Islamic Circle of North America

  

Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), formally chartered in 1971 but active since 1968, is an Islamic North American grassroots umbrella organizationIt is an offshoot of the Muslim Students' Association (MSA), was founded by immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, and its members are primarily of South Asian descent, primarily Pakistanis and IndiansIt is smaller and more conservative than the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), holding separate sessions at its national conventions for women In 2001 it would not allow the female vice mayor of the city where its convention was held to welcome the membership because some felt that a woman's voice is sexually seductive, but in 2002 it allowed a woman to address its annual convention for the first time Its headquarters are in Jamaica, New York, and includes classrooms, a reading room, and a small mosque, and it has offices in Detroit, Michigan, and Oakville, OntarioThe Message International (formerly "Tahreek"), begun in 1989, is ICNA's bi-monthly publication.Its major Dawah activities include a toll-free number for non-Muslims (1-877-WhyIslam), and dawah: field trips, distribution of Islamic literature, through mosques, by mail, through media, in prisons, campus support, flyers online, and through email. WhyIslam.org is an ICNA program. Since Why Islam (WI) was launched in April 2000, the website has been used to propagate a better understanding of Islam for the general public. Sound Vision was an ICNA division, established in 1988, that produces educational Islamic video and computer programs for children and adultsWhen the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy broke, ICNA condemned the depiction of any prophet, from Adam to Moses to Jesusn July 2002 Anwar al-Awlaki, believed to be a senior talent recruiter and motivator for al-Qaeda who had contact with three of the 9/11 hijackers, the Fort Hood shooter, and the Christmas Day bombing suspect (Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab), spoke at a joint ICNA/MAS convention in Baltimore with Siraj Wahhaj.^{[citation needed]} In fact, ICNA maintains that until 2007, many American Muslims enthusiastically listened to lectures by al-Awlaki. It also maintains that at that time al-Awlaki was "level headed.Anwar al-Awlaki was not accused at the time of having any links to extremism, terrorism, or violence. After evidence was brought against al-Awlaki in 2010, the ICNA Shariah Council strongly denounced al-Awlaki's views, actions, and connections to terrorism, repudiating his ideology as a "call of hate" and called upon American Muslims to reject al-Awlaki's views

to MohammedAs of 2002, a dozen mosques were affiliated with ICNA

Science in medieval Islam

Science in medieval Islam, also known as Islamic science or Arabic science, is the science developed in the Islamic world during the Islamic Golden Age (c.750 CE - c.1258 CE), During this time, Indian, Iranian and especially Greek knowledge was translated into Arabic. These translations became a wellspring for scientific advances, by scientists from the Islamic civilization, during the Middle AgesScientists within the Islamic civilization were of diverse ethnicities. Most were actually Persianas well as a great number of Arabs Moors, Egyptians and Turks^{[citation needed]}. They were also from diverse religious backgrounds. Most were Muslims but there were also some Christians^{[citation needed]} and Jews as well as Sabians,^{[citation needed]} ZoroastrThe term Islam refers to the religion of Islam, and also the Islamic civilization which formed around it Islamic civilization is composed of many faiths and cultures, although the proportion of Muslims among its population has increased over timeThe religion of Islam was founded during the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. After his death in 632, Islam continued to expand under the leadership of its Muslim rulers, known as Caliphs. Struggles for leadership of the growing religious community began at this time, and continue today. The early periods of Islamic history after the death of Muhammad can be referred to as the Umayyad CaliphatesDuring the Umayyad Caliphate, the Islamic empire began to consolidate its territorial gains. Arabic became the language of administration. The Arabs became a ruling class assimilated into their new surroundings across the empire, rather than occupiers of conquered territoriesians^{[citation needed]} and the irreligious

Arabic poetry

 

Arabic poetry (Arabic ash-shi`r(u) 'l-`arabiyu(u)) is the earliest form of Arabic literature. Present knowledge of poetry in Arabic dates from the 6th century, but oral poetry is believed to predate that. Arabic poetry is categorized into two main types, rhymed, or measured, and prose, with the former greatly preceding the latter. The rhymed poetry falls within fifteen different meters collected and explained by Al-Farahidi in what is known as “علم العروض” (The Science of Arood). Al-Akhfash, a student of Al-Farahidi, later added one more meter to make them sixteen. The meters of the rhythmical poetry are known in Arabic as “بحور” or Seas. The measuring unit of the “seas” is known as  (taf’ila) with every sea containing a certain number of taf’ilas that the poet has to observe in every verse (bayt) of the poem. The measuring procedure of a poem is very rigorous. Sometimes adding or removing a consonant or a vowel can shift the bayt from one meter to another. Also, in rhymed poetry, every bayt has to end with the same rhyme (qafiya) throughout the poem.

