Hazrat Syedna Pir Meher Ali Shah (RA)

111 Pages·2017·1.15 MB·English

Golra Sharif 
Location
Situated near Margalla Hills, Islamabad, between latitude 33° and 37° east latitude; about 1707 feet above sea
level, at a distance of 17 km from the ancient city of Taxila.
Geographical importance
Prior to the arrival of Hazrat’s ancestors Golra Sharif was just a small village in the suburbs of Rawalpindi.
Golra Sharif also has fundamental importance geographically. The vast tracts of Margalla Hills and their adjoining
plains have been witness to a vast panorama of chequered history. The area extending from Hasan Abdal to the
neighbourhood of Taxila, a settlement traced back to 2000 years , is custodian of a rich cultural heritage of pre-
Islamic period. Even today the archaeological remains dotting the area furnish evidence of the splendid cultural
and religious traditions of Buddhist era. Eminent historians of the world agree that it was here that Greek wisdom
and Indian civilization meshed together to bring about a synthesis which influenced cultures and art movements
everywhere.
With the passage of time, it was overrun by many foreign invaders, such as Greeks, Persians, Afghans, White
Huns, Mughals, Sikhs and the British.
Political scenario
With his rule extending from 1747 to 1773, Ahmad Shah Abdali emerged as one of its last period rulers. After his
death his son Taimur Shah ruled the area till 1793. he had to face tremendous pressure from the Marhattas and
Sikhs, and by the British at river Sutlaj. when the Afghan ruler, Ahmed Shah Abdali, died and his subedar in
Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, took advantage of the power vacuum and proclaimed his autonomy, it became a
part of Sikh Kingdom. From 1818 to 1849, the area remained under the Sikhs till it was annexed by the British.
This was the period of great political upheaval and instability. Some of the communities, known as marauding
tribes, were addicted to violent crime and internecine warfare. They levied black-mail tax on the roads south of
the Margalla Pass. Morality and virtue were on a rapid decline. Absence of values had created a social abyss – a
spiritual “waste land”, and the government too was based on injustice and tyranny. In such a holocaust, God in
His Divine Mercy deputed Muslim saints to guide the people and to show them the path of righteousness.
Golra Sharif is a region fully aware, since ancient times, of what it means to be sacred. It knows the majesty that
goes with the sacredness.
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SAYINGS OF HAZRAT SYEDNA PIR MEHER ALI SHAH SAHIB (R.A) 
The whole life of Hazrat-e-Ala Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib (R.A) was a model for the whole Ummah. All his life, he
cleansed the hearts of the people who were in search of the righteous path of Allah, purifying them from all the
worldly things and enlightened their hearts with the love of Allah and the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H). One can find
the code of life and its pattern in Hazrat's sayings. Following are some of the sayings which are mostly extracted
from the “Malfuzaat-e-Mehria” (sayings of Hazrat), Maktubat (letters) of Hazrat Meher Ali Shah Sahib (R.A).
Every breath of life is a priceless treasure; it should be devoted to the remembrance of the
Lord (Allah Almighty), and to the seeking of His pleasure.
True faith can be sustained through the love of Allah.
The true Abd, (i.e., slave) of Allah derives infinitely more happiness and satisfaction from
spreading his hands before Him in prayer than from achieving his own worldly objectives.
The love of Allah and His Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) is infinitely superior to the love of
mortal human beings and of other worldly things.
Observance of the Holy Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) Shariah and of his personal example (Sunnah)
has precedence over everything else.
There is no conflict whatsoever between the "Shariah" and the "Tariqah". While the formal
constitutes the injunctions of Allah and His Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), the latter consists
in acting meticulously upon those injunctions.
Spiritual elevation does not give any one a license to ignore the shariah. Indeed, the higher a
person goes on the spiritual scale, the greater should be his observance of the Prophet’s
shariah (P.B.U.H).
One should carry on one’s legitimate business in life, and should at the same time consider
Allah to be Omnipresent and All-Seeing.
The (true) dervish considers every one else better than him self; he tries to rectify his own
faults instead of finding faults with others.
