Medieval times saw a considerable movement of people across the entire
inhabited world. Some were princes in search of lands to be conquered,
other were mercenaries, traders, mystics, scholars – all on the lookout for
opportunities. Travelling in search of knowledge was well looked upon.
The Sufi tradition encouraged one to undertake journeys in order to profit
from the learning and experience of saints scattered all over the Muslim
world. Travel in search of knowledge was therefore also a priority for
Khwaja Muinuddin who, in the course of the long journey across Asia, right
from Khorasan to Baghdad and then on to Delhi, had the opportunity to
meet many great luminaries and derive immense benefits from these
meetings.
When he reached Delhi, he was already a well-known Sufi and his fame
preceded him. He drew crowds wherever he went. He was a great
humanitarian and a well-wisher of his fellow men, caring not only for their
spiritual uplift, but also for their physical well-being. It was precisely for
this reason that he was so well loved, and such great claims were made on
his attention. He soon realized that he had hardly any time left for spiritual
devotions; after a few months, therefore, he decided to leave Delhi for
Ajmer, a town in the interior of Rajasthan.
He settled in Ajmer around 1206 and found it to be fertile ground for
his teachings. The area already had some converts to Islam, both from the
lower as well as the upper classes. But this would not have been the main
reason for his choice of location, for among other things, he did not believe
that the formal acceptance of Islam was necessary to become his follower
and a Sufi. Therefore, his choice of Ajmer as his ultimate destination must
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