Hadrat Pir Meher Ali Shah

Of

Golra Sharif

One of the most illustrious of such Islamic scholars and Sufis in the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent was Hadrat Sayed Pir Meher Ali Shah of Golra, District Rawalpindi (now Islamabad. Pakistan).  Born in 1859, the period of Hadrat Meher ‘Ali Shah’s mission spanned nearly half a century until his passing away in 1937. During this period, he attained rare scholarly and spiritual heights, imparted religious knowledge and guidance to thousands of their seekers, and provided solace and prayers to the myriad others that thronged to him for this purpose. The remainder of this article describes the salient attributes and achievements of this great man and his mission.

Ancestry

Hazrat Pir Syed Mehr ‘Ali Shah of Golra Sharif was a descendent, on his father’s side, of Hazrat Syedna Ghaus- e- Azam Shaikh ‘ Abdul Qadir Jilani in the 25th generation, and of the Holy Prophet of Islam through Syedna Hasan ibn ‘Ali in the 38th generation. On the side of his mother, he was descended from Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam in the 24th generation and from the Holy Prophet through Syedna Husain ibn ‘Ali in the 37th generation.

Early Childhood

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.

Teaching of Pir Sahab

Starting at the early age of 20 years, Hadrat continued his academic teaching activities until late in life. During this period, he imparted religious education to innumerable seekers of learning, many of whom later became teachers of note themselves. Endowed with all the qualities of an excellent and a highly effective teacher, Hadrat was able to make even his mentally weak students thoroughly understand the most complex and diffiecult issues without much difficulty. To everyone he spoke in a soft and measured tone, enabling him to understand and remember every word.

Besides taking regular classes in classical religious sciences at the madressah of Golra, he gave special lessons to selected students in the Mathnawi of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi; the writings of Shaikh Mohyuddin Ibn-ul-Arabi; Sahih-ul-Bukhari (the most authentic and comprehensive of all hadith compi8lations); the Qasidah (Eulogy) of Ibn-e-Fared Makki; and the Diwan (poetic collection) of Hafiz of Shiraz. On all these, and especially on the first two, he was widely acknowledged as the leading contemporary authority in the Sub-continent. Hadrat was one of the very few religious scholars in his day who clearly understood and made others understand Shaikh Ibn-ul-Arabi’s abstruse and controversial concept of wahdat-ul-wujud at the intellectual as well as the spiritual planes. Besides formally enrolled students, Hadrat’s teaching sessions and general daily sittings were often attended by other scholars of standing, who flocked to them to listen to a master of exposition that combined rare intellectual and scholarly brilliance with a very high spiritual station. These included persons from all schools of religious thought – a tribute to Hadrat’s balanced and moderate approach to all issues.

Special Achievements of Pir Sahab

  Mastery of the Concept of Wahdat-ul-wujud (Ultimate Oneness of Being)

  Fight against Qadianism (or Ahmadiyat)

Books by Pir Sahab

Tahqiq-ul-Haq Fi Kalima-tul-Haq (The truth about Kalima-tul-Haq)
Shamsul Hidayah
Saif-e-Chishtiya
I’la Kalimatillah Fi Bayan-e-Wa Ma Uhilla Bihi Legharillah
AlFatuhat-us-Samadiyyah (Divine Bounties)
Tasfiah Mabain Sunni Wa Shi’ah
Fatawa-e-Mehria
Mulfuzaat-e-Mehria (Saysings of Meher Ali Shah)

Passing away of Hadrat

For over 48 years, Hadrat Meher Ali Shah carried on his sacred mission on earth. Eventually, at the age of 78 years and while still in the state of Istighraq mentioned above, Hadrat’s great spirit left his earthly frame and traveled heaven-ward to join the Supreme. Exalted Companion Rafiqul A ‘ls) on 29 Safar, 1356 A.H. (11 May, 1937 A.D.). According to eye-witnesses, Hadrat pronounced the word “Allah” from the deepest recesses of his heart before the arrival of the final irrevocable moment. One of Islam’s brightest lights was extinguished. A great scholar and a great sufi had left the scene that he had adorned and graced for nearly half a century.