NOORPUR THAL The message and teachings of Sufism are universal and timeless. With the message of love, unity, tolerance and brotherhood, Sufism unifies people irrespective of their caste, culture and creed. It gets humanity together in a cohesive bond of love and purity of thoughts. Pakistan is a land of saints and Sufis. Two days annual Urs celebrations of a man well known as Baba Sakhi Syedan Shah in Thal, addressed lovingly as Baba Sakhi Shah have concluded. The Urs of the great saint is held from July 12 to 13 every year with great devotion. It is an important religious occasion in Thal. There were thousands of people present at the shrine of Baba Syedan Shah during the Urs ceremonies. They remembered the spiritual glory of Baba Jee. They often wept when they felt the spiritual greatness of the saint. There was a sea of people all around the shrine of Baba Jee. It was very difficult for many to reach the shrine. There were different kinds of shops of sweets, fruits and flowers outside the Babas shrine. Everyone was buying things from these shops to offer their homage at the shrine. Quite a few rich people were distributing food, clothes and money among the poor. The Auqaf Department had also made some special arrangements to provide food to the poor at very cheap rates or free of cost. The devotees celebrated the Urs with great pomp and show. The shrine of Baba Jee was illuminated during the Urs days. On July 12 after Fajr prayers, the Urs was inaugurated with Chadar Poshi of shrine. Mutwali of Darbar Baba Syedan Shah, Maulana Muhammad Ismail Sialvi, Assistant Commissioner Mehboob Ahmad, TMO Raja Zahoor Ahmad, TOR Haji Atta Ullah Tiwana, TOI Haji Ehsan Ahmad, TOF Hamid Jaleel, SDPO Mehr Khadim Hussain Malooka and several other prominent persons from every walk of life were also present on the occasion. At night Mehfil-i-Samaa and Qawali was also held. On the second ay of the Urs a seminar was held regarding the personality and teachings of Baba Syedan Shah in which Ulema-i-Karam including Maulana Mohammad Hameedud Din Sialvi, Maulana Mohammad Shamsur Reman, Allama Sher Mohammad Sialvi, Allama Arshad Naveed Haidri, Maulana Mohammad Ramzan, Maulana Qari Asad Ullah Khan and other speakers highlighted the life and teachings of Baba Sakhi Syedan Shah. There were appreciable security measures by Tehsil Administration during the Urs. Latest detective equipments were deployed at the shrine. According to historical facts, Baba Syedan Shah came to Noorpur Thal a long time ago. He was a great saint of that times. He was an embodiment of all the qualities and character-traits of the great sufi masters and the pious of the past (salf salehim). The Hindus worshipped many idols in those days They drank and gambled and did many other evil things. Baba Jee preached against all these evils. His followers increased day-by-day. Baba Jee preached the unity of Allah and asked people to worship Him and Him alone. He preached kindness to everyone. He taught people to be honest, generous and faithful. As a result many people willingly converted to the religion of Islam. At that time, Baba Jee was very famous saint in the sub-continent. Baba Syedan Shah told people that Muslims believe that there is only one God called Allah. Mohammad (PBUH)was the last messenger of Allah Almighty. He further preached that All people are equal before Allah. He laid a great deal of stress on character building and strong moral ethics. He revived, practiced and displayed the essential of the Faith, while living a simple and meaningful life that his devotees take pride in. In those days, there were many Hindu temples in Thal. A lot of people embraced Islam day-by-day because Baba Jee filled the people with new spiritual thought. He loved to meet people and enquire about their problems. Baba Jee was kind and sympathetic to the poor. Summing up, we can say that people were full of religious zeal after attending the Urs of Hazrat Baba Sakhi Syedan Shah.