There are hymns and sloks bearing the name of Farid found in the Granth Sahib. The Persian historian Farishta states that when Taimur Lang approached Ajodhan (Pak Pattan) in the Panjab in the year A. D. 1318, Sad-ul-Din, [1] a grandson of Shaikh Farid, who was then on his spiritual throne, fled with several of the leading inhabitants of the city to Bhatner in the state of Bikaner, where [ p. 357 ] they subsequently made peace with the invaders. Guru Nanak was born in A. D. 1469, so he could not have met the original Farid. It is stated too in the oldest account of the Guru’s life that it was with Shaikh Brahm (Ibrahim), Farid’s successor, known as Farid the Second, he had two interviews. It is certain that it was Shaikh Brahm who composed the sloks and hymns bearing the name of Farid in the Granth Sahib, though he used the name of the founder of his spiritual line as his poetical nom de plume.
The following is the genealogy of Shaikh Brahm. He was the son of Khwaja Shaikh Muhammad, who was son of Diwan Pir Ataulla, who was son of Diwan Shaikh Ahmad Shah, who was son of Diwan Pir Baha-ul-Din styled Harun, who was son of Khwaja Munawwar Shah, who was son of Khwaja Diwan Pir Fazal, who was son of Khwaja Diwan Muiz-ulDin, who was son of Khwaja Diwan Pir Ala-ul-Din called Mauj-i-darya— a wave of piety— who was son of Diwan Badar-ul-Din Sulaiman, who was son of Hazrat Baba Farid-ul-Din Masaud Shakar Ganj, the original Farid of Pak Pattan.
Shaikh Brahm holds a distinguished place in the list of great saints, and bears several titles or appellations. He is called Farid Sani or Farid the Second, Salis Farid or the arbitrator Farid, Shaikh Brahm Kalan (Shaikh Brahm the elder), Bal Raja, Shaikh Brahm Sahib, and Shah Brahm. He is said to have performed many miracles. The following is given as an example. A thief once entered his house with criminal intent, but by God’s will was struck blind and could not find his way out. When Shaikh Brahm rose at night to pray, he told his servant to fetch water for his ablutions. The servant saw the blind thief standing helpless on the floor, and informed his master. The thief prayed for forgiveness, and promised that, if he recovered his sight, he would renounce his evil ways. Upon this Shaikh [ p. 358 ] Brahm prayed for him ; he recovered his sight, and became a devout Musalman. Another of Shaikh Brahm’s miracles is this. In a season of drought he took off his turban and began to whirl it about, upon which rain fell abundantly.
Two sons of Shaikh Brahm are mentioned— one Shaikh Taj-ul-Din Mahmud, a great saint, and another Shaikh Munawwar Shah Shahid. Shaikh Brahm had several disciples, such as Shaikh Salim Chishti Fatahpuri, Shaikh Almadi of Chunian, Baba Ahmad Lanak of Dipalpur, Maulvi Jalal-ul-Din of Shaikhabad, Shah Abdul Fatah of Ghazipur, Haji Niamat Ulla of Shaikhupur, &c.
Shaikh Brahm died on the 21st of Rajab, A. H. 960 (A. D. 1552), after a spiritual reign of forty-two years. The Khulasat-ul-Tawarikh states that he was buried at Sarhind. Whatever other details are known of him have been given in the life of Guru Nanak, who went on two occasions to meet and converse with him.
There is a great deal known or written regarding the original Shaikh Farid, and it appears that this sketch would be incomplete without some account of him. [2] Two genealogies of Shaikh Farid, subsequently called Farid Shakar Ganj, are given in [ p. 359 ] the Jawahir-i-Faridi— one spiritual, the other temporal. He received his spiritual position from his priest Khwaja Qutub-ul-Din Bakhtiyar Ushi [3] of Dihli, whose spiritual predecessors ascend in a direct line to the Prophet of Makka. Farid’s temporal or family genealogy is traced back through princes and kings to Hazrat Amir-ul-Mumanin Umr-bin-ul Khitab Qureshi Makki Faruqi, the second Khalifa of the Muhammadans.
When Farrukh Shah, from whom Farid was descended, was king of Kabul, the kings of Ghazni and other states were subject to him. When Kabul was subsequently captured by the king of Ghazni, Farrukh Shah’s son went to him in quest of a livelihood. The king of Ghazni treated him with respect, and not only restored him his kingdom of Kabul, but gave him his daughter in marriage. It would appear that the kings of Ghazni and Kabul at the time were relations, for Shaikh Farid’s father, Shaikh Jamal-ul-Din, was nephew of the king of Ghazni.
Shaikh Farid’s great-grandfather was killed in the struggles of that period. [4] Farid’s grandfather, Shaikh Shaib, with his relations, including three sons, the eldest of whom was Jamal-ul-Din Sulaiman, abandoned their country and took refuge in the Panjab in A. H. 519 (A. D. 1125). The Qazi of Kasur, who had been educated in Kabul and who was acquainted with the high position Shaikh Shaib had held there, treated him and his relatives with great respect and hospitality. [5] After some time Shaikh Shaib proceeded [ p. 360 ] to Multan where he deemed he should be less exposed to worldly influences or the temptings of ambition. When he heard of the attentions in store for him in that city, he decided that he could not there carry out his intention to lead a life of obscurity and self-effacement. He accordingly took up his abode in Kothiwal, now known as Chawali Mushaikh, not far from Dipalpur.
Shaikh Shaib, established in Kothiwal a private college for religious instruction, and in spite of himself attracted much attention. His eldest son Jamal-ul-Din married Bibi Miriam, [6] daughter oi Saiyid Muhammad Abdula Shah— a descendant of Ali — and adopted daughter of Maulvi Wajih-ul-Din, a descendant of Abbas, uncle of the Prophet of Makka. Wajih-ul-Din had fled from Kabul during political difficulties and taken up his abode in Karor in the Multan district. Miriam is described as a very pious lady and worker of some great miracles. She had three sons, Khwaja Aziz-ul-Din, Farid-ul-Din Masaud, Khwaja Najib-ul-Din, and one daughter, Bibi Khatun Jamila, the mother of Saiyad Ala-ulDin Ali Ahmad Sabir.
Nizam-ul-Din Auliya, a disciple of Farid, relates a legend of a robber who went to Farid’s mother’s house to steal. On beginning his operations he lost his sight. He then cried out that there must be some saint or miracle- worker present. He vowed that, if his lost sight were restored, he would renounce thieving and become a good Muhammadan. On hearing this vow Miriam prayed for him, and his sight was restored. He went home, and returned to her the following morning with an offering of milk. Accompanied by his wife and children, he expressed a desire that they should all become Muhammadans. [ p. 361 ] Miriam caused his wishes in this respect to be gratified, with the result that they all became holy. In reply to her, he said his name was Chawa. His shrine among others in that locality subsequently became a place of devout pilgrimage.
When Farid was conceived, his mother used to spend her days and nights in prayer. He was born at Kothiwal on the first day of the month of Ramzan, A. H. 569 (A. D. 1173). The night of his birth was dark and cloudy, and the moon, whose appearance indicates the beginning of Ramzan— the Muhammadan Lent— could not be seen, so men did not know when to begin their fast. A holy man arrived and said that a wonderful son had been born to Jamal-ul-Din Sulaiman. If the infant suckled, the time for fasting had not yet begun, but if, on the contrary, he refused the breast, then all good Muhammadans must fast. Farid did not suckle, and so it was apparent the fast had begun. During the whole of the month of Ramzan, it is said, the infant only took milk by night in the Muhammadan fashion and fasted by day.
