Faqeer Baba – A Brief Life Sketch

Faqeer Jameel Baig (فقیر جمیل بیگ) stands prominently among the great Suffis of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The original name of Faqeer Baba (فقیر بابا) was Jameel Khan (جمیل خان) among the masses, however, he happened to be known and called by various names such as Jameel Baig (جمیل بیگ), Jamaludin (جمال الدین), Jamal Khan (جمال خان), Khwaja Jamaludin (خواجہ جمال الدین), Faqeer Jameel Baig, Shahi Faqeer (شاھی فقیر) and Faqeer Baba.

He was the second son of Shahbaz Khan Khattak and brother of the exceptional chieftain, valiant warlord, prominent poet, avid writer and most admired philosopher Khushal Khan Khattak.

After the death of his father he became the follower of a famous saint Syed Kastir Gul famously known as Kaka Sahib. The grave of Faqeer Jameel Baig is situated at Tangaro near Akora Khattak town which is around 35 Km from Nowshera. His descendants are called Faqeer Khel Miangan.

The family tree document is kept with his family, which read as:

Ano »  Bate » Shaikh » Ali » Hassan Uman » Chanju » Malik Akor Khan » Yahya Khan » Shahbaz Khan » Jameel Khan.

Jameel Khan was born in 966 Hijri/1558 A.D. at Akora Khatak town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Some of the sources have mentioned that Jameel Khan was the elder brother of Khushal Khan Khattak. However, at the time of the death of his father it was Khushal Khan Khattak who became the chief of the tribe and not Jameel Khan.Khushal Khan Khattak’s enthronement to the chieftainship was obviously made according to the prevalent tradition whereby the eldest son of a deceased chief has the first right to succeed him. This made it evident that Jameel Khan was the younger brother of Khushal Khan Khattak. Jameel Khan died on 11 Jamadiul Awal, 1116 Hijri/1704 A.D. A marble slab affixed on his grave also mentioned the same date, age and his relationship to Khushal Khan Khattak in form of a Persian couplet.

Faqeer Jameel Baig was a great Sufi and a member of one the most prominent and well-educated family of the Khattak tribe. He is also one the best known poet and writer of his times. He wrote a number of books, however, a few of them became famous. His book Tazkiratul Awliya consists of brief life sketches of around 66 Sufis Saints. It has 436 pages having 13 lines each page and compiled in Persian language. He has detailed writings about Kaka Sahib. The current specimen written in his own hand writing in Naskh is now preserved in the Pashtu Academy Library, University of Peshawar. Pashtu translation of the said book was published by the Academy in 1994.

His another book Manaqib Sheikh Rahamkar has not been published yet. But as reported by some of the sources it lies preserved in Milli Arshef library at Kabul, Afghanistan.

A books Noor Muhammadia includes some of the Quranic verses and Ahadith with commentary. It was written by his grandson Muhammad Sayyed Ghulam Muhammad in Persian language in 1287 Hijri/1870 A.D. in Nastaliq style. It contains 220 pages and found to be in a good state of preservation.

Historically, owing to limited authentic information it is difficult to present a complete life-sketch of Jameel Khan son of Shahbaz Khan Khattak. If leaves a long span between the important historical events relevant to his life. According to Afzal Khan, Jameel Khan accompanied his father in the battle that they fought against the Aka Khels. Shahbaz Khan Khattak has been killed in the said battle while he received serious injuries. The death of Shahbas Khan Khattak was great loss to the entire family. However, it did not dampen the martial spirit of Jameel Khan. Infuriated and revengeful, he took his brother Khushal Khan Khattak shortly after this incident and feel upon the Aka Khels who had to pay heavily for their audacity. Many people are said to have been killed in this battle. After the death of his father Khushal Khan Khattak became the chief of the tribe as described above and all the responsibilities came upon his shoulders. Once Jameel Khan along with some of his companions visited to the nearby hills for hunting and coincidently reached the place where Kaka Sahib with his followers was resting under a tree. One of the followers of Kaka sahib asked him what would the rider of the Paradise look like? Kaka Sahib looked up and seeing Jameel Khan riding his horse said “Just like this rider”. As he said these words Jameel Khan instantly fell off the horse-back unconscious on the ground. However, he recovered after a while and came close to Kaka Sahib and became his disciple. Kaka Sahib said to him, “Now you are a Faqeer”. From there on, he became known as Faqeer Baba.

After the said event he went back to his house and distributed his money among the poor in the name of Allah. He then brought his family to Chashmai village situated in the nearby hills, settled them over there and himself lived the life of a Faqeer. It is said that in the beginning (upon transformed life) he often became unconscious so that the people used to call him mad. Having heard about it Kaka Sahib remarks “would that there were one or two more (persons) like him.”

He was a very prominent follower of Kaka Sahib and was present with him all the times even at the time of the death of Kaka Sahib, Faqeer Jameel Baig and Shaikh Gul Nur were present with him. When Kaka Sahib died Jamaludin led his funeral prayers.

Faqeer Baba was a very quiet person. Most of the time he was found fasting. He was very contented with whatever he had got. The food was very simple. He mostly used to eat ghee with salt. 12 people brought him various donations including edible items which he usually distributed among the poor. Sometimes he used to go with his followers from village to village preaching the fundamental teachings of Islam.

Faqeer Baba was also fond of music which earned him the disapproval of some of his contemporary Sufis. But when they discovered Jameel Baig’s links with the Chishtiya maslik they dropped their criticism. Faqeer Baba was the follower of Kaka Sahib in Chishtiya maslik. The Sufis of Chishtiya order like music which is not prohibited in this way of philosophy.

Faqeer Jameel Baig had four wives and thirteen sons, namely:

  1. Bibi Basri (بی بی بصری) – She was from Muhammad Khel and had three sons:
    1. Muhammad Hassan
    2. Muhammad Shaiq
  • Muhammad Sadiq
  1. Bibi Rabia (بی بی رابعہ) – She was from Ismail Khel and had five sons:
    1. Muhammad Ibrahim Shah
    2. Muhammad Ishaq
    3. Faqir Muhammad Sadiq
    4. Muhammad Ashaq
    5. Muhammad Salih
  1. Bibi Kulthum (بی بی کلثوم) – She was from Akor Khel and had two sons:
    1. Muhammad Ghani
    2. Muhammad Zafar
  2. Bibi ‘Arfa (بی بی عارفہ) – She had three sons:
    1. Abdul Rehman known as Baba Jee
    2. Abdul Kareem
    3. Abdullah

Their descendants are now settled in various places, like; Chashmai, Tangaro, Akora, Shaidu and other parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Collectively they are known as Faqeer Khel Miangan.

(Inputs from an article by Mr Shakirullah Jan, Hazara University, September 2001 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275097467)

 

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