Hazrat Badshah Peer's (alaihir rahmah) genealogical lineage can be traced right up to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). He was a Hassani & Hussaini Syed. He belonged to four Silsilas, namely, Qadiriya, Chishtiya, Soharwardia & Naqshbandia Silsilas.
Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) arrived in South Africa in the year 1860. In the early 1850's the governments of India & South Africa were constantly negotiating with a view to bringing indentured labourers to South Africa. The South African government finally decided to bring out labourers from India under contract to work the sugar cane fields in Natal.
The first ship that was contracted to bring the Indians to South Africa was called the Truro, which left India in the first week of October 1860. Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) was among the 203 males, 87 females, 21 boys, 19 girls & 10 infants aboard the ship. The long & difficult journey took approximately six weeks. On the 16th of November 1860, the Truro arrived in the Durban harbour. A large crowd awaited their arrival - the first batch of Indians to South Africa. The passengers were then transported to the Addington Barracks &kept there for some time while their contracts were being drawn up. Thereafter they were dispatched to various centres in Natal. Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) chose to go to the Natal North Coast.
The Natal Sugar Estates hired Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) for his services. The contracts were for 5 & 10 years. Those with 5 year contracts were repatriated at their own expenses & those with 10 year contracts were given a choice of either going back to India at the expenses of the S.A. government or settle in the country. After the expiry of their contracts, some Indian families returned to India but most elected to settle in Natal. Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah), being guided by higher spiritual authority, decided to settle in South Africa.
As time went, the Indians settled in to normal life, many in cultivating while others switching to business. Each labourer was allocated a specific area to plough, cultivate & as Hazrat Badshah Peer's (alaihir rahmah) attention & concentration began to increase towards Almighty Allah, so he began to lose interest in his work. Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) continued to engage in his meditation & spiritual exercises under the shade of a tree. The other field workers feared that he would be punished & reprimanded for neglecting his duties, but at the end of the day his fellow-workers were stunned to see that the plot of land allocated to Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) was complete, yet never saw him move from under the tree. "Unseen hands" used to complete Hazrat Badshah Peer's (alaihir rahmah) work. This trend continued for some time until his fellow-workers realised that Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) was no ordinary man as only a great saint could perform such a miracle.
When his foreman & superiors realised Hazrat Badshah Peer's (alaihir rahmah) extraordinary personality, they offered him his full salary & honourably released him from his duties. Refusing to accept the salary for work he did not do, all he asked was to be transported to Durban, which was duly obliged.
On his arrival in Durban, Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) went straight to the Grey Street Mosque (Durban, South Africa). The mosque in those days was relatively small & the tin shanty that stood behind the mosque became Hazrat Badshah Peer's (alaihir rahmah) dwelling place right up to the day he left this world. Soon Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) became a familiar figure among the musallies, yet very few, if any, really understood or recognised his spiritual status. Very few suspected that he was really a Majzoob or a Wali in constant communion with his Creator & unconcerned with the world around him. The many predictions were not taken seriously by the people, because of their ignorance & lack of understanding of his saintly status.
Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) had only four companions, two of them are Hazrat Saaiya Bawa & Hazrat Qasim Bawa (radi Allahu anhuma), whose Mazaars are situated in Pietermaritzburg. The other two are Hazrat Fateh Bawa (alaihir rahmah), whose grave is located at the entrance of Brook Street Cemetery & Hazrat Syed Sahaab (alaihir rahmah), who is buried just behind Hazrat Badshah Peer's (alaihir rahmah) Mazaar.
Just as he had predicted a week earlier, Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah), passed away on the 6th of Rabi-ul-Awwal in the year 1886, just as the Mu'ezzin was reciting the second Azaan on the day of Jummah. As the musallies were walking out of the Jamaat Khana, they noticed a figure dressed in white lying next to the Wudhu Khana. On checking they noticed that it was the blessed figure of Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) & he had passed away.
Long before his demise Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah) had predicted that a great Muslim missionary & saint by the name of Hazrat Shah Ghoolam Muhammad Soofi, Hazrat Soofi Sahib (alaihir rahmah) will be arriving in South Africa to settle & propagate Islam.
In the year 1895, Hazrat Soofi Sahib (alaihir rahmah) arrived in South Africa, 14 years after the demise of Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah). Through his spiritual powers, he located the grave of Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah). Placing two stones on either side of the grave, he informed the people that here lies a Kaamil Wali & a genuine friend of Allah. Hazrat Soofi Sahib (alaihir rahmah) then had a shelter built over the grave with wood & iron. He even celebrated the first Ur's of Hazrat Badshah Peer (alaihir rahmah).
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