Badīʿ al-Dīn,[1][2] known as Shāh Madār,[1] and by the title Qutb-ul-Madar 1315–1434),[1][3] was a Syrian[1]Sufi who migrated to India where he founded the Madariyya Sufi brotherhood.[1][4] He is held in high esteem as a patron saint.[1]
Biography
Badi' al-Din hailed originally from Syria, and was born in Aleppo in 1315 CE.[1][5] In later centuries, a growing number of legends arose about Badi' al-Din, which resulted in sources continuously backdating his year of birth.[1] These same sources also disagree about Badi' al-Din's descent.[1] Some state that he was a sayyid, that is, a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and trace his descent back to Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (died 765 CE).[1] Others mention descent from Muhammad's companion (sahabi) Abu Hurayra, who died c. 678 CE.[1] The assertion that Badi' al-Din was a Jew who had converted to Islam is not corroborated by other sources.[1]
His teacher was Muḥammad Ṭayfūr Shāmī.[6] After making a pilgrimage to Medina, he journeyed to India to spread Islam. He converted many Hindus to Islam in India,[2] where he founded the Madariyya order.[3] His tomb, built by order of Sultan Ibrahim Sharqi (r. 1402–40),[1] is at Makanpur.[7]
^ abBhattacharya, Ananda (2008). "Madariya Sufi Silsila Their Distinctive Characteristics and Relations with the Indian Powers". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 69: 384–402. JSTOR44147203.
