Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi
Naqshbandi reformer of Sirhind, called the 'renewer of the second millennium', who opposed Akbar's religious syncretism. Some historians see his circle behind hostility to Guru Arjan; others doubt the link.
Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi was born in 1564 at Sirhind and became the leading figure of the Naqshbandi Sufi order in India. His followers called him Mujaddid Alf Thani, the renewer of the second millennium.
He opposed Akbar's tolerance and the influence of Hindus at court and called for strict observance of Islamic law. In his letters he welcomed the execution of Guru Arjan in 1606.
He was imprisoned for a time by Jahangir in Gwalior. He died in 1624, and his shrine at Sirhind, the Rauza Sharif, near Fatehgarh Sahib, is a place of pilgrimage for Muslims from across South Asia.
Connected
Mughal emperor under whom Guru Arjan was executed in 1606 and Guru Hargobind held in Gwalior fort. He is buried at Shahdara outside Lahore.
Fifth Guru. Built the Harmandir Sahib, compiled the Adi Granth in 1604 and became the first Sikh martyr, tortured to death in Lahore in 1606.