Nizamuddin Auliya

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Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin

The dargah of Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya, Delhi.
Religion	Islam, specifically the Chisti order of Sufism
Other Names:	Nizamuddin Auliya
Senior posting
Based in	Delhi
Title	Khalifa
Period in office	Late 13th century and early 14th century
Predecessor	Fariduddin Ganjshakar (Baba Farid)
Successor	Various, the most prominent being Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi
Personal
Date of birth	1238
Place of birth	Badayun, Uttar Pradesh
Date of death	3 April, 1325
Place of death	Delhi

Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya (1238 - 3 April 1325) (حضرت خواجة نظام الدّین اولیا), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in South Asia, an order that believed in respect for religious traditions and renunciation of worldly powers. He believed that pious action should be favored over religious worship.

He had a profound understanding of Akhlaq (Ethics) and believed that mutual respect was necessary between devotional traditions. In this vein, he advocated sulh e-kull, which means absolute peace amongst devotional traditions, as well as langar, which is sharing food as members of God's community.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Key beliefs 3 Ancestral history 3.1 Ancestral lineage 4 Spiritual history 4.1 Spiritual lineage 5 His students 5.1 Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi 5.2 Amir Khusrau 5.3 Aqi Seraj 5.4 Burhanuddin Gharib 5.5 Syed Mahmood Kashkinakar 6 Quotations 7 His descendants 8 The Chisti Nizami order 8.1 Famous Branches 8.1.1 The branches 8.1.2 King's disrespect leads to his doom 9 Titles given to Nizamuddin Aulia 10 Urs 11 Further reading 12 See also 13 References 14 External links

[edit] Biography

Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya was born in 1238, in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh (East of Delhi), though at age five, after the death of his father, Ahmad Badayuni, he came to Delhi with his mother ^[1] Bibi Zulekha. His biography finds mention in Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th century document written by Mughal Emperor Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak ^[2].

At the age of 20, in the year 1269, Nizamuddin went to Ajodhan (the present Pakpattan in Pakistan) and became a disciple of the Sufi saint Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakkar, commonly known as Baba Farid. Nizamuddin did not take up residence in Ajodhan but continued with his theological studies in Delhi while simultaneously starting the Sufi devotional practices and the prescribed litanies. He visited Ajodhan each year to spend the month of Ramadan in the presence of Baba Farid. It was on his third visit to Ajodhan that Baba Farid made him his successor. Shortly after that, when Nizamuddin returned to Delhi, he received news that Baba Farid had expired.

Nizamuddin lived at various places in Delhi, before finally settling down in Ghyaspur, a neighborhood in Delhi undisturbed by the noise and hustle of city life. He built his Khanqah here, a place where people from all walks of life were fed, where he imparted spiritual education to others and he had his own quarters. Before long, the khanqah became a place thronged with all kinds of people, rich and poor alike.

Many of his disciples achieved spiritual height, including Shaikh Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Delhi ^[3], and Amir Khusro ^[2], noted scholar/musician, and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate.

He died on the morning of 3 April 1325. His shrine, Nizamuddin Dargah is located in Delhi ^[4], and the present structure was built in 1562. The shrine is visited by people of all faiths, through the year, thoughout it becomes a place for special congregation during the death anniversaries, or Urs, of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusro ^[1], who is also buried at the Nizamuddin Dargah.

[edit] Key beliefs

Besides believing in the traditional Sufi ideas of embracing God within this life (as opposed to the idea that such partial merger with God is possible only after death), by destroying the ego and cleansing the soul, and that this is possible through considerable efforts involving Sufi practices, Nizamuddin also expanded and practised the unique features introduced by past saints of the Chisti Sufi order in India. These included:

• Emphasis on renunciation and having complete trust in God.
• The unity of mankind and shunning distinctions based on social, economic, religious status.
• Helping the needy, feeding the hungry and being sympathetic to the oppressed.
• Strong disapproval of mixing with the Sultans, the princes and the nobles.
• Exhortation in making close contact with the poor and the downtrodden
• Adopting an uncompromising attitude towards all forms of political and social oppression.
• A bold stance in favour of Sema, which some considered unislamic. Perhaps this was with the view that this was in consonance with the role of music in some modes of Hindu worship, could serve as a basis of contact with local people and would facilitate mutual adjustments between the two communities. ^[5] In fact Qawwali, a form of devotional music, was originally created by one his most cherished disciples: Amir Khusro.

