Syed Shah Najaf Shaheed
Information about Shah Najaf’s life is rare and scarce. All the historians and writers have abandoned Shah Najaf. He is mentioned by one of the ancient genealogy of Syeds. His father’s name was Syed ul Abideen. Najaf was the eldest son of Syed ul Abideen. He was the most respected and influential Pir of Lower Chitral. He was a pious, humble and peace-loving personality. He believed in “Tasawuf”, “Tasawuf” which is a branch of Islamic knowledge that focuses on the spiritual development of the Muslim. He became a known Pir within some months; Najaf made enormous followers in Chitral. Due to his recognition, Mehtar became jealous and made a plot to eliminate him. Four persons have been chosen on this conspiracy, two men from Seen and two men from Singoor. They had killed Syed Shah Najaf while he was praying.
We do not know about the exact date of his era, but circumstances tell us that he lived during Rais times. He belonged to the Syed family of Seen. This Syed family lineage is separate from other Syeds of Chitral. He never married, his brother Shah Abdul Hameed Gurdani’s descendants are still living in Shali Chitral. Col Barrow also mentioned this family on his Gazetteers in 1887 when one of its members was Charvelu of Shali and Seen.