Wednesday, 7 December 2011

Kun Fayya Kun A Great Song

Kun Faaya Kun [Rockstar] : Meaning and Lyrics
To be frank, till date I haven't heard any song from Imtiaz Ali's latest - Rockstar. Given it has A R Rahman, it has Mohit singing all songs, and till now four songs are out. But somehow I restrained from them until I get the full album. But, this - the latest song that is out - Kun Faaya Kun has got me like anything. Rahman - praising Allah- yet again. And that is what he does the best. Lovely, lovely composition and singing by Rahman, Javed Ali and Mohit Chauhan. I'm surprised to see this depth of lyrics by Irshad Kamil. And the amazing fusion with Guitar - Wow !

Here is my attempt to translate it. With whatever help I got from some online sources.

Kun Faaya Kun [or Kun Fayakun, Kun Faya Kun] means 'Be' and 'It is'. Though one has to read the full text of Quran in which it is mentioned - to understand it. Quran - Sura Al-Baqrah Verse 117 reads

"Originator (is He) of the heavens and the earth; and when He decrees a matter to be, He only says to it ' Be' and it is."..

And the lyrics of the song goes as -

Rangrezaa Rangrezaaa..
O dyer [literally means the person who does business of coloring cloths, but here, its him who has colored the protagonist in color of God]

Kun Fayaa Kun Faaya Kun Faayakun.. [repeat]

[He only says to it ] Be, it is.

Jab Kahin pe kuch kahin nahi tha, wohi tha wohi tha.

When, [in the world] there was nothing, He was the one, the only one.

Woh jo mujh mein samaaya, woh jo tujh mein samaaya, Maula wohi wohi maaya;

He is the one who is in my soul, he is the one in your soul, O dear Lord, he is the one that is mystery [you see all around].

Kun Faaya Kun... Sadaqallahul'Azim**

[He only says to it ] Be, it is. Allah says the truth.

Sajda savera mere tan barse, Kajra andhera teri jaan ki lau,

Morning showers its blessings on me [when] I worship you, and it cleans up dark soul of mine which is like darkness of night.

Qatra mila jo tere dar barse... O Maula....

[You gave me] that each drop of my blood, is all yours to worship your place [place here means-the Dargah]

Kun faaya kun.... Sadaqallahul'Azim

[He only says to it ] Be, it is. Allah says the truth.

Friday, 2 December 2011

We Need Change

Nizami Rocks World

Umer Nizami

Poochne wale!
Tujhe kaisay batien akhir
Dukh ibarat to nahi jo tumhien likh ker bhejien
Yeah kahani bhi nahi hai ke sunien tujh ko…
Na koi baat hi aisi ke batien tujh ko…
Zakham ho to tere nakhun ke hawalay ker dien
Aaina bhi to nahi hai ke dekhaien tujh ko…
Yeah koi raaz nahi, jis ko chupaien to wo raaz
Kabhi chehre, kabhi aankhoon se chalak jata hai
Jaisay anchal ko sambhale koi, aur taiz hawa!
Jab bhi chalti hai to shanoon se dhalak jata hai
Ab tujhe kaisay batien, ke humien dukh kia hai

Tuesday, 29 November 2011

The CONQUEROR OF THE WORLD [UMER IBN AL-KHATTAB]

Hazrat Umar-e-Farooq (r.a)

Second Caliph ( 582-644 C.E )

Hazrat Umar Farooq (r.a) is the most respectful personality in Muslim Ummah after Abu Bakr (r.a). He is also one of the Companions (r.a) of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w), who was given the reward of Heaven in the world by Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w). He was born in the tribe of "Adi", a branch of Quresh, 40 years before migration of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w), from Makkah to Madinah and 13 years after the incident of Aam-ul-Feel in 582 C.E. His name was "Abu Hafs", a patronymic name of old traditions. He was the strongest and brave one in all the Makkah. No body in Makkah existed in His youth who could dare to fight with Him. But after embracing Islam He was the most fair and just in ever. On 6th year of Prophet hood by Muhammad (s.a.w.w), he embraced Islam. His embracing Islam, is the most popular story of the Islamic history. He was the one who took Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w) and a small group of Muslims in Kaaba to offer Namaz for the first time in history. The wordings to Kuffars was: "If anyone want to make his children Orphan and wife as a widow, do stop us!". The same words were heard by the Kuffars again at the time of migration of Muslims to Madinah. Hazrat Umar Farooq (r.a) earned the title of "Al-Farooq" (the one who makes the clear difference between Right and Wrong) from the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w). He participated in all the battles of Islam with Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w). History notes that He donated his half of the property when being asked for by Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w) in the way of ALLAH. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w) noted and said many times that it looks, Umar speaks and Quran is bestowed upon. Few examples of ALLAH's rule are; Hijab, offering 2 prayers as "Nafal" at "Baab-e-Ibrahim" in Kaaba, solution for the prisoners of Badr, not to offer Duua on "Munafiq" grave etc.... Hazrat Umar Farooq (r.a) passed his great Caliphate of approximately 10 years after the death of Hazrat Abu Bakr (r.a). His Caliphate is the most popular and memorable Caliphate according to fair and just amongst all others. A Jew named "Abu-Lolou-Feroz" inserted a dagger in His back, while He was offering the Fajr prayers to Muslims in the position of prostrating (Sajdah). Jews kept the name of a stone in name of their partner who martyred Hazrat Umar Farooq (r.a) as "Feroza" (a sky blue like stone usually been wore in the form of a ring in finger. Hazrat Umar Farooq (r.a) breathed his last on 26th Dhul-Hajj, 23 Hijri. He is buried next to the side of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w).

