Moin-ud-din Chishti

Hazrat Sheikh Khwaja Syed Moin-ud-din Chishti Ajmeri, was born in 1141 and died in 1236 AD. He is also known as "Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti" and "Gharīb Nawāz" (Benefactor of the Poor). He is the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti order of South Asia. Moinuddin Chishti is believed to have introduced and established this Order in India. His shrine is at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India.^[7]

The main beliefs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti were achieving oneness with Allah, devotion to the Divine, leading a pure life, showing compassion and charity for the helpless and poor.

Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti (1141 – 1236 CE), popularly known as Gharib Nawaz ("Benefactor of the Poor"), was a prominent Sufi saint and the founder of the Chishti Order in South Asia. He is buried at Ajmer Sharif Dargah, which remains one of the most important centers of pilgrimage in India. His teachings emphasized service to humanity, humility, compassion, and devotion to God.^[8]

Moinuddin Chishti was born in 1141 CE in Sistan. He became a disciple of Khwaja Usman Harooni and accompanied him in travels for twenty years, engaging in rigorous spiritual training and service.^[9][10]

The sayings of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti are preserved in traditional manuscripts such as Farmoodat-e-Chishtiya. Some notable teachings include:^[11][12]

1. **Recognition of God** – The sign of recognizing God is that a person distances himself from worldly attachment and remains joyful in divine knowledge.
2. **Unity of Love** – When one steps beyond bodily relations, lover, beloved, and love itself are realized as one — a reflection of tawhid (divine unity).
3. **Pilgrimage of the Heart** – Ordinary pilgrims circle the Ka‘ba with their bodies, but the gnostics perform the circumambulation with their hearts around the Throne of God, seeking divine vision.
4. **Ka‘ba and the Saint** – "I once circumambulated the Ka‘ba, but now the Ka‘ba itself circumambulates me."
5. **True Poverty (Faqr)** – A disciple deserves the title of faqir only when he attains eternal wealth in the transient world.
6. **Spiritual Constancy** – A seeker attains steadfastness when, for twenty years, no sin is recorded by the angels in his book of deeds.
7. **On the Day of Judgment** – God will order the Fire of Hell to be kindled. Its smoke will suffocate the people of the plain. The only salvation from this trial is serving the oppressed, helping the needy, and feeding the hungry.
8. **Beloved of God** – God truly loves the one who possesses three qualities: generosity like the sea, compassion like the sun, and humility like the earth.
9. **Generosity** – Every blessing received is due to generosity.^[13]

When Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti settled in Ajmer, the local ruler Prithviraj Chauhan (also known as "Pithora") was hostile to Muslims. According to tradition, when news of his insults reached the saint, Khwaja declared: "We have delivered Pithora alive into the hands of the army of Islam." Soon after, Sultan Muhammad Ghori’s forces invaded from Ghazni and Prithviraj was captured alive.^[14][15]

It is reported that at the time of his arrival, the land of India was overwhelmed with idolatry and polytheism, but through his efforts, the message of Islam spread widely. Those who embraced Islam under his guidance, their descendants remained Muslims, and their reward continues to be recorded in his spiritual account until the Day of Judgment.^[16][17]

His disciples, including Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Baba Fariduddin Ganj Shakar, and Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya, carried forward the Chishti teachings across South Asia.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti passed away in Ajmer in 1236 CE. His shrine, the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, is visited by millions of devotees each year. He is remembered with the epitaph: Habib Allah maat fi hubb Allah (The friend of God died in the love of God)^[18].

• Schimmel, Annemarie. Mystical Dimensions of Islam. University of North Carolina Press, 1975.
• Eaton, Richard M. Sufis of Bijapur, 1300–1700. Princeton University Press, 1978.
• Digby, Simon. The Sufi Shaikh as a Source of Authority in Medieval India. Oxford University Press, 1975.
• Ernst, Carl W. Eternal Garden: Mysticism, History, and Politics at a South Asian Sufi Center. SUNY Press, 1992.
• Nizami, K.A. The Life and Times of Shaikh Farid-ud-din Ganj-i-Shakar. Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli, 1955 ^[19]
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