Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Al-Hajj Hazrat Khawaja Sufi Mawlana Mohammad Khushhal Shah (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) “QSA” (May Allah sanctify his precious secret) was born on or about the year 1931.  His father’s name was Bahadur Khan (May Allah have mercy on him) and his mother’s name was Husne Jahan Begum (May Allah have mercy on her).  They were blessed with two sons and one daughter, and Khawaja Khushhal QSA was their second son.

 From an early age, Khawaja Khushhal QSA was attracted to studying Islam, and had an inherent love for Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’la and the Holy Prophet ﷺ.  While he was learning the recitation of the Holy Qur'an in his village at an early age, his Qur'an teacher had spiritual insight (kashf) and foresaw that Khawaja Khushhal QSA would reach the heights of spirituality. His Qur'an teacher said "My son, a time will come in your life, when you will achieve something great. Don't forget to pray for me." 

Sometime after 1945, Khawaja Khushhal QSA left his hometown and travelled to a renowned madrasa to attain higher level of Islamic studies.  Khawaja Khushhal QSA was very different from the other students as he had great focus and intelligence, which allowed him to complete his studies much earlier than the rest of the students in his class. He was also known to beautifully recite the Holy Qur’an so much so that his teachers would be amazed, and people would weep after hearing his recitation.  He soon attained the degree of an Alim (Scholar of Islamic Law) with the title of a Mawlana and authorized to teach the different Islamic sciences. Although, Khawaja Khushhal was not a Hafiz-ul Qur’an, he was able to correct any reciter (Qari) because of his familiarity with the Holy Qur’an.

After completing his studies, Khawaja Khushhal began serving the Muslim community at a masjid in Mohammadpur near Khatauli in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.  He never took any money for his services and lived a humble life of seclusion focused on worship.  He would lead each prayer in the masjid as an Imam, and then go back to his room (hujra) to continue his worship.  He would recite the Holy Qur’an during the day and would be awake in the middle of the night, busy in the remembrance of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala (zikr). This was normal for him as he was known to have never missed Tahajjud Salah (night prayers) since his childhood.  The effect of such extreme worship from an early age resulted in his face being bright like a moon.  This would cause people to be attracted to him just by looking at him due to his innocence and character, so much so that he would have to cover his face with a rumal (handkerchief) when he would go out.

Around this time, Khawaja Khushhal QSA would visit his older brother, Mohammad Hayath who was a business man and a dry fruit merchant in Bombay, India.  He would also visit a Sufi Saint known as Syed Saheb in Bombay.  Syed Sab was from the family of Sayyidina Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani QSA.  He was very unique as he would be in dress shirt and pants, and there would always be a long line of people just to meet him. But Syed Sahab also saw the spirituality of Khawaja Khushhal QSA and used to give him special permission to meet him directly, and without standing in line like the others.  

 The regular meetings with Syed Sahab put an intense fire and longing in the heart of Khawaja Khushhal QSA to find a perfect and complete shaykh (Murshid e Kamil). Syed Sab told him that the perfect and complete shaykh is the one whose Khalifas are “Roshan Zameer” (men with great spiritual insight), and he knew of only one such shaykh like this who lived in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.

In the early 1950’s, Khawaja Khushhal QSA learned that the holy person he was searching for all this time was in Bhainsori Sharif, Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. When he first arrived to meet the great Sultan Al-Awliya Hazrat Mohammad Hasan Shah QSA, the Shaykh looked at him and said “I was waiting for your arrival.”  Khawaja Khushhal QSA then immediately presented himself for service in front of the great Sultan Al-Awliya and gave his bay’ah (allegiance) when he was around 22 years old.

During one of the first Mehfil-e-Sama (gathering of spiritual poetry) he attended, Khawaja Khushhal QSA saw that people were experiencing spiritual ecstasy (wajd) upon hearing spiritual poetry. He began thinking as to whether he made the right decision, and if he should have chosen a shaykh (spiritual guide) who was more of a scholar. He then thought that maybe he had come to the wrong place and decided that he would leave the next morning.  

As soon as that thought went through his head, Hazrat Mohammad Hasan Shah (QSA) looked in the direction of Khawaja Khushhal QSA and told him that he is free to leave now during the night. Khawaja Khushhal QSA immediately asked for forgiveness and decided not to leave.  He then began thinking about this type of hidden knowledge and insight where a person is so close to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala that even the thoughts of others are read. 

It did not take long for Hazrat Mohammad Hasan Shah QSA to grow very fond of Khawaja Khushhal QSA as he knew that this young man had already attained a high spiritual degree and was destined for a very high spiritual station with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’la.  Hazrat Mohammad Hasan Shah QSA ordered Khawaja Khushhal QSA to go through spiritual seclusion (chillah) of 40 days in a room (hujra) in a masjid, which also required him to break his fast each day with limited raisins (munakka) and water.  During this spiritual seclusion (chillah), Khawaja Khushhal was blessed with the vision of the Holy Prophet ﷺ plenty of times. And after completing this spiritual seclusion (chillah) of 40 days, Khawaja Khushhal QSA presented some left-over raisins to Hazrat Mohammad Hasan Shah QSA as a gift, which amazed Hazrat Mohammad Hasan Shah QSA.

 After completing this spiritual seclusion (chillah) of 40 days, Khawaja Khushhal QSA was granted Khilafat and Ijazat on April 1, 1953 after about only six months in the service of his shaykh. He then quickly became one of Hazrat Mohammad Hasan Shah’s QSA most favorite and beloved Khalifas.  Hazrat Mohammad Hasan Shah QSA would often ask Khawaja Khushhal QSA to lead the prayer (imamat) and recite the Holy Qur’an.

