Nizamuddin Aulia

Nizamuddin Dargah  is the dargah (mausoleum) of one of the world's most famous Sufi saints, Nizamuddin Auliya. Situated in the Nizamuddin West area of Delhi, the dargah is visited by thousands of Muslims every week, and sees a fair share of Hindus, Christians and people from other religions. The tombs of Amir Khusro and Jehan Ara Begum are also located within the Nizamuddin Dargah complex, and Inayat Khan's tomb is just around the corner

Sultan-ul-Mashaikh, Mehboob-e-Ilahi, Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (1238 - 3 April 1325) , also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to humanity. His predecessors were Hazrath Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Bakhtiyar Kaki and Fariduddin Ganjshakar. In that sequence, they constitute the initial spiritual chain or silsila of the Chisti order, which is widely prevalent in India and Pakistan.

Nizamuddin Auliya, like his predecessors, stressed upon the element of love as a means of realisation of God. For him his love of God implied a love of humanity. His vision of the world was marked by a highly evolved sense of secularity and kindness. It is claimed by the 14th century historiographer Ziauddin Barani that his influence on the Muslims of Delhi was such that a paradigm shift was effected in their outlook towards worldly matters. People began to be inclined towards mysticism and prayers and remaining aloof from the world

Nizamuddin Auliya, had more than 600 disciples who were further allowed to have disciples under them so as to spread the message of love and humanity to as much as possible! It was Nizamuddin’s heightened sense of equality  and humanity that made people inclined towards mysticism of Sufism . The place where he lived for more than six decades is now a shrine and is visited by people from diverse background all year long.

Early Life
Nizamuddin Aulia was born to in 1238 AD in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh (east of Delhi).  When Nizamuddin was a little boy of five, his father passed away and his mother brought him to a school where he learned to recite the holy Quran. In a short time, he achieved quite a mastery over it. By the age of twelve, Nizamuddin had studied Arabic grammar, traditions of Prophet Mohammad, and had become distinguished in the commentary of Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, mathematics and astronomy. His sharp wittedness and understanding had earned him the title of a Debater. It was during the eighteenth year of Nizamuddin that he travelled from Badayun to Delhi. Accompanied by a firm believer of Bada Farid’s teachings, Musamma Ayuz, who said nothing but praises for him; Nizamuddin’s faith in Baba Farid began to reach new heights.

Career
In the year 1257, Nizamuddin went to Ajodhan (present Pakpattan Sharif in Pakistan) and became a disciple of Sufi saint Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakkar, commonly known as Baba Farid. He lived in the company of Baba Farid, who had now become his spiritual guide, for seven months and a few days before returning to Delhi where he ascended the throne of Khilafat-e-piran-e-Chisht or the Caliph of the Chishti Sheikhs. After residing for a few days in Delhi, Nizamuddin felt that he needed to move away from the crowd and thought of withdrawing himself to the desert. It was then that he received a revelation that he should take up a residence in a village outside the city, Ghiyaspur. It turned out to be perfect place untouched by the noise and chaos of the city life. Thus, he built his Khanqah, and lived there for more than sixty years without changing his residence. The Khanqah is visited by many people till date. Nasiruddin Chiragh Delhavi, spiritual successor of Nizamuddin Aulia; Amir Khusro, the most loved disciple of his master; Aqi Seraj, Burhanuddin Gharib, Jalaluddin Bhandari, Syed Mahmood Kashkinakar, Ajan Fakir, and Syed Ahmed Badepaa were the few disciples that reached spiritual heights among the 600 that Nizamuddin had.

Key Beliefs
As opposed to the belief that merger with God is possible only after death, Nizamuddin believed in embracing God within this life by cleansing the soul and destroying the ego and that it was possible though considerable efforts involving Sufi practices. He did not much bother about the theoretical aspects of Sufism but focused on practical aspects like having complete trust in God, turning away from distinctions made on the basis of social and religious status, being generous to the needy and oppressed, and holding an uncompromising attitude towards all form of social and political oppressions.

Death
It was on 3rd April 1325 that Nizamuddin died because of a four months long illness and was buried in Ghiyaspur itself. His shrine, the Nizamuddin Dergah is located in Delhi and the present structure that stands over it was built in 1562. The place is visited by people from all faiths through the year.

References :www.iloveindia.com, http://en.wikipedia.org

Posted via email from Gulshaa Begum - The Mystic

By living the dream, you transform the world.

Spirituality can refer to an ultimate irrelevant reality, an inner
path enabling a person to discover the core of his/her being; or the
“deepest values and meanings by which people live. Spiritual practices
are intended to develop an individual's inner life; spiritual
experience includes a association of a larger authenticity, yielding a
more complete self; with other individuals or the human community;
with nature or the cosmos; or with the divine realm. It is a source of
inspiration or orientation in life. It can include belief in
immaterial realities or experiences of the transcendent nature of the
world. The path of spirituality leads to Self Realization

Self-Realization – is nothing but the consciousness of our complete
&inseparable union with God, which also means that the ego-self has
come to identify itself so evidently, & sensibly that it is no longer
run by the Shadow. When one is in the Illumined State there ceases to
be any more inner or outer excitement. The personal ego-self has
surrendered fully & willingly into the loving grip of the Soul
Illuminated souls are the being who has become Self-Realized and
serves humanity; a being who has raised his/her vibration to a
continuous occurrence of light.

