Upon this, Shāh Muḥammad Sher Miyān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه closed his eyes for a few minutes and then said, “Your share is not here with me. Go to Bareilly! Your share is there with the great scholar AꜤla Hazrat رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه. Become his murid.”

He commanded, “Go! His murid is my murid, and my murid is his murid. I have no connection with whoever disassociates from him.”^[1]

Quṭb al-Irshād Imam Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه 

Dear Islamic brothers, Imam Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه is a representative of Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir Jīlāni رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه, and one of his titles is Quṭb al-Irshād. Quṭb is a station of sainthood. A saint who comprises all ranks of tariqah is referred to with this title. The quṭb has a unique rank amongst all the saints of his time. He is also referred to as the Ghawth, and he is the leader of the saints of his age. Calling to righteousness, forbidding evil, rectifying people’s beliefs, correcting people’s actions and setting right the evils in society all fall within the meaning of irshād. Hence, the meaning of Quṭb al-Irshād is: The greatest rectifier of the ummah in his time, and the leader of the saints of his age.^[2]

We come to know that our Imam Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه is Quṭb al-Irshād, i.e. one who propagates the call towards righteousness, rectifies society, eliminates evil, leads his murids to lofty ranks and the leader of all the saints of his time.

Follow him, everyone will follow you

Once, accompanied by ꜤAbd al-Salām Jabalpūrī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه, Imam Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه went to Mahaim Sharīf (India) to meet a majdhūb. Muftī Burhān al-Ḥaqq رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه explains: