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Another rare exceptional case was the late Hajjah Kainz Hussain of
Jhelum, wife of the late Haji Manzoor Hussain, was allowed inside the
tomb and was given a Chadder, which resulted in miraculous improvement
in her health.
History
Bābā Farīd
was born in 1173 or 1188 AD (584 Hijri) at Kothewal village, 10 km from
Multan in the Punjab region of what is now Pakistan, to Jamāl-ud-dīn
Suleimān and Maryam Bībī (Qarsum Bībī), daughter of Sheikh Wajīh-ud-dīn
Khojendī. He was one of the founding fathers of the chisti sufi order.
Farīd's lineage is traced back to the second Caliph Umar ibn Khattab.
Bābā Farīd received his early education at Multan, which had become a
centre for education; it was here that he met his murshid (master),
Quṭbuddīn Bakhtiyār Kākī, a noted Sufi saint, who was passing through
Multan, from Baghdad on his way to Delhi.
Upon completing his education, Farīd left for Sistan and Kandahar and
went to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage with his parents at the age of 16.
Once his education was over, he shifted to Delhi, where he learned the
doctrine of his master, Quṭbuddīn Bakhtiyār Kākī. He later moved to
Hansi, Haryana. When Quṭbuddīn Bakhtiyār Kākī died in 1235, Farīd left
Hansi and became his spiritual successor, but he settled in Ajodhan
(the present Pakpattan, Pakistan) instead of Delhi. On his way to
Ajodhan, while passing through Faridkot, he met the 20-year-old
Nizāmuddīn, who went on to become his disciple, and later his successor
(khalīfah).
Bābā Farīd had three wives and eight children five sons and three
daughters. One of his wives Hazabara, daughter of Sulṭān Nasīruddīn
Maḥmūd. The great Arab traveller Ibn Baṭūṭah visited him. He says that
he was the spiritual guide of the King of India, and that the King had
given him the village of Ajodhan. He also met Bābā Farīd's two sons. His
shrine (darbār) is in Pakpattan.
Bābā Farīd's descendants, also known as Fareedi, Fareedies and Faridy,
mostly carry the name Fārūqī, and can be found in Pakistan, India and
the diaspora. His descendants include the Sufi saint Salim Chishti,
whose daughter was Emperor Jehangir's foster mother. Their descendants
settled in Sheikhupur, Badaun and the remains of a fort they built can
still be found.
Legacy
One of Farīd's most important contributions to Punjabi literature was
his development of the language for literary purposes. Whereas Sanskrit,
Arabic, Turkish and Persian had historically been considered the
languages of the learned and the elite, and used in monastic centres,
Punjabi was generally considered a less refined folk language. Although
earlier poets had written in a primitive Punjabi, before Farīd there was
little in Punjabi literature apart from traditional and anonymous
ballads. By using Punjabi as the language of poetry, Farīd laid the
basis for a vernacular Punjabi literature that would be developed later.
The city of Faridkot bears his name. According to legend, Farīd stopped
by the city, then named Mokhalpūr, and sat in seclusion for forty days
near the fort of King Mokhal. The king was said to be so impressed by
his presence that he named the city after Bābā Farīd, which today is
known as Tilla Bābā Farīd. The festival Bābā Sheikh Farād Āgman Purb
Melā' is celebrated in September each year from (21–23 Sep, 3 days),
commemorating his arrival in the city. Ajodhan was also renamed as
Farīd's 'Pāk Pattan', meaning 'Holy Ferry'; today it is generally called
Pāk Pattan Sharīf.
Faridia Islamic University, a religious madrassa in Sahiwal, Punjab,
Pakistan, is named after him, and in July 1998, the Punjab Government in
India established the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences at
Faridkot, the city which itself was named after him.
There are various explanations of why Bābā Farīd was given the title
Shakar Ganj ('Treasure of Sugar'). One legend says his mother used to
encourage the young Farīd to pray by placing sugar under his prayer mat.
Once, when she forgot, the young Farīd found the sugar anyway, an
experience that gave him more spiritual fervour and led to his being
given the name.
Shrine
The Shrine (mazar/mazār) is vast and spacious, located in the city of
Pakpattan, otherwise Pākpattan Sharīf. At first his tomb and shrine were
constructed under the supervision of Saint Nizamuddin Auliya/Khawaja
Nizamuddin Aulia. The shrine is made entirely of marble. Some years back
it was partly made of marble and bricks. Charity food called Langar is
distributed all day by visitors and the Auqaf Department, which
administrates the shrine. The shrine is open all day and night for
visitors.
The shrine
has its own huge electricity generator that is used whenever there is
power cut or load shedding, so the shrine remains bright all night, all
year round. There is no separation of male and female areas but a small
female area is also there. There is a big new mosque in the shrine.
Thousands of people daily visit the shrine for their wishes and
irresolvable matters; for this they vow to give to some charity when
their wishes or problems are resolved. When their matters are solved
they bring charity food for visitors and the poor, and drop money in big
money boxes that are kept for this purpose. This money is collected by
the Auqaf Department that looks after the shrine.
Visitor
Information
Open
Timings: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm daily including public holidays.
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