New Delhi: The Urdu Development Organisation (UDO) organised a condolence meeting at Daryaganj here to pay tribute to Pirzada Rais Mian Chishti, the Sajjada Nashin (hereditary spiritual head) of the globally renowned Dargah of Hazrat Sheikh Salim Chishti in Fatehpur Sikri, following his demise.
The gathering was attended by Islamic scholars, intellectuals, writers, social activists, and prominent personalities from various walks of life, who remembered the late spiritual leader’s religious, spiritual, social, and national contributions. Speakers described his death as a significant loss to India’s Sufi tradition and its shared cultural heritage.
Addressing the meeting, Dr. Syed Ahmad Khan, National President of the Urdu Development Organization, said that Pirzada Rais Mian Chishti was the 16th direct descendant of Hazrat Sheikh Salim Chishti. He assumed the responsibilities of Sajjada Nashin at a young age and spent more than eight decades promoting the universal values of love, peace, tolerance, brotherhood, and humanity.
Dr. Khan said the late Chishti dedicated his life to strengthening Hindu-Muslim unity, communal harmony, national integration, and the promotion of India’s composite Ganga-Jamuni culture. Under his stewardship, he said, the Dargah of Hazrat Sheikh Salim Chishti continued to serve as a spiritual center for devotees from India and across the world. During his tenure, numerous heads of state, prime ministers, diplomats, and international dignitaries visited the shrine.
He added that Pirzada Rais Mian Chishti consistently preached love, mutual respect, fraternity, and compassion, earning the admiration of millions through his simplicity, humility, and spiritual wisdom.
Dr. Khan also noted that the late spiritual leader’s eldest son, Arshad Faridi, is a senior journalist who began his career with Dainik Jagran in New Delhi and currently serves as the Chief Editor of the Urdu and Hindi daily Mera Watan.
Speakers at the condolence meeting pledged to carry forward the late Chishti’s teachings, Sufi values, and humanitarian mission to further strengthen communal harmony, religious tolerance, and national unity in the country.
The meeting concluded with special prayers for the departed soul, seeking Allah’s forgiveness, elevated status in the Hereafter, and patience for his family, followers, and admirers.
Among those who offered condolences were Maulana Mohammad Khalid Nadvi, Maulana Salahuddin, Dr. Mufti Javed Anwar Dehlvi, Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Hakim Mohammad Murtaza Dehlvi, Dr. Mahmood Alam, Dr. Zakiuddin, Dr. Faheem Malik, Israr Ahmad Ujjaini, and Mohammad Imran Kannauji.
