Hazrat Khwaja Nasiruddin Mahmood (alaihir rahmah), popularly known as "Chiraagh Delhi" was the fifth spiritual successor of Hazrat Khwaja Mo'inuddin Chishti of Ajmer (alaihir rahmah). He was the Khalifa of Hazrat Khwaja Nizaamuddin Auliya (alaihir rahmah) who, at the time of his death, told Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) that, "You shall have to stay in Delhi & suffer the persecution of the people," while handing him over the sacred relics or Tabbarukaat-e-Mustafavi.
Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) renounced the world at the blooming age of 25 & began Mujahidas against his Nafs with the company of a dervish with whom he is reported to have roamed around the surrounding mountains & jungles of Avadh for 8 years. During this period, he always observed fasting & lived on herbs. He used to break his fast with the leaves of sambhalu - a kind of plant generally found in Avadh (U.P).
Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) came to Delhi at the age of 43 years & joined the circle of Hazrat Nizaamuddin Auliya's (alaihir rahmah) mureeds. One day while Hazrat Nizaamuddin (alaihir rahmah) was descending from his hujra at the top of his Khanqah, he noticed that Sheikh Nasiruddin Mahmood (alaihir rahmah) was standing in a despondent mood under the shade of a nearby tree. He sent for him through his attendant & took him in privacy to have a talk about his condition. After a brief self-introduction, Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) said: "Sir, I have come here to help the dervishes in putting on their shoes." This one sentence was enough to confirm his humble character & keenness for a spiritual career & also to win the affection of Hazrat Nizaamuddin Auliya (alaihir rahmah) who related his own story of devotion to his Peer-o-Murshid in the beginning of his career. He then became mureed at the hands of Hazrat Nizaamuddin Auliya (alaihir rahmah) & devoted himself whole-heartedly to the service of his Peer-o-Murshid.
Once Khwaja Mohammed Gaazrooni, a mureed of Khwaja Baha'uddin Zakaria (radi Allahu anhuma) of Multan was staying as a guest of Hazrat Nizaamuddin Awliya (alaihir rahmah) at his Khanqah. One night Khwaja Gaazrooni (alaihir rahmah) awoke for Tahajjud & keeping his clothes in the Jamaat Khana, went to perform Wudhu but on his return he did not find his clothes where he left it & began to grumble loudly in a fit of anger. Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) was upset by his noisy temper & thought that it would disturb Hazrat Mehboob-e-Ilahi's (alaihir rahmah) devotion at the odd hour of night. In order to pacify the anger of the Khwaja, he at once took off his own clothes & gave them to him. The next morning, when this incident came to the knowledge of Hazrat Nizaamuddin (alaihir rahmah), he presented Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) with a new "poshaak" (dress) & prayed for his success.
After the demise of Hazrat Mehboob-e-Ilahi (alaihir rahmah) the Jamaat Khana of his Khanqah became the property of his sisters descendants & Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) shifted himself to the place of Chiraagh Delhi where his Mazaar Shareef stands to this day.
Like his Peer-o-Murshid, Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) had to contend with very hard times. Often, during the nights, he had no lights in the house. For several days his oven remained cold. When anybody came to see him, he used to wear his Peer's Jubba to meet him & after having gone he would change into his rough clothes. He says that he never liked to perform ablution by wearing his Peer's Jubba but he liked to hide his poverty from the world by wearing it. During his good times, although he used to fast daily, he ordered delicious food to be prepared & served to his guests & mureeds. He himself used to say, "Allah be praised! After all, Faqeeri (life of a Sufi) is tremendous blessing. It's beginning & end are both beautiful."
The title of "Chiraagh", according to one version, was given to the Sheikh by his Peer-o-Murshid (alaihir rahmah). Once there was a distinguished gathering of many leading Mashaa'ikhs at Hazrat Nizaamuddin Auliya's (alaihir rahmah) Khanqah. Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) arrived a bit late & Hazrat Mehboob-e-Ilahi (alaihir rahmah) asked him to sit down, but he replied: "Sir, my back would be towards this august assembly" - a posture which is considered impertinent in Islamic etiquette. Upon this Hazrat Mehboob-e-Ilahi (alaihir rahmah) said: "A Chiraagh has no back" - meaning that there is neither a face nor a back of a lamp, it sheds its light in all directions. From that day onwards, among his fellow mureeds, the title of "Chiraagh" became very popular.
