the year 1440 A.D.
During that time, Kashmir was ruled by the Shah Miri Dynasty. He followed his coffin to the cemetery. Makhdum
Baba Usman Uchchap Ganai presided over the funeral prayer. He was the divine
alim (scholar) of his time.
Thousands of people visit his shrine every year. The shrine is located in Charai Sharief, Budgam.
It is a small town perched in the southwest, almost 28 km from Srinagar.
During his lifetime,
Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali (R.A) witnessed many cultural and religious
changes. Many events affect
Sheikh-ul-Alam very deeply. They even helped him shape his intellect. He
developed some philosophical works in his own style of verse and poetry. It can
also be seen in the majority of his verses.
Hazrat Amir Kabir Mir
Syed Hamdani, known as Shahi Hamdan, was another Muslim preacher. His arrival
is the most important event in his life. He visited Kashmir three times: in
1372 CE, 1379 CE, and 1383 CE.
Sheikh Noor-ud-din had
married Zai Ded. She was from Dadassara, Tral. They had two sons and a
daughter, who died in their early ages. Their deaths
affected her badly, and she also left the world. She was also buried in Qaimoh
village.
His purity and
simplicity left a great impression on the people of Kashmir. People hold him in
high regard. Ata Muhammad was the Afghan governor. He issued the coins in the
name of Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali (R.A) in 1808–1810 A.D. He is the only saint
who had coins in his honour.
Sheikh-ul-Alam was a
revolutionary poet. He has loved the people of Kashmir. He used his poetry to
propagate the correct understanding of Islam. It is commonly known as Shrukh. His poetry mainly focused on Tawhid, Risala,
Ma’ad, and human lust. He has harshly criticised the so-called Mullas and the
pseudo-scholars of Islam.
His sayings and biography are recorded in the book “Nur-nama” written by Baba Nasib-ud-Din Ghazi. It is written in Persian language. He has written that book two centuries later, after the death of Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali (R.A). People all around the valley are telling stories about the life of this “chief of Rishis.”