Khwaja Muin-ud-Din Chishti (R.A) - Sufism Biographies

The Chisti Order, probably the most widespread and influential of the
Sufi Orders in the sub-continent of India, was introduced into India
by Khwaja Muin-ud-Din Chishti, popularly known as Hazrat Gharib Nawaz
which means the Helper of the poor. He was bornin about 1142 in
Seistan in Central Asia, and was descended from both Imam Hasan (A.S)
and Imam Husayn (A.S). He studied the traditional Islamic sciences of
the Holy Quran and the recorded actions and sayings of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the universities of Bukhara and Samarkand.
However, his yearning for the inner knowledgeof self-unfoldment led
him to become the close follower of Khwaja Uthman Herwani, a Chishti
Sufi master from the Nishapur region of Khurasan in Persia. He served
this spiritual master devotedly for twenty years, accompanying him on
many travels throughoutCentral Asia and Arabia. After going on the
pilgrimage to Mecca, and visiting the tomb of Holy Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) in Medina, he was asked to establish Islam in India. After
spending forty days in the spiritual retreat next to the tomb of
Shaykh Ali-al-Hujwiri, popularly known as Hazrat Date Ganj Bakhsh (d.
about 1075) in Lahore, Shaykh Chishti made his way to India.
Hazrat Gharib Nawab was nearing fifty when he reached India. After his
stay in Lahore, he travelled via Multan and Delhi until he arrived in
Ajmer in Rajasthan which he made his base. Here he is said to have
married twice and both of them gave him children. In Ajmer he devoted
most of his timeto guiding serious seekers of self-knowledge, and to
dispelling the ignorance of the orthodox Muslims by awakening a higher
consciousness of the reality of Islam in them. He also inspired many
Hindus to purify their own devotional practices, and there is nodoubt
that many people's hearts turned to Islam because of the example which
he himself set. Some historical accounts state that thousand families
accepted Islam at his hand.
Shaykh Muin-ud-Din Chishti died in 1236. His teaching was quite simple
and basic, and he preached in a manner that was universal ratherthan
purely dogmatic. He taught that the highest form of devotionwas
nothing other than 'feeding the hungry, providing clothes for thenaked
and helping thosein distress.' He describes the qualities that
endearman to God as being 'river-like generosity, sun-like affection
and earth-like hospitality'.
The proof of the universality of Hazrat Gharib Nawaz's message and his
role as a teacher is that today, as throughout all the centuries since
his death, his tomb in Ajmer is visited by innumerableMuslims and
countless thousands of Hindus who acknowledge his high spiritual
station. Every day, all the year round, as in his lifetime, gifts of
food from the more well-off flood into the hands of his descendants,
only to be cooked in giant cauldrons and redistributed to the less
well-off before the end of the day.

--

- - - - -

And Allah Knows the Best!

- - - - -

Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