The renowned Saint of Mosques, who transformed the skyline of his district of Kotli in Azad Kashmir with a kaleidoscope of minarets and domes by designing and constructing hundreds of mosques, for it to become known as the ‘City of Mosques’ (Madeenatul Masaajid), was a prominent spiritual guide of the twentieth century. He was a Sufi Master of the Naqshbandi Mujaddadi spiritual network, Khawaja Khawajgaan, Qibla Hadhrat Shaykh Muhammad Saadiq sahib (1921-2008) – May Allah bless him. The Shaykh was affectionately referred to by his beloved parishioners, devotees, and visitors alike as ‘Hadhrat Sahib’ or ‘Barre Janāb.’

The noble Shaykh was a Master-Guide (Murshid) in the Naqshbandiya Mujaddidiya spiritual order, a spiritual pathway that harmoniously combines traditional sacred disciplines for balancing the inner and outer human dispositions. This guidance is primarily based upon the divinely revealed Islamic wisdom for a prescribed complete way of life for believers that is embodied in the systematized corpus of Shari’ah (Islamic law) and achieving transformative excellence through their Tariqah (Islamic Spirituality). Hence, nurturing sincere seekers’ devotional aspects and reforming their inner, unseen states to successfully live in accordance with the Divine axiom: ‘outwardly being with the world but to inwardly always be in the presence of Allah.’

Hadhrat Sahib (May Allah bless him) led a silent Sufi mystical movement in Kashmir and Pakistan, which spread far and wide, leaving a global footprint during his lifetime.