Sufism

The substance of Sufism is the Truth and the meaning of Sufism is the selfless experiencing and actualization of the
Truth. The practice of Sufism is the intention to go towards the Truth, by means of love and devotion. This is called
the tarigat, the spiritual path or way towards God. The sufi is one who is a lover of Truth, who by means of love and
devotion moves towards the Truth, towards the perfection which all are truly seeking. As necessitated by love's
jealousy, the sufi is taken away from all except the Truth.

The main idea in Sufism is that people can have 'personal knowledge' or oneness with God in their
lives. In order to be one with God, you have to destroy your idea of yourself, or your ego. This is
known as fanaa (annihilation). Apart from saying Sufi prayers that vary according to different orders
you should be humble, considerate, and only act in order to control your desires.

After fanaa is achieved, you are reborn to live with, in, through and for God, (baqaa, and
permanency). This is the state where you have achieved the divine love of God, and come ever
closer to a unity with God. You should now strive to be one with God

Teachings of Sufism:

- Sufism teaches respect and adhere to the life style and values held by the Prophet Muhammad

- Sufism teaches respect and reverence for others and equal treatment for all;

- Sufism teaches love for human beings, animals, flowers and fruits, leaves and trees, day and night,
earth and skies, and all the creations of God;

- Sufism teaches polite speech so no one is hurt because love is the religion of Sufis;

- Sufism teaches purity of sight so as to ensure the purity of soul;

- Sufism teaches us to avoid the forbidden;

- Sufism teaches purity of head to avoid arrogance in accordance with teachings of Quraan;

- Sufism teaches us not to hear ill words against any person so as to avoid harm to other human
beings;

- Sufism teaches us not to use hands in any wrong-doings; and

- Sufism teaches us not to move the feet in a direction where one may lose consideration of
mankind.

SUFISM IN SINDH

Sindh (also called Bab-ul-Islam) is the birthplace of Sufism in Pakistan. Sufi saints were instrumental in
spreading Islam with its message of tolerance and forbearance. Sufi saints of Sindh(known as the land
of 124,000 saints and dervishes) have a large and devoted following among both Hindu and Muslims
and it is striking that many Hindus cross the border from India to pay homage at the shrines, despite
political obstacles and social stigma associated with stepping into enemy terrain. As Sachal
Sarmast, a Sufi saint, downplaying the religious divide, says:

Sachu Supreme is one- no doubt no question,

Witnesses his own show- resplendent royally,

Sometimes recites scriptures-sometimes Koran,

Somewhere as Christ, Ahmed or Hanumaan,

Astonished and bewildered at all Himself.

Sindh has been under the grip of the land owning feudal class, who have amassed power in their own
hands and shamelessly oppressed the peasantry. Amidst this backdrop, Shah Inayat (the Mansur of
Sind) launched a campaign against feudalism, calling for greater social justice and equality. He
proclaimed, much to the collective anger of the ruling elite, Land belongs to God and its yield to the
tiller.

This proclamation made the saint a threat to the ruling lites. By attempting to transform a feudal
society into an agrarian egalitarian society, he earned many enemies. On the orders of the King, Shah
Inayat was executed, becoming an iconic figure in the history of Sufism in Sindh.

In Sufi shrines, all ethnic, class, religious, social distinctions are blurred; everyone prays, sings and eats
together. Sufi saints emerged as the savior of the masses, providing charity freely, speaking up for the
rights of the impoverished and rebelling against the feudal class system.

Sufism offers the prospect a society without sectarian, ethnic and communal differences. The
pervasive influence of Sufism in Sindh has translated into a populace that is more tolerant,
accommodating and compromising, much of which explains why extremism is markedly less
pronounced in Sindh, as opposed to other provinces. Hindu-Muslim union in Sindh provides modern day
lessons for policy makers, striving to battle against the rapid spread of extremism.

Sufi saints have, time and again, challenged the Mulleh community, who espouse a strict reading of
religious texts and who consider the Sufis as being non-Muslim, deviant individuals, basking in music,
which for them is Haram. Now, I shall cite the poems of Sufi saints that clearly show acceptance of the
fact that the Divine Reality is one, which in turn has engendered a degree of tolerance in Sindhi
people.

