Hazrat Khwaja Syed Muhammad Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki
was a renowned Sufi saint and scholar of the Chishti Order from Delhi, India.
The additional
suffix of 'Kaki' to his name was attributed to hint by virtue of a miracle that
emanated from him at a later stage of his life at Delhi. Popularly, he is also
called Khwaja Kaki and Hazrat Qutub Saheb.
He was a born saint and had the honor of being the
'first' Spiritual Successor of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer.
Family & Early life &
Education
Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki was born in 1173 C.E. in a small town called Aush in the Fergana Valley (present Osh, part of historic Transoxiana-Present-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgyzstan, and southwest Kazakhstan)
When Hazrat
Qutbuddin was just eighteen months old, he lost his father. His mother, who was
also a pious and very intelligent lady, made suitable arrangements for her
child's education.
At the tender age of 5, he was put under the loving
care of a learned tutor, Maulana Abu Hafus, who started him with the teaching
of both theological and spiritual sides of knowledge.
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| Dargah -Khawaja Qutbuddin Kaki R.A |
When Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
visited awash, during one of his travels, Khwaja Qutbuddin, who was then 17
years old, offered himself as a Mureed (disciple) to the great saint and sought
his blessings for a spiritual career. The great Khwaja Saheb of Ajmer accepted
him immediately.
His devotion to the Prophet ﷺ
Khwaja Qutbuddin, after his initiation used to offer
95 rakaats (units) of Namaz during the 24 hours of day and night, along with
3000 salutations (Darood) every night upon the holy soul of the Holy Prophet
Mohammad ﷺ.
During the first 3 nights of his first marriage, as he
could not maintain the Darood, the Prophet ﷺ sent
a visionary message, through a pious person named Rais Ahmed, demanding Hazrat
Bakhtiar's explanation for this omission.
The Khwaja realized his grave error and at once
offered Talaaq (legal dissolution of a marriage under the Islamic Shariat) to
his wife as a mark of his repentance for the omission.
A strange incident: Scorpion, Azdaha and a Sinfull Man
Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin relates another interesting
incident of his travels. He says:
“Once I was staying
on the bank of a river with my most intimate friend, Qazi Hamiduddin Nagauri.
We saw that a very big scorpion was speeding up in a direction.
O spoke to my
friend that there appears to be some 'divine secret' behind this phenomenon;
let us follow the scorpion to find it out. My friend agreed and we followed the
scorpion and saw that it reached the bottom of a big tree where it furiously
stung a monstrous Azdaha (boa) who died at once.
Nearby we noticed a man who was fast asleep. Taking him to be a very
pious person, we did not like to disturb him but waited to speak to him when he
was awake. But when we approached him, we felt a very obnoxious smell and found
that he was horribly drunk (with wine).
We were indeed greatly surprised to see him in this
sinful condition on the one hand, and God Almighty's favor upon him, on the
other, in saving him from that monstrous boa whom the scorpion had killed.
Just as we were wondering over the incident, we heard
a 'Nida'(divine voice) that vibrated in the surroundings.
It said: "If
We (God) keep our favors reserved for the holy and the pious only, then who
would look after the sinful? This Nida shook off the sleep of the man who was
awfully frightened to see the Azdaha lying by him.
After some time, we heard, he renounced the world and
became one of the most pious persons of his time. He undertook the pilgrimage
to Mecca 70 times on foot.”
Arrival in Delhi
It is reported that when Khwaja Qutbuddin arrived in
Delhi from Ajmer, Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish, who was the ruler of India at
Delhi, went out of the city to welcome the Khwaja because he had very great
respect for Sufi dervishes.
He wanted to arrange for Qutub Saheb's stay in the
city, but the latter preferred to stay at Kelu Kheri, a suburb of Delhi.
The Sultan, however, used to wait upon him twice a
week in order to receive his spiritual blessings and guidance. The Sultan,
later on, became a regular and most dutiful disciple of Hazrat Qutbuddin.
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| Qutub Minar Complex |
At this stage, he again requested his Pir to come and
stay with him in the city because in attending upon him at Kelu Kheri, which he
must do, he had to spend much of his time which he could save to attend to the
affairs of his government Hazrat Qutub Saheb agreed and shifted to the mosque
of Malik Ainuddin in the city.
His love for his Pir-o-Murshid
(Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti)
It is reported that once, out of the unbearable love
for his Pir-o-Murshid (Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti) Khwaja Qutbuddin wrote
a letter seeking his Pir's permission to go to Ajmer and satisfy the thirst of
his love by kissing his Murshid's feet.