A dervish is one who opposes whatever his baser self (Nafs-e-Ammara) impels him to do.
Being a dervish is a state of mind, and does not necessarily depend on the type of dress that
one wears, or the food that one eats, so long as these are acquired through lawful means.
Ideally, of course, it is preferable to follow the example of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon
Him) who prided in simplicity and frugality.
One should answer humility with humility, but need not be humble before the proud and the
conceited.
Seeking the favour or pleasure of persons in high office may be alright for the common man;
it is undesirable for those who aspire to be dervish or Sufi.
A Salik (traverser of the path) should have nothing to do with the good or the bad of the
world; he should devote his entire attention to his Lord at all times.
The life and the death of Awlia-Allah (friend of Allah) are devoted solely to seeing the Lord’s
pleasure, and must not be compared to or equated with the life and death of the common
people.
Prayers and recitations should be performed primarily with the object of earning Lord’s
pleasure, this can lead, as a by-product, to worldly gain also which lies in the hands of the
Lord. It is inconceivable that man should devote himself wholly to the remembrance of his
Creator and that the latter should not fulfill his ambition and needs.
One should endeavour to do good deeds; Allah’s forgiveness, however, depends on His
Mercy and Grace and not necessarily in one’s good deeds.
Man’s greatness and nobility lie in his character, and especially in practicing humility and self-
effacement, and not merely his lineage.
Pride and conceit destroys all good deeds.
Mutual love and sincerity are among the finest quality of the Islamic Ummah. In fact it was
Islam which first stressed these qualities for observance by its followers. Unfortunately,
however, these are largely missing from today’s Muslim world due to its indifference to
Islamic teachings and values.
Allah likes moderation and temperance in everything, and this constitutes the Straight Path
that He has ordered us to follow. Exaggerations and misdirected excess, even in religious
matters, lead to error and are liable to incur the wrath of Allah.
Avoid extremes in religious as well as worldly matters, for peace and salvation lie only in
following the middle path.
As far as possible, one should endure the unkindness of others with patience, and leave
revenge and retribution to Allah.
Faith in God’s Mercy, benevolence and omnipotence in the fulfillment of human objectives
must be backed up by the utmost human endeavors.
Trust in God does not consist in discarding human endeavour altogether. The best course is
to put in one’s best effort and leave the results to God.
As indicated in the Quran (XCIV, 5-6), “hardship goes side by side with ease” (in this worldly
life). One should, therefore, not lose heart in time of adversity, but should instead have full
faith in the Mercy of Allah and be thankful to Him in all circumstances.
Ibadat (or devotion) consists of submission without argument, acceptance without dissent,
patience without complaint, faith without uncertainty, perception without concealment, and
attention without diversion.
All Sufi schools have the same ultimate objective, namely the attainment of spiritual elevation
and union with Allah; no school should, therefore claim superiority over the others.
Denunciation of Muslims as “kafir” (infidel) on petty sectarian grounds or on the basis of
doubt or supposition only, is highly loathsome, and must be avoided at all costs. This alone
can ensure the unity of the Ummah and thereby help it regain its lost glory.
“Wahdat-ul-Shahud” is the beginning of the “Suluk” (i.e., spiritual journey) and “Wahdat-ul-
Wajood” its ultimate and perfected state.
While reason and intellect do facilitate the formal study of religious and spiritual sciences,
access to the deeper meanings of these sciences is possible only through the Grace of Allah
with the help of an accomplished guide and teacher (a Pir).
Power and authority are sure touchstones to a person’s real character and nature. The mean
person in power indulges in cruelty, oppression and injustice, while the noble one in a similar
position exercises kindness, generosity and justice.
Sama is not an end in itself for men of God. At the same time, its importance should not be
denied, since many eminent religious and spiritual personalities are known to have listened to
sama as a spiritual vehicle.
