10 Facts About Baba Farid

Baba Farid's family had immigrated to the Indus Valley from Kabul in modern-day Afghanistan during the time of his grandfather.

Baba Farid received his early education at Multan, which had become a centre for Muslim education.

When Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki died in 1235, Farid left Hansi and became his spiritual successor and instead of settling in Delhi, he returned to his native Punjab and settled in Ajodhan.

Baba Farid was one of the founding fathers of the Chishti Sufi order.

In great old holy city of Jerusalem, there is a place called Al-Hindi Serai or Indian hospice, where it is claimed Baba Farid lived for many years in the early 13th century, almost 800 years ago.

Baba Farid walked into Jerusalem around the year 1200, little more than a decade after the armies of Saladin had forced the Crusaders out of Jerusalem.

Baba Farid's teacher, Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki was a disciple of Moinuddin Chishti and Baba Farid's most famous disciple is Nizamuddin Chishti of Delhi, making him an important link in the chain of Chishti masters in South Asia and a very influential spiritual master in South Asia.

One legend says his mother used to encourage the young Baba Farid to pray by placing sugar under his prayer mat.

Once, when she forgot, the young Baba Farid found the sugar anyway, an experience that gave him more spiritual fervour and led to his being given the name.

Baba Sheikh Farid is one of these equally revered 15 Bhagats.