Shah, Ahsanullah

Shah, Ahsanullah (?-1926) sufi devotee and preacher of islam, was born at Arai Hazar in Dhaka district. He studied Arabic, Persian, hadith. After finishing his studies, he performed the hajj and then travelled to Iraq and Iran. He studied spiritual lore under Shah Pir Mohammad and performed a chilla, or religious mission, of 14 years (1838-1852) at the shrine of shah ali baghdadi at Mirpur in Dhaka. He became the disciple of Kalim Shah Bagdadi and studied sufi philosophy of the qadiriah school and Hakimi medicine.

Ahsanullah was said to have been involved with the sepoy revolt (1857) and went into hiding in Narsingdi to avoid being arrested. Later, he met Maulana karamat ali jaunpuri and joined the militant movement of Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi.

The Faraizis considered India as dar-ul harb, or a land of war, and would not offer Jummah or Eid prayers. Ahsanullah became involved in a debate with them over the issue. He set up a mosque and a madrasah in Shah Sahib Lane in Dhaka. He preached Islam and also treated patients. His mausoleum on Shah Sahib Lane is still preserved. It is now flanked by an orphanage, a madrasa, and a college complex. His urs is observed annually on the first Friday of Falgun, the eleventh month of the Bangla calendar. [Dewan Nurul Anwar Hussain Choudhury]