Translated by Saad Ahmad
Written by M A Farooqui as Banarsi Kaarigaron ka Tayyar Karda Ghilaf-e-Kaaba
In 1343 AH, with the grace of Allah, heralded by Sultan Abdul Aziz ibn Abdur Rahman A’al Faisal ibn Saud, Ahle Najd (Nejdis) adopted the title as the custodian of Harmain Shareefain (two Holy mosques). Ibn Saud tried to maintain an atmosphere of peace and security by eradicating conflicts, injustice, and persecution in the name of religion and Bedouin Dacoity in areas of Nejd. He secured the common pathways often used by Hajj pilgrims. Sultan was also declared as the ruler of Hejaz in the month of Jumadi al-Thani, 1344 AH. During this period, two events surfaced, one of them was when the veil of Kaaba was sent from Egypt to Hejaz; it was surrounded by people, who were vying with each other for presenting their offerings, performed such acts considered as un-Islamic. The acts of offering also created a situation of a stampede. The military personnel disliked this act of presenting their offerings by the pilgrims since they found it “un-Islamic”, hence, complained to the Sultan. Sultan Aziz wrote to the Egyptian Ameer al-Hajj and condemned this practice against the teachings of Islam.
In 1344, 8 Dhu al-Hijja, the ghilaf -e- Kaba (cloth of Kaba) was being carried via Arafat where Egyptian and Nejdi military-men confronted each other. Egyptian military men opened fire on Nejdi militaries as they had guns and rifles. Twenty-five of them died at the point. As Nejdis were more than 60 thousand and Egyptian military hardly reached four hundred, unhappy with the event, the Nejdi military wanted to seek revenge. Intervened by Sultan and his sons, things got pacified. Sultan assumed that not seeking revenge would strengthen Egypt and Hejaz relationship and the ghilaf-e– Kaba would be sent in the following years. Next year (1345 AH), Sultan allowed Egypt to import the mahmal[1] with conditions not to bring canons and musical bands along with the military and caravan of hajis. The Egyptian government agreed and responded that it would send the ghilaf next year.
Contrary to Egypt’s promise, on first of Dhu al-Hijja, an Egyptian ambassador informed that the Egyptian government finds itself unable to send the mahmal on conditions proposed by the Sultan. As days of Hajj were reaching, and only one week was left, the Egyptian government thought that the ghilaf-e- Kaba could not be readied within a week. Moreover, it will make the Sultan revert to the Egyptian government on earlier conditions, or the Nejdi government would be ashamed before Hajis from around the world. On receiving such cold-hearted response by the Egyptian government, he within a week presented a woven ghilaf made of black thread and a silky belt (hizam[2]) which according to the age-old tradition was put on the walls of Kaba on 10th Zil al-Hajj, 1335 AH. It was a surprise for both the Egyptian government and people. The ghilaf was not the example of a high-level artisanship but considered a rare example for an elegant and aesthetic look.
The Sultan wanted the ghilaf to be prepared in Hejaz and discussed this with his friend Maulana Ismail Ghaznawi.[3] It was when a Haji fellow named Karim Bakhsh Banarsi was in Mecca for performing the Hajj. On the request of Sultan, Maulana Ghaznawi presented a specimen of the ghilaf prepared by the same Haji fellow. Sultan liked the specimen and ordered Maulana to arrange artisans, silks, and related accessories for embroidery from India to set the infrastructure in Hejaz too, therefore, this kind of clothing could be prepared.
Maulana Ghaznavi came to India in 1346 AH. He bought some silks from Mumbai, selected a few artisans from Banaras and set them out for Mecca. These were Hafiz Haji Rahmatullah’s family members who were fellow from Hanuman Phatak locality at Alawi Pura. They were also neighbours of Maulana Abul Qasim Saif Banarsi. They revered Maulana very much. Some significant artisans sent to Mecca were Sibghatullah, Safiuallah and Masihullah, including fifty-seven males, twenty females, and nine children. Women were skilled in unknotting silk. Male members were getting cash payments of forty to hundred rupees monthly while females earned twenty to thirty rupees monthly and food and lodging facilities. For this purpose, Sibghatullah acted as manager of this small group. They received salaries of two months in advance while other expenditures were on Sultan. A contract for three years was also signed. They bought silks worth nineteen thousand and wooden accessories worth seventeen hundred from Mumbai.
Making a ghilaf or Burq’a for the Kaaba was not a herculean task but was problematic in Mecca due to artisans’ unavailability. Therefore, the project for making the belt and veil (Burqa)5 for the Kaaba was handed over to Haji Hafiz Basheeruddin of Delhi residing near Masjid Fatehpuri. He received six thousand rupees for finishing the work, which he accomplished by hiring eleven artisans from Bombay and rest from Lahore. Artisans from Banaras produced the cloth for the ghilaf e Kaaba in Mecca. Much like Egyptian embroidery, the ghilaf had embroidery of Kalima (La Ilaha Illallah) while the golden handwork was prepared in Delhi. A conference was held to celebrate this, where Maulana Ismail Ghaznavi delivered a lecture on 6 Dhu al-Hijja, 1346 AH in Mecca. It marked the beginning of the craft- ghilaf-e-Kaaba’s gold handiwork in 1348 in Mecca.
