The Chisti school was established by Khwaj Moinuddin Hasan Chisti (1143-1234).  It is said that he was born in Sijistan.  At a young age he was influenced by several saintly men, including Ibrahim Qahandazi, and Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilli.  He immigrated to Delhi and became a very respected saint.  He later grew tired of the life in Delhi and withdrew to the peace and quite of Ajmer (Rajasthan) where he lived the remainder of his days. 

One of the followers of the Chisti school was a man by the name of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya (1236-1325).  He was born in Budaun, but at the age of 20 he moved to Ajodhan and became a disciple of Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakkar.  It is said that it was here that he received the key to inner illumination.  He was then sent to Delhi to instruct the populous.  Here he acquired a reputation for using music in his devotional gatherings.  This created a great amount of friction with the more orthodox Islamic elements in Delhi.  Nizamuddin Auliya was, and still is, a source of inspiration for countless people.  Even today there is an annual gathering at his tomb.  

 One man who was inspired by the Hazrat Nizamuddin was Amir Khusru (1254-1324).  He was born in Mominpur (Patiala).  His father was originally from Turkey, this gave the young boy a broader exposure to the rest of the Islamic world.  His father died when he was eight years old, whereupon the job of raising him fell to his maternal grandfather.  Amir Khusru was a legendary musician, statesman and philosopher.