Sayings of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w):

1. I see that devil either from humans or jinn, runs away from Umar. (Tirimzi)

2. I saw in a dream that I was given a bowl of milk which I drunk and remaining I gave it to Umar. (Tirimzi)

3. No doubt, ALLAH has issue truth, on the tongue and in the heart of Umar. (Tirimzi)

4. I saw a dream that I am in the Heaven, there I saw Rameesa (my quilt aunt) and I heard someone's footstep, I asked: who is this?. I was answered: it is Bilal and I saw a palace with a handmaid standing in front of it, I asked: whose palace is this?. She said: Umar bin Khattab's. I wished to see it from inside but, Oh Umar!, I divided my attention from your shame. Hazrat Umar (r.a) said: My father and mother be sacrificed upon You, should I ponder from Your saying?. (Bukhari)

5. If some else Prophet should have been proposed by ALLAH after me, would have been Umar bin Khattab. (Tirimzi)

Hazrat Ali (R.A.) The Sword Of Allah

Hazrat Ali (R.A.)

NAME AND PARENTAGE
Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was born some thirty years after the birth of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaiha wa Salam). He belonged the most respectable family of Quraish, the Banu Hashim (i.e. Hashmites). His father Abu Talib was the real uncle of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) who brought him up after the death of the Holy Prophet's grandfather. Ali's mother was Fatimah bint Asad, who belonged to Banu Hashim. Hadrat Ali's patronymic name was "Abul Hasan". The Holy Prophet gave him another name, "Abu Turab" which was most liked by Hadrat Ali. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Salaam) took Ali in his childhood from his father, Abu Talib, and brought up him like his own son.

FIRST YOUTH TO ACCEPT ISLAM
When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) started revelations Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was about ten years old. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) disclosed his mission before Ali and he accepted it immediately, thus he became the first youth to enter the fold of Islam. When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) started to preach openly, he invited all of his family members to a feast and announced his mission before them. Nobody listened to him, but young Ali stood up and said. "Though my eyes are sore, my legs are thin and I am the youngest of all those present here yet I will stand by you, 0h Messenger of Allah." Hearing this all the leaders of Quraish laughed but Ali proved his words to be true after supporting the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) in his mission from the beginning till the end.

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) loved him very much. The night when the Holy Prophet was migrating to Medina, his house was surrounded by the bloodthirsty tribesmen, who had plotted to assassinate him. They were ready to kill any person who came out of the house. In such a situation, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Sallam) asked Hadrat Ali (R.A.) to sleep in his bed. He followed the command gladly and immediately jumped in the bed.

Although the Meccans did not accept his mission, they considered the Holy Prophet(sallallahu alaiyhi wasallam) the most trustworthy man of Mecca and continued keeping their trusts (cash and gold etc.) with him. It was Ali (R.A.) to whom the Holy Prophet gave the deposits to return to the owners, when he was leaving Makkah for Madinah. Ali (R.A.) migrated to Medina after returning the deposits.

LIFE IN MADINAH
Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was very close to the Holy Prophet, and the closeness was changed to a permanent relationship when he married his most beloved daughter, Fatimah (R.A.) to Ali (R.A.).

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) also had the distinguished honour that the progeny of the Holy Prophet continued through Hadrat Ali's sons from Fatimah (R.A.) namely Hadrat Hasan and Husain (R.A.). The two children were the most beloved of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam).

When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam) went to the expedition of Tabuk in 9 A.H. he left Hadrat Ali in charge of Medina. On this some hypocrites remarked that the Holy Prophet did not like Hadrat Ali. On this the Holy Prophet remarked, "You are in the same position in relation to me as Aaron was with relation to Moses. But the only difference is: there is no prophet after me."

HIS BRAVERY AND THE "DHULFIQAR"
Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was a very brave man. He participated in almost all the battles against the non-believers during the time of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam). The stories of his bravery are famous in history.

In the first battle of Islam at Badr, he was holding the flag of Islamic army. When three famous warriors of Quraish challenged the Muslims, according to Arab tradition, Hadrat Ali (R. A. ) along with Hadrat Hamzah and Abu Ubaidah (R.A.) accepted the challenge. He killed his opponent, Walid only with one thrust of his sword and cut him in two pieces. Then he helped Hadrat Abu Ubaidah (R.A.) to kill the next Quraishi warrior.

In the battle of Uhud when Hadrat Mus'ab bin 'Umair, the bearer of the Islamic standard, was martyred, it was Hadrat Ali (R.A.) who held it up. Seeing this one of the non-believers, Abu Sa'd challenged him. Hadrat Ali attacked him and he fell down on the ground naked. Ali (R.A.) felt pity on him and left him in that condition.

In the battle of the Trench, all-Arabia fame warrior, 'Abdwood challenged the Muslims after jumping on his horse across the trench. Nobody dared to accept his challenge except Ali (R.A.). The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi we Salaam) warned Ali about 'Abdwood but Ali insisted on going and fighting with him. Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam) gave him his famous sword "Dhulfiqar" and put a turban on his head before he went to fight with 'Abdwood. A few minutes later people saw 'Abdwood's head was cut off from his body by Ali.

THE TITLE OF ASADULLAH
Because of his bravely Hadrat Ali was popularly called "Asadullah"(The Lion of Allah).

In the battle of Khaibar against Jews, the Muslims tried to conquer the strongest Jewish fort, Qumus, but were not successful in the beginning. Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi we Salaam) said, "I will give the command and the standard tomorrow to such a brave person who loves Allah and His Prophet and whom Allah and His Prophet love. Everybody was desiring to be that fortunate man. The people were rather surprised when the next morning the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) called Ali who was sick and his eyes were sore. The Holy Prophet applied his finger, wet with his saliva, over the eyes of Ali (R.A.) and they were cured immediately. Then he gave the standard, and advised him. "First of all call them towards Islam. Even if one man is guided towards Islam because of you, it would be better than red camels."

Following the advice of the Holy Prophet Hadrat Ali invited the Jews towards Islam. Instead of accepting the Right Path they sent their commander Marhab, the great warrior of Arabia and one of the bravest men of his time. He challenged Hadrat Ali to fight. Ali (R.A.) accepted the challenge and slew him in one attack. His famous sword cut Marhab's body into two pieces.

He showed great bravery in each and every battle he fought and earned fame. He was counted as one of the great warriors of Arabia.

