Indeed we consider a privilege to introduce one of the early biographies of His Holiness Hadzrat Pir Muhammad Amin ul Hasanat Shah Sahab. Before writing his biographical data we would like to draw attention on a particular aspect. 

In the book Mihr-e-Munīr, the biography of His Holiness Hadzrat Syed Pīr Meher Ali Jilani Shah, RA, written by Dr. Muhammad Fādzil Khan, the author introducing the essential features of his only son, His Holiness Hadzrat Ghulam Mohyuddīn Shāh nicknamed by his august father as “Bābūji” has written: “… In the Qādiriyah - … school and especially the Chishtiyah spiritual schools… - there has been a long-standing tradition of the son having proved himself to be a true successor of his father and brought honor to his spiritual throne. Among illustrious examples of this glorious tradition, the following names deserve special mention: Hadrat Muhammad s/o Hadrat Ahmad Abdāl; Hadrat Qutbuddīn Mawdūd s/o Hadrat Abū Yūsuf; Hadrat ‘Ilmuddīn s/o Hadrat Sirājuddīn; Hadrat Jamāluddīn Jamman s/o Hadrat Mahmūd Rājan; Hadrat Muhammad s/o Hadrat Hasan Muhammad and Hadrat Mawlānā Fakhrauddīn s/o Hadrat Nizāmuddīn of Awrangābād (mercy of Allāh be on them all)…”. Indeed we do not have any doubt that the same miracle has happened also in the case of His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul-Hasanat Shah Sahab. Moreover always quoting the above book (Mihr-e-Munīr) we feel that the following narration can be used to describe also the blessed person of His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul-Hasanat Shah Sahab. Dr. Muhammad Fādzil Khan narrates on the witness by the late Malik Khudā Bakhsh (RA) His Holiness Hadzrat Syed Pīr Meher Ali Jilani Shah (RA) one day saw Bābūji coming towards Golrā Sharif on  horseback from some other place, and made the following remark to him (i.e., Khudā Bakhsh): “I see Ghulām Mohyuddīn (i.e. Bābūji) coming back to Golrā”. He then added with a smile: “He is riding a galloping horse, but is simultaneously engaged in his own job (i.e., remembrance of Allāh) as well”. We have the feeling that whenever we see His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul- Hasanat Shah Sahab engaged in any activity we can only see what he shows to us but in reality he is in the court of the Holy Prophet (SAWS) engaged in remembering Allah (SWT) as we felt the same for his august father, Pir Muhammad Karam Shah Al-Azhari (RA).

The above statements may appear extremely partisan but we have the proof for those who are Muslims and believe in the Holy and Glorious Qur’an (H&GQ) that what we have written is extremely logic and therefore real. Infact from the preface to his commentary (tafseer) to the H&GQ, called Zia ul Qur’an, His Holiness Hadzrat Zia ul Ummah (RA) begs Allah SWT for the blessings of his family members and himself for the years to come several times and particularly using Allah’s Words reporting specifically the following verse of the H&GQ: “My Lord grant me that I may give thanks for Your Favor You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do good that pleases You; and be good to me in respect of my offspring. Truly I turn to You and truly I am of those who submit.” (Chapter-Surah Ahqaf, 46, The Sand Dunes, ayat-verse 15). Now recalling the Hadith where the Messenger of Allah, SAWS, narrates that the Angels say “Ameen” to the Dua of a Muslim one can well imagine that the Angels have said “Ameen” to the Dua of His Holiness Hadzrat Zia ul Ummat (RA) and Allah SWT has indeed accepted his request to bless his offspring and this explains why a blessed son like His Holiness Hadzrat Pīr Amin ul Hasanat succeeds to a blessed father like His Holiness Hadzrat Pir Muhammad Karam Shah Al-Azhari, Zia ul Ummat (RA). 

His Holiness Hadzrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul- Hasanat Shah Sahab is the eldest son of  His Holiness Hadzrat Pīr Muhammad Karam Shah Al-Azhari, Zia ul Ummat (RA) Shah Sahab. He was born on 9 May 1950 (registrily his birthday appears on 11 December 1952) in Bhera Sharif. His early education started by memorizing the Holy Qur’an, after completing his early education at Bhera, he joined the prestigious Government College in Lahore where he did his B.A. He then returned to Bhera in order to complete the prescribed curriculum of D.M.G. but he did his Dora Hadith for a second time with Maulana Muntakhab ul Haq Qadri at Qamar ul Islam Sulaimania in Karachi. Upon completion of studies, he returned to Bhera for a brief period. From here he left for Makkah-ul-Mukarramah to study at Jamiah ‘Umm-ul-Qura here he earned a Master degree in Islamic Law. 

Many have seen in him a political figure in his period before his investiture as Spiritual Master (Pir) and leader of the Tariqat of Bhera Sharif. It is true that he participated in the Pakistani politics scenario but his humble and noble character did not allow him to indulge in political games rather he dedicated himself to eradicate oppression and repression of the potentates over the masses of the needy. One day we suggested to him to develop a school system for the sons of the Pakistani intelligentsia, he replied: “I love to deal with the humble and poor people”, indeed it was a good lesson for us! 

In the political scenario of those days he took part in the Khatam-e-Nabuwwat Movement as well as in the Nizami-e-Mustafa Movement. Not only that he also organized the Al-Fatah movement (not to be confused with the homonymous in Palestine) in order to assist the then government for declaring Qadiyani as Infidel showing his fearless leadership attitudes and managerial capabilities. Later on His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Karam Shah Sahab Al-Azhari Zia ul Ummat (RA) ordered him to take care of the affairs of Dar ul Uloom Muhammadia Ghoussia (D.M.G.). Shortly afterward he became the Principal of Dar ul Uloom Muhammadia Ghoussia. 

We had the incomparable fortune to be quite close to his investiture as Pīr, we remember distinctly those moments: Four days before the starting of the Holy Month of Ramadzan-ul-Mubarek there is an annual Urs in Pirkara and we were there with brother His Holiness Hadzrat Pīr Zuharat-ud-Din from China, both of us were yet not invested with khilafat. Pirkara is a very dear place to the family of the Pīr Sahab of the Darbar-e-awlyia Pīr Amir-ul-Salikin (RA) in fact the family is related with the Pīr Sahibs of Pirkara. After all His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Karam Shah Sahab Al-Azhari Zia ul Ummat (RA) was given the name Karam by his august grandfather, His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Amir ul-Salikin Shah Sahab (RA) in virtue of his love and attachment to the Darbar of His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Karam Topi waly-Sarkar Shah Sahab (RA) in Pirkara, being the latter one of the most blessed awlyia-e-karam of the Asiatic subcontinent, resting in a very elegant mausoleum. This mausoleum is one of the most visited places in Pakistan, with more than hundred thousand people visiting per till today. That day of Shabhan of the year 1997 to the best of our surprise (Zuharat-ud-Din’s and mine) instead of His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Karam Shah Sahab Al-Azhari Zia ul Ummat (RA) his son, His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul- Hasanat Shah Sahab, arrived with full protocol, we noticed also the unusual presence of His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Mukhtar Ahmad Zia Shah Sahab (RA). At his appearance all the present stood up in respect, like they were used to do with his august father, and we found this a remarkable new happening. But the most astonishing thing was yet to come. When His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul- Hasanat Shah Sahab was given the podium to speak his voice, his behavior, were remarkably identical to those of his august father, this was not only our particular whim, it was a general feeling. In those moments I thought a new king is arriving and my thought was proven right. Being Pirkara roughly 35 km far from Bhera and being practically connected by the newly constructed motorway Islamabad-Lahore brother Zuharat-ud-Din and myself decided to go to Bhera. We were not the only one who took that decision, with us traveled also His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Mukhtar Ahmad Zia Shah Sahab (RA) we travelled on a very old (near to collapse) Toyota Pick-up, as usual loaded to the unthinkable. Upon reaching Bhera we tried to meet His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Karam Shah Sahab Al-Azhari Zia ul Ummat (RA) but it was for a very short time so that brother Zuharat-ud-Din and myself decided to spend the night in Dar-ul-Uloom Muhammadia Ghoussia Bhera with the hope to stay more with His Holiness Hadzrat Zia ul Ummat (RA) but near Isha prayer His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Mukhtar Ahmad Zia Shah Sahab (RA) came to us and with his extremely nice manners but firm commitment (an ancient Latin sentence expresses this behavior very well in “Suaviter in modo fortiter in re”, which translates as “sweet, gentle in manners but strong in circumstances”) told us to go back to Islamabad, without appeal…That night between the last fourth and last third day of Shabhan, the 26 December 1997, Muhammad Amin ul- Hasanat Shah Sahab became a Pīr and received from his august father the hat of the Chishti order and all the most unthinkable blessings. We know that he skirmished himself requesting his father to consider more carefully his choice and pretending that anyone of his five brothers would have been a better choice than him. But his august father’s decision has proven right not only because of being the eldest and pious son of HHH Zia ul Ummat (RA) but because he has proven by fact that he was the most beautiful jewel of his father’s throne. It is for his character’s qualities that HHH Zia ul Ummat (RA) and his family selected him as the Sajjada Nasheen (Successor). Sometime later the passing away of HHH Zia ul Ummat (RA) Hadzrat Khawaja Muhammad Hameed-ud-Din Sayyalvi, may Allah SWT bless him and be always satisfied of him, tightened the Dastar of Sajjada Nasheen on His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul- Hasanat Shah Sahab and declared the Amanah which Pir Sayyal had assigned to HHH Zia ul Ummat (RA) saying “I, today, hand it over to Amin-ul-Hasant dearest son”. 

His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul- Hasanat Shah Sahab is a pious and devoted person who has performed many Hajj (pilgrimages) and Umrah. It is not easy to succeed to a very great and imposing personality as HHH Zia ul Ummat (RA) was. But not only His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul-Hasanat Shah Sahab has overcome the period when everyone looks at you trying to weight your capabilities to see if you are worth of what you have been given in heritance, rather he has been capable to remarkably soften in our hearts the pain and sadness of the departure from this world of HHH Zia ul Ummat (RA). His entire personality although different in many aspects from that of his august father have done what we were thinking unthinkable in the moments after the passing away of HHH Zia ul Ummat (RA) proving that he, his august father (RA) was right. Infact sometime earlier some khadeem (servant of the Pīr with butler functions) asked if it was necessary to seek for another Pīr after his demise, HHH Zia ul Ummat (RA) categorically said “No” and he proved right to the extent that after the first Urs of HHH Zia ul Ummat (RA) we felt spontaneous to say that the best testimonial of the love of HHH Zia ul Ummat (RA) for his murids is that he has left to us the gem of his blessed son.

 

It is countless the number of times we have witnessed the humbleness and patience of His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul-Hasanat Shah Sahab. We would like to mention here two episodes directly witnessed by us.

Thanks to the generosity of our friend Tariq Mahmood Pirzada we have a very special   Reliquary at our residence, it is a sweep that has been used long time back to clean the floor inside the compound around the Sacred Chamber of the Masjid-un-Nabi in Madina Munawwarah, the gift was destined to him but with his boundless bounty he gifted to us and we still feel worthless of such gift beautiful and full of blessings (for those who may be skeptical we remember that we have the direct witness of a Pakistani civil servant  who retired as deputy secretary of one of the Pakistan Government Ministry, for many years this friend of us, Sultan Ahmad Khan (born in Multan) served in the Ministry of Religious Affairs and in his capacity he went in deputation in the Holy Places of Islam (Makkah Mukarramah and Madina Munawwarah) and it is in Madina Munawwarah that he met a very old man (beyond 90 years old) who just after partition between India and Pakistan (1947) was given by his physician few months of life because affected by a severe form of tuberculosis the man decided then to go to die in Madina, but when he arrived there someone convinced him to eat daily some of the powder taken out from the same area the sweep I have comes. Not only the disease of the man was healed but he reached a very old age in perfect health. Many visitors of our humble house have been attracted by this Reliquary and asked us to touch it, almost everyone, including ourselves, after kissing it rubs his body with the blessed sweep. Only one person after kissing it put it on his head in sign of total humble submission, this person is His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul-Hasanat Shah Sahab.

His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul-Hasanat Shah Sahab requested me to invite for the annual Urs at Bhera the retired Dr. A. Q. Khan as chief guest in sign of gratitude for his remarkable work to make impregnable the defense of Pakistan and also because HHH Zia-ul-Ummat (RA) and Dr. A. Q. Khan met several times and HHH Zia ul-Ummat (RA) had a special love and regard for the illustrious manager and scientist. Dr. A. Q. Khan accepted well earlier than the Urs time. But when the Urs time went closer perhaps Dr. A. Q. Khan knew already in which mess he was going to end, the result was that Dr. A. Q. Khan at the very last moment decided to not come to Bhera while the roads from the motorway interchange to the DMG main building were literally packed of banners greeting one of the most illustrious Pakistani. We had to give to His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul-Hasanat Shah Sahab the sad news of the last moment forfeit of Dr. A. Q. Khan. His Holiness remained silent for while, then he said to me “I know it is not your fault”, those were his only words of comment. His face remained saddened at the news but it was just for a short time, in that moment I remembered reading in Al-Thirmizi that whenever the Holy Prophet would become upset of something his sublime face would have turned reddish for some moments, then a smile would have kept adorning that face of incomparable beauty. 

If someone would ask us to remember a particular enthralling moment between His Holiness Hadrat Pīr Muhammad Amin ul-Hasanat Shah Sahab and this imperfect and vicious slave of him we would remember a particular evening in DMG at Chackshazade-Islamabad, after Isha, when his face and entire body became radiant almost glowing by themselves and not reflecting the lime light of the provisory arrangement made for him to enjoy the freshness of Islamabad nights in mid summer. In that moment we felt that the entire creation remained silent and the earth stopped to move and everything was subservient to him. In all our life span we have never witnessed a human being radiating light rather than reflecting it.