Hazrat Ameer Khusrau

He was born in 1253 in Balkh, Afghanistan into the family of nobles. His real name was Abul Hasan, though he became famous with his pen name Amir Khusrau. His family moved to India to escape the Mongol hordes that were spreading havoc all over the Central Asia at the time. Since his father was a noble, he became a member of the Turkish Sultan Altutmash’s court.He received his education from his father and after his death from his maternal grandfather Imadul Mulk, who also was the member of the court. From his early childhood became a prolific poet in both Hindi and Farsi. Because of his command of both of these languages, he is considered by many as to have invented Urdu.When he was eight his father took him and other children to visit Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya's convent. Legend says that his siblings and his father went inside the convent but he stayed outside thinking that if he (Nizamuddin Auliya) were a perfect saint he would summon him himself. Nizamuddin Auliya became aware of his thought telepathically and sent his servant to bring him. Amir Khusrau was so much impressed of his personality that he accepted him his guide. Soon he became the dearest of his disciples and was so until his demise.Despite his association with the court, he continued to pray and meditate. The chronicles mention that he kept fasts continuously for forty years. He was engrossed every time in the intense love of God. There was so much incinerating heat generated in his heart that whatever he wore burnt on the chest. Nizammuddin Auliya once said about it, "If asked on the Resurrection day what have you brought? I would say the heat from the bosom of the Turk."He loved his spiritual master deeply and spent most of his time with him. His shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya loved him more than any other of his disciples even more than his spiritual heir, Nasiruddin Roshan Chiragh Dehlavi. Once the Mahboob-e-Ilahi said, "I am annoyed by all, even by myself sometimes but never by you."Overall, he wrote 92 books of poetry and prose in Farsi as well as in Hindi. He is also famous as the singer and is considered as the father of Qawwali, a style of sema Sufi music.When Nizamuddin Auliya died, Amir Khusrau was not in Delhi. When he arrived in Delhi and heard the news of his master’s demise, he died on the spot of his Master grave in 1325. He was buried near the tomb of his teacher on a slightly raised platform popularly called Chabootra-e-Yaran.