JalaluddinSurkh-Posh Bukhari (Urdu: سید جلال الدین سرخ پوش بخاری, c. 595-690 AH, 1198 – 1292 CE) was a Sufi saint and missionary. He was a follower of Baha-ud-din Zakariya of the Suhrawardiyya order.
Bukhari, a family name, is derived from his birthplace, Bukhara, in modern Uzbekistan.[2] Bukhari is a Sayyid from Naqvi denomination, a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali or Husayn ibn Ali in the male line. Bukhari was born Jalaluddin Haider. However, he has a number of names and titles. He is known as Jalal Ganj; Mir Surkh (Red Leader); Sharrifullah (Noble of Allah); Mir Buzurg (Big Leader); Makhdum-ul-Azam; Jalal Akbar; Azim ullah; Sher Shah (Lion King); Jalal Azam and Surkh-Posh Bukhari.[3] With formal honorifics, Bukhari is known as SayyidJalaluddin; Mir Surkh Bukhari; Shah Mir Surkh-Posh of Bukhara; PirJalaluddinQutub-al-Aqtab; Sayyid Jalal and Sher Shah Sayyid Jalal.
Bukhari was known as Surkh-posh ("clad in red") because he often wore a red mantle.
Bukhari's life was spent travelling. As an Islamic missionary, he converted tribes such as the Soomro, Samma, Chadhar, Sial, Daher and the Warar.[citation needed] Bukhari was one of the ChaarYaar (not to be confused with the Rashidun). The ChaarYaar were the group of pioneers of the Suhrawardiyya Sufi and Chisti movements of the 13th century. Bukhari founded the "Jalali" section of the Suhrawardiyya order of Sufi. He converted the Samma, the Sial, the Chadhar, the Daher and the Warar tribes of the Southern Punjab and Sindh.
Some of his followers (mureed) spread to Gujarat. The mureed included Bukhari's grandson, JahaniyanJahangasht (d. 1384 CE) who visited Mecca 36 times. Other mureeds included Abu Muhammad Abdullah (BurhanuddinQutb-e-Alam) (d. 1453 CE) and Shah e Alam (d. 1475 CE). In 1134 CE, the Sial followers of Bukhari settled in the community that is now Jhang. In the late 17th century, the settlement was washed away. Bukhari's descendent, MehboobAlam Naqvi-ul Bukhari Al-Maroof Shah Jewna, encouraged the followers to resettle the area. Many of Bukhari's disciples are buried in Banbhore and Makli Hill near Thatta.
In 1244 CE (about 640AH), Bukhari moved to Uch, Sindh with his son, Baha-ul-Halim, where he founded a religious school. He died in about 690 AH (1292 CE) and was buried in a small town near Uch.[citation needed] After his tomb was damaged by flood waters of the Ghaggar-Hakra River, Bukhari's remains were buried in Qattal town. In 1027 AH, SajjadaNashinMakhdoom Hamid, son of Muhammad Nassir-u-Din, moved Bukhari's remains to their present location in Uch and erected a building over them. In 1670 CE, the tomb was rebuilt by the Nawab of Bahawalpur, Bahawal Khan II.
The tomb is a short way from the cemetery of Uch. It stands on a promontory overlooking the plains and the desert beyond. To one side of the tomb is a mosque decorated with blue tile work. In front of the tomb is a pool. A carved wooden door leads into the room containing Bukhari's coffin. UNESCO describes the site:
The brick-built tomb measures 18 meters by 24 meters and its carved wooden pillars support a flat roof and it is decorated with glazed tiles in floral and geometric designs. The ceiling is painted with floral designs in lacquer and its floor covered with the graves of the saint and his relatives an interior partition provides 'purdah' for those of his womenfolk. Its mosque consists of a hall, measuring 20 meters by 11 meters, with 18 wooden pillars supporting a flat roof. It was built of cut and dressed bricks and further decorated, internally and externally, with enamelled tiles in floral and geometric designs.
According to World Monuments Fund, "The ancient city of Uch was one of several metropolises founded by Alexander the Great on his crusade through Central Asia in the late 4th century BC."
The MelaUch Sharif is a week-long mela (folk festival) held in March – April in Uch. People from the southern Punjab come to honour Bukhari's role in spreading Islam. Participants visit Bukhari's tomb, and offer Friday prayers at the local mosque which was built by the Abbasids. The mela commemorates the congregation of Sufi saints connected with Bukhari. It aligns with the Hindu calendarmonth of Chaitra.
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