Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki

Tomb of Sufi saint, Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki in Mehrauli, Delhi.

Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki was a renowned Muslim Sufi mystic, saint & scholar in the Chishti Order from Delhi, India. He was the disciple & khalifa (spiritual successor) of Moinuddin Chishti as head of the Chishti Order. His most famous disciple & spiritual successor was Baba Fareed.

Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (radi Allahu anhu) was born in 569 A.H. (1173 C.E.) in a town called "Aush" or Awash in Mawar-un-Nahar (Transoxania). Khwaja Qutbuddin's (radi Allahu anhu) original name was "Bakhtiyar" but his title was "Qutbuddin". The name "Kaki" to his name was attributed to him by virtue of a miracle that emanated from him at a later stage of his life in Delhi. He also belonged to the direct lineage of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), descending from Hazrat Imam Hussain (radi Allahu anhu). Hazrat Khwaja Bakhtiyar Khaki (radi Allahu anhu) was one & half year old when his father passed away. His mother arranged for him very good education & training.

When Hazrat Khwaja Mu'inuddin Chishti (radi Allahu anhu) came to Isfahan, 40 days before his demise, he took oath of allegiance on his hands & got Khilafat & Khirqah (dress of a religious mendicant) from him. Thus, he was the first spiritual successor of Hazrat Khwaja Ghareeb-o-Nawaaz, Khwaja Mu'inuddin Chishti (radi Allahu anhu). Thereafter, his spiritual master asked him to go to India & stay there. He said: "I appoint him as my Sajjada Nashin at Delhi along with the sacred relics of our Khwajgaan-e-Chist."

When Khwaja Qutbuddin (radi Allahu anhu) intended to kiss the feet of his Peer-o-Murshid (radi Allahu anhu) & seek his permission to depart, Hazrat Khwaja Saheb (radi Allahu anhu) understood it & asked him to be nearer & when Khwaja Bakhtiyar (radi Allahu anhu) stepped up & fell at his Peer's feet, Khwaja Mu?inuddin (radi Allahu anhu) raised him up & embraced him affectionately. A Fateha was then recited & Khwaja Muhinuddin (radi Allahu anhu) advised his mureed: "Never turn your face from the right path of Sufism & Truth. Prove yourself to be a brave man in this Divine Mission." When he again fell at the feet of Khwaja Moinuddin (radi Allahu anhu) overwhelmed with love & grief at this tragic hour of parting, he was again raised & embraced affectionately by his Peer-o-Murshid (radi Allahu anhu). Following this order, he went to Delhi & stayed there. It was the period of Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish.

Hardly twenty days had passed when news was brought by a messenger that Hazrat Khwaja Ghareeb Nawaaz (radi Allahu anhu) disappeared into the eternal Divine bliss of the Almighty Allah.

Hazrat Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki (radi Allahu anhu) used to offer 95 Rakaats of Salaah during the 24 hours of day & night, along with 3 000 Durood Shareefs every night upon the soul of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). During the first 3 nights of his first marriage, he could not maintain the Durood Shareef. The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) sent a visionary message to a pious person named Rais Ahmed, asking Hazrat Bakhtiyar Kaki (radi Allahu anhu) the reasons for his not reciting the Durood Shareef. Hazrat Bakhtiyar Kaki (radi Allahu anhu) divorced his wife as a mark of repentance & thereafter broke off all worldly ties & devoted his full time to the devotion of Almighty Allah & the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam).

It is narrated that in the early stages of his life, Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin (radi Allahu anhu) would take a nap, but in the last part of his life he kept awake all the time. He had also committed the Quran to memory & used to recite & finish it twice daily. Whenever anything came to his Khanqah, he quickly distributed these to the poor & needy. If there were nothing, he would request his attendants & mureeds to distribute plain water as a humble token of his hospitality.

Sheikh Nur Bux has written in his book entitled "Silsilatuz'zah": "Bakhtiyar Aushi was a great devotee, mystic & friend of Allah. In private & public he was indulged in the remembrance of Allah. He was habituated to eat little, sleep little & speak little. He was a towering personality in the world of mysticism."

He had no parallel in abandoning the world & suffering poverty & hunger. He kept himself engrossed in the remembrance of Allah. Whenever someone came to him he would come back to his senses after a while & was then able to talk with him. After a very brief exchange he would show his inability to continue any longer & slipped into the same state of absorption once again.

Once Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin (radi Allahu anhu) was coming back with his relatives & disciples after offering Eid Salaah that he, all on a sudden, halted at a place in silence. After a while his relatives submitted: "Today is the Eid day. Many people would be awaiting his arrival." Having heard this Hazrat Khwaja (radi Allahu anhu) came out of his lost state & uttered, "From this piece of land I have the smell of the perfect men."

Thereafter, he came home & after the meal was over, he asked the people to call the owner of the land to him. When the owner came to him, he purchased that piece of land from him. Later, Hazrat Bakhtiyar (radi Allahu anhu) was buried in the same soil.

Death also came to him in an unusual manner. It is stated that once in an assembly of Sama (Qawwali) he happened to hear a verse of Hazrat Ahmad Jam with the meaning: "Those who are killed with the dagger of surrender & pleasure get a new life from the Unseen."

Hazrat Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki (radi Allahu anhu) was so much absorbed in & inspired with this verse that from that day on he kept on reciting it in a state of unconsciousness & gave his life in the same state. He remained in this state of Wajd for 3 consecutive days & expired on the 4th day. He passed away on the 14th of Rabi-ul-Awwal 633 A.H. On account of his extra-ordinary death, Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (radi Allahu anhu) is known as "Shaheed-e-Mohabbat" or Martyr of Allah's Love.

The Mazaar Shareef of Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhityar Kaki (radi Allahu anhu) lies near Qutb Minar at old Delhi, India.

He also enjoys the following titles in the Sufi world: Qutub-ul-Aqtaab, Malik-ul-Mashaa'ikh, Rais-us-Saalikin, Siraj-ul-Auliya, etc.