Name of Publication Author LanguageA Thought for Today F.A. Fazalbhoy EnglishAab-e-Kausar Sheikh Md. Akram UrduAayeen-e-Akbari Abdul Fazal Persian/UrduAftaab-e-Ajmer Malik Bashir UrduAftab-e-Hijwar Payam Shahjahapuri UrduAfzal-ul-Fawwad Amir Khusro PersianAhsan-us gait Mohammed Akbar Urdu.Ain-ul-Wilayat Munshi Wilayat Ali UrduAjmer-Historical Dewan Bahadur EnglishAkbarnatal Harbilas Sarda and Abul Fazal, P.M. PersianAkhbar-ul-Akhyar Shiekh Abdul Huq Mohaddis Persian/UrduAkmal ut-Twarikh M Mohd. Yakub UrduAnis ul-Arwah Hazrat Khwaja PersianAnwaar ul-Aarifeen Hafiz Mohammed PersianArmoghan-e-Sabir Malik Din Mohammed PersianA'Saar-e-Delhi Pir Zamin Nizami UrduAsraar-ul-Aulia Kh. Badruddin Ishaq UrduAsraar-ul-Waasileen Ahmed Akhtar Shah UrduAsrar-ul-Aulia Khwaja Badruddin Ishaq PersianBaba Farid-ka-Roznamcha Mulla Wahdi UrduBasis of Islamic Culture Dr. Syed Abdul Latif EnglishBazm-e-Soofia Syed Sabahuddin Abdul Rahman M.A. UrduBehr-ul Maani Author of Lamaatul UrduBhagwan Mahavir H. H Jain Diwakar Muni EnglishBook of Sufi Healing Shaikh Abu Abdullah Moinuddin EnglishCharms of Islam Khwaja Nazir Ahmed EnglishDalil-ul-Arifin Hazrat Khwaja Qutubuddin Persian/UrduDarbar-e-Akbari M. Mohammed UrduDevotion to the Almighty Dr. H Rahman EnglishFawaid-ul Fawad Amir Hasan Ala Sanjari PersianFawwad-us Salikin Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Ganj Shakar Persian/UrduFawwad-ul-Fawwad Amir Hassan Sanjari Persian/UrduFiroz Shah's History Firoz Shah EnglishForty Years of Sufism 1910-1950 Pir-o-Murshid Mohammed Ali KhanEnglishFuture of Islam Amir Ali EnglishGanj-e-Asraar Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti PersianGazetteer of Ajmer Mr. J. D. Latouche EnglishGod Realization A.G. Usman EnglishGuldasta Chishti Md. Misbahuddin UrduGulzaar-e-Faridi Pir Mohammed Hussain Chishti UrduGulzar-e-Abrar Molana Ghausi Shattari Persian/UrduGunj-ul-Asrar Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti PersianHaftaad Aulia Shah Murad Marehravi UrduHaqiqat Gulzar Sabri Shah Mohammed Hasan Sabri of Ramput UrduHayat e-Sabri Kalyari Masoom Ali Sabir UrduHazrat Baba Fariduddin Maulana Wahid Ahmed Masood Badayuni UrduHoly Prophet through Different Lights Al-Haj Mohammed Ali- SalminEnglishIqtibas-ul Anwaar Maulana Mohammed Akram Persian/UrduIqtibas-ul-Anwaar Sh. Akram Chishti PersianIslam & Non-Muslims M.I. Meer EnglishIslam at the Cross Roads Mohammed Asad EnglishJaama-ul-Uloom Hazrat Jalaluddin PersianJawahir-e-Faridi Muhammed Ali Asghar Chishti UrduJawama ul-Kalum Mohammed Akbar Husain Persian/UrduKarbat-ul-Wahdat Hazrat Abdul Qader Mohiuddin Jilani Arabic/PersianKashful-Mahjoob Shaikh Ali Hujwari PersianKhair ul-Majaalis Hamid Shair Qalandar PersianKhazinat-ul-Asfia Mufti Gulam Sarwar of Lahore PersianKhwaja-e-Azam Syed Ahmed Ali Fahmi UrduKhwaja-e-Hind-ul-wali Sheikh Iftikhar Ahmed UrduKitab Gharib Nawaz Bashir Ahmed UrduKitab-ut-Tahqeeq M. Aminuddin Khan Persian/UrduKulliyat-ul-Hyat Hazrat Usmaa Ghani ArabicLife of Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba N. Kasturi EnglishLife of Dayanand Sarswati Shri Chauthmalji Maharaj and EnglishMadayan-ul-Moin Not Known PersianMalfoozaat Khwajgaan-e-Chisht Ghulam Ahmed Khan PersianMaqnatis-ul-Wahdat Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Persian/UrduMasalik-us-Salikin Mohammed Abdus Sattar UrduMiftah-ul-Aashiqeen Muhib Allah PersianMiraat-u!