{"id":3863,"date":"2026-08-11T08:03:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T08:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/?p=3863"},"modified":"2026-08-11T09:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T09:16:09","slug":"sultan-muhammad-asghar-ali-r-a-the-master-of-spiritual-excellence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/sultan-muhammad-asghar-ali-r-a-the-master-of-spiritual-excellence\/","title":{"rendered":"Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali (R.A.): The Master of Spiritual Excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by: S. H. Qadri<\/em><\/p>\n

Spread of Islam and the Sufi Masters<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The dissemination and spread of Islam have, in every age, rested fundamentally on the shoulders of the devout, those we know as spiritual mentors or Sufis. The history of Muslims of every era makes it clear that sincerity and devotion have belonged only to those who were free of the contradictions between outward appearance and inward reality, in other words, free of hypocrisy. The hearts and tongues of the Sufi masters remain untouched by sectarian bias of any kind. They draw people closer to Allah, they honour and dignify human beings, and being themselves possessing a noble and generous spirit, they teach that same nobility of character to all who come closer them.<\/p>\n

Consider the example of the Subcontinent. Indo-Pak Subcontinent formed the most religiously diverse society anywhere in the world, home to the majority of the world’s faiths. To preach Islam here, and to protect this society from fragmentation and disorder, stands as the greatest achievement of the Sufi masters, one without parallel anywhere else. The millions of Muslims living across these lands today are not only descendants of migrants from Central Asia, or from Arabia but majority of them are the very local tribes who embraced Islam through the elevated character, the thought and conduct, and the spiritual breadth of heart that the Sufi masters exemplified in their finest tradition.<\/p>\n

The Military and Religious Services of the Alavi Awans in India<\/strong><\/h4>\n

According to historical accounts and genealogical records, the Awans trace their lineage to the Alavi and Hashimite line, connected to the Sadaat, meaning their genealogy reaches back to the very source of spiritual authority i.e., Honourable Ali ibn abi Talib (R.A.). Sultan Hamid, author of the book Manaqib-e-Sultani<\/em>, the earliest biographical sources of renowned Sufi Sultan Bahoo, records that the Awans descend from the pure lineage of Honourable Ali ibn abi Talib (R.A.). When the noble Sadaat, driven by various hardships, left their homeland and settled across different regions of today\u2019s Iran and Turkmenistan, the Awan tribe, being closely related to the Sadaat, became their companions and supporters through this difficult period. It was for this reason that their designation changed to Awan, from the Arabic word aun<\/em>, meaning help or support; in other words, those who came to the aid of the descendants of Honourable Bibi Fatima (R.A.). Their title shifted from Alavi and Hashimite to Awan.<\/p>\n

Passing through these same regions, the Awans made their way through Afghanistan and into the Indo-Pak Subcontinent, settling in the areas of Koh Pakhar, the Soon Sakesar valley, Koh Pathao, Kon Khon, and Kala Bagh. The ancestors of Honourable Sultan Bahoo settled in the town of Anga in the Soon Sakesar valley. His father later became the castellan of the fort at Shorkot during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, and the family settled there. Moreover, this family established a lasting example of religious and spiritual service and noble tradition.<\/p>\n

The Awan tribe were, by their very nature, unmatched in courage and valour, and they displayed this same bravery on their journey into the Subcontinent through Afghanistan. Honourable Sultan Bahoo’s father, Honourable Hafiz Bazaid Muhammad, was himself a pious man, a memoriser and scribe of the Glorious Qur’an, and a jurist of great standing, as well as a brave soldier. The episode in which he struck down Raja Marout, commander of a fort near Multan, still astonishes even the greatest of warriors to this day.<\/p>\n

Sultan Bahoo: Life and Spiritual Status<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sultan Bahoo was born in 1039 AH and passed away in 1102 AH (1629 to 1691 CE). He was born in Shorkot, a tehsil of Jhang district. His mother, Bibi Rasti, was counted among the pious spiritual personalities of her time. She had been informed through divine revelation that a Sufi master would soon be born from her womb, one who would fill the entire earth with his radiant grace and with mysteries of divine knowledge, and that she should name him Bahoo, and so she did.<\/p>\n