Shah Latif (greatly influenced by Rumi) is one of the greatest poets of Sindh- his work is replete with
calls for religious tolerance and adoption of humanistic values. There is also a degree of pluralism in
the recognition that while the path to the reality may be plentiful; the destination is same for all. As he
writes:

From one it became many, from many it became one.

Reality is in unity, you should not forget this

That there is unity behind diversity.

There ore lahks of your forms, you are one with them,
but having different forms. Oh my beloved!

How many signs of your beauty am I going to count.

Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai was against religious dogma, as is manifested in the following poem:

If you are seeking Allah,

Then keep clear of religious formalities.
Those who have seen Allah
Are away from all religions!
Those who do not see Allah here,
How will they see Him beyond?

Consider the case of Gulan, a dancing girl who came to Shah Latif seeking guidance. The considerate
Latif blessed her, and the girl later married the ruler of Sind. This story showcases how the saints did
not condone or berate sinners, but rather, out of mercy and compassion, pray that they are shown the
Right Way. The Taliban could learn a lot from this short example.

Shah Latif encapsulates his teachings in the below text:

The Truth is one, the Beloved is one, why fight over names? They asked him: Oh Latif, what are you,
a Shiah Muslim or a Sunni one? He replied: Between the two. They said: But between the two is
nothing. Yes, yes, he replied, that `nothing I am.

Blighted by conventional thinking, priests and the ulema decried the message of these Sufi saints,
calling them heresy and Kufr (with a special emphasis on the Sufi penchant for music). The priests of
Islam said, Satan is the worst of the damned. Latif defied them. Satan is the only lover, all others
are prattlers. Out of the great love of the Lord, the shining one (Satan) embraced disgrace.

In his recognition of Unity of the Lord, he came to associate every form of Creation with the Divine
Essence:
This and that, life and death, beloved and lover, enemy and friend are all one.

Sachal, another great poet, in the same vein as Shah Latif, criticizes formal religion when he
articulates.

Love forgives all religion. The Lover never entangles himself in either Islam or Hinduism

The Mullas read traditions and the Koran,

They look like Mussalmans,

They are the very devil,

These will defeated die

In the poetry of Sachal Sarmast, one finds examples of Sikh references, which is a token of his
profound tolerance for spiritual teachers, casting religion aside. Some of his poems manifestly are on
Sri Krishna and Hindu Yogis. The Union of both these elements in his songs helped foster harmony and
a mutual appreciation of each others culture. As Sachal writes:

Again and again he emphasizes this, neither a Muslim nor a Hindu. The priests could not tolerate
this, but Sachal poured ridicule upon them. Look at these priests! How sanctimoniously they read
lengthy prayers merely to fill their stomachs. For a trifle of bread they cry their prayers, with
uncomely faces, with ugly beards, these raw ones read blessings! To the world they boast they keep
fasts, in reality they are great eaters

A crucial element of the evolution of Sufism in Sindh (and the lesson it provides for todays divided
world) was the blurring of religious lines, in that there were even Hindu Sufi fakirs who preached
tolerance, practiced Sufism and enjoyed a large following, of both Hindu and Muslims. Even during the
partition of 1947, Sindh was not engulfed in communal tensions, of the levels seen in Punjab and
Bengal. In the political arena, fundamentalist parties have fared poorly in the province.

The central essence of Sufi thinking, as preached by saints over the ages, has been to reform orthodox
Islamic thinking. The conjoining and assimilation of both Hindu and Muslim cultures in Sindh has not
resulted in an intolerant and bigoted society.

Ruhal Fakir, in his assertion that God is one, downplays the religious divide that breeds hatred and
resentment:

In Kufir and Islam they are out of step,

One Hindu, the other Musalmaan and third enmity in between,

Who can claim truly that the blind cant find darkness,

Ruhal, on the path of Beloved, realise its vastness,

God was only one- no traps, no twists,

Where can she point her feet in the abode of Allah!

References:
http://historypak.com/sindhi-culture/
http://www.nimatullahi.org/what-is-sufism/
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism