Till Tme without End

PT Wire Services - Pakistan Times - Islamabad, Pakistan
Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Renowned spiritualist, religious scholar and author A’ala Hazrat Sufi Sikandar Ghani Sheikh died in Islamabad on Friday. He was 87.

He was laid to rest in main graveyard of Islamabad – with thousands of his followers attending the funeral with each eye – filled with tears.

The venerated and much-respected religious scholar leaves behind widow and two daughters – with thousands of devotees and disciples – not only in Pakistan but also in several countries around the world.

Born in Lahore in 1920, the illustrious Sufi Sahib attained his early education in Central Model School, where after he sought higher education as well as religious tutoring from renowned spiritualists of that time.

The ancestors of Sufi Sahib who belonged to Sahiwal in southern Punjab, later shifted to Pak Patan as they were great admirers of the great saint of all times, Hazrat Baba Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar (RA).

Eventually, they made Lahore as their abode by initiating modest business. At the end of his academics, Sufi Sikandar Ghani Sheikh joined government service at Simla in India.

Soon after the establishment of Pakistan, he left the job and came to Lahore with a fresh mission – to disseminate the message of Islam with focus on the teachings of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) – with sincerest devotion, dedication by his pen and faithful perceptions.

As a sincerest follower of the great saint Hazrat Bari Imam (RA), he shifted his residence from Lahore to Rawalpindi – and eventually to Islamabad where not only that he made the service of humanity as his mission, the late Sufi Sahib – also inked booklets in thousands.

As a true and sincerest admirer of the great illustrious religious personalities of the sub-continent, he wrote numerous articles in the daily newspapers of Pakistan – especially at the time of the Urs of the distinguished saints.

Besides serving his aficionados – he also paid regular visits to the shrine of Hazrat Bari Imam (RA) for several years and also got renovation with silver sheets at the doors and magnificent marble work at the entrance of the shrine of the globally acclaimed saint of all times.

Sufi Sikandar Ghani Sheikh was also a true follower of Sultan al-Hind Hazrat Khawaja Moeen-ud-Din (RA) [popularly known as Khawaja Ghareeb Nawaz RA], Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh (RA), Hazrat Baba Fard-ud-Din Ganj Shakar (RA), Hazrat Khawaja Nizam-ud-Din Aoulia Mehboob (RA), Hazrat Qutb-ud-Din Bakhtiar Kaki (RA) and other saints of the sub-continent.

He used to visit all the shrines – including that of his religious educator Hazrat Sufi Maqbool (RA) popularly known as Sufi Sahib Mason Road Walay – whose shrine was got rebuilt and renovated by Sufi Sikandar Ghani Sheikh Sahib – at Graveyard Miani Sahib in Lahore, a few years ago.

Sufi Sikandar Ghani Sheikh was an exceptional kind, caring and considerate personality – who shall be remembered by his followers till time without end.

Chairman of TIMES Group of Publications and Pakistan’s first ISSN-certified independent daily E-Newspaper, ‘Pakistan Times’, Editor, Mumtaz Hamid Rao, who has written biography of A’ala Hazrat Sufi Sikandar Ghani Sheikh Sahib titled *‘Ik Mard-e-Haq, Ik Mard-e-Momin’ * said:

‘I have had a lot of blessed opportunities of having meetings with A’ala Hazrat Sufi Sikandar Ghani Sheikh Sahib and every time, every word, said by him came to me as a great source of inspiration and strength.’
'May Allah Almighty bless the departed soul eternal peace in Heavens and give courage to his followers and the bereaved family to bear this colossal loss with optimal fortitude. Ameen'.