Sufism - Finding God through Love..!!

Friends,

Today, I am posting a brief information about the advent of Sufism in India, for no analysis about the Medieval India is complete unless Sufism is discussed along with it.

Introduction

Medieval India saw the emergence of the Sufi movement in Islam parallel to the Bhakti movement in Hinduism. This movement, which started around the 11^th century and reached its zenith around the 16^th century, freed Indian society from dogmatic beliefs, rituals, communal hatred etc. 

The amazing fact was that Sufism did not conflict with the Bhakti movement. Rather they contributed to each other’s ideas and practices. Similar to the Bhakti movement, Sufism also preached a simplified version of religion to the masses in a language that could be understood by everyone. It neither craved for political patronage nor was it concerned with the political developments happening around.

Both movements contained elements of intellectuality, devotion, love and liberalism. Both stressed on searching for and loving One Supreme God. The mystic discipline in both was intended for the moral advancement of the individual and their rise above man-made barriers of religion, colour, caste, wealth, power and position.

Sufism gradually synthesized with the Bhakti movement in an environment of reconciliation, cooperation and co-existence to evolve into a composite Hindustani culture. 

So, What is Sufism?

Sufism gave a mystical interpretation to the Quran and Islamic traditions like the Hadit of the Prophet. 

But how did it get this name?

Some say that Sufi saints wore garments made of coarse wool called suf, as a badge of poverty. Some others say that Sufi saints were pious souls and the term Sufi derived from safa (clean / pure). Yet others say that Sufi has derived from the Greek word, sofia (knowledge).

Sufis could work or beg from others to kill their ego and to remind themselves that everything belonged to God. Except a few outstanding saints, Sufis did not shun family life. They discouraged materialism but  stressed that the daily necessities of life had to be worked for.

They were broad–minded and recognized the truth in other faiths.


The Concept of Spiritual Preceptorship or Pir-Muridi

Sufis believed in the practice of spiritual preceptorship. The spiritual guide was called pir. Those who entered a particular sect of Sufism as a pir’s disciples were called his murid and had to pledge absolute submission and devotion to the pir.

Spread of Sufism Across India

The sects or orders of Sufis came to be known after the saints founding them. These were known as silsilahs, for example, Chistis, Suhrawardis, Naqshbandis, etc. 

Each silsilah had a khanqah or “hermitage / ashram” where the pir and his murids lived and meditated.

By the 16^th century, there were around 14 Sufi orders in India, as mentioned by Abul Fazl. But only 6 of these could be considered to be widely accepted. They spread across various parts of Hindustan.

1. The Chistis

Of all the sects, the Chistis were perhaps the most popular. They were quite liberal and adapted themselves well to the generally non-muslim environment of India, especially the common people and their problems and poverty. 

 The Chistis were active in Ajmer, Narnaul, Sarwal, Nagour, Hansi, Ayodhya, Badaun, and other parts of modern UP.

The most famous Sufi saint in India, Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti settled in Ajmer in the early part of the 13^th century. (He himself came from the Chisti line of Sufi saints established by Shaikh Abdul Chisti in Iran in 966 AD.) He founded the Chisti order of the Sufis, to which belonged Shaikh Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakar, known as Baba Farid to the Sikhs. His most famous disciple was Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya.

The Chisti sect in India progressed in this manner:

Shaikh Abdul Chisti -->...--> Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti -->Baba Farid --> Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya --> Shaikh Nasiruddin Chirag-i-Dilli

The other great Chisti saints in India were:

• Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki - a direct descendant of the Prophet and the pir of Baba Farid. It is said that he died in the musical trance induced by a qawwali and his mausoleum is at Mehrauli in Delhi.  
• Shaikh Alaul Haq, 
• Shaikh Adhi Seraj,  
• Nur Qutb Alam of Pandua, 
• Shaikh Husamuddin Manikpuri, 
• Burhanuddin Gharib, and 
• Hazrat Gesu Daraz of Deccan. 

Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, Delhi

Note: Near the Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya dargah, you can also visit the tombs of the famous poet Amir Khusrau, Mughal Princess Jahanara, and Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib, as well as the Jamaat Khana mosque and the dargah of Hazrat Inayat Khan (with a modest library where you can study Sufism).  

These Sufis believed in serving the needy and the opressed. They kept no money for themselves and generally lived on futuh and nazur (money and gifts given by the people voluntarily).

Let me illustrate the austere lives these Chisti Sufi saints led through the example of Baba Farid.

Baba Farid

Once, his son was dying of starvation. When his wife complained to him about this, he replied that he was helpless against God’s decree – God wanted his son to die, and he could do nothing in this regard.

Baba Farid used to wear torn clothes. When he passed away, there was no money in the house to buy a coffin.  The door of his house had to be broken to build a grave.

Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya has been popularized greatly by the poems of his devoted follower Amir Khusrau. He was so popular that he was given the title Mahboob-i-ilahi (Beloved of the God). His tomb was built by Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq in Delhi, despite the saint specifically wishing to be buried in the open:

“I want no monument over my grave; let me rest in broad and open plain.”

