The following short address and invocation of the blessings of the great Sufi saint Khawaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti was delivered on the
5th Rajab (September 12th 2002) at the Dar-ul Uloom Mosque in Southampton, England. The event was sponsored by Jamiluddin Morris
Zahuri to celebrate the 'Urs of Hazrat Khawaja Saheb. Up to a hundred men were present in the mosque and there was a live phone link to
a nearby community centre where many ladies attended. Following Maghrib Namaz stirring addresses where delivered by the respected
Imam of the mosque (in English and Urdu) and by a much respected Hafiz of Southampton (in Urdu). The event concluded with Isha
Namaz and Langar was distributed to those present.
Khawaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti of Sanjar and Ajmer
(God's blessings upon him).
Khawaja Gharib Nawaz, Sultan ul-Hind, Khawaja Saheb, Deputy of the Holy Prophet in India, Crown of the Enlightened, -
by these and many other epithets is he known and invoked. Here we may add that it has been clearly shown that
Khawaja Saheb was related on his mother's and his father's side to the great Saint Ghaus-ul Azam (pbuh) and that the
two met.
Like Ghaus Pak his fame has spread far and wide - why is that? Let us briefly trace his history.
At birth he was named as Muinuddin Hasan. He was born in Isfahan but he was brought up in Sanjar hence he is
sometimes called Muinuddin Hasan Sanjari or Sanjari Wali. Even in childhood it was clear he was marked out by destiny
for something unusual. He surprised his revered mother, Bibi Mah Nur, by many examples of generosity to other
children. One time on the way to the Eidgarh in his new clothes he met a poor blind child and gave him his own new
clothes and took him to the prayers.
His father Khawaja Giyasuddin was gifted with a charitable disposition but he passed away when Khawaja Saheb was
barely fifteen. Thus orphaned, he was left alone in the world with a garden and grinding stone as his inheritance.
He was alone in the cruel world. Then occurred a chance meeting that changed his life. In to his small garden came a
wandering dervish - Hazrat Ibrahim Qandoozi - he was much pleased with the courtesy shown him by the boy and he
chewed something in his own mouth and gave it to him. Upon eating it a transformation came over him - he became
displeased with the ways of the world - he sold his garden and grinding stone and distributed the proceeds amongst the
poor and needy - then he set off on his travels in search of truth.
In the year 1220 AD his search was rewarded, as he became the disciple of Khawaja Uthman Harooni, a great saint of
the Chishti Order. Under his influence he soon became aware that Sufism was in fact just another name for love and
service to mankind.
For 22 years he served his spiritual master as they travelled across the Middle East. He carried his master's tiffin box
and bedding on his head. I am sure of this, if you were to ask the long deceased inhabitants of those places he visited
and if you were able to hear the answer you would hear them say ' the memory is still green'.
Eventually his revered master, being well pleased with his service, appointed him as Sajjadanashin - and thus his
destiny to carry the torch of the Chishti Order to spread the message of love and of service to mankind was fulfilled.
My own Shaykh Dr Zahurul Hasan Gudri Shahi Baba (May God bless his soul) puts it this way :-
"To him living without love was a contradiction in terms. It cannot be living. It may be existing - like brutes. God in fact
created us to love."
The time came when he visited Mecca and Medina and the choice of the holy Prophet Muhammed fell upon him. The
holy Prophet in a dream showed him the place of Ajmer in the Indian subcontinent, and he was instructed to carry the
light of truth to the suffering humanity there. He was given a gift of a pomegranate from heaven.
Eventually his travels brought him to the desert town of Ajmer. There he had to overcome many difficulties - the ruler,
becoming afraid of his influence on the people, ordered him to leave - following the divine mandate to serve God and
obey the ruler, he left. He warned that he would soon return and it so happened that an army came to Ajmer and
deposed that ruler. The will of Allah is not to be thwarted.
In Ajmer the cave where he performed a spiritual retreat for forty days and nights, his chilla, is still treated as a place of
great reverence and is visited by the pilgrims. The tomb of the founder of my own order, the Gudri Shahi Order, stands
just adjacent to it on a hill overlooking the beautiful Anna Sagar lake.
In Ajmer he was a foreigner in a strange land, not even knowing the language or the customs, but soon the power of his
personality and simple philosophy impressed all that met him. His fame was to be carried across the sub-continent.
