Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty arrived in Ajmer at the age of 52 in 587 AH or 1191 AD on his divine mission, unique in the annals of Islam and also in the history of India. As we have seen, for the success of his grand mission he had already been suitably trained by his Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Khawaja Usman Harooni and divinely equipped by the blessings of the Holy Prophet Mohammed. He was thus an apostle of Allah dedicated to the cause of Truth which "always and invariably prevails though in the long run." His only armor for the success of his great mission was that greatest invisible power that pervades and sustains the whole universe.

Truth Always Prevails

Again and again through all successive ages, the apostles of Allah have successfully fought and defeated the forces of evil. Prophet Dawood succeeded in overthrowing Goliath. Prophet Ibraham survived the torture of a huge fire made by Namrood to destroy him but it turned into a garden of fragrant flowers and Namrood himself was destroyed by a gnat. In spite of all torture, the Holy Christ and his religion did survive even after his crucifixion and the Holy Prophet gave noble lessons of Christianity to the world. Prophet Mohammed was tormented by Abu Jehal and Abu Lehab with superior forces but he succeeded triumphantly in the end with his grand religious mission. The whole history of the world is replete with such illuminating and noble examples of the success of 'Truth' against evil and repeats itself again and again. Whenever and wherever there is a struggle between Truth and falsehood the former is ultimately a victor. Raja Prithvi Raj of Ajmer unfortunately adopted a false policy of arrogance, persecution and insult against a harmless dervish and had to go down before the divine dispensation of the Almighty Allah.

Natural & Inevitable

Whenever the 'Divine will' ordains to inspire a band of righteous people to work as "Torchbearers of Truth" to a corrupt humanity, there never fails to appear a band of those diehards who pitch themselves in deadly opposition to inflict on the victims all sorts of tortures and troubles. Truth and Righteousness come out all the more shining when tried and tested by hardships and such a period of adversity cannot also fail to bring out the best character in the martyrs, their patience fortitude, humiliation unflinchingly faith, etc. In fact they live if they can for the Truth and die, if they must for the Truth. Moral perfection can be attained and moral virtue can reach their highest standard of persecution. And the ultimate success after fighting against odds, goes to prove beyond all doubt how the "Divine Movement " and the Divine help and guidance work behind it. Their severe trials are so to say, a blessing in disguise. In the furnace of trials and persecution the one of character becomes burnished gold. Adversity and hardships bring out some of the finest qualities in man. They either make of him an everlasting character, the light which shall shine always and everywhere or reduce him to nothingness and oblivion. Therefore those who aspire after success must be prepared to tread the road of hardships and trials.

Greatest Preacher Of Islam In India

It is a historic fact that Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty was the greatest preacher and founder of Islam in India. It was he who laid the real foundation of Islam in India by his peaceful mission and unparalleled forbearance. He brought the message of 'Universal Love and Peace' and paved the way for his succeeding Khalifas for the peaceful propagation of Islam in this country without any compulsion whatsoever in the true spirit of the Holy Quran which says, "Let there be no compulsion in religion. Wilt thou compel men to become believers? No soul can believe but by the persuasion of Allah." Khawaja Moinuddin followed this dictum through out his mission. Before his arrival, Muslims in India were in a most negligible minority. His piety and sympathetic preaching made a profound impression upon all he came across.
The invasions of Mohammed-bin-Qasim and Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni contrary to general belief, did little or nothing for any real or permanent promotion of Islam in India. They were more or less military campaigns for the economic exploitation like the British and bear no comparison whatsoever with the grand mission of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin who did wonders with his peaceful preaching of Islam in this country. He did not bring any armies with him but came with only a few companions; he feared none on earth except Allah. He did not come out to conquer the wealth of India, he came out to endear and win the hearts of Indian people by free conviction in order to put them on the right path of "Truth and Love" and thus give them happiness and prosperity in life and salvation after death.
Here was the Allah's chosen man for a particular mission at a particular period of history Khawaja Moinuddin had renounced the world at an early age and braved self-imposed mortification and contentment when he could have easily lulled himself in a luxurious life on the rich traditions of his illustrious family. But, like all other great prophets and redeemers of the oppressed world his heart ached at the persecution and suffering which the barbarous man perpetrated upon his innocent fellow beings. Here was the man of destiny who was a penniless and friendless orphan when he renounced the world and left Neshapur in quest of education. And yet by exemplary self-denial and diligent industry, he was able to obtain the highest moral and religious training at the leading institutions of Samarqand and Bokhara.

