Islam and Sufism as Pacific Forces
by KAMLESH DIXIT

TODAY, it saddens me to see the world being cleaved into an Islamic and a non-Islamic one by extremist elements. Having grown up in Uttar Pradesh, I am fully conversant with the healing attributes of the Sufi order.

Religion did not come in the way of forging friendships between Hindus and Muslims -- except on rare occasions when communal riots flared up and an uneasiness crept in.

But we would soon rekindle the relationship. And somehow, during such times, our joint visits to Sufi shrines -- UP has plenty of them -- increased. There would always be as many Hindus, if not more, paying visits to these shrines, especially during times of stress.

All I would like to ask those who propagate hate for Islam is, if Islamic tenets propagate violence and destruction as they would have us believe, how could it possibly give birth to something as beautiful as Sufism? Sufism is synonymous with love, tolerance and humility.

It is a faith that believes in the immense goodness of the human soul. Is the Sufi tenet, Hama Ost -- God is Imminent in Everything -- any different in essence from the Qur'anic definition of Allah which declares him to be Omnipresent? Any faith that helps you to look inwards is a faith that make sense in these terrifying times.

For a Sufi, philanthropy or love for humankind, is the best form of worship. For him discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, colour or creed, is ungodly. The famous Sufi Persian poet Hafiz wrote: ``Hafiz, if it's salvation you desire, then be in peace with all, /Say `Allah Allah' when with a Muslim, `Ram Ram' when with a Hindu''.

Sufism derives its name from suf, meaning `wool'. However, its common description is tasawwaf or Islamic mysticism. The Sufis have their own spiritual hierarchy.

The Sufi, who becomes close to God, is called a Wali or saint. One who has attained the stage of Haqiqah or reality, is considered almost God-incarnate for having lost his individual being and achieving divinity. Such a Wali is said to have come to the end of the process of sainthood and he even has his own seal.

Traditionally, Sufism has a Pir-Murid like the guru-shishya parampara or a mentor-pupil path (tariqah), with the former teaching and paving the path of the latter towards union of lover to the loved one or Mahabbah, that is God.

This is the process where self is effaced (Fana) that acts as a source of eternity (Baqa).

To a large extent Islam grew and spread in India due to the endearing preachings of the Sufis rather than to the `sword' of Islam.

Sufi saints like Ahmad Sirhindi helped the cause of Sufism with his view point of Wahdat ash-Shuhud or unity of vision that shed light on the tolerant and better face of Islam.

He founded the popular Naqshbandiya branch of Sufism and received great favour in the Mughal courts.

During the time of the Caliphs, Islam was known for its tolerance and freedom of scientific inquiry. This incidentally was when Europe still languished in the dark ages.

Unlike the present times, most of Europe used to look to the Arabs -- who were then the torch bearers of Islam -- as a source of knowledge. This was the period of consolidation for rationalist thinking and propagation of natural sciences and mathematics, both fields in which the Arabs made great contributions.

Throughout the Middle Ages the only real advances in mathematics were made by the Indians and Arabs. They discovered trigonometry. It was the Arabs who discovered algebra.

The very word al-jabr is Arabic, which, like so many other things, found its way into Europe from Spain. It may surprise many to know that the Arab conquest of Spain found great support among the Spanish people themselves as the Arabs treated them better than their fellow Christian landlords.

Guided by the levelling and democratic practices of Islam, the Arabs acted almost as social emancipators, abolishing the oppressive rights of the possessing classes -- the feudal landlords and clergy and replacing it with an easy single tax.

That too was not levied on women, children, the sick, the blind or slaves. Even the Christian monasteries were exempt.

Today, the images of Kalashnikov-toting kids and venom-spewing clerics flash across the mind when speaking of Kabul. This same Kabul was once a great centre of Islamic culture and learning.

Its descent into barbarism is certainly painful -- as painful as the state of Kashmir today, compared to the picture post-card images of the valley barely a decade ago.