{{Short description|Punjabi Sufi scholar and poet (1859–1937)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} {{Use Pakistani English|date=March 2018}} {{Infobox religious biography | honorific_prefix = [[Pir (Sufism)|Pir]] [[Sayyid|Syed]] | background = | name = Meher Ali Shah | image = Pir Meher Ali Shah.jpg | caption = Pir Meher Ali Shah | religion = [[Islam]] | order = [[Sufism]] [[Qadiriya]] [[Chishti Order]] | denomination = [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] | jurisprudence = [[Hanafi]] | alias = | children = [[Ghulam Mohiyyuddin Gilani]] | father = Nazar Din Shah | mother = Masuma Mawsufa | location = [[Golra Sharif]] | title = [[Pir (Sufism)|Pir]], [[Sayyid|Syed]] | Predecessor = [[Sial Sharif]] | Successor = [[Ghulam Mohiyyuddin Gilani]] | ordination = | post = | previous_post = | present_post = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1859|04|14|df=y}}<br>(1 [[Ramadan (calendar month)|Ramadan]] 1275 [[Islamic calendar|A.H.]]) | birth_place = [[Golra Sharif]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br/>{{small|(present-day [[Islamabad Capital Territory|Islamabad]], [[Pakistan]])}} | death_date = May 1937 (aged 78) | death_place = Golra Sharif, Punjab, British India }} {{Sufism}}
'''Pir Meher Ali Shah''' ({{langx|pnb|پیر مہر علی شاہ}}, {{IPA|pa|piɾ mɛɦəɾ əli ʃaːɦ|pron}}; 14 April 1859 – May 1937) was a [[Punjabi Muslims|Punjabi Muslim]] [[Sufi]] scholar and mystic poet from [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British India]] (present-day [[Pakistan]]). Belonging to the [[Chishti Order|Chishti order]], he is known as a [[Hanafi]] scholar who led the anti-[[Ahmadiyya]] movement. He composed poetry in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], and wrote several books in both [[Urdu literature|Urdu]] and [[Persian literature|Persian]], most notably ''Saif-e-Chishtiyai'' ("The Sword of the Chishti Order"), a polemical work criticizing the Ahmadiyya movement of [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Meher e Muneer|pages=203–257}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Mihr-e-munīr: Biography of Ḥaḍrat Syed Pīr Meher Alī Shāh ( in English)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PXXAAAAMAAJ |via=GoogleBooks website| last1=Ahmad | first1=Faid | last2=Khān | first2=Muhammad Fāḍil | year=1998 }}</ref>
Shah was a descendant, from his father Nazar Din Shah's side, of [[Abdul Qadir Jilani]] in the 25th generation, and of the [[Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]] through [[Hasan ibn Ali|Hassan ibn Ali]] in the 38th generation.<ref>{{cite book|title=Mihr-e-munīr: Biography of Ḥaḍrat Syed Pīr Meher Alī Shāh ( in English)|via=GoogleBooks website|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PXXAAAAMAAJ|last1=Ahmad |first1=Faid |last2=Khān |first2=Muhammad Fāḍil |year=1998 }}</ref>
== Early life and education == Shah received his early religious education at a [[khanqah]] (school at a mausoleum) and was attended classes in Urdu and Persian at the local [[Madrasa|madressah.]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Early Life and education|url=http://www.thelightofgolrasharif.com/Website/TheLightofGolraSharif/hazrat/education.htm|website=The Light of Golra Sharif}}</ref> After completing his education at Angah at the age of 15, he decided to continue further studies in the [[United Provinces (1937–1950)|United Provinces]] (U.P.) of British India, in present day [[Uttar Pradesh]]. He therefore set out for higher education in different parts of India such as [[Lucknow]], [[Rampur, Uttar Pradesh|Rampur]], [[Kanpur]], [[Aligarh]], Bhui, and [[Saharanpur]], which were the then known major centers of Islamic religious education. His stay at Aligarh at the madrasah of Lutfullah of Aligarh was for two and a half years.<ref>{{cite web|last1=ul Haq Gilani|first1=Ghulam Qutub|title=Early life and Education|url=http://www.thelightofgolrasharif.com/Website/TheLightofGolraSharif/hazrat/education.htm|website=The Light of Golra Sharif}}</ref>
=== Historic mosque's construction === In the old city of [[Rawalpindi]], a historic [[Mughal architecture|Mughal]] style mosque (Markazi Jamia Masjid) was built in 1903 as a symbol of Muslim unity with donations by Rawalpindi's Muslim community. This mosque was completed in two years and was inaugurated by the Sufi saint of [[Golra Sharif]], Pir Meher Ali Shah along with the deposed king of [[Afghanistan]] [[Ayub Khan (Emir of Afghanistan)|Ayub Khan]] who was living in Rawalpindi at the time.<ref name="Dawn">{{cite web |date=4 June 2018 |title=Central Jamia Masjid - a 115-year-old symbol of Muslim unity |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1411819 |access-date=22 November 2019 |website=Dawn (newspaper)}}</ref>