-Ansaab Molvi Ziauddin UrduMirat-ul-Asraar Abdul Rahman Abdul Rasool PersianMirat-ul-Konain Molvi Ghulam Nabi UrduMuin-ul-Arifin Nawab Khadim Husain UrduMuin-ul-Arwah Princess Jahan Ara Begum PersianMuin-ul-Aulia Dewan Syed Imamuddin Ali Khan PersianMujaahid-ul Wahdat Hazraat Umar Faruq ArabicMunaqib ul-Asfia Makhdoom Shah Shuaib PersianMunaqib-ul-Habib Md. Najmuddin Chishti Persian/UrduMunis-ul-Arwah Princess Jehan Ara Begum PersianMuntakhib-ut-Twarikh Mulla Abdul Qadar, Badayuni Persian/UrduNadwat-ul-Mussani Nizami UrduNahjul Balagh Syed Mohammed Askari Jaffery EnglishNisar-e-Khwaja Aliama Moinuddin Ajmeri UrduNizami Bansari Khwaja Hasan Nizami UrduPunjabi Suri Shoura Ms. Lajwanti Rama Krishna UrduPunjab-men-Urdu Hafiz Mohammed Sherani UrduQavi-ul Qudrat Hazrat Ali Murtaza ArabicRahat-ul Quloob Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia PersianReader's Digest Reader's Digest Association, London EnglishReligious Digest K Ramchandra EnglishReport of Dargah Enquiry, 1949 Ghulam Husain EnglishRood-e-Kausar Dr. Sheikh Mohammed Akram, M.A. UrduSabiri Silsila Maulana Wahid Ahmed Masood UrduSafinat-ul-Aulia Prince Dara Shikoh PersianSawaneh Hyat Hazrat Ali Hijwari Tablighi Kutubkhana UrduShaikh-ush Shayookh-e-Alam Talib Hashami Lahori UrduSheurn-ul Aim Maulana Shibli Nuamani UrduShihaab-ul-Ma'Arifat Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique ArabicSiar-ul Aulia Syed Md. Kirmani & Syed Mubarik-ul-Alavi Persian/UrduSiar-ul-Aqtaab Sheikh Alladiya Chishti PersianSiar-ul-Arifin Sheikh Jamali Jalaluddin PersianSiar-ul-Aulia Syed Mubarik Amir Khurd PersianSilsilat ul-Aulia Mohammed Saleh Kunjahi PersianSirat Baba Farid Ganj Shakar Maulana Abul Bayan Faruqi UrduSirat Hazrat Kh. Muinuddin Ajmeri Hazrat Badayuni UrduSirr-ul-Abudiyat Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Arabic/PersianSufi Masters Pir Vilayat Khan EnglishSufis Speak Mr. Shafayat EnglishSufis, Mystics and Yogis B. Behari, Dr.K.M. Munshi & R.R DiwakarEnglishSurur-us-Sadoor Hazrat Suri Hamiduddin Nagauri PersianTabqaat-e-Akbari Abul Fazal and Mulla Nizamuddin Ahmed Persian/UrduTabqaat-e-Nasari Minhajuddin Siraj PersianTahqiqaat Aulaad Hafiz Mohammed UrduTajalliyat-e-Quran Maulana Abdul Wahid Chishti UrduTarikh Mashaikh-e- Chisht Khaleeq Ahmed UrduTarikh Mashaikh-e-Chisht Prof. Khaleeq Ahmed Nizami UrduTarikh-e-Hindustan Molvi Zaka Ullah UrduTarikh-e-Farishta Mohammed Qasim Astradbadi Persian/UrduTarikh-e-Feroze Shahi Maulana Ziauddin Barani PersianTarikh-e-Hindustan Munshi Zakaullah UrduTarikh-e-Nizami Pir Zamin Nizami UrduTasawwuf-e-Islam Maulana A. Maajid Daryabadi UrduTazkara-e-Saabir Intizam Allah Shahaabi Akbarabadi UrduTazkira Maulana Abul Kalam Azad UrduTazkrat-ul-Kalaam Syed Shah Mohammed Akbar Danapuri Persian/UrduTen Saints of India T.M.P. Mahadevan EnglishGazetteer of Dist. Montgomery Government of India EnglishGazetteer of Dist. Multan Government of India EnglishThe Glorious Islam Al-Haj Mohammed Ali Salmin EnglishThe Holy Prophet Mohammed Al-Haj Mohammed Ali Salmin EnglishThe Holy Saint of Ajmer Al-Haj Mohammed Ali Salmin EnglishThe Inner Voice C.W. Sanders EnglishThe Japji (Message of Guru Nanak) Sant Kirpal Singh EnglishThe Muslim Digest Mohammed Makki EnglishThe Present Crisis of Faith Dr. S. Radhakrishnan EnglishThe Reality of Religion J.M. Shapoorjee EnglishThe Rise & Fall of Mohd. Tughlaq Agha Mahdi Husian, Ph.D. EnglishThe Saint of Jilan Saiyad Abdus Salik EnglishThe Spirit of Islam Syed Amir Ali EnglishThe Sufi Message International Hqtrs. for Sufi Movement EnglishTin-Dilli Shah Murad Marehravi UrduTuzkey-Labargiri Emperor Jehangir PersianWaqa-e-Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Pir Mohammed Husain Chishti UrduWaqa-e-Shah Babu Lal Persian/UrduZabdat-ul-Haqayaq Qutubudddin Bakhtiyar Kaki Persianharity or favours 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 when they come to your door.This is your mission, to serve the people...