The Murid should obey the commands of his Shaikh (spiritual guide) in every thing and
particularly in the regular performance of religious rituals and the wazaifs (recitations)
enjoined by the Shaikh, in order to derive maximum spiritual benefit, those who are not
content with the guidance provided by their own Shaikh-e-Kamil and keep seeking it from
others, ultimately waste their efforts (just as a rolling stone gathers no moss).
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Shajra-e-Mehria (Family Tree)
The full family tree of Hazrat Syed Pir Meher Ali Shah is set out below:
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KARAMAAT (MINI-MIRACLES)
Definition of Karamat
"Karamat" constitutes that supra-normal happening which is related neither to the period of Prophethood nor to the
period before it. It emanates from a person who is outwardly and inwardly righteous, follows an apostle/Prophet and
adheres to his Shariah and holds the right beliefs and performs virtuous deeds. Simply, Karamat is that which
emanates from Awlia Allah (Friends of Allah). Its purpose should be to attain steadfastness and constancy of good
conduct. There is no Karamat better than that which instills in a person the love of Allah, a desire to attain His
pleasure, and a true yearning for piety and constancy.
Hazrat’s views about miracles and mini-miracles     
On the subject of miracles (of Prophet) and mini-miracles (of Awlia-Allah), Hazrat Syedna Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A)
observed that problems pertaining to this subject could not be properly resolved by philosophers and logicians. The
Divine Will, he said, is enforced in this world in two distinct ways:
(i) preponderantly in accordance with the normal practice and precedent, and
(ii) in rare cases, contrary to such practice and precedent. The latter cases find expression in miracles and mini-
miracles, and it is difficult to fathom their reality or to explain them in the light of normal principles and criteria.
It would, however, be wrong to deny them simply because they cannot be grasped by ordinary common-sense or do
not conform to normal logical principles. As he traverses successive higher stages along “the path”, the “Salik”
gradually comes to acquire attributes of a divine character, and this helps invest him with the capacity to influence the
occurrence and trend of events in particular ways. In support of this observation, Hazrat (R.A) referred to the hadith-
e-qudsi (divinely inspired hadith) in which Allah declares: ”A stage comes when a man seeking My pleasure becomes,
through constant worship and prayer, so close to Me that I become his eyes, ears, and hands, through which he sees,
hears, and grasps things”.
Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) - A masterpiece of Divine Creation
Hazrat (R.A) ranked among highly rare personalities blessed by Allah with Karamat. His personality was a rare blend
of physical beauty and beauty of character, which made him the beloved of all who came into contact with him.
Instances of such beautifully-rounded personalities have been exceedingly rare in human history.
The physical - a reflection of the inner grandeur
In the case of Hazrat, inner spiritual beauty was reflected in outward physical beauty of rare order. The result was
that people were attracted towards him if by a magnet. A light that defied description permeated their souls at the
very sight of him, thereby providing a tacit commentary on the following Quranic verses:
Translation: "On those who believe and work righteous deeds (Allah) the Beneficent will bestow love (His own
love, and the love of man’s fellow creatures)." (XIX, 96)
Translation: "Therefore, remember Me, I will remember you." (II, 152)
Even Non-Muslims were overcome by feelings of admiration and awe in Hazrat’s presence. A group of Hindus from
Madras (South India), for example, was once compelled to exclaim after meeting and paying their respects to Hazrat:
“Oh, what majesty and grandeur!"
The miracle of knowledge derived directly from God’s own presence
Another grand miracle of Hazrat (R.A) was the limitless treasure of knowledge which Allah had bestowed upon him,
and which made use of whenever the occasion so demanded. The jewels of this knowledge are strewn in abundance
in his writings as well as his recorded sayings (Malfoozaat). Haji Rahmatullah Muhajir of Makkah himself a most
distinguished scholar of Islam, once described Hazrat’s knowledge as ‘Ilm-e-ladunni' (knowledge from God’s own
presence i.e., knowledge imparted directly by God through mystic intuition).
