Islam in India and Hadhrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti

Before Hadhrat Khwaja Ghareebnawaz (May Allah Ta'ala shower His mercy on him), Islam had entered India through 2 paths.  In 2nd Hijri, when Sindh looted the gifts sent by the rulers of Ceylon, 17-year-old Muhammad Bin Qasim attacked Sindh and then again with Mahmood Ghaznawi.  Islam had arrived, but only a small percentage of the population was aware of it.  As given in Musalmaanon Ke Azeem Farmanrawa, Pg. No. 190.

 

At the other end of the subcontinent, from the era of the first 4 caliphs itself, Sahabah and Tab’ieen and others started landing on Indian shores.  With their arrival certainly these areas started reverberating with the Adhaan and the devotees of Taheed (unity of Allah Ta'ala) started gathering.

 

Allah Ta'ala selected Hadhrat Khwaja Ghareebnawaz (May Allah Ta'ala shower His mercy on him) for this great achievement that with his spiritual presence and efforts, Islam spread to all corners of the subcontinent.  Before the arrival of the Khwaja, Islam had arrived, but had not yet spread.  With his presence, Islam spread far and wide.

 

All the authoritative books on history agree that these calls of “Allahu Akbar,” the light of Tauheed in millions of hearts, this enthusiasm to lay down lives for truth, this atmosphere of peace and security, culture and refinement, universal love and brotherhood, all this and much more is all because of Hadhrat Khwaja Ghareebnawaz (May Allah Ta'ala shower His mercy on him).  His very talk revived millions of hearts and his character set the standards of truthfulness in the whole of the subcontinent.

 

Hadhrat Khwaja Ghareebnawaz (May Allah Ta'ala shower His mercy on him) arrived at Lahore from Ghazni.  There he visited the blessed grave of Hadhrat Data Ganj Baksh (May Allah Ta'ala shower His mercy on him) and then came to Delhi.  At that time, Delhi was the seat of the government of Prithiviraj Chauhan.  Then later on, Ajmer became the seat of the government.

 

Hadhrat Khwaja Ghareebnawaz came to India and the tests of his steadfastness started.  When Prithviraj Chauhan saw the light of Islam spreading, he could not bear it and tried to blow out the lamp of Islam.  He tried various methods to drive the lovers of Hadhrat Khwaja Ghareebnawaz out of India.  Wherever the Khwaja sat, he would be asked to leave.  The height of oppression was that the Khwaja and followers were forbidden to take water from Anasagar.  Soldiers stood guard at the banks of Anasagar.  In spite of all this, there was no change in the steadfastness of the Khwaja and in his eagerness and efforts to spread Islam.

 

Anasagar in a pot

 

When the attendant of the Khwaja went with a pot to take water from Anasagar, the soldiers prohibited him from doing so.  When attendant protested that even animals are not stopped from drinking water, the soldiers told him that they were worse than animals.  The attendant came back to the Khwaja and told him all that had happened.  The Khwaja told him to go back and tell the soldiers to give one pot of water for now and then they will make other arrangements for water.  When the attendant went back, the soldiers laughed at him and told him to take a pot of water.  The attendant dipped his pot in the water and was astonished to see that all the water of the lake had come into his pot.  The water about which the soldiers were proud of had become empty.  For them, this was the highest form of magic and they ran back helter-skelter.  The city of Ajmer was in uproar.  Everybody was surprised at the sudden drying up of Anasagar.

 

Some elite of Ajmer came to the Khwaja to return Anasagar to its former state.  Hadhrat Khwaja Ghareebnawaz gave a demonstration of Islamic principles of peaceful coexistence and told them that Islam doesn’t allow others to simply watch when even a dog was dying of thirst.  He ordered his attendant to pour back the water from the pot into the now dried up lake.  He did so and everybody was astonished to see that Anasagar was once again full.

 

After this, Prithviraj started troubling the dervishes who were the Khwaja even more than before.

 

When Prithiviraj did not desist from his oppression, then Hadhrat Khwaja Ghareebnawaz ended his rule with his spiritual power and created an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence by making Shihabuddin Ghouri the king.  Hadhrat Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi relates:

 

Prithviraj was troubling a disciple of the Khwaja.  The Khwaja sent him a message to desist from doing so, but he was full of pride and used indecent words for the disciple.  Then the Khwaja said:  I have arrested Prithviraj alive and handed him over to the Islamic army.  In these days, Shihabuddin Ghouri attacked Ajmer.  Prithviraj fought, but was arrested alive.  (Akhbaar Ul Akhyaar, Pg. No. 55; Mira'atul Asrar, Pg. No. 599, Siyar Ul Auliya, Pg. No. 56)

 

The spotless character and the lofty morals of the Khwaja had its illuminating effect on thousands of people, no less.  Only in one journey from Ajmer to Delhi 9,000,000 i.e. 9 million people embraced Islam.

 

After this the Khwaja sent his caliphs to all parts of the subcontinent to spread and propagate Islam.  Within a few years, the message of Islam became widespread in every nook and cranny of the subcontinent.  Hadhrat Syed Muhammad Bin Mubarak Kirmani, the caliph of Hadhrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya (May Allah Ta'ala shower His mercy on them) says about this revolution of peace:  It is a miracle of the Khwaja that this land up to the farthest corner was covered with idol worship.  People were oblivious of religion and the rules of religion.  They were incognizant of Allah Ta'ala and the Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  This chieftain of the folk of certitude dispelled the darkness of disbelief and the light of Islam spread far and wide.  He is really the helper of the religion (Mo’in Ud Deen).  In this land, whoever became a Muslim and whoever will become a Muslim until the Qiyamah, the reward of that will also reach Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Sanjari (May Allah Ta'ala shower His mercy on him).  (Siyar Ul Auliya, Pg. No. 57)

 

[Excerpted from Hadhrat Khwaja Ghareebnawaz – Hayat wa Taleemaat by Mufti Hafidh Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi Qadri]