Saint revered by people of all religions

Qalandar Lal Shahbaz, the great mystic of Sindh is revered by the people of all religions including Muslims, Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs and Christians

No Suif Saint has so greatly influenced the people of Sindh and other parts of Pakistan than Qalandar Lal Shahbaz. Imam of Shahbazia Qalandrya Order, he was not only a high ranking mystic but a philologist, poet and a scholar. Millions of people from all over the world flock to pay homeage to his shrine in Sehwan, Sindh, Pakistan every year.

Over half a million pilgrims from all over the world flock to Sehwan every year to celebrate the annual urs of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, which began on Monday. The saint is equally revered by all communities.

Mohammad Usman was born in 1143AD in Marand, a small town on the outskirts of Tabraiz in Iran, his father was Syed Ibrahim Kabeeruddin, a dervish. He was 13th in the lineage of Hazrat Imam Jaffar Sadique.

Lal Shahbaz had memorized the Holy Quran at the age of seven and after completion of his education he left home for Baghdad where he met Baba Ibrahim Karbalai and became his Mureed. Baba Ibrahim was the spiritual follower of Hazrat Jamal Mujjarad.

Lal Shahbaz attained Khilafat and received sacred gifts, including a stone, which was attributed to Hazrat Imam Zainul Abedin, from his Shaikh Baba Ibrahim. It is said to be the same stone that hangs on his tomb.

Following instructions from his shaikh, Lal Shahbaz left Baghdad for Sindh. Sindh's capital was Multan at that time and Prince Khan Shaheed was the governor. Like his father Ghayasuddin Bulban, Prince Khan Shaheed was a patron of dervishs and saints.

Khan Shaheed was so impressed by the saint that he begged him to stay in Multan. He even wished to construct a khanqah for him but Lal Shahbaz did not agree as he had decided to finally settle in Sehwan.

While travelling from Baghdad to Sindh, Lal Shahbaz graced various places for his 'chillakushi'. Among them the Panjgor valley of Makran where a place called Dasht-i-Shahbaz is famous. It said that many Baloch tribes became his followers there. Even Babar mentions Dasht-i-Shahbaz in his chronicles Babarnama.

In Multan, Lal Shahbaz met Hazrat Ghous Bahauddin Zakaria Multani of the Suhrwardia order, Baba Fareed Ganjshakar of Chishtia order, and Makhdoom Jahanian Surkh Bukhari.

The attachment was so cordial and spiritual that their friendship became legendary and they were known as Chahar Yar. According to some historians, the four friends visited various parts of Sindh and Punjab.

In Sindh, there are numerous places which are attributed to Lal Shahbaz's 'Chillakushi.' They include Shah Sadruddin's shrine in Sukkur, Manghopir in Karachi and Shah Gurio near Badin. These places show Lal Shahbaz's extensive travels throughout Sindh.

According to the British scholar and explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was not only a sufi of high rank but a scholar, philologist and expert in grammar and syntax.

In 1852, when Burton visited Sindh, two books, Mizan-i-Sarf and Sarf-i-Sagheer, were attributed to Lal Shahbaz. These two books were on the syllabus of madressahs. His Persian poetry is full of intoxication of the love of God.

I am Usman Marani, I am the friend of Khawaja Mansoor People may condemn me but I am dancing even at the gallows. Lal Shahbaz is considered imam of the Shahbazia Qalandria order, but followers of all sufi revere him equally.

From the memoirs of Ibn-i-Batuta to the biography of Hazrat Mian Mir written by Prince Dara Shikoh, there are numerous references to Lal Shahbaz, highlighting his influence and high stature in 'tassawauf'.

Almost all saints of Sindh including Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Makhdoom Bilawal, Makhdoom Jaffar Boobkai, Sachal Sarmast and Qadir Bux Bedal were devout followers of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

The saint died in 1252 AD in Sehwan. Lal Shahbaz's first shrine was constructed by Feroz Shah Taghlaq, then Mirza Jani Beg of the Tarkhan dynasty and Ghulam Shah Kalhoro made improvements and extensions in the shrine. Now the golden tomb of the newly-built shrine shines on the horizon of Sehwan and the blessings and spiritual light is making its way all over the country.

Hydariam, Qalandaram Mastam,
Banda-e-Murtaza Ali Hastam
Peshwa-i-Tamam Rindanum
Key Sag-i-Kooe Sher-i-Yazdanam