Qazi Qudratullah of Peshawar (nick named Qazi Qadru by Afghans), and eminent scholar who made annual visits to
Afghanistan and Khorasan to preach to the Kings there, was compelled to acknowledge defeat in a debate with Hazrat
on the subject of Sama (devotional music) and to seek Hazrat’s bai’at. Similarly, Maulana Nazir Ahmad, a well known
munazir (debater) of India, was obliged to request Hazrat to enroll him as a pupil following a meeting with Hazrat in
Kaliar Sharif.
The abiding Karamat of noble lineage
Besides physical beauty and superior knowledge, Hazrat (R.A) had been blessed by Allah with the inalienable gift of
noble lineage. From his father’s side, he was a descendent of Syedna Imam Hassan (R.A) son of Syedna Ali (R.A) and
the Holy Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) daughter Fatimah-az-Zahra (R.A), and from that of his mother a descendent of Syedna
Imam Hussain son of Syedna Ali (R.A) and Syedah Fatima (R.A) – the immortal Martyr of Karbala. He was a Gilani
Syed, descendent in the 25th generation of Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A). Yet, far from
resting on these laurels and being content with this God-given honour, Hazrat (R.A) spent his whole life in living up to
the high standards of conduct which the lineage / shariah imposed upon him. Every moment of his life was thus
devoted to the remembrance of Allah, to the teaching and preaching of religion, service of his fellow-beings, and
advancing the cause of Islam and Islamic Ummah.
An idea of Hazrat’s devotional schedule may be had from the fact that for thirty long years, Hazrat said his Fajr
(morning) prayers with ablutions performed after the Isha prayers of the previous night. Most of the intervening
period of the night was spent by him in quiet recitations and meditation in kneeling posture generally termed as
marakabah in mystic idiom.
Establishment of Pakistan
As mentioned earlier, Hazrat-e-Ala Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) never took part in active politics.
During the period of Istighraq, Hazrat (R.A) had one day made this observation in the presence of Maulana Mahboob
Alam and another devotee – “ In the near future, this part of the country will be dominated by the Muslims”. Pointing
towards the east, he then added: “ Muslims of that region will, however, face a grave calamity”. These predictions
came true when Pakistan emerged on the map of the world in August 1947, and its emergence was followed by wide-
spread communal riots in Eastern Punjab in which hundreds of thousands of Muslims were thrown out of their age-old
hearths and homes by Hindus and Sikhs, and large numbers of them were brutally slaughtered by them.
The 1965 India Pakistan War
Once a Murid of well-known spiritual leader Mian Sher Muhammad of Sharaqpur and a staunch admirer of Hazrat,
narrated during a visit to Golra Sharif in August 1965, in connection with the Urs of Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A), that
he had seen Hazrat in a dream and had heard him declare to a large audience in a speech that Allah shall grant
victory to the Muslim armed forces. Five other eminent spiritual personalities were also occupying chairs on the stage
at the time. On his request, these were identified as Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A) - The Chairman, Hazrat Khwaja
Muinuddin Chishti (R.A) of Ajmer, Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki (R.A) of Delhi, Khwaja Fariduddin Masud
Ganjshakar (R.A) of Pakpattan and Khwaja Nizamuddin Awlia (R.A), also of Delhi.
Only a few days after his narration, war broke out between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir front, and was followed
by a full-scale attack on Pakistan by the Indian Army on the border between the east and west Punjab on 6th
September 1965. the war witnessed some amazing victories by Pakistan’s armed forces over the many times larger
Indian army. It ended with a mutually agreed ceasefire brokered by the then U.S.S.R, but not before the Indian army
had suffered casualties and other losses ten times greater than those suffered by Pakistan.
