From the very beginnings of Islam, the search for knowledge has been central to our cultures. I think of the words of Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first hereditary Imam of the Shia Muslims, and the last of the four rightly-guided Caliphs after the passing away of the Prophet (may peace be upon Him). In his teachings, Hazrat Ali emphasized that “No honour is like knowledge.”

Our 21st Pir Sayyed Salahudin was born in 534 A.H. on Thursday the 15th day of Shaban in Sabzwar. He was appointed to the seat of Piratan by Imam Ala Muhammad. His mother Bibi Maryam was the daughter of Sayyed Jafar Raziyuddin. Pir Salahuddin wrote a book called "Ahune Fiqah" in which he wrote about spiritual matters and the Ahl-e-Bayat.

It should also be clear to anyone who has studied Islamic history or literature, that Islam is, and has always been, a quest that has taken many forms. It has manifested itself in many ways - in different times, amongst different peoples, with changing and evolving emphases