by Uzair Ashiq
Can devotion take a human being beyond the boundaries of the visible world? In Kashmir, there survives the account of a mystic whose stature was such that seekers are said to have been taken into the blessed presence of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and granted the rare fortune of his didar. His name was Maulana Mohammad Amin Owaisi (RA).
Beyond the physical realm of humans lie realities of several kinds, veiled from human eyes by the Divine. Among the realities spoken of in Islamic spiritual tradition are the realms of humans and Jinn, the world of dreams, Arwah, Barzakh, Malaykaat, Malakoot, Jabaroot, and Lahoot. There is a cosmos full of mysteries that exists beyond our knowledge, and there are infinite paths that lead towards different Divine realities. Tasawwuf and spirituality have deep roots in the Valley of Kashmir, and Kashmir is often called Peer Vaer, the Garden of Saints. Between the sky-touching mountains and tall green deodar trees lie thousands of stories. The one who can hear the language of the flowing rivers and the winds descending from the mountains into the meadows may find the stories resting beneath these mountains and within the beautiful margs of the Kashmir Valley.
One may study volumes of books and yet remain empty, while another may simply turn inward and discover a light descending from the heavens. One such path leads its travellers towards an encounter with the Divine and towards the discovery of different truths of the world and beyond. It is Tasawwuf. Tasawwuf is a journey of the soul, where the veil of the self is lifted and the heart learns to behold its true direction. One such story lies within me, as one who has inherited this heritage, and it is this beautiful story that I have come to you to narrate: the story of Maulana Mohammad Amin Owaisi (RA), revered as the Summit of Sainthood.
A boy born in 1910 in the Kishanganga Valley of Kashmir was orphaned in his childhood. His mother left him when he was only two, and when he reached the age of seven, his father passed away. He was named Muhammad Amin, inspired by the blessed name of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). He left his home while still very young and embarked upon a journey that would eventually make him an Islamic scholar of remarkable depth. His exceptional intellect helped him learn quickly and understand things with remarkable clarity. This made him stand out among his fellow students and deeply impressed his teachers. Some fellow students, unhappy with the attention he received, decided to trick him. One of them took Muhammad Amin with him to a riverside, where he pushed him into the river.
According to the account passed down, the river caused no harm to the young boy; instead, it carried him to another place and gently placed him on the riverbed. After completing his studies at a local madrasa, Muhammad Amin moved to Amroha, in what is now the state of Uttar Pradesh, where he studied the Qur’an, Tafseer, Hadith and other branches of Islamic knowledge. After completing the first level of his studies, known as Chhoti Tehseer, he returned to Kashmir and began serving as the Imam of a mosque, where his knowledge and wisdom soon earned him great respect. Things were going well in his life, and he was preparing to settle there permanently, but the Almighty had other plans. A river can decide its course, but can never decide which sea it will join.
One night, at the time of Tahajjud, when Muhammad Amin arose, an extraordinary encounter unfolded, one that would become a turning point in his life. Two men appeared at the door from nowhere. They came, embraced him and made Muhammad sit on his charpai. They told Muhammad Amin that they had come to him for a purpose. They discussed his education and then presented him with a mas’ala, asking him to answer it. After thinking carefully, Muhammad Amin gave his answer. The two men exchanged a glance and, smiling, said, “Jawab durust hai, kyun ke zehan durust hai.” They then instructed him to return to Moradabad and continue his studies. As they were leaving, Muhammad Amin, filled with excitement and curiosity, asked them about their identities.
According to the account passed down in the tradition, the first man turned back and asked, “Do you know Imam Abu Hanifa?” “Yes,” Amin replied. “I am that person,” the first man said with a smile. He then indicated the person accompanying him and said, “And the person along with me is none other than Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri (RA).” Muhammad Amin was overcome with astonishment and could only utter, “Subhanallah.” According to the account, the two personalities told Amin that they had been sent by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). After saying this, they moved out of the room and disappeared. Perhaps this is what makes this story so close to me: I am not merely recounting a distant past; I am tracing a spiritual heritage that has travelled through generations to reach me.
