Ghurid Sultanate Shansabānī
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This map is showing the Ghurid Empire without their south-eastern territories of north-western India.
Capital	Herat, Ghor, Ghazni, Lahore
Language(s)	Persian (court poetry)[1]
Religion	Sunni Islam
Government	Sultanate
Sultan
- 1148–1157	Ala-ud-din Jahan-Suz
- 1157–1202	Ghiyasuddin Ghori
- 1202–1206	Muhammad of Ghor
- 1206–1210	Qutbuddin Aibak
History
- Established	1148
- Disestablished	1215

The Ghurids or Ghorids (Persian: سلسله غوریان‎; self-designation: Shansabānī) were a medieval Muslim dynasty of Iranian origin that ruled during the 12th and 13th centuries in Khorasan.^[2] At its zenith, their empire, centred at Ghōr (now a province in Afghanistan), stretched over an area that included the whole of modern Afghanistan, the eastern parts of Iran, Pakistan and the northern section of the India, as far as Delhi. The Ghurids were succeeded in Persia by the Khwārazm-Shāh dynasty and in North India by the Mamluk dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.

Origins[link]

In the 19th century, some European scholars, such as Mountstuart Elphinstone, favoured the idea that the Ghurid dynasty was Pashtun,^[3][4][5] but this is generally rejected by modern scholarship, and, as explained by Morgenstierne in the Encyclopaedia of Islam, is for "various reasons very improbable".^[6] Instead, the consensus in modern scholarship (incl. Morgenstierne, Bosworth, Dupree, Gibb, Ghirshman, Longworth Dames and others) holds that the dynasty was most likely of Tajik origin.^[7][8][9] Bosworth further points out that the actual name of the Ghurid family, Āl-e Šansab (Persianized: Šansabānī), is the Arabic pronunciation of the originally Middle Persian name Wišnasp, perhaps hinting at a (Sassanian) Persian origin.^[10]

Language[link]

The language of the Ghurids is subject to some controversy. What is known with certainty is that it was considerably different from the New Persian literary language of the Ghaznavid court. Nevertheless, like the Samanids and Ghaznavids, the Ghurids were great patrons of New Persian literature, poetry, and culture, and promoted these in their courts as their own. There is nothing to confirm the recent surmise (as claimed in the Paṭa Khazāna) that the Ghurids were Pashto-speaking,^[11] and there is no evidence that the inhabitants of Ghor were originally Pashto-speaking.^[7]

History[link]

Before the mid-12th century, the Ghurids had been bound to the Ghaznavids and Seljuks for about 150 years. Beginning in the mid-12th century, Ghor expressed its independence from the Ghaznavid Empire. In 1149 the Ghaznavid ruler Bahram Shāh poisoned a local Ghūrid leader, Quṭb ud-Dīn, who had taken refuge in the city of Ghazna after a family quarrel. In revenge, the Ghūrid chief ʿAlāʾ-ud-Dīn Ḥusayn sacked and burned the city of Ghazna and put the city into fire for seven days and seven nights. It earned him the title of Jahānsūz, meaning "the world burner".^[12] The Ghaznavids retook the city with Seljuk help, but lost it to Oghuz Turk freebooters.^[12] In 1152, Ala ad-Din Jahan-Suz Husain refused to pay tribute to the Seljuks and instead marched an army from Firuzkuh but was defeat at Nab by Sultan Ahmed Sanjar.^[13]

In 1173, Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghori reconquered the city of Ghazna and assisted his brother Ghiyasuddin—to whom he was a loyal subordinate—in his contest with Khwarezmid Empire for the lordship of Khorāsān. Shahabuddin Ghori captured Multan and Uch in 1175 and annexed the Ghaznavid principality of Lahore in 1186. After the death of his brother Ghiyas-ud-Din in 1202, he became the successor of his empire and ruled until his assassination in 1206 near Jhelum by Khokhar tribesmen (in modern-day Pakistan).^[14] A confused struggle then ensued among the remaining Ghūrid leaders, and the Khwarezmids were able to take over the Ghūrids' empire in about 1215. Though the Ghūrids' empire was short-lived, Shahabuddin Ghori's conquests strengthened the foundations of Muslim rule in India. On his death, the importance of Ghazna and Ghur dissipated and they were replaced by Delhi as the centre of Islamic influence during the rule of his successor Sultans in India.^[15]

Ghurid Dynasty[link]

• Blue shaded rows signifies Ghurid vassalage under the Ghaznavids.
• Yellow shaded rows signifies Ghurid vassalage under the Seljuks.

