HAZRAT SULTAN BAHU (RA)

The blessed soul of Hazrat Sayyidi-Murshidi, Sheikhul-Masheikh, Maulana-Murshidina, Sultan-ul-Arifeen HAZRAT SULTAN BAHU (RA),departed in a blissful state to its Lord on a Thursday evening, on the 1st of Jamadu-Thani, in the year 1102 AD/1693 at the blessed age of 63.

HIS FIRST TOMB The Saints funeral took place in the vicinity of Shorkot, in a small village called Qahergan which lies in the principality of Multan. He was buried in a brick-built fort. This fort stood on the very land and estate that the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan had conferred on the Saints father in lieu of his services to the state. Hazrat Sultan Bahu (RA) blessed body rested in this shrine for over 70 years.

Then in the year 1180AD/1771 the fort fell forcefully in the hands of Jandha Singh and Gundha Singh, both of whom were administrative managers of the locality. Under their occupancy and becoming aware of their evil designs, the pious spiritual successors to Sultan Bahu (RA), migrated to another place. Hazrat Sheikh Sultan Muhammed Hussein (RA), the paternal grandson of the Saint and son of Hazrat Sheikh Sultan Wali Muhammed (RA), together with the family members, left the fort and settled in another region. HIS SECOND TOMB After the emigration of the family, the shrine was left in the care of a few faqirs and dervishes. The waters of the river Chenab began to rise threatening the structure of the fort and the graves inside. The faqirs and dervishes of the shrine began to excavate the caskets containing the bodies of those buried in the fort. All were found except the casket containing the blessed body of Hazrat Sultan Bahu (RA).The dervishes became despondent and discouraged at not finding the body. Suprarationally they were informed by the Saint not to be perturbed, for the one who is worthy and capable to touch his body will approach the grave site at dawn and take the casket out of the grave. As promised, at the approach of dawn, a pious Sayyid arrived and excavated the casket containing the blessed body of the Saint. This spectacle was witnessed by hundreds of people who had gathered for the occassion. It is narrated that the masses made `ziaarat’-that is, had the privilege of seeing the blessed body of the Saint. It is said that he was just as if his body had the ritual bath – the water still dropping off his henna coloured beard. Fragrance and scent began to perfume the environment and spread considerably to outlying neighbourhoods. Some of those present, on seeing the sacred body, passed into ecstatic rapture. Even today, after almost 400 years, the same effects and vibrations are still felt and experienced when visiting the Saints tomb.

The pious Sayyid, together with the faqirs and dervishes, loaded the casket onto a camel and proceeded towards a graveyard (known as Peer Abdur Rehan quraishi’s graveyard), when on the way they came across an enclosure which was famous for its macabre and uncanny atmosphere. This surrounding was screened and preserved with a fencelike structure so that no man or animal could venture therein. On reaching the place the she camel sat down, despite being goaded to move on.

Witnessing the camel’s strange behaviour, they deduced that Allah must have reserved this sanctuary as the resting place for Hazrat Sultan Bahu (RA). Spontaneously the camel rose and entered the enclosure and sat on a neat clean clearing. Taking this as divine approval, they buried the casket. From this chosen place started a spring of blessings which turned into an ocean of benefit and guidance for humanity at large. This tomb was built in 1180/1771.Those who had emigrated began to return and began to built their homes around the compound. HIS THIRD TOMB

For approximately 150 years, the tomb of the great Saint illuminated the hearts and minds of the people. The river Chenab once again raised its waters, coming dangerously close to the existing shrine. This incident and happening relates to the year 1336 AD/1927,during the spiritual reign of Hazrat Sultan Noor Ahmed (RA), who was instructed ecclesiastically by the Saint to once againshift the tomb to where it stands today. Once again his body could not be found. During his lifetime the saint had predicted that his grave would remain unknown. But Allah willed otherwise. After being informed by the saint whereto dig, the casket was removed. Due to the intense fragrance nobody could stay for long in the grave. The casket was finally removed with much difficulty and reburied before the 10th of Muharram in the year 1336 AD/1927 at a site one mile away to where it stands today in all its splendor.

Three centuries later, the tomb of Sultan Bahu (RA) is like a beacon of light, attracting thousands of true seekers, radiating their inward with his spiritual attraction. Many a dead hearted persons first sight of the Saints tomb produces in him an involuntary and spontaneous outburst of zikr (remembrance) of Allah.

The tomb of Sultan Bahu (RA) is unique in this case. He gives attention to true seekers in such a fashion that the entire personality of the seeker is spiritualized …… dancing in ecstasy they reach their hearts desire. This holy personality’s generosity and blessings is immeasurable because for a true Faqir (Spiritual Master), life and death, inward and outward is the same. It has been experienced many a time that a thought would pass in one’s mind and `supra-rationally it would be answered and made clear.

His grave is not a tomb but a furnace from where one’s soul is purified. In his lifetime the Sheikh use to bless people without revealing himself.His love for anonymity was such that before his death, he predicted that his resting place would be unknown. But Allah Willed otherwise. The resting place of this great Saint was made famous for the benefit of mankind. The discovery of his resting place itself is a miracle.In `Manaqibe -Sultani’ it is documented that the Chenub river flooded and its waters reached an old mud fort where a few old graves were situated. One very pious Sayed from a neighboring village saw in a vision Hazrat Sultan Bahu (RA) indicating to him the location of his grave, which was being threatened by the flood. He asked the Sayed to remove his body and take for burial to a safer place.

