He was a follower of the Chisti sect of the Sufis and was a disciple of the famous Chisti saint Nasiruddin Shah Chirag Dehelvi.

Sufi Badruddin Shah was born in Sirsalgarh, Dist. Baghpat in 1236. He travelled to Delhi where he was ordained in the great tradition of Sufis before finally coming and settling a Barnawa, also presently in Dist. Baghpat where he continued to give sermons. He died in 1343 and was buried in Barnawa itself where the site of his burial with time evolved into one of the most important Sufi centers of this region.

The primary Sufi shrine of Barnawa lies within the village which exits on the northern mound (page ). Here there are many buildings of the Sultanate as well as later periods, the most important being the shrine proper and an old Mosque adjoining it. Within the shrine there exists an ancient Kuran which has calligraphy in gold over all its pages.

Over the southern mound there exit a few other ancient buildings, probably from the times of the great Sufi himself.

Presently every year an urs and festival is held at the main shrine of Sufi Badruddin and quawals from all over Western Uttar Pradesh come and render quawalis in memory of the great saint, including the original renditions of Amir Khusro, a tradition which is nearly 800 years old.