Shaikh Abro Halani’s legacy reveals a rich, multi-faith past shaped by saints, shrines and syncretic traditions

Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro

There are several saints and shrines in Sindh that require thorough research. Unfortunately, not much has been written about some mystics who likely played an important role in Sindh’s complex religious history. One such saint deserving more research is Shaikh Abro Halani. His shrine is located about 8 km west of Jati town in Sindh’s Sujawal district. I first visited this shrine with the late Zain-ul Qureshi of Jati town and Aziz Kalhoro of Chuhar Jamali town in 2018.

One of the earliest mentions of Shaikh Abro Halani can be found in Tuhfat-ul Kiram by Ali Mir Sher Qani. He briefly describes Shaikh Abro Halani’s shrine as one of the earliest located near the village of Mughalbhen in the Kakarlo region (1989: 438). This information indicates that Shaikh Abro Halani was a prominent figure in the Kakarlo area, which was also home to several other well-known shrines. At that time, the region was ruled by the Kehar Jams, the lords of the Kakarlo state, recognized for their bravery. They fought to defend their territory until it was annexed in 1760 by Ghulam Shah Kalhoro (1757–1772) into his kingdom.

It is said that Shaikh Abro Halani was born in Halani town. Thus, he was known by his birthplace as Halani. A question arises: Did Halani exist at that time? Moreover, nothing has been written about why he moved from Halani, in present-day Naushahro Feroze, to Mughalbhen in Jati town. If one assumes that he was born in Halani, he might have travelled to Muhammad Tur, one of the earliest capitals of the Soomras (1051–1351), which was once a prosperous and flourishing town of Sindh. It is believed that this town was founded by Muhammad Tur Soomro.

Many scholars have written about the remains of Muhammad Tur, though each presents a different view. J Abbot (1992), author of Sind: Re-interpretation of the Unhappy Valley, believes that Muhammad Tur was founded between 900 AD and 1000 AD. However, Mir Ali Sher Qani writes in Tuhfat-ul Kiram (1989) that it was founded by Muhammad Tur Soomro in 654 AH / 1256 AD. Henry Cousens (1998:141) asserts that the town’s first recorded mention relates to the death of Soomra chief Sanghar, which occurred between 485 and 500 AH / 1092-1106 AD. As Sanghar had no sons, his wife Himu Bai entrusted the management of the towns of Muhammad Tur and Tharri to her brothers.

The town of Muhammad Tur attracted many scholars, mystics and teachers from various towns and villages in Sindh and beyond, all seeking new opportunities. Shaikh Abro Halani was likely among those who initially settled in the town of Muhammad Tur, which was a centre of knowledge and learning at that time. The current ruins of Muhammad Tur stand as a testament to its glorious past. These remains are located not far from the town of Jati.

One learns from Professor Dr. Ghulam Ali Allana’s Larr Ji Adabi Ain Saqafati Tareekh (2012:384) that Shaikh Abro Halani was born in 577 AH / 1181 AD in Halani, in the present-day Naushahro Feroze district of Sindh. He argues that Shaikh Abro Halani was fond of travelling. On one occasion, he met another mystic named Syed Hussain (also known as Shah Hussain), son of Syed Fateh Shah Darya, who was on his way to Sorath. Shaikh Abro Halani asked Syed Hussain why he was heading to Sorath. Syed Hussain replied that he had had a dream in which a saintly figure instructed him to become a disciple of Syed Abdul Hadi Jamil Shah Girnari. Syed Hussain then invited Shaikh Abro Halani to accompany him on his journey to Sorath.

Shaikh Abro Halani also expressed his desire to meet and become a disciple of Syed Abdul Hadi Jamil Shah Girnari. They travelled together to Sorath and arrived after several days of journeying. Upon reaching their destination, they met Syed Abdul Hadi Jamil Shah Girnari and were both initiated into the Chishtiyya Silsila, becoming his deputies.

This narrative uncovers some of the missing links that help us understand the mystics and their possible connections to various religious communities in medieval Sindh. It is important to note that religious rivalries sometimes forced members of one group to migrate to another location, where they continued their missionary activities while concealing their true identities.

In this account, I wish to highlight two important points. First, that Shaikh Abro Halani was connected to the tradition of Jamil Shah Girnari. Second, Jamil Shah Girnari had multiple identities, reflecting his outreach to different communities under various names. It was common for Ismailis to adopt dual or multiple identities in their preaching. They often conducted missionary work disguised as Nath or Sufi saints in order to convert others. This practice was one of their key strategies for conversion, as they adhered to the principle of taqiyya. This suggests that a preacher’s true identity was likely known only to his most trusted followers.

Jamil Shah Girnari wandered in the hills of Pacham, Kharir, and several other mountains in Kutch and Gujarat, where his chila-gahs (retreat sites) are located. In my book Sufis, Saints and Shrines: The Mystical Landscape of Sindh, published in 2022, I mention that there are six chila-gahs of Jamil Shah Girnari in Kutch, Gujarat and Rajasthan. He is known by different names at these chila-gahs. At the Kharir chila-gah, he is worshipped as Pir Haji Bhrang Bajro; in the Pacham area, he is referred to as Pachamai Pir; and elsewhere, he is known as Pir Mallinath or Kathar Pir, among other names.

