Pir Mehr Ali Shah Sahib

Ancestry

Hazrat Pir Syed Meher Ali Shah Sahib of Golra Sharif (to be referred hereinafter simply as “Hazrat”) was a descendent, on his father’s side, of Hazrat Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) in the 25th generation, and of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him, P.B.U.H) of Islam through Syedna Hassan Ibn-e-Ali (R.A) in the 38th generation. On the side of his mother, he descended from Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A) in the 24th generation and from the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) through Syedna Hussain Ibn-e-Ali (R.A) in the 37th generation.

It is universally acknowledged that in the matter of nobility of ancestry in relation to the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H), no one can equal Syedna Hassan (R.A) and Syedna Hussain (R.A), the two sons of Syedah Fatimah-tuz-Zahrah (R.A), the youngest and the dearest daughter of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) whom the Prophet (P.B.U.H) had termed “a piece of my being”, and Syedna Ali (R.A), the Prophet’s cousin and son in law, who became the fourth Righteous Caliph of Islam after the passing away of the Prophet (P.B.U.H). Out of affection the Prophet (P.B.U.H) himself called Syedna Hasan and Hussain his grand children his own sons on a number of occasions. The reference to “our sons” in ayah (verse) 61 of Surah Al-e-Imran (chapter 3) of the Holy Quran is also interpreted, on the basis of the Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) own example as referring to Syedna Hassan and Hussain (R.A).

According to Quranic teaching, the real test of nobility in the sight of Allah lies in the beauty of a person's righteous character and the extent to which he (or she) fears God and performs good deeds (cf. ayah 13 of Surah XLIX). While personal qualities and endeavour are essential in socio-religious and spiritual spheres as in any other, noble lineage and environment undoubtedly provide the backdrop in which piety and virtue can germinate and thrive.

Distinctive dignity of kinship with the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H)

Holy Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) being the last and the greatest of all true Prophets of Allah, ancestral link with him constitutes a criterion of nobility unequalled by any other similar link. At many places in the Quran, special rules of conduct are laid down by Allah for members of the Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) household (Ahl-e-bai'at) (cf. Surah 33, Ayah 28-30), special tests of virtue and vice and requital therefore are prescribed for them and a categoric assurance is given that Allah wishes to “cleanse the Ahl-e-bai'at with a thorough cleansing”.





Translation: "Allah only desireth to take away uncleanness (of sin and disobedience) from you, O people of the (Prophet’s) Household, and purify you with a thorough purification (in deed, word and thought)". (Surah 33, Ayah 33)

In Ayah 23 of Surah 42 of the Quran, the Prophet (P.B.U.H) has been directed as follows


Translation: "Say: “ I ask you no hire therefor (i.e., for my preaching) except for affection in respect of “kinship” ".

According to Hazrat Abdullah Ibn-e-Abbas (R.A), one of the Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) eminent Companions and narrators of ahadith, when some of the Companions enquired of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) as to which of his “kinsman” were meant in the aforesaid ayah, the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) mentioned the names of Syedna Ali, his consort Syedah Fatima-tuz-Zahra (Prophet’s (P.B.U.H.) daughter), and their two teenage sons Syedna Hassan (R.A) and Syedna Hussain (R.A).




A number of other verses of Quran are invoked by ulama to underscore the inherent venerability of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) and his off springs. These, include the following:



Translation: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their (own) selves, and his wives are (as) their mothers. And the owners of kinship are closer one to another in the ordinance of Allah than (other) believers and the emigrants (who fled from Makkah)". (XXXIII, 6)




Translation: "Allah verily hath shown Grace to the believers by sending unto them a Messenger from amongst themselves, who reciteth unto them his revelations and purifieth them, and teachth them the book and wisdom". (III, 164)






Translation: "And those who believed afterwards and emigrated and strove hard along with you these (also) are of you; and the kindred by blood are nearer unto one another in Allah’s decree". (VIII, 75)



Translation: "And those who say: Our lord! Bestow on us coolness of eyes from our wives and our off-spring and make us a pattern for the God-fearing". (XXV, 74)



The following two ahadith of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) are also often quoted of this point:




Translation: "My lord hath promised to me concerning the members of my Household that He would not inflict retribution on those of them who acknowledge His Unity and my Prophet-hood".



Translation: "(Referring to his daughter Fatima as “chaste”, the Prophet said): Allah hath forbidden hell-fire for her and her off-spring".


Confirmation of Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah’s ancestral link with the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H)

A testimonial was granted to the two of the ancestors of Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A), Pir Syed Roshan Din Shah and Pir Syed Rasul Shah in the year 1211 A.H by the then head of Hazrat Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam’s shrine at Baghdad, Hazrat Syed Habib-e-Mustafa Ibn Syed Qasim Qadiri (R.A), confirming the Prophetic lineage of Hazrat’s family.

