Naqliyat-e-Miyan Abdur Rasheed RZ - Khalifatullah Mehdi (AHS)

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The ulama suggested the name of Shaikh Mustafa RA and tried
to incite the king by saying, “Although your soldiers will work with
all the diligence and courage, it is doubtful even then whether he
will come or not.” Special orders were issued to the army. A strong
contingent under the command of the Mughal commander Amin
Sanjar was sent. The Morbi Fort was surrounded and a siege was
laid. The commander demanded the surrender of arms. Miyan
Mustafa RA laid down his arms. He was taken into custody. However,
Miyan Abdur Rashid RZ refused to hand over the arms. The situation
deteriorated and a clash became inevitable. There were ten persons
with him. They were attacked by the contingent. There was
bloodletting. Miyan Abdur Rashid RZ with his ten companions died.
They were all fasting. At the time of martyrdom, they were seen
colouring their gray beards with their blood and thanking Allah that
he had bestowed martyrdom on them. The date was 24 th of
Ramazan, the Muslim month of fasting. The year was 979 or 980
A.H. The names of the martyred are: Miyan Abdur Rashid RZ , Miyan
Imaduddin, Miyan Shakir, Miyan Usman, Miyan Esa, Miyan Musa,
Miyan Chand, Miyan Mahmood Afghani, Miyan Rajab and Miyan
Nasir. According to another rivayat, Miyan Imaduddin and Miyan
Mahmood Afghani were martyred on the 26 th of Ramazan, the day
of Lailatul Qadr (The Night of Glory). All the martyrs are laid to
eternal rest near the daira. May Allah bless them.
It is obvious that the royal order was to bring Miyan Shaikh
Mustafa RA only in his capacity as a strong scholar to investigate
religious beliefs and actions. Miyan Mustafa RA had accepted the
order and surrendered his arms and himself. The cruel military
officer’s first oppression was that he took into custody like a
common criminal a person who had accepted the royal order and
surrendered his arms. And this was his transgressing the authority
of the royal command. The next cruelty was that he tried to
overpower and take into custody the elderly and weak father of
Miyan Shaikh Mustafa RA and his companions.
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Bandagi Miyan Abdur Rashid RZ had been taken into custody
earlier too. He was tortured and asked to give up Mahdavia faith
and to disown Imam Mahdi AS . But he was later released and it was
publicized that his release was the result of his disowning the
Imam AS . He was shocked on hearing this. Since his cruel
persecutors had him in their clutches, he could not do anything to
defend himself. There was no witness to his innocence except
Allah. He had taken a vow and made a public announcement that if
he were to be arrested again, he would colour his gray beard with
his blood to prove his faith in the veracity (sadaqat) of Mahdaviat.
According to another rivayat, Bandagi Miyan Shah Dilawar RZ had
suggested this course to him.
This was why Bandagi Miyan Abdur Rashid RZ and his
companions opted for confrontation and resisted, as far as they
could, the commander’s cruelty, which had transgressed the
authority of the royal command. They laid down their lives in the
emulation of the traditions of the martyrs. They had no other go.
They had not seen justice being meted out to them anywhere in the
government of the day. All officials, big or small, were bent upon
persecuting the Mahdavis because the government was under the
influence of the qazis and the ulama; the Mahdavis never cherished
political power or authority. They had always served the authority
as faithful citizens to the best of their ability in maintaining peace
and public order. The religion or the preceptors never came in the
way of their services to the government. Besides, religion was the
exclusive concern of every sane person who had attained majority.
No religion allows any pressure or compulsion on the individual.
But alas! The inheritors of the highest religion of Rahmatul-lil-
‘Alamin (Mercy of the Worlds) have perpetrated cruelties in the
pride of their power and pelf of government authority. History and
posterity will continue to condemn them for their cruelties.
After the martyrdom of Bandagi Miyan Abdur Rashid RZ and
his companions, the soldiers took all the people – men, women and
children – of the daira in captivity, plundered the houses of the