AJMER SHARIF DARGAH 🇮🇳 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan QAWWALI Sufi Music | Hazrat Khawaja Gharib Nawaz

Anand Sat, 03/19/2022 - 00:11

Ajmer Sharif Dargah is the holiest sufi shrine in India. It is dedicated to Khawja Ghareeb Nawaz ( Mu'in al-Din Chishti ), a sufi mystic saint.

The dargah has been a site for pilgrims belonging to Hinduism and Islam since medieval times and also attracts Jains and Sikhs. Pilgrims come here from around the world and offer chaddars (sacred sheets) to the shrine. Pilgrims also offer rose petals, which total up to seven tonnes per day. Women are allowed to enter the dargah. It has been estimated that around 20,000 pilgrims visit the site every day.

Khwaja Sahib, popularly known as “Gharib Nawaz” (Benefactor of the Poor), had earned this title due to his service to humanity and love for the poor and downtrodden. A man of indomitable will and dauntless courage, he dedicated his life to the love of God and His creatures. He achieved his mission despite insuperable obstacles and insurmountable difficulties.

Khwaja Mueenuddin Chishti was born in Siestan (Southern Iran) in 1142 A.D. He was a Husaini Syed from his father’s side and a Hasani Syed from his mother’s side. His father, Syed Ghiasuddin Ahmad was a very learned devout person. He carried on a modest business and owned an orchard. His father who had migrated to Khorasan, died leaving behind him an orchard and a flour mill. Khwaja Mueenuddin was then hardly 15 years old.

The young Khwaja soon came under the influence of Sufi Ibrahim Qandozi. He sold his orchard and the mill, distributed the money among the poor, and embarked upon a spiritual pilgrimage which in itself makes a fascinating story.

Khwaja Sahib arrived in Lahore, where he performed Chilla (meditation and prayers) at the Shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Abul Hasan Ali Hujwiri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh. Leaving Lahore, he went to Multan, in those days the seat of Islamic learning in India and stayed there for five years to learn Sanskrit and Prakrit. From there, he proceeded to Delhi, arriving there in 1193 A.D. and from there he went to Ajmer, where he settled down for the rest of his life and which later formed the nerve centre of his activities. He died at Ajmer in 1236 A.D.

Khwaja Sahib was known for his piety, simplicity, and humanitarianism. Once a non-Muslim came with the intention of killing him. Khwaja Sahib got fore-knowledge of it through his mystic power. As soon as the intending assassin stepped in, he asked him to take out his dagger and kill him. Utterly non-plussed, the man threw off the dagger and implored Khwaja Sahib to punish him for his evil intentions, Khwaja Sahib told him that it was customary with Sufis to return evil with good. Thereupon, Khwaja Sahib prayed for him and he lived and died as a good pious Muslim.

Qawwali in this video is dedicated to Khwaja Sahib and performed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who was a vocalist, musician, composer and music director primarily a singer of qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. He is considered to be the greatest Sufi singer in the Punjabi and Urdu language, and World's greatest qawwali singer ever; he is often referred to as "Shahenshah-e-Qawwali" (the King of Kings of Qawwali). He was described as the 4th greatest singer of all time by LA Weekly in 2016. He was known for his vocal abilities and could perform at a high level of intensity for several hours. He belonged to the Qawwal Bacchon Gharana (Delhi gharana) extending the 600-year old qawwali tradition of his family, Khan is widely credited with introducing qawwali music to international audiences.

Music credits
Artist: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Qawwali: Manaqib Khawaja Mueenuddin Chishti
Album: En Concert À Paris Vol. 1
Ocora Records (France)

Check out my other videos with sufi music.