http://web.archive.org/web/19981206083546/www.chishti.com/corder/bibliography.htm

Inspirer of my mindConsoler of my heartHealer of my spiritThy spirit lifteth mefrom earth to heaven.Thy words flow as the sacred riverThy thought riseth as a divine springThy tender feelings awaken sympathy in my heartBeloved Teacher,Thy very being is forgiveness.The clouds of doubt and fearare scattered by thy piercing glanceAll ignorance vanishes in thy illuminating presenceA new hope is born in my heartBy breathing thy peaceful atmosphere.O inspiring guide,Through life's puzzling waysIn thee I feel abundance of blessings.

TO EACH AMONG YOU WE HAVE PRESCRIBED A LAW AND AN OPEN WAY. (S. 5 V.48)

To call oneself a Muslim nominally and present oneself as a Muslimformally does not make one a true Muslim. Just to know the teachingsof Islam does not help. A person who does not know how to behave likea Muslim, although he or she knows the Shariah, is like a "donkeycarrying a load of books." (Sura Jumu'ah.)Islam should make one Godlyand not earth rooted. A true Muslim seeks the pleasure of Allah andnot the ego.

The adoption of the Shariah has degenerated with the degeneration ofMuslims. Sufi orders have also degenerated with the adoption ofrituals as an end and not a means to an end.In most cases Sufism isviewed as ritualism through and through.The spirit of the rituals arenot explained hence the misconception of attaching mystic significanceto rituals, which were originally formulated to mobilise the heart inthe quest for Allah, has replaced the "sulook" or journey towardAllah. The true methodology (Tariqah) is not undertaken and the faraid(compulsory requirements) is being neglected.

The love for Allah and Rasul (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) should leadto love for all creation. A Sufi lives for Allah, and in a spiritualsense with Allah and in Allah. To undertake the journey and propeloneself to Allah, human beings possess two wings:The wing of Law andthe wing of Love. The Shariah is the (law) and the Tariqah is (love).

To make the Shariah a cult is not what is demanded by Islam. Islam isa revolt against the concept of cult. Islam is based on Tawhid orUnity hence the law and love should be blended with Hikmah (wisdom).If only one aspect is pursued it leads to imbalance and religiouslyunbalanced personalities. The law leads to academic pursuit or (Fikr)contemplation on the creation leading to knowledge of the creator withthe External eye and love leads to Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) ,which leads to recognition or Ma'rifah of Allah. So Dhikr and Fikrtake one to ones goal and the goal is Allah. The love of Allah leadsone to love those who loved Allah ,who showed how to love Allah - tothe Aulia.

The demonstration of love , for him who loves Allah and the HolyProphet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and who loved the mission ofthe

India has been known for millennia as a land of spiritual people, andin her distinguished history, one name stands out among all other asthe undisputed greatest saint of India, that of Hazrat KhwajaMuinuddin Chishti of Ajmer.

Orphaned in his teens, he gave up his rich inheritance one day by adivine miracle to seek the path of Sufi dervishes. The story of hisillustrious life, of his education among the spiritual luminaries ofhis time in Iraq and Persia, of his divinely decreed mission ofbringing Islam to India and the miraculous struggles in propagating itthere, with his highly enlightened 'sayings' are historical legends inIndia.

There are extremely few personalities of spiritual India who inspireand command spontaneous devotion and admiration for his exemplarylife, his divine worship, and his noble teachings for the upliftmentand service to all mankind.

To this day, nearly 750 years after his demise, his holy shrine isvisited throughout the year by millions of faithful devotees of allreligions and nations to pay homage to this great saint of the East.

This Chishti Order website presents the very full account of hislife and teachings, produced exclusively for the English-speakingworld.

The work, several years in development, has been assisted by a verygreat number of people from all over the globe. We pray Allah toReward them all wioth His Choicest Blessings, as many of such thingsas there are. Ameen.

