Developement of Mystic Thought and Indian Sufis

7/25/2019 Developement of Mystic Thought and Indian Sufis

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DEVELOPMENT OF MYSTIC THOUGHT AND

INDIAN SUFIS

byDr. Abroo Aman Andrabi

Assistant Professor

Department of Islamic Studies

Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi-62

The Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and

blessings be upon him) dont actually mention the word Susm.

owe!er" the main idea behind Susm was in the oly Quran and

the Sunnah. #n other words" $llah urged the Muslims to purify

themsel!es from diseases and from e!il in general" and in my

opinion" this is the main purpose behind Susm. %ut" this word

&Susm is not found at all in the Quran or the Sunnah. This call

actually came into being some ' years later.

hen we loo* at the history of Susm we nd that Susm was born in

the eighth century when Muslims had gained power o!er a large partof the globe. People were engaged in political and material things on

a large scale. $t that time Muslim Sus" by remaining away from

politics" made a concerted e+ort to bring about spiritual awa*ening

among the Muslims and spread human !alues. Materialism infected

the hearts of many Muslims" and then those scholars (Sus) came

forward with the call to ,go bac* to your -od" purify yourself" go bac*

to the reality of #slam. They told the people not to be in/uenced by

materialism" that they had to be closer to $llah" that they had to

practice their religion" and remember the approaching hereafter. This

is the reason why Susm was established at the time 0 because of the

ci!ili1ation which too* place in the estern society at that time. 2ar

al0Ma3noon was established during the reign of 4halifah Ma5moon"


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where he in!ited the scholars of the 6omans and -ree*s to meet with

the Muslims and 5discuss5 their respecti!e positions. This pro!ided the

perfect breeding ground for the synthesis between #slam and Pagan

theology" to produce the Susm of the li*e of #bn $rabi. (7)

Sus dont ha!e their own separate set of hadith or traditions"

supporting their beliefs8 neither ha!e they interpreted parts of the

Quran di+erently than other Muslims. Susm considers the two main

sources" the Quran and the Sunnah. owe!er" on occasion they

e9plained some of the sayings of the Quran and the Sunnah in

di+erent ways. That is" some but not all of these. The !erses which

relate to the purpose of Susm 0 purifying the soul : the Sus tal*about these !erses deeply" and maybe sometimes they added some

meaning which other scholars dont agree with. %ut all of them" the

Sus" agreed on one thing 0 that there were two sources for authority"

the Quran and the Sunnah.

Susm gi!es special attention for the spiritual issues" because they

belie!e that when a Muslim has good faith and good spiritual life

then he will be a good Muslim. e will practice #slam perfectly" and

he will follow the Shariah 0 the #slamic law at the same time. So

they insisted on this point of rituals. # mentioned at the beginning

the reason behind that is materialism which established shortly

before Susm" and then this mo!ement we consider it as a

reaction in our #slamic history. ;!en now some Muslims are

following Susm" for the same reasons.

Susm de!eloped in the

7. The cities of %asra" 4ufa and %aghdad in #ra?. '. The city of

%al*h in the 4horasan district of Persia. @. ;gypt. Perhaps Muslims

in #ndia became closer to Susm because of their en!ironment.


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#n its early stages of de!elopment Susm e+ecti!ely referred to

nothing more than the internali1ation of #slam. $ccording to one

perspecti!e" it is directly from the Qur5an" constantly recited"

meditated" and e9perienced" that Susm proceeded" in its origin and

its de!elopment. Athers ha!e held that Susm is the strict emulation

of the way of Prophet Muhammad (peace B blessings be upon him)"

through which the heart5s connection to the 2i!ine is strengthened.

More prosaically" the Muslim Con?uests had brought large numbers of

Christian mon*s and hermits" especially in Syria and ;gypt" under the

rule of Muslims. They retained a !igorous spiritual life for centuries

after the con?uests" and many of the especially pious Muslims who

founded Susm were in/uenced by their techni?ues and methods.

