Memory of Mughal era scholar lives on
BOND Mazar ShaheedeSalis, which houses a mosque and a tomb, is a link between Agra and Iran’s Shushtar town
AGRA : Given the rush in the new Agra market, few spare a thought for the Mazar Shaheede-Salis,which houses a mosque and mausoleum of Qazi Saiyad Nurullah Shushtari, who rose to important positions in Mughal Emperor Akbar’s reign.
Experts say the structure stands as a symbol of the bond between Agra in India and Shushtar, a town in Iran.
Educated by his father in religious subjects and rational sciences, Nurullah moved from Shushtar to Mashhad in Iran in 1571 for further education. After 12 years, Nurullah decided to move from Mashhad and was looking for a peaceful place where literature was patronized.
It was about this time that Mughal ruler Humayun’s second stint opened the gates for Iranian scholars.
When Akbar came to power (1556-1605), he launched the doctrine of ‘Sulah-kul’ (peace for all). Impressed by the congenial climate in India, Nurullah migrated from Mashhad (Iran) to Agra in 1584. When he moved to Fatehpur Sikri the next year, he was introduced to Akbar by Hakim Abdul Fath Gilani.
The outcome of the meeting was that Nurullah replaced Shaikh Moin as the Qazi of Lahore in 1586.
Historians hold the appointment of Nurullah as the Qazi of Lahore significant because he was a follower of the Shia sect. And there were not many examples of a Shia rising to the post of Qazi in the Sultanate in India.
Around 1599, Nurullah was appointed the Qazi of the Mughal army at Agra but tough days were in store in for him as Abul Fazl was killed, allegedly on Jehangir’s order in 1602. Qazi Nurullah planned to return to Iran, but Akbar stopped him. After Akbar passed away, Qazi Nurullah was executed during the reign of Jehangir in 1610.
But his name lives on due to Mazar Shaheed-e-Salis.
“Nurullah Shustari, popularly known as Qazi Saheb in Agra, lives on in the minds of his followers. Two big halls are being built and a mosque on the premises date back to the period when the Mazar came up,” says senior journalist Masoodul Hasan of Lucknow.
“Over the decades, the Mazar of Qazi Nurullah Shustari in Agra emerged as a major pilgrimage place for the Shia community from India and abroad. Shias from all over India congregate here for an annual religious ceremony. The Iranians have special affinity for the Mazar as Qazi Nurullah Shushtari belonged to Shushtar in Iran and had migrated during the reign of Mughal emperor Akabar,” he said. “Qazi Nurullah Shushtari played a key role in the propagation of the Shia sect in India. His several books were instrumental in the spread of Shiaism in India,” he added.
“For this reason, he became the victim of a court conspiracy during the reign of Emperor Jehangir and was assassinated. His body was thrown at the place where the Mazar exists today,” Hasan says.
“The mosque within the premises dates back to the period of the mazar and has been visited by many rulers, clerics and intellectuals from Iran. King of Iran Shah Raza Pehalvi and the Chief Justice of Iran offered ‘namaz’ at this mosque,” says Amir Ahmad, a lawyer in Agra.