This was done and only then, much to the delight of all, did the child cry loudly and open its eyes to examine its surroundings.
The boy was named Tajuddin Muhammad Badruddin. Tajuddin literally means one who wears a crown, in this instance the crown of the Prophet Muhammad. His father, Sayyed Muhammad Badruddin, was a soldier — a subedar (equivalent to a lieutenant) in the British army. Just before the birth of his son, Sayyed had been transferred to Kamptee from Madras. Sayyed was proud to have a son and thanked the all-merciful Allah that the child had lived. Tragedy, however, soon befell the Badruddin household. When Tajuddin was just a year old, his father died. Mariambi did her best to raise a son who would have made her husband proud. At the age of six, the boy entered a fine elementary school and was considered an above-average student. But three years later, tragedy struck again. When Tajuddin was nine years old, his mother too passed away at a young age. The burden of raising the small boy fell to his maternal grandmother.
Unique spiritual qualities were detected in Tajuddin even at an early age. The boy continued with his schooling and learned Arabic, Persian and Urdu, as well as some English. He was an avid reader, rode horses and played the violin. Tajuddin rapidly advanced in his education until he was eighteen years old, when a wonderful event changed his life.
A renowned saint ( pir ) named Hazrat Abdullah Shah lived in Nagpur and was highly revered by the Mohammedan community. One day this saint visited Tajuddin's school and, observing the young man, remarked, "Why should this boy be in school? What is the need for him to study? What is left for him to learn? This young man already possesses gnosis [divine knowledge]."
The saint approached Tajuddin and their eyes met. Taking a biscuit, Abdullah Shah ate half and gave the other half to Tajuddin. The saint spoke as the young man chewed the biscuit, "Eat less; sleep less; speak less. And study the Koran as if the Prophet Muhammad has his very eyes on you!"
No sooner had Tajuddin eaten the biscuit than the ghazal of wine began singing in his heart, and his eyes shed tears of pain. The young man disappeared from the school and for three days remained in a blissful state of tears that seared his soul.
