A Sufi’s way to God
Khwaja Baqi Billah is a 16th-century Sufi from Delhi who gained remarkable popularity in a short duration. Sufi literature records Khwaja Baqi Billah’s disciples once questioning him on the Sufi doctrine of fanaa (annihilation of the self) and baqa (continuance in Allah). Khwaja advised them to pose the question to the person who would lead his funeral prayers. He had willed that the man who was to offer prayers over his body should never have sinned, nor ever missed the mandatory prayers or the voluntary night vigil.
On Khwaja’s death, while the disciples sat wondering who should lead the funeral prayers, a veiled person joined their assembly. He declared that Khwaja had asked him to lead the prayers. The disciples allowed him to lead the prayer, after which the stranger readied to leave. Remembering Khwaja’s instruction, they requested the veiled stranger to explain the concepts of fanaa and baqa. The man removed his veil and the disciples saw that he was none other than Khwaja himself. Pointing to his body, Khwaja remarked, “That is fanaa,” and then referring to himself said, “this is baqa.” Khwaja’s title Baqi Billah, literally means “one with continuance in Allah”.
Khwaja was born in Kabul with the name of Syed Raziuddin. His father was a reputed scholar and his mother, a descendant of the Sufi master, Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar. At a young age, Khwaja became a disciple of the prominent scholar and poet Maulana Sadiq Halwai of Samarqand. Much to the regret of the scholars, Khwaja rejected traditional studies in favour of the Sufi path and joined a group of mystics from the Naqshbandi Sufi Order in Samarqand.
He later travelled to Lahore, which had been affected by a severe famine. He refused to eat, sending his food rations to the starving people. Khwaja then came to Delhi, where he established the Naqshbandi Sufi Order in 1600 AD. He spent the rest of his life staying near the Firuzabad Fort close to the Jamuna river. Known to be soft-spoken and courteous, he avoided publicity and initiated very few disciples. Although many of his relatives held official positions at the court, Khwaja refused any kind of financial assistance and continued to live in extreme poverty. Khwaja had two wives who bore him one son each, Khwaja Abdullah and Khwaja Ubaidullah.
Khwaja Baqi Billah authored many books on Sufism and delighted in writing poetic verse, although music was taboo at his khanqah. He wrote that arrogance was the biggest obstacle to the mystical path. A compilation of his quatrains, Silsila al Ahrar, was later collected and published. He died at the age of 40 in 1603 AD in Delhi. His dargah in Delhi stands amidst a graveyard known by his name.
Post new comment