the local dialect known as Hindawi. He popularized the study of the
Awariful
Ma’arif
, the manual of the Sufis written by Suhrawardi, and lectured on the
philosophy of the
Lawa’ih
of Qadi Hamiduddin Nagauri, known also as Shaikh
Muhammad ‘Ata. Qadi Hamiduddin had known the Khwaja when both
were in Baghdad and later on came to Delhi and settled there.
8
In spite of his learning, Baba Farid was very humble. He held the
ulama
in high regard but felt that they were not humble enough — unlike the
Sufis — to give proper guidance to the people. They neither mixed with
them, nor encouraged them to ask questions and seek clarifications. He
disapproved of this self-righteous indifference towards the common man
on the part of the
ulama.
The Sufis, essentially humanitarian in outlook,
differed from secular humanitarians in the sense that while the latter would
be concerned with the welfare of the people in this world alone, they, the
Sufis, were deeply concerned with the good of the people both in this
world as well as in the next.To Baba Farid, the aim of Sufism, with its core
values of humility, modesty, patience, fortitude and purity of heart, was to
prepare the individual to lead a pious life within society.
Shaykh Farid explained the difference between the way of the law, or
shariah
, the way of the Sufi striving, or
tariqa,
and the attainment of Ultimate
Truth, or
haqiqa,
using as illustration
zakat
, the obligatory donation to charity
to be made from the income of each individual Muslim “The
zakat,
according
to the s
hariah,
is five dirhams out of 200, the
zakat,
according to
tariqa,
involves the payment of 195 dirhams out of 200 and the
zakat
required by
haqiqa
entails the payment of everything, retaining nothing for oneself.”
9
8
See the chapter on the Suhrawardi silsila. Qadi Hamiduddin Nagauri was a Suhrawardi, but was
close to Chishti circles, and it was he who bestowed upon Baba Farid the relics of Bakhtiar Kaki after
the latter’s death. He was deeply interested in the Chishti practice of ‘
sama.
9
Fawaid ul Fuad, p . 117
Th e Ch i s h t i Or d e r 80
