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Sahi or Shahi (साही, ساھی, meaning "royal") is a clan of Jat (Sikh & Muslim), Rajput and Arain Muslims.

History[link]

Sahis (Shahis) are primarily agrarians and found on either sides of Punjab (Indian/Pakistani Punjab). They can be HIndus, Sikhs and Muslim According to Sir Denzil Ibbetson's famous research work "Punjab Castes", Sahis are the Jatts of "Sikh and Muslim Tract" (Page 81, last paragraph). Sir Denzel further writes : These Jatts of Punjab inclujjde those great Muslim tribes who have made the race so renowned in the history. They occupy the central districts of the Punjab (Unified Punjab before the partition of subcontinent) the upper Satluj and the great Sikh states of eastern plains.

Sahis claim their descent from Suryanvanshi Rajput who went to Ghazni with Mahmud Ghaznavi and returned to find the tribe settling on the Ravi near Lahore. They are found in any numbers in Sahiwal, Gujrat and Sialkot, Faisalabad,Haroon Abad (109/6 R) India, Punjab.

Distribution[link]

In Pakistani Punjab they are mainly found in district Sialkot, Sahiwal, Faisalabad and Nankana Sahib (former tehsil of Sheikhupura). In Sialkot district Sahis are commonly residing in towns and villages of Daska, Mandranwala, Sohawa, Jaisarwala, Dhidowali, Jajay Sahian, Ranjhai, Mirkoh, Taddo and Mundekey. Some of the Sahi Jatts are based in Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Sahiwal (Chak 60-61/G.D, Chak 62/G.D, Thatha Sahian), Sahi in Sargodha, Depalpur, Sahiwal (Chak 114/12.L Chichawatni) Faisalabad (Malkhanwala 225 R/B etc.) and Jhelum districts of Punjab.In district Nankana sahib some sahi jatts are dwelling at Thatha Sahian- some 6km from bucheki and near sayyadwala.

In Indian Punjab Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur (Sarhala, Dasuya, Pandori Araian on Miani road) Kapurthla, Ludhiana, Ambala and Patiala, are the mainlands of Sahi Jatts. Some of Sahi Hindu Khatris are located in Faridabad, Haryana. Many have migrated to different cities and to western countries. Sahi family also lives in district Bahawalnagar Chak Taco Company 109/6 R.

FAISALABAD[link]

Sahianawala is located few Kilometers from Faisalabad City is a home town of many Sahi's, Former speaker of Punjab Assembly Muhammad Afzal Sahi's home town is also sahianwala(Chak 153 R.B.).

GUJRAT[link]

BAGRIANWALA village is located at 26 K/M from Gujrat city on the Sarghoda road, Mangowal (West) link road to DINGA ,kamb khanpur,sara-i-alamgir,there are many Jat Sahi families livings around more than 10 villages meximum SAHI settled here,

SARGODHA[link]

Chak 32SB village located around 15 K/M from Sargodha, There are some migrated families of sahi's from Bagrianwala are settled and have their agricultural lands there.dhok kasib and 6 other villages are located in tehsil and district mandi bahauddin.

Sarhala[link]

Sarhala village of Punjab in India is mainland of Sikh Sahi Jatts. Nano seer (Shahi Jatt) was developed this village and he came from Daska (Pakistan) around 300 years ago. This is a good-sized village on the bank of river with population of around 5000. Most of the population have migrated to western countries (Canada).

Sahiwal[link]

Sahiwal city of Pakistan is named on Sahis clan .

Notable Sahi[link]

Sir Chaudry Muhammad Zafarullah Khan Sahi, was a Pioneer of Freedom, Pakistani politician, diplomat, international jurist, and scholar of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, known for drafting the Pakistan Resolution,[1] first foreign minister of Pakistan, for his representation of Pakistan at the United Nations, and serving as a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Talwinderjit Singh Sahi, is a basketball player from indian punjab, resides in United Sates.

Muhammad Afzal Sahi, Former speaker Punjab Assembly from Pakistan Muslim League

Chaudary Hassan Sahi(Late), Social and Political Figure from Faisalabad.