The wide ranging spiritual benefaction of Hazrat - some indicators     
Some incidents which may serve as indicators of the exceptionally wide range of Hazrat’s spiritual benefactions
outflow are cited below:
i) Hazrat as Ra’is-ul-Hajjaj (Chief of Pilgrims)
It is believed among mystic circles that during every year’s Hajj, one of the Hujjaj (Pilgrims) is spiritually
awarded the title of Ra’is-ul-Hajjaj, in recognition of his outstanding scholarly and spiritual eminence. In
the year when Hazrat performed Hajj, one Syed Lal Shah Naqshbandi of Dandah Shah Bilawal, District
Campellpur (now renamed Attock) of the Punjab, who also happened to be in Makkah for Hajj, tried to
find out through maraqbah (spiritual observation) as to who among that year’s assembly of pilgrims had
been conferred the honour of being the Ra'is-ul-Hajjaj. As he did so, he saw the Holy Kaabah circling
round Hazrat Syedna Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A), and saw also that the Hajj performances of all other
pilgrims were being presented to Allah, and being Divinely approved, through the intermediacy of Hazrat.
This convinced Syed Lal Shah that the unique honour had been bestowed upon Hazrat that year.
ii) Pir Syed Abbas Ali Shah Bukhari, an eminent spiritual personality now buried at Sandah Khurdh in the
suburbs of Lahore, who had wandered round in several cities of India during his life time was once
awakened from sleep by a destitute majzub late on a rainy winter night in Bombay. The majzub
requested a cup or two of hot tea, which Syed Abbas Ali Shah prepared instantly and offered to him.
Going back to sleep after the majzub’s departure, Syed Abbas saw an exceedingly angelic looking person
in dream, who said to him: “I thank you for giving a cup of tea to my fakir”. Twice he went back to sleep
again but each time the dream repeated itself. Enamoured by the uniquely charming face of his dream
visitor and having failed to trace the majzub in the streets of Bombay, Syed Abbas set out in search of
him and traveled to several provinces in his quest without success. Finally, he reached Lahore but having
failed even there to find the object of his search he was preparing to leave for Bombay by train, when
some one he met at the railway station advised him to go to Golra. When he did so and saw Hazrat
(R.A), he immediately recognized him as the person he had seen in his dream. Hazrat greeted him
warmly as if he too identified him. Syed Abbas stayed in Golra for a few days and then returned home
after having achieved his spiritual mission.
iii) Hafiz Ghulam Samadani once requested Hazrat to pray for the business success of his father, who had
been awarded a contract by the then Afghan Government for the supply of forest wood in the south of
Afghanistan. Instead of praying, Hazrat asked him whether there was peace in Afghanistan. When the
latter met Hazrat again after some time with the same request, Hazrat repeated his earlier question.
Outwardly, there was indeed peace in Afghanistan at the time, but soon thereafter rebel Bacha Saqqa
attacked Kabul, forced King Amanullah Khan to flee the country, and there was wide spread bloodshed in
Kabul. Ghulam Samadani met Hazrat again after his development whereupon Hazrat prayed for the safety
of his relatives then living in Kabul. Some time later, Samadani went to pay his respects to a well-known
majzub in Kabul, who revealed that his Shaikh, i.e., Hazrat, had spiritually protected Kabul from total
destruction in that fateful moment of agony.
iv) Afghan national once visited Hazrat in his sitting room. As soon as he saw Hazrat, he said in pashto
language that he had seen Hazrat on horseback in the battle field during the armed fight of the Mullah of
Haddah against the British. When the interpreter told Hazrat (R.A) what the Afghani was saying, Hazrat
dismissed him as being out of his mind. The man, however, continued to insist on oath that he had in
fact seen Hazrat there, thereby probably divulging a spiritual secret which Hazrat (R.A) wished to
conceal. A similar narration was made by two other men from two different quarters.
v) Haji Muhammad Ayub Sethi of Peshawar was once traveling in a bus in Iran. As he dosed off during his
journey, he saw Hazrat in dream warning him to have the bus stopped instantly since a deep ditch lay
immediately ahead. The bus was immediately stopped, and it was revealed that there was in fact a ditch
only a few yards ahead the bus was saved from falling into it just in time.
vi) Ghulam Rasul Khan, Deputy Superintendent in the Central Intelligence Department under the British, and
a devotee of Hazrat, was once traveling by steamer, when Hazrat asked him in dream to leave the ship at
the next re-fueling station. Ghulam Rasul Khan did as Hazrat had directed him. A few hours later, on SOS
was received from the ship indicating that the ship was sinking due to a sudden mishap.
