Upcoming Event: A three day international seminar on “Shah-i-Hamadan

Upcoming Event: A three day international seminar on “Shah-i-Hamadan

Announcement by Prof Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi

A three day international seminar on “Shah-i-Hamadan’s Contribution to Learning and Society” Insha Allah, on 13-15 March 2012 in the University of Kashmir

Sayyid Ali Hamadani (RA), commonly known as Shah-i-Hamadan (Lord of Hamadan) was a remarkable personality of the 14th century Muslim world. He was a profound Sufi scholar, committed social reformer, distinguished political theoretician and a dynamic preacher of Islam. Born in 1314 AD at Hamadan (West Central Iran) Sayyid Ali Hamadani got his early education from his maternal uncle, Alau-ud-Din learning the Quran and other elementary Islamic sciences and was also introduced to Shaykh Muzdaqani and Taqi ud-Daula Ali Dusti (the disciples of celebrated saint Alau-ud-Daula Simanani) from them he attained more training in the knowledge of Islamic spirituality (tasawwuf). After these accomplishments Sayyid Ali travelled extensively to a number of countries of the world for the preaching of Islam as well as interacting with the other leading Muslim Sufis and scholars of his time. This endowed Sayyid Ali with a charismatic personality of Islam who came to Kashmir in 1373 A.D along with other seven hundred religious and artistic figures (sadat) and made a deep impact upon the people of Kashmir.

Having evolved himself as an erudite scholar and saintly (Sufi) figure of his times, Mir Sayyid Ali made a valuable contribution to the preaching and teaching of Islam and introduced social and ethical reforms in the society. This is propounded in his works (rasa`l) whose number is more than one hundred and even biographical literature about him also has documented it considerably. Among them Zakhirat ul Muluk, Mirat ul Taibin, Siyr-ul Talibin, Fatutiyah, Minhaj-ul Arifin, Risala Muktubat Amiria, Hal al-Fasus, Risalah I`tiqadiyah, al-Nasakh wa al-Mansukh fil Quran al-majid, Insan-i-Kamil and Sharah Asma-al-Husna are worth mentioning. Some of these are brief while the others are of detailed nature and chiefly deal with the themes of tasawwuf (mysticism) imaniyat and ibadat (Beliefs and Ritual Practices), scholastic and religious sciences and social and political ethics. All this constitutes Sayyid Ali's distinguished contribution in promoting Islamic learning, knowledge and social reform and renders him a special place in the intellectual and civilizational history of Islam. Not only a common man was made acquainted with the religious fundamentals, but men showing sincerity to religion were exposed to its exoteric and esoteric depths by following the path of saluk and the elites and rulers were specially approached and given the counsels of adhering to piety and social justice of Islam. This is evident throughout his tours to various countries particularly through his influential role in reforming Kashmiri society on religious norms.

Nevertheless the contribution from Sayyid Ali Hamadani to the promotion of Islamic learning, sciences and society is valuable as it made lasting imprints on the world societies in general and Kashmir society in particular. To examine and discuss the nature of these dimensions of Sayyid Ali Hamadani, our Institute is organising a three
day international seminar on “Shah-i-Hamadan’s Contribution to Learning and Society” Insha Allah, on 13-15 March 2012 in the University of Kashmir, Srinagar.

We are expecting participation of eminent researchers on Syed Ali Hamadani(RA) and Sufism from various countries like Tajikistan Uzbekistan ,Turkey ,Malaysia and Iran apart from some European researchers ,as we are receiving encouraging feed backs from all of them regularly through internet .Moreover a galaxy of scholars from Aligarh International Islamic University Malaysia ,Muslim University ,Delhi University ,Jamia Millia Islamia ,Jamia Hamdard New Delhi ,JNU New Delhi ,Maulana Abul Kalam Azad National Urdu University Hyderabad ,Osmania University Hyderabad , Hyderabad, Mumbai University, Darul Huda Kerala ,Islamic University for Science and Technology Awantipora,Darul Uloom Qasmia Srinagar,etc are expected to present their research papers during this three day international seminar ,first of its kind in Kashmir. The international seminar is being attended by eminent scholars from representatives of research foundations like Shah-i-Hamadan Research Foundation (SHRF) Kashmir etc etc and very prominent scholars and ulama of Kashmir .We have sent invitation letters to all embassies of Islamic countries and have tried to reach out to maximum people in this regard to make this conference a historical one and academically very fruitful event .ah-i-Hamadan different places of Kashmir of the important features of this conference will that about twenty manuscripts in Arabic and Persian authored by Shah-i-Hamadan (RA) are being translated into English and Urdu, and the gist of the contents of which will be presented in form of papers by the researchers during the seminar. I have been fortunate to procure about 45 copies of manuscripts of Syed Ali Hamadani (RA) in
Arabic and Persian for our departmental library last year; these manuscripts were found in London libraries Tashkent, Rampur AMU Aligarh Tonk and other places and are now safely placed after proper binding in a section of our library in Ghosh-i-Shah-i-Hamadan (RA).

We invite the papers from the scholars/experts in the concerned fields across the world for contributing a paper to the seminar relating to any one of the following broader themes of the topic. The abstract of the paper comprising 150-250 words must reach to us by or before 10 February 2012 and full paper (4000-5000 words) up to 20 February 2012 at shseminar2012@gmail.com, or Director Prof. Hamidullah Marazi, Email: -hamidnaseem@gmail.com ,Contact No: -9419061177,Co-ordinator:Dr. Abdul Rashid Bhat ,Email: -dr_a_r_bhat@rediffmail.com ,Contact No: -99065176987

Broader Themes of the Seminar
1. Social Thought
2. As a Reformer of Society/A Reformist Thinker
3. Political Thought/Shariah (Islamic Law)
4. Tasawwuf (Sufism)
5. Islamic Learning/sciences (Ulum al-Quran,
Hadith, Fiqh)
6. Intellectual Legacies of Islam: Ghazzali and Shah-
I-Hamadan
7. Sufi Legacies of Islam: Ibn Arabi, Shah-i-
Hamadan, Shaykh al-Alam and Shaykh Hamza
Makhdum
8. Legacy of Islamic Political Thought: Nizam ud-
Din Tusi and Shah-i-Hamadan
9. Economic Development
10. Shah-i-Hamadan and Iqbal
11. Relevance of Shah-i-Hamadan’s Thought in the
Contemporary Society
12. Critical Study of Shah-i-Hamadan’s Works
13. Critical Study of Academic Works/Writings on
Shah-i-Hamadan