It stated that:

“In point of ancestry and lineage, these two gentlemen, Pir Syed Roshan Din and Pir Syed Rasul Shah, are off-springs of Hazrat Syedna Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A). In point of grace and blessedness, they are his true heirs and legatees, and I regard them as my own sons. Devotees of the exalted Qadriyah Silsila (chain) should therefore regard their hand as my hand and their word as my word”.

When the family of Hazrat, after its sojourns in various parts of India on migration from Baghdad, finally settled down in village Golra of the Punjab province of this country, the people then inhabiting this area were greatly impressed by the piety and saintly character of its members, and started thronging to them for guidance and blessings. However, the veneration accorded to this newly arrived family aroused feelings of jealousy among the “Syeds” already living in the area, who were mostly of Shi’ah denomination and felt their own position and influence threatened by the new-comers. One of the ploys used by these people to undermine the popularity of Hazrat’s family was to refuse to accept their prophetic lineage until concrete and conclusive written proof in support of it was produced by them. Since such proof was duly forthcoming, the detractors gained nothing but ignominy from their campaign. The family’s position was, however, decisively vindicated by an incident that occurred around this time.

In a gathering at the house of one of the detractors, the latter challenged Pir Syed Roshan Din, Hazrat’s great-Grand father who was one of the invitees, to produce his irrefutable evidence about his being a true “Syed”. Pir Syed Roshan Din first requested the person to desist from such improper behaviour, which violated the accepted norms of hospitality. When he refused to do so, the Pir Sahib put down the cap he was then wearing on his head on the floor and challenged any one then present to lift it if he could. Several persons in the audience tried one after another to lift the cap but failed to do so until the Pir Sahib himself accorded permission for this purpose. The detractor, publicly put to shame in this manner, apologized for his unbecoming behaviour. The incident added greatly to the prestige and estimation of the family of Hazrat, and the people of the area started rallying to it in ever-greater numbers to seek its blessings and solicit its guidance.

Principle Ancestors of Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib

Syedna Hazrat Ali (R.A)

The ancestors of Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib are known to have rendered invaluable services to the cause of Islam in every period of history. Syedna Ali (R.A), the fourth Righteous Caliph, who tops the list, carried out memorable feats of heroism in almost all the Ghazawat i.e., military campaigns led personally by the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H). The only ghazawa missed by him was that of Tabuk (9-A.H), when Prophet (P.B.U.H) left him behind in Madina as his Deputy, to take care of affairs in the Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) absence, in the same manner as Prophet Moses (Musa) had left behind his brother Aaron (Harun) when summoned by Allah to the Mount of Sina’i for the conferment of prophethood on him and for grant of “the Ten Commandments”.

Besides participating consistently and with unique distinction in armed “jihad”, Syedna Ali (R.A) rendered outstanding services in the propagation of Islam, and in the provision of guidance and knowledge to seekers thereof. Following are some of the Holy Prophet’s famous ahadith, which the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) said about Syedna Hazrat Ali (R.A):





1." Any one whom I befriend, Ali also is his friend; O Allah! Who ever loves Ali, You also love him; And whoever is Ali’s enemy, You also be his enemy."



2. " I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is its gateway."

3. "Ali is from me and I am from Ali. And after me, Ali is the Wali (i.e., friend) of every believer".

4. " I and Ali were both created from the same Divine Light".

These ahadith show that the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) described Syedna Ali (R.A) as his true vicegerent and successor in the spheres of love for others, vastness and depth of knowledge, and spiritual guardianship. The various scholars of Tasawwuf (Islamic mysticism or Sufism), as well as eminent ulama of Islam, are unanimous that most of the leading spiritual chains trace their origins to Syedna Ali. His services, and his sagacity and sound judgment, were acknowledged by his contemporary Sahaba (the Prophet’s Companions), as well as by all distinguished ulama (religious scholars) in later periods of history. He was often consulted by the other Companions in all difficult situations and used to oblige with sane advice. Syedna Umar (R.A), the second Righteous Caliph, himself a leader of high distinction, used to openly admit: “May Allah spare me a problem for the solution of which the advice of Abul Hasan (i.e., Syedna Ali) is not available to me.

All this shows that Syedna Ali (R.A) is the “supreme center” of Wilayat (friendship of Allah). It must, however, be borne in mind that this does not in any way detract from the primacy of Syedna Abubakar and Syedna Umar (R.A) as successors and Righteous Caliphs of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H).

