whom he received a
sanad i.e.,
a formal authorization, to teach the
hadith
.
From there he went on to Jerusalem and then, Baghdad , where he joined
the circle of disciples of Shaykh Shihabuddin Suhrawardi, who initiated him
into his order and made him his
khalifah
.
The story goes on to say that Shaykh Bahauddin was so receptive to spiritual
teachings that it took him a mere 17 days to grasp the entire spiritual course. He
had
khilafat
conferred upon himwithin such a short period that the otherdisciples
felt jealous, for they had not been able to achieve this even after many years of
trainingunder the Shaykh.When the Shaykh learnt of their complaint, he explained
that Bahauddin was like dry wood that caught fire immediately, whereas they
were like green wood that takes time to catch fire.
Shaykh Bahauddin was directed by his Shaykh to return to the subcontinent
and settle in Multan to spread the teachings received from him. However,
the
ulama
were not happy with his arrival and this gave rise to a conflict
between the
ulama
and the Sufis, with Shaykh Bahauddin being targeted by
Maulana Qutbuddin Kashani. Maulana Kashani was a greatly respected
scholar of Multan. He enjoyed the support of the rulers who even built a
madrasa
for him to teach in. He strongly disapproved of the Sufis and was
not happy, despite the fact that Bahuuddin came to his
madrasa
to say the
morning prayers. Nevertheless, the Shaykh fared well in Multan and erected
an extensive
khanqah
where the prominent men of the area visited him to
discuss theological issues and seek his advice.
The Shaykh took an interest in political matters and invited Sultan
Shamshuddin Iltutmish to conquer Multan and add it to the Delhi Sultanate.
The Qadi of Multan also joined the Shaykh in this invitation. Both letters
fell into the hands of Qabacha, the ruler of Multan. He had the Qadi executed
and summoned the Shaykh to his palace. On being shown the letter and
The Suh r awa r d i Or d e r 136
