Biography of Hazrat Makhdoom Syed Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (May Allah be pleased with him)
Hazrat Sultan al-Awliya, Taj al-Asfiya, Umdat al-Kamilin, Zubdat al-Wasilin, Ayn Uyoon al-Muhaqqiqin, Warith aloom al-Anbiya wal-Mursaleen, Tarik al-Saltanat, Ghawth al-‘Alam, Mahboob Yazdani, Sultan Awhad al-Din, Qudwat al-Kubra, Makhdoom Syed Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (may Allah be pleased with him) was the founder and foremost spiritual leader of the Ashrafi Sufi Order.
He was born in 712 AH (1313 CE). Before his birth, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave his parents the glad tidings in a dream, saying that they would be blessed with a son named Ashraf, through whom the mission of preaching and spreading Islam would be carried out.
Hazrat Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (RA) lived for 120 years and passed away on 28 Muharram 832 AH at Roohabad, Kichhauchha Sharif (Uttar Pradesh, India). His blessed shrine remains a place of pilgrimage for people from all walks of life and a source of spiritual comfort and healing for countless visitors.
His noble father was Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Noor Bakhshi, son of Sultan Syed Imad al-Din Shah Noor Bakhshi Semnani, the ruler of the Noor Bakhshi Semnani Kingdom in Iran. His blessed lineage traces back through 20 generations to Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (RA), 23 generations to Imam Husayn (RA), and 25 generations to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
When Hazrat Makhdoom Semnani (RA) reached the age of four years, four months, and four days, his formal education commenced according to the family tradition. A grand celebration was held in the royal court. The entire city and the royal gardens were beautifully decorated with luxurious carpets and furnishings, and the royal throne was prepared for the occasion. Maulana Imad al-Din Tabrizi initiated him with the traditional Bismillah ceremony and began teaching him the Arabic alphabet.
At the remarkably young age of seven, he had already memorized the Holy Qur’an and mastered the Ten Canonical Modes of Qur’anic Recitation (Qira’at Asharah).
By the age of fourteen, he had completed all the commonly taught Islamic sciences, both rational and transmitted. However, his heart was deeply inclined toward Tasawwuf (Islamic spirituality) and Ma’rifah (Divine knowledge). This spiritual longing led him to the company of the renowned Sufi master Khwaja Ala al-Dawlah Semnani, in whose service he spent much of his time.
After the passing of his respected father, Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Hazrat Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (RA) inherited the throne of the State of Semnan in 723 AH, when he was only fifteen years old, and assumed the responsibilities of kingship. Nevertheless, his natural inclination was toward asceticism, poverty before Allah, and spiritual devotion rather than worldly power. Consequently, after a short period, and upon the spiritual guidance of Hazrat Khidr (peace be upon him), he entrusted the kingdom to his brother A’raf Muhammad and, at the age of twenty-five, voluntarily renounced the throne.
Having abandoned the royal throne, he set out on a journey toward India. Initially, a large cavalry and infantry accompanied him, but he instructed them all to return home and continued his journey alone. At one point, he even gave away his horse to a needy person and continued traveling on foot.
During his journey, he met Hazrat Syed Jalal al-Din Bukhari, famously known as Makhdoom Jahaniyan Jahangasht (RA). The great saint welcomed him, saying:
“After a long time, I have sensed the fragrance of a sincere seeker, and after many years, a fresh breeze has blown from the garden of the Prophet’s descendants. O Sultan Syed Ashraf! You have courageously embarked upon this path. Congratulations and blessings upon you.”
Hazrat Makhdoom Jahaniyan (RA) bestowed upon him numerous spiritual blessings and stations of poverty (Faqr) and instructed him:
“Proceed without delay to the eastern region of India, to the Kingdom of Bengal, where my brother Sheikh Ala al-Haq wa al-Din Ganj Nabat (RA) is eagerly awaiting your arrival. Beware! Do not stay anywhere for long on the way.”
Following this instruction, Hazrat Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (RA) continued his journey and eventually reached Delhi.
There he met another saint who advised him:
“O Ashraf! Hasten your journey and do not linger anywhere. My brother, Sheikh Ala al-Haq wa al-Din (RA), is eagerly waiting for you.”
He therefore resumed his journey with even greater speed. Upon reaching Bihar Sharif, he found that Hazrat Sheikh Sharaf al-Din Yahya Maneri (RA) had already passed away. In accordance with the saint’s final will, Hazrat Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (RA) led his funeral prayer and received the sacred relics that had been left specifically for him.
He then resumed his journey and finally arrived at his long-awaited destination—the blessed court of his incomparable spiritual guide, Hazrat Makhdoom al-‘Alam Sheikh Ala al-Haq wa al-Din Chishti Ganj Nabat (RA). There, he pledged allegiance (Bay’ah) at the hands of his master. Immediately, his spiritual guide honored him with Khilafah (spiritual succession) and Ijazah (authorization).
The journey from the Kingdom of Semnan to the sacred land of Pandua Sharif, West Bengal, took approximately two years to complete.