"Night journey"
One lamp-lit night Moonis Ijlal goes beyond the Chirag Dilli flyover and explores the mazar of the Sufi saint popularly known as Chiragh-i-Dihli
by Moonis Ijlal, in Delhi Newsline, cities.expressindia.com ,New Delhi (India), December 3, 2005
Chiragh Dilli. For most of us a flyover on the Outer Ring Road. I was not surprised when the autodriver asked me what was the name of the dargah I wished to go in Chiragh Dilli. The mazar of the sufi saint Nasir al-Din, better known as Chiragh-i-Dihli (the Lamp of Delhi), is tucked in the middle of the basti.
To reach him, you have to pass through an inextricable jumble of streets, lined with frugal shops and inferior houses. Interspersed with tents of mattresswallahs sitting cosy amongst heaps of cotton. It’s a walk through rows of women and men selling fruits, vegetables and roasting peanuts. Under the light of gas lamps, their faces glow. For a sufi it’s a perfect abode — amidst people.
Nasir, was a disciple of Nizamuddin Aulia. Both were loved by the common people. Both in their lives showed how completely the political and social needs of people were a part of their spiritual needs. Nasir professed that renunciation was not asceticism in isolation. Instead, it was devotion to ummah — god’s people. Sufis professed “inner rebellion” not only against social injustice, but against person’s own faults. This helped people cleanse their souls, unite with god. Such an intense spirituality helped them launch reformist movements. People of all religions and castes flocked to Nasir’s khanqah.
It’s 10 at night at his dargah. His murids have come from Allahabad, Bara Banki, Benaras and Jharkhand. A group of five is cooking in one of the ruins of the 14th century complex. At the centre is Nasir’s shrine, painted in pastel green and white. The open courtyard is enclosed at two sides with a row of small rooms. Most of them are shut behind fragile wooden doors. There is no furniture here, only mats. Around Nasir’s shrine there are many small and large graves. Some are covered under domed canopies supported by stone pillars.
A couple touches the old khirni tree near the shrine, then presses their hand against their lips. Under the dark shade of a neem, a black cat walks by slowly. A spotted-white sits still on a grave, like a headstone. Three kittens are at a game of chase, their mother sprawled on the prayer mat of the masjid. A little girl dances with double her size dupatta, while a woman is in sajda.
The Chishtis organised sama (musical gatherings) to attain mystical ecstacy. Nasir’s teacher Nizamuddin died in state of ecstacy. The state of fana — annihilation. The one which exists in all religious traditions. Like the prophet’s Night Journey which Gabriel takes him on. When Mohammed has to leave him behind, then he dies to himself before confronting God, after which he becomes a perfect being, like a siddh in yogic belief. Like the Buddha, who conquers death.
The death to oneself is symbolic of the “inner rebellion”. Nasir openly confronted with Muhammad Bin Tughlaq and refused to move base to Deccan. On one hand Sufis prayed for the political stability, on the other entered into open conflict with the ruler.
Nizamuddin had refused to return the money to Ghiasuddin Tughlaq, which the Sheikh had distributed among the poor. He was targetted by fanatics over his practice of sama. He got into a heated argument at Ghiasuddin’s court. To support him were his disciples, including Nasir. Nasir taught that removing misery among those in duress was best worship. A Chishti verse says: Infidelity and faith, heresy and orthodoxy were all mere expressions, there was no such thing as absolute opposition, everything was conceived in relative terms, in the end everyone is created by the same god: This ideology of the Sufis was a big help for the Muslim rulers to conduct a just rule in India and Indonesia.
The theologians were snubbed by Iltutmish when they asked him to punish the “infidels”. The Khilji ruler, Jalaluddin’s comment explains the dilemma of the ruler the best: “Every day Hindus pass below my palace beating cymbals and blowing conch shells to worship their idols on the banks of Yamuna....while the khutba is read in my name as the defender of Islam, under my very eyes they proudly live ostentatiously among the Muslims of my capital...perpetuate their practices.” In such dilemmas Muslim intellectuals and the Sufis were of immense help.
Nasir interacted with people in Hindawi (Hindi), wrote on Hindu themes. When a Qalandar tried to assassinate Nasir, he stopped his disciples seeking revenge. He died in 1356. The relics bequeathed to him by the Aulia were buried with him. He couldn’t find a worthy successor. His disciples compiled his teachings in Khayrul Majalis. Towards the end of his life he was distressed about the way “Delhi Sufism had degenerated into mere formalism.” Hasn’t it?
