Sufism--Part 1

The Path
Introduction
Mysticism is the experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality,
and attainment of direct knowledge of God, spiritual Truth, or ultimate Reality through
subjective experience. Sufism or Tasawwuf is considered Islamic Mysticism. However, certain
Sufi practices are considered incompatible with Islam.
The term Sufi is variously traced to Arabic word, Suf- wool, referring either to the simple
cloaks the early Muslim ascetics wore, or possibly to Sf- purity. Thus The Sufi is the one
who wears wool on top of purity. Wool cloaks were a designation of their initiation into the
Sufi order, worn perhaps as an imitation of Is bin Maryam (Jesus). Yet others have linked
the term with Greek word Sophia- wisdom.
Under the Umayyad rule, when Muslim communities were rife with schisms, bloodshed
and fanaticism - a group of pious companions, such as Ahle Suff, who used to sit on the
benches (Suff) and were known for their ascetic life, decided to move out of this politicised
atmosphere of the cities and go into rural areas to devote themselves to spirituality. They
learned higher spirituality from and gave their loyalty to a Sufi Shaikh or Peer. They were the
early Sufis. They were also the theoreticians of the Traditional Islm.
Some of the more remarkable qualities of these people included loving and humanitarian
attitudes toward fellow human beings irrespective of race or religion, humility, living an ascetic
life -- and spending most of their time in prayer, Zikr or Dhikr (reciting Qur'n, chanting the
names of Godand Murqab (contemplation).
The great Sufi Master of the Naqshbandi Order, Hazrat Mauln Shh Fazl Ahmad Khn
(19th20th cent.) has said that the occult science of Sufi Saints in fact belonged to the ancient
Hindu saints, which was lost in oblivion by them and is being now reintroduced amongst them.
The Way of the Sufi
SUFI is one, who has Submitted himself to the will of the god, who lives in Union with the
God and who has devoted himself to FInd the Truth. The essence of Sufism is absolute non-
existence that needs no existence besides the Almightys Existence.
Sufis lay stress on the unity of inner teachings of all religions, rather than on their outer
form. They distinguish spirituality from religion. For them the Almighty is not concerned with
ones religion, but with love. The real objective being to grow beyond religion, to understand
the real meaning of the religion and to realize the Truth by ones own experience.
Sufis yearn to be a true human being, free from all bondage and honest with the Almighty.
They believe in evolution of a man into a complete man by enlightenment through ones own
experience and understanding. They make a conscious effort to mind their conduct and
evolve as Insn Kmil- a perfect man.
Sufis want to be nothing. It is their ideal to lose all their identity i.e. the complete sacrifice of
the self, the ego. The Sufis live only in the present. They are different from others in that they
are inwardly absorbed all the time.
The Way of the Sufi: The Religion of the Sufi is the cry of the heart; The Ideal of the
Sufi is spiritual consciousness; The Goal of the Sufi is self-realization; The God of the Sufi is
the Divine Presence within; The Path of the Sufi is brotherhood and sisterhood; The Manner
of the Sufi is inner nobility; The Art of the Sufi is personality; The Charm of the Sufi is humility;
The Moral of the Sufi is beneficence; The Attitude of the Sufi is forgiveness; The Beloved of
the Sufi is love itself.
 Divine Love
The Sufi Qalb- heart

This is the first step on the road The essence of God is love and
to the love of God. The Sufi Path is path of love.
This is just a seed of love. Love is to see what is good and
In time, the seed will grow beautiful in everything.
and become a tree and bear fruit. It is to learn from everything, to
Then, whoever tastes of that fruit see the gifts of God and the
will know what real love is. generosity of God in everything.
It will be differently for those It is to be thankful for all God's
who have tasted to tell of it to bounties.
those who have not.
- Muzaffer Ashki al-Halveti al-Jerrahi (1916-1985)
The Qalb, though connected in some mysterious way with the physical heart, is not a
thing of flesh and blood. Whereas the intellect cannot gain real knowledge of God, the
Qalb is capable of knowing the essences of all things, and when illumined by faith and
knowledge reflects the whole content of the divine mind. Normally, the heart is
'veiled,' blackened by sin, tarnished by sensual impressions and images, pulled to and
fro between reason and passion: a battlefield on which the armies of God and the
Devil contend for victory. Through one gate, the heart receives immediate knowledge
of God; through another, it lets in the illusions of sense.
The Basic Principles of Sufism
As given by Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani and Muhammad Bahauddin Shah
Naqshband of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order. These were embraced and hailed
by all the forty tariqats (Sufi Orders) as the way of Truth and loyalty.

(i) Hosh dar Dam (Conscious Breathing)-The true seeker should always be alert that he does
not take any breath devoid of Gods remembrance.
(ii) Nazar bar Kadam (Watch Your Step)- Each step moved forward should be taken
consciously i.e. one should not do anything which may drag him down or which may obstruct
his spiritual progress.
(iii) Safar dar Watan (Journey Homeward)- The seeker must move from the world of creation
to the world of Creator. The first part of the journey is external in which the seeker desires and
searches for the Master. Then the internal journey begins which leads to the purification of his
heart and makes him eligible to receive the Divine grace.
(iv) Khilawat dar Anjuman (Solitude in the Crowd)- Khilawat means seclusion, both external
and internal. External seclusion requires the seeker to be away from people, staying by
himself and spending his time in the remembrance of God.
(v) Yd Kard (Essential Remembrance)- To keep oneself continuously engaged in reciting
the japa (the internal practice as directed by the Master) and in such a manner that the
seeker starts feeling the presence of the Master or the Almighty in his heart is the Essential
Remembrance.
The Basic Principles of Sufism
(vi) Bz Gsht (Returning to the origin) During internal practice the seeker may experience
sighting of light, activation of the mystique centers, acquisition of miraculous powers etc.
which may arouse the ego. The seeker should keep on praying the Almighty at intervals that
He alone is the objective of the seeker. Ones heart should be protected from bad thoughts
and from worldly inclinations.
(vii) Nigh Dsht (Attentiveness)-The seeker should always keep an eye on his internal
condition so that no doubt or ill thought ever arises and he constantly keeps on remembering
the Almighty.
(viii) Yd Dsht (Recollection) It means continuous remembrance. When the seeker
through practice becomes so apt that the remembrance continues in the heart effortlessly on
its own, it is called Yd dsht.
