Syed Muhammad Moosa Shah Jilani was an eminent 18th-century Sufi saint of Ghotki.
Many of the Sufi saints in Sindh were famed for their piety and their contributions to religious architecture that they commissioned. Moosa Shah Jilani was one of the eminent Sufi saints who were famous both for religious education and architectural efforts. Apart from Islamic education, Syed Moosa Shah was celebrated for commissioning an impressive mosque.
Ghotki became the centre of Qadiri Sufis when Syed Moosa Shah Jilani established his mosque there. This was perhaps first grand mosque of the 18th century built in Ghotki, formerly known as Sahiban ji Loi. The place was a small village when Syed Muhammad Moosa Shah Jilani settled there. It grew and became a flourishing town after when he built the mosque and began imparting Islamic education to the people. Many people became his disciples and studied under his guidance at his mosque.
It is believed that the bricks for the mosque were brought from the brick-kilns of Mathelo which was located about 12 km from Ghotki. All along the way, his students made a human chain from Mathelo to the construction site of the mosque at Ghotki – reciting verses from the Holy Quran and passing bricks from one disciple to the next. This is how the bricks reached from Mathelo to the construction site at Ghotki. It took four years to arrive at the completion of the mosque in 1732 – in which the disciples of Syed Muhammad Moosa Shah took part. The masons were also believed to have been his disciples.
Initially, it was a three-domed mosque which was tastefully decorated with mural paintings and ceramics. The ceiling of the spacious verandah of the mosque was supported with 84 wooden carved pillars, which was a rare aspect of architectural finesse to be seen in the mosques of upper Sindh. We can say that it reflected the workmanship and skillset of the Sindhi artists of Ghotki.
After the death of Syed Muhammad Moosa Shah Jilani, his elder son Syed Muhammad Saleh Shah Jilani became the first Gadi Nashin of his shrine and khateeb of the Jamia mosque. Like his father he was also known for his piety and piousness. It is believed that Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai (1689-1752) visited Syed Muhammad Saleh Shah and prayed in the Jamia mosque of Ghokti.
Syed Muhammad Saleh Shah made extensions to the mosque and added two domes each on the northern and southern sides – thus increasing the number from three to five. Two minarets were also added. He was also believed to have erected the tomb of his father Syed Muhammad Moosa Shah Jilani, who was buried near the main gate of the mosque. Afterwards, no renovations and extensions were made until 1889 when Mukhtiarkar of Ghotki Ali Bakhsh took up the task of renovation of the mosque.
In 1960, Sardar Ali Nawaz spent 200,000 rupees on the renovation of the mosque. By that era the mosque was in very bad state of preservation but with efforts and finances provided by Sardar Ali Nawaz the mosque was renovated and the crumbling wooden pillars were replaced by 15 cemented pillars. Later on Sardar Ghulam Muhammad Khan Mahar and Dr. Ghulam Hussain Qureshi also contributed for further renovation.
The distinctive feature of the Jamia mosque was its ornamental lantern which crowned the central dome of the mosque. This architectural element was rarely seen in the tombs and mosques in Sindh. It first appears to have been used in the Manzilgah mosque at Sukkur which was built by Mir Muhammad Masoom Shah Bakhari (1528-1606 AD) in 1598 and the tomb of Mir Abul Baqi Purani (died in 1610). The ornamental lantern were first used in the Mughal monuments of Bakhar, Rohri and Sukkur and later this architectural device spread to other cities and towns of Sindh but it was in the 18th century when it became a recurrent feature in the Kalhora architecture, especially in tombs and mosques. The best examples would be the tombs of Mangho Faqir Jatoi at Khudabad, Jalal Khan and Qaim Khan Korai at the necropolis of Mian Noor Muhammad Kalhoro (1719-1753), Shah Khairuddin Jilani at Sukkur, Shah Baharo at Larkana, Bando Qubo at Rato Dero, Sakhi Dilwar Rind at Jhangara Bajara, Mir Allahyar Talpur and Sainbdad Talpur both at Drigh Bala, Jaral Shah near Gambat, Khairpur and so on.
Ornamental lanterns first appeared on the domes of Central Asian tombs. However, the most prominent tombs are those of Zubeda and Ubeda near the shrine of Astana Baba. This ornamental device made its way from Central Asia to India where it was first used on the dome of Sayyid Mubarak Shah at Delhi. It was also used in the tombs of Poti (grand-daughter built in 1500) and Ustad at Sirhind in India.
This is a very rare feature in India. But it was widely used in the Kalhora tombs in Sindh. The Kalhoras popularized this ornamental device in their tombs and mosques in Sindh.
Syed Muhammad Abid Shah (1741-1800) was another eminent Sufi saint from the family of Syed Muhammad Moosa Shah Jilani who preached Islam and converted many to Islam. He was the youngest son of Syed Muhammad Moosa Shah Jilani. He was the second Gadi Nashin of the shrine of his father. Simultaneously, he was also the Khateeb of the Jamia mosque. Many of his students later built their madrassahs and mosques in their respective regions in Sindh and Punjab. Syed Muhammad Abid was believed to have frequently travelled to his students in the districts of Bahawalpur and Multan in Punjab. He died in 1800 and was succeeded by his son Fiazullah as Gadi Nashin and khateeb of the mosque. He also preached Islam in upper Sindh and Punjab and died in 1831. He was succeeded by his son Syed Karamullah Shah who died without any issue. The uncle of Karamullah, Syed Moosa Shah II son of Syed Abid Shah, became the new Sajjada Nashin of the dargah of Syed Moosa Shah and khateeb of the Jamia mosque. He died in 1855 and the dargah and mosque were later taken care of by his family members.
The Jamia mosque of Ghotki built by Syed Muhammad Moosa Shah Jilani is probably one of the largest in Upper Sindh. The Jilani mystics of Ghotki spread their Islamic teachings in every nook and corner of Upper Sindh and some districts of Punjab. Like other Sufi saints of Sindh, Jilani mystics spread the message of love, peace, equality and harmony and both Jilani mystics and their murids (disciples) never discriminated against anyone on the basis of religion, ethnicity or caste.
The author is an anthropologist and has authored four books: ‘Symbols in Stone: The Rock Art of Sindh’, ‘Perspectives on the art and architecture of Sindh’, ‘Memorial Stones: Tharparkar’ and ‘Archaeology, Religion and Art in Sindh’. He may be contacted at: zulfi04@hotmail.com