I was studying in 8th standard when the Bollywood movie ‘Jodha Akbar' was released. It became an immediate blockbuster looking at the scale of canvas it was made on. Another thing that caught my eye was the Sufi song “Khwaja mere Khwaja” sung by A.R. Rahman. He needs no introduction, a man with the Sufi voice. It felt peaceful and soothing listening to the song. It was only after “Khwaja '' that I came to know there existed something called Sufi music. So, Sufism to me became a source of calm and peace. Then in 2011 came “Kun Faaya Kun'', sung again by A.R. Rahman which was again a super hit song. All of a sudden, Sufism was a trend for my age group.
In my teenage years, I even started feeling that music is free of any religion and it helps us connect with the supreme power, the almighty. But is music really free of religious boundaries? Is there something called Sufi music? Does Islam really have space for music and art? Is Sufism really peaceful?
Let’s begin with the purpose behind the inception of Sufism. Within Islam’s first century the Muslim leaders found themselves in possession of a vast empire, and, living off tribute money from the conquered, they “surrounded themselves with captive concubines and slaves, and lived on a scale of luxury unknown to their ancestors.” The movement of protest against this-worldliness ultimately resulted in both the legalistic and mystical schools of Islam. However, this is a half-baked truth. As per many theologists, the origin of Islamic mysticism lies in various non-Islamic sources in ancient Europe and India. This makes all the sense as Islam proscribes music and poetry.
The Quran, the holy book of Muslims, categorically prohibits music and poetry.
Poetry and music is haram in Islam.
- Quran 26:224, Bukhari: 8:175-176
“Who think musical instrument lawful, will be destroyed and transformed into apes and pigs” - Bukhari 7:494B
So, the question arises of what made Muslims defy their holy scriptures and learn music and mysticism related to it. One of the core tenets of Sufism is praising Allah and its apostle. Also, emulating Prophet Muhammad in every sense as he is a symbol of the highest human morality. Now, if you look at it, Sufism is not really different from Islam anyways. This is exactly what Muslims believe and do. The only difference I see is ‘Dhikr’ which is one of the tenets of Sufism where Sufis chant verses in praise of Allah and Prophet Muhammad. They also believe Prophet Muhammad to be the first Sufi.
Generally, people are of the notion that Sufism has nothing to with radical Islam or violence. However, they are mistaken as there is unquestioned obedience of every Sufi to the dictates of Ulama. According to K.A. Nizami’s book Life & Times of Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya, Auliya held that what Ulamas seek to achieve through speech Sufis like him do it by their behaviour. Also, Auliya emphasised that Allah created Jannat (paradise) for Muslims and Jahannum (hell) for Kafir.
In India, Sufism came as a peaceful sect but in reality, it was an act of deception, a camouflage, to prove to Hindus that they believed in one almighty God devoid of any religious boundaries. They acted as if they were similar to Hindu saints who roamed freely from one part of the country to another spreading the message of peace, brotherhood and humanity.
Once Hindus started falling for this trap, Sufis began their real purpose behind godly sainthood - conversions.
We can understand this from the example depicted below.
“In 1101, Muslims of Ajmer appealed to Mahmud of Ghazni for help against Hindu Kafirs. Mahmud, in return, took a promise to include his name in the khutaba of the Friday namaz.” - Abdur Rahman Chisti, Mirat-i-Masudi
In another such example, Moinuddin Chisti wrote in a letter to Ghori, “Hindu armies could only be won by deception, not by military might”. The same Moinuddin Chisti is even revered by Hindus. Millions of Hindu visit Ajmer without a second thought about the barbarism that Chisti was a part of.
“A History of Sufism in India, page 116”. Chisti says, “We have seized Pithaura alive and handed him over to the army of Islam”. His hatred for Hindus knew no limits. In the same book, page 117, “Moinuddin Chisti’s servants slaughtered a cow and cooked kebabs at the sacred place surrounded by 1000 Hindu Temples”.
In another similar example, “Pir Sabari waged jihad against the rajas of Bijapur, with an iron bar he broke necks and heads of many rajas and drove them to dust of defeat, many infidels repented from their unbelief, came to Islam by Pir Ma’bari’s hands.” - Md Ibrahim Zubari, Rauzat al Auliya.
According to Sufi Miyan Mir & Sirhindi, the execution of Guru Arjun Dev was a great Islamic victory. As per Sufi Shah Wali Ullah, Dhimmies must remain terrified and trembling.
