into several languages, including French. Despite great opposition, Shah
Waliullah also translated the Qur’an into Persian — a formidable service
on his part. In India, Persian was the language of educated Muslims and
non-Muslims alike and they benefited greatly from this translation. His
son, Shah Rafiuddin, a religious scholar, translated the Qur’an into Urdu to
bring it within the reach of the common man.
Khwaja Mir Dard was a famous Urdu poet who was a committed Sufi
with half a dozen treatises explaining his views on Sufism and Islam to his
credit.
Mirza Mazhar Jan-i-Janan engaged in activities, which were confined
solely to the spiritual spheres, unlike Shah Waliullah and his family, who
were involved in diverse activities—academic, spiritual and political. Mirza
Mazhar Jan-i Janan had a number of Afghan disciples. He wanted to spread
his mission to the non-Muslims as well, and it was perhaps to bring them
closer that he declared the Vedas to be a revealed book.
Shah Ghulam Ali was Mirza Mazhar’s chief disciple. His fame spread
far and wide. People from Abyssinia, Syria, Asia Minor and Afghanistan
came to him for their spiritual regeneration.
Khalid Kurdi of Damascus, a notable disciple of Shah Ghulam Ali, also
played an important role in the spiritual life of his country.
The Naqshbandi order became so popular inTurkey that about 52
takiyas
(hospices) were founded in Istanbul alone.TheNaqshbandis made the
madrasa
and the mosque their centres. For instance, Madrasa Al-Abbasiyya was an
active centre of Naqshbandi activity in Baghdad.
The revival of Naqshbandi order in Turkey, Afghanistan, Central Asia
and in many other places besides India shows the success of the efforts
made by the order to bring about the spiritual regeneration of people in
almost every part of the world.
Th e Na q s h ba n d i Or d e r 180
