Muinuddin was celibate till he settled in Ajmer, where he married
twice. His first wife was the daughter of a brother of the local governor.
His second wife was the daughter of a local Hindu chieftain.
The Khwaja’s followers, which included both Hindus and Muslims, found
in him a sincere and caring guide.The then Hindu society was shackled by a
rigid caste system that classified people as either high or low born. Justice
was not done to the lower classes, for they were regarded as being of
inferior birth, and therefore inherently debased.When people of the lower
classes saw that the Khwaja treated all human beings alike, without the
slightest discrimination, nothing could stop them from flocking to him. He
looked after the poor and needy as if they were his own kith and kin. Not
only did he fulfill their physical requirements, but he also took care of their
spiritual needs. However, he never attempted to convert them to Islam. It
was the Islamic concept of the equality of all human beings that played the
greatest role in bringing them into the fold of Islam.They themselves found
irresistible a religion that treated everyone on an equal footing. Even today
both Hindus and Muslims throng his shrine in Ajmer and many believe he
intercedes with God on their behalf, caring for them as much as he cared
while still alive. He was and still is popularly known as Khwaja Gharib Nawaz.
Thus the stay of Khwaja Muinuddin inAjmer brought about a far-reaching
spiritual and social revolution (K.A. Nizami), and his teachings still form the
most important part of the Chishti way of life. He died in Ajmer at the age
of 97 and was buried there. Khwaja Husain Nagauri later built a tomb over
his grave.
Khwaja Muinuddin had two highly able and talented disciples—Shaykh
Hamiduddin of Nagaur and Shaykh Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, who lived in
Delhi. They were his main
khalifas
who carried on his
silsila
.
