visiting nizamuddin

Finding India in a Sufi Dargah
Submitted by admin on 4 June 2008 - 9:58pm.
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By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
To meet an original Delhi-wala and listen to the Urdu spoken hundred of years ago in Delhi, you have to leave your vehicle on the Mathura Road and walk towards the oldest continually inhabited place of Delhi. This basti is more than 700 years old and now named after its most famous resident Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya. This is Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin. Some families have been living here since the time of the famous Sufi saint.
Religion is very important in the lives of majority of Indians, but there are very few religious places where Indians of all faith can come together. Dargahs or tombs of Sufi saints provide that space for millions of Indians.
Syed Kabiruddin Nizami is a descendent of the sister of Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin. He is one of the khadims of the Dargah Nizamuddin attending to the spiritual needs of devotees who come from all over the world.
While talking to Syed Kabiruddin Nizami sahib about Hazrat Nizamuddin, Sufism and contribution of Sufis to India, I couldn’t help but notice that people of all faith, culture, language, and class come here. From a modern looking businessman from Mumbai who is in Delhi to make a multi-million dollar deal to a blind beggar who is singing songs in praise of Hazrat Nizamuddin. A lot of people in this hustle and bustle are from outside Delhi but quite a few from nearby who come here on regular basis. Away from politics, communalism, terrorism, and all kinds of fanaticism, a harmonious India emerges here.




Nizami informs me about the origin of Sufism and links it back to the Prophet of Islam. He denies that Sufism is anything different from Islam. He explains that Sufism is nothing but the spiritual aspect of Islam. Worship of Allah and serving the humanity is the principle of Sufism. There are four main Sufi orders in India- Chishti, Qadiri, Suhrawardi, and Naqshabandi. While other orders emphasize zikr (remembrance of Allah), Chishtia order puts more emphasis on serving the people. Even now, dargahs of Chishti order serve free food in daily langar. Hazrat Nizamuddin belonged to the Chishti order.
Nizami talks about Prophet Muhammed being called a ‘Mercy to the Mankind’ in Quran and he says that this mercy is visible in khanqahs (Muslim monastery) and Sufi dargahs as they serve all humanity irrespective of their religious belief. He is quick to say that dargahs are the only platform in India where people of all communities can come freely.
Born in Badayun in about 1238 AD, Hazrat Nizamuddin migrated to Delhi along with his sister and mother. He wanted to become a Qazi in Delhi but his spiritual quest led him to Baba Farid Ganjshakar in Pakpattan, Punjab. After getting khilafat from Baba Farid he returned to Delhi and established his monastery in Ghayaspura locality of Delhi. This area now bears his name and is called Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin.
Slide show:

One of the famous disciples of Hazrat Nizamuddin was Amir Khusro. Khusro is credited with development of Urdu that led to its popularization; he started Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. His contribution in literature and classical music is immense. He loved his teacher so much that he lies buried a few meters from Hazrat Nizamuddin’s grave.
Sufism in India not only provided a platform for spiritual needs of Indians but also served the people by providing them with a language to communicate in large parts of India, thus they were able to travel, trade, and find employment. Sufis enriched our life with brining literature closer to the people and adding new instruments like Sitar and Tabla and new elements and forms to Hindustani classical music. As we look at the almost thousand-year-old history of Sufis in India, we see that they not only infused spirituality in India but beyond politics, wars and sultans they gave us the idea of India that still exist within us.
Watch Syed Kabiruddin Nizami’s interview:
Syed Kabiruddin Nizami can be reached at syedkabirdunnizami100@yahoo.com or phone # 9891855326
A dargah (Persian: درگه)
Submitted by feliduca (not verified) on 21 October 2008 - 7:19pm.
A dargah (Persian: درگه) is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims visit the shrine known as (ziyarat). Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah. They often include a mosque, meeting rooms, schools (Madrassas), residences for a teacher or caretaker, hospitals, and other buildings for community purposes.
The term is derived from a Persian word which can mean, among other uses, "portal" or "threshold." Many Muslims believe that dargahs are portals by which they can invoke the deceased saint's intercession and blessing
Shrines are found in many Muslim-majority countries, and called by many names. The term dargah is common in the Persian-influenced Islamic world, notably Iran and South Asia.
In South Africa, the term is used to describe shrines in the Durban area where there is a strong Indian presence, while the term kramat is more commonly used in Cape Town, where there is a strong Cape Malay culture.
In the Indian subcontinent, dargahs are often the site of festivals (Milad) held in honor of the deceased saint at the date of his Urs, which is a day dedicated to the saint which is usually but not exclusively the saint's death anniversary. The shrine is illuminated with candles or strings of electric lights.
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Redefine the Managemnt Systems of Dargah and Other Muslim Shrine
Submitted by Syed Mohammad Raghib Ahsanul Quadri (not verified) on 2 August 2008 - 4:07pm.
As a muslim when i get a chance to visit the Dargah of Khawja Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia (R.H) for fateha khani i found myself anxious due to the encroachment and inside scene of Dargah. According to my observation of Islamic History, fiqh and other muslim books, now a days its look like different to the reality of Islamic history. Today dargah is under the hand of illiterate so called Gaddi Nashin (Muntazemeen), these all are the cheatoer, dacoit who is misleading the faith, and declingin its glory due to misuse the name of Sufi and Buzugan e din. The situation of Hazrat Nizamudding Dargah is telling story itself. Start from the begining Phool wala, then many beggar and inside shrine so many cheater who has no respect to Aulia, Wazukhana is dirty, Many beggers inside abusing each other under their nose of Sajjada, they want money, chadar and nothing to do with the real Islam to respect of Buzurgan E Din. Allah may allow all of them to respect Islam and its real value not only for money and glory of own name.
Its need to change the whole management, before some years government do that but their lobby of a huge corrupt people did not want to change the situation of that area. I have great distress to the government one side it want to change the whole module of Amarnath Shrine board but did not try to change the Dargah situation why? Its urgent need to demolish the whole encroched area hotel, shop etc....
I also request to the resident of that area to understand the value and cooperate to be a good muslim, a good civilian and in last raise your voice againt illegal construction around Dargan site....