Khwāja Mo`Īnuddīn Chishti Was the Torchbearer of Love, Compassion and Inter-Faith Harmony in India
By Misbahul Huda, New Age Islam
28 May 2014
The most prominent Sufi and founder of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent Mo`īnuddīn Chishtī, (1139-1236 CE) also known as Gharīb Nawāz "Benefactor of the Poor" who introduced and established the order in the subcontinent was Born and grew up in Chishti in Sistan region of East Persia.
Brief Introduction of His Early Life
When he was fifteen, His parents passed away. In addition to a windmill and an orchard, He inherited from his father the highly elevated Fear of God, inner piety, cleansing of heart and spirit, devotion and dedication to achieve enlightenment and the eternal salvation in this world and the hereafter. During his childhood, teenage Mo`īnuddīn was quite different from other children and he always kept engaged himself in prayers, Glorifying God and meditation in Isolation.
The Legend goes on that, once he was watering the plants in his orchard, then a revered Sufi, Shaikh Ibrāhim Qundūzī (or Kunduzi) came to his orchard. Young Mo`īnuddīn approached him with due respect and offered fresh bunches of grapes. In return, impressed by Mo’īnuddīn lofty moral values, Sheikh Ibrāhīm Qundūzī gave him a piece of bread and asked him to eat it. Khwāja Mo`īnuddīn Chishti got enlightened and suddenly his entire world changed radically, after eating the bread. After this revolutionary changing of his heart and spirit he disposed of all his property and other belongings and distributed the money among the poor and needy. After this, Khwāja Mo`īnuddīn Chishti renounced the world and left for Bukhara in search of knowledge, as knowledge is always regarded as backbone to achieve enlightenment, higher spiritual culmination, and finally salvation.
His Instructive Journey from Mo`īnuddīn to Gharīb Nawāz [Benefactor of the Poor]
In search of religious knowledge as Hadith Sciences, Jurisprudence, theology and Qur’anic exegesis Hazrat Mo`īnuddīn Chishti visited the world renowned seminaries of Samarkand and Bukhara and acquired knowledge of all prevailing sciences and wisdom from the eminent scholars of that time. He visited almost all the great centres of Muslim and non-Muslim culture, and acquainted himself with every important trend pertaining to religious life in the Middle Ages.
During this journey of his life he met a Chishtī saint Khawaja 'Uthmān Hārūnī, and decided to join the circle of his disciples as he was deeply impressed by his spiritual eminence. Khwāja Mo`īnuddīn Chishti travelled the Middle East extensively including Mecca and Medina, along with Khawaja 'Uthmān Hārūnī. And for twenty years he accompanied him on his arduous mystic journeys and performed all sorts of Riyazat and Mujahidah (an spiritual process to attain divine enlightenment). Shaikh Mu’in’d-din narrates in front of 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”.
By Misbahul Huda, New Age Islam
28 May 2014
The most prominent Sufi and founder of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent Mo`īnuddīn Chishtī, (1139-1236 CE) also known as Gharīb Nawāz "Benefactor of the Poor" who introduced and established the order in the subcontinent was Born and grew up in Chishti in Sistan region of East Persia.
Brief Introduction of His Early Life
When he was fifteen, His parents passed away. In addition to a windmill and an orchard, He inherited from his father the highly elevated Fear of God, inner piety, cleansing of heart and spirit, devotion and dedication to achieve enlightenment and the eternal salvation in this world and the hereafter. During his childhood, teenage Mo`īnuddīn was quite different from other children and he always kept engaged himself in prayers, Glorifying God and meditation in Isolation.
The Legend goes on that, once he was watering the plants in his orchard, then a revered Sufi, Shaikh Ibrāhim Qundūzī (or Kunduzi) came to his orchard. Young Mo`īnuddīn approached him with due respect and offered fresh bunches of grapes. In return, impressed by Mo’īnuddīn lofty moral values, Sheikh Ibrāhīm Qundūzī gave him a piece of bread and asked him to eat it. Khwāja Mo`īnuddīn Chishti got enlightened and suddenly his entire world changed radically, after eating the bread. After this revolutionary changing of his heart and spirit he disposed of all his property and other belongings and distributed the money among the poor and needy. After this, Khwāja Mo`īnuddīn Chishti renounced the world and left for Bukhara in search of knowledge, as knowledge is always regarded as backbone to achieve enlightenment, higher spiritual culmination, and finally salvation.
His Instructive Journey from Mo`īnuddīn to Gharīb Nawāz [Benefactor of the Poor]
In search of religious knowledge as Hadith Sciences, Jurisprudence, theology and Qur’anic exegesis Hazrat Mo`īnuddīn Chishti visited the world renowned seminaries of Samarkand and Bukhara and acquired knowledge of all prevailing sciences and wisdom from the eminent scholars of that time. He visited almost all the great centres of Muslim and non-Muslim culture, and acquainted himself with every important trend pertaining to religious life in the Middle Ages.
During this journey of his life he met a Chishtī saint Khawaja 'Uthmān Hārūnī, and decided to join the circle of his disciples as he was deeply impressed by his spiritual eminence. Khwāja Mo`īnuddīn Chishti travelled the Middle East extensively including Mecca and Medina, along with Khawaja 'Uthmān Hārūnī. And for twenty years he accompanied him on his arduous mystic journeys and performed all sorts of Riyazat and Mujahidah (an spiritual process to attain divine enlightenment). Shaikh Mu’in’d-din narrates in front of 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”.
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