Guru Har Rai was the seventh of the ten Sikh Gurus. Even though he died at the young age of 31, he made many significant contributions to the religion of Sikhism within his short life. Known to be a very compassionate and kind person, he was concerned not only about the welfare of human beings, but also that of the animals. In fact he was so soft hearted that he even helped to heal the son of Shah Jahan from an almost fatal illness despite the hostility the Mughals had shown to the guru’s predecessors. Har Rai was born as the grandson of the sixth Sikh guru, Hargobind. Wise and compassionate from a young age, he was Guru Hargobind’s favorite grandchild. Guru Hargobind nominated him as his successor at the time of his death. Upon assuming the Guru Gaddi, Guru Har Rai continued with the military tradition of maintaining a strong army even though he never indulged in any direct political or armed war with the Mughal Empire. He also established an Ayurvedic hospital and a research center at Kiratpur Sahib. Even though the relations between the Mughals and the Sikhs had been strained during the times of his predecessors, Guru Har Rai agreed immediately to help heal one of the sons of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan when Shah Jahan made a desperate plea for help.