Khwaja Ali Hujjwiri
Popularly
known as Data Ganj Baksh (Distributor of Unlimited Power), Khwaja Ali Hujjwiri lived in 11th century AD and is
considered to be the earliest Sufi Saint of repute who made India his home. He
died in Lahore and his tomb is an important place of pilgrimage.
Khwaja Ali Hujjwiri is known
for compiling Kashf-ul-Mahjoob or Kashf al-Mahjub, a Persian treatise on Sufism, which was translated into
English by British Orientalist and scholar Reynold Alleyne Nicholson. The work gives the biographies of Sufis from Prophet Muhammad's days to his own time.
Sheikh Bahaud-din Zakariya
Credited
with the foundation of the Suhrawardiya Sufi order in India, Sheikh Bahaud-din
Zakariya made Multan his base which also served as headquarters of the order. He was born at Kot Kehror (now known as Karor Lal Esan), near Multan.
His tomb is situated in Multan.
Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti
The
founder of the Chisti order in India, Khwaja Muinud-din-Chisti was also known
as Khwaja Ajmeri. Headquartered in Ajmer in Rajasthan, Chisti was the most
popular and famous Sufi order in India which attracted devotees from both
Muslims and Hindus and continue to do so. He died in Ajmer in 1236.
Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki
The most important disciple of Moinuddin Chisti, Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki popularized the Chisti
order in Delhi. He had come to Delhi some time after 1221. He died in 1235. His tomb is in Mehrauli in Delhi and it is said that Qutub
Minar takes its name from this Sufi saint.
Hamiduddin Nagauri
Another
prominent disciple of Moinuddin Chisti, Hamiduddin Nagauri was instrumental in initiating
Chisti order in Nagaur in Rajasthan.
Baba Farid-du-din Ganj-i-Shakar (1175-1265)
Popularly
known as Baba Farid in Sikh tradition, Baba Farid-du-din Ganj-i-Shakar was the
first great Sufi poet of Punjab. A disciple of Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki,
he built his khanqah (Sufi hospice) at Ajodan (presently Pakpattan in the
Punjab province of Pakistan). More than 100 hymns written by him have been
included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred book of the Sikhs.
Leading
a life of extreme poverty, Baba Farid used to wear worn-out garments. He
subsisted on futuh and nazur (unsolicited gifts). It is said
that when his son was to die of starvation he expressed his inability to do
anything. He was succeeded by his most famous disciple Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya.
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya
One of
the most famous Sufi saints of Chisti order, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya
(1236-1325) inherited the spiritual mantle from Baba Farid-du-din
Ganj-i-Shakar. He was also known as Mahboob-i-Ilaahi.
Shaikh Nasiruddin Muhamud
Shaikh
Nasiruddin Muhamud, better known as Shaikh Raushan Chirag-i-Delhi (the lamp of Delhi), was a
famous Sufi saint of Chisti silsilah, the most popular of the orders into which
Sufis were organized. He was the disciple and successor of Shaikh Nizamuddin
Aulia, the most prominent Sufi saint of the aforesaid order.
Gesudaraz Syed Muhamad Husayni
Chirag-i-Delhi’s
famous disciple was Gesudaraz Syed Muhamad Husayni who is credited with the spread
of Chisti order in South India. Famously known as Bandanawaz (benefactor of the
creatures of God), he made Gulbarga in Karnataka his base.
One of
the earliest to write in Urdu, Gesudaraz is said to have authored more than
thirty books on Sufism.
Shaikh Badruuddin Samarkhandi
He was
the founder of the Firdausi order wise influenced was confined to Bihar. Shaikh
Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri, who lays buried in Bihar Sharif, district headquarters
of Nalanda in the state of Bihar, was another prominent Sufi saint of Firdausi
silsila.
Shah Nayamatulla Qadiri
He was
the founder of the Qadiriya silsila in India. Dara Sikhoh, the eldest and most
favourite son of Shahjahan, was a follower of this order. The order made its presence
strongly felt in Uttar Pradesh and Deccan. Miyan Mir was the most famous Sufi
saint of Qadiriya order.
Shah Abdullah Shuttari
He was
the founder of Shuttari order. Its areas of influence were Madhya Pradesh and
Gujarat.
Khwaja Baqi Billah
Born in
Kabul in 1563, Khwaja Baqi Billah is the originator of Naqshbandiah silsilah in India. He died at an age of 40 in 1603 and lies buried in Sadar Bazaar
area of Delhi. Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi was the most prominent saint of
Naqshbandiah order. Also known as Mujaddid Alif, Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi died in 1624 at Sarhind in Punjab.