Sial Sharif
Encyclopedia
Sial Sharif is a village in the Sargodha District
of Punjab
, Pakistan
. It is located in Sahiwal Tehsil
and lies 48km (30 miles) away from the city of Sargodha
, about midway on the Sargodha-Jhang road.
Its population is about 1,100 people (1998)
Sial Sharif is famous for the Sufi
shrine of Khwajah Muhammad Shamsuddin Sialvi, popularly known as Pir Sial, who was a waliullah (saint) belonging to the Chishti order. His descendants, all of whom are believed to have reached the highest levels of sainthood (one of them is explicitly designated by the title Qutb-al-Aqtab), are also buried in the same shrine.
Today the Khanqah
(Zawya, i.e. Sufi convent) of Sial Sharif is counted among the foremost Chishti centres of the Punjab, and indeed of the whole Indian subcontinent
.
Many spiritual personalities are or have been associated with Sial Sharif. Most notably, Pir Meher Ali Shah
of Golra Sharif
, the famous saint of the 20th century, was a faithful murid
(disciple) of Pir Sial of Sial Sharif. So was Pir Karam Shah Al-Azhari of Bhera Sharif.
To this day, the Islamic spiritual tradition is very much alive in this (Nizami) branch of the Chishti order. Its barakah (spiritual influence, blessing) is experienced by tens of thousands of disciples and visitors.
Every Friday, scores of devotees travel long distances just to attend the Jumu'ah prayer there and obtain some blessings from the Holy Shrine.
Attached to the spiritual centre (referred to as Darbaar, i.e. court) at Sial Sharif there is also a religious school (madrasa).
Many other religious schools and mosque
s, scattered throughout Pakistan, are affiliated to the Darbaar of Sial Sharif. The Darbaar at Sial Sharif is closely linked to many other spiritual centres, including the Darbar at Bhera Sharif
.
Long before his birth, a great saint of Multan, Ghaus Baha -ul-Haq Zakarya
Multani, while traveling to Bhera
, got down from his horse when he was right at the place where now the tomb of Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi is situated, and picked handful of soil and kissed it. His disciples were astonished by this gesture. Upon their insistence, he revealed to them that a Ghaus would be born there.
He had become the hafiz-e-Quran (one who remembers Quran by heart) at the age of 7 years. He went to some of the renowned institutions to get religious education. He went as far as Kabul where he was awarded Sand-e-Hadith (certification of hadith). The most important of his journeys was to Taunsa Sharif
(Distt. Dera Ghazi Khan
), where he became a devotees (Mureed, Devoted follower) of Khawja Shah Suleiman Taunsvi
He went to Mecca
twice to perform pilgrimage (Hajj). He was a staunch follower of Quran and Sunnah.
His teachings played an important role in reviving the spirit of Islam in Muslims after Christians Missionarys and oppression by Sikhs.
He established an institute for religious education. He himself used to teach there. Some of his students went to become known Islamic scholars in the subcontinent. Miraat Ul Ashqeen is famous book based on his sayings and unique thoughts. After his death his son Khawja Allama Muhammad Ud Din Sialvi was granted "Khilafat" by Peer Pathan of Tonsa Sharif. As a "Sajada Nasheen" he fulfilled all his duties and did his best in serving Islam. He was a torch bearer of "Khandan e Chisht". Hazrat Khawja Shams-ud-din Sialvi died on 24th of Safar 1300 A.H (4 January 1883 AD).
He was buried in Sial Sharif, where his grave is visited by tens of thousands of visitors every year.
Nizamiyah. The following is the shajarah (spiritual genealogy) of the Sialvi silsilah:
Descendants and Sajjada Nashin
Khawja Muhammad Din was a son of Khwaja Muhammad Shams Din and succeeded him as head of the Sial Sharif shrine on his demise. After Khawaja Shams al-‘Arifin, his son, Khawaja Muhammad Din, sat upon the spiritual seat as an embodiment of the qualities of his noble father. He gave this movement of his noble father further strength and energy.
Khawja Muhammad Zia-al-Din of Sial Sharif was a son of Khwaja Muhammad Din and succeeded him as head of the Sial Sharif shrine on his demise in 1909.
He was born on 7 July 1906 in Sialsharif. He was the eldest son of Zia-ud-din Sialvi.
He became the president of Sargodha Muslim League. He went to all corners of subcontinent to vote for the Muslim League in the election of 1946. He particularly walked along with Pir of Zakori in NWFP to vote for Pakistan in the referandum of 1947. In the Indo-Pak war of 1965 he donated all the ornaments of his family to Pakistan Army. In 1970 he became the president of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan. He was nominated member of Islamic Ideology Council, twice. He died on July 20, 1981. He was awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz(Medal of Distinction) by president of Pakistan in 1981.