Miracles & Sufi Derveshes

The 'Karamaat' or miracles, which formed a most prominent part of Khawaja Moinuddin life and mission, have always been intimately associated with the lives of other Sufi saints and Hindu seers in the East. As a matter of fact, miracles emanate from the supernatural powers bestowed upon these holy persons by Allah as the result of their life long devotion, probation (Mujahedas) and trials, and are beyond the scope of common conception of ordinary human beings, their experiences and knowledge. Modern science and logic have no place in the 'hidden' calculation and determination of miracles. They are displayed only when there is a great emergency to justify them. In fact they are used as a `last remedy' when all other common sense persuasion failed to convince the devil in man or the teachings and principles of the divine doctrines of Truth or the laws of Allah, in order to maintain a harmonious equilibrium among mankind in the "Divine Scheme of Allah." so essential for the happiness of His creation on earth. Highly talented and enlightened Sufis and seers are extremely few and rare in this age. They are ranked as Walis in Muslim terminology who as the lives of Khawaja Moinuddin and others of his most distinguished order prove, were obliged to use their supernatural powers to meet the circumstances of each situation strictly in accordance with the divine law and will in the cause of Truth and nothing else.
Round the Anasagar lake where the Khawaja Sahib's party was camping there were many temples. The followers of the saint used to draw water. The servants of the Raja not only demanded Khawaja Sahib's movement from this place but also asked him to leave Ajmer at once, and this demand was made in very insolent and unbecoming manner. But it was impossible for Khawaja Sahib to agree because he was there by the will of Allah and the command of his Holy Prophet of Islam.

Persistent Prejudice & Attacks

The priests had carried the news of palpable miracles to Raja Prithviraj who naturally got furious in spite of his mother's warning to control his temper. She reminded him calmly of her 12-year-old prophecy about the entry of a fakir in his kingdom and warned him to treat the dervish with restraint if he wanted to preserve his kingdom. But the warning did not pacify the Raja. He lost no time in summoning one of his most trusted councilors, Ajaipal, (who was also his spiritual 'guru') for an urgent conference. Ajaipal was recognized to be the greatest exponent of the sciences of black art magic and witchcraft, astronomy, astrology, and the like. He also expounded these sciences to many hundreds of his chelas (disciples). When he heard the news of Khawaja Sahib's miracles, he assured the Raja not to worry at all and informed him that this fakir was only a fake juggler of occult sciences and that he would turn him out of Ajmer without any difficulty. He advised Prithviraj to go to the fakir with his bodyguard, promising to follow him very soon with his own army of chelas and the necessary paraphernalia of his witchcraft etc. to meet the emergency.

Ajaipal's Magic Attacks

While on his way to Khawaja Sahib, Prithviraj fired by his lingering wrath, thought of hurting the saint terribly but as soon as this evil thought occurred, he lost his vision and could not move forward. But when he recollected his mother's pacifying warning to treat the fakir reverently his heart suddenly softened and he regained his eyesight. By the time he actually appeared before the saint, he had such miraculous experiences no less than 7 times. At last when he reached Anasagar, he was encouraged to see Ajaipal also arriving at the spot in time with his promised troop of disciples.

