Baba Ratan Hindi Explained

Baba Ratan Hindi (Arabic: بابا رتن الهندي;) was one of the non-Arab companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

Baba was born in Punjab, he was a trader who used to take goods from India to Arabia. There is also a dargah named after him, the Haji Ratan Dargah in Bathinda, India.^[6] People who migrated to Pakistan during the partition of India in 1947 still venerate him.^[7]

Description

No authentic historical reference about Baba Ratan is available, whatever is known about him is based on the prevalent oral traditions.^[8] According to local traditions, he was a companion of Muhammad and was blessed to live over 700 years.^{[9] [10]} The first reference to Baba Ratan dates back to the 12th century. There are several narratives around him, some ascribing him as a disciple of Gorakhnath. Others associate him with Muhammad, who foretold his birth at Mecca in Arabia where he travelled during Hajj, before finally settling in Bathinda in Punjab after his reported conversion to Islam.

See also

• List of non-Arab Sahabah
• Hazrat Baba Haji Sher Dewan

Notes and References

1. Book: India and Indonesia: General Perspectives. 9004083650. Heesterman. J. C.. 1989. BRILL .
2. Book: Köprülü, Mehmet Fuat . Early Mystics in Turkish Literature . 2006 . Psychology Press . 978-0-415-36686-1 . 79 . en.
3. Book: Suvorova, Anna . Muslim Saints of South Asia: The Eleventh to Fifteenth Centuries . 2004-07-22 . Routledge . 978-1-134-37006-1 . 220 . en.
4. Book: Lindquist, Steven E. . Religion and Identity in South Asia and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Patrick Olivelle . 2013-12-01 . Anthem Press . 978-1-78308-067-0 . 254 . en.
5. Book: Basham, A. L.. A Cultural History of India. 1997. OUP India. 978-0-19-563921-6. en.
6. PARIHAR . SUBHASH . 2001 . The Dargāh of Bābā Ḥājī Ratan at Bhatinda . Islamic Studies . 40 . 1 . 105–132 . 20837077 . 0578-8072.
7. Book: Snehi, Yogesh . Spatializing Popular Sufi Shrines in Punjab: Dreams, Memories, Territoriality . 2019-04-24 . Taylor & Francis . 978-0-429-51563-7 . 190 . en.
8. The Dargāh of Bābā Ḥājī Ratan at Bhatinda. 20837077. Parihar. Subhash. Islamic Studies. 2001. 40. 1. 105–132.
9. Book: Snehi, Yogesh . Spatializing Popular Sufi Shrines in Punjab: Dreams, Memories, Territoriality . 2019-04-24 . Taylor & Francis . 978-0-429-51563-7 . 190 . en.
10. Book: Hanif, N. . Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia . 2000 . Sarup & Sons . 978-81-7625-087-0 . 328 . en.