ALI (R.A.) THE GREAT SCHOLAR OF ISLAM
Ali (R.A.) was not only a great warrior but a great scholar as well. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) said about him, I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate." He was one of the great jurists among the Companions. The Holy Prophet appointed him as the Qadi (Judge) of Yemen during his life time. He was a master of Arabic and his writings were as effective as his speech. More about his scholarly services to Islam would be mentioned at the end.

SPECIAL MESSENGER OF THE HOLY PROPHET(S.A.W.)
In 9 A.H., the first Hajj of Islam took place. Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) was appointed as the leader of the Hajj group. After he left Medina revelation came to the Holy Prophet (Chapter IX. few verses in the beginning of the chapter) according to which the treaty with the non-believers had to be dissolved and they were given four month's notice. The announcement was to be made on the great day of Hajj. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi we Salaam) asked Hadrat Ali to carry the message of Allah on his behalf. He gave Hadrat Ali (R.A.) his own she-camel, Qaswa on which Hadrat Ali rode and went to Mecca to read out the message before the crowd on the occasion of Hajj.

EXCELLENCE OF ALI
There are so many virtues and services of Ali (R.A.) that it is difficult to mention them all in this short book. On many occasions the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam) had prayed for him. When he sent Ali to Yemen in Ramadan 10 A.H. he blessed Ali (R.A.) with the following prayer: "0h Allah put truth on his tongue, and enlighten his heart with the light of guidance." Then he himself put turban on his head and gave the black standard.

On one occasion the Holy Prophet said to Ali, "You pertain to me and I pertain to you, " He also said, "When I am patron of anyone, Ali is his patron also." Once the Holy Prophet said, "Only a hypocrite does not love Ali and a believer does not hate him."

According to a Hadith transmitted by Imam Ahmad the Holy Prophet said to Ali, "You have a resemblance to Jesus whom the Jews hated so much that they slandered his mother and whom Christians loved so much that they placed him in a position not rightly his. Ali afterwards said, "Two (types of) people will perish on my account, one who loves me so excessively that he praises me for what I do not possess, and one who hates me so much that he will be impelled by his hatred to slander me."

SHOCK OF THE HOLY PROPHET(sallallahu alaiyhi wasallam)'s DEATH
The death of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) was a great shock to Hadrat Ali (R.A.). He had attended him day and night during his illness, and after his death he gave bath to the Holy Corpse and enshrouded it.

PLEDGE OF LOYALTY (BAI'AT) TO THE FORMER KHALIFAHS
Hadrat Ali (R.A.) had taken pledge of loyalty on the hands of all the three past Khalifahs. However he was late in taking pledge at the hand of Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.).

The reason why he was late in taking pledge on the hands of Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) was the serious illness of his beloved wife, Hadrat Fatima (R.A.) and that he was busy in collection of the Holy Qur'an. It is mentioned in the famous history book, Tabaqat ibn Sa'd: When Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) enquired of Ali (R.A.) why he was so late in taking pledge of loyalty and whether he disliked his "Khilafat", Ali (R.A.) replied, "I do not dislike your leadership but the fact is that I had taken an oath after the death of the Holy Prophet not to put on my sheet (i.e. not to engage in any work) except for performing Salat until I have collected all the parts of the Holy Qur'an." The Hadrat Ali (R.A.) took pledge of loyalty on the hand of Abu Bakr and helped him throughout his Khilafat. He was very active during the time of Hadrat Umar and also married his daughter, Umm-i-Kulthum to him. In the matter of Hadrat Uthman's election he voted in his favour as has been mentioned before.

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was one of the very important members of "Shura" (Advisory Council) during the time of the first three Khalifahs. He was also the great jurist (Mufti) of Medina during the time of past Khalifahs. He was among the panel of six persons who had to select the Khalifah amongst themselves after Hadrat Umar (R.A.). Hadrat Uthman had great regard for him and consulted him in all the matters. His sons were the main guards at Uthman's residence when the rebels laid siege to his house.

Thus we conclude that Hadrat Ali (R.A.) gave his fullest possible support to all of his predecessors.

Monday, 28 November 2011

Prophet Muhammad Prophet, Messenger, Apostle, Witness, Bearer of Good Tidings, Warner, Reminder, Caller, Announcer
Common calligraphic representation of Muhammad's name
Born	Muḥammad ibn `Abd Allāh c. 26 April 570 Makkah, Arabia (present day Mecca, Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia)
Died	8 June 632 (aged 62) Yathrib, Arabia (present day Medina, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia)
Cause of death	Illness (high fever)
Resting place	Tomb under the Green Dome of Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia
Other names	See Names of Muhammad
Ethnicity	Arab
Religion	Islam
Spouse	Wives: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (595-619) Sawda bint Zamʿa (619-632) Aisha bint Abi Bakr (619-632) Hafsa bint Umar (624-632) Zaynab bint Khuzayma (625-627) Hind bint Abi Umayya (629-632) Zaynab bint Jahsh (627-632) Juwayriya bint al-Harith (628-632) Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan (628-632) Rayhana bint Zayd (629-631) Safiyya bint Huyayy (629-632) Maymuna bint al-Harith (630-632) Maria al-Qibtiyya (630-632)
Children	Sons: al-Qasim, `Abd-Allah, Ibrahim Daughters: Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthoom, Fatimah Zahra
Parents	Father: `Abd Allah ibn `Abd al-Muttalib Mother: Aminah bint Wahb
Relatives	Ahl al-Bayt

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya [R.A]

Nizamuddin Auliya

Sultan-ul-Mashaikh, Mehboob-e-Ilahi, Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (1238 - 3 April 1325) (Urdu: حضرت شیخ خواجہ سیّد محمد نظام الدّین اولیاء), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to humanity. He is one of the great saints of the Chishti order in India.^[1] His predecessors were Moinuddin Chishti, Bakhtiyar Kaki and Fariduddin Ganjshakar. In that sequence, they constitute the initial spiritual chain or silsila of the Chisti order, which is widely prevalent in India and Pakistan.
Nizamuddin Auliya, like his predecessors, stressed upon the element of love as a means of realisation of God. For him his love of God implied a love of humanity. His vision of the world was marked by a highly evolved sense of secularity and kindness.^[2] It is claimed by the 14th century historiographer Ziauddin Barani that his influence on the Muslims of Delhi was such that a paradigm shift was effected in their outlook towards worldly matters. People began to be inclined towards mysticism and prayers and remaining aloof from the world.^[3]

