In 1845, the onset of the Great Irish Famine resulted in over 1,000,000 deaths. Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid declared his intention to send 10,000 sterling to Irish farmers but Queen Victoria requested that the Sultan send only 1,000 sterling, because she had sent only 2,000 sterling. The Sultan sent the 1,000 sterling but also secretly sent 3 ships full of food. The English courts tried to block the ships, but the food arrived Drogheda harbor and was left there by Ottoman Sailors.

Due to this the Irish people, especially those in Drogheda, are friendly to the Turks. This event led to the appearance of Ottoman symbols on Drogheda United’s emblem.

– (source: Wikipedia entry on Drogheda)

(Note, in 1845, the 10000 pounds dedicated to the Irish from the Sultan would be worth approximately 800,000 pounds today, that is $1,683,280 US Dollars.

On the other hand, the Queen gave the equivilant of 160,000 pounds today or 336,656 US Dollars)

Ottoman Medal		Drogheda Coat of Arms		Drogheda Football Logo

–

The Osmanli Traveller blog has copied to text a writeup by a Christian Priest who wrote about the Sultan of the time in his travelogue. His account mentions this incident briefly. What is interesting is that without knowing of the secret sending of the ships, the priest was already impressed with the character of the Sultan in his response to the Queen.

On the Character of Sultan Abdul Majid Khan, by the Rev. Henry Christmas M.A. (Christian Priest) written in 1853:

‘One or two anecdotes will put his character in its true light. During the year of famine in Ireland, the Sultan heard of the distress existing in that unhappy country; he immediately conveyed to the British ambassador his desire to aid in its relief, and tendered for that purpose a large sum of money. It was intimated to him that it was thought right to limit the sum subscribed by the Queen, and a larger amount could not therefore be received from his highness. He at once acquiesced in the propriety of his resolution, and with many expressions of benevolent sympathy, sent the greatest admissible subscription.

It is well known that his own personal feeling dictated the noble reply of the divan to the threatening demands of Austria and Russia for the extradition of the Polish and Hungarian refugees. “I am not ignorant,” was his reply, “of the power of those empires, nor of the ulterior measures to which their intimations point; but I am compelled by my religion to observe the laws of hospitality; and I believe that the sense and good feeling of Europe will not allow my government to be drawn into a ruinous war, because I resolve strictly and solemnly to adhere to them.”

This is the true spirit of Christianity, and there is more it in the Mohammedan Sultan of Turkey, than in any or all of the Christian princes of Eastern Europe.’

- “The Sultan of Turkey, Abdul Medjid Khan: A Brief Memoir of His Life and Relign, with Notices of The Country, its Navy, & present Prospects” by the Rev. Henry Christmas, M.A., 1853

Also note, this generosity and compassion occurred during the time of the supposed ‘downfall’ of the Ottoman empire according to Western history books, and Sultan Abdul Majid in himself is not counted as one of the greatest of Ottoman Sultans. A simple examination of the events surrounding this engagement will open anyone’s eyes to the high station of the character of Sultans combined with their skillful ability to traverse political waters to achieve moral, Islamic ends. And how many secrets missions remain as yet uncovered?

Excerpted from Three Years in Constantinople, or Domestic Manners of the Turks in 1844, by a Christian traveller in the Ottoman Empire named Charles White. Besides some bias as to the origin of Ramazan, his conclusion is interesting.

Ramazan - This fast, during which it is strictly forbidden to swallow any kind of food or liquid, to smoke, take snuff, or smell essences, from sunrise to sunset, commences with the certified appearance of the moon or month called Ramazan, and consequently at sunset on the last day of the preceding month Shaban. A gun is fired from each of the principal batteries upon the Bosphorus, at dawn and sunset, to warn the population of the exact time for commencing and terminating their daily fast. Ramazan ought always to contain thirty days, according to the almanack ; but the fast in the capital is sometimes reduced to twenty-nine days, when the new moon of Shawal is visible at that period. Ramazan may be compared to, and as an imitation of the Christian Lent, with this difference, that the rigid privations of the day are compensated for by the admitted relaxations of the night. This month was selected by Mohammed (Sallalahu’alaiheewassalam) for fasting, because he declared that his mission was announced to him by the Almighty upon the 19th, and the first chapter of the Kooran on the following day. Among various infractions that invalidate the daily fast, and require compensation by extra prayer and mortification, is slander. This moral fasting might be introduced with great benefit to society in Christian countries.

