President Zia used to visit two
renowned spiritualists – Sufi Barkat of Faisalabad and Mian G Abdul Ghafoor of
Rawalpindi. Mian G hailed from Chakwal but shifted to a rented house in Chah
Sultan along with his son Abid Ali Gohar, a government servant. Many a time the
President invited him to Aiwan-e-Sadr but he used to gracefully decline. One
dark night, around midnight, as the President’s staff had security-cleared the
area, the most powerful man silently walked through adjacent streets and stepped
into Mian G’s abode. The room Mian G called his hujra was without chairs, so the
President and his Begum sat on the floor beside him.
No need to tell that Ziaul Haq was a man of steel nerves. His colleagues used to
call him Pak Army’s Gen Rommel. He had won the ‘Sinai desert fox’ title for his
successful armored maneuvers in Egypt. He knew how to remain cool in odd
circumstances. The ever smiling face was his most lethal weapon, for friends and
foes alike. But that day as Mian G’s khidmatgar opened the door, he noticed the
President seemed a bit disturbed. The General stayed there for an hour or so,
discussed in closed door his concerns, and sought Mian G’s direction. As they
came out, with his traditional smile returned, the President again requested
Mian G to consider his offer of shifting to a donated house in Islamabad, but
Mian G replied, “Sadar sahib, did you know when you were in Jallandhar, a young
lad wearing necker playing in streets, you will be one day President of
Pakistan”? “No I didn’t”, he smiled. Mian G said, “He who made you President
would own me a house too.”
The President afterwards kept seeking advice from Mian G, sometime on telephone
and sometime through his confidantes. All came with precious gifts and renewed
offers, but Mian G not only declined the offers, but also returned the gifts.
Many of them, mostly high ranking officers, also became his followers. Mian G
was such a man of integrity and self respect that he could be called the real
embodiment of “fear from none but Allah”. A true Ashiq-e-Rasool he was, his
credentials were not that of a mystic sufi only, but he was a thorough
gentleman, a learned individual and practical healer. Years later, after
President Zia’s plane crashed, Mian G bought a house in Dhok Kaku Shah, adjacent
to Islamabad Airport land now being turned into a public park. Mian G started a
weekly Mehfil-e-Darood, which hundreds of his followers, including bigwigs and
commoners, regularly attend.
Who Mian G actually was? Ziaul Haq knew him from his WW-II days which he fought
as a Royal Indian Army soldier in Malaya. Chakwal is known to be the land of
valiant warriors and the Rajput clan he belonged to was considered the best
sought after breed of inductees. The strong-built broad-chested Risaldar Abdul
Ghafoor’s oath taking became a hot issue which echoed in the Royal Palace of
Britain. He was asked to say “Malka ka wafadur rahun ga”, but he kept
pronounceing “Makkah ka wafadur rahun ga”. The decree for court martial was
ready when the wise British officer preferred to hush up this matter for fear of
its spread to other Muslim soldiers, mostly from the same gallant Rajput clans
of Chakwal. His ‘Makkah Oath’ was accepted.
Probably this was the reason that the love for Makkah and Madina was spiritually
injected into his veins and soul. His posting for England was directly ordered
by the Royal Palace, where during the Germans’ attack his ship was drowned but
he safely rescued most of his colleagues. For this act of bravery, he was
awarded with two medals of courage. Later he was relieved of from active
service. When he returned to his native village Khokhar Dir, his father
Postmaster Noor Ahmed’s home was thronged by villagers. They lifted him on
shoulders raising slogans of “Wafadar-e-Makkah Zindabad.”
This was the time when All India Muslim League had got united under the
leadership of Quaid-i-Azam. So he actively participated in the Pakistan
Movement. After Pakistan came into being, he joined the civil service till his
retirement in 1975. His spiritual journey started when he met Eidgah Sharif’s
Qibla Lasani sahib who gave a spur to his curious love for the Prophet (peace be
upon him). Here Haji Ghafoor underwent spiritual processes and emerged as a
veteran devotee who was given control of managing the overall affairs of darbar
Eidgah Sharif.
Later he founded Nooria Habibia Centre at Dhok Kaku Shah, where he started every
Friday a mehfil-e-darood, which has now become the busiest activity in the city.
Mian G passed away on Nov 25, 2008 but he left a shining legacy to carry on with
his mission under the supervision of his learned son Abid Ali Gohar, a law
graduate and Grade-19 officer (Director) now retired from the HEC. Currently he
is Advisor for the Foundation University. Gohar is a gem of a person, a persona
of love, affection and dedication. His is not the idea of merely stretching upon
the legacy his father left, but to further it in extreme love for the Prophet of
God and Allah Almighty under the guidelines given by the Holy book. His magnetic
personality mesmerizes all. He knows numerology, palmistry; the fawl-book left
by his father speaks of his accurate intuitive foretelling, but surprisingly
enough he is not a hostage to all this. He is above all and truly considers it a
God-gifted ability.
It is very difficult for a multi-talent individual, Abid Ali Gohar, to translate
his seven senses into one accurate prophecy because alone, without a final
guidance, it can be misconstruing and misguiding. He considers and firmly
believes that the final authority is Quran and the Prophet (peace be upon him)
whom he prefers to call Sarkar-e-Kul Alam, (the leader all universes) instead of
calling Sarkar-e-Do-Alam (leader of both worlds). As a lawyer, he has learnt to
arguably through knowledge and spiritual experience, which a common man
cannot understand unless he himself goes through the same. He does not believe
in taweez-gandas but extends sometime practical welfare helps to the visitors
and asks for recitating Darood Sharif, which “is the fundamental of our being
and panacea of life.” And the recitation, to him, does not mean a mere
repetition of words but to thoroughly understand it by its real meanings, which
is to follow the life and sayings of the Holy Prophet in true letter and spirit.
His weekly mehfil and Mian G’s yearly urs on Nov 25 shed light on the same
ideology. His abode is not a mystic’s jugglery point or a spiritual business
shop but a centre of excellence, polishing and truth. He gets nothing, no money,
no gift. His highly qualified family and sons are well placed. Like Prof Rafeeq
Akhtar he has no beards but is a persona of Ishq-e-Rasool. One in the lifetime
should not miss meeting him.
Many may differ with what Ziaul Haq did, but one thing friends and foes admit he
had an immense ability of recognizing people. Mian G was not that ordinary to be
missed by his hawk eyes. (Ends)