Pir Syed Amin Shah
Encyclopedia
Pir (Sufism)
Pir or Peer is a title for a Sufi master equally used in the nath tradition. They are also referred to as a Hazrat or Shaikh, which is Arabic for Old Man. The title is often translated into English as "saint" and could be interpreted as "Elder". In Sufism a Pir's role is to guide and instruct his...
of Allo Mahar
Allo Mahar
Alo Mohar, also known as Allo Mahar Sharif, is a village and union council of Daska Tehsil, Sialkot District in Punjab, Pakistan. The village is located at 32°23'60N 74°25'0E and lies located 8 km to the west of Daska and 15 km southwest of the district capital - Sialkot...
Sharif, was an Islamic religious leader in the Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Because of his saintly character and piety, he commanded great respect and influence among the Muslims of the South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. Hazratt Syed Amin Shah (R.A) was a Sufi Saint of Naqshbandi
Naqshbandi
Naqshbandi is one of the major Sufi spiritual orders of Sufi Islam. It is considered to be a "Potent" order.The Naqshbandi order is over 1,300 years old, and is active today...
Order of Sufism. He belonged to lineage of a Sufi Saint Hazarat Syed Baha Udin Naqshband.
Birth
Born Muhammad Amin shah, he was later affectionately renamed Qutab Ul Aqtab Syed Khawaja Amin Shah. His date of birth is unclear. Various traditions, folklore and historical documents suggest different ideas. A number of scholars claim that he was born in 1833.Family
He was the son of Pir Syed Muhammad Channan Shah Nuri who was a great saint of IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, his only son Syed Muhammad Hussain Shah
Syed Muhammad Hussain Shah
Syed Muhammad Hussain Shah was an eminent Islamic scholar from British India now in Pakistan who served as an honorary magistrate in Sialkot in British reign, but later on resigned due to a conflict inter Hindus and Muslims.-His life:...
was an honorary magistrate in Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
in British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, His grandson Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah
Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah
Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah also known as Hazrat Khatib ul Islam was a Pakistani Islamic religious scholar. He was born in Allo Mahar Sharif, tehsil Daska, Sialkot District, in what was then British India.-Education:...
was a famous orator and leader of Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
and formar President of different movements of his time.
Education
Syed Amin Shah received his early education of the Qur'anQur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
at the Khanqah
Khanqah
A Khanqah, Khaniqah , ribat, zawiya, or tekke is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood, or tariqa, and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation...
Allo Mahar
Allo Mahar
Alo Mohar, also known as Allo Mahar Sharif, is a village and union council of Daska Tehsil, Sialkot District in Punjab, Pakistan. The village is located at 32°23'60N 74°25'0E and lies located 8 km to the west of Daska and 15 km southwest of the district capital - Sialkot...
Sharif, from his father Pir Syed Muhammad Channan Shah Nuri
Pir Syed Muhammad Channan Shah Nuri
Pir Syed Muhammad Channan Shah Nuri was a scholar, saint, and preacher of Islam in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent. He founded the Aminia branch of the Sunni Naqshbandi order. He preached Islam in the sub-continent and brought non-Muslims into the fold of Islam. He loved Muhammad and modelled his own...
and, was given classes in Urdu and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
in the local Madrasah
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
. He completed his intermediate level religious education here.
Religious career
It is from here that he preached IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and became a celebrated Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
figure in British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. He and his disciples travelled and settled as far as possible to spread the teachings of Islam. Shah Amin's fame extended across the Muslim world. Parents of national poet of Pakistan Muhammad Iqbal
Muhammad Iqbal
Sir Muhammad Iqbal , commonly referred to as Allama Iqbal , was a poet and philosopher born in Sialkot, then in the Punjab Province of British India, now in Pakistan...
was his Murid
Murid
Murid is a Sufi term meaning 'committed one' from the root meaning "willpower" or "self-esteem". It refers to a person who is committed to a Murshid in a Tariqa of Sufism. Also known as a Salik , a murid is an initiate into the mystic philosophy of Sufism. When the Talib makes a pledge to a...
, Iqbal also visited him in his youth and was greatly impressed by his character as a saint.
His Master
He was the spiritual disciple and KhalifaCaliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
(spiritual successor) of Pir Syed Muhammad Channan Shah Nuri
Pir Syed Muhammad Channan Shah Nuri
Pir Syed Muhammad Channan Shah Nuri was a scholar, saint, and preacher of Islam in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent. He founded the Aminia branch of the Sunni Naqshbandi order. He preached Islam in the sub-continent and brought non-Muslims into the fold of Islam. He loved Muhammad and modelled his own...
(his father) who was the disciple and Khalifa of Khawaja Hadi Namdar (Nathyal Shrief) who was the disciple and Khalifa of Khawaja Noor Muhammad Pir of (Chura Shrief).
Mausoleum
His mausoleum is located in Allo MaharAllo Mahar
Alo Mohar, also known as Allo Mahar Sharif, is a village and union council of Daska Tehsil, Sialkot District in Punjab, Pakistan. The village is located at 32°23'60N 74°25'0E and lies located 8 km to the west of Daska and 15 km southwest of the district capital - Sialkot...
sharif. His mausolem has a huge tomb on top of his grave. The tomb is dark green from outside and is magnificently decorated from inside. His mausoleum is always filled with the smell of perfumes. The plaque on his grave contains the text; "Hazrat Pir Syed Muhammad Amin Shah".
Thousands of pilgrims come to visit his grave throughout the year. There is an ancient mosque by the side of the tomb. The mosque has been modernised in 1989-91. About 1500 devout Muslims in a body can now say their prayers there.