Hazrat Ali Hujwiri (ra) was the ninth descendant of Hazrat Ali 
. After the tragedy of Karbala, many of the descendants of Hazrat Ali dispersed to foreign lands and among them were the forefathers of Hazrat Ali Hujveri who migrated to the Ghaznavid Empire, which is now modern-day Afghanistan.
. After the tragedy of Karbala, many of the descendants of Hazrat Ali dispersed to foreign lands and among them were the forefathers of Hazrat Ali Hujveri who migrated to the Ghaznavid Empire, which is now modern-day Afghanistan.
Hazrat Ali Hujwiri (ra) was also blessed with direct lineage to the Holy Prophet ﷺ through his mother who was a descendant of Hazrat Imam Hussein . His mother was greatly devoted to religious worship and was committed to bettering the welfare of the poor and the suffering.
. His mother was greatly devoted to religious worship and was committed to bettering the welfare of the poor and the suffering.
His maternal uncle was highly respected and had the title of "Tajul Auliya". Adjacent to the mausoleum of Hazrat Tajul Auliya lays the mausoleum belonging to the mother of Hazrat Ali Hujwiri (ra).
Although the family lived in fairly affluent circumstances, they were held in high esteem for their piety and religious devotion.
Travels
After having completed his studies, he travelled extensively in order to acquire knowledge from well-known scholars as well as to pay homage to saints. He is reported to have travelled for forty years, during which he always offered his Friday prayers in congregation.
He travelled to Syria, Iraq, Persia, Kohistan, Azerbaijan, Tabaristan, Kerman, Khorasan, Transoxiana amongst other places and met several prominent Sufis of the time. In Khorasan alone he is reported to have met 300 Sufis. He relates in Kashf-ul-Mahjoob:
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It would be difficult to mention all the Sheikhs of Khorasan. I have met over three hundred saints in Khorasan alone residing separately and who had such mystical endowments that a single one of them would have been enough for the whole world. They are the luminaries of love and prosperity on the spiritual sky of Khorasan.
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After the acquisition of academic knowledge in the fields of his search, he diverted his energy in quest of an accomplished spiritual teacher (Murshid-e-Kamil). He travelled great distances in search of a personality who could satiate his thirst for spirituality, rather than mere academic superficial knowledge. Hazrat Ali Hujwiri (ra) states in Kashf-ul-Mahjoob:
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Theologians have made no distinction between 'ilm (knowledge) and ma'rifat (gnosis), except when they say that God may be called 'alim (knowing), but not 'arif (gnostic), since the latter description lacks Divine blessing. The Sufi Sheikhs give the name of ma’rifat (gnosis) to knowledge that includes both religious practices and states; the knower of which could express his state they would call ‘arif (gnostic).
On the other hand, they give the name of 'ilm (knowledge) to every knowledge that is devoid of spiritual and religious practice, and one who has such knowledge they call 'alim (knowing).
One, then, who knows the meaning and reality of a thing they call 'arif, and one who knows merely the verbal expression and keeps it in his memory without keeping the spiritual reality they call 'alim. For this reason, when the Sufis wish to criticize a rival they call him danishmand (possessing knowledge). This seems objectionable, but the Sufis do not intend to blame the man for having acquired knowledge, rather they blame him for neglecting the practice of religion, because the 'alim depends on himself, but the 'arif depends on his Lord.
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Miracle in Lahore
After he had permanently settled in Lahore, he constructed a monastery for himself and also a mosque. When the mosque was under construction, the Ulama of the city raised a storm of opposition to the effect that the mosque was not exactly aligned towards the Qibla. He remained unconcerned about this opposition and objection. When the mosque was complete he invited the Ulama, Sufis, saints, and leading citizens to it and they all offered prayers behind him. After the prayers were over, he addressed all those present, saying: "People have expressed doubt concerning the alignment of the mosque. I request you to close your eyes and meditate and then decide whether it is correct or not." Thereafter he meditated and the curtains were removed from the eyes of the people. All of them saw that the sacred Ka'ba was before their eyes and that the mosque direction had been correctly aligned.
He spent the rest of his days there guiding, teaching, and inspiring the people and preaching and propagating the doctrine of truth. Thousands of unlettered persons became alims, hoards of people accepted Islam, the misguided began to follow the Path, the insane recovered reason and sanity, the imperfect became perfect (in knowledge) and the sinners became virtuous under the influence of Hazrat Ali Hujwiri (ra).
One of the earlier converts was one Rai Raju, the Naib (Viceroy) of Lahore during the time of Sultan Maudood. On conversion to Islam he was named Sheikh Hindi. His descendants have been since that time the custodians of the mausoleum.