Drom the traditional Su point of !iew" the esoteric teachings of

Susm were transmitted from Prophet Muhammad (peace and

blessings be upon him) to those who had the capacity to ac?uire the

direct e9periential gnosis of -od" which was passed on from teacher

to student through the centuries. Some of this transmission is

summari1ed in te9ts" but most is not. #mportant contributions in

writing are attributed to Ewais al0Qarni" arrm bin ian" asan %asri

and Sayid ibn al0Mussib" who are regarded as the rst Sus in the

earliest generations of #slam. arith al0Muhasibi was the rst one to

write about moral psychology. 6abia %asri was a Su *nown for her

lo!e and passion for -od" e9pressed through her poetry. %aya1id

%astami was among the rst theorists of Susm8 he concerned

himself with fan and baq" the state of annihilating the self in the

presence of the di!ine" accompanied by clarity concerning worldly

phenomena deri!ed from that perspecti!e.

Susm had a long history already before the subse?uent

institutionali1ation of Su teachings into de!otional orders (tariqat) in

the early Middle $ges. $lmost all e9tant Su orders trace their chains


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of transmission (silsila) (') bac* to Prophet Muhammad (peace and

blessings be upon him) a1rat $li (May $llah be pleased with him).

The Fa?shbandi order is a notable e9ception to this rule" as it traces

the origin of its teachings from Prophet Muhammad to the rst #slamic

Caliph" $bu %a*r(May $llah be pleased with him).

$ctually" Susm depends on shai*hs (religious leaders)" special

scholars who lead their students" teaching them and watching them.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is regarded

as the rst Su master who passed his esoteric teachings orally to his

successors who also recei!ed his special grace. $n unbro*en chain of

transmission of di!ine authority is supposed to e9ist from Muhammad(peace and blessings be upon him) to his successor 5$li (May $llah be

pleased with him) and from him down to generations of Su masters

(Shei*hs" Peers). ;ach order has its own Silsilah (chain) that lin*s it

with Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) and 5$li

(May $llah be pleased with him).

Susm or #slamic Mysticism came to #ndia with Su Saints with the

spread of #slam from the Middle ;astern countries during the 77th

and 7'th Centuries $.2. #t was by the o!erpowering spell and

charm of their magnetic personality" spiritual powers and

e9cellent conduct that they won the hearts of millions of people of

#ndia and thus laid the foundation of #slamic Mysticism in this

country.(@)2uring this time the social situation was !ery pathetic

in #ndia (#ndian Subcontinent). The society was di!ided on the

basis of caste" creed" religion and region. #t was a period of

oppression and dominion. The Sus mo!ed around putting on the

grab of faith in -od. %y the time the Muslim ;mpire was

established at 2elhi" Su fraternities had come into being and the

Su in/uence was far more powerful than it was in earlier days

under the $rabs in Sindh. Su Saints preached lo!e among all
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Bakrhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Bakr


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classes of people. The li!es of these humble and peaceful Su

saints" who brought nothing with them e9cept the name of

$lmighty $llah and the message of uni!ersal lo!e" were

e9clusi!ely dedicated to the cause of religious and spiritual

enlightenment of the su+ering humanity. $s such they were

naturally lo!ed and respected by all classes and ran*s of people

from a peasant to a prince. They made #ndia their home" li!ed

here and gloriously passed away in the ser!ice of man*ind. The

Sus ne!er feared men not e!en the powerful tyrant *ings and

rulers. They ne!er people to accept the faith but the people

themsel!es felt the need for it. People were attracted to the Sus"

all that they said" did and appro!ed mad a deep impact on the

people. $s a result of which there was tolerance" peace" mutual co

e9istence and harmony among the people.

The numerous Su religious establishments in #ndia were the ma3or

means of spreading #slam and adapting it to original cultural

tradition. The Sus con!erted a ci!ili1ation into a better one"

which is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Dour branches

of Susm" namely Qadriya" Chishtiya" Suharawardya and

Fa?shahbandya were introduced in #ndia by Syed %and?i

Mohammad -hosh" 4hwa3a Moinuddin Chishti" Shai*h %ahawaldin

Ga*ariya and 4hwa3a Mohammad %a?i %illah respecti!ely.(H)

Suharawardy Sus were the rst to arri!e in #ndia and made their

head?uarters in Sindh. The Suhrawardiyah order was founded by

Shei*h $b0al0Fa3ib Suhrawardi (7=I 0 77J') and was introduced

into #ndia by Shei*h %aha0ud0din Ga*ariya (77


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4amaaluddin $hmed Kahya Maneri" Ma*hdoom Shahabuddin Pir

Lag3ot" Ma*hdoom Salah 2arwesh Maneri and others. Maner Sharif

is still considered a center of the Suhrawardiyya order.

