THE LUNGER KHANA OF SIAL SHARIF

There was always plenty of baraka from Allah (most high) in the langarkhana at the Astana ‘aliya of Siyal Sharif. Day and night hundreds of guests were provided with meals. Khawaja Qamar al-Din never had the desire to accumulate wealth; whatever came was quickly spent. During the era of Yahya Khan, when the government had announced that by a certain date all five hundred rupee notes and all one hundred rupee notes must be returned in order to thwart and control the black market trade, everyone was suddenly worried and day and night frantically pursued the exchange of their notes. Respected Khawaja Qamar al-Din told me personally that at that time he only possessed eight anahs in his pocket and hence he was not worried in the least. The servants of Allah (most high) not only keep their hearts but also their pockets free and pure from wealth.




Whenever a religious or national movement rose in the country and a need for personal and financial sacrifice was felt, this servant of Allah (most high) attributed with all his pure and unconditional devotion was always seen at the forefront. His struggle was not limited to merely a physical one but through the medium of his tongue and pen, he remained preoccupied throughout his life in raising high the banner of truth. If falsity raised its head in any form and in any corner of the state, the valor of Khawaja Qamar al-Din fell heavily upon it.



During the British era, a wave of tribulations flooded the land. Somewhere pseudo-missionaries of Christianity pelted the veracity of Islam with their arrows of taunt and insult. Somewhere the mischief of rejecting the finality of prophet hood (inkar Khatm al-Nubuwwat) occurred, and in someplace else rambles of those insulting the status of prophet hood cropped up. Somewhere organized conspiracies of disrespect towards the Prophetic Companions (sahaba) transpired, and in someplace else impudence towards the greatness and dignity of the respected Prophetic Household (ahl al-bayt) ensued. In short, this beloved servant of the chosen Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) of Allah (most high) fought with all. He put up a bold front and with the help of Allah (most high) forced all to experience a divulging defeat.