Sifism and its rule in the History of the Sub-Continent

 Sifism and its rule in the History of the Sub-Continent

Sufism is a mystical form of Islam, a school of practise that emphasises the inward search for God and shuns materialism. Known as Tasawwuf in Arabic, it is a form of Islamic mysticism that emphasises introspection and spiritual closeness with God. It has produced some of the world’s most beloved literature, like the love poems of the 13^th-century Iranian jurist Rumi. The history of the sub-continent is incomplete without tracing the spread of Sufism and its socio-political impact. Sufis were influential in spreading Islam, particularly to the furthest socio-political impact. Furthermore Sufis were influential in spreading Islam, especially to the furthest outposts of the Muslim world in Africa, India, and the far east. In simple words, the spread of Islam in the subcontinent can be safely attributed to the Sufi saints like Ali Hajveri (1009-1077), Muin-ud-Din Chishti (1143–1236), founder of the Chishtia Silsila, Sheikh Bahaudin Zikriya (1182-1262), founder of the Suhrawrdi Silsila, and Nizam-ud-din Auliya (1238–1325). The approach is the same across all religions as well as among the ruling elites.

Although Sufis are comparatively few in number, they have shaped Islamic thought and history. Through the centuries, Sufis contributed extremely to Islamic literature; for example, Rumi, Omar Khayyam, and Al-Ghazali’s influence extended beyond Muslim lands and is quoted by Western philosophers, writers, and theologians. The shrines of these great saints gained great respect among people of different religious communities in the countries of southern Asia.

Historical perspective

Non-Muslims often mistake Sufism for a sect of Islam.

 Sarraj’s classic definition of Sufism are mentioned the Sufis are people who prefer God to everything, and God prefers them to everything else. Sufism is more exactly explain as an aspect or dimension of Islam. Moreover, the Sufi orders can be found in Sunni, Shia, and other Islamic groups. Ibn Khaldun, the 14^th-century Arab historian Sufis are emphatic that Islamic knowledge should be learned directly from teachers and not exclusively from books. Tariqas can trace their teacher back through the generations to the prophet himself. Modeling themselves on their teacher, disciples hope that they too will glean something of the prophet's character.

According to Imam al-Qushari, those who were in the company of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in his lifetime and after his death command special respect and pride in the Islamic society. They were therefore distinguished as Sahaaba, Taabaueen, and Taba Taabaueen. After their respective periods came Zahid, Abid, and Sufis at the end. By the end of 200 A.H., the word "Sufi had become the recognised title or badge of all Muslim mystics.

While Sufism reached in India in 12th century A.D., its influence grew considerably during the 13th and 14^th centuries. In India, Chisti and Suhrawardi Silsila were most well known. Most of the Sufis conceived and preached divine unity in terms of idealistic monism, while many Hindus found the sufi ideas very similar to those of Vedantic philosophy. The lower strata of the Hindu community appear to be greatly attracted by the ideas of social equality and fraternity in Islam. Thus, the simpleness, patience, and liberation of the Sufis in India released syncretic forces and led to a sort of cultural synthesis. Furthermore,The Sufi movement gained impetus during the reign of Akbar, who adopted a liberal religious policy under the influence of the Sufi saints. Abdul Fazal had mentioned the existence of 14 salsilahs in India. The Sufi movement in India helped establish peace and amity among the Hindus and Muslims.

 

Hazrat Ali Hajveri supports what Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi says about the qualities of a Sufi, which are as follows: A true Sufi possesses

• The courage and magnanimity of Prophet Ibrahim
• The obedience of the prophet Ismail
• The patience and forbearance of the prophet Ayub
• The Signs of Prophet Zakaria
• The poverty of the prophet Yahya
• The travelling nature of the prophet Isa
• The simplicity of the dress of Prophet Musa and

The fuqr (contentment and renunciation) of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Reynold Nicholson, a renowned scholar of Sufism, begins his discussion of Sufism by quoting the world of Ma ruf Al-Kharki, which he translates as Sufism is the apprehension of Divine Realities’.