Muhammad Ilyas Sahi, Director (Logistics) Government of Pakistan.

Ammanat Hussain Sahi, Former Union Council Nazim Faisalabad.

Chaudary Badar Nawaz Sahi, Former Deputy Organizer District Sialkot Pakistan Tehreek E Insaf, Ex City General Secretary Pakisan Tehreek E Insf District Sialkot, Ex Organizer PP 125 Sialkot, currently Representing Pakistan Tehreek E Insaf Brisbane Australia.

Damian Watcyn Lewis (born 11 February 1971) is an English actor and producer. His acting roles include Soames Forsyte in the ITV remake of The Forsyte Saga, Detective Charlie Crews in the NBC drama Life and Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. He currently stars as Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody in the award-winning Showtime series Homeland.^[1]

Early life[link]

Lewis was born in St John's Wood, London, the son of Watcyn and Charlotte Lewis.^[3][4] His paternal grandparents were Welsh, and Lewis says that his father "is Welsh", despite Watcyn being English and born in London.^[5] His maternal grandfather was Lord Mayor of London Ian Frank Bowater and his maternal grandmother's ancestors include Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn (a doctor to the royal family), author Kathryn Hoare and philanthropist Alfred Yarrow.^[3][6]

Lewis made several visits to the United States to visit relatives during his summers as a child.^[7][8] He first decided to become an actor at age 16.^[4] He was educated at the independent Ashdown House School in the village of Forest Row in East Sussex and at Eton College and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1993, after which he served as a stage actor for the Royal Shakespeare Company. During his time with the RSC, he played Borgheim in Adrian Noble's production of Henrik Ibsen's Little Eyolf, as well as Posthumus in William Shakespeare's Cymbeline. He has also starred in another of Ibsen's plays, Pillars of the Community.

Career[link]

Lewis once worked as a telemarketer selling car alarms, a job he detested.^[9]

Lewis appeared in the 1997 film Robinson Crusoe, playing Patrick Conner. Lewis also appeared in Jonathan Kent's production of Hamlet, playing Laertes opposite Ralph Fiennes' Hamlet. This production was seen by Steven Spielberg, who subsequently cast Lewis as Richard Winters in the HBO/BBC World War II miniseries Band of Brothers, his first role of several that required a credible American accent.^[7]

Subsequently, Lewis has played Soames Forsyte in the ITV series The Forsyte Saga (later shown as a Masterpiece Theatre miniseries), which earned him rave reviews and further exposed him to a US audience.^[10] He returned to the US to star in Dreamcatcher, a Stephen King film about a man who becomes possessed by an evil alien. The character is American but when possessed he takes on a British accent.^[7] On the heels of this role, he starred in Keane as a Manhattanite with a fragile mental state who is searching for his missing daughter. Despite the film's poor box-office performance, the role won Lewis rave reviews.^[11][12][13]

He played Jeffrey Archer in the satirical TV special Jeffrey Archer: The Truth. Since 2004, he has appeared in a number of films, as well as the 2005 BBC TV adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing, as part of the ShakespeaRe-Told season. Lewis played the role of Yassen Gregorovich in the film Stormbreaker.

In 2006 he appeared in Stephen Poliakoff's BBC drama Friends and Crocodiles.

On 10 November 2006, 1 May 2009, 18 November 2010 and 27 April 2012, he was the guest host on BBC's Have I Got News For You.

In 2008, Lewis starred as the main character Charlie Crews in the US television series Life on NBC. The show premiered in the US on 26 September 2007 and was affected by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Only half of the first season's shows were produced. Regardless, the show won a 2008 AFI Award for best television series.^[14] Although the show received critical acclaim, when it returned the following television season, it was shuffled from night to night. With its high production costs, the show was cancelled by NBC to clear its time slot for the much less expensive daily program The Jay Leno Show.

Lewis appeared, the following year, in the lead role in The Baker, a film directed by his brother, Gareth Lewis, and also took the supporting role of Rizza in The Escapist, which he also helped produce.

