Islam – A Path to Salvation Islam – A Path to Salvation
Shah Inayat Qadiri Shatari also called Enayat Shah was a Sufi saint of the Qadiri-Shatari lineage (silsila) who lived in Qasur, in the Punjab region of present-day Pakistan. Shah Inayat Qadiri is famous as the spiritual guide of the Punjabi poet Bulleh Shah.
Shah Inayat belonged to the Arain community and earned a living through agriculture or gardening. He also lived in Kasur for some time but, due to the animosity of the ruler of Kasur, moved to Lahore and remained there until the end of his life.
Bulleh Shah’s murshid or spiritual master, Shah Inayat, belonged to the Qadriyya Shattari School: known for its close affinity with yoga and other meditative practices.
One day some rich but God-fearing man had deposited a great deal of wealth with Shah Inayat with the supplication that he should distribute it among needy people. Shah Inayat told Bulleh Shah, ‘Distribute this wealth among the poor and needy in accordance with the law of God’.
A crowd of needy people had gathered at the spot in the hope of getting something. Bulleh Shah told one of them to take everything and to the rest he gave nothing. Such a decision caused a stir and people began to complain and agitate. Shah Inayat too was perplexed by this decision.
He asked Bulleh Shah admonishingly to explain what he had done. Bulleh Shah said, ‘You told me to distribute the wealth according to the law of God. I did exactly that. Just look around. There are a few rich people and the vast majority are poor and dispossessed. So, I followed the divine law which works in this world’.
shrine of Shah Inayat Qadri. The tomb of Shah Inayat Qadri is situated on Queens Road Lahore. Thousand of devotees throughout Pakistan attend the urs ceremony and offers fatiha for the preacher and poet of 16th and 17th century. Hazrat Shah Inayat was a religious scholar, spiritual leader and the writer of several books on mysticism. Dasturul Amal, Islahul Amal, Lataif-e-Ghaibya and Ishartul Taliban are his popular books. He was the spiritual leader of Punjabi poets and saints Baba Bulleh Shah and Waris Shah. He was born in 1646 and died in 1728. Inayat Shah lived in Lahore, so he is also called Shah Inayat Lahori. He belonged to an Arain family and was a farmer. He also lived in Qasur for some time, but later, shifted to Lahore
