Khatam Sharif

In Honour of the Venerable

Hadrat Zinda Pir

Rasulullah said, A person who sincerely says, La Ilaha Illallah, will enter paradise.

Material things are just the idols of the imagination, while the reality is La Ilaha Illallah.
Allama Iqbal

One-day Rasulullah was with his companions, and he asked if, amongst those present, there were
any people present from the ahl e khitab (People of the Book). The companions replied there was no
one. Rasulullah then instructed a companion to close the doors. He then said to the companions,
Raise your hands and say La Ilaha Illallah.

After a while, when the companions had recited these words for a moment, Rasulullah , said Praise
be to Allah. O Allah you have sent me with these words. You have promised Paradise with those who
profess it. Rasulullah then turned to the companions and said, Be happy, Allah has blessed you
with His forgiveness. The companions were full of joy at this blessed news.

These few words, La Ilaha Illallahthat Rasulullah instructed the companions to recite in
Dhikrwere the message that all of the Prophets came with; to make people say La Ilaha Illallah and
to achieve this state. Rasulullah had taught the companions to repeat these words as it is through
these words that a believer achieves salvation and achieves the purpose of life; to reach Allah.

The Awliya (Friends of Allah) have followed in the footsteps of the companions to establish a
connection to these words. While we perceive these words La Ilaha Illallah, as a few Arabic words,
the Awliya have attained such a deep understanding of these blessed words that these two words
become the entire purpose of their lives. One such wali who lived his life in the constant repetition of
La Ilaha Illallah was Hadrat Zinda Pir .

He was a person who lived his whole life devoted to the Dhikr of Allah. He never once desired on
anything else but Allah, and because of this, he arose from being a simple tailor in the Pakistani army
to become one of the biggest Shaykhs of the modern era.

Having passed away in 1999, he is now resting in Ghamkol Sharif in Kohat, Pakistan. When he first
came to this area in the 1950s, the place was a barren wasteland where only thieves and robbers would
come to hide their loot as they knew no one would ever visit the area. There was no water or greenery
in sight. Today that same place is a picturesque spectacle surrounded by beautiful greenery and in the
centre, is a beautiful mosque as well as the mazar of Hadrat Zinda Pir . The entire area is now a town
which looks and feels like an oasis in the Arabian Desert. All this was attained due to the blessings of
La Ilaha Illallah, and through that Hadrat, Zinda Pir has today quenched the thirst of seekers from
the east to the west and will continue to do so till the Day of Judgment.

Whilst serving in the army as a tailor a captain gave Hadrat Zinda Pir his uniform to be sewn by
him, and he asked him to sew the correct military insignia of a captain on the shoulder. When he came
to pick up the uniform, he saw that Hadrat Zinda Pir had mistakenly sewn on a colonels badge. He
said what have you done? This is wrong? Hadrat Zinda Pir said quietly it is correct and as it should

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be. The captain asked him again to sew the correct badge on, but Hadrat Zinda Pir refused.
Eventually, he took the uniform with him, and when he got home, he was told there was a telegram for
him. In the telegram, there was a message stating that he had now been promoted to a colonel. He
immediately went back to thank Hadrat Zinda Pir who just said, we are a humble tailor, please
dont trouble us. However, now the rumours started passing around that Hadrat Zinda Pir was
indeed a very spiritual person. A few people started coming to see him and asked for his blessings and
dua.

Meeting the Shaykh

Hadrat Zinda Pir had a friend who was also animam in the area he was serving in at first. He would
often visit Khwaja Muhammad Qasim of Mohra Sharif. On one such occasion, he told Khwaja
Muhammad Qasim about Hadrat Zinda Pir and his constant ibadat and Dhikr. Khwaja
Muhammad Qasim said indeed there are many chapattis in that young mans basket. When the
imam returned with this news, Hadrat Zinda Pir listened to what Khwaja Muhammad Qasim had
said about him, but he continued with his role in the army.

