26/09/2024
A message of hope and harmony
Abul Fatah Mohammed Mohiuddin
Sufi – saints in Bengal
According to Banglapedia, published by Asiatic Society of Bangladesh 2015, the earliest Sufi arrival in Bengal was in mid-eleventh century. Among the prominent Sufis who came to Bengal during 11th – 12th centuries are Sha Sultan Balkhi (Bogra), Shah Sultan Rumi (Mymensingh) Shah Makdum Ruposh ( Rajshahi). The spread of Islam in Bengal consolidated following Bakhtiyar Khalji's triumph in 1204-05 AD. Sufi –saints who accompanied the Bakhtiar Khalji’s entourage actively committed themselves in disseminating the message of peace, love and social harmony in Bengal. Among those who played a significant role in this regard were Shah Jalal Tabrizi, Ismail Khan Ghazi and Shah Jalal Yameni in Sylhet, Khan Jahan Ali in Khulna. According to some accounts, Hazrat Shah Jalal (R) was probably born in Yemen (c 671 AH/1271 AD). At the advice of his spiritual guide, he left Yemen with 750 Sufi saints. When he arrived in Bengal his companions had been reduced to 360. Gaur Govinda, a tyrannical king reputed to have magical powers, was the ruler of Sylhet at the time. Shamsuddin, the Sultan of Gaur, sought help from Hazrat Shah Jalal (R) to subdue Gaur Govinda. Shah Jalal reached Sylhet along with his disciples and defeated Gaur Govinda. He then set up a spiritual hospice (khanqah) in Sylhet and settled. These Sufis were able to covert many indigenous people in Bengal through their message of love, equality and humility. They made Islam deeply rooted in this region through their spiritual wisdom, humanistic outlook and sympathetic attitude towards local culture.
Many of these Sufis built spiritual hospices (khanqahs) to guide their students to vigorously engage in spiritual pursuits and retreats. As in other parts of India, Bengal also witnessed the proliferation of Chishtia, a prominent spiritual order, khanqahs. Even though Chishtia order was initiated by Abu Ishaq Shami Chishti (d. 940 AD), a Syrian saint, it was Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (1143 - 1236 AD), settled in Ajmer, who popularized this order in South Asia. The Chishtia order played a pivotal role in promoting the spiritual practices that prioritize serving the common humanity. The Chishtia khanqahs during the period of Delhi Sultanate in 13th and 14th centuries became great community centers of learning, meditations, retreats and social interactions. Khanqah of Sheikh Nizam Uddin Aowlia in Delhi was such an example where all major subjects from theology to jurisprudence was taught. For each subject, there was an expert who guided students. The Sama Mahfil, a gathering of spiritual listening, used to be organized on every Thursday evening where only trained Qawwals would recite spiritually devotional songs in mostly Persian language, and only a handful of Sheikh Nizam Uddin’s students were allowed to attend. Sheikh Nizam Uddin laid down very strict stipulations to attend those Sama gatherings.
Evolution of Khanqahs
These blessed saints strongly emphasized on building individual character based on self-restraint, compassion, humility, inner purity, self-discipline and quest for knowledge. By virtue of their compassionate nature and respect for others, early Sufis drew people from all walks of life. From powerful kings to the homeless layman, all flocked at the Sufi gatherings or halaqas. These halaqas, as Abu Hamid ibn Muhammed Al Ghazali (1057–1111AD) stated in his seminal book, Revivification of Knowledge’, “became transformative hospices that guided the devotees through a process of rigorous spiritual practices and sobriety to self-purify aimed at attaining the highest form of spiritual stupor - the Love of the One, the Only. Almighty Allah (SWT). “And truly to your Lord is the End” (Quran, Chapter 53, verse 42)”. These spiritual cm community hospices also known as Khanqahs hosted strangers as family, treated foes as friends, cared for orphans, sheltered the homeless, and fed the hungry. The Khnaqahs fostered the love, respect and social harmony across many Muslim countries. No one was prejudiced there. Nobody was belittled. All were equally embraced. Sufi teachings underscore that service to humanity is sine-qua-non to gain pleasure of God. And, students in Khanqahs were robustly trained to serve and accept all. Sufis taught that discrimination in any form against any human being is inherently repugnant.
Earliest Sufis
Sufis draw significant inspiration from the Ashab us-Suffah. These were the companions of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) who devoted themselves to the service of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) for gaining the pleasure of Almighty Allah (SWT) only. This blessed group of companions, numbering more than four hundred, lived a self-sacrificing and ascetic life. They lived in the northern side of Masjid al Nabawi, where the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) constructed a raised platform for them and allowed them to reside there. The Prophet (peace be upon him) personally looked after them. He provided them food, tutored them Quran and imparted divine knowledge to them. In the morning, they would absorb precious words of wisdom of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and at night, they would engage in prayer. Their thirst for knowledge and strict adherence to the rules of piety kept them at Masjid al Nabawi, living with bare minimum food and clothing.
