Masttan te kehri mayyar

By Shujauddin Qureshi

Masttan te kehri mayyar [a Sindhi phrase, which means there is no censure on devotees (I cannot find the exact translation of the word Mast)].

This is true in the case of Muharram Shah, who has left his career, his family and worldly life to serve nothing. “This is my Ishq,” he said multiple times during a spontaneous interview with him.

Let me clear first that religiously I am very liberal and I don’t have any negativity toward the Muslim Shia sect, so please excuse my Shia friends if I have written something against your belief. Muharram is an extreme devotee of Shia and he said many things during the interview which are beyond human comprehension. He said he organizes ‘Aag Matam’ (mourning on fire) every year on the occasion of the annual Urs of Qalandar Lal Shahbaz in Muslim month of Shabaan.

Muharram has encroached on a piece of land (about an acre) at the entry point in Lal Bagh (an old park linked with Sufi saint Hazrat Qalandar Lal Shahbaz) in Sehwan. Muharram himself accepted the fact of encroachment without any hesitation. He said he was put behind the bars for some period due to encroachment as this land actually belongs to the provincial Auqaf department. “Auqat people removed us, from this place, uprooted our plants and quarrelled us many times, but now they are saying nothing to us,” he said.

I was attracted to that place by chance. I, along with many other friends (mostly belonging to civil society organizations and media) was going to Shah Hassan village to see the degradation of Manchhar lake on Saturday, March 27, 2010. Friends of Indus Forum had arranged that visit in collaboration with other civil society organizations like Thardeep Rural Development Programme and Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF). We took a short break from the journey as some other friends had to join us at that point.

I saw a black Alam (that was a quite common thing at such places), a boat covered with black cloth and a framed photo of an old man along with two lions and some small black flags. A single-room house was also on one side. The Altar (flag, boat, photo, lamp and many other things), surrounded by saplings of fruit trees was quite unusual, at least for me. A youth clad in black robe-like Shalwar Kameez, with a thick black beard and long hair, welcomed me as I reached the Altar. 

While shaking hands, the first thought came into my mind that he would ask for some donations. So to avoid such demands, I used my old journalist tool by firing a volley of questions at him, to which he replied with a beautiful smile. I told him about our purpose to visit the place.

He might have read my mind, so he said he is blessed by Allah as he can feast on hundreds of people in a single sitting. My obvious first question was from where he gets the money. “People donate and give me money, grains and other eatables without any asking.” A box of donations is also part of his sacred Altar.

His name was Muharram Shah and he said he serves this place by putting a small garden around the Alam (flag).

My next question was about the purpose of putting the boat near the flag. “It is a miraculous boat.” His Guru, Sayed Shahanshah, had driven (sailed) that boat on dry land and covered a two to three-kilometre distance while carrying 14 people in the boat. It had also returned to the starting place, an Imambargah. This happened in Ranipur and it was a famous incident in that area as many people can testify it, he said. Muharram said he was also in the boat. “Why your father sailed the boat on dry land?” I asked. The people of the area were not allowing his Murshid to do Matam (mourning) of Hazrat Imama Hussain in the village near Ranipur (Khairpur district). I asked “who is Sayed Shahanshah? Is he alive?” Yes, he replied, he is alive and was here a few days back. He is a living saint. His age is about 50. “Is he your real father?” I asked. “No. he is actually my uncle, but a spiritual father therefore I call him my father.” He has his real two sons.

“Baba has done a lot of miracles,” he claimed. “For example,” I immediately asked. “Once a blind person came and my father asked me to put red chillies powder in his eyes. When I put chillies powder in his eyes, his vision is restored.” I was about to fall on the ground insensately. By controlling myself I further enquired, “what else?” Muharram continued: “His other miracle was that once a group of devotees of Qalandar came in many buses to this place and asked for food. It was 3 am in the night. Baba asked us to prepare bread and ordered me to climb the tree of “babbur” (he showed me a nearby tree). I climbed up and started shaking a branch and ripe mangoes started dropping, which we collected and all of us ate.” This time I was in my senses. I gave him time to tell more. He pointed towards a mango sapling near the boat. “I have asked Baba that I need mangoes on this plant this year. Look it has started giving fruits,” he showed me small buds, which he called mangoes on the small plant. I tried to take pictures of those mangoes, but my camera was not so efficient to take photos so closely.

 

We were in the discussion, and suddenly another person with a grey beard appeared from somewhere and tried to add more to our discussion about the miracles of Baba. “I have myself witnessed many miracles of Baba and Muharram Shah,” he claimed. I asked him to introduce himself. He said he is Mureed (devotee) of Muharram Shah and comes to this place quite often, to be precisely every fortnight for two or three nights to serve him. That was his third day of stay at the holy place. Zameer Lanjwani was his name. He said he does not do anything. “I am a Sailani (roaming) Faqeer.” He belongs to Tando Masti village of Khairpur district but presently lives in Bhit Shah. He claimed he has his own house in Bhit Shah, which he has donated to his Murshid.

“Are you married?” I asked Lanjwani. “No, but I want to,” he said straightforwardly. Then what is the impediment in it, I asked? “I don’t have any job.” He had never studied in any school and cannot confirm his age. He said he is around 30 years old. Lanjwani said he had tried to get a government job, and for that purpose he has got prepared fake certificates of Matric, but he has not succeeded. He made those confessions by saying he cannot hide anything from me. Thanks for his confidence in me. 

 (I am not showing my cell phone, but was recording his voice on my cell phone)

“Why don’t you ask your Murshid for a job?” I asked. Instead, he asked me to help him get a job. I was really flabbergasted. I made him clear that I am not a politician or Wedera or an influential person to help him find a government job. Muharram said he had got a government job in the health department in Kandiaro. He also learned computers and also did a job in Nawabshah. But let all those worldly things.

My curiosity did not subside. I asked Muharram what else miracle has his Guru made so far. "A lot " was his pet answer to all my questions of similar nature. His list was really quite long. “Baba once went to Balochistan to do Azadari (mourning of Hazrat Imam Hussain) at Sheinh Lakk (Lion Pass) and people brought a person without legs. With a sign of hand, the lame got both of his legs. Since then people in that area particularly those who go to Lahoot La Makaan can testify to it. Now many people have become his devotees in Balochistan.” It was really difficult for me to believe.

As the interview continued, my friends signalled to come into the van to leave for our destination, so I asked the last couple of questions to Muharram. Although I wanted to say why are you wasting your life, I just asked: “Why don’t you get married and make a family?” “I have learned from the worldly experiences that there is honour in Faqeeri (devotion), so I have adopted this life.” He put me in confusion when he said if you control sexual drives, don’t say any wrong from your mouth and keep yourself away from vices, God opens His doors for you,” he said. “There is a lot of honour in this world,” He added. He concluded by saying that his aim in life is to plant fruit trees in Lal Bagh as they were available at the time of Hazrat Qalandar Lal Shahbaz.

A lot of questions still remained unanswered in my mind but I had to take permission to leave from this young Guru of Sehwan.