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Night journey: Pilgrimage to the Chiragh-i Delhi Shrine
"Night journey"
One lamp-lit night Moonis Ijlal goes beyond the Chirag Dilli flyover and explores the mazar of the Sufi saint popularly known as Chiragh-i-Dihli
by Moonis Ijlal, in Delhi Newsline, cities.expressindia.com ,New Delhi (India), December 3, 2005
Chiragh Dilli. For most of us a flyover on the Outer Ring Road. I was not surprised when the autodriver asked me what was the name of the dargah I wished to go in Chiragh Dilli. The mazar of the sufi saint Nasir al-Din, better known as Chiragh-i-Dihli (the Lamp of Delhi), is tucked in the middle of the basti.
To reach him, you have to pass through an inextricable jumble of streets, lined with frugal shops and inferior houses. Interspersed with tents of mattresswallahs sitting cosy amongst heaps of cotton. It’s a walk through rows of women and men selling fruits, vegetables and roasting peanuts. Under the light of gas lamps, their faces glow. For a sufi it’s a perfect abode — amidst people.
Nasir, was a disciple of Nizamuddin Aulia. Both were loved by the common people. Both in their lives showed how completely the political and social needs of people were a part of their spiritual needs. Nasir professed that renunciation was not asceticism in isolation. Instead, it was devotion to ummah — god’s people. Sufis professed “inner rebellion” not only against social injustice, but against person’s own faults. This helped people cleanse their souls, unite with god. Such an intense spirituality helped them launch reformist movements. People of all religions and castes flocked to Nasir’s khanqah.
It’s 10 at night at his dargah. His murids have come from Allahabad, Bara Banki, Benaras and Jharkhand. A group of five is cooking in one of the ruins of the 14th century complex. At the centre is Nasir’s shrine, painted in pastel green and white. The open courtyard is enclosed at two sides with a row of small rooms. Most of them are shut behind fragile wooden doors. There is no furniture here, only mats. Around Nasir’s shrine there are many small and large graves. Some are covered under domed canopies supported by stone pillars.
A couple touches the old khirni tree near the shrine, then presses their hand against their lips. Under the dark shade of a neem, a black cat walks by slowly. A spotted-white sits still on a grave, like a headstone. Three kittens are at a game of chase, their mother sprawled on the prayer mat of the masjid. A little girl dances with double her size dupatta, while a woman is in sajda.
The Chishtis organised sama (musical gatherings) to attain mystical ecstacy. Nasir’s teacher Nizamuddin died in state of ecstacy. The state of fana — annihilation. The one which exists in all religious traditions. Like the prophet’s Night Journey which Gabriel takes him on. When Mohammed has to leave him behind, then he dies to himself before confronting God, after which he becomes a perfect being, like a siddh in yogic belief. Like the Buddha, who conquers death.
The death to oneself is symbolic of the “inner rebellion”. Nasir openly confronted with Muhammad Bin Tughlaq and refused to move base to Deccan. On one hand Sufis prayed for the political stability, on the other entered into open conflict with the ruler.
Nizamuddin had refused to return the money to Ghiasuddin Tughlaq, which the Sheikh had distributed among the poor. He was targetted by fanatics over his practice of sama. He got into a heated argument at Ghiasuddin’s court. To support him were his disciples, including Nasir. Nasir taught that removing misery among those in duress was best worship. A Chishti verse says: Infidelity and faith, heresy and orthodoxy were all mere expressions, there was no such thing as absolute opposition, everything was conceived in relative terms, in the end everyone is created by the same god: This ideology of the Sufis was a big help for the Muslim rulers to conduct a just rule in India and Indonesia.
The theologians were snubbed by Iltutmish when they asked him to punish the “infidels”. The Khilji ruler, Jalaluddin’s comment explains the dilemma of the ruler the best: “Every day Hindus pass below my palace beating cymbals and blowing conch shells to worship their idols on the banks of Yamuna....while the khutba is read in my name as the defender of Islam, under my very eyes they proudly live ostentatiously among the Muslims of my capital...perpetuate their practices.” In such dilemmas Muslim intellectuals and the Sufis were of immense help.
Nasir interacted with people in Hindawi (Hindi), wrote on Hindu themes. When a Qalandar tried to assassinate Nasir, he stopped his disciples seeking revenge. He died in 1356. The relics bequeathed to him by the Aulia were buried with him. He couldn’t find a worthy successor. His disciples compiled his teachings in Khayrul Majalis. Towards the end of his life he was distressed about the way “Delhi Sufism had degenerated into mere formalism.” Hasn’t it?