After attaining Khilafat, Khawaja Khushhal QSA was in the service of his shaykh until his shaykh passed ahead. He then began walking in the footsteps of his shaykh and would be busy in spiritual struggle (mujahidat).  He then embarked on a journey and life of so much fasting, meditations (chillah) and worship that there is no match for his ascetism (zuhd) in the recent era of Sufism in the world. He undertook countless spiritual seclusions of 40, 60, 90 and 120 days. 

He fasted continuously for 17 long years (faqa-kashi) with only the water of lentils (moong ki daal) and black tea.  He would spend his day reciting 10,000 Darood Sharif (Salawat) and his nights in the remembrance of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, as he was known to barely sleep.  He was also known to complete the Holy Qu’ran once a day in his early days and has always been dressed from head to toe according to the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam.  This practice of consuming less food, worship, staying up all night and reciting abundant Darood Sharif (Salawat) continued for his entire life.

It is to be noted that Khawaja Khushhal QSA has a special attachment since his early spiritual seclusions to Shaykh Makhdoom Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir QSA also known as Hazrat Sabir Pak whose maqam (shrine) is in Kalyar Sharif, India.  The resemblance in Khawaja Khushhal’s QSA meditations and spiritual inclinations towards Hazrat Sabir Pak QSA is well known.  Khawaja Khushhal QSA also had a special attachment to Sultan Ul-Hind Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti QSA known as Khawaja Gharib Nawaz.  Khawaja Khushhal QSA often visited the maqams (shrines) of both these esteemed personalities during his lifetime.

In January of 1982, Khawaja Khushhal QSA married Janaba Najia Afridi Saheba (Peerani Huzoor) who is from a respectable and educated family. They were blessed with five daughters who are all educated in both religious and secular education.

Khawaja Khushhal QSA undertook spiritual seclusions (chillahs) in Mohammedpur (Khatouli), Afghanpur (Meerut), Madikeri, Mysore (Karnataka), and many other places in India.  But the majority of his spiritual seclusions took place in Chillagah e Sharif located in Bihargarh, Morna, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India. This area had been a jungle when Khawaja Khushhal first arrived, but was later transformed and built into an amazing and great Khanquah (Ribat or Zawiya) in the early 2000’s by his disciples. The mureeds (disciples) of Khawaja Khushhal QSA frequently visited Chillagah e Sharif to receive his advice and spiritual blessings.  His mureeds (disciples) are over 100,000 and reside all over the world.

On Sunday, 18th, Rajab, 1438 (16th, April, 2017) during the time of tahajjud, Shaykh Mohammad Khushhal QSA passed ahead after a lifetime of worship spent only to gain the love of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.  His resting place is in Chillagah e Sharif, and thousands of people continue to visit him to this day to receive his spiritual blessings. His disciples from all over the world regularly attend his URS (annual commemoration of passing) as it is celebrated with great zeal and passion to honor one of the greatest personalities in this recent era of Sufism. 

The great Sufi Saint Hazrat Faiz ul Aarifeen Allama Ghulam Aasi Piya (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) (QSA) (May Allah sanctify his secret) said the following about his spiritual brother (peer bhai) in the book, Chiragh E Abul Ulai: Mawlana Muhammad Khushhal’s QSA sincerity (ikhlaas), spiritual struggle (mujahida), spiritual seclusions (chillahs), asceticism (zuhd) and God consciousness (taqwa) could be matched by very few saints (awliya) of recent times.

The present Sajjada Nashin Sahib (Successor) of Khawaja Khushhal QSA is Hazrat Sufi Jawwad Ahmed Khushhali. His grandfather, Mohammad Hussain pledged allegiance (bayyah) before 1970’s and later became a Khalifa. Both of Hazrat Sufi Jawwad Ahmed’s grandparents and parents from the cities of Mysore and Mandya in Karnataka served Khawaja Khushhal QSA till the end of their lives.  Hazrat Sufi Jawwad Ahmed was chosen by Khawaja Khushhal from an early age and the indications are too many to list. Some of them are that Khawaja Khushhal named him before he was born. Khawaja Khushhal QSA told Hazrat Sufi Jawwad Ahmed when he was only 19 years old to grow a beard. He also told him that he wanted to give him something, and ordered him to keep a beard. He then called him near him, and whispered in his ear, that he would be giving him Khilafat when he turned 22 years of age.  He told him that it was his wish that Hazrat Sufi Jawwad Ahmed receive Khilafat and Ijazat the same age that he received it from his shaykh, Hazrat Mohammad Hasan Shah QSA.  Khawaja Khushhal QSA then made it sure that it was bestowed when Hazrat Sufi Jawwad Ahmed turned 22 years of age in 2009. He later married him to his second eldest daughter. The current affairs of Darbar E Aaliya Kushhaliya operate under the spiritual guidance of Hazrat Sufi Jawwad Ahmed Khushhali as he continues to walk in the footsteps of Khawaja Khushhal QSA.

In Khawaja Khushhal’s QSA famous words:

 “Mein Akela Hi Chalta Janib Manzil Magar, Log sath aatae gaye aur caravan banta gaya” 

 “Manzilein Deti Rahin Dhoka Magar, Chalne Wale Phir Bhi Chalte hi Rahe”

Dua:

Sabr o Istiqlal Se Hamare Dil Ko Mazbooth Rakh,

Ya Ilahi Haath Se Choote Na Damaan E Khushhal

O’ my Lord, strengthen my heart with patience and perseverance,

And never let my hands slip from my connection to Khawaja Khushhal.

This biography will be updated as more events of Khawaja Khushhal’s QSA holy life story is recorded.