spent much time in ascetic exercises.With the permission of his Shaykh he
even performed a
chilla
, that is, he spent forty days in solitary spiritual
retreat, fasting and performing ascetic exercises.
When Khwaja Muinuddin of Ajmer visited Delhi, he met Fariduddin
and was greatly impressed by him. He prophesied great spiritual attainment
as his destiny.
Soon his fame spread far and wide and people began flocking to him.
With all the attention he received, he found it difficult to engage in his usual
devotions, so he left for Hansi in the Hisar district. He was not in Delhi
when Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki died. On hearing the news, he left
immediately for Delhi, reaching it in five days. It was the Khwaja’s will
that Baba Farid be his successor. Accordingly, Qadi Hamiduddin Nagauri, a
great Sufi and a close associate of Nizamuddin, gave Baba Farid the relics of
the Khwaja.These were his
khirqa
(gown), turban, stick and wooden sandals.
Though this implied that Baba Farid should be the Khwaja’s intended
successor in Delhi, this did not turn out to be the case. Baba Farid was a
person who advocated asceticism and abhorred the bustle of the world. He
desired nothing more than to withdraw from it. Therefore, the Chishti
centre in Delhi was entrusted to Shaikh Badruddin, another of the Khwaja’s
disciples; Baba Farid then left Delhi to settle at Ajodhan, where he remained
until his death in 1265.
He lived in a small house built of mud and led a very simple and austere
life. He was so committed to simplicity that he felt that even a house of
bricks was not simple enough for an ascetic to live in. His meagre possessions
consisted of a small rug and a blanket. He fasted often, breaking his fast with
sherbet, wild fruits and bread made of millet.