When Farid was a few years old his mother taught him his prayers. The boy asked what was gained by prayer. His mother replied ‘ Sugar ’. She used accordingly to hide some sugar under his prayercarpet, and, when he had finished his prayers, draw it forth, and give it to him as a reward for his devotion. On one occasion, when his mother was absent, he prayed a great deal, and, it is said, a great supply of sugar— a miraculous gift of God— was found under his carpet. Some he ate himself and the rest he gave to his playfellows. He related the circumstance to his mother on her return. It was then his mother gave him the surname Shakar Ganj, meaning a treasury of sugar.
The following is another version of the reason why the name Shakar Ganj was bestowed on Farid. It is related that, when the Prophet Muhammad ascended [ p. 362 ] into heaven, God gave him a plate of sugar, which He said was from the treasury of a saint who should be born in his sect. The Prophet was to eat some of it himself, and give the remainder to his disciples. When the Prophet returned to earth, his friends asked him whence he had obtained the sugar. He replied that a holy man should be born in his sect, who would become a mediator for sinners. When the Prophet was asked the holy man’s name he said, ‘ He shall receive from God the name Farid, as being fard-i-alam, unique in the world, and he shall be called by me Shakar Ganj.’ A third reason for the name will subsequently be given.
His mother sent Farid to school at the age of four or five years. In a short time he committed the whole of the Quran to memory. He was then sent to Multan, where he became proficient in secular learning. His mother, it is said, was then counselled by an angel to send him on a pilgrimage to Makka. Farid himself had previously conceived the same desire, though he was then hardly more than a child. He was at the time reading the Abul Nafa with Saiyid Nazir Ahmad. When the latter heard of Farid’s intended departure, he began to weep at the loss of his beloved pupil. His parents then resolved to take the boy’s preceptor also. They set out from Kothiwal on the 13th day of Jamadi ul Sani, A. H. 585, and arrived in the harbour of Jadda on the 12th of Zi Qada of the same year, that is, after a journey of five months. Thence they proceeded to Makka.
Farid’s party stayed in the house of Abdul Rahim Ansari, whose wife was very attentive to them. They heard that Abdul Qadir Jilani, styled Hazrat Ghaus Pak Qutub-i-Alam, had come from Baghdad to perform the great Muhammadan pilgrimage, and taken up his position in the cave of Hura on mount Abu Qabis near Makka. [7] Hazrat Ghaus’s praises [ p. 363 ] were in every body’s mouth, and Farid did not conceal his admiration of the distinguished saint. An unkempt faqir on hearing Farid’s language foretold the boy’s subsequent greatness. The faqir whispered something into his ear, and he at once became insensible. He was taken up and carried to Abdul Rahim’s house.
Farid afterwards averred that while he was in this state of apparent insensibility the Prophet appeared to him, and foretold his future distinction and the fame of his shrine. Muhammad promised he would stand on Farid’s tomb every fifth day of the Muharram for nine hours through all time. Farid’s mother suggested to him to commit to writing all the details of his interview with the Prophet ; but the memorandum made in obedience to his mother’s suggestion has not been found. <
When the pilgrimage to Makka was over, Hazrat Ghaus invited Farid and his party to visit him in his cave. Hazrat Ghaus there produced an iron box containing relics of the Prophet. They consisted of two banners which used to precede him in war, two covers for them, a cup made of olive wood, a pair of buskins, a saffron-coloured turban, and some alpaca cloth for a neckcloth. When these things after examination were restored to the iron box, it was placed on Farid’s head and bestowed on him.
After this Farid’s party went to visit Madina, and after a brief sojourn there returned to India. On their way from the sea they visited Ajmer, where Farid received instruction from Khwaja Gharib Nawaz.
Farid was in due time sent to Kabul to study theology. Having completed his course there he returned to Multan. At Minhaj-ul-Din’s mosque he met the saint Qutub-ul-Din, and became his disciple. Farid’s cousin, Baha-ul-Din Zakaria, [8] Saiyid Jalal-ul-Din [ p. 364 ] Bukhari, and Lai Shahbaz Qalandar asked Farid to join them on a religious peregrination. They were to proceed as fancy dictated in quest of some man of eminent sanctity. Farid said that he only believed in his own priest Qutub-ul-Din. Baha-ulDin, however, pressed him to join the party, and Farid finally consented. On the j ourney they arrived at a place where two ways met. On one way which was short there were thieves, while on the other which was long they might travel in safety. Baha-ul-Din advised them to go by the safe road even though it cost more trouble, lest they might be deprived of the money they had with them for their travelling expenses. Farid . gave it as his opinion that they should divest themselves of everything that was likely to be stolen, and then proceed by the short road. This advice was adopted.
On their way they arrived at the river Indus, where they found fishermen casting nets. Farid and his party were hungry and agreed to cast nets into the river, each in his turn and in his own name, in the hope of catching some fish for their dinner. The nets were cast and found empty until it came to Farid’s turn. His net became so full of fish, and therefore so heavy, that the fishermen could not draw it out of the water. Farid repeating Bismillah easily drew it forth.
The party then proceeded to cross the river. On the opposite shore there lived a saint called Shaikh Suf, under whose spiritual guidance Farid and his party wished to place themselves. Shaikh Suf told Farid and his friends that he had no power to make them his disciples, and referred them to Shaikh Shahab-ul-Din Saharwardi, the cynosure of the age, who lived in Bukhara. Farid and his three friends then set put for Bukhara. Shahab-ul-Din declared that Farid was a man of wonderful courage, and destined to obtain a high spiritual position. At the same time he ought to return to his own priest [ p. 365 ] Qutub-ul-Din. Before the return of the party Bahaul-Din became a disciple of Shahab-ul-Din.
As Farid, Baha-ul-Din, Saiyid Jalal-ul-Din Bukhari, and Lai Shahbaz Qalandar were returning from Bukhara they stayed near a village in Sindh. A charitable person gave them a little corn for food, which they much required after a long fast. Farid bade his companions go and pray in the forest, while he took the corn to the village to be ground. He went to a woman’s house and asked her to grind the corn and take some of the flour for her labour. She seeing that he was very handsome invited him into her house, and told him that he might grind the corn himself. When he entered, she proposed that he should make love to her. Preparatory to the hoped-for act she put her child of three months old into a cradle. Farid repulsed her, and when she further pressed her proposal took to flight; She then cried out, called all her neighbours to witness an indecent assault, and charged the runaway with having dishonoured her. The villagers collected, pursued and arrested Farid, and took him before the magistrate. He was called upon for his defence, and asked to produce witnesses of his innocence if he had any ; otherwise he should suffer the punishment provided for such a heinous crime. Farid said his witness was the woman’s child, who would support his statements. The child was brought to court in his cradle. Farid adjured the child by his Creator to speak the truth, and tell what had occurred. He, to the astonishment of all, not only spoke intelligently, but gave evidence calculated to completely establish Farid’s innocence. Upon this the magistrate rebuked and imprisoned the woman.
When Farid reached Khwaja Qutub-ul-Din, the latter was at the height of his fame. The author of the Jawahir-i-Faridi states that he enjoined the observance of the following four rules on all who aspired to perfection— sleep little, eat little, speak [ p. 366 ] little, associate little with the world. Farid said that, even were every hair on his body a tongue, he could not describe Qutub-ul-Din’s virtues. [9]
Qutub-ul-Din, on finding Farid deficient in scholarship, sent him to the shrine of Abdul Shakur of Sarsa to finish his education. [10] On that occasion Farid repeated the following : —
O Farid, thou hast not walked in God’s way ; therefore He hath not appeared unto thee.
