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Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishty (R.A.) popularly known as Khwaja
Gharib Nawaz (R.A.) , "The founder of Chishty Order of Sufis" in
India was born in 1142 A.D. in Sijistan (Iran). His
paternal genealogy is related to Hazrat Imam Hussain (A.S.) and that of
his maternal to Hazrat Imam Hassan (A.S.) and thus he is a direct
descendant of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.).
 His
father, Sayyid Ghiyas-u’d-din, a pious man of some means, died when his
son was in his teens. He left as legacy an orchard and a grinding mill.
Once Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hassan Chishty (R.A) was looking after the plants in his garden that a
mystic, Shaikh Ibrahim Qanduzi, happened to pass by. Shaikh
Mu’in-u’d-din entertained him in his garden. Hagiologists trace the
germination of mystic attitude in him to the blessings of this Saint. In
fact, the most powerful factor in giving a mystic touch to his
personality at this early stage was the condition of Sijistan which had
suffered terribly at the hands of the Qara Khita and the Ghuzz Turks. It
drove the Khwaja’s mind inwards and he realized the futility of
hankering after worldly glory or looking after worldly goods. He sold
all his assets, gave the proceeds in charity and took to itineracy. He
visited the eminent scholars of his age. While on his way to Iraq, he
passed through Harvan, in the district of Naishapur. Here he met Khwaja
‘Usman Harwani’ and was so deeply impressed by his spiritual eminence
that he decided to join the circle of his disciples. For twenty years he
accompanied him on his arduous mystic journeys and performed all sorts
of personal services to him. Shaikh Mu’in’d-din once told his disciples.
“I did not give myself a moment’s rest from the service of my Peer-o-Murshid,
and carried about his night clothes during his journeys and stoppages”.
Haj and Prophet’s command:
As the great Khwaja become accomplished and perfect in every respect,
the divine tutor (Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harwani (R.A.)) honored him with
his robe and took him to Haj. Both then proceeded to Makkah and
performed the Haj, and then went to Madina and stayed there for
sometime, to get the blessings of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (S.A.W.)
One night in a trance he was ordered by the Holy Prophet Hazrat Mohammad
(S.A.W.)
“O Moinuddin! You are a prop of our faith. Proceed to India and show the
path of truth to the people there. That is why he is known as Ataye
Rasul/Naib-e-Rasul.” (Lieutenant of Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.)
Later he undertook independent journeys and came into contact with
eminent Saints and scholars like Shaikh Najm-u’d-din Kubra, Shaikh
Najib-u’d-din ‘Abdul Qahir Suhrawardi, Shaikh Abu Sa’id Tabrizi, Shaikh
Mahmud Ispahani, Shaikh Nasir-u’d-din Astarabadi and Shaikh ‘Abdul
Wahid – all of whom were destined to
exercise great influence on contemporary religious life and thought. He
visited nearly all the great centers of learning in those days –
Samarqand, Bukhara, Baghdad, Naishapur, Tabriz, Aush, Ispahan, Sabzawar,
Mihna, Khirqan, Astarabd, Balkh and Ghaznin and aquainted himself with
almost every important trend in Muslim religious life in the middle
ages. His moral and spiritual qualities attracted many people to his
fold and he appointed his Khalifas in Sabzwar and Balkh. Shaikh
Auhad-u’d-din Kirmani, Shaikh Shihab-u’d-din Suhrawardi and many other
eminent mystics benefited by his company. Having thus roamed all over
the Muslim lands which had not yet recovered from the terrible shocks of
Qara Khitai and Ghuzz invasions and were to be ravaged very soon by the
Mongols, he turned towards India. After a brief stay at Lahore, where he
meditated at the Shrine of one of the prominent Sufi, Shaikh Ali Hajweri,
he proceeded to Ajmer. Khwaja Gharib Nawaz composed a couplet paying a
glowing tribute to Shaikh Hajweri :
"Ganj Bakhsh-e-Har Do Alam Mazhar-e-Noor-e-Khuda,
Na Qisan Ra Peer-e-Kamil, Kamilan Ra Peshwa"
Translation: He is a wealth bestowing Saint in this world and
hereafter and an embodiment of divine light.
A complete spiritual guide for the imperfect disciples and a leader of
the perfect Saints.
He adopted the Indian tradition and culture, seeing the inclination of
Indians towards Music and singing he introduced Qawwali (Sama) to convey
his message.
Huzoor Gharib Nawaz (R.A.) breathed his last; after achieving the
command given to him by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). His noble soul left
the corporeal body on the 6th of Rajab 633 A.H./ 16th March 1236 at the
age of 97. He was buried in the same prayer room (Hujra)which was the
center of his divine activities, throughout his stay at Ajmer. Today his
Shrine is popularly known as “Dargah Sharif of Huzoor Gharib Nawaz (R.A.)”.
People of all walks of life and faith from all over the world,
irrespective of their caste, creed and beliefs visit this great Shrine
to offer flowers, Chaddar and Itar of their esteem and devotion. The
rich and the poor stand side by side to pay their homage and respect to
the divine soul and to acquire the peace of mind & soul to get the
blessings of Huzoor Gharib Nawaz (R.A.)
Ajmer was not merely the seat of Chauhan power ; it was a religious
center also where thousands of pilgrims assembled from far and near
Shaikh Mu’in-u’d-din’s determination to work out the principles of
Islamic mysticism at a place of such political and religious
significance shows great self-confidence.
Gharib Nawaz was the exponent of the true spirit of Islam. Like orthodox
and static theologians he did not engage himself in vain metaphysics but
rigorously strove to save human sympathy from running into narrow
grooves and struck at the very root of parochialism, casteism and
religious exclusiveness which are being propagated by some vested
interests. According to Gharib Nawaz the religion is not merely based on
rituals and ecclesiastical formalities but “service of humanity” is its
sole raison d’etre . Describing the qualities which endear a man to God,
Gharib Nawaz referred to the following attributes : AWWAL SAKHAWATE CHUN
SAKHAWATE DARIYA, DOM SHAFQAT-E-CHUN SHAFQAT-E-AFTAB, SIWAM TAWAZO-E-CHUN
TAWAZO-E-ZAMEEN. (First, river like generosity; second, sun-like
affection, and third earth like hospitality.) When once asked about the
highest devotion of God, Gharib Nawaz remarked that it was nothing but
“Dar mandgaan ra fariyad raseedan wa haajat-e-baichaargaan ra rawa
kardan wa gursingaan ra sair gardaneedan”
i.e. to redress the misery of those in distress, to fulfil the needs of
the helpless and to feed the hungry.
Gharib Nawaz loved humanity in general and the Indians in particular.
Indeed he had a mission to bring a social and spiritual revolution.
He ruled over the hearts. The concepts of national integration,
composite culture (Ganga-Jamni Tehzeeb) originated from his life style
and teachings and thereafter were spread by his representative
disciples.
Perhaps in no other country were the effects of this social and cultural
revolution so marked and so far reaching as in India. Sufism (Islamic
mysticism) reached India when it had entered the last and the most
important phase of its history the organisation of Sufistic
structure of
Islam having various denominations, especially Chishtiya, Qadriya,
Naqshbandia, and Suharwardia. Among these denominations the Chishtiya order
has been supremely successful on all levels of pluralistic society of
India based on cultural, religious, and social differences. |
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