SUFISM IN INDIA :A Detailed Notes for IAS
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| SUFISM IN INDIA |
Sufism has an illustrious history in India evolving for over 1000 years. Following the entrance of Islam in the early 700s, Sufi mystic traditions became more visible during the 10th and 11th centuries of the Delhi Sultanate.
Sufi preachers, merchants and missionaries also settled in coastal Bengal and Gujarat through sea journey and trade. Various leaders of Sufi orders chartered the first organised activities to introduce localities to Islam through Sufism. Saint figures and mythical stories provided solace and inspiration to Hindu caste communities, often in rural villages of India.
THE SUFI MOVEMENT
The word 'Sufi' is derived from the word suf meaning wool, as Sufis wore garments of rough wool as a sign of poverty. The Arabic meaning of which is 'purity'. Sufis were of two shades : Basara (who believed in Islamic laws) and Beshara (who did not believe in Islamic laws). The Eastern variety of Sufism is influenced by Vedantic philosophy.
NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SUFIS
The Doctrine of the Wahadat-uLWujood, which was based on the Unity of Being and Universe, was followed by many Sufi sects and was helpful in bringing the Hindus closer to the Muslims. They believed in the purification of one's inner self in order to attain lasting spiritual pleasure. They were humanistic in their teachings. Sufis used the language of the common people and this led to the evolution of Urdu in North India.
They also contributed to the development of Punjabi, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Gujarati, Bengali etc. Sufis opposed the ritualistic interpretation of Islam and criticised the various social evils succeeding at that time. They preached Islamic culture to common people in India and helped in bringing about Hindustani cu1ture.h Sufi Khanqahs (hospices), link between the pir (teacher) and the murid (disciples) was emphasised, which led to educational advancement of the society and Hindustani music in forms, such as Qawwalis, Taranas, Khayals evolved out of the Sufi style of the sama.
SUFI ORDERS
Most of the Sufi orders delivered in the Doctrine of Wahadat-ul- Wujood or Unity of Being, which is identified with the unity of the Hag and the Khalaq, that is the creator but, Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi of Naqshbandi order propagated the Doctrine of Wahadat-ul-Shuhud, which identified the Hag and Khalaq as separate bodies.
Abu'l Fazl mentions fourteen Silsilas (orders) in Akbarnama. Prominent among them are the Chishtis, Suhrawardiyya, Qadiri, Naqshbandi, Roshaniya, Sultani, Mahadawi, Firdausi.
CHlSHTl ORDER
The chishti order was introduced in India by Khwaja Muin-ud-din-Chishti, who came to India, alongwith Muhammed Ghori. Among his disciples were Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, in whose memory Qutub Minar was built and also Baba Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakar, who confined his activities to Hansi and Ajodhan.
Some of Baba Farid's verses were later included in the Adi-Granth of the Sikhs. Other famous Chishti saints were Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi and Nasiruddin Chiragh-e-Delhi. The Sufi saints led a strict life and kept separated from the royal court and believed in spiritual exercises such as yoga and music. Musical recitations called sama was made popular by Chishtis to create a feeling of nearness to God.
SU H RAWARDIYYA ORDER
The founder of the Suhrawardiyya order was Abdul-Wahir Abu Najib as-Suhrawardi (1168 AD), who was a disciple of Ahmad Ghazali. The teachings of Ahmad Ghazali led to the formation of this order. Unlike the Chishtis, they did not believe in leading a life of poverty and so accepted direct service of the state, holding important posts in the spiritual department. They also did not believe in using music as an instrument to get near to God. Baha-ud-din Zakariya is another prominent saint of this order. Suhrawardiyya's activities were confined largely to Punjab and Multan.
Well-known saints of this order are Sheikh Shahabuddin Suhrawardi, Hamiduddin Nagori, Rukn-ud-din Abdul Fateh etc.
QADlRl ORDER
This order was founded by Abdul-Qadir Gilani (1166 AD). It is popular among the Muslims of South India. Sheikh Niamatullah was the first important Qadri to come to India. Nasir-ud-din Muhammad Jilani was the most important Qadri, who effectively organised the Qadiri order. This order was dominant in Sindh and Lahore. Shahjahan's eldest son Dara Shikoh was a follower of the Qadiri order.
NAQSHBANDI ORDER
This order was founded by Baha-ud-din Naqshband Bukhari (1318-1389 AD), born in Bukhara. Mughal emperor Babur was a follower of Ubaidullah Ahrar who was a Naqshbandi. Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi was a contemporary of Akbar and Jahangir. He was against the liberal policies of Akbar which he criticise as un-Islamic. Sirhindi wanted to remove Hindu influences on Islam. He was also opposed to the Shias. His work Maktubat is compiled into three volumes called Durr-al-Ma'rifat, Noor-al-Khallaq and Ma'rifat-al-Haqa'iq, in which he systematised the doctrine of the Wahadat-ul- Wujood.
FlRDAUSl ORDER
This order was popular in Bihar. It was popularised by Sheikh Sharfuddin Yahya, who was a disciple of Khwaja Nizamuddin Firdausi, prominent saints of this order were Badruddin Samarqandi and Sheikh Sharfuddin
Maneri. They practiced arduous ascetic
practices in forests and believed in the
philosophy of Wahadat-ul- Wujood.