Strange Experience

Ajaipal immediately started one of his magical attacks upon the unarmed and peaceful saint whose few followers got frightened for a while. To ward off their fear, the Khawaja Sahib asked them to draw a circle on the ground around their party for protection against Ajaipal's magical attacks which produced horrible scenes.
First of all, Ajaipal made a violent attack through a whirlwind of "chakras" (a sharp edged disc that terribly revolved in the air and cut everything it touched). But instead of harming the Khawaja Sahib and his party, these hundreds of Chakras, whirling violently in the air only reacted back on Ajakpal's own men and caused no harm to the saint's party.
The attacks which followed were more dreadful than the first. But these could do not a bit of harm to the small party of Allah's innocent fakirs. On the contrary, they did a lot of damage in the ranks of Ajaipal's men.
Frustrated by his Chela's persistent failures, Ajaipal now made a last desperate bid in order to regain his damaged prestige in the eyes of his people by trying a masterpiece of his magical art. He enquired Khawaja Sahib of his position in the realm of the spiritual world. The saint replied, "Let us first see what status you hold in your spiritual world? After that Allah willing we shall also show you our position."
It was now a lost game for Ajaipal and he surrendered himself to the mercy of Khawaja Sahib finally. While Ajaipal was the redoubtable master of all the evil science of his day, the Khawaja Sahib was only a humble devotee of none but the all-powerful the all pervading and the Almighty Allah of the universe.

Ajaipals Attacks

Having lost his battles, Ajaipal now embraced Islam, and became one of Khawaja Sahib's devoted disciples. He now requested the saint to show his unique position in the realm of the spiritual world as promised by him and wonderland of the 7th heaven through Khawaja Sahib's spiritual powers which had no limit. Amazed at the wonderful powers of Khawaja Sahib, Ajaipal aspired to have an 'eternal life' so that he could gain time to seek Allah's pardon for his past sins. He begged the saint to have this wish fulfilled and the Khawaja Sahib did pray to the Almighty Allah accordingly. The prayer was granted on the condition that Ajaipal's spirit will remain immortal only for the service of mankind, although he will not be seen in his mortal form which must decay in due course of time under the unchangeable Divine Law. Although Ajaipal died in 694 AH and cannot be seen in his mortal form but his immortal spirit, according to a legend exists for the service of humanity even to this day. This immortal spirit is known as Abdulla Bayabani, a name given to him by Khawaja Shaib.
Now that so many people embraced Islam and had become Khawaja Muinuddin's devoted followers, they requested the saint to shift from Anasagar hill to the former's house in the city-the site of the saint's present shrine-to enable the citizens of Ajmer to derive best advantage from his divine preaching. The Khawaja Sahib agreed to this suggestion and his missionary work began to flourish here so much so that within a short time thousands of people from the surrounding districts of Ajmer embraced Islam.
 

King Shahabuddin Ghauri who was in Khurasan, dreamt an old Saint, saying :

" O Shahabuddin ! Almighty has granted you kingdom of India Get up and proceed towards India."

After it, the Saint disappeared. When the king awake, he was under a peculiar state of mind. The voice was still echoing in his ears, saying proceed towards India. Success will be yours? The King informed his learned men. They congratulated the King and predicted his victory.

Ghauri on Expedition to India

King Shahabuddin Mohammed Ghauri was badly defeated by king Prithvi Raj in the Battle of Tarain and with great difficulties, he could save himself and reached Ghazni. Since he wanted to defeat Prithvi Raj, he was preparing for a war secretly. But he did not expected to go for a battle against India after such a short span of time.

The Dream created great enthusiasm in his heart and after prediction by the learned scholars he inspected the preparation and ordered his army to proceed on the expedition. On the eight day, he himself proceeded on the crusade. The army officers were very much surprised over the rush for the expedition. But nobody dared to enquire about it. When the army camped in Peshawar, an old man of royal family asked " O king though the preparations are on large scale, but the intention is still secret?"

The King took a deep breath and said. "You don’t know, what happened to me. Can you recall last year defeat that is a blot on my face, be sure that neither I have changed my clothes nor I have taken rest on the bed. "

Hearing the king, the old man encouraged Shahabuddin Ghauri, prayed for his victory and said, If your lordship has the intention then act according to the need of the hour. Kindly call the Amirs and Chiefs to your court, grant them pardon and honor them, so that they could fight for you and may sacrifice their lives for you and wash the earlier defeat. The king liked the idea. So after reaching Multan, he called the court and granted a general pardon to all the Amirs and Chiefs. Then he addressed them" TO FIGHT FOR HIM". Every chief swore to fight till last breath for the cause after putting their hand on swords.