Amir Khusrau died 6 months after Hazrat Nizamuddin's passing away.

Hazrat Nizamuddin's disciples spread to Hansi, Gulbarga and Bengal. His most charismatic disciple was Shaikh Nasiruddin Muhmud Chirag-i-Dilli (Light of Delhi). 

Nasiruddin's 100 conversations, as reported in Khairul Majalis, describe his melancholy at the state of affairs in social and economic life, caused by political upheavals, bad administration, price rise, and general anarchy.

With Chirag-i-Dilli's death ended the first phase of Chisti mysticism. 

The Shrine of Chirag-i-Dilli

His disciple was Muhammad Gesu Daraz who went to Gulbarga in the just established Bahmani kingdom in 1346. He was a prolific writer who contributed greatly to the spread of Sufism in the south through over 30 books on mysticism (tasawwuf). He earned the title of Bandanawaz (benefactor of God’s creatures) because he always championed human rights and fought for the poor and needy.

Interestingly, Gesu Daraz was one of the earliest Urdu poets and writers. One of his couplets, which reflects his credo of mysticism is:

“Infidelity is welcome to the infidels and Islam to the Shaikh. But to us lovers, love and the content and harmony of our hearts is enough.”

Dargah of Banda Nawaz Gesu Daraz

Another Chisti saint, Shaikh Salim Chisti, lived in the 16^th century, in Sikri, and was highly venerated by Emperor Akbar.

Dargah of Shaikh Salim Chisti, Fatehpur Sikri

2. The Suhrawardis

Shaikh Bahauddin Zakariya established the Suhrawardi sect in the 13^th century.  Unlike most Sufis, the Suhrawardis did not mind living in luxury or leading a politically active life.

The Suhrawardis were most active in Sind and Multan. 

Dargah of Bahauddin Zakariya, Multan

3. The Qadiriyas

In the 15^th century, two new Sufi orders, the Shuttaris and the Qadiris, emerged in India. 

Sayyid Ghau Wala Pir and Shaba Nayamatullah Qadiri founded the Qadiriya sect. This sect spread in UP and Deccan. 

Prince Dara Shikoh and Princess Jahanara were the famous followers of the Qadiriya silsilah.

Prince Dara Shikoh with Mian Mir and Mulla Shah

4. and 5. The Shuttaris and The Firdausis

The Shuttaris and the Firdausis were basically offshoots of the Suhrawardis and were largely active in Bengal and Bihar. The Shuttaria silsilah also  spread in MP and Gujarat.

Shaikh Abdullah Shattari founded the Shuttaria sect.

Mazaar of Shaikh Abdullah Shattari, Ahmedabad

The Firdausi sect was established by Shaikh Badruddin Samarkhandi. But it was spread by the writings of Shaikh Sharfuddin Yahya Muniri in the 13th century.

6. The Naqshbandis

The last of the 6 main silsilahs, the Naqshbandiah, was established in the reign of Akbar by Khwaja Baqi Billah. 

Mazaar of Khwaja Baqi Billah, Old Delhi

Its most famous saint was Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi. He was known as Mujeddid Alif Saani (the Reformer).  He rejected the mystic philosophy of unity of being (wahadat-ul-wujud) and propounded the philosophy of Apparentism (wahadat-ul-shud). He believed that the relation between man and God is like that between a slave and his master, and not like a lover and the beloved, as generally believed by the Sufis. He tried to harmonise mysticism with Islam.

Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi

Neo Sufism

Neo-sufism emerged in the 17^th century. These Sufi saints believed in the unity of mankind and did not believe in sectarianism. 

One such Sufi saint was Yari Saheb (1668-1725) of Delhi. He would say that eyes should be painted with dust from the guru’s feet. His poems mentioned the names of Allah, Rama, and Hari and are full of complex metaphysical truths.

Sind had many neo-Sufi mystics, like Shah Karim. He received his first religious inspiration from a Vaishnav saint near Ahmedabad. The Vaishnav saint introduced him to the mysteries of Om.

Shah Inayat sheltered many Hindu families of Sind fleeing the oppression of the Kalhora kings. His belief that God was not the property of any one sect even led to his execution!

The greatest among the Sind neo-Sufis was perhaps Shah Latif, who was a great poet and singer. People sing his songs even now.

Shah Latif

Sufi saints like Bedil, Bekas, Rohal and Qutub left behind a rich legacy of songs, which are sung by Hindus and Muslims alike.

The neo-Sufi mystic Bulle Shah  was born around 1703 in Constantinople (Istanbul) and walked all the way to Punjab searching for spiritual truth. He settled down to a life of meditation and worship at Kasur. He was a fierce critic of the scriptures. No theologian could excel him in debates. He was buried at Kasur.

Bulle Shah

It is only fitting that this post should conclude with Bulle Shah's immortal words:

“Oh, Bulla, intoxicate thyself with the wine of divine love. Men will slander you and call you by a hundred names; when they abuse you with the name of kafir, say, “yes, friend, you are right.”

This article has been posted under the Miscellaneous topics section of history_geek's Blog.