ABSTRACT
South of the Satluj, the towns of Hansi and Panipat emerged as centres of Islamic spirituality during the middle of the thirteenth century. Baba Farid had established a Chishti seat at Hansi, situated on the Delhi-Multan route and the headquarters of a revenue assignment, which was once entrusted to Ghiasuddin Balban. Once Muhammad bin Tughluq encamped at village Bansi, which was situated at a distance of 4 kos from the town of Hansi. He sent Nizamuddin Nadarbari, who was a personification of tyranny, to inspect the fort of Hansi. The Shaikh stated that his object was three fold – to serve God, to serve the legacy of his ancestors and to serve his spiritual guide Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya. Shaikh Alauddin Ali Ahmad Sabir was the son of Baba Farid’s elder sister Bibi Hajira. His father Syed Abdul Rahim Abdul Salam was a native of Baghdad and, after a prolonged sojourn in Herat, travelled to Panjab.
