Farid in his wanderings visited in A. D. 1244 the Girar hill in the Wardha district of Central India, and lived there for some time. Two travellers, who at first mocked him and subsequently felt the effects of his miraculous power, became his disciples. They died on the hill where their graves are still pointed out.
Farid subsequently visited the hill of Datar in the state of Junagarh and abode there for some time. He was known under the name of Shakar Bhai. His fireplace near a spring called Qalandar ka chashma — the Qalandar 's well — is still pointed out and revered by pilgrims. Hindu lepers visit the place to be healed of their malady, and in the event of suc cess become Musalmans. Of such are the men in a temple on the slope of the hill, who have acquired several well-marked Muhammadan characteristics.
His mother, finding that Farid on his return had not lost all remnants of pride, dismissed him to do penance for a third period of twelve years. This time, it is said, he caused himself to be suspended by the feet in a well. He used sometimes, when wearied by the unnatural position of his body, to go out and pray, and express his satisfaction with the Divine will. It is said that birds used to build their nests in his hair, and beasts of prey to peck at or devour his flesh. He composed the following couplet in reference to these circumstances : —
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Farid, thy body is on the stake ; thy head hath become a cage ; the crows peck at thy feet.
If God come to me even now, happy shall be my lot.
This couplet was subsequently expanded into the goth, 9ist, and gand sloks of Shaikh Brahm found in the Granth Sahib. After twelve years thus occupied it is said a voice called out to him, ' God will grant any favour thou askest.' Farid replied that he only desired salvation.
Farid, on being questioned why he had endured so much penance, said that he desired to save all the followers of Muhammad whom he could fold within his arms. His questioner replied, ' Thou canst fold only two men within thine arms.' Farid then stretched out his hands, whereupon one of them seemed to reach to the east and the other to the west, and he said, ' All persons within the circuit of my arms shall accept Islam and be saved.' His questioner stood abashed on hearing this and became his disciple.
It is stated in the Gulshan-i-Auliya that God had an understanding with Farid, that He should give him three terms of life of forty years each. After the first forty years God said, ' Thou hast been searching for Me.' After the second forty God said, ' Thou hast done My bidding.' After the third forty God again said, ' Thou hast done My bidding ; now I will do thine.' It would thus appear that after a holy career Farid died at the age of one hundred and twenty years. Other writers, however, as we shall see, assign the saint a shorter period of life.
The fame of Farid' s miracles widely extended, and some men through envy became exceedingly hostile to him. Two darweshes, displeased at his high reputation for sanctity and thaumaturgy, came from a great distance to kill him. Farid spoke gently to his in tended murderers, with the result that they departed fully satisfied that he was a great saint, and deserved praise rather than censure, long life rather than death.
SIKH. VI B D
After that two saints arrived from Mount Lebanon to decide the question as to who was the spiritual ruler of India. On making Farid's acquaintance, they became so enamoured of the beauty and saintli- ness of his character, that they decided to pass the remainder of their lives in his service. Others arrived on the same errand and from the same locality, so it was said that Lebanon was denuded of its male population. Farid in due time dismissed them all, saying that Lebanon was the home of saints, and they ought not to abandon it.
In the train of other holy men who came from Ghazni, Kabul, and the cities to the west of it to engage in missionary enterprise in India, was Ahmad Danyal of Bukhara1, the father of Nizam-ul-Din Auliya. Having stayed for some time at Lahore, Ahmad Danyal in A. D. 1234 proceeded to Badaun, then a famous city of Muhammadan learning. There, three years after his arrival, Nizam-ul-Din, originally called Muhammad, was born to him. Nizam-ul-Din was left an orphan at the age of five years. He was carefully and piously instructed by his mother Zulaikha, and in early youth showed such extra ordinary ability, that he was known as Nizam-ul-Din Bahhas, or the Controversialist, and Mahfil-Shikan, the assembly-router. On arriving at manhood he was offered by the Emperor the coveted post of Qazi at Dihli, but, that being principally of a secular character, he preferred to embrace a religious life, and become a disciple of Farid. From him, according to Abul Fazal, author of the Ain-i-Akbari, he obtained the key of the treasury of inward illumination.
Nizam-ul-Din had heard much of Farid, and longed to meet him and receive his spiritual instruction. Farid too was equally anxious to meet such a holy man. He said he had had an inspiration to confer the spiritual sovereignty of Hindustan on a man
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called Nizam-ul-Din. Accordingly, when the two holy men met, Farid gave Nizam-ul-Din his patched coat and wooden shoes, and appointed him head of the Muhammadan faith in India. He bade him be of good cheer and promised ever to assist him. On that occasion Farid made the following couplet : —
The fire of separation from thee roasteth our hearts ; The torrent of thy love destroyeth our lives.
These lines were intended to compliment Nizam- ul-Din on his personal popularity, and the love with which he inspired his associates.
In the time of the Emperor Nasir-ul-Din there was a celebrated preacher called Afsah-ul-Din in Dihli. He visited Farid in Ajodhan to hold a religious con troversy with him, and was encountered by Nizam- ul-Din, whom Farid deputed for the purpose. Nizam- ul-Din gave Afsah-ul-Din most unexpectedly clever and satisfactory replies to all his arguments, whereat he marvelled greatly and departed, saying, ' If the disciple is so, what must the master be ? ' Farid ultimately made Afsah-ul-Din a disciple of his.
Farid used generally to reject offerings of money. One day the emperor presented him with two plates of gold coins. Farid would only accept two muhars out of the imperial offerings. Those he accepted were devoted to the purchase of provisions for his public kitchen ; the remainder he ordered to be dis tributed among faqirs. In the process of distribu tion two of the coins fell and were picked up by a disciple of Farid. Farid not observing this began to pray, but could not fix his thoughts on God. He knew therefore that some one in the assembly must have worldly dross on him. After much inquiry he became aware of the act of his disciple, and ordered him to throw away the coins immediately. It was only then that Farid could fix his attention on his devotions.
As an example of Farid' s frugal habits, the follow-
B b 2
ing anecdote is related. Nizam-ul-Din Auliya one day cooked some coarse lentils which he seasoned with borrowed salt. Farid ordered him to distribute the lentils and then give him his share. When it was brought to Farid, he said that it sa.voured of excessive expenditure. Nizam-ul-Din admitted that he had seasoned it with borrowed salt, whereupon Farid said he had done wrong. Food obtained in that way should not be eaten. Upon this Farid sent the food away.
Farid accompanied Baha-ul-Din Zakaria at his request on another journey, namely, to the moun tain of Qaf, the Caucasus. On descending therefrom they are said to have seen a man with a fiery dress riding on a fiery tiger, an allegory intended to repre sent the burning zeal of the first propagators of Islam. The man put Farid behind him, and rode off with him for the conversion of the world.
Farid, on returning to Aj odhan from his missionary journey, was hospitably received and entertained by Shaikh Nasir Ulla's mother, a widow named Bibi Um-i-Qulsum, whom he afterwards married. She brought him valuable building land to the west of the town. Farid cherished Nasir Ulla, and educated and brought him up as his own son.
During Farid' s absence in the Caucasus a Jogi gained great spiritual ascendancy over the people of Aj odhan, and made many converts among them. In due time they all returned to Farid, who promptly repaired the mischief that had been done, and re stored his flock to their former spiritual allegiance.
The Emperor Nasir-ul-Din deputed Nawab Alif Khan to present Farid with a large sum of money in gold and a perpetual grant of the revenue of four villages. Farid refused both the money and the grant, and told Alif Khan to take them to those who needed them. If he himself accepted them, he would no longer be reckoned a darwesh. Men would upbraid him for his worldliness, and on the day of judgement
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he would not be allowed to take his place in the ranks of the elect. On this occasion Farid cited the precepts and example of his priest Qutub-ul-Din Bakhtiyar Ushi. Once the Emperor Shams-ul-Din Altmish sent him a dish of gold and silver coins and a lease of six villages. Qutub-ul-Din rejected the royal offerings, saying that none of his predecessors had ever accepted such things, and, were he to do so, he would be no true follower of theirs.
When Nawab Alif Khan was on his return journey to Dihli, it occurred to him that the Emperor Nasir- ul-Din had no heir, and he reflected that, if he could secure Farid' s intercession, he might become emperor himself. He therefore returned to Farid who gave him the following verses : —
The great Faridun was not an angel ; He was not constructed out of rose-water and ambergris ; He obtained greatness by his justice and generosity. Dispense thou justice and generosity, and thou shalt be even as Faridun.
