Amar Alfikar’s work “Queer Menafsir” (2023) recounts the story of Sheikh Musa Sada Suhaq (d. 1449), a Sufi from Gujarat and founder of the Sada Suhagiyya order. He visited the shrine of Sheikh Nizam al-Din Awliya before embarking on the Hajj. Witnessing sex workers and homeless women singing and dancing at the shrine, he harshly rebuked them.
During his Hajj, Sheikh Musa received a spiritual revelation that prevented him from visiting the Prophet’s tomb in Medina. Feeling unworthy and remorseful for his earlier rebuke, he returned to the shrine of Sheikh Nizam al-Din Awliya. There, he dressed and adorned himself like a woman, dancing beside the shrine to express his regret and seek forgiveness.
This act brought Sheikh Musa profound spiritual enlightenment, leading him to continue wearing women’s clothing. He earned the title ‘Sada Suhaq,’ meaning ‘eternal bride.’ In his final wishes, he requested to be buried with the glass bangles he wore, and his followers continue to honor him by visiting his shrine in crossdressing attire.