Nasiruddin Chirag-e-Delhi
Encyclopedia
Nasiruddin Mahmud Chirag-e-Delhi (ca 1274-1356) was a 14th century mystic-poet and a Sufi saint of the Chishti Order
. He was a murid
(disciple) of noted Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya
, and later his successor. He was the last important Sufi of the Chishti Order
from Delhi
.
He was given the title, "Roshan Chirag-e-Delhi", which in Urdu
, means "Illuminated Lamp of Delhi
".
. His father, Syed Yahya, who traded in Pashmina
, and his grandfather, Syed Abdul Latif, first migrated from Khorasan, northeastern Iran
, to Lahore
, and thereafter settled in Ayodhya, in Awadh
. His father died when he was only nine years of age and he received his early education from Maulana Abdul Karim Sherwani, and later continued it with Maulana Iftikhar Uddin Gilani.
At age forty, he left Ayodhya for Delhi, where he became the disciple of Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya
. It was here that he stayed for the rest of his life as his murid (disciple), and after his death, became his successor. In time, he also became a known poet in Persian language
.
He died in 17 Ramzan 757 Hijri
or 1356 AD, at the age of 82, and is buried in a part of South Delhi
, India
which is known as "Chirag-e-Delhi" after him.
on Delhi, and from where at the invitation of Bahamani King, Firuz Shah Bahamani, moved to Gulbarga
, Karnataka
, where he stayed for the following 22 years of his life, spreading the Chishti Order
in the South, until his death in November 1422. The dargah
(mausoleum) of Khwaja Bande Nawaz, exists today in the city of Gulbarga, as a symbol of multi-religious unity.
During his stay in Delhi, he continued to visit Ayodhya often, where he made a number of disciples, notably, Shaikh Zainuddin Ali Awadhi, Shaikh Fatehullah Awadhi and Allama Kamaluddin Awadhi.hazarat kamaluddin allama was his nephew and made him his successor and thereafter his successors are in ahmedabad gujarat india present successor of khan ka e auliya chishtiya is khawja rukanuddin mohammed farrukh chishti
(r. 1351 - 1388), the Sultan of Delhi in 1358, and later two gateways were added on either side of mausoleum. One of noted addition was a mosque built by a later Mughal emperor, Farrukhsiyar
, in the early 18th century, and popular among both Muslims and non-Muslims. A humble tomb of the founder of Lodhi dynasty
, Bahlul Khan Lodhi
(r.1451-89) lies close to the shrine, in the present day locality of ‘Chirag Delhi’ that grew around the tomb, and is still goes by his name, it is very close to the locality of Greater Kailash
, in South Delhi
.
, which was considered un-Islamic by a section of the Muslim intelligentsia in that period. He did not however pass any specific judgement against it. This is the reason why even today, qawwali
is not performed near his shrine in Delhi.
Hazrat Nasiruddin's descendants are to be found far and wide as a lot of them moved down South to Hyderabad. The dargah of Badi Bua or Badi Bibi, who said be the elder sister of Nasiruddin Mahmud Chiragh Dehlavi, still exists in city of Ayodhya.
and therefore of Lunar Dynasty
.
Jadon (also spelled Jadaun
) Rajput Raja Lakhan Pala, the progenitor of the great family of the Khanzadahs, was the grandson of Raja Adhan Pala (who was 4th in descent from Raja Tahan Pala). Tahan Pala, who founded Tahangarh, was the eldest son of Raja Bijai Pala (founder of Bijai Garh
), who himself was 88th in descent from Lord Krishna
. Hence, Jadon Raja Lakhan Pala, Mewatpatti (title means, Lord of Mewat) was 94th in descent from Lord Krishna
.
Chishti Order
The Chishtī Order is a Sufi order within the mystic branches of Islam which was founded in Chisht, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan about 930 CE. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. The doctrine of the Chishti Order is based on walāya, which is a...
. He was a murid
Murid
Murid is a Sufi term meaning 'committed one' from the root meaning "willpower" or "self-esteem". It refers to a person who is committed to a Murshid in a Tariqa of Sufism. Also known as a Salik , a murid is an initiate into the mystic philosophy of Sufism. When the Talib makes a pledge to a...
(disciple) of noted Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya
Nizamuddin Auliya
Sultan-ul-Mashaikh, Mehboob-e-Ilahi, Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya , also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to...
