Mian Abdul Rasheed Qalander

h thought and give a scent and smell to bring happiness in one’s life. This is because they live in one’s soul because of their firm relation with the soul. That pious human being who was an emblem of patience, steadfastness, self denial and whose actions were always according to the path followed and advised by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and whose show of love to all people was always there, left this world by preparing himself for the next world to live there according to his rendezvous. Who will now embrace and hear the sad stories and problems of people by showing love to them? Will there be that smile on his face to give joy to the eyes filled with tears? It is definite that there could not be anyone like him. Mian Abdul Rasheed Qalandar Shaheed gave us sincerity of love for more than half a century and today we find ourselves under scorching heat bareheaded and barefooted but Mian Sahib’s cover of love still remains on disciples like us and it will remain till Doomsday. To say something about such a personality, that is born after centuries, it seems quite difficult to throw light on his allinclusive aspects of life. Mian Sahib was an embodiment of sympathy, kindness, humbleness and gentleness for all of his disciples. Of course, he has left such permanent imprints in the hearts of his disciples not be found in the case of any heard or seen saint. We enlighten the candle of his memories by recollecting a few aspects of life of Hazrat Mian Abdul Rasheed Qalandar Shaheed. Mian Sahib had a brightened face having a smile on it because he always managed to remain abluted. The extent to which one can go thinking about Mian Sahib, the more and more hidden aspects will start coming into and this layer on layer series will gives a clue of a universally kindred personality. In the midst of complete darkness a sun without any greed, selfishness or jealousy, he was a symbol of a heralder of morning and without any discrimiation he was a fountain head of blessings for all. He was a shadow tree who did not care who was blessed under his shadow or who distributed his blessings further. He was a pious man who had no greed and no worldly pomp and show. He had in view only and only collective welfare of people and a passion not only to give blessings to any deserved person but also to do practical and personal efforts for him and his these actions have no precedent so far. Hazrat Mian Abdul Rasheed Qalandar Shaheed, the pious saint, was born in Pani Patt (India). While reading in a primary school, he often went to the Darbar(shrine) of Hazrat Boo Ali Qalandar. There was a big well in the courtyard of Dargah(Shrine). He arranged water for prayer sayers and other visitors from this well and cleaned the mosque. He was a born saint (Wali). At the time of partition of India, he migrated to Pakistan along with other fellow Godly men in a truck. There were Pathans in Sargodha who took refuge after migrating from their famous site Jhagjher, Kernal and Delhi(India). A saint Haji Faiz Muhammad Khan belonging to a village Kanju about eight kilometers from Mangora (Swat, Pakistan) also migrated from Delhi to Sargodha. When Haji Faiz Muhammad Khan was to go to Swat, his native home, some elders of his family asked him who would help them in difficult times. He replied that his disciple “Baggra” (Hazrat Faiz Muhammad Khan called Mian Sahib as “Baggra”) would come to their help. According to the presage of Hazrat Faiz Muhammad Khan and after his departure Mian Sahib came to Sargodha and he stayed at “Masjid Afghana”. Before reaching the age of forty years, he was an anstere saint and a Godly man. But in 1957, he declared himself as a saint with revelation and after that he came out of his attraction (Majzoubiat) and began to live an ordinary life. He met Hazrat Walayat Ali Qalandar. His shrine is at Maleer in Karachi. Mian Sahib called him “Saian Sanoli Wali Sarkar”. He got from him spiritual blessings. Hazrat Walayat Ali Shah Qalandar lived for more than a hundred years. Mian Sahib often visited his shrine by going from Sargodha to Karachi. Hazrat Mian Abdul Rasheed Qalandar Shaheed’s ancestorship runs to Saint Sain Tawakal Shah of Ambala (India). After migration to Pakistan he stayed in a depilated room in a closed brick Bhutta near a graveyard in Mughalpura. After staying at Lahore for sometime, he went to Chiniot City. He often travelled between Sargodha and Faisalabad. At last on the advice of Hazrat Faiz Muhammad Khan, Hazrat Mian Abdul Rasheed Qalandar Shaheed settled permanently in an adjacent room of Masjid Afghana on the Kot Farid Road, Sargodha(Pakistan). He did not marry and he was a lonely saint. His father, Molvi Abdul Majid, was alive