Abd Allah al-Ashtar

Abdullah Shah Ghazi (c. 720 - c. 773) was a Muslim mystic and Sufi whose shrine is located in Clifton in Karachi, in Sindh province of Pakistan.

Life in Sindh Abdullah Shah Ghazi was born in 98 Hijri Or 109 Hijri. In 738,he came to Karachi during the Umayyad Caliphate's rule. It is said that both the Umayyads and Abbasids viewed him as a threat to their reign. This prompted the Abbasids to persecute and martyr him in 151 Hijra during Caliph Al-Mansur's tenure, who was the 2nd Caliph of Abbasid Caliphate. His devotees and disciples chose the hillock along the coast of Karachi as his burial ground. There are other versions of the saint's arrival in the region and his background.

Martyrdom

Sohail Lari suggested in his book, A History of Sindh that Shah Ghazi was an Arab merchant who had come to Sindh with the first wave of Arab conquerors. However, another historian, M. Daudpota, suggested that Ghazi arrived in the area from Iraq as a commander, who along with Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, fought Sindh's Hindu ruler, Raja Dahir, in the eighth century.

Until the early twentieth century, the shrine stood as a humble hut atop a sandy hill in Clifton. It was Syed Nadir Ali Shah, a revered Sufi saint belonging to the Qalandariyya Sufi Order of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, who became the custodian of the shrine and played a pivotal role in its construction and development. Under his supervision, the iconic dome of the shrine, the windowed ambulatory, the Mosque, the free kitchens or Langar Khana, the Qawwali court, and the pilgrim lodge within its premises were constructed. Additionally, a long stairway leading to the shrine was built. His efforts transformed the shrine into a center of spirituality and community service. Over the years, the shrine has become a magnet for people from various sects, ethnicities, and sections of society, who are drawn to its spiritual aura and devotion. In 1962, the administrative control of the shrine was transferred to the Auqaf department. Subsequently, in 2011, the shrine underwent a renovation of its exterior under the ownership of the Pakistani construction giant, Bahria Town. This renovation elicited mixed responses from the residents of Karachi.

The Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine was attacked in 2010 by militants who detonated two suicide bombs at the shrine, killing 10 and injuring 50.

Association with Abdullah Al Ashtar Abdullah Shah Ghazi has often been associated with Abdullah Al Ashtar who was the son of Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya who fled to Sindh after his father's rebellion in 762.