Syedna Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain (R.A)

After Syedna Ali (R.A), the services of his illustrious sons Imam Hassan (R.A) and Imam Hussain (R.A) also constitute a bright chapter of Islamic history. To quote only two instances, Syedna Imam Hassan, in order solely to prevent a violent clash between two groups of Muslims, decided to forgo his rightful claim to the Caliphate, after the passing away of Syedna Ali (R.A), in favour of the other candidate, Hazrat Amir Mu’awiyah. He thus fulfilled the prediction made by the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) to that effect at a time when Syedna Hassan (R.A) was only a few years old. As for his younger brother, Syedna Imam Hussain (R.A), the supreme sacrifice given by him in the desert plain of Karbala (Iraq) in 61 A.H in a battle in which only 72 ill-equipped persons (including women and children of his household) were pitted against a heavily armed horde of several thousand men, will be remembered in the annals of history for all time to come. The issue at stake then was Syedna Hussain’s refusal to pledge allegiance to Yazid, who had assumed power as Caliph after the demise of his father, Hazrat Amir Mu’awiyah, but who was known to be a man of impious habits and was therefore unworthy to be the ruler of Muslims. The clash mentioned above resulted from Yazid’s insistence on extorting Imam Hussain’s allegiance to his caliphate by force. The latter, however, valiantly resisted this and thereby upheld the loftiest Islamic ideals of governance.

The later generations of Syedna Hassan and Hussain (R.A) maintained their glorious and trail-blazing traditions as and when the occasion demanded this. All this leads to conclusion that the sustenance of the religious, secular, moral, social, intellectual and spiritual values of the Islamic world has, over the centuries, been due in large measures to the endeavours of the house of Syed Ali (R.A). Imam-e-Azam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik, two of foremost jurists of Islam, and founder of their respective juridical schools, were pupils of Imam Jaffer Sadiq (R.A), the great-grandson of Hazrat Syedna Imam Hussain (R.A), while Imam Shafi was a student of Imam Musa Kazim (R.A). In the spiritual field, almost all the leading schools of Tasawwuf trace their origin to Syedna Ali (R.A). These include the Qadriyah, the Chishtia, the Suharwardia, the Uwaisiyah and others. Only Naqshbandia is traced back to first Righteous Caliph Syedna Abubakar (R.A).

Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A)

In the family of Hazrat Syedna Ali (R.A), Hazrat Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam Abdul Qadir Jilani (471-562 A.H) stands out as the great guide who imparted a new life to the Islamic faith, then passing through a critical phase of misdoings of the rulers and the apathy of the general run of its ulama. This earned him the abiding title of Muhyuddin (reviver of religion). Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam is universally accepted as the greatest of all Awlia-Allah (Friends of Allah), and occupies a place of surpassing spiritual eminence that has not been vouchsafed to any other personality in the entire Islamic Ummah.

Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib was a direct descendent, in the 25th generation, of Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam, and was also one of the most illustrious of the latter’s spiritual beneficiaries especially in the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent.

Other ancestors of Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib (R.A)

Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib had descended from Syed Taj-ud-din Abdul Razzaq, the middle son of Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam, whose spiritual school (Qadriyah Razzaqiyah) is spread far and wide in the Islamic world. Syed Abdul Razzaq ranked very high among the mashaikh of his time, and was widely known as the Mufti (Expounder of Islamic Law) of Iraq. Despite being the middle son of Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam, the honour of headship and executive leadership of Ghausia Shrine at Baghdad has passed down mostly to members of his family tree. Tradition has it that one of his sons, Syed Jamaal Ullah, who was held very dear by Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam and who also bore a striking resemblance to the latter, was granted eternal life by the special Grace of Allah, and had, as a result, disappeared from the sight of the common people not long after the passing away of Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A).

The second son of Hazrat Abdul Razzaq, Syed Abu Saleh, had been officially appointed by the then Khalifa (Caliph) to the high office of Mufti of Iraq. Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah was the descendent of his son, Syed Ali Qadiri Baghdadi, who was a distinguished scholar and was the author of several books.

Syed Taj-ud-din Mehmood, belonging to the fourth generation after Syed Ali Qadiri, was the first to arrive from Baghdad in Bengal, then a province of India, in the 9th Hijrah century. He was accorded a place of honour by the then Muslim ruler of Bengal, Sultan Feroz Shah, who allocated an estate for his Khankah. However, Syed Taj-ud-din returned to Baghdad after a few years’ missionary work, leaving behind his son Syed Abil Hayat to carry on his mission in Bengal.

After his demise, Syed Abil Hayat was succeeded by his son, Miran Shah Qadir Qumais who attained fame not only in Bengal but also in other parts of India. On the outbreak of hostilities between the Mughal King Humayun and Sher Shah Suri, Shah Qumais went back to Baghdad, and returned to India when peace had been restored after several years. This time he settled down in Gangoh, where the well-known Shaikh belonging to Chishtia Sabriya school, Abdul Quddus Gangohi, was well-established. Despite his eminent position and his advanced age, however, Shaikh Abdul Quddus personally welcomed Shah Qumais on his arrival in the outskirts of the city. Shaikh Abdul Quddus Gangohi (852-945 A.H) ranks along the leading mashaikh of the Chishtia Sabriya school second in eminence only to the founder of the school himself, Syedna Ala-ud-din Ahmad Sabir (R.A) of Kaliar Sharif, District Saharanpur (India). Many distinguished mashaikh are included among his spiritual legatees.