With the expansion of Islam into Persia, the Arabic language was greatly enriched by grammarians and writers of Persian descent. The new converts also made major contrThe pre-Islamic poetry is commonly referred to in Arabic as " or Jahili poetry, literally "the ignorant poetry". The first major poet in the pre-Islamic era is Imru' al-Qais, the last king of the kingdom of Kindah. Although most of the poetry of that era was not preserved, what remains is well regarded as the finest of Arabic poetry to date. In addition to the eloquence and artistic value, pre-Islamic poetry constitutes as a major source for classical Arabic language both in grammar and vocabulary, and as a reliable historical record of the political and cultural life of the time .Poetry held an important position in pre-Islamic society with the poet or sha'ir filling the role of historian, soothsayer and propagandist. Words in praise of the tribe (qit'ah) and lampoons denigrating other tribes (hija') seem to have been some of the most popular forms of early poetry. The sha'ir represented an individual tribe's prestige and importance in the Arabian peninsula, and mock battles in poetry or zajal would stand in lieu of real wars. 'Ukaz, a market town not far from Mecca, would play host to a regular poetry festival where the craft of the sha'irs would be exhibited.ibutions to Arabic poetry. In the 20th century, there has been a resurgence of Arabic literature and poetry, particularly in Algeria, Egypt,Northern Sudan, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine.

Islam in China

 

Throughout the history of Islam in China, Chinese Muslims have influenced the course of Chinese history Chinese Muslims have been in China for the last 1,400 years of continuous interaction with Chinese society Muslims live in every region in China as ChinaAccording to China Muslims' traditional legendary accounts, Islam was first brought to China by Sa'ad ibn abi Waqqas. As reported by Al-Bayaqi, the Islamic Prophet Muhammad pronounced: "Seek for knowledge even unto China" Chinese Muslims have been in China for the last 1,400 years of continuous interaction with Chinese society"Islam expanded gradually across the maritime and inland silk routes from the 7th to the 10th centuries through trade and diplomatic exchanges. is home to a large population of Muslims.Islam in China has a rich heritage. Islam was first introduced in China in 616-18 AD by Sahaba (companions) of Muhammad namely Waggas (Sad ibn abi Waqqas), Sayid, Wahab ibn Abu Kabcha and another Sahaba Wahab ibn abu Kabcha (Wahb abi Kabcha) might be a son of al-Harth ibn Abdul Uzza (known as Abu Kabsha). See the text: "The Prophet was entrusted to Halimah...Her husband was Al-Harith bin Abdul Uzza called Abi Kabshah, from the same tribe" It is noted in other accounts that Wahab Abu Kabcha reached Canton by sea in 629 CE.Sa`ad ibn Abi Waqqas along with three Sahabas, namely Thabit ibn Qays, Uwais al-Qarni (594-657), and Hassan ibn Thabit (554-674), went to China from Persia in 637 for the second time and returned by the Yunan-Manipur-Chittagong route, then reached Arabia by sea Some date the introduction of Islam in China to 650 AD which is the instance of third sojourn of Sad ibn abi Waqqas to ChinaSa`ad ibn Abi Waqqas, was sent as an official envoy to Emperor Gaozong which was his third sojourn during Caliph Uthman's era in 651 AD Throughout the history of Islam in China, Chinese Muslims have influenced the course of Chinese history.

