Khwaja Mu'in'ud-Din Chisti

Gharib Nawaz

Timeline (1142? - 1236?)

Khwaja Mu'in'ud-Din Chisti, called Hazrat Gharib Nawaz (which means "Helper of the Poor"), was born in Persia (Iran). The dates of his birth and death are uncertain, but he probably lived from the mid 12th to the mid 13th century.

Gharib Nawaz studied traditional sciences and taught at the important Islamic universities of Bhukhara and Samarkand. He, however, yearned for a deeper, inner knowing and became a devoted student of a Chisti Sufi master from Nishapur. He studied with this master for twenty years, traveling with him throughout Central Asia and Arabia, conversing with many of the important Sufi figures of their day.

After going on pilgrimage to Mecca, Gharib Nawaz felt called to bring his teachings to India. He spent forty days in spiritual retreat at the tomb of a Sufi saint in Lahore, and then began his travels through India and drew an enormous following. As a mark of his influence, today the Chishti order is no longer numerous in Iran, but it is the most widespread Sufi order in India.

Hazrat Gharib Nawaz eventually became the eighth head of the Chishti order.

Gharib Nawaz died and was buried at Ajmer in India. His tomb has become an important pilgrimage spot for both Muslims and Hindus in India. It is sometimes even referred to as "the Mecca of India."