Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri

Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri, popularly known as Makhdoom-ul-Mulk Bihari and Makhdoom-e-Jahan (1263–1381), was a 13th-century Sufi mystic and saint active in medieval Bihar.

He was a maternal grandson of Pir Jagjot(Sayyid Shihab Ad-Din Suhrawardi) who was the first Suhrawardi saint to come into India as well as the direct student of the famous Shihab Ad-Din Abu Hafs 'Umar Suhrawardi and of Najm Ad-Din Kubra, the founder of the Kubrawiyya Order.

Early life Sharafuddin Ahmad Yahya Maneri was born in Maner, a village near Patna in Bihar circa August 1263 to Kamaluddin Yahya Maneri bin Shaikh Israil Maneri, a Sufi saint of Suhrawardiyya order and Bibi Raziya alias Badi Bua bint Syed Shahabuddin Suhrawardi Peer Jagjot .

His maternal grandfather Peer Jagjot, who is buried at Kachchi Dargah, near the Ganges in Patna district, was also a revered Sufi of the Suhrawardiyya order. At age 12, he left Maner to gain traditional knowledge of Arabic, Persian, logic, philosophy and religion. He was tutored by Sharfuddin Abu Towama Bukhari, an Islamic scholar from Sonargaon, Bengal with whom he spent about 24 years.

His lineage is given as:

1: 'Abd Al-Muttalib Ibn Hashim

2: Zubayr Ibn 'Abd Al-Muttalib

3: Abu Zar 'Abd Allah Ibn Zubayr

4: Abu Sa'id Mas'ud

5: Abu Ad-Din

6: Abu Suhma

7: Abu Duhra

8: Shaykh Abu Al-Layl

9: Shaykh Abu Al-Layth

10: Imam Abu Al-Fatah

11: Abu Sa'id

12: Abu Saima

13: Abul Qasim

14: Muhammad Abu Al-Fatah

15: Imam Abu Bakr

16: Imam Taj Al-Faqih Al-Hashimi

17: Kamal Ad-Din Yahya Maneri

18: Sharf Ad-Din Yahya Maneri. His Maktoobat is regarded as a 'working manual' amongst the highest in Sufi circles.

Maktubat-i-Sadi, a 'Series of a Hundred Letters' (essays on definite subjects) addressed to his disciple Qazi Shamsuddîn in 747 Hijra. Maktubat-i-Bist-o-hasht, a 'Series of 28 Letters', replies to the correspondence of his senior disciple, Muzaffar, the prince of Balkh. Fawaed-i-Ruknî, brief Notes prepared for the use of his disciple Rukn-ud-dîn.

Death

He died in 1381 A.D. (6 Shawwal, 782 Hijri).

The funeral prayer was said according to his will, which decreed that a Sufi lead it from Semnan who was on his way to Pandua in Malda district of West Bengal to pledge spiritual allegiance on the hands of the Alaul Haq Pandavi and enter into the Chishti spiritual order. Accordingly, Syed Ashraf Jahangir Semnani led the funeral prayers.

His tomb lies at Badi Dargah (Bihar Sharif Nalanda), in a mosque to the east of a large tank, with masonry walls ghats, and pillared porticos. The tomb is situated in an enclosure half-filled with graves and ancient trees, on the north and west of which are three domed mosques and cloisters. His tomb is a place of sanctity for devout Muslims. A five-day Urs is celebrated every year from 5th Shawwal with traditional zeal.