Draft:House of Hasib

The House of Hasib (Urdu :خاندان حسیب, pronounced : Khanédan Haseeb, ) also known as House of Rajhat is an Indo-Syrian Hussaynid Hashemite aristocratic dynasty of India who belong to clan of Sadaat e Rajhat in Rajhat Shareef, Nawada, Bihar. The family is of mixed Arab, Sassanian Persian, Oghuz Turk and Mongol Ancestry

Ancestry


There are three distinct Nasabnamah(Genealogical Tree) of this family, one in possession of the genealogist Syed Abu Huraira Virasat Rasul Hashmi of Pachrukhi which shows them as Hasanids,one in possession of Syed Shah Ghayasuddin Shareefi Rizvi of Sasaram which shows them as Husaynids and one in possession of Khanqah Monamiya ,Ramsagar which shows them as Uthman descendents of Ruqayya bint Muhammad.

The second is considered to be the most legitimate due to being authorised by Syed Shah Ghayasuddin Shareefi Rizvi who was a distinguished disciple of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi and had received a Khilafatnamah from the latter making him a reliable authority on the matter. The first one has a mistake by confusing Syed Idris bin Haroun with Idris I of Morocco. The third has a mistake showing Syed Fariduddin Firdausi as an Usmanid which is wrong after being cross-checked with the nasabnamah of Syed Fariduddin Firdausi at Shahbudhan Diwan Dargah at Sasaram and the maternal nasabnamah of Syed Shah Ghayasuddin Shareefi Rizvi of at Sasaram Khanqah. The nasabnamah's indicate that the Hasibs are descendants of Husayn ibn Ali.

The legitimacy of the claims of descent & prestige of this family is dependent on two things. The first is the verification by Khalifa Syed Ghiyas Al Din Shareefi Rizwi whose authority comes from being a Khalifa of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi & the second is legitimacy by other prominent sufi Syed clans such as those associated with Ata Hussain Fani Chishti, Nizamuddin Auliya , Mu'in al-Din Chishti, Abdul Qadir Gilani, etc.

Syed Yaqub Halabi also known as Syed Yaqub Baghdadi, a Hanafi Qazi from Madrassa Al Nizamiyya, Baghdad, originally from Halab (Aleppo) travelled to India with Muhammad Ghori after the Second Battle of Tarain. He was an eleventh generational descendent of Ali ibn Hussain Zain al Abedin Al Sajjad through his son Abd Allah Al Asghar also known as Abd Allah Al-Bahr ( Abd Allah of The Sea).

Muhammad of Ghor deputed his slave General Qutubuddin Aibak as the Viceroy of India where he laid the foundations of the Mamluk Sultanate which encompassed North India and propagated Islam by deputing Qazis and Ulemas to various parts of North India.

Qazi Syed Ibrahim Danishmand was deputed at Koshak,Bihar(Present day Moda Talab, Bihar Shareef )as Qazi ul Quzat under Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji when Bihar was captured in 1200 AD. here he assisted in establishing the framework of Sharia law and renamed the area as Munawwara( The Place of Enlightenment).

Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji had the Khutbah read and coins struck in his name. Mosques, madrasas, and khanqahs arose in the new abode of Islam through Bakhtiyar's patronage, and his example was imitated by his subordinates.

Qazi Syed Irteza Muhammad Musa Majzub was Qazi ul Quzat of Bihar ( Chief Justice of Bihar) and a Murid of  Makhdoom Sharifuddin Yahya Maneri. He presided over the case when the Makhdoom was accused of opposing Hajj pilgrimage and blasphemy against Masjid Al Haram, in which Makdoom was acquitted. He wrote many manuscripts on Tasawwuf, Fiqh and Hadith which are available at Badi Dargah, Bihar Sharif. The family held the title of Qazi ul Quzat for the next four generations.

