The Scholar of Silence: Legacy of Dr Shah Ali Arshad Sharfi of Bihar Sharif
By Syed Amjad Hussain, New Age Islam
11 June 2025
Dr Shah Ali Arshad Sharfi, a revered Sufi scholar from Bihar, preserved the legacy of Makhdoom-e-Jahaan Hazrat Shaykh Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri through teaching, writing, and spiritual guidance, leaving behind an enduring intellectual and spiritual heritage.
Main Points:
1. Dr Shah Ali Arshad Sharfi was a respected Sufi scholar and translator rooted in Bihar’s spiritual legacy.
2. He inherited deep religious and academic traditions from his father and grandfather.
3. He taught for decades and quietly nurtured minds in both formal and spiritual settings.
4. His unpublished doctoral research reflects Bihar’s overlooked intellectual treasures.
5. A humble spiritual guide, his legacy now continues through his son and deserves wider recognition.
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Introduction
Karte Rahe Tum Sitam Isi Tarah
Ayegi Yad Tumko Humari Buri Tarah
~ Shah Ali Arshad Sharfi 'Arshad'
The land of Bihar is historically rich, both intellectually and spiritually. Despite its fertile soil and deep-rooted cultural and religious legacy, this Indian state often remains underappreciated in global discourse. One of its shining spiritual and intellectual beacons, Hazrat Shaykh Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri Firdausi, revered as Makhdoom-e-Jahaan or Makhdoom-ul-Mulk Bihari, never received the widespread international recognition that his stature deserves. It’s widely acknowledged that had his shrine been located in another Indian state, it might have attracted global attention. Bihar has failed many of the great minds, saints, scholars, poets, jurists, reformers, and even national heroes.
In this series of contemporary figures, the fifth instalment is one such completely neglected but towering personality, Dr Shah Ali Arshad Sharfi, a prominent scholar, spiritual mentor and a dedicated translator of Hazrat Makhdoom-e-Jahaan Hazrat Shaykh Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri's literary legacy.
A Scholar Par Excellence
Dr Shah Ali Arshad Sharfi was among the leading personalities of recent times in Bihar. Reputed for academic depth, spiritual acumen, and an intellectually infusive approach, he was respected across different schools of thought. However, it is regrettable that though the circles of learning appreciated his erudition, the common masses had a very poor perception of his monumental contributions.
He was the eldest son and spiritual successor of the renowned Islamic scholar and expert in Makhdoomiyat, Hazrat Hakeem Shah Qaseemuddin Ahmad Sharfi Firdausi. Born on Sunday, 1 May 1952 (25th Ramadan 1371 AH), in the spiritually charged atmosphere of Khanqah-e-Moazzam of Hazrat Shaykh Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri, near the residence of Hazrat Shah Najmuddin Firdausi in Bihar Sharif, Dr Shah Ali Arshad was nurtured in a rich environment of spiritual heritage and scholarship.
Academic and Spiritual Training
Dr Shah Ali Arshad began his education under the guidance of his grandfather, Hazrat Shah Ibraheem Hussain Firdausi, and later continued with his father. He received his foundational training in Arabic and Persian from both. Formally, he passed all examinations from Madrasa Azizia in Bihar Sharif, culminating in the degree of Fazilat. He had a religious education alongside his modern academic one, as he matriculated from Patna Collegiate School, then pursued his Intermediate and Bachelor of Arts at Nalanda College, completing a Master’s in Persian from Patna University.
His doctoral thesis titled “Hayat-o-Asar Hazrat Shah Ameen Ahmad Firdausi Sabaat Bihari” remains unpublished, alongside another valuable work on Persian-speaking Sufi saints of Bihar Sharif, both representing essential contributions to Bihar’s literary and spiritual heritage.
Teaching and Writing Career
Dr Sharfi was an educator at heart. He served as a teacher of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu from 1978 to 2012 at Soghra High School, Bihar Sharif. Simultaneously, he taught in the private seminary Gulzaar-e-Ibraheem for many years. Although his teaching slowed due to health reasons in later years, he devoted himself to writing, translating, and preserving the intellectual legacy of Bihar’s Sufi saints.
His father, Hazrat Shah Qaseemuddin Sharfi, was not only a brilliant religious scholar but also a luminous figure in Persian language education. Students from distant areas sought his guidance, and he trained thousands in the Persian language and classical Islamic sciences.
Silsila-e-Firdausiyya and Spiritual Legacy
Dr Shah Ali Arshad received spiritual initiation (bay‘ah) from his grandfather Hazrat Shah Muhammad Ibraheem Hussain Firdausi in the Firdausiyya Sufi Order. He was granted full spiritual authorisation by both his grandfather and father in all major Sufi orders. Upon the passing of his father in 1993, he officially ascended as the sajjada nashin (custodian) of the Khanqah.
In 1998, he completed the pilgrimage of Hajj and later performed Umrah and visited Madina Sharif twice. As a spiritual leader, he was widely revered for his moral integrity, humility, and intellectual brilliance, embodying the core values of the Sufi path.
Ancestry and Family
Dr Shah Ali Arshad Sharfi descended from an illustrious line of saints and scholars. On both paternal and maternal sides, he was linked to Hazrat Waheeduddin Chillakashh, a towering figure in the Sufi tradition. His genealogy traces back to Makhdoom-e-Jahaan Hazrat Shaykh Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri through a long line of spiritual elders. His maternal side also includes notable saints and jurists.
He was married to Bibi Mueena, daughter of Hazrat Shah Muhammad Sajjad Firdausi, and they had three daughters and a son, Shah Ahmad Ghazali Firdausi, who continues his father’s legacy and has been formally designated as his spiritual successor (janasheen).
Personality and Influence
Pre-eminent for his simplicity, good taste, and proficiency both in speaking and writing, Dr Shah Ali Arshad's style was marked by clarity, elegance, and emotional richness. Sobriety characterised his speech; quiet dignity, his behaviour. His multifaceted personality, combining scholarship, spirituality, and public service, resists complete verbalisation.
Today, as Bihar continues to awaken to the legacies buried in its soil, the life and work of Dr Shah Ali Arshad Sharfi stands as a shining reminder of the region’s untapped spiritual and intellectual potential. It is a call to honour our scholars not posthumously but in their lifetime, to amplify their voices and preserve their teachings for the generations to come.
Reference:
Help from Janab Shah Raiyan Abulolai Danapuri's Article
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Syed Amjad Hussain is an author and Independent research scholar on Sufism and Islam. He is the author of 'Bihar Aur Sufivad', a research book based on the history of Sufism in Bihar.
Note: This is the first-ever article available about Dr. Shah Ali Arshad Sharfi Firdausi Bihar.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/scholar-silence-shah-arshad-sharfi/d/135833
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