Most of the historians have remained confused as to who among Syed Ahmad Khan and Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the father of the two-nation theory. However, historically the seed of the two-nation theory was sown long before in the 16th century by Ahmad Sirhind who was settled in Agra. According to him, “Islam and Hinduism can not co-exist”. Later on, he was the one who enforced sharia in Jahangir and Shah Jahan’s court.
According to S.A.A. Rizvi’s book, History of Sufism in India, Nizamuddin Auliya used to unhesitatingly accept enormous gifts from Khusraw Barwar, which implied that Auliya was unconcerned with the source of the gift.
Such was the hatred of Nizamuddin Auliya for Hindus that he would say even if Hindus agreed to be loyal to Allah the only abode for kafirs (here Hindus) was Jahannum (hell). Nizamuddin Auliya played a vital role in the trade of Hindu slaves to Ghazni.
Every Sufi had the ultimate goal of converting the Dar ul Harb (land of non-believers) into Dar ul Islam (land of Muslims). To do so, Jihad was the only way. In 1414, According to S.A.A Rizvi’s book ‘The Wonder That Was India’, Ibrahim Shah Sharqi attacked Ganesha’s kingdom at the request of outraged ulema and numerous Sufis of Bengal. Sufi Nur Qutbi-i Alam secured a political agreement between them forcing Ganesha to resign. Further, his 12-year-old son Jadu was captured and converted to Islam. The child came to be known as Sultan Jalaluddin Muhammad, who trained to become a ruthless converter through extreme violence.
Sufis enjoyed the slaughters of Hindus especially Brahmins. In one of his recounts, a jubilant Amir Khusrau writes, “Heads of Brahmins and idolaters danced from their necks and fell to the ground at their feet and blood flowed in torrents”. Amir Khusrau is falsely presented as a secular figure but it’s as true as Islam’s peaceful nature. Khusrau said, “Heroism of our holy warriors has saturated whole Hindu Land with blood flowing from the sword of Islam. Clouds of infidelity are dispersed. Mighty warriors of Hindus have been trampled underfoot.” According to Khusrau, the Hanafi code did a favour to Hindus by sparing their lives by levying Jizyah lest they would have been finished root and branch. That is the mercy Islam talks about.
According to S.A.A Rizvi, Sultan Ahmed Shah, a practising Sufi took delight in destroying temples. He would force the Rajput chieftains to marry their daughters to him so that they would become outcasts in their own community and would be left with nothing but to opt for Islam.
As per M.A. Khan, the first thing that Sufi Sayid Ali Hamdani did after coming to Kashmir in 1381 was break a Hindu temple and build a Khanqah over it. Together with Sikandar Butshikan, his son Amir Sayed Mahmood wiped off Hindus from Kashmir.
Sufi barbarism is full of Hindu slaughters. According to Tarikh-i-Hasan Khulihami, Sufi Shaikh Shams-ud-Din Muhammdu Iraqi partnered with Malik Musa Raina. 1500-2000 Hindus were brought to Shamsuddin’s doorstep every day, made to remove their Janeu (sacred thread), recite kalma, circumcised and were forcibly fed beef. Iraqi forcibly converted 24,000 Hindu families.
According to Baharistan-i-Shahi, “When many converted Hindus started returning to the Hindu fold, many hundreds of them were slaughtered en masse by the commander Malik Kazi Chak of Sultan Muhammad Shah by the orders of Shams-ud-din Iraqi on the day of Muharram in 1518”.
Sufis committed atrocities in India
Intellectual Ram Swaroop in his book “Hindu view of Christianity and Islam” wrote on the Sufi role in the jihad against the infidels. He says,
Sufi movement comparable to Christian Missions of Imperialism
No Sufi protested the slaughter and plunder of infidels
Sufis were beneficiaries of this vandalism
Quoting Thomas Arnold, he says the shrine of Sufi in many cases marks the site of some local cult which was practised long before the introduction of Islam (pointing towards some Hindu temples)
Mu’in aI-Din Chisti’s Dargah at Ajmer is one such example built on the ruins of a Hindu temple
He got the present of a Hindu princess, part of the booty captured by a Muslim General, Malik Khitab
Sufis often took full part in Islamic Jihad
Sufism looks mystical and peaceful when you do not know what Sufis have done so far. Once you have seen things, you can unlock them.
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