His disciples, many of whom came from far-off places, ran the shrine,
or
jamaat khana
. It consisted of a thatched hall used for communal living and
a separate cell for Baba Farid’s meditaion. There was no furniture. Baba
Farid slept on the floor and his visitors did likewise.The offerings received
were either used by the disciples staying in the
jamaat khana
or were
distributed among the poor and the needy. Nothing was kept for the next
day. Doing so would have amounted to showing a lack of trust in God, for it
is said clearly in the Qur’an that God takes the responsibility for providing
for the needs of everyone on earth. So instead of spending one’s time in
hoarding wealth and investing it to multiply it further, one had better
leave everything to God and spend one’s time in His worship.
The
jamaat khana
, which was managed by Badruddin Ishaaq, was situated
at a central place, and received a large number of visitors every day. They
were people from all sections of society, from scholars and merchants to
Sufis and
qalandars
. Some desired to stay for a while, while others sought
Baba’s blessings and departed. Many came for
tawiz
(amulet) to ward off
different ills.With the scores of people visiting him daily — thanks to his
popularity— Shaykh Fariduddin found little time for prayers andmeditation.
He ultimately decided, therefore, to leave his house.
One special characteristic of the life of the
jamaat khana
was that people
were free to discuss different issues. Nizamuddin Awliya’s
Malfuzaat
(conversations) mentions these discussions, which occasionally were held
between Muslims and non-Muslims, such as the yogis, who would talk about
their practices aimed at self-control.
Shaykh Farid did not involve himself in politics. He kept himself aloof
from those in power. In most cases, they held him in high esteem, except
for one Sher Khan, the governor of Multan. On seeing that the governor
Th e Ch i s h t i Or d e r 78