vii) On another occasion, the same Ghulam Rasul Khan was saved due to a warning given by Hazrat in dream
one night that a gang of Sikh dacoits whom he was interrogating in connection with a charge of robbery
against them had plotted to kill him. Ghulam Rasul Khan immediately hid himself on the top of a near by
tree. Not long thereafter, the said gang came to his room to carry out their plot but had to go away
disappointed on not finding him in his bed.
viii) On still another occasion, Hazrat informed Ghulam Rasul Khan, then on official duty in Russia, in dream
that his house in Hong Kong had been burgled. Enquiry over the wireless confirmed this and also
revealed that the burglars had been nabbed by the local police.
ix) Pir Wilayat Shah Sahib, Hazrat’s younger brother, was once preparing to leave by train for some distant
place to participate in a wedding ceremony to which he had been invited. When he was informed of this,
Hazrat firmly forbade him to do so. It later transpired that the train by which Pir Wilayat Shah Sahib had
planned to travel met with a serious accident in which several lives were lost.
In such matters, the real force at work is doubtless the Will of Allah. In the world of cause and effects,
however, His Will is often effectuated through the intermediacy of chosen men of Allah.
Fulfillment of prayers, and spiritual succour of devotees
Several remarkable instances are record concerning the fulfillment of Hazrat’s prayers for the alleviation of problems
and difficulties confronting some of his devotee and admirers.
These include:
i) The succession cases of Divan Said Muhammad of Pakpattan Sharif and Sahibzadah Mehmood of
Taunsa Sharif, both of which were decided in their favour by the Privy Council in London (then the
highest appellate), thanks to Hazrat’s prayers;
ii) The property case of Sardar Muhammad ‘Azim Khan Golra, which was decided in his favour by the Chief
court of Punjab, again as a result of Hazrat’s special prayers; A Fakir Sahib of the village where the
property was located had sent a message to Hazrat that he had seen in the Lawh-e-Mahfuz (The
Guarded Tablet where all past and future events are recorded) that the property in question would be
awarded to a murid of his and not to ‘Azim Khan, and that therefore Hazrat should not waste his time
praying for ‘Azim Khan. To this, Hazrat’ had replied that while he laid no claim to being able to see the
Lawh-e-Mahfuz, he would not stop knocking at the door of his Creator until the property had been
awarded to ‘Azim Khan. The case was finally decided in ‘Azim Khan’s favour.
iii) The case of one Muhammad Hussain of Maira Badiyah, whose release was ordered just when he was
about to be hanged on a murder charge after his mercy petition had been rejected earlier by the
concerned court; (Hazrat had prayed for his release through the intermediacy of Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam
(R.A), on being moved by the entreaties of his mother).
iv) The cases of succession struggle of Amir Habib Ullah Khan, ruler of Afghanistan, Nawab Sadiq
Muhammad Khan of Bahawalpur Princely state of India, and the Nawab Sahib of Amb Darband State,
all of which were decided in their respective favours due to Hazrat’s prayers for them.
Some other miraculous happenings
a) Malik Sher Muhammad Tiwana, a sincere devotee of Hazrat, was once sentenced to six years in jail in
connection with some lawsuit. All appeals against this conviction were rejected by the higher courts.
In reply to a request for prayers, Hazrat (R.A) wrote a letter to the head of the family reassuring him
that all would be well by the Grace of Allah. Soon thereafter, Queen Victoria, then Empress of India,
passed away, and a general amnesty was granted to all prisoners in celebration of the coronation of
her son and successor, Edward the Seventh. Malik Sher Muhammad was released as a part of this
amnesty and was later promoted to an even higher post in government service than before his
conviction.
b) A person who had lost his eyesight due to some illness once met Hazrat and requested him to pray
for the restoration of his vision. Since Hazrat was then preparing to leave for Pakpattan Sharif, he
prayed for the man and asked him to return home. As the man left for home by train the next day, he
suddenly found his sight restored on his way to the railway station.
c) A Syed gentlemen belonging to the outskirts of Khushab was once disabled by an attack of paralysis.
