HAZRAT MAKHDOOM FARIDUDDIN TAVILE BUKHSH CHISHTI

A short biographical account of lesser known 14th C Chishti Sufi from Bihar

Eighty kilometers south-west of Patna is small village Chanpura that’s a part of Bihar Sharif, Nalanda District. It has a shrine of a medieval Sufi saint of Chishti order who is widely popular as Tavile Buksh. The medieval Sufis traveled all across the Islamic world, usually on the instructions of their spiritual masters. In the same manner, the family roots of Tavile Buksh Chishti was connected with distant lands of the Islamic world & directly connected with the famous 13th-century saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Awliya. The write up will explore the lesser-known family connections of the forgotten Sufi. When Hazrat Sayyad Ahmad Bukhari Badayuni & Hazrat Jamaluddin Badayuni (the father & elder brother of Hazrat Nizamuddin Awliya) passed away, he came to Delhi with his mother, sister & nephew whose name was Ibrahim Chishti. 

The grandfather of Hazrat Nizamuddin came to Badaun from the central Asian city, Bukhara. During those days, Bukhara, the seat of Central Asian cities, was pillaged by the Mongols. Many scholars & nobles migrated from the city & find solace in India. From ancestral lineage, they were the direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), whose ancestry goes to Imam Musa Kazim. 

From the age of four, the orphan nephew was raised by Hazrat Nizamuddin. Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya didn’t marry and said that “Ibrahim descendants are my descendants“. For spreading of the spiritual path and Islam, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya instructed his nephew to Bengal with one of his earliest disciples, “Hazrat Akhi Siraj” famously known as Aine Hind (Mirror of India).  In 1329 CE, four years after the death of Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya, Hazrat Akhi Siraj took Hazrat Ibrahim Chishti to Bengal. 

Hazrat Ibrahim Chishti got married to the sister in law of one of the most celebrated renowned Sufi of Bengal and disciple of Hazrat Akhi Siraj “Hazrat Ala ul Haq Pandwi.” His father in law was also the master of the famous Sufi of Kichhaochha, Uttar Pradesh “Hazrat Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Simnani.” Hazrat Makhdoom Fariduddin Tavile Bukhsh Chishti was the son of Hazrat Ibrahim Chishti & he got married to the daughter of Hazrat Ala ul Haq Pandawi. He became a disciple of his brother in law “Hazrat Noor Qutb E Alam Pandawi“, who was the son of Hazrat Ala ul Haq Pandawi. On the orders of his master “Hazrat Noor Qutb E Alam Pandawi,” he migrated to Nalanda, Bihar, for spreading the spiritual path and Sufi teachings.

Hazrat Makhdoom Fariduddin Tavile Buksh Chishti was the first Sufi of Chishti Nizami order who settled in Bihar, at a place known as Chandpura in the town of Bihar Sharif and built his Khanqah during the rule of Sultan Bahlol Lodi (1451-89AD). He left this world for the heavenly abode in the year 1491AD (897Hijri). After his death, the processions of his dargah and teachings continued by his son Hazrat Moinuddin Sani Chishti and after him by his grandson Hazrat Naseeruddin Sani Chishti and had continued by every next generation. His descendants are now all over Bihar, including the Khanqah of Belchi, Patna, and Maner, etc. and Ijaza of his silsila (order) is present in all the existing khanqahs of Bihar. An interesting fact about his family is that every person was the disciple of his father.

His holy shrine is located in Chandpura, Bihar Sharif. Opposite to his shrine was his Khanqah that restored in 1859AD, where his Urs (Death Anniversary) is celebrated on the 6th Jamaadil Akhir of the Islamic calendar every year. The dargah premises consist of the graves of all his descendants who became well-known Sufis of Bihar till 1978AD. Some of them are Hazrat Moinuddin Sani Chishti, Hazrat Naseeruddin Sani Chishti, Hazrat Sultan Sani Chishti, Hazrat Syed Shah Muzaffar Chishti, Hazrat Syed Shah Amjad Hussain Chishti, Hazrat Syed Shah Waziruddin and Hazrat Syed Shah Sultanuddin Muhammad and many more.

Interesting facts:-
Hazrat Makhdoom Fariduddin Tavile Bukhsh Chishti was the first mutawalli (Custodian) who (started) the urs of the master of the famous Sufi of India, Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti (Gareeb Nawaz), & Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni Chishti at Belchi, a place almost twelve away from Chandpura. Hazrat Makhdoom Fariduddin Tavile Bukhsh Chishti received an order from his father in law “Hazrat Ala ul Haq Pandawi” to sew clothes of travelers underneath a tree, that was outskirts of Pandua, Bengal. One day some travellers on horses were passing from there. Hazrat Makhdoom Fariduddin Tavile Bukhsh Chishti asked “where these horses are going”. The travellers replied, “Do your own work, whether these horses live or die, that’s not a matter of yours“. The saint replied “true, whether these horses live or die, not a matter of mine”. As he said this, after few minutes the horses died. Then the travellers got to know that the person was the son in law of the renowned Sufi “Hazrat Ala ul Haq Pandawi“. The travellers went to him and told the entire story. Hazrat Ala ul Haq Pandawi called Hazrat Makhdoom Fariduddin Tavile Bukhsh Chishti and said “controlling the anger at the age of youth is manliness“. Thus Hazrat Makhdoom Fariduddin Tavile Bukhsh Chishti reversed his sentence and said “whether these horses die or live, not a matter of mine”. Soon after this the horses came alive. After this incident Hazrat Makhdoom Fariduddin was titled and known as “Tavile Bukhsh“

Family Lineage:-
Hazrat Ali Bukhari Badayuni (Grandfather of Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya)
Hazrat Ahmad Bukhari Badayuni (Father of Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya)
Hazrat Jamaluddin Badayuni (Brother of Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya)
Hazrat Ibrahim Chishti
Hazrat Makhdoom Fariduddin Tavile Bukhsh Chishti
Hazrat Moinuddin Sani Chishti
Hazrat Naseeruddin Sani Chishti

Spiritual Lineage:-
Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya
Hazrat Akhi Siraj (Aine Hind)
Hazrat Ala ul Haq Pandawi
Hazrat Noor Qutb E Alam Pandawi
Hazrat Makhdoom Fariduddin Tavile Bukhsh Chishti
Hazrat Moinuddin Sani Chishti
Hazrat Naseeruddin Sani Chishti