Firoze Shakir Poet - Frozen Time: 03/19/13

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Madariyya are members of a Sufi order (tariqa) popular in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the Mewat region, Bihar and Bengal, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Known for its syncretic aspects, lack of emphasis on external religious practice and focus on internal dhikr, it was initiated by the Sufi saint 'Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar' (d. 1434 CE), called "Qutb-ul-Madar", and is centered around his shrine (dargah) at Makanpur, Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.
Originating from the Tayfuriya order, as his Pir, spiritual teacher was Bayazid Tayfur al-Bistami, Madariya reached its zenith in the late Mughal period between 15th to 17th century, and gave rise to several new orders as Madar's disciples spread through the Northern plains of India, into Bengal. As with most Sufi orders, its name Madariya too has been created by adding a Nisba to the name its founder, Madar in this case lead to Madariya, sometimes spelled as Madariyya, though it is also referred as Tabaqatiya at many places.[1][2][3][4][5]
He was blessed with long life of 96 years and his presence is found from Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani at Baghdad Sharif till Sufi Chisti saint Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer .

Founder: Qutbul Madar

Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar or Qutbul Madar was born in 242 Hijri as per Islamic calendar at Halab, Syria. In the book "Gulzar-e-Madar", the author Maulana Sayed Mehmood has written that Hazrat Huzaifa Sayed himself has stated that one day in a dream Prophet Muhammad, came to him and said:" his child is a Wali of the almighty Allah and is from my origin. The Muslims belonging to Zinda Shah Madar are called Shah, sai or syed.
In the book Taskiratulkram fi Ahwale Khulafa-e-Arbo Islam, it is written that Hazrat Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar had the knowledge of all the four books which came from the Paradise. At the age of 14, Hazrat Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar had memorised the Quran Shareef and had read its existence values as well he got knowledge of other religious topics.
His Pir or Sheikh was 'Sayed Bayzid Bustami' (Sultan Arafeen). Hazrat Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar was pledged with the Tayfooriya order and was being said as Silsila-e-Tayfooriya. The decent
Zinda Shah Madar has visited many countries and had extensively preached Islam & the true message of prophet Muhammad. He is said to visited almost all places in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iran, Baghdad, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and many more places around the world.
[edit]Dargah

The Dargah or the tomb of Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar is located at Makanpur, near Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh state in India. Till today it is visited by thousands of visitors every month and especially during the annual Urs celebrations.[6] Even Moghul rulers & emperor like Aurangzeb, Akbar, Shah Jahan, Ibrahim Shirki has paid their visits at the tomb. The dargah in Makanpūr gained increasing importance during the Mughal period. Various rulers donated land, while others erected buildings there. Aurangzeb (1068-1118/1658-1707) visited the shrine in the year 1069/1659 while marching against Shāh Shujāʿ.
[edit]The Tariqah

Most of the biographic details regarding Baduddin Zinda Shah Madar, are shrouded under numerous legends and stories of his numerous miracles, however, an important source of such information, come from his important hagiography, Mirat i-Madari written in 1654 by Abd ur-Rahman Chisti. Since then a number of hagiographic texts have emerged.[7] The silsilah (lineage) is still live throughout the world with the pir-muridi tradition. The Pir's of Makanpur sharif are 'Sayed's" (decedents of prophet Mohammed ). The Madariya chain of Sufi brotherhood is the oldest, largest & fastest growing Sufi brotherhood of the ancient era.

Neck Piercing With A Sword - Mohomed Rafaee

Neck Piercing With A Sword - Mohomed Rafaee, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

Neck Piercing The Rafaee Way - Chalak Ali

Neck Piercing The Rafaee Way - Chalak Ali, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

Hardcore Eyeball Piercing - Mohomed Rafaee

Hardcore Eyeball Piercing - Mohomed Rafaee, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

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These are images of a Urus procession , I shot a few years back.. tucked away in set called Urus of Fakhruddin Shah Baba .. a few Rafaees I shot have died , including Handi Sai and Barsati baba.

The others I shot simply disappeared , as the group of Rafaees called Chancawalli is now a splintered one .. they came from a Dargah at Andheri East Marol Shansawalli or Chancawalli.

I documented this group from the Dhuni at Mahim Dargah of Makhdhoom Shah Baba and than followed them to the various other dargahs prominently Haji Malang it was their earlier Murshad Sikandar Wali Baba now dead who introduced me to this mountainous shrine.

Than I was introduced to Ajmer Sharif Dargah of Khwajah Moinuddin Chishty I shot from 2005 and in 2010 I became a Dam Madar Malang myself .. me and my friend Marc De Clercq and leaving behind the Rafaees I began documenting the Malangs.

So now I am trying to give a new lease , new life to my old color pictures trying to add starkness and refresh my old memories ..and thus showing you the world of fakirs spirtual mendicants ascetics of a Sufi order called Rafaees.

Chalak Ali and Sharukh rafaee are father and son team now estranged , he left Sharukhs mother and moved away...