In the present atmosphere of disturbing communal propaganda, it needs to be remembered that Sufis ideals of love, peace and acceptance were primarily responsible for bringing people to the fold of Islam.
The Sufi Master of the thirteenth century Mohhiyuddin Ibne Arabi proclaimed that paradise was nothing but the Divine Form hidden in the mystics heart. “My heart has opened up in every form: it is a pasture for gazelles, a cloister for Christian monks, a temple for idols, the Kaaba of the pilgrim, the tables of the torah and the book of the Quran. I practice the religion of Love: in whatsoever directions its caravan advance, the religion of Love shall be my religion and my Faith.â€Â
The Indian Advaita became the Muslim Wahdat ul Wujood or the Unity of Being. Interfaith dialogues held at Baba Farid’s khanqah at Ajodhan had the Sufis freely borrowing meditation techniques from Hindus mystics. Baba Farid’s verses impacted Guru Nanak and are included in the holy texts of the Sikhs. It is believed that Asa-ki var, a morning hymn was composed by the Guru as response to a request by Shaikh Ibrahim, a disciple of Baba Farid. The Chisti Sufis Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, Hazrat Nizamuddin maintained tending to the needs of the helpless was the highest form of devotion. The Kashmir Sufis integrated Islamic and Hindu mystic traditions. Shaikh Nuruddin was influenced by the Shaivite mystic woman Lalla and called themselves Rishis.
The Sufi Bhakti movement of medieval India navigated by Hindu and Muslim mystics articulated a powerful vision of amity and co-existence challenging caste and community divisions. Poets like Mira, Tulsidas, Surdas, Jayasi, Dawood and Qutuban wrote in the language of the masses. Kabir left people wondering if he was a Hindu or a Muslim internalizing Indian spiritual tenets beyond the barriers of religion, creed and identity politics.
Guru Nanak was asked “What is superior, Islam or Hindusimâ€Â. The Guru replied, “Devoid of good deeds, none will find place in God’s court. “He is alone, O Nanak, knoweth the way, who earneth with the sweat of his brow, and shareth it with the othersâ€Â
Kutbun composed Mrigavati, Manjhan wrote Madhumati and Malik Mohammad Jayesi wrote the classic Padmavat based on the bardic songs of Rajhastan. Jayesi’s other Hindi works include Kanhavat, Kahranama, Pustinama and Holinama earning him the title of Muhaqqiq e Hind, The researcher of Indian Truth. Shaikh Qutban used Hindu terminology using the words Niranjan, Kartar, Vidhata, Pramesh, Ekonkar and Alakh for the Divine.
Mulla Dawood of Rae Bariely wrote Chandain, the first known Masnawi or epic poem in Hindi. He found more beauty in Chanadas brow than Arjuna’s eyebrows and wrote that men who prostrated themselves in front of Chanda found their sins washed away. Shaikh Taqiuddin a preacher of the time recited verses of Chandain from the pulpit of the mosque and maintained that the Dawoods Masnawi was Divine truth. Shaikh Abdul Qadoos of Gangoh overwhelmed by Chandain gave discourses on it with the same intensity as on other important Sufi manuals. He wrote Nath poetry under the name of Alakh and found ascetic exercises of the Nath Yogis identical to Sufi methods and wrote the quartain: Why this meaningless talk about the believer, The kafir, the obedient, the sinner, The rightly, the guided, the misdirected, the Muslim, the pious, the infidel, the fire worshipper? All are like beads in a rosaryâ€Â
Bengali Hindus and Muslims came to share the same language and culture. Chaitanya, a Vaishnavite introduced Krishna Bhakti and believed virtuous deeds were more significant than devotion to Lord Krishna and Radha. The association of Sufism and Bhakti gave rise to Baul songs. The Hindu Bauls that sing in the tradition of Chaitanya believe that Bhirbhadra, their first guru received the Baul faith from a Muslim woman called Madhava Bibi. Syed Sultan of Chittagong wrote Vaishnaivte hymns in his Nabi Bangash Sultan and included Brhama, Vishnu, Shiva and Lord Krishna as prophets.
Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram and Ramdas strived to preach the Oneness of God remaining hostile to outwardly forms of worship. Vedantic thought is rampant in the teachings of mediaeval Gujrati Sufis like Shaikh Ganjul Alim, Syed Burhamuddin and Shaykh Wajibuddin Gujrati.
