Famous Sufi Shrines of Delhi

Sufi Shrines are Holy Places
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Dargah Hazrat Khawaja Qutabuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki

   The Dargah of Great Sufi Saint Hazrat Khawaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki is a very famous Sufi Shrine of Delhi situated at Mehrauli near Qutab Minar in New Delhi.The Saint was a Mureed and Khalifa (Disciple) and first spiritual successor of Great Sufi Saint of India Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti who is better known by his title “Gharib Nawaz” of Ajmer Sharif who belonged to the ‘Chishtia Order’. Hazrat Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki was born in 569 Hijri in a town called ‘Aush’ .Hazrat Khawaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki was appointed Khalifa-e-Azam by his Piro Murshid Hazrat Khawaja Gharib Nawaz of Ajmer and he was instructed to stay in Delhi during the reign of Sultan Qutubuddin Aibak and Sultan Shamsuddin Al-Tamish in order to carry on the mission of the ‘Chishtia Order’ in India. He was very fond of Sama –Qawwali and used to hold Mehfile Qawwali (Sama) at his Khanqah. He was died in 634 Hijri in a state of ‘Wajd’ (Ecstasy) during the Sama-Mehfile Qawwali at Delhi. When this incident took place, the Qawwal was singing the following Persian couplet:-
“Kushtagaan-e- khanjar-e- tasleem raa,
Har zamaan azz ghaib jaan-e-deegar ast.”
Translation: For the victims of the sword of divine love, there is new life every moment from the unseen.

   Due to his extraordinary death (wisal) Hazrat Khawaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki is also known as ‘Shaheed-e-Mohabbat’ (martyr of God’s love).He had devoted his whole life in the worship (Ibadat) of Almighty Allah. In accordance to the Sufi tradition he had also appointed Hazrat Khawaja Fariduddin Ganje Shakar as his spiritual successor and Khalifa whose shrine is now situated in Pakpattan in Pakistan. Hazrat Baba Farid also appointed his spiritual successor and granted his Khilafat to his beloved mureed Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia who is better known by his title of ‘Mehboobe Elahi’. He was also advised to stay at Delhi in order to carry on the mission of Chishtia Order during the reign of Sultan Ghayasuddin Balban .Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia also appointed Hazrat Khawaja Naseeruddin Mehmood Chirage Dehli as his Khalifa and spiritual successor.

Dargah of Hazrat Khawaja Naseeruddin Chirage Dehli

     Hazrat Khawaja Naseeruddin Chirage Dehli was the Khalifa-e-Azam (spiritual successor) of Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia .His Dargah (Shrine) is situated at Chirag Dehli village near Kalkaji in New Delhi.His ancestor Hazrat Shaikh Abdul Lateef had settled at Lahore after migrating from outside India. Hazrat Shaikh Yayah the father of Hazrat Naseeruddin was born in Lahore. Hazrat Khawaja Naseeruddin Chirage Dehli was born in Faizabad in Uttar Pardesh therefore he is also called as Awadhi..His father died when Hazrat Naseeruddin was only nine years old. At the age of 40 Hazrat Naseeruddin migrated from Awadh to Delhi and became the Mureed (Disciple) of Sultanul Mashaikh Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia Mehboobe Elahi. Sufi Saint Hazrat Banda Nawaz Gesudaraz whose shrine is situated in Gulbarga, Karnatak State in India is the famous Khalifa of Hazrat Khawaja Naseeruddin Chirage Dehli. Hazrat Naseeruddin was a highest respected Sufi saint of his time.He had also devoted his whole life for the worship of Almighty Allah and in the service of his Piro Murshid Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Mehboob-e-Elahi. Hazrat Naseeruddin Chirage Dehli was died during the reign of Sultan Feroze Shah Tughlaq on 18^th Ramazan, 757 Hijri at Delhi.The Graves of his other two Khalifas Hazrat Kamaluddin Allama and Hazrat Khawaja Mohammed Sawi are situated inside the Dargah of Hazrat Naseeruddin Chirage Dehli.

Chiraghe Delhi
Why Hazrat Khawaja Naseeruddin is called “Chirage Dehli”?

     A great Karamat (Miracle) is attributed with Hazrat Naseeruddin and the ancient ‘Baoli’( stepwell) of Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia.The Baoli is about 700 years old and is still full of water. It is said that when the Baoli of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia was being constructed under the supervision of his mureed and Khalifa(disciple) Hazrat Naseeruddin, then at the same time the construction work was going on at the Fort of Sultan Ghayasuddin Tughlaq at Tughlaq Abad in Delhi.The labourers working at the fort used to sleep at day time because they had to work at night time at the Baoli of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia. The Sultan was very angry and enquired about this from his Wazeer (Minister) who told him that our labourers used to work at night at the Baoli of Sufi Saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia as they had great respect for the saint. Consequently the labourers fall asleep during the day time at our Fort.The Sultan was very jealous and ordered the Shop keepers to stop the supply of oil to Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia so that his Baoli could not be constructed in night without any Chirag (Lamp). Under such circumstances when there was no oil, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia called his Mureed and Khalifa Hazrat Khawaja Naseeruddin and told him to take water of the Baoli and use the same in Chirag (Lamps) instead of oil. Hazrat Naseeruddin obeyed the command of his Piro Murshid( spiritual master) and put the water of the Baoli in all the Chirags (Lamps) with some dry leaves of grass and ignited the same. It was a great Karamat of the saint that the water of the Baoli was burnt just like oil in the lamps and the work of Baoli was completed and from that time Hazrat Khawaja Naseeruddin was called as Chirage Dehli.The locality where his Shrine (Dargah) is situated is also named after him and is known as Chirage Dehli.