Amin returned to Madrasa-e-Shahi, which was established by Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi Sahib. He continued his studies in Moradabad and later moved to Amroha, where he studied at the madrasa associated with the Jama Masjid of Amroha. Muhammad Amin is said to have mastered fourteen branches of traditional knowledge, which included Qur’an, ‘Ilm al-Tafsīr, ‘Ilm al-Hadīth, ‘Ilm al-Fiqh, Usūl al-Fiqh, ‘Ilm al-Bayān, ‘Ilm al-Kalām, Falsafa, ‘Ilm al-Manṭiq, ‘Ilm al-Ṭibb, ‘Ilm al-Hay’ah, ‘Ilm al-Ṣarf, ‘Ilm al-Naḥw, and ‘Ilm al-‘Arūḍ.
Traditionally, there was no fixed syllabus in the way we understand it today. Teachers continued teaching a student until they considered him competent to attain that degree or spiritual authorization. Throughout these years, thousands of questions arose within Muhammad Amin. His scholarly knowledge continued to grow, yet his inner search had only begun. His connection with that divine thread led him towards a search for inner peace, and during this journey, he was finally guided by two Qutubs of the time to meet a Wali named Noor-ul-Zaman. When Amin Sahib reached the residence of Hazrat Noor-ul-Zaman Shah Sahib, he found many people sitting outside a small hut-like structure surrounded by a large mango forest. This was the spiritual lodge where Noor-ul-Zaman Sahib used to sit. Suddenly, a man came and said, “A man named Amin has come; he is a scholar.” Amin initially thought it must be someone else, as he had just arrived and no one there knew his name. The man came again and repeated, “A man named Amin has come; he is a scholar and is among the people who eat maize. Peer Sahib is calling him.” Now Muhammad Amin was certain that it was him, as he was indeed among the people who ate maize. He went inside and saw a person with a radiant face; it felt as though his face was emitting light of its own. He said, “Amin, welcome. A sacred message had already come from the blessed presence of Hazoor Pak (SAW), telling us that you were destined to reach this place.” He then told Amin to stay with him. The spiritual journey of Muhammad Amin Sahib and Hazrat Noor-ul-Zaman Shah Sahib had begun.
According to the account of his spiritual tradition, after three years in khalwat, Muhammad Amin encountered Hazrat Uwais al-Qarni (RA), where he was given the task of returning to Kashmir and becoming the successor of the lineage. He was also entrusted with two portions of Durood, one being Durood-e-Khizri and the other Durood-e-Nabi. He was given these words: “Chala ja Kashmiri, wapas Kashmir ki janib; chand Kashmiri tujh se faizyaab honge.” Noor-ul-Zaman gave him the spiritual authorization, which was written by Fakhar Zaman, the only son of Hazrat Noor-ul-Zaman. As I came to know more about his life, I discovered that his journey was not confined to the pages of scholarship. The same man who mastered the sciences of his age also gave expression to his inner world through Persian poetry, leaving behind his own kalam, entitled Manazil-e-Faqr.
Maulana Muhammad Amin Owaisi (RA) made his way back to Kashmir, and with his return began a chapter filled with stories, experiences and mojzaat that have remained alive in the memories of people to this day. One such story lies within me, as one who has inherited this heritage. I have encountered it not merely through the tradition passed down within my family, but also through Noor-ul-Irfan, the biography of Maulana Muhammad Amin Owaisi (RA), through his own Persian kalam, Manazil-e-Faqr, and through the words and memories preserved by his son, Amin-ud-Din Owaisi Sahib, the present Sajjada Nashin of the Silsila-e-Owaisia.
