SUFI ALLAYAR (1634-1721)

Sufi Allayar is one of our great ancestors known among the people of Turkestan as a poet and literary man of Sufi trend. His Eminency’s name is Allayar, and his father’s name is Allahquli. The honourable title “Sufi” is given to him for his devout faith and his service in the fields of “shariah” and “tariqah” (order).

According to the information provided in “Risalai Aziza” (a commentary written on Sufi Allayar’s “Sabatu-l-ajizin”) by a Tartar historian TajiddinYalchiquloghli, Sufi Allayar was born in 1644. However, according to the latest information provided by Sufi Alla­yar’s generations and Academician A. Valikhojayev, Professor B. Hasanov and Professor Sh. Sirajiddinov, Sufi Allayar was born in 1634. If to take into consideration the fact that in accord with the Islamic calendar, Sufi Allayar lived 90 years and in accord with the Christian calendar, he lived 87 years, it will be clear that Sufi Allayar’s date of birth was 1634.

Information concerning his personal life could rarely be found in his creative works. In accord with the information left in the book “Risalai Aziza”, the poet was born in “Minglar” village of Miyankul quarters of Samarkand and belonged to the Utarchi clan of the Chinese-Kipchak tribe. The poet himself often stresses the fact that he belonged to the Utarchi clan of Miyankul oasis:

ThoughAllayar from Utarchi is not a man of worth.

Don’t let him be put to the tortures of any of his foes.

or

Though Allayar from Utarchi is said to be also bad.

Yet men will stand in need of him, but it'll happen after his death.

In these lines, Sufi Allayar points out his clan to which he belonged and stressed that this world is a temporary, i.e. not an eternal one.

We, a number of scholars and researchers studying the life and creative activity of Sufi Allayar, decided to visit his burial place and came to KattaVakhshivar village of Altinsay district of Surkhandarya region. Having visited his tomb, we had a possibility of getting acquainted with the successors of Sufi Allayar. His son was Siddiq Muhammad and his son was Khojakalan and his son Eshankhan, and his sons were Khalilkhan, Umarkhan and Kakilkhan. And we had an interesting talk with their sons Karimatkhan and Muzaffarkhan.

Sufi Allayar was not only a great poet equalling with such representatives of the Uzbek poetry as BabarahimMashrab and TurdiFaraghi but also a famous scholar. As is mentioned in his book “Muradu-l-arifin”, he left the following literary heritage:

1.  “Maslaku-l-muttaqin” (Conviction of the Believers);

2.  “Sabatu-l-ajizin” (Firmness of the Weak);

3.  “Makhzanu-l-mute’in” (The Treasure of the Obedient);

4.  “Muradu-l-arifin” (The Aim of the Wise);

5.  “Qiyamatnama” (A Book about the End of the World);

6.  “Mubarak hajj safari” (A Holy Pilgrimage) as well as a number of lyrical poems.

The manuscripts of these works are preserved in most of the archives and in the personal libraries of his followers. The style and the form of these works mostly differ from each other.

  Sufi Allayar spent his greater part of life in “Sufi guzar” of Kattakurgan town. Later he moved to Chanqaymish site of the Jam mountain ranges and Kabadiyan (1710). He spent the last days of his life in the Vakhshivar village of Dehnav (modern Altinsay) district of Surkhandarya region.

✍️ Farrux Saydullaev - International scientific research centre of Imam Termizi Head of International Relations