Maudood Chishti


Khwajah Sayyid Qutubuddin Maudood Chishti رحمة الله عليه was an early day Sufi Saint, a successor to his father and master Abu Yusuf Bin Saamaan, twelfth link in the Sufi silsilah of Chishti Order, and the Master of Shareef Zandani. He was born around 430 Hijri in the city of Chisht. He initially received education from his father. He memorized the Qur'an by age 7 and completed his education when he was 16. His work includes two books, Minhaaj ul Arifeen and Khulaasat ul Shariah. He died in the month of Rajab at the age of 97 in 533 AH. He was buried at Chisht like many of the early Chishtiyya.

Tasawuf

Khwajah Sayyid Qutubuddin Maudood Chishti became the mureed of his father Khwajah Nasir Abu Yusuf Bin Saamaan Chisti. After he became a mureed, his murshid addressed him by saying, "O Qutubuddin Maudood adopt the path of the Faqr." The word "faqr" is literally translated as "poverty", but in the language of tasawwuf, it means to be rich with Allah.
It is for one to have total trust in Allah and not to be dependent on any other than Allah. Faqar is the way of true dervishes. Khwajah Maudood Al Chisti accepted his murshids advice. Shortly thereafter he went into seclusion and remained absorbed in worship for twenty years. During this period, he rarely ate and was reported to complete two recitations of the Quran during the day and two during the night. He also used to constantly make the zikr of La Ilaha Illallah.

Khwaja Maudood's Khalifa

Khwaja Mawdud Chishti visited Balkh and Bukhara, a place mentioned in the famous line of Hafez, "If that Turk of Shiraz would take my heart in his hand, I would give for his Hindu mole both Bukhara and Samarkand." Khwaja Haji Sharif Zindani, his successor, renounced everything. He led a life of strict seclusion for 40 years and hated society. He used to live on leaves of trees. Although several of the Chishtiyya stressed the value of asceticism, in general they said that seclusion and ascetic practice was for short periods only. Live in the midst of society rather than keep your spiritual ideals. It is said that the followers of Khwaja Qutubuddin were around 10,000, not including close friends and allies. It is impossible to enumerate Khwaja Mawdud's Khulafa. For the sake of barakat, a few are mentioned hereunder.
Among them the link in this Silsila is Khwaja Shareef Zindani. That is why his message spread. His influence spread west to Khurasan, Iraq, Syria, Hijaz, and Tihamah and in the south to Iran, Siestan and the subcontinent. In the west, his message was spread by the likes of Sharif Zindani and Khwaja Usman Harooni. Khwaja Qutubuddin was 29 when his father died and he inherited the throne. He never visited the rich or went to the royal courts. He was a simple man who led a simple life. He was always courteous to the needs of others. He always was the first to greet people and respected everyone.

Books

Chisti's works include two books, Minhaaj ul Areifeen and Khulaasat ul Shariah.

Sayings

  1. . The lover of sama' is a stranger to the outside world, but is a friend to God.
  2. . The mysteries of sama' are inexplicable. If you reveal them you are liable to punishment.

    Miracles

  • Moulana Zakariyah says: "Khwajah Maudood Chisti acquired the capabilities known as Kash-e-Quloob and Kashf-e-Quboor."
  • Whenever Khwaja Maudood Chishti wanted to see the Ka'aba, he could see it even though he was in Chisht.
  • Khwaja Qutbuddin Maudood Chishti's dead body flew in the air on its way to the graveyard. Khwaja Fareeduddin Ganj Shakar upon narrating this fell unconscious.

    Shijra-e-tareekat

Main source:
Early Sufis who, though not part of a formal order, are part of the spiritual chain:
  1. Hasan al-Basri
  2. Abdul Waahid Bin Zaid
  3. Fudhail Bin Iyadh
  4. Ibrahim Bin Adham
  5. Ḥudhayfa al-Marʿashī
  6. Abū Hubayra al-Baṣrī
  7. Mumshad Dinawari
Start of the Chishti Order:
  1. Abu Ishaq Shami
  2. Abu Ahmad Abdal
  3. Abu Muhammad Bin Abi Ahmad
  4. Abu Yusuf Bin Saamaan
  5. Maudood Chishti
  6. Shareef Zandani
  7. Usman Harooni
  8. Moinuddin Chishti
  9. Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki
  10. Fariduddin Ganjshakar
After Fariduddin Ganjshakar the Chishti Order in Hind split into two branches i.e. the Chishti-Nizami founded by Nizamuddin Auliya and the Chishti-Sabri founded by Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari.

Family tree

  1. Imam Ali al Murtaza
  2. Imam Hasan al Mujtaba
  3. Hasan al Muthanna
  4. Abdullah al Mahd
  5. Hasan
  6. Majad ul Muali
  7. Hasan
  8. Yahya
  9. Ibrahim
  10. Sultan Farghana
  11. Abu Ahmed Abdal
  12. Amatullah
  13. Nasruddin Abu Yusuf
  14. Qutbuddin Maudood

    Images