at length. OneMaulanaAlamuddin,who was a grandson of Shaykh Bahauddin
Zakariya, and who had even written a book on the subject of
sama’
, explained
it in detail and most probably to the sultan’s satisfaction, for he did not take
any action against Shaykh Nizamuddin.Thus this conspiracy against the Shaykh
failed and he continued to work as before till his death in 1325.When he felt
that the time to leave this world had come, he appointed his
khalifas
so that
his mission would continue long after his death. He wished to be buried in
the open, but that was not to be. Muhammad bin Tughlaq had a dome
constructed over his grave and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage for
both Hindus and Muslims, who continued to come to him to pay homage
and receive his blessings.
Nizamuddin was extremely popular both during his lifetime and after
his death.When he was alive, people flocked to him in such large numbers
that he acquired vast experience in dealing with all types of individuals.
Being unusually sensitive, he developed a deep insight into human nature
and was able to satisfy most of his visitors. Even the religious scholars, who
were very reluctant to acknowledge anyone, found his discourses inspiring.
Fawaid ul Fuad
amply shows how adept he was at imparting spiritual
instruction by illustrating his points with interesting anecdotes.
Shaykh Nizamuddin believed that, above all, one had to be a good human
being and only then could one be a good Muslim or a good Hindu. He would
often recount this
hadith
to his disciples: “Whatever you would not like to
be done to yourself, do not wish it to happen to others. Wish for others
what you wish for yourself.” He was a humanitarian par excellence, attaching
the greatest importance to the service of humanity, ranking it next only to
the performance of obligatory worship.
In his eyes, renouncing the world was a great virtue. He felt that, without
