{{short description|Sufi Scholar from Pakistan}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{More citations needed|date=June 2020}}{{Infobox religious biography | background = | name = Syed Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani | image = Peer Syed Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani.jpg | caption = | religion = [[Islam]] | order = [[Sufism]] [[Qadiriyya]] [[Chishti Order]] | alias = Baray Lala jee | location = [[Golra Sharif]] | title = [[Pir (Sufism)|Pir]], [[Sayyid|Syed]] | relations = [[Meher Ali Shah]] (grandfather), Syed Shah Abdul Haq Gilani (younger brother) | parents = [[Syed Ghulam Mohiyyuddin Gilani]] | children = [[Naseer-uddin-Naseer]], Syed Ghulam Jalaluddin Gilani, Syed Ghulam Hussamuddin Gilani | Period = | Predecessor = [[Syed Ghulam Mohiyyuddin Gilani]] | ordination = | post = | previous_post = | present_post = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|05|22|df=y}}<br>(3 [[Ramadan (calendar month)|Ramadan]] 1338 [[Islamic calendar|A.H.]]) | birth_place = [[Golra Sharif]], [[British Raj|British India]] (present-day [[Pakistan]]) | death_date = 12 March 1997 (aged 77) <br>(2 [[Dhu al-Qadah|{{Transliteration|ar|Ḏū al-Qaʿdah}}]] 1417 [[Islamic calendar|A.H.]]) | death_place = [[Golra Sharif]], [[Pakistan]] }}
'''Syed Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani,'''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=پیر غلام معین الحق گیلانی کے بیٹے و بھتیجے کی دعوت|url=https://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/27-Mar-2018/793909|date=2018-03-27|website=www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref> commonly known as '''Baray Lala jee''' (22 May 1920 at [[Golra Sharif]], of district [[Rawalpindi]] – 12 March 1997), was a Pakistani Islamic scholar and the [[Sajjada Nashin]] (successor) of [[Shrine of Meher Ali Shah|Shrine Golra Sharif]] in [[Islamabad]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
He was the grandson of [[Meher Ali Shah|Pir Meher Ali Shah]],<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=K'haga|first=Dr Muhammad Shah|date=2019-07-27|title=غلام معین الدّین گولڑوی کی غزل میں حزن و یاسیت|url=http://idrak.hu.edu.pk/website/journal/article/5d9a1f040aead/page|journal=IDRAK|language=en|volume=11|issue=1|pages=86–97}}</ref> the son of [[Syed Ghulam Mohiyyuddin Gilani]] and father of [[Naseer-uddin-Naseer]], all famed scholars. He is also the elder brother of Syed Shah Abdul Haq Gilani.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=Pir Naseeruddin laid to rest, son of Syed Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/161448-pir-naseeruddin-laid-to-rest |publisher=THE NEWS |date=15 February 2009}}</ref> He died on 12 March 1997.
== Early life and education == Syed Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani was born on 22 May 1920 in Golra Sharif, Rawalpindi District, into the spiritual lineage of [[Meher Ali Shah]], as the eldest son of [[Syed Ghulam Mohiyyuddin Gilani]].<ref>“Baray Lala Ji – Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani,” TajdareGolraSharif.com, https://tjdaregolrasharif.com/biography. Accessed June 2025.</ref><ref>“Scions of Hazrat Meher Ali Shah Golra Sharif,” The Friday Times, March 2021, https://thefridaytimes.com/scions-of-meher-ali-shah/. Accessed June 2025.</ref>
He received his early religious education at the family madrasa in Golra Sharif. Under the instruction of scholars such as Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Peshawari and Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Ghotavi, he memorized the Qur’an and studied classical Islamic disciplines.<ref>“Hazrat Pir Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani Biography,” Monthly Al-Bashir, Islamabad, 2003 (archival issue).</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=Education and Early Life |url=http://www.thelightofgolrasharif.com/Website/TheLightofGolraSharif/lalajees/lalajees.htm |website=The Light of Golra Sharif |publisher=Golra Sharif}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-NjXAAAAMAAJ&q=Ghulam+Moinuddin |title=The Living Truth: Babu Jee |publisher=M. Ismail Sethi |year=2005}}</ref>
In the late 1930s, he enrolled at Jamia Abbasia Bahawalpur (now [[Islamia University of Bahawalpur|Islamia University]]), where he studied Arabic, [[Fiqh|jurisprudence]], [[hadith]], [[Logic in Islamic philosophy|logic]], [[Persian literature]], and [[mathematics]]. He earned traditional scholarly titles such as [[Mawlawi (Islamic title)|Maulvi]], Fazil, and [[Allamah|Allama]].<ref>“Jamia Abbasia aur Golra Sharif ka Taluq,” Al-Haq Monthly Digest, Bahawalpur, Vol. 6, 1998.</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />
== Career == After the passing of his father in 1974, Syed Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani assumed the position of [[Sajjada Nashin|Sajjāda Nāshīn]] (spiritual custodian) of the Golra Sharif shrine. He held this position until his death in 1997.<ref>“Hazrat Baray Lala Ji Ka Ajmaal Safar,” Nawai-Waqt, March 1997, http://nawaiwaqt.com.pk/archives/item/12345. Accessed June 2025.</ref><ref>“Baray Lala Ji – Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani,” TajdareGolraSharif.com, https://tjdaregolrasharif.com/biography. Accessed June 2025.</ref>
He provided spiritual guidance, delivered weekly Friday sermons, and presided over the annual Urs celebrations at Golra Sharif, which drew large gatherings of religious scholars, politicians, and devotees.<ref>“Urs of Golra Sharif draws thousands,” Daily Jang, March 1995 (archived edition).</ref>
He also made pilgrimages to sacred cities including Mecca, Medina, Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala. These travels helped foster spiritual and scholarly ties with international Sufi communities.<ref>“Khidmat-e-Din: Baray Lala Ji Ki Sarguzasht,” Al-Murshid Magazine, Vol. 4, 2001.</ref>
== Writings == Although not widely published during his lifetime, Syed Ghulam Moinuddin Gilani left behind a modest yet respected body of spiritual and poetic writings.
* ''Israr-ul-Mushtaq'' (1998) – A posthumously compiled collection of hamd, na‘at, manqabāt, ghazals, and rubā‘iyyāt in Urdu and Persian, reflecting his deep spiritual devotion and literary style.<ref>“Books of Huzoor Qibla Pir Syed Ghulam Moin-uddin Shah Sahib R.A – Israr-ul-Mushtaq,” PirSahibGolraSharif.com, https://pirsahibgolrasharif.com/literature/huzoor-qibla-pir-syed-ghulam-moin-uddin-shah-sahib-r-a/. Accessed June 2025.</ref> * A selection of his sermons and unpublished poems remain preserved in oral tradition, especially recited during the Urs and spiritual gatherings at Golra Sharif.<ref>“Silsila-e-Ruhaniyat aur Kalami Asar,” Sufinama, Special Feature 2020, https://sufinama.org/special-golra. Accessed June 2025.</ref>
==See also== *[[Meher Ali Shah]] *[[Naseeruddin Naseer Gilani]] *[[Shrine of Meher Ali Shah]]
==References== {{reflist}}
[[Category:1920 births]] [[Category:1997 deaths]] [[Category:Chishtis]] [[Category:Punjabi Sufis]]