ABUL HASAN YAMIN AL-DIN KHUSRAU
HAZRAT AMIR KHUSRAU
Ab’ul Hasan Yaminu-din Khusrau, popularly known as Hazrat Amir Khusrau (R.A.), was a renowned Sufi musician, poet, scholar, and cultural polymath, widely regarded as the “father of Qawwali.” A master of Persian literary forms, he composed poetry in diverse genres including ghazal, masnavi, qit‘a, ruba‘i, do-baiti, and tarkib-band.
His contribution to the arts, music, and literature profoundly shaped the cultural and intellectual life of the Indian subcontinent, earning him an enduring place in its civilizational history.
At the age of eight, Amir Khusrau accompanied his father to the khanqah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia (R.A.) in Delhi. When his father entered the khanqah, the young Khusrau remained standing at the doorway and remarked:
“I shall choose my own Peer-o-Murshid. If he is endowed with divine power, he will converse with me even from a distance.”
Seated at the doorstep, he composed the following Persian verses:
Tu ān shāh-e-ke bar ewān-e-qaṣrat
Kabūtar gar nishīnad, bāz gardad
Gharīb-e-mustanand-e-bar dar āmad
Be-āyat andarūn yā bāz gardad
You are such a mighty King
that if a pigeon sits upon your palace, it turns into a hawk.
A stranger, needy and helpless, has reached your door—
tell him whether he should enter, or return.
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (R.A.), known for his spiritual insight, responded with the following verses,
conveyed through Khwaja Mubasshir, a student at the Dargah:
Biyā yed andarūn, mard-e-ḥaqīqat
Ki bā mā yak nafas hamrāz gardad
Agar ablah buwad ān mard-e-nādān
Az ān rāhī ki āmad, bāz gardad
Let the one who knows the Truth come inside,
so that for a moment we may share divine secrets.
If he is ignorant and unaware,
let him return by the same path he came.
Upon hearing this response, Hazrat Amir Khusrau (R.A.) immediately rose, entered the khanqah, fell at the feet of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (R.A.), and wept. From that moment, he was accepted as the saint’s disciple. Thereafter, the bond between master and disciple became inseparable. Their spiritual union is often expressed in the celebrated verse:
Man tu shudam, tu man shudi
Man tan shudam, tu jān shudi
Tā kas nago’yad ba‘d az īn
Man dīgaram, tu dīgarī
I became you, and you became me;
I became the body, and you became the soul.
Let no one henceforth say
that I am different from you, or you from me.
Childhood & Early Life
Hazrat Amir Khusrau (R.A.) was born in 1253 CE in Patiyali, near the banks of the River Ganga in present-day Uttar Pradesh. His father, Amir Saifuddin Mahmood, served as a high-ranking official during the reign of Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish. His mother, Bibi Daulatnaz, was the daughter of Rawat Arz and hailed from an Indian Rajput family. Khusrau had two brothers and one sister.
An exceptionally gifted child, he showed early aptitude for poetry and music. After the death of his father when Khusrau was only nine years old, he was raised under the care of his maternal grandfather, Nawab Imad-ul-Mulk. He received a comprehensive education encompassing literature, the arts, fiqh, astronomy, grammar, philosophy, logic, religion, mysticism, and history. He became fluent in Persian, Arabic, and Turkish, and also acquired proficiency in several Indian dialects within Delhi’s diverse cultural milieu. He later formally became the spiritual disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (R.A.).
Later Years
Following the death of his grandfather in 1271, Amir Khusrau joined the army of Malik Chhajju, a nephew of Sultan Balban. By this time, his poetic talent had already gained recognition, and in 1272 he was appointed court poet. Later, in 1276, he entered the service of Bughra Khan, son of Sultan Balban.
Hazrat Amir Khusrau (R.A.) witnessed the rise and fall of several dynasties in Delhi and remained respected by successive rulers. He earned the honorific title “Tuti-e-Hind” (Parrot of India) in recognition of his literary brilliance, wisdom, and spiritual refinement. His prolific output included rapid composition of ghazals, masnavis, and historical works.
Sultan Alauddin Khilji deeply admired Khusrau’s genius and rewarded him generously. After Alauddin’s death, Khusrau continued to serve under Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah. He later accompanied Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq to Bengal and returned to Delhi upon receiving the sorrowful news of the passing of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (R.A.), his beloved spiritual guide.
Hazrat Amir Khusrau (R.A.) served under numerous rulers and nobles, including Malik Chhajju, Bughra Khan, Jalaluddin Firoz Khilji, Alauddin Khilji, Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah, Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, and Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Despite his close association with royal courts, his spiritual allegiance remained solely with Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (R.A.), at whose feet he ultimately lies buried.
Centuries after his passing, Hazrat Amir Khusrau (R.A.) continues to live through his poetry and music, which are still performed at Sufi shrines across India and Pakistan, sustaining the living tradition of Qawwali and Sufi devotion.
