Badi' al-Din

Badīʿ al-Dīn,^[1][2] known as Shāh Madār,^[1] and by the title Qutb-ul-Madar (1315–1434),^[1][3] was a Syrian^[1] Sufi who migrated to India where he founded the Madariyya Sufi brotherhood.^[1][4] He is held in high esteem as a patron saint.^[1]

Badi' al-Din
Main gate of the shrine of Badi' al-Din
Personal life
Born	Badi' al-Din 1315 CE[1] Aleppo, Syria
Died	1434 CE[1] Makanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Flourished	Islamic golden age
Religious life
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Sunni
Order	Madariyya
School	Hanafi
Creed	Maturidi
Muslim leader
Teacher	Muhammad Tayfur Shami

Biography

Badi' al-Din hailed originally from Syria, and was born in Aleppo in 1315 CE.^[1][5] In later centuries, a growing number of legends arose about Badi' al-Din, which resulted in sources continuously backdating his year of birth.^[1] These same sources also disagree about Badi' al-Din's descent.^[1] Some state that he was a sayyid, that is, a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and trace his descent back to Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (died 765 CE).^[1] Others mention descent from Muhammad's companion (sahabi) Abu Hurayra, who died c. 678 CE.^[1] The assertion that Badi' al-Din was a Jew who had converted to Islam is not corroborated by other sources.^[1]

His teacher was Muḥammad Ṭayfūr Shāmī.^[6] After making a pilgrimage to Medina, he journeyed to India to spread Islam. He converted many Hindus to Islam in India,^[2] where he founded the Madariyya order.^[3] His tomb, built by order of Sultan Ibrahim Sharqi (r. 1402–40),^[1] is at Makanpur.^[7]