Hazrat Khawaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki RA

On the 14th. of Jamadi os Sani, 627 A.H., Khawaja Sahib r.a. bestowed the Khilafat upon Hazrat Khawaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki RA. He was the official succesor of Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan, Chishti, Ajmeri RA. A great scholar and dignified saint of his time. Several men of letter ( Ahlay Qalam ) were among his followers. His name was Bakhtiyar and titles were Qutub ul Aqtab ( Chief of the great saints ) and the Qutub ul Islam ( Chief of Islam ).




Like his teacher and spiritual guide, Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti, RA, he was Hussaini Syed and descendant of Imam Hussain. His father, Syed Kamaluddin, was resident of the town Uosh in the region of Ma'wra-ul Nehr.




Birth: Signs of holiness were evident when he was in the womb of his mother. His mother mentioned: "During pregnancy when I woke up for the late-night prayer, I heard the mention of the name of Allah for a short while. " There are many disputes as to his date of birth but his year of birth, as generally agreed, is the year 569 Hijri.




He chose Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti RA, as his teacher and spiritual guide and so he is known one belonging to the Chishtia order. His teacher awarded him the title Qutub ul aqtab whereas Ka'aki is his qualitative name.




When Khawaja Bakhtiyar Ka'aki made Delhi as his place of residence, and renounced all worldly things and remained busy in prayer and meditation, his dependents lived the life of extreme penury and poverty. His wife arranged for food by borrowing money form the wife of the grocer, named as Sharf-uddin. One day the wife of the grocer taunted her, "If we do not lend money to you, your children would die with hunger." When Khawaja Bukhtiar Ka'aki RA came to know about it, he asked his wife not to borrow money form her but to take out the required number of Ka'aki (a kind of bread) from the alcove in his room and give them to the children to eat. From this he came to be known as Ka'aki.




One day Hazrat Amir Khusro asked Mehboob-e Elahi, Khawaja Nizamuddin "why he was called Ka'aki?". The Sultan ul Mashaekh ( King of the Saints ) replied, "One day he was sitting on the bank of Shamsi Hauz along with his disciples. Cool air was blowing. The disciples said, "What! If we can get hot Ka'aki ( bread ) to eat". Hearing this he entered into the water of the Shamsi Hauz, returned and offered them hot Ka'aki. From that day on he was called 'Ka'aki'.




Initial Education: His father passed away when he was a baby, only one-and-a-half year old. The mother gave her attention to his education. She regarded it as her sacred duty. When he could read, she sent him, to a pious taugh tutor, Maulana Abu Hafiz. He received lessons on religion from him.




To the Teacher: The author of Sair ul Auliya says that he met Sheikh Shahabuddin Suharawardy, Sheikh Auhad Uddin Kirmani and Moinuddin Chishti Sangria, in the mosque of Abul Lais Samarkandi, in Baghdad, in the month of Rajab of 522 Hijri and entered into their orders. Saheb-e Sair ul Auliya ( author of sair ul auliya ) describes that when Khawaja Chishti reached Uosh, he was admitted to his order and received the rank of his spiritual heir at the young age of seventeen.


Prayers and Meditation: Hazrat Nizamuddin says about his teacher that the Sheikh passed most of his time in prayers and meditation, abandoned sleep, and nobody saw him lying on bed for the night sleep. In the beginning he slept for a short while during night, but later forsook it. He often said, "Ever if I sleep, I feel it very bad".




The chroniclers say that having been admitted to the fold of Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti he said 95 rakat Namaz during ( 24 Hours of ) day and night and recited Darood to the Prophet three thousand times during the night. In the preliminary three nights of his marriage he could not keep up with his routine. The Prophet appeared in the dream of a saint, Rais Ahmad, and told him to ask Bakhtiyar the reason of the indifference. Hearing this he divorced his wife, and devoted himself fully in prayers.




The Travels: Like his teacher and spiritual guide, he traveled extensively and met many saintly people and witnessed strange incidents. He has mentioned them in details in his articles of young by a river. He says that one day he was sitting with Qazi Hamiduddin Nagori on a bank of a river that he saw a big scorpion creeping fast. "I said, there was some secret." Both of us followed the scorpion, which reached a tree and killed a big snake. There slept a man nearby. We approached him and found that he was a drunkard and down under the influence of wine. We stayed there and wondered why God bestowed upon such a sinner His mercy. We heard:




"If we only take pity on the pious, who would help the poor?"




After the man woke up and was surprised to see the dead snake we told him the story. He was ashamed and in a short time he rose to become a great saint. God gifted him with His divine knowledge.


Came to India: Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti came to India and settled down in Ajmer. Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki could not bear his separation any longer, left his homeland and started for India. On the way having enjoyed the hospitality of Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria and Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrez at Multan finally came to Delhi. Sultan Altamish was the king and was greatly devoted to the holymen. He requested him to stay in the capital but Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki preferred to stay at Kilokheri. The Sultan went to see him once a week. The Sultan again made a request that he had to travel such a distance. Moreover, the state work suffered. Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki, at last, moved to the capital and stayed, in the mosque of Malik Ainuddin.