According to Manaqib-e-Sultani<\/em>, the earliest and most authentic account of his life, Sultan Bahoo, upon reaching maturity, reached the presence of the Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa) through the mediation of Honourable Ali ibn Abi Talib (R.A.). There, the Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa) took his spiritual oath (bay\u2019at<\/em>) and entrusted him to the great Sufi master Honourable Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani. Upon receiving him, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani immediately commanded him to guide and instruct the creation.<\/p>\n

Sultan Bahoo, foretelling the saint who was yet to come, declared:<\/p>\n

\u0686\u0691\u06be \u0686\u0646\u0627\u06ba \u062a\u06d2 \u06a9\u0631 \u0631\u064f\u0634\u0646\u0627\u0626\u06cc \u0630\u06a9\u0631 \u06a9\u0631\u06cc\u0646\u062f\u06d2 \u062a\u0627\u0631\u06d2 \u06be\u064f\u0648<\/p>\n

“<\/em>Rise O Moon and shine, the stars are engaged in Your \u2018Dhikr<\/em>\u2019 (Remembrance) – Hoo“<\/em><\/p>\n

In the following discussion, we will recount the radiance of that very moon, the one who made the blessing of the Personal Name of Allah (Ism Allah Dh\u0101t<\/em>) known to all, the full moon of spiritual excellence (faqr<\/em>), founder of the Islahee Jamaat, the Master of Spiritual Excellence (Sultan-ul-Faqr<\/em>), Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali.<\/p>\n

Sultan Muhammad Abdul Aziz<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The father and spiritual master (murshid<\/em>) of Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali, Sultan Muhammad Abdul Aziz, was the eighth-generation descendant of Sultan Bahoo. He was born in 1909. Even his own arrival in the world had been foretold in advance, for his father, Sultan Fateh Muhammad, had had no son until then. Through the special spiritual favour of Sultan Bahoo and a singular divine sign, his father was given the ecstatic news of his birth in advance. Though born a friend of Allah, he nonetheless completed the spiritual path (sul\u016bk<\/em>) according to prophetic tradition under the supervision of Sultan Muhammad Bahadur Ali Shah.<\/p>\n

Such was his speech that nothing beyond Allah and the Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa) was ever discussed by him. The trials faced by spiritual wayfarers under his mentorship were so demanding that in the early years, starvation was common. His humility was such that he laid the very foundations of his own spiritual master’s shrine with his own hands, and such was his regard for propriety that he never once, in his entire life, turned his feet toward his master’s court out of disrespect.<\/p>\n

When the Pakistan Movement was underway, he was a young man, already a recognised scholar of his age, and he lent his full support to the cause. His disciples, also, actively supported the Pakistan Movement. In recognition of his services to the Pakistan Movement, the Tehreek-e-Pakistan Workers Trust and the Idara-i-Nazaria-i-Pakistan jointly conferred upon him the Tehreek-e-Pakistan Gold Medal, received on the family’s behalf by his grandson, Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Ali, from the hands of the late Majeed Nizami, a towering figure in Pakistani journalism, and then Chief Minister of Punjab.<\/p>\n

The Birth of the Master of Spiritual Excellence<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali was the ninth-generation blessed descendant of Sultan Bahoo. He was born on the twenty-seventh of Ramadan, at the hour before dawn, at the radiant shrine of Sultan Bahoo in Jhang district. His blessed birth was on the very same day when freedom was achieved by the Muslims of the Subcontinent, and the state of Pakistan came into being.<\/p>\n

Following his early education, his outward and inward training was personally overseen by his father, Sultan Muhammad Abdul Aziz, who kept him under his own supervision throughout every stage of his intellectual and spiritual development.<\/p>\n

