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Sayyid Kastir Gul

Sayyid Kastir Gul (1573–1653) was an Islamic jurist and Sufi saint who is revered among Afghans and Pakistanis. He is the patriarch of the Kakakhel tribe.^[1][2]

Birth[edit]

Sheikh Rahmakar was born on Friday evening, December 25, 1573, in Kandakhel, Kohsar, Nowshera in present-day Pakistan.

Name and ancestry[edit]

He was a descendant of Muhammad in the 25th generation. His grandfather was a revered saint among the Pashtuns named Mast Baba, whose shrine is located seven miles away from his own shrine in Nowshera.^[3] Even though his title was "Sheikh Al-Mashaikh, which means "teacher of all teachers," he is known by the alias "Kaka Sahib."^[4]

Biography and character[edit]

He is known to this day as an epitome of Islamic asceticism (in Arabic, "Zuhd"), who was very conspicuous among clerics during his lifetime because of his regular voluntary fasting. Furthermore, he is known for his ascetic sermons, which included the importance of nightly prayer ("Tahajjud"), as well as character patterns such as decency ("Sharafat"), qualitative modesty ("Faqr"), generosity ("Karam"), and empathy ("Rahm") toward fellow human beings. His empathy and fame due to his philanthropic projects cleared him the title of "Rahamkar" (in English: "Benefactor"). His philanthropic projects were especially those aimed at improving the quality of living conditions.^[5][6]

He founded several educational institutions where he and his graduate students taught Islamic law ("Fiqh"), history ("Tarikh") philosophy ("Kalam") and mysticism ("Tasawuf").^{[citation needed]}

He enjoyed a high reputation among many contemporary scholars because of his religious activities. One Sufi healer with whom he is said to have had a very close friendship was Sayyid Khwaja Khawand Mahmud, the contemporary head of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, also known as Hazrat Ishaan.^[7][8]

Order affiliation[edit]

Similar to the patron saint of Kashmiri society in Srinagar named Moinuddin Hadi Naqshband, who is a central primary source of his father Khwaja Khawand Mahmud's life, Sayyid Kastir Gul's son Mian Abdul Haleem is also a central reference who narrates his father's life. The latter emphasized his father's affiliation with the Suhrawardi Sufi Order, which was founded by Shahabuddin Suhrawardi to which Jalaluddin Surkh Push Bukhari also belonged.^[9]

Descendants[edit]

Sayyid Kastir Gul had five children.

Historically, the Kakakhel tribe played a central role in the defense of the Emirate of Afghanistan against the Sikh from 1751-1837 like in the battle of Nowshera. Due to the friendship of Sayyid Kastir Gul and Sayyid Khwaja Khawand Mahmud, the descendants of both are very close.^[10][8]

Caliphs[edit]

He had a high number of graduates in Islamic law due to his educational projects, including caliphs who were masters of knowledge, poverty and miracles. Among his students was the Afghan poet Khushal Khan Khattak.

Death[edit]

He died on Friday June 20, 1653.

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• "Haleem Gul Baba," an article written by Pir Sabaq in the journal Qudsia, from the publishing house Darul Uloom Faiz-ul-Quran in Nowshera.
• "Tazkira Ulema wa Mashaikh Sarhad" (German: Verzeichnis hochgeachteter Kleriker) Volume I, written by Muhammad Amir Shah Qadri, Maktab-ul-Hasan Kocha Aqa Pir Jan Yaka Tut in Peshawar.
• Yasin Kaswari: . Edited by Edare Talimat Naskhbandi Lahore/Foundation for Nakshbandi Teachings Lahore. Edare Talimat Naskhbandi Lahore (Foundation for Nakshbandi Teachings Lahore), Lahore, Pakistan 1992.