Ahmad Hussain Gilani
Ahmad Hussain Gilani (21 July 1899 – 8 February 1961) was a Sufi mystic. He was a direct descendant of Ali and Fatimah, 38 generations removed.[1] (His family tree is recorded in the seven books mentioned below.)
| Ahmad Hussain | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahboob-e-Zaat Moid-ud-Din, Sarkaar-e-Aali, Waali-e-Mundairan, Hadi-e-Akbar | |||||
| Successor | Muhammad Afzaal Ahmad Hussain Gilani | ||||
| Born | July 21, 1899 Mundair Kalan | ||||
| Died | February 8, 1961 Mundair Kalan | ||||
| Burial | Mundair Kalan, Sialkot, Pakistan | ||||
| |||||
| House | Gilani Syed | ||||
| Father | Nawab Ali | ||||
Birth and family
Gilani was born in Mundair Kalan, a small village in the Punjab province of Pakistan. His father, mother and maternal grandfather died before he reached the age of 8.
Early travels
As a young man he began to travel. On this spiritual journey, he stayed at the mausoleum of Baba Mulk Shah Wali at Ugoki on the first night. There, he was ordered by Abdul Qadir Gilani to continue his journey west till sunset. He said that he remained under the direct guidance of Gilani for seven years.
When he continued his journey to Lahore he stayed at the shrine of Syed Said Sauf, which is adjacent to Wazir Khan Mosque. The next morning, he traveled to the shrines of Pir Makki and Ali Hajweri. During this journey, he paid a visit to the mausoleum of Moinuddin Chishti.
Marriage and family
Eventually he returned to Mundair Kalan and married the daughter of Muzaffer Ali Shah. They had four sons and seven daughters.
Later travels and death
Gilani stayed in Allahabad in 1923-24, where Alim-ud-Din became his khalifa. For nine months, he traveled through the Himalayas and preached Islam to the families living there. During this period, he became seriously ill and was taken to Muree where he recovered, and he again returned to his native village Mundair Kalan. After 1938, he remained there until his death in 1961.
In 1942, as recorded in 'Malfozaat-e-Mahboob-e-Zaat', 'Mirrat-ur-Rahman', 'Misbah-ul-Irfan' and 'Mahboob-e-Zaat', he got the status of Mahboob-e-Zaat (which is commonly misspelled by people as Mehboob-e-Zaat) . The historical quotation of Imdad Ali, of Wassan Pura, is recorded in the biographies of Ahmad Hussain Gilani. Imdad Ali said:
- Syed Ahmad Hussain's whole life was based on the Holy Qur'an. He led his life according to the laws of Allah and Shariah/Sunnah.
His sons and grandson Muhammad Afzaal Ahamd Hussain Gilani and Iftikhar Ahmad Hussain Gilani and Shah Hussnain Gilani are buried in their shrines at Mundair Kalan. Due to the influence of Ahmad Hussain Gilani, the electrical feeder and the post office of the village is named on the name of Ahmad Hussain Gilani as "Mehboob-e-Zaat Feeder" and "Post Office Dargah-e-Mehboob-e-Zaat".
Books on him
Muhammad Maruf Shah dedicated a special topic for the introduction of Gilani in his book Anwaar-us-Sadaat on page 161 (1st edition, 1983 publication). Ashfaq Niaz wrote a brief summary of the life of Ahmad Hussain Gilani (1899–1961) in his book Tareekh-e-Sialkot. Books that are totally dedicated to his biography are as below:
- Malfozaat-e-Mahboob-e-Zaat (1998)
- Mirrat-ur-Rahman (1981)
- Misbah-ul-Irfan (2011)
- Mahboob-e-Zaat (1969)
- Mash'al-e-Raah
- Shajarah-tun-Nabi
- Shajarah haye Nasab o Tareeqat