Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (R.A): Key Textbooks & Historical Documents on His Life, Teachings & Traditions
By GHULAM RASOOL DEHLVI published July 24, 2024
Based on the concept of Khidmat-e-Khalq (Service to Mankind), Chishti Silsila in Indian Sufism is a service-oriented spiritual lineage established by Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (RA). The 11th-century Sufi saint, more popularly known as “Khwaja Gharib Nawaz” (Benefactor of the Poor), came to India after he had a sacred vision of the holy Prophet (peace be upon him), who exhorted him to go and preach saintliness and Islamic spirituality in the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, he is famously called Sultan-ul-Hind (the spiritual king of India) and Ataa-e-Rasool (the holy prophet’s gift to this land). In Rajasthan, India, his resting place, “Ajmer Sharif,” stands out as the most sacred shrine or dargah, with its annual Urs being the largest Sufi congregation in the country. On every anniversary (Urs) of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, followers of all faith traditions throng the Dargah in Ajmer Sharif.
Khwaja Gharib Nawaz founded the Chishti Sufi order in India after he was initiated into the Silsila by his Master/Murshid Khwaja Khwaja Usman Harwani or Haruni (1107 – 1220). Harwani was an early Sufi saint who came from Harwan in Iran to India as a successor to Khwaja Shareef Zandani, the 16th link in the Chishti Order. Today, traditionally the Urs of Ajmer Sharif is seen as the most significant congregation of shrine visitors who hail from all faith traditions, not just Islam. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and people of various other religions celebrate the Ajmer Sharif Urs. For, Khwaja Gharib Nawaz's humane compassion was for one and all. His message of peaceful reconciliation with all is the key to his widespread popularity. His harmonious teachings and traditions are glaring pieces of evidence. Take a look at his famous sayings:
"Develop river-like generosity, Sun-like bounty, and Earth-like hospitality". Gharib Nawaz (RA) said it when once asked about the highest devotion to Almighty Allah.
"Develop river-like generosity, sun-like bounty, and earth-like hospitality." Gharib Nawaz (RA) said it when once asked about the highest devotion to Almighty Allah.
“We must love and respect all human beings as Ashraf-ul-Makhluqat (the best of creations), regardless of their faith and creed. They are all equally held in the highest regard as the best creations of our beloved creator." — Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, R.A.
It was only with the Chishtiyya Silsila that numerous other prominent Sufi orders from Arabia, Persia, and Central Asia—such as Qadriyyah, Naqshbandiyya, Suhrawardiyya, Rifaiyya, and Kubrawiyya—emerged in India. Significantly, most of these Sufi orders were born outside the Indian subcontinent, but they were well anchored and imbued with India’s local spiritual ethos, mainly due to Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz’s popularity among the people of the country. Then, within the Chishti Silsila, several India-centric local Sufi orders sprang up in different parts of India as organic branches of the Chishti Order. They were created and popularized by Bengali, Kashmiri, Gujarati, and Marathi Sufi mystics who were imbued with the local culture, indigenous spiritual traditions, and vernacular languages. For instance, Silsilah Ashrafiyya-Chishtiyya, Qalandariyya-Chishtiyya Madariyya-Chishtiyya, Warsiyya-Chishtiyya, and Inayatiyya-Chishtiyya are some of those Sufi orders that sprang up from the original Chishti Sufi order in India. Today, these local silsilas have become enduring pillars of the global Chishti tradition in contemporary Sufi thought and practice.
These works continue to enlighten us about the life and teachings of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz and will inspire future generations and seekers of Sufi wisdom if translated into regional and global languages. Some of them are as follows:
Ø Siyar ul Awliya by Ameer Khurd Kirmani (1309–1368). This is the most important and oldest historical biography of the Sufi saints, including Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (RA). Most incidents from his lifetime have been recorded in this sizeable book.
Ø Siyar ul A’arifin by Sheikh Hamid Bin Fazlullah Jamali (d. 1535). This is the second-most important and oldest one after Siyar ul Awliya. Since both of these books are closer to the times of Khwaja Ajmeri (RA), they are regarded as the most credible sources on his lifetime.
Ø Siyar ul Aqtaab by Al-Hadiya Ibn Abdur Raheem Chishti
Ø Futuh al-Salateen by Abdul Malik Usami (1311–1350)
Ø Mir’atul Asraar by Sheikh Abdur Rahman Chishti (d. 1642)
Ø Akhbar al-Akhyaar by Sheikh Abdul Haque Muhaddith Dehlvi (1551–1642)
Ø Tareekh e Farishta by Muhammad Qasim Farishta (1570–1620)
Ø Tareekh-us-Salaf by Maulana Khwaja Syyed Abdul Bari Moini Ajmeri
Ø Moinul Arwaah by Nawab Muhammad Khadim Hasan Shah Ajmeri