Miyan Mir laid the foundation of the Golden temple at Amritsar. Shah Kaleemullah of Delhi directed his deputies to instruct in local languages. Shah Abdul Azez of Delhi preached that Allah and Parmeshwar were the same. Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan the seventeenth century Sufi of Delhi saw the Vedas as a revealed book.
Dara Shikoh a disciple of Mulla Shah translated the Upanishads into Persian. He once wrote to Shah Muhibbullah, a reputed mystic scholar of Allahabad enquiring whether discrimination between Hindu and Muslim subjects was permitted in matters of State. The Chishti Sufi replied in the negative affirming that Prophet Mohamad was Rahmat ul Alamin, a Mercy for all of creation and not for any particular community.
In a tumultuous world of religious and sectarian divides, the mystic message of attaining Divine Love through the love of mankind is more relevant than ever before.
Photograph: Tomb of Amir Khusrau by Mohib
Khuub. A nice, highly readable post.
Allama Ibn Hajar`s position on the Ibn Arabi
http://madeenah.com/article.cfm?id=1233
Then we both, he and I, invoked the curse of Allah upon ourselves, I said to him invoke the curse of Allah upon yourself with the following words:
`Oh Allah if Ibn Arabi is upon misguidance, curse me with your curse,` He said that. Then I said: Oh Allah if Ibn Arabi is upon true guidance then curse me with your curse.` And then, we both separated from one another [left].
He used to live in a place called Ar-Rawdaah[5]. One of the sons of a soldier took him in as his guest, then for some reason he [Ibnul-Ameen] suddenly decided to leave them. So then he left in the early part of the night, with the soldiers` sons also accompanying him to escort him and bid him farewell.
Then suddenly, he felt something that passed over his feet. He said to his companions, `something soft just passed over my feet; please see what it was.` They searched to see what had passed by but didn`t see anything, so then he continued walking [alone]. He did not reach his home except that he became blind, and morning did not come except that he died. And this was in the month of Dhul-Qadah in the year 797 AH, and the Mubahalah – invoking the curse of Allah upon the liar – had taken place between us in the month of Ramadan.
Ibn Hajar, with his final words, said:
Indeed at the time when the Mubahalah took place, I informed those who were present at the Mubahalah, that the [one amongst us] who would be upon falsehood [as a result of this Mubahalah] would not even live a full year, and that is exactly what happened, and All praise is due to Allah for that. So I was relieved from the evilness of this person, and safe from his plotting and deceiving.
Sadiaji,
A very good post after a disappointing first one. I love the Sufis thanks to Rajneesh(Osho) for his brilliant expositions on virtually all the Sufi mystics.
A copy of this should be forwarded to the erudite Dr.Zakir Naik
Sadia, a very good article. That is how Indian Islam should be viewed by Indian Muslims and even in the rightists.
But question is whether the wahhabi or the strict islam sunni preachers will accept these facts about sufism.
A kind of mixture of the advaita philosphy sufism has been a great cause for spread of Islam in India or even beyond like places in Malaysia or Indonesia. India is unique in this way that Islam had to give up the sword when it entered India. Beyond this whether it is Iran, Turkey and many regions Islam spread by invasion.
When you talk sufism all they know is that it is shirk and people are giving busa at the mazars. They see only this aspect of it.
The reason why Indian Muslims never chose destructive path . But things have changed and it is not Gujarat that has done it. It has been happening since quite a time period. And singular events then put blame on the entire Indian Muslim community.
I read through Arun Nair’s article on this website and I feel by assertion of Indian Islam it should be these aspects of Islam that should get highlighted.
It is in this sense that Islam is not an alien religon but very much an Indian religion.
Noor your comment reminds me of the Danish Cartoonist who got burnt simply because of his paintings. Let us get up from this stupid stories for which our prophet(pbuh) stood against.
Sufism is a beautiful science of knowing your own soul.
Mahesh T you say : India is unique in this way that Islam had to give up the sword when it entered India. Beyond this whether it is Iran, Turkey and many regions Islam spread by invasion.
Reference to above please be informed that Sufism is not an Indian phenomenon. It is/was strong almost all over the Muslim world whether it is Iran or Turkey or North Africa.To say that in India it managed to gain converts while in other countries it couldn`t, is quite illogical. While it is true that the Muslim caliphate slowly expanded to cover the countries you have named, the assertion that Islam spread by the sword is virulent anti-Muslim propoganda, do not fall for it.