Who is there who hath knocked at God’s door for whom it hath not been opened ?
Lose thy life on the way of the Friend if thou desire to be eyen as those holy men.
The high reputation Farid obtained in Dihli soon became irksome to him. He therefore made his way to Hansi, where he remained for some time. Meantime his high priest in Dihli appears to have died. Upon this Farid paid a second visit to that city, and assumed the mantle of his late spiritual guide. He ultimately left it in the keeping of Jamal-ul-Din of Hansi, and thence proceeded to Ajodhan, the present Pak Pattan, where he afterwards died, and where his followers now reside and receive offerings at his shrine.
[ p. 367 ]
The manner in which the name of the place became changed to Pak Pattan may be here stated. A canal which derived its water from the Satluj passed near the town. It was usual for all who visited Farid to wash their hands and feet there. The place then became known as Baba Sahib ka Pak Pattan, or Farid’s cleansing ferry.
When Farid first went to Ajodhan, it is said that he lived on the fruit of the jal and the wild caper. These formed his staple food even when he subsequently became great and famous.
Abu Musalla, a qazi of Pak Pattan, grew jealous of the new-comer Farid, and complained to the subadar of Multan that he sang and danced. The subadar forwarded the complaint to the Emperor, who issued an order, as usual, in the Persian language, ‘ Anra az shahar ba dar kuned,’ turn him out of the city. When this order reached the subadar he read, ‘ Qazira az shahar ba dar kuned,’ turn the qazi out of the city. The words, it was said, had been miraculously changed during the transit of the order from Dihli to Multan. When the qazi heard of the order he, deeming repentance convenient and more profitable than expulsion, fell at Farid’s feet, implored his forgiveness, and became his disciple. The qazi in due time gave his daughter in marriage to Farid’s son Makhdum Badr-ul-Din. From this marriage was born Hazrat Ala-ul-Din Mauj-i-Darya.
Farid after some time, in accordance with his mother’s advice, went to a forest, and lived there as an anchoret for twelve years, subsisting on the leaves of trees. On his return she began to comb his dishevelled hair. Farid complained that the operation caused him pain. His mother replied that he must have caused similar pain to the trees when he robbed them of their leaves and fruit for food. It is written in the Quran that everything prays to God, hence the trees must be sentient beings. Farid then felt for the first time that his penance had been profit [ p. 368 ] less. He accordingly set out on another pilgrimage of twelve years. This time, so as not to hurt any living thing, he tied a wooden cake to his stomach, and, it is said, subsisted on the imaginary sustenance it afforded him for the full term of his vow. If any one asked him to eat, he used to point to the wooden cake, and say that he had already dined, and that the remainder of his meal was attached to his stomach. One day in the dire pangs of hunger, it is said, he bit the wooden cake in the hope of satisfying his appetite. The reputed marks of his teeth are shown on a piece of wood still preserved in Pak Pattan.
Farid in his wanderings visited in A. D. 1244 the Girar hill in the Wardha district of Central India, and lived there for some time. Two travellers, who at first mocked him and subsequently felt the effects of his miraculous power, became his disciples. They died on the hill where their graves are still pointed out.
Farid subsequently visited the hill of Datar in the state of Junagarh and abode there for some time. He was known under the name of Shakar Bhai. His fireplace near a spring called Qalandar ka chashma — the Qalandar’s well — is still pointed out and revered by pilgrims. Hindu lepers visit the place to be healed of their malady, and in the event of success become Musalmans. Of such are the men in a temple on the slope of the hill, who have acquired several well-marked Muhammadan characteristics.
His mother, finding that Farid on his return had not lost all remnants of pride, dismissed him to do penance for a third period of twelve years. This time, it is said, he caused himself to be suspended by the feet in a well. He used sometimes, when wearied by the unnatural position of his body, to go out and pray, and express his satisfaction with the Divine will. It is said that birds used*to build their nests in his hair, and beasts of prey to peck at or devour his flesh. He composed the following couplet in reference to these circumstances ; —
[ p. 369 ]
Farid, thy body is on the stake ; thy head hath become a cage ; the crows peck at thy feet.
If God come to me even now, happy shall be my lot.
This couplet was subsequently expanded into the 90th, 91st, and 92nd sloks of Shaikh Brahm found in the Granth Sahib. After twelve years thus occupied it is said a voice called out to him, ‘ God will grant any favour thou askest.’ Farid replied that he only desired salvation.
Farid, on being questioned why he had endured so much penance, said that he desired to save all the followers of Muhammad whom he could fold within his arms. His questioner replied, ‘ Thou canst fold only two men within thine arms’. Farid then stretched out his hands, whereupon one of them seemed to reach to the east and the other to the west, and he said, ‘ All persons within the circuit of my arms shall accept Islam and be saved.’ His questioner stood abashed on hearing this and became his disciple.
It is stated in the Gulshan-i-Auliya that God had an understanding with Farid, that He should give him three terms of life of forty years each. After the first forty years God said, ‘ Thou hast been searching for Me.’ After the second forty God said, ‘ Thou hast done My bidding.’ After the third forty God again said, ‘ Thou hast done My bidding ; now I will do thine.’ It would thus appear that after a holy career Farid died at the age of one hundred and twenty years. Other writers, however, as we shall see, assign the saint a shorter period of life.
The fame of Farid’s miracles widely extended, and some men through envy became exceedingly hostile to him. Two darweshes, displeased at his high reputation for sanctity and thaumaturgy, came from a great distance to kill himf Farid spoke gently to his intended murderers, with the result that they departed fully satisfied that he was a great saint, and deserved praise rather than censure, long life rather than death.
[ p. 370 ]
After that two saints arrived from Mount Lebanon to decide the question as to who was the spiritual ruler of India. On making Farid’s acquaintance, they became so enamoured of the beauty and saintliness of his character, that they decided to pass the remainder of their lives in his service. Others arrived on the same errand and from the same locality, so it was said that Lebanon was denuded of its male population. Farid in due time dismissed them all, saying that Lebanon was the home of saints, and they ought not to abandon it.
In the train of other holy men who came from Ghazni, Kabul, and the cities to the west of it to engage in missionary enterprise in India, was Ahmad Danyal of Bukhara [11] , the father of Nizam-ul-Din Auliya. Having stayed for some time at Lahore, Ahmad Danyal in A. D. 1234 proceeded to Badaun, then a famous city of Muhammadan learning. There, three years after his arrival, Nizam-ul-Din, originally called Muhammad, was born to him. Nizam-ul-Din was left an orphan at the age of five years. He was carefully and piously instructed by his mother Zulaikha, and in early youth showed such extraordinary ability, that he was known as Nizam-ul-Din Bahhas, or the Controversialist, and Mahfil-Shikan, the assembly-router. On arriving at manhood he was offered by the Emperor the coveted post of Qazi at Dihli, but, that being principally of a secular character, he preferred to embrace a religious life, and become a disciple of Farid. From him, according to Abul Fazal, author of the Ain-i-Akbari, he obtained the key of the treasury of inward illumination.
Nizam-ul-Din had heard much of Farid, and longed to meet him and receive his spiritual instruction. Farid too was equally anxious to meet such a holy man. He said he had had an inspiration to confer the spiritual sovereignty of Hindustan on a man [ p. 371 ] called Nizam-ul-Din. Accordingly, when the two holy men met, Farid gave Nizam-ul-Din his patched coat and wooden shoes, and appointed him head of the Muhammadan faith in India. He bade him be of good cheer and promised ever to assist him. On that occasion Farid made the following couplet : —
The fire of separation from thee roasteth our hearts ;
The torrent of thy love destroy eth our lives.