Nizamuddin did not much bother about the theoretical aspects of Sufism, believing rather that it were the practical aspects that counted, as it was anyway not possible to describe the diversified mystical experiences called spiritual states or stations which a practicing Sufi encountered. He discouraged the demonstration of Keramat and emphasised that it was obligatory for the Awliya (which roughly means the friends of God) to hide the ability of Keramat from the commoners. He also was quite generous in accepting disciples. Usually whoever came to him saying that he wanted to become a disciple was granted that favour. This resulted in him being always surrounded by people from all strata of society.

[edit] Ancestral history

The eldest son of Hazrat Syedna Imam Ali al-Naqi was Hazrat Syedna Imam Hasan al-Askari and the other son was Syedna Jafar Boqari. After the death of Imam Ali al-Naqi, Imam Hasan al-Askari became the accepted Imam of both Shi'a and Sunni Muslims. Imam Hasan al-Askari was killed at the age of 28. He had one son, Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi, who, at the age of 5 after the death of his father, disappeared from public view. That was the time of Abbasids caliphs. Therefore knowing about the killings of all the Imams and family members of the descendants of Muhammad, Syedna Jafar Boqari migrated to Bukhara in Uzbekistan. After a few generations, one of his descendants known as Ali urf Daniyal, the grandfather of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, migrated to the city of Badayun in Uttar Pradesh, India.

[edit] Ancestral lineage

1. Hazrat Muhammad
2. Hazrat Ali
3. Hazrat Syedna Imam Husayn ibn Ali
4. Hazrat Syedna Imam Ali ibn Hussain Zain-ul--aabedeen
5. Hazrat Syedna Imam Muhammad al-Baqir
6. Hazrat Syedna Imam Jafar al-Sadiq
7. Hazrat Syedna Imam Musa al-Kazim
8. Hazrat Syedna Imam Ali al-Rida (originally Ali Musi Raza)
9. Hazrat Syedna Imam Muhammad al-Taqi
10. Hazrat Syedna Imam Ali al-Naqi
11. Hazrat Syedna Jafar Boqari
12. Hazrat Syedna Ali Asghar Boqari
13. Hazrat Syedna Abi Abdullah Boqari
14. Hazrat Syedna Ahmad Boqari
15. Hazrat Syedna Ali Boqari
16. Hazrat Syedna Hussain Boqari
17. Hazrat Syedna Abdullah Boqari
18. Hazrat Syedna Ali urf Daniyal
19. Hazrat Syedna Ahmad Badayuni
20. Hazrat Syedna Syed Shah Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya

[edit] Spiritual history

He was merely 16/17 years old when he first heard the name of Fariduddin Ganjshakar, and feelings of love and respect arose in his heart right then. He narrates to his disciples that he never felt the same after hearing or even meeting any other sufi. The love kept increasing like a burning fire. If his classmates would like to have some work out of him they used to invoke the name of Baba Farid, and he never refused anything asked in his name. He didn't feel the same for anyone else in his entire lifetime. He became his disciple after completing his studies at the age of 20. He visited him thrice in his lifetime.

[edit] Spiritual lineage

1. Islamic prophet Hazrat Muhammad
2. Ali ibn Abu Talib
3. Hasan al-Basri
4. Abdul Wahid Bin Zaid Abul Fadhl
5. Fudhail Bin Iyadh Bin Mas'ud Bin Bishr Tameeemi
6. Ibrahim Bin Adham
7. Huzaifah Al-Mar’ashi
8. Abu Hubairah Basri
9. Ilw Mumshad Dinwari

Start of the Chishti Order:

1. Abu Ishaq Shami
2. Abu Ahmad Abdal
3. Abu Muhammad Bin Abi Ahmad
4. Sayyid Abu Yusuf Bin Sam’aan Al-Husaini
5. Maudood Chishti
6. Shareef Zandani
7. Usman Harooni
8. Moinuddin Chishti
9. Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki
10. Fareeduddin Masood
11. Nizamuddin Auliya

[edit] His students

He had more than 600 khalifas (a khalifa is a disciple who is given the authority to take his own disciples and thus propagate the spiritual lineage) who continued his lineage all over the world. Some of his most famous disciples are:

[edit] Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi

He was the spiritual successor of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. He is considered fifth amongst the big five of the Chisti order in India (the others being Moinuddin Chishti, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Nizamuddin Auliya in that order). His shrine is in Chirag Dilli, New Delhi, India.

