The Sufi who enlightened

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Sadia Dehlvi [1]

On the 18th of Ramzan falls the annual urs of Hazrat Naseeruddin, the celebrated spiritual successor of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya who came to be called, Roshan Chiragh Dilli, the Radiant Lamp of Delhi. His Master bestowed the title for he lit lamps with water instead of oil, to facilitate the construction of a water tank after the hostile ruler Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq banned the sale of oil.

Naseeruddin Mahmud was born around 1276 AD at Ayodhya, where his grandfather migrated from Central Asia. The family traces its lineage to Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad. His father died when he was nine-years-old and was brought up by his mother. Drawn to asceticism, the boy spent most of his time engaged in prayer and fasting. At the age of 25, he abandoned the world and embraced the Sufi way.
The search for a spiritual mentor brought the mystic to Delhi where he became a disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin. Used to an ascetic life in the jungles of Awadh, the Sufi aspirant expressed the desire to return to a life of seclusion. The Master ordered that the disciple remain in Delhi, suffering hardships and indignities that people would inflict on him. A few months before his death, Hazrat Nizamuddin appointed Hazrat Naseeruddin as his spiritual successor.
Hazrat Naseeruddin lived in Delhi for 32 years. Following the Chisthi tradition he kept an open kitchen where food was distributed. His early years were steeped in poverty and many nights were spent without a flicker of light. Often, the mystic would cover his tattered garments with his master’s cloak.
Shaykh Naseeruddin fiercely fought Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq’s theory of the state and religion being inseparable. The Chishti Masters traditionally isolated themselves from the court, believing that engaging in government matters hindered spiritual achievements.
Tughlaq made it extremely difficult for the Sufi to continue living in Delhi. The ruler had forced the population of the capital city to move to his new capital in the Deccan. The exodus caused a large void in the social, cultural and religious life of Delhi. The strained relationship with Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq created a serious problem for the Chishti movement in Delhi. It took Hazrat Naseeruddin tremendous effort to rebuild the activities that had been dismantled due to the Sultan’s eccentric decision. The Sultan resented the popularity of Sufis over the orthodox clergy, whom he utilised to influence public opinion. The Sufi faced the crisis with patience and believed this was the ordeal his master wished him to endure.
Hazrat Naseeruddin believed it was necessary to associate with people and at the same time withdraw from worldly affairs. He stressed upon the importance of earning a livelihood by honest means and warned that black marketing led to the ruin of a society. He emphasised the importance of breath control during meditation, defining a perfect Sufi as one with articulated breath. He fasted regularly and ate very little at permissible times. Following in his Master’s footsteps, Hazrat Naseeruddin chose to remain unmarried.
One day after offering the afternoon prayers Naseeruddin retired to his room. A qalandar by the name of Turab entered the room and stabbed him with a knife inflicting 11 wounds on his body. Seeing blood gushing out of the drain near the jamaatkhana, some disciples rushed inside and stopped Turab from further attacking the Sufi. They wanted to retaliate but the Shaykh forbade them, showing concern for the assailant. He then asked Turab for forgiveness, lest the knife had hurt the assailant’s hand, and made the disciples promise that they would not harm Turab in any way.
When news of the assault spread, people came out crying and wailing on the streets. The then Sultan, Firoz Shah Tughlaq said that Turab be handed over to the state or punished. The Shaykh gave Turab 25 silver tankas, asking people to forgive him just as he had. Under the protection of the Hazrat Naseeruddin, the assailant left Delhi unharmed.
The great Sufi survived three years after the assault on his life, dying on 18 Ramzan 1356. He lies buried in an area of south Delhi now known as Chiragh Dilli, the same place where Hazrat Naseeruddin lived and showed people the way to God.

— Sadia Dehlvi is a Delhi-based writer and author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam. She can be contacted at sadiafeedback@gmail.com [2]