These lines were intended to compliment Nizamul-Din on his personal popularity, and the love with which he inspired his associates.
In the time of the Emperor Nasir-ul-Din there was a celebrated preacher called Afsah-ul-Din in Dihli. He visited Farid in Ajodhan to hold a religious controversy with him, and was encountered by Nizamul-Din, whom Farid deputed for the purpose. Nizamul-Din gave Afsah-ul-Din most unexpectedly clever and satisfactory replies to all his arguments, whereat he marvelled greatly and departed, saying, ’ If the disciple is so, what must the master be ? ’ Farid ultimately made Afsah-ul-Din a disciple of his.
Farid used generally to reject offerings of money. One day the emperor presented him with two plates of gold coins. Farid would only accept two muhars out of the imperial offerings. Those he accepted were devoted to the purchase of provisions for his public kitchen ; the remainder he ordered to be distributed among faqirs. In the process of distribution two of the coins fell and were picked up by a disciple of Farid. Farid not observing this began to pray, but could not fix his thoughts on God. He knew therefore that some one in the assembly must have worldly dross on him. After much inquiry he became aware of the act of his disciple, and ordered him to throw away the coins immediately. It was only then that Farid could fix his attention on his devotions.
As an example of Farid’s frugal habits, the following [ p. 372 ] anecdote is related. Nizam-ul-Din Auliya one day cooked some coarse lentils which he seasoned with borrowed salt. Farid ordered him to distribute the lentils and then give him his share. When it was brought to Farid, he said that it savoured of excessive expenditure. Nizam-ul-Din admitted that he had seasoned it with borrowed salt, whereupon Farid said he had done wrong. Food obtained in that way should not be eaten. Upon this Farid sent the food away.
Farid accompanied Baha-ul-Din Zakaria at his request on another journey, namely, to the mountain of Qaf, the Caucasus. On descending therefrom they are said to have seen a man with a fiery dress riding on a fiery tiger, an allegory intended to represent the burning zeal of the first propagators of Islam. The man put Farid behind him, and rode off with him for the conversion of the world.
Farid, on returning to Ajodhan from his missionary journey, was hospitably received and entertained by Shaikh Nasir UHa’s mother, a widow named Bibi Um-i-Qulsum, whom he afterwards married. She brought him valuable building land to the west of the town. Farid cherished Nasir Ulla, and educated and brought him up as his own son.
During Farid’s absence in the Caucasus a Jogi gained great spiritual ascendancy over the people of Ajodhan, and made many converts among them. In due time they all returned to Farid, who promptly repaired the mischief that had been done, and restored his flock to their former spiritual allegiance.
The Emperor Nasir-ul-Din deputed Nawab Alif Khan to present Farid with a large sum of money in gold and a perpetual grant of the revenue of four villages. Farid refused both the money and the grant, and told Alif Khan to take them to those who needed them. If he himself accepted them, he would no longer be reckoned a darwesh. Men would upbraid him for his worldliness, and on the day of judgement [ p. 373 ] he would not be allowed . to take his place in the ranks of the elect. On this occasion Farid cited the precepts and example of his priest Qutub-ul-Din Bakhtiyar Ushi. Once the Emperor Shams-ul-Din Altmish sent him a dish of gold and silver coins and a lease of six villages, Qutub-ul-Din rejected the royal offerings, saying that none of his predecessors had ever accepted such things, and, were he to do so, he would be no true follower of theirs.
When Nawab Alif Khan was on his return journey to Dihli, it occurred to him that the Emperor Nasirul-Din had no heir, and he reflected that, if he could secure Farid’s intercession, he might become emperor himself. He therefore returned to Farid who gave him the following verses :—
The great Faridun was not an angel ;
He was not constructed out of rose-water and ambergris ;
He obtained greatness by his justice and generosity.
Dispense thou justice and generosity, and thou shalt be even as Faridun.
Alif Khan receiving these lines joyfully returned to Dihli, and ultimately, on the death of Nasir-ul-Din, was saluted emperor under the title of Ghiyas-ul-Din Balban. [12]
Farid went to Dihli during the life- time of Nasirul-Din and received a most hospitable reception. The Emperor introduced him to his queens and made them his disciples. While in the female apartments Farid’s glance fell on Hazabra, the Emperor’s daughter. Farid first looked at her, and then looked up to. heaven. He inquired whose daughter she was, and on being duly informed took his departure. The .Emperor understood Farid’s desire, and sent his prime minister tojpffer him Hazabra in marriage. Farid, who had already made up his mind on the subject, said that God, the Prophet, and the elders of the Ghishtis had all given him orders to ally [ p. 374 ] himself with the Emperor’s daughter. He averred that he had seen a sign on Hazabra’s forehead that she was intended for him. Upon that occasion Farid addressed God—‘ Thou hast drawn away my heart from Thy love, and inclined it in another direction,’ God is said to have replied— ‘Perform the marriage for the love of my friend the Prophet.’ Farid prayed God to pardon him. God again replied— ‘ I have an object in this. When sons are born to thee, it shall be to the advantage of thy people, and they shall be pardoned.’ Farid, still anxious on the subject, urged, ‘ If any of my descendants sin, I shall be called to account in Thy court.’ God replied, ‘ Keep the good children thyself, and entrust the bad ones to Me.’
Farid and the Emperor’s daughter were duly married. The Emperor sent three hundred servants to wait on her. Of these Farid only allowed her to retain two men and two women. The first night the lady, richly apparelled, lay on a gorgeous couch. Farid produced his prayer-carpet, and slept on it on the ground near her. Next day she told her nurse that Farid had not approached her. The nurse remonstrated with him on the subject. He replied that he did not approve of the regal style the lady had adopted. She must sell her jewels and rich dresses, devote the price of them to God’s service, and wear the habit of a darwesh. When the lady received this message, she said she would do as her husband had ordered. She accordingly devoted the proceeds of the sale of her jewels and dresses to the relief of the poor. Farid then procured for her wear a coarse jacket of a dirty brown colour, black paejamas, green glass bangles, and a pewter nose-ring. The Emperor was not pleased that his daughter should appear in such mean habiliments, and again supplied her with new clothes and jewellery to wear instead of what she had rejected at her husband’s desire. The new articles she again gave to the [ p. 375 ] poor. A third time the Emperor sent her what he deemed suitable apparel and ornaments, but she and her husband parted with them as before. The Emperor continued to send her presents, but they were only a source of disagreement between her husband and herself. At last the lady proposed that they should leave Dihli and proceed to Pak Pattan. This was agreed upon. Farid left his brother Najibul-Din to do spiritual duty for him in Dihli. It may be here stated that the females of the shrine are still married in dresses similar to what Farid procured for his wife. After the honeymoons raiment more suitable to their, worldly position is adopted.
The Emperor’s daughter bore Farid five sons-— Badr-ul-Din, Shahab-ul-Din, Nizam-ul-Din, Yaqub, and Abdulla Shah ; and three daughters— Fatima, Mastura, and Sharif a. In the Itrat-i-Faridi it is stated that Farid had a third wife named Najib-ulNissa, sister of Shaikh Zakaria, and we shall subsequently see that he procured a fourth wife on the Panjab mountains.
