Sultan ul Arifeen (King of Arifeen - the Highest grade of Sufism) Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Bahu was born at Shorkot in 1039 A.H. Shorkot is the Tehsil headquarter of District Jhang of Punjab. His father Hazrat Muhammad Bazayd was a pious man, a jurist who learnt Quran by heart and he was the commandant of the Shor fort during the reign of Mughal emperor Shahjahan. His mother Hazrat Bibi Raasti was a saint of high caliber. He belonged to Awan caste and was the descendant of Hazrat Ali. His mother got the intuition that soon a saint par excellence would be born to her who would fill the face of the earth with his mental illumination and spirituality and she should name him “Bahu”. There Mai Sahiba gave him the name “Bahu”. He was a saint by birth and his spiritual guidance started from his early childhood. A Non-Muslim who happened to look at his illuminated face immediately converted to Islam by reciting the Shahada. Non-Muslims became so scared of this miracle of Hazrat Bahu that a delegation consisted of their leading men met his father and requested him to make an announcement whenever this child was about to leave the house, so that they should remain in their homes and could be saved from conversion.

Shrine of Hazrat Sultan Bahu

Spiritually, he took an oath of allegiance at the sacred hands of the Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him). In his book, Ameer-ul-Qaunaian” he says that he wandered for about thirty years in search of spiritual guide but in vain. At last, Hazrat Ali (RA) took him spiritually to the sacred presence of Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him). The Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him) showed utter happiness on seeing him and asked him to hold his hand. Thats how he took an oath of allegiance and then the Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him) instructed him and ordered him to spiritually help the creatures of God. After this, the Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him) entrusted him to Hazrat Shaikh Abd ul Qadir Al Jilani (Allah be pleased with him) and said that Bahu was his spiritual son and he should also spiritually instruct and guide him. Therefore, Hazrat Pir Dastagir enriched him with his spiritual wealth. About that Haq Bahu says that “I have covered the entire distance from the beginning to extreme, when the King of “Faqr” cast on me the favorable glance”. After that on the order of Ghaus-e-Pak Hazrat Shaikh Abd ul Qadir Al Jilani (Allah be pleased with him) he overtly took an oath of allegiance at the hand of Sheikh Pir Abdur Rehman Qadri of Delhi. (he was the descendant of Ghaus-a-Pak). The shrine of Pir Abdur Rehman is in Delhi.

The Status and splendor of Sultan Bahu is beyond anybody’s speculation. He says in Risala ”Ruhi Sharif” that “I took an oath of allegiance at the sacred hand of the Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him) and he considered me his “son”. He allowed me to guide the creatures of God”. He says. “Hazrat Fatima (RA) has considered me her “son”, in this way I have been blessed with the extremities of Faqr”.

Hazrat Haq Bahu didn’t receive formal education as he was busy from the early life in gaining spiritual experiences and true achievements. He says, “though I haven’t received formal education but after receiving spiritual / divine knowledge, I have become pure, that’s why the entire knowledge has been accumulated in my heart through reflection / inversion.

He didn’t get the opportunity to receive worldly knowledge because of being busy in intuition and witnessing the divine glory and he also didn’t get time to do meditation because he from the beginning to the end every moment remained drowned in the deep river of divine unity. Despite being so indulgent he acted upon the traditions of the Shariah of the Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him) with such determination that throughout his life he never missed an act endear to the Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him). He says, “I have gained every status by acting upon Shariah and have made Shariah my guide.

Shrine of Hazrat Sultan Bahu

Sultan Bahu authored about one hundred and forty books and in all those books he repeatedly advised three things to the aspirant of truth:

i. Obscurity.
ii. Desisting.
iii. To act upon the Shariah (Religious Dogma) of the Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him).

He emphasized upon the following activities to attain all the spiritual grades:

1. Meditation about the essence of God.
2. Meditation about Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him).
3. Recitation of Kalima-e- Tayyiba.
4. Invitation of Spiritual contact with next world (or eternal world) through Quranic verses. He says that because of these acts two most lofty positions are opened for the aspirant of truth and is no highest position above these.

i. Witnessing the essence of God.
ii. Eternal attendance of the sacred gathering of the Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him).

In his famous book “Noor-ul-Huda” he says “I have been blessed with the highest grades of sainthood (Sufism) by Allah the Almighty and the most Compassionate and thus prepared me to guide the people. If an aspirant of God is true and keen to witness Devine light, then there is no difficulty for Faqir Bahu to enable him to meet Allah / witness divine glory. He says in “Risala Ruhi Sharif”, “Anybody who is aspiring for God Almighty, he should come to me, I will enable him to reach from the bottom to the top in a moment. Oh! Aspirant of the Truth come over so that I enable you to reach God”. He says in his book named “Ameer-ul-Qaunain” that, “Oh dear! Let it be clear that truth leads to redemption and lie leads to destruction, that’s why what ever Faqir Bahu says he says it on the commandment of God and the Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him). He doesn’t say anything out of his own caprice. The day when God Almighty created the spirits, he created me with His eternal power, the same day He blessed me with His Beatific vision, from that day till now every moment, every second, I am drowned in Devine vision. Although worldly I use to talk to the people but spiritually I use to be blessed with beatific vision, I will be blessed with this in the grave, on the day of resurrection and in heaven also”. The Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him) says that “Sadaats are from my generation, scholars are from my chest and faqirs (highest level of saints) are from the Devine Light”. “I am a scholar of Devine knowledge. I see only divine light. I know nothing but Devine knowledge. Neither I know anything about round of daily recital and meditation nor I use to do them or recite them because entire knowledge is for the Divine knowledge that I possess. Where there is Devine knowledge there is no morning, no evening, no destination and no station. Devine essence can be witnessed in the form of the glory of the name of Allah (His personal name) in the stage of annihilation unto God (final stage of Sufism). In that Devine light one can witness the Devine vision. These status belong to that faqir who is an example of _______.

I know the Devine knowledge and recite it. I have attained these status due to the Holy / blessed company of the Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him), his sahabas and punjatun pak (five pures).

Sultan Haq Bahu is Sarwari Qadri order of Sufism. The spirituality of this order is that the mentor – spiritual guide (murshad) makes sure the presence of an aspirant of truth in the Holy gathering of Holy Prophet (blessing and salutation be on Him) in just one glance and single attention and in the same way enables him to see beatific vision / divine light. In this Holy order there is no intricacies like mystic exercises, forty days seclusions for mystic communion, withholding of breath, mystic initiation, meditation and daily round of recital. This order is also free of obvious saintly dress and style and also weary of style of mashaikhs e.g. scepter, rosary and gown and turban etc.

Shrine of Hazrat Sultan Bahu

He dies at the age of 63 in 1102 A.H. His shrine is situated in a village on the western bank of river chinab near town of Garh Maharaja in Tehsil Shorkot. The Village is known on his name as “Mauza sultan Haq Bahu”. His death anniversary (URS) helds on the first Thursday of Jamadi-us-sani.