Monday, October 09, 2006

In communion with God

Prof. Muhammad Ishaq Khan - Greater Kashmir online edition
Thu 09 March 2006

The tazkira literature in Sufism provides us an ample information about numerous Sufis of the subcontinent who performed Hajj in spite of the hazards of journey in medieval times. They undertook pilgrimage to Makkah not merely as a matter of religious duty, but, also, as seekers of exoteric and esoteric knowledge. My forthcoming Biographical Dictionary of Sufism in South Asia shows that in medieval times Makkah and Madina were not only great centres of Hadis learning but, also, hubs of Islamic spirituality (tasawwuf). Shaikh ‘Abdu’l-Haqq Muhaddis Dihlawi who spent considerable time in Makkah bears an elaborate testimony to the excellence of the learning of the Indian Sufi scholars, settled in Makkah, like Shaikh ‘Ali Mutaqqi and Shaikh ‘Abdu’l-Wahhab and their impact on the ‘ulama and masha’ikh of the Holy Land. Although Shaikh ‘Ali initially learnt at the feet of the acknowledged Arab scholar and theologian, Shaikh Ibn Hajar ‘Asqalani, later the latter himself took pride in calling himself a pupil of his erstwhile student. So much impressed was ‘Asqalani by the learning of his Indian born pupil that he enrolled himself as the disciple of Shaikh ‘Ali. Under the guidance of Shaikh ‘Abdu’l-Wahhab Muttaqi al-Qadiri al-Shazili in Makkah, Shaikh ‘Adu’l-Haqq not only mastered the Sahi Muslim and Sahih Bukhari, but, also, Sufism.
Although the serene intellectual and spiritual environment of Makkah suited the temperament of Abd’ul-Haqq, he was advised by his spiritual preceptor to return home, both on the grounds of his obligations to his family and India. He was advised not to be in a hurry to denounce a believer as “infidel or a heretic”, if, even while performing fundamental religious duties, the latter was apparently found guilty of violating the Shari‘ah.

Today, there is no scope for the dissemination of a true spiritual knowledge in Sa‘udi Arabia given the official attempts at promoting a superficial understanding of Tawhid. Gone are the days when the ‘ulama of Makkah and Madina sent ripples to the pilgrims with an insatiable quest for a true spiritual knowledge. Not only, Shaikh ‘Abdu’l-Haqq Muhaddis Dihlawi, but, later, Shah Waliu’llah, also, after their return from the Holy Land, proved themselves to be beacons of light in the profoundest sense of the term. They did not simply strengthen the roots of Islam in the subcontinent within the broader framework of Shari‘ah and Sufism, but, more importantly, contributed a great deal to the development of Hadis learning in the subcontinent. One may ask why Shah Waliu’llah, a contemporary of Muhammad bin ‘Abdu’l-Wahhab ___ whose sources of knowledge as well as a teacher were the same in the Holy Land - led their followers in two different directions. While Shah Waliu’llah, in the best tradition of the Hujjatu’l-Islam Imam-i Ghazzali, sought to reconcile Shari‘ah and Sufism, Muhammad bin ‘Abdu’l-Wahhab did not merely reject Sufism but even the recognized four schools of Islamic law. Notwithstanding the reformatory zeal of Muhammad bin ‘Abdu’l-Wahhab, his interpretation of Islam was mainly prompted by the exigencies of the atrophied social environment of Arabia of his time, rather than by spiritio-historical profundities of Islam.

Although there is no marked distinction between the so-called “Arab Islam” and “Sufi Islam”, nonetheless, the Sa‘udi version of Islam is devoid of a deeper sense of spirituality and history. True, Ka‘ba is central to their thinking; but I have earlier shown that millions of pilgrims are also deeply conscious of the centrality of the Ka‘ba. Why does the Sa‘udi government, then, make a fetish of Tawhid by underestimating the Tawhidic consciousness of the pilgrims with strong roots in Sufism? Is it that the antipathy of Muhammad bin Abdu’l-Wahhab and his followers to Sufism has produced such a mind-set?

Historically, it has been the solemn practice with most pilgrims not only to perform the fundamental duty of Hajj, but, also, to visit the heritage sites of spiritual and historical importance. This fact did not merely revitalize the faith of individual believers in the eternity of spiritual Truth, but also led to the development of spiritual knowledge on sound Quranic, Sunnatic and historical foundations. The profuse Sufi literature on the Oneness of Allah and veneration of Muhammad (PBUH) would not have been produced without the spiritual experiences of the Sufis in the wake of their meditations at the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Madina or, for that matter, at other heritage sites of spiritual and historical importance. The Awrad-i Fathiyya of Mir Saiyid ‘Ali Hamadani, the most popular invocatory prayer in Kashmir for over six centuries, though for the most part, based on the Quranic verses and the prayers of the Prophet (PBUH), was, in essence, the product of the Sufi’s spiritual strivings elsewhere but, finally, in the Holy Land. Likewise, several other Sufis were directed by the Prophet (PBUH) to carry on the mission of ennobling human souls in different parts of the globe in various spiritual states of their communion with him.

Against the background of sturdy spiritual and historical foundations of Sufism, several observations vis-à-vis orchestrated heresy (shirk) in several official booklets, published and distributed by Ministry of Islamic Affairs Endowments, Da‘wah and Guidance, Kingdom of Sa‘udi Arabia, sound hollow. First, shirk in the strictest Quranic sense is related to the Jahilliya belief in the tribal gods that the Ka‘ba housed. Second, the pilgrim’s veneration of Muhammad (PBUH) does not amount to shirk in the original sense of the word. No pilgrim consciously regards the Prophet as God or demi-god. Certainly, however, he is superbly aware of the eternal spiritual and historical role of the Prophet as the Grace of the Worlds. A believer with such supernal Quranic consciousness cannot be a robot but an elevated human soul with the never ceasing yearning for spiritio-historical unicity characterising the relationship between the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers. Equally important, therefore, are the ties of spiritual bonds between the Sufis and their adherents within the framework of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Notwithstanding the total neglect of the Sa‘udi government in preserving the cave of Hira as a heritage site, or, for that matter, several other places of spiritual and historical importance, the pilgrims with deep-rooted Sufi traditions, particularly, from Turkey and South Asia, throng Hira where the Prophet (PBUH) first received the Revelation. It was a heart-rending experience for me to see them burst into tears and loud cries while offering durud and salam to the Prophet (SAW) at Hira. What is more, the volitional acts of the pilgrims at Masjid-i Nabwi, Mazar-i Baq‘i, Jannatu’l-Mawa, Uhad and even at the site where the Prophet (PBUH) resided, testify to a certain kind of their abundant mystical love for the Prophet (PBUH), ahl-i bait, Companions, followers of the Companions and their followers. Such a phenomenon may be reprehensible to the Sa‘udis, but, by no stretch of the imagination, do the pilgrims with a burning love for Allah and His true servants dilute the essential spirit of Tawhid. Perhaps ‘Allama Iqbal in Asrar-i Khudi refers to such pilgrims of love in these words: (Translated by: Nicholson’s tr.)

“Be a lover constant in devotion to thy beloved,
That thou mayst cast thy noose and capture God.
Sojourn for a while on the Hira of the heart,
Abandon self and flee to God.
Strengthened by God, return to thy self
And break the heads of Lat and Uzza of sensuality.
By the might of Love evoke an army,
Reveal thyself on the Faran of Love,
That the Lord of the Ka‘bah may show thee favour

And interpret to thee the text, ‘Lo I will appoint a vicegerent on the earth’.”

No comments:

Monday, October 09, 2006

In communion with God
Prof. Muhammad Ishaq Khan - Greater Kashmir online edition
Thu 09 March 2006

The tazkira literature in Sufism provides us an ample information about numerous Sufis of the subcontinent who performed Hajj in spite of the hazards of journey in medieval times. They undertook pilgrimage to Makkah not merely as a matter of religious duty, but, also, as seekers of exoteric and esoteric knowledge. My forthcoming Biographical Dictionary of Sufism in South Asia shows that in medieval times Makkah and Madina were not only great centres of Hadis learning but, also, hubs of Islamic spirituality (tasawwuf). Shaikh ‘Abdu’l-Haqq Muhaddis Dihlawi who spent considerable time in Makkah bears an elaborate testimony to the excellence of the learning of the Indian Sufi scholars, settled in Makkah, like Shaikh ‘Ali Mutaqqi and Shaikh ‘Abdu’l-Wahhab and their impact on the ‘ulama and masha’ikh of the Holy Land. Although Shaikh ‘Ali initially learnt at the feet of the acknowledged Arab scholar and theologian, Shaikh Ibn Hajar ‘Asqalani, later the latter himself took pride in calling himself a pupil of his erstwhile student. So much impressed was ‘Asqalani by the learning of his Indian born pupil that he enrolled himself as the disciple of Shaikh ‘Ali. Under the guidance of Shaikh ‘Abdu’l-Wahhab Muttaqi al-Qadiri al-Shazili in Makkah, Shaikh ‘Adu’l-Haqq not only mastered the Sahi Muslim and Sahih Bukhari, but, also, Sufism.
Although the serene intellectual and spiritual environment of Makkah suited the temperament of Abd’ul-Haqq, he was advised by his spiritual preceptor to return home, both on the grounds of his obligations to his family and India. He was advised not to be in a hurry to denounce a believer as “infidel or a heretic”, if, even while performing fundamental religious duties, the latter was apparently found guilty of violating the Shari‘ah.

