الرحلةThe Journey

معين الدين الجشتي

Mu'in al-Din Chishti (RH)

Also known as: Khwaja Gharib Nawaz

c. 536–633 AH · c. 1141–1236 CE

Sufism & Theology Hanafi Sufism

The saint of Ajmer through whom the Chishti order took root in India.

Mu'in al-Din was born in Sistan and gave away his inheritance to follow the Sufi path. He became a disciple of 'Uthman al-Harwani of the Chishti order, which takes its name from the town of Chisht near Herat.

He settled in Ajmer in Rajasthan, where he became known for his generosity to the poor and was given the name Gharib Nawaz, 'benefactor of the poor'. The Chishti order, through his successors such as Qutb al-Din Bakhtiyar Kaki and Nizam al-Din Awliya', became the most widespread Sufi order in South Asia. His shrine in Ajmer draws millions of visitors.

Open on the map →

Life journey

  1. c. 1141 CE Sijistan (Zaranj) سجستان
  2. 1192 CE Ajmer أجمير
    Died 1236 CE · 633 AH
    Settled in Ajmer after travelling through Khurasan and Lahore. The year is approximate.

Places in their life

The shrine of Mu'in al-Din Chishti, Ajmer
The shrine of Mu'in al-Din Chishti, Ajmer
Photo: Pinakpani, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  • Carl W. Ernst and Bruce B. Lawrence, Sufi Martyrs of Love: The Chishti Order in South Asia and Beyond (2002)
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
Early biographical details come mainly from later hagiographies. Birth year approximate.