Waris Ali Shah

Waris Ali Shah (1817–1905) was a Sufi saint from Dewa, Barabanki, India, and the founder of the Warsi Sufi order. He traveled to many places specially Europe and the west and admitted people to his spiritual order. He belongs to the 26th generation of Hazrat Imam Hussain رضی اللہ عنہ His shrine is at Dewa, India.

Life
In the book "Islamic Review and Muslim India", (Kraus Reprint, 1971) it was mentioned that Waris Ali Shah had lived his life as the Christ lived.

Father
His father name was Qurban Ali Shah, whose tomb is in Dewa.

At an early age Shah showed an inclination for a religious life.

Social engagements
He went to Makkah for pilgrimage many times. During his travels in Europe, he visited the Sultan of Turkey and Otto von Bismarck in Berlin. He also traveled to England and had an audience with Queen Victoria.

He was a friend of Abdul Bari.

Death
He died on 5 April 1905 (29 Muharram 1323 AH).

Sufi order
Waris Ali Shah belonged to the Qadiriyya order of Sufism. He had a liberal view and permitted his followers to follow Sufism and names may not be changed in case of one has accepted Islam.

As a boy, Shah attached himself to Khadim Ali Shah, a Dervish of Golaganj, Lucknow, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, and remained with the latter until his death in 1832–33 when Shah was 16 years old.

His disciples
He had followers from several faiths.
 * Ghulam Muhammad (governor general of Pakistan)
 * Sultan Abdul Hamid II
 * Hakeem Safdar Ali Warisi (Mahajan Title given by Haji Saheb) writer of Jalwaye Waris (Migrate from Gadia to Bahraich on Haji Saheb's order. His Grand Son Izhar Warsi is prominent poet of Urdu. )
 * Thakur Pancham Singh.
 * Zamindar Dt. Mainpuri.
 * Raja Udyat Narayan Sing (Suratgunj, Oudh).
 * Baboo Moti Misser (Bhagalpur).
 * Thakur Grur Mohan Singh, Zamindar (Bhagalpur).
 * Baba Sufi Syed Diwana Shah Warsi first khalifa (roohani) and nephew (Jagatdal, West Bengal).
 * Sadaf Jabbar Fazihat.
 * Shah Abdul Ad Shah.
 * Maulana Mohammad Shah.
 * Mustaqim Shah.
 * Faizu Shah
 * Rahim Shah
 * Hafiz Pyaari
 * Shakir Shah
 * Avghat Shah
 * Maroof Shah
 * NoorKarim Shah
 * Siddiq Shah (Amethi Sultanpur U.P India
 * Sai Baba of Shirdi
 * Bangali Shah(Kolkata India)
 * Sandal Shah (Kolkata India)
 * Mushir Husain Qidwai of Gadia, a zamindar, barrister and pan-Islamist politician from Barabanki.
 * Badnam Shah
 * Khuda Bakhsh Sheikh was a follower of Waris Ali Shah. He collected the sayings of his spiritual guide Malfūzāt-i-Hāji Wāris 'Ali Shāh. His book, Tohmat-ul-Asfiya, is the biography of Waris Ali Shah.
 * Haseen Shah warsi
 * Qazi Bakhshish Ali Ansari (Yusufpur)
 * Bekarar Shah Warsi
 * Warsi Ghulam Mohammad Mallah   Najmuddin Siddiqui his followers.

Death anniversary
Shah's father's death anniversary, locally known as Dewa Mela, is observed in October–November and is attended by nearly a million Muslims and Hindus.

Shah reportedly started this event in memory of his own father, Qurban Ali Shah. Another annual fair is held in Shah's tomb on 1 Safar.