Lewis led the cast in Martin Crimp's version of Molière's comedy, The Misanthrope, which opened in December 2009 at the Comedy Theatre, London.^[15] Other cast members included Tara FitzGerald, Keira Knightley and Dominic Rowan.

As of 2011, Lewis has a starring role as Sergeant Nicholas Brody in the Showtime psychological thriller series Homeland.^[16]

Charity work[link]

In March 2010, he became a trade justice ambassador for Christian Aid, a UK charity. In 2006, he was a player for England in Soccer Aid in late May, and golfed for Europe in the All*Star Cup, in late August, both shown on ITV.

Lewis is involved with a number of charities, including being one of three patrons of the London children's charity Scene & Heard.^[17] He participated in Soccer Aid 2010, which supported the charity UNICEF. During the first half he hit the crossbar after lobbing former Arsenal and German national goalkeeper Jens Lehmann with a shot from 25 yards. He also scored in the penalty shoot-out. Lewis himself is a devoted Liverpool F.C. fan, attending as many games as his schedule allows. He stars as Gareth, the father of an 11-year old Liverpool fan (Will), in a 2011 British sport drama titled "Will", and played a part in convincing the current Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish to get involved in the movie, after Dalglish had expressed doubts over his involvement in the movie due to his convictions about whether the movie was proper or not.^[18]

Personal life[link]

On 4 July 2007, Lewis married actress Helen McCrory; together they have a daughter, Manon (born 8 September 2006), and a son, Gulliver (born 2 November 2007).^[19] They live in Tufnell Park and Los Angeles.

As well as being a passionate Liverpool F.C. supporter, Lewis has also shown interest in international rugby union, where he supports the team of his grandparents' nationality, Wales, as opposed to the country of his birth.

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

[edit] Golden Globe Awards

Television awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Damian Lewis at the Internet Movie Database
• Damian Lewis Yahoo Group
• "My philosophy: Damian Lewis" interview, Times Online, November 2005

Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi ریاض احمد گوہر شاہی
Gohar Shahi during an event held in Pakistan
Born	(1941-11-25)25 November 1941 Dhok Gohar Shah, Rawalpindi, British India
Other names	His Divine and/or Sublime Eminence, Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi, Ra Gohar Shahi
Organization	Messiah Foundation International
Influenced	Younus AlGohar, Muhammad Saeed Siddiqui Shaheed

Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi (Urdu: ریاض احمد گوہر شاہی; born 25 November 1941) is a spiritual leader, founder of the spiritual movements RAGS International (now known as Messiah Foundation International) and Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam.^[1] He is the author of a number of Urdu books on spiritual topics, the most successful among these being Deen-e-Ilahi "The Religion of God" (2000), translated into English, Arabic, Thai, Persian, and Hindi by Messiah Foundation International.

RAGS International was renamed to Messiah Foundation International after Shahi's disappearance in 2001. MFI claims that Shahi is the Mehdi, Messiah, and Kalki Avatar.^[2][3][4]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Shahi was born on 25 November 1941, in the village of Dhok Gohar Shah in the district of Rawalpindi of British India. He was a fifth generation descendant of the Sufi Baba Gohar Ali Shah. At the age of twenty, when he was the owner of F. Q. Steel Industries, Shahi began to search for spirituality, seeking out the saints and dervishes of the time. Eventually he became disillusioned in this search, and, disappointed in not receiving spiritual benevolence, he returned to work. Gohar Shahi then married and had three children.

Gohar Shahi left his work, family and parents and went to Shorkot, where he read the book Noor ul Huda (Light of Guidance), written by Sultan Bahu. In 1975, he went to Sehwan Sharif for self-mortification and peace of heart, and spent a period of three years in the mountains of Sehwan Sharif and the forest of Laal Bagh in self-purification.^[5]

Career as spiritual leader[link]

Shahi became popular as a Sufi preacher in Pakistan during the later 1970s. He formed RAGS International and Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam in 1980. Of the two organisations, RAGS International is still active as Messiah Foundation International whereas Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam was reported to have been dissolved and banned in Pakistan in 2011. ^[6][7][8]

The CEO of Messiah Foundation International is Younus AlGohar. Shahi claimed to have met with Jesus Christ in 1997.