In a world that was governed by the base instincts to survive at all costs and to kill or be killed, he brought the message
of caring for the downtrodden, of being kind to the orphan and the destitute, of serving others selflessly, of tireless
labour on behalf of those in need, of helping the sick in body or mind, of kindness to animals, of common brotherhood
and common humanity. These things and much more are required of us by Allah, so that when we meet Him, 'He can be
pleased with us and we with Him' as it is said in the holy Qur'an.
Khawaja Saheb taught that such service, when selfless, was an important kind of prayer. He taught that people were
enslaved to the love of this passing life, to greed, to selfish ambition, to lust, to anger, to greed and to gold. Like
Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi in the Masnavi, he taught 'why be a slave to silver and gold, break the chains O son, and be
free'. To help free people from this slavery was for him a prayer - and as you know prayer is of the utmost importance.
The place where Khawaja Sahib lived in a humble tenement became a place of pilgrimage for a myriad of people. Mighty
Emperors proceeded on foot to visit it, as did the millions of the humble and poor. As we speak, in Ajmer, a half million
devoted persons, business men, peons, chai wallahs, clerks, teachers, doctors, craftsmen, housewives, beggars,
industrialists, shop keepers, actors - seek the pleasure of Khawaja Saheb. Hoping that the pleasure Allah had in him will
bring benefits to them.
Nor did he exclude the people of different religions and faiths, even today he is revered by Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs,
Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and so on for his love, and the breadth of his humanity. We have to ask, if he had
refused the people of different faiths and beliefs how many of the Muslims here would be calling themselves as Muslims
today. We should bear in mind his example in our own dealings with the people we meet in our daily lives. His message
was like this - 'Come - and be helped'. The spiritual Baraka that he carried gave hope to those without hope, light to
those in darkness, relief to the oppressed, enthusiasm to the depressed, clarity to the confused, calmness to the
agitated, knowledge to the ignorant - and love to all.
Now the question arises as to what was that Baraka? From whence did it come? The answer is simple - it came, and it
comes, from Allah alone - to Him be all praise. It came through the holy Prophet Muhammed (upon whom be peace and
blessings of God and on his family and his followers). From the holy Prophet the Baraka was passed to his son-in law
and beloved companion Hazrat Ali Murtadha (upon him be peace).
From him it passed to Hazrat Khawaja Hasan Basri (pbuh),
then to Khawaja Wahid Zaid (pbuh),
Then to Khawaja Fuzail (pbuh),
and then to Khawaja Ibrahim bin Adhem (pbuh).
From him it passed to Khawaja Sadeeduddin (pbuh),
then Khawaja Abee Hubera (pbuh),
and then Khawaja Mumshad Alu Denoori (pbuh).
Then it came to the Founder and fountainhead of the Chishti Order, Hazrat Khawaja Abu Ishaq Chishti (pbuh) , - the
order came to be named from the town of Chisht (in what today would be called Afghanistan).
His Sajjadanashin was named as Khawaja Abu Ahmed Chishti (pbuh).
He was followed by Khawaja Abu Mohammed Chishti (pbuh).
In his turn came Khawaja Abu Yusuf Chishti (pbuh),
Then Khawaja Moudood Chishti (pbuh).
His successor was Khawaja Haji Sharif Zindani (pbuh),
Who passed on his blessings to Khawaja Uthman Harooni (pbuh),
Who was the beloved guide of Khawaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti (pbuh).
Ya Khawaja Khawajagan. Ya Khawaja Khawajagan. Ya Khawaja Khawajagan.
This was the progression in history but Allah surrounds and encompasses time and history. Thus we may say in answer
to the question - from where comes the grace and bountiful blessings - the baraka of the saints? - it comes from Him
alone and all praise belongs to Him.
When Khawaja Saheb passed on from this world 789 years ago, it is said that some words appeared mysteriously on his
forehead
He was beloved of God and died in the love of God.
So now in Southampton, England, today, we ask simply that our remembrance of the dear friend of Allah may cause His
pleasure to fall on us. That in this time of anxiety and stress, of hostility and narrow-mindedness, of polarised views, of
war and talk of war, of conflict and discord, the simple philosophy of 'live and let live' may be realised in the hearts, and
in the minds, and in the actions, of all our community.
Amin.
Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri (Southampton Sep 12th 2002.)
Published by The Zahuri Sufi Web Site September 2002