TH Darimi

Four jewels in Chishthy order -2

2




Khaja Fareeduddeen Masood Ganjshakar(R)



Khaja Fareeduddeen Masood Ganjshakar(R) was born on the 29th Sha’ban in 569 A.H. (April 4, 1179 C.E.) in Khotwal, a village near Lahore . He is the direct descendant of Hadrat Umar Farooq (R), the second Caliph of Islam.

It is narrated that a miracle occurred before his birth proving his Saintship. One day, during the pregnancy of his mother, she wanted to pluck some plums from her neighbour’s tree without his permission, but the child in her womb (Baba Farid) created a severe pain in her stomach that forced her to abandon the idea of plucking that fruit. After a few years after Baba Farid’s birth, his mother lovingly expressed: “My dear son, during your confinement I never ate anything which was unlawful.” khaja Baba Fareed(R), however, smiled and said, “But, my dear mother, you wanted to pluck some plums from our neighbour’s tree without his permission when I had created a severe pain in your stomach which saved you from this unlawful act.”



After he had completed his early religious education at the age of 7 in Khotwal, his mother sent him for higher education to Multan. Here he stayed in a masjid where he learnt the Holy Qur’an by heart and studied Hadith, Fiqh, Philosophy and Logic under the tutorship of Shaykh Moulana Minhajuddin.



During his studies, Hadrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Baktiar Ka'aki (R) visited Multan where Hadrat Baba Fareed became his Murid (disciple) in the Chishtiyya Silsila. Upon the instructions of his Murshid, he undertook a tour of Islamic countries, for about 18 years from 593 A.H. to 611 A.H. [1196 C.E. to 1214 C.E.] he traveled to Ghazni, Baghdad, Palatine, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Makkah Mukarrama and Madinah al-Munawwarah meeting many great saints and Sufis. After the demise of Hadrat Khwaja Qutbuddeen Ka'aki (R) the mantle of spiritual leadership in the Chishtiyya Silsila fell on the shoulders of Hadrat Baba Fareed (R) as Khwaja Qutbuddeen Baktiyar Ka'aki(R) nominated him to be his Khalifa or spiritual successor.



It is narrated that when Khaja Fareeduddeen Masood Ganjshakar(R) visited Madina he was spiritually commanded by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to visit Baghdad Sharif and meet Hadrat Abdul Wahab, son of Hadrat Ghaus-al-Aa'zam Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jeelani (R). He was to receive some sacred relics from him. Accordingly, when he reached Baghdad Sharif, he received a box from Shaykh Abdul Wahab which contained some ofthe holy relics of the Prophet. : . Because of political upheavals in Delhi, he was obliged to shift the centre of the Chishtiyya mission from Delhi to Ajodhan where, now is known as Pak Patan. Shaykh Baba Fareed (R) reached the pinnacle of spiritual glory through extremely hard Mujahadas (spiritual striving) to gain mastery over the Nafs, the self soul.



There are several views for him being known by his famous title of Shakar Ganj. When he decided on mujaahadah the spiritual striving, his Shaykh advised him hunger. He therefore began fasting. After three days a man came and presented to him some bread. Thinking this to be by divine direction, he accepted and ate the bread. Within a few moments he became nauseous and vomited out whatever he had eaten. He reported this incident to his Shaykh who said: “After three days you ate the food of a drunkard. By the great help of Allah that the food did not remain in your stomach. Now remain hungry for another three days and then eat what comes from the unseen source.” After three days nothing came. He was overcome by weakness. On account of the extreme hunger he put some pebbles into his mouth. The pebbles turned into sugar toffies. Fearing that this may be some deception, he spat it out. A short while later, the extreme hunger again constrained him to put pebbles into his mouth. These too became sugar which he again spat out. This happened again for a third time. In the morning he reported to his Shaykh who said: “It would have been good if you had ate it.” Since that day he was called Shakar Ganj.



He fasted throughout his life and maintained his nightly prayers and devotions. Fear of Allah always dominated him. He was an staunch devotee of Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him and dedicated his entire life to the veneration of the beloved Prophet’s immortal glory. At the mention of the Holy Prophet’s character he would often weep out of his love and devotion. Baba Fareed(R) avoided kings, government officials and the richmen. He also warned his Khalifas, devotees and Mureeds to avoid their company. He was a living picture of humility. Whatever he received was spent in the name of Allah and his chest overwhelmed with mercy and forgiveness. Many miracles are attributed to him during his lifetime and after his death.

One of the devotees of Baba Fareed(R) named Mohammed Nishapuri lived in Gujrat and was going to Delhi with three other companions. On their way through the jungle, robbers encountered them. Mohammed Nishapuri and his companions had no weapons to defend themselves. In such a helpless state, Mohammed Nishapuri remembered his Shaykh, Baba Fareed(R), and also offered prayers seeking Allah’s help in their predicament. Surprisingly, the robbers threw away their weapons and offered an apology to the party and went away.



