Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah and Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A)

Hazrat Syedna Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) had boundless love for Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A). Hazrat (R.A) was a descendent, on his father’s side, of Hazrat Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A) in the 25^th generation. On the side of his mother, he descended from Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A) in the 24^th generation. Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) was in bai'at with Hazrat's maternal uncle, Hazrat Fazl Din Shah (R.A) in the Qadriyah Silsila (spiritual school). Hazrat Syedna Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) was also one of the most illustrious of the latter’s spiritual beneficiaries especially in the Indo-Pak subcontinent.

Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam Abdul Qadir Jilani stands out as the great guide who imparted a new life to the Islamic faith. Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A) is universally accepted as the greatest of all Awlia- Allah ( friends of Allah ), and occupies the place of surpassing spiritual eminence that has not been vouchsafed to any other personality in the entire Islamic Ummah.  

"Muhyuddin"

He was born in 471 A.H (After Hijrah ), and passed away in 562 A.H at the age of 91. Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani is also known as Muhyuddin (Life Giver of the Din – Islam ). He himself described the brief background to this development as follows :

“One Friday in 511 A.H, when I was returning bare footed to Baghdad from a journey, I came across an extremely weak and emaciated man who looked really ill. The man greeted me by name and requested me to help him get up. When I did so, his condition instantly underwent a dramatic change, and he started looking like a completely healthy person. Seeing my expression of surprise at the sudden transformation he explained that he was in fact a personification of the Din –Islam that was on the verge of Death but had been given a new life by me. He then called me by the title of “ Muhyuddin”. When I entered the premises of the Jamia mosque of Baghdad , an unknown person , seeing me bare footed , gave me his own shoes to wear and also addressed me by the title 'Muhyuddin'. At the end of the Friday prayers, the entire congregation rushed towards me , kissing my hands and calling me by the same title, even though no one had used this title for me ever before”.

Historian and biographers of all shades of religious thought are agreed about the amazing frequency with which karamat (mini-miracles used to emanate from Hazrat Shaikh Abdul Qadir Gilani (R.A). Countless karamat of various descriptions are attributed to him. The most outstanding of these, however, and one which established him as indisputably the greatest of all Awlia-Allah, past or present, is the following pronouncement that he made while giving a preaching session one day in the guest-house of his Khankah (shrine).

When this was reported to Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A), he expressed happiness and predicted the Muinuddin would soon be blessed with the Wilayat (sainthood) of India - a prediction that was proved correct before long. 

On the other hand, when a wali-Allah of Isphahan named Shaikh Sanan hesitated to defer to the pronouncement, it reportedly resulted in the forfeiture of his sainthood, which was restored to him only at the intercession of one of the murids of Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A).

In acknowledgment of the supremely unique position of the great Shaikh Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A), many eminent Awlia-Allah have written poems, couplets and other forms of verse eulogizing his various various attributes and accomplishments. These included Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti (R.A) of Ajmer, Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar (R.A) of Delhi, Shaikh Shahabuddin Umar Suharwardi (R.A) of Baghdad, Hazrat Bahauddin Zakaria (R.A) of Multan, Hazrat Makhdum Alauddin Sabir (R.A) of Kaliar Sharif (Saharanpur, India), Haji Imdad-ullah Muhajir of Makkah, and many others.

An Incident of Qaseeda-e-Ghausia

Hazrat (R.A) had intense love and reverence for Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A) and called him his Pir (spiritual guide).

During Hazrat Pir Meher Ali Shah’s (R.A) stay in Angah in a madressah, an amil (a person indulging  in charms and incantations) came in the mosque. He was popular for his exploitations of the Qaseeda-e-Ghausia to good effect as a vehicle for his activities. This had earned him a modicum of esteem in the area, and people used to rise and kiss his hands as a mark of respect whenever he came to any assemblage. One day this man came to the mosque at Angah, and everyone rose to him as usual. Hazrat, however, remained seated. The amil was so annoyed by Hazrat’s behaviour that he threatened to recite the Qaseeda unless “ the boy” (Hazrat) stood up to greet him. Unmoved by this threat Hazrat said: “You read the Qaseeda and I shall call its author (i.e. Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam) himself. These words produced an inspiring effect on the amil, who immediately apologized to Hazrat.

From  the beginning Hazrat Syedna Pir Meher Ali Shah (R.A) had love for Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam (R.A). This was also because Hazrat’s father Hazrat Nazr Din and Hazrat himself was a disciple of Hazrat Fazal Din in the Qadriyah Silsila. Hazrat wrote many poems in love of Hazrat Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A). A verse about this goes as :

Translation: "For me de-anthropomorphism has become one with anthropomorphism, leading to the union( in my view ) of the Ultimate Truth ( i.e. Allah ) into one entity; All this (spiritual elevation) is due to the Grace of Hazrat Ghaus-e- Azam our patron and benefactor."

Refusal to participate in the Delhi Darbar in the Coronation of Henry VIII

Once, when Hazrat (R.A) was asked to attend the Royal Coronation of the King Henry VIII, in Delhi and Hazrat (R.A) was also invited to attend the Darbar and to offer a salaam and pray for the King. On Hazrat's (R.A) refusal to attend the Royal procession on the account that dervishes do not attend Kings' Darbars. The Government decided to take action against the refusal of Hazrat. Around this time a Muslim government official met Hazrat who had never met him before but was nevertheless his devotee at heart. He informed Hazrat that the Government had decided to deport Hazrat from the sub-continent. Hazrat smiled at this disclosure and said: "The Government which is planning to deport me does not seem to know what Providence plans to do with itself". 

Not long after this, the British Government got involved in a life-death struggle with Germany as a result of the World War I of 1914-1918, and the government file pertaining to Hazrat's proposed deportation had to be put in indefinite cold storage.

During this time period, Hazrat (R.A) wrote Punjabi verses by way of supplication addressed to Syedna Ghaus-e-Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Gilani (R.A) as follows:

"O thou who hold the hand (of thy distressed devotees!), Who can they look to except thyself (for solace and support in their plight?)