In Delhi he became extremely popular rich or poor equally visited him and drew favour from him. The king and his court pledged their obedience to him. In the meantime Sheikh ul Islam Maulana Jamaluddin Bustami died and the Sultan wished to confer upon him the rank but the declined the offer. He said, "We, beggars have no relation to them". The Sultan wished to offer him anything he wanted but he never demanded anything from him. He grew so popular that nobody cared of Sheikh ul Islam Najmuddin Sughra, who himself was a great learned man and mystic. When Hazrat Chishti once visited Delhi, he complained to him of his insignificance. The Khawaja ordered Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki to accompany him to Ajmer. He was beside himself with joy. But when people knew that Bakhtiar was leaving Delhi they appealed to the Khawaja with tearful eyes to spare him and let him remain in Delhi. Hazrat Khawaja had to relent.




Hazrat Bakhtiyar visited Ajmer to see his teacher before his demise and stayed there, for several days. One day the Khawaja appeared at the place where his disciples sat, called Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki, and said, "0, Saints! The entire world is illuminated ( with the heavenly light ). I have been brought here because here is my grave."




After which Hazrat Khawaja Moin Uddin Chisti dictated an order to the writer ordering him to leave for Delhi. He was assigned the rank of Khalifa. Later, he called him near, wrapped his turban on his ( Hazrat Bakhtiar's ) head, gave him Sheikh Haroon's staff, his own copy of the holy Quran and prayer mat. He bade adieu to his teacher and returned to Delhi. After 40 days, a messenger came from Ajmer bearing the news of the death of Hazrat Khawaja Moin-uddin Chishti.




His Services: The torch of Faith illuminated by Hazrat Moin-uddin Chisti was kept burning and spreading the light far and near by Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki predominantly. The movement of the propagation of Islam so ably started by Hazrat Moin Uddin Chisti was not only strengthened but extended also.




Character: Self-sufficiency and Fasting: He spent most of his time in fasting. His dependants passed their days in extreme poverty. The teacher had permitted him to borrow to the tune of 500 dirhams but he avoided it. He never had enough money to pay the Zakaat tax.




Generosity: He was a generous soul. Whatever he received, he gave it away to the poor; whenever he had nothing in the house he Asked the servant to serve the people with cold water.




Renunciation: Sultan Shamsuddin Altutmish was devoted to him and could have given him anything he wanted but he never demanded a thing from him. Once the Sultan wanted to grant him a jagir and his minister arrived with the Sultan's proclamation with the request to accept it, he declined and said that the earlier saints of the Chistia order never accepted such things, how could he do it?


Once the royal secretary came and offered him several villages. He called him to come near and lifted a corner of his prayer mat. The Secretary was surprised he saw the river of wealth flowing. He then replied, "Whoever has such vast treasures from God, what would he do with a few villages".


Love of the Prophet: Like his teacher and guide he was deeply involved in love for the prophet; recited Davood three thousand times a night; told the Tradition and instructed to follow the Shareiah.


He was fond of music, and regarded it lawful, under certain conditions and limitations. He passed away during such a recital. The Qawwals (a certain type of Singers) began with the ode of Sheikh Ahmad Jam. When they sang the couplet:


"Kushtagan-e Khanjar-e Tasleem ra;
Harzaman az Ghaib Jan Digar ast."


It moved the saint so much that he went into trance and remained so for four days. When he regained consciousness, he asked to repeat it. On the following fifth night he passed away.


Books: He was an accomplished writer and a versatile poet. His books are:
Dalil-Ul-Aarfeen, Zudatul - Khalaiq, Rissole, Masnavi, Persian Works.


His Quotes: 
One who conducts should eat little. If he eats to fill his belly, he is materialist. Eat little so you could pray.
Dress should not be decorative. If one dresses for exhibitor, Its'nt saintly.
Salik is he who remains engrossed in love of God. He is so absorbed that if the entire expanse of Sky and Earth get into his chest, he would scarcely feel the presence.
Obedience to Shairah is obligatory to a Salik, in consciousness or othrwise.


Revelations and Miracles: When Hazrat Bakhtiyar Ka'aki was at Multan, Qibacha Beg the ruler of Multan, came to see him. He said, "The Mangols have invaded Multan and I have no power to face them. For God's sake, help me."


The Qutab gave him an arrow and said, "After the evening prayer, appear on the tower of the rampart and shoot it with a bow in the direction of enemy, then watch what God does."
The ruler of Multan did as asked. As the arrow fell, the Mangols fled from the battlefield


A dervish is a friend of God and a friend of a friend is a friend. So why not be a friend of a dervish?