Life

Nizamuddin Auliya was born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh (east of Delhi). At the age of five, after the death of his father, Ahmad Badayuni, he came to Delhi with his mother, Bibi Zulekha.^[4] His biography finds mention in Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th century document written by Mughal Emperor Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak.^[5]
At the age of twenty, Nizāmuddīn went to Ajodhan (the present Pakpattan Sharif in Pakistan) and became a disciple of the Sufi saint Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakkar, commonly known as Baba Farid. Nizāmuddīn did not take up residence in Ajodhan but continued with his theological studies in Delhi while simultaneously starting the Sufi devotional practices and the prescribed litanies. He visited Ajodhan each year to spend the month of Ramadan in the presence of Baba Farid. It was on his third visit to Ajodhan that Baba Farid made him his successor. Shortly after that, when Nizāmuddīn returned to Delhi, he received news that Baba Farid had expired.

Chilla Nizamuddin Auliya, residence of Nizamuddin Auliya, towards the north-east from Humayun's tomb, Delhi

Nizāmuddīn lived at various places in Delhi, before finally settling down in Ghiyaspur, a neighborhood in Delhi undisturbed by the noise and hustle of city life. He built his Khanqah here, a place where people from all walks of life were fed, where he imparted spiritual education to others and he had his own quarters. Before long, the khanqah became a place thronged with all kinds of people, rich and poor alike.
Many of his disciples achieved spiritual height, including Shaikh Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Delhi,^[6] and Amir Khusro,^[5] noted scholar/musician, and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate.
He died on the morning of 3 April 1325. His shrine, the Nizāmuddīn Dergāh is located in Delhi,^[7] and the present structure was built in 1562. The shrine is visited by people of all faiths, through the year, though it becomes a place for special congregation during the death anniversaries, or 'Urs, of Nizāmuddīn Auliyā' and Amīr Khusro,^[4] who is also buried at the Nizāmuddīn Dargāh.

Key beliefs

Besides believing in the traditional Sufi ideas of embracing God within this life (as opposed to the idea that such partial merger with God is possible only after death), by destroying the ego and cleansing the soul, and that this is possible through considerable efforts involving Sufi practices, Nizamuddin also expanded and practised the unique features introduced by past saints of the Chisti Sufi order in India. These included:

Emphasis on renunciation and having complete trust in God.
The unity of mankind and shunning distinctions based on social, economic, religious status.
Helping the needy, feeding the hungry and being sympathetic to the oppressed.
Strong disapproval of mixing with the Sultans, the princes and the nobles.
Exhortation in making close contact with the poor and the downtrodden
Adopting an uncompromising attitude towards all forms of political and social oppression.
A bold stance in favour of Sema, which some considered unislamic. Perhaps this was with the view that this was in consonance with the role of music in some modes of Hindu worship, could serve as a basis of contact with local people and would facilitate mutual adjustments between the two communities.^[8] In fact Qawwali, a form of devotional music, was originally created by one his most cherished disciples: Amir Khusro.

Nizamuddin did not much bother about the theoretical aspects of Sufism, believing rather that it were the practical aspects that counted, as it was anyway not possible to describe the diversified mystical experiences called spiritual states or stations which a practicing Sufi encountered. He discouraged the demonstration of Keramat and emphasized that it was obligatory for the Auliya (which roughly means the friends of God) to hide the ability of Keramat from the commoners. He also was quite generous in accepting disciples. Usually whoever came to him saying that he wanted to become a disciple was granted that favour. This resulted in him being always surrounded by people from all strata of society.

Ancestral history

The eldest son of 'Alī al-Naqī was Ḥasan al-'Askarī and the other son was Ja'far Bukhārī. After the death of 'Ali al-Naqi, Hasan al-Askari became the accepted Imām of both Shī'ah and Sunnī Muslims. Ḥasan al-'Askarī was killed at the age of 28. He had one son, Muḥammad al-Mahdī, who, at the age of five after the death of his father, disappeared from public view. That was in the time of the 'Abbāsid Caliphs. Knowing about the killings of all the Imāms and family members of the descendants of Muḥammad, Ja'far Bukhārī migrated to Bukhara in Uzbekistan. After a few generations, one of his descendants called 'Alī, known as Dāniyāl, the grandfather of Nizāmuddīn Auliyā', migrated to the city of Badāyūn in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Ancestral lineage

Muḥammad
'Alī bin Abī Ṭālib
Husayn bin 'Alī
'Alī bin al-Husayn Zayn-ul'Ābidīn
Muḥammad al-Bāqir
Ja'far al-Ṣādiq
Mūsā al-Kāḍhim
'Alī al-Riḍā
Muḥammad al-Taqī
'Alī al-Naqī
Ja'far Bukhārī
'Alī Aṣghar Bukhārī
Abī 'Abdullāh Bukhārī
Aḥmad Bukhārī
'Alī Bukhārī
Husayn Bukhārī
'Abdullāh Bukhārī
'Alī , known as Dāniyāl
Aḥmad Badāyūnī
Nizāmuddīn Auliyā'

Spiritual history

Mughal princess Jahan Ara's tomb (left), Nizamuddin Auliya's tomb (right) and Jama'at Khana Masjid (background), at Nizamuddin Dargah complex, in Nizamuddin West, Delhi

He was merely sixteen or seventeen years old when he first heard the name of Farīduddīn Ganjshakar, and feelings of love and respect arose in his heart right then. He narrates to his disciples that he never felt the same after hearing or even meeting any other sufi. The love kept increasing like a burning fire. If his classmates would like to have some work out of him they used to invoke the name of Bābā Farīd, and he never refused anything asked in his name. He didn't feel the same for anyone else in his entire lifetime. He became his disciple after completing his studies at the age of 20. He visited him thrice in his lifetime.

