Shaikh Sadr ud Din Arif was the successor of his father Baha-ud-din Zakirya Multani. He headed the Shurawardia order from 665 A.H till his death. He was the contemporary of Sultan Ghyas-ud-din Balban. He received his education and religious training from his father, the leading spiritual head of his time. He is highly appreciated by his contemporary poets such as Maulana Jamali and Amir Hussani and is duly reported by the medieval historian Abul Qasim Farishta.
He was a man of sublime character and was famous for his generosity and good treatment of the needy. He inherited seven lac Rupees at the death of his father but he distributed all of it among the poor and the needy. Despite all this generosity he was never short of finances. Many people converted to Islam due to his teachings. Among his disciples Shaikh Hassam-ud-din Multani, Maulana Ala-ud-din Khajazi and Ahmed bin Mohammad Qandhari, were most famous.
After his death on 23 Zilhija 684 A.H. his son Sheikh Rukn-ud-din Abul Fatah, his kalifah (spiritual successor) acted as the spiritual head of Shurawardia order in Multan. He was buried near the grave of his father Baha-ud-din Zakirya Multani.
This article was last updated on Monday, Jan 03, 2005
