Shah Niyaz Ahmad

• Religion — Sunni Islam • Denomination — Sunni • Jurisprudence — Hanafi • Born — 1742 • Died — 1834 • Background — green • Resting Place — Khanqah-e-Niazia, Bareilly Shah Niyaz Ahmad (1742-1834) was a Sufi, poet and author from India. He belonged to an Alvi Syed family through his paternal line and Rizvi Syed through his maternal line. His Tomb lies in the city Bareilly Sharif of Uttar Pradesh.

His early education took place at home under his maternal grandfather Sa'id-ud-din, who taught him Qur'an memorization. He later attended Madrasa Faqriya in Delhi. At an early age, he completed his studies in Qur’an, Hadith, Tafsir, Fiqh, and Arabic grammar in Delhi under Fakhruddin Dehlavi, and later taught at the madrasa before becoming its principal.

His primary collection is the Diwan-e-Niyaz (over 50 editions since 1865), compiling poetry in Persian, Urdu, Arabic, and Hindavi on themes of divine love and Wahdat-ul-Wujood.

Persian section: 101 ghazals; 1 munajaat (192 couplets); 1 Arabic ghazal; 1 Persian-Arabic ghazal; 2 masnavis (15 couplets each); 5 mustazads (40 couplets each). Urdu section: 66 ghazals (approx. 525 couplets). Hindavi section: Hori, Phag, Basant, and folk forms.

Risaala Raaz-o-Niyaz Shams-ul-Ain Shareef (also: Kashf-ul-Ghain Min Shams-ul-Ain) Tohfa'e Niyaz ba Hazrat-e-Be-Niyaz (Persian treatise on tasawwuf) Hashiyah Sharah ‘Mulla Jalaal’ (Arabic commentary on religious philosophy) Rekhta and Sufinama also catalog 286 nazms, 862 masnavis, 586 naats, qasidas, and qit'as.

Shah Niyaz Ahmad received his initial Sufi training from Syed Fakhruddin Muhammad Dehlvi (Fakhr-e-Jahan) in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. He was later initiated into the Qadiriyya order by Abdullah Shah Baghdadi, a direct descendant of Abdul Qadir Jilani. He held affiliations across multiple tariqas. Qadiriyya via Abdullah Shah Baghdadi and Mohiuddin Diyasnami, Chishti-Nizami via Fakhr-e-Jahan and Saiduddin; Suhrawardiyya via Fakhr-e-Jahan, and Chishti-Sabri-Naqshbandi via Shah Rahmatullah. The Sufi order he established is known as the Niyazi Silsila.

Shah Niyaz Ahmad married twice. His first wife, the daughter of Abdullah Baghdadi, died after several years of marriage. He had two sons, Shah Nizam-ud-Din Husain and Shah Nasir-ud-Din, with his second wife.

His eldest son, Nizamuddin Hussain, succeeded him as his main khalifa (spiritual successor). Other noted khulafa included Syed Muhammed Sani of Badakhshan, Maulvi Abdul Latif of Samarkand, Maulvi Naimatullah of Kabul, Maulvi Yar Muhammed of Kabul, Mulla Jan Muhammed of Kabul, Maulana Waz Muhammed of Badakhshan, Maulvi Muhammed Husain of Mecca, Mirza Asadullah Baig of Bareilly, Mirza Agha Muhammad of Jabalpur, Maulvi Ubaidullah of Mansehra, and Shah Miskeen Jaipuri.

He died on 6 Jumada al-Thani 1250 AH (9 October 1834) in Bareilly, where his tomb is located. His urs (death anniversary) is traditionally observed each year at his shrine in Bareilly.