Hundred Great Muslims

136 Hundred Great Muslims
on credit. When the inmates of the monastery together with their spiritual
Teacher, Fariduddin Ganj Shakar sat down for their meal, the latter felt reluctant
to take the food. "I smell extravagance from this food", he said. On enquiry. he
was told that the salt was obtained on credit from the grocer's shop. On this
information, he observed that it was better for a dervish to die rather than
obtain anything on credit. From that day. Nizamuddin resolved never to take
anything on credit.
On completing his strenuous training from his spiritual teacher, Fariduddin
Ganj Shakar he settled down at Ghiaspura near Delhi. In the beginning, he
passed a very hard life. Sometimes days passed without Nizamuddin and his
family having anything to appease their hunger. On such occasions, his pious
mother declared that they were the guests of God. Nizamuddin felt an immense
inner pleasure at such moments.
Once, the King of Delhi, Jalaluddin Khilji, requested Nizamuddin to
accept a few neighbouring villages for meeting the expenses of his Khanqah, but
he refused to accept any such gift.
The teachings of Nizamuddin Aulia had a sobering effect on the pleasureloving
society of the Imperial city of Delhi. Persons attached to the royal court
who revelled in pleasure, abstained from it. A number of such dignitaries,
including some members of the royal family were attracted towards the Saint of
Ghiaspura and became his disciples. Their life underwent a strange transformation.
Two of these were the sons of Sultan Alauddin Khilji-Prince Khizr
Khan and Shadi Khan. But the greatest of Nizamuddin's disciples was Ameer
Khusroe, a versatile genius-poet, musician, writer and mystic-greatest master of
fine arts that the thousand years of Muslim rule in India has produced.
Khusroe, a highly respected member of the royal court of Delhi, was a
great admirer of his spiritual teacher, Nizamuddin Aulia. In fact he was always
prepared to sacrifice his all for his sake. Once a supplicant came to Nizamuddin
and begged for alms. The Saint had nothing with him. He gave his wooden shoes
to the supplicant, who went away from there satisfied.
The supplicant had hardly gone out of Delhi, when Ameer Khusroe, who
was returning to the Capital along with the King, met him, and said to him: I
feel the sweet smell of my spiritual teacher from your body. Have you any
token from him?". The supplicant took out the wooden shoes of Nizamuddin
from his cloak. Ameer Khursroe kissed those shoes and cried out: "Do you want
to sell these?" Ameer Khusroe had five lakh Tunkas (silver coins) with him
which the Sultan had awarded him in appreciation of his poem. Khusroe gave
the entire money in lieu of his teacher's shoes. Appearing before Hazrat
Nizamuddin, with his shoes upon his head, Khusroe observed: "The dervish
agreed to accept five lakh tunkas as the price of the shoes. Had he asked for my
entire property and even my life as the price of it. I would have willingly given
these to him."