Part 23 - Sufism and Sindh

Since the origin of Lord Jhulelal and area of influence of Lord Jhulelal is Sindh, at the same time Sufism has a deep connection with Sindh and it blossomed there. Therefore, this topic is a part of this chapter.

What is Sufism?

There are a number of meanings given for the word 'Sufi'. One is that it is derived from the Arabic word 'Suf' meaning of which is wool. (Vaswani 2008: 19) The Sufis in early times were ascetics and they used to put on coarse garments of wool which are the symbol of voluntary poverty or poverty by choice and giving up of worldly pleasures.

Another meaning is close to the word 'Safa' the meaning of which is pure or clean. When asked about the meaning of Sufi, a great Sufi mystic Rumi replied that it is the Purity of the Heart. A man who is truly Sufi is Pure at heart. The purity of heart leads to illumination and unification with God is possible only through illumination and the Sufis desire to reach this goal ultimately. There is one more meaning to Sufi related to the people who sat outside the mosque. They kept away from the world and had no worldly possessions, wore coarse and simple garments. (Vaswani 2008:20)

Some people find that the word Sufi is near to the Greek word 'Sophia' (Vaswani 2008: 20) which is equal to wisdom and true Sufis are the seekers of truth and wisdom. The English suffix 'ism' which is used in Sufism, however, does not mean that Sufis is like many isms like capitalism, socialism etc. The Sufism makes a person free from any bondage and does not bind him in any rituals. (Vaswani 2008:20)

Dada J.P. Vaswani says that Sufis is a blend of the first Vedantic value and Islamic culture. (Vaswani 2008:19) There is one more scholar by name Dr.Vakil who has shown a certain impression of Upanishadas on Sufism in one of his research papers. Sufism has a lot of mystic element in it and it is said by Sufi mystics that "The Goal of human is union with God". (Vaswani 2008: 21-23).

There are seven steps to achieve this according to Sufism.

1) Repentance: The first and foremost step is 'Repentance' or 'Tauba'. (Vaswani 2008:21)

2) Awakening: With awakening, one realises that the body is God's temple and it must be kept pure and clean. Only if it is pure and clean, it can become a Channel of God's force in this material world. In Sufi life, there is a place for fear. The words of Guru Nanak are "The heart which loves God, has a fear of God" Due to fear, a person is watchful about the deeds, whether they are good or bad. (Vaswani 2008: 21)

3) Detachment: This is the third step. The fear of God in the mind of devotee makes him watchful and that leads to detachment. The true lover of God renounces or gives up what is non-God. The detachment from desires and worldly things is important as it would prevent sins. (Vaswani 2008:21).

4) Poverty: This is the fourth and very important step in the path of Sufism. In simple words, it is to understand that I am nothing and O! God O! Almighty only You Are! A person may be very rich and yet he may not be called poor whereas one may have nothing but he may not be poor and still be rich. In Sufism, the humility, the humbleness and politeness of the heart can be called true poverty. (Vaswani 2008: 22)

A person who is poor in true sense has put the responsibility for his care on God. He is not worried and he is free from anxiety as well. This is because he has true faith in God. The desires and wills of a true Sufi are merged with that of God and this reminds the researcher of a famous quotation.

"O! Lord thou shall be done, not mine."

The researcher also would like to refer to a well-known verse from Shrimad Bhagavad Gita which assures a devotee that when he puts all the faith and trust in God, God himself takes care of his welfare.

“Ananyashchintayanto Mam Ye Janaha Paryupaaste
Tesham Nityaabhiyuktanam Yogakshemam Vahamyaham”^[1]

5) Patience: This is the fifth step in the path of Sufism and teaches the value of patience even in the times of suffering. A pilgrim who is patient would not avoid suffering, rather accept it with the smile because he knows that whatever comes from God is good for him. (Vaswani 2008:22)

6) Tawakkul: The sixth stage in this path Tawakkul meaning self -surrender. A Sufi mystic Hatim says that "it is our business to worship God as he bids us, and it is his business to provide us with everyday sustenance as he promised us". However, this does not mean that a person should not work. (Vaswani 2008:23)

As rightly said by Lord Krishna in Bhagavadgita "You have a right to work but not to the fruits thereof. The verse says as follows:

Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Faleshu Kadachana
Ma Karmafalaheturbhurma Te Sangostvakarmani^[2]

Once again, there appears certain similarity between the two philosophies, as stated by Dada J. P. Vaswani.

7) Gratitude: The seventh and the last step in Sufism is gratitude. Now the seeker has reached a stage where he is grateful to God for whatever comes his path.

"Thy will, not mine be done."

As stated above the seeker believes that whatever is the will of God, that is the best that can ever happen. In the words of Jani "The Sufi has no individual will and his will obliterated (merged) with the will of God, in fact, his will is the very will of God. When one reaches this stage, one wants nothing and one lives in the state of Oneness with God. (Vaswani 2008:23)

Dada J.P. Vaswani expresses his view that "Is this not the same spirit of Sharanagati (total surrender) advocated by Lord Krishna in Bhagavadgita. (Vaswani 2008:24)

The discussion of Sufism has been done in this thesis as it has a strong connection with Sindh, it flourished in Sindh and a lot of Sufi poetry is in the Sindhi language. Some scholars consider the Sufi way of life as a harmonious blend of Greek-neo-Platonism, Indian Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Magan and Nestorian beliefs. Whereas some scholars believe that Sufism was born as a way of life in South Asia when Islam mixed with the Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist cultures in Sindh. All these aspects point towards the strong connection between Sindh and Sufism.

The following poets are considered as four jewels of Sindhi Sufism. Their poetry is very popular and has been translated into many languages.

1) Shah Abdul Latif
2) Bekas
3) Bedil
4) Sachal

They were Sindhi Sufi scholars, mystics and poets. Their lyrics are containing household idioms and stories in the poetry and are icons of true love and romance giving no place to caste and creed. Dada Vaswani says that their poetry expresses the Vedantic concept of Oneness. (Vaswani 2008:24).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Shrimad Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter 9, Verse 22

[2]:

Shrimad Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 47