Qazi Haji Syed Abu Kamal was deputed to Sunderpur, Roh as Qazi by Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

Pir Syed Mansur Bihari was a Sufi saint whose shrine is located in Gaya. He was originally from Roh where his family held 80 Bighas or approximately 49.52 acres of land. It is managed by Khanqah Monamiya. His annual Urs is on 25 Rajjab.

Syed Fariduddin Firdausi alias Shah Budhan Diwan Sharaag was a Sufi saint whose tomb is located in Andheri Baoli, Sasaram. Mughal Emperors Farukkhsiyar and Shah Alam I were his ardent followers and provided his Dargah with Rs.60,000 annual stipend.

Massacre at Roh
Bihar was captured by Akbar in 1574 and became a Subah in 1580. In 1580, some prominent Muslim officers of Akbar, displeased with his liberal religious policies, started to conspire against him. Qazi Muhammad Yazdi and Muiz ul Mulk declared it the duty of every Muslim to rebel against Akbar. In Bihar and Bengal they declared Mirza Hakim, Akbar's stepbrother and Governor of Kabul, to be the emperor.

In response the Rajas of Roh, a Mughal vassal in Bihar loyal to Akbar, massacred Qazi Syed Muhammad Taj and his family, who were the Qazis at Sunderpur, Roh in 1581. None but his youngest son Syed Abdul Razzaq survived. He was saved because of his jugular vein being unsevered, earning him the nickname "Sharaag" (Persian: Jugular). He was rescued and raised by his wet nurse in Bihar Sharif from where he travelled to Baghdad completing his judicial education, returned to Bihar Sharif and became involved in sufism where the region of present day Rajhat served as his Chillagah. He is buried at Rajhat Shareef Dargah and is venerated as a saint.

Mughal Era
According Virasat Rasul Hashmi, in 1622, Prince Khurram raised an army and marched against his father and Nur Jahan. In November 1623, he found safe asylum in Bengal Subah after he was driven from Agra and the Deccan. Syed Muhammad Zarif joined his army at Akbarnagar, against the then Subahdar of Bengal, Ibrahim Khan Fath-i-Jang, on 20th April 1624. Shah Jahan then moved his encampment to Patna after which Syed Muhammad Zarif fought against the Raja of Roh, an ally of Nur Jahan, as the Prince's vassal and to avenge his family his family and displaced them 100 kilometres away to Rajdhanwar (Raj-kingdom Dhan -Wealth awar- lost/in the past), Giridih, establishing the Estate of Rajahata (Raj-Kingdom, Hata- Removed). He was given the title of Mir(commander) and given the style Shah Hasib(Noble Lord).

Mir Zarif used his privilege to invest in trading with Iran and the Ottoman Empire. In 1645 ,he patronised a trader, Muhammad Nasir who bought for him 50 loads of indigo worth 12,500 ghurush that were sold in Istanbul and another40,000 ghurush-worth of unspecified Indian goods shipped out of Alexan-dretta for Venice. Returning from Venice, he had imported goods worth 60,000 ghurush that he intended to take by caravan to Basra and from thereto India. The volume of those transactions dwarfed anything registered by either European or Iranian merchants in the seventeenth century, but at the same time, it survives as the only recorded example of a large-scale transaction conducted by an Indian merchant in the city of Istanbul.

Mir Zarif was also invested in horse trading from Isfahan, Iran for earning him the epithet Mir Zarif Isfahani.

