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Multan

Multan, Pakistan

Multan is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is Pakistan’s 5th largest city by population and 3rd largest city by area. The city is located on the banks of the Chenab River

Multan is also titled as the City of Sufis, City of Saints and Madinat-ul-Auliya because of the large number of shrines and Sufi saints from the city. The city is blanketed with bazaars, mosques, shrines, and ornate tombs. Multan is also famous for ancient Hindu temples, the most famous temple being Prahladpuri Temple. The Holi or Holika festival of the Hindus originated from this temple. Multan is also the birthplace of Fariduddin Ganjshakar (popularly known as “Baba Farid”), recognised as the first major poet of the Punjabi language. Multan is located in a bend created by five rivers of central Pakistan. The Sutlej River separates it from Bahawalpur and the Chenab River from Muzaffar Garh. One of the oldest cities in the world dating back 6000 years, the city has grown to become an influential political and economical centre for the country, with a dry port and excellent transport links. Multan is famous for its crops: wheat, cotton and sugar cane, mangoes, citrus, guavas, and pomegranates.

Baha-ud-din Zakariya
Baha-ud-din Zakariya (1170-1267), also spelled as Bahauddin Zakariya, and also known as Baha-ul-Haq and Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya Multani (Rahmatullah Alaih), was a Sufi of Suhrawardiyya order (tariqa). His full name was Abu Muhammad Bahauddin Zakariya. He was from the lineage of Hadhrat Asad Ibn Hashim hence Hashmi. Sheikh Baha-ud-Din Zakariya was born at Kot Kehror (Karor Lal Esan), a town of the Layyah District near Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, around 1170. His grandfather Shah Kamaluddin Ali Shah Qureshi arrived in Multan from Mecca en route to Khwarezm where he stayed for a short while.

Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fateh
Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fateh commonly known by the title (Shah) Rukn-e-Alam (“Pillar of the World”) (1251–1335), was an eminent Sufi saint from Multan in modern-day Pakistan who belonged to Suhrawardiyya Sufi order. Shah Rukn-e-Alam was the son of Pir Sadar-Al-Din Arif. He was born in Multan on Friday, the 9th of Ramadan 649 Hijri (26 November 1251). He was the grandson and successor of Sheikh Baha-ud-din Zakariya.

Shah Rukn-e-Alam died on Friday, the 7th of Jumada al-awwal 735 Hijri (3 January 1335). He was buried in the mausoleum of his grandfather, according to his own will. After sometime, however, his coffin was transferred to the present mausoleum. Shah Rukn-e-Alam never married. He regarded the children of Sheikh Hameed ud Din al Hakim as his own children and said that people will remember his name through Hakim’s generations. Upon his death, Shah Rukn-e-Alam conferred his spiritual succession to Sheikh Hameed ud Din al Hakim, buried at Mau Mubarak in Rahim Yar Khan, who was his Ataleeq-e-Awwal, Khalifa-e-Awwal and was married to his aunt, the daughter of Sheikh Baha-ud-Din Zakariya.

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