Dour #slamic mystics from $fghanistan namely Moinuddin Chisti (d.

7'@@ in $3mer)" Qutbuddin 4a*i (d. 7'@J in 2elhi)" Fi1amuddin $wliya

(d.7@@ in 2elhi) and Dariduddin -ungba*sh (d.7'J in Pattan now in

Pa*istan) accompanied the #slamic in!aders in #ndia. $ll of them were

from the Chistiyya order of #slamic mysticism. The impact of Chisti

order is still !isible e!en in small !illages of #ndia. 4wa3a Moin0ud02in

Chisti" was a disciple of 4hwa3a $bu $bdal Chisti" who came to #ndia

with the army of Shihab0ud02in -huri in 77=' $2 and selected $3meras his permanent abode since 77=. %ecause he established the rst

Su Silsilah in the #ndian sub0continent" he is often referred to as

ind0al0ali. 4hawa3a Muin0ud0din $3meri5s chief disciple" 4hawa3a

Qutb0ud0din %a*htiyar 4a*i" who li!ed at 2elhi" was held in high

esteem by $l0Tutmush. The in/uence of Qutubuddin %a*htiyar 4a*i on

Susm in #ndia was immense. $s he continued and de!eloped the

traditional ideas of uni!ersal brotherhood and charity within the Chisti

order" a new dimension of #slam started opening up in #ndia which had

hitherto not been present. e forms an important part of the Su

mo!ement which attracted many people to #slam in #ndia in the

thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. %aba Darid who was the disciple

of 4hawa3a Qutb0ud0din %a*htiyar 4a*i" decided to settle in Pun3ab.

The Chishtiyah order remained the most popular order during the

Sultanate period.

The Chishti saints had two hallmar*s which di+erentiate them from

other Su saints. The rst was their ethical relations to the

institutional powers. This meant !oluntarily *eeping a distance from

the ruler or the go!ernment mechanism. #t did not matter if the ruler

was a patron or a disciple> he was always *ept at bay since it was felt


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that mi9ing with the ruler will corrupt the soul by indulging it in

worldly matters. #n his last discourse to disciples" 4hawa3a Moinuddin

Chishti said>

,Fe!er see* any help" charity" or fa!ors from anybody e9cept -od.

Fe!er go the court of *ings" but ne!er refuse to bless and help the

needy and the poor" the widow" and the orphan" if they come to your

door. ()

The second distincti!e dimension was related to the religious practice

of the Chishtis. #t was proacti!e rather than passi!e8 a ceaseless

searches for the di!ine other. #n this respect the Chishtis followed a

particular ritual more 1ealously than any other brotherhood. ,This was

the practice of sama" e!o*ing the di!ine presence through song or

listening to music. (J)The genius of the Chishti saints was that they

accommodated the practice of samawith the full range of Muslim

obligations.

Sus world is a world of Peace and armony" Their Mission is always

ser!ice to man*ind and worship only for $lmighty $llah" they belie!e

in Peace" Tolerance and Compassion. 4hawa3a Fi1amuddin $ulia was

one of the most renowned and re!ered Su saints of #ndia" also *nown

by his title of Mehboobe ;lahi (%elo!ed of -od). is shrine at 2elhi is

a world0renowned spiritual center" has a magnetic power to attract

the people in large number irrespecti!e of faith and religion. The

Shrine re/ects the true Su traditions. #t is well *nown that a1rat

Fi1amuddin $ulia used to ma*e his holy de!otions" meditation and

religious practices in its seclusion. $nd at his Nangar 4hana (4itchen)

thousands of people" especially the needy and poor were fed daily. e

had propagated the teachings of #slam and the teachings of real

Susm (#slamic Mysticism) to the people of the #ndia. e spread the


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message of peace" lo!e and tolerance to the man*ind. e li!ed a life

of strict austerity in the tradition of the Su saints.