Spiritual lineage

Start of the Chishti Order:

His students

He had more than 600 khalifas (a khalifa is a disciple who is given the authority to take his own disciples and thus propagate the spiritual lineage) who continued his lineage all over the world. Some of his most famous disciples are:

Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi

He was the spiritual successor of Nizamuddin Auliya. He is considered fifth amongst the big five of the Chisti order in India (the others being Moinuddin Chishti, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Nizamuddin Auliya in that order). His shrine is in Chirag Dilli, New Delhi, India.

Amīr Khusro

He was the most loved disciple of his master. He was so close to his master that once Nizāmuddīn Auliyā' said, "If sharī'ah allows me I would like him to be buried with me in the same grave."^{[citation needed]} He also said that whoever comes to visit his grave must visit the grave of Amīr Khusro first and then his. He died within a few months of his master's death. He was buried at the feet of his master. His shrine is in Nizāmuddīn Dargāh, New Delhi.

Aqi Seraj

He was given the title of Ā'inah-e-Hind (Mirror of India) by Nizāmuddīn Auliyā' and lived with him for a long time. He was amongst the earliest disciples of Nizāmuddīn Auliyā', who sent him to Bengal. His shrine is in Gaur, West Bengal.

Burhanuddin Gharib

He is also amongst the earliest disciples of Nizamuddin Auliya and lived with the master until his last breath. After the death of Nizamuddin Auliya, he went to the Deccan, and the place where he lived became famous thereby. His shrine is in Khuldabad in Maharashtra.

Jalaluddin Bhandari

He is also amongest the earliest disciples of Nizamuddin Auliya. He ran the Langar khana of Nizamuddin Auliya. After the death of Nizamuddin Auliya, he went to the Deccan with Burhanuddin Gharib, and became famous by the name of Bhandari. His shrine is in Fatehabad in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.

Syed Mahmood Kashkinakar

He holds a very special position in Islamic mysticism. He is believed to be alive in the invisible world even after his death in the visible world. There are miracles in the literature of the Chisti order which are attributed to this.

[edit] Ajan Fakir

[edit] Syed Ahmed Badepaa

His tomb is in First Lancer. On the order of his Peer, he left everything in Delhi and moved to the Deccan to propagate Deen Islam along with the famous Syed Burhanuddin.

Quotations

The wilayat (domain) of gnosis and faith can suffer decay. The wilayat of compassion can not.
The love of Auliya (saints) is stronger than their reason.
The lock of spiritual perfection has very many keys. All those keys are to be possessed. If one does not open it, others can.
He who has knowledge, reason, and love, is deserving to become a caliph of the Sufi sheikhs.
So long as is possible, give relief to your heart, because the heart of a good Muslim is the palace of the manifestations of Allah.

His descendants

Nizamuddin Auliya did not marry. However he had one brother named Jamaluddin. He told him, "your descendants will be my descendants". Jamaluddin had one son named Ibrahim. He was nurtured by Nizamuddin Auliya after Jamaluddin's death. Nizamuddin Auliya sent his nephew to Bengal in Eastern India along with one of his most famous disciples (khalifa) Aqi Seraj, famously known as Aaina-e-Hind. Ala-ul-Haq Pandwi (the master (Pir) of Maqdoom Ashraf Jehangir Simnani), one of the most famous Sufis of the Chisti order, became his disciple and khalifa. Ala-ul-Haq Pandwi married his sister-in-law to Ibrahim. They had one son, who was the most famous Chisti Sufi of Bihar, known as Fariduddin Tavaela Bukhsh. He was married to the daughter of Ala-ul-Haq Pandwi. He became the khalifa of Hazrat Noor Qutb-e-Aalam Padwi (the eldest son and spiritual successor of Ala-ul-Haq Pandwi). His shrine is one of the most famous shrines in Chandpura, Bihar Sharif, Bihar. Many of his descendants are very famous Sufis, namely Moinuddin Sani, Naseeruddin Sani, Sultan Chisti Nizami, Bahauddin Chisti Nizami, Deewan Syed Shah Abdul Wahab (his shrine is in Choti Takiya, Biharsharif), Sultan Sani, Amjad Hussain Chisti Nizami, among others. He spread Chisti Nizami order all over Northern India. Ijaza of his Silsila (order) is present in all the existing khanqahs of Bihar. His descendants still reside in Biharsharif and can be found in many parts of the world. However, those still looking after Nizamuddin Auliya's shrine in Delhi are the descendants of his sister's son.

The Chisti Nizami order

Main article: Chishti Order

Nizamuddin Auliya was the founder of the Chisti Nizami order. He had hundreds of disciples (khalifa) who had Ijaza (khilafat) from him to spread the order. Many of the sufis of the Chisti Nizami order are recognised as great sufis; the following is a list of notable sufis of the Chisti Nizami order, which includes his descendants as well as his disciples:
Muhammad Hussaini Gisudaraz Bandanawaz, Gulbarga (near Hyderabad), Karnataka; Ala-ul-Haq Pandwi & Noor Qutb-e-Alam Pandwi, Pandua, West Bengal; Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Simnani, Kachaocha, Uttar Pradesh; Faqruddin Faqr Dehlvi, Mehrauli, New Delhi; Shah Niyaz Ahmad Barelvi , Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh; Shafruddin Ali Ahmed & Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Chirag Dilli, New Delhi; Zainuddin Shirazi, Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh; Muhiuddin Yousuf Yahya Madani Chishti, Medina; Kaleemullah Dehlvi Chishti, Delhi; Nizamuddin Aurangabadi; Nizamuddin Hussain, and Meerza Agha Mohammad; Muhammad Sulman Taunswi, Pakistan, Mohammad Meera Hussaini, Hesamuddin Mankpuri.

Famous Branches

Nizamuddin Auliya was an unparalleled sufi of his time amongst all the existing sufi orders of that time. Many of his contemporaries were doubtless very powerful spiritual leaders, but he was the most famous of all. In his career of approximately 70 years as a sufi he saw the reign of seven rulers of the Delhi sultanate. The kings were very loyal to him and respectful of him. When he first arrived as the Qutb of Delhi he settled down at a lonely place on the outskirts of Delhi, Ghyaspur. But he became so famous that Ghyaspur became the main hub of Delhi and so densely populated that he wanted to leave that place but did not. He was buried in the campus of his khanqah. Ghyaspur is now a central locality of New Delhi, and is known after his name Nizamuddin. The area is so vast that it is divided into four parts: Nizamuddin Dargah (where his shrine is situated), Nizamuddin East, Nizamuddin West and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station.

