Shaikh Nizamuddin Aulia: Healing the Human Heart of Pain  

By Humra Quraishi  

Shaikh Nizamuddin Aulia: Healing the Human Heart of Pain  

It's not surprising to see both Hindus and Muslims praying at the dargah of the thirteenth century sufi, Shaikh Nizamuddin Aulia (1244-1325), in New Delhi. A refugee who had sought shelter here along with his parents, when Bukhara was subjected to repeated Mongol invasions, Nizamuddin never went back to the Central Asian Republic. Living here amongst the common people, he stressed that a mystic should transcend all barriers of religion, race and language in dealing with human beings.

When God himself made no discrimination in distributing the bounties of nature to people of different faith and nationalities, he argued, then who are we to slot them into compartments. It is said that while he frequently interacted with Brahmins and jogis, he kept away from the rulers of the day. Not once did he visit the court of the thirteen sultans who ascended the throne whilst he was living in Delhi.

For Nizamuddin Aulia the ultimate end was to heal the human heart of pain and hurt. One who caused pain to any human heart could not attain spiritual excellence. Though there are innumerable ways leading to Him but bringing happiness to the human heart was the surest way. In fact, it is said whilst other mystics were busy in God Nizamuddin was busy bearing the burden of human worries and in creating a sense of security for those in turmoil. His disciple Amir Khusro had once described him as the healer of the heart. The mystic sufi's biographer, Khaliq Ahmad Nizami, writes that Nizamuddin didn't advocate endless prayer sessions. He believed that devotion to God is of two kinds - lazmi (intransitive) and mutaaddi (transitive) In the former type, which includes prayers, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca, the benefit went to the devotee alone. The latter devotion brought comfort to others.

Nizamuddin followed what he preached. Human suffering left a deep impact on him. Although he believed; time is the most precious thing with a mystic, he didn't hesitate to deviate from a meticulously planned routine when a needy person approached him for help.

Small incidents affecting the common man moved him to tears. He was a firm believer in non-violence, and used to tell his disciples that violence created more problems than it solved. If a man places a thorn in your way and you place another in his way there will be thorns everywhere. But suppression of anger was no solution either. Forgive the person who has committed a wrong and thus eliminate your anger.

Forgiveness rather than retribution is the way to peace. If there is strife between two persons; say between me and some other person; then the solution is this: I should on my part cleanse my heart of all ideas of revenge. If I succeed in doing so, then the enemy's desire to do some harm to me would also be lssened.

Though volumes could be written on Nizamuddin's spiritual powers , he never performed spiritual feats/miracles which could overawe the people. Rather, he interacted with them on a one-to-one basis. Because of this attitude, those in need; cutting across religious and social divides; came to him with their problems.

As his biographer mentions: He had a realisation of the fact that no spiritual exercise, no penitence, no prayer, no vigil had greater value in the eyes of God than bringing consolation to distressed hearts.

His method was to awaken the good in man and make his soul responsive to the moral and spiritual obligations and to remain resigned to the will of God, to instil in him the fear of dishonest dealings, for he'd often said dishonest dealings led to destruction of cities and honest dealing alone led to lasting fame. One visit to his dargah ; situated in New Delhi's Nizamuddin Basti; and you'd realise how honest and pure he must have been in his own life. For centuries after his demise, even today people from all sects and religions and nationalities throng his grave, as though wanting their pain to be washed away, their hearts lightened of worries.

Perhaps, if we follow the following simple rule set by him our lives could be less painful and complicated.

Nizamuddin Aulia's biographer writes that one day a disciple of his complained: People speak ill of you from the pulpits and elsewhere. We cannot bear hearing it any longer;. Nizamuddin replied: I have forgiven them all, you should also forgive them and should not bear any ill will towards them.

.

.

See also: Shaikh Nizamuddin Aulia , Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul

To get an overview of all archives, see: Hinduism Archives, Buddhism Archives, Yoga Archives, Sanskrit Archives, Mysticism Archives, Ayurveda Archives