HT: seekersdigest.org
source: at-Talib

The Conquest of Istanbul: From the Travel Diary of Mufti Taqi ‘Uthmani

Last week, on my way back from the UK I had the opportunity to spend three days in the historical city of Istanbul. I had been there before, and the detailed memoirs have already been recorded in my book - “Jahaane Deedah”.

The memoirs of last year’s stay there was also published briefly in the “Jang.” This time however, I received some novel and exhilarating information which I should like to part before my readers. The foreknowledge of the history of Istanbul is necessary in order to understand the events (which I am going to describe) in a proper perspective.

Istanbul is one of the oldest cities in the world, and her name has been changed several times during different regimes. Under the Islaamic era it was widely known as Qustuntunia (Constantinople in Roman) and this name had been prevalent since the third century. It was only when Khilaafat-e- Uthmaaniyyah came to an end in 1930 that it was formerly named as Istanbul, and it has been known by that name ever since.

Qustuntunia, or Istanbul in the present day, is a unique city in the world as far as her location and history is concerned. It is the only city in the world which is half in Europe and half in Asia. The straits of Bosporus divide the two halves, with one end merging into the Black Sea, and the other half merging into the Ocean of Marmara. It has been the capital of the Roman Empire for eleven centuries, and its culture was dominating the entire world, as it was regarded to be the ‘Superpower’ of the world. The principle church of Eastern Christianity was also situated here, whose head was known as the Patriarch. Thus, this city had, simultaneously, become the centre of both Christianity and the Byzantine Empire.

The Byzantine Emperor was known as Kaiser and the Byzantines were ruling with great pomp and show. The rise of Islaam in Arabia and it’s subsequent influence on the world was regarded by the Byzantine Empire as a great impending danger, and hence it revealed itself as an adversary against it. In the earlier centuries of Islaamic history, great wars took place between the two (Islaam and the Roman Empire) and the fundamental and operational planning was carried out from this city alone.

It was this tremendous importance of this city that prompted Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam to make the prophecy of “salvation in the Hereafter for the first participants of Jihaad on this city, and their commander as a better commander and their army as a better army”.

In order to be eligible to these glad tidings, every Khalifah tried his best to conquer Qustuntunia, (or Istanbul) but the greatest and foremost difficulty was the oceanic circle around this city. The second hurdle was that Istanbul had been built on mountainous terrain, and it’s severe winters used to become unbearable for the Arabs. Thirdly, there were three successive ramparts that were built around this city. In the distance between each of the three ramparts was a trench which was 100 ft. deep, and 60 ft. broad. Thus, it’s fortress had become impregnable. Fourthly, as this city had acquired a pivotal position politically and religiously, the smallest danger to her would rally the whole Christian World to defend her. These were the fundamental reasons that several attempts to conquer her resulted in failure by the Muslims.

Eventually, the Almighty Allah had destined the assignment to the fortunate Sultan Muhammad Faatih (conqueror) who was the seventh ruler in the Ottoman Empire. This twenty-two year old youth, after enthroning the Ottoman Empire, scrutinised the reasons that thwarted the Muslims’ efforts to conquer Qustuntunia. Using his great skill, determination, bravery and daring, he planned the war which resulted in triumph.

The external reinforcements and aid were supplied to this city through the straits of Bosporus from the Black Sea quarter. It was therefore vital to have absolute control over the straits of Bosporus to cut this city from her allies. In order to execute this plan, Baa Yazeed built a castle on the Asian side of the Bosporus, which is known as Anaadool fortifications, even today. The Sultan, however, considered it inadequate to achieve his goal, and so he built an enormous fort on the European side of Bosporus which is known as Romili fortifications. This fort has been spread over 3000 sq. meters and it has seventeen domes or towers and the highest among them is 90 ft. high. The walls of this fort were nine meters wide. What is astonishing is that he built such a great fort in a short span of four months! The construction commenced on 24th April 1452, and was completed on 18th August 1452. Today the compilation of its maps may take the same amount of time!

