Question:

There was a Saint Called Hazrat Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (RA), Born into royalty in Semnan Iran, Descendant of the Prophet SAW, settled in India, they became a Beloved of Allah and a Gawth of their time as well as being one of the best Saints of all time and leaving behind the Chisti Ashrafi Tariqa, as part of their Journey they met Hazrat Shah Bahuddin Naqshband (RA) in person, do you have any details when these 2 great saints met

Answer:

Thank you for the valuable opportunity to remember the saints of history, and who yet live, even if we perceive not. Although it is customary to include Hazrat Ashraf Jahangir Semnani – may Allah sanctify his secret – in the great stream of spirituality known as the Chisti Order of India, the unique spirituality of this saint is suggested by your observation that his legacy bears the special designation of Ashrafi. Perhaps his special rank is related to the subject of your inquiry.

As you indicate, Semnani was born into royalty under the Il-Khans of Persia. These Mongol overlords had been Buddhist before their acceptance of Islam. Since Sayyid Ashraf Jehangir abandoned his birthright in order to follow the Sufi path, it is interesting to recall that a similar choice was made long before by the historical Buddha. Be that as it may, the young man made the choice to be the disciple of the great Kubrawi Sufi `Ala ad-Dawla Semnani, while another important dimension in his spiritual upbringing was his subsequent attachment to `Abdur-Razzaq Kashani, the renowned expositor of the Shaykh al-Akbar’s teachings – may Allah sancify all their secrets!

With the passing of Kashani, Semnani was found journeying over many lands, and another indication of his Kubrawi affiliation is that his travelling companion during this period was the very great saint of the Kubrawi Order, Mir Sayyid `Ali Hamadani. Travelling through India, Semnani was asked to lead the funeral prayer for the great Ferdowsi shaykh Sharafuddin Yahya Maneri; here again may be an indication of Semnani’s Kubrawi authority, given that Ferdowsi is but an Indian designation for the Kubrawi Order. It was during these travels, and before he settled in India, that the young Semnani sought out the association of Khwaja Bahauddin Shah Naqshband, and also kept company with other Naqshbandi masters, among them Khwaja Muhammad Parsa – may Allah sanctify all their secrets.

Amidst these historical remembrances, other subjects of considerable interest should not be overlooked. For example, the contemporary arrival of Mir Sayyid `Ali Hamadani in Kashmir deserves attention, as does the effect of this “Second `Ali” on the Uwaysi spirituality of the Rishis. The legacy of the Kubrawi-Hamadani Order in Kashmir became an inheritance of the Naqshbandi Order in India, and was in fact transferred into the Naqshbandi-Khalidi era. Another related subject worth considering is the system of lata’if that distinguishes the Indian Naqshbandiyyah, given that comparable teachings may be found in the writings of `Ala ad-Dawla Semnani and Khwaja Muhammad Parsa alike – may Allah sanctify all their secrets.

These subjects, however, are not directly relevant to your inquiry. For now, it may at least be offered that the influence of the Kubrawi and Naqshbandi masters may be discovered beyond their orders, and that the relationship between these orders is a special one; that Sayyid Ashraf Jahangir Semnani came to the Khwajagan as a spiritual seeker; and that the Ghawth in this period was the Ghawth al-Khaliqah Shah Naqshband Muhammad al-Uwaysi al-Bukhari alone.

Mahmoud Shelton