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.”