NIẒĀM AL-DĪN AWLIYĀʾ (AH 636–725/1238–1325 CE) was a major Ṣūfī saint of the Chishtī order. Under his leadership, the order expanded into a mass movement across India. Great men of letters from Amīr Khusraw (d. 1325) to Muḥammad Iqbāl (d. 1938) have eulogized his religious charisma and sought solace in prayers at his grave. Muḥammad Tughluq (r. 1324–1351) was a pallbearer at his funeral and built the mausoleum over his grave. It is a measure of Niẓām al-Dīn's authority with the people that Bābur (r. 1526–1530), founder of the Mughal dynasty, felt it necessary, during his conquest of Delhi, to pay his respects at the shrine. It remains a major site of pilgrimage for non-Muslims as well as Muslims.

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