From Gangoh, Hazrat Qadir Qumais went to Bengal, but finding things not conducive there, he moved to the town of Sadhora then known as Shah Dhora in District Saharanpur (India) and settled down there. He passed away in Bengal, where the then Mughal ruler had sent him on some mission in 992 A.H., but his body was brought back to Sadhora and buried there.

Hazrat Shah Muhammad Fazil Qalandar, a grandson of Hazrat Shah Qumais, carried on the latter’s mission with distinction until his demise in 1104 A.H.

Pir Syed Roshan Din Shah (R.A) and Pir Syed Rasul Shah (R.A)

In the 12th generation of Shah Abdul Qadir Qumais, a gentleman named Syed Abdul Rahman Nuri went to the Hijaz for Hajj (the annual Muslim pilgrimage in Makkah), but on his way back was ill and passed away in Basra (Iraq). In accordance with his will, his awrad-o-wazaif (collection of recitations) were buried along with his body. When his sons, Syed Roshan Din Shah and Syed Rasul Shah, learnt about this in Sadhora, they walked all the way to Basra and kept a six-month vigil at the tomb of their father. Miraculously, the books came out of the grave on their own one-day, and taking hold of them, the two brothers went to the Hijaz to perform Hajj. From there they proceeded to Baghdad and Basra, then on to Kabul (Afghanistan), and finally, on the way to their hometown of Sadhora, they decided to take up residence in the village Golra near Rawalpindi (Punjab, India). This happened around the end of the 12thHijra century, when the Mughal throne in Delhi was occupied by Shah Alam II. The province of Bengal had already been conquered by the British, then represented by the East India Company. The period was marked by the anarchy everywhere, with the Sikhs having conquered the Punjab province, and the Englishmen and the Marhattas glancing avidly towards Delhi, with designs to overthrow the once mighty but now weak and emaciated Mughal Empire in India. The region in which Sadhora was situated was plagued by unrest following the third battle of Panipat between the Marhattas and Ahmed Shah Abdali in 1760-61 A.D. which the latter had won. Because of all this, Syed Roshan Din and Syed Rasul Shah preferred not to go on to Sadhora. Instead, they asked their family members and other associates to leave Sadhora and join them in Golra, which they considered a haven of peace and security, and also conducive to their missionary work. Hazrat Syed Roshan Din (R.A) was the great grandfather of Syedna Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib (R.A).

Hazrat Syed Miran Shah (R.A) and Hazrat Pir Fazl Din Shah (R.A)

The spiritual legacy of Syed Roshan Din (R.A) and Syed Rasul Shah (R.A) passed on to Syed Miran Shah (R.A) and Syed Fazl Din (R.A), the two teen-aged sons of Syed Rasul Shah. The two young men were, therefore, taught and brought up under the care of Sa’in Ali Muhammad alias Miskeen Shah Panipatti, not a member of the august family but the leading Khalifa (spiritual deputy) of Syed Rasul Shah (R.A).

Syed Miran Shah was quite a strict observer of the Shariah, but was at same time ecstatically inclined. Syed Fazl Din (R.A), however, was an eminent scholar and a distinguished spiritual personality. People thronged to him from far and near regardless of their religious or social standing, in search of solace and guidance. His Langer (free kitchen) was well known in the neighbourhood. He was blessed with Kashf (clairvoyance) and Karamat (mini-miracles). Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) received his spiritual initiation at the hand of Syed Fazl Din (R.A) and had embarked upon his mission of spiritual guidance about 11 years before the latter’s demise. Hazrat Fazl Din remained a celibate all his life, and passed away in 1892-93 (12- Zi’qad, 1311 A.H.) at the age of 108 years. His mausoleum is located at a short distance to the northwest of shrine (Darbar) of Golra Sharif.

Hazrat Syed Nazr Din Shah (alias “Ajji Sahib) (R.A) - Hazrat’s father

Syed Nazr Din Shah (R.A), father of Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A), was the grand son of Syed Roshan Din Shah (R.A) mentioned above. Syed Nazr Din, who later became known as “Ajji Sahib” because of being the father (called ‘Ajji’ in the local Potohari language) of Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib, was born in Golra in 1815 (1234-35 A.H). He is known to have been a born Wali (saint), a fact which received providential endorsement through an incident that occurred during his youth.

