Syed Ahmed Shah, known as Haji Baba, was a famous saint of his time who migrated from Saudi Arabia to South Asia somewhere in the 15th or 16th century to preach
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
and later settled in the KP region. He earned the title of "Haji Baba" after performing
hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...
several times, traveling all the way from South Asia to Makkah on foot. He was direct descendant of Muhammad and Ali, specifically from the lineage of
Imam Hussain
Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...
and Imam
Ali al-Hadi
ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Hādī ( ar, عَلِيّ ٱبْن مُحَمَّد ٱلْهَادِي; 828 – 868 CE) was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the tenth of the Twelve Imams, succeeding his father, Muhammad al-Jawad. He ...
. His descendants who are linguistically and culturally
Pashtuns
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
are known as Haji Khel Syedan (Syeds)
Hajikhel (tribe) or Miangan, Mian by other Pashtun tribes mostly live in
Upper Dir District
Upper Dir District ( ps, بر دير ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The city of Dir is the district headquarters. Badogai Pass connects it to Utror.
At the time of independ ...
and some have migrated to other districts of Khyber Pukhtunkwa. His tribe/descendents Haji Khel Miangan are well reputated among other Pashtun tribes being from the lineage of Muhhammad and Imam Ali. His tomb is located at
Gandigar, Upper Dir District.
Muslim saints
15th-century Arabs
16th-century Arabs
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