, and later his successor. He was the last important Sufi of the Chishti Order
Chishti Order
The Chishtī Order is a Sufi order within the mystic branches of Islam which was founded in Chisht, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan about 930 CE. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. The doctrine of the Chishti Order is based on walāya, which is a...
from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
He was given the title, "Roshan Chirag-e-Delhi", which in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, means "Illuminated Lamp of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
".
Biography
Nasiruddin Mahmud Chiragh Dehlavi (or Chiragh-e-Delhi) was born as Nasiruddin around 1274, at Ayodhya, Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. His father, Syed Yahya, who traded in Pashmina
Pashmina
Pashmina refers to a type of fine cashmere wool and the textiles made from it. The name comes from Pashmineh , made from Persian pashm . The wool comes from changthangi or pashmina goat, which is a special breed of goat indigenous to high altitudes of the Himalayas in Nepal, Pakistan and northern...
, and his grandfather, Syed Abdul Latif, first migrated from Khorasan, northeastern Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, and thereafter settled in Ayodhya, in Awadh
Awadh
Awadh , also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh...
. His father died when he was only nine years of age and he received his early education from Maulana Abdul Karim Sherwani, and later continued it with Maulana Iftikhar Uddin Gilani.
At age forty, he left Ayodhya for Delhi, where he became the disciple of Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya
Nizamuddin Auliya
Sultan-ul-Mashaikh, Mehboob-e-Ilahi, Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya , also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to...
. It was here that he stayed for the rest of his life as his murid (disciple), and after his death, became his successor. In time, he also became a known poet in Persian language
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
.
He died in 17 Ramzan 757 Hijri
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
or 1356 AD, at the age of 82, and is buried in a part of South Delhi
South Delhi
South Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India.It is bounded by the Yamuna River to the east, the districts of New Delhi to the north, Faridabad District of Haryana state to the southeast, Gurgaon District of Haryana to the southwest, and South West...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
which is known as "Chirag-e-Delhi" after him.
Disciples
One of his noted disciples was Bande Nawaz Gezu Daraz, who later moved to Daulatabad around 1398, owing to the attack of TimurTimur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
on Delhi, and from where at the invitation of Bahamani King, Firuz Shah Bahamani, moved to Gulbarga
Gulbarga
Gulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, where he stayed for the following 22 years of his life, spreading the Chishti Order
Chishti Order
The Chishtī Order is a Sufi order within the mystic branches of Islam which was founded in Chisht, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan about 930 CE. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. The doctrine of the Chishti Order is based on walāya, which is a...
in the South, until his death in November 1422. The dargah
Dargah
A Dargah is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims visit the shrine known as . Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah...
(mausoleum) of Khwaja Bande Nawaz, exists today in the city of Gulbarga, as a symbol of multi-religious unity.
During his stay in Delhi, he continued to visit Ayodhya often, where he made a number of disciples, notably, Shaikh Zainuddin Ali Awadhi, Shaikh Fatehullah Awadhi and Allama Kamaluddin Awadhi.hazarat kamaluddin allama was his nephew and made him his successor and thereafter his successors are in ahmedabad gujarat india present successor of khan ka e auliya chishtiya is khawja rukanuddin mohammed farrukh chishti
Dargah
After his death, his tomb was built by Firuz Shah TughluqFiruz Shah Tughluq
-External links:*...
(r. 1351 - 1388), the Sultan of Delhi in 1358, and later two gateways were added on either side of mausoleum. One of noted addition was a mosque built by a later Mughal emperor, Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] was the Mughal emperor between 1713 and 1719. Noted as a handsome but weak ruler, easily swayed by his advisers, Farukhsiyar lacked the ability and character to rule independently...
, in the early 18th century, and popular among both Muslims and non-Muslims. A humble tomb of the founder of Lodhi dynasty
Lodhi dynasty
Lodi Dynasty was a Pashtun dynasty that was the last dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate. The dynasty founded by Bahlul Lodi ruled from 1451 to 1526...
, Bahlul Khan Lodhi
Bahlul Khan Lodhi
Bahlul Khan Lodi was the founder of the Afghan Lodi Dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate in India upon the abdication of the last claimant from the previous Sayyid rule. He was born into an Pashtun family of traders, and became a renowned warrior and governor of Sirhind . He became the first sultan of...