A Birthday Shared with Independence Day<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali was born on a blessed Friday, corresponding to the twenty-seventh of Ramadan, the Night of Destiny, at the hour before dawn. There is no doubt whatsoever that this same day marked the first day of freedom for the Muslims of India and the creation of Pakistan. By the reckoning of that time, this day was the fifteenth of August 1947, and Pakistan’s founding was, in its earliest years, likewise commemorated on the fifteenth of August before the observance was later moved to the fourteenth. Since Independence Day is now celebrated on the fourteenth of August, the joyous occasion of his birth is celebrated on that same date as well.<\/p>\n

The point in recounting this is that the birth of Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali, coinciding with the birth of this divinely granted nation, was no mere accident, but rather the unfolding of a great and deliberate design of divine wisdom.<\/p>\n

Early Life and Spiritual Training<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sultan Muhammad Abdul Aziz had four sons. As both father and perfect spiritual master, he instructed all four in innermost knowledge and acquainted them with the mysteries of gnosis (ma\u2019rifat<\/em>). Yet he felt a natural closeness to Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali, and kept him especially in his intimacy. Though he remained enrolled in school, his father enriched him with innermost knowledge through his own perfected spiritual gaze. In 1979, Sultan Muhammad Abdul Aziz took him to the sacred shrine of his own spiritual master, Sultan Muhammad Bahadur Ali Shah, and there formally took his spiritual oath, bestowing upon him divinely appointed spiritual succession (khil\u0101fat<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Both before and after this oath, Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali carried out every form of service for his beloved spiritual master. At one point, his father had assigned this duty to one of his disciple, who would rise at four in the morning, pray the pre-dawn prayer (tahajjud<\/em>), and then prepare and bring tea to his presence. When this disciple failed on occasion to deliver it on time, Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali humbly requested that the duty be entrusted to him instead, and he carried it out without interruption for twelve years. On the thirteenth of April 1981, Sultan Muhammad Abdul Aziz passed on to his Creator.<\/p>\n

Horsemanship<\/strong><\/h4>\n

From childhood, at the direction of his own beloved spiritual master, Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali took to horsemanship and tent pegging. He learned both disciplines directly under his father’s guidance and became a horseman of great distinction, taking part in tent pegging tournaments across the country. He founded a large club under the name of the Muhammadiyah Haideria Sultania Awan Club of Pakistan, which he stewarded for the rest of his life, thereby preserving and nurturing this cultural heritage. Through this pursuit, he drew close those who would not ordinarily heed the message of truth delivered in mosques and religious gatherings, using the game as a means to bring them closer and to guide them toward moral and spiritual reform.<\/p>\n

This humble writer could never have understood the purpose behind the arrangements of the founder of the Edifying Movement (Islahee Jamaat<\/em>), may Allah have mercy on him, had it not been for Allah’s grace, and had this writer not spent nine years pursuing advanced study of Hadith and Qur’anic exegesis at the country’s great religious seminaries, followed by higher education at leading universities that provided insight into society itself. For when we look into the accounts and biography of the Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa), we find an entire chapter devoted to precisely this same blessed pattern: that the Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa) would frequently attend the fairs held around Mecca, seeking out good and receptive people to invite them to divine outreach. Those who were present at the first and second pledges of Aqabah had themselves travelled from Madinah to Mecca to attend gatherings of exactly this kind. The Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa) would regularly attend these cultural fairs of Arabia, and there deliver the call to Islam. The founder of the Edifying Movement likewise attended these very same equestrian gatherings in this same spirit, and I know of many elders and young people to this day who have devoted themselves entirely to inviting people to the true spiritual path, whose connection and love for him first began on the grounds of tent pegging tournaments. We also know of many others in whom a devotion to faith was first awakened by him at these very cultural gatherings. From this we may also draw the lesson that culture is, in no way, an obstacle to reform and to faith, provided that the one extending the invitation possesses firm conviction within his own heart.<\/p>\n

I would like to offer here, as a testimony to this very point, a passage from a longtime companion of Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali in these tent pegging tournaments, a professor of psychology belonging to a well-known political family of Khushab, Malik Akbar Hayat Awan. Reflecting on this aspect of his character, he remarked:<\/p>\n