Sayed Sahib together with a few friends did as instructed but was disappointed not to find the body in its grave. The following evening he was again instructed to bring along a casket and leave it overnight at the graveside and to return the next day when he would find the casket heavy with the body inside. The following day, with the help of his friends Sayed Sahib loaded the casket onto a camel and proceeded towards a graveyard (known as Hazrat

Peer Abdur Rehan Qureishi’s graveyard), when on the way they came across an enclosure, which was famous for its macabre and uncanny surroundings.

This surrounding was screened and preserved with a fencelike structure so that no man or animal could venture therein. On reaching the place the she camel sat down, despite being goaded to move on. Witnessing the camel’s strange behaviour, they deduced that Allah must have reserved this sanctuary as the resting place for Hazrat Sultan Bahu (RA). Spontaneously, the camel rose and entered the enclosure and sat on a neat clean clearing. Taking this as divine approval, they buried the casket.From this chosen site started a spring of blessings and instructions, which turned into an ocean of benefit and guidance as time passed on. Later his great Persian and Punjabi works in prose and poetry, which lay hidden in the guise of anonymity became available. Scholars and seekers after truth travelled far and wide to acquire the invaluable treasures of Hazrat Sultan Bahu’s(RA) writings. These were copied, distributed and studied. As the saint himself says that when he did not find any true seeker to impart his spiritual wealth and blessings, he decided to transform this esoteric wealth into writing and thus made it available for generations to come.For 150 years, the tomb of the great saint illuminated the hearts and minds of the people. The river Chenab once again raised its waters, coming dangerously close to the shrine. This time it was Hazrat Sultan Noor Ahmed (RA) who was instructed to once again shift the tomb to where it stands today. Hazrat Sultan Bahu(RA) did not acquire the worldly sciences. Due to immense spiritual attractions and ecstasy it became difficult to attain to formal education. Yet his own person was luminous with Divine Light. In one of his writings the saint refers to this when he says that: ` I did not have time to spare for formal education but spiritual experiences, divine favour and guidance and esoteric conquests has enabled me to acquire such vast knowledge that it would require many files of paper to record. Spiritual realities has so enlightened my inward that both the esoteric and exoteric sciences have been revealed to me….neither did I have the time to perform daily litanies (wird) because since the beginning I have been immersed in the ocean of Unity (Tauheed) ‘. He was a strict upholder of the Shari’a and did not in his entire life forego even one Mustahab. GEOGRAPHICAL MAP OF THE PRESENT TOMB The present Darbar is situated in such a demographic location that it is surrounded and encompassed by a well populated area all round. two miles from here is a village called `Gharmaharaj’. To the south is `Ahmedpur’. To the east is the river Chenub. Crossing the river is the town of Shorkhote and two and a half miles further west is the main road to Multan. The Mausoleum contains the grave of the saint and his children. A beautiful mosque stands on the right hand side of the Mausoleum. The area in front of the mosque is very wide and spacious, large enough to hold hundreds of worshippers. In the same open area towards the east and opposite the mosque and the shrine is a very large ablution block. The inside of the mosque is covered by beautiful marble enhancing the interior of the mosque considerably. An open section stands between the tomb and the mosque. This space is usually used by the pilgrims for the recitation of the Quran-the recitation of which carries on till late at night. There are two entrances to the Mausoleum of the Saint. The main entrance is from the east and the other from the west. Entering from the eastern side, on the right hand side is the tomb of Hazrat Sultan Noor Ahmed (RA) and on entering from the west, also near the door on the left hand side is the tomb of Hazrat Sheikh Ameer Sultan. Hazrat Sultan Bahu’s (RA) tomb stands in the centre of the Mausoleum, covered on top by a beautiful covering and surrounded on all sides by a beautiful woodwork giving it an appearance of a fencelike-design. Altogether fifteen tombs make up the number of graves in the Mausoleum. Once in the Mausoleum one is greeted by pilgrims from all walks of life, poor and rich, busy in the remembrance of Allah and the recitation of the Quran. Outwardly the mausoleum and the mosque is covered by beautiful decorated tiles. The inner boundary of the complex is surrounded on all four sides by `hujras’ or small rooms (for the use of dervishes and other visitors). Close by to the mosque, on the northern side is the shrine of Hazrat Nur-ul-Hassen. In some of the small rooms and also outside the perimeters of the boundary walls of this complex are found the graves of some of the Saints khalifas. There is a large `langark hana’ or public kitchen for the poor, which serves the daily needs of the pilgrims. During the Urs celebration, which takes place on the first ten days of Muharram, the public-kitchen serves thousands of people. The natural surroundings outside the boundary walls of the complex is decorated by loosely scattered trees and sandy patches of roadwork, which is sometimes covered by thinly, veiled grass. This land area is so vast that during the Urs celebration of the saint over two million people gather here. Those who visit every year and others who frequent the shrine often have built for themselves their own little units or small rooms. After the open tract of land surrounding the complex is a large dam protected by an embankment. Towards the east of the dam is the area called Atthara Hazarie from where passes the road to Ahmedpur. SPIRITUAL POWER OF THE TOMB In Islam wilayat, the condition of a wali, refers uniquely to the gnostic station of a person. The station of a wali is the station of knowledge of the Real by direct seeing. Thus in the Spiritual Kingdom of Allah, Hazrat Sultan Bahu (RA) holds a very high position of his own. He is referred to as `king of the gnostics’ an appropriate title, as he himself says, that for a true Faqir life and death is the same.

It is a well known fact that in the temporal world, an officer loses his powers after retirement or on death but not so for the saints of Allah. In the spiritual world the powers of the saint’s of Allah remain as good as they were in their lifetime, nay, their powers even increase as they are no longer constricted and obstructed by their physical bodies. Their spiritual powers comes into play immediately after death.Just as they illumined the hearts and the minds of the people during their lifetime, so too, after their demise from this world, they illumine the seekers after truth. One should not be surprised by such occurrences.