In his early age, Ajji Sahib used to remain constantly occupied in his studies and in prayers and recitations in the ancestral mosque in Golra. The Sikh section of the village was located close to this mosque. It so happened that an unmarried girl belonging to the local Sikh sub-divisional officer (SDO) was found to be bearing an immorally conceived child. Taking advantage of this situation, a confidante of the SDO, who was bitterly jealous of the increasingly popularity and influence of the newly arrived Syed family, falsely accused the young Ajji Sahib of being responsible for the affair. Without seeking any authentic proof of this baseless charge, the SDO ordered Ajji Sahib to be arrested and burnt alive in the punishment for the crime. When delegations of local and neighbouring Muslims met the SDO to plead the innocence of the pious scion of the highly respected family, the latter agreed to acquit him only if Hazrat Syed Fazl Din, who then headed the Golra Khankah, appeared in person before him to assure him of the young man’s innocence. Hazrat Fazl Din Shah, however, refused to do so, and asked the SDO to do whatever he deemed fit, adding that if the boy was really guilty it was better for the family’s honour if he was burnt to death. The people of the area decided to meet the situation with force, but the Pir Sahib strictly forbade them to do so. The women of the locality offered ransom to the SDO in the form of their jewellery and ornaments, but the offer was rejected by him.

On the appointed day, a large pyre was prepared under an armed guard to carry out the penalty. On the preceding night, Hazrat Ajji Sahib was honoured by the visit of Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A) in dream, when the latter exhorted him to take a bath, wear a new dress, and offer a couple of nawafil (supererogatory prayers), before proceeding to the pyre. Ajji Sahib carried out these directions and calmly seated himself on the pyre. Kerosene oil was then poured on the pyre and a burning match applied to it. The pyre, however, failed to catch fire despite repeated efforts. The accusing person then poured more kerosene on the clothes of Ajji Sahib and on his long curly hair. However, even though the pyre did then go ablaze, the fire failed completely to touch Ajji Sahib’s body. When the news of this miraculous vindication of innocence was conveyed to the SDO, he ordered the accuser himself to be burnt on the same pyre for bringing a totally false charge against an innocent young man of an honoured family. He also rendered an unqualified apology to Hazrat Fazl Din for his misjudgment of the case. Both the latter and Ajji Sahib himself, however, asked forgiveness for the convicted. In fact Ajji Sahib did not leave the pyre until this demand had been met by the SDO.

Not long after this incident, the Sikh rule in the Punjab came to an end, and the province came under the British rule.

Hazrat Ajji Sahib was married to a lady of a Gilani Syed family descendant from Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A), which was then settled in the town of Hasan-Abdal, about 25 miles to the north-west of Golra. It was through this union that Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah was born, making him Gilani Syed from the sides of both his parents.

Hazrat Ajji Sahib, who was a disciple of his maternal uncle, Pir Fazl Din Shah (R.A) in the Qadriyah Jaddiyah school, possessed many virtues and praiseworthy traits of character. The foremost of these was his generosity and magnificence, and his concern for the poor, the needy, and the oppressed and down-trodden. He lived long enough to see his distinguished son, Hazrat Meher Ali Shah Sahib, rise to dizzy heights of spiritual eminence. His own circle of beneficiaries and disciples was also quite vast. He passed away at the age of 90 years on 24 Rajab, 1324 A.H. (1905 AD) and was buried adjacent to the mosque at Golra instead of in a separate tomb, in deference to his own wishes. Besides Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib, who was then 50 years of age, Ajji Sahib left behind two more sons, Syed Mehmood Shah and Wilayat Shah, and a daughter.



FAMILY TREE OF HAZRAT SYED PIR MEHER ALI SHAH (R.A)

a) On the Father’s side

Syedna Meher Ali Shah Sahib ibn (son of)

Syed Nazr Din Shah ibn

Syed Ghulam Shah ibn

Syed Roshan Din Shah ibn

Syed Abul Rahman Nuri ibn

Syed Inayat Ullah ibn

Syed Ghayas Ali ibn

Syed Fatehullah ibn

Syed Asadullah ibn

Syed Fakhar-ud-din ibn

Syed Ihsan Ibn

Syed Dargahi ibn

Syed Jamaal Ali ibn

Syed Muhammad Jamaal ibn

Syed Abi Muhammad ibn

Syed Miran Muhammad (The elder) ibn

Syed Miran Shah Qumais Sadhoravi ibn

Syed Abil Hayat ibn

Syed Taj-ud-din ibn

Syed Baha-ud-din ibn

Syed Jalal-ud-din ibn

Syed Daud ibn

Syed Ali ibn

Syed Abi Saleh Nasr ibn

Syed Taj-ud-din Abubakar Abdul Razzaq Jilani ibn

Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam Muhyuddin Abdul Qadir Jilani ibn