The branches

The Chisti order branched out with Nizamuddin Auliya to form the Chisti Nizami order. Another branch which started with another disciple of Baba Farid was the Chisti Sabiri branch. People started adding Nizami gracefully after their name. He spiritually made many great sufis amongst his students, descendants and the sufis of the Nizami order.
The other branches are as follows:

Naseeria

His disciple Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Dehli started the Nizamia Naseeria branch.

Hussainia

The Hussaini branch is named for Muhammad Hussaini Gisudaraz Bandanawaz. He was the most famous and loved disciple of Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Dehli. The khanqah he established in Gulbarga, Karnataka is still in existence. He is the most famous sufi of South India.

Niyazia

Shah Niyaz Ahmad Barelvi, in the 19th century started the Niyazia branch. He was a great Sufi of South Asia.

Serajia

The Nizamia Serajia branch was started by Serajuddin Aqi Seraj. This branch is also known as Chistia Serajia.

Ashrafia

The Chistia Ashrafia branch was started by Ashraf Jahangir Semnani, the most famous sufi saint of Uttar Pradesh. He established a khanqah, still in existence at Kachaucha, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Faridia

The Chistia Serajia Faridia order was started by Fariduddin Tavaelabukhsh, a descendant of Nizamuddin Auliya and a sufi of the Serajia branch of the Chisti order. This branch is also known as Nizamia Serajia Faridia.

King's disrespect leads to his own doom

One of the kings of the Delhi sultanate during Nizamuddin Auliya lifetime was Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah, the last ruler of the Khilji dynasty. Legend has it that disrespect of Nizamuddin Auliya caused the king's death. Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah used to assemble all the leading figures and famous personalities of Delhi in his court every weekend. Once a courtier complained to him that Nizamuudin Auliya never came to the court. The King declared, "Order him in my name to come to my weekend gathering, else he will be hanged." When Nizamuddin Auliya's disciple, Amir Khusrau, related this to his master, he ignored the message, and did not even answer. As the weekend approached, his disciples became concerned for his life. On the day before the weekend, Nizamuddin Auliya went to the grave of his mother and came back looking unperturbed, telling his disciples to go home and sleep as usual. The next morning, everyone was very tense and worried, but Nizamuddin Auliya remained unperturbed. Shortly, news came that there had been a rebellion in the palace, and the king had been brutally killed.

Titles given to Nizamuddin Aulia

Mehboob-e-elahi (Beloved of God)
Sultan-ul-mashaiq
Dastageer-e-dojahan
Jag ujyare
Qutb-e-dehli

Urs

The Urs (death anniversary) of Nizamuddin Auliya is celebrated at the Nizamuddin Dargah on the 17th of Rabi II (Rabi-ul-Aaqir), and that of Amir Khusro on the 18th of Shawwal.
In popular culture Arziyan, a qawwali in the film Delhi 6 (2009) composed by A. R. Rahman is dedicated to Nizamuddin Auliya.

Black Stone

The Black Stone (Arabic: الحجر الأسود‎ al-Ḥajar al-Aswad) is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient stone building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic, which according to Muslim tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve.^[1]
The stone was venerated at the Kaaba in pre-Islamic pagan times. It was set intact into the Kaaba's wall by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad in the year 605 C.E., five years before his first revelation. Since then it has been broken into a number of fragments and is now cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba. Its physical appearance is that of a fragmented dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of millions of pilgrims. Islamic tradition holds that it fell from Heaven to show Adam and Eve where to build an altar. Although it has often been described as a meteorite, this hypothesis is now uncertain.^[2]
Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba as part of the Tawaf ritual of the Hajj. Many of them try, if possible, to stop and kiss the Black Stone, emulating the kiss that Islamic tradition records that it received from Muhammad.^[3] If they cannot reach it, they point to it on each of their seven circuits around the Kaaba.^[4]

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Physical description

The Black Stone, surrounded by its silver frame and the black cloth kiswah on the Kaaba in Mecca.

The Black Stone consists of a number of fragments held together by a silver frame, which is fastened by silver nails to the Stone.^[5] Some of the smaller fragments have been cemented together to form the seven or eight fragments visible today. The Stone's exposed face measures about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) by 16 centimetres (6.3 in). Its original size is unclear; its recorded dimensions have changed considerably over time, as the stone has been remodelled on several occasions. In the 10th century, an observer described it as being one cubit (slightly over 1.5 feet (0.46 m) long). By the early 17th century, it was recorded as measuring 1.5 yards (1.4 m) by 1.33 yards (1.22 m). According to Ali Bey in the 18th century, it was 42 inches (110 cm) high, and Muhammad Ali reported it as being 2.5 feet (0.76 m) long by 1.5 feet (0.46 m) wide.^[2]
The Black Stone was first described in Western literature in the 19th and early 20th centuries by European travellers in Arabia, who visited the Kaaba in the guise of pilgrims. Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited Mecca in 1814, and provided a detailed description in his 1829 book Travels in Arabia:

It is an irregular oval, about seven inches in diameter, with an undulated surface, composed of about a dozen smaller stones of different sizes and shapes, well joined together with a small quantity of cement, and perfectly well smoothed; it looks as if the whole had been broken into as many pieces by a violent blow, and then united again. It is very difficult to determine accurately the quality of this stone which has been worn to its present surface by the millions of touches and kisses it has received. It appeared to me like a lava, containing several small extraneous particles of a whitish and of a yellow substance. Its colour is now a deep reddish brown approaching to black. It is surrounded on all sides by a border composed of a substance which I took to be a close cement of pitch and gravel of a similar, but not quite the same, brownish colour. This border serves to support its detached pieces; it is two or three inches in breadth, and rises a little above the surface of the stone. Both the border and the stone itself are encircled by a silver band, broader below than above, and on the two sides, with a considerable swelling below, as if a part of the stone were hidden under it. The lower part of the border is studded with silver nails.^[6]

