Haji Ali Dargah , Mosque in Mumbai

There are many miracles that have happened during the life of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari {R.A} and after his death. It is a belief of the Muslims as mentioned in the Quran Sheriff that the Holy Saints who sacrifice and devoted their lives in the way of Allah never die and one should not call them dead. They are alive in the graves and get their food and necessities from Allah.

It is learnt from reliable sources that Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari {R.A} was Qutub-E-Akbar. Whatever is known about miracles is learnt from the caretakers and trustees from generation as the Saint had never married and had no descendents. Some people tried to display themselves as his descendants or heirs and have destroyed the exact history of the saint, his tomb and Dargah.

Oil and the Lady : It is learnt from rivayat {being told by the people} that Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari {R.A} was sitting at some lone place and was busy in his prayers when one lady passed from there crying and screaming. When the Saint enquired about her crying she told the Saint by pointing to an empty vessel and said that she had dropped some oil from the vessel and that if she goes home without the oil her cruel husband would treat her badly and that’s why she was crying in need of help. The Saint asked her to be calm and went with her to the place where the oil had been dropped and then he took the vessel from her and pushed the earth with his thumb and the oil came out like a fountain and the vessel was full. The Saint gave her the vessel with oil and she went away happily. But at the same time the earth told the Saint that he had pushed it and had given it trouble and some day when he would be buried it might take revenge of this. The Saint then realized that he had committed a mistake and from that day he became very serious and was not keeping well.

The Pathway : Before his death he advised his followers that they should not burry Him at any proper place or graveyard and should drop his coffin that it should be buried by the people where and when it is found so that is why his tomb is in the middle of the sea where some stones over a small mountain were lying above the sea. The present chairman informs it and managing trustee, Mr. A. S. Merchant that earlier there was no pathway in the sea and people collected stones and made a temporary path during low tide. During high tide however the path was destroyed. In 1944 his father Mohammad Haji Aboobakar who was appointed trustee by The Attorney General, Goverment of Bombay had decided to build a permanent pathway but he was hesitant as he was not sure if the path would withstand the sea fury during the monsoon season almost all the roads of Mumbai become rough and have potholes but till today the pathway of the Dargah has never been damaged or unsafe for the people to reach the Dargah Sheriff. This is one of the biggest miracles of the saint hundreds of years after his death.

Miracles of the Dargah : In 1949 there was a big storm in Mumbai, which had not left a single building without the slightest damage, but there was no damage to the Dargah, sanatorium or the pathway. There were waves of the size of mountain and most people were scared that they would drown. They then bowed down at the wall of the Dargah, said their prayer and there was lightening on the waves and the people returned home without any harm to themselves or to their property.

It is learned from the thousands of visitors and devotees who have visited the tomb of the Saint that with proper faith and belief they have achieved whatever they have had asked for from the Saint blessings.

During the heavy rains on 26th July 2005 there was a huge destruction over most of the part of Mumbai but the Haji Ali Dargah was not affected  by this incident.

The Masjid has a narrow concrete pathway about a kilometer built over water to reach the shrine and can only be reached at low tide.

The walkway is lined with pitiful wailing beggars. The courtyard of the Masjid is surrounded by refreshment stalls and other kinds of shops which take away the solemnity of the place. Haji Ali dargah is an integral part of Mumbai’s heritage and Indian culture. The rocks exposed at low tide behind the Masjid are a favourite spot if you are interested in catch sea breezes. The best time to visit is on Friday or on Thursday evenings.

The Masjid can be reached only during low tide. The whitewashed Masjid also has a cool courtyard generally full of people and refreshment stalls. The rocks exposed during low tide at the rare end of the Masjid are a favourable spot to catch some cool sea breeze. There’s nothing somber about the building’s cool courtyard, which is generally full of chattering families and refreshment stalls.

A short flight of marble steps leads into the dargah where the body of the saint is enclosed in a semi-circled tomb, in an exquisite silver frame engraved with all the ninety-nine names of Allah. The top of the tomb is covered with a zari cloth and flowers and other offerings by devotees lie scattered around the tomb. The devotees pray and touch their heads and lips to the cloth. Ladies, as is the case in all mosques, have a separate room for prayers. All visitors need to remove their shoes before entering the shrine.

The Dargah has a narrow concrete pathway leading to the shrine. A short flight of marble steps leads into the Dargah where the body of the saint is enclosed in a semi-circular tomb, covered with a zari cloth. Flowers and other offerings by devotees lie scattered around the tomb. The devotees pay their respects by praying and touching their foreheads and lips to the cloth. Ladies, as is the case in all mosques, have a separate room for their prayers. All visitors need to remove their shoes before entering the shrine. As long as this stipulation is respected, everyone, regardless of religious affiliations, is permitted into the Dargah.

The Dargah can only be reached at low tide, when the causeway that leads to the shrine is above water. During high tide, the connecting causeway is submerged in water giving the impression that the mosque and tomb are floating on sea in splendid isolation.

Building And Area :
The white dome and the solitary minaret of the mosque behind the Dargah stands out on the west shoreline of Mumbai. Behind the  huge marble doorway lies the tomb enclosed in a white structure lying in an exquisite silver frame supported by marble pillars. The inside of the dome is covered in colourful glass arranged in a kaleidoscopic pattern, which spells the names of Allah in 99 different forms.

