Ghulam Mohiyuddin Gilani Explained

Ghulam Mohiyuddin Gilani
Native Name:Urdu: {{nq|غلام محی الدین گیلانی
Religion:Islam
Order:Sufism Qadiriyya Chishti Order
Alias:Babuji
Location:Golra Sharif
Pir, Syed
Parents:Meher Ali Shah
Predecessor:Meher Ali Shah[1]
Children:Syed Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani
Syed Shah Abdul Haq Gilani
Birth Date: December 1891
Birth Place:Golra Sharif, British India (present-day Pakistan)
Death Date:22 June 1974 (aged 83)
Death Place:Golra Sharif, Pakistan

Peer Syed Ghulam Mohiyuddin Gilani (December 1891 - 22 June 1974), commonly called Babuji, was a Sufi scholar from Golra Sharif,[2] Pakistan, belonging to the Chishti order. He was the son of Peer Meher Ali Shah and served as the sajjada nashin of the Golra Sharif shrine from 1937 to 1974.[3]

Education

He received his early education from Qari Abdul Rahman of Jawnpur and Maulana Muhammad Ghazi under the supervision of his father Peer Meher Ali Shah.

After completing his education, Ghulam Mohiyuddin received the caliphate (khilafat) from his father but was not prepared to take anyone as his murid (spiritual disciple) mainly due to his claim that he did not possess the merit that is required for extending bay'ah to others. Only after his father Meher Ali Shah assured that, “I agree to be responsible for anyone who takes bai'at at your hand.”, he started taking people as his murid.[4] [5]

Beliefs

Following the example of his father, Ghulam Mohiyuddin was a firm adherent to the concept of Ibn Arabi's ideology of "Wahdat-ul-Wajood" (Ultimate Unity of Being). According to him, the Divine Will is at work behind all that is happening in the universe. The Divine Will which is absolute and everlasting manifests itself in the diverse aspects of this universe.[6]

Ghulam Mohiyuddin was also a firm admirer of Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī so much so that he is reported to have made his qawwal i.e; the person who performs Qawwali, memorize almost half of the Masnavi which was then performed at the shrine.[7] His biography states that he would sometimes refer to Rumi as “Pir-e-Ma” (mine guide).[8] [9]

Political activity

Ghulam Mohiyuddin supported the Pakistan Movement, encouraging the mass displacement of the population around the time of the Partition of India.[10]

Death

Ghulam Mohiyuddin died on 22 June 1974 after prolonged illness and was buried next to his father in Golra Sharif.

Notes and References

  1. News: Pir Naseeruddin laid to rest . Imran Ali Teepu. 15 February 2009. . 30 August 2018.
  2. News: Central Jamia Masjid — a 115-year-old symbol of Muslim unity. Aamir Yasin. 4 June 2018. Dawn. en. 2 June 2019.
  3. Book: South Asian Sufis: Devotion, Deviation, and Destiny . 30 August 2018. 9781441135896 . Bennett . Clinton . Ramsey . Charles M . 2012-03-01 .
  4. Book: Maulana Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Mehr-e-Munir. 368.
  5. Book: Fadil Khan . Dr Muhammad . Mihr-e-munīr: Biography of Ḥaḍrat Syed Pīr Meher Alī Shāh (in English) . 1998 . Pakistan International Printers . 329–330 . 1 .
  6. Web site: Wahdat ul Wajood. www.thelightofgolrasharif.com.
  7. Nasir Amir, Farzana Arshad . Abdul Qadir Mushtaq, Rizwan Akhtar . Sacred status of Qawali in Chishtiyya order: A case study of the Shrine of Meher Ali Shah . Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan . December 2019 . 56 . 2 . 277 .
  8. Book: Ismail Sethi . Prof. M. . The Living Truth - Hadrat Babuji . 1994 . The Kissan Art Press - 10 Durand Road Lahore . Lahore, Pakistan . First.
  9. Web site: Babuji (R.A) as a traveller (Konya- Babuji and Mevlana Rumi) . The Light of Golra Sharif.
  10. Web site: Role in Pakistan movement. www.thelightofgolrasharif.com. 2019-06-02.