Some of these accounts have been passed down through generations, each carrying its own lesson and leaving behind a sense of wonder. One such account is of a Darwesh who had already predicted the date of his own departure from this world. He had also foretold that a Qutbul Aqtab would come to meet him, and that the very person who would arrive would lead his funeral prayer. It is said that when Maulana Muhammad Amin stepped into his house, the Darwesh looked at him, smiled, and departed from this world. Maulana Muhammad Amin then performed his funeral prayer, fulfilling the Darwesh’s earlier prediction.
Another remarkable account is associated with a woman known as Miss Hogen from Austin, USA. According to the oral account preserved in the tradition, she once saw a dream in which a saint appeared before her and guided her towards a place she had never seen. Seeking to understand the meaning of her dream, she came to India and approached Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, describing to him the mountains and trees she had seen. According to the account, the Prime Minister advised her to visit either Himachal or Kashmir. She eventually came to Kashmir and rented a houseboat on Dal Lake, where she narrated her dream to the houseboat owner, Ibrahim Wangnoo. He knew a forest officer named Raja Sakhi Wilayat Khan, who took her to the village of Kashira. When she saw Maulana Muhammad Amin Owaisi Sahib, she fainted. Upon regaining consciousness, she said, “This is the exact person who came into my dream and gave me a spiritual call.” She subsequently undertook a forty-day chilla and embraced Islam. Another story of Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Amin Owaisi Sahib that surprised me was when he was travelling for the second Hajj of his life. A heavy storm hit the ship, and the sailors and crew lost all hope of survival. They came to Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Amin Owaisi Sahib. Hazrat went into muraqaba and, after some moments, said, “Mere murshid ne sadya hai Yemen; fikr na karo.” Hours later, the ship found itself near an island. Upon arrival, they came to know that the island was Socotra, in Yemen, traditionally associated with Hazrat Uwais al-Qarni (RA).
The accounts that follow are among those that have remained alive in the tradition I inherited. I share them not merely as stories of wonder, but as fragments of a spiritual legacy that has been passed from one generation to another. For those who recount these stories, they are not merely tales of extraordinary events; they are reminders of a deeper spiritual reality. Perhaps that is why such accounts continue to live, not simply to astonish, but to make us pause, reflect and look beyond what is immediately visible. Those who realise keep diving deeper into this divine sea.
For me, the story does not end with the passing of Maulana Muhammad Amin Owaisi. I have encountered his legacy in his biography Noor-ul-Irfan, in his own Persian kalam, Manazil-e-Faqr, and, most personally, in the words and memories of my grandfather, Amin-ud-Din Owaisi Sahib. What began with Maulana Muhammad Amin Owaisi has therefore never felt like a distant history to me; it is a trust that has continued to travel through generations. He lived his life in a village named Kashira, in the district of Kupwara, where thousands of Kashmiris received guidance from him. His core teachings emphasised the purification of the heart, and his mission was to build a chain of Durood Khawans in Kashmir.
Qutbul Aqtab Maulana Muhammad Amin Owaisi (RA) left this world in 1969. His Khanqah and Dargah are located in that village, surrounded by green forests and mountains. His elder son, Amin-ud-Din Owaisi Sahib, is the Sajjada Nashin and has carried this sacred mission forward for decades. A spiritual guide known for his humility, he has remained largely away from fame and public attention, even as his guidance has reached numerous personalities and communities across Kashmir. Under his stewardship, the Silsila-e-Owaisia has grown from a small circle of seekers into a living spiritual network spread across thousands of devotees and numerous villages throughout the Valley. He continues to preserve and deepen the mission entrusted to him by his father, and for those who seek guidance, the doors of Kashira remain open.
The Silsila, planted nearly a century ago, continues to bear its fruits across the Valley. Perhaps the deepest reason I have chosen to tell this story is that some legacies are not meant merely to be remembered; they are meant to be carried. Kashira remains a hidden treasure of guidance for those who seek to understand Tasawwuf and the Batin.
The author can be mailed at uzairashiq2109@gmail.com