Visiting the Kaaba in 1853, Sir Richard Francis Burton noted that:

The colour appeared to me black and metallic, and the centre of the stone was sunk about two inches below the metallic circle. Round the sides was a reddish brown cement, almost level with the metal, and sloping down to the middle of the stone. The band is now a massive arch of gold or silver gilt. I found the aperture in which the stone is, one span and three fingers broad.^[6]

Ritter von Laurin, the Austrian consul-general in Egypt, was able to inspect a fragment of the Stone removed by Muhammad Ali in 1817 and reported that it had a pitch-black exterior and a silver-grey, fine-grained interior in which tiny cubes of a bottle-green material were embedded. There are reportedly a few white or yellow spots on the face of the Stone, and it is officially described as being white with the exception of the face.^[2]
The frame around the Black Stone and the black kiswah or cloth enveloping the Kaaba were for centuries maintained by the Ottoman Sultans in their role as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The frames wore out over time due to the constant handling by pilgrims and were periodically replaced. Worn-out frames were brought back to Istanbul, where they are still kept as part of the Sacred Relics in the Topkapı Palace.^[7]

History and tradition

A 1315 illustration from the Jami al-Tawarikh, inspired by the Sirah Rasul Allah story of Muhammad and the Meccan clan elders lifting the Black Stone into place.^[8]

The Black Stone was revered well before the preaching of Islam by Muhammad. By the time of Muhammad, it was already associated with the Kaaba, a pre-Islamic shrine that was revered as a sacred sanctuary and a site of pilgrimage. In her book, Islam: A Short History, Karen Armstrong asserts that the Kaaba was dedicated to Hubal, a Nabatean deity, and contained 360 idols which either represented the days of the year, or were effigies of the Arabian pantheon. The Semitic cultures of the Middle East had a tradition of using unusual stones to mark places of worship, a phenomenon which is reflected in the Hebrew Bible as well as the Qur'an.^[9] A "red stone" was associated with the deity of the south Arabian city of Ghaiman, and there was a "white stone" in the Kaaba of al-Abalat (near the city of Tabala, south of Mecca). Worship at that time period was often associated with stone reverence, mountains, special rock formations, or distinctive trees.^[10] The Kaaba marked the location where the sacred world intersected with the profane, and the embedded Black Stone was a further symbol of this as an object that linked heaven and earth.^[11]
Muhammad is credited with setting the Black Stone in place in the wall of the Kaaba. A story found in Ibn Ishaq's Sirah Rasul Allah tells how the clans of Mecca renovated the Kaaba following a major fire which had partly destroyed the structure. The Black Stone had been temporarily removed to facilitate the rebuilding work. The clans could not agree on which one of them should have the honour of setting the Black Stone back in its place. They decided to wait for the next man to come through the gate and ask him to make the decision. That individual happened to be the 35-year-old Muhammad, five years before his prophethood. He asked the elders of the clans to bring him a cloth and put the Black Stone in its centre. Each of the clan leaders held the corners of the cloth and carried the Black Stone to the right spot. Then Muhammad himself set the stone in place, satisfying the honour of all of the clans.^[12]
The Stone has suffered desecrations and significant damage over the centuries. It is said to have been struck and smashed to pieces by a stone fired from a catapult during the Umayyad siege of Mecca in 756. The fragments were rejoined by 'Abd Allah ibn Zubayr using a silver ligament.^[12] In January 930 it was stolen by the Qarmatians, who carried the Black Stone away to their base in Hajar (modern Bahrain). According to Ottoman historian Qutb al-Din, writing in 1857, Qarmatian leader Abu Tahir al-Qarmati set the Black Stone up in his own mosque, the Masjid al-Dirar, with the intention of redirecting the Hajj away from Mecca. However, this failed, and pilgrims continued to venerate the spot where the Black Stone had been.^[13]
According to historian Al-Juwayni, the Stone was returned twenty-three years later, in 952. The Qarmatians held the Black Stone for ransom, and forced the Abbasids to pay a huge sum for its return. It was wrapped in a sack and thrown into the Friday Mosque of Kufa, accompanied by a note saying "By command we took it, and by command we have brought it back." Its abduction and removal caused further damage, breaking the stone into seven pieces.^[9]^[14]^[15] Its abductor, Abu Tahir, is said to have met a terrible fate; according to Qutb al-Din, "the filthy Abu Tahir was afflicted with a gangrenous sore, his flesh was eaten away by worms, and he died a most terrible death."^[13]
The Stone has been subjected to other indignities during its history. In the 11th century, a man allegedly sent by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah attempted to smash the Black Stone, but was killed on the spot, having caused only slight damage.^[13] In 1674, according to Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, someone smeared the Black Stone with excrement so that "every one who kissed it retired with a sullied beard". The Shi'ite Persians were suspected of being responsible and were the target of curses from other Muslims for centuries afterwards, though explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton doubted that they were the culprits; he attributed the act to "some Jew or Greek, who risked his life to gratify a furious bigotry."^[16]

Ritual role

Muslim pilgrims jostle for a chance to kiss the Black Stone; if they are unable to kiss the stone because of the crowds, they can point towards the stone on each circuit with their right hand. In each complete circuit a person says "In the name of God, God is Great, God is Great, God is Great and praise be to God". Once people have kissed the stone a guard stands ready to push them away.

