The Khwaja lived a very simple life.When asked the reason for such a
choice, he replied: “Ownership does not go with the mystic path,” meaning
that the moment one came to possess worldly objects, one’s heart became
attached to them. This was the biggest obstacle in reaching out to God or
Truth. The learned men of other religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and
Jainism share this view. They believe that the heart cannot concentrate
simultaneously on these two aspects of lifewhich are so diametrically opposed
to each other. If onewants to discoverTruth and/or God, onemust be content
with the bare necessities, so that there is no hindrance to one’s progress.
Khwaja Bahauddin believed that without holding fast to the ways of the
Prophet and his companions, that is, to the path of the
shariah
, one could
not attain the realization of God, for obviously, one can attain God only by
treading the path shown by God through His prophets.
He took great interest in the spiritual training and education of his
disciples. Often the disciples were converts from other faiths, and therefore
needed greater attention, having no previous knowledge of Islamic beliefs.
He spared no effort in training them thoroughly so that they might
communicate the message to the uninitiated. ShahWaliullah, a much later
Naqshbandi and a great scholar, says that in laying down such a rigorous and
exacting discipline for his disciples, Khwaja Bahauddin was influenced by his
sober Turkish background.
Khwaja Bahauddin popularized the spiritual order of his predecessor
throughout the whole of Central Asia, attracting people from all walks of
life. It is on record that he did go out to meet a number of the contemporary
rulers and nobles, but on principle he avoided any contacts with them as far
as possible. This was dictated by his desire to keep his income untainted by
anything forbidden and thus illegitimate, and he did not trust the ruling
Th e Na q s h ba n d i Or d e r 152