Farid being once very ill sent Nizam-ul-Din and other darweshes to a cemetery to pray for him. The idea was and is, that prayers offered in the presence of men who have gone to God, are acceptable and successful. The prayer, however, proved of no avail. Upon this one of the darweshes remarked that the prayers of the worthless were of no advantage to the perfect, that is, the prayers of ordinary darweshes could not benefit Farid. This expression was subsequently repeated to Farid by Nizam-ul-Din. Farid was pleased with the compliment and, it is said, granted Nizam-ul-Din supernatural power. Nizam-ul-Din then returned to the cemetery, prayed for Farid’s recovery^ and on his return found him in perfect health.
To show the spiritual and social position held by the family it is related that Farid addressed his cousin as ‘ Hazrat Ghaus Shaikh Baha-ul-Din Zakaria ’. [ p. 376 ] His cousin addressed him in reply, ‘ Mashuq-i-Khuda wa ashik-i-zat-i-Kibria Farid, fard-i-alam, Shah Shakar Ganj Ajodhani Chishti ’—Beloved of God and loving the Almighty Being, Farid, unique in the world, king, treasury of sugar, Chishti of Ajodhan.
Shaikh Badr-ul-Din, descended from a noble family of Ghazni, was a disciple of Qutub-ul-Din of Dihli. Farid, highly impressed with Badr-ul-Din’s reputation for sanctity, went one day to visit him. Badrul-Din had nothing for him to eat, so he sent his coarse blanket to the market to be sold for whatever it would fetch, in order to provide a meal for his distinguished guest. Malik Nizam-ul-Din, a different person from the Nizam-ul-Din Auliya with whom we have been concerned, made a monastery for Shaikh Badr-ul-Din, who was pleased to reside in it, and dispense to the poor the provisions which Nizam-ulDin had provided for them in abundance. It happened that this Nizam-ul-Din subsequently in some way offended the Emperor and was imprisoned. Badr-ul-Din wrote to Farid to pray to God for his release. Farid refused on the ground that Nizamul-Din had constructed a monastery for self-aggrandizement, a course which was not in accordance with the humble practice of his predecessors who sought retirement and self-effacement.
There was a religious man called Shams Dabir who lived in great indigence in Sunam in the present state of Patiala. He wrote some verses in praise of Farid, and went to him to recite them. Farid on hearing the eulogium asked the poet what he wanted. Shams Dabir replied that he was very poor, and had not wherewithal to support his aged mother. Farid replied that he gave not money, but he would pray very fervently for him. Shams Dabir ultimately became secretary to the Emperor’s prime minister.
The Emperor Ala-ul-Din Masaud made Hamid, a learned man, his viceroy of Bengal. One day as Hamid was standing with clasped hands before the [ p. 377 ] Emperor, a form of light appeared to him, and asked why he was standing in a suppliant attitude before a fool. The same question was asked Hamid the next day, and the next day again. Upon this he resigned his post and proceeded to Ajodhan, whither he was attracted by Farid’s spiritual power. On reaching Farid’s dwelling, he fell down and kissed his threshold. When Farid had heard his story, he made him his disciple, and gave him the patched coat of a Khalifa. Hamid remained for some time with Farid, and became a very eloquent preacher. Farid often called him a bright particular star, but at the same time remarked that a star looks not bright in the presence of the sun— a subtle compliment to himself. Farid suggested that he should return, and live in the town of Andina near Dihli, and benefit God’s people by his preaching. Hamid, however, stated that his intention was rather to make a pilgrimage to Makka and Madina, the cities hallowed by the residence of his Prophet. Upon this Farid allowed him to take his departure.
Maulana Badr-ul-Din, son of Saiyid Minhaj-ul-Din Najjari, [13] was professor of Arabic in the Muhammadan college of Dihli. In the course of his theological studies lie encountered several difficulties for which he could receive no satisfactory solution from the holy men of his acquaintance. He therefore resolved to travel to Bukhara, then the seat of some of the greatest Muhammadan scholars of the age. He went by Multan, whose learned men also he wished to consult. On the way he met some pious hermits, one of whom was a disciple of Farid, and had Farid’s name ever on his tongue. Badr-ul-Din, after a short conference with him, told him he was wasting his time in such occupation. The disciple said he could not help it, for Farid’s name issued spontaneously from his lips. The disciple and his friends then [ p. 378 ] suggested to Badr-ul-Din to pay Shaikh Farid a visit, and perhaps he would solve some of his difficulties. Badr-ul-Din replied that he had met several Shaikhs, that they were merely impostors, and that men wasted their time in converse with them. The disciple and his friends argued the matter with Badrul-Din, and represented to him that he could only appreciate Shaikh Farid’s merits when he had made his acquaintance. Badr-ul-Din at last gave way, and was conducted by his casual friends to Farid. Farid solved his theological difficulties in a satisfactory manner, and then made him his disciple. Upon this Badr-ul-Din decided not to proceed to Bukhara, but remain in Ajodhan with Farid. He became so humble that he used to wait on holy men, cut firewood in the forest, and cook their food with it. He was at the same time very attentive to his devotions, and used to mortify his body with fasting.
Once, when there was a marriage in Pak Pattan, Badr-ul-Din, on seeing the relations of the bride draw water with which to bathe the bride and bridegroom according to ancient custom, thought that if he were in his own country and among his people his own marriage also might be duly celebrated.
Sometime afterwards Badr-ul-Din proceeded on a pilgrimage to Makka and Madina. On his return Farid informed him of the thoughts which had passed through his mind on seeing water drawn to bathe the bride and bridegroom, and said he could either have a temporal or a permanent marriage, as he deemed most advantageous. By permanent marriage Farid meant death, as among the ancient Greeks ; and if Badr-ul-Din desired it, not only water but milk and sugar should ever be offered at his shrine, and the fame of such a marriage should resound both in earth and heaven.
It would appear from the Jawahir-i-Faridi that Badr-ul-Din accepted both forms of marriage. Farid gave him his daughter Fatima in marriage. He also [ p. 379 ] made him his chamberlain with the title of Badrul-Diwan. Whenever Farid spoke to him on the subject of appointing him to a position corresponding with that of bishop in partibus infidelium, he used to reply that he desired to live for ever under Farid’s shadow. Farid built him a house near the great mosque of the city, and there he lived in the service of God. After his death a mausoleum was erected over his remains. As promised by Shaikh Farid, his marriage ceremonies are celebrated once a year by a fair held on the sixth day of the month Jamadi ul Sani, when copious libations of sharbat are offered at his shrine.
One day as Farid awoke from a trance, he said, ’ The eye which looketh not towards God had better be blind ; the tongue which uttereth not His name had better be dumb ; the ear which heareth not His praises had better be deaf; and the body which performeth not His service had better be dead.’ After this utterance Farid relapsed into his trance.
Once seven hundred holy men were sitting together. An inquirer put them four questions to which they gave identically the same replies—
Q. 1. Who is the wisest of men ? A. He who refraineth from sin.
Q. 2. Who is the most intelligent ? A. He who is not disconcerted at anything.
Q. 3. Who is the most independent? A. He who practiseth contentment.
Q. 4. Who is the most needy ? A. He who practiseth it not.
The following sentences are taken from Farid’s sermons : —
God hesitateth to false His hand against His creatures.
Be not overjoyed with worldly wealth, and, if thou have none at all, be not depressed.
The day we obtain not our desires should be to us as [ p. 380 ] a time of rejoicing like the night of the Prophet’s ascension into heaven.
Man should not allow his ambition to be cooled by the discouraging remarks of the world.
When a faqir putteth on rich clothes, they become his winding-sheet.
Of all attractions, attraction towards devotion is the best.
