Hazrat Sayyed Yusuf Husaini Raja/ Raju Qattal

Biography of Hazrat Syed Shah Yusuf Husaini, popularly known as “Raju Qattal” (رحمہ اللہ) Hazrat Syed Shah Yusuf Husaini, popularly known as Raju Qattal or Raja Qattal, was a renowned Sufi saint, Islamic scholar, and distinguished Shaykh of the Chishti order in the Indian subcontinent during the fourteenth century CE (eighth century AH). Hazrat Allama Syed Yusuf Husaini Raja, famously known as Raju Qattal, was the son of Syed Ali (قدّس الله سرّهما العزيز). His lineage traces back to Sayyiduna Imam Husayn (رضي الله عنه). His ancestors migrated from Arabia to India towards the end of the thirteenth century CE, during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Masud. They settled in Delhi, where they attained prominent positions. Syed Yusuf Husaini Raja was born in Delhi, where he received his education from distinguished scholars of his time and attained a high level of proficiency in the religious sciences. Most details of his blessed life remain obscure. However, according to Tadhkirah Khwaja Gisu Daraz, he maintained a close relationship with the royal court at the Delhi Fort. When Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq transferred his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in 724 AH, Syed Yusuf was among the royal associates who accompanied him. Despite his association with the royal court, Syed Yusuf Husaini was deeply devoted to piety, abstinence, and spirituality. He was a distinguished figure of the Chishti Sufi order and a devoted disciple and sincere admirer of his spiritual guide, Hazrat Shaykh Mahmud Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi (رحمہ اللہ), the principal successor of Hazrat Mahbub-e-Ilahi Khwaja Nizamuddin Dehlavi (رحمہ اللہ). In his book Tuhfat al-Nasa’ih, he dedicated a separate section to expressing his reverence and devotion to his spiritual mentor. The greatness and exalted spiritual status of Syed Yusuf Husaini can also be understood from the fact that Hazrat Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gisu Daraz, Abu al-Fath Sadruddin Syed Muhammad Husaini (رحمہ اللہ), who passed away in 825 AH (1422 CE) and whose blessed shrine in Gulbarga Sharif remains a major centre of pilgrimage, was his son and a disciple who received spiritual training under his guidance.