Dargah Hazrath Ghouse Gwalior RA.

One of the order's distinguished masters was the 16th century Sufi ,[8] Shah Muhammad Ghawth (d. 1562/3 C.E.)(14th Ramadan 970 hijri). Hereditarily, he belonged to the noble family and was direct descendant of Hzarat Imam Ali through the poet Attar.

 Greatness and fame of the Shattari order reached new height during the era of Shah Sultan Haji Hameed Mohammed Ghouse/Gwauth Gwaliori Shattari . Shah Ghawth developed the Shattariyya more fully into a "distinctive order";[7] and also taught the Mughal Emperor Humayun,[6][9] He wrote the book Jawahir-i khams, (The Five Jewels).[10] The influence of the Shattari Order grew strong during Ghawth's leadership and spread through South Asia.[11]

 

Royals like Babur, Humayun, and Akbar held him in very high esteem. He was a pioneer in adapting ancient Indian yogic practices and meditative techniques in folds of Sufism and was instrumental in promoting secular values in lives of royals and commoners around him. He authored many books such as Jawahar-e-Khamsa, Bahrul Hayat, Aurad-e-Ghosia, Risala-e-Mehraajiya, Jamaya, Kabid Makhajan, Kanjul Vahida, etc. His other scholarly works includes a hand written `Koran’ (translated in Persian language) which is over 400 years old and has been passed down through generations (Currently the same is in the custody of Khalifaa va Sajjada Hazrat Sufi Saeed Ali Shah, Mumbai). He earned extra-ordinary spiritual revalations and meditative powers spending 13 years in solitude of forest (jungle of chinaar) and devoted all his life in quest of the ultimate truth, in deep meditation and continues remembrance of GOD. His famous claim of experiencing the mystical journey `mehraaj’ thrice brought him trouble from extremist Islamic fronts to which he remained immune. Angered with this, Prominent and learned mufti of that time Hazrat Shah Wajihuudin Gujrati (Ahmedabad) came to issue fatwah against this claim but after witnessing his spiritual station (maqaam), surrendered and become a worthy disciple of Mohammed Ghouse Gwaliori. Ghawth, an unparallaled mystic philosopher and a supremely accomplished music maestro, became the tutor of the Mughal emperor Akbar's favorite and legendary musician, Tansen as well. Although Tansen was a Hindu by birth, Shah Ghawth adopted him as an orphan and tutored him in both Sufism and music, appointing him as one of the Khalifa (spiritual deputy) of Hazrat Mohammed Ghouse.[12]Tansen was buried in Ghawth's tomb complex.[8]

Ghouse's magnificent tomb in Gwalior is a well-known tourist attraction, regarded as an excellent example of Mughal Architecture, dating from c.1565 ,is the most famous Sufi monument in Gwalior, renowned for its beautiful perforated stone screen (jalis), which forms around the verandah surrounding the tomb’s central chamber. Each Jali is designed in unique beautiful pattern. The tomb is square stone building with a large central dome, which was originally covered with blue tiles, and hexagonal corner towers crowned by chhatris(Pavilions).