While the Chishti Order is known to only a few selected groups inthe West, we offer these highly inspiring life stories, and theilluminating work of the Chishtis, for the emancipation of theoppressed of humanity, regardless of caste, creed, color, religion ornation, and share with all humanity Khwaja Saheb's ever-shiningexample of true humanity and Universal Brotherhood.

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate.

The Chishtiyyah Order of Sufis historically is considered based inthe Indian subcontinent. It did originate, however, in the town ofChisht in what is modern Afghanistan.

Chisht, written as Khisht in the Persian work Hudud al-'Alam(compiled in 372 AH/982 CE), is now a small village known as KhwajaChisht on the river Hari Rud, some 100 kilometers east of Herat.

It was in this region that the Ghurid Sultans of the Shansabdynasty established their rule in the 12th century. Until the 10thcentury, the area was constantly invaded by the governors of Khurasan.This resulted in the spread of Islam to the region, which had formerlybeen Buddhist, and prior to that occupied by Jews and Manicheans.

Over time, the area of Chisht became renowned as a great center forSufis, as did the areas of Herat and Jam nearby. By the end of the 9thcentury, these areas were all among the leading magnets for Sufis.

Among the migrants to Chisht was Shaikh Abu Ishaq Shami from Syria.The Shaikh traced his spiritual origin from 'Ali (ra) and the ProphetMuhammad (sas), and then through Hasan Basri, as follows:

Hasan BasriAbdul Wahid bin ZaidFuzail bin AyazIbrahim Adham BalkhiKhwaja Sadiduddin Huzayfa al-Mar'ashiAbu Hubayra BasriKhwaja Mamshad 'Alwi DinawariAbu Ishaq Shami

Abu Ishaq Shami returned from Chisht to Syria and died there in329/940 at Akka, and left Khwaja Abu Ahmad Abdal Chishti as hissuccessor. The various successions ultimately rested upon KhwajaMuinuddin Chishti, who was deputed by Divine decree to take up hisholy mission in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India.

This section of the website details the life and teachings of thisgreat saint. His spiritual genealogy and that of his successors areprovided at various appropriate places.

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Tassawuf In The Light Of Quran And Hadith

All Sufis obey the Holy Quran implicitly and also follow theProphet's traditions (Hadith) rigidly. According to Sufis, tassawufmeans unbounded love of God and selfless service of His creation underShariat. There is a clear indication in the Holy Quran that "Godloveth those who love Him". When a Sufi reaches the pinnacle of hiscareer, he is above all worldly things. He then enters the domain ofthe spiritual world, the existence of which is as certain as thismaterial world.

Ma'Arifat

Thus when the lover and the Beloved are in divine harmony andunity, there is nothing else but a serene happiness--a rare type ofhappiness which no pen or human intellect can describe adequately.

It is this reciprocal link of divine love between God and man whichis called Ma'Arifat in Sufi parlance. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, in hisTarjumaan-ul-Quran, clarifies this point. He says: "Again and againthe Quran has revealed the fact that the relation of God with man isnothing but a relation of their mutual love. In appreciation of man'sown wonderful creation, God gracious expects nothing but his love anddevotion only."

A true devotee of God thus becomes His true lover. And, at thisstage, the devotee is very near to God. Having attained the positionof God's beloved friend, he soars high in the spiritual world orexists in a state of a kind of so-called other-worldliness. And thisis the ultimate goal of a Sufi--the true meaning of all his devotionand mujahedas (strivings).

The Quran gives a central place to its religious principles in orderto guide the conduct of man in his life, and that is why all Sufisfollow it scrupulously to develop their love of God and win Hispleasure and blessings. God says: "O Mohammed, We have given you theBook as well as the secrets of our Hikmat (Divine knowledge) and Weshall tell you those things which you never knew."

As promised, the Prophet did receive this divine wisdom or thesecret knowledge and, in turn, imparted and passed it on to some ofhis very near associates, especially to Hazrat All, who were indeedthe source of light or the guiding stars of Tassawuf for thesucceeding generations of a particular class of Muslim ascetics whoplayed such a glorious role in the service of mankind at variouscritical junctures of Islamic history.

Characteristics of a Sufi

Discussing the characteristics of Tassawuf and Surfs, Hazrat AliHujwari supports what Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi says about thesequalities. Hazrat Junaid attributes the following eight exemplaryqualities of a Sufi. A true Sufi possesses:

The courage and magnanimity of Prophet Ibrahim.The obedience of Prophet Ismail.The patience and forbearance of Prophet Ayub.The signs of Prophet Zakaria.The poverty of Prophet Yahya.The traveling nature of Prophet Isa (Jesus).The simplicity of dress of Prophet Muss (Moses).The Fuqr (contentment and renunciation) of Prophet Mohammed.Sufism is Something Divine

Sufism is not the name of any Uloom (knowledge) or rasoom (customs,traditions). It is the name of a special religious conduct based uponDivine Knowledge and guidance. If it were Uloom then it should havebeen acquired by common knowledge; and if it were rasoom then itshould have been acquired by mere mujahedas (practice and strivings).

