Bande Nawaz


Muhammad bin Yousuf Al Hussaini , commonly known as '''Hazrat Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gaisu Daraz, was a Sufi saint from India of the Chishti Order, who advocated understanding, tolerance and harmony among religions.
Gaisu Daraz was a disciple and then successor of Sufi saint Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi. When he moved to Daulatabad around 1400, owing to the attack of Timur on Delhi, he took the Chishti Order to South India. He finally settled down in Gulbarga, at the invitation of Bahmani Sultan, Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah.

Biography

Banda Nawaz was born to Syed walShareef Muhammad bin Yousuf AlHussaini in Delhi in 1321. At the age of four, his family shifted to Daulatabad in Deccan. In 1397, he went to Gulbarga, Deccan at the invitation of Sultan Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah.
Aged fifteen, he returned to Delhi for his education and training by Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi. He was also a very enthusiastic student of Kethli, Tajuddin Bahadur and Qazi Abdul Muqtadir. After teaching at various places such as Delhi, Mewath, Gwalior, Chander, Aircha, Chatra, Chanderi, Miandhar, Baroda, Khambayat and Gulbarga in 1397 and died in Gulbarga in the year November 1422.
His name as well as patronymic was Abul-Fatah and Gaisu Daraz was his title. Among the scholars and theologians he was Sheikh Abul-Fatah Sadr Uddin Muhammad Dehlavi but people called him Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gaisu Daraaz.

Parentage

He is the descendant of Ali Alaihissalaam. His forefathers resided in Hirat. One of them came to Delhi and settled down here. His father Syed walShareef Muhammad bin Yousuf was born here on 4, Rajab, 721 Hijri. His father Syed walShareef Yousuf bin Muhammad AlHussaini was a holy figure and devoted to Nizam Uddin Aulia.
Sultan Muhammad-bin Tughlaq once transferred his capital to Daulatabad and along with him went many scholars, theologians, and mystics. His parents also migrated to the place. He was four years at the time Malik-ul-Umar Syed Ibrahim Mustafa AlHashmi, his maternal uncle, was the governor of Daulatabad.

In Delhi

His father died when he was fifteen. He had heard a lot about Nizam Uddin Auliya and Nasir Uddin Roshan Chiragh Dehlavi from his father and maternal grand father and grew devoted to them. One day he went to perform his prayer in the Jama-Majid of Sultan Qutub Uddin, there he saw Sheikh Nasir Uddin Mahmud Chiragh Dehlavi and pledged obedience to him on 16, Rajab. Under the guidance of Nasir Uddin Chiragh Dehlavi he engaged himself in prayers and meditation and so much enjoyed them that he forbade studies and requested his teacher to allow him to do so. Nasir Uddin denied him permission and instructed him to study with attention Usool-e-Bizoori, Risals Shamsia, Kashaf, Misbah so he restarted the studies under the guidance of renowned teachers.
AlHussaini left Delhi on December 17, 1398, because the city was under siege by Timur and its fall was imminent.

Title Gesu-Daraaz

One day he with other disciples lifted the palanquin bearing Nasir Uddin. His long hair stuck into the foot of the palki and pained him severely but he did not disentangle them for love and respect to the teacher. When Nasir Uddin learned of the episode, he was overjoyed and recited the Persian couplet:
"Har ki murid Syed gesu daraaz shud Vallah khilaf-e-nest ki Uoo ishq baaz shud."
He thus gained the title "Gesu Daraaz".

In Gulbarga

Having lived for over forty years in Delhi, he moved to Gulbarga at the age of around 76. Firoz Shah Bahmani ruled over the Deccan during this period. He gave him much respect. For a long time he was engaged in religious discourses, sermons, and spiritual training of the people.

Death

Bande Nawaz died aged 101 on 16 Dhu al-Qadah 825 Hijri in Gulbarga and was buried there. His tomb is a place of Ziyaarat,

Works

Bande Nawaz wrote 195 books in Arabic, Persian and Urdu. His magnum opus, Tafseer Multaqat, was compiled into one book very recently. He also composed a book on the Prophet of Islam titled Miraj-al Ashiqin for the instruction of the masses in Dakhni, a South Indian branch of the Urdu language. He was the first Sufi to use this vernacular which was elaborated upon by many other Sufi saints of South India in later centuries. He wrote many treatises on the works on Ibn Arabi and Suhrawardi, which made the works of these scholars accessible to Indian scholars and played a major role in influencing later mystical thought. Other books authored are Qaseeda Amali and Adaab-al-Mureedein.

Books

His death anniversary takes place on 15, 16 and 17 Dhu al-Qadah at the Bande Nawaz mausoleum in Gulbarga. Several hundred thousand people from different religions gather to seek blessings.