In 1637, when Shahjahan’s plans for the occupation of Qandahar were in an advanced stage, he sent his first embassy to Istanbul. The professed purpose of this embassy, led by Mir Zarif, was the purchase of horses for the royal stable from Arabia and Turkey. Mir Zarif had earlier been sent to Iraq to buy horses. But the horses he had brought, we are told by the chronicler Abdul Hamid Lahori, had not come up to the emperor’s expectations. At his own request, he was again sent on the same errand to resuscitate his credit and prestige.The Mir was entrusted with a friendly letter, drafted by the Mughal Wazir, and a priceless girdle set with diamonds for Sultan Murad Khan. As Mir Zarif intended to go via Hijaz, the Portuguese were requested to grant a free passage to him. Mir Zarif had accompanied Mir Baraka, who presented 1000 pieces of finely embroidered cloth and even armor to Sultan Murad IV of the Ottoman Empire, in Baghdad as Diplomats of the Mughal Empire. Sultan Murad IV in return gave them the finest weapons, saddles and Kaftans and ordered his forces to accompany the Mughals to the port of Basra, where they set sail to Thatta and finally Surat. It was through these exchanges that Shah Jahan received Mimar Yusuf, Muhammad Effendi and Ismail Effendi, architects of the Taj Mahal During this time, the Mughal Empire also witnessed significant investments in cannons and artillery. Recognizing the importance of firepower in warfare and defense, Shah Jahan expanded the Mughal artillery corps and supported the establishment of artillery workshops across the empire. Skilled artisans and craftsmen were brought from the Ottoman Empire, Hungary, Iran and  Russia and manufactured cannons of various types and sizes, incorporating technological advancements to improve range and effectiveness. Some of these were named Zafar Mahal, Baz Bahadur and Sehbur.

Mir Zarif served as one of Shah Jahan's closest advisors until the accession of Aurangzeb who had imprisoned Shah Jahan at Agra Fort and had his loyalists removed from Imperial posts

In 1708, Bihar came under the control of the Nawabs of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The Nawabs became the financial backbone of the Mughals and the Hasibs intermarried with the Mirs of Bengal. This period started the golden age of Rajhat Estate.



In 1757, Bihar and Bengal came under British Rule after the Battle of Plassey and in 1764, the East India Company was given Diwani rights. Mir Syed Lutfullah was married to Hussaini Begum, daughter of Mir Jafar which helped the expansion of the Rajhat Estate through partnerships, trades and government funds. After the deposition of Mir Jafar by Mir Qasim, the Hasibs were quick to pledge their allegiance to the new Nawab of Bengal.

In 1781, Raja Ali Akbar of Narhat was defeated in a revolt against the British during which time he had laid waste to parts of the Rajhat Estate in Rajauli. After his defeat, some of his estates were transferred to the Rajhat Estate under Mir Syed Jamal Ali as compensation. Mir Syed Jamal Ali was married into the family of Mir Syed Hidayat Ali, the Nawab of Makhdumpur. . This also saw a period of demilitarisation. The Zamindars of Rajhat had a Infantry of 1000 men and a cavalry of 500. The British East India Company shifted their troops to the Barrackpur Cantonment, effectively taking away their military power while letting them retain their military titles.

At their peak, the Hasibs were The Taluqdar of Rajauli, spread over an area of 370 sq km for which they collected revenues and administered, except for the Village of Rajhat Shareef which was a personal land grant. The Hasibs became known for their contributions to the fields of literature, bureaucracy, judiciary and medicine.



They financed the construction of the Jama Masjid of Rajhat, the Rajhat Urdu Boys High School, Rajhat Qazi Kabrastan, Akbarpur Bazaar. They donated funds to Syed Hadi Al Hashmi, a native of Rajhat Shareef and brother of Syed Abd Al Bari for the founding of Hadi Hashmi Muslim High School and to Nawab Syed Wilayat Ali for Patna College through Professor Syed Majid of Pachrukhi.