Once a learned person came to Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) to become his mureed. At the time of initiation, the Saint warned him: "When an aspirant enters on the path of Tariqat, he must shorten his sleeves, keep his dress up & shave off his head. Shortening of sleeves means that he has cut off his hands so that he may not spread it before the world for help except Allah; keeping his dress up means that he has cut off his feet so that he may not go to any place that is bad & where there is a danger of misfortune & shaving of the head means that he has cut of his head in the Oath of Divine Love so that nothing against Shari'at would come from him."
How great & wise were the teachings of one of the greatest Sufi Saints ever. Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) recommended all that came to him to observe punctuality of Namaaz with congregation. He himself desired this rule very strictly since his younger days. He used to explain the benefits of Namaaz by guiding instances from Hadith & Quran. He had extreme love for the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) & his philosophy of Islamic faith was based upon two paramount things, namely, obedience to whatever Allah & his Rasool (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) has ordained & the avoidance of whatever was forbidden.
Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah), like many other Sufi dervishes before him, had to go through extreme sufferings from the ruler of the time. Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq persecuted him. However, eventually he had to pay a severe penalty, like some of his short-sighted predecessors who had also persecuted Hazrat Khwaja Nizaamuddin Auliya (alaihir rahmah).
Hazrat Khwaja Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) & another great Sufi dervish Hazrat Qutbuddin Munawwar (alaihir rahmah) had received their Khilafat on one & the same day with the instruction of Hazrat Nizaamuddin (alaihir rahmah) that, "They should maintain mutual affection without any discrimination or superiority complex." Here is a story of their overwhelming regard for each other when they met after a long time at Hansi. When Hazrat Khwaja Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) was retiring from That with Sultan Feroze Tughlaq, the Saint parted with the kings party to go to Hansi to meet Hazrat Qutbuddin Munawwar (alaihir rahmah) (his Peerbhai) whom he had not seen for a very long time. On hearing that Hazrat Khwaja Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) had come to Hansi, Hazrat Qutbuddin Munawwar (alaihir rahmah) ran out of his Khanqah bare-footed to meet him on the way & received him with the most affectionate embrace & overwhelmed by the recollection of the old happy days of their association of their beloved Peer, Hazrat Mehboob-e-Ilahi (alaihir rahmah). Both the dervishes could not resist their sorrowful tears on this occasion. A Sama mehfil was arranged & both of them had Wajd (ecstasy) & Sukr in a spiritual mood. After the mehfil both the dervishes insisted upon each other to lead the Asr prayer out of each others elderly regard, eventually Hazrat Qutbuddin Munawar (alaihir rahmah) led the prayer because he was the host & within his right under the Islamic Shari'at.
Hazrat Khwaja Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) was very fond of cleanliness. His dress always appeared very tidy and neat. On both of his sides he used to keep a heavy gathering of flowers. One day Hazrat Nasiruddin Chiraagh (alaihir rahmah), after his Zohr prayers, was busy with his devotional contemplation when a Qalandar by the name of Turab suddenly entered and persistently attacked the innocent Saint with a knife so much so that blood began to flow down the floor. But curiously enough the murderous attack did not disturb the Saint at all in his highly engrossed devotion. When some of the mureeds saw the blood coming out of the hujra, they rushed in and caught hold of the Qalandar. Hazrat Khwaja Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) strongly dissuaded them and asked his beloved disciples Abdul Muqtadir, Sheikh Sadruddin Tabib and Sheikh Zainuddin Ali not to harm the Qalandar. On the contrary, Hazrat Khwaja Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) addressed the Qalandar apologetically and said: "If infact the act of attacking me with your knife, you have felt any pain in your hands, please pardon me for the same". The Saint further gave 20 tankas (type of money) to the Qalandar and sent him away unharmed.
From the above incident we see the level of his forgiveness. It is on account of such rare generosity that Hazrat Nasiruddin Chiraagh (alaihir rahmah) enjoys high esteem in the Sufi world. Among the dervishes of the Chistiya Order particularly, he is a unique symbol of forbearance and humility.
Three years after the murderous attack, Hazrat Khwaja Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) passed away of a natural death on Friday the 18th Ramadaan 757 A.H. Hazrat Khwaja Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) willed that at the time of putting him in the grave, the Khirqa of his Peer-o-Murshid, Hazrat Nizaamuddin Awliya (alaihir rahmah), must be put upon his chest, the Asaa (staff) by his side, the rosary on the finger of Shahadat, the kaasa (a special wooden bowl which the Faqeers usually carry with them to serve as the only utensil for food, water, etc.) under his head instead of the brick, and the pair of his Peer's shoes under his arm. This will was carried out. The passing away of Hazrat Nasiruddin (alaihir rahmah) closed the first circle of a most glorious epoch of Sufism in India.
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