A Decisive War

Shahabuddin took the advantage of the opportunity and he ordered for war in the evening, left the army camp as it is and after taking a long round of many miles crossed the river in the darkness of the night, and caught the enemy unaware. The emperor did not loose his senses and face the attack with a part of his army. Later the rest of his army also joined him. Rai Pithora’s army was comprised of three thousand elephants, three lakhs cavalry and a large number of swordsmen, while king Shahabuddin Ghauri had an army of one lakh twenty thousand soldiers.

Since Rai Pithora was very sure about his victory, so he did not bother for an organized fight and ordered the entire army to charge against the enemy, On the contrary, King Shahabuddin, adopting war tactics, divided army into four parts under the command of four able generals and sent them to fight one after another. Rajput fought with great courage and bravery that disappointed the Sultan’s army. But he adopted another tactic. He lagged behind in an organized manner showing that he is defeated. Rajputs followed them in a disorganized manner. When the king saw the Rajputs disorganized, he attacked with his fresh army.

There was a fierce fight till noon. Raja Prithvi Raj came out of the war field and stayed under the shadow of tree with his participating 150 chiefs. A final attack was decided. Everyone took an oath and came into war field. Raja’s army was tired as it was fighting since morning. The Sultan sensed the opportunity. He launched a very strong attack with his fresh 12,000 swordsmen who all of a sudden reached in the heart of enemy’s army. When the other chiefs of king’s army saw the scene. They also pressed the enemy from left and right. In a moment, thousands of soldiers were killed. The enemy’s army was overturned. Meanwhile the elephants, backbone of Raja’s army took a U-turn and crushed their own men. Soldiers tried their best to face the position but in vain. Gharib Nawaz (R.A) words were to be proved true, and they were.

It was dusk when the sultan’s army dominated the enemies. A number of Raja’s including Khande Rao were killed while some others escaped. Rai Pithora also wanted to escape but was captured and slashed on the banks of Saraswati river.

In the end Shahabuddin Ghauri immerged victorious and the hold of him on northern India became stronger. Later the Rajput’s kingdoms like Saraswati, Samana, Kohram and Hansi were captured without any difficulty. Then Sultan proceeded to Ajmer. Nobody challenged him but the sons of defeated and slain Rajas welcomed him and accepted him. After reaching Ajmer, he handed over the kingdom to Prithvi Raj’s son.

King Shahabuddin at the Feet of Khwaja Sahib

The evening was falling when Shahabuddin entered Ajmer. He heard Azan which made him surprised. On inquiring, people told him that some Fakir’s who had arrived a short time ago, used to call like this five times daily. The king took the direction. The Jamaat for prayers was ready. He joined it. Gharib Nawaz (R.A) was leading the Namaz.

As and when the prayers were over, and the king saw Khwaja Shaib (R.A), he was very much surprised, since he recognized the man who predicted his victory in the dream. He wanted to fall flat on the feet of Gharib Nawaz (R.A) but the Khwaja embraced the king instead.

The King sobbed and wept for quite a long time. Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (R.A) blessed him and asked him to sit. When he regained, he made a request for Bayt. Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (R.A) accepted the request and made him his disciple.

After staying in Ajmer for few days, Sultan Shahabuddin Muhammed Ghauri marched towards Delhi and captured it. He appointed his faithful Slave Qutubuddin Ebak, Viceroy of India and went back to Ghazni. Qutubuddin captured rest of India in a very short span of time and soon the Sultan got hold of the entire north India.
 

How could a great Sufi saint, who had renounced all worldly pleasures in his early 'teens', ever think of a married life? Yet Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty was obliged to marry twice at a very advanced age under Islamic Shariat at the commandment of the Holy Prophet. Throughout his blooming youth he was devoutly engaged in his difficult spiritual training under his Pir-o-Murshid, Hazrat Khawaja Usman Harooni, as a whole time devotee. The Sufis, leading a strictly austere and religious life, generally denied matrimony; their only object of life being complete renunciation and staunch dedication to God in the service of Islam and humanity.

