His father passed away when he was one
and a half-year-old. The mother gave her unstinted attention to his
education and rearing-up. She regarded it as her sacred duty. When he
could read, she sent him, to a pious taught tutor, Maulana Abu-Hafiz. He
received his lessons on Religion from him.
The author of Sair-Ul-Auliya says that he met Sheikh Shahab Uddin
Suharawardy, Sheikh Auhad Uddin Kirmani and Moin-Uddin Chisti Sangria in
the mosque of Abul-lais Samarkand in Baghdad, in the month of Rajab of
522 Hijri and entered into their orders. Saheb-e-Sair-Ul-Auliya (author)
describes that when Khawaja Chisti reached Uosh, he was admitted to his
order and received the rank of his spiritual heir at the age of
seventeen.
Hazrat Nizam Uddin says about his teacher that the Sheikh passed most of
his time in prayers and meditation, abandoned sleep, and nobody saw him
lying on bed. In the beginning he slept for a short time but later
forsook it. He often said, " Ever if I sleep, I feel it very bad."
The chroniclers say that having been
admitted to the fold of Hazrat Moin Udin Chisti he said 95 rakat Namaz
during (24 Hours of) day and night and recited Darood to the Prophet
three thousand times during the night. In the preliminary three nights
of his marriage he could not keep up with his routine. The Prophet
appeared in the dream of a saint, Rais Ahmad, and told him to ask
Bakhtiyar the reason of the indifference. Hearing this he divorced his
wife.
Like his teacher he traveled
extensively and met many a saintly people and witnessed strange
incidents. He has mentioned them in details in his articles of young by
a river. He says that one-day he was sitting with Qazi Hamid Uddin
Nagori on a bank of a river that he saw a big scorpion creeping fast. "I
said, there was some secret." Both of us followed the scorpion, which
reached a tree and killed a big snake. There slept a man nearby. We
approached him and found that he was a drunkard and down under the
influence of wine. We stayed there and wondered why God bestowed upon
such a sinner His mercy. We heard: "If we only take pity on the pious,
who would help the poor?" After the man woke up and was surprised to see
the dead snake we told him the story. He was ashamed and in a short time
he rose to become a great saint. God gifted him with His divine
knowledge.
Hazrat Khawaja Moin-uddin Chisti came
to India and settled down in Ajmer. Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki could not
bear his separation any longer, left his homeland and started for India.
On the way having enjoyed the hospitality of Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria
and Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrez at Multan finally came to Delhi. Sultan
Altutmish was the king and was greatly devoted to the holymen. He
requested him to stay in the capital but Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki
preferred to stay at Kilokheri. The Sultan went to see him once a week.
The Sultan again made a request that he had to travel such a distance.
Moreover, the state work suffered. Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki, at last,
moved to the capital and stayed, in the mosque of Malik Ainuddin.
In Delhi he became extremely popular
rich or poor equally visited him and drew favour from him. The king and
his court pledged their obedience to him. In the meantime Sheikh-ul-Islam
Maulana Jamal Uddin Bustami died and the Sultan wished to confer upon
him the rank but the declined the offer. He said, "We, beggars have no
relation to them." The Sultan wished to offer him anything he wanted but
he never demanded anything from him.
He grew so popular that nobody cared of Sheikh-ul-Islam Najmuddin Sughra
who himself was a great learned man and mystic. When Hazrat Chisti once
visited Delhi, he complained to him of his insignificance. The Khawaja
ordered Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki to accompany him to Ajmer. He was beside
himself with joy. But when people knew that Bakhtiar was leaving Delhi
they appealed to the Khawaja with tearful eyes to spare him and let him
remain in Delhi. Hazrat Khawaja had to relent.
Hazrat Bakhtiyar visited Ajmer to see his teacher before his demise and
stayed there, for several days. One day the Khawaja appeared at the
place where his disciples sat, called Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki, and said,
"0, Saints! The entire world is illuminated (with the heavenly light). I
have been brought here because here is my grave."
After which Hazrat
Khawaja Moin Uddin Chisti dictated an order to the writer ordering him
to leave for Delhi. He was assigned the rank of Khalifa. Later, he
called him near, wrapped his turban on his (Hazrat Bakhtiar's) head,
gave him Sheikh Haroon's staff, his own copy of the holy Qu'Oran and
prayermat. He bade adieu to his teacher and returned to Delhi. After 40
days, a messenger came from Ajmer bearing the news of the death of
Hazrat Khawaja Moin-uddin Chisti.
The torch of Faith illuminated by Hazrat Moin-uddin Chisti was kept
burning and spreading the light far and near by Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki
predominantly. The movement of the propagation of Islam so ably started
by Hazrat Moin Uddin Chisti was not only strengthened but extended also.
Self-sufficiency and
Fasting: He spent most of his time in fasting. His dependants passed
their days in extreme poverty. The teacher had permitted him to borrow
to the tune of 500 dirhams but he avoided it. He never had enough money
to pay the Zakaat tax.
He was a generous
soul. Whatever he received, he gave it away to the poor; whenever he had
nothing in the house he Asked the servant to serve the people with cold
water.
Sultan Shamsuddin Altutmish was devoted to him and could have given him
anything he wanted but he never demanded a thing from him. Once the
Sultan wanted to grant him a jagir and his minister arrived with the
Sultan's proclamation with the request to accept it, he declined and
said that the earlier saints of the Chistia order never accepted such
things, how could he do it?
- Once the royal secretary came and offered him
several villages. He called him to come near and lifted a corner
of his prayer mat. The Secretary was surprised he saw the river
of wealth flowing. He then replied, "Whoever has such vast
treasures from God, what would he do with a few villages".
- Like his teacher and guide he was deeply
involved in love for the prophet; recited Darod three thousand
times a night; told the Tradition and instructed to follow the
Shareiah.
- He was fond of music and regarded it lawful
under certain conditions and limitations. He passed away during
such a recital. The Qawwals (a certain type of Singers) began
with the ode of Sheikh Ahmad Jam. When they song the couplet:
Kushtagan-e-Khanjar-e-tasleem ra
Harzaman az ghaib Jan digar ast
- It so much
moved the saint that he went into trance and remained so for
four days. Whenever he regained consciousness, he asked to
repeat it. On the fifth night he died.
- He died on the 14th of Rabi-ul-Awwal 633 A.H.
The tomb of Qutbuddin Bakhityar Kaki lies near Qutub Minar at
old Delhi, India.