Jamaat-e-Islam

 

The party was founded in British India on 26 August 1941 by Syedd Abul Ala Maududi as a movement to promote Islamic values and practices. It is not simply a religious or political party. It bears the logo from a verse in the Quran " Ud-Khulu Fis-Silmi Kaffa" meaning "Enter In Islam Full Fledge" - Take Islam as a complete way of life.This movement and its constitution has following major notable points: Human kind will find peace and growth only when it will accept and practice true teachings of God "Allah" in all spheres of its life, from individual level to national and international levels. These teachings are presented by prophets in different ages and Muhammad has left the last book of God - The Quran - in its original form and his personal teachings are recorded in different hadiths which are sufficient to establish a complete code of life.This movement will not adopt any illegal or underground means to come to power. It will educate people in the first course about real Islamic Values and participate in elections.With the support of common Pakistanis, the JI organized a movement in 1948 to convince government to initiate Islamic Constitution. As a result, The Constitution Preamble, commonly known as "Qaraardad e Maqasid" was approved by the national assembly which in principle accepts that all laws and amendments will be Islamic or made Islamic.The writings of Maududi gained a wide audience. It is to be noted that in JI no body asks for any position or responsibility. It is the movement which elects its top leadership to lead. On health grounds Mr. maududi excused to lead the movement in 1972 and requested the Top Elected Body of the movement "Shoura" to select someone else to perform the duties of Chief " Ameer".Liberal groups in Pakistan raised the question of whether the JI could be regarded as a political party or a subversive group. The Pakistani supreme court ruled in favor of the JI as a "legitimate political group". They became an opposition party from 1950-1977.By 1976 Jamaat's street power multiplied by 2,000,000 new entrants when it swore to organize marches to Islamabad for implementing Sharia. In 1977, Maududi cobbled together a grand alliance of rightist parties and launched a "civil disobedience campaign", leading to his arrest. So powerful had [Jamaat] become in Islamist ranks by then that the Sunni government of Saudi Arabia personally intervened to secure Maududi's release by dangling the specter of "revolution" in PakistanInitially supporting the incoming President of Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, they had conflicts with the decade-long Zia regime when he chose to ban student unions in 1988, including the ones under JI, such as the IJT. The IJT became major recruiting grounds for the ranks of the JI and they havoc the concept of student unionsIn their aggressive support for Islamization of Pakistan, they piloted the Sharia bill through the Pakistani Senate in 1986. Over the course of the 1990s their influence diminished somewhat. In the 1993 national elections, the JI captured only 3 seats in the national assembly.During the democratic interlude of 1988-99, the Jamaat continued to act as an "eternal opponent" of non-Islamic rulers, while grabbing power-sharing chances, especially under Nawaz Sharif The 1999 Pervez Musharraf coup was welcomed by the JI, but once Musharraf started reforms, they turned against him and started preaching radical Islamism, warning that "Pakistan's destiny lay in the Islamic revolution" and that party workers "were ready to sacrifice their lives for the cause of Almighty Allah and His Prophets"

Bismillah

 

 Basmala basmalah) or Bismillah  is an noun used as a collective name for the whole of therecurring Islamic phrase b-ismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi, It is sometimes transilated as "In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful". This phrase is recited before each sura, except for the ninth; according to others it constitutes the first verse of 113 suras/chapters of the Qur'an, and is used in a number of contexts by Muslims. It is recited several times as part of daily prayers, and is usually the first phrase in the preamble of theconstitutions of Islamic countries. It also forms the start of many dedication inscriptions on gravestones, buildings, and works of art, which go on to name theThe word basmala was derived from a slightly unusual procedure, in which the first four pronounced consonants of the phrase bismi-llāhi... were used as a quadriliteral consonantal root: b-s-m-l (This abstract consonantal root was used to derive the noun basmala and its related verb forms, meaning "to recite the basmala". The practice of giving often-repeated phrases special names is paralleled by the phrase Allahu Akbar, which is referred to as the "Takbir" (alsoTa'awwudh and others); this method of coining a quadriliteral name from the consonants of such a phrase is paralleled by the name Hamdala for Alhamdulillah.Recitation of the basmala is known as taIn the Qur'an the phrase is usually numbered as the first verse of the first sura but, according to the view adopted by Al-Tabari, it precedes the first verse. It occurs at the beginning of each subsequent sura of the Qur'an, except for the ninth (see, however, the discussion of the eighth and ninth chapters of the Qur'an at the eighth sura); it is not numbered as a verse except (in the most common system as of 2011 CE) in the first sura. TheBasmala occurs within the 27th sura in verse 30, where it prefaces a letter from Sulayman to the Queen of Sheba, Bilqis.smiyya 

deceased or the donor.