(ix) Wkoof Zamni (Awareness of Time)The seeker must watch that the time at his
command is spent in the remembrance of the Almighty and must make all efforts to make
spiritual progress. He must recount his actions and deeds and seek His forgiveness for the
wrong doings.
(x) Wkoof Addi (Awareness of Numbers) One should, while holding the breath, recite the
name of the God, feeling His Presence in the heart, in odd number i.e. 5,7,9,11,21 etc. The
real meaning appears to be that the Almighty is One and He likes Oneness. It perhaps also
means that one should remember the Almighty alone.
(xi) Wkoof Qalbi (Awareness of the Heart)The seeker should always have an eye on his
heart (Qalb) so that his attention is always towards the Divine Presence and it may not be
diverted elsewhere.
Sufi Beliefs
Sufis believe in practicing perfection of worship (Ihsn). Sufism is primarily concerned
with direct personal experience. It is defined as the science of Reperation of heart, purifying &
beautifying it, and turning it away from all else but God & Travelling into Divine presence.
The central doctrine of Sufism called Unity (Wahdat) is the understanding of all pheno-
mena are manifestations of a single reality (Tawhid), or being (Wujud). The essence of being/
Truth/God is devoid of every form and quality, and hence unmanifested, yet it is inseparable
from every form and phenomenon either material or spiritual. It implies that every pheno-
menon is an aspect of Truth, and attribution of existence to it is false. The chief aim of all Sufis
is to let go of all notions of duality and the individual self also, and realize the Divine unity.
Sufis believe that Sufism cannot be learned through books. Sufism typically requires that
the disciple live with and serve the teacher for many, many years. The Sufi doctrine of the
Perfect Man (al-Insn al-Kmil), states that there always exists upon earth a Pole or Axis,
of the Universe (Qutb)who is the perfect channel of grace from God to man and in a state
of Wilaya (sanctity, being under the protection of God). The vow of obedience to the Qutb or
Shaikh which is taken by Sufis is considered incompatible with devotion to the Imam.
In Sufi metaphor, the seeker is shiq- lover, Allah, the Mshuq- Beloved represented by the
Peer as the Sqi- the (male) Cupbearer or Tippler, seen as a handsome youth, pouring
Divine Wine of nectar unto him. His features (specifically the eyes, forehead, hair and mole on
the cheek) and his demeanor are praised to high heaven. He hides behind a veil, which needs
to be lifted. In contrast, the Shaikh, Mullh & Kzi are treated by Sufis with contempt as being
charlatans (Pkhandis). Folk love tales (such as Laila-Manjun) were used as allegories of
spiritual love. In India, Amir Khusro, Qutuban, Malik Mohd. Jyasi etc. enriched Sufi literature.
Sufi Orders
The widening of Islams conquests, and the resulting absorption of a wide range of mystic
traditions from outside Arabia, fuelled its spread. Sufism became a more formalized movement
by the 12th cent., and during the 13th-16th cents. it produced the flourishing intellectual culture-
throughout the Muslim world, whose physical artifacts can be seen today. Sufi lodges
(Khnqh, Zaoui or Tekke) were established where Sufis and itinerant seekers gathered.
As Sufism became a greater movement in Islam, individual Sufis began to group together.
These groups (also known as orders) were based on a common master, who then began
spiritual lineage, which is a connection between a Sufi order in which there is a common
spiritual heritage based on the masters teachings called Tariq. A Sufi's Silsil is his badge of
identity/source of legitimacy.
Sufism had a long history already before institutionalization of Sufi teachings into Tariq-
devotional orders of cultural wisdom reflecting the perspectives of different masters. In
Sufism, one can only receive instruction in spiritual practices (Tlqn) from an authorized
teacher of the path or method (Tariq), and only after pledging a vow of obedience (Bay h)
to this Shaikh. The Shaikh gives his disciples permission (Ijz) to practise the Tariqa: he may
also authorize one or more of them to teach it to others, i.e. appoint them as his khalfas.
The Silsils- genealogical chains of transmission from master to student concerned
themselves with subtle knowledge (gnosis), education of the heart to purify it of baser
instincts, the love of God, and approaching God through a well-described hierarchy of
Maqmt- spiritual stations and Ahwl- the more transient spiritual states. Several extant Sufi
orders trace their Silsils back to Prophet Muhammad thru his Companions: Ali abu Tlib (the
primary link between Sufi orders and the Prophet), Abu Bakr and Umar (3 of the 4 Righteously
Guided Caliphs). Their lineage is called Silsilt al-Dhahb (Dhahb: gold), the Chain of Gold.
Sufi Orders
Yaswi [founder: Khwja Ahmed Yesevi] in modern Kazhkistan was one of the earliest
orders. Kubrwi [f: Najmedddin Kubr] originated in C. Asia. The best known of silsils in
S. Asia/India are: (1) Chishti (2) Naqshbandi (3) Qdiri and (4) Suhrwardi. One
particular order that is unique in claiming spiritual lineage through the Caliph Abu Bakr, who
was generally seen as more of a political leader than a spiritual leader, is the Naqshbandi.
The North African Abu'l-Hasan al-Shdhili (d 1258) was the founder of the Shadhili.
The Rifa`i was definitely an order by 1320, when Ibn Battut gave us his description of its
rituals. The Khalwati [f. Umar al-Khalwati, an Azerbaijani Sufi]. While its Indian Subcontinent
branches did not survive into modern times, it later spread into the Ottoman Empire and
became influential there during the 16th cent. It crystallized into a Tariq between 1300 and
1450. The founder of the Shattari was `Abdullh al-Shattr (d. 1428). Currently, orders
worldwide are: B Alwiyy, Khalwati, Nimtullahi, Oveyssi, Qdiri Boutshishi, Tijni,
Qalandari, Sarwari Qdri, Shadhli, Ashrafi, Jerrhi, Bektshi, Mevlevi, Alians etc.
Qadiris [f: Abdul-Qdir Gilni (1077-1166)] one of the oldest Sufi Tariqs. And the most
widespread Sufi order. They and their many offshoots, are found in the Arabic-speaking world,
Afghnistn, S. India, Bangldesh, Pkistn, Turkey, the Balkans, China, Indonesia, India,
Israel, and much of the E&W Africa, like Morocco. They strongly adhere to the fundamentals of
Islm. Their leadership is not centralized, and own interpretations and practices are permitted.