The main mansion of the Zamindars in Rajhat was called Hasib Kothi. It was made using a Mud-cement mixture of clay, pulses and calcium oxide(Chuna) with pillars made from Borassus Wood and wall slabs made of bamboo and Mud-cement. Doors, windows and furniture were made of Sheesham while bamboo reeds and po-aal( wheat reeds) were used as bedding. The mansion had two floors as well as a basement for grain storage. The roofing was done using earthen clay tiles(Khappar). The walls were approximately 3-4 feet thick, with the Lime acting as a reinforcing agent. Stairs were made of stone or earthen bricks. This method was most preferred by the local aristocrats of the time and was called Mathkothi ( Mitti- Mud, Kothi- Mansion). The Mansion became dilapidated over time and was divided amongst members. One section was converted into Madrasa by Syed Waiz- Ul- Haq. Another section was given to Syed Siraj-Ul- Islam's youngest son, Syed Yamin Ul Islam who separated it from the main building. The remaining part was given to Syed Waiz-Ul-Haq and Syed Ali Imam Quadrie. The pond behind the main Mansion was filled in due to prevent spreading of diseases as the pond was not being maintained.



The Anjuman-e-Rajhat is an organisation established by Mir Syed Khairullah that oversees matters related public education, upkeep of mosques, maintenance of roads and resources in Rajhat. The Mir Syed Khairullah Masjid or Jamaa' Masjid was rebuilt with bricks and cement in 2005

End of Zamindari
Mir Shah Syed Tafazzul Imam had two wives, from the first he had his eldest son and heir, Shah Syed Fazal Imam and from his second he had his youngest, Syed Afzal Imam.

Imam-Islam Branch
Mir Shah Fazal Imam became the Zamindar of Rajhat and married Begum Aqla bin Syed Qasimuddun Rajhati, their children were Shah Syed Tasavvur Imam and Azmat un Nisa. Shah Syed Fazal Imam had his second marriage to Bibi Aamna, the daughter of the Subahdar   of Shahsaram Hasibuddin Khan and his wife, Salma Khatun. Subahdar Hasibuddin later recommended Syed Shah Fazal Imam to the Administration to take up the Subahdari after him since he had no sons. Though the office was not hereditary and Subahdars were chosen by the Administration based on loyalty, administrative capabilities, and military prowess, individuals held the position of Subahdar for multiple generations due to their continued service and favor with the Emperor as well recommendation of their predecessors and seniors. Thus the family came to hold the office of the Subahdars of Shahsaram.

His sons through this marriage were Maulana Waliuddun,Dr. Mujiburrehman BHMS Gold Medalist and Padma Bhushan Prof. (Dr) M. A. Hai, M.D.

The penultimate zamindar, Mir Shah Tasavvur Imam was married to Mursaleena bin Syed Taharat Alam. He was a nobleman in the court of Maharaja of Hisua.

Azmat un Nisa was the Mother of Maulana Syed Shah Ghayasuddin Hasan Shareefi Rizwi of Sasaram. He faced much difficulty, with the estates dwindling from the effects of abolishment of the zamindari system post independence, financial mismanagement of the previous generations, indulgent attitude of the nobles and political complacency. It was reported that in his mid fifties, he showed increasing erratic and unstable behaviour with symptoms of Paranoid Schizophrenia. He began to suffer nervous breakdowns and extreme and sudden changes in mood, he confined himself to his bedroom refusing to meet or speak to anyone, including family lawyers, doctors and government agents. A messenger had once come from the government bungalow at Nawada, bearing news that the British were leaving and the zamindari would soon be abolished. He refused to acknowledge him.

By the mid 1970s, majority of the estate was captured by local peasants or the Indian government. Members of the family started to migrate to the newly formed state of Pakistan where they were compensated for their property in India and given administrative positions in the beauraucracy.

Maulana Syed Siraj ul Islam studied from Madrasa Kabiriya, Sasaram and became an Alim. He was the Assistant Inspector of schools under Bihar Board and followed Sufi teachings. He sponsored many people' education from Rajhat and his tomb is at Dhaka. His oldest son, Syed Shamsul Islam was a Railway Officer. His son, Syed Masih Ul Islam served the State Bank of Pakistan, Dhaka where he became Joint Director in Karachi and retired in 1995.