Sargodha District
Sargodha District is a district of Punjab province, Pakistan, the capital of the district is Sargodha. It is an agricultural district, wheat, rice, and sugarcane being its main crops. The Sargodha district and region are also famous for citrus fruit; kino is a newly developed variety...
of 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...
. It is located in Sahiwal Tehsil
Sahiwal Tehsil
- Sahiwal :is a subdivision of Sargodha District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is approx. 38km from Sargodha at main Sargodha-Multan highway. It is administratively subdivided into 14 Union Councils, two of which form the tehsil capital Sahiwal.- History :This is ORIGINALY named Sahiwal...
and lies 48km (30 miles) away from the city of Sargodha
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
, about midway on the Sargodha-Jhang road.
Its population is about 1,100 people (1998)
Sial Sharif is famous for the Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
shrine of Khwajah Muhammad Shamsuddin Sialvi, popularly known as Pir Sial, who was a waliullah (saint) belonging to the Chishti order. His descendants, all of whom are believed to have reached the highest levels of sainthood (one of them is explicitly designated by the title Qutb-al-Aqtab), are also buried in the same shrine.
Today 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...
(Zawya, i.e. Sufi convent) of Sial Sharif is counted among the foremost Chishti centres of the Punjab, and indeed of the whole Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
.
Many spiritual personalities are or have been associated with Sial Sharif. Most notably, Pir Meher Ali Shah
Pir Meher Ali Shah
Pir Syed Meher Ali Shah Gilani was born 14 April 1859 in Golra Sharif, which is located midway between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, in present-day Pakistan. The time just before his birth saw the Indian Rebellion of 1857 fought between the British and the sepoys allied with seven of the Princely...
of Golra Sharif
Golra Sharif
Golra Sharif is a town situated near the Margalla Hills, in the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, at about above sea level, from the ancient city of Taxila.Golra Sharif is a shrine of the Sufi Mystic Pir Meher Ali Shah in Islamabad, Pakistan....
, the famous saint of the 20th century, was a faithful 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...
(disciple) of Pir Sial of Sial Sharif. So was Pir Karam Shah Al-Azhari of Bhera Sharif.
To this day, the Islamic spiritual tradition is very much alive in this (Nizami) branch of the Chishti order. Its barakah (spiritual influence, blessing) is experienced by tens of thousands of disciples and visitors.
Every Friday, scores of devotees travel long distances just to attend the Jumu'ah prayer there and obtain some blessings from the Holy Shrine.
Attached to the spiritual centre (referred to as Darbaar, i.e. court) at Sial Sharif there is also a religious school (madrasa).
Many other religious schools and mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s, scattered throughout Pakistan, are affiliated to the Darbaar of Sial Sharif. The Darbaar at Sial Sharif is closely linked to many other spiritual centres, including the Darbar at Bhera Sharif
Bhera
Bhera is a city on the Jhelum river in Sargodha District, Punjab province of Pakistan. It lies at latitude 32.48 N, longitude 72.92.-Location:...
.
Hazrat Khawaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi
He was born in 1799 AD (1214 AH). He was born of a religious family in the Shahpur district of Punjab (now known as Sargodha distrcit), Hz Ali. The parents selected the name Shams al-Din for their newborn son. Later on, he became famous as Shams al-‘Arifin (the sun of the gnostics, i.e. those who possess true knowledge of Allah). This is an appellation by which the grand Shaykh of Siyal, Khawaja Muhammad Shams al-Din Siyalwi is known.. He is Alwi by genealogy, being a descendant of the fourth Khalifah Ali Ibn Abi Talib (but not Fatimi).Long before his birth, a great saint of Multan, Ghaus Baha -ul-Haq Zakarya
Baha-ud-din Zakariya
Baha-ud-din Zakariya was a Sufi of Suhrawardiyya order . His full name was Al-Sheikh Al-Kabir Sheikh-ul-Islam Baha-ud-Din Abu Muhammad Zakaria Al-Qureshi Al-Asadi Al Hashmi....
Multani, while traveling to Bhera
Bhera
Bhera is a city on the Jhelum river in Sargodha District, Punjab province of Pakistan. It lies at latitude 32.48 N, longitude 72.92.-Location:...
, got down from his horse when he was right at the place where now the tomb of Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi is situated, and picked handful of soil and kissed it. His disciples were astonished by this gesture. Upon their insistence, he revealed to them that a Ghaus would be born there.