First Marriage

When he had settled down in Ajmer, the Khawaja Sahib had a special reminder about his marriage through a 'Basharat' (prophetic dream) from the Holy prophet sometime in 590 AH or 1193 AD. The Prophet said, "O Moinuddin, You are a great preceptor of our religion. You should not depart from our 'sunnah' (meaning marriage which is incumbent upon every Muslim under the laws of Shariat). Coincidentally that very night Malik-a-Khitab devotee of Hazrat Khawaja Sahib, had captured a Raja's daughter in an encounter who embraced Islam and Khawaja sahib, in response to the above reminder, married her giving her the Islamic name of Bibi Ummutulla.

Second Marriage

Once again the Khawaja Sahib was asked to marry (in 620 AH or 1223 AD) Bibi Asmat, daughter of Syed Wajihuddin Mashhadi who was the commissioner of Ajmer since Qutubuddin Aibak's regime.
Maulana Ahmed, who was a Khadim (attendant) of Hazrat Khawaja Sahib, states that Syed Wajihuddin Mashadi had a grown up daughter. He was worried about her marriage, as no suitable match was available. One night Hazrat Imam Jafar gave him this, `basharat', `O Son, it is the commandment of the Holy Prophet that you should marry your daughter to Sheikh Moinuddin.' Syed Wajihuddin mentioned this to Hazrat Khawaja Sahib and he replied, "Although I am now too old to marry, but the commandment of the Holy Prophet must be obeyed. I accept this relation." And so the Khawaja Sahib married a second time.

Children From Both Wives

It is an irrefutable fact that Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty had three sons and one daughter-

Khawaja Fakhruddin,
Khawaja Hissamuddin,
Khawaja Ziaddin Abu Sayeed and
Bibi Hafiza Jamal.

It is generally agreed that Khawaja Ziauddin Abu Sayeed was born of Bibi Asmat while Khawaja Fakhruddin, Khawaja Hissammuddin and Bibi Hafiza Jamal from Bibi Ummatulla Hazrat Syed Mahmud Gesudraz of Gulbarga and his group of Sufis are, however, of the opinion that both the later sons were also born of Bibi Asmat, but Maulana Shamsuddin Taher and his group maintain that they were born of Bibi Ummatulla.

Khawaja Sahib's Sons

Khawaja Fakhruddin, the eldest son of Hazrat Khawaja Sahib, was a great dervish and followed strictly in the footsteps of his illustrious father. He spent most of his time in spiritual development with Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia of Delhi who was himself a great and well-known Sufi dervish. He adopted agriculture as his profession and lived in a village (Mandal) near Ajmer. He is reported to have died in 1265 AD and is buried at Sarwar, 37 miles from Ajmer on the Ajmer-Kekri Road which is an attraction to hundreds of pilgrims during his Urs every year.

Khwaja Sahib loved his eldest son very much. When the officer distributed him for the land in his possession, Khwaja Sahib himself went to Delhi and obtained document from Sultan Shamshuddin Altamash in favor of his son and came back to Ajmer.

Khawaja Hissammuddin, the second son of Hazrat Sahib, is reported to have disappeared in his early age. All that is known of him is that he died in 1255 AD. He is said to have acquired the stage of an "abdaal" (certain holy person by whom God continues the world in existence, according to Islamic belief.)

Khawaja Ziauddin Abu Sayeed, the 3rd son of Hazrat Khawaja Sahib, left two sons of whom nothing is further known. He was buried in the precincts of Khawaja Sahib's Dargah at Ajmer and died at the age of 50.

The Khawaja Sahib's only daughter, Bibi Hafiza Jamal was a very pious lady and had leaned Quran by heart at the age of 7. She was married to Sheikh Raziuddin son of Sultan-ul-Tarikin Hazrat Khawaja Hameed-ud-din Nagauri; a saintly dervish who lies buried at Nagaur in Jodhpur district. She was buried in a tomb on the south of Khawaja Sahib's shrine at Ajmer. Both Bibi Asmat and bibi Ummatulla are also buried in the precincts of the Dargah of Khawaja Sahib at Ajmer.
 

One day Khwaja Sahib was sitting in the Jama Masjid of Ajmer. His close disciple and friends were also present. He was talking about Angle of Death. Suddenly he turned towards Shaik Ali Sanjar R.A. and asked to write the order of the Khilafat for Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki R.A. Qutub Sahib was also present there. Khwaja Sahib put his cap on Qutub Sahib's head, made him wear his turban, gave his scepter in his head as well, Musalla, the Holy Quran and the slippers also awarded to him and said-

"These tabarukkat have reached me from my ancestors. Now the last moments of my life has arrived. I handed them over to you. These are like a trust, so never be irresponsible towards them, otherwise I will ashamed before my ancestors on the Day of Judgment."

