________________
Vol XXII, 1998
SEAL OF ZAHID SHAHA
would be tempted to think that the seal with the date was made when Zahid Shah succeeded his father in the spintual headship of the Qadiri-Rifa'i order in the year engraved on the seal
That Zahid Shāh occupied a prominent position in the heirarchy of the QadiriRifai order of his town, city or region is clear from the text of the seal-legend In India, while Qädıri order founded by Shaikh Muhyiud-Din Abdul-Qadir Jilāni (d 1165 A D) is quite widespread throughout India, the Rifa'i order initiated by Shaikh Ahmed Rifa'i (d 1192 A D) is mainly confined to Gujarat with its chief centre Surat and later on, also at Vadodara A Rifai saint-Gujare poet Shah Ali Jiyu Gamdhanī lived in Ahmedabad and lies buried in the eastern most part of the Raikhad locality of the city where his tomb can be seen on the main road from Khamasa gate to Jamalpur gate He had died in A D His descendants live in Ahmedabad But Surat and Vadodara Rifa'i and Qadri-Rifa'i families are more prominant
On the reverse of the leaf are a couple of verses doha or kavit in Gujarati written in Devanagari and Gujarati characters The one at top left, written vertically upwards reads.
मरम न बुर्जे माहलो
नहि चित एक र
सुदर पण सोहे नही ष (ख) राष (ख) री छे ढोर
37
Below it inscribed horizontally as usual from left to right is the same dohā or kavit with a heading (?) and a name of a person with its place of residence
ऐर्दणा | व्यास बलदेव फुमखामें
वालेशर रहिया
गाम कुमा मधे रह
19
मरम न बुफें माहलो नहि चित एक ठोर
सुदर पण सोधे नही
षरा षरी घरी छे ढोर
Below this is evidently the signature and address of the writer of the above
પનસા (સાહ) રતન (સા)મજી ગમા (ગામ) કંડન (કીના) રવસુછ (રહેવાસી છે)