He had become the hafiz-e-Quran (one who remembers Quran by heart) at the age of 7 years. He went to some of the renowned institutions to get religious education. He went as far as Kabul where he was awarded Sand-e-Hadith (certification of hadith). The most important of his journeys was to Taunsa Sharif
Taunsa Sharif
Taunsa Sharif تونسه شريف , or Taunsa, is a Tehsil of Dera Ghazi Khan District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The town of Taunsa Sharif is the headquarters of the tehsil...
(Distt. Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan is a city located in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. Dera Ghazi Khan is one of the most populous cities in Southern Punjab, and it is the largest district in Punjab in terms of area, being approximately in extent....
), where he became a devotees (Mureed, Devoted follower) of Khawja Shah Suleiman Taunsvi
Khawaja Shah Suleman
Muhammad Suleman Taunsvi was a Sufi saint born to the Jafar Pakhtun tribe of Darug, Loralai District, Balochistan province, in what is now Pakistan. His dargah lies in Tehsil Taunsa of district Dera Ghazi Khan of Punjab province in Pakistan...
He went to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
twice to perform pilgrimage (Hajj). He was a staunch follower of Quran and Sunnah.
His teachings played an important role in reviving the spirit of Islam in Muslims after Christians Missionarys and oppression by Sikhs.
He established an institute for religious education. He himself used to teach there. Some of his students went to become known Islamic scholars in the subcontinent. Miraat Ul Ashqeen is famous book based on his sayings and unique thoughts. After his death his son Khawja Allama Muhammad Ud Din Sialvi was granted "Khilafat" by Peer Pathan of Tonsa Sharif. As a "Sajada Nasheen" he fulfilled all his duties and did his best in serving Islam. He was a torch bearer of "Khandan e Chisht". Hazrat Khawja Shams-ud-din Sialvi died on 24th of Safar 1300 A.H (4 January 1883 AD).
He was buried in Sial Sharif, where his grave is visited by tens of thousands of visitors every year.
Spiritual Genealogy (Shajarah) of the silsilah Chistiyah Nizamiayh Sialviyah
Shams-ud-din was a disciple and Khalifa of Khwaja Muhammad Sulaiman Taunsvi in the Silsila-e-ChishtiaChishti Order
The Chishtī Order is a Sufi order within the mystic branches of Islam which was founded in Chisht, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan about 930 CE. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. The doctrine of the Chishti Order is based on walāya, which is a...
Nizamiyah. The following is the shajarah (spiritual genealogy) of the Sialvi silsilah:
- MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
- Ali ibn Abu Talib (karrama Allah wajhahu)
- Khwaja Hasan al-Basri
- Khwaja Abdul Waahid Bin ZaidAbdul Waahid Bin ZaidAbdul Waahid Bin Zaid Abul Fadl was an early day Sufi Saint, a successor to Hasan al-Basri, second link in the Sufi Silsilah of Chishti Order, and the Master of Fudhail Bin Iyadh.He is also reported to have received education from Imam Abu Hanifah....
- Khwaja Fuzeel Ibn-e-Ayaaz
- Khwaja Sultan Ibrahim Bin AdhamIbrahim Bin AdhamIbrahim ibn Adham is one of the most prominent of the early ascetic Sufi saints.The story of his conversion is one of the most celebrated in Sufi legend, as that of a prince renouncing his throne and choosing asceticism closely echoing the legend of Gautama Buddha.Sufi tradition ascribes to...
- Khwaja Sadeed-ud-din
- Khwaja Ameen-ud-din
- Khwaja Mumshaad
- Khwaja Abi Ishaq Shami Chishti
- Khwaja Syed Abi Ahmad Abdal Chishti
- Khwaja Syed Abi Muhammad Chishti
- Khwaja Syed Nasir-ud-din Chishti
- Khwaja Syed Qutb-ud-din Maudud Chishti
- Khwaja Makhdum Haji Sharif
- Khwaja Usman Harooni
- Khwaja Syed Moin-ud-din Chishti of Ajmer SharifMoinuddin ChishtiSultan-ul-Hind, Moinuddin Chishti was born in 1141 and died in 1230 CE. Also known as Gharīb Nawāz "Benefactor of the Poor" , he is the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of the Indian Subcontinent. He introduced and established the order in South Asia...
- Khwaja Syed Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiar KakiQutbuddin Bakhtiar KakiQutub ul Aqtab Hazrat Khwaja Syed Muhammad Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki was a renowned Muslim Sufi mystic, saint and scholar of the Chishti Order from Delhi, India. He was the disciple and the spiritual successor of Moinuddin Chishti as head of the Chishti order. Before him the Chishti order in India...