Prominent Muslim figures of the [[Pakistan Movement]] such as Maulana [[Zafar Ali Khan]], [[Attaullah Shah Bukhari]] and Maulana [[Anwar Shah Kashmiri]] later led prayers at this historic mosque, when they visited it.<ref name="Dawn" />[[File:Pir Meher Ali.jpg|thumb|Meher Ali Shah in middle age]]
== Religious beliefs == [[File:Pir-mehar-ali-shah.jpg|thumb|Pir Meher Ali Shah with Khawaja Muhammad din Sialvi of Sial Sharif]]
=== Sufism === Shah was a disciple and Khalifa of Khawaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi of [[Sial Sharif]] in the Silsila-e-Chishtia Nizamiyah.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hasan |first1=Mushirul |title=Khwaja Shamsuddin Sialvi |date=1993 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=204 |isbn=978-0-19-563077-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=11tuAAAAMAAJ&q=ali+shah}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Disciples of Khwaja Shamsuddin Sialvi |url=https://sialsharif.org/khawaja-Muhammad-shamsuddin-sialvi-ra.html |website=Sial Sharif}}</ref> His biography ''Meher-e-Muneer'' records that he was also made a [[Tariqa|Khalifa]] by [[Imdadullah Muhajir Makki|Haji Imdadullah]], when he visited the latter in [[Mecca]]. ==== Ibn Arabi ==== Shah was a supporter of [[Ibn Arabi]]'s ideology of [[Sufi metaphysics|Wahdat-ul-Wujood]] but he made a distinction between the creation and the creator (as did Ibn Arabi).<ref>''Mulfuzaat -e- Mehrya'' by Meher Ali Shah</ref> He also wrote explaining the "Unity of Being" doctrine of [[Ibn Arabi]].
Like his comrade [[Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad]], he was an authority on [[Ibn Arabi]] and his 37-volume work ''[[Ibn Arabi#Works|The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya)]]''.
In 1933, Shah was absorbed in his meditation and mystic trances. That year the philosopher [[Muhammad Iqbal]] had to give a lecture at Cambridge University on Ibn Arabi's concept of Space and Time. He wrote a letter to the Shah stating that now there was nobody in all of [[Hindustan]] whom he could consult in this matter, and requesting him to tell about Ibn Arabi's work. The Shah however, due to his meditation and bad health, could not reply.<ref>"Mehr Muneer" a Biography of Meher Ali shah by Maulana Faiz Ahmed</ref> [[File:Iqbal letter to Pir Meher Ali.jpg|center|thumb|Printed copy of [[Muhammad Iqbal|Iqbal's]] letter.]] === Shi'as === Among his lesser-known yet significant works is ''Tasfiah Mabain Sunni wa Shi'ah'' ("Clarification Between Sunni and Shia"), a theological treatise composed in Persian. In this work, Shah sought to delineate the doctrinal distinctions between the Sunni and [[Shia Islam|Shia]] traditions while maintaining a scholarly tone that aimed to reduce sectarian animosity.<ref name="TasfiahBook">{{cite book |last=Shah |first=Pir Meher Ali |title=Tasfiah Mabain Sunni wa Shi'ah |language=ur |publisher=Ghausia Library |quote=This book, the last of Hazrat's writings in prose, represents an effort by him to amicably resolve the age‑old schism between the Sunni and Shi’ah sects... }}</ref> Though he strongly refuted Shia theological positions—particularly those concerning the [[Imamate]] and the early Caliphs—his criticism was framed as part of an intellectual and religious dialogue rather than a hostile polemic.<ref name="AliBinUsman">{{cite book |last=Khan |first=Syed Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman |title=Mihr-e-Munir |year=1976 |publisher=Idara Faizan-e-Meheria |quote=Pir Meher Ali Shah was known for his firm adherence to Sunni orthodoxy, yet his engagement with other schools such as Shia Islam was rooted in scholarly rebuttal rather than inflammatory polemic.}}</ref> == Death and legacy == [[File:Pir meher ali shah sahib.jpg|thumb|Shah [[sahib]] sitting on his [[charpai]] with a [[misbaha]] in hand]]In the early part of the month of Safar 1356-A.H (April 1937), he had an attack of cold, which soon developed into typhoid fever, which lasted for several days. His condition grew worse during the last days of Safar. On the morning of 29 Safar (11 May 1937), the pulse became irregular and the body temperature also underwent sudden changes. Just before the arrival of the final irrevocable moment, he pronounced the words “[[Allah]]” from the deepest recesses of his heart in a manner which sent a shudder throughout his body from head to foot, and the reverberation of which was felt by every one who happened to touch the body. The next moment, he repeated the word “Allah” a second time and then turned his head towards the [[Qibla]], thus signaling that the end had finally come.<ref>{{cite book|title=Mihr-e-munīr|page=296|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PXXAAAAMAAJ|last1=Ahmad |first1=Faid |last2=Khān |first2=Muhammad Fāḍil |year=1998 }}</ref>