One day some poor people came from Arabia to see Baba Fareed(R) and said that they were strangers to the land and that all their money was spent before the end of the journey. Baba Fareed(R) gave them some dried dates which were lying in front of him at the moment and said, “Take them and go. Your journey shall be completed by the Grace of Allah.” Apparently, these persons were very disappointed with such a “cheap gift”. After leaving the Khanqah, they wanted to throw away the dates, but just as they were about to do so, to their amazement, the dates turned into gold. Regretting their thoughts, these people left happily uttering their heartfelt gratitude and prayers for Baba Fareed(R).



Once an old woman came to Baba Fareed(R) and said that her son had disappeared some twenty years ago and that his whereabouts had not been traced since then. She requested him to pray for her son’s return. Baba Fareed(R) went into a trance and after some contemplation told to the old woman:” Go, your son has reached home.” The old woman was overjoyed to learn this and met her son on her way home.



Once, due to utter weakness, Baba Fareed(R) helped himself to walk with the aid of a Mureed. But after a few steps, the colour of his face suddenly became purple, as if he was under heavy pressure. He threw away the staff. When Shaykh Khwaja Nizamuddin (R), who was escorting him, inquired the reason for this, Baba Fareed(R) replied, “I wanted to take help of the staff, but Allah’s displeasure frowned upon me for depending on other’s help instead of His. I, therefore, threw away the staff and felt highly ashamed of this weakness in my faith in Lord, the Almighty.”



On the 5th day of Muharram (7 May 1266), during the Isha prayer while in the act of Sajdah, he uttered “Ya Hayyu Ya Qauyoom” (O Self-Subsisting, O Eternal) and with these words on his lips his soul disappeared into the eternal bliss of his Lord Almighty. An old woman that was one of the devotees of him had presented a piece of cloth for the kaffan (shroud) of him. She implored: “I have not spun even a single thread of this cloth without having Wudu. I had prepared it for my own coffin but if it is accepted for the kaffan of this great Saint, I feel confident, Allah would be pleased with to pardon my sins and grant me salvation.” Baba Fareed(R)'s son accepted this cloth as the Kafan.



His Mazar Sharif is in Pak Patan, Pakistan. Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya is among his favorite Murids and Khalifas. It is generally recognized that he had three wives and many children. Baba Fareed(R) was indeed one of the most brilliant stars of the Chishtiyya Order and is held in high esteem by one and all. One of his Chillah is there in Ajmer dargha sharif.



Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R)



Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) represents in many ways the pinnacle of the Chishti Order of the Sufis. Shaykh Baba Fareed(R), his spiritual guide, said to him on appointing him as his Khaleefah (successor): 'Be like a big tree, so that Allah’s creation, the human beings in their vast multitudes, may find rest and solace under your shadow.' Thus he lived his life fully as a shelter to everyone and for far-flung areas of Uttar Pradesh, Rajastan, Gujarat, Bihar, Bengal and the Deccan, Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) sent his able disciples who were well versed in the Chishti practices to extend his spiritual shade.



Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) was born on the last Wednesday of the month of Safar, i.e., the 27th of Safar 636 A.H. (1238 A.D.) in Baduan, Uttar Pradesh to Syed Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Hussaini Badayuni and Bibi Zulekha. His father died when Nizamuddin was just five years old. At the age of 21, Nizamuddin went to Ajodhan (present Pakpattan Sharif in Pakistan) to become a disciple of the Sufi saint Baba Fareeduddeen Ganjshakar(R). Every year during the month of Ramdan he would visit Ajodhan in presence of Baba Farid. On his third visit to Ajodhan, Baba Fareed(R) made him his Khaleefah (successor). Soon after his visit, Nizamuddin Awliya received a news that Baba FareedGanj Shakar(R) had died. Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) at various places in Delhi, before finally settling down in Ghiyaspur. He built his Khanqah (place of worship and holding Sufi rituals) which was thronged with all kinds of people, rich and poor alike.



With regard to the Sufi path, Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) taught many valuable spiritual inspirational facts. “For a dervish, three things are necessary. They all begin with an ‘ain’ (an Arabic letter), i.e., Ishq (love), Aql (intelligence) and Ilm (knowledge). Sufism is, in its essence, the way of love. Love is considered to be a spiritual alchemy by means of which the basic qualities of a human being are transformed into higher ones. So was Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) is known as Mehboob-e-Elahi, the beloved of Allah. ‘Intelligence’ changed in the hands of Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) into wisdom. His wisdom manifested itself in the shape of service to humanity. He once said about himself that he was not a miracle-monger of the ordinary sort. He never flew in the air or walked on water with dry and motionless feet. His greatness was the greatness of a loving heart. His miracles were the miracles of a deeply sympathetic soul. He could read a man’s inner heart by a glance at his face and spoke the words that brought consolation to a tortured heart.



About knowledge, the third faculty of a dervish, it can be said that Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) was one of the greatest scholars of his day. He wanted to become a Qazi, but gave it all up in his pursuit of inner knowledge. After becoming a Mureed (spiritual disciple) of Hazrat Baba Fareed(R), he lived in extremely poor circumstances. After leaving their homeland the city of Bokhara, the paternal grandfather of Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) — Khwaja Ali — and his maternal grandfather Khwaja Arab — along with their family, came to India. At first they lived in Lahore, but later they took up their residence in Badayun (East of Delhi).



