First Montazem of Maizbhandar Darbar Sharif

FIRST MUNTAJIM
WILAYAT-E-MAYAB SHAHZADA-E-GAUSUL AZAM

HAZRAT SYED FAIZUL HUQ FANA-E WASEL MAIZBHANDARI (QADDAS ALLAHU SIRRAHU) (1865–1902)

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Syed Faizul Huq Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu), the sole biological son of the founder and consummator of the Maizbhandariya Tariqa, the exalted descendant of the Prophet (PBUH) and Gausul Azam Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu), was born on the eve of 13 Chaitra, 1282 Hijri (corresponding to 1865 CE). Revered within the Maizbhandari spiritual fraternity as the “Bearer of the Mystical Viceregency” (Wilayat-e-Mayab), he inherited both the spiritual authority and the luminous lineage of his sanctified father.

He was blessed with two sons:

• Syed Mir Hasan Maizbhandari (1891–1906)
• Syed Delawor Hossain Maizbhandari (1893–1982)

In accordance with Divine Will, he passed away in 1902 CE at the age of only 37, during the earthly lifetime of his noble father, Gausul Aẓam Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu). Although historical documentation and direct narratives concerning his early life, formative education, and specific roles within the spiritual court are relatively sparse, some rare and spiritually significant references have been recovered. Among them is the elegiac poem Wafat-Namah (1906), authored by direct eyewitness Mawlana Aminul Huq Harbangiri and published in 1907, which provides unique insights:

Mir Hasan's noble sire—soul of the Ghawth divine,
From this fleeting world to Paradise did incline.
A saintly sage—learned, devout, and wise,
In maʿrifa's light he gained the highest prize.

In youthful bloom, a radiant sea of lore,
A fruitful tree, in beauty he did soar.
To him the Lord bestowed eight children bright,
Yet only one son remains in worldly light.

The rest—seven dear souls, sons and daughters blessed—
Have journeyed on to the celestial rest.

These poetic lines reveal his exceptional stature—recognized as spiritually perfected (kamil) and directly nourished by his father's gaze of Divine effusion (tawajjuh), which is a mark of highest inner realization in the Sufi tradition.

His marriage, likely solemnized in the early months of 1890 at the age of 25, was a spiritually auspicious union arranged by Gausu Azam Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) himself. His Blessed Consort, Syeda Wajeda Begum, was the eldest daughter of the distinguished spiritual luminary, Mawlana Syed Mashiullah Mirzapuri. This sacred alliance bore multiple layers of spiritual significance, as the relationship between the two patriarchs was manifold: (a) Maternal cousins (khalat bhai), (b) Spiritual brethren (pir bhai), (c) Co-in-laws (beyai), (d) Spiritual deputy (khalifa) And the one who led the janazah (funeral prayer) of Gausul Azam Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu)

Spiritual glimpses into the exalted rank of Syed Faizul Huq Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) are also found in the sacred utterances (kalam) of his noble father. Notable examples include:

a. As reported by Syed Delawor Hossain Maizbhandari:

“After the demise (Wafat Sharif) of Hazrat Sahib Qiblah’s only son, Shah Sufi Syed Faizul Huq Maizbhandari Sahib, a few days later, Hazrat summoned his devoted Khadim and handed him a sacred shawl and his own blessed turban (Dastar-e-Mubarak), saying:

‘Place this shawl upon the resting place of my Faizul Huq Miya and lay this turban at his head. It was his earnest longing to be adorned with the turban of spiritual succession (Dastarbandi). I had placed it upon the noble countenance of Mawlana Karamat ʿAli Jaynpuri (Raḥmatullahi ʿalayh).”

b. In another instruction, he directed that ten pages of the Noble Qur’an be placed in the pond near the Darbar Sharif and seventeen pages over the blessed grave of his departed son—indicative of the mystical correspondence between Divine Word and spiritual station.

c. Hazrat Gausul Azam Maizbhandari referred to Khayez Ahmad as “my Faizul Huq’s companion,” further alluding to the spiritual companionship and inner proximity.

d. Statements like: “Khayez Ahmad’s Calcutta is my inner chamber, and my Miah’s [Syed Faizul Huq’s] Calcutta is the city of Chittagong”.