Shahi at an event at Imam Bargah-e-Noor-e-Iman Mosque, in Karachi, Pakistan. He is seen here speaking to two religious clerics from different sects within Islam: Shia Islam and Sunni Islam.

Legal persecution and exile[link]

He and many of his followers^[9] have been convicted under Islamic blasphemy laws^[10][11] by an antiterrorist court in Sindh.^[12] After he fled to England, Shahi was convicted in absentia,^[9][11] receiving sentences that totaled approximately 59 years.^[10]

Disappearance[link]

Shahi was reported to have disappeared in 2001, in London; afterwards, sightings of him were reported around the world of people claiming to have met and received spiritual guidance from him.^[13]

In February 2002, prior to any decision on appeals filed with the High Court of Sindh, Ardeshir Cowasjee claimed in an article he wrote for Dawn, the Pakistani newspaper, that unnamed people who identified themselves to him as office-bearers of the All-Faith Spiritual Movement told him that Gohar Shahi died abroad, but this report was unconfirmed.^[10] After Shahi's disappearance, his followers largely split into two organizations after his disappearance, Messiah Foundation International and the Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam. RAGS International was renamed to Messiah Foundation International shortly after Shahi's disappearance. Its current leader is Younus AlGohar.

Some sources report his death as of 2001, others as of 2003. According to the Pakistani Press Foundation Shahi died in 2001.^[2] An article from 2006 in the Sunday Telegraph reports that Shahi died in 2003,^[2] and a 2009 article in Your Local Guardian also says he was reported to have died in 2003.^[14]

However, the Indian news agency PTI reported in 2008 that Shahi was based in the United Kingdom after being convicted of blasphemy by the High Court of Sindh.^[2] This view is supported by the Indian Express which reported in 2008 that Shahi had fled to the United Kingdom and was presently based there.^[15] Zee News also supported this claim.^[16] The Sunday Leader in Sri Lanka stated that Shahi disappeared in 2001 and sightings of him were thereafter reported around the world. ^[13]

Of the two factions of Shahi's followers, the Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam asserted that Shahi died, and built a tomb for him at the Markazi Aastana in Kotri, where devotees performed pilgrimage. ^[10] The MFI, on the other hand claims that he has "merely disappeared", or that he is "serving a life sentence".^[14][17]

Shahi's family, including his wife, five sons and a daughter, still resides in Kotri.

Teachings and followers[link]

Pakistani adherents of Shahi burning their passports durig a protest in India (April 2007).

The teachings of Gohar Shahi have been a source of controversy. Some orthodox theological scholars condemn his teachings as blasphemy,^[18] while others, such as Hisham Kabbani, have sat at his feet as well as praised him.^[19]

Classical singers such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ghulam Farid Sabri have been presented the message of Shahi, which they have praised. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was quoted as saying "The message of Hazrat Riaz Gohar Shahi is the greatest message I have ever heard." In Qawwali events in Japan and Germany, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan personally distributed leaflets in favour of Shahi.^[20] Aziz Mian has also presented a Qawwali in praise of Shahi at a Jashan-e-Shahi event (which celebrates the day Shahi took the rank of Mehdi by Allah, according to his followers) event.^[21]

Claims and criticism[link]

Opposition to Gohar Shahi and his followers stemmed from claims made by Shahi and his followers that were strongly opposed by orthodox Islamic theologians in Pakistan and abroad.^[10] Shahi was accused of claiming the status of prophet but Shahi denied such accusations.^[1][10] His teachings have been condemned by Muslim religious leaders and the Pakistani government.^[18]

Shahi also predicts that the world would end in they year 2026 due to a comet heading towards earth. He claims the comet will be the cause of "total destruction" though mentions that "in order to intimidate [mankind]...God plans destruction on a small scale".^[22]