In 1938 he finally decided to visit Mohra Sharif. Once he had reached Mohra Sharif he intended to
seek bayat from there. However, Khwaja Muhammad Qasim was now an old man and had passed
on all the duties to his son, Khwaja Muhammad Nazir . Khwaja Muhammad Qasim knew of
Hadrat Zinda Pir s arrival and said to one of his khadims Hadrat Zinda Pir is coming, he has a lot of
chapattis in his basket. The same message the Shaykh had said to the imam many years earlier. At this
stage, the khadims did not know who this name belonged to as everyone knew Hadrat Zinda Pir as
Hadrat Shah. This was the first time anyone had referred to him as Hadrat Zinda Pir Khwaja
Muhammad Qasim described him to the khadims who went out to collect him. The khadim went out
and saw Hadrat Zinda Pir waiting at the back while everyone else was taking bayat from Khwaja
Muhammad Nazir . The khadims called him into Khwaja Muhammad Qasim s chamber, and he
immediately met him and gave him bayatas well as khilafat in the order. He then said Allah karo tai
loka n ki kana kalao, recite the dhikr of Allah and feed the people. This was his only visit his master,
and four years later Khwaja Muhammad Qasim passed away. Nevertheless, the message had
already been passed in that first and last meeting with his master. The role of the master is to revive
your heart, to bring your heart alive, and to kill your nafs and through the meeting with Khwaja
Muhammad Qasim just in that one moment, Hadrat Zinda Pir was able to receive all this

Hadrat Zinda Pir was now more focused than ever. Initially, he returned to his regiment and
continued his service in the army.He would continue all his previous ibadat. During the evening
Hadrat Zinda Pir would offer nafl prayers on a masala which would be placed on water. On one
instance of doing this one of his officers spotted this and confronted Hadrat Zinda Pir about this.
Hadrat Zinda Pir simply said if you mention this to anyone then that will be the end of you.

Hajj and return to home

While serving in Abbottabad near Islamabadit had become common knowledge that Hadrat Zinda
Pir was a saint of the highest rank, and as the secret was now out, he had to leave his regiment. At
first, he decided to stay near bye so some people, like his previous comrades from the army, could
come and see him there. Then in 1952, he decided to go to Hajj for the first time. He was accompanied
by some close followers from his time in the army. When visiting the Prophet s grave in Madinah
Sharif, he was shown a vision of a beautiful mosque surrounded by scenic greenery and vegetation. On
top of a mountain was the words Hadrat Zinda Pir while above the mosque were the words
Ghamkol Sharif. When he asked where this was, Rasulullah replied this is near your place of
birth and you will build it. You must go there now.

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Early Life

Hadrat Zinda Pir was born Hadrat Shah in 1912 in Jungle-khail, Kohat. His ancestors trace their
lineage to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq .

His father was called Pir Ghulam Rasul Shah . He was a very pious dervish and one day after a visit
to a train station with Hadrat Zinda Pir s brother, Hussain Shah he disappeared never to return
home again. Later it was discovered that he had gone to Delhi and from there onto Ajmer Sharif where
he eventually passed away. This meant that the family and in particular Hadrat Zinda Pir was
without their fathers presence from a young age. Hadrat Zinda Pir was brought up by his brother
and relatives. However, even though he lacked the tarbiyat and financial support of a father figure,
through the hardship of poverty and simplicity he became inclined towards Allah and spirituality from
a very young age.

While growing up in Jungle-khail Hadrat Zinda Pir became associated with a local tailor who taught
him how to sew clothes. After spending time with the tailor, Hadrat Zinda Pir realised that this tailor
was no ordinary person. He was a hidden wali who would constantly be in Dhikr while he was sewing
and carrying out his work. After some initial hesitation, the tailor now started to teach Hadrat Zinda
Pir the ways of Dhikr and remembrance of Allah. Hadrat Zinda Pir then decided to take sewing up
as a profession because he too wanted his piety and Dhikr to remain a secret from the masses.

