Chiragh Dilli remains one of my favourite dargahs in Delhi for it is an ideal place to meditate. Away from the main road, the compound is quiet and is never crowded. Hazrat Naseeruddin lived here for 32 years in the area.
Hazrat Naseeruddin fiercely fought Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s theory of State and religion being inseparable.During the rule of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya had a baoli, water tank, constructed adjacent to his khanqah. The hostile Sultan issued orders from Bengal banning the state workers from helping him in its construction. Many of the labourers were devotees and they worked in the darkness of the night. On hearing this, the ruler banned the sale of oil to ensure that lamps could not be lit.
When the work came to a halt, Hazrat Nizamuddin asked his helpers to collect water from the tank. He then ordered his disciple, Hazrat Naseeruddin, to light the lamps with water. The lamps glowed with light and the construction resumed. The Master awarded his disciple, the title, Roshan Chiragh Dilli (Bright Lamp of Delhi). The water tank was completed in a record number of seven days. It remains part of the Nizamuddin dargah complex even today, reminding of the spirituality of both the famed Master and his disciple.
Naseeruddin Mahmud was born around 1276 AD at Ayodhya, where his grandfather migrated from Khorasan. His father died when he was nine years old, and he was brought up solely by his mother. Drawn to asceticism, the young boy spent his time in prayer and fasting. The search for a spiritual mentor brought him to Delhi and he became a disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin.
Used to an ascetic life in the jungles of Awadh, Shaykh Naseeruddin expressed the desire to return to a life of seclusion. But Hazrat Nizamuddin ordered him to remain in Delhi, suffering the hardships and indignities that people would inflict on him. His early years were steeped in poverty; many nights were spent without a flicker of light. Often, in front of visitors, the mystic would cover his tattered garments with his master’s cloak.
Hazrat Naseeruddin fiercely fought Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s theory that the state and religion are inseparable. 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 Sultan resented the popularity of Sufis over the orthodox clergy, whom he utilized to influence public opinion. Shaykh Naseeruddin witnessed bitter doctrinal differences between the mystics and the jurists in the Islamic world.
Ibn Taimiyya, the controversial scholar of Damascus, had launched an attack on the practices and institutions of medieval mysticism. The Delhi mystic silenced the orthodox opposition and attracted some outstanding scholars to the mystic-fold.
Between the years 1348–50AD, Muhammad bin Tughlaq was pre-occupied with suppressing the rebellion in Gujarat headed by Taghi. In 1349AD, the Sultan’s rule was restored in Gujarat, and he left in pursuit of Taghi who had escaped to Thata. Passing through Kathiawar, the Sultan summoned a few nobles and clergy from Delhi. They included the Sultan’s cousin, Firoz Tughlaq, and Hazrat Naseeruddin who were implicated in instigating the rebellion. However, the Sultan died before the two reached Thata.
Meanwhile an army from Transoxania arrived in Delhi to aid the Sultan against the rebels. On learning of the Sultan’s death, they began to attack the Delhi army. In an effort to save Delhi from Mongol rule, the leaders and Sufis supported the ascension of the 46-year-old Firoz Shah Tughlaq to the throne.
Hazrat Naseeruddin attended the coronation ceremony, offering prayers for the ruler and the people of the country. He never visited the court again though and retreated to the quiet life of the khanqah.
Although Firoz Shah Tughlaq showered the Sufis with gifts, the Shaykh’s khanqah remained committed to traditions of poverty. When the Sultan came to meet the Shaykh, the ruler was treated like any other ordinary visitor, and was often kept waiting. The Shaykh fasted regularly and ate very little. He took an interest in ‘sama’ but never allowed the use of musical instruments. Following his Master’s footsteps, Shaykh Naseeruddin chose to remain unmarried.
The mystic stressed upon the importance of earning a livelihood by honest means and warned that black marketing led to the ruin of a society. He emphasized the importance of breath control during meditation, defining a perfect Sufi as one with articulated breath.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 mystic 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 Sultan requested that Turab be handed over to the State for punishment. But Hazrat Naseeruddin gave Turab 25 silver tankas, asking people to forgive him just as he had. Under the protection of the Sufi, the assailant left Delhi unharmed.
The mystic 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 believed that when dervishes slept hungry and meditated in the early morning, they experienced Divine light in their souls. He emphasized the importance of breath control during meditation, defining a perfect Sufi as one with articulated breath.
Shaykh Naseeruddin survived three years after the assault on his life, dying on 18 Ramadan 757 Hijri/1356 AD. He was buried at his own house, in a place he selected for his grave many years earlier.
The Shaykh did not consider any among his disciples as worthy of receiving the treasured relics entrusted to him by Shaykh Nizamuddin. So, in accordance with his wishes, the cloak of his Master was placed over his body, the staff laid beside him, the prayer beads wound upon his finger, the wooden bowl placed over his head, and the Master’s sandals rested upon his breast. Shaykh Naseeruddin’s foremost disciple Sayyid Muhammad Gesu Daraz bathed his body.
Firoz Shah Tughlaq built Shaykh Naseeruddin Mahmud’s mausoleum in 1373 AD. Baba Farid’s granddaughter, the Shaykh’s nephew and Khalifa Shaykh Makhdoom Zainuddin and other mystics lie buried in the graveyard of the dargah complex at Chiragh Dilli.