These self realized souls/ beings are the great Spiritual Masters who
come and go at will from the earth plane without the Birth//Death
cycle. These spiritual Masters have worked with mankind throughout the
centuries. Historically, Jesus, Prophet Mohammed ( s.a.a.w), Gandhi,
Martin Luther King and countless others have realized the suffering
that greed and domination inflict on the world. They have responded
courageously. Through their words and deeds, they have challenged and
dismantled influential, rigid systems by presenting - and living - a
different worldview. By living the dream, you transform the world.

Most significantly, we must share our love and spirituality freely,
even in public. The reality is this: society is dying from the lack of
love and strength, not the lack of possessions or money. Money isn't
life. We can breathe life back into our societies by expressing love —
allowing the soul to shine through us — in as many relationships as
possible. In short, we can support Social progress by raising
awareness about the damage that our financial and marketing
institutions are causing; create and support evolutionary models and
structures; and surpass our fear of "being different" and love
fearlessly. The reason we feel "different" is because so many others
like us are afraid to express that characteristic in public. If
everyone who felt this way expressed it freely, we would see that we
are not so different: the media culture has convinced many that our
nature is something other than it is. In reality, those whose hearts
are sedated are different.

However apart from these Sufi Masters there are few other illuminated
being who have contributed to the cause of Humanity :

Syedina Ghous-ul-Azam is not only known as the greatest of all
helpers, but was also a great preacher, a great educationalist, a
great moralist and a great doctor of Muslim law. He was the glory of
the learned and the light of Islam; the Spokesman of theologians, the
Interpreter of men of spiritual knowledge, the unique Leader of
Leaders; the Leader of nations; the Chief of the chiefs; the Succourer
of men and the Jinn; the Reviver of Religion; possessed of very high
and perfect spiritual knowledge; and hailed as the Honour of Religion

Rumi a 13th-century Persian Muslim poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi
mystic. taught about the science of Islamic spirituality, of which the
best known form remains the Sufi tradition in which a spiritual
master or Pir transmits spiritual discipline to students. The general
theme of Rumi's thought, like that of other mystic and Sufi poets of
Persian literature, is essentially that of the concept of tawhīd –
union with his beloved (the primal root) from which/whom he has been
cut off and become aloof – and his longing and desire to restore it.
Rumi also believed passionately in the use of music, poetry and dance
as a path for reaching God. For Rumi, music helped devotees to focus
their whole being on the divine and to do this so intensely that the
soul was both destroyed and resurrected. It was from these ideas that
the practice of whirling dervishes developed into a ritual form. His
teachings became the base for the order of the Mevlevi which his son
Sultan Walad organized. Rumi encouraged Sama, listening to music and
turning or doing the sacred dance. In the Mevlevi tradition, samāʿ
represents a mystical journey of spiritual ascent through mind and
love to the Perfect One. In this journey, the seeker symbolically
turns towards the truth, grows through love, abandons the ego, finds
the truth and arrives at the Perfect. The seeker then returns from
this spiritual journey, with greater maturity, to love and to be of
service to the whole of creation without discrimination with regard to
beliefs, races, classes and nations.

Khwaja Shamsuddin Muhammad Hafez-e-Shirazi (1325/1326 – 1389/1390),
was a Persian lyric poet. His collected works composed of series of
Persian poetry (Divan) are to be found in the homes of most Iranians,
who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to
this day. His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis,
commentary and interpretation, influencing post-Fourteenth Century
Persian writing more than any other author.

Gautama Buddha was one of the great enlightened ones. He taught
detachment and the middle way. The Buddha represents the wisdom
energy. Ascended 2500 years ago, Buddha "gave it all up" to find
meaning in life and the reason why some suffered so much. It was
during a meditation under the Bodhi Tree that he received
Enlightenment. Buddhism was formed out of his Teachings.

Lord Krishna incarnated 5000 years ago as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Born as a cowherd boy, Krishna displayed his perfect divinity
with the all attractive features of wealth, power, fame, beauty,
wisdom and detachment. He was a slayer of demonic tyrants and
enchanted all with the music of his flute. Krishna is believed by some
to have reappeared as Lord Maitreya in modern times. Twin Flame /
Divine Complement / Twin Ray: Lakshmi .Also known as: Krsna, Vishnu,
Embodied as: Krishna, King Rama, Vamana, and Parasurama

Sri Ramakrishna A devotee of the Divine Mother as Kali, Ramakrishna
(1836-1886) is widely revered as one of the greatest Hindu saints
known for his great devotion, he experimented intensively with other
religious paths, including Christianity and Islam. He taught a
universal love and understanding of all religions

Maitreya, whose name is derived from the Sanskrit maitri, meaning
universal love, is known to Buddhists as the embodiment of loving
kindness. Some believe this planetary master was Krishna, and that he
inspired the life of Jesus. Maitreya is a Buddha, working diligently
behind the scenes to enlighten humanity and birth the age of light.
Lord Maitreya was an incarnation of Krishna. He works to enlighten
humanity and bring in the new Golden Age. He is the head of the
Spiritual Hierarchy and is often called the "Master of Masters". He
has served this position for 2500 years.

However a spiritually based world culture is the height of Social
Evolution — a description of Heaven on Earth. Here, we have
personified the true soul of humanity. Love of creation and the love
of truth, rather than the love for money, produces the most beautiful
things with the deepest insights. Money cannot create art, beauty,
inspiration, truth, or genius.

Posted via email from Gulshaa Begum - The Mystic