Muntakhab al-tawarikh 90: LI. VIII. Shaikh Salim-i-Cishti.

90

He was one of the descendants of the venerable Shaikh Farid-i- Shakarganj (may God sanctify his soul), and his native place was Dihli. He stood in the relation of a disciple to Khwajah Ibrahim (who was spiritually descended through five intermediaries from the most bountiful Khwaja, the ascetic Fuzail Ibn ‘Iyaz—may the mercy of God be upon him!) through whose instrumentality also he was first turned towards God. He twice travelled by land and sea from India to the two most holy places of pilgrimage, there to perform the duties of the pilgrimage. He set forth on his travels, journeying to Asia Minor, Baghdad, Syria, Najaf, (that holy spot), and other countries of the western regions, spending the whole year in travelling, returning to the glorious city of Makkah at the time of the pilgrimage, and then again setting out on his travels. In this manner he performed the pilgrimage twenty-two times, fourteen times during his first period of absence from India, and eight times during his second period of absence. On this latter occasion he spent four years in the glorious city of Makkah and four years in the delightful city of Madinah, and during his sojourn in Makkah he used to spend the period during which Muhammad’s birthday occurred in Madinah, and the period of the pilgrimage at Makkah. Shaikh Ya'qub of Kashmir who accompanied Shaikh Salim gave the date of his latter visit to Makkah in the following couplets : —
Thanks be to God, of whose mere bounty The holy region became our halting-place. If any one ask the date of this event We answer him, “We entered the holy region.”
And in that country he was known as Shaikhu-’l-Hind, or the holy man of India. He reached the age of ninety-five and travelled always in the path of the holy law delivered by the prophet (may God bless and save him!), always observing the most severe austerities and the most austere discipline, to a degree which can have been attained by but few of the holy men of this age. He observed, as a religious duty, the ceremonial purification and bathing before each of the five daily recitals of prayers, nor did he omit this duty before the weekly public prayers.
2. When Shaikh Man of Panipat, (may God sanctify his tomb!), enjoyed companionship with Shaikh Salim he put to him this question; — “Was it induction or revelation that was the means of your attaining to your goal?” Shaikh Salim replied, “Our means is ‘heart to heart.’” Very many holy men who have reached perfection received their training in his service and companionship, and became his deputies and successors. Among them was the Shaikh who after being perfected received authority to impart religious instruction to other disciples, and whose history is well-known. Another was Shaikh Kamal of Alwar, an old man inflamed and enwrapped with zeal, resembling in disposition the leaders among holy men. Another was Shaikh Piyara of Bangal, a man distracted with the grief of longing after God. His fame is great in the country of Bangal. Another was Shaikh Fathu-'llah Tarin of Sambhal. Another was Shaikh Ruknu-'d-din of Ajudhan, and another was Husain the Khadim, who was the best of Shaikh Salim’s deputies, and the midmost pearl in the string (of his disciples). He was the chief decider of abstruse questions in the hospice at Fathpur. When Shaikh Salim returned a second time to India the writer of these lines heard that he had attained to an extensive knowledge of, and pre-eminent proficiency in the Arabic language. I therefore sent him a letter containing two chronograms of his two auspicious arrivals, which have been mentioned above. A verbatim copy of the letter is set forth below.