Syed Ahmad Sultan

Hazrat Syed Ahmad Sultan, popularly known as Sakhi Sarwar, was a 12th-century Sufi saint of the Punjab region. He is also known by various other appellations such as Sultan (king), Lakhdata (bestower of millions), Lalanvala (master of rubies), Nigahia Pir (the saint of Nigaha) and Rohianvala (lord of the forests). His followers are known as Sultanias or Sarwarias.

Sakhi Sarwar was a son of Syed Sakhi Zain ul-Abideen, an immigrant from Medina who had settled at Shahkot, and Ayesha, a daughter of the village headman named Pira.

When Sakhi Sarwar’s father died, his own relations maltreated him which resulted in him going to Baghdad where he was blessed with the gift of khilafat by three illustrious saints Ghauns-ul-Azm, Shaikh Shab-ud-Din Suhrawardi and Khwaja Maudud Chisti.

On his return to India, he first settled at Dhaunkal, in Gujranwala district, and then at Shahkot. At Multan he married the daughter of a noble. In due course he became famous for his miraculous powers and soon had a considerable following.

This aroused the jealousy of his family who planned to kill him. Sakhi Sarwar got to know of their plans and escaped to Nigaha at the foot of the Sulaiman mountain, in Dera Ghazi Khan district, but his relatives pursued him there and ultimately murdered him in 1174. He was buried there and his followers built a shrine on the spot which subsequently became a place of pilgrimage for the devotees.

Nothing is known about the religious belief or teachings of Sultan Sakhi Sarwar. It was stories of his miracles and, especially, the protection he gave the animals that attracted many people to him.

The saint selected the town of Nigaha this place as his abode. It is known as the ‘last place’ because of the hostile geographical and climatic condition. According to Rose (1970), the buildings of the shrine consist of Sakhi Sarwar’s tomb on the west and a shrine associated with Guru Nanak Dev Ji on the north-west. On the east is an apartment containing the stool and spinning wheel of Mai Aeshan, Sakhi Sarwar’s mother. Near there is a Thakurdwara, and in another apartment is an image of Bhairon.

Within the enclosures of the shrine are the tombs of Sakhi Sarwar, his wife, known as Bibi Bai, and of the jinn (demon) whom he had held in his power and who brought many miracles for him.

Near the shrine at Nigaha there are two other holy spots called Chom and Moza, both associated with Murtaza, the son in law of Sakhi Sarwar. At Chom, an impression of the former`s hand was said to have been imprinted when he prevented a mountain from collapsing over the cave in which he had taken shelter.

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Wikipedia