Abstract
If anyone wants to know the history of Sufism, the philosophy of Sufi saints, their influence on the society, their interaction with the political authority then nothing could be better than reading Sufis of Punjab: A Biographical Study by Professor S. M. Azizuddin Husain. The author, very interestingly, traces the history of Sufism from way back to the incident of Karbala, the tragedy which still gives spiritual strength to the Sufi saints. Perhaps, this is the reason why, Sama, which is an intrinsic part of the Sufi cultural practices, is incomplete without the mention of Ali and his son Husain, who fought against the introduction of kingship in the Islamic political system. In this sense, Sufism is as old as Islam. In his book, Sufis of Punjab, the author seems to have penned down his own emotions in the light of the historical facts. The interesting thing about this work which differentiates it from other historical works is that the book has been written only with the help of the primary sources and the author has not used even a single secondary source. Since the book provides a detailed survey of primary sources, the work itself should be considered as a primary source on Sufism. This book also gives a detailed account of tasawwuf with chronology. It would not be an exaggeration if we say that Professor Husain has made people hear the unheard Sufis who were ignored by the dominant history writings.
Though, the title of the book suggests that the author is going to talk about only Sufis of Punjab but the way, introduction is written in this book sheds light on every aspect of Sufism in general and not only on the Sufis of Punjab. The introduction tries to answer every single question that has been raised by different scholars in regards to Sufis lives. The book provides a rich biography of the Sufi saints in general and Sufis of undivided Punjab in particular. It includes the description of their ancestry, their caste, region, mobility, social and political status and their relationship with the political authority or the state. The book is full of interesting examples from Sufis’ lives that can help the general readers to develop good understanding of the subject. For example, the story of Shaikh Bahauddin Zakaria and Shaikh Hameeduddin Nagori clearly shows that Sufis had devised their own method of testing the characters of other Sufis. This book has presented a very important point in a very simple manner which differentiates it from other writings on Sufism.
The book questions those scholars who raised doubts on the credibility of Malfulzat as a historical source. The author also very ‘subtly’ highlights the fact that the original work of Sufis, their Murids (Sufi disciple), and the work of Ulema and Mashaikh on Sufis have been ignored by the scholars. In fact, what this book suggests is that there has been a hesitation among the scholars to consider Malfulzat as a historical source. Such prejudice led to the marginalisation of subaltern faith (the usage of subaltern faith instead of popular religion here, suggests the scarcity of historical writings on Malfuz literatures) from historical work. What the author tries to suggest is that the attitude of historians towards Sufi literature is perhaps the main cause why we hardly find any good English translations of original Sufi works. Colonial historians and administrators downplayed the role of Sufis in making the medieval and modern Indian societies, and according to the author, there was a practical and good reason for that. As Sufis had no interest in temporal benefits, they refused to become a part of the collaborators of the colonial empire. But ironically, Indian scholars from the liberals to the Marxists have chosen the same path by putting Malfulzat in ahistorical category. Though covertly, the author definitely indicates that there are two reasons for rejecting Malfuz literature as a historical source for history writings. First, historians of medieval and modern India are guided by their own pre-conceived notions that Malfulzats are not historical enough to be used as a historical source and second, scholars have not read these sources as they are in Persian and Urdu and not in English and also they are scattered in different libraries and not easily available. In fact, according to Professor Husain, Indian historians have shown their elitism and they seem to be infected with the prejudice of Anglicism.
Another imperative point that the book highlights goes against the common perception that generally envisages Sufism within the boundary of silsilah. The author strongly asserted that silsilah was/is not hereditary. Sufis were not tied with hereditary silsilahs. The author has cited the spiritual journey of Mir Kamaluddin Husain Hamedani, who contributed to the expansion of Kubravi silsila beyond the geographical boundaries of Kashmir. Being the grandson of one of the prominent Sufi saints of India and the founder of the Kubravi silsila, Mir Saiyad Ali Hamedani inherited the Kubravi silsila from his grandfather. But in the later days, he established the branch of Suhrawardi Silsila in Kerala. The expansion of Suhrawardi silsilah in Kerala, according to Professor Husain, counters the general perception of the scholars who somehow deny the existence of Sufi movement in that region. The migration of Kamaluddin Husain Hamedani from Jalalito Baliapattam also exhibits the zeal and commitment of the Sufi saints towards their commitment to the cause of humanity.
Professor Husain has used a very unique style to express the feeling and the philosophy of Sufis. He has highlighted the couplets by the Sufi saints that demonstrate their outlook, understanding and the vision for an ideal society. Through couplets, the authors exhibit their love for India. Indeed, it is an important point, not just because other historians have miserably failed to show the love and affection the Sufis had for India but also because it is generally perceived that in spiritual life there is no place for constructed love and love for the birthplace, place of work and place of worship.
The author also accentuates different aspects of Sufis lives. The book not only underlines the spiritual side of Sufi saints but also draws our attention towards the worldly expertise of these spiritual leaders. As an artist, they did not just show their passion for arts but also it was the main source of their livelihood. Some of them were calligraphers, some were writers, and some were engaged in other works to earn their livelihood. The author also gives an account of one saint who used to work as a blacksmith. This is very unfortunate that such a diverse life of Sufis was ignored by most of the scholars. Their love in promoting knowledge can best be understood by the quotes of Maulana Husain Husain Bakhsh Shaheed, mentioned in this book that read ‘Death of my son and missing of a book is equal’ (p. 7).
One of the core ideas of the book is to highlight how Sufism promoted communal harmony contrary to the organised religions which divide people on the basis of faith and through constructing faith communities by the otherization of the members of different religious communities. The commitment of the Sufis towards humanism, according to the author, is perhaps the main reason why they have differences from ulemas. On the one hand, ulemas seek the patronage of the political class to spread the Islamic culture, on the other hand, for the Sufis, the idea of loving all human beings and considering them equal is the core message of Islam. Unlike ulemas, Sufis didn’t need the patronage of the political authority. In fact, contrary to this, rulers used to visit Sufis and their shrines to gain religious and moral legitimacy. Prof Husain asserts that “Islam, as practised by the Sufis, was definitely more influential than the Islam of the ambitious Turkish conquerors. Sufis believed in equality and fraternity of mankind. They abjured narrowness of mind and opposed communal, sectarian and caste barriers, which cause conflict and destroy social harmony.” (p. 21). The author very candidly says that Sufis knew that even the strongest ruler cannot rule for more than 50 years and the strongest empires are destined to decline in a maximum period of 500 years but Sufis who rule the heart and not the tangible territory, will keep on inspiring people for forever.
The book also stresses the point that the Sufis were keen to promote the idea of casteless society against the existing rigid caste-based structure of the society. In the light of the Sufi literature, the author clearly shows how Sufis rejected the hegemony of elite languages with their deeds. This was unlike the religious leaders (ulemas) who preferred the Arabic and the Persian languages because of their religious and political significance, Sufis were always inclined towards vernacular languages to have an easy access to the masses.
This pioneering work will always be remembered for its contribution to the study of Sufism in India in general and Sufis of Punjab in particular. Perhaps, this is the only book on Sufism which talks about the status of women in the organisational structure of Sufi silsilahs. This is the only book which unearths a very important fact, for which it will always be considered as a pioneering work, that a woman can also be appointed as a khalifa.