Why did Saint Nizamuddin Auliya say "Dilli dur ast"?
This is the Persian proverb “Hunooz Dilli Dur Ast” which when translated to Hindi reads “Dilli abhi dur hai”.
Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya was a revered Chisti Sufi Saint of 14th century, who used to live in Ghiyaspur, in the outskirts of Delhi.
Consequently, Ghiyaspur had grown into a major pilgrimage centre. It came under the rule and jurisdiction of Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.
People from far and wide frequented the town not for the grandeur of the sultan, but due to the austerity and fame of the Auliya and his much beloved disciple and the famous poet Amir Khusrao.
The Sultan was very fond of Amir Khusrao, who was also his courtier. But he was very suspicious of Nizamuddin Auliya .
This wasn't odd because at that time the relationship between the Sufis and the state was often strained.
The sultans were not happy about the Sufis gaining power as it could pose a potential threat to their authority.
So the sultan suspected that Nizamuddin Auliya and his people were plotting something against him.
Once, on his way back to Delhi after the war with Bengal, Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq decreed that Saint Nizamuddin Auliya should leave Delhi immediately before his return.
Amir Khusrao who revered the Saint, went over to him voicing his concern over the Farman.
However, Nizamuddin Auliya wasn't disturbed, instead he said “Hunooz Dilli Dur Ast", which means Dilli is yet very far away.
As it happened, on his way back to Delhi, a special celebration was held at a camp for the Sultan and a massive podium was erected commemorating his victory.
A sudden storm led to the podium to collapse and with it the Sultan himself had a fall leading to his death.
Therefore Saint Nizamuddin Auliya's words came true. The Sultan never reached Delhi.