Thus, every ship passing through the Bosporus came within knocking range of two pronged Uthmaani tanks. Sultan Muhammad also developed and enhanced the industry of tank manufacture. He prepared the largest tank of his time from brass. It could knock its target at a distance of 1 mile with 320 pounds of ammunition. As Qustuntunia is surrounded by oceans, he also prepared a powerful navy which comprised of 140 ships. After making these preparations he besieged the city in such a way that his infantry reached the western rampart of the city, and his navy took control of the entire straits of Bosporus. The location of Qustuntunia is such that a tiny branch of Bosporus goes to its western side in the form of a horn which is known as the ‘golden horn’. To pass through this golden horn in order to reach the part of the city or its northern rampart, the Byzantine army had blocked the entry of golden horn through a massive chain. The Sultan’s navy had therefore been confined to Bosporus only and it could not enforce the blockade to the city port. The only way it could be captured was invading through the land. The defenders of Istanbul, considering the sea side quite safe, put it’s entire strength on it’s western side.
It was Sultan Muhammad’s earnest wish that somehow a part of his navy could be entered into the golden horn, then the attack on the city from the port side could become a possibility. This was a herculean task as the mouth of the golden horn was blocked by an enormous chain and there were also tanks ready to fire upon the entering enemy, and Byzantine ships were kept alert to defend the chain and attack the invader. To invade through this route was therefore too risky, and out of the question. For a considerable length he could not find a way out of this irksome situation, and no amount of deliberation seemed successful.

Eventually Sultan Muhammad took such an astonishing decision which became momentous and spectacular in world history. He decided that some of his ships would be made to enter the golden horn by pushing them over the land. In order to put this decision into action he chose a curved route (which was 10 miles in length) from the western side of Bosporus to the upper southern part of golden horn, (which is called Qasim today).

This route was extremely difficult and incongruous as it was running through mountainous terrain, but Sultan Muhammad was determined to forge ahead. The entire route was carpeted with plain wooden planks and in order to make their surface slippery, enormous amounts of fat were applied over them. He then transferred seventy ships from Bosporus on these slippery planks. Every ship had two navigators and the sails of these ships were also opened to get the assistance of the breeze. Men as well as bullocks were employed to pull them (and push them) and such an enormous task, in great haste was carried out in just one night! Throughout the night this procession of seventy ships was busy marching towards the golden horn under the light of wooden torches. The Byzantine army was watching this bustle from the ramparts but the darkness of the night prevented them from comprehending the Sultan’s game. When the mornings light raised this mystery, the Sultan’s ships had already entered the golden horn. The Byzantine were wonder-struck! This astounding act of the Sultan has forced even the most biased historians to acknowledge his extraordinary courage and determination and express their amazement over it.

The famous historian Edward Gibbon described it as a ‘miracle’. The entrance of the Uthmaani navy in the golden horn completed the siege of Istanbul from all sides. At the same time Sultan Muhammad built a bridge and planted his heavy artillery on it. After consolidating the siege from both west and south sides, the Uthmaani artillery started pounding from both sides of the ramparts of the city. After seven weeks of non-stop pounding, three massive rifts appeared on the walls of the ramparts.

The entire nights of Jamadiul Awwal 857 A.H. or 29th May 1453, was spent by the Uthmaani army in zikrullah and du’aa and after Salaatul Fajr the Sultan ordered the general attack. In order to bridge over the trenches the scaling ladders of rope had already been installed. Fierce battle took place until the afternoon and both sides displayed astonishing bravery and none of the Uthmaani soldiers could enter the city. Eventually Sultan Muhammad himself marched toward the St. Roman’s door with his specially trained men called ‘Yeni Chari’. Their leader, Agha Hasan succeeded in ascending over the top of the ramparts with thirty of his men. Eighteen soldiers including Agha Hasan were thrown down by the defending Byzantine, but the remaining twelve managed to remain there. The other Uthmaani soldiers followed suit and eventually the red hilali (crescent) Uthmaani flag was unfurled and waved on the rampart.

The Byzantine Emperor, who was fighting fearlessly until now and putting up fierce resistance became nervous with the loss of his extremely brave confederates, and he screamed in agony, “Is there any Christian who can finish me off?” After getting no reply he threw off his special attire (the Kaisers were dressed in special attires indicating their exalted position) and fought bravely with the Uthmaani army as an ordinary soldier and was killed. With his death, the Byzantine Empire came to an end, which began and ended in Qustuntunia.

The title of Kaiser after the downfall of the Roman Empire became a legend. Thus, the prophecy of the holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam came true:

“There will be no other Kaiser after the Kaiser has been eliminated.”

This was the beginning of the Uthmaani or Muslim reign over Istanbul and Turkey which lasted for five centuries. The Uthmaani Sultans reigned over it with great splendour and it ended in the beginning of the twentieth century through the treachery of Kamal Ata Turk, and the secular state which came into being.

