with the Chishti Sufis and became great friends with Shaykh Nizamuddin
Awliya.
Like the Chishtis, Khwaja Badruddin was also very fond of
sama’
, so he
often came to meet Shaykh Nizamuddin and participate in s
ama’
gatherings.
He became immensely popular and had large number of followers. He resided
in Delhi for several decades and lived to a ripe old age. He died some time
during the reign of Alauddin Khalji. He was succeeded by his two
khalifas
,
Khwaja Ruknuddin and Khwaja Najibuddin.
Khwaja Najibuddin Firdausi led the quiet life of an ascetic and was not
personally very popular. It was his disciples who spread his message far and
wide. One of them, Fariduddin, compiled a book on
fiqh(I
slamic
jurisprudence) called
Fatawa-i-Tatarkhania
, named after Tatar Khan, a
nobleman associated with the court of Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Tatar
Khan was a great patron of learning and gave his support to the scholars.
However, his most outstanding disciple was Shaykh Sharafuddin Ahmad
Yahya Maneri.
Sharafuddin Maneri
Shaykh Sharafuddin AhmadYahya Maneri (d. 1381) was the best-known
saint of this order. He came from Bihar, his ancestors having settled there
in the 13th century. He received a traditional education, which included
the study of grammar and language. However, he did not have any religious
education, an omission that he later often regretted.When he was about 15
years old, he met Shaykh SharafuddinAbuTawwama. His coming into contact
with a great religious scholar was a God-sent opportunity for him.
Shaykh Sharafuddin Abu Tawamma was originally from Bhukhara and
was very well educated. He came to Delhi during the reign of Sultan Balban
Th e F i r d a u s i Or d e r 182