His three-day [[Urs]] (annual death anniversary) is held every year from 27th to 29th [[Safar]]. Thousands of devotees come from all over Pakistan to visit the tomb of this early twentieth century Punjabi mystic [[sufi]] poet, Pir Meher Ali Shah.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/3436/yesterday-once-more/ |title=Yesterday once more |author=Umer Draz |website=The Express Tribune (newspaper)|date=7 April 2010|access-date=22 November 2019}}</ref>
[[File:Golra Sharif - 2025.jpg|thumb|The grave of Pir Meher Ali Shah]]
==Books == The following is a list of notable books authored by Pir Meher Ali Shah:
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Urdu Title !! English Translation !! Description |- | تحقیق الحق فی کلمۃ الحق || ''Investigation of Truth in the Word of Truth'' || A theological treatise originally written in Persian defending the doctrine of [[Tawhid|Tawḥīd]] and [[Wahdat al-wujūd|Wahdat-ul-Wujūd]], written in response to contemporary misinterpretations of Islamic creed. |- | شمس الھدایۃ || ''Sun of Guidance'' || A refutation of [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]]'s esoteric interpretations of the Islamic declaration of faith, particularly addressing doctrinal misuses. |- | سیفِ چشتیائی || ''The Sword of the Chishtiya'' || A polemical work answering Ahmadi arguments, especially those in ''Ijaz-ul-Masih'' and ''Shams-e-Bazighah'', defending traditional interpretations of Surah al-Fātiḥah and mainstream Sunni creed. |- | اعلاء کلمات اللہ فی بیان وما أُحلَّ به لغير اللہ || ''Exalting the Word of Allah and What Was Made Lawful for Others than Allah'' || A critical analysis of practices like offering sacrifice at shrines and the concept of intercession, aimed at clarifying boundaries of permissible belief in Islam. |- | الفتوحات الصمدیہ || ''Divine Bounties'' || A mystical discourse on divine truths and spiritual experiences, reflecting the author’s deep engagement with Sufism. |- | تصفیہ مبین سنی و شیعہ || ''Clarification Between Sunni and Shia'' || A theological discussion composed in Persian intended to highlight doctrinal differences and commonalities between Sunni and Shia schools of thought. |- | فتاوی مہریہ || ''The Mehria Legal Opinions'' || A compilation of Pir Meher Ali Shah’s Islamic legal rulings covering various aspects of jurisprudence and daily life. |- | مکلوٰظات مہریہ || ''Sayings of Mehria'' || A collection of spiritual aphorisms, advice, and discourses reflecting the author's moral and mystical teachings. |}
[[Category:Sufi literature]] [[Category:Urdu-language books]] [[Category:Sunni literature]] [[Category:Islamic texts]]
== Honors == *[[Pakistan Post]] issued a commemorative [[postage stamp]] in its Sufi saint series (2013) to pay tribute to him.<ref>{{cite news |title=Postage stamp on Pir Meher Ali Shah |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/445931-postage-stamp-on-pir-meher-ali-shah |agency=The News International |date=30 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pir Meher Ali Shah (Sufi Saint Series) Commemorative Postage Stamp July 30, 2013 |url=http://www.pakpost.gov.pk/stamps1/stampimage/PirMeherAliShah-2.JPG |publisher=Pakistan Post}}</ref> *[[Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University]] located at [[Murree Road]] [[Rawalpindi]] is named after him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php?StoryImage=05_01_2019_153_005 |author=Aamir Yasin|date=1 May 2019|website=Dawn (newspaper)|title=Arid varsity being run by deputy registrar after retirement of pro-VC |access-date=22 November 2019}}</ref>
== See also == *[[Naseer-uddin-Naseer]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote}} * [http://www.thelightofgolrasharif.com/Website/TheLightofGolraSharif/hazrat/shajra_mehria.htm Family Tree]
{{Hanafi scholars}} {{Maturidi}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meher Ali Shah}} [[Category:1859 births]] [[Category:1937 deaths]] [[Category:19th-century imams]] [[Category:19th-century Islamic religious leaders]] [[Category:19th-century Muslim scholars of Islam]] [[Category:19th-century poets]] [[Category:20th-century imams]] [[Category:20th-century Islamic religious leaders]] [[Category:20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam]] [[Category:Chishtis]] [[Category:Poets from Punjab, Pakistan]] [[Category:Hanafis]] [[Category:Maturidis]] [[Category:Metaphysicians]] [[Category:Punjabi Sufis]] [[Category:Punjabi Sufi saints]] [[Category:Punjabi Muslims]] [[Category:People from Punjab Province (British India)]] [[Category:Punjabi-language poets]] [[Category:Persian-language writers]] [[Category:Sufi shrines in Pakistan]] [[Category:Sunni fiqh scholars]] [[Category:Sunni imams]] [[Category:Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam]] [[Category:Critics of Ahmadiyya]] [[Category:Writers from Islamabad]] [[Category:Hasanids]]