One lamp-lit night Moonis Ijlal goes beyond the Chirag Dilli flyover and explores the mazar of the Sufi saint popularly known as Chiragh-i-Dihli
by Moonis Ijlal, in Delhi Newsline, cities.expressindia.com ,New Delhi (India), December 3, 2005
Chiragh Dilli. For most of us a flyover on the Outer Ring Road. I was not surprised when the autodriver asked me what was the name of the dargah I wished to go in Chiragh Dilli. The mazar of the sufi saint Nasir al-Din, better known as Chiragh-i-Dihli (the Lamp of Delhi), is tucked in the middle of the basti.
To reach him, you have to pass through an inextricable jumble of streets, lined with frugal shops and inferior houses. Interspersed with tents of mattresswallahs sitting cosy amongst heaps of cotton. It’s a walk through rows of women and men selling fruits, vegetables and roasting peanuts. Under the light of gas lamps, their faces glow. For a sufi it’s a perfect abode — amidst people.
Nasir, was a disciple of Nizamuddin Aulia. Both were loved by the common people. Both in their lives showed how completely the political and social needs of people were a part of their spiritual needs. Nasir professed that renunciation was not asceticism in isolation. Instead, it was devotion to ummah — god’s people. Sufis professed “inner rebellion” not only against social injustice, but against person’s own faults. This helped people cleanse their souls, unite with god. Such an intense spirituality helped them launch reformist movements. People of all religions and castes flocked to Nasir’s khanqah.
It’s 10 at night at his dargah. His murids have come from Allahabad, Bara Banki, Benaras and Jharkhand. A group of five is cooking in one of the ruins of the 14th century complex. At the centre is Nasir’s shrine, painted in pastel green and white. The open courtyard is enclosed at two sides with a row of small rooms. Most of them are shut behind fragile wooden doors. There is no furniture here, only mats. Around Nasir’s shrine there are many small and large graves. Some are covered under domed canopies supported by stone pillars.
A couple touches the old khirni tree near the shrine, then presses their hand against their lips. Under the dark shade of a neem, a black cat walks by slowly. A spotted-white sits still on a grave, like a headstone. Three kittens are at a game of chase, their mother sprawled on the prayer mat of the masjid. A little girl dances with double her size dupatta, while a woman is in sajda.
The Chishtis organised sama (musical gatherings) to attain mystical ecstacy. Nasir’s teacher Nizamuddin died in state of ecstacy. The state of fana — annihilation. The one which exists in all religious traditions. Like the prophet’s Night Journey which Gabriel takes him on. When Mohammed has to leave him behind, then he dies to himself before confronting God, after which he becomes a perfect being, like a siddh in yogic belief. Like the Buddha, who conquers death.
The death to oneself is symbolic of the “inner rebellion”. Nasir openly confronted with Muhammad Bin Tughlaq and refused to move base to Deccan. On one hand Sufis prayed for the political stability, on the other entered into open conflict with the ruler.
Nizamuddin had refused to return the money to Ghiasuddin Tughlaq, which the Sheikh had distributed among the poor. He was targetted by fanatics over his practice of sama. He got into a heated argument at Ghiasuddin’s court. To support him were his disciples, including Nasir. Nasir taught that removing misery among those in duress was best worship. A Chishti verse says: Infidelity and faith, heresy and orthodoxy were all mere expressions, there was no such thing as absolute opposition, everything was conceived in relative terms, in the end everyone is created by the same god: This ideology of the Sufis was a big help for the Muslim rulers to conduct a just rule in India and Indonesia.
The theologians were snubbed by Iltutmish when they asked him to punish the “infidels”. The Khilji ruler, Jalaluddin’s comment explains the dilemma of the ruler the best: “Every day Hindus pass below my palace beating cymbals and blowing conch shells to worship their idols on the banks of Yamuna....while the khutba is read in my name as the defender of Islam, under my very eyes they proudly live ostentatiously among the Muslims of my capital...perpetuate their practices.” In such dilemmas Muslim intellectuals and the Sufis were of immense help.
Nasir interacted with people in Hindawi (Hindi), wrote on Hindu themes. When a Qalandar tried to assassinate Nasir, he stopped his disciples seeking revenge. He died in 1356. The relics bequeathed to him by the Aulia were buried with him. He couldn’t find a worthy successor. His disciples compiled his teachings in Khayrul Majalis. Towards the end of his life he was distressed about the way “Delhi Sufism had degenerated into mere formalism.” Hasn’t it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment