On April 8th and 9th 2006, a gathering and 'Urs fatiha was organised to celebrate the life of Dr Zahurul
Hassan Sharib - the gathering in Southampton was attended by disciples and friends from Italy, Holland,
France, Pakistan, India, and Vietnam and from London as well as Southampton. The occasion was the tenth
anniversary of his passing into God's Mercy according to the solar calender. The following article (with minor
corrections) was one of two speeches made. The celebrations continued the next day in London. It was
given additional importance in as much as it not only coincided with the birthday of the Holy Prophet but it
also it marked the inauguration of the Institute of Sufi Culture.
I want to talk today in a little different way about the life and work of Zahur Mian, but
before doing so, I cannot refrain from offering our deep appreciation of the one who,
as the perfect exemplar of the pious and the Sufis alike, was reverenced and
respected and loved, by Zahur Mian, as no other can be. Today, according to certain
scholars and Sufis, is his birthday – and from this you will know I refer to none other
than the holy Prophet Mohammed, may the eternal blessings of Almighty God be ever
upon him and his family and companions. I am grateful to Hazrat Inaam Hasan Saheb,
Zahur Mian’s son and successor, for this information and I will read a message he
sent to me just two days ago…
Dear Jamil Bhai
As salam Alekum
Received your mail.I am delighted to learn that you are celebrating the Urs Fateha of
Zahur Mian according to the English Calendar i.e. 8th April 2006.in this way the
people who are residing there,will be benefited from shower of blessings of Chishti
saints specially Zahur Mian.
This year on 8th.April has a more importance also because 9th.Rabi Ul Awaal is
also falling this date as the 9th.Rabi Ul awaal is the actual birthday of the prophet
according to Nawab Gudri Shah Baba , Hazrat Amir Khurd Kirmani the author of Sair
Ul Aulia and Shibli Nomani the author of Sirat Un Nabi and very many other sufis
and scholars.
On 9th Rabi Ul Awaal (8th.April 2006) since last more than hundred years the Gudri
Shahi Order is arranging Milad un Nabi and in the morning at 5 a.m before Fajr
Prayer Salam to the prophet. Fortunately Ikram Mian [Inam's son] also born on this
precious day. Please convey my best wishes and blessings to everyone who will
participate on this day specially our Siraj Bhai ,Qamar Bhai, Faiz, Bhai , Hasan
Sahib, Haseena and Gulnar of course you and your wife.
Inam Gudri Shah
It is a common and correct thing to speak in praise and with gratitude about the life of
a saint such as Zahur Mian, but there is another and more practical way to honour not
only his memory but his presence. I say his presence, for saints are martyrs in the
sense that they sacrifice their life in the way God. And as you know, about martyrs the
holy Qur’an says, do not consider them as dead – for they are living.
The sacrifice of Zahur Mian was also charity. He gave charity in the Chishti way –
that is to say not two and a half percent of worldly wealth which is prescribed by holy
law, nor even giving ninety seven and a half percent, which is the way of the
developing Sufi, but one hundred percent. To give one hundred percent means to
devote your self entirely to the service of Allah, to submit to His will with heart, mind,
body, and soul. The manifestation of the service of God is the service of our fellow
man, irrespective of status, ethnic or cultural background, caste, colour, or country,
creed or gender, or race.
Those of us here who were fortunate to be disciples of Zahur Mian know without me
saying, that he devoted himself wholeheartedly to our development – he saw a
potential which even we could not see in ourselves and against all odds he
demonstrated and showed how the love of God and service to mankind could enable
that potential to unfold.
Today some of us enjoyed a walk in the beautiful woods of the New Forest enjoying
the sunlight and the rich greenery of the foliage and I was reminded of a favourite
quotation of Zahur Mian –
‘These woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep’.
This conveys his tireless endeavour to sacrifice his own comfort for our spiritual
benefit and moral development.
The question arises as to what were those promises – I think those were promises to
his own guide Hazrat Nawob Saheb and by implication to the great saint of the
Chishti order, Hazrat Khawaja Gharib Nawaz; and that was to spread, not so much by
preaching but by practice, the basic premise that the love of God has the power and
potential to transform life from a dreary trudge towards the grave into a virtual
metaphorical dance, in which our hearts turn on the axis of God’s Eternal Love – a
Love which, by its eternal nature, remains with us beyond the temporary stopover of
our earthly life, and which turns our daily life into a pilgrimage of the heart.
Ten years ago today on the solar calendar, in a hospital in Jaipur, India, Zahur Mian
finally put down the burden of his pain racked body and passed into the Mercy of
Allah. But that is not the end of the story – and in some ways for us it is the beginning.
For he bequeathed to us not only a host of beautiful personal memories, but a
mission: not a mission to proselytise, but to so live our lives that his influence and
baraka would permeate through to a world that in many respects has lost its way in
extreme and rigid views, in deteriorated human relationships, and in the loss of the
real inner quality of life which ultimately can only be derived from the Mercy (Rehman)
of our Creator and Sustainer.
Today some of us have agreed together, after years of necessary groping, to bring
into actuality what Zahur Mian had spoken of on various occasions in his life. That is
to say we have agreed to form an Institute of Sufi Culture to bring together the many
separate efforts which we have made in Italy, England, Holland and elsewhere, and
hopefully will continue to make, to ensure the Chishti, the Gudri Shahi, and dare I say
it, the Zahuri way of life, becomes a potent force in the life of people, not only in India
but here in Europe, and what is often called ‘the West’. Its actual form remains the
subject of discussion and development – today we planted the seed – we ask for the
blessings of Dr Zahurul Hasan Sharib Gudri Shah Baba from beyond the veil of this
life’s illusions, that the seed may become a full and fruit bearing tree, and that it will
open to many the chance to taste what Zahur Mian called – time and time again –
‘better living’.
And finally we pray to Almighty God, Allah the Merciful, Generous, and Just, to
continue to shower his blessings on the soul of Zahur Mian and on those gathered
here today and on those who were unable to be with us physically.
Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri