What’s in the news?

• After closing down for over eight months, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah courtyard has opened again.

What is a Dargah?

• A dargah is a shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervish.

Who is Hazrat Nizamuddin?

• Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (1238 – 3 April 1325), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, and Mahbub-e-Ilahi (“Beloved of God”) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, and is one of the most famous Sufis from the Indian Subcontinent. 
• His biography finds mention in Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document written by Mughal Emperor Akbar’s vizier, Abu’l-Fazl ibn Mubarak.
• The famous Indian Sufi singer Amir Khusrau (regarded as the “father of qawwali”/ “voice of India” / “Parrot of India”) was a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya.

What is Sufism?

• Sufism, mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God.
• Sufism is more prominent among Sunnis, but there are also Shiite Sufi orders, or “tariqa.”
• Followers of Sufism believe they can become closer to Allah through inner purification and introspection. They do this by meditating and receiving guidance from their spiritual leaders, or “murshid” (guide)
• The Sufi orders were of two types – ba-shara and be-shara, where shara stood for the Islamic law. The former obeyed the laws while the latter was more liberal.

Major Sufi Orders

Chishti Order :

• Chishtiya Order was founded in India by Khwaja Moin-Uddin Chishti.
• It emphasised the doctrine of the unity of being with God (waḥdat al-wujūd) and members of the order were also pacifists.
• They rejected all material goods as distractions from the contemplation of God.
• Recitation of the names of God, both aloud and silently (dhikr jahrī, dhikr khafī), formed the cornerstone of Chishtī practice.

Suhrawardi Order:

• Founded by Sheikh Shahabuddin Suharwardi Maqtul.
• The Suhrawardis, unlike the Chishtis, accepted maintenance grants from the Sultans.

Naqshbandi Order:

• It was founded by the Khwaja Baha-ul-din Naqsh band.
• It was established in India by Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshbandi.
• This Order stressed on the observance of the Shariat.

Qadiriyya Order:

• Sheikh Abdul Qadir of Badaun founded it in the 14th century.
• They were supporters of the Mughals under Akbar.

Common Sufi terms

• Tasawwuf literally meaning “becoming a Sufi
• Murshid is Arabic for “guide” or “teacher”
• A Sheikh of Sufism is a Sufi who is authorized to teach, initiate and guide aspiring dervishes in the islamic faith.
• A murīd is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment
• A khanqah or khangah, also known as a ribat – among other terms – is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or tariqa and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation.
• Sama is a Sufi ceremony performed as dhikr. Sama means “listening”, while dhikr means “remembrance”.
• Fanaa in Sufism is the “passing away” or “annihilation” (of the self).
• Ziyara or ziyarat is a form of pilgrimage to sites

Importance of Sufism in Indian history and culture

• Sufi mystic traditions became more visible during the 10th and 11th centuries of the Delhi Sultanate and after it to the rest of India
• Some of the practices of the Chisti saints come close to those of Hinduism: control on breathing, meditation, and ascetic exercises.
• When Sufis adopted popular practices of Islam, they appropriated many Buddhist beliefs and practices as well, besides replicating monasteries with simpler khanqahs of their own. Shared beliefs included aspects such as notions of God and truth, bodily practices,commonality between yoga and Sufism, belief in the unity of existence, and respect for diversity.
• The vicinity of Nizamuddin Dargah was also chosen for the burial place of the Timurid imperial family under Emperor Akbar, with the grand tomb complex of Emperor Humayun as an example, which is now a UNESCO Heritage site.
• The eastern variety of Sufism is mainly an offshoot of the vedanta philosophy of the Hindus and it spread rapidly during the time of Akbar. 
• The Sufi philosophy tended to bring the ruling race and the subject people closer together.  The Islamic stress on equality was respected by the Sufis, and this brought the mystic orders into contact with the artisans and culti­vators. Thus, the Sufis became more effective religious leaders for the peasants.
• The connections can also be seen in common cultural practices and the emergence of new forms: literature, music, architectural developments, etc. Languages such as Urdu originating in army camps took shape and flourished in Sufi khanqahs, before emerging as an elegant language having a vast literature.
• Akbar named his first son Salim (later emperor Jahangir) in honor of Salim Chishti
• Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak (founder of Slave dynasty) started the construction of Qutub Minar in memory of famous Sufi saint  Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhityar Kaki

Importance of Sufism in modern times

• The peaceful Sufi spirituality can be used as a means of Soft power for the political aspirations of India in Central Asia.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016 inaugurated the World Sufi Forum to spread Islamic message of peace in today’s scenario of Islamophobia.

 Reference:

1.  https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/divine-songs-lift-spirits-at-nizamuddin-dargah/article34180054.ece