But it is neither acquired by 'ilm nor by mujahedas alone. It issomething Divine bestowed by the grace of God upon a selected few whorenounce this material world and devote themselves exclusively to theworship of God and service of his creatures.

Sheikh Ali Hujwari further lays down four important characteristics ofa Sufi: (1) implicit faith in and obedience to God by giving up allother worldly hopes and hypocrisy; (2) honoring of the elders andwelcoming of the younger ones with equanimity, love and respect; (3)desiring neither rewards nor any other kind of appreciation from anyquarter whatever except God; and (4) over-powering all sensuousdesires of the evil of Nafs.

Dress of Sufis

"Wearing of the coffin-cloth in life time."

The Kashf-ul--Mahjoob deals elaborately in three chapters with thedetails of the dress of Sufis. It says: "A Sufi uses only one solitarycovering generally called gudri (a quilt made of patched cloth)following the tradition of the prophets and saints which is the symbolof their fuqr (contentment) and riyazat (strivings). But there arecertain extremely rigid conditions too which must be fulfilled beforea Sufi aspires to wear this coveted gudri.

First of all, he must completely renounce the world and haveunshakable faith in God, His last prophet Mohammed, the Book and theHadith; secondly, he can wear this gudri only when his Pir-o-Murshidadorns him with it after testing his ability to wear it with honor.Thirdly, it is incumbent upon him to serve an apprenticeship of atleast two years before qualifying for this gudri.

The most important condition of this service is that he must give hislove and sympathy indiscriminately to all the creatures of God alike,irrespective of all religious distinctions. For the Sufi, servicemeans whatever he does, he does it for the sake of God withoutexpecting rewards. Fourthly, he must possess a most courageous heartto pass through the hard tests of the curriculum of Sufism, and noworldly worries whatever must disturb his equilibrium.

When all these conditions are carried out rigidly, then only theSheikh or Pir can adorn the mureed (disciple) with this coveted andhard-earned gudri of fuqr. As a matter of fact, this adornment meansnothing but wearing of one's coffin-cloth when one is still living.The aspirant now becomes a perfect faqir or Sufi, a true devotee ofGod and real servant of mankind.

Unparalleled Forbearance

One of the greatest characteristic weaknesses of man is the controlof his temper. Insult or ridicule of the friends of God is theirrelishing food. A true Sufi takes no notice of any insult done to him.How great Sufis have mastered this difficult evil is illustrated bythe following few brilliant instances.

Once Sheikh Abu Taher, a great Sufi of his time, was passingthrough a bazaar when some one hurled a jeering insult at him byaddressing him as "O Pir Zindiqi" (meaning, "O you faithless Pir").One of the mureeds of the great Sheikh walking with him was awfullyenraged at this insult of his revered Pir and wanted to retaliate withthe offender on the spot.

But the Sheikh calmly restrained him. On reaching home, the Sheikh,to pacify the mureed's anger, showed him a bundle of letters in whichthe writers, who were the country's leading dignitaries, had addressedhim with high regards, courtesies and alqaabs (adorations). The Sheikhthen warned his disciple: "Everybody has his own opinion or viewsabout me according to the limits of his own knowledge and status. Allopinions or views are mere expressions of one's own wisdom, ability orstatus. If some one calls me a zindiqi (faithless), why should wequarrel over mere reflections of his own ignorance? Certainly thisreflection does not represent my actual Personality and all that goeswith it. The alqaabs, good or bad, are mere prefixes or suffixesattributed to one's personality according to the people's ownestimation and ability. We should take no impression of suchirresponsible behavior. Even if it insults us, then God alone has theright and power to punish the offenders and not we? Who are we to takeGod's law into our own hands and wreck vengeance?" The mureed learneda great lesson in Sufism from his Pir, and kept quiet.

Another Lesson

Another brilliant example of saintly forbearance is illustrated bythe story of Hazrat Abu Yazid, another great Sufi of his time, whoreturned to his home town in the month of Ramadhan after a longjourney in Hedjaz. Contrary to all his protests, the citizens arrangeda royal public reception in his honor.

During the function, Hazrat Abu Yazid felt very uneasy and lost hisconstant spiritual contact with God temporarily, i.e. his constantdevotion to God was disturbed. In order to distract his attention fromthis forced show in which he was not at all interested or happy, andto regain his lost devotional contact with God, he suddenly took out atikya (a small cake) from the pocket of his sleeve and began to eatit. The audience was simply aghast at this irrelevant act by such anexalted Sufi dervish in a public meeting. Their regard for him wasrudely shaken, and they began to condemn him bitterly for his freakishbehavior. But the saint took no notice of all this. He had, in fact,invented this act purposely in order to regain the lost touch with hisbeloved God at the expense of even public ridicule and insult.

