new life each moment from the unseen world,”
6
the Khwaja entered an
ecstatic state, from which he did not recover. He died on November 27,
1235, and was buried in Mehrauli.
Khwaja Qutbuddin had a number of disciples, two of whom are well
known: Shaykh Badruddin of Ghazna and Shaykh Fariduddin Ganj Shakar of
Punjab. Badruddin loved to take part in the
sama’
and danced with abandon
when in the ecstatic state. Unlike the other Chishti Sufis, he had political
associations. These associations did not, however, help the Chishti order in
Delhi of which he was taking charge. He died in 1258-59 and was buried
near the tomb of Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki. Thereafter, the Chishti
order was destined to grow in the propitious atmosphere of Ajodhan, the
home of Baba Farid Ganj Shakar.
Fariduddin Ganj Shakar
Shaykh Fariduddin (1175-1265) was themost famous amongst the disciples
and
khalifas
of KhwajaQutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki.His ancestors were originally
from Kabul, but settled near Lahore in Punjab in the middle of the 12th
century. His father was a religious scholar and his mother a God-fearing
woman who spent most of her time in devotions. Her great piety influenced
her son, who did not take much interest in worldly activities, prefering
ascetic practices and meditation. People took him to be an abnormal child.
When he was eighteen years old, he went to Multan and studied at a
seminary in the mosque of Maulana Minhajuddin Tirmizi. It was here that
he met Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki. He was so impressed by the
Khwaja’s spirituality that he became his disciple. After completing his
studies, he went to Delhi and stayed in the Khwaja’s
jamaat khana,
where he
6
Amir Hasan Sijzi, Fawaid ul Fuad, pp.159-160
Th e Ch i s h t i Or d e r 76