and visited him from Chiniot city. His step brothers (because his father had another marriage after the death of Mian Sahib’s mother) never behaved well and to the extent that one of his nephews, assassinated Mian Sahib by firing with a pistol when Mian Sahib was sleeping in the Mosque. According to the will of Mian Sahib his shrine was built at a place adjacent to the mosque which is now a beautiful mosque and a magnificent “Mazar” attracting a large number of people and his disciples. Mian Sahib’s habits, and way of living was quite different from those of today’s saints who live with great pomp and show, eat delicious foods, dress in very precious clothes and live in very spacious and grand houses. They sit apart from their disciples on a high place whereas disciples sit near their feet showing a sign of humility. Mian Sahib had a different attitude. He wore a shirt and a loin cloth (Dhotte) through all seasons of the year all of his life. He arranged cots and beds for his disciples and he himself sat on the floor. He was so simple in his appearance that an outsider or a visitor could not recognize him whether he was the saint to whom he wanted to meet and see. He cleaned the mosque everyday by sweeping and by washing it with water so far so that he cleaned and washed the drains and latrines with his own hands. The dirty water falling in the tank was also drained out by him. He ate a little food. He kept himself by fast not only in Ramzan but also other days of the year. He took date palms specially brought from Arab to break his fast at the appointed time. He took a little food after the evening prayer. He took his meal sitting in the courtyard of the mosque along with students, labourers and visitors present there at that time. He liked betal leaf and tea all of his life. He smoked his pipe (Huqa) after taking his meal and it remained his routine all his life. Victual was distributed among people on the eve of 12th. Rabi-ul-Awal and 27th. This was sent to some homes. He was very kind to orphans, widowers and students taking examination. He also helped them with money. He came to be called “Notan Wali Sarkar” because of the currency notes collected as a tribute or present from the disciples and this amounted to Lacs of Rupees. He sent the currency notes for change with new ones to a bank every week. Then he got these currency notes signed from special people or sometimes the people sitting there signed these currency notes. Only he himself knew the secret of this action. But he did not spend any money for his own needs. He spent that money on Mosque or to run alms-house there or for the help of somebody. After getting the currency notes signed, he put those in the form of bundles in a corner of his living room bound in his loin cloth (Dhotti). Hazrat Mian Abdul Rasheed Qalandar Shaheed’s nephew killed him by firing with a pistol. In this way, he paved the way for his martyrdom. He performed Imamat of several prayers but sometimes after an Imam he stood in the last border line to the left and there he said his prayer by having his own “Musallah” on the mosque floor. It seemed as if he was performing Imamat of some unseen creature. Often he asked one of his favourites to sit at his right side and to say his prayer. In Imamat of prayer and in reciting Quran, he never made a mistake as compared to his general jumbled words talk as conversation. At night he often ordered people sleeping near him to go for saying Nafli Prayers in the mosque. Smoking pipe and taking tea was his routine in the night. It happened often that when a disciple started from Karachi for blessed visit to him in Sargodha, he talked about that disciple many times before his reaching there. If any disciple had some desire in his heart, Mian Sahib would have known it and before his telling about his desire, Mian Sahib had told about his desire. Hazrat Mian Abdul Rasheed Qalandar Shaheed was holding a high place in this world in the spere of spiritualism and revelation but he never mentioned a word about it. If anybody gets any reverence in any field he is never tired of telling about it and goes besides himself and begins to speak high about himself. Whereas in Mian Sahib case his absorption in himself was the most and he concealed it in ordinary clothes. He was among such saints who do conceal their gemlike powers and have no worldly desires. Such people are friends of Allah about whom Allah has said that when they leave worldly desires, they get quite close to Him and in that case their hands, eyes and ears become those of Allah. They can touch and feel everything in any world. They can hear from distance and they can see any hidden thing. He smelled like musk and all the disciples smelled his sweet scent.