Faithful Followers :
Every day, thousands of pilgrims from Mumbai and beyond walk from the shore to the Dargah on the concrete walkway to say their prayers and ask for wishes, which the devout claim, do come true. The walkway some years back had just beggars lined up, but today, it  has shops on its left up to the entrance of the Dargah — on the right, beggars have the full advantage of the space – they eat, sleep and make themselves at home here.

The saint came to India with the permission of his mother with his brother and finally reached the Shores of Bombay – near Worli or at some place opposite the present tomb. His brother went to their native place. Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari {R.A} sent a letter with him to their mother informing her that he was keeping good health and that he had decided to reside at that place permanently for spreading Islam and that she should forgive him. Till his death he was praying and giving knowledge about Islam to the people and devotees regularly visiting him.

Haji Ali is a handsome example of Islamic architecture standing on an island. In fact, this holy place is visited by many devotees as well as visitors who are attracted by the beauty of the site. The widespread belief is that whoever prays to the deity here is never disappointed. A number of pilgrims come here for thanksgiving. Pir Haji Ali’s Shahs sister also followed her brother’s footsteps and became his companion in ascetic suffering. There is a mausoleum built for her a little distance away on Worli Bay.

History of Dargah : This monument has been sentinel to the shores of Bombay since a long time. 500 yards into the sea from the shore. The dargah was built by Haji Usman Rangikar, the man who owned the ship that took pilgrims to Mecca.

The road leading to Dargah from Lala Lajpat Rai Rd up to the gate of Haji Ali Dargah Complex was constructed in 1944,by the trust fund. The building called Kawwal khanna, Ladies rest shade, Laterine and the Bldg for resident presently called Mashriqui and Maghribi manzil and the gate of Dargah Complex was constructed in between 1948 and 1982 out of the trust fund.

The Dargah and Mosque was reconstructed, remodeled and renovated  between 1960 and 1964 by the Trustees out of the Trust fund. The new sanatorium building was constructed by demolishing the old ground floor structure for sanitarium between 1978 and 1982 out of the trust fund. Widening and increasing the height in between 1984 and 1990 by the Trust fund reconstructed the road leading to Dargah from Lala Lajpat Rai Marg to the gate of Haji Ali Dargah complex.

The Kinara masjid was also developed and reconstructed from time to time on the space {Ottla} available since last 300 years by the Trust fund. The Trustees fixed the road lights by the side of pathway by the Trust fund for the beautification and convenience of public, from time to time. “AMEEN”.

Haji Ali is believed to have been a wealthy local businessman who renounced his riches after a pilgrimage to  Mecca. He is believed to have drowned and died at the place where the dargah today stands. An alternative version says that Haji Ali died during his pilgrimage to Mecca in the early 19th century. His casket floated back and came to a rest near the rockbed on the sea at Mumbai, where his devotees built the dargah.The Masjid is picturesque with a vast courtyard & refreshment stalls. It contains the tomb of the Muslim saint Haji Ali. His devotees built the mosque and the tomb in the early 19th century.

It is a well known historical fact that in spreading the ethical and spiritual values of Islam, major and effective contributions have been Made by the Walis of ALLAH (saints). It was their humanistic position, and piety which won over the hearts of lacs of people. They made a direct contact with the masses served and loved them, lived with them in the realization of Eternal Truth.

The proof of this is more than evident from the history of growth of Islam in India. Although Islam had penetrated in this subcontinent in the first century of Hijra, but the noble task of inspiring the people to its tenets and values in India was accomplished by Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty (R.A.)  popularly known as Khwaja Saheb and Khwaja Gharib Nawaz.

He did it all through his great moral power, glorious and appealing character, with love and dedication to mankind, without any worldly resources of wealth, power, force and material means. His work was taken ahead by numerous other Sufis and Walis of Allah and Pir Haji Ali Shah was one of them.

Islam is derived from the root word salaam which means Peace. Islam was brought to  India in the 8th century by traders, Islam became a dominant religious force in the country during the Moghul Empire. Maharashtra has a large Muslim population and mosques or prayer halls can be found in almost every village and city of the state. There are several Masjids in Mumbai, big and small, simple and ornate. At the same time, there are several Dargahs (tombs) of revered Muslim saints that have become famous pilgrimages.

Most notable among the Dargahs in Mumbai is the tomb of the Muslim saint Pir Haji Ali Shah. A landmark on the Mumbai skyline, the whitewashed dargah stands tall in Mahalaxmi at the end of a narrow 500-yard causeway jutting into the Arabian Sea.

We are very thankful as well as grateful to the Almighty Allah that He granted us  this opportunity to develop this site on the Life history of the Great Saint – Hazrat Pir Haji Ali Shah (R.A.), his laudable qualities, teachings and miracles and much more in form of a Web Site.

This simple site would reveal to those person who are still unaware of this gracious spiritual master, and of his unbounded grace which is available to all irrespective of caste, creed, race, faith or colour.

His shrine has been and is being visited by all. The rich and the poor. All approach the door of benediction for the fulfillment of their desires and wishes. There is no doubt that the boundaries grace and blessing of this great saint shall continue to help humanity for ever.This is my small effort to bring in your kind notice the life and teachings of Pir Haji Ali Shah (R.A.).