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SUFI SILSILAS IN INDIAII

Rupa Abdi

THE NAQSHBANDIYAS AND THE QADIRIYYAS

NAQSHBANDIYYAS: People of the Silent Dhikr

"The lights of some people precede their dhikr, while the dhikr of some peopleprecede their lights. There is the one who does (loud) dhikr so that his heart be

illumined; and there is the one whose heart has been illumined and he does (silent)dhikr."

-Ibn cAta'Allah.((d. 1309), the third sheikh of the Shadhili Sufi order)

They brought their caravans to the sanctuary through the hidden path. TheNaqshabandis believed that their spiritual journey began where others ended. Thecentre of their beliefs was the silent dhikr and breath control. They also emphasisedsaubat - the intimate conversation between the master and the disciple. This spiritual

bonding gave rise to various paranormal phenomenon such as telepathy and faithhealing. They believed in spiritual education and the purification of the heart. It wasa sober and rather orthodox silsila which disapproved music and sama .

The founder of this silsila was Bahauddin Naqshband (d.1390) from CentralAsia, who was a descendent of the great Imam Yusuf Hamadhani(d. 1140).Hamadhani was in turn spiritually affiliated to Abu-l-Hasan Ali al-Kharaqani (d.1034) - an illiterate but distinguished mystic and an uwaysi (a Sufi who has been

initiated not by a living master but the powerful spirit of a departed Sufi). Kharaqaniwas initiated into tassawuf by the spirit of Bayezid Bistami (d.874) who himselfwas a legendary Sufi from north west Iran.

One of Hamadhanis eminent khalifa,Abdul Khaliq Ghijduwani (d.1220) isbest known for the eight founding principles that are still followed by allNaqshabandiyya schools. His set of teachings are known as tariqa-yi Khawajagan(the way of the teachers; singular Khoja) and are interpreted as follows (the literaltranslation of the Persian words are given in brackets):

1. hush dar dam (awareness in breath): One must safeguard his/her breath frommindlessness while breathing in and breathing out, thereby keeping her heart always

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in the Divine Presence. Every breath which is inhaled and exhaled with Presence isalive and connected with the Divine Presence. Every breath inhaled and exhaled withmindlessness is dead, disconnected from the Divine Presence.

2. nazar bar qadam(to watch every step): This implies watching over ones steps

and actions. The gaze precedes the step and the step follows the gaze. The Ascensionto the higher state is first by the Vision, followed by the Step. One needs tounderstand the Sufi path in its myriad forms before one can actually comprehendand follow this principle.

3. safar dar watan(to journey towards ones homeland): This refers to the internalmystical journey wherein the seeker travels from the world of desire to the world ofDivine.

4. khalwat dar anjuman(solitude in the crowd): To be untouched by the vagaries of

this world. To be steady in ones contemplation of the divine, to live in this world butnot to be moved by it.

5. yad kard(to recollect): To remember, to recollect all the time the Divine name andones ultimate destination.

6. baz gard(to return,): To surrender, to return to God i.e. to submit to the will ofGod.

7. nigah dasht(to be aware of ones sight):To be aware of ones thoughts and

emotions, to restrain the thoughts that take you away from God. To safeguard onesheart from unholy inclinations.

8. yad dasht(to remember, recall): To return again and again to that state of mindwhich dwells in God. To keep ones heart in Allahs Divine Presence continuously.This allows one to realize and manifest the Light of the Unique Essence

AlthoughAdam had not got wings,

Yet he has reached a place that was not destined even for angels

- Mir Dard

This silsila gained influence over the business class and royalty of Central Asia and asa result grew highly politicized. Under the leadership of Khwaja Ahrar(d.1490), an

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influential Naqshabandi saint, this silsila dominated the entire Central Asian regionand even the Mongols, Timurs and Uzbegss came under its sway. Like the earlySuhrawardis, the Khwaja believed that in order to serve the world they needed toexercise political power.

Dargahof Mazhar Janjanan at Delhi

The Naqshabandi silsila was founded in India by Khwaja Baqi billah(d.1785). HisdiscipleAhmad Faruqi Sirhindi(d. 1624) played an important role in Indianpolitical and religious life. In India, most prominent Naqshabandi saints, suchas Khwaja Mir Dard(d.1785), Shah Waliullah(d.1762), who was also initiatedinto the Qadiriyya silsila, and Mazhar Janjanan(d. 1782), were based in Delhi and

besides politics made major contribution to Sufi poetry and theology in Urdu .

Dargahof Khawaja Baqi Billah at Delhi. Courtesy: Mayank Austen Soofi

Looming large over other Naqshabandi saints of the Indian subcontinent is KhawajaMir Dard who was one of the four pillars of Urdu poetic tradition and isacknowledged as the greatest mystical poet of Urdu language.

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Alas O ignorant one:

at the day of death this will be proved:

A dream was what we saw, what we heard, a tale

- Mir Dard

QADIRIYYAS: The Miracle performers

Ucch Sharif at Multan. Courtesy:Gilbert (NFIE)

The most popular Qadri saints in India are Bulle Shah (d.1768) and SultanBahu(d. 1691) in the north, and Hazrat Shahul Hameed QadirWali of Nagorein the south. Several karaamaat (miracles) are attributed to the founder as well as theearly saints of this silsila. This silsila was established byAbdul Qadir Jilani(d.1166) from Baghdad. He is known as the master of the Jinn. His influence extendedfrom Turkey, to Baghdad and across West Africa to the Indian subcontinent. Thereare Sindhi songs describing his glory and ancient trees named after him. It is

believed that one of his descendents Muhammad Ghaus (d. 1517) established

this order in the Indian subcontinent. He along with the first missionaries of thissilsila settled in Ucch, north east of Multan (Punjab-Pakistan) in the late fifteenthcentury. From here this silsila spread to the rest of the Indian subcontinent, and evenas far as Indonesia and Malaysia. Eminent Sufis of this silsial were Mian Mir(d.1635) whose ancestors came from Siwistan in Sindh, his sister Bibi Jamal(d.1647 ),Mirs discipleMolla Shah Badakshi(d. 1661), who was a scholar and writer of Sufiliterature. Molla Shah initiated the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh(d.1659) and hiselder sister Jahanara(d.1681) into this silsila.

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Hazrat Shahul Hameed Qadir Walisdargahat Nagore in Tamil Nadu

Abdul-Haqq Dihlawi(d.1642) was among the influential Qadiriyya saints ofDelhi. According to him the Qadiri principle of perfect life in the world was to followthe sharia laws and the jurists teachings and then the Sufi path. However themystical aspect into this silsila was introduced by Mian Mir .

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