Baba Shah Jamal

 

 Baba Shah Jamal was born in 1588 CE. His father, Maulana Abdul Wahid, was also a renowned religious scholar and belonged to the family of Qazi Jamalud Din Badshahi, a famous Kashmiri family. Shah Jamal belonged to the school of Qadiriyyah and Suhrawardiyya and came to Lahore in 1617 CE. He lived in Ichra at the time of Mughal emperor Akbar the Great. The emperor, along with the council of his advisers, introduced the Din-i-Ilahi ("Divine Faith") a syncretic religion intended to merge the best elements of the religions of his empire (primarily Hinduism and Islām; elements were also taken from Christianity, Jainism and Zoroastrianism) and thereby reconcile the sectarian differences that divided his subjects. Shah Jamal fought against Akbar’s Din-i-Ilahi and brought the people back towards the actual spirit of Islam. The saint died in 1671 CE and was buried near Ichra in Tomb of Shah Jamal. The area has been named Shah Jamal in his honour.