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Through the great efforts of Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (rahmatullahi
alaihi) was planted in the fertile soil of India a seed
of light and truth, nourished by the eternal truths of Islam
and Sufism. This seed in turn was tended by his successors
until, eventually, it grew to become a huge tree whose blessed
shade overspread the whole of India and the lands beyond.
The first of these successors, known as the Big Five, was
the khalifa of Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (rahmatullahi alaihi),
Khwaja Qutbudeen Kaki Bakhtiyar (rahmatullahi alaihi). It
fell to him to consolidate the work of Khwaja Moinudeen
Chishti (rahmatullahi alaihi) and strive to expand his teachings
to the rest of India.
Popularly
known as Qutb Saheb, Khwaja Qutbudeen Kaki (rahmatullahi
alaihi) was born 569 A.H. in Awash in Transoxonia to pious
parents. Whilst still in his cradle he lost his father and
was raised by his mother who arranged his Islamic internal
and external education. Even during this young age, he used
to perform mujahedas, or strivings in Allah's path, along
with his lessons. At the age of 17, while travelling to
Isphahan to become the mureed of Hazrat Mahmoud Isfahan
(rahmatullahi alaihi), he met Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (rahmatullahi
alaihi) and, entranced by his spiritual beauty, became his
mureed instead. After a few years in the company of his
murshid, he set off on travels that would take him all over
the Near East. During his journeys, he came across many
great sufis and witnessed many wonderful sights. Once he
saw a boa constrictor on a tree poised to attack on a sleeping
man when a scorpion came forward and stung the snake to
death. But as Qutb Saheb (rahmatullahi alaihi) approached
the man, thinking that he must be a great wali, he caught
the smell of strong alcohol. Qutb Saheb (rahmatullahi alaihi)
was greatly surprised that such a sinful man should be the
recipient of such favour from Allah, but at that moment
he heard the divine voice saying, "If We reserve our favours
for the holy and the pious only, who will look after the
sinners?"
When
Qutb Saheb (rahmatullahi alaihi) arrived in Multan in India
as the guest of Hazrat Bahauddin Suharwardi (rahmatullahi
alaihi), the city was attacked by the Mughals and the governor
approached him, begging for assistance. Through his du'a
the invaders were repulsed.
Khwaja
Qutbudeen Kaki (rahmatullahi alaihi) rejoined Khwaja Moinudeen
Chishti (rahmatullahi alaihi) for his journey to India and
remained with him in the early years of his settlement in
Ajmer. Then, however, he was sent by his murshid to Delhi
to set up a khanqah there. It is a measure of the awesome
respect in which Khwaja Qutbudeen Kaki (rahmatullahi alaihi)
was held that as he approached the city, Sultan Shamsuddin,
king of India came out to meet him. This just and pious
king later became his mureed and used to wait on Qutb Saheb
(rahmatullahi alaihi) twice a week in order to receive his
spiritual blessings. After the death of Delhi's Shaykh-ul-Islam,
the sultan wished to appoint Khwaja Qutbudeen (rahmatullahi
alaihi) to the post, but the saint flatly refused, and the
post was granted instead to Najmudeen Sughra, one of Khwaja
Moinudeen Chishti (rahmatullahi alaihi)'s fellow peers.
This man held a bitter jealousy towards Khwaja Qutbudeen
Kaki (rahmatullahi alaihi) because of his great popularity
among both rich and poor.
Once
he attempted to defame Qutb Saheb (rahmatullahi alaihi)
by paying a pregnant prostitute to accuse him of being the
father of her unborn child. Taken aback by this audacious
accusation, Qutb Saheb (rahmatullahi alaihi) out of shock
turned towards Ajmer and sought the help of his murshid.
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To the wonderment of all, Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (rahmatullahi
alaihi), hearing the cry of his beloved disciple, transported
himself to the garden where the drama was occurring and
caused the unborn child to revoke his mother's lie. In order
to appease his mureed Najmudeen as well as the wishes of
Khwaja Qutbudeen (rahmatullahi alaihi), who did not wish
to be away from his beloved murshid, Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti
(rahmatullahi alaihi) then ordered Qutb Saheb (rahmatullahi
alaihi) to return with him to Ajmer. However, as word of
their departure spread, a vast multitude gathered on the
streets begging Qutb Saheb (rahmatullahi alaihi) to stay.
Indeed,
he was so loved by the people of Delhi that they used to
take the dust in which he had trodden and apply it to their
eyes. Faced with this, Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (rahmatullahi
alaihi) rescinded his order, and Qutb Saheb (rahmatullahi
alaihi) remained Delhi's spiritual preceptor until his last
breath. However, forty days before the death of his murshid
he was summoned to Ajmer. There he received the khilafa-e-azam
of Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (rahmatullahi alaihi) and was
given wardship over the sacred musalla, sandals and staff
of the Holy Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasallam) which had
been passed down through the Chishtia silsila for generations.
He was told, "I entrust you to God. I have done my duty
as you murshid in bringing you to this stage of perfection."
Thus spiritually charged, he returned to Delhi and began
his mission with renewed vigour. Sultan Shamsuddin has gone
down in history as one of the wisest and most just of India's
rulers due in great part to the love and lessons he received
from Qutb Saheb (rahmatullahi alaihi). His mujahedas were
incredibly rigorous; he became a hafiz at a very late age,
and used to recite the Qur'an twice daily. Hazrat Qutb Saheb
(rahmatullahi alaihi) used to perform 95 rakats of nafil
salaat over and above his ordinary salaat, and before sleeping
each night used to send 3000 durood upon the Holy Prophet
(sallalahu alaihi wasallam). During the first three nights
of his marriage he was unable to keep up this durood, and
he received a visitation from the Holy Prophet (sallalahu
alaihi wasallam) asking him why he had stopped. So overcome
with remorse was he that he offered his wife a divorce out
of repentance and thereafter renounced all worldly things.
For
20 years he did not sleep at night, neither touch his back
to the floor for rest. He used to remain in muraaqaba or
mystical communion with Allah, for the entire day, regaining
consciousness only for salaat and if someone came to visit
him. To such he would deliver sermons on leading a pious
and god-fearing life. Qutb Saheb (rahmatullahi alaihi) used
to stress the Shariah very strongly, stating that even if
one was in a state of ecstasy, one should not transgress
these laws.
Khwaja
Qutbudeen Kaki (rahmatullahi alaihi) left twenty-seven khulafah
to carry on his work before his premature death, foremost
of whom was Hazrat Baba Faridudeen Gang-e- Shakar. Khwaja
Qutbudeen (rahmatullahi alaihi) was very fond of Sama and
qawwali, and used to host such gatherings at his khanqah.
The qawwals used to be pious men - sometimes awalia themselves
- and the gatherings were held in strict accordance with
Shariah. It was during one of these that he met his end.
As the qawwal sang the following line:
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