Syed Abu Saleh ibn

Syed Abdullah Jili ibn Syed Yahya Zahid ibn

Syed Shams-ud-din Zakariya ibn

Syed Abubakar Daud ibn

Syed Musi Thani ibn

Syed Abdullah Saleh ibn

Syed Musa Al-Jawn ibn

Syed Abdullah Mahd ibn

Syed Hasan Muthanna ibn

Syed Imam Hasan Al Mujtaba ibn

Syedna Ali (Karam Allah-o-Wajhu)

(Allah be pleased with them all)

b) On the Mother’s side

Hazrat Masuma Mawsufa (Hazrat’s mother) bint (i.e., daughter of)

Pir Syed Bahadur Shah ibn

Syed Sher Shah ibn

Syed Charagh Shah ibn

Syed Amir Shah ibn

Syed Abdullah Shah ibn

Syed Mubarak Shah ibn

Syed Hussain Shah ibn

Syed Amir Shah ibn

Syed Muhammad Muqim Shah ibn

Syed Abdul Mu’ali ibn

Syed Nur Shah ibn

Syed Lal Baha-ud-din alias Bahawal Sher Qadri (of Hujra Shah Muqim, Sahiwal) ibn Syed Mahmud ibn

Syed Ala-ud-din ibn

Syed Masih-ud-din ibn

Syed Sadar-ud-din ibn

Syed Zaheer-ud-din ibn

Syed Shamsul Arifin Qadri ibn

Syed Momin ibn

Syed Mushtaq ibn

Syed Ali ibn

Syed Abi Saleh Nasr ibn

Syed Taj-ud-din Abubakar Abdul Razzaq ibn

Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam Muhyuddin Abdul Qadir Jilani ibn

Syed Abu Saleh ibn

Syed Abdullah Jili ibn

Syed Yahya Zahid ibn

Syed Shams-ud-din Zakariya ibn

Syed Abubakar Daud ibn

Syed Musi Thani ibn

Syed Abdullah Saleh ibn

Syed Musa Al-Jawn ibn

Syed Abdullah Mahd ibn

Syed Hasan Muthanna ibn

Syed Imam Hasan Al Mujtaba ibn

Syedna Ali (Karam Allah-o-Wajhu)

(Allah be pleased with them all)

Early Education and Childhood


Birth

Hazrat Syed Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) was born on Monday, 1st Ramadan, 1275 A.H (14th April 1859 A.D) in Golra Sharif.

The birth of this greatest eminent scholar proved to be the dawn of Muslim Ummah. The time before Hazrat’s birth saw the war of independence of 1857 being fought between the British and the Muslims. After that unsuccessful war of independence, there was need for supporting the cause of Islam and the need to retain the light of true religion that was constantly being diminished by the wrong doings of the Muslims of the sub-continent. As said in the Holy Quran “We have, without doubt, sent down the message and we will assuredly guard it”. (XV-9)

Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah - a Born Wali

Hadith (tradition of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) is the most reliable source of guidance along the Holy Quran for the Muslims. According to an authentic hadith of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) traced to Abu Huraira (R.A):

“Abi Huraira (R.A) narrates that the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) said as follows: Verily Allah shall send to this Ummah, at the extremity of each Hijrah century, a person who will renew its din (i.e., religion) for it.”

Most of the eminent muhaddithin (masters of the science of hadith) have interpreted the word "extremity" as implying the concluding part of each part of Hijrah century, i.e., the concerned personality should be born towards the end of the Hijrah of each century. They conclude, furthermore: (i) that he should be well-versed in all the outer as well as the inner religious sciences; (ii) that a large body of people should derive abundant benefits from his teachings, writings, and preaching; (iii) that he should actively devote himself to the revival of the Prophet's sunnah (pattern of conduct) among people and elimination of "bid'at" (novel practices deviating from those approved and adopted by the Prophet (P.B.U.H) himself); and finally, (iv) that he should have an established renown for scholarship and erudition, and for having conferred religious benefits on the people in general belonging to the end of one century and the beginning of the next. Anyone not fulfilling these conditions would not qualify to be called a "Mujjadad".

In the light of this Hadith if we see the years of birth of the greatest Sufi saints:

a) Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani of Baghdad born in 471 A.H (After Hijrah), died 562 A.H.

b) Hazrat Shaikh Ahmad Sirhandi, alias Mujjadad Alf-e-Sani born in 971 A.H, died 1034 A.H.

c) Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah of Golra Sharif born in 1275 A.H., died 1356 A.H.

All these Sufi saints were born at the extremity of each Hijra’s year. On that account too, Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah can be clearly entitled as a person who renewed the religion Islam, i.e. Mujjadad.