Another Wonderful Example

Hazrat Sheikh All Hujwari gives us another wonderful story of howridicule and insult have been gracefully swallowed by the belovedfriends of God. He says: "Ridicule or hatred of Sufi saints isactually a refreshing garden for them." He then cites the followingexample of Hazrat Ibrahim Adham, one of the greatest Sufi luminariesof his time. He says:

"Once a person inquired of Hazrat Ibrahim Adham whether he had everbeen successful in meeting his heart's best wish during his longcareer as a Sufi? The great saint replied, "Yes, only twice in mylife." "Once," he said, "when I was traveling incognito in a boat,wearing torn and dirty clothes with disheveled hair. Seeing me in thisshabby condition, my fellow travelers not only pulled my hair but alsoridiculed me and indeed made a laughing stock of me on the journey.

It was at this time that my heart's dearest wish was fulfilled and thecup of my happiness swelled for the first time, in the love of mybeloved God. But this happiness was short-lived, because, the nextday, a fellow came up and actually discharged his urine upon myclothes which I was obliged to change under the law of Shariat. Withmy changed dress, the people became cautious and stopped the fun theywere having with me, and I lost my happiness."

Hazrat Ibrahim Adham went on: "The second occasion of thefulfillment of my heart's dearest wish occurred on a rainy day duringa severe winter, when I was on a journey and was drenched. I was insearch of a refuge for shelter, and when I reached a village, my jubba(cloak) was actually dripping with rain. I sought shelter in a mosque,but they would not let me in and, in fact, drove me away very rudely.Due to severe cold, I then entered into the furnace of a hammam(public bathroom) to comfort myself and sat there, preserving myclothes carefully from the fire. With the soot and smoke of thefurnace, all my face and clothes were blackened and when I got out, Iwas unrecognizable. My dear friend, this was the second time when nayheart's dearest wish was fulfilled and I felt extremely happy at thistest of my beloved God. Such examples of forbearance of the greatSufis can be multiplied.

Ancestors of Sufism

The Sufis maintain that they must act strictly upon the same DivineCommandments, both in letter and spirit, which were received by theProphet about his own devotion to God: "Cut off yourself fromeverything and concentrate your attention towards Me." A Hadith Qudsiof the Holy Prophet relates that Allah describes such extraordinarydevotion in this manner: "When a devotee seeks Me devoutly, I alsoreciprocate his love and become his ear by which he hears, his eye bywhich he sees, his hand by which be works and his feet by which hewalks."

There was a group of prophet's beloved followers, popularly calledAshaab-e-Suffa, who had renounced the world and had dedicated theirlives to prayer and recitation of the Holy Quran day and night. Theylived in an annex to the Prophet's mosque and did not marry; those whomarried among them had to leave the group. For their livelihood, theydepended entirely upon the benevolence of God on the Quranic promiseof "providing for every creature on earth."

Sometimes the Ansars would bring in a bunch of dates and hang it inthe roof of the mosque. When the ripened fruit fell to the ground,these ascetics would pick it up and eat. They lived in strictausterity and looked after all their necessities of life bythemselves. They drew water and picked up firewood from the jungle tosell and make their living. The well-known Hazrat Abu Huraira, who isan authority on Prophet's Hadith (traditions) was one of them.

Many great Ulema and historians have paid them high tributes for theirheroic life of austerity, sacrifice and devotion. The love of theProphet himself for their exemplary religious life was naturallyimmense and unbounded. It is, therefore, safely presumed that some ofthis group of early ascetics were the ancestors of some of the leadingSufis of the world apart from the lineages of the Holy Prophet and hisfour distinguished Caliphs.

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Chishti Literature

The literature of the Chishti silsila may be considered under fiveheads: (a) Malfoozaat (conversations) of the saints; (b) Maktoobat(letters) of the saints; (c) works on mystic ideology and practices;(d) biographical accounts of saints and (e) poetical works. Only majorand representative works are indicated here.

Malfoozaat

This literature of Chishtis throws valuable light on their thoughtand activities. The art of its writing was introduced in India by AmirHasan Sanjari who compiled the conversations of Hazrat NizamuddinAulia in his Fawa'id-ul-Fu'ad.