It fareth well with him who thinketh on his own faults and not on the faults of others.
To the pure all things are pure ; nothing can defile them.
If you aspire to attain the dignity of the departed saints, bow not to monarchs.
The learned man is the most noble among men, and the holy man the most noble among noblemen.
The holy man among the learned is like the full moon among the stars.
The most contemptible of men is he who occupieth himself with eating and dressing.
The repetition of the following lines gave great spiritual comfort to Farid :—
Last night sad thoughts possessed me,
But afterwards I reflected on my beautiful Lover,
I said I would do everything to go to His door.
My tears ran, and my Lover then caught my sleeve.
A student asked Farid if singing were lawful and proper. He replied that, according to the Muhammadan religion, it was certainly unlawful, but its propriety was still a matter of discussion.
Nizam-ul-Din Auliya told Nasir-ul-Din, a disciple of his, that one day when he went to visit Farid he stood at his door, and saw him dancing as he sang the following : —
I wish ever to live in Thy love, O God.
If I become the dust under Thy feet, I shall live.
I Thy slave desire none but Thee in both worlds ;
For Thee I will live and for Thee I will die.
[ p. 381 ]
The following was a favourite couplet of Farid : —
Not every heart is capable of finding the secret of God’s love.
There are not pearls in every sea ; there is not gold in every mine.
One of Farid’s beloved friends was Shaikh Jamalul-Din of Hansi, whom he called his senior Khalifa. Hazrat Shaikh Baha-ul-Din Zakaria of Multan, hearing of this man’s fame, begged Farid to lend him to him to preach to the faithful. Farid refused, but, when pressed by Jamal-ul-Din, who was attracted to Baha-ul-Din by supernatural influence, replied, ’ Go and blacken thy face/ It is said that upon this Jamal-ul-Din’s face became black, and he fled to the forest to hide himself from human gaze. Farid forbade all persons to intercede for him or assist him in any way. It happened that, as a man called Alim was going to Ajodhan from Multan, he met Jamalul-Din on the way. Jamal-ul-Din begged him to intercede with Farid, and he did so. Lapse of time and importunity caused Farid to relent. He wrote to Jamal-ul-Din the four following lines and then
restored him to favour : —
Go round the world, and in wandering raise blisters on thy feet ;
If thou find any one like me, then forsake me.
Come one morning with pure heart to my door ;
If thou attain not thine object, then make complaint.
Jamal-ul-Din returned to Farid, and Farid’s love for him increased after the rupture. Jamal-ul-Din was a descendant of Abu Hanifa of Kusa.
Farid visited Mokalhar, now called Faridkot in honour of the saint. •The country was then ruled by Mokal. At the time of Farid’s visit, Mokal was building his capital, and used to impress all visitors for the work. Though Farid wore the patched coat of a religious [ p. 382 ] man, he too was pressed into the Raja’s service. The masons and workmen on making Farid’s acquaintance bowed at his feet, and prayed him to grant them forgiveness of their sins. The Raja too followed their example, and for some days personally waited on him. Farid asked what name the king was going to give his city. The king replied Mokalhar. Then said Farid, ‘ Benin khair wa andarun darr ’—it is fair without, but a ruin [14] within —by which the saint meant that it should never be thoroughly inhabited. The king represented his hard fate to Farid. Though thousands of rupees had been spent on his capital, no one came to dwell in it. If his holiness Farid ordered, it should soon be full of inhabitants. Farid then told him to change the name and dwell in it himself. Mokal consented and called the city Faridkot in compliment to his holy guest. Farid then said, ‘Go, God the most high will cause thee and thy descendants to abide in that fort’.
There is a legend that Farid once visited a city on the Panjab mountains. One day, as he was bathing, a beautiful young lady accidentally saw and conceived a desire to approach him, for a son by such a man should become king of the realm of beauty. It is said that Jamila Khatun— the beautiful ladywhile revolving this in her mind, became pregnant. After Farid’s departure there was great commotion in the tribe on hearing of the young lady’s condition. She averred that she had committed no impropriety, but no one would believe her. Every one said it was of course that stranger Farid’s doing. Farid chanced to return to that part of the country six months afterwards. He was charged with the young lady’s seduction, which, apart from being a sin, was a grievous offence against the tribe. He solemnly denied the charge, but no one would accept his statement. He requested his accusers to ask the lady if she had ever conceived a desire to have a chid by [ p. 383 ] him. She then admitted that such a desire had arisen in her mind. Upon this Farid, in self-defence, instanced the well-known case of Jesus having been born without a human father, and also the case of Adam, who had been produced without father or mother, and said that nothing was impossible to God’s Omnipotence, and He might in His mercy have given a son to the virgin. The tribe heeded not Farid’s words, and said they would only believe him if he wrought a miracle in their presence. They found no difficulty in suggesting a subject. They told him that no sugar-cane grew in their country. If he went with them to the forest and caused sugar to rain, they would accept his story of the young lady’s immaculate pregnancy, but not otherwise. Farid then said in the Persian language, which he habitually spoke, ‘ Chi ajab az Afridgare ki zan-i-bikr ra az qudrat-i-kamila-i-khud hamila be wasta shohar sakht, az asman shakar nisar farmayad ? ’ What wonder would it be if the Creator, who out of His perfect power maketh a virgin pregnant without human intervention, should rain sugar ? It is said that sugar immediately began to rain, and from that time Farid obtained the name of Shakar Ganj, the treasury of sugar. [15] After this miracle all the people of the tribe became his followers, and he was formally wedded to Jamila Khatun, who soon afterwards gave birth to a son. Farid remained there for six months, during which time he fasted forty days. He locked up the house in which he had dwelt, saying that his successor would open it, and then returned to Ajodhan.
As his successor Diwan Taj-ul-Din was returning from a pilgrimage to Makka and Madina, he happened to visit that part of the country. He asked the people to what tribe they belonged. They said that they were descendants of Qutub-ul-Alam Baba [ p. 384 ] Farid Shakar Ganj. He inquired from which of Farid’s sons they were descended. They replied that they had not come in that way, but had been miraculously born. When Taj-ul-Din had heard the whole story, he unlocked the door of Farid’s hut. The people were delighted to see Taj-ul Din, and became his followers in large numbers.
Farid died of pneumonia on the fifth day of the month of Muharrim, A. H. 664 (A. D. 1266). The date of Farid’s death is commemorated by the chronograms (a)‘ Farid asari,’ (b) ‘ auliyae Khudai ’ — He was unique, a saint of God. [16] Farid’s last words were in Arabic, ‘ Ya hayyo, ya qayyum’ — O ever living, O eternal God ! At the last word ‘ qayyum ’ Farid expired.
Farid was to have been buried outside the town of Pak Pattan at a place called the Martyrs’ graves, where he had first alighted on his arrival, but his son Makhdum Khwaja Nizam-ul-Din arrived in time to alter the proposed arrangement. This son who had been a general in the Emperor’s army, was then living in retreat at Patali. As he lay asleep one night before his father’s death, he thought he heard his father calling him. He arose and went to Ajodhan, but, as the gates of the to wit were all locked at the time, he could not gain access to Farid’s dwelling. Farid knew of his son’s arrival, but it was too late to see him. ‘ His advice, however,’ said Farid, ‘ should be taken in all matters regarding my funeral and burial.’ The son advised that the family should wait for Nizam-ul-Din Auliya from Dihli, and expressed his intention of temporarily burying his father in the house where he had lived, and where subsequently his eldest son Khwaja Shahab-ul-Din was buried.