Portents Heralding Hazrat’s Arrival

Predictions about Hazrat’s birth had been current in his family circles well before his actual arrival on the scene. Further more an aged Majzub (A dervish “absorbed” in ecstasy) had come and stayed in the khankah of Golra a few days before Hazrat’s birth and often talked about of being blessed soon with the sight of an approved one of Allah Almighty. When Hazrat was born, he visited the outer Veranda of the family residence; called for Hazrat who was newly born, kissed his hands and feet, and then left the place and was never seen again.

Early Childhood

Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) narrated himself that during his childhood, he used to feel uncomfortable in populated areas and found deserted places providing much serenity. Quite often, he said, he used to quietly leave the house at night after everyone else had gone to bed, and to spend much of the night wandering among the nearly bushes, trees and ravines. As he grew, he said, he started experiencing a feeling of such unusual heat within his body that he was sometimes compelled, even on cold winter nights, to bathe in the ice-cold canal water out in the open and also to rub pieces of it on his body. When he left his room late at night after finishing his studies, he used to experience the same kind of comfort from contact with the cold mountain air that a thirsty person normally derives from cool water at the height of summer.

In his book, Saif-e-Chishtiyai (The Chishtia sword) and Malfoozat-e- Mehria (Compilation of Hazrat's own sayings), Hazrat has stated that at the age of seven he had fought a duel with Satan (Shaytan) in a dream. After several ups and downs Hazrat kept repeatedly reciting the words:




Translation: "There is no power and no strength save in Allah the Most High, the Supreme".

Finally, Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) defeated Satan (Shaytan) by reciting the above-mentioned verse.

Early Education

Hazrat received his early education of the Holy Quran at the Khankah and was given classes in Urdu and Persian in the local Madressah. Allah blessed Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) with tremendous mind abilities. Being very young, he had to be carried to and from the school by a domestic servant. The same was done at the time of final examination, which was held in Rawalpindi, a few miles away. The examiner put the first question to Hazrat, which was answered correctly by him. Seeing that so very young a child had given a correct answer to his questions, the examiner concluded that the concerned teacher was providing really good education to his students and decided to promote the entire class.

Hazrat (R.A) had such a phenomenal memory that he could memorize his daily lessons of Quran immediately after reading. As soon as Hazrat completed his oral reading of Quran, the entire Holy Book became embedded in his memory without any conscious effort by him towards that end. Once Hazrat’s teacher asked him to memorize a portion of a religious book which had become badly moth-eaten with the passage of time. Hazrat pointed out that the relevant portion of the book had been almost completely destroyed due to worn-out condition of those pages, and it was impossible to read. The teacher refused to accept any apologies and insisted on his order and warned Hazrat of the punishment if it was not done. The next day, Hazrat, went out and sat under the shadow of the tree where he usually sat for studying purpose. He tried to read the misprinted lines but in vain. Finally he looked heavenwards fervently implored Allah Almighty to let him know the contents of the passage so as to save him from the teacher’s punishment. Suddenly a greenish writing appeared among the leaves of the tree, and after remaining there long enough for Hazrat to commit it to memory, vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

Hazrat immediately went back to his teacher and read the passage out to him. There upon the teacher sought out an un-mutilated addition of the book in question from Rawalpindi, and was astonished to find that the related passage tallied completely with that with Hazrat had read out to him.

Sometime after this incident, Hazrat’s teacher Maulvi Ghulam Muhyuddin advised Hazrat Nazruddin Alias Ajji Sahib (Hazrat’s father) and Hazrat Fazal din (Hazrat’s Uncle) to place the young Meher Ali under the care of a more learned teacher as he had done whatever he could do in educating him as much as he could do and that he deserved to be trained by a truly distinguished teacher. Accepting this advice, Hazrat was admitted to the Madressah of an eminent scholar Maulana Muhammad Shafi Qureshi in the village Bhui, near Hasan-Abdal.

Hazrat completed his intermediate level religious education here. His stay in this Madressah was for 2 –21/2 years.

Completing the intermediate level education, Hazrat’s return home coincided with the annual festival of Eid-ul-Fitr. After the Eid prayers Hazrat decided to proceed for higher studies and for this he chose Angah, which is about 100 miles away from Sargodha. Hazrat’s teacher at that Madressah was Maulvi Sultan Mehmood.

Hazrat's visit to Sial Sharif

Hazrat’s teacher at Angah was a disciple of Hazrat Khwaja Shamsuddin Chishti of Sial Sharif, District Sargodha. Hazrat Khwaja Shamsuddin was a great Sufi saint of his time. Hazrat Sahib (Hazrat’s Pir Meher Ali Shah's (R.A) teacher) used to visit to Sial Sharif to pay his regards to his venerable Murshid and Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah used to accompany him during these visits. This eventually resulted in Hazrat Syedna Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) also becoming a disciple of Hazrat Khwaja Shamsuddin (R.A).

