Sharfuddin Bu-Ali Shah Qalandar
His name was Shaikh Sharfuddin, and Bu-Ali Shah the title. His father, Shaikh Fakhar Uddin was a great scholar and saint of his time. The mother, Bibi Hafiza Jamal, was the daughter of Maulana Syed Nematullah Hamdani. His father came from Iraq in the year 600 Hijri and settled down in Panipat (India). His lineage with several links reached Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa. He was born in 606 Hijri in Panipat.
He completed his studies at an early age and taught near the Qutub Minar in Delhi for 20 years, and started to teach in his school. He was counted among renowned scholars and top-ranking teachers regarded him with respect.
Once the ruler of Delhi married a girl, and whenever he would try to go close to her, his sexuality would become inactive & he was unable to touch his newly married bride for many nights. At last, he gathered all scholars of Delhi & told them about his strange problem. All scholars were unable to find the reason, as the ruler was quite healthy. The ruler became furious, and warned all of the scholars of Delhi, that if they could not find the reason of my problem till tomorrow, he will kill all of them. All scholars became afraid, Hazrat Bu-Ali Shah was also among them, as he was a well known scholar at that time.
On the same day one Majzoob dervish came to the school of Bu-Ali Shah, and asked his students about him, students said that he went to the palace of the ruler. That Dervish gave some written note to the students & said that give it to Bu-Ali Shah. So when Hazrat Bu-Ali Shah arrived to school, his students told about the dervish & gave him the written note. Hazrat Bu-Ali Shah quickly took that note & started reading that. It was written in that "The ruler of Delhi has married his own daughter, that's why when he goes to near her, God makes him sexless. In past, the ruler married a beautiful woman, and then for some reasons the ruler got angry on her & left her in a jungle. The woman was pregnant at that time, so she took refuge in the house of an old man, who was a launderer, she gave birth to a beautiful babygirl, and during the delivery that woman died. Because the old launderer was childless, so he took the babygirl & grown her up as his own daughter. And because the girl was beautiful, that's why soon the ruler had come to know about her beauty, and the ruler married her. And because a Muslim ruler is God's Khalifa, that's why God prohibited him to commit a great sin".
On next day, Bu-Ali Shah went to the ruler, and told him the whole story. Then the ruler inquired about that, and found it true. Thus, all scholars of Delhi took a sigh of peace. After coming to his school, Hazrat Bu-Ali Shah threw away all of his books, and then went to look for the Majzoob who gave him the written note. On third day he found him, the majzoob was the great Sufi Saint Hazrat Khwaja Qutub-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki (The spiritual teacher of Baba Farid). Hazrat Bu-Ali requested him for Bay't (to become his spiritual desciple).Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki refused & said that I don't have such power to make you my spiritual desciple, but I can take you to your Murshid (spiritual teacher). After saying that, Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki took his hand & put it to the hand of Hazrat Ali, the 2nd Caliph. Hazrat Ali taught him spiritual lessons, and after finishing, Hazrat Bu-Ali became a Majzoob. And became famous with the title of "Bu-Ali", although earlier he was known as Sharfuddin.
He lived in Panipat till death, and served the people. Hundreds drew spiritual or divine benefits from him. Besides, he undertook to regular teaching and propagation of Islam. Hundreds embraced Islam because of him. The Rajputs, who lived around, were the great beneficiaries. He left a deep impact on the royal dynasty of Delhi, and preached them of good conduct.
One day a disciple of Shamsuddin Turk went to the city on an errand and saw Bu-Ali Shah riding a Tiger and retold the episode to his teacher. Shamsuddin Turk said to his disciple: "Go to the residence of Bu-Ali Shah and if you see him riding the Tiger, tell him: "The Tiger should live in the jungle." The disciple obeyed, found Hazrat Bu-Ali Shah in the condition and conveyed his teacher's message. He rose from his place immediately and went to his closet.
Once Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya sent a couplet to Bu-Ali Shah in Farsi, which translation is as below:
O rightious! guide me! I'm in a difficulty & I want the answer
People say that when there was nothing, God was there. But if there was nothing, then where God was?
Hazrat Bu-Ali Shah Qlanadar wrote a couplet in Farsi, in its answer, which translation is as below:
I'm unconscious about the world & the people. Everything belongs to God, and God can't be defined
If you want to know about that secret, then look at your soul that how it is existing in your material body.
He died on 17, Ramadan 724 Hijri at Karnal.
Miracles
Few days before death he told to his desciples that after death bury me in "Panipat". Later, he didn't feel well & travelled to Karnal, there he went in the condition of "Jazb" (ecstasy), holding a branch of tree to stand. There he stood like a stutue, moveless for some time, and in that condition he died. People in Karnal buried him there. At the same night the Holy Prophet came into the dream of Hazrat Sirajuddin Makki (who earlier was teacher of Hazrat Bu-Ali shah in Islamic Law), and told him to take the dead body of Hazrat Bu-Ali here in Panipat, and bury him here. In the morning he went to Karnal to do so, but the people there prohibited him to do that. So, then he made a coffin & put some bricks in it & took it to Panipat, by thinking that if Hazrat Bu-Ali Shah was really a true saint, then he would come into this coffin by himself. When he reached near Panipat, he found the ruler of the state coming from ahead. The ruler asked him that whom coffin is it? Hazrat Sirajuddin said that it's coffin of Hazrat Bu-Ali Shah. The ruler desired to see his face. Hazrat Sirajuddin pulled out the sheet from over the coffin, and saw that Hazrat Bu-Ali Shah is lying in the coffin. So he took it to Panipat & buried him there.