Sayyid Meerak Shah Kashani

His teachings addressed themes of devotion, ethics, and spiritual discipline, he attracted follows within Kashmir and beyond. He was regarded by his followers as a respected Sufi saint, and his work influenced aspects of the region's religious and cultural life.

• Religion — Islam • Name — Sayyid Meerak Shah Kashani • Honorific Prefix — * Sufi • Faqir e Millat • Native Name — سید میرک شاہ کاشأنی • Title — Faqir-e-Milat • Born — 6 September 1895 • Birthplace — Saraf Kadal, Srinagar • Parents — Sayyid Ahmad Shah Kashani • Tariqa — Qadiriyya, Kubrawiyya, Naqshbandi, Suhrawardiyya, Chisti • Pen Name — Mirak~ • Died — 13 December 1971 (24th Shawwal) • Place of death — Shalimar Srinagar • Resting Place — Khanqah-i-Kashani Shalimar • Education — Anjuman Tableeg Ul Islam, Madinat Ul Uloum • Founder — Anjuman Tableeg Ul Islam • Influenced — Allama Shah Bukhari, Peer Yaseen Sahib(Syed Mohammad Yaseen Shah), Molvi Abdul Kabir • Influences — Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani • Denomination — Sunni

Mirakh Shah Kashani was born on 6 September 1895 in Saraf Kadal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, to Sayyid Ahmed Shah Naqash. His mother died when he was two years old, and his father died three years later. He did not receive formal secular education beyond instruction in the Qur'an, Hadith, and some Persian literature. According to some accounts, when further formal education was proposed, he declined and instead spent time in the company of fakirs, saints and Qalandars. It is reported that his ancestor, Sayyid Habibullah Kashani, migrated from Kashan, a city in Isfahan, Iran. Family tradition traces his lineage to the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله تعالى عليه وآله وسلم through Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani رحمه الله. • Illustration — Shrine of Sayyid Meerakh Shah Kashani at Shalimar Srinagar Kashani later engaged in the calligraphy of Qur'anic verses, which he used as a means of financial support for himself and his disciples. The shrine of Sayyid Meerakh Shan Kashani is located at Shalimar in Srinagar.

Sayyid Meerakh Shah Kashani died on 13 December 1971 (24 Shawwal 1391 AH), three days before the end of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, at the age of 76. He was buried at Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar, at a site known as Khanqah-i-Kashaniyah, near the graves of his predecessors, Abdul Qadoos and Laal Shah Sahib. His annual urs is observed on 24 Shawwal in accordance with the Islamic calendar.

• Illustration — Jaam e Irfan written by Sayyid Meerakh Shah Kashani. • Jaam-e-Irfan (Goblet Of Knowledge), a poetry collection published by Khanqah-i-Kashaniyah; its second edition was published in 2008.