History

Qutb ul Aqtab Hazrat Syed Shah Mehr Ali Alquadri Al Baghdadi (R.A) commonly known as “Syedena Aala Huzur” a descendant of Syedena Hazrat Ghausul Azam (Radi Allah o Anhu)was born in 1808 A.D/1223 A.H at Khanqah Sharif, Mia Mohallah in the town of Midnapore now situated in the district of West Midnapore of West Bengal. He was the son of Syedena Hazrat Syed Shah Tufail Ali Alquadri Al Baghdadi one of the most venerated saints of Bengal. His mother Hazrat Bibi Niamat un Nesa was herself a saintly lady of her age. The grandfather of “Syedena Aala Huzur”, for preaching Quadria order, migrated from the city of Baghdad to the remote town of Mangalkot in the district of Bardhaman in Bengal.

From his childhood “Syedena Aala Huzur” was put to the path of mortification and devotion. He passed most of his time in pursuit of learning, observance of religious rites and performance of spiritual exercise. He was a man of versatile genius and God gifted talents. Within a short span of time he acquired mastery over the commentaries of the Quran, the hadith of Muhammad, the principle of Islamic law and all sorts of religious sciences.[2] He was not only a great scholar but also an accomplished Sufi poet. He was the master of Arabic and Persian language. He could speak Arabic fluently as it was his mother tongue and quote entire verses of Persian mystic poets.[3] After acquiring mastery over different branches of religious sciences, he started delivering sermons on Sufism and Islamic tenets. Soon his fame spread far and wide. People from various places flocked in great numbers to acquire religious and esoteric grace from him. Even from Arabia and Persiasome persons came to him with a view to obtain his grace. Thus it can be said without doubt that Syedena Aala Huzur s’ fame spread throughout the Islamic world and his contribution in making the Quadria order popular in Bengal was enormous. In 1267 A.H he established a Madrasah at Midnapore. This Madrasah is still present in the name of ‘Suhrawardia Mehria Islamia High Madrasah’. Syedena Aala Huzur also built a Khanqah in Midnapore town. In those days this Khanqah became the centre of Islamic teachings. The needy people were provided food and medical assistance at there.

There is a famous incident of Syedena Aala Huzur that once a person posing himself as a religious scholar came from an upcountry with a cart loaded with books to his Khanqah. The person posed a lot of knotty and difficult questions for Hazrat to solve them. The discussion that took place lasted for several days and nights with occasional intervals for prayers, meals and other necessities for life. Though the problems discussed where of a religious character, but the person introduced questions of philosophy, logic and other sciences into discussion. The answers which Aala Huzur gave to those questions indicated the depth of his knowledge. The person was completely defeated in discussion and he soon left Aala Huzur on some flimsy pretext.

After the demise of his father “Syedena Aala Huzur” proceeded towards Midnapore. At the outskirt of the town in the lonely forest inhabited by ravenous beasts and harmful animals he sat in deep meditation of the Almighty Allah. At the darkness of the night in the lonely forest his voice would echo with the recitation of the name of Allah. With less food and sleep he passed his days in this manner till he reached the age of thirty. For years he kept fast (excluding the forbidden days) when he would take only a banana in the evening as his main diet. After undergoing all sorts of spiritual exercise and accomplishing different stages he attained the stage of Fanafillah. He became the Qutub of his time.

He married a pious lady named Hazrat Syeda Ummul Barkat Khatun Fatima Saniya. She was from the descendant of Hazrat Syed Isa Rizvi, a great saint who came from Bukhara and settled at Payardanga in the district of Midnapore.[5] Although married and entangled with social duties Syedena Aala Huzur continued his spiritual exercise of austerity and mortification.

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