Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari

Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari was a wealthy merchant. Through Ilm (Wisdom of Faith), many miracles and acts of faith were known to be performed by him. In the initial days of the spread of Islam in India, it was travelers and Sufi saints like him who settled amongst the local people and disseminated the message of Islam. When the Sultanate ruled over the island of Worli, at some point Peer Haji Ali came to settle there. Many legends point out that during his journey to Mecca, he fell ill and died, and on his request, his followers cast his body into the sea. Earlier in his life, the Peer had helped a poor woman recover some oil by jabbing a finger into the earth. This act later filled him with remorse, so much that he did not want to injure the earth more. The casket carrying his coffin floated back to the shores near Worli. Today, a humble yet eye-catching tomb stands at this spot amongst the rocks, some 500 meters into the sea. The saint gave up all his wealth and material possessions to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Then, after traveling around the world, he settled in one of the islands that today make up the city of Mumbai and dedicated his life to propagating Sufism in the area.[2]