On the arrival of Nizam-ml-Din Auliya from Dihli, he had a mausoleum erected for Farid. He [ p. 385 ] directed that the Quran should be read over clean bricks, that the reader should then blow on them and employ them for the construction of Farid’s grave. This direction was obeyed. The Hafizes and the Khalifas read the Quran over bricks consecrated as directed, and made Farid’s grave with them. A shrine was built with stone windows on the east and north sides for women to see through, and with a door on the south side to be called the bihishti darwaza, or gate of paradise, for men to enter by. The body was then exhumed from its temporary grave, and after being well perfumed placed within the mausoleum thus constructed. It is said that the souls of Muhammad and all the Muhammadan saints appeared on the occasion. At the advice of Nizam-ul-Din Auliya, the stone window at the east was broken at Farid’s re-interment to admit of the exit of the souls of the Prophet and his saints. Where the soul of Muhammad had taken up its position within the mausoleum, there was a hujra or small chapel built, called Qadam Rasul or the Prophet’s footsteps. Nizam-ul-Din then stated that he had received a message from the departed Farid, that God would pardon and save from hell all who passed through the paradisal gate. This was everywhere proclaimed from the rising to the setting of the sun. Some persons, however, who had no internal eyes, refused to believe that the gate possessed such supreme efficacy. Upon this Nizam-ul-Din said to the Prophet, ‘ If the populace be allowed to behold thee, their spiritual darkness shall be dispelled’. It is said that the Prophet then appeared to the whole multitude, and not a scintilla of doubt remained in any one’s mind as to the advantages to be obtained from passing through the sacred pflrtal.
It was subsequently ordered that women should pray at the stone window on the north side, and that a wall should be built outside it to secure their [ p. 386 ] privacy. The door opening to the east was then called the door of light. It is that by which men generally enter and leave the shrine.
After Farid’s death his son Badr-ul-Din Sulaiman succeeded him in his spiritual, and Saiyid Maulvi Badr-ul-Din Ishaq in his temporal duties. Envious persons set the two Badr-ul-Dins at variance, upon which Nizam-ul-Din Auliya came from Dihli and made peace between them.
We have mentioned the Rahat-ul-Qulub as one of our authorities for the life of Farid. The first entry in it was made on the nth of the month Rajab, A. H. 655 (A. D. 1254) ; and the last on the 25th of Safar, A. H. 656. The diary thus shows Farid’s acts and conversations for the space of eleven months. We shall here give some extracts from it.
Farid considered that faqiri or holiness consisted in four things, namely, to be blind to the faults of Muhammadans, to be deaf to slander, to be dumb when evil speaking is suggested, and to be lame when there is a desire to visit evil places.
On one occasion Shaikh Badr-ul-Din of Ghazni, Jamal-ul-Din of Hansi, Sharaf-ul-Din of Nabha, [17] and Qazi Hamid-ul-Din of Nagaur met at Farid’s house. Farid dilated to them on the virtues of hospitality, and said it was proper for a host to give something to every guest whether he received an equivalent or not.
At a religious conference at Farid’s house, where were assembled Maulvi Hamid-ul-Din of Nagaur, Shaikh Shams-ul-Din, Shaikh Burhan-ul-Din, and others, Shaikh Farid mentioned an expression in the Hadis, or traditional sayings of the Prophet, that love of the world was the source of all evil. A man called Shaikh AMulla Suhel of Tastar said that God and man were all one. There was no difference between them except that, in proportion [ p. 387 ] as man loved the world, he fell away from God. Farid expressed his concurrence with this statement, and added that the heart was like a mirror, and love of mammon was as rust on it, which should be removed by the file of God’s love. Land covered with tares and thistles produced no good crop until they were eradicated. Faqirs should remain aloof from the world, and not visit even kings and nobles.
Once when the king of Iraq was ill, he sent for Abdulla Suhel to treat him. Suhel cured him, but thought it necessary to expiate the offence of visiting a king by living a life of absolute retirement for seven years. The friendship of wealthy men was in his opinion as poison for holy men. When a holy man associates with such men, his influence on others is injurious to them. Abdulla defined the word tariqat— a spiritual stage of Muhammadans— to mean absolute disregard for the things of this world.
Farid said he had lived for ten years with the saint Abu Yusuf Chishti, and during that time had never moved a foot in the direction of a king or noble, except on Fridays when he went to pray, for prayers should be said in common on the Sabbath. He thought that whenever a faqir has visited a 'monarch, his patched coat and hat ought afterwards to be burned in order to remove the contagion of wealth and pride.
It is not surprising to hear that a man of Farid’s sanctity and force of character made many converts among the Hindus within the reach of his influence. The Bahlis, the Sirhangs, the Jhakars, and the Adankans are enumerated among the tribes whom he induced to accept Islam.
When Badr-ul-Din Sulaiman, Farid’s son, succeeded him, he was invested with the turban which Farid himself had 'received from Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (Hazrat Ghaus). The turban was of three colours, saffron at one end, brown at the other, and white in the centre. Nizam-ul-Din [ p. 388 ] purchased several white turbans, and steeped them with Abdul Qadir Jilani’s in the same pot. The object of this was that Abdul Qadir Jilani’s turban might communicate some of its virtues to the white turbans, and that the latter after such contact might confer blessings on Farid’s disciples and friends, when they bound them on their heads. When Badr-ul-Din had put on Abdul Qadir Jilani’s turban, and Farid’s disciples and friends the white turbans, the whole company went outside the gate of paradise and sat down. Sweets were produced, and a priest read texts from the Quran over them. They were then distributed for the repose of the souls of the Chishti Khwajas to whom Farid spiritually belonged.
This custom is still observed by the followers of Farid. On the approach of the Muharrim, the Quran is read over a jug of sharbat for the souls of ancestors, and the sharbat is then distributed among the faithful. When the Muharrim begins, there is singing after breakfast, to which the high priest listens on his carpet of prayer. The whole audience then enters on a state of exaltation. The priest puts on a turban like Farid’s, and binds white turbans on the heads of his brethren and disciples/ On the fifth day of the Muharrim he opens the ’ Gate of paradise’, and the crowd enters with a rush, in the hope that, when they cross the barrier, they shall secure in reality the bliss of the elect.
The gate of paradise is a small door in the shrine, which is only opened twice a year, and on both occasions at night. In our time the crowd which passes through, shouting ’ Haji Qutub Farid’, or simply ’ Farid’, to maintain their fervour, has been estimated sometimes at thirty thousand souls. To reach the gate of paradise thr£e outer portals have to be traversed. Among the immense crowd there is a rivalry to reach heaven in the shortest time, not by good deeds, but by physical strength ; and in [ p. 389 ] the struggle numbers are continually maimed, and some aged and infirm persons occasionally killed. Were not a large force of police, generally reinforced from neighbouring districts, marched to the shrine to maintain order, great indeed would be the destruction of human life at this religious ceremony. Men are not content to pass the gate for themselves, they return again and again to vicariously conduct their female relatives to the abode of bliss, and this reiterated service increases the crowd, the confusion, and the danger to human life.
On the seventh day of the Muharrim there is again singing, the reading of the Quran is finished, and the gate of paradise is left open. On the tenth of the month Farid’s mausoleum is washed and perfumed within and without.
In the month of Ramzan the banners which Abdul Qadir Jilani received from Madina and gave to Farid, are taken out and fitted with new cloth. The high priest’s followers present him with an ordinary coat and a patched coat— meaning thereby temporal and spiritual raiment. When he puts them on, the prayers appointed for the Id in the end of Ramzan are read, Farid’s cup, stick, and rosary are then produced and prayers offered. The high priest with a rosary in one hand and Farid’s staff in the other begs for alms, upon which his followers present him with cakes of sugar, almonds, and coco-nuts. Such offerings are afterwards distributed among the poor.