As the area that Hadrat Zinda Pir was residing in was under the control of the British, they recruited
locals for their military regiment. Hadrat Zinda Pir spoke and met with many soldiers during this
time and because he liked the discipline of the army, he decided to get a job in the army sewing
uniforms. Having done this, he would still carry on with his daily Dhikr and recitation of the Quran.

Return from Hajj and seclusion

After returning from Hajj, many of his followers offered to stay with him in different places promising
to build khanaqahs for him. Hadrat Zinda Pir refused their offer and left Abbottabad to go to the
exact location which Rasulullah had shown him. After arriving in the area where Ghamkol Sharif is
located he first went into in a cave as there was no houses or community for many miles. He remained
in seclusion for several days.

Negation is only the beginning

Zinda Pir went into seclusion as this was the next step in his spiritual development. When looking at
the kalimah, there are two main parts. The first part of the Kalimah is negation, and this then leads to
the second part of affirmation; that there is only Allah. This is the confirmation for a person as a
believer that they realise that everything they have seen is coming from Allah.

Everyone recites the kalimah at their level, whether it be the novices like us, the awliya or the
prophets. We are at the negation part.

However, we find it difficult to negate our ego and fight our worldly desires head on as these desires
are running throughout our blood cells. It is only through the practice of this Dhikrthat we can begin
the process of squeezing these desires out of our system. The Dhikr of La Ilaha Illallah is the essence
of reality; it begins from the tongue and through continual practice will reach the heart, flushing out
the desires of our bodies.

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The Dhikr begins with negation, saying la, as it is the desires people have that become their Gods. At
this stage, a person is in nafs e amarah, a rebellious soul, finding excuse after excuse for not doing
good deeds, such as not praying. When a person says la to everything, the heart which is full of
desires begins to become purified. The continuous reading of La Ilaha Illallah gradually
removesworldly desires from the heart. This is because now the tongue is saying La Ilaha Illallah,
and so a person becomes mindful of their actions, realising the mistakes they are making, and they
begin to move away from distractions. This Dhikr will eventually takes a person to nafs e mutmahinah,
the contended soul.

However, the ego is very devious and having commenced on the spiritual path; it will now encourage
the person to admire themselves and think highly of what they are doing. So, it is important to know in
this process a person will face further obstacles, making it necessary to continue the practice of
negation to subdue the ego.

Zinda Pir placed huge importance on the repetition of this Dhikr, as at every level a person must
negate something. It ensures a sinner moves away from sinning and for a practising person, it ensures
they do not fall into the traps of the ego and have pride in what they are doing. The purpose of
negation is to ensure the heart reaches its purest form; to have no desire other than Allah. At this stage
of mubasharrat, angelic things and the arwah of the Ambiya come to the Awliya, giving the good
news that they are amongst the special ones. However, the Awliya disregard these spiritual states they
experience, saying, We are not here to worship states. They have the view that all stations of
spirituality and sainthood are linked to La Ilaha Illallah and so the master's practice ikhfa e hal, to
hide the inner state. Zinda Pir would say, You should hide your faqiri (inner state), like a woman
on her periods hides her taaqi.

So, when the Awliya has spiritual experiences, they continue to recite this Dhikr, as they seek to be
closer to Allah and reach the pinnacle of the negation process. Now, they look at themselves and say,
What are you doing here? and negate themselves. They do this as they understand that even the
Prophets are reciting this Dhikr. Therefore, no matter what state human beings reach, there is
something beyond that; since the best of creation, Rasulullah is asking to be with the Rafiqul Ala.

The Awliya try to establish this connection to Allah in people, they realise we do not understand the
process of negation, so they make it simple by instructing us to repeat La Ilaha Illallah. This
repetition will awaken the heart and salvation may be achieved. The objective is not to just get a
person into paradise but to realise the true purpose of Islam; to take a person to Allah.