The Black Stone plays an important role in the central ritual of the Hajj, when pilgrims must walk seven times around the Kaaba in an anti-clockwise direction. They attempt to kiss the Black Stone seven times, once for each circumambulation of the Kaaba, emulating the actions of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. In modern times, large crowds make it practically impossible for everyone to kiss the stone, so it is currently acceptable for pilgrims to simply point in the direction of the Stone on each of their circuits around the building. Some even say that the Stone is best considered simply as a marker, useful in keeping count of the ritual circumambulations (tawaf) that one has performed.^[17] Its black colour is deemed to symbolize the essential spiritual virtue of detachment and poverty for God (faqr) and the extinction of ego required to progress towards God (qalb).^[9]
Writing in Dawn in Madinah: A Pilgrim's Progress, Muzaffar Iqbal described his experience of venerating the Black Stone during a pilgrimage to Mecca:

At the end of the second [circumabulation of the Kaaba], I was granted one of those extraordinary moments which sometimes occur around the Black Stone. As I approached the Corner the large crowd was suddenly pushed back by a strong man who had just kissed the Black Stone. This push generated a backward current, creating a momentary opening around the Black Stone as I came to it; I swiftly accepted the opportunity reciting, Bismillahi Allahu akbar wa lillahi-hamd ["In the name of God, God is great, all praise to God"], put my hands on the Black Stone and kissed it. Thousands of silver lines sparkled, the Stone glistened, and something stirred deep inside me. A few seconds passed. Then I was pushed away by the guard.^[18]

Meaning and symbolism

The Black Stone, in Muslim belief, originated in the time of Adam. According to the Hadith, "it descended from Paradise whiter than milk, but the sins of the sons of Adam made it black".^[19] According to belief, an angel spoke to the great prophet Abraham, and told him to institute the rite of the stone in the hajj at Mecca.^[20]
Islamic tradition holds that the Stone fell from Heaven to show Adam and Eve where to build an altar, which became the first temple on Earth. Muslims believe that the stone was originally pure and dazzling white, but has since turned black because of the sins of the people.^[21] Adam's altar and the stone were said to have been lost during Noah's Flood and forgotten. Ibrahim was said to have later found the Black Stone at the original site of Adam's altar when the angel Jibrail revealed it to him.^[9] Ibrahim ordered his son Ismael - who is an ancestor of Muhammad - to build a new temple, the Kaaba, in which to embed the Stone.
Islam strictly prohibits idolatry. Muslims believe that the Stone's role in hajj is simply representative and symbolic in nature, not related to belief in the stone itself as having any special power. A hadith records that, when the second Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (580-644) came to kiss the Stone, he said in front of all assembled: "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither harm anyone nor benefit anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Messenger [Muhammad] kissing you, I would not have kissed you."^[22] Most Muslims follow the example of Umar: they pay their respects to the Stone in a spirit of trust in Muhammad, not with any inherent belief in the Stone. This, however, does not indicate their disrespect to the Black Stone, but their belief that harm and benefit are in the hands of God, and nothing else. Muhammad Labib al-Batanuni, writing in 1911, commented that the pre-Islamic practice of venerating stones (including the Black Stone) arose not because such stones are "sacred for their own sake, but because of their relation to something holy and respected." ^[23] The Indian Islamic scholar Muhammad Hamidullah summed up the meaning of the Black Stone:

[T]he Prophet has named the (Black Stone) the 'right hand of God' (yamin-Allah), and for purpose. In fact one poses there one's hand to conclude the pact, and God obtains there our pact of allegiance and submission. In the qur'anic terminology, God is the king, and ... in (his) realm there is a metropolis (Umm al-Qurra) and in the metropolis naturally a palace (Bait-Allah, home of God). If a subject wants to testify to his loyalty, he has to go to the royal palace and conclude personally the pact of allegiance. The right hand of the invisible God must be visible symbolically. And that is the al-Harar al-Aswad, the Black Stone in the Ka'bah.^[24]

In recent years, however, literalist views of the Black Stone have emerged. A small minority accepts as literally true an allegorical hadith which asserts that "the Stone will appear on the Day of Judgement (Qiyamah) with eyes to see and a tongue to speak, and give evidence in favor of all who kissed it in true devotion, but speak out against whoever indulged in gossip or profane conversations during his circumambulation of the Kaaba".^[23] Scientific origins
The nature of the Black Stone has been much debated. It has been described variously as basalt stone, an agate, a piece of natural glass or — most popularly — a stony meteorite. Paul Partsch, the curator of the Austro-Hungarian imperial collection of minerals, published the first comprehensive history of the Black Stone in 1857 in which he favoured a meteoritic origin for the Stone. Robert Dietz and John McHone proposed in 1974 that the Black Stone was actually an agate, judging from its physical attributes and a report by an Arab geologist that the Stone contained clearly discernible diffusion banding characteristic of agates.^[2] A significant clue to its nature is provided by an account of the Stone's recovery in 951 AD after it had been stolen 21 years earlier; according to a chronicler, the Stone was identified by its ability to float in water. If this account is accurate, it would rule out the Black Stone being an agate, basalt lava or stony meteorite, though it would be compatible with it being glass or pumice.^[5]
Elsebeth Thomsen of the University of Copenhagen proposed a different hypothesis in 1980. She suggested that the Black Stone may be a glass fragment or impactite from the impact of a fragmented meteorite that fell some 6,000 years ago at Wabar,^[25] a site in the Rub' al Khali desert some 1,100 km east of Mecca. The craters at Wabar are notable for the presence of blocks of silica glass, fused by the heat of the impact and impregnated by beads of nickel-iron alloy from the meteorite (most of which was destroyed in the impact). Some of the glass blocks are made of shiny black glass with a white or yellow interior and gas-filled hollows, which allow them to float on water. Although scientists did not become aware of the Wabar craters until 1932, they were located near a caravan route from Oman and were very likely known to the inhabitants of the desert. The wider area was certainly well-known; in ancient Arabic poetry, Wabar or Ubar (also known as "Iram of the Pillars") was the site of a fabulous city that was destroyed by fire from the heavens because of the wickedness of its king. If the estimated age of the crater is accurate, it would have been well within the period of human habitation in Arabia and the impact itself may have been witnessed.^[5] However, a recent (2004) scientific analysis of the Wabar site suggests that the impact event happened much more recently than first thought and might have occurred only within the last 200–300 years.^[26] The meteoritic hypothesis is now seen as doubtful, and the British Natural History Museum suggests that it may be a pseudometeorite, i.e., a terrestrial rock mistakenly attributed to a meteoritic origin.^[27]

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