History of India 1 HISTORY Subject : History (For under graduate student) Paper No. : Paper - III History of Mughal India Topic No. & Title : Topic - 9 Religion & Culture Lecture No. & Title : Lecture - 1 Sufis Script SUFISM DURING THE MUGHAL PERIOD Sufism is the mystic interpretation of Islamic life which stressed the bond between God and the individual soul. The word Sufism is derived from the word Suf which in Arabic means coarse wool. The Sufis generally used to wear garments made of Suf or coarse wool, which according to them was a legacy of the prophets, and thus came to be known as Sufis. Most of the early Sufi saints were persons of deep devotion who were disgusted with the vulgar display
History of India 2 of wealth and degeneration of morals among Muslims following the establishment of the Islamic Empire of the Umayyid Caliphate. The Sufis propagated the gospel of humanity and stood for peace and harmony. They were characterized by their attachment to dhikr ( the practice of repeating the name of God) and asceticism. To enter the way of Sufism, the seeker begins by finding a teacher who has received the authorization to teach or ijazah, in an unbroken succession of saints leading back to the Prophet Mohammad. These teachers renounced the world and devoted themselves to the service of God. The Sufis were broadly divided into two groups, - a) Ba-shara or those who followed the Islamic Law or Shariat; b) Be-shara, or those who were not bound by Islamic Law. In their spiritual quest they were not alone but shared the philosophy of mystical traditions found in other religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. The tenth century witnessed a new phase in the history of Islam marked by the formation of orthodox schools based on the
History of India 3 Quran and the Hadis, on the one hand and the rise to prominence of the Sufi mystic orders. Many Sufis had accompanied Muslim invaders during their conquests in India which brought them into contact with Hindu saints. In India the Sufi movement began as a response to the increasing materialism pervading the Muslim society under the growing influence of the Muslim rulers all over the country. The Sufis stressed on harmony in the society and also harped on the unity of human beings. The Sufis were organized in orders or silsilahs each led by a prominent mystic who lived in a hospice or khanqah along with his disciples. The link between the teacher or pir, and his disciples or murids, was a vital part of the Sufi system. In India, the Chishti silsilah established by Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti was essentially Indian. He came to India after the battle of Tarain in the year 1192 and settled in Ajmer, because it was a small town and was away from the centre of political activity in Delhi. His main object was to help Muslims to lead a life of devotion to God. The Chishti
History of India 4 influence in Delhi was firmly established by Qutbuddin Bakhtyar Kaki. Other eminent Sufi saints of the Chishti silsila were Baba Fariduddin, Nizamuddin Auliya, Mian Mir and Nasiruddin Chirag. Chishti Sufis had some practices of their own which were not followed particularly by other Sufi orders. They never tried to consort with the kings and royal officers. Secondly they did not earn their livelihood. Futuh or wilful or unasked charity which was given to them was the only source of their livelihood. The Chishti Sufis liked Shama or devotional music. Their hospice or khanqua was open to the common man, poor and rich, who could sit and dine with the Sufis. The Sufis believed in the philosophy of 'Hamma az Usht'. It means that everything is from Him. He means the Almighty God. They advised devotees not to accumulate money beyond their daily needs. Honesty and fair dealing in business was emphasized. The values of forbearance, avoiding anger or causing hurt to others and a policy of love and tolerance were stressed.
History of India 5 The other major Sufi traditions in India were the Qadri, Suhrawardi, Naqshbandi, Madari, Firdausi, Shattari and a few minor traditions. The Qadri tradition of Sufism was founded by Abdul Qadir Gilani who lived in Baghdad, the capital of present Iraq. It was brought to India by a Sufi, Abdul Karim Jilji, in 1388. The real founder of this tradition of Sufism in India was Syed Muhammad Ghaus Al Qadri, who had settled in Uch, from where this order spread to other places in India including Bihar and Bengal. These two places in eastern India are very famous particularly for the Qadri tradition. The founder of the Suhrawardi tradition in India was Bahauddin Zakariya. Hamid-ud-din Nagori, Jalal-ud-din Tabreji and some others were the other prominent Sufis of the Suhrawardi tradition. They maintained independent views regarding secular and religious problems in the society. They maintained very good relations with the kings and officials. They believed that this world and the attributes of this world, whatever had been created by God on this earth, are for the use of the human being. The
History of India 6 Suhrawardis were opposed to some of the Hindu practices adopted by the Chishtis, such as bowing before the sheikh, presenting water to visitors and tonsuring the heads of new entrants to the mystic order. They were also keen on conversions. The Shattari order was popular among the common people. The term 'Shattari' has come from the Arabic word 'Shattr means to move very quickly. This Sufi order was founded by Shah Abdulla Shattari. The Shattari order believed in practices which were very common to the Hindu practices in India. The practices of the Hindu yogis were very similar to the Shattari practices. The practices of the Madari Sufi order resembled those of the Hindu yogis. They used to rub ashes on their body. They used to perform yoga and used to wear black turbans and have black flags in their hands. They did not observe fast and they seldom offered prayers or namaz. Badi-ud-din Madar in Kalpi was the exponent of this Madari Sufi order in India.
