Hazrat Mian Rehmat Sain (Punjabi: حضرت میاں رحمت سائیں (Shahmukhi), ਹਜ਼ਰਤ ਮਿਆਂ ਰਹਮਤ ਸਾੲਏੰ (Gurmukhi)) حضرت میاں رحمت سائیں (Urdu) was a Sufi saint.
He was born in 1787 A.D in Gurdaspur District. His father's name was Mian Khair Din Chauhan. He was just two years old when his father left his hometown in search of employment along with his wife and three sons and came to Tehsil Shakargarh in Narowal District. Staying there some days and then in the famous town of Chawinda doing labour work for almost one and a half years, his father left for Gujranwala. His father joined Ghulam Farid, a potter, as an employee. His father continued this job for three years and learnt the art of pottery, then left the job and started his own pottery business. His father died after just four years in 1798 A.D. Just one year later his mother also died. Both of his brothers started masonry labour and then started taking construction contracts. In 1805 they left Gujranwala and settled in Pindi Bhattian.
As Mian Rahmat was the youngest and the beloved brother and avoided labour, he started stealing and robbery with the help of local criminals when he was just 19. His brothers tried to advise him but he did not stop, so both of them left him alone for the state of Kalowal in the Town of Ichharwal. Here they also continued their same profession. Mian Rehmat stayed in Pindi Bhattian with criminals for almost 6 years and then left for Ichharwal in 1816 A.D.
Living in Ichharwal he fell in love with the daughter of a landlord. He kept asking her family for permission to marry her but they did not accept. When he annoyed the parents of that girl, they made a complaint to the ruler of state, Sardar Kaley Khan Khokhar. The Sardar called Mian Rehmat and asked his will. Knowing his will, the Sardar put a condition in front of him that if he brought the camel of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who had just arrived in Jhang after conquering the fort of Chiniot and owned camels of excellent breed, his desire would be granted. Sardar was thinking that Ranjit Singh would kill him if Mian Rehmat tried to steal the camel, as Ranjit Singh was known for his cruelty.
So Mian Rehmat left for Jhang. Before he had reached Jhang, Maharaja Ranjit Singh along with his military had left Jhang to conquer the fort of Shorkot. He chased Maharaja's army and found them near Ahmedpur Sial where they were resting. Finding the opportunity when camels and horses were tied up, he untied a camel and ran away.
Knowing this incident Ranjit Singh's army started chasing Mian Rehmat. Meanwhile he reached near the shrine of Hazrat Sakhi Sultan Bahoo and army just reached there. He tied the camel, entered the shrine and hid himself under the fabric which covered the grave. Ranjit Singh's army tried hard but could not find him.
When the army left he saw that the camel's gender had been changed from feminine to masculine and the army had gone unsuccessful. His mind was abruptly changed. He repented to God, gave up all his crimes and become a faqeer of Sultanul Arifeen Hazrat Sultan Bahoo. He stayed there for ten years and a day according to his Murshid's order he left the place and started travelling towards Sargodha alongside river Jehlum. When he reached Thatta Noon, he started writing the Tragedy of Karbala sitting under a Shisham tree.
An English canal system officer, H. S. Hewis, was surveying the area for a new canal. He saw Mian Rehmat through his surveying machine, sitting under the tree and writing something. He sent one of his constables to ask him to leave, as they were digging the canal, but Mian Rehmat refused. Mr. Hewis came himself and rudely asked him to leave the place as it was being surveyed to dig the canal. Mian Rehmat replied that the war of Karbala was being staged in front of him and he was compiling it. Mr. Hewis asked where it was, so Mian Rehmat created a victory sign with the index and middle finger of his right hand and asked him to look between. When Mr. Hewis looked, he saw the war, so he apologised and diverted the canal, and also allotted Mian Rehmat twenty acres of land at that spot.
Passing twelve years of his life in travelling he again came to the shrine of Hazrat Sultan Bahoo. His murshid ordered him to leave for his hometown and live there. So, he reached Ichharwal and stayed there. He got married at the age of 90 years. He had six sons named Masoom Ali, Mian Sher Muhammad, Mian Sultan Bakhsh, Mian Muhammad Ali, Mian Wali Muhammad and Mian Noor Hussain. His eldest son Masoom Ali died in childhood. He also had a daughter Sher Bibi who was married to the caretaker of Hazrat Sultan bahoo's shrine Hazrat Noor Muhammad. He spent his whole life in the grief of Hazrat Imam Husain A.S. When his son Wali Muhammad died he stopped weeping, people asked why don't you weep now, he replied how can I pollute these eyes that have wept in the grief of Fatima Zehra S.A.'s son.
He died 1329 Hijra (1908 A.D.) at the age of 121 years. He was buried in Ichharwal Town. His eldest son Mian Sher Muhammad constructed, and became the caretaker of, his shrine. His shrine is famous as Khui Mian Rehmat (Well of Mian Rehmat). After the death of Mian Sher Muhammad his eldest son Ghulam Hussain became the caretaker and now the son of Mian Ghulam Hussain, Mian Ghulam Abbas is caretaker.
Hazrat Mian Rahmat prosed the tragedy of Karbala in the Punjabi language's Jhangochi dialect but this tremendous work of poetry could never be published as it contains some realities of Islamic history which may arouse differences between Islamic sects. A family of his mureeds living in ChaK 137 S.B in Tehsil Sillanwali district Sargodha has the complete set of his handwritten poetry books.
Tareekh Chiniot An Urdu Book written by By Dr. Irshad Ahmed