Also notable is his insightful intervention during a blessed spiritual assembly at the Maizbhandar Darbar Sharif in which he proposed that the visiting Pir of Jaunpur be respectfully given the platform to deliver the sermon—an action marked by presence of mind, spiritual courtesy, and wisdom.

His majestic spiritual stature was affirmed by none other than Bahr al-ʿUlum Mawlana Syed Abdul Gani Kanchanpuri Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu), a distinguished khalifa of Gausul Azam Maizbhandari, in his seminal work Ayina-e-Bari. There, Syed Faizul Huq Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) is extolled with the unique honorific: “Wilayat-e-Mayab” — meaning, “He is the spiritual inheritor and embodiment of the viceregency (wilayah) of Gausul Azam himself.”

۞ THE FIRST MONTAZIM OF MAIZBHANDAR DARBAR SHARIF ۞

Due to the exalted spiritual stature of Gausul Azam Maizbhandari Qibla Alam (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu), who was immersed in lofty states of Divine gnosis, it was not possible for him to personally manage familial, social, and worldly affairs concurrently. Every day, countless seekers, devotees, murids, and khulafa would arrive in his noble presence. The responsibility of serving and caring for these guests—including arranging their food, shelter, and other needs—was entrusted to his only son, Hazrat Syed Faizul Huq Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu).

He was solely responsible for receiving, distributing, and preserving all offerings and gifts presented by the devotees and khulafa. No one else was permitted to undertake these duties during the lifetime of Gausul Azam (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu). In essence, from the direction of the noble Qibla Alam, he served as the first and principal Montazim (administrator) of the Maizbhandar Darbar Sharif until the year 1902.

Among the contemporary scholars of Gausul Azam Maizbhandari Qibla Alam (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) was the renowned muhaddith of Nanupur, Chattogram—Mawlana Abdul Ali Sahib. On one occasion, in need of dried fruits for preparing a sweet dish (halwa), he sent his son Mawlavi Muhammad Sahib to the Darbar Sharif in hopes of acquiring them, since they were unavailable elsewhere. He handed his son one rupee and a handkerchief, instructing him to present these to Syed Faizul Huq Sahib and convey the message:

“My father urgently requires some fruits. He couldn’t find them anywhere else, so he is requesting whatever is available. Even if it’s not all, please bring as much as you can.”

Significantly, Mawlana Abdul Ali did not specify the type or quantity of fruits he needed. Following his father’s instructions, Mawlavi Muhammad Sahib conveyed the message to Hazrat Syed Faizul Huq Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) at the entrance of the blessed hujra. When he tried to offer the rupee along with the handkerchief, Hazrat Syed Faizul Huq Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) only accepted the handkerchief and declined the money.

Meanwhile, from within the hujra, Qibla Alam called for Mawlavi Muhammad Sahib and instructed his son to send him in. When the son entered and respectfully handed over the rupee and handkerchief, Gausul Azam Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) accepted only the handkerchief and returned the rupee. Though no written list or note was provided by Mawlana Abdul Ali Sahib, the Qibla Alam tied up exactly the required fruits in the handkerchief and instructed the young man not to open it on the way.

This incident clearly illustrates that all petitions and requests to Hazrat Gausul Azam Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) were channeled through Hazrat Syed Faizul Huq Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu), thereby reflecting the spiritual esteem and administrative role entrusted to him by his noble father.

Moreover, when Baba Bhandari Qibla Alam sought permission from the Gausul Azam Maizbhandari to sit for his final examinations in the Jama’at al-Ulama, Hazrat Gausul Azam instructed Hazrat Syed Faizul Huq Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) to retrieve the Hariri Jubbah (a symbolic cloak) from the prayer niche (mihrab) of his blessed hujra sharif. This event is testament to the fact that no significant matter proceeded without his son's involvement.

This affirms the conferral of the spiritual responsibility of Wilayat-e-Mayaba (delegated sainthood), as narrated by Hazrat Abdul Gani Kanchanpuri (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu). Historical and spiritual research further reveals that Hazrat Syed Faizul Huq Maizbhandari (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) served as the first Montazim of the Maizbhandar Darbar Sharif for over two decades.