Qutub Jamal’s Successors Born in 699 A.H. Shakih Qutbu’d-Din Munawwar was an eminent murid of Shaikh Nizamu’d-Din Auliya.’ A grandson of Shaikh Jamalu’d-Din of Hansi, and the son of Shaikh Burhanu’d-Din, his childhood was spent in the highly spiritual atmosphere of the jama’at-khana. On the occasion of receiving his khilafat-nama, Shaikh Nasir’d-Din Chiragh-I Dilli congratulated Qutbu’d-Din Munawwar and asked him to relate the secret instructions he had obtained. Shaikh Munawwar replied: ‘The instructions of the Sultanu’l Masha’ikh, which he discloses to different disciples, embody divine secrets. These are imparted by a pir and cannot be divulged to anyone. Those given to you are your and those given to me are mine.’ Qutbu’d-Din was allowed to settle in Hansi and at the time of his departure from Delhi. Shaikh Nizamu’d-Din gave him the copy of the ‘Awarifu’l-Ma’arif which his grandfather had given the Shaikh to be passed on to his grandson. Shaikh Jamalu’d-Din had originally obtained it from Baba Farid at the time of receiving his khilafat-nama. Along with other disciples of the great Chisti saint, Shaikh Munawwar was adversely presented to the Sultan by enemies of the sufi movement. The Sultan, according to Amir Khwurd, dispatched a farman of two villages to the Shaikh through Sadr-I Jahan Qazi Kamalu’d-Din, to test his asceticism. Quoting a precedent set by Baba Farid, the Shaikh requested the Qazi to admonish those who acted contrary to the traditions of their pirs. Chastened, the Qazi related to the Sultan Shaikh Munawwar reply. A further confrontation between Shaikh Munawwar and Muhammad bin Tughluq occurred during the latter’s visit to Hansi, Before reaching the town he ordered it to be inspected. The report informed the Sultan that one of Shaikh Nizamu’d-Din’s disciples lived in Hansi, but did not anticipate paying homage in the traditional manner to his temporal ruler. Upon being summoned to attend the Sultan’s court, the Shaikh thanked God for not being forced to visit the Sultana at his own bidding. Putting his prayer carpet on his shoulders, and carrying his stick, he left Hansi accompanied by his son, Nuru’d-Din. Although he continued to plead that he was a stranger to court etiquette but on the advice of Firuz, who later succeeded Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq, the Shaikh relented and was presented to the Sultan. It appears that the ruler was deeply impressed to the Sultan. It appears that the ruler was deeply impressed by the Shaikh’s handshake, and mollified somewhat when he answered that he had failed to pay homage as he considered himself too unworthy to call on his rulers, adding that he had been occupied praying for welfare of the Sultan and the Muslims in his solitary retreat. Admitting he had been misled regarding the Shaikh’s character, through Firuz and Ziya’u’d-Din Barni, bestowed on him a gift of 100,000 tankers. On being pressed by them to accept the gift, the Shaikh consented only to receive 2,000 tankers which he gave in charity. Shaikh Nasiru’d-Din Chiragh-I-Dilli played a prominent role in the accession of Firuz Shah to the Dilhi Sultanate, and was apparently a great source of inspiration to the army which marched from Thatta to Delhi. When it reached Sarsuti, about 300 Kilometers from Delhi, Shaikh Nasiru’d-Din said to Sultan Firuz that his prayers had helped the army to reach Sarsuti, but from there onwards was the spiritual domain of Shaikh Qutbu’d-Din Munawwar and the Sultan should approach him for assistance. Qutbu’d-Din repled to the royal petition as follows: ‘As my brother, Shaikh Nasiru’d-Din has entrusted the care of the people to me, I pray God that Delhi may fall into your hands.’ On reaching Hansi, Sultan Firuz visited Shaikh Qutbu’d-Din Munawwar. Since the Shaikh was leaving for Friday prayers, he stopped outside his jama’at-khana and advised the Sultan both to stop drinking and refrain from continual indulgence in hunting, as the killing of animals should be necessitated only by human needs. When the Sultan asked the Shaikh to pray that his desire for this sport might be lessoned the Shaikh became enraged and implied that his advice was not being genuinely heeded. The Sultan’s gift of an expensive robe was refused. Shaikh Qutbu’d-Din son, Shaikh Nuru’d-Din, who had accompanied him to the Sultan’s court, rose to considerable eminence. When first entering the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq, the spectacle and pomp frightened him. But his father whispered to the child: ‘Greatness and power belong to God alone.’His terror immediately abated, and he saw the assembly of great nobles as a collection of mere lambs. The second Qutab in the line of Silsila Chishtia Jamalia, Khwaja Buhanuddin died in the year 699 A.H. at the age of 40. The third Qutab Hardat Qutubuddin Munawwar (b. 695 A.H.) departed to his heavenly home on 7th of Muhharram in the year 760 A.H. The fourth eminent Qutab Khawaja Nurruddin (b. 725 A.H.) died in the year 799 A.H. All the four illustrious Qutabs lie buried in Dargah Sharif Hansi.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 13:17:29 +0000