[1] Mahmal is a loader tied with the back of a camel. In Eastern regions, it was used for carrying traditional women from one place to another surrounded by veils. Malik al-Zahir Ruknuddin Beibers was the first who in 670 AH sent it along with the caravan of Hajis. Some historians had the opinions that when Princess Fatima Shajr al Durrar, wife of the Najmuddin Ayub, decided for Hajj, she used a well-decorated Mahmal considering it a unique ride. After her, for several years, and avoid mahmal was sent to Mecca in the princess’s name. Historians are agreed upon that an idea of shipping Mahmal to Kaba was invented in the mid of seventh century (Hijri) by any one of the Egyptian rulers. Thus, this became a kingly tradition that resembles a sign of gratitude and respect for Kaba. Egyptian artisans dedicated their lives to making an exemplary structure of mahmal and clothing for the ghilaf in big boxes used to be loaded on the camels. A copy of the Quran is attached to the mammal. Therefore, people could show their gratitude toward the hanging or attached Quran since it was considered a sacred object that could even fulfil human needs equally as shrines are worshipped for worldly needs.
[2] Hizam is an Arabic word for belt. It was made of golden handwork containing two and half-fit long gold colour at the ghilaf of Kaba’s margins. Its purpose was to hide the joint of a stitch on the cloth. More often eight patches of Hizam, two for each wall were used on the ghilaf. Each Hizam had embroidery of gold displaying the verses of the Quran.
[3] The Sultan Abdul Aziz and Gaznid Family of which Maulana Ismail Ghaznawi belonged had a friendly relationship. Maulana Abdul Wahid was the father of Maulana Ghazanwi whose religious piety, ability to perform Dawa’ and love to serve the guest of Allah earned him the honour of Khadim al-Hujjaj, a status equal to a minister. He was blessed to have led a funeral Salah of Qazi Sulaiman Salman Mansourpuri when Qazi Sulaiman died during his travel in a ship in 1930 CE. Maulana Abdul Wahid also wrote books on History of Nejd and biography of Sultan and died in 1960 CE in Pakistan.
[1] It summarises the fourteenth chapter (pp. 77-84) of Tareekh ghilaf-e- Kaba by Maulana Ali Shabbir Haydrabadi, an associate at Hyderabad High court. The book was first published in the journal Lesan al-Malik, Hyderabad which was praised by significant literary figures of the time. By order of the Sultan Abdul Aziz II, the book was translated into Arabic. Some of its extracts were presented at a conference at Mecca in 1346 AH. However, the writer was also present at Mecca from 1344 AH to 1345 AH. Later, he added some of his eyewitness events and republished the book from Masud Deccan Press, Gulzar Hauz, Kali Kaman, Hyderabad in 1349 and produced historical accounts of Shrines of Harmain Shareefain and Tareekh Hajr Aswad.
[1] Mahmal is a loader tied with the back of a camel. In Eastern regions, it was used for carrying traditional women from one place to another surrounded by veils. Malik al-Zahir Ruknuddin Beibers was the first who in 670 AH sent it along with the caravan of Hajis. Some historians had the opinions that when Princess Fatima Shajr al Durrar, wife of the Najmuddin Ayub, decided for Hajj, she used a well-decorated Mahmal considering it a unique ride. After her, for several years, and avoid mahmal was sent to Mecca in the princess’s name. Historians are agreed upon that an idea of shipping Mahmal to Kaba was invented in the mid of seventh century (Hijri) by any one of the Egyptian rulers. Thus, this became a kingly tradition that resembles a sign of gratitude and respect for Kaba. Egyptian artisans dedicated their lives to making an exemplary structure of mahmal and clothing for the ghilaf in big boxes used to be loaded on the camels. A copy of the Quran is attached to the mammal. Therefore, people could show their gratitude toward the hanging or attached Quran since it was considered a sacred object that could even fulfil human needs equally as shrines are worshipped for worldly needs.
[1] Hizam is an Arabic word for belt. It was made of golden handwork containing two and half-fit long gold colour at the ghilaf of Kaba’s margins. Its purpose was to hide the joint of a stitch on the cloth. More often eight patches of Hizam, two for each wall were used on the ghilaf. Each Hizam had embroidery of gold displaying the verses of the Quran.
[1] The Sultan Abdul Aziz and Gaznid Family of which Maulana Ismail Ghaznawi belonged had a friendly relationship. Maulana Abdul Wahid was the father of Maulana Ghazanwi whose religious piety, ability to perform Dawa’ and love to serve the guest of Allah earned him the honour of Khadim al-Hujjaj, a status equal to a minister. He was blessed to have led a funeral Salah of Qazi Sulaiman Salman Mansourpuri when Qazi Sulaiman died during his travel in a ship in 1930 CE. Maulana Abdul Wahid also wrote books on History of Nejd and biography of Sultan and died in 1960 CE in Pakistan.