A rose of green and white cloth, with a six-pointed star in the middle, is traditionally worn in the
cap of Qdiri darveshes. Teachings emphasize the struggle against the desires of the ego. It is
described as "the greater struggle" (Jihd). Names of God are prescribed as Wazifs (chants)
for repetition by initiates (Zikr) in both loud and low voice. Though the Sunn is the ultimate
source of religious guidance, Walis (saints) are God's chosen spiritual guides for the people.
Sufi Orders
The Chishtis [founded in Chisht, near Herat about 930 by Abu Ishaq Shami] are known
for their emphasis on love, tolerance and openness and for the welcome extended to seekers
who belong to other religions. They flourish in S. Asia and Afghanistan and have attracted
many westerners. Their insistence on otherworldliness has differentiated them from Sufi
orders that maintained close ties to rulers and courts and deferred to aristocratic patrons.
Chishtias follow five basic devotional practices. 1. Reciting the names of Allh loudly,
sitting in the prescribed posture at prescribed times (Zikr-i Djahr) 2. Reciting the names of
Allh silently (Zikr-i Khaf) 3. Regulating the breath (Ps-i Anfs) 4. Absorption in mystic
contemplation (Murqba) 5. 40 days of spiritual confinement in a lonely corner or cell for
prayer and contemplation (Chilla). Chishti practice is also notable for Sam'- evoking the
divine presence through song or listening to music or dancing with jingling anklets. The
Chishti, as well as some other Sufi orders, believe that music can help devotees forget self
in the love of Allh. The music usually heard at Chishti shrines and festivals is Qawwli,
invented by Amir Khusro, which is a representation of the inner sound.
Early Chishti shaikhs adopted concepts and doctrines outlined in two influential Sufi texts:
the Awrif al-Marif of Shaikh Shihb al-Dn Suhraward and the Kashf al-Madjb of
Hujwr. These texts are still read and respected today. Chishti also read collections of the
sayings, speeches, poems, and letters of the shaikhs called Malft.
The most famous of the Chishti saints is Mu'nuddn Chisht of Ajmer, India, others being:
Qutab-ud-Din Bakhtyr Kki, Farduddn Mas'd ("Baba Farid", Nizamuddin Auliya, Alauddin
Sabir Kaliyri, Muhammed Badesh Qdri, Ashraf Jahngir Semnni, Hji Imdadullh Muhjir
Makki and Shh Niyz Ahmad. Chishti master Hazrat Inyat Khn was the first to bring the
Sufi path to the West.
Sufi Orders
Suhrawardis [f: Diy al-din Abu n-Najib as-Suhrawardi (1097-1168)] live in extreme
poverty, spending time in Zikr- remembrance. It is a strictly Sunni order, guided by the Shafi`I
school of Islamic law (Madhab), and, traces its spiritual genealogy to Hazrat Ali ibn Abi
Tlib through Junayd Baghddi and al-Ghazli. It played an important role in the formation of
a conservative new piety and in the regulation of urban vocational and other groups, such as
trades-guilds and youth clubs, particularly in Baghdd. Shaikh Umar of Baghdad directed his
disciple Bah-ud-din Zakari to Multan and Saiyad Jalluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhri to Uch,
Sindh. Bukhri was a puritan who strongly objected to Hindu influence on Muslim social and
religious practices. The order became popular in India owing to his and of his successor,
Bah-ud-din Zakaris work. The poet Fakhr-al-Din Irqi and Pakistani saint Lal Shhbz
Qalandar (1177-1274) were connected to the order. The order declined in Multan but became
popular in other provinces like Uch, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Delhi, Bihar & Bengal.
Naqshbandis- engravers (of the heart) [f: Hazrat Shh Bah al-Din Naqshband (d.1389)]
use a coloured map of an internal stage for Tasawwar, recite the Kalm in a low voice, follow
Shari and Habs-i-Dam (Prnym). They are most active in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka,
Pakistan and Brunei and is prevalent in almost all of Europe incl. UK, Germany and France,
and in USA, Middle East, Africa, Syria, Palestine, India, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand,
Latin America, Azerbeijan, Daghestan (Russia) etc. Bqi Billh Berang is credited for bringing
the order to India during the end of the 16th cent. Among his disciples were Shaikh Ahmad
Sirhindi (Mujddad-i-Alf-i-Thni) and Shaikh Abdul Haq of Dihli. Some of their other prominent
masters were: Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Hazrat Byzid al-Bistmi, Byzid al-Bistmi,
Saiyad Abdul Khliq al-Ghujdwani, Saiyad 'Abdul Khliq al-Ghujdawni, Hazrat Shh
Naqshband, Saiyad Ubaidullh al-Ahrr, Saiyad Ahmad Fruqi, Saiyad Ahmad al-Faruqi,
Shaikh Khlid al-Baghddi, Saiyad Khlid al-Baghddi, Saiyad Shaikh Ismil Shirwni.
Sufi Literature
Important early contributions in writing are attributed to Uwais al-Qmi, Hrrm bin Hin,
Hasan Bsri and Saiyad ibn al-Mussib. Ruwaym & Junayd of Baghdad were influential early
figures. Sufi poets and philosophers such as Rmi and Attr of Nishpur greatly enhanced
the spread of Islamic culture in Anatolia, C. Asia & S. Asia. Sufism also played a role in
creating and propagating Ottoman culture , and in resisting European imperialism in N. Africa
and S. Asia.
Towards the end of first mill. a number of manuals began to be written summarizing the
doctrines of Sufism and describing typical Sufi practices, two of these are: Kashf al-Mahjb of
Hujwiri and Risl of Qushyri. Abu Hamid al-Ghazlis greatest treatises, Revival of Religious
Sciences & Alchemy of Happiness, argued that Sufism originated from the Qur'n and was
compatible with Islamic thought, and did not contradict Islamic Lawbeing instead necessary
to its complete fulfillment. This became the mainstream position among Islamic scholars for
centuries, challenged only recently on the basis of selective use of a limited body of texts.
The works of Ibn al-`Arabi (d. 1240) deeply influenced almost all later Sufis. Sufis also
contributed richly to Persian literature e.g. Rubiyt of Omar Khayym, Conference of the
Birds of Attr, Masnavi of Rmi.