ROSHANIYA ORDER
This order was founded by Bayazid
Ansari, also known as Pir Roshan, in
the times of Akbar. He wrote a book
called Khair-ul-Bayan.
This order was popular in the tribal
areas of the North-West among the
yakh, yousafzai, afridi and the
hazarah tribes, who rose in rebellion
against the Mughals in Akbar's reign.
MAHDAVIA ORDER
This order was founded by Mullah
Muhammad Mahdi in Jaunpur. He
roamed about claiming that he was a
Mahdi or liberator. He was opposed by
the orthodox Muslims.
RlSHl ORDER
The founder of the Muslim Rishi
movement in Kashmir, Nur-ud-din
Noorani (1377-1440 AD), sought to
mould the pre-existing Rishi tradition,
transforming it into a vehicle for the
spread of Islam, using local institutions
and methods to make Islam more
intelligible to the Kashmiris. He was
known as Wali.
QAIANDARIYA ORDER
Abu Ali Qalandar was a great mystic of
this order. They were wandering
monks known as dervishes.
They were celibates and lived in the
Trans-Yamuna region and they did not
like the life of the Khangahs.
SHATTARI ORDER
This order was introduced in India
in the 15th century by Abdullah
Shattari.
Other prominent saints were Sharaf
Wajihuddin of Gujarat and Shah Pir of
Meerut. The saints of this order
claimed direct contact with God.
EARLY SUFl SAINTS
Rabia, a woman mystic of 8th century.Mansur-bin-Hallaj called himself Anal-haq (meaning, I am Allah).
Al-Ghazali reconciled Islamic orthodoxy with mysticism.
IMPORTANT SUFl SAINTS
Moinuddin Chishti He is the most famous saint of the Chishti order. He was born in 1141 AD and died in 1236 AD. He became a disciple of the Chishti Saint Usman Harooni.He reached Ajmer along with Mu'izz ad-Din Mohammad and settled down. It was during the reign of Akbar that Ajmer emerged as one of the most important centre of pilgrimage.Moinuddin Chishti written several books including Anis al-Arwah and Dalil aldrifin, both of which deal with the Islamic law of living.Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki He was a renowned Muslim S& mystic, saint and scholar of the Chishti order. He was a disciple of Muinuddin Chishti. He played a major role in establishing the order securely in Delhi, which was earlier confined to Ajmer and Nagaur.He was followed by the first Delhi Sultan, Qutubuddin Aibak, who started the construction of Qutub Minar.
Khwaja Fariduddin Masood Ganjshakar He was a Sufi saint belonging to the Chishti order. He was born in 1173 AD at Dhade Kothewal village, Punjab, Pakistan. Baba Farid,has his poetry included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the most sacred scripture of Sikhism.
Nizamuddin Auliya He was a famous Sufi saint of Chishti order. He was born in 1238 AD in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh. His biography finds mention in Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th century document written by Mughal emperor Akbar's Wazir, Abu'l Fazl.One of the kings of the Delhi sultanate during Nizamuddin Auliya lifetime was Qutub-ud-din Mubarak Shah, the last ruler of Khilji dynasty.
Baha-ud-din Zakariya He was a Sufi of Suhrawardiyya order (Tariqa). He was born at Kot Keror, a town of the Layyah district near Multan, Punjab,(Pakistan) around 1170 AD. He was contemporary of Sultan Iltutmish.
Abdul-Qadir Al-Jilani He was born in Baghdad in 1077 AD. He was a Persian Hanbali jurist and Sufi based in Baghdad. Qadiriyya was his patronym. Books written by Abdul-Qadir Jailani includes Futuh Al-Ghaib, Al-Fath al-Rabbani, Jala'al-Khawatir, Malfuzat, Al-Ghunya li-Talibi and Tariq Al-Hagg.Dara Shikoh He was born In 1615 AD and was the eldest son and the helr-apparent of the harmonlous co-existence of heterodox traditions on the lndian sub-continent. He was a follower of Lahore's famous Qadin Sufi saint Hazrat Mian Mli HIS works Include writings on Sufism and the lives of Aullya (Muslim salnts).
Saflnat ul-Auliya
Sakinat ul-Auliya
Risala-i Haq Numa
Tariqat-ul- Haqiqat
Hasanat- ul-Ariffin
Iksirl-i'Azam (Dtwan-e-Dam Shtkoh's)
Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari
He was born in 1318 and was the founder of what would become one of the largest and most influential Sufi Muslim order, the Naqshbandi.
Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri He was a Sufi saint belonging to the Firdausi order and was the son of Sheikh Yahya of Maneri (in Bihar) and the disciple of Sheikh Sharfuddin Abu Tawwama.
He, in his later life, earned a great
fame in the world of sufism. His
Maktubat (letters) have come to light,
they are full of advice and criticism
regarding spiritual matters. The
contemporary rulers of Delhi Sultans
were eager to receive his advice.
Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fateh
(1251-1335 AD) He was commonly
known by the title Rukn-e-Alam
(pillar of the world) or Shah Rukne
Alam and was among the important Sufi saint from Multan. He was the grandson and successor of Sheikh Baha-ud-din Zakariya.
Khwaja Baqi Billah (1563-1603 AD)
He was a Sufi saint from Kabul and the originator and explorer of the Nagshbandi order in the sub-continent. He strengthened the Nagshbandi order in India.
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