FAQEER ABDUL AZIZ KHANDAY SAHAB (R.A) || A MYSTIC DURWAISH FROM ISLAMABAD ANANTNAG KASHMIR

The Sufis are named Sufis because of the purity of their hearts and cleanliness of their acts. the Sufis are those whose actions and acts are for Allah and who have also surrendered and submitted completely before his will. the Sufis are called Sufis because they are in the first rank (Suff) before Allah due to the sincerity of their actions, objectives and beliefs. their qualities resemble those of the people of the group (Suffah) who lived in the time of prophet Muhammad (saw). they are the revered people who leave this physical world and prefer the next world. they do not involve themselves in worldly matters and wear simple garments. they prefer poverty than richness; eat simple diet, dislike luxuries and comforts. they live a very simple life and it is this simplicity which becomes the promise of their character. Prophet (saw) would ask his associates to feed them and sometimes fed them himself.

عزیزوؔ چونُے جنت تہ جہنم دپتھ دوشونی پنہ نے ژے دم

کس سجاوکھ کمیک ارمانے گاہ چھو تراوان یار جانانے

Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday, a renowned Sufi elder, writer and Sufi poet from South Kashmir, was born on July 11, 1948 in Azadpora, Anchidora Islamabad (City of Springs). Because from childhood he gave up the life of luxury and set himself on the path of truth. Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday’s grandfather whose name was Abdul Rehman Khanday was a respected person and has been the forerunner of his area. Jinab Abdul Rehman had four children in his house, the names of which are as follows. 1. Abdul Rashid Khanday (Reshh Khand) 2. Amma Khanday 3. Rehmat Begum 4. Khootan Begum. Jinab Abdul Rashid Khanday was a great man and a forerunner of his region. Jinab Abdul Rashid Khanday had done two marriages. The first wife gave birth to a boy and a girl named Ghani Khanday and Taja Begum. His second Wife named Raja Begum also gave birth to a boy and a girl named Abdul Aziz Khanday and Hajira Begum. Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday was born from the womb of Raja Begum.

فَناء اَز دِل فَنائی کیاہ دَپان تمسی فَناء فیِ اللہ

دَپان تمسی فَناء فیِ اللہ جمع آمد بقاء باِاللہ

From his childhood, Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday used to have intelligent and scholarly conversations. Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahib did not have much education but according to the custom of that time he had passed the tenth class with high marks. In addition to secular education, he was educated in Arabic, Persian and other religions, and was fluent in those languages. In 1964, at the age of 16, he joined a Co-Operative Bank as an Accountant. He worked on it for a while and then quit as he relinquished the job after sometime, perhaps knowing that he had superior spiritual missions ahead of him and he was destined to console and mollify disheartened and penurious people of the valley with his spiritual touches and experiences. Immediately, after bidding adieu to the world in the form of bank service, Abdul Aziz turned out in search of a Sufi Master who could encourage him and make him able to understand the path in which he walks. As Abdul Aziz had to receive spiritual experiences and turn into a Sufi, he developed odium and detest for this physical world and discarded its luxuries, charisma and materialistic values.

At the age of 16, he married with Fatima Begum, who belonged to a prominent family in the Khanabal area of Anantnag. Fatima Begum had Six children from her womb whose names are as follows: 1. Shabbir Ahmed (deceased) 2. Jamshed Ahmed 3. Riyaz Ahmed 4. Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din 5. Shabbir Ahmed (deceased) 6. Basharat Ahmed. Thus, Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahib had already searched for the path of truth, but in order to strengthen this path, he pledged allegiance to Jinab Master Ghulam Nabi Sahib (Bijbihara) and learned Shariah Knowledge from him. After studying with him for some time, when he became thirsty for knowledge, he started looking for a murshid here and there and finally in 1973, at the age of 25, he met a famous Sufi personality and Sufi poet of Kashmir Jinab Faqir Abdul Rehman Sada Sahib (R.A). After meeting him, they discussed some issues with him, which resulted in Abdul Aziz Khanday swearing allegiance to him and acknowledging him as his mentor. His relationship with Jinab Sada Sahib (R.A) grew so much that he acquired both the knowledge of Shari’at and the knowledge of Tariqat from him. This journey of struggle lasted for about 17 years and Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahib followed every word of his Murshid for these 17 years. Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahib writes in one of his books "Rehh" that Jinab Sada Sahib (R.A) had instructed him that you people should learn knowledge from everyone in the world, no matter who he is or wherever he is. ۔ Perhaps this is what Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahib had imprinted in his heart and the result was that in 1990 Jinab Abdul Aziz Sahib took the company of Jinab Faqir Ghulam Ahmad Khan (Khurda) and swore allegiance to him. Jinab Ghulam Ahmad Khan (R.A) was a resident of Ganjiwara Islamabad. He was a Malang and a Darwish man. He was unable to walk or speak, although he sometimes spoke in a broken tongue, but most people did not understand him. Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahib acquired the Knowledge of Ma’rifat from him and became acquainted with all the secrets that a Sufi seeks. From the time of allegiance until the death of his mentor, Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday remained in his company and continued to acquire knowledge. During this time, he also wrote two books, “Rehh” and “Srehh”.

