At Garib Nawaz’s Tomb: Uplifting Experience, Islamic Culture, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Culture

At Garib Nawaz’s Tomb: Uplifting Experience

By Pranav Khullar

The Urs of Ajmer serves as an annual reminder of the need to humble the individual self in the presence of the divine. For such was the faith of the Khwaja himself in the need to surrender to God through service to others while leading a strict spartan life himself, that this became the Sufi way of transcending the ego.

The stress on generous sharing and serving is embodied in the cooking and serving of large quantities of kheer. The milk pudding is prepared in two large cauldrons to be distributed later as ‘tabarruk’, the blessed food. His uncommon love for the common man, his defining religion in the context of service to all, has earned the Khwaja the epithet of Garib Nawaz, the benefactor of the poor.

While his own simple life was a living example of all that he believed in, his teachings reflect a rare compassion for all, transcending all barriers. He would say: “Develop river-like generosity, sun-like affection and earth-like hospitality.” His message was carried forward by Chisti Silsilah disciples like Bakhtiar Kaki, Baba Farid and Nizamuddin Auliya.

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