- Khwaja Baba Fareed-ud-din Ganjshakar
- Khwaja Syed Nizaam-ud-din AwliaNizamuddin AuliyaSultan-ul-Mashaikh, Mehboob-e-Ilahi, Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya , also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to...
- Khwaja Naseer-ud-din Charagh-e-Delhi
- Khwaja Kamaal-ud-din
- Khwaja Siraaj-ud-din
- Khwaja I’lm-ud-din
- Khwaja Mehmood Rajan
- Khwaja Jamaal-ud-din Juman
- Khwaja Jamaal-ud-din Hasan Muhammad Nuri
- Khwaja Qutb Shams-ud-din Muhammad
- Khwaja Muhammad
- Khwaja Kaleem Ullah Jahanabadi
- Khwaja Nizaam-ud-din Aurongabadi
- Khwaja Fakhr-ud-din
- Khwaja Nur Muhammad Mahaarvi
- Khwaja Muhammad Sulaiman TaunsviKhawaja Shah SulemanMuhammad Suleman Taunsvi was a Sufi saint born to the Jafar Pakhtun tribe of Darug, Loralai District, Balochistan province, in what is now Pakistan. His dargah lies in Tehsil Taunsa of district Dera Ghazi Khan of Punjab province in Pakistan...
- Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi (Pir Sial of Sial Sharif)
Great disciples
The most well known "Khulafa" (appointed successors) of Hazrat Khawja Shams Ud Din Sialvi were;- Qazi Mian Muhammad AmjadQazi Mian Muhammad AmjadQazi Mian Muhammad Amjad , was an eminent legal scholar of Qur'an, Hadith, and the Hanafi school of Islamic law . As a master of all the branches of contemporary knowledge of Islam, he was an acknowledged authority on Muslim jurisprudence...
of NausheraNausheraNaushera, also Naoshera, Urdu نوشهره is a village and one of the 51 Union Councils of Khushab District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan.. Naushera is the main town of Soon Valley. Situated in the heart of Soon Valley, Naushera is surrounded by high hills, beautiful lakes, jungles, natural pools...
; - Khawja Per Mehr Ali Shah Sahb Golra SharifPir Meher Ali ShahPir Syed Meher Ali Shah Gilani was born 14 April 1859 in Golra Sharif, which is located midway between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, in present-day Pakistan. The time just before his birth saw the Indian Rebellion of 1857 fought between the British and the sepoys allied with seven of the Princely...
; - Qazi Mian Ahmed Sahb;
- Khawja Muazam-ud-din Sahb Muazamabadi;
- Ameer Shah Sahb Bhervi;
- Khawja Syed Ghulam Haider Shah Jalalpuri;
- Khawja Syed Muhammad Saeed Shah Zanjani Lahorvi;
- Khawja Syed Muhammad Hasan Shah Gilani;
- Khawja Syed Niaz Ali Sahb Gardezi;
- Mirza Nawab Baig Sahb Delhvi; and
- Mulla Khushnud Yusafzai Sahb (Kabul).
- Ghareeb Niwaz Aziz-ud-Din Chacharwi
Descendants and Sajjada NashinSajjada nashinThe Sajjada Nashin is the descendant of a Sufi Pir or descendant of a disciple of a Pir, who tends to the shrine which is erected over the Pir's tomb or grave, known as a Dargah or Mazar....
s
- Khawja Muhammad Din.
Khawja Muhammad Din was a son of Khwaja Muhammad Shams Din and succeeded him as head of the Sial Sharif shrine on his demise. After Khawaja Shams al-‘Arifin, his son, Khawaja Muhammad Din, sat upon the spiritual seat as an embodiment of the qualities of his noble father. He gave this movement of his noble father further strength and energy.
- Khawja Muhammad Zia-ud-Din
Khawja Muhammad Zia-al-Din of Sial Sharif was a son of Khwaja Muhammad Din and succeeded him as head of the Sial Sharif shrine on his demise in 1909.
- Khawja Muhammad Qamar-ud-Din
He was born on 7 July 1906 in Sialsharif. He was the eldest son of Zia-ud-din Sialvi.
He became the president of Sargodha Muslim League. He went to all corners of subcontinent to vote for the Muslim League in the election of 1946. He particularly walked along with Pir of Zakori in NWFP to vote for Pakistan in the referandum of 1947. In the Indo-Pak war of 1965 he donated all the ornaments of his family to Pakistan Army. In 1970 he became the president of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan. He was nominated member of Islamic Ideology Council, twice. He died on July 20, 1981. He was awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz(Medal of Distinction) by president of Pakistan in 1981.