Shah Amanat

Shāh Amānat Ullah Khān (Bengali: শাহ আমানত উল্লাহ খান, Persian: شاه أمانت الله خان‎), was a late 18th century Sufi Muslim figure in South Asia. He is regarded as one of the most prominent saints of Chittagong, in eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh).[1]

Shah

Amanat Khan
Other namesAmanot Shah
Personal
Born
Bihar Sharif, Bengal Presidency, Company Raj
Died1809 CE
Laldighi, Islamabad, Chittagong District, Bengal Presidency, Company Raj
Resting placeQuddus Serrahul Aziz Darbar Sharif
ReligionSunni Islam
SpouseUmm Anwar
ChildrenAnwar Khan
Parents
  • Niyamat (father)
  • Umm Amanat (mother)
Other namesAmanot Shah
Senior posting
Based inChittagong
Period in officeEarly 11th century
PredecessorShah Abdur Rahim
SuccessorAnwar Khan

Life

Amanat was born into a Muslim family of Iraqi Arab origin. His forefathers migrated from Baghdad to Bihar and they also were descended from Abdul Qadir Gilani.[2] His father's name was Niyamat. Amanat later migrated to Bengal.[3][4] In Murshidabad or Dhaka's Laxmibazar, Amanat became a disciple of and pledged bay'ah to a Kashmiri scholar by the name of Shah Abdur Rahim Shahidan,[5] for a number of years.[6] Abdur Rahim was the grandson of Khwaja Masum, the son of Ahmad Sirhindi.[7] Amanat travelled across the subcontinent to learn about Islam in places such as Delhi, Lucknow and Kashmir.[8]

One day, Abdur Rahim advised Amanat to migrate to Chittagong. Amanat built himself a small cottage in a forest area in Chittagong to live in. He managed to get a job as a punkah wallah at the Chittagong Judge Court, and preferred a simple lifestyle without attracting much attention. He would attend prayers at Yasin Khan's Qadam Mubarak mosque. It was from this career at the court, that he was nicknamed Khan Saheb.[3] However, after people realised his true identity, Amanat began dedicating more of his public life towards religious propagation.[9] According to Mahbubul Alam, Amanat replaced Muhammad Shafi Badna Shah as the Sufi of Chittagong. His first disciple was Shah Sufi Muhammad Dayem of Azimpur who later left for Azimabad and Phulwari Sharif.[10]

Death and legacy

Amanat died in 1809 and was buried near his cottage in a mazar (mausoleum). It is currently in the city of Chittagong; east of the Laldighi and north of the Central Jail road. He was succeeded by his son Anwar Khan and his descendants are the guardians (mutawalli) of the shrine complex. The family have preserved Anwar Khan's Persian language waqfnama (deed of endowment) of 1841 as evidence. In the deed, Anwar Khan writes that due to the death of his son Alip Khan, he has appointed his two grandsons Aliar Khan and Amanat Khan II (the sons of Alip Khan) as the next Guardians.

In 1969, the Mutawalli of the shrine along with a group of people were in Karachi. With Eid al-Adha approaching, they purchased 10 camels for qurbani and were wondering how they would ship them to Chittagong. They went to M. H. Khan for assistance, as the last ship had left in the morning. Khan then asked Dinshaw to return one of the ships back to Karachi so they could load the camels. Fortunately, the ship was not too far and returned back to Karachi Harbour. The Mutawalli was very thankful to Khan, and began a strong relationship between the two. Khan mentions in his memoirs that from then on, he visited the mazar several times whilst in Bangladesh.[11]

In Halishahar, there is a school named after Amanat called the Shah Amanat Shishu Niketan. There is also a power and energy company called Shah Amanat Prakritik Gas Co. Ltd. owned by S. Alam Group of Industries.[12] Shah Amanat International Airport was named after him.[13]

Further reading
  • Moulvi Hamidullah Khan (1853). Aḥādīth al-Khawānīn or Tārīkh-i-Ḥamīdī (in Persian).

References
  1. Harder, Hans (4 Mar 2011). "Introduction". Sufism and Saint Veneration in Contemporary Bangladesh: The Maijbhandaris of Chittagong. Routledge. p. 13.
  2. Ahmed, Rashid. বাংলাদেশের সুফী সাধক [Bangladesh's Sufi saints] (in Bengali). p. 25.
  3. Muhammad Ghulam Mustafa Mullah (1990). Hazrat Khwaja Sharaf Uddin Chishti ebong Mayar Proshashon o Proshongika Kichhu Kotha (in Bengali). Mubeshah Prakashani. p. 27.
  4. Abdul Haq Choudhury (1994). Bondor Shohor Chottogram: Ekti Oitihashik Porjalochona (in Bengali). Bangla Academy.
  5. Ainun Zariah. B. pp. 18–21.
  6. Muhammad Obaid al-Haq. বাংলাদেশের পীর আউলিয়াগণ [Bangladesh's pirs and awliya] (in Bengali). p. 94.
  7. Chakrabarti, Kunal; Chakrabarti, Shubhra (22 Aug 2013). Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis. Scarecrow Press. p. 428.
  8. Huda, Muhammad Shehabul (1985). The Saints And Shrines Of Chittagong (Thesis). Chittagong: University of Chittagong. pp. 107–131.
  9. Abdul Karim (2012). "Shah Amanat (R)". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  10. Sayed Mahmudul Hasan (1987). Muslim Monuments of Bangladesh. Islamic Foundation Bangladesh. p. 43.
  11. M. H. Khan (26 Sep 2016). Memoir of M H Khan: Turbulence in the Indian Subcontinent. Memoirs Publishing. pp. 114–115.
  12. "Change of guards raises eyebrows". The Daily Star. 2017-10-31. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  13. "Chattagram, an orphaned city". The Daily Star. 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
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