Alif Khan receiving these lines joyfully returned to Dihli, and ultimately, on the death of Nasir-ul-Din, was saluted emperor under the title of Ghiyas-ul-Din Balban.1
Farid went to Dihli during the life-time of Nasir- ul-Din and received a most hospitable reception. The Emperor introduced him to his queens and made them his disciples. While in the female apart ments Farid's glance fell on Hazabra, the Emperor's daughter. Farid first looked at her, and then looked up to heaven. He inquired whose daughter she was, and on being duly informed took his departure. The Emperor understood Farid's desire, and sent his prime minister to offer him Hazabra in marriage. Farid, who had already made up his mind on the subject, said that God, the Prophet, and the elders of the Chishtis had all given him orders to ally
himself with the Emperor's daughter. He averred that he had seen a sign on Hazabra's forehead that she was intended for him. Upon that occasion Farid addressed God — ' Thou hast drawn away my heart from Thy love, and inclined it in another direction/ God is said to have replied — ' Perform the marriage for the love of my friend the Prophet/ Farid prayed God to pardon him. God again replied— ' I have an object in this. When sons are born to thee, it shall be to the advantage of thy people, and they shall be pardoned/ Farid, still anxious on the subject, urged, ' If any of my descendants sin, I shall be called to account in Thy court/ God replied, ' Keep the good children thyself, and entrust the bad ones to Me/
Farid and the Emperor's daughter were duly married. The Emperor sent three hundred servants to wait on her. Of these Farid only allowed her to retain two men and two women. The first night the lady, richly apparelled, lay on a gorgeous couch. Farid produced his prayer-carpet, and slept on it on the ground near her. Next day she told her nurse that Farid had not approached her. The nurse remonstrated with him on the subject. He replied that he did not approve of the regal style the lady had adopted. She must sell her jewels and rich dresses, devote the price of them to God's service, and wear the habit of a darwesh. When the lady received this message, she said she would do as her husband had ordered. She accordingly devoted the proceeds of the sale of her jewels and dresses to the relief of the poor. Farid then procured for her wear a coarse jacket of a dirty brown colour, black paejamas, green glass bangles, and a pewter nose-ring. The Emperor was not pleased that his daughter should appear in such mean habiliments, and again supplied her with new clothes and jewellery to wear instead of what she had rejected at her husband's desire. The new articles she again gave to the
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poor. A third time the Emperor sent her what he deemed suitable apparel and ornaments, but she and her husband parted with them as before. The Emperor continued to send her presents, but they were only a source of disagreement between her hus band and herself. At last the lady proposed that they should leave Dihli and proceed to Pak Pattan. This was agreed upon. Farid left his brother Najib- ul-Din to do spiritual duty for him in Dihli. It may be here stated that the females of the shrine are still married in dresses similar to what Farid procured for his wife. After the honeymoons raiment more suitable to their worldly position is adopted.
The Emperor's daughter bore Farid five sons — Badr-ul-Din, Shahab-ul-Din, Nizam-ul-Din, Yaqub, and Abdulla Shah ; and three daughters— Fatima, Mastura, and Sharifa. In the Itrat-i-Faridi it is stated that Farid had a third wife named Najib-ul- Nissa, sister of Shaikh Zakaria, and we shall subse quently see that he procured a fourth wife on the Panjab mountains.
Farid being once very ill sent Nizam-ul-Din and other darweshes to a cemetery to pray for him. The idea was and is, that prayers offered in the presence of men who have gone to God, are acceptable and successful. The prayer, however, proved of no avail. Upon this one of the darweshes remarked that the prayers of the worthless were of no advantage to the perfect, that is, the prayers of ordinary dar weshes could not benefit Farid. This expression was subsequently repeated to Farid by Nizam-ul-Din. Farid was pleased with the compliment and, it is said, granted Nizam-ul-Din supernatural power. Nizam-ul-Din then returned to the cemetery, prayed for Farid' s recovery, and on his return found him in perfect health.
• To show the spiritual and social position held by the family it is related that Farid addressed his cousin as ' Hazrat Ghaus Shaikh Baha-ul-Din Zakaria'.
His cousin addressed him in reply, ' Mashuq-i-Khuda wa ashik-i-zat-i-Kibria Farid, fard-i-alam, Shah Shakar Ganj Ajodhani Chishti ' — Beloved of God and loving the Almighty Being, Farid, unique in the world, king, treasury of sugar, Chishti of Ajodhan.
Shaikh Badr-ul-Din, descended from a noble family of Ghazni, was a disciple of Qutub-ul-Din of Dihli. Farid, highly impressed with Badr-ul-Din' s reputa tion for sanctity, went one day to visit him. Badr- ul-Din had nothing for him to eat, so he sent his coarse blanket to the market to be sold for whatever it would fetch, in order to provide a meal for his distinguished guest. Malik Nizam-ul-Din, a different person from the Nizam-ul-Din Auliya with whom we have been concerned, made a monastery for Shaikh Badr-ul-Din, who was pleased to reside in it, and dispense to the poor the provisions which Nizam-ul- Din had provided for them in abundance. It hap pened that this Nizam-ul-Din subsequently in some way offended the Emperor and was imprisoned. Badr-ul-Din wrote to Farid to pray to God for his release. Farid refused on the ground that Nizam- ul-Din had constructed a monastery for self- aggrandizement, a course which was not in accord ance with the humble practice of his predecessors who sought retirement and self-effacement.
There was a religious man called Shams Dabir who lived in great indigence in Sunam in the present state of Patiala. He wrote some verses in praise of Farid, and went to him to recite them. Farid on hearing the eulogium asked the poet what he wanted. Shams Dabir replied that he was very poor, and had not wherewithal to support his aged mother. Farid replied that he gave not money, but he would pray very fervently for him. Shams Dabir ultimately became secretary to the Emperor's prime minister.
The Emperor Ala-ul-Din Masaud made Hamid, a learned man, his viceroy of Bengal. One day as Hamid was standing with clasped hands before the