Wajihuddin Alvi

Shah Wajihuddin Alvi, also known as Haider Ali Saani, was an Islamic scholar and Sufi in the Shattari tradition.

Life

He was born in Champaner, Gujarat in the last decade of 15th century. He later moved to Ahmedabad where he received an education in Islamic studies. He taught Quranic studies, Islamic law, mathematics and logic for sixty-five years. He was initially a follower of the Qadiri Sufi tradition, but upon meeting Mohammed Ghaus Gwaliori he joined the Shattari Sufi tradition. Under his leadership, Ahmedabad became a major centre of Islamic studies, attracting students from all over India. Many of his disciples became prominent figures, including Syed Sibghatallah al-Barwaji, who moved to Medina and established the Shattari tradition in Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Qadir, who settled in Ujjain, and Sheikh Abu Turab, who moved to Lahore. Wajihuddin wrote more than 200 books on various subjects.

Death and burial

He died in 1580 CE.[1] He is buried in a memorial tomb in Khanpur, Ahmedabad, that was built by his disciple Syed Murtuza Khan Bukhari, the eleventh (1606–1609) governor of Ahmedabad during the reign of Jahangir.[2][3][4]

References

1. Nūrulḥasan Hāshimī; Valī (1986). Wali. Sahitya Akademi. p. 13.
2. Trimingham, John Spencer and Voll, John O. (1998). The Sufi orders in Islam. Oxford University Press USA. pp. 97–98. ISBN 0-19-512058-2.
3. Achyut Yagnik (2 February 2011). Ahmedabad: From Royal city to Megacity. Penguin Books Limited. p. 42. ISBN 978-81-8475-473-5.
4. Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad. Government Central Press. 1879. p. 278. dastur khan mosque.