The literature of Sufis comprised: 1. descriptive essays and critiques, interpreting Islam in
a new way, subtly incorporating the earlier Zoroastrian (Aryan in origin) devotion into the
Semitic Islm 2. Biographies of prominent Sufis such as Attr, Jmi etc. & 3. Poetry: making
extensive use of parable, metaphor and allegory. Ghazal- a specific form of poetry and Rubi-
a verse used mostly in humour have been used extensively. While the original Sufi tradition
was based on Arabic, it spread to Frsi, Turkish & local Indian dialects: Hindvi & Deccani were
employed by the Sufis to put across their message, both to the Moslem and the Hindu.
Sufi Spirituality
Sufi Spirituality
Sufi darveshes believe that Love is a universal projection of the essence of God to the
universe. God desires to recognize beauty by looking at Himself within the dynamics of nature.
In the first approach in the practice of Sufism, the seeker begins by purifying the lower self
of every corrupting influence that stands in the way of recognizing all of creation as the work
of God. This is the way of Imam al-Ghazli and of majority of Sufi orders. In the second
approach, the seeker experiences divine attraction (Jadhb), and is able to enter the order
with a glimpse of its endpoint, of direct apprehension of the Divine Presence towards which all
spiritual striving is directed. This does not replace the striving to purify the heart, it simply
stems from a different point of entry into the path. This is the way primarily of the masters of
the Naqshbandi and Shdhili orders. A third approach, attributed to the late Ottoman scholar,
Saiyad Nursi entails strict adherence to the way of Muhammad.
The 4 stages of spiritual development are: 1. Shari: rules for external mode of religious
life comprising rites and rituals such as: keeping fasts, going on pilgrimages, giving charity,
reciting scriptures praying in outer temples. 2. Tariq: code for higher spiritual morality and
conduct, for which, a spiritual guide (Khalif or Imm) is essential. Its practices include Zikr
(Sumiran) to achieve concentration of attention using a Varntmak name and provide some
experience such as flashes of lightning, and lead to mystic rapture (Hl). 3. Mrif: nearness
to and communion with the Lord, above Third Eye focus. Seeker is now known as rif- one
who knows the nature and being of God. 4. Haqiq: merging in Truth (al-Haq) and full
realization of God (Fan fi l-Allh). While most remain confined to the first stage, a few
concern themselves with the second. Sufi mystics delve into the last two stages dealing with
Par Vidy- inner realization and spiritual enlightenment, and are then no longer bound to the
rules of Shari.
Esoteric Spiritual Practices (Mamulat)
Prophet Muhammad was a Sufi in the state of Urooj while experiencing the divine and
in the state of Nuzul he was separated and gave out his teachings as enshrined in Hadith.
Tasawwuf comprised this and inputs of Greek/Gnostic Neo-Platonism and Indian Vedantic
thought. Buddhist thought, with its rebuttal of tman/Rooh and Godhead remained aloof.
The leading ideas of Sufism- asceticism, purification, love, gnosis, saintship are developed
from the cardinal principle that spiritual success results when ego is annihilated to the will of
the spiritual mentor (Murshid). Sufi devotional practices vary widely. The Murshid may
prescribe specific practices depending upon his diagnosis of Mureeds spiritual maladies.
Sufis are seekers (Murdn) and wayfarers (Slikn) on the path to God. For proper training
they put themselves under the guidance of a master (Murshid). The search for God (Ird,
Talab) and the wayfaring (Sulk) on the path (Tarq) involve a gradual inner and ethical
transformation through various stages by discipline and effort. It is only through constancy in
action for God (Aml li-Allh), remembrance (Zikr Allh), recitation from the Quran, prayers
that a mystic can hope to obtain his objective, which is perfect obedience to Allah (Ubudi).
In order to combat and train the lower-self, Sufis practise fasting (Sawm), food and drink
deprivation (J'), wakefulness at night for the recitation of Quranic passages (Qiym al-Layl),
seclusion (Khalwat), roaming uninhabited places in states of poverty and deprivation, and
lengthy meditations (Murqab, Jam' al-Hamm). The effortful path of self-denial and trans-
formation thru gradual Maqmt is interwoven with effortless mystical experiences (Awl).
Initially the new seeker (Murdn) is taught Zikr- remembrance (Japa, Sumiran)- first, Zikr-
al-Lisni (with the tongue) usually in congregation (Islamists use: L Ilh Illillh) and then,
Zikr-al-Qalbi (of the heart). In Zikr-i-Khaffi (used by Sufis) only mental repetition is done in
solitude, resulting in Fikr- contemplation (Dhyan) and then, gradually, in Murqab (Samadhi).
Esoteric Spiritual Practices (Mamulat)
Spiritual Poverty or Renunciation is a cornerstone of Sufi practice, which begins when
the seeker joins the order and prepares for initiation. He passes through spiritual stations or
stages (Maqmt). Linked to these are states or emotions (Awl), such as fear & hope,
sorrow & joy, leading to a transient state of mystic rapture, ecstasy and elation. Company of
ones Master (Peer) and receiving his grace (Tawajjoh) are essential.
Repentance (Towbt) is described as the awakening of the soul from the slumber of
heedlessness, so that the sinner becomes aware of his evil ways and feels contrition for past
disobedience. He is not truly penitent, however, unless (1) he at once abandons the sin or
sins of which he is conscious, and (2) firmly resolves that he will never return to these sins
in the future. It he should fail to keep his vow, he must again turn to God, whose mercy is
infinite.
Abstinence is to control ones mind and to restrain it from indulging in sensuous pleasures.
To do so often people adopt practices like observing fast, silence and solitude. Sufis, however,
lay stress on the evolution of the inner-self. The seeker starts feeling that the knots of sensual
pleasure hitherto tying his mind are loosening and their place is being taken over by the love
for the Master or God.
Purity in the body, mind as well as the consciousness is implied in Sufism. Perfect purity is
attained through selective gardening of the mind, ego and intelligence. A Sufi is always on the
inner path (Saluk) to God, always eager to achieve purification of the ego (Tazkiy-i-Nafs). To
achieve this, he undergoes various stages of evolutionary Kriys under the guidance of a
Master (Murshid). In order to keep his mind clean and pure, a Sufi gives up worldly desires,
anger, lust & pride. He creates harmony, lives in harmony and offers harmony.
Esoteric Spiritual Practices (Mamulat)
Mortification of the Nafs is the work of devotion leading to contemplative life. Nafs should
be weaned from things to which it is accustomed, encouraged to resist its passions, and its
pride should be broken. Through suffering and tribulation it should recognize the vileness of
its original nature and impurity of its actions. While fasting, silence, solitude etc. are its outer
modes, it is a moral transmutation of the inner man as well. When the will is surrendered to
God and when the mind is concentrated on Him, the attributes- ignorance, pride, envy etc.-
are extinguished, and replaced by their opposites.
