Whenever there is a mention of Sopore town, the name that first strikes everybody’s mind is the name of Abdul Rahim Shah popularly known as Rahim Saeb Sopore. This mystic saint was born in 1775 AD In Sopore at Teliyan Mohalla. So far his family background is concerned, there are two different opinions -One group is claiming that he belonged to the cowherd family of Sopore –Kashmir; but there are few researchers who are busy doing research work in the field of Sufism with a special focus on biographies of Sufi saints/ poets of the valley of Kashmir, they contradicted the earlier declaration concerning his family background. According to them, Rahim Saubi (RA) was associated with the weaving profession. He learned the art of weaving at Batpora Mahalla.
That particular location (Mohalla) had religious and cultural importance because it remained the abode of Shivism and music lovers. It is because of that influence that we have seen so many words from the Sanskrit language used by him frequently as metaphors like Pran, Pawan, Omkar, Omm, Shaistribal, etc. in his poetry. He was weaving woolen blankets and sold them and in this way, he was fulfilling his financial needs. Most of the researchers unanimously considered the second opinion close to the reality concerning his family lineage
There is very little information about his earlier life, but according to the verbal traditions, the episode that attracted him more towards this mystic path was his visit to the Shrine of Hazrat Syed Jamal- Ul-Din Bukhari RA . The narrative of that particular episode was available to us in a verbal mode that goes like this – “One day, Rahim Sahab RA was sitting within the premises of aforementioned shrine along with his companions. Suddenly, his eyes caught the attention of the lady there who was also on a pilgrimage to the same Shrine. They both exchanged their thoughts in verses. First, it was Rahim Sahab RA
who intoned the verse- then the pious lady responded to him in the same way. She uttered a verse before him interwoven with a message that reflected the importance of the spiritual guide and its role to know the ultimate reality of life (Haq).
That pious lady wanted to draw his attention toward the importance of the guide to attain spiritual heights. That brief interaction with that noble soul acted like a catalyst to infuse more attraction toward this mystic path. It is worth mentioning here that the seed of spiritualism was already imbibed in his character. This episode just proved a turning point for his life. His thirst of knowing more about sprit and spiritualism grew bountifully. He started his search to seek the true spiritual guide (Murshid ). Finally, Almighty Allah bestowed him the best mentor known by the name Peer Gh. Qadir Malik RA from Ranan Qaziyabad. Rahim Saubi Sopore RA was connected through two Sufi lineages ( Silsilas) Qadri Silsila, and Chesti- Silsila which he himself mentioned in his poetry like;
Rhimas Sissilya Qadiri Dur Hak;
Wallah, Billah Tath Chuni Khanh Shaak.
Regarding the Chesti Silsila- he clearly showed his affiliation with it in these verses Rahim Soubu Dilich Masti; Talab Az Khaja Chesti, Bulbul Chayee Suy Jami Jum; Karakh Sar Kham Sarakh Moula.
He described the different historical events of Islam mentioned in the holy book of the Quran through the verse in a very lucid way.
When Dr. Sir Mohammad Iqbal paid his visit to Kashmir in 1931, Mohammad Din Fouq arranged a trip for him to the Walur- lake along with a team of folk singers headed by a well-known singer namely Abdul Aziz Thali, they recited the few selected Persian poems of Rahim Sahab (RA). As soon as those verses touched the ears of Dr. Sahab, he got fascinated and expressed his satisfaction that his ancestors belong to this part of the world that remained the abode of Sufi saints like Rahim Saubi Sopore (RA).
This legendary Sufi saint separated from us physically in 1855 but spiritually he is always with us. His teachings always guide the whole human race. Earlier his annual day celebration was held on the 13th of July but because of some unknown reasons that celebration has not been celebrated for long. The residents of Teliyan Mohalla established a trust after his name “Rhim Sauib RA Trust”. Sufism can reunite the whole human race on one platform. It is a great privilege for me to introduce such a great personality to our younger generation through this brief write-up.
Haroon Rashid Bhat is a teacher and columnist. He can be mailed at minamharoon123@gmail.com