“The first thing to understand is why tent pegging became necessary at all. He was a perfect Sufi and people like us, who tend to wander astray, need some pretext or another to be drawn close so that we might be guided back onto the right path. This would happen at ordinary fairs or during hunts; I myself accompanied him both on hunts and in tent-pegging, and the greatest need it served was this, that it became a means of drawing close those whose inclinations did not naturally lean that way. At these fairs and hunts, worldly men such as ourselves would be drawn near, and we certainly benefited from it.” (Mirat-ul-Arifeen International, October 2015)<\/p>\n

It is rightly said, therefore, that any act of a spiritual master is never without wisdom.<\/p>\n

The Founding of the Edifying Movement<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A quarter of a century ago, when the founder of the Edifying Movement, Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali, withdrew into solitude for reflection, no one imagined how far-reaching the values of that contemplation would prove for the reform of Muslim society in Pakistan. He invited his disciples and devotees to join him. In 1987, he organised the Anjuman Ghausia Azizia Haq Bahoo Sultan Pakistan wa Aalam-e-Islam, and subsequently established the Edifying Movement (Islahee Jamaat).<\/p>\n

He would often say, regarding the future of this sacred organisation, that this work had not begun by his own will, but by the will of those of the sacred shrine, meaning the Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa) himself, and that he alone was its true guardians, while he was merely in his service. He often recounted that the command to run the Edifying Movement, along with its entire structure, had been given to him directly by Sultan Bahoo, and that every decision concerning the Movement was made only in accordance with the wishes of the sacred shrine and its household.<\/p>\n

The spiritually trained members of the Edifying Movement, most of whom were young men, received training along particular lines from him that gave this organisation a unique standing across the country. Among its distinguishing features were the following. It was the first organisation of its kind nationwide to spread the teachings of the spiritual masters in the light of Qur’an and Sunnah. It was built upon complete trust in Allah and unwavering certainty. Alongside the remembrance of the Personal Name of Allah (Ism Allah Dh\u0101t<\/em>), instruction in its underlying philosophy was provided. A regular course of study in the Glorious Qur’an and in the refined writings of Sultan Bahoo was established. And such was the spirit of selflessness instilled within the organization that its members appeared to share, quite literally, one soul in two bodies, proof that whoever joined this fellowship, regardless of geography, colour, or lineage, found every distinction dissolved among them.<\/p>\n

He disapproved of the old custom common to traditional spiritual orders of granting the cloak of spiritual succession to every unworthy claimant. Instead, he established institutions to make the blessing of the Glorious Name (Ism A’zam<\/em>) freely available to all. During his lifetime, he granted spiritual succession to a few individuals within Sultan Bahoo’s own family, while outside the family, he considered only a single person worthy of that honour, Mian Muhammad Ziauddin. Beyond him, he permitted no one else to take a pledge of allegiance or to receive instruction in remembrance.<\/p>\n

The Founding of Aalmi Tanzeem ul Arifeen and Love for the Kashmiri People<\/strong><\/h4>\n

For thirteen years, the Edifying Movement carried out the work of self-reformation and purification of the heart. Then, in the final decade of the twentieth century, to resist the growing cultural assault of Islam’s adversaries and to assist Muslims who had become its target, Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali established a branch of this same sacred organisation, the Aalmi Tanzeem ul Arifeen (International Organization of Gnostics), founded on the twenty-sixth of December 1999, corresponding to the seventeenth of Ramadan 1420 AH. He remained, in particular, deeply grieved by the mounting atrocities inflicted by India upon the Muslim youth, children, elders, mothers, sisters, and daughters of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and he constantly urged that they be given every form of help and support.<\/p>\n

Al-Arifeen Publications<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In 2000, he laid the foundation of Al-Arifeen Publications, which represents the developed form of the publishing and distribution wing of the Anjuman Ghausia Azizia Haq Bahoo Sultan Pakistan wa Aalam-e-Islam. Under it, subsidiary institutions such as Al-Arifeen Digital Production, the Al-Arifeen International Research Council, and the Al-Arifeen International Research Library have since been established. Through this publishing body, translations of the Persian and Arabic works of Honourable Sultan Bahoo and other Sufis, along with reformist course books and pamphlets, have been published in numerous languages. Conveying the teachings of Sultan Bahoo to the general public in the simplest and most accessible language, while preserving their true spirit, remains the enduring and living achievement of Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali. He himself embodied these teachings in practice and made his followers travellers on this very path of guidance.<\/p>\n

The Monthly Magazine<\/strong>,<\/strong> Mirrat-ul-Arifeen<\/strong><\/h4>\n

That same year, 2000, he launched the monthly magazine Mirrat-ul-Arifeen International<\/em>. This magazine today enjoys the largest circulation of any magazine, based upon spiritual teachings, in Pakistan. The voice of the great effort toward Muslim unity and the guardian of Pakistan’s ideological and spiritual foundation, the magazine has also earned wide recognition for its fresh perspectives and modern research standards in the fields of spiritual excellence, Sufism, and the study of Sultan Bahoo’s teachings, and this stands only as the beginning of its journey.<\/p>\n

The Dar-ul-Uloom Ghausia Azizia Anwar-e-Haq Bahoo (Seminary)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In 1992, at the elevated seat of Sultan Muhammad Abdul Aziz, Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali (R.A.) inaugurated the Ghausia Azizia Anwar-e-Haq Bahoo Seminary (Dar-ul-Uloom Ghausia Azizia Anwar-e-Haq Bahoo Sultan<\/em>) for the dissemination and teaching of religious studies. To this day, numerous instructors continue to serve there in the fields of Qur’anic memorisation and instruction. A large number of memorisers of the Qur’an (huffaz<\/em>) and scholars of religious studies have graduated from this seminary to render teaching, legal, and missionary services. Affiliated branches of this institution, operating under the same organisation’s platform, continue to teach the Qur’an, Hadith, and both the rational and transmitted Islamic sciences in other cities across the country.<\/p>\n

Continuous Effort and the Training of the Youth<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Few of chosen spiritual masters have come into this world possessing the ability to shape the character of ordinary people through their gaze alone, leaving upon their hearts an eternal, divinely destined impression. Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali is counted among such rare figures, one who won over the hearts of those who had lost their way and set them upon the right path. Unlike traditional spiritual guides who confine themselves solely to the role of master and disciple, he demonstrated practical wisdom and knowledge of a kind that left the human intellect astonished.<\/p>\n

Instilling Adherence to the Islamic Divine Law (Shari\u2019ah<\/em>)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

However great his suffering, he never once missed the congregational prayer, and even in conversation with his companions, he never revealed his own illness. In a condition where an ordinary patient in pain would grow visibly distressed, no such thing was ever seen in him. His devotion to the pre-dawn prayer and to congregational prayer remained unwavering, whether travelling or in hospital. Throughout all the time, this writer spent in his company, even during hunting expeditions lasting several days, he never once missed a congregational prayer. Those who witnessed this could not help but be moved, for never before had they seen a huntsman of this kind. Hunters typically come, hunt, and leave without ever being seen at prayer, yet here, hunting itself was conducted in congregation and strictly within the bounds of the Islamic Divine Law. He made unwavering adherence to the pure Islamic Divine Law a foundational requirement for every member of the Edifying Movement. For anyone seeking to understand the practical demands of a truly devout Sufi’s life, his own blessed life remains the finest measure.<\/p>\n

Exalted Morality<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Whoever came to see Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali (R.A.) was received with warm affection and given complete attention. It was his customary practice to remain available for visitors until midnight or once in the morning, and he stayed awake and alert until that concluding hour with unwavering devotion, whether at the sacred residence or elsewhere, since companions of the Movement, disciples, and visitors continued arriving to see him all the while. Only after hearing them out and attending to their needs would he finally rest. He embraced and greeted every guest who came to the sacred residence, and he would ask after the companions present with such warmth that it seemed as though they had not met in a long while.<\/p>\n

Love for the Glorious Qur’an<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Ali has described his father’s devotion to teaching the Qur’an in these words:<\/p>\n