But, in the meantime, Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin, who
also loved his disciple dearly, himself started for Delhi and reached their
quite unexpectedly.
Here the Sultan and the public, when they heard of the
arrival of Hazrat Khwaja Saheb, all came out of the city to offer their homage
and welcome greetings to him.
But the Sheikh-ul-Islam of Delhi, i.e. Sheikh Najmuddin Sughra did not
take any notice of Khwaja Saheb's arrival. Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin himself went
to see the Sheikh at his home.
When they met, the Sheikh bitterly complained that
"due to the presence and popularity of Khwaja Qutbuddin in Delhi, his own
position as Sheikh-ul-Islam had become practically Nil".
Hazrat Khwaja
Moinuddin, for the sake of removing even this absurd grievance, ordered his
disciple, Khwaja Qutbuddin, to leave Delhi and go to Ajmer with him.
Delhi's public demonstration
When this news reached the Sultan, he felt awfully
upset and beseeched Khwaja Saheb not to take away Khwaja Qutbuddin from Delhi.
But it was not accepted and the Khwaja Saheb started back for Ajmer with Khwaja
Qutbuddin.
When the citizens of Delhi saw this they wailed and
wept and protested imploringly before Hazrat Khwaja Saheb to leave Khwaja
Qutbuddin with them in Delhi He was so much loved and esteemed that the people
used to pick up the dust from under his feet and smear it upon their eyes.
When Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin saw this overwhelming
love for his beloved disciple in Delhi, he said: "Baba Qutub you may stay
here because I do not like to hurt the feelings of this vast multitude by
taking you away from them."
Khwaja Qutbuddin was, however, summoned to Ajmer
before the death of his Pir-o-Murshid.
The Death of his Pir-o-Murshid
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
Khwaja Qutbuddin was, however, summoned to Ajmer
before the death of his Pir-o-Murshid.
Before a gathering of his mureeds, Hazrat Khwaja
Moinuddin delivered a last sermon 40 days before his death at Ajmer when Hazrat
Qutbuddin was also present the great Khwaja Saheb said: "The whole world
is illuminating with the Divine Light of God Almighty."
Finishing this first sentence, his eyes swelled up
with contemplative tears. After a pause, he resumed: "O dervishes. God has
brought me to this place so that I may die and lie here for ever.
Now, after a few days. I am leaving this world."
This declaration sent a gloomy wave of sorrow and despondency among all
present.
Sheikh Ali Sanjari, his attendant and correspondent was
also present in the gathering.
Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz ordered him to write down a
"Farman" (order) in favour of Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki-That he
must go to Delhi "I appoint him as my Sajjada nashin at Delhi along with
the sacred relics of our Khwajgaan-e-Chisht. "Then, addressing Khwaja
Qutbuddin. He said "Your place is Delhi."
The parting scene
Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin says "When the Firman was
ready, it was handed over to me and I was called to go near my Pir.
When I did so, he
put his kulah (headgear) on my head and wrapped the turban with his own sacred
hands He then gave me Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni's Asa (holy staff), his own
copy of the Holy Quran, his musalla (prayer carpet) and a pair of sandals and
said:
“These are the most sacred relies of our Holy Prophet ﷺ which have come down to us through the past generations of our
Khwajgaan-e-Chisht (succeeding dervishes in the silsila of Chishti saints)Which
were entrusted to me by my Pir-o-Murshid, Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni.
Now I am giving them to you. You should prove yourself
worthy of them, like our revered predecessors in our Order, so that on the
Day-of-Judgment I may not suffer shame before God and our holy predecessors”.
Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin and his family (for he had married again after
the divorce of his first wife as mentioned in the foregoing pages) had to face
faaqaa (unavoidable starvation due to renouncement.
Often, after
several days of faaqaa, his wife used to buy some provisions through the help
of a loan from the wife of a neighbouring baqqaal (the provision dealer) to
arrange for food.
One day the wife of baqqaal taunted Hazrat Qutub Saheb's wife saying,
"If I stop lending you money, you and your children would starve to
death." When this taunt was brought to the notice of Hazrat Khwaja
Qutbuddin.
He forbade his wife to borrow anything from the baqqaal's wife in future
but to take out as many kaks kind of very tasty bread) as she needed from the
slot of his hujra (cell) by reciting Bismillah, which is "In the Name of
God, the Merciful, the Compassionate."
The lady did the
same and the necessity of a loan never arose again. It was this miraculous
incident which indicates the popular 'suffix' of the word of 'kaki' to Hazrat
Qutbuddin's name.