Syed Aly Imam Quadri was married to Fatima bin Syed Shah Ghiyath Al Din Shareefi Rizwi and their children were Syed Hussayn Imam Quadrie and Syed Mohsyn Imam Quadrie. After Begum Fatima's death he migrated to Dhaka and left his children, Syed Hussayn and Syed Mohsyn aged 16 and 14 respectively, in  Shahsaram with their maternal grandfather, Syed Shah Ghiyath Al Din. Syed Wayz Al Haq managed the remaining estates. Syed Hussayn was offered a position in the Pakistan Navy but turned it down which then went to a relative of Syed Siraj Al Islam. Syed Aly Imam was the last to carry the title of Mirzade( Son of a Mir).





Syed Shah Ghiyath Al Din's mother, Azmat Un Nisa was the daughter of Shah Fazal Imam from his first wife. Syed Hussayn and Syed Mohsyn were trained in homeopathic and allopathic medicine by the Khalifa's son, Dr. Syed Fayaz Al Din Rizwi after which Syed Hussayn practiced in Hasan Bazar, Sasaram for a year and then in Nahauna, Rohtas for two years. He then migrated to Itwan, Bodh Gaya on the invitation of Dewan Syed Abu Muhammad Amin of Tekari Raj.

Dr.Syed Hussayn Imam Quadri married Syed Sajida Khatun, daughter of Syed Muhammad Amin of Pirbigha in Itwan, the Tehsildar of Tekari Raj and the maternal grandfather of Syed Najam Imam of Khanqah Mazahirya in Gaya.



Syed Muhammad Amin worked in the Tehsildar office of Nawab Bahadur Syed Walayat Ali Khan at the age of 13. At the age of 18 he became a Junior Tehsildar under the Maksudpur Estate. He became a Tehsildar himself at the age of 23 under Maharaj Gopal Saran Narayan Singh Tekari. He was offered the Dewani under Syeda Khatun's Estate after the Tekari Estate was divided between Syeda Khatun after her divorce with Maharaja Gopal Saran Narayan Singh. He however, turned this down and continued to serve the Maharaja. His son Syed Muhammad Yamin Amin became the Manager of Tekari Raj. Syed Aly Imam Quadrie returned to India in 1985.



Syed Hussayn Imam Quadrie opened the first medical clinic in the district of Mohanpur. He financed the education of many underprivileged families in the area and was a well respected member of society.



He helped develop many segments of the Itwan market and established it as an important town on the Grand Trunk Road route to Gaya and was a close advisor of the Zamindar of Itwan, Raees Imam Khan.He promoted quality education and healthcare in the region.

His eldest Son, Syed Sajjad Imam Quadrie is holds a B.Sc Chemistry degree from Magadh University as well as an MBA from the University of London and is the Director of Revenue Management and Business Management at Prime Healthcare Group LLC, UAE and Lead Assessor at Department of Economic Development (Dubai). He started as a Medical Representative in Action Medicine Company for a year in Patna after joining as a Medical Representative in Walter-Bushnell for a year. He then joined Pfizer as a Professional Services Officer in 1990 working in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand later becoming District Manager in Kota, Rajasthan in 1995. He became the General Manager for Pfizer in Nepal in 1996, helping set up Business Operations including drug registration in Nepal Drug Formulary, field manning and distribution. He joined the Prime Healthcare Group LLC in Dubai as a General Manager for Marketing and Business Development in 2004.



His second son Syed Jafar Imam Quadrie holds a B.Sc Pharmacology( Distinction) from Magadh University and is the founder of Medicino, a medical equipment and distribution company based in Gaya (India) which became the only enterprise being able to supply medical equipment into Naxalite Insurgent controlled regions in Bihar. This was a landmark achievement as Maoists had effectively blocked all trade and transportation routes in Southern Bihar as well as regions along Odisha- Bihar and Jharkhand-Bihar Border along with persecuting and murdering businessmen, engineers, doctors, government servants etc. Syed Jafar was able to negotiate with the Maoists and get an understanding to allow the transportation of medical equipment. Medicino thus became the only suppliers of antibiotic and allopathic medications of multinational pharma companies like Pfizer, Aristo, Abbot etc in the Red corridor. The company also enjoyed support from regional Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders such as Rajesh Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Bindi Yadav, winning contracts to supply goverment health camps, hospitals, local doctors and sometimes even the military.

Increasing caste based violence and  Maoist Insurgency led to the massacre of Syed Hasnād, the Zamindar of Chak, Sherghati and his family by the Maoist Communist Centre of India with help from his barahil. Only his youngest son, Syed Nazish survived due to studying in Jamia Millia Islamia at the time. Child kidnapping incidents were on the rise in Bihar in the early 2000s with multiple children being kidnapped from Gaya and Patna. This environment along with better education prospects prompted Syed Jafar to shift his family to Mumbai.

The current members reside in Ashrafbagh Kothi, Itwan, Gaya.

The ancestral house at Rajhat Sharif eventually became dilapidated and was not rebuilt as the land was divided amongst the members of the family.



Sardar Raees Imam Khan was the adopted son of Syed Mazahir Imam, hence he had the surname Imam along with his biological father's name, Khan. He was a Yusufzai Pathan whose clan became prominent as commanders in the army of Sher Shah Suri. His father, Sardar Haji Nabi Hasan Khan was the Zamindar of Itwan.

Dr. Syed Hussayn Imam Quadrie is also closely related to Syed Saba Karim as both their maternal grandmothers were sisters. Syed Husayn was also the brother in law of Syed Manzar Karim's younger son, Syed Iqbal Karim.

Syed Saba Karim's grandfather was Desert Explorer and Espionage Operative Capt. Dr.Syed Manzar Karim (  L.R.C.P.,  M.R.C.S. ) was military surgeon the British Indian Army. He joined the army in 1936 and was stationed in Egypt as part of the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade in 1940.

During World War II he served from 1939 to 1942 in Egypt and then and achieved the rank of Captain. Later he was assigned on reconnaissance missions to Iraq and was selected by Ralph Bagnold for the Long Range Desert Group in 1942.

Once, on conducting reconnaissance operations behind enemy lines in Iraq the jeep in front of him hit a mine and he was knocked over by the blast which also made him lose his two front teeth. The group was presumed dead and a telegram was sent to their families declaring them Killed in action however later they were able to escape and return to camp.

He was involved in Operation Compass, Operation Brevity, Operation Crusader and the Second Battle of El Alamein. He was awarded the Military Medal and Africa Star for his services.

He was also involved in excavation and selling of antiques and treasures found in Iraq in the ancient cities of Uruk and Babylon.

Post War he returned to Sasaram where he had been presumed dead for over 3 years. He became a surgeon in Sadar Hospital, Sasaram.

The family is distantly related to Neelima Azeem through their cadet branch in Barsot, Rajauli through her father Syed Anwar Azeem.

Wassan Branch
Syed Afzal Imam was a close advisor to his step brother. His son Syed Marhamat Hussayn served as an Inspector of Police at Nawada.

During the initial phase of the first Indian freedom struggle in 1857, the British colonial administration found itself in a precarious situation in Nawada. It was a time when the spirit of rebellion was fervently taking root, and the British authorities resorted to oppressive measures to quell the uprising. On the 24th of September in 1857, a Deputy Magistrate representing the British administration arrived in Nawada, assuming control of the region.

In Nawada, Jawahar Rajwar and Etwa Rajwar, played instrumental roles in driving the British out of the city. Under their leadership, Nawada saw a resolute assault. The rebels, undeterred by the odds stacked against them, set fire to the government court and bungalow, reducing these official edifices to ashes. Court furniture met a similar fate, and an audacious attempt was made to incinerate crucial records. They set fire to the Nawada Police Station and to the government documents housed within.