The Beginning of Ghamkol Sharif

Zinda Pir allowed visitors to see him after completing his seclusion. As mentioned earlier the area
that he had moved into had no source of water. The few close followers he had would bring water on
donkeys, and anyone who came to meet him would do so in the cave and whatever was on offer would
be served to them.

After a short while, he instructed some of his followers to dig a well in a certain place. They started to
do this, and once they got to about 30 metres, they came across a huge rock. Everyone said there was
no way there was any water under here and took the news to Hadrat Zinda Pir who said, Allah told
me that there is water there and I believe Him. Then one of the ex-soldiers suggested placing some
grenades onto the rock. After doing this, the rock was blown to pieces, and underneath it, there was
water which continues to flow from the well to this day.

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The next obstacle was to build a mosque, and soon Hadrat Zinda Pir gave instructions to some of the
core murids to start building a mosque but specifically advised them not to go and ask for money from
people to make it. On many occasions, followers and other people would come themselves offering
money for the mosque but Hadrat Zinda Pir would almost always refuse their donations as he knew
the money was not from legitimate sources or the intention of the giver was not correct. Even the
president of Pakistan, General Ayub came and said that there is a mosque that the government has
paid for near the city and since the people come to visit you here if you want we will build a mosque
for you here just like that one. Hadrat Zinda Pir asked him is Allah not Gani (not in need)? He
replied, Allah is Ghani Then Hadrat Zinda Pir said It is His house what need does He have of
governments? When He wills, it will happen. So Hadrat Zinda Pir also refused help from him.

Hadrat Zinda Pir was a true mumin, and he had complete belief that Allah is the only One who is in
charge. Through his devotion to La Ilaha Illallah, he had learned this and had firm belief that only
Allah had the might do everything and he was never distracted from this point. It did not matter who
came to aid him financially if he even got a hint that the person was not sincere he would immediately
reject their offer even when the murids would want him to take it up, so things would be made easier.

When Shaykh Shah Abul Hasan Kharaqani was about to receive the visit of Shaykh Abu Said
Abul Khayr as a guest to his house, he was extremely overjoyed. Shaykh Abu Said Abul Khayr
was treated with the utmost respect and sincerely enjoyed his visit there. However, no one was aware
that on the previous day a very tragic event occurred. The son of Shah Abul Hasan Kharaqani who
was only recently married was killed brutally, and his head was decapitated and thrown in front of the
door of the Shaykhs house. However, this incident did not affect or bearing on the Shaykhs
hospitality towards Shaykh Abu Said Abul Khayr , and he did not even let the visiting guests garner
that something like this had occurred as he did not want to trouble them. His focus was purely on his
duty to be the host for the visiting Shaykh and to look after all the people who had come with him. In
the same way, Hadrat Zinda Pir never lost his focus on the task at hand and continued to have firm
belief in Allah and no one else.

Throughout this time Hadrat Zinda Pir would continue to go on Hajj every year. Sometime later
through his sincere devotion and supplication to the will of Allah, the Ghamkol Sharif mosque was
finally completed. Hadrat Zinda Pir then moved from the cave to the mosque. The next step was to
set up a langar. This started with people initially bringing niyaz or animals for qurbani to a full scale
full time langar within a short period.

People started flocking from all areas of Pakistan to come and see the Shaykh and seek advice and
council or just do ziyarah. Many members of the army became devout murids of Hadrat Zinda Pir .

His Characteristics

Hadrat Zinda Pir would constantly be in Dhikr or prayer. He slept very little and also ate very little.
He would usually eat dry bread with some vegetables. Once he explained the benefits of dry bread
Dry bread had done the greatest service to Islam. This is because when the ullema and the Pir would
eat dry bread, they would focus on worship and calling people to Islam. When they started eating
chickens, then they lost that focus and became distracted. He never ate any meat.

His temperament seemed harsh on its exterior due to his military background, but he was always to the
point and treated everyone equally whether it be a major politician or a poor villager. His most oft
repeated phrase was kyia chai ya, so what do you want? This may seem strict, but as the following
story shows, like all awliya, he possessed a gentle and soft heart which truly loved all in Allahs
creation.