Pakpattan

 

Pakpattan  is the capital city of the Pakpattan District in the Sahiwal Divisionin the Punjab province of Pakistan. Pakpattan is one of the ancient cities of Pakistan. It is the city that has the shrine of the well-known Sufi of all times, Baba Fareed. Pakpattan is located 190 km from Lahore and is very close to Sahiwal (about 45 km).^{[citation needed]}Pakpattan is the ancient Ajoodhun or Ajj-u-dhan, which probably derived its name from the [Yaudheya] tribe (the modern Johiyas). Before it was named as Ajoodhun, some believe that it was called 'Katora'. Old city prior to Saint Farid was sacred to Hindureligion. Old city is established on a big mound called DHAKI meaning "something hidden'. This Dhaki is on higher altitude than the area around, there were gates to enter in the city. It is said that city was destroyed seventeen times in the history by great warriors. All times then after destruction a new city was built on the ruins of old city, because of this a big mond made up. From a very early date it was a place of importance, as the principal ferry across the Sutlej River and the meeting-place of the great western roads from Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan. The city was on the way to Multan State and Delhi Sultanate. All warriors were travelling from Multan to Dehli or Dehli to Multan were crossing this city. This city was important in the line of defence all the times. A road called "Dehli Multan Road' road was constructed by Sher Shah Suri. The Landmarks of Dehli Multan Road are still in use by Punjab Road Transportation Department. Anybody can read the mileage of Dehli and Multan at any time in all over the area, only present in modern times in this area. The fort defending the city was once captured by Sebüktegin in 977–78 and by Ibrahim Ghaznavi in 1079–80.According to Firishta, an old writer and historian, in 1079 its fort was conquered by Ibrahim Ghaznavi/Ibrahim Bin Masaud Ghaznavi The town owes its sanctity and modern name, 'the holy ferry', to the shrine of the great Muslim Sufi Fariduddin Ganjshakar Shaikh-ul-Islam, Farid-ul-Hakkwa-ud-Din, Shakar Ganj (1173–1265) which was visited by old great traveller and historian Ibn Batuta in 1334. The town was besieged by Shaikha; the Khokhar, in 1394, and in 1398 was visited by Timur, Mughal Emperor who spared much of the inhabitants as had not fled, out of respect for the shrine of the saint. It was the scene of two of Khizr Khan's victories over generals of the Delhi 1401 and 1405.

Sial Sharif

 

Sial Sharif is a village in the Sargodha District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in Sahiwal Tehsil and lies 48km (30 miles) away from the city ofSargodha, about midway on the Sargodha-Jhang road. Its population is about 1,100 people (1998)Sial Sharif is famous for the Sufi shrine of Khwajah Muhammad Shamsuddin Sialvi, popularly known as Pir Sial, who was a waliullah (saint) belonging to the Chishti order. His descendants, all of whom are believed to have reached the highest levels of sainthood (one of them is explicitly designated by the titleQutb-al-Aqtab), are also buried in the same shrine.Today the Khanqah (Zawya, i.e. Sufi convent) of Sial Sharif is counted among the foremost Chishti centres of the Punjab, and indeed of the whole Indian subcontinent. Many spiritual personalities are or have been associated with Sial Sharif. Most notably, Pir Meher Ali Shah of Golra Sharif, the famous saint of the 20th century, was a faithful murid (disciple) of Pir Sial of Sial Sharif. So was Pir Karam Shah Al-Azhari of Bhera Sharif.To this day, the Islamic spiritual tradition is very much alive in this (Nizami) branch of the Chishti order. Its barakah (spiritual influence, blessing) is experienced by tens of thousands of disciples and visitors. Every Friday, scores of devotees travel long distances just to attend the Jumu'ah prayer there and obtain some blessings from the Holy Shrine.Attached to the spiritual centre (referred to as Darbaar, i.e. court) at Sial Sharif there is also a religious school (madrasa). Many other religious schools and mosques, scattered thrHe was born in 1799 AD (1214 AH). He was born of a religious family in the Shahpur district of Punjab (now known as Sargodha distrcit), Hz Ali. The parents selected the name Shams al-Din for their newborn son. Later on, he became famous as Shams al-‘Arifin (the sun of the gnostics, i.e. those who possess true knowledge of Allah). This is an appellation by which the grand Shaykh of Siyal, Khawaja Muhammad Shams al-Din Siyalwi is known. He is Alwi by genealogy, being a descendant of the fourth Khalifah Ali Ibn Abi Talib (but not Fatimi).Long before his birth, a great saint of Multan, Ghaus Baha -ul-Haq Zakarya Multani, while traveling to Bhera, got down from his horse when he was right at the place where now the tomb of Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi is situated, and picked handful of soil and kissed it. His disciples were astonished by this gesture. Upon their insistence, he revealed to them that a Ghaus would be born there. He had become the hafiz-e-Quran (one who remembers Quran by heart) at the age of 7 years. He went to some of the renowned institutions to get religious education. He went as far as Kabul where he was awarded Sand-e-Hadith (certification of hadith). The most important of his journeys was toTaunsa Sharif (Distt. Dera Ghazi Khan), where he became a devotees (Mureed, Devoted follower) of Khawja Shah Suleiman TaunsviHe went to Mecca twice to perform pilgrimage (Hajj). He was a staunch follower of Quran and Sunnah. His teachings played an important role in reviving the spirit of Islam in Muslims after Christians Missionarys and oppression by Sikhs.oughout Pakistan, are affiliated to the Darbaar of Sial Sharif. The Darbaar at Sial Sharif is closely linked to many other spiritual centres, including the Darbar at Bhera Sharif.