A few days before his death he advised his eldest son-

All the worldly things are mortal. Always pray to Allah for his pleasure and never be dependent on any worldly thing. Never loose patience in times of trouble and miseries.

THE LAST SERMON OF KHWAJA MOINUDDIN CHISHTY

The philosophy of sufism is best summed up in the words of the final khutbah (sermon) of Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti (R.A.) which he delivered to his followers just one month before his demise.

THE GREAT SAINT OF AJMER SAID : -
"Love all and hate none
More talk of peace will avail you naught
Mere talk of God and religion will not take you far
Bring out all of the latent powers of your being
and reveal the full magnificence of your mortal self
Be surcharged with peace and joy. And scatter them wherever you are
and wherever you go. Be a blazing fire of truth.
Be a beauteous blossom of Love. And be a soothing balm of peace
With your spiritual light dispel the darkness of ignorance
dissolve the clouds of discord and war
and spread goodwill, peace and harmony among the people
Never seek any help, charity or favors from anybody except God
Never go to the courts of kings, but never refuse to bless and help the
needy and the poor, the widow, and the orphan, if they come to your door
This is your mission, to serve the people
Carry it out dutifully and courageously
so that I, as your PIR-O-MURSHID
may not be ashamed of any shortcomings on your part
before the Almighty Allah and our Holy Predecessors
in the Sufi Order ( Silsila ) on the day of Judgment "

Mystery Of Khawaja Saheb's Death

On the night of 5th of Rajab 634 AH the great saint as usual, retired to his cell after the 'Isha' prayer (the prescribed time of this prayer is between 8-30 p.m. and midnight) and closed the door, instructing his attending devotees not to disturb him that night. They stayed away but heard a noise of something like 'wajd' (ecstasy) throughout that particular night. In the early hours of the morning, this noise however ceased. When as usual, the door of the cell did not open at the time of the morning prayers (5 to 6am), anxiety was felt all round and ultimately it was forced open by Khawaja Saheb's devotees. Their great saint had relinquished his mortal remains and the following sentence in Arabic was radiantly glittering on his forehead

Certain Friends of Allah Taala saw Rasool Allah (S.A.W.) in their dreams, who said, "Moinuddin is a Friend of the Lord, I have come to welcome (receive) him."

The news of his death spread immediately throughout the city. People in thousands thronged to the place. His eldest son Khwaja Syed Fakruddin Chishty R.A. lead the Namaz-e-Janaza. He was buried in the cell where he took his last breath.

Death Of Khawaja Saheb

The passing away of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin (may peace of god be upon his soul) from this world to the next which took place on 6th of Rajab 633 AH (1233 AD) at the age of 97 was also one of the greatest mysteries of his life.
It goes without saying that by virtue of his divine life Khawaja Moinuddin is immortal. In the past 850 years, millions of people of all classes and faiths inspired by his love and pious preaching, are attracted to his shrine from all over the world to pay their loving homage and receive his ungainly blessings to solve their problems. Such a devotion has never been offered to the tomb of any the mightiest monarchs of the world and it is a rare distinction in the history of Islam and Sufism.
The life and mission of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin have been of an exceptional character as compared to any other saints of India. His simple teachings penetrated even stony hearts, his affectionate looks tamed his fiercest enemies, his matchless piety and blessings knew no distinction and his spiritual amazed and defied his bitterest adversaries who came to harm him but were compelled to embrace Islam and become his devotees for the rest of their lives. These exceedingly rare gifts are bestowed by the Almighty God only upon his "chosen few" whom He deputes to reform mankind whenever is goes astray from the right path of Truth.

GENEALOGY

EARLY YEARS

CLOSING YEARS

MISSION

TEACHINGS

SAYINGS

MIRACLES

LETTERS

KHALIFA

AS AN AUTHOR

MEETINGS

COMRADES