Learning of Quran by heart
Like his Pir-o-Murshid, Khwaja Qutbuddin also
entertained a burning love for the Holy Prophet ﷺ
as mentioned before in connection with his offering of 3000 'Darood-o-salaam'
(salutations) every night in praise of the Prophet ﷺ.
One day, in one of such meetings, he disclosed:“ In the beginning of my career as a dervish, I
could not succeed in remembering the Holy Quran by heart despite my very best
efforts to do so.
One night I saw the Holy Prophet ﷺ
in a dream. I fell
at his feet and represented my eagerness to learn the Holy Quran by heart.
The prophet expressed his compassion for me and asked
me to raise my head.
When I did so, he instructed me to repeat Surah Yusuf
(a chapter of the Holy Quran) which, he said, would enable me to learn the holy
book by heart.
Accordingly I carried out the command of the Prophet ﷺ and succeeded in learning the Quran by heart. ”
(This is a
precious hint for all those who want to learn the Holy Quran by heart).
Shaheed-e-Mohabbat (Martyr of God's love)
He was fond of music, and regarded it lawful, under
certain conditions and limitations.
Qazi Hamiduddin Nagauri and Sheikh Badruddin Ghaznavi
helped to bring Khwaja Qutbuddin in his state of wajd to his home, (the Qawwals
repeating the said couplet), where he remained in the same state for 3
consecutive days and nights and expired on the 4th day.
He passed away during such a recital. The Qawwals
began with the ode of Sheikh Ahmad Jam. When they sang the couplet:
"Kushtagan-e
Khanjar-e Tasleem ra;
Harzaman az Ghaib Jan Digar ast."
(Translation: For the victims of
the sword of divine love, there is new life every moment from the unseen).
On account of this extraordinary death, Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin is known
as "Shaheed-e-Mohabbat" (martyr of God's love).
At the time of death, Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin's head
was resting on the thigh of his beloved friend Qazi Hamiduddin Nagauri, while
both of his hands were in the lap of Sheikh Badruddin Ghaznavi.
Place of burial
A few weeks before his death, Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin
was returning home after the Idd prayer when he stayed at a place on the way
and told his companions: "I feel the smell of love coming out of this
place."
The owner of the land was summoned immediately and it
was purchased. This is the same place where the great saint was buried and
where his illustrious Dargah stands upto this day.
Stages in the
path of Sufism
Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin says; "According to
Mashaikh-e-Tariqat (great Sufis) there are 180 stages in the path of Sufism,
but according to Junaidia silsila there are 100 stages; according to Zunnooni
silsila there are 70 stages.
According to Ibrahim Bashar Haafi, there are 50
stages; according to Khwaja Bayazid Bastami, Abdulla Mubarik and Khwaja Safyaan
Soori, there are 45 stages in the path of Sufism.
According to Shah Shuja Kirmani, Samnoon Hujjat and
Khwaja Mar'Atish, there are 20 stages but according to the Chishtia silsila
there are only 15 stages.
All these various stages include a stage of miracles
or karaamaat also. Among these different 'silsilas' serially, the stages of
miracles stand at numbers 80, 50, 30, 25, 10 and 5 respectively.
It is however,
strictly warned that, after attaining the 'stage of miracles', a Sufi must
never disclose it because by doing so, he would be deprived of all the other
stages already attained by him, and all his hard earned and precious strivings
and lifelong devotion and 'Mujahedas' would be lost."
Divine secrets must never be disclosed
Hazrat Khwaja
Qutbuddin has strictly forbidden against the disclosure of the 'divine secrets'
in Sufism.
He says; "A
Sufi must have a very strong courage, will-power and tolerance to resist the
temptation of exposing divine secrets of his 'friend' (God)."
He gives his own example and says that he never
divulged the secrets of his Pir-o-Murshid under any circumstances although he
stayed with him for many years together.
According to him, Mansoor Hallaj (who
was crucified in the well-known episode of "Anal-Huq" was not a perfect
Sufi because he divulged the 'divine secret' and had to pay the penalty with
his life, as his story goes.
He said, "In the state of 'Sukr' Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi had to
suffer an extremely difficult time but he never disclosed his divine secrets to
any one.
Phoolwalon-ki-Sair
Festival
Kaki’s fame never declined. During the final years of
the Mughal rule, the British Resident banished the Mughal prince Mirza Jahangir
from Delhi.
The festival has its origins in 1812, when Queen Mumtaz Mahal, wife of the Mughal Emperor, Akbar Shah II (1806-1837) made a vow to offer a chadar and flower pankha at the Dargah and a pankha at the Yogmaya Mandir, also at Mehrauli.
Apparently, he did return and the tradition of decorating these two shrines is celebrated every September to this day.
The End
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