In the thread ‘Cricket and Burnt Lives’ many Hindus had stated that they have no opposition to conversion per se, but conversion by humiliating and insulting Hinduism is not acceptable as they allege is happening in Orrisa and other parts of india. Likewise, by constantly insisting that Islam spread by the sword an attempt is being made to whip up anti-Islam passion.
Have you ever wondered why so many evangelicals landed up in Iraq and Afghanistan right after their invasion? The operation ‘Enduring Freedom’ was supposed to free the Iraqis from Saddam Husain or from Islam?
Sameen, Sufism focuses on direct experience of God. Hinduism has always focussed on a person to gain direct experience of his soul. This experience can be had by 2 means. Bhakti (Vaishnavites, sanatan dharma and Bhakti philosophy) or meditation (Shaivites, Janism, Buddhism). Sikhism was a kind of composite mixture of Islam and Hinduism whereby you could obtain the shabd(knowledge) either by constant meditation of your third eye or by following the
Gurbani(Bhajan, Guru’s voice) Meditation is of many types and understanding now says that there are a total of 128 types of meditations. Most Sufi practices are based on dervish dances and to feel the touch of divine. It is a known fact that how Sufism erupted is unknown and one of the facts is clear that Chisti order in India was the first Sufi order. There are other Sufis who focus on music and experience of divine by that music. All these practices do not find a place in Islam. Now to an extent that Tablighi Jamat, Naik’s and many so called Islamic ulema call it a sin.
Iran before Islamic conquest was a nation following zoroastriasm. If you read the parsi literature it will become quite clear as to how Iran became an Islamic nation. The places which are now known as Muslim countries all had different religions, cultures and practices. These practices, cultures or religions are now either not found or have merged within Islamic aura in these countries. I do not want to painfully prove how all this happened as you will then painfully try to prove that it not happened to the fact that maybe you will also explain that Taliban demolished Bamiyans to teach Buddhism to Buddhists or the 500 Hindu families that vanished overnight in Afghanistan were spiritually attracted by Islam. That they were asked to wear yellow clothes on their hands in an age old practice of dhimmitude. In India while Delhi became home to Muslim rulers in Present Rajasthan there are many regions and places which never fell in hand of Muslims and have a whole literature where they celebrate their braveness and victory against all foreign invaders. While Sind fell in hands of Umayyad governors the Battle of Rajasthan in 738 AD stopped their advance in India by until 1100-1200 AD. More on it:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rajasthan
These places were even the princely states right till Indian freedom. The rise of Marathas, Jats, Sikhs and many rulers in many regions was because of a direct reason to challenge the hegemony of these rulers. This was even the reason that Jinnah said that most hindus and muslims consider each others heroes as enemies and that idea of pakistan was born when the first hindu became Muslim. Most notable was battle of Shivaji and Aurangzeb. In non Muslim countries Islam tries to prove that it did not spread by sword but in most Muslim countries it is agreed that it did spread by sword and it should even continue doing it wherever possible. That is the reason most terrorists call it a jihad and themselves jihadis. In this interview a Pakistani judge says that Muslims should live peacefully till the time they can wage a Jihad.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2409833.ece
In India many of the Sufi saints kind of mixed between the Hindu and Muslims. There are many sects and many places in India where Hindus and Muslims can not be differentiated.
Now coming to the last part. I do know that the Balfour agreement was unjust to Palestinians or the Iraq war and I do know that the west has manipulated and used Muslims . The Muslims and Christians are kind of similar foes both having their missionaries, both use power and weapons to extend their influence and both have fought many blood wars in name of faith. In India this never happened because Hinduism was never a religion in real sense and I don’t see it becoming a religion as well. While Delhi was a home to Muslim rulers till late 14th century there were powerful hindu empires in far east in Indonesia, Thailand and even in south India most notable being Khmer and srivijaya. My visit to Thailand found that these empires had links with Indian rulers. But the reason that even the major wars between Muslim and Indian rulers never became kind of crusades was Hindus accepted Sufism. They looked at the religious part of Islam and even now in many Indian cities you will find hindus respecting these saints or even call mosques the abode of God. While Muslims in India have often killed hindus because of these so called wars in foreign lands most notably riots after khilafat movement the Indian Hindus are unable to understand that what is so wrong that Muslims are becoming a problem in India or in any nation where they are in minority. The only answer is moderate Islam which believes in co existence and not in subjugation of others. The religion which stands for its meaning and its followers who are not in the zeal of always doing Allah’s work.
I am in mist and
He is there to help the humans.I thank Google.Harish.