He was brought to Golra Sharif and Hazrat (R.A) continued to pray for his recovery for several weeks.
Finding that his condition did not improve, Hazrat (R.A) told him that the destined time for his
recovery had probably not yet arrived, and asked him to return home in the mean time.
Sometime later, Hazrat (R.A) happened, during a train journey en route to Sial Sharif, to spot the
aforesaid person among the group of people who had come for his Ziarah at the Khushab Railway
Station. Hazrat (R.A) then raised his hands in prayer, and people were astonished to see that the
person was instantly cured of his long time disability and was able to walk away without any support
from the railway station.
d) Syed Imam Shah, an eminent religious scholar of Oldham and a sincere devotee of Hazrat (R.A), was
once afflicted by a severe and persistent toothache, which did not respond to continued treatment. He
came to Golra Sharif and told Hazrat (R.A) that he had severe dental pain. Hazrat repeated Imam
Shah’s own words three times and prayed for him. To everyone’s surprise, the toothache was
immediately cured by this rather unusual prayer of Hazrat.
e) In a number of cases, Hazrat’s (R.A) prayers caused the grant of male off-spring, birth and survival of
children to despairing parents, and similar other boons to sincere devotees.
f) Hazrat’s younger daughter once happened to fall into an open water well inside the residential
quarters. She was, however, miraculously saved by an invisible hand (identified by the young lady as
that of Hazrat himself) which caught her in mid-air, and lifting her placed her carefully on the edge of
the well.
g) Khan Bahadur Ghulam Rasul Khan, Deputy superintendent of Police once expressed a strong desire to
go to Baghdad for the Ziarah of the Holy shrine of Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam. In rare generous moment,
Hazrat observed that the Ziarah could be achieved even while sitting in Golra, with the result that
Deputy Ghulam Rasul immediately saw the shrine of Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam right before his eyes.
In another similar incident, Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Ghotavi was graced by a Ziarah of Syedna
Ghaus-e-Azam “in person” through Hazrat’s spiritual intervention.
h) Abdul Karim Sethi, a very ardent devotee of Hazrat from Peshawar, once accompanied Hazrat on his
daily outing to a nearby spot after evening prayers. Sitting at some distance from Hazrat, Abdul Karim
suddenly saw a crowd of strange looking creatures around Hazrat. Frightened at this scene Abdul
Karim covered his eyes with his hands and lay down on the ground. Thereupon, Hazrat dismissed the
group of creatures (who were in fact jinns) from his presence and reassured Abdul Karim by
explaining the correct position.
i) In a couple of cases, the bitter-tasting water of a well was turned sweet and a dried up well swelled
through Hazrat’s prayers.
j) A young village boy of Peshawar area suddenly lost his speech while grazing goats in nearby valley.
On the supplication of his parents, Hazrat prayed for the boy and his speech was instantly restored.
k) Hafiz Ghulam Hussain, a devotee from Rawat a few miles away from Rawalpindi, once came to Golra
to pay his respects to Hazrat. Hazrat prayed for him but then asked him to return home immediately.
Rather surprised at this unusual bidding of Hazrat, Ghulam Hussain immediately left. The secret of
Hazrat’s bidding, was revealed when a messenger from home met him on the way and told him that
his father was on the verge of death. Ghulam Hussain was thus enabled to reach home in time to
have the consolation of seeing his dying father before he breathed his last.
l) An authentic hadith of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) says this of truly pious and Holy men: “When one
looks at them, one is reminded of Allah”. In the line with this hadith, Hazrat Shaikh Muhyuddin Ibn-ul-
Arabi (R.A) makes this observation about the sure sign of an accomplished Pir: “If you have any
difficulty in identifying such a person, know ye that anyone who makes you forget all about worldly
things and makes you of Allah alone, is the perfect Pir”.
Taking a cue from these sayings, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi says in his famous Mathnavi:
Translation: "A short period in the company of Awlia- Allah is better than a hundred years of true worship."
