Hafiz Ghulam Murtaza was a 17th-century

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

saint and scholar of the Qadiri- Chishti Sufi order, living in Kasur, Punjab. He was also the teacher of the poets Bulleh Shah and Waris Shah. He was the

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

(main spiritual head) of the city of Kasur during its time as being one of the main centers of higher level

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

learning in the Indian Subcontinent.''"Encyclopaedia of Untouchables Ancient, Medieval and Modern"'' By Dr. Rajkumar

Life

Hafiz Ghulam Murtaza was born into an illustrious Syed family of scholars and Sufi saints tracing its lineage back to Muhammad through both of his grandsons, Hasan and Husayn. Among his ancestors is one of the most notable Sufi saints, the founder of the Qadiri Sufi Order,

Abdul-Qadir Gilani ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, ( ar, عبدالقادر الجيلاني, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī; fa, ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusayn ...

. His father Khawaja Syed Abdul Malik was also an eminent scholar in his own right, and taught his son much from a young age. Ghulam Murtaza headed the madrassa Jamia Kot Androon, which was the main institution of Kasur. It was here where he taught the likes of Bulleh Shah and Waris Shah, who both came to Kasur specifically to be under his tutelage as he was a well-known and famed teacher of Islamic knowledge in both Arabic and Persian. Waris Shah had a great deal of reverence for his teacher, and it is well noted in his epic '' Heer Ranjha'' in which he states "Waris Shah is proud of being the pupil of great Makhdum, the Kasur's symbol"''"Heer Ranjha"'' By Waris Shah When Waris Shah came to Ghulam Murtaza to present his epic ''Heer Ranjha'' and gain blessings from his spiritual teacher, Ghulam Murtaza is alleged to have said "I taught Bulleh Shah and he danced and sang playing a violin. I taught you and you wrote a love story". However, once having heard sections from the ''Heer'' from Waris Shah himself, Ghulam Murtaza is said to have been consoled and blessed Waris with a powerful remark, "You have strung priceless pearls into a rope".

References

{{authority control Sufi mystics Iranian scholars Hashemite people Punjabi people Indian people of Arab descent