(translated by Haafiz Ghulam Muhammad Bora)

During this weekends sohbet Lukman Khwaja raised an interesting fact that many people are not aware of. The fact that during Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent’s time, rocket science was being developed and shown to the Sultan. This is certainly interesting as the Ottomans are sharply criticized by some for falling behind in technology.

“Evliya Celibi’s anecdote of Lagari Hasan Celebi flying with a seven winged rocket of his own invention is still more interesting, and is as follows:

“Lagari Hasan Celebi: The night Murad Han’s daughter, Kaya Sultan, was born as brilliant as a star, and there was an infant ceremony. Lagari Hasan had invented a seven winged rocket using fifty okka (140 lbs) of gunpowder paste. In Sarayburnu, he mounted the rocket before the emperor. His students lit the wick. Lagari said ‘O my sultan! Be blessed, I am going to talk to Christ’, and he ascended praying. He lighted the rockets he took with him, illuminating the surface of the sea. When the big rocket ran out of gunpowder, he splashed into the sea while landing. Thereon, he swam and came before the sultan naked. He kissed the ground and joked ‘O my sultan! Christ sends his regards to you’. He was granted a sack of silver coins, and was enrolled as a cavalry soldier with seventy silver coins for his salary:

Then he went to Selamet Giray Khan in Crimea, and died there. The deceased was a close friend of mine. God bless him”

ref: The First Attempts of Flight, Automatic Machines, Submarines and Rocket Technology in Turkish History, Prof. Terzioglu, Jan 2007

Lukman Khawaja pointed out that while the Ottomans had this technology, Sultan Suleyman ordered for it to be covered up, as he, even back then, realized the harm that would come when nations like today were to have access to such technology. He realized then that if this type of knowledge fell into the hands of the wrong people, they would destroy not only each other, but all of humanity with it. And this is where we are today.

Today nations are desperate, yet they cannot stop the spread of nuclear weapons, as they attempt to follow Sultan Suleyman’s example.

People mistake wisdom, earnestness, clarity and goodness for backwardness. This is something that needs to be reevaluated.

Qazi Akhi Jamshed (I/10) He was from the village of Rahra Mau, about 6 km from Baragaon, where his great-grandfather, Qazi Abdul Latif, son of Qazi Jalal Uddin, had settled. Qazi Jamshed left his home at a very early age and went to attend on Makhdoom Jalal Uddin Jahania Jahangasht, one of the most revered sufis of his times. After spending about 12 years in this service, Qazi Jamshed became his Murid. His association with his Pir was so close that Makhdoom Jahania Jahangasht called him Akhi, or friend, which became a permanent prefix to Qazi Jamshed’s name. One Makhdoom Sahib was so impressed with Qazi Akhi’s knowledge and perfection that he gave him a Khirqa and advised him to go and settle at Kannauj. Qazi Jamshed left Uchch and stayed at Kannauj for sometime. But due to congestion and unhealthy surroundings of the area, he shifted to a suburb of the town known as Rajgir, which is at the banks of the river Ganga.

Qazi Akhi Jamshed was of very pure habits and did not have any superficiality or worldly feelings. His virtues were his exhaustive devotion to the Almighty, his high ideals, complete contentment with the surroundings and extensive powers of enacting miraculous deeds. Due to his extreme holiness and piety, Kings, Nawabs and other elites used to visit him for fulfillment of their desires. A few of them became his murids as well. Khwaja-i-Jahan, who established an independent Kingdom of Jaunpur, visited Qazi Jamshed frequently, and it is said that due to blessings of Qazi Jamshed, he was able to carve out an empire for himself. The story goes that Khwaja Jehan, when he was at Delhi, visited Makhdoom Jahania Jahangasht and asked for his blessings. Makhdoom Sahib, in turn, told his disciple Qazi Jamshed to request these blessings. Qazi Sahib asked Khwaja Jehan to raise his hands for prayers and asked him to say what he wanted. While listening to his desires, Qazi Jamshed blessed him to become an independent King.

Qazi Akhi Jamshed was very popular in the masses. People living around Rajgir loved him. It is mentioned in Mirat-ul-Israr that once during Holi, a festival observed with vigor and enthusiasm in the whole of northern India, a crowd of village folk came to Qazi Akhi and started dancing and singing in front of him. Qazi Sahib also got into the mood of ‘Jazb’, (trance) and joined in dancing. He kept on dancing for about three days without any break and without taking food or water. This activity was not appreciated by his disciples, who considered dancing and singing with infidels to be against the tenets of their religion. They reported this matter to the King of Jaunpur, who did not pay any heed to it and took it lightly, saying that possibly it was a way of expressing one’s gratitude to God at the time of Holi. His stature could also be judged by the fact that Sheikh Kamal Uddin Laharpuri, himself a very renowned Auliya, used to receive instructions in his dreams from Qazi Akhi Jamshed. Once he was told to build an apartment for his wife, and he complied. This place became Sheikh Kamal’s resting place when he died.