Sufi who has eradicated self-will is said to have reached the stages of Acquiescence or
Satisfaction (Rid) and Trust in God (Tawakkul). After this the wayfarer lives as He desires
(Raz). It does not befit a devotee to look towards anyone else except God. The seeker now
learns to be thankful to Almighty in whatever condition He keeps. Both sorrows and happiness
are considered to be His blessings. Fully content, seeker now sees His grace in everything.
Seclusion (Khalwat) (or Chill-nashini): secluding oneself from all worldly things to practise
stilling the mind and withdrawal of senses, to speak silently to ones inner being, or going into
solitary retreat to speak to God secretly. The Mureed secludes himself in a dark and small
room (Khalwat Khna) to spend his time in worship (Murqab) thru breath regulation
(Habs-i-Dam, Kumbhak Prnym), remembrance (Dhikr) and reflection (Tasawwur). He
emerges only to pray and to discuss dreams, visions and the like with the Murshid. Khalwat,
lasting 40 days is called Arbain, while Nsf lasts 20 days and Urub 10 days. The Chill is
performed for spiritual as well as worldly attainments, psychic abilities (Siddhis), or complete
enlightenment depending on the desire of the practitioner who performs it. Chill-i-Makoos is
an inverted Chill which is undertaken hanging upside down. The body is suspended upside
down by means of a rope, often in a well, the darvesh remaining in this position all night.
Subtle Centres (Lataif)
The doctrine of centers of subtle cognition (Latif-i-Sitt), somewhat akin to Kabbalistic
Sephiroth and Yogic Chakra systems, addresses awakening of spiritual intuition, each with an
associated body region, colour and prophet. These Latif designate various psychospiritual
organs or, sometimes, faculties of sensory and supra-sensory perception. The Lata'if dormant
faculties to be sequentially awakened through purification of the psyche, meditation
(Murqab) and Zikr (remembrance of God). They are reckoned by various schools as being
6, 7 or 10 in number.
The 10-fold Latif: (a) Pertaining to the Divine World (lam-i-Amr): 1. Qalb (heart, below
left breast, lust, yellow, Adam), 2. Rooh (spirit, below right breast, anger, red, Nooh & Ibrahim),
3. Sirr (secret, besides left breast towards centre, greed, white, Mus), 4. Khafi (hidden,
besides right breast towards centre, jealousy, black, Isa) & 5. Akhf (most hidden, between
breasts, pride, green, Muhammed).. (b) Pertaining to the Created World (lam-i-Khalq):
6. Nafs (self, below navel, passion), 7. Bd (air), 8. Nr (fire), 9. M (water) & 10. Khq (soil).
The purification of elementary passionate nature (Tazki-i-Nafs), followed by cleansing of
the spiritual heart so that it may acquire a mirror-like purity of reflection (Tazki-i-Qalb) and
become the receptacle of God's love (Ishq), illumination of the spirit (Tajjali-i-Rooh), fortified by
emptying of egoic drives (Taqli-i-Sirr) and remembrance of God's attributes (Dhikr), and
completion of journey with purification of the last two faculties, Khafi and Akhf.
Qalb & Nafs form Rooh-i-Haiwni (Animal Soul), Sirr & Rooh form Rooh-i-Insni (Human
soul), Akhf & Khaf form Rooh-i-Azam (the great soul). The Lat'if interact in various ways,
producing the spiritual types of the tyrant (dominated by Nafs), the person of faith and
moderation (dominated by Qalb), and the person lost in love for God (dominated by Rooh).
Remembrance (Zikr)
Zikr is a preparatory, but essential exercise going upto Third Eye (Nuqt-i-Swaid, Mehrb
or Qalb-i-Munib) focus. It is invocation and remembrance of Divine names or some religious
formula, which are repeated, accompanying the intonation with intense concentration of every
faculty, to enjoy uninterrupted communion with God. The name gets itself established in their
tongues, heart and soul. This is the key to Mrifat or access to the Divine Mysteries.
Zikr may be either spoken or silent, but tongue and mind should co-operate. Its first stage
is to forget self, and last stage is self-effacement. Recollection eventually becomes part and
parcel of his life. Due to concentration, certain Riddhi-Siddhis- supernatural powers are
invested. Sufis attach greater value to Zikr, than to five Namzes at fixed hours of the day.
Zikr can be: 1. Nasooti (of tongue): initially prescribed, as audible Zikr permeates the entire
body. 2. Malkooti (of heart): thru perfection in Habs-i-Dam (Pranayam). 3. Jabrooti (of spirit):
results in tranquility in the consciousness. It requires mastery in withdrawal of senses.
4. Lahooti (of mind): aspirant projects love (Muhabbat) for the All-Pervading Divine.
Types of Zikrs: Zikr-i-Qalb (Shugal-i-Is-i-Zt): begins with Qalab-i-Sanobari at the
physical heart and rises upto Third Eye. [Qalb-i-Salib is the heart at Trikuti]. ~Fahmid:
done, keeping focus on tip or root of the nose. Zikr-i-Pas-o-Anfs (Shwsa Sohang):
done with rhythm of breath. Allah is mentally repeated while inhaling, Hu while exhaling.
~Ism-i-Rabbni: prescribed Divine names are repeated everyday. ~Zarbi: thrusts are
applied on the heart in order to scan it. ~r: by visualizing Satan being bisected, while
striking the heart. ~ Latif: by concentrating on the Latifs and awakening them thru Zikr.
~ Sultan-ul-Azkr: the king of all Zikr. Latifs are activated by deep concentration, without
Habs-i-Dam, but with repetition of Divine names. Finally, focus is laid on the senses. Other
Zikrs: such as: ~Ait-ul-Karsi, ~Haddvi, ~Kar Haidri, ~Makashfh, ~Fan-o-Baq.
Love (Mahabbat), Ecstasy (Wajd)
Love, like gnosis, is in its essence considered a divine gift, not anything that can be
acquired. A Sufi sees God and recognizes God in beauty, in humanity and in all creation. A
believer in God conceives God as a separate being, while the Sufi does not think himself
apart from God. The God of Sufi is not in heaven above, but He is everywhere. The purpose
of human life is to achieve union with the Creator. It is possible to see God within by loving
Him and His creation.