a1rat Fi1amuddin $ulia did not li*e to meet any 4ing or Sultan of his

time" he has said"

,$ Su must ne!er go to the courts of 4ings and must refuse to

accept any *ind of reward or gratication for his maintenance (I)

%ut after the death of the Saint all *inds of People including *ings

started !isiting the Shrine in a !ery large number from di+erent parts

of #ndia and other countries of the world" they pay their respectful

tributes to the great saint. This center of spiritualism promotes world

peace" uni!ersal brotherhood" communal harmony and tolerance. The

mar!elous teachings of #ndian Su saints for peace and harmony ha!e

great rele!ance today.

The Chishti Arder in #ndia split into two branches.

Fi1amuddin $uliya 0 This branch became the Chishti Fi1ami branch.

Fi1amuddin $uliya was the master of Fasiruddin Chiragh 2ehla!i who

in turn was the master of 4hwa3a %ande Fawa1. $ll these are

important saints of the order.

$lauddin Sabir 4aliyari 0 This branch became the Chishti-Sabiri

branch.

A!er time (principally after the 7Ith century) many further branches

emerged which routinely united or di!erged towards other popular

Su orders in #ndia. Prominent people of later times who trace their

spiritual lineage through the Chishti order include>


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7. $shraf Lahangir Semnani 0 e further e9tended the litanies the

Chishtiya Fi1ami branch. is followers became the members of

the Chishti Fi1ami $shraya branch.

'. a3i #mdadullah Muhaa3ir Ma**i 0 e e9tended the litanies of the

Chishtiya Sabaria branch. is followers became the members of

the Chishtiya Sabaria #mdadiya branch.

@. Shah Fiya1 $hmad0 e united the Chishti Fi1ami order with the

Qadriya order to form the Chishtiya Qadriya Fi1amia Fiya1ia

branch.

H. abibi Silsila 0 #n century 7@th egira 0 Silsila Chishtiya Fi1amia

abibia emerged at yderabad" #ndia 0 4ha3a abib $li Shah.

$s a result of this metamorphosis of the Chishti order with other

branches" most Su masters now initiate their disciples in all the four

ma3or orders of #ndia> Chishti" Suhrawadi" Qadri and Fa?shbandi. They

do howe!er8 prescribe prayers and litanies" only of the order with

which they are primarily associated.

The famous Qadriya order entered #ndia through Sindh in $27H


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The origin of Fa?shbandi order can be traced bac* to 4hwa3a Ka&?ub

Kusuf al0amadani (b. $2 77H)" who li!ed in Central $sia" and was

later organised by %ahauddin Fa?shband (7@7


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meaning to their li!es and channeling their emotions. The impact of

Susm on #ndian culture created an integration which no political

force could ha!e done. Sus brought about a synthesis which

denitely shaped the !ery outloo* of the people thereby a rare ?uality

of absorbing di!erse in/uences" which was the responsible for

cohesion and harmony was brought in.

The Sus were successful because of their noble deeds and the

ama1ing e9amples they set. They ne!er imposed their beliefs on non0

Muslims. The *han?as pro!ided protection to nomads" tra!elers"

institutions for those who wanted to reduce their thirst for *nowledge"

food to the needy and lo!e to all. People rallied round the ideology ofSusm which was simple to digest" practicable to e9ercise. %efore

they started preaching" rstly they set noble and brilliant e9ample

through their beha!iour and conduct. Secondly" #slam was preached

by them in a simple" pragmatic and /e9ible way" contrary to the

ulemas who laid much emphasis on the rigidity of rules. Thirdly" they

highlighted $llahs positi!e and merciful attributes to ignite a lo!e of

-od in peoples hearts. The Sus disli*ed formalities and ceremonial

acts" preferring to lead simple li!es" and their lofty and admirable

principles became guidelines for the people. They were against

suppressions and social e!ils" condemning the use of force to gain

power. Then their *han?ahs were always open for e!eryone" and

those with money had to donate generously to the needy. People

/oc*ed from time to time to the Sus for solace and comfort.