One prominent luminary of this group of blessed companions was Abu Huraira (R). Abu Huraira (R) narrated the highest number of authentic hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him), as five thousand three hundred seventy four authentic hadith was credited to his name. Abu Huraira narrated: By Allah, except Whom none has the right to be worshipped, sometimes I used to lay (asleep) on the ground on my abdomen because of hunger, and sometimes I used to bind a stone over my belly due to the intensity of hunger… (Bukhari, hadith no 6452).
In subsequent generation, many Muslims were inspired to embrace the ascetic and altruistic traditions of the Ashab us-Suffah. Soon later, the ascetic mystical tradition of Islam spread beyond the Hejaz inspiring plethora of Islamic scholars from Persia, Turkey, Asia and central Asia to renounce worldly life. A prominent 7th century scholar and jurist called Hasan Al Basri (642–728AD) was reputed to have synthesized the sobriety and wisdom of the spiritual practices of Ashab us-Suffah and emphasized on building emotional and behavioral characters rooted in inner piety and tawakkul (absolute trust in God). Following his example, many subsequent Islamic scholars including Sufian Al Thawri (716 – 778 AD), Ibrahim bin Adham (d. 777AD), Al- Fudayl ibn Iyad (d. 803AD) Shaqiq Al Balkhi (d. 810AD) and many more chose to pursue an ascetic mystical life.
Sufi sites in Bangladesh
ME Haq in his book, A History of Sufism in Bengal, (1975) stated, “after the death of the saints, their students and aficionados built tombs in tribute to their services to humanity. These sites are respected as holy places, with people from all walks of life visiting and praying for earthly prosperity and spiritual salvation”. The caretakers of these sites are often the descendants of the saints, who commit themselves to continue the tradition of serving the people with love, respect and maintaining social harmony. The traditions of building tombs at gravesites of saints were not new to South Asia, rather it was widely accepted by Muslim scholars all over the world. Sufi tombs are still prominently featured in many Muslim countries in Asia, Africa and Arabian peninsula, except Saudi Arabia. In Istanbul, Turkey, the tomb of Abu Ayyub Al Ansari (R), a famous companion of the Prophet (PBUH), still continues to be a holy site for Muslims from all over the world. In Damascus, Syria, the tomb of great Muslim warrior and the beloved companion of the Prophet (PBUH) Khalid Bin Walid (R) features very prominently. These are just few examples from the thousands of Sufi shrines across the Muslim world. Until 1920s, many tombs of companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) existed in Saudi Arabia. However, when Al Saud family took full control of Saudi Arabia, they strictly followed Wahabi interpretations of Islam. The Wahabi diktat mandated that all tombs of the companions and the descendants of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) be bulldozed in Mecca, Medina, Taif region, and other parts of Hejaz. Later on, as recent as 2014, when the extremist group ISIL, inspired by Wahabi ideology, captured Mosul – the second largest city in Iraq, they demolished numerous Sufi sites. In addition to horrifying s*x slavery that ISIL perpetrated in Mosul, they viciously waged a cultural cleansing where Sufi sites were deemed as idolatrous.
Meanwhile, Wahabi – ISIL inspired misguided groups in Bangladesh targeted humanist and inclusive teachings of Sufism, particularly the shrine-based piety, and spiritual pursuits that they label as 'shirk' and 'innovation'. The savage attacks on the Sufi shrines across Bangladesh since the recent political changeover is a stark reminder of what ISIL radicals did in Mosul and other regions of Iraq and Syria. The attackers vandalized, set fire and looted many Sufi sites across the country, even 700 years old shrine of Sha Paran in Sylhet came under severe attack. Many Sufi shrines that were vandalized had mosques, primary schools and madrasas in their premises, which were also demolished. These Sufi shrines in Bangladesh represent a plural and tolerant Islam that coexists with other faiths. During Indian partition, many of the Sufi sites used to be shelter homes to the displaced people from all communities in India. The shrine of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti (R), inter alia, provided safe haven to thousands of people from across the religious spectrum in 1946-48. Similarly, during Bangladesh’s liberation war in 1971, many Sufi sites provided safe havens to the affected people. During natural calamities, people in Bangladesh still seek safer shelter in the kanqahs of the saints.
But then, no denying that some shrines (dargahs) and Khanqhas in Bangladesh focus on amassing financial benefits and social following rather than unswervingly engaging in spiritual pursuits. Moreover, the deviation from the original purpose of spirituality by some misguided individuals in the Sufi fraternity in Bangladesh is keeping many common people away from understanding the core teachings of Sufis. However, it would be unfair to blame the entire Sufi community about the malfeasance of a few imposters. We should remember that the Sufi efforts facilitated the establishment of a tolerant and humane form of Islam in Bengal and to a greater extent shaped Bangladeshi society and culture. The texture and tapestry of social fabrics in Bengal are woven with the Sufi pedagogy of love and peace. And, genuine Sufi students still continue to embrace the values promoted by the earliest Sufis and they never get despaired. Sufi message has always been hope, harmony and compassion as the great Sufi poet Jalal Uddin Rumi (1207 -1273 AD) so beautifully encapsulated in the following lyrics:
‘Come, Come, Whoever You Are
Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow’.