Hazrat Usman

 `Uthman ibn `Affan

 

`Uthman ibn `Affan  (c. 579 – 17 July 656) was one of the companionsof Islamic prophet, Muhammad. He played a major role in early Islamic history as the thirdSunni Rashidun or Rightly Guided Caliph.`Uthman was born into the Umayyad clan of Mecca, a powerful family of the Quraish tribe. He was a companion of Muhammad who assumed the role of leader (caliph) of the Muslim Empire at the age of 70 following Umar ibn al-Khattab. Under his leadership, the empire expanded into Fars in 650 (present-day Iran), some areas of Khorasan (present-dayAfghanistan) in 651 and the conquest of Armenia was begun in the 640s Some of Uthman's notable achievements were the economic reforms he introduced, and the compilation of the Qur'an into the unified, authoritative text that is known today`Uthman was born in Ta’if, which is situated on a hill, and the presumption is that he was born during the summer months, since wealthy Meccans usually spent the hot summers in the cooler climate of Ta’if. He was born into the wealthy Umayyad (Banu Umayya) clan of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca, seven years after Muhammad. `UthmUthman was an early convert to Islam and is said to have spent a great amount of his wealth oncharity. On returning from a business trip to Syria in 611, `Uthman found out that Muhammad had declared his mission. After a discussion with his friend Abu Bakr `Uthman decided to convert to Islam, and Abu Bakr took him to Muhammad to whom he declared his faith. `Uthman thus became the fourth male to convert to Islam, after Ali, Zayd and Abu Bakr. His conversion to Islam angered his clan, the Banu Ummayyah, who strongly opposed Muhammad's teachings The only two people who supported `Uthman's decision were Saadi, one of his maternal aunts, and Umm Kulthum, who was his stepsister and who had also converted to Islam. Because of his conversion to Islam, `Uthman's wives deserted him, and he subsequently divorced them. Muhammad then asked `Uthman to marry his daughter Ruqayyah bint Muhammad.an's father, Affan, died young while travelling abroad but left a large inheritance to `Uthman. `Uthman followed the same profession as his father, and his business flourished, making him one of the richest men among the Qurayshi tribe

Best Poetry Muhammad Iqbal

 