وُچھتہ عینس ونہ چھا ایوانَے گاہ چھو تَراوان یَارِ جَانانَے

نَفی اِثبات پیوو اَنزرانَے سیکہ انبر دَانہ دَانہ گنزرَنَے

Both Books contained Kashmiri, Urdu and Sanskrit Sufi ghazals. Both these books were distributed to the common people during the lifetime of his mentor Jinab Ghulam Ahmad Khan (R.A). Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahib has written both his books under the name of his Murshid Jinab Ghulam Ahmad Khan (R.A). Because Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday did not give much importance to his name, as he has always lived his life like a dervish. At last the time came when his mentor said goodbye to this world. Jinab Ghulam Ahmad Khan passed away in 2016. After the departure of his mentor from this world, Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday became so engrossed in Sufi education that he continued to search for it day and night.

دِلہ پَر درود ے بہ آنجنابﷺ ولہ بوزناوتَن منچی کِتاب

بنہِ مُشکلاتَن حل کیا شتاب ولہ بوزناوتَن منچی کِتاب

After the death of his murshid, he completely remains in search of what he was taught by his Sufi masters. At this stage, he never talked too much neither he liked the gatherings of people. he always remains’ busy in his teaching's and writing's. the seeking of explanation of those teachings which his murshid taught him was emblematic because those teachings stressed that when a believer turns to Allah, he must leave everything of the world, and this is what Abdul Aziz Khanday was on who had begun to minimize his worldly needs and had detached himself from all desires. At some stage Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahab like the followers of the Silsila or Elders of Chishti and maulvi Sufi Sects felt inclined in hearing music to stimulate spiritual emotions within his soul. after coming over all the important stages and paths of Sufism, he finally reached at the stage of spiritual development where all remains 'quit' and nothing has to say or listen. when your inner being comes in a fully mode and it listens and says by the order of his Lord nor by the himself. This was the time when he was about 70 and he always remains busy in his thoughts and didn't like to listen or to talk with anyone. People from all the faiths would visit to Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahab for learning Sufi related concepts. I (Khanday Jeelani) bearing witnessed myself, he gives answers to the people with full explanation from the Qur’an, Sahih Hadith, Fiqh and from the teachings of his murshid's. He also translated two volumes of Masnavi Shareef of Maulana Rumi (R.A) into Kashmiri Language, but due to his health condition he didn't completed the full book.

On Friday, 15 November 2019, at the age of 73 Jinab Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahab lost this world and met with his beloved. During the age of Abdul Aziz Khanday Sahab, he achieved the stature of those Sufis who agreed and strongly believed that Allah is one, alone, single, eternal, everlasting, knowing, powerful, living, hearing, seeing, mighty, the first and the last. He had surrendered himself before Allah and had got associated with him. Though Abdul Aziz Khanday needs no pages of history to remember him because he will rule the hearts of the people perpetually. (Ina Lilallahi Wainna ilahi Rajio’on)

سخر کُر عزیزنؔ یہ دُنیاہ ترو کینہہ ذَر نہ آو تَس اَتھس منز

بَس اَکھ مِنتھ تَس دیدار ہووُن تِی وُچِھتھ کران گو سُہ آخرتُک سنز

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