Most of the great medieval Sufis lived saintly lives, dreaming of God, intoxicated with God.
The devotional and mystical love of God soon developed into ecstasy and enthusiasm, which
finds in the sensuous imagery of human love, the most suggestive medium for its expression.
God is the eternal Beauty, and it lies in the nature of beauty to desire love. Mystic poets have
described self-manifestation of the One with a profusion of splendid imagery.
Ecstatic Trance (Wajd) is involuntary, although certain conditions are recognized as being
especially favourable to its occurrence. It comes to a man through vision of the majesty of
God and through revelation of the divine omnipotence to his heart. Nature of ecstasy is
described as "a divine mystery which God communicates to true believers who behold Him
with the eye of certainty," or as "a flame which moves in the ground of the soul and is
produced by love-desire." Trances could sometimes last many weeks.
Ecstasy affords the only means by which the soul can directly communicate and become
united with God. Sufis of the darvesh orders soon discovered that ecstasy might be induced
artificially, not only by concentration of thought, recollection (Dhikr), and other innocent
methods of autohypnosis, but also by music, singing, and dancing (included in the term
Sam, which properly means nothing more than audition), which became favourite means
of inducing the state of trance called 'passing-away' (Fan).
Music (Sufiana)
Music is a harmonic sound and is liked due to its sweetness. When we hear music, it
creates different patterns on our heart. Godly music creates Godly pattern while ugly music
materializes into fearful demons. None can deny that every uttered sound has vibrations
and these affect mind, heart and soul. Our whole life, nay our cosmos is suffused in sound.
Divine music has been called: Kalm, Kalm-i-Qadim, Kun & Amr in the Qur'n, and
Bng-i-smni, Sultn-ul-Azkr & Saut-i-Sarmadi by the Sufis.
Sound and music occupy an important place in the life of many Sufis. It is a tool for the
believer to get closer to God. Sufi music means music that connects with the heart. It is the
music of submission and surrender that bonds humans to God. Music of the Sufis, known as
the Sufin, is to be sung very softly in a whisper like tone and rhythm; such a kind of music
is soothing and has harmonious effect on temper.
Hundreds of years after being relegated to the background, the mystical Sufi music of the
14th cent. is staging a resounding comeback. A unique style of singing that transports listeners
into spiritual ecstasy, it is acquiring a steady fan following much like the rock genre of the
sixties. Credit for its spread must go to the energy-charged music that sends both the singer
and listeners into a spiritual trance.
Sufi music is not about entertainment, but about spirituality. Amidst tension and turmoil of
today, its powerful lyrics speak about reaching the Divine by spreading love and harmony.
Contemporary singers like the late Ustd Nusrat Fateh Ali Khn & Abid Parveen from
Pakistan, Indian Shubh Mudgal, Muhammed El-Shaikh Jum of Sudan, Rmi of Iran,
Whirling Darveshes of Turkey, Baul singers from Bangladesh or even pop groups like
Junoon have all contributed in re-vitalizing this unique religious singing.
Poetry (Shayari)
Qawwli is the devotional music of the Sufis of the Indian sub-continent. Originally
performed mainly at Sufi shrines, it is a vibrant and popular musical tradition. Its roots can be
traced back to 8th cent. Persia. However, in the form we know it today, it was created by Amir
Khusrau in the late 13th cent. by fusing Persian and S. Asian musical traditions. Qawwlis tend
to begin gently and build steadily to a very high energy level in order to induce hypnotic states.
Very similar to Qawwli, Sam, set to a form of music called yin, featuring classical
instruments such as Ney (a reed flute), is used in C. Asia & Turkey. During 11th cent., tradition
of Sam migrated to Indian sub-continent, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Rmi and his Mevlan
order have been propagators of Sam in C. Asia. The West African Gnaw is another form.
Sufis from Indonesia to Afghanistan to Morocco have made music central to their practices.
Urdu poetry (Shiri), coming from Arabic and Persian cultures, forms an important part of
Indian culture. It has two main types i.e. Ghazal & Nazm. Mushiras are poetic expositions.
The major genres of poetry found in Urdu are: Ghazal, Nazm, Qasid, Marsi, Sehr, Rubi,
Noh, Shehr shob, Qat, Doh, Soaz.
The Ghazal (mortal cry of a Kastoori doe) is a poetic form consisting of couplets which
share a rhyme and a refrain. It consists of a seemingly infinitely adaptable combination of
essentially simple elements. Ghazal is always written from the point of view of the lover who is
unable to attain his beloved, because the beloved is just playing with the poet's feelings. The
lover is aware and resigned to this fate. It is not important to the lover that the beloved does
not echo the same feelings towards him. The beloved is often portrayed in exaggerated terms,
with extended metaphors about arrows of her eyes or referring to the beloved as an assassin.
A Nazm is an Urdu poetic form that is normally written in rhymed verse.
Dance of Darveshes (Sama)
Spiritual concert or listening (Sam'), the liturgy of which may include recitation, chanting,
singing, instrumental music, dance, costumes, incense, meditation, ecstasy and trance, to
arouse Ahwl, is associated with some Sufis, notably the Chishtiy, Naqashbandi & Mevlevi
Darveshes go in a whirling motion- symbolizing rotation of universe in Gods presence.
The whirling dance of Sam' is conducted by Murshid in the prescribed manner. 9 to 13
Murids sit for half an hour on the floor, with eyes closed, heads bowed and arms folded.
Murshid invites all the assembled to raise their hands in prayer and chants. After prayers,
Darveshes approach Murshid, one by one, salute him with gesture of hand and begin dancing.
Darveshes advance slowly, turning on the left heel, till they form one circle. Their arms are
open or raised, but eyes are closed. All visualize beholding beauty of the Beloved God. Sweet
music is played or interrupted by poetic compositions sung by musicians and singers. Every
Darvesh tries to search inward purity and tranquility. Dancing may continue for an hour or two.
In the assembly of the Sam', Darveshes may go into emotional upsurge (Wajd), becoming
agitated and manifesting excessive motion, crying and weeping. The ecstasy is a means to a
swift flight towards the Beloved and attaining an awareness of the Divine presence and is
considered a special gift bestowed by God. Towards the close of the dance, Murshid may join
the dance of Sam' for a little while and then make the closing prayer to conclude the Sam'.