“He most often taught commentary Noor-ul-Irfan<\/em> both at home and to your disciples. He also had another blessed custom, that he would listen to the Glorious Qur’an recited by Qari Ghulam Rasul, (may Allah shower him with mercy) , alongside the translation delivered by the distinguished Wajih ul Seema Irfani Sahib, in the company of various scholars, including Sultan Muazzam Ali, Haji Muhammad Nawaz, Mufti Salih Muhammad, and Mufti Ishfaq Ahmad. When the translation of the Qur’anic verses was provided, the recitation would pause, and these scholars would offer their commentary, sometimes continuing through the entire night in discussion of the Glorious Qur’an. The devotees present would sit, listen, and ask questions, and he would explain to them the secrets and mysteries of the Qur’an, particularly its inner, esoteric meanings.”<\/p>\n

Love for the Ulama<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali (R.A.) held religious scholars in boundless esteem, personally travelling to meet and invite them. Each year, he undertook a special tour across the country, holding a grand celebration of the birth of the Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa) (milad\/mawlid<\/em>) at the district level. He invited Pakistan’s most eminent and distinguished scholars with genuine warmth, listened to their addresses with the deepest appreciation, and praised them in the most affectionate terms. He consulted senior scholars and spiritual elders regarding the organisation and the Jamaat with great respect. Every year, on the twelfth and thirteenth of April, he personally invited renowned scholars and spiritual leaders from across the country to a grand milad<\/em> gathering in honour of the Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa), offering them guidance and, upon request, bestowing on them the blessing of the Glorious Name of Allah.<\/p>\n

The Sacred Mosque<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The life of Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali (R.A.) conceals within it thousands of secrets across every facet, and the story of the sacred mosque’s construction alone could fill volumes. He personally oversaw every detail of the mosque’s construction, down to each stone, even travelling to Karachi himself to select and purchase the marble. Many of the engineers and consultants who visited were astonished by its design and craftsmanship. A retired civil engineer from Lahore, upon examining the mosque, sat holding his head in wonder and asked what marvel of design this was. He was told that no architect but Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali himself had designed it, and, remarkably, that not a single brick had been used anywhere in its construction, stone alone having been used throughout. Even today, this mosque stands as an architectural model whose secrets of construction, upon close study, would reveal countless further mysteries. He had this magnificent and blessed mosque built with exceptional beauty, its entire interior, walls, and ceiling adorned with intricate mirror work, and he named it Noori Masjid.<\/p>\n

The Transfer of the Mantle (Dastaar<\/em>) of Spiritual Excellence<\/strong><\/h4>\n

On the fourteenth of April 2003, eight months and twelve days before his passing, following his final central milad<\/em> gathering in honour of the Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa), Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali (R.A.) travelled to the shrine of Sultan Bahoo. There, in the presence of Sahibzada Sultan Muhammad Ali, he personally transferred responsibility for the custodianship of the shrine, every retreat and spiritual lodge, the Islahee Jamaat, the Aalmi Tanzeem ul Arifeen, and Al-Arifeen Publications, along with both outward and inward spiritual succession, offering his own prayers of blessing and peace as he transferred it from his own blessed heart-to-heart to that of Sahibzada Sultan Muhammad Ali.<\/p>\n

For a moment, this appointment became a test of faith for his followers and devotees, but time proved that his decision had indeed been correct. His successor, in the very prime of his youth, cultivated by his own master’s hand, blossomed into full spiritual prime, proving that this present century belongs to the young, and that any young person who has crossed his path has become willingly devoted to him.<\/p>\n

The Passing of the Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali passed away on the twenty-sixth of December 2003, corresponding to the second of Dhul Qa’dah 1424 AH, on a Friday, at the hour before dawn, at seventeen past five in the morning, at the District Headquarters Hospital, D.I. Khan. On the same day, he was laid to rest in the blessed palace of Sultan Muhammad Abdul Aziz. His blessed life spanned fifty-six years, of which thirty-eight years were spent travelling in the service of conveying the message of the Word of Truth.<\/p>\n