History of India 7 The Naqshbandi Sufi order was founded by Khwaja Mahaud-din Bukhari. This Sufi tradition became popular in India particularly during the Mughal period. Khwaja Mohammad Baqi Billa was the person who brought this Sufi order to India during the Mughal Emperor Akbar's reign. Khwaja Baqi Billa died in the year 1603. The other leading Sufis of this order were Sheikh Abdul Haq Dehlavi and Khwaja Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi, both being very famous. So far as this Naqshbandi Sufi order is concerned it was very different from the other Sufi silsilahs in India. They were different in the sense that they stressed on the orthodox interpretation and its application so far as the canons or shariat of Islam was concerned. The Naqshbandis propounded a new philosophy that was known as Wahadatul Shahood which means the experience of Divine God in the heart on the basis of ecstasy. With the foundation of the Mughal rule the Sufis and their tradition entered into a new phase. We find that during the Sultanate period most of the kings were to a great extent orthodox. But the Sufis during the Sultanate period
History of India 8 represented the liberal face of Islam. They tried to harmonize the society and a harmonious trend was established by them. Hence we see that on one hand the rulers were orthodox and on the other hand the Sufis were liberal. When the Mughal period came this set-up was changed, particularly from the time of Akbar. Akbar was the ruler who tried to ensure that the Mughal rule could be permanently established in India, for which reason he adopted a liberal religious policy. Akbar abolished the jizya and pilgrimage taxes, that were imposed on the Hindus. However he came up against the opposition of the Naqshbandi tradition of the Sufis. The Naqshbandi tradition believed that the attitude and measures adopted by Akbar for ensuring harmony in society was against the Shariat of Islam. They adopted an orthodox outlook regarding the Muslim society and the Shariat. In such conditions Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi did not have good relations with Akbar the Great. Moreover when Akbar declared himself Imam-e-Adil and assumed the right of the interpretation of the Islamic law, the Naqshbandis were enraged with him. Sheikh Ahmad
History of India 9 Sirhindi tried to revive the orthodox or conservative aspect of Islam and its Shariat. After Akbar when Jahangir came to power Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi began to influence Jahangir so that he could not follow the liberal policies of Akbar. Noor Jahan, who was a Persian and the wife of Jahangir, was a Shia. Her brother Asaf Khan and others were very close to Jahangir. In such condition Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi thought that under the influence of Asaf Khan and other Shias, Jahangir would follow the liberal policies of Akbar. Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi wrote a book named Rakde Rawafiz, which was against the Shia practices. This together with the fact that Sirhindi refused to bow before the Emperor led to his arrest and imprisonment by Jahangir. When he was released a year later however Jahangir presented him with one thousand tanka and a robe of honour, thereby diffusing the tensions that had developed between the state and Sufism. The Sufis undoubtedly played an important role in harmonizing the Indian society and the two major religions, Islam and Hinduism, as well as Islam and Sikhism. Mian Mir
History of India 10 During the period of Akbar and Jahangir, Mian Mir a leading Sufi of the Qadri tradition who resided in Multan influenced Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru, with his philosophy and that of Baba Farid. When the foundation of the Golden Temple was being laid Guru Arjan Dev invited Mian Mir who was then very old to perform the function. It is indeed significant that the foundation of the Golden Temple in Amritsar was laid down by the Islamic Sufi Mian Mir. The vani or the sayings of Mian Mir and Baba Farid are part of the Guru Granth Sahib as well. The two other Sufis who were very significant were Prince Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Shah Jahan and Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Jana. Dara Shikoh was a great Sufi who had learnt Sanskrit and the Vedas and Upanishads also. He translated the Upanishads into Persian and he gave it the title Sevre Akbar the Great Sacred. Then with some Sanskrit scholars of Benaras, Dara Shikoh translated the Vedas and he named it Majma-ul-Bahrain, in which he made a comparative study of the Quran as well as the Vedas. It was through Majma-ul-Bahrain that the European scholars came to know about the Indian Vedas.
History of India 11 Another book written by Dara Shikoh was Sakina-tul- Aulia, in which he has written the biographies of 107 Sufis. This philosophy of Dara Shikoh was not liked by Aurangzeb as well as the orthodox ulemas who issued the fatwah that Dara Shikoh should be killed and ultimately he was killed. But the ethos, the concept, the philosophy, which was given by Dara Shikoh on the deep study of the Vedas as well as the Quran, and their comparative study, continued in India. And Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Jana, who lived during the time of Aurangzeb, continued the philosophy of Dara Shikoh and he also stressed that Hindus were not kafirs, they were ahl-ekitab, or men of books and that the Vedas were the books of God and they were given by God. and in this way the Sufi tradition continued in India. Most of the Sufi silsilahs advocated toleration between peoples of different faiths and opened the doors of their khanqas to all irrespective of their religious beliefs. Their attitude of benevolence and their musical assemblies created an atmosphere of interaction between the Hindus and Muslims and even served to mitigate the harsher aspects of Islamic rule. But it should be remembered that
History of India 12 the Sufi saints wandering about in different parts of India were not all liberal, with some of them being quite orthodox. It is also true that under the influence of Sufism which denounced philosophy which they equated with rationalism, miracle mongering and suspicion about science and scientists developed.