(r.1451-89) lies close to the shrine, in the present day locality of ‘Chirag Delhi’ that grew around the tomb, and is still goes by his name, it is very close to the locality of Greater Kailash
Greater Kailash
Greater Kailash is a residential area in South Delhi, consisting of several residential colonies and multiple markets. The real estate prices are comparatively high.-Geography:...
, in South Delhi
South Delhi
South Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India.It is bounded by the Yamuna River to the east, the districts of New Delhi to the north, Faridabad District of Haryana state to the southeast, Gurgaon District of Haryana to the southwest, and South West...
.
Legacy
Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehalvi, unlike his spiritual master Nizamuddin Auliya, did not listen to semaSema
Sama is a Sufi ceremony performed as dhikr. Sama means "listening", while dhikr means "remembrance". These rituals often includes singing, playing instruments, dancing, recitation of poetry and prayers, wearing symbolic attire, and other rituals...
, which was considered un-Islamic by a section of the Muslim intelligentsia in that period. He did not however pass any specific judgement against it. This is the reason why even today, qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
is not performed near his shrine in Delhi.
Hazrat Nasiruddin's descendants are to be found far and wide as a lot of them moved down South to Hyderabad. The dargah of Badi Bua or Badi Bibi, who said be the elder sister of Nasiruddin Mahmud Chiragh Dehlavi, still exists in city of Ayodhya.
Khanzada Jadubansi Rajputs, their acceptance of Islam
Khanzadah, the Persian form of the Rajputana word Rajput, is the title of the great representatives of the ancient Jadubansi royal Rajput family, descendants of KrishnaKrishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
and therefore of Lunar Dynasty
Lunar Dynasty
In Hindu mythology, the Lunar Dynasty is one of the three principal houses of the Kshatriya varna, or warrior–ruling caste...
.
Jadon (also spelled Jadaun
Jadaun
The Jadaun are a clan of Chandravanshi Rajputs found in North India and Pakistan.-Origins:...
) Rajput Raja Lakhan Pala, the progenitor of the great family of the Khanzadahs, was the grandson of Raja Adhan Pala (who was 4th in descent from Raja Tahan Pala). Tahan Pala, who founded Tahangarh, was the eldest son of Raja Bijai Pala (founder of Bijai Garh
Bijai Garh
Bijai Garh Fort is located in Bayana near Bharatpur. The fort was built by Jadon Rajput King Bijai Pal in 1040 AD.Bijaigarh Fort contains several old temples and red stones pillars bearing an inscription of Vishnuverdhan feudatary of Samudragupta. The fort was described as one of the most famous ...
), who himself was 88th in descent from Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. Hence, Jadon Raja Lakhan Pala, Mewatpatti (title means, Lord of Mewat) was 94th in descent from Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
.
Acceptance of Islam
The family records of Khanzadahs states that during one of the hunting expedition Kunwar Samar Pal and Kunwar Sopar Pal, the sons of Jadon Raja Lakhan Pal, met with Sufi saint Nasiruddin Mahmud, Roshan Chiragh-i Dehli. The acceptance of Islam by Khanzadahs have been a 'enlightenment of heart' come about from their association with the Sufi saints.See also
- KhanzadaKhanzadaThe Khanzada, or Khanzadah, is a subdivision of Rajputs, now found mainly in the Rajasthan, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh of India; and Sindh, Punjab provinces of Pakistan. Khanzadahs, the royal family of Muslim Jadon Rajputs, accepted Islam on their association with the Sufi Saints...
- Ata Hussain Fani ChishtiAta Hussain Fani ChishtiHazrat Ata Hussain Fani , also known as Ata Hussain Gayavi or Haji Ata Hussain Chishti Monami Abulolai, was a famous Sufi saint of the chisti order in South Asia. He was the first Sufi to go in the complete non-Muslim locality of Gaya and spread Islam...
- Chishti
- SufismSufismSufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
- Khwaja Maudood ChishtiMaudood ChishtiMaudood Chishti was an early day Sufi Saint, a successor to his father and master Abu Yusuf Bin Saamaan, twelfth link in the Sufi silsilah of Chishti Order, and the Master of Shareef Zandani. He was born around 430 Hijri in the city of Chisht. He initially received education from his father...
- Khwaja Wali Kirani