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There was a murid of Hadrat Zinda Pir who worked in Birmingham. When he would pray on his
break time the foreman would chastise him and not let him pray in peace. Hadrat Zinda Pir had
given the murid a wazifa to read daily for his benefit. One day the murid read that wazifa but against
the foreman. The next day the foreman did not come to work as he had fallen ill. So, the murid was
now content as he could pray in peace. While the murid was sleeping after work on the same day
Hadrat Zinda Pir came into his dream and said, Khuda ke mahlooq ko tang karta heh, you dare to
hurt Allahs creation? After that Hadrat Zinda Pir immediately took the wazifa away from the
murid.

He was also an extremely great host so when people came to visit him, he gave them his time and
provided them with food and a place to stay if they required for as long as they wished.

He participated in manual work just as much as the murids. It was notable that while the mosque was
being built in Ghamkol Sharif when the murids were sleeping at night, he would continue to carry out
the work on the mosque on his own.

His entire life was spent in doing everything for the sake of Allah.

He once said Sayyiduna Musa asked Sayyiduna Khidr about what action did Allah grant you this
knowledge of the hidden? Sayyiduna Khidr said whenever I did an action I never thought of the
reward. Whatever I did was for Allahs sake, and because of this sincerity Allah granted me things
beyond description.

He was the true manifestation and example of this point.

Virtues of Dhikr

Zinda Pir had great conviction in the declaration of La Ilaha Illallah, viewing it as the basis of
iman, and so everything he did in his life carried great value. He was aware that Rasulullah had
mentioned that, saying La Ilaha Illallahabundantly was a way for a person to renew their iman. He
would say this Dhikr with the utmost conviction and certainty as he would comprehend that he was
testifying to Rasulullah s favourite Dhikr and own testimony, that there is no Godbut Allah.

His understanding of Tawhid was profound, being aware that an Ummati of Rasulullah who is
constantly saying La Ilaha Illallah will never be committing shirk, since such a person would not be
acknowledging the existence of anything, except for Allah.

Regarding the utterance of this Dhikr, Rasulullah said, Indeed I know of a few words, which if
anyone says it from his heart and he dies, then hell become forbidden for him. The Awliya are aware
that saying these few blessed words grants such safety and protection that no matter what failings a
person has, they will be entitled to paradise. It is for this reason that they firstly constantly recite this
Dhikr and instruct people to do so.

The blessings of this Dhikr are such that a person may have been a non-believer for a hundred years,
but the moment that person utters the words La Ilaha Illallah, he becomes a Muslim; everything else
is wiped away in an instance. This Dhikr offers such salvation even for those who have committed
major sins, as if they utter the words are La Ilaha Illallah as their last words, they will enter paradise.

Rasulullah said, Allah will say on the Day of Judgement, take out of hell any person who said 'La
Ilaha Illallah, even if there is one seed of faith in his heart, or remembered Me or feared Me on any
occasion. This fear is often when a person is about to sin, because at that moment when a person has

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two choices, they begin to think of the consequences of their actions, and so think about Allah. It is at
that moment, that person is nearest to Allah.

It is for this reason that Zinda Pir was always encouraging people to make this Dhikr in abundance
and repeat it, as it has such benefit that it destroys and eliminates sins. For the believer who abstains
from major sins, the blessings of this Dhikr are such, that through it, they can ultimately reach the Arsh
of Allah; as Rasulullah said, No servant of Allah who recites La Ilaha Illallahand the doors of
heaven have not opened for him.