There are differences among Sufis with regard to stages, but the main stages are as follows: Repentance (Tawabah), Abstinence (Wisr), Renuncuation (Zuhd), Poverty (Faqr), Patience (Sabr), Trust (Tawakkul), Satisfaction (Rudza)

Moreover, there are four stages of practise and understanding in Sufism: Shariah (religious), Tariqah (the mystical path), Haqiqah (truth), and Marifah (gnosis). Shariah is the basic foundation for the next three stages and consists of the teachings of Islam—the mortality and ethics found in all religions. Tariqah refers to the practise of Islam; Haqiqah, or truth, refers to the direct experience of the mystical states of Sufism, the direct experience of the presence of God within. Marifah is superior wisdom or knowledge of spiritual truth. This is a deep level of inner knowing, beyond Haqiqah. More than a momentary spiritual experience, Marifah refers to an ongoing state of attunement with God and with truth. It is the knowledge of reality, attained by a very few. This is the station of the messengers, the prophet, and the great sages and saints.

Social and political impact of Sufism in the society

Sufism spread throughout the Muslim world, becoming a central component of many people's religious practise from Africa and South Asia to the Far East and the Balkans. The Sufi order was sometimes close to the ruling powers, such as the Ottoman and Mughal empires, helping their spread and influence. Sufism has helped shape parts of Muslim society. Sufi saints gained great popularity among the public. They played a vital role in the socio-cultural, economic, political, and religious lives of the people. Some of them were looked upon by a large number of people as examples of poetic and spiritual excellence. Later on, their shrines emerged as centres of pilgrimage after their deaths.

The various shrines belonging to the different sufi orders spread through the Indian subcontinent in such a way that they acted as a network of religious, cultural, and educational institutions. The reference to the spread of Islamic institutions within the region of south Asia as a network has also allowed Islam to be commonly referred to as a networked civilization. Historians elaborate on the significance of traditional structures of religion as intellectual and more concrete at this time. Education, culture, and religion were linked together with the organisational structure of the shrine in many cases.

The orthodox disagree with sufi aspects of Sufism such as saint worship, the visiting of tombs, musical performance miracle-mongering, degeneration into juggling, and the adaptation of pre-Islamic and un-Islamic customs, and the reformers object to the influences of the monistic explanation of Islam upon moral life and human activities. The importance given to the figure of the master is accused of yielding a negative result; the shaykh as the almost infallible leader of his pupils and commend could gain dangerous authority and political influence, for the illiterate villagers in rural areas used to rely completely upon the saint. Furthermore, the  other masters have raised their voices against social inequality and have tried. Even at the cost of their lives, to change social and political conditions for the better and spiritually revive the masses. The missionary activities of the Sufis have expended the fold of the faithful. The importance of Sufism for spiritual education and the inculcation in the faithful of the virtues of trust in God, piety, faith in God’s love, and worship of the Prophet cannot be overrated. The zikr formulas still preserve their soothing and quieting powers even for the illiterate. Mysticism spread through Persian literature and other literatures influenced by it. Such poetry has always been a substance of happiness for millions, and although some modernists have disdained its narcotic influence on Muslim thinking.

The liberal ideas and unorthodox principles of Sufism had a profound influence on Indian society. The liberal principles of sufi sects retrained the forces of orthodoxy and intolerance and encouraged many Muslim rulers to pursue a tolerant attitude towards their non-Muslim subjects. Most sufi saints preached their teachings in the language of the common man, which contributed greatly to the impact of the sufi movement and was deeply felt by some renowned poets of the period, like Amir Punjabi and Hindi, in their praise of sufi principles.

Extremists target Sufis.

In the contemporary age, while some Muslims view Sufis as quirky, even eccentric, some fundamentalists and extremists see Sufism as a threat and its adherents as heretics or apostates. And, the Islamic state targets Sufis because they  believes that only a fundamentalist form of Sunni Islam is valid. Some fundamentalists see the high regard for saints, which is common in Shiite Islam, as a form of idolatry because, in their view, it shows fidelity to something other than the worship of a singular God. Some consider Sufis to be apostates because saints were not part of the original practise of Islam at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who died in 632. Though Al-Qaeda has also targeted Sufi sites, the Islamic state has set itself apart by calling for brutal attacks against Sufis.

Several Muslim-majority countries support the Sufis because they see them as members of a moderate, manageable faction who are unlikely to engage in political activity because their priorities are inwardly oriented. And, the Sufi sheikhs mostely accept the legitimacy of the state, leading to tensions with Muslims who oppose their government and are willing to act on their dissatisfaction—with violence if necessary.