Dargah Qutub Sahib - Thus Sleeps the Great Saint

Qutub-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki, born in 1173 A.D. in Iran, was an Islamic Dervish, the spiritual successor of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer, had his original name as Bakhtiyar and was one of the most famous sufi saints of the world. He was at the height of his popularity during the reign of Iltutmish. The Qutub Minar was named after him. The saint was fed with 'kak' or cake from heaven and thus he took the name 'kaki'. 

Popularly known as Qutub Sahib, this was the oldest and one of the most revered sufi shrines of Delhi and has been regarded as a magnet for the devout, the learned and the powerful for centuries. The saint preached values of universal brotherhood and made sufiism an important movement during his lifetime which attracted followers of all spheres. Nearly all the rulers and emperors who ruled Delhi, the mighty, famed and the powerful from Alauddin Khilji, Mohammad Bin Tughlaq,  Firoz Shah Tughlaq, Sher Shah Suri and Aurangzeb to Bahadur Shah Zafar sought the blessing of this simple holy man with humility and held him in the highest esteem.  
                                                                                                                                                                    

Such an exalted divine was he that his mentor Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti had decreed that anyone coming to seek his blessings must pay homage to Qutub Sahib first. This practice is still maintained as the pilgrims from haj even now make it a point to visit the final resting place of this illustrious saint to pay respect and those who attend the annual urs festival at Ajmer visit this dargah first on their way - even after 800 years of his passing away. 

A few weeks before his death, Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin was returning home after the Id prayer when he stayed at a place on the way and told his companions: "I feel the smell of love coming out of this place." The owner of the land was summoned immediately and it was purchased. This is the same place where the great saint was buried and where his illustrious Dargah stands upto this day. Even after the passing away of this saint, the dargah remains a place of pure faith for his followers. Many nobles and royals lie buried in the vicinity of his final resting place. The faquirs and mureeds who throng this place now have wondrous tales about the life of this great saint.  No one believes he is dead. They believe he is just wrapped a veil around himself and is visible to God and the blessed ones.  

The ardent faithful still believe that the city of Delhi is protected by this saint and as long as his mazaar remains, no harm can come to Delhi as he showers blessings on this city everyday, which became his home.