Jamil Shah Girnari held multiple identities in both Sindh and Kutch. In Kutch, he was known by various names, while in Sindh, he possessed a dual identity as Gorakhnath and Jamil Shah Girnari. According to popular folklore, he was brought from Girnar to Pir Ar in Thatta by Pir Patho (known as Gopichand in Hindu tradition) to reclaim a cave from Dayanath, who was converting people. This story has also been documented by George Weston Briggs in his book Gorakhnath and Kanphatta Yogis, published in 1978.

As legend has it, Pir Patho/ Gopichand went to Girnar to complain that he was sitting idle while Dayanath had set the hill of Pir Ar on fire. Knowing through his supernatural vision that Jamil Shah Girnari/ Gorakhnath was coming to Pir Ar, Dayanath fled to Dhinodhar. The story continues that Gorakhnath, using his supernatural power, extended his hand, seized Dayanath by the ear, and brought him back to Pir Ar. He reproached him and split his ears (a customary initiation rite among Naths), thereby making him his disciple.

According to the hagiography of Jamil Shah Girnari, he made Sami Dayanath his disciple. Today, the descendants of that Sami play music at his shrine. This tale likely carries hidden meanings regarding the resistance faced by the Ismaili community from Suhrawardi saints. The assistance of Gorakhnath/ Jamil Shah Girnari by Pir Patho/ Gopichand may have been sought to counter the growing influence of Suhrawardi saints, who were among the first to challenge the authority of the Nizari Ismailis in Sindh.

According to his hagiography, Jamil Shah’s real name was Syed Abdul Hadi. He was also known by the title Jamil Shah, with the nisba Girnari. He was also referred to as Datar. Tuhfat-ul Kiram states that Jamil Shah Girnari came to Pir Ar at the request of Pir Patho. However, some historians in Sindh believe that it was actually Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya (d. 1262) who instructed Pir Patho to bring Jamil Shah Girnari to Pir Ar.

When Pir Patho met Jamil Shah Girnari in Girnar, he found that two of Jamil Shah’s disciples – Syed Hussain (also known as Shaikh Wajihuddin) and Shaikh Abro Halani, both from Sindh – were already with him. Pir Patho requested Jamil Shah Girnari to accompany him to Pir Ar. He accepted the invitation, subsequently settling in Sindh.

It is also believed that Jamil Shah Girnari was a Chishti saint, initiated into the Chishti tariqa by Khwaja Abbas Noorani. Later, he became a disciple of Sheikh Shahabuddin Suhrawardi (1154–1191). Jamil Shah Girnari passed away in 1244.

Once one understands that Shaikh Abro Halani is connected to the tradition of Jamil Shah Girnari, the picture becomes much clearer. Furthermore, Professor Ghulam Ali Allana notes that Shaikh Abro Halani had a son named Shaikh Jakhro, whose shrine is located in the Pir Lakho graveyard in the Thatta district. I have visited this shrine, which stands within a cemetery featuring canopies and stone-carved graves, primarily associated with the Palija tribe. In addition to funerary monuments, the graveyard also houses the shrines of Pir Lakho, after whom the cemetery is named, and Shaikh Jakhro. The tomb over Shaikh Jakhro’s grave is a simple structure.

To understand Shaikh Abro Halani’s affiliation with any religious community that once thrived during the Soomra rule in Sindh, one must adopt a holistic approach to studying the religious history of medieval Sindh.

There are three tombs in the cemetery of Shaikh Abro Halani. The principal tomb belongs to Shaikh Abro Halani, who died in 1239 AD. It is an impressive structure that appears to have been built in the Eighteenth Century. If one examines the architecture of tombs across the Jati tehsil, it becomes evident that most were constructed in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Although some of these tombs have been renovated, they still retain original elements that help in determining approximate dates of their construction.

The second tomb belongs to Abdul Haleem, the father of Shaikh Abro Halani. The third, made of wood, is the tomb of Jalal Shah Bukhari. It is constructed on an artificially created mound – hence referred to as der waro – and is accessed via a flight of stairs. This mystic lived during the British period (1843-1947).

Maulvi Abdul Hayee Jatoi undertook the renovation of the tombs of Shaikh Abro Halani and Shaikh Abdul Haleem, as well as the mosque in the Shaikh Abro Halani tomb complex.

The followers of Shaikh Abro Halani and his father, Shaikh Abdul Haleem, frequently visit the shrines. People from various communities come to offer their prayers and leave their supplications at the site.

Read: A Mianwal Mystic of Sindh

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The writer is an anthropologist at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad. He has authored 17 books on Pakistan’s cultural heritage and anthropology. He tweets @kalhorozulfiqar. He may be contacted at zulfi04@hotmail.com

First published by The News