There is no Susm and Spirituality without #slam and Shariat. The realSusm is based on the strict #slamic faith and its teachings. #t wor*s

within the framewor* of Shariat. The ,Tari?at i.e. the Su way of life

for spiritual upliftment" ad!ancement and purity of ideas" is not

separate from Shariat or #slamic Naws. $n eminent and earliest Su

Saint a1rat $li u3weri (2ata -an3 %a*sh) says"


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,$s light cannot be separated from the sun" similarly &Shariat cannot

be separated from Tari?at. (=)

The Sharia0guided mystic in/uence of Sus produced the Muslim

thin*ers li*e Shai*h $hmad Sirhindi" Shah ali Ellah" Sayied

$hmad %arela!i" 4aramat $li" Sir Sayed $hmad 4han" $llama #?bal

and Maulana Maududi. They used the mystic philosophy betting

to the political e9igencies of the time for re!i!al of political

supremacy of #slam. Af them the Sus li*e Sirhindi and ali Ellah"

who politicised the mystic ideology for political domination of

#slam. They were pro3ected as #slamic reformists for purifying

#slam from any e9traneous in/uences. They con!eyed the politicalaspect of #slam to Muslim masses so aggressi!ely that it created a

permanent imprint on their psyche. #t is therefore said that the

Su #slamists sa!ed the #slam in that period.

Sus were also great missionaries. There cultural contribution was a

rich poetry in $rabic" Persian" Tur*ish" Erdu" Sind" and Pashto

which spread its mystical ideas all o!er the Muslim world and

enriched local literature and identity.

Towards the end of the rst millennium C;" a number of manuals

began to be written summari1ing the doctrines of Susm and

describing some typical Su practices. Two of the most famous of

these are now a!ailable in ;nglish translation> the Kashf al-Mahjubof

u3wiri" and the Risalaof Qushayri.

Notes ad !e"ere#es$

1. #bn $rabi a prolic writer" main wor*s Futuhat al Makkiyah

Fusus al !ikmah Risalat al khalwah.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hujwirihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hujwiri


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". Silsila is a term" besides tari?a which is used to describe a Su

order or a Su lineage" the article #$arika%in the &n'y'l()edia

(f *slamby massignon" '77

+. S. $. $. 6i1!i", !ist(ry (f Susm in *ndia" ol. #" 2elhi" 7=I

#nner Traditions #nternational. (7==7).

3. Muhammad isham 4abbani" $he 4aqshbandi Su $raditi(n

5uideb((k (f 6aily 7ra'ti'es and 6e8(ti(ns" #slamic Supreme

Council of $merica" 'H" p.. $li u3wiri" Kashaf al Mahjub" tr. 6.F. Ficholoson" P.7@

Bibliography

$rbery $. L" Susm/ ,n ,''(unt (f the Mysti's in *slam"

reprinted in 2elhi" '@"

$li u3wiri" Kashaf al Mahjub" tr. 6.F. Ficholoson.

Saiyied $thar $bbas 6i1!i" !ist(ry (f Susm in *ndia" olume '"

7=='.

Chishti% Ha&i' Moiuddi% The Book of Su Healing(

!o#hester$ Ier Traditios Iteratioa)% *+,,+-(


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Syed M(inul !aq. *slami' $h(u2ht and M(8ements in the

Sub'(ntinent" I7707=HI !ist(ri'al S('iety 1>9>.

&n'y'l()aedia (f *slam" Second ;dition" 4izami K.,.

?@ishtiyya.?. ;dited by> P. %earman8 " Th. %ian?uis8 " C.;.

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A(8e/ $he Chishti Brder in S(uth ,sia and ey(nd Palgra!e

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Daridi" #htishamuddin" $arikh-i ibla2h-i Cisht al *ndiya az-i

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5uideb((k (f 6aily 7ra'ti'es and 6e8(ti(ns #slamic Supreme

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, !ist(ry (f M(dern *ndiaedited by Claude Mar*o!it1" $nthen

Press" ''.

Contemporary 6ele!ance of Susm" published by #ndian Council

for Cultural relations" 7==@.

Developement of Mystic Thought and Indian Sufis

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