Ghor Branch[link]

• Green shaded row signifies Ghurid vassalage under the Khwārazm-Shāh dynasty.

Bamiyan Branch[link]

• Green shaded row signifies Ghurid vassalage under the Khwārazm-Shāh dynasty.

Cultural influences[link]

The Ghurids were great patrons of Persian culture and literature and lay the basis for a Persianized state in India.^[17][18] They also transferred the Khorasanian architecture of their native lands to India, of which several great examples have been preserved to this date (see gallery). However, most of the literature produced during the Ghurid era has been lost.

Out of the Ghurid state grew the Delhi Sultanate which established the Persian language as the lingua franca of the region – a status it retained until the fall of the Mughal Empire in the 19th century.

History of Afghanistan

See also: Timeline

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History of Iran

See also: Kings of Persia · Timeline of Iran

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See also[link]

• Minaret of Jam
• Mandesh

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Encyclopaedia Britannica (Online Edition) – Ghurid Sultanate
• Encyclopaedia Britannica (Online Edition) – Muizz-ud-Din-Muhammad a.k.a. Mohammad of Ghor
• Columbia Encyclopedia (Sixth Edition) – Muhammad of Ghor
• The Ghurid Rulers
• The Ghurids
• The Ghurids´ Firuzkuh, the summer capital of the Sultans

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
Religion	Islam, specifically the Suhrawardiyya Sufi order
Other name(s)	Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
Personal
Born	1177 Maiwand, Afghanistan
Died	1274 Sehwan, Pakistan
Senior posting
Based in	Sehwan
Title	Shahbaz
Period in office	12th/13th century
Predecessor	Baha-ud-din Zakariya
Successor	Various

Syed Usman Marwandi or known as Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (1177–1274) (Sindhi: لال شھباز قلندر), a Sayed Sufi saint, philosopher, poet, and qalandar. Born Syed Hussain Shah,^[1] he belonged to the Suhrawardiyya order of Sufis.

He preached religious tolerance among Muslims and Hindus. His mysticism attracted people from all religions. He was called Lal (red) after his usual red attire, Shahbaz due to his noble and divine spirit, and Qalandar for his Sufi affiliation. Many Hindus regard him as the incarnation of Bhrithari while others (Hindus from Sindh) consider him as an emanation of Jhule lal. Thousands of pilgrims visit his shrine in Sehwan every year, especially at the occasion of his Urs.

Life[link]

Shahbaz Qalandar (Syed Usman Marwandi) was born in Maiwand, Afghanistan^[2] to a dervish, Syed Ibrahim Kabiruddin^[3] whose ancestors had migrated from Baghdad and settled in Mashhad, a center of learning and civilization, before migrating again to Marwand.

During his lifetime he witnessed the Ghaznavid and Ghurids rules in South Asia.^[4] A contemporary of Baha-ud-din Zakariya, Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari Surkh-posh of Uchch, Shams Tabrizi, Mehre Ali Shah Mast and Rumi, he travelled around the Muslim world and settled in Sehwan (Sindh, Pakistan) where he was eventually buried.^[5] Evidence shows that Shahbaz Qalander was in Sindh before 1196 when he met Pir Haji Ismail Panhwar of Paat. It is believed he arrived in Sehwan in 1251. He established a Khanqah there and taught in the Fuqhai Islam Madarrsah: during this period he wrote his treatises Mizna-e-Sart, Kism-e-Doyum, Aqd and Zubdah.

