By Sadia Dehlvi

Often on the way back home from Khwaja Qutub’s dargah at Mehrauli, I stop at the dargah of Mai Sahiba in Adhcnini that is just off the main Aurobindo Road. I feel close to Mai Sahiba and pray that she intercede for me with her son, Hazrat Nizamuddin whom I love so dearly. I try spending some time in her small meditation cell, an activity that has a tremendous calming effect on my heart. I am reminded of her unwavering faith in Allah through all her trail and tribulations.

Zulekha, popularly called Mai Sahiba is the mother of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. DBibi uring the Mongol invasions of Bukhara, Khwaja Ali and Khwaja Arab, both her grandparents, migrated to India. They initially travelled to Lahore, later settling in   Badayun, which presently falls in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Khwaja Arab gave his daughter Bibi Zulekha in marriage to Khwaja Syed Ahmad, the son of Khwaja Ali. 
Bibi Zulekha’s husband died when her son was just a few years old. Traditions record Mai Sahiba’s dream in which God asks her to make a choice between husband and son, for one was destined to die. Bibi Zulekkha chose her son and Khwaja Ahmad soon fell ill.  Bibi Zulekha felt terrible but sought solace in the fact that she had no control over the dream; that life and death are a matter of God’s will.  Khwaja Syed Ahmad died leaving her with two small children. His tomb in Badayun near the Sagar tank remains a popular place of pilgrimage. 

Bibi Zulekha encountered great hardships while brining up her son and daughter, earning a living by weaving cloth. Devoted to her son’s education, Mai Sahiba ensured that he was tutored under the best teachers of Badayun. When he turned sixteen years of age, Mai Sahiba migrated to Delhi. The city had acquired a reputation as a centre for Islamic studies and she wished to provide further education for Hazrat Nizamuddin. 

When the young son questioned his mother as to when that would happen, she would say, ‘When I am gone’. 

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said that when his mother prayed, she appeared to be in direct communication with God. He would witness her prayers being accepted without any delay.Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said that when his mother prayed, she appeared to be in direct communication with God. He would witness her prayers being accepted without any delay. Every month on sighting the new moon he sought the blessings of Mai Sahiba, placing his head on her feet.

One new moon Mai Sahiba said, ‘Nizam! At whose feet shall you put your head next month?’ Her tearful son asked, ‘In whose care will you entrust me with’.

Next to the tomb is a small cell like enclosure that used to be Mai Sahiba’s prayer room. Between Mai Sahiba’s grave and this small room is the grave of Bibi Jannat, Mai Sahiba’s daughter. Immediately to the south of these two graves is the grave of Bibi Zainab, the daughter of Bibi Jannat.

Devotees, especially women come in large numbers to seek blessings. It is said that Mai Sahiba cannot bear the sorrow of a woman and blesses them immediately. When in acute distress, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya would pray at his mother’s tomb and said that his prayers were always granted.