Hinoz Dehli Dur Ast

            We often hear and use idioms in our daily communication but rarely do we ponder over their origin. Many interesting legends lie behind them.

            One such idiom is ‘Hinoz Dehli Dur Ast’ (persian) or ‘Abhi Dilli dur hai’(hindi and urdu). It literally translates as ‘Delhi is still far away’ and its contextual meaning is ‘Your destiny is still miles away’. A cliché in political parlance, this idiom is often used as a rebuke to a rival, challenger or a foe’s ambitions or claims.

            Legend has it that this idiom was first uttered by Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. He is a famous sufi saint who lived in Delhi during second half of 13^th century and first quarter of the 14^th, a period of great political upheaval and significance in Medieval India.

He saw seven sultans ascend the throne of Delhi Sultanat but never visited even a single court in line with the Chishtiya philosophy of staying aloof from politics. Known for his magnanimity, he distributed whatever gifts he received from the rich among the needy.

When Giyasuddin Tughlaq ascended the throne (1320), he asked Hazrat Nizamuddin to return all the gifts given by the last ruler of the previous Khalji dynasty. Hazrat replied that those were given to their rightful owners i.e. the poor. Livid at this reply, the founder of Tughlaq dynasty said that he would teach the saint a lesson once he returned to Delhi from his Bengal campaign. When this news reached Hazrat he calmly said ‘Hinoz Dehli Dur Ast’ or ‘Delhi is still far away’.

On his way back, Giyasuddin halted outside a day’s outside Delhi to review a march of his army. While he was on the stage, the thumping of elephants’ feet caused the stage to crash down, crushing him to a brutal death. Thus the Sultan couldn’t even step inside Delhi. Since then the line ‘Abhi Dilli dur hai’ became immortal.

                                               Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin in Old Delhi