In line with the foregoing quotes, many errant and wayward people were converted to steadfast piety and virtue by
enrolling in bai’at with Hazrat spending sometime off and on in his chaste company. Rarely (if ever) did Hazrat have
to verbally exhort or adopt a moralizing attitude.

m) One Malik Pir Bukhsh Khan Kanju of District Multan narrated that, in line with family tradition, he once
took it into his head to “test” whether Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah Sahib of Golra Sharif was in fact true
Syed off-spring of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) from the side of his father and mother, as popularly
believed. The method of carrying out such a “test” was to recite the “Darud Sharif” and then to
silently blow out towards the person to be tested behind his back. The popular belief was that if the
tested person was indeed a true Syed, he would immediately turn back to look at the person carrying
out the test.
Malik Pir Bukhsh decided to conduct this test during one of Hazrat’s visits to Pakpattan in connection
with the annual Urs there. He recited the Darud and blew out towards Hazrat when he was preparing
to leave the mosque after the Zuhr (afternoon) prayers. The moment he did so, Hazrat (R.A) suddenly
turned around, fixed his gaze at Pir Muhammad for some moments, and then resumed his walk. The
latter was so taken aback at this gesture of Hazrat (R.A) that he lowered his head in shame and
remorse, and returned home without having the courage to go in Hazrat’s presence again.
n) Recovery of persons virtually on the verge of death
Instances of restoration to life through prayers to persons long dead record in history as miracles of
apostle of Allah, especially those of Jesus Christ (A.S). Similarly, examples of persons being snatched
away from the jaws of death through the Karamat (mini miracles) of Awlia Allah have also been fairly
common.
A few incidents, most of which occurred well after Hazrat’s passing away are listed below:
1. About two years after Hazrat’s passing away, his favourite qawwals Hafiz Nur Muhammad was taken
so gravely ill with pneumonia in his village that the doctors gave up all hope of his survival. As his
son Khadim Hussain was sitting on his death bed with his head in his lap one night, Nur Muhammad
suddenly started chanting the following Persian verse:
Translation: "The fire of the love of beauties is still aglow in my heart and soul; O death! Stay thy hand for a while so
that I can narrate my story (Of woe) to my beloved."
When his son asked him how his condition had improved so suddenly, Nur Muhammad told him an
amazing story. A short while before, he said, Hazrat had appeared to him in person and asked him
whether he was ready to come over to the other world or wished to stay on here for some time
more. Nur Muhammad told Hazrat he wished to have some respite so that he could celebrate the
wedding of his youngest son Farid. Hazrat, he said, had thereupon asked him to recite the Persian
verse which his son had heard him chant .On examination the next morning, the doctors were
astonished to find that all signs of pneumonia had vanished. Nur Muhammad lived on for another
seven years after this episode, and was not only able to wed his son but also to witness the birth of
his two grand children.
2. The wife of Mian Fazl Ilahi Sethi of Peshawar, a sincere and old time devotee of Hazrat once fell
gravely ill during Hazrat’s lifetime, and all hope of her recovery was lost. Fazl Ilahi prepared to bring
her to Golra Sharif so that she could have the privilege of meeting her end and being buried here.
When Hazrat learnt about this, he sent a message to Fazl Ilahi not to come to Golra, but instead to
shift his wife’s bed to the room where Hazrat used to stay during his occasional visits to Peshawar.
This was duly done, and Hazrat blew his breath in that direction after performing some recitations
every morning and evening. The sick lady recovered fully from her illness in a few days’ time.
3. In 1960, i.e., “twenty three years” after Hazrat’s passing away, Malik Ghulam Samadani Tiwana fell
victim to a serious illness involving profuse bleeding from his nose and throat. He was taken from his
native village to the Mayo Hospital at Lahore, the premier medical house of the day, where the
doctors pronounced him beyond recovery. He was then taken to the clinic of an eminent specialist,
but as the latter was preparing to examine him, the patient suddenly opened his eyes, sat up in his