Sayyid Muḥammad Ali Qadri Baba (RA)

Name and Titles

Sayyid Muḥammad Ali Qadri Baba (RA), known popularly as Ali Baba Qadri

Dates and Places

Born 1160 AH / 1747 CE in Bijbehara; died 1235 AH / 1820 CE; buried at Bijbehara, Anantnag

Order and Lineage

Saint of the Qadiriyya order; spiritual descendant of Mir Nimatullah Qadiri (RA) and the south Kashmir Qadiri chain.

Biography

Sayyid Muḥammad Ali Qadri Baba (RA) was born in a respected Sayyid family known for religious learning. He pursued traditional education in Quran, Hadith, and mystical ethics and later entered the Qadiriyya order under a teacher linked to the Nimatullahi branch.

His gentle temperament, generosity, and deep sense of responsibility toward the poor earned him admiration throughout south Kashmir.

Teachings and Themes

Devotion through zikr-i jahr and communal remembrance
Sincerity in worship and charity
Ethical living rooted in humility and truthfulness
Respect for followers of all faiths – a hallmark of traditional Kashmiri Sufism

Institutions and Influence

He established a zawiya in Bijbehara that became a home for travellers, seekers, and students of the Qadiriyya tradition. His disciples later extended his teachings to Pahalgam, Mattan, and adjoining areas.

Legacy and Shrine

His shrine in Bijbehara remains an important devotional site. The annual Urs features recitations from Qadiri liturgies and local Persian poetry attributed to his circle.

Legends and Oral Tradition

Oral memory tells of a dying man revived briefly at his prayer so he could utter the shahada – a symbolic illustration of Qadiri compassion rather than historical record.