Many attempts were made on the lives of Shahi and Younus AlGohar,^[23] including a petrol bomb thrown into AlGohar's residence in Manchester^[23] (where Shahi stayed when he toured the United Kingdom)^[24] and an attack with a hand grenade during a discourse at his home in Kotri, Pakistan.^[24] A bounty was put on his head in Pakistan.^[24]

Shahi's books have been banned by the government of Pakistan,^[18] and his followers are not allowed to meet in public.^[25]

Gohar Shahi claimed to have met with Jesus in America.^[26] Shahi's supporters claim that his face became prominent on the moon, sun, nebula star and the Black Stone in Mecca,^[27] and that these appearances were signs from God that Gohar Shahi was the awaited Imam Mehdi, Messiah, and Kalki Avatar. The alleged images induced greater legal and religious opposition.^[25] Shahi has also supported this claim, saying that God had revealed the images of Shahi on the Moon and various locations, for which Shahi himself was not responsible, and if questions should be raised, they should be raised to God.^[28] Messiah Foundation International claims the alleged images to be signs from God, pointing to Shahi being the awaited Mehdi, and quote religious texts^[29] as well as sayings from the likes of Nostradamus,^[30] and Ja'far al-Sadiq to support it.

Journalists in Pakistan asked Shahi,

"Many believe that you are the Mehdi, and God has revealed signs unto them which say that you are the Mehdi, but you do not officially announce that you are the Mehdi, why?" Shahi gestured towards himself and answered, "Does Imam Mehdi not know the law of Pakistan? He knows that the law of Pakistan declares that 'whomsoever claims to be the Mehdi, put him in jail'. I have given the signs of his [Mehdi's] characteristics, which the Mehdi knows and none other. Now, it is up to people to recognize him and believe him".^[28]

In 18 November 1997 (17 Rajab 1418), after appearing in court before Justice Rasheed A. Razvi of Sindh High Court Hyderabad Circuit, Shahi said the "only justification to be Hazrat Imam Mehdi was the mark on [one's] back which can only prove his existence."^[1]

Of the groups following Shahi, Messiah Foundation International claims that Shahi is the awaited Mehdi, Messiah, and Kalki Avatar while Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam did not. According to MFI's website, Shahi is the Awaited Messiah, but they deny that Shahi is another form of Jesus and claim that Jesus has also returned to support the Mehdi.

Bibliography[link]

Gohar Shahi authored a number of books and treatises, including one based on Sufi poetry known as Taryāq-e-Qalb, roughly translating to the "'Cure of Hearts'". One of his most prominent books is Deen-e-Ilahi (The Religion of God). Works by Gohar Shahi include:

Messiah Foundation International considers Shahi to be the author of the "Goharian Philosophy of Divine Love", a set of principles upon which the organisation is founded.^[32]

Shahi also authored a monthly magazine, Hatif-e-Mehdi, which was banned in Pakistan for allegedly containing material offensive to the religious feelings of Muslims there.^[33]

References[link]

Find more about Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi on Wikipedia's sister projects:
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	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

External links[link]

• Shahi's representative site, since 1997: Messiah Foundation International
• from Pakistan Sector

