Muslim Saints of South Asia: The eleventh to ... - blog blog blog

THE WARRIOR SAINTS
eighth-century false prophet al-Muqanna of Khurasan, whose face
was also always covered with a veil, but certainly not because divine
radiance emanated from it. 7
In order to convert pagans to the true faith, the saint did not choose
the path of spiritual jihād: he used to inflict upon the inhabitants of
neighbouring villages hordes of snakes and scorpions, which were,
apparently, under his command. He also invoked natural calamities
on them, destroyed their standing crops and killed their babies. After
a few years of such an original proselytizing activity the district of
Makanpur was completely Islamized.
One only has to wonder at the good nature of the Hindus of
Awadh, who after all the torture nonetheless proclaimed Shah Madar
to be an incarnation of Lakshman, God Rama’s brother, and became
the main adherents of his posthumous cult. Muslims regarded the
short-tempered saint with less reverence; in their midst his role was
limited to the status of corporate protector of those of low caste:
bhat’hiyārā (innkeepers), kahār (palanquin bearers), bhānd’ (vagrant
actors and conjurers), i.e. representatives of employment connected
with roads and journeys. In this sense the image of Zinda Shah Madar
was identified with the epitome of the roving character, Khizr, the
chief patron of wayfarers.
Apparently Sultan Ibrahim Sharqi was also a forgiving person,
who, in spite of the quarrels with Shah Madar in his lifetime, erected
a tomb for him in 1434, which immediately turned into a centre of
pilgrimage and a place for the saint’s veneration. The dargāh in
Makanpur was reputed to be miracle working. The Madari dervishes
who lived there used to walk half-naked, but at the same time
were armed, covered their body with ash, tied iron chains around
their neck, adorned their heads with black turbans and made their
appearance everywhere with black flags in their hands – an infernal
appearance indeed. They did not observe the mandatory time of
prayer and fast; swallowed a lot of Indian hemp (bhāńg) and, being
in a state of narcotic intoxication all the time, got involved in scuffles
with pilgrims and local inhabitants, continuing the tradition of their
eponym. It has already been mentioned that in search of piquant
sensations they used to betake themselves to the capital or other big
cities, where they took part in more serious conflicts. The Madari
dervishes’ favourite pastime was to sit around a bonfire and tell
fantastic stories about the founder of their sect.
One of these legends, which is downright blasphemous, claims
that during Mi‘rāj the Prophet reached the gates of paradise and
discovered that they were narrower than the eye of a needle. Not
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