Sheikh Yaqub Ṣarfi (RA) was a prolific author, poet, and commentator.
Sheikh Yaqub Ṣarfi (RA), also known as Jami Sani (the Second Jami) and Ishan Ṣaḥab
Born 928 AH / 1521 CE in Srinagar; died 1003 AH / 1595 CE; buried at Zaina Kadal, Srinagar.
A leading scholar and mystic associated with both the Kubrawiyya and Suhrawardiyya orders. He received ijaza (authorization) in ḥadith from Sheikh Aḥmad Sirhindi (Mujaddid Alf Thani), linking the Kashmiri and Indian Sufi traditions.
Sheikh Yaqub Ṣarfi (RA) was born in Srinagar in a family devoted to learning. He memorised the Quran by the age of seven and began composing Persian poetry soon after, adopting the pen name Ṣarfi. He studied under Maulana Basir and Maulana Ani, the latter being a student of the renowned Persian Sufi Abd al-Raḥman Jami (RA).
Impressed by his intellect and poetic skill, Maulana Ani bestowed upon him the title ‘Jami Sani.’ At the age of 19, Sheikh Yaqub Ṣarfi (RA) embarked on extensive travels through India, Iran, and Central Asia, studying under leading scholars and Sufis of his time.
While in Samarqand, he became a disciple of Maqdum Kamal al-Din Ḥusayn Khwarazmi, a distinguished master of the Kubrawiyya order, who initiated him and granted him ijazat in Sufi instruction. His scholarly journey took him to Makkah, where he attended the lectures of Ibn Ḥajar al-Makki (d. 974 AH / 1567 CE), refining his expertise in Quranic exegesis and ḥadith.
Later sources note that Sheikh Yaqub Ṣarfi (RA) studied ḥadith with Sheikh Aḥmad Sirhindi (RA) and granted him authorisation in teaching – a link that significantly influenced Indian Sufism.
Sheikh Yaqub Ṣarfi (RA) was a prolific author, poet, and commentator. His major works include:
Khamsa: A series of five masnavis inspired by Niẓami’s style - Maghaz-un-Nabi, Maslak-ul-Akhyar, Maqamat-ul-Murshid, Wamiq-Azra, and Layla-Majnun.
Sharḥ-i Bukhari: A Persian prose commentary on Ṣaḥiḥ al-Bukhari.
Manasik al-Ḥajj: An Arabic treatise on pilgrimage rites.
Risala-i Zikriyya: Discussion on the practice and legitimacy of dhikr-i jahr (loud remembrance).
Diwan: A collection of ghazals and rubaiyyat reflecting Sufi metaphysics.
Tafsir: An unfinished commentary on the Quran, regarded as one of his most ambitious projects.
Sheikh Yaqub Ṣarfi (RA) was active in Emperor Akbar’s court, engaging in intellectual and theological discussions. Later Kashmiri chronicles credit him – alongside Baba Daud Khaki (RA) - with advocating Mughal intervention in Kashmir following sectarian unrest during Sultan Yaqub Chak’s reign. Later sources credit this delegation with prompting Akbar’s 1586 annexation of the Valley.
His teachings emphasised:
The harmony of Sharia and Ṭariqa (law and mysticism)
The importance of knowledge (ilm) as a path to divine realisation
The universality of truth across Sufi orders
The ethics of companionship and service (suhba)
The principle of Waḥdat al-Wujud (Unity of Being), influenced by Ibn Arabi and Ayn al-Quḍat Hamadani
Sheikh Yaqub Ṣarfi (RA) passed away on 8 Dhu al-Qadah 1003 AH / 25 July 1595 CE. He was laid to rest at Zaina Kadal, where his shrine, known as Ishan Ṣaḥib, remains an important spiritual site. His students and writings bridged Central Asian, Persian, and Indian Sufi traditions, leaving a lasting imprint on Kashmiri scholarship.
Later oral traditions celebrate Sheikh Yaqub Ṣarfi (RA) as a saint endowed with foresight and eloquence. Some accounts claim that he foresaw the Mughal entry into Kashmir and interpreted it as divine providence – a theme symbolic rather than historical.
Baharistan-i-Shahi (Persian chronicle)
Waqiat-i-Kashmir by Khawaja Muḥammad Aẓam Didmari
Shah-i-Hamadan Institute Journal (University of Kashmir) – notes on Ṣarfi and Sirhindi
IJSRP (2020): ‘Sheikh Yaqub Sarfi and the Mughal Annexation of Kashmir’
Manuscripts of Khamsa and Sharḥ-i Bukhari (Srinagar Archives)