Quest for higher education

After completing his education at Angah at the age of 15 years, he decided to continue further studies in the United Provinces of India (U.P). Therefore, Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib, in 1290 A.H set out his quest for higher education, to different parts of India such as Lucknow, Deoband, Rampur, Kanpur, Aligarh, Delhi and Saharanpur , which were the then known major centers of religious education. Hazrat got education from the best of the religious scholars of that time.

Hazrat’s stay at Aligarh at the Madressah of Maulana Lutfullah of Aligarh was 21/2 years. During this period of time, he earned the admiration and the respect of both his teachers and his classmates because of his ability, beauty of character and explanatory conduct.

Appreciation of a European examiner

During Hazrat’s stay at Aligarh, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the celebrated educationist of India and the founder of the Aligarh Muslim University, had drawn up a plan for the reform of the Arabic religious madressahs found lagging behind in quality education and thereby decided to close them down. The money was to be diverted to the college at Aligarh. As a part of this project, Sir Syed suggested to Maulana Lutfullah to conduct an annual examination at his madressah, with a view to both testing the standard of education and providing an incentive for hard work among the students. Since a large number of students at the madressah were Punjabis or Pathans, and were not well versed in writing , Maulana Sahib was somewhat reluctant to accept this suggestion. Hazrat however, assured him that he and his schoolmates were ready to undergo any type of test, oral or written, and that he should therefore accept Sir Syed’s suggestion without hesitation. So Maulana Lutfullah gained some confidence and accepted the proposal.

So for this purpose a high-class scholar from Europe was invited to Aligarh by Sir Syed to give the required examination. A day before the exam, the Maulana himself gave a proficiency test to the students in Euclidean Geometry in order to judge their ability in that subject. In his answer to the question prescribed in the test paper ,Hazrat first wrote down the solution that was contained in the Euclidean text. He followed this up by raising certain objections and reservations about the solution given in the text, and answering the same objections himself. Maulana Sahib was so deeply impressed by this display of insight and perspicacity that he placed Hazrat’s answer sheet in an envelope, sealed it and sent it to the European examiner who had also arrived in Aligarh. The next day, all the students kept waiting for the examiner to come but he didn’t show up. When Sir Syed was informed of this, he intimated that the examiner had gone back home during the night, and had left a note to effect that he found himself unable to give a test to students who had the ability to raise objections to the views of Euclid. Maulvi Sahib was very happy that his madressah had been saved from possible closure because of Hazrat’s brilliant academic performance.

Combination of strong physique with mental and spiritual excellence

Allah Almighty blessed Hazrat with a strong physique and a highly cognitive and spiritual excellence. Most of his time was spent in the pursuit of education, and he took no exercise other than horse riding. His health remained as strong as those taking regular exercise, even at the advanced age of 60 years.

Usually Hazrat’s class fellows used to seek help in their studies from him and Hazrat always helped them out in their problems.

Charity and Munificence

The money, which Hazrat received from home as monthly subsistence, used to be distributed by him among the poor and needy school-mates, with himself either fasting or otherwise going without food. In moments of extreme hunger, he collected and ate crumbs left over by fellow students. These expressions of charity, self sacrifice, and voluntary hardships deeply impressed everyone around and many of them became his admirers and devotees.

Aversion to sport and petty amusements

Due to his serious and sober outlook on life, Hazrat never developed any real interest in sport or petty entertainment. Fairs and exhibitions of different kinds held in Saharanpur from time to time had no attraction for him. These included a major fair held in that city on the eve of British Viceroy’s visit there. Hazrat did, however enjoy listening to good devotional music, which struck a responsive chord in his spiritually inclined heart.

Return home

After completing his religious education from Aligarh, Hazrat Syedna Meher Ali Shah Sahib (R.A) was awarded certificates by Maulana Lutfullah of Aligarh. These certificates certified the completion in the following branches of Islamic learning, along with permission to teach these subjects to others and to otherwise make use of them for scholastic and exposition purposes as and when required.

i) The Holy Quran, its translation and commentaries

ii) All the authentic compilations of the Prophet’s Hadith, including the Sihah Sittah

Marriage

When Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah returned home after completing his studies, his marriage took place with the daughter of Syed Charagh Ali Shah who belonged to his respected mother’s family living in Hasan-Abdal Town, a few miles away from Golra.

Passing away of Ajji Sahib (R.A) and Hazrat Fazal Din (R.A)

Soon after Hazrat’s marriage Hazrat Fazal Din Shah, the maternal uncle of Hazrat’s father Ajji sahib and Hazrat’s Murshid in the Qadriyah School, passed away in 1311 A.H (1892 A.D) and so did Hazrat Ajji sahib (Hazrat’s father) himself in 1323 A.H (1904-05 A.D).

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