Shah Jalal ad-Din al-Mujarrad al-Naqshbandi popularly known as Hazrat Shah Jalal (1271 CE- 15 March 1346 CE) is a celebrated Sufi Muslim figure in Bengal. Jalal’s name is associated with the Muslim movement into north-eastern Bengal and the spirit of Islam in Bangladesh through Sufism, part of the long history of travel between the Middle East, Persia, Central Asia, and South Asia. As indicated by a tablet engraving found in Amber Khana, he landed at Sylhet in 1303. The biggest air terminal in Bangladesh, Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport, is named after him.
Hazrat Shah Jalal Yemeni (RA) also known as Hazrat Shah Jalal Muzarrad (RA) arrived at Kamrup, the place within the terrain of Sreehatta, currently known as Sylhet in the Hijri year 703 equivalent to 1303 AD. Sufi-Darbesh came to Sylhet to help him in preaching Islam. When Hazrat Shah Jalal (Ra) came to preach Islam overwhelming majority of people wereHindus. After his death, he is buried at Durgah Mahallah, Sylhet. It is now the tomb of Hazrat Shah Jalal.
According to legend, one day his uncle, Sheikh Kabir gave Shah Jalal a handful of soil and ask him to travel to India. He instructed him to choose the settle and propagate Islam in any place in India where the soil exactly matches that which he gave him in smell in color. Shah Jalal journeyed eastward and reached India in c. 1300, where he met many great scholars and Sufi mystics.
History of Hazrat Shahjalal Mazar Sharif:
Hazrat Shah Jalal (Ra)’s biography was first recorded in the mid-16th century by a certain Sheikh Ali (d. 15620), a descendant of one of Shah Jalal’s companions. In this manner, there is a gap of a few centuries between the life of the holy person and that of his most punctual biographer. According to this account, Shah Jalal had been born in Turkestan, where he became a spiritual discipline of Khwaja Ahmed Yasawi, one of the founders of the central Asian Yasawi Sufi tradition. In this manner, in spite of the fact that his reality isn’t discussed, quite a bit of his biography is discussed.
Shah Jalal’s name is related to the Muslim success of Sylhet. The tradition goes that a Hindu King named Gaur Govinda ruled the Sylhet area. Burhanuddin, a Muslim who lived in the region under his influence once yielded a cow to commend the birth of his child. Be that as it may, a kite grabbed a bit of tissue of the butchered cow and it tumbled from its snout on the place of a Brahmin. According to another tradition, the piece of flesh fell on the temple of the king himself, which he took as a great offense. At the request for the lord, Burhanuddin’s hands were said to have been cut off and his child executed. Burhanuddin went to Gaur and presented a supplication to Sultan Shamsuddin FIRUZ SHAH for equity from him. The Sultan as needs is sent a military under the order of his nephew Sikandar Khan Ghazi, who was, in any case, crushed twice by Gaur Govinda. The sultan at that point requested his sipahxalar (military boss) Nasiruddin to lead the war. During the same time, Shah Jalal (Ra) with his 360 followers reached Bengal and joined the Muslim army in the Sylhet campaign. This time the Muslim armed force won, Gaur Govinda fled the nation and Sylhet went under Muslim guidelines.
Though based on folk tales, historic evidence support the truth of the war event King Gaur Govinda, Sultan Shamsuddin Firuz Shah, Sikander Khan Ghazi, Nasiruddin, Shah Jalal are for the most part notable people; there may be some fanciful records in representing the story, however, the main event, ie, the conquest of Sylhet, is historical fact. Sultan Shamsuddin Firuz shah ruled Bengal during the period from 1301 to 1322 AD and extended the region under his standard every which way. Epigraphic and scholarly sources additionally validate the reality of the success of Sylhet during Shamsuddin Firuz Shah’s standard and of the inclusion of Shah Jalal (R) simultaneously.
Ticket Price:
This is one kind of sacred place for Muslims. So there’s no ticket price at all.
Opening Hour:
This place is open for 24 hours.
Off Day:
There’s no off day at all.
Contact Number:
There’s no contact number at all.
Address, Location (How to go):
Dargah Gate, Sylhet City 3100, Bangladesh.
You have to take a rickshaw or CNG auto-rickshaw and head towards Dargah Mahallah from Sylhet Sadar.
Where to Stay:
There are a number of good quality hotels in Sylhet town. Most of those are at the Mazar road. Amberkhana or in Zindabazar. A brief list of hotel is given below.
- Hotel Rose View
Address: The Shahjalal suburb of the city.
Contact Number: 0821-721439
- Hotel Star Pacific
Address: Durgah Gate, Sylhet.
Contact Number: 0821-727945
Most Attractive Things (What You Can See):
The town of Sylhet is very popular with tourists, as it is located on the banks of the Surma River and is surrounded by breathtaking lush forests, abundant wildlife, fragrant fruit tree groves, and endless tea plantations. It is a small piece of paradise in Bangladesh, hidden between the rolling green hills of Tripura, Jaintia, and Khasi. It is the ideal location of escape, to experience Bangladesh at its best. Over and above the picturesque wonder of the landscape and terraced garden found in the town, there are many attractions for visitors to explore, and amongst the religious attractions, the shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal is probably the most sacred.
The shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal has become a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of devotees who come to the shrine in their droves from all over the country. It has been six hundred years since Hazrat Shah Jalal was laid to rest, but his memory and above for him have been passed down from generation to generation and he is as admired today as he was when he was still alive.
The exact date of birth and death of Hazrat Shah Jalal is unknown, however, some believe that he was born in 1271 and others have suggested that he passed away in1347. But what is known for certain is that Hazrat Shah Jalal was born Sheikh Makhdum Jalal ad-Deen bin Mohammad.
Hazrat Shah Jalal was buried in Sylhet and his tomb attracts visitors every day. His robes and sword are protected inside the mosque, however, these holy antiquities are not in plain view to the general population. The watchmen of the hallowed place choose who may enter to see the tomb, and now and again guests have dismissed if the gatekeepers feel that they are dressed improperly, or for different reasons as the tomb is seen as a position of regard reverence, not as one of the town’s vacations destinations’. Visitors who are allowed to enter are advice to treat this privilege as a great honor.
Sylhet is a town filled with tradition. Culture and folklore, and the shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal are definitely worth the visit. Learning about Jalal’s struggles and the history of this region, which are entwined is a very rewarding experience.