[edit] Amir Khusrau

He was the most loved disciple of his master. He was so close to his master that once Nizamuddin Auliya said, "If sharia allows me I would like him to be buried with me in the same grave."^{[citation needed]} He also said that whoever comes to visit his grave must visit the grave of Amir Khusrau first and then his. He died within a few months of his master's death. He was buried at the feet of his master. His shrine is in Nizamuddin Dargah, New Delhi.

[edit] Aqi Seraj

He was given the title of Aaina-e-hind (Mirror of India) by Nizamuddin Auliya and lived with him for along time. He was amongst the earliest disciples of Nizamuddin Auliya. Nizamuddin Auliya sent him to West Bengal.

[edit] Burhanuddin Gharib

He is also amongst the earliest disciples of Nizamuddin Auliya and lived with the master until his last breath. After the death of Nizamuddin Auliya he went to the Deccan, and the place where he lived became famous thereby. His shrine is in Burhanpur, a city that bears his name, in the state of Madhya Pradesh in Central India.

[edit] Syed Mahmood Kashkinakar

He holds a very special position in Islamic mysticism. He is believed to be alive in the invisible world even after his death in the visible world. There are miracles in the literature of the Chisti order which are attributed to this.

[edit] Quotations

1. The wilayat (domain) of gnosis and faith can suffer decay. The wilayat of compassion can not.
2. The love of Auliya (saints) is stronger than their reason.
3. The lock of spiritual perfection has very many keys. All those keys are to be possessed. If one does not open it, others can.
4. He who has knowledge, reason, and love, is deserving to become a caliph of the Sufi sheikhs.
5. So long as is possible, give relief to your heart, because the heart of a good Muslim is the palace of the manifestations of Allah.

[edit] His descendants

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Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya did not marry. However he had one brother named Jamaluddin. He told him, "your descendants will be my descendants". Jamaluddin had one son named Ibrahim. He was nurtured by Nizamuddin Auliya after Jamaluddin's death. Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya sent his nephew to Bengal in Eastern India along with one of his most famous disciples (khalifa) Hazrat Aqi Seraj, famously known as Aaina-e-Hind. Hazrat Ala-ul-Haq Pandwi (the master (Pir)of Maqdoom Ashraf Jehangir Simnani), one of the most famous Sufis of the Chisti order, became his disciple and khalifa. Hazrat Ala-ul-Haq Pandwi married his sister-in-law to Ibrahim. They had one son, who was the most famous Chisti Sufi of Bihar, known as Fariduddin Tavaela Bukhsh (Syed Shah Fariuddin Tavaela Bukhsh Chisti Nizami). He was married to the daughter of Hazrat Ala-ul-Haq Pandwi. He became the khalifa of Hazrat Noor Qutb-e-Aalam Padwi (the eldest son and spiritual successor of Hazrat Ala-ul-Haq Pandwi). His shrine is one of the most famous shrines in Chandpura, Biharsharif, Bihar. Many of his descendants are very famous Sufis, namely Hazrat Moinuddin Sani, Hazrat Naseeruddin Sani, Hazrat Sultan Chisti Nizami, Hazrat Bahauddin Chisti Nizami, Hazrat Deewan Syed Shah Abdul Wahab (his shrine is in Choti Takiya, Biharsharif), Hazrat Sultan Sani, Hazrat Amjad Hussain Chisti Nizami, among others. He spread Chisti Nizami order all over Northern India. Ijaza of his Silsila (order) is present in all the existing khanqahs of Bihar. His descendants still reside in Biharsharif and can be found in many parts of the world. However, those still looking after Nizamuddin Auliya's shrine in Delhi are the descendants of his sister's son.

[edit] The Chisti Nizami order

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was the founder of the Chisti Nizami order. He had hundreds of disciples (khalifa) who had Ijaza (khilafat) from him to spread the order. Many of the sufis of the Chisti Nizami order are recognised as great sufis; some on this list are his descendants and some his disciples:

Hazrat Muhammad Hussaini Gisudaraz Bandanawaz, Gulbarga (near Hyderabad), Karnataka; Hazrat Ala-ul-Haq Pandwi & Hazrat Noor Qutb-e-Alam Pandwi, Pandwa, West Bengal; Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Simnani, Kachaocha, Uttar Pradesh; Hazrat Faqruddin Faqr Dehlvi, Mehrauli, New Delhi; Hazrat Shah Niyaz Ahmad Barelvi , Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh; Khwaja Shafruddin Ali Ahmed & Khwaja Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Chirag Dilli, New Delhi; Khwaja Zainuddin Shirazi, Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh; Hazrat Khwaja Maulana Muhiuddin Yousuf Yahya Madani Chishti, Medina; Hazrat Shah Kaleemullah Dehlvi Chishti, Delhi; Hazrat Maulana Shah Nizamuddin Aurangabadi; Hazrat Taj-ul-Auliya Shah Nizamuddin Hussain, and Hazrat Shah Meerza Agha Mohammad.

[edit] Famous Branches

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was an unparalleled sufi of his time amongst all the existing sufi orders of that time. Many of his contemporaries were doubtless very powerful spiritual leaders, but he was the most famous of all. In his career of approximately 70 years as a sufi he saw the reign of seven rulers of the Delhi sultanate. The kings were very loyal to him and respectful of him. When he first arrived as the Qutb of Delhi he settled down at a lonely place on the outskirts of Delhi, Ghyaspur. But he became so famous that Ghyaspur became the main hub of Delhi and so densely populated that he wanted to leave that place but did not. He was buried in the campus of his khanqah. Ghyaspur is now a central locality of New Delhi, and is known after his name Nizamuddin. The area is so vast that it is divided into four parts: Nizamuddin Dargah(where his shrine is situated), Nizamuddin East & Nizamuddin West and Nizamuddin Railway Station.

[edit] The branches

His was the first branch in the Chisti order of sufis. People started adding Nizami gracefully after their name. He spiritually made many great sufis amongst his students, descendants and the sufis of the Nizami order.

The other branches are as follows:

His disciple Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Dehli started the Nizamia Naseeria branch.

The Hussaini branch is named for Muhammad Hussaini Gisudaraz Bandanawaz. He was the most famous and loved disciple of Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Dehli. The khanqah he established in Gulbarga, Karnataka is still in existence. He is the most famous sufi of South India.

Shah Niyaz Ahmad Barelvi started the Niyazia branch.

The Nizamia Serajia branch was started by Serajuddin Aqi Seraj. This branch is also known as Chistia Serajia.

The Chistia Ashrafia branch was started by Ashraf Jahangir Semnani, the most famous sufi saint of Uttar Pradesh. He established a khanqah, still in existence at Kachaucha, Uttar Pradesh, India.

The Chistia Serajia Faridia order was started by Fariduddin Tavaelabukhsh, a descendant of Nizamuddin Auliya and a sufi of the Serajia branch of the Chisti order. This branch is also known as Nizamia Serajia Faridia.

[edit] King's disrespect leads to his doom

One of the kings in the lifetime of Nizamuddin Auliya was Qutb ud din Mubarak Shah (last ruler of the Khilji dynasty), Delhi sultanate. He used to assemble all the leading figures and famous personalities of Delhi in his court every weekend. Once he was told by one of his assistants that everyone comes to the court except Nizamuudin Auliya. Then the King said, "Order him in my name to come to my weekend gathering, else he will be hanged." When the disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya, Amir Khusrau, told this to his master, he ignored the message, and did not answer. As the weekend approached, his disciples became concerned for his life. On the day before the weekend Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya went to the grave of his mother and came back unperturbed, telling his disciples to go home and sleep as usual. The next morning, everyone was very tense and worried, but Nizamuddin Auliya looked as unperturbed as always. Shortly, news came that there was a rebellion in the palace of the king and the king had been killed brutally. His dynasty came to an end. Such is the connection of saints with Allah.

[edit] Titles given to Nizamuddin Aulia

• Mehboob-e-elahi (Beloved of God)
• Sultan-ul-mashaiq
• Dastageer-e-dojahan
• Jag ujyare
• Qutb-e-dehli

[edit] Urs

The Urs (death anniversary) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya is celebrated at the Nizamuddin Dargah on the 17th of Rabi II (Rabi-ul-Aaqir) and that of Hazrat Amir Khusro on the 18th of Shawwal.

[edit] Further reading

• Nizamuddin Auliya Ain-i-Akbari, by Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak. English tr. by H. Blochmann and Colonel H. S. Jarrett, 1873 – 1907. The Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, Volume III, Saints of India. (Awliyá-i-Hind), page 365.
• The Life and Times of Shaikh Nizam-u'd-din Auliya, by Khaliq Ahmad Nizami; Idarah-i Adabyat-i Delli, 1991.
• Nizam Ad-Din Awliya: Morals for the Heart, by Bruce B. Lawrence; 1991, Paulist Press. ISBN 080913280X.
• Khwajah Nizamuddin Auliya, by Abdurrahman Mumin; Qazi Publishers and Distributors, 1998, ISBN 8185362599.
• Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya, by Khaliq Ahmad Nizami; National Book Trust, 2004, ISBN 8123741480.
• The Dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya, by Laxmi Dhaul; Pallee, Anoop Kamath, Rupa & Co., 2006. ISBN 8129109387.

