Akhundzada Peer Saif ur Rahman Mubarak () also known as Mubarak Sahib (1925–2010) was a Sufi scholar of the Naqshbandi Tariqa, the founder of the Saifia sect. He adhered to the Hanafi school of thought (Madhhab), the Maturidi creed (Aqidah), the Naqshbandi order (Tariqa).Muḥammad ʻĀmir Rānā, Rohan Gunaratna. Al-Qaeda fights back inside Pakistani Tribal Areas. Pak Institute for Peace Studies, 2007

He is known for the gatherings of zikr (Remembrance of Allah) he has held.Ken Lizzio, Ph.D. Ritual and Charisma in Naqshbandi Sufi Mysticism page 21 Through him many people have accepted Islam.Ken Lizzio, Ph.D. Ritual and Charisma in Naqshbandi Sufi Mysticism page 16 His followers observe strict compliance with Sunnah and practice zikr regularly.Ken Lizzio, PhD, Ritual and Charisma in Naqshbandi Sufi Mysticism ISSN 1653-6355 Published 2007-02-21

Early life He was born in a small village named Baba Kalai, about from Jalalabad on Muharram 20, 1344 AH (August 10, 1925 CE).Quarterly Anwar-e-Riza, 3rd Quarter, 2008 (سه ماهى, انوار رضا, ٢٠٠٨ كا تيسرا شماره) Mubarak was the son of Sufi leader Hafiz Qari Muhammad Sarfraz Khan, a disciple of Sheikh Haji Muhammad Amin of the Qadiriyah Sufi order.

Education Mubarak's basic education from his father included Qur'an study. When he was 13 his mother died. For his formal religious education, he moved to Peshawar in the 1358 AH (early 1940), learning in-depth classic Islamic studies including Tafseer, Hadith, Usul al-fiqa, Aqida and Tajwid.

After completing his education he returned to Afghanistan, living in Kunduz. He was allotted land by the Afghan government in the Archi District. Now a religious scholar, he constructed a mosque and served as its imam (prayer leader) and khatib (leader delivering the Friday sermon). He also started offering free Dars-e-Nizami courses to students in beginner and advanced tracks.

Entry into Sufism During his stay in Archi, Mubarak developed a special interest in Sufism and began privately studying it to develop a conceptual understanding. Here he met Naqshbandi sheikh and Sufi scholar Shah Rasul Thaqalayni;Allama Ali Muhammad Balkhi, Tareekh-e-Auliya At the age of 32, he was instantly granted bay'ah (initiation into the order).

Sheikh Thaqalayni, being at an advanced age, instructed his Salikeeneen (disciples) to remain in the company of one of his murids (apprentices), Maulana Muhammad Hashim Samangani, after his death. Sheikh Thaqalayni passed away in 1381 AH (1961). Following his master's request, Mubarak received bay'ah from Samangani, who renewed the zikr and continued Mubarak's training in the order.

When Sheikh Samangani fell ill in 1387 AH (1967), he accepted Mubarak to share responsibilities of training other disciples, building on the limited Khilafat (successorship) status that Mubarak had already received. Mubarak took this opportunity to build a closer relationship with his murshid (spiritual master), while also elevating his status over the other disciples and indavertently positioning himself as a successor. Mubarak was said to have carried out his duties faithfully and responsibly to the extent that Sheikh Samangani granted him mutliq khilafat (complete successorship).

Mubarak served for roughly three years under Sheikh Samangani until the latter's death in 1391 AH (1971) after which was directed to Sheikh Haji Pachero for training in the Qadiriyah order. Soon he was bestowed with Khilafat of that order too. He then went to Nowshehra, Pakistan, where he spent some time and imparted coaching to the salikeen in the vicinity. After some time, he returned to Afghanistan and traveled in various parts of the country including Nangarhar, Jalalabad, and Laghman. On instructions by his Murshid, Mubarak returned to Archi, where he remained preoccupied with propagating Islam.

In 1398 AH (1978) Akhundzada Mubarak performed Hajj. He also visited Madinah and visited various regions on his journey back to Afghanistan.Quarterly Anwar-e-Riza, Volume 4, No. 3, 2010 (سه ماهى, انوار رضا, جلد نمبر 4، شمارہ نمبر3، ۲۰۱۰ٔ؁)

Emigration to Pakistan Akhundzada Saif-ur-Rahman Mubarak opted to leave Afghanistan in 1978, prior to the Soviet–Afghan War, for the sake of his murshid who was buried in Pir Sabaq, a small town near Nowshehra, where for three years he provided religious guidance. In 1409–1410 AH (1988–1990), Afridi tribes of Bara offered him land for a meeting house. At this juncture, the Saifi order originated. He built a mosque, Dar-ul-Ulum, and khanqah (spiritual lodge) to serve as a place where he could continue training his disciples.

In Bara, his preaching was opposed by Mufti Munir Shakir, a Deobandi cleric, backed by activists of his armed group, Lashkar-e-Islam, who had earlier been expelled from the Kurram District by the Political Agency due to his active involvement in sectarian violencePak Refugee Tribunal, Australia RRT Research Response Number PAK31546 and who resorted to violence against Pir Saif ur Rahman Mubarak including initiation of propaganda from the Afghan Taliban's pirate radio broadcasters (popularly nicknamed the "FM Mullahs", attacking and burning property.

See also Hadayat us Salikeen Saifia

References