He who knows about the One

The awliya explain that When a Muslim says, I believe there is no God but Allah. He should be
certain and believe this with all his heart because Rasulullah has told us there is no God, the
believers are testifying to their testimony. We firmly believe that Rasulullah out of all creation have
better knowledge of what exists now, what existed before, what will exist in the future and they negate
all of that and say, There is absolutely no God but Allah. We are not in that position to make that
testimony. In the holy Quran Allah says kulhu Allah uhad. Say He Allah is One to Rasulullah
stating You say Allah is One and then the whole Ummah will say after you that Allah is One. Allah
wants to hear it from His Beloveds tongue that I am One. Once the Beloved has said this, then it is
for the rest of the ummah to recite it. Therefore, the tawhid is that tawhid which comes via
Rasulullah . La Ilaha Illallah was Rasulullah s favourite Dhikr and what they praised and
practiced. As an Ummati of Rasulullah, we are accepting this point. We out of our efforts cannot
verify or deny. We dont have the knowledge or the capacity but Rasulullah ) can make this
statement. No one who is spiritual or reached any stages can deny that claim. There is no one who has
come after Rasulullah and can prove there is no God. So, this declaration is the basis of iman and
Hadrat Zinda Pir had great conviction in this belief, so everything he did in his life carried great
value.

His legacy

Hadrat Zinda Pir s legacy spread even further when in the 1960s his murids started to come to the
UK. Through the guidance of their Shaykh, the murids continued to be steadfast on their iman even
though they were now distant from him. They slowly began to set up places of worship and Dhikr
despite being in a non-Muslim country. Many people had come to the UK to work and earn money
leaving their former lives in Pakistan. Some had even left their faith there and only ever cared about
work and money. Through the teachings of their Shaykh, these few sincere murids helped to guide
people back to their true faith and belief in La Ilaha Illallah.

One such Murid was Sufi Abdullah who was a farmer and then joined the army in Pakistan. After
being made Khalifa of Hadrat Zinda Pir, he came to the UK. He was very steadfast in his faith, and
he gradually got some more people together and bought a house in Birmingham. He then used it to
teach people about Dhikr, and the numbers of murids kept growing from there. This movement spread
from a small house where only three people participated in a Giyarvin Sharif at one point to a mosque
which was one the largest mosques in Europe with a capacity of four and half thousand people. This
movement also spread to different towns where people started doing their urs and julus.In and from
there it spread from the UK to the rest of the world.

Hadrat Zinda Pir passed away in 1999 on Sunday 21st march. Followers from all over the world
came to pray his janaza which was read by the Sufi above Abdullah. There is now an annual urs held
at Ghamkol Sharif which attracts tens of thousands of people every year.

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Rasulullah mention, There is no worry if people say La Ilaha Illallah at the time of death or in
their graves, as this protects their iman. Zinda Pir understood the impact and blessings of this
Dhikr, and so he remained steadfast with constant remembrance of it in his life. He promoted this to
his murids, ensuring they gained the protection of La Ilaha Illallah. It is a testimony to his
achievements, which those who are fortunate to visit his blessed mazar today, hear this Dhikr being
made. There will be people making this Dhikr while they prepare the food for langar, some when there
is an event going on and others throughout the night. There are also two people who sit at the grave
and read the Quran Sharif constantly.

He was one person, dedicated and focused on Dhikr and this is the impact he has had. He was able to
spread that impact into this country, and that is despite having never set foot on these shores. He was
not an orator but did all this through the Dhikr of La Ilaha Illallah. Now the impact is felt in every
part of the world and continues to spread to this day. He knew that, the Dhikr was a magnet which he
embodied into his very being. He then became that magnet which attracted and pulled countless
people. He managed to do this without ever promoting himself or his way. In the modern context he
would be considered a hermit or recluse who only ever stayed in one place, but through the power of
Dhikr, he was able to reach so many people in so many places. That Dhikr of La Ilaha Illallah was
like honey which, when reproduced, would continually attract the bees.

The Awliya say As you need doctors for your body, you need spiritual people for your soul. This is
because your true soul is hidden from the sight of average people, but spiritual people can see
everything as they are always connected to Allah. Hadrat Zinda Pir was one such spiritual person
who was always connected to Allah. He only asked of people to put Allah first and everything else
after.
Al Fatiha

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