Sheikh Noor Uddin, a nephew (son of his sister, Sakina) of Qazi Akhi became his Khalifa. The exact date of Qazi Sahib’s demise is not known. Sheikh Abdur Rehman Chishti says that he could not find out the date of his death, but it is definite that Akhi Jamshed was alive through the reign of Sultan Ibrahim Sharqi, who died in 844 H. Therefore, the date of Qazi Sahib’s death could be somewhere around 860 H. Other sources mention the date as 11 Shawwal 801 H, which seems incorrect. There is an interesting story mentioned in Mirat-ul-Kaunain about the day of his death. It says that Akhi Jamshed died on Monday, the 10 Shawwal, and when the body was being taken for burial, an old woman who lived nearby stated wailing “how Akhi Jamshed, being such a perfect saint, could die on Monday, which was supposed to be inauspicious day”. Hearing this, Akhi Jamshed peeked through the ‘Kafan’ and said “Alright if this day is inauspicious for you, then I will live for one more day”. Akhi Jamshed remained alive that day and died the next day. How far it is true is left to the readers to ponder. He is buried at Rajgir, in the district of district Kannauj.

[Biographical sketch of Kidwais of Avadh : with special reference to Barabanki families pub. 1989
by Riaz-ur-Rehman Kidwai, out of print]

Continuing the description of my ancestor, I have provided this excerpt:

–

At least twenty to twenty-five Qidwais have been Sufi Saints of very high status; their biographies have appeared in some of the original works on Sufis and Ulemas of Hindustan. The books were written in Persian as far back as the days of Emperor Shahjehan (Mirat-ul-Israr). These Auliyas were descendants ofQazi Qidwa and had settled from one corner of India, i.e., Sind (now in Pakistan) to the other corner, around Bengal. These saints left their marks on the people in the areas they visited, and Urs ceremonies are regularly held at their tombs even today with great reverence and devotion. These sufis could not be distinguished earlier as Qidwais because writing “Qidwai” as a suffix to their names was not the regular practice in the past, even though the first mention of surname of Qidwai appears in Mirat-ul-Israr. Efforts have therefore been made to isolate these saints from other Sufis and bring descriptions of their lives together in one place so that readers may learn some details about their ancestors. This chapter will therefore give biographical sketches of the renowned Qidwai saints.

Qazi Moiz Uddin, also known as Qazi Qidwatud-Din or Qazi Qidwa. Qazi Qidwa’s exploits as a crusader have already been described in Chapter III. The intention here is to bring out his spiritual standing among the sufis of Hindustan. As mentioned earlier, Qazi Qidwa came to India at the behest of Pir Khwaja Usman Harooni. He came with a mission, to spend the rest of his life in the service of Islam and to help the downtrodden in India by preaching the tenets of the dynamic new faith. This is not an easy task to achieve in a single lifetime, unless an individual has a firm conviction of his own faith and the capacity to bear the negative forces that act against people with such convictions. He must have had some supernatural powers, and his contacts with the needy brought certain worthwhile results. This was necessary in those days, when ordinary human beings were ignorant and isolated from the main stream of the society. The average individual did not have any aptitude to grasp things that were told to him but was receptive to occurrences he observe himself and happenings he could register with his own perception. Sufis therefore had to have some powers to perform extraordinary acts, known as Kashf. These powers were mostly exhibited in the form of healing touches and the warding-off of bad influences.

Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Qazi Qidwa did posses some extraordinary powers. His adventures in subjugating the local Rajas of Avadh was of special significance because the victories in those battles of Jaggaur and Baragaon are attributed to his spiritualism; his army was always very weak compared to the combined enemy forces.

Hazrat Abdul Nabi has said that Qazi Qidwa, being from Sa’dat, had vast influence on the masses around Ayodhya. The people there were Orthodox Hindus, and even then, they used to flock in hundreds to obtain Qazi Sahib’s blessing. No one will ever know the exact number of people who were converted to Islam by his teaching, but the clan became so large that all neo-converts and Qazi Sahib’s descendants settled themselves in a separate locality known as Qidwai Mohalla. This locality was subsequently eroded by the river, and the inhabitants were forced to move to other parts of the town, which later came to be known as Faizabad.

