|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sufism — The Heart of Islam IN these years of unrest and turmoil, one yearns for a way out. Call it an escape, or a means to find solace. And the verse of Sufis carries that balm. A simple reading of their words throws negativity out and calms a troubled mind.
Along with this she has linked Sufism to Islam. In fact, right at the onset she offloads — "The most common response on hearing the title of my book has been: "But what has Sufism got to do with Islam?" It is difficult for some Muslims and most non-Muslims to accept that Sufism is the spiritual current that flows through Islam. Sufi masters are called "ahl e dil", (people of the heart). They teach that religion has no meaning unless warmed by emotions of love, and interpret Sufism as being the heart of Islam" There’s a flow to this volume, an uncomplicated rendering, carrying forth almost every single detail related to Sufism, be it the details of the various Sufi orders — the Chishtis, the Suharwardis, the Naqshbandis or the "Rishis" of the Kashmir Valley. Together with that a list of Sufi terminology and poetry and popular verse has also been provided. Any gaps in the information have been befittingly filled by Khushwant Singh, who in the very foreword to this volume, has focused on two very crucial offshoots related to Sufism — "An aspect of Sufism in India must always be kept in mind. It was not Muslim invaders who converted millions of Indians to Islam, as many historians tell us, but the gentle preaching of Sufi saints who opened their hospices and welcomed men and women of all caste and creed to join their brotherhood. And they did so in large numbers, of their own free will". According to Khushwant Singh "another important aspect of Sufi teachings is their impact on the saints of the indigenous Bhakti Movement in northern India. It included saints like Kabir, Namdev, Tukaram, Guru Nanak and other Sikh gurus. No better evidence is to be found of the phenomenon than the inclusion of their hymns in Guru Granth Sahib, compiled by the fifth Sikh guru — Guru Arjan Dev. Even the foundation stone of the Harmandar Sahib in Amritsar was laid by Sufi saint Mian Mir of the Qadriya silsila." Moving verse Though this volume is laced with verse, some lines like the following by Baba Farid Shakarganj (1173-1265 AD) stand out. I hope the so-called rulers of the day (in the form and shape of administrators, politicians, cops) do take care to read these hitting lines: "Farid, the earth questioned the sky, Where are the mighty captains gone? In their grave they rot, was the reply And rebuked for tasks And then, there are verses carrying forth more simply worded verse nudging you to look beyond the obvious. These lines of the patron saint of the Kashmir Valley, Shaykh Nuruddin (popularly known as Shaykh Ul Alam Nund Rishi) "Why are you harping on the caste His is the only caste His essence is beyond the bounds of knowledge The doers of noble deeds all have the same caste If O! brother you surrender to Him, then alone will you become pure" Sadia Dehlvi points out that Baba Farid is said to have blessed his disciples with the prayer, "May God endow you with pain". Yes, a one liner which carries forth so much, for it is pain alone which carries you through, it teaches you to survive against all possible odds, gets you closer to the stark realities of life and brings forth the grit in you.
|
||
|
|
||
While
reading this volume — Sufism — The Heart of Islam, what
seems rather obvious is that the writer, Sadia Dehlvi is very
passionate about the subject, otherwise it wouldn’t have been easy
to put together these details on Sufis and Sufism. She has detailed
out the various Sufi orders, unearthed their histories and the very
foundation of Sufism, the popular perception and above all focused on
their relevance in today’s charged and surcharged times.