It remains to add a few words regarding Nizamul-Din Auliya, the author of the Rakat-ul-Qulub and Farid’s faithful friend and disciple. He states that he visited Ajodhan three times during the life of Farid, and Farid charged him with the education of his children. *
Subsequently Nizam-ul-Din was sent by Farid as Khalifa or spiritual ruler of Hindustan, and in that capacity amassed great wealth and became known [ p. 390 ] as Zar-i-zar Baft— woven, or altogether, of gold, a name given him by Bu Ali Shah, a religious man of Panipat.
It is probable that Nizam-ul-Din’s great wealth aroused the jealousy of Mubarak Khilji, who ascended the Dihli throne in A. D. 1317. He summoned Shaikh Rukn-ul-Din from Multan in the hope of counteracting Nizam-ul-Din’s unquestionably great influence with the people. Nizam-ul-Din went forth to meet the man who had been chosen as his antagonist, and produced a highly favourable impression on him. When the Emperor afterwards asked Rukn-ul-Din who had been the principal person to go forth and welcome him to Dihli, Rukn-ul-Din replied ’ The foremost man of the age by which he meant Nizam-ul-Din. The Emperor after this testimony to Nizam-ul-Din’s greatness withdrew his opposition to him, and allowed him to dwell in peace. [18]
The imperial hostility to Nizam-ul-Din descended to Ghiyas-ul-Din Tughlak, one of the successors of Mubarak Khilji. When Ghiyas-ul-Din was returning from his expedition to Bengal, he no longer desired to see Nizam-ul-Din, and ordered him to leave the city. Nizam-ul-Din had no alternative but to obey, but decided to do so at leisure. He said to his friends ‘ Hanoz Dihli dur ast ’—Dihli is still far off— by which he meant that the Emperor should never reach Dihli. The Emperor on his homeward march put up in a house at Afghanpur, hastily constructed for his reception by his son Alaf Khan. The house fell upon the monarch and killed him in A. D. 1325. The Emperor’s death was popularly attributed to his hostility to the saint. Nizam-ul-Din’s expression ‘ Dihli is far off ’ has passed into a proverb. [19] It corresponds to the [ p. 391 ] English saying, ‘ There is many a slip ’ twixt the cup and the lip.’ Nizam-ul-Din himself died the same year as the Emperor.
Nizam-ul-Din, notwithstanding his worldly success, raised many men in Dihli, Bengal, Chanderi, Malwa, Bihar, Ujjain, Gujrat, and the Dakhan to the heights of spiritual sanctity. Having conferred his khalifaship on Khwaja Hazrat Nasir-ul-Din Chiragh, he died in Dihli on Wednesday, the 18th day of Rabi ul Sani, A. H. 725, A. D. 1325, that is, sixty years after the death of his beloved priest. [20] He was buried in a quarter then known as Ghyaspur. He wrote the following Persian lines in praise of Farid: —
Pir-i-man pirest maulana Farid ;
Hamchu O dar sihar Maula na-farid.
My priest is the holy Farid ;
God created no one in the world like him.
Ali Asghar’s work, the Jawahir-i-Faridi, was completed during the reign of Jahangtr on the 4th day of the month of Rajab A. H… 1033 (A. D. 1623). Ali Asghar took the work for examination and correction to Maulvi Shaikh Muhammad. The latter was grandson of Shaikh Taj-ul-Din Mahmud, who was, as we have seen, a son of Shaikh Brahm, called Farid the Second. The details given in the Jawahir-i-Faridi are said to have been obtained from several volumes deposited in the sacred library at Baghdad.
In Arabic names the / is generally silent in such combinations. ↩︎
The materials for the life of Farid, which are preserved at the shrine of Pak Pattan, are the Jawahir-i-Faridi (the Gems of Farid) by Ali Asghar of Bahadal, a town near Sarhind; the Rahat-ul-Qulub (Repose of Hearts), being a diary of Farid’s acts and instructions compiled by Nizam-ul-Dm Auliya ; the Makhazan-i-Chishti, and the Asrar-i-Itrat-i-Faridi (Private lives of Farid’s descendants), by Pir Muhammad of Pak Pattan. The first three are in the Persian, the fourth in the Urdu language. ↩︎
So called as having come from Ush in Farghana. See Ain-i-Akbari. ↩︎
In the original it is stated that when Halaku, the grandson of Changez Khan, invaded Ghazni and Kabul, he killed several princes and learned men, including Shaikh Farid’s great-grandfather. This is not correct. Halaku’s era was long subsequent. It was in A. D. 1258 he captured the city of Baghdad, and brought the Arab Khalafat to a close. ↩︎
In the account preserved at Pak Pattan it is stated that the Qazi of Kasur, through the subadar of Lahore, informed the Emperor of Shaikh ShaTb’s arrival in the Panjab. This must be an error. The Emperor of Hindustan was then Prithwi Raj. Shahab-ul-Dm’s victorious Indian career did not begin until about fifty years afterwards. ↩︎
Israr-i-Itrat-i-Faridi. In the Jawahir-i-Faridi Jamal-ul-Din’s wife, Farld’s mother, is called Quresham. ↩︎
We here follow the annals of the shrine at Pak Pattan. According to the Am-i-Akbari Abdul Kadir died before the birth of Farid. ↩︎
Surnamed Makhdum-i-Alam. His tomb is within the Multan fort. An account of this saint will be found in the Khulasat-ul-Tawarikh. ↩︎
Khwaja Qutub-ul-Dln Bakhtiyar Kaki was a Saiyid of the Jafiri Husaini tribe. He was bom about the middle of the twelfth century A. D. Having studied under Abu Hifz, a celebrated Muhammadan doctor of Ush, he went to Ajmer and became a disciple of Muayan-ul-Dm Hasan Chishti. In due time he proceeded to Dihli where not only Fand, but the Emperor Sultan Shams-ul-Dfn Altmish became his disciple. He is said to have been a worker of miracles, and to have obtained his surname Kaki from his ability to produce hot cakes (kak) at will from under his arm-pits. He died in A. D. 1235, and was buried in Dihli, where his tomb is held in devout reverence by pious Muhammadans. His descendants are called Chishtis from the tribe of his pikst—Makhazan-ul-Tawarikh.
Qutub-ul-Din’s tomb near the natural spring called Jhalra in Ajmer was a favourite place of pilgrimage of the Emperor Akbar,—Badauni ↩︎
The Rahat-ul-Qulub here gives a different legend. ↩︎
The Khulasat-ul-Tawarikh gives Ghazni as the birthplace of Ahmad Danyal. ↩︎
Jawahir-i-Faridi. ↩︎
In the English translation of the Ain-i-Akbari Bukhzvi is found for Najjari. ↩︎
Darr is so understood in Faridkot. ↩︎
Farishta, the Persian historian, has given other reasons for the appellation. Vide vol. II, p. 288. Lakhnau edition. ↩︎
Farishta and the author of the Khulasat-ul-Tawarikh give different dates, but they are proved false by the chronograms. ↩︎
Nabha, so in the original. ↩︎
Ain-i-Akbari. ↩︎
Farishta gives many details of Nizam-ul-Dm which it is not necessary to reproduce here. ↩︎
The Khulasat-ul-Tawarikh gives the date of his death as A. H. 710. We accept in preference the date given in the Ain-i-Akbari. ↩︎