v t e Sufism and Tariqa Ideas Qutb Wali Abdal Fakir Dervish Tazkiah Baqaa Fanaa Haal Keramat Haqiqa Ihsan Irfan Kashf Lataif Manzil Marifa Nafs Noor Sufi cosmology Sufi metaphysics Sufi philosophy Sufi poetry Sufi psychology Sulook Yaqeen Silsila Practices Anasheed Dhikr Haḍra Muraqaba Qawwali Sama Whirling Ziyarat Sufi orders Azeemia Akbarī Alians Ba 'Alawī Bayramī Bektashī Chishtī Galibī Gulshanī Ḥurūfī Idrīsī Jelvetī Jerrahī Khalwatī Kubrāwī Madarī Malāmatī Mawlāwī Mourīdī Naqshbandī Naqshbandi Uwaisī Khalidiyya Nasuhī Ni'matullāhī Nuqtawī Qadirī Qalāndārī Rifa'ī Safāvī Shadhilī Suhrawardī Sunbulī Tijanī Ussakī Uwaisī Zahedī Notable early Sufi saints and mystics Abdul-Qadir Gilanī Abul-Khayr Ahmad Ghazālī Ahmed Yasāvī Al-Ghazālī Al-Hallaj al-Misrī Al-Qāsim al-Qunawī Amīr Kulal Ardabilī Ata Allah Attar Balım Sultan Baha ūd-Dīn Naqshband Bande Nawāz Baqī Billah Bastamī Bhita'ī Bulleh Shah Shah Waliullah Dehlāvī Farīd ūd-Dīn Fozail Gālib Gharīb Nawāz Ghujdawanī Ghulam Farīd Sheik Edebali Gül Baba Hajji Bayram Hajji Bektash Hazrat Mai Safoora Qadiriyya Haddad Hamadānī Hansvī Harabatī Baba Hasan Basri Mahmud Hudayī Hujwirī ibn ʿArabī Jābir ibn Hayyān Jahangasht Jamī Jan-e-Jānāān Jazoulī Junayd Baġdādī Kākī Kaliyarī Karkhī Kharaqanī Kubrā Nāimī Najib al-Suhrawardī Nasīmī Mansur Al-Hallaj Ni'matullāh Nizām ūd-Dīn Nurī Otman Baba Pir Sultan Qutb ūd-Dīn Haydār Rabbānī Rabia Basri Razī Rifa'ī Rukn-e-Alam Rūmī Ibrahim ibn Adham Saadī Salman al-Farisī Sanai Mevlana Halid-i Bagdadi Sarı Saltuk Semnanī Shadhilī Shahāb al-Dīn Suhrawardī Shams Tabrizī Shiblī Shirazī Sultan Walad Surkh Bukhari Taj al-Dīn Gilanī Umar al-Suhrawardī Uwais al-Qarni Yunus Emre Magtymguly Pyragy Zakariya Zarruq Notable modern Sufi saints Auliya Azeemi Nagpuri Meher Ali Sheikh Muhammad Uthman Sirajuddin Qadeer Piya Muhammad Maliki Gohar Shahi Tahir ul-Qadri Tahir Allauddin Taqi Usmani Abdal Hakim Murad Nazim Al-Haqqani Hisham Kabbani Nuh Keller Nooruddeen Durkee Abdalqadir as-Sufi Zaheen Ghulam Mustafa Reshad Feild Ahmad al-Alawi Ashraf Ali Thanvi Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Abd al-Rahman al-Shaghouri Omar Shah Haeri Raza Khan Syed Shujaat Pir Zulfiqar Abdullah Naqshbandi Sufi Barkat Ali Hafiz Qamaruddin Saheb Qibla Fultali Feisal Abdul Rauf Osman Nuri Topbaş Sufi studies Aguéli Almqvist Burckhardt Chittick Corbin Ernst Frager Guénon Hixon Lindbom Lings Nasr Schimmel Sells Shah Schuon Topics in Sufism Art Fiction History Music Poetry Shrines Texts Portal

Pammi Bai is a singer/bhangra dancer/personality from Village Jakhepal, district Sangrur Punjab, India.^[1]

Discography[link]

1. Maajhe Maalwe Doabe Diyan Boliyan
2. Dance With Pammi Bai
3. Nach Nach Pauni Dhammal
4. Giddha Malwaian Da
5. Nachde Punjabi
6. Putt Punjabi - Son of Punjab (2006)
7. Dhol Te Dhamaalan (2007)^[2]

Top Songs[link]

1. "Jatt Punjabi" (Album: Putt Punjabi - Son of Punjabb)
2. "Rangla Punjab" (Album: Nachde Punjabi)
3. "Pagg Patiala"

Music videos[link]

• "Do Cheeza Jat"
• "Pagg Patiala"
• "Jatt Punjabi"

References[link]