Sir Muhammad Iqbal  (November 9, 1877 – April 21, 1938) was a Muslimpoet and philosopher born in Sialkot, British India (now in Pakistan), whose poetry in Urduand Persian is considered to be among the greatest of the modern era He is commonly referred to as Allama  Allama lit. Scholar).After studying in England and Germany, Iqbal established a law practice, but concentrated primarily on writing scholarly works on politics, economics, history, philosophy and religion. He is best known for his poetic works, including Asrar-e-Khudi—which brought aknighthood— Rumuz-e-Bekhudi, and the Bang-e-Dara, with its enduring patriotic songTarana-e-Hind. In Afghanistan and Iran, where he is known as Iqbāl-e Lāhorī (ل‎Iqbal of Lahore), he is highly regarded for his Persian works.Iqbal was a strong proponent of the political and spiritual revival of Islamic civilization across the world, but specifically in India; a series of famous lectures he delivered to this effect were published as The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam. One of the most prominent leaders of the All-India Muslim League, Iqbal encouraged the creation of a "state in northwestern India for Indian Muslims" in his 1930 presidential address Iqbal encouraged and worked closely with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and he is known as Muffakir-e-Pakistan ("The Thinker of Pakistan"), Shair-e-Mashriq ("The Poet of the East"), andHakeem-ul-Ummat ("The Sage of the Ummah"). He is officially recognised as the "nationMuhammad Iqbal was born on November 9, 1877 in Sialkot, in the Punjab province of British India in what is now Pakistan. During the reign of Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan—according to scholar Bruce Lawrence—Iqbal's Kashmiri Pandit ancestors from Kashmir had converted toIslam. According to some sources: "The family had migrated from Kashmir where Iqbal's Brahmin ancestors had been converted to Islam." Iqbal often wrote about his being "a son of Kashmiri-Brahmins but (being) acquainted with the wisdom of Rûm and TabrizIqbal's father, Nur Muhammad, was a tailor who lacked formal education, but who had great devotion to Islam and Sufism and a "mystically tinged piety. Iqbal's mother was known in the family as a "wise, generous woman who quietly gave financial help to poor and needy women and arbitrated in neighbor's disputes. After his mother's death in 1914, Iqbal wrote an elegy for heWho would wait for me anxiously in my native place?Who would display restlessness if my letter fails to arrivI will visit thy grave with this complaint:Who will now think of me in midnight prayers?All thy life thy love served me with devotion—When I became fit to serve thee, thou hastdepartedal poet" in Pakistan. The anniversary of his birth - Yōm-e Welādat-e Muḥammad Iqbāl) on November 9 is a holiday in Pakistan.

Muslim Map

 

 The term Muslim world (also known as Ummah) has several meanings. In a religious sense, it refers to those who adhere to the teachings of Islam, referred to as Muslims. In a cultural sense, it refers to Islamic civilization, inclusive of non-Muslims living in that civilization. In a modern geopoliticalsense, the term usually refers collectively to Muslim-majority countries, states, districts, or towns. Muslims number between 1.2 and 1.6 billion people, or roughly one-fifth of mankind, and are spread across many different nations andethnic groups.Islam emphasizes unity and defense of fellow Muslims, although many schools and branches (see Shi'a–Sunni relations, for example) exist. In the past both Pan-Islamismand nationalist currents have influenced the status of the Muslim world.Current reports from various sources have estimated that 1.2 to 1Muslim history involves the history of the Islamic faith as a religion and as a social institution. The history of Islam began in Arabia with the Islamic prophet Muhammad's first recitations of the Qur'an in the 7th century. Under theRashidun and Umayyads, the Caliphate grew rapidly geographically expansion of Muslim power well beyond the Arabian Peninsula in the form of a vast Muslim Empire with an area of influence that stretched from northwest India, across Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, southern Italy, and the Iberian Peninsula, to the Pyrenees.During much of the 20th century, the Islamic identity and the dominance of Islam on political issues have arguably increased during the early 21st century. The fast-growing Western interests in Islamic regions, international conflicts and globalization have changed the influence of Islam on the world in contemporary history.57 billion Muslims populate the world, or about 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion with around 62% in Asia-Pacific, 20% in the Middle East and North Africa, 15% in Sub-Saharan Africa and around 2% in Europe & Americas.

Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad

 

 Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad (, was an eminent legal scholar of Qur'an, Hadith, and the Hanafi school of Islamic law . As a master of all the branches of contemporary knowledge of Islam, he was an acknowledged authority on Muslim jurisprudence. He was also a Sufi saint of Chishti Order, and perhaps the only Suf in the Indian subcontinent who did not establish the 'Khanqah,"Darbar or Astana ‘Aliy and forbade his descendants not to establish Dargah after his death and made a will to bury him in the ordinary grave. He was against all the practices resulting in undue homage to the tombs and graves of sufis and saints. He believed that Islam was corrupted by sufism, pantheism, theology (Kalam), philosophy and by all sorts of superstitious beliefs. Belonging to a qadi's family which had, since the 16th century, been prominent among the landed aristocracy of the Soon Valley, he adopted 'Faqr' (spiritual poverty and 'Darwayshi' (asceticism. Unlike other pirs of Punjab he did not change his monkish cap to lordly turban. He waHe was born of famous qadi's family of Naushera, Soon Valley. He belonged to Awan (Pakistan) tribe of ancient repute. His full name was Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad al hashmi,al alwi, al hanafi. He was a descendant of Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph of Islam from Al-Abbas ibn Ali. In his ancestry we find great names, great scholars and sufis. On the maternal side, he was grand son of Qazi Kalim Alla, the famous Muslim qadi and jurist of Naushera in the time of Mughal Emperors. He got his early religious education from his learned father Hazrat Qazi Ghulam Muhammad. He learned, Qur'an, Hadith, Fiqh from him and mastered the Arabic and Persian grammar. He also received excellent education under his grandfather, who was a great scholar of Hanafi school of law. After completing his early education, he went to Sial Sharif and took the Bait (pledge of discipleship) at the hands of Hazrat Shams-ud-Din Sialvi of Sial Sharif. Through the training received from Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi, he learnt the fundamentals of sufism. He was much impressed by the spiritual attainments of Khwaja Shams-ud-din Sialvi who introduced him to mystic way of life and granted to him the spiritual insights. Under his training he had undergone or experienced mystic trances. He now came to see through illumination (Ishraq) what he had previously learnt theoretically from books. Having reached both formal and spiritual perfection, he returned to the practical world.s also a "Hakeem" (herbal medicine practitioner), but his greatness as a Hakeem and Sufi was eclipsed by his greatness as a jurist.

Pir Meher Ali Shah

 

 Hazrat Pir Syed Meher Ali Shah Gilani (Urdu:  was born 14 April 1859 (1Ramadan, 1275 A.H.) in Golra Sharif,^[ which is located midway between Rawalpindi andIslamabad, in present-day Pakistan. The time just before his birth saw the Indian Rebellion of 1857 fought between the British and the sepoys allied with seven of the Princely states. He is renowned as a Sufi saint, a great Hanafi scholar upholding the position of Hazrat Abdul Haqq Muhaddith Dehalvi, and especially for being at the forefront of the anti-Ahmadiyya movement. He wrote several books, most notably Saif e Chishtiyai, (The Sword of theChishtis), a polemical work regarding the unorthodoxy and the heresy of the Ahmadiyyamovement of Mirza Mehr Ali received his early education about the Qur'an at his family khanqah (Sufi hospice) and was given classes in Urdu and Persian in the local madrasah. He completed his intermediate level religious education here. His stay in this madrasah was for about two and a half years.After completing his education at Angah at the age of 15 from Mianwaddal family of Hafiz Rehmatullah, he decided to continue further studies in the United Provinces (U.P) of India. Therefore, Pir Meher Ali, in 1874 set out for higher education, to different parts of India such asKanpur, Aligarh and Saharanpur. His stay at Aligarh at the madrasah of Maulana Lutfullah of Aligarh was for two and a half yearsPir Meher Ali Shah reported that he loved seclusion since childhood, feeling uncomfortable in the midst of throngs of people, and finding deserted places serene. Quite often, he said, he would quietly leave the house at night after everyone else had gone to bed, and spend much of the night wandering the nearby wooded ravines. As he grew, he started experiencing a feeling of such unusual heat within his body that he was sometimes compelled — even on cold winter nights — to bathe in the ice-cold water of the canal, and also rub pieces of ice on his body. When he left his room late at night after finishing his studies, he used to experience the same kind of comfort from contact with the cold mountain air that a thirsty person normally derives from cool water at the height of summer. Sufis believe such heat is generated due to excessive amounts of Zikr or Dhikr, an Islamic practice that focuses on the remembrance of God.Ghulam Ahmad.