Tariq Sheikh Abul Fazal Arabi (as quoted in Tariq Abu Said) elaborates on the qualities of Hazrat Qazi Qidwa by attributing to him the titles of Maghzan-i-Haqiqt, Anwar ul Hai, Namantaha-ud Dahar and Sultan-ul-Arifin, etc. Maulana Wajih Uddin Ashraf remembers Qazi Qidwa as Umadat-ul-Abrar, Sargarda-i-Akhbar, Sahib-e-Takhat and Makhzan-ul-Auliya. These titles are not merely decorative; they had real meaning–Qazi Sahib was a renowned sufi saint. These titles seem appropriate when we learn that Qazi Qidwa’s saintly disposition has filtered through the next 600 years and produced more eminent sufis throughout the generations. Unfortunately, Qazi Qidwa died within three years of his stay at Ayodhya and did not have time to establish himself with authority. If he would have lived twenty to thirty years preaching Islam, his name would have be listed along with those of famous sufis like Khwaja Moin Uddin Chishti, Baba Farid Shakarganj, Nizam Uddin Auliya and others.

[Biographical sketch of Kidwais of Avadh : with special reference to Barabanki families pub. 1989
by Riaz-ur-Rehman Kidwai, out of print]

Kidwai has an alternative spelling of Qidwai, you will see the two interchanged

–

GENEALOGY OF QAZI MOIZ UDDIN :

Available chronicles show that Qazi Qidwa’s lineage (henceforth, this short name, which is more popular, will be used) connects him to Hazrat Adam, and rightly so, since Muslims believe that mankind started its existence on this earth when Adam and his wife were deported from heaven. Thus the available chronicles show the lineage connecting Qazi Qidwa to Hazrat Adam. The accuracy of these Shijras is very difficult to establish. Some of them put Qazi Qidwa in the 54th generation from Hazrat Adam, some at the 57th generation. These Shijras agree with one another until the appearance of Hazrat Yaqub aleh es Salaam, grandson of Hazrat Ibrahim, whose laqab was Israel. Israel is an Arabic word made up of two syllables–’Isra’ and ‘el’. The first syllable refers to the person who travels during the night, and ‘el’ is only a consonant. How this word was coined for Hazrat Yaqub is described in the Bible in Chapter 27 of Genesis and Qasas-ul-Ambia. It has been said that one day Hazrat Ishaq, the father, asked for some food, which was served by one of his sons. Ishaq, being blind in old age, thought that Aes, his elder son, had served the food, and he therefore blessed him by saying, “You will become the next Prophet”. In reality, it was Hazrat Yaqub, the younger son, who served the food and thus received the blessing. Hazrat Aes was distrurbed when he learned of the blessing, since he, being the elder brother, should rightfully have received his father’s blessing. To diffuse the situation, Hazrat Yaqub andhis family left his father’s house and traveled through the night. This act on the part of Hazrat Yaqub gave him the laqab of Israel. Thus, Bani Israel means “a progeny of Hazrat Yaqub” and nothing more, and the notion that all Bani Israelites are Jews is not correct.

The first deviation in the available Shijras takes place when some of them show the lineage of Qazi Qidwa through Hazrat Yaqub’s elder son Yahuda and others through the younger son, Lava. Again, there are two deviations through the two sons of Yahuda, Oman and Farsam. Thus we have three Shijras: one from Lava, one from Farsam and a third from Omar. The two from Lava and Farsam show Alexander the Great at the sixth generation from Hazrat Moosa and carry on through Salim, shown as a son of Alexander. This seems to be incorrect; it is known that Alexander did not have any progeny, and consequently, his empire was distributed between his generals after his death. There is only one Shijra that is from Hazrat Ibrahim through Hazrat Yaqub, Yahuda and Omar, which probably shows Qazi Qidwa’s lineage correctly. However, w e are still not sure about this because the gap between Prophet Muhammad and Qazi Qidwa is only of six generations, while time period elapsed between the two individuals’ lives is about 6000 years. Therefore, the dynastic lineage through Malik Danishmend Ghazi, who was connected to Saiyed Battal, may be taken as the most likely true genealogy of Qazi Qidwa (See Annexure 11).

[Biographical sketch of Kidwais of Avadh : with special reference to Barabanki families pub. 1989
by Riaz-ur-Rehman Kidwai, out of print]