In Multan Lal Shahbaz met Bahauddin Zachariah Multani of the Suhrwardiyya, Baba Farid Ganjshakar of the Chishtiyya and Makhdoom Jahanian Surkh Bukhari. Their friendship became legendary: they were known as Chahar Yar (Persian = the four friends). According to some historians the four friends visited various parts of Sindh and Punjab in present day Pakistan. Saints of Sindh including Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Makhdoom Bilawal and Sachal Sarmast were followers of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

His dedication to the knowledge of various religious disciplines enabled him to eventually become a profound scholar. He became fluent in many languages including Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Sindhi and Sanskrit. He often quoted the teachings of Maulana Jalal ad-Din Rumi. Lal Shahbaz lived a celibate life. He died in 1274 after living 97 years.

In poetry and prose[link]

A qawwali sung by Abida Parveen and many others, "Lal Meri Pat Rakhiyo ..." is in honour of Shahbaz Qalandar, as is one sung in various versions by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Sabri Brothers, "Mast Qalandar". "Solomon's Ring" by Gul Hasan is a book based on his life.

Shrine[link]

The shrine around his tomb, built in 1356, gives a dazzling look with its Sindhi kashi tiles, mirror work and one gold-plated door - donated by the late Shah of Iran, and installed by the late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.^[2] The inner sanctum is about 100 yards square with the silver canopied grave in the middle. On one side of the marble floor is a row of about 12-inch-high (300 mm) folding wooden stands on which are set copies of Quran for devotees to read. On the other side, beside a bundle of burning agarbattis (joss sticks), are rows of diyas (small oil lamps) lighted by devotees. Thousands of devotees visit the tomb, particularly every Thursday.

Urs[link]

Lal Shahbaz' annual Urs (death anniversary celebration) is held on the 18 Sha'aban - the eighth month of the Muslim lunar calendar. Sehwan springs to life and becomes the focal point of more than half a million pilgrims from all over Pakistan. On each morning of the three-day feast the narrow lanes of Sewhan are packed to capacity as pilgrims, fakirs and devotees make their way to the shrine to commune with the saint, offer tributes and make a wish. Most of the people present garlands and a green chadar with Qur'anic inscriptions in silver or gold threads, humming verses, singing and dancing in praise of the saint till late at night. The devotional dance known as ‘dhamal’, an ecstatic swirl of the head and body, is performed to the rhythm of the dhol, a big barrel-shaped drum, some of giant size and placed in the courtyard of the shrine. Bells, gongs, cymbals and horns make a thunderous din, and the dervishes in robes, beads, bracelets and colored head-bands whirl faster and faster until, with a final deafening shout, they run out into the courtyard.

Legends and Stories[link]

On his way from Baluchistan to Sindh he stayed in present-day Karachi's Manghopir area for meditation (muraqba), and it is said that Manghopir's natural warm fountain started to flow from beneath the hill on which Lal Shahbaz sat. The fountain is still flowing continuously and is said to have miraculous healing power especially for asthma patients.

It is also believed that he turned into a falcon to pick up his friend Fariduddin Ganjshakar from the gallows. Another legend tells that the incumbent fakirs in Sehwan sent him a bowl of milk filled to the brim, indicating that there was no room for anything more. But he returned the bowl with a beautiful flower floating on the top.

Baba Sajid Saleem, an expert on Sufi legend, teaching in GIKI head of humanities department, also narrates another legend, in which a fellow (Murid) was requested meat Goshat by Shahbaz. The fellow Murid went to a town of infidels. The infidels tear the fellow and ate him. When Shahbaz knew about the incident he called him as if he was listening. The Murid came out of the stomach of infidels, integrated into the Murid and came back to service of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

See Also[link]

• Rabia Basri
• Jahaniyan Jahangasht
• Tando Jahania

References[link]

