The Luminous Guide of Nagaur: Hazrat Khwaja Hamiduddin and the Roots of Composite Sufism in India
By Adnan Faizi, New Age Islam
4 November 2025
Hazrat Khwaja Hamiduddin Nagori (1070–1276 CE) was among the earliest torchbearers of Indian Sufism. He was born in Bukhara, he renounced royal comforts to devote his life to spiritual service in Nagaur, Rajasthan. A disciple of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, he embodied the Chishti ideals of love, humility, and service. His Khanqah, known for serving only vegetarian food, welcomed people of every faith. Even today, his Dargah in Nagaur unites Hindus and Muslims in the remembrance of a saint whose devotion transcended all boundaries.
Main Points:
1. Hazrat Khwaja Hamiduddin Nagori was born in 1070 CE in Bukhara, a descendant of Hazrat Umar Farooq.
2. Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri, appointed him as the permanent Qazi of Nagaur, recognising his deep wisdom.
3. He travelled to India, met Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, and became his disciple.
4. He adopted vegetarianism to promote harmony, opening his Khanqah to people of every faith.
5. He passed away on 9 Ramadan 643 AH, leaving an enduring legacy of love.
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Introduction
In medieval India’s spiritual landscape, Hazrat Khwaja Hamiduddin Nagori shone as a saint of rare courage, simplicity, and compassion. Born a prince in Bukhara, he inherited wealth and power but turned away from royal life after a deep spiritual awakening. Seeking truth, he travelled to India and became a devoted disciple of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. In Nagaur, Rajasthan, he built a Khanqah that welcomed people of every faith, teaching that love and service are above all divisions. His choice to serve only vegetarian food was a quiet yet powerful act of inclusion, allowing even the poorest and non-Muslim visitors to share the same meal and respect. Known as Sultan-ut-Tariqeen the King of Spiritual Paths he embodied the Chishti message of humility and universal compassion. Centuries later, his tomb in Nagaur continues to unite hearts, reminding all that true faith lives in kindness, not boundaries.
Early Life and Royal background
Hazrat Khwaja Hamiduddin Nagori was born in 463 AH (1070 CE) in Bukhara, then a thriving centre of learning and culture. His father, Hazrat Ataullah Bukhari (also known as Sultan Ata'ullah Mahmood bin Shaykh Saeed Bukhari), was a nobleman of both spiritual and royal lineage. His mother, Shehzaadi Bi—often identified as Bibi Khadija, daughter of Hazrat Fuzail Ahmed Hamdani was known for her devotion and piety. His grandfather, Hazrat Shaykh Saeed Bukhari, was a respected scholar who foretold that a blessed child, marked by divine signs, would be born into their family a prophecy fulfilled in Hazrat Hamiduddin.
Tracing his lineage through eighteen generations to Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab (Umar Farooq), he came from one of the most revered families in Islamic history. Surrounded by privilege and learning, he received an exceptional education, mastering the Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh, and the languages of Arabic and Persian. His wisdom, humility, and fairness soon earned him deep admiration among Bukhara’s scholars and nobility.
At the age of fifty-two, he rose to the throne of Bukhara, ruling with justice, compassion, and dignity. His fair governance earned him the love of his subjects and the respect of neighbouring rulers. Yet beneath the grandeur of kingship, his heart yearned for something beyond worldly power. The luxuries of the palace failed to bring him peace, and an inner call drew him toward a higher purpose the search for divine truth that would soon change the course of his life.
From King to Seeker
The life of Hazrat Khwaja Hamiduddin Nagori began in worldly splendour but ended in complete renunciation. Born into power and privilege, he ruled with justice and dignity until a personal tragedy transformed his destiny. The death of his beloved wife shattered his attachment to the material world. Standing at her grave, he realised the futility of wealth, titles and rule none could prevent death or bring peace to the heart. In that moment of awakening, he abandoned his throne, distributed his riches among the poor and began a journey devoted entirely to the pursuit of divine truth.
His travels took him across the Islamic world from Baghdad to Isfahan and Kerman, where he studied under renowned Sufi such as Hazrat Maulana Shams uddin Halwai, Hazrat Hameed uddin Khui and Hazrat Muhammad Juwayini. Each saw in him a rare sincerity and destined sainthood. His journey reached its height when he came under the guidance of Hazrat Shaykh Shihabuddin Umar Suharwardy, the illustrious Sufi elders of the Suhrawardi Order. For twelve years, Hazrat Hamiduddin lived under his instruction, practising rigorous fasting, nightly vigils and unbroken remembrance of Allah. When his inner self was purified of worldly desire, he received Bay’Ah and Khilafat from his master.
During this period he experienced a luminous vision in which the Prophet Muhammad addressed him by a new name, “Hamiduddin” the Praiser of the Faith. This spiritual title symbolised his mission to glorify Islam not through power or argument, but through love and compassion.
Journey Toward India
After completing his spiritual discipline, Hazrat Hamiduddin received a divine sign directing him eastward. According to tradition, Hazrat Khizr appeared to him and guided him toward India — a land where Islam was young and hearts were open to truth. He reached Delhi around 561 Hijri (1165 CE) and soon travelled to Ajmer to meet Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. Their meeting was one of mutual reverence. Although Hamiduddin belonged to the Suhrawardi Silsila, he was drawn to the spirit of service and love embodied by the Chishti path. He remained in Khwaja Moinuddin’s company for nearly a year, absorbing the essence of universal love and the principle of serving humanity without distinction.
Before parting, Khwaja Moinuddin instructed him, “Go to Nagaur and establish a centre of faith and compassion there.” Accepting this command as divine will, Hazrat Hamiduddin journeyed to Nagaur in Rajasthan, which was then a town of mixed faiths and deep-rooted Hindu traditions. His arrival marked the beginning of a new chapter in Indian Sufism.
The Saint of Nagaur
In Nagaur, Sultan Shams uddin Altamash recognised his scholarship and integrity and appointed him Qazi of the city. Hazrat Hamiduddin accepted, seeing in the role an opportunity to spread justice and moral guidance. Yet despite this high position, he lived like a humble farmer, cultivating land in the nearby village of Suwal and using its produce to feed the poor. His Khanqah soon became a refuge for all, a place where learning, prayer and service to humanity were inseparable.
It was here that Hazrat Hamiduddin made a spiritual decision that astonished his contemporaries. Observing that local Hindus hesitated to join the communal meals due to their strict avoidance of meat, he declared that only vegetarian food would be served at his Khanqah and, later, at his Dargah. He reasoned that compassion and the removal of barriers between human hearts were higher principles of faith than formality. If abstaining from meat could bring seekers closer to God, it was not against Islam but in harmony with its essence. He even instructed in his will that vegetarian food be served at his shrine forever. Though some scholars criticised this choice, its wisdom soon became clear. Hindus and Muslims began sitting together in the same Langar, eating from the same pots, united in humility and devotion. Through this act, Hazrat Hamiduddin transformed Nagaur into a living symbol of interfaith harmony.
Disciples, Family, and Spiritual Lineage
Hazrat Khwaja Hamiduddin Nagori was a Khalifa of both Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri and Hazrat Shahabuddin Suharwardy, and also received Faizan from Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. Among his noted Khulafa were Hazrat Shaykh Ahmad Naharwani, Hazrat Shaykh Ainuddin, Hazrat Shaykh Moitaab, Hazrat Shaykh Mahmud Moeena Doz, and his son Hazrat Maulana Naseehuddin.
He was married twice. His first wife, Bibi Khadeeja bint Syed Fuzail Ahmad Hamadani, bore him six sons Hazrat Maulana Naseeh uddin, Hazrat Maulana Zairuddin, Hazrat Shaykh Aleemuddin, Hazrat Shaykh Hisaamuddin, Hazrat Shaykh Wajeehuddin, Hazrat Shaykh Abdullah and two daughters, Bibi Allahdiya and Bibi Saahib-e-Daulat. His second wife, Bibi Humaira bint Khwaja Abu Bakr Kirmani, had two sons, Hazrat Shaykh Fareeduddin and Hazrat Shaykh Azeez uddin. Hazrat Hamiduddin passed away during Tarawih prayer on 9 Ramadan 673 Hijri (1274 CE). His spiritual resting place lies in Nagaur, beneath the open sky reflecting his lifelong renunciation of worldly walls and his nearness to the Divine.
Death and the Miracle of the Open Tomb
The final moments of Hazrat Khwaja Hamiduddin Nagori’s life reflected the same devotion that had shaped his years of service. On the blessed night of 9 Ramadan 643 Hijri (around 1274 CE), he passed away while performing the Tarawih prayer, his forehead resting in sajdah. His departure was not a sign of decline but the completion of a life wholly surrendered to Allah. Before his death, he had left clear instructions: no dome was ever to be built over his grave, the sky must remain open above it, and birds should be free to come and go. This wish symbolised his humility and his union with nature, a saint who never saw himself separate from the creation of God.
Years later, Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq, out of deep reverence, began constructing a dome over the tomb. But that very night, the Sultan saw Hazrat Hamiduddin in a dream. The saint, with his characteristic courtesy, reminded him of his wish to rest under the open sky. The Sultan immediately halted the construction, and instead ordered the building of the majestic Buland Darwaza a gateway that honoured the saint without enclosing him. The open tomb, embraced by air and light, became a lasting sign of spiritual freedom, humility and divine nearness.
Urs and Continuing Legacy
Every year, from 28 Rabiussani to 4 Jamadiul Awwal, thousands of devotees gather at Nagaur to commemorate the Urs of Hazrat Hamiduddin Nagori. Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and seekers of every background visit his shrine to offer prayers, seek blessings, and share in the communal spirit he established centuries ago. The Langar continues exactly as he willed strictly vegetarian, served to all without distinction of faith or caste. During the Urs, the atmosphere around the Dargah becomes deeply spiritual. Qur’anic recitations, Qawwali gatherings, and discourses on his teachings fill the air, while pilgrims sit together in harmony — a living proof of his message that compassion is the essence of faith. His Khanqah and Dargah remain symbols of India’s composite culture, where service, simplicity and universal love still define devotion.
Hazrat Hamiduddin Nagori’s life continues to guide generations. His open tomb under the sky reminds visitors that the true saint builds no walls between hearts or between heaven and earth. His example still whispers through Nagaur that faith is not in power or pride, but in humility, generosity and love for all creation.
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Adnan Faizi is a Peace and Harmony activist based in Delhi. He is an alumni of CCS University, Meerut.
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