________________ 426 Homage to Vaisali Shaikh Qazin was born at Maner (Patna district). His birth appears to have taken place in the last decade of the 8th century A. H. and not on the 7th of Zilhijja, 838 A H.1=1434 A. D., for he is said to have been authorised at ao early stage of his career to preach the principles of Madaria Order of Sufism by Shaikh Hisamuddin Salamati2 who died in 840 A. H. The word 'Qazin' in his game is perhaps derived from "Qazi", the office of which appears to have been held by some of his direct ancestors, such as his father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He had a brother, Shah Muhammad, who migrated to Bengal, says the author of Miftah-ul-Fuqara. Unfortunately we know nothing about his work and that of his descendants in Bengal. ii. Early Life and Marriage According to one of his direct descendants, the author of Miftah-ulFuqara, Shaikh Qazin, son of Makhdum Qazi Alauddin, passed his early life, since he was twelve years old, as a student at village Shaikhpura, in the Sarkar of Saran, and lived with Syed Zainul Abdin alias Shah Miran Zahid Shah Badhe Hussaini Chishti. The latter was the disciple and son-in-law of his maternal uncle, a famous Chishti saint, named Shah Ahmad Isa Taj of Jaunpur who lies buried at Bhainsasoor in Bihar-Sharif, and was himself a daughter's son of the celebrated Suharwardi saint, Syed Jalal Bukhari. Shaikh Qazin was brought up in an atmosphere of Chishti Sufism by Syed Zahid Shah Badhe of Saran who also gave his daughter, Bibi Makka, in marriage to him. iii. Early Religious Career Though saturated with the principles of Chishtia, Subarwardia, and Madaria Orders of Sufism for a long time, he did not accept anyone as his spiritual guide and says that he wandered about for twelve years in search of Shahud through one who was absolutely free from worldly tipgo. The writings of Shaikh Fariduddin Attar and Makhdum Sharfuddin of Bibar were a source of inspiration to him and he used frequently to 1. Maulvi Muhammad Hamid Kuraishi in List of Ancient Monu ments protected under Act VII of 1904 in the Province of Bihar and Orissa (Archaeological Survey of India, New Imperial Series, Vol. 51) (Calcutta, 1931) has taken this wrong date from Khazinat-ul-Asfia and Khazinat-ul-Ansab cited earlier. 2. Fusul-i-Masudia and Tazkirat-ul-Muttaqin.
