Bande Nawaz

Who was Bande Nawaz?

Syed Muhammad Hussaini, commonly known as Hazrat Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gaisu Daraz, was a famous Sufi saint from India of the Chishti Order, who advocated understanding, tolerance and harmony among various religious groups.

Gaisu Daraz was a murid of the noted Sufi saint of Delhi, Hazrat Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi. After the death of Chiragh Dehlavi, Gaisu Daraz took on the mantle of the successor. When he moved to Daulatabad around 1398, owing to the attack of Timur on Delhi, he took the Chishti Order to South India. He finally settled down in Gulbarga, at the invitation of Bahamani Sultan, Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah.