Shah Inayat Qadiri Shatari was a Sufi saint of the Qadiri-Shatari lineage (silsila

Silsila

Silsila is a 1981 Bollywood film directed by Yash Chopra. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha, with Shashi Kapoor in a special appearance.-Plot:...

) who lived in Qasur

Kasur

Kasur , the capital of Kasur District in Pakistan. Kasur is located adjacent to the border of Ganda Singh Wala between Pakistan and India, and is a tourist attraction because of the daily occurring Flags lowering ceremony...

, 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...

 region of present-day 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...

. Shah Inayat Qadiri is famous as the spiritual guide

Murshid

Murshid is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher". Particularly in Sufism it refers to a Sufi teacher. The term is used by other branches of Islam as well, e.g. by the Nizaris, the main school of Ismā‘īlī Shiites....

 of the Punjabi

Punjabi language

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...

 poet Bulleh Shah

Bulleh Shah

Bulleh Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, a humanist and philosopher.-Early life:Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, in present day Pakistan. His father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was a teacher and preacher in a village mosque...

.

Shah Inayat belonged to the Arain

Arain

The Arain , are a Muslim agricultural caste settled mainly in the Punjab, with significant numbers also in Sindh. They are chiefly associated with farming, traditionally being landlords or zamindars.- Origin :...

 community and earned a living through agriculture or gardening. He also lived in Kasur

Kasur

Kasur , the capital of Kasur District in Pakistan. Kasur is located adjacent to the border of Ganda Singh Wala between Pakistan and India, and is a tourist attraction because of the daily occurring Flags lowering ceremony...

 for some time but, due to the animosity of the ruler of Kasur, moved to Lahore

Lahore

Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

 and remained there until the end of his life. His mausoleum

Mausoleum

A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...

is situated near Lahore.

Poetic references

In the "Song of the Saints of India" (Bang-i-Auliya-i-Hind) occurs the following reference;

"From the tribe of gardeners was brother Shah Inayat,

He received honor from Shah Raza Wali Allah.

He earned his living in the small town of Qasur Pathana.

The ruler Husein Khan of this town was his arch enemy.

From there Inayat Shah came to the city of Lahore;

Two miles to the south of the city he made his habitation.

It is at this place that we find his tomb.

In 1141 he departed from this world."

Bulleh Shah says about his beloved teacher Enayat Shah:

“Bullah has fallen in love with the Lord. He has given his life and body as earnest. His Lord and Master is Shah Inayat who has captivated his heart.”

Shah Inayat wrote "Dasdtur al-Amal" in which he describes various methods Hindus employed for attainment of salvation in ancient times. According to him, this knowledge was acquired and carried by the Greeks after Alexander's invasion of India, from where it was borrowed by ancient Iranians and subsequently adopted by the mystics of Islamic countries.