Successor to the Master of Spiritual Excellence<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sahibzada Sultan Muhammad Ali was raised from childhood under the shelter and training of Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali. After completing his outward education, he entered his spiritual master’s service, and his master introduced him to the contemplation of the Personal Name of Allah (Ism Allah Dh\u0101t<\/em>). Having completed the full path of spirituality and gnosis (ma\u2019rifat<\/em>) under his guidance, he took on responsibility for the outward and inward training of the shrine’s visitors and spiritual desirous, as well as oversight of the intellectual, reformist, and missionary activities of the Edifying Movement.<\/p>\n

After the passing of Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali, his heir, Sahibzada Sultan Muhammad Ali, took up full responsibility for the Jamaat, its devotees, and its disciples with complete dedication, never once allowing them to feel his absence, sustaining their trust through his own faithful character.<\/p>\n

No individual’s presence in this world matters as much as the continuation of their mission once they are gone, and in this, Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali was truly fortunate. Those who, by destiny, inherited the mantle of spiritual excellence from him have carried his mission’s determination even further forward, fulfilling every hope his devotees rightfully held.<\/p>\n

An important personality’s arrival into or departure from the world is not as crucial as keeping their mission going is. Along with Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali, it is the good fortune of his followers’ destiny that the heir to his spiritual excellence (faqr<\/em>), Sahibzada Sultan Muhammad Ali is carrying this mission forward with the same passion and determination\u2014which his devotees rightly expected of him.<\/p>\n

Struggle for unity of ummah was the mission of Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali which is being carried forward by his sons with the same resolve. The structure of the family’s spiritual order has met the demands and challenges of modern life not merely with understanding but with practical solutions, without departing from its roots but with approach beyond traditional monastery system. This is fitting, for in the present age, material demands have grown considerably, and a revolution on spiritual foundations require a response robust enough to meet those material needs as well. In this same spirit of renewal, Sahibzada Sultan Muhammad Ali has established a modern research institute, the MUSLIM Institute, dedicated to advancing research and dialogue on the social, economic, political, and other dimensions of contemporary life.<\/p>\n

Concluding Message<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In today’s troubled times, no path appears capable of meeting the true challenges being faced by humanity other than through the vision and blessing of Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali. Yet the responsibility falls upon us to extend our own hands in service if we genuinely wish to work for the good of humanity. It is a mark of this movement’s completeness that it represents an ongoing unity within the traditional spiritual order, one in which the old debates surrounding Unity of Being (wahdat-ul-wujud<\/em>) and Unity of Witnessing (wahdat-ush-shuhud<\/em>), along with other longstanding disputes concerning Sultan Bahoo, have been resolved in the light of reasoned thought, raising instead the call for Unity of Purpose (wahdat-ul-maqsood<\/em>) above all such division. Beginning from the spiritual retreat of Sultan Bahoo, this movement has stood, in every field, against falsehood, launching a genuine struggle to establish true Divine Unity and the mission of the Exalted Prophet (\ufdfa).<\/p>\n

Amid the self-interest and turmoil of the present age, the availability of a spiritual platform such as the Islahee Jamaat and Aalmi Tanzeem ul Arifeen is a great blessing, entirely free of political bias or self-interest. It should not be dismissed as insignificant, for the mission of Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali in service to humanity is dedicated wholly to the relief and welfare of the suffering. In the end, his mission remains, even in this troubled age of materialism, a guiding light for humanity, without which no true success in this world or the next remains possible.<\/p>\n

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This article was originally published in Urdu in the Monthly Mirat-ul-Arifeen International Magazine, August 2016 issue. To cite the original article:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. H. Qadri. “Hazrat Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali (R.A.): Mukhtasar Ta’aruf.” Monthly Mirat-ul-Arifeen International<\/em>, August 2016. https:\/\/www.mirrat.com\/article\/22\/73<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Written by: S. H. Qadri Spread of Islam and the Sufi Masters The dissemination and spread of Islam have, in every age, rested fundamentally on the [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3863"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3872,"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3863\/revisions\/3872"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alfaqr.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}