The practice of Sam quickly spread amongst the Sufis and produced an acute cleavage
of opinion- some holding it to be lawful and praiseworthy, others condemning it as an
abominable innovation and incitement to vice. Those whose hearts He has endowed with
spiritual perception hear His voice everywhere- ecstasy overcomes them as they listen to
rhythmic chant of the muezzin, noise of the wind, bleating of a sheep or piping of a bird.
Stages (Maqamat) & States (Ahwal)
The Sufi, set out to seek God, is a 'traveller' (Slik), who advances by slow stages or
stations (Maqmt) along a 'path' (Tariq). A spiritual stage periodically marks the long path
followed by Sufis leading to the goal of union with Reality (Fan fi l-Haq). Maqmt can also
be perceived as the ascending rungs of the spiritual ladder. With continuous spiritual practices,
a seeker ascends on this ladder.
Sufi's path is not finished until he has traversed all the stages, making himself perfect in
every one of them, before advancing to the next, and has also experienced whatever states it
pleases God to bestow upon him. Only then is the seeker permanently raised to the higher
planes of consciousness which Sufis call 'the gnosis' (Mrif) and 'the Truth (Haqiq), where
the seeker (Tlib) becomes the 'knower' or gnostic (Arif), and realizes that knowledge,
knower, and known are One.
A spiritual station is considered enduring, in contrast to a spiritual state (Hl). It means a
spiritual awareness that is lasting and which continues until the Sufi is more fully purified,
more deeply surrendered to God's Will, and is led to another spiritual station. The Sufi
progresses by means of his own effort or self-mortification (Mujhadah) and through the help
and guidance of the master (Murshid) and by Gods grace. In each Maqm the Sufi strives to
purify himself from all worldly inclination and to prepare himself to attain an ever-higher
spiritual level.
The stages (Maqmt) of self-awareness on the Sufi path, constitute Sufis ascetic and
ethical discipline, and are distinct from the 'states' (Ahwl, pl. of Hl). While the 'stages' can
be acquired and mastered by continuous spiritual practices and sincere efforts, the 'states' are
spiritual feelings and dispositions over which a man has no control and depend on the Grace
of God.
Stages (Maqamat) & States (Ahwal)
The majority of Sufis agree on 7 major stages (Maqmt): 1. Repentance (Tawbh): does
not mean remembrance of sins and atonement for them, but rather forgetting them along with
everything that distracts from the love of God. 2. Fear of the Lord (War): is not fear of
hellfire, but rather the dread of being veiled eternally from God. 3. Renunciation or Detach-
ment (Zuhd): means that the person is devoid of possessions and his heart is without acquisi-
tiveness. 4. Poverty (Faqr): in which he asserts his independence of worldly possessions and
his need of God alone. 5. Patience (Sabr): the art of steadfastness, 6. Trust or Surrender
(Tawakkul): in which the Sufi knows that he cannot be discouraged by hardships and pain, for
he is in total submission to Gods will and finds joy even in his sorrows. 7. Satisfaction (Ri):
a state of quiet contentment and joy that comes from the anticipation of the long-sought union.
The mystic states (Ahwl), thru which the soul has to pass are: 1. budiy- doing Ibdat-
devotion (Tapas). 2. Ishq- love. 3. Jihd- overcoming obstacles. 4. Murif- intuition. 5. Wajd-
an ecstatic state of rapture, normally experienced by Sufi mystics during reading poetry or
scripture. 6. Haqiq- truth, and 7. Wasl- union. Ego then becomes Fan- destroyed and
immortality and bliss of Baq- presence of Deity is experienced. Another list: meditation,
nearness to God, love, fear, hope, longing, intimacy, tranquility, contemplation and certainty.
Hl occurs spontaneously as a spiritual gift. A soft cloud appears on the horizon, engulfs
the seeker while quenching his spiritual thirst, then moves on leaving him in a state of awe.
In this state, a seeker neither expects what comes to him from the unseen world, nor has the
slightest idea about the nature of experience. He is simply taken over by an overwhelming
compassionate power. A realm of ecstasy prevails due to unbearable display of beauty.
This state of Hl comes and goes on its own. A seeker can never claim such a state due to
its extraordinariness and his ordinariness. It always happens as an act of Grace.
Mystic Practices (Ashgal)
The Ashgl (pl. of Shugal) are esoteric exercises of the soul, such as: Zikr, Fikr, Murqab,
Habs-i-Dam, Shugal, Sam, Khalwat etc. which prepare it for illumination. These are directed
towards three goals: 1. to activate the heart centre, the store house of love, to clear the path
towards Truth, 2. to subjugate the commanding self (Nafs-al-Ammrh) to the contented self
(Nafs-Almutmainh), 3. to render the heart subtle for awareness and illumination.
Besides heart, which is the store house of Love and hub of life force, a Sufi has to activate
other centres of divine energy in his physical body through breathing and meditation. Each
practice is meant to unfold unconsciousness and remove blockades in the Chakras. At the
Muldhra Chakra, then the seeker is prone to temptations. Evolving to Nafsi (Swdhistana
Chakra), the urge to seek sensual gratification is pre-dominant. Those that evolve to Roohi
(Manipura Chakra), by contemplation on the Divine, master the finer aspects of metabolism.
When the aspirants evolve to Qalbi (Anhata Chakra), they attain mastery over languages of
human species and animal species and develop supernatural powers. The rare few who
activate the Khafi (Ajna Chakra) are blessed by the Unmanifest. The All-Pervading Divine
Light of God is manifest here. Those reaching Akhf (Sahasrara Chakra) are said to attain
Wehdat (merger with the Divine).
Ashgl fall into 4 categories: 1. Dasti: with hands- telling beads, doing good deeds.
2. Lassani: with the tongue- reciting scriptures, repeating holy Names, uttering sweet speech,
preaching etc. 3. Sami: with the ears- listening externally to Satsangs & hymns; also
listening to Anhad Shabd or inner music (Shugal-i-Nasir, Shugal-i-Saut-i-Sarmadi, or Surat-
Shabd Yoga). 4. Bsri (or Nzri): with the eyes- gazing on an external object, leading
to awakening of Nirat (Shugal-i-ftbi- focus on the sun, Shugal-i-ina- focus on ones
reflection in a mirror, Shugal-i-Neem Khwbi- semi-consciousness during sleep).
Mystic Practices (Ashgal)
Tasawwar (Dhyan): concentration on the mental conception of some internal stage.
