Gesudaraz Syed Muhamad Husayni (1321 A.D. - 1422A.D): Famous Sufi Saint of Deccan

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A famous Sufi saint of Chisti order, Gesudaraz Syed Muhamad Husayni is credited with the spread of Chisti order in South India. A disciple of Chirag-i-Delhi, he left Delhi in 1398 and went to Gulbarga in Karnataka where he was well received by the Bahmani Sultan Firoz Shah Bahmani. Gulbarga was the capital of the Bahmani kingdom until its transfer to Bidar in 1428. 

Author of a large number of books on Tasawwuf (mysticism), he was a scholar of great repute and well versed in Quranic verses. Popular with the masses, he had deep compassion for the poor and the impoverished and this earned him the title of Bandanawaz (benefactor of the creatures of God).
A linguist with extensive knowledge of several languages, Gesudaraz was one of the early poets and writers who wrote in Urdu that came into being as a result of the mingling the Persian, Turkish and Arabic words accompanied by concepts of Sanskritic origin.

In the later years, the relation between Gesudaraz and Firoz Bahmani became strained as Sufi saint threw his weight to Bahmani Sultan's brother Ahmad to succeed the throne.

Gesudaraz died at Gulbarga and is buried there.

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