Shaheed Sibghatullah Shah Al-Rashdi صبغت الله شاهه راشدي ' پير صبغت الله شاه راشدي ' | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1910 |
| Died | 20 March 1943 |
| Organization | Hur Movement |
| Movement | Indian independence movement |
Sayyid Sibghatullah Shah Al-Rashidi II (Sindhi: سيد صبغت الله شاه الراشدي), Pir Pagaro the sixth, was a spiritual leader of the Hurs during the Indian independence movement.[1][2] Hur (Arabic: حر meaning "free", "not slave") is a Sufi Muslim community in the province of Sindh (located in what is now Pakistan). Sayyid Sibghatullah Shah Al-Rashidi was a champion of Hindu-Muslim unity, initially supporting the Indian National Congress and then the All India Forward Bloc.[3]
Soreh Badshah (شهيد سورهيه بادشاهه) (the Victorious King or the great king) was the title given him by his Followers. He was hanged by the British colonial government on 20 March 1943 in the Central Jail Hyderabad, Sind. His burial place remains unknown, despite requests to the government from people living in Sindh.
Sayyid Sibghatullah Shah Al-Rashidi was a close friend of Subhas Chandra Bose and "In the original plan presented to the Axis Powers by Netaji, Pir of Pagaro and Faqir of Ipi were to be armed to liberate India."[1] The Pir of Pagaro preached Hindu-Muslim unity and was a "fierce opponent" of communal politics.[1] To this end, he declared that “only when Hindus and Muslims combined would 'peace . . . be achieved and satanic deeds . . . stopped': Indians had to be 'national minded' and regard India as a country which belonged to all its inhabitants.”[1] When Subhas Chandra Bose was the president of the Indian National Congress, Sayyid Sibghatullah Shah Al-Rashidi "started inviting Congress leadership to his area and organise Hindu-Muslim unity meetings."[3] After the formation of the All India Forward Bloc, the Pir of Pagaro backed this organization.[3] The historian Sarah Ansari wrote:[3]
In his newspaper, the Pir-jo-Goth Gazette, he (Pir of Pagaro) called for Hindu-Muslim unity: 'My forefathers', he wrote, 'treated Hindus and Muslims alike as a sacred trust. The same is my principle . .. Allah is the same as Parmatma, though with different names. I will be happy when I see temples and mosques together with only a wall dividing them and everyone [worshipping] according to their rights so that no one may have a grievance against the other'. In a similar vein, he denounced the Hindu Sabha and the Muslim League as divisive communal movements. Only when Hindus and Muslims combined would 'peace . . . be achieved and satanic deeds . . . stopped': Indians had to be 'national minded' and regard India as a country which belonged to all its inhabitants.”[3]
During the falsified Manzilgah Controversy, the Pir of Pagaro ordered his armed followers, known as ghazis, to save Hindus during the communal rioting.[3]