shaykh, to come and lead fajr salah. When he did not come after quite a while, they opened the door to his room. To their heartbreak, they found the great saint had passed away. The people present at the time say that the words حَبِیْبُ اللہِ مَاتَ فِی حُبِّ اللہِ were written on his forehead, which means, “The beloved of Allah has passed away in the love of Allah.” His world-famous shrine is found in in the city of Ajmer, in India.^[1]

Love for Islam

Khāja Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī loved Islamic knowledge. He was only fifteen when his father passed away, after which he received an orchard and watermill in inheritance. He sold both along with every other possession he had and distributed his earnings amongst the poor. After this, he set out to learn Islamic knowledge.  

He first went to Samarqand, in Uzbekistan, and memorised the Quran.^[2] His initial learning was overseen by Shaykh Sharf al-Dīn رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه. His passion for knowledge increased the more he learnt. After his stay in Samarqand, he went to Bukhara and became the student of Shaykh Ḥussām al-Dīn رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه.

After just five years or so, he had learnt all the common sciences of the time, ranging from jurisprudence to spirituality, and graduated as a scholar. He then gave an oath of allegiance to Shaykh ʿUthmān Hārūnī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه and remained in his company for twenty years.^[3]

The shaykh and student

Khāja Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī once said:

I met my shaykh, ʿUthmān Hārūnī, in Baghdad’s Masjid Junayd.