One of the rebels was arrested and died during interrogation in the custody of Syed Marhamat Hussayn for which he was imprisoned at Cellular Jail, Port Blair.

His son Syed Ghulam Jilani, married Begum Misran the daughter of the Zamindar of Bitho Shareef after which he used the dowry to finance a bail and rescued his father from Cellular Jail.

Syed Ghulam Jilani's oldest son, Syed Ghulam Rabbani, worked in Calcutta as a Railway Officer for some years and returned to manage his estates. He was married to Khadija Al Kubra, the daughter of Rais Mir Syed Qasim, the Nawab of Makhdumpur and his second wife, who was the granddaughter of Nawab Syed Mohammad Haider Kazmi of Kakori, in 1877.

Ghulam Jilani's estates were managed by his youngest son, Advocate Syed Azhar Hussain Mukhtar.

Syed Bismillah I. Azim who was an Officer in Bihar State Education Department. His daughter was married to Dr.Syed Hasib Hussain, a Professor of Veterinary Science at Patna University who was the son of Dr. Syed S. Hussain, Vice Chancellor of Ranchi University.

Syed Wasi-Al-Din Ahmad "Wassan" ventured into the optics business in Calcutta where and was a custodian of the Shia Library at Siraj building, Zakaria Street,Burrabazar. He continued the tradition of ziyafat and his house became known as a Serai for many travellers of the community. Their ancestral house, Wassan Cottage is located at Syed Wasiuddin Ahmad Road, Rajhat.

Syed Muhammad Shafi Wassan was a student of Ritwik Ghatak in Kolkata in where he also served as his caretaker during his alcoholism and depression in 1970. They had met during the publicity of his film Subarnarekha and accompanied him to Tollygunge for his shooting. Ghatak Attended his first Play "Dharti ke Ghaav" as a chief guest. Coming to Mumbai with his brother, Syed Muhammad Rafi, acting as producer, Shafi was advised against using a Muslim stage name,especially his Syed caste name due to the stigma attached to the entertainment industry. He first used the pen name M.S.Rajender (Muhammad Shafi Rajender) however he later dropped this and used his legal name.

Ghatak and him had travelled to Mumbai in 1971 where they lived together near Mahim church. Ghatak later sponsored him when Shafi went to Mumbai in 1973 and became a scriptwriter and assistant director under Lekh Tandon in Dulhan Wahi joh Piya Man Bhaye, under RK Nayyer in Qatl, under Farogh Siddique in Jigar, under Akbar Khan in Hadsa, under Raja Nawathe in Gumnaam on the recommendation of Ghatak.

He directed the Haryanvi film Panghat with Usha Sharma in 1984. He was Chief assistant director in Chandrakanta. He also worked in the films Aangan ki Kali and Bhula Na Dena. In 1994, he directed a documentary "Eid ka Chand" with Javed Jaaferi as an anchor where they formed a lifelong friendship. He had married Afifa, daughter of Syed Azimuddin who was aCID Inspector in Kanpur,Uttar Pradesh.

He became a murid of Sufi Mansur ul Hasan of Mulund and attended a seminar on Sufi-Jain Interfaith Dialogue on his behalf, with Acharya Mahapragya and they remained good friends until the latter's death. He hosted a programme "Adyat mei Samaanta ke Swar" in Rajasthan where he spoke on religious unity. He accompanied Acharya Mahapragya to Ajmer Dargah. He is a strong proponent of interfaith dialogue and a practicing Sufi.

Apellations
The complete apellations of Syed Fazal Imam were :-

Nasl Al-Nabi, Aulad Al-Ali, Nasb Al-Sassani, Najib Al-Tarfayn, Afsar e Ala, Shah Hasib Mir Syed Fazal Imam Al- Hussain Al- Hashmi, Miran - e - Rajauli, Subehdar-e-Shahasram

It is important to note that the title Mian (title) was used for members of the family without formal office.