Arun Shourie on Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani

“To take one instance, Saiyid Ali Hamadani urged that the following ‘covenant’ be imposed on the Hindus: • They (the Hindus) will not build new idol temples. • They will not rebuild any existing temple which may have fallen into disrepair. • Muslim travellers will not be prevented from staying in temples. • Zimmis will courteously receive a Muslim wishing to attend their meetings. • They will not ride horses with saddle and bridle. • They will not possess swords, bows or arrows. • They will not openly practise their traditional customs amongst Muslims. • They will not mourn their dead loudly.....”

“Setting out this ‘covenant’, S.A.A. Rizvi writes: In emphasizing such a covenant, Saiyid ‘Ali was acting as an ‘alim and not as a sufi. Sultan Qutub’d-Din adopted Persian dress and divorced one of his wives whom he had illegally married earlier. Occasionally he attended congregational prayers led by the Saiyid on a platform built at the site of the Kali Mandir, which he himself had helped to destroy. The demolition of the temple contravened the covenant; probably the Brahmans had not allowed Saiyid ‘Ali’s followers to stay in the temple and the infringement was used as a pretext and later a precedent set by the Saiyid in Kashmir. Truly, an alim! Hamadani (AD 1314-85) was a famous Sufi and is regarded as their patron saint by Muslims in Kashmir. His renowned dargah in Srinagar stands on the site of a Kali temple which he helped destroy.”