Today, there is no scope for the dissemination of a true spiritual knowledge in Sa‘udi Arabia given the official attempts at promoting a superficial understanding of Tawhid. Gone are the days when the ‘ulama of Makkah and Madina sent ripples to the pilgrims with an insatiable quest for a true spiritual knowledge. Not only, Shaikh ‘Abdu’l-Haqq Muhaddis Dihlawi, but, later, Shah Waliu’llah, also, after their return from the Holy Land, proved themselves to be beacons of light in the profoundest sense of the term. They did not simply strengthen the roots of Islam in the subcontinent within the broader framework of Shari‘ah and Sufism, but, more importantly, contributed a great deal to the development of Hadis learning in the subcontinent. One may ask why Shah Waliu’llah, a contemporary of Muhammad bin ‘Abdu’l-Wahhab ___ whose sources of knowledge as well as a teacher were the same in the Holy Land - led their followers in two different directions. While Shah Waliu’llah, in the best tradition of the Hujjatu’l-Islam Imam-i Ghazzali, sought to reconcile Shari‘ah and Sufism, Muhammad bin ‘Abdu’l-Wahhab did not merely reject Sufism but even the recognized four schools of Islamic law. Notwithstanding the reformatory zeal of Muhammad bin ‘Abdu’l-Wahhab, his interpretation of Islam was mainly prompted by the exigencies of the atrophied social environment of Arabia of his time, rather than by spiritio-historical profundities of Islam.

Although there is no marked distinction between the so-called “Arab Islam” and “Sufi Islam”, nonetheless, the Sa‘udi version of Islam is devoid of a deeper sense of spirituality and history. True, Ka‘ba is central to their thinking; but I have earlier shown that millions of pilgrims are also deeply conscious of the centrality of the Ka‘ba. Why does the Sa‘udi government, then, make a fetish of Tawhid by underestimating the Tawhidic consciousness of the pilgrims with strong roots in Sufism? Is it that the antipathy of Muhammad bin Abdu’l-Wahhab and his followers to Sufism has produced such a mind-set?

Historically, it has been the solemn practice with most pilgrims not only to perform the fundamental duty of Hajj, but, also, to visit the heritage sites of spiritual and historical importance. This fact did not merely revitalize the faith of individual believers in the eternity of spiritual Truth, but also led to the development of spiritual knowledge on sound Quranic, Sunnatic and historical foundations. The profuse Sufi literature on the Oneness of Allah and veneration of Muhammad (PBUH) would not have been produced without the spiritual experiences of the Sufis in the wake of their meditations at the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Madina or, for that matter, at other heritage sites of spiritual and historical importance. The Awrad-i Fathiyya of Mir Saiyid ‘Ali Hamadani, the most popular invocatory prayer in Kashmir for over six centuries, though for the most part, based on the Quranic verses and the prayers of the Prophet (PBUH), was, in essence, the product of the Sufi’s spiritual strivings elsewhere but, finally, in the Holy Land. Likewise, several other Sufis were directed by the Prophet (PBUH) to carry on the mission of ennobling human souls in different parts of the globe in various spiritual states of their communion with him.

Against the background of sturdy spiritual and historical foundations of Sufism, several observations vis-à-vis orchestrated heresy (shirk) in several official booklets, published and distributed by Ministry of Islamic Affairs Endowments, Da‘wah and Guidance, Kingdom of Sa‘udi Arabia, sound hollow. First, shirk in the strictest Quranic sense is related to the Jahilliya belief in the tribal gods that the Ka‘ba housed. Second, the pilgrim’s veneration of Muhammad (PBUH) does not amount to shirk in the original sense of the word. No pilgrim consciously regards the Prophet as God or demi-god. Certainly, however, he is superbly aware of the eternal spiritual and historical role of the Prophet as the Grace of the Worlds. A believer with such supernal Quranic consciousness cannot be a robot but an elevated human soul with the never ceasing yearning for spiritio-historical unicity characterising the relationship between the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers. Equally important, therefore, are the ties of spiritual bonds between the Sufis and their adherents within the framework of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Notwithstanding the total neglect of the Sa‘udi government in preserving the cave of Hira as a heritage site, or, for that matter, several other places of spiritual and historical importance, the pilgrims with deep-rooted Sufi traditions, particularly, from Turkey and South Asia, throng Hira where the Prophet (PBUH) first received the Revelation. It was a heart-rending experience for me to see them burst into tears and loud cries while offering durud and salam to the Prophet (SAW) at Hira. What is more, the volitional acts of the pilgrims at Masjid-i Nabwi, Mazar-i Baq‘i, Jannatu’l-Mawa, Uhad and even at the site where the Prophet (PBUH) resided, testify to a certain kind of their abundant mystical love for the Prophet (PBUH), ahl-i bait, Companions, followers of the Companions and their followers. Such a phenomenon may be reprehensible to the Sa‘udis, but, by no stretch of the imagination, do the pilgrims with a burning love for Allah and His true servants dilute the essential spirit of Tawhid. Perhaps ‘Allama Iqbal in Asrar-i Khudi refers to such pilgrims of love in these words: (Translated by: Nicholson’s tr.)

“Be a lover constant in devotion to thy beloved,
That thou mayst cast thy noose and capture God.
Sojourn for a while on the Hira of the heart,
Abandon self and flee to God.
Strengthened by God, return to thy self
And break the heads of Lat and Uzza of sensuality.
By the might of Love evoke an army,
Reveal thyself on the Faran of Love,
That the Lord of the Ka‘bah may show thee favour

And interpret to thee the text, ‘Lo I will appoint a vicegerent on the earth’.”

No comments: