The Book of Nizamuddin Aulia

Book excerpt: ‘As the soldier picked up his sword to slaughter, the Sufi stood up to confront the politics of the day with a song.’ The Book of Nizamuddin Aulia reveals the life and teachings of the most beloved and revered of medieval Sufi saints. Nizamuddin Aulia was born in 1236, in great poverty. He grew up in a tumultuous world and saw three dynasties and seven sultans wreak havoc over an entire nation in the name of religion. Staying away from the corridors of power, the mystic chose instead to dedicate his life to the Sufi vision of love and spiritual enlightenment and to serving the needs of the poor. If Muinuddin Chishti introduced Sufism to India, Nizamuddin helped spread his message across the country as the head of the Chishti Sufi order. Even today, his shrine in New Delhi, the Nizamuddin Dargah, draws countless devotees and visitors. In this rich, colourful book, Mehru Jaffer tells the story of Nizamuddin Aulia from man to saint, vividly bringing alive the history of the period.