Other important collections of Malfoozaat are the following: Khair-ul-Majaalis conversations of Hazrat Naseeruddin Chiragh, compiled byHameed Qalandar; Surur-ul-Sudoor, conversations of Hazrat HameeduddinSufi, compiled by his grandson (MSS Habibganj); Ahhsan-ul-Aqwaal,conversations of Hazrat Burhanuddin Gharib, compiled by Maulana HammadKashani (MS personal collection); Jawami-ul-Kalam, conversations ofHazrat Mohammed Gesu Draz, compiled by Syed Mohammed Akbar Husaini(Usmanganj); Anwaar-ul-Uvun, conversations of Hazrat Ahmed Abdul Huq(compiled by Hazrat Abdul Quddus Gangohi); Lataaif-e-Qudussi,conversations of Hazrat Abdul Quddus Gangohi, by Rukn-ud-Din; Fakhr-e-Talibin, conversations of Shah Fakhruddin compiled by Rukn-ud-DinFakhri; Nafa-ul-Salikin, conversations of Hazrat Shah Suleman ofTaunsa compiled by Mamuddin; Makshoofaat-e-Manazal-e-Ehsan(Manifestations of the Stages of Blessings (6 vols.), Sufi BarkatAli). All of them are most authentic and dependable.

Maktubat

Saha'if-ul-Suluk, letters of Ahmed Faqir, Jhajhar; Bahr-ul-Ma'ani,letters of Syed Jafar Makki; Maktoobaat-e-Asharafi, letters of SyedAshraf Jahangir Simnani (MS Aligarh); Maktoobat of Syed Nur Qutb-e-Aalam (MS Aligarh); Maktoobaat-e-Quddusi, letters of Hazrat AbdulQuddus Gangohi; Maktoobaat-e-Kaleemi, letters of Hazrat Shah KalimAllah Jahanabadi. There are also the Seven Illuminating Letters whichwere addressed by Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti of Ajmer tohis beloved Khalifa, Hazrat Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, whichare fully reproduced on this website.

Works on Chishti Sufi Ideology & Practices

The two earliest Chishti works on mystic ideology are in the formof aphorisms: the Mulharnaat of Hazrat Jamaluddin Hansvi and Mukh-ul-Ma'ani of Amir Hasan Sanjari. The Usool-ul-Sama of Hazrat FakhruddinZaradi, contains an exposition of Chishti attitude towards musicparties or Quwwali. Among other Chishti works, the following may benoted:

Ruknuddin Imad's Shama'il-e-Ankiyya; Abdul Quddus's Ghara'ib-ul-Fu'ad; Nizamuddin Balkhi's Riyaz-ul-Quds; Shah Kalim Allah's Muraqqa-e-Kalimi; Nizamuddin Aurangabadi's Nizam-ul- Quloob; FakhruddinDehlavi's Nizam-ul-Aqa'id; Hazrat Muin-ul-Haqqs Al-Kitab al-Rawhi al-Shifa As-Sufiyyah.

Biographical Works

The biographical accounts of earliest Chishti saints are found inMir Khurd's Siyar-ul-Aulia compiled in 8th/14th century. Late in the19th century, Khwaja Gul Mohammed Ahmedpuri wrote a Takmila to theSiyar-ul-Aulia. Other important biographical works include Jamali'sSiyarul-Arifin; Nizamuddin Yamani's Lata'if-e-Asharafi; Tajuddin'sRisala Hall Khanwada-e-Chisht (MS personal collection); Ali AsgharChishti's Jawahir-e-Faridi; Abdul Rehman's Mir'at-ul-Asraar (MSS);Allah Diya's Siyar-ul-Aqtaab; Muinuddin's Ma'Aarij-ul-Wilayat (MSSpersonal collection); Allauddin Barnawi's Chishtiyya-e-Bahishtiya(MSS); Akram Baraswi's Iqtibas-uI-Anwaar; Mir Shihabuddin Nizam'sManaqibe-Fakhria; Rahim Baksh's Shajrat-ul Anwaar (MSS personalcollection): Mohammed Husain's Anwaar-ul-Aarifin; Najmuddin's Manaqib-ul-Mahbubeen; Ghulam Mohammed Khan's Manaqib-e-Sulaimani; Ahmed AkhtarMirza's Manaqib-e-Faaridi; Hadi Ali Khan's Manaqib-e-Hafiziyya, andNisar Ali's Khwariq-e-Haadwiyya.

Poetical Works

The diwans (poetical collections) attributed generally to HazratKhwaja Muninuddin Hasan Chishti of Ajmer and Hazrat Khwaja Qutubuddinof Delhi are apocryphal. The Surur-ul-Sudoor says that HazratHamiduddin had left poetical compositions in Arabic, Persian andHindi. Of them only a few couplets are now available.

The earliest poetical work of an Indian Chishti Sufi is the Diwan-e-Jamaluddin Hansvi. Amir Khusro, the great Indian poet, thoughassociated intimately with the Chishti order, did not produce any workexclusively on mysticism but some of his poems contain verses whichthrow light on Islamic mystic tendencies of the period. Mas'ud Baksh'sDiwan, Yusuf Gada's Tuhfat-ul-Nasa'ih and Hazrat Shah Niyaz Ahmed'sDiwan-e-Baa Niyaz are steeped in Chishti ideology.

Bibliography

Besides the works cited above, the following are also notable:Abdul Huq Mohaddis's Akhbar ul-Akhyar; Ghulam Sarwar's Khazinat ul-Asfiya; Mushtaq Ahmed's Anwaar-ul-Ashqeen; Ashiq Elahi's Tizkirat-ul-Khalil; Syed Abdul Hayee's Nuzhat-ul-Khawatir; Ashraf Ali Thanawi's Al-Sunnatal-iilliyafil-Chishtiya al-Uliyya; Prof. Mohammed Habib's SheikhNasiruddin Chiragh as a Great Historical Personality in IslamicCulture; Chishti Mystic Records of the Sultanate Period, in "MedievalIndia Quarterly", vol. L No. 2; Prof .K.A. Nizami's Tarikh-e-Mashaikh-e-Chisht; and The Life and Times of Sheikh Fariduddin Ganj-e-Shakar.

Note: With the advent of British Raj in India, the Westerneducation and rule gave a shattering blow to the age-old cultural andreligious values and traditions of both the Muslims and Hindus ofIndia. Many of the time-honoured religious values began to deteriorategradually under the spell of Westernized education and politicaldomination. They were the first casualties of this Western influence,although the Dargahs or shrines of the great Chishti Sufi saintsmaintained their spiritual and religious atmosphere in spite of thisWestern intrusion.

http://web.archive.org/web/19981206062745/www.chishti.com/corder/literature.htm

Chishti Sufi Ideology

The early Chishti Sufis of India had adopted the Awarif-ul-Ma'arifof Hazrat Sheikh Shihabuddin Suhrawardi as their chief guide book. Onit was based the organization of their khanaqahs and the elder saintstaught it to their disciples. The Kashf-ul-Mahjoob of Hazrat AliHujwari of Lahore was also a very popular work. Hazrat NizamuddinAulia used to say: "For one who has no spiritual guide, the Kashf-ul-Mahjoob is enough". Besides these two works, the Malfoozaat(conversations) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, Naseeruddin Chiragh,Burhanuddin Gharib and Syed Mohammed Gesu Daraz give a fairly accurateidea of the Chishti mystics' ideology.

Even today the Eleven Etiquettes (Adabs) of the Chishti Sufisreflect the influence of the Kashf-ul-Mahjoob Kashf-ul-Mahjoob.

The cornerstone of Chishti ideology is the concept of Unity of God.It supplies the motive force to their mystic mission and determinestheir social outlook. The early Chishti saints however did not writeanything about these concepts, but Masud Baksh's Mir'at-ul-Arifeen andhis poetical diwan, Nur-ul-Ain, gave currency to these ideas and hisworks became popular study in the Chishti khanaqahs.

The Chishtis look down upon possession of property and pursuit ofmaterialism as a negation of faith in God. They reject worldly goodsand material attractions (tarke-danya) and live on futuh (voluntaryofferings) which are never demanded as charity.

The Chishti Sufis believe in a peaceful attitude towards life, andconsider retaliation and revenge as laws of the animal world. Theylive and work for a healthy social order, free from all dissensionsand discriminations. Contact with the state is greatly discouraged."There are two abuses among the mystics," says an early Chishtimystic, "jirrat and muqallid. Muqallid is one who has no master;jirrat is one who visits kings and their courts and asks people formoney".

The great objective of a mystic's life, according to Chishtis, isto live for the God alone. One should neither hope for Heaven nor fearHell. Man's love towards God may be of three kinds: (a) Mohabbat-e-Islami i.e. love which a new convert to Islam develops with God onaccount of his conversion to the new faith; (b) Mohabbat-e-nuwahhibi,i.e. love which a man develops as a result of his effort in the way offollowing the Holy Prophet Muhammad; (c) Mohabbat-e-khass, i.e. lovewhich is the result of cosmic emotion. A mystic should develop thelast one.

The Chishti mystics do not demand formal conversion to Islam as apre-requisite to initiation in mystic discipline. Formal conversion,they believe, should not precede, but follow a change in emotionallife. The Chishti attitude contrasts sharply with, for example, theSuhrawardi principles in this respect.

The guiding principles of the Chishti Order are encapsulated in thefamous "Final Sermon" of Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti, delivered just onemonth before his demise.

The interested person is directed to a bibliographical list of themany books and teachings authored by the Chishti saints over theyears.

http://web.archive.org/web/19981206124217/www.chishti.com/corder/ideology.htm

...and I am Sid Harth