After death of his father his mother brought him to a madrassa where he learned to recite the holy Qur’an. In a short time he mastered the seven ways of recitation of the holy Qur’an. Then he studied Arabic grammar, Hadeeth, commentary of the Qur’an (Thafseer) and logic (Mandiq). At the age of twelve, he received the 'turban of excellency'. He was so sharp-witted, wise and understanding that he was given the title 'Debater, capable of defeating the congregation'. He became distinguished in the science of Thafseer (commentary on the Qur’an), in the knowledge of Ahadith, in Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), mathematics and astronomy. Khwaja Shamsul Malik was among his most learned teachers. He received a testimony of knowledge of Ahadith (sanad) from Maulana Kamaluddin Hazrath.



One day a certain Qawwal (Sufi musician), with the name of Abu Bakr, came from Multan (Pakistan) to Hazrat Nizamuddin’s muallim (teacher). The teacher asked for information about the Sufi Sheikhs of Multan. Abu Bakr answered thus: 'I have lived in the company of Hazrat Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria of Multan and I have sung mystical couplets for him. In his Khanqah (Sufi monastery) the worship of Allah is very devoted, so much so that even the girls who knead the flour, while doing so, are occupied with the Zikr (remembrance of Allah). From there I went to Ajodhan (the present Pak Pattan in Pakistan). There I got the privilege of meeting Hazrat Baba Fareeduddin Gang-e-Shakar, That sovereign of love of God has conquered the world and the light of his moon has illuminated that area.' When these words of prising are been heard by the then student Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) a sudden and intense love for him was developed and he began to repeat his name after every Namaz (prayer).



When the eighteenth year began, Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) travelled from Badayun to Delhi. At Delhi he stayed by chance near Hazrat Baba Fariduddin’s brother and caliph Hazrat Sheikh Najibuddin Mutawakkil. His mother and sister were also with him. They rented a house in the neighbourhood of the great Sheikh, where he felt his company is very valuable to him. In his presence, the qualities of Baba Fariduddin Ganj-e-Shakar used to be described. On hearing them, he felt the desire of kissing his feet. For approximately three years he stayed in Delhi.



One day Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) said to Sheikh Najibuddin Mutawakkil that he should pray to God, so that he (Nizamuddin) might become a Qazi. Then he would be able to spread justice among the creatures of God. The Sheikh remained silent. When Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) repeated his question, he answered thus: 'God forbid that you to be a Qazi; be something else!' In those days, Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) used to spend the nights at the Juma Masjid. One morning, the muazzin (the one who calls to the prayer) recited the following verse from the minaret: 'Has not the time come For the faithful That their hearts should bend For the remembrance of Allah' (Qur’an 57:16)



Hearing this, Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R)'s condition changed. It was as if he received spiritual illumination from every direction. And, without any food, he left Delhi in order to present himself to Shaykh Baba Fareed(R). At the age of twenty, on Wednesday the 11th of Rajab 655 A.H. (1257 A.D.), he reached Ajodhan. Coming before Shaykh Baba Fareed, he unsuccessfully tried to summon up courage to tell in detail how eager he was to see him. Then Baba Sahib remarked: 'O, Nizamuddin! I wanted to entrust the domain of Delhi to someone else. When you were on the way I heard a voice to the effect that I should wait as Nizamuddin is coming. He is fit for this domain. It should be entrusted to him. So stay in our company so that after completing your inner training, we will appoint you as our caliph and as the Wali-e-Hindustan (the saint of India).



Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) lived in the company of his murshid (spiritual guide) for seven months and a few days. In this short period, he became deserving of the khilafat of the great mystic Baba Fareed. On the second of Rabi’ul Awwal 656 A.H. (1258 A.D.), Baba Fareed bestowed khilafat and wilayat to Nizamuddin Aulia by giving him the special turban, which came to Baba Fareed Sahib from Chisht (Afghanistan). After coming to Delhi, Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) became a caliph of the Chishty Sheikhs. Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia came ten times to Ajodhan: three times in the life of Baba Fareed and seven times after his death.



After residing in Delhi for a few days, he wished to keep him away from the crowds of people and desired to withdraw himself to the desert. He then received a Divine inspiration that his place of residence should be Ghiyaspur, a small village outside the city of Delhi. First he had raised a temporary shed with a straw roof for himself and all his companions. After some time, a better place was constructed for him by one of his disciples, Ziauddin Wakil Mulk. Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya(R) lived here for more than sixty years and never changed his place of residence. The khanqah is still there and is visited by many people up to this day. Recieving the Khilafah he spent his life guiding the people to spiritual shore.






He died on April 3, 1325. His dargah (shrine) Hazrat Nizamuddin Aauliya Mehboob E Elahi Dargah was built in 1562 and is situated in the Nizamuddin West area of Delhi. The nearest metro station would be Indraprastha (Blue line) and Jangpura (Violet line). From all the states of India, trains are easily available for New Delhi. There is a main railway station close to dargah Sharif which named after the saint's name. Indira Gandhi Airport is the nearest airport to reach Dargah.