[edit] See also

• Amir Khusrau
• Fariduddin Ganjshakar
• Khwaja Bande Nawaz
• Moinuddin Chishti
• Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi
• Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki
• Shah Niyaz Ahmad Barelvi

v • d • e Sufism Ideas: Ihsan • Noor • Maqaam • Haal • Manzil • Yaqeen • Fanaa • Baqaa • Haqiqa • Marifa • Nafs • Sulook • Lataif Cosmology • Kashf • Metaphysics • Psychology • Tajalli • Philosophy Practices: Dhikr • Hadhra • Muraqaba • Qawwali • Sema • Whirling Sufi orders: Chishti • Azeemia • Darqawa • Mevlevi • Murīdiyya • Nasiriyya • Naqshbandi • Qadri • Rifa'i • Shadhili • Suhrawardi • Tijani • Universal Sufism • List of tariqas Early Known Sufis: Uwais Qarni • Muhasibi • Rabia • Bayazid • Junaid • Dhun-Nun • Hallaj • Abolkheir • Ghazali • Kharaqani • Jilani • Moinuddin • Suhrawardi • Rifa'i • Bakhtiar Kaki • Baba Farid • Ibn Arabi • Shams Tabrizi • Rumi • Saadi • Attar • Shabistari • Nizamuddin Auliya • Ganj Bakhsh • Baha-ud-Din • Amir Khusro • Nasiruddin Chirag-e-Delhi • Safi  • Nimatullah  • Kubra • Jami • Jazouli • Shah Waliullah • Ata Allah • Kaliyari • Zarruq • Yesevi • Semnani • Alf Sani  • Bhittai • Haddad • Bahu • Sachal • Qalander • Zakariya Notable Modern Sufis: Auliya • Abdal Hakim Murad • Nazim Haqqani • Kabbani • Nuh Keller  • Muhammad al-Maliki • Abdalqadir Sufi • Gohar Shahi  • Inayat Khan • Bawa Muhaiyaddeen • Azeemi • Helminski • Haeri • Yaqubi • Tahir Anwar • Zaid Shakir • Bayrak • Riyadh ul Haq • Tahir-ul-Qadri • Sufi Syed Sameer Chishty • Vaughan-Lee • Burton • Idries Shah • Daniel Moore • Nooruddeen Durkee • Reshad Feild • Muzaffer Ozak Sufi studies: Aguéli • Almqvist • Burckhardt • Chittick • Corbin • Ernst • Frager • Guénon • Hixon • Lindbom • Lings • Nasr • Schimmel • Sells • Schuon Topics in Sufism: Art • Fiction  • History • Music • Poetry • Shrines • Texts[SufiPeer Baba Syed Sameer Chishty]]

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Nizamuddin Auliya
2. ^ ^{a b} Nizamuddin Auliya Ain-i-Akbari, by Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak. English tr. by H. Blochmann and Colonel H. S. Jarrett, 1873 – 1907. The Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, Volume III, Saints of India. (Awliyá-i-Hind), page 365. "many under his direction attained to the heights of sanctity, such as Shaykh Naṣíru'ddín Muḥammad Chirágh i Dihlí, Mír Khusrau, Shaykh Aláu'l Ḥaḳḳ, Shaykh Akhí Siráj, in Bengal, Shaikh Wajíhu'ddín Yúsuf in Chanderi, Shaykh Yạḳúb and Shaykh Kamál in Malwah, Mauláná Ghiyáṣ, in Dhár, Mauláná Mughíṣ, in Ujjain, Shaykh Ḥusain, in Gujarat, Shaykh Burhánu'ddín Gharíb, Shaykh Muntakhab, Khwájah Ḥasan, in the Dekhan."
3. ^ In The Name Of Faith Times of India, April 19, 2007.
4. ^ Nizamuddin Dargah - Location Wikimapia.
5. ^ Faruqi, Zia ul Hasan (1996). Fawa'id Al-Fu'ad--Spiritual and Literary Discourses of Shaikh Nizammuddin Awliya. South Asia Books. ISBN 8124600422. 

[edit] External links

• World's Largest website on Auliya Allah
• A website on Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia (Mehboob-e-Elahi)
• The Life of Nizamuddin Auliya
• Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Aulia., at Moinuddin Chishti website