External links[link]

v t e Sufism and Tariqa Ideas Qutb Wali Abdal Fakir Dervish Tazkiah Baqaa Fanaa Haal Keramat Haqiqa Ihsan Irfan Kashf Lataif Manzil Marifa Nafs Noor Sufi cosmology Sufi metaphysics Sufi philosophy Sufi poetry Sufi psychology Sulook Yaqeen Silsila Practices Anasheed Dhikr Haḍra Muraqaba Qawwali Sama Whirling Ziyarat Sufi orders Azeemia Akbarī Alians Ba 'Alawī Bayramī Bektashī Chishtī Galibī Gulshanī Ḥurūfī Idrīsī Jelvetī Jerrahī Khalwatī Kubrāwī Madarī Malāmatī Mawlāwī Mourīdī Naqshbandī Naqshbandi Uwaisī Khalidiyya Nasuhī Ni'matullāhī Nuqtawī Qadirī Qalāndārī Rifa'ī Safāvī Shadhilī Suhrawardī Sunbulī Tijanī Ussakī Uwaisī Zahedī Notable early Sufi saints and mystics Abdul-Qadir Gilanī Abul-Khayr Ahmad Ghazālī Ahmed Yasāvī Al-Ghazālī Al-Hallaj al-Misrī Al-Qāsim al-Qunawī Amīr Kulal Ardabilī Ata Allah Attar Balım Sultan Baha ūd-Dīn Naqshband Bande Nawāz Baqī Billah Bastamī Bhita'ī Bulleh Shah Shah Waliullah Dehlāvī Farīd ūd-Dīn Fozail Gālib Gharīb Nawāz Ghujdawanī Ghulam Farīd Sheik Edebali Gül Baba Hajji Bayram Hajji Bektash Hazrat Mai Safoora Qadiriyya Haddad Hamadānī Hansvī Harabatī Baba Hasan Basri Mahmud Hudayī Hujwirī ibn ʿArabī Jābir ibn Hayyān Jahangasht Jamī Jan-e-Jānāān Jazoulī Junayd Baġdādī Kākī Kaliyarī Karkhī Kharaqanī Kubrā Nāimī Najib al-Suhrawardī Nasīmī Mansur Al-Hallaj Ni'matullāh Nizām ūd-Dīn Nurī Otman Baba Pir Sultan Qutb ūd-Dīn Haydār Rabbānī Rabia Basri Razī Rifa'ī Rukn-e-Alam Rūmī Ibrahim ibn Adham Saadī Salman al-Farisī Sanai Mevlana Halid-i Bagdadi Sarı Saltuk Semnanī Shadhilī Shahāb al-Dīn Suhrawardī Shams Tabrizī Shiblī Shirazī Sultan Walad Surkh Bukhari Taj al-Dīn Gilanī Umar al-Suhrawardī Uwais al-Qarni Yunus Emre Magtymguly Pyragy Zakariya Zarruq Notable modern Sufi saints Auliya Azeemi Nagpuri Meher Ali Sheikh Muhammad Uthman Sirajuddin Qadeer Piya Muhammad Maliki Gohar Shahi Tahir ul-Qadri Tahir Allauddin Taqi Usmani Abdal Hakim Murad Nazim Al-Haqqani Hisham Kabbani Nuh Keller Nooruddeen Durkee Abdalqadir as-Sufi Zaheen Ghulam Mustafa Reshad Feild Ahmad al-Alawi Ashraf Ali Thanvi Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Abd al-Rahman al-Shaghouri Omar Shah Haeri Raza Khan Syed Shujaat Pir Zulfiqar Abdullah Naqshbandi Sufi Barkat Ali Hafiz Qamaruddin Saheb Qibla Fultali Feisal Abdul Rauf Osman Nuri Topbaş Sufi studies Aguéli Almqvist Burckhardt Chittick Corbin Ernst Frager Guénon Hixon Lindbom Lings Nasr Schimmel Sells Shah Schuon Topics in Sufism Art Fiction History Music Poetry Shrines Texts Portal

• Site Reference of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
• Official shrine website