Shugal-i-Miyt (Shugal-i-Mansoori, Shav-sana): in this, one lies on the ground, face
upwards and repeats a name, while keeping ones attention on the Third Eye.
Shugal-i-Roohi (Khechri Mudr): involves sticking of tongue to close the mouth cavity and
repeating a name.
Shugal-i-Sultn Samadi: Qalbi (Anahata Chakra) is activated thru sense-withdrawal & love.
Shugal-i-in: activates Sirr (Vishuddhi Chakra) through contemplation, aided by Zikr.
Shugal-i-Sultan Mehmood: focuses on Khafi (Ajna Chakra) and is filled with Light.
Shugal-i-Bist: in this, one concentrates on the inner sun, repeating a name and reaches
Akhfa (Sahasrara Chakra).
Shugal-i-Muqaman (Trikuti Dhyan): involves Fikr (concentrating). The gaze is fixed on the
nose-tip with a name being repeated, and then taken inwards.
Shugal-i-Sanobari: focuses on Fikr, as preparatory for Zikr (remembrance).
Shugal-i-Barazkh-i-Kabir (Bhakti Yoga): enjoins concentration on the Perfect Man (Peer-o-
Murshid), both outwardly and inwardly, terminating in Fan fi l-Shaikh- merger in the Master.
Shugal-i-Sultn Nasir (Trtak Karma & Chchri Mudr): involves listening to Ghor Anahad-
undifferentiated sound comprising 10 types of sound.
Shugal-i-Saut-i-Sarmadi or Sultn-ul-Azkr: (Surat-Shabd Yoga, Sahaj Yoga): begins by
Zikr at the Third Eye focus and coming into contact with Dhunyatmak Nm, Shabd or holy
Word (Kalm-i-Ilhi- Word of God, Nid-i-smani- heavenly sound, Ism-i-zam- highest name)
thru meditation (Murqab) aided by contemplation & concentration (Fikr), and reaching Fan
fi l-Shaikh and Fan fi l-Allh through focus on the inner Sound & Light.
Fikr (contemplation) is of 2 kinds: one is the result of perfect faith, the other of rapturous love.
Meditation (Muraqabat)
Muraqb (to watch over the spiritual heart or soul, acquiring its knowledge and that of
God) means meditation, a silent communion with the Divine. It means presenting oneself
before the Creator. It is done sitting calmly in seclusion with inner eye, with outer eyes closed.
Prior to engagement in Murqab, a disciple purifies his physical body with ablution and his
mind by casting away all evil thoughts. Before presenting him before the Beloved God, the
Murshid may prescribe the following states (Ahwl) and stages (Maqmt): The disciple may
be: (a) told to sit in a dark cell, open his eyes and concentrate on a single point. (b) required
to observe silence for some days. (c) told to consider himself as a drop of water, from the sea
of God. (d) required to consider himself a ray of light, from the Eternal Light.
After a period, when the Murshid is satisfied, out of grace, he may prescribe a Murqab:
1. Murqab Royat: During the practise of Fikr, to visualize that the Beloved God is looking
at him. 2. Murqab Mmaeyat: to think that his Beloved God is always with him. 3. Murqab
Aqribiyat: to think that his Beloved God is very near to him. 4. Murqab Whadit: to think
that his Beloved God rests in everything of this world. 5. Murqab Fan: to lie down in Shav-
sana and visualize his death. This is to remove the fear of death from heart of the Murid.
Also, he attains the power to contact the departed souls. 6. Murqab Towhid-i-Afali: to
activate his mental activity, with confidence so that ones activity becomes Gods activity.
7. Murqab Towhid-i-Sifti: to consider that oneself and this world, as a shadow or a replica
of the Creator. 8. Murqab Towhid-i-Zti: to consider the vegetable, animal and mineral
kingdom, all elements and the heavens as God. 9. Murqab Noori: to visualize God as the
radiant light, covering the whole existence. This light is the consciousness, which the Sufis
term as Noor-i-Mutlq and the Yogis call Kundalini. It shines like the flash of lightening and
covers the whole body from the spine to the head.
Meditation (Muraqabat)
Various types of Murqab: Lower level: 1. Light of various colours. 2. Ihsan (perfection
of worship). 3. Noor (invisible Light). 4. Htif-i-Ghabi (unhearable Sound of Cosmos).
5. Names & Attributes of God. 6. Allh (proper name of God). Middle level: 1. Maot (death):
life after Death. 2. Qalb (heart): Spiritual Heart. 3. Wahdat (unity): Cosmic Unity. 4. La
(nothingness): material-lessness 5. Fan (annihilation of self): alpha-omega of universe.
Higher level: 1. Tasawwur-i-Shaikh (focus on master). 2. Tasawwur-i-Rasool (focus on
prophet): transfer of Faiz (arcane spiritual knowledge) from prophet. 3. Tasawwur-i-Zt-i-
Ilhi (focus on God): experiencing Tajalli-i-Zt of God. 4. Martab-i-Ihsn (focus on perfection
of Faith): offering Salt as if you are watching Allah. If not, then as if Allah is watching you.
Sufi journey of ascension: (a) Gnosis of self: 1. Somnolence (Ghanood): becomes semi-
consciousness over time. 2. Cognition (Adrk): thru un-conscious mind during wakefulness
without seeing or hearing. 3. Experience (Warood): with awakening of flickering vision due to
increased mental concentration. (b) Gnosis of universe: 4. Unveiling of Arcane knowledge
(Kashaf/Ilhm): initially without control. 5. Evidence (Shahood): with practice, knowledge by
will- thru sight, hearing, smell or touch. 6. Victory (Fatah): Experiencing with open eyes, while
freed from fetters of time & space. (c) Gnosis of Creator: 7. Annihilation (Fan): Gnosis of
God through a series of stages (Maqmt) and subjective experiences (Ahwl), this process
of absorption develops until complete annihilation of the self takes place and one becomes
al-Insnul-Kamil (the perfect man), also called Extinction with unity (Fan fit-Tawheed) and
Extinction in reality (Fan fi l-Haq). 8. Journey towards God (Sair-Il-Allh or Safr-i-Urooji).
9. Extinction of self in God (Fan fi l-Allh): mystical experience, becoming extinct in Gods
Will and being wrapped in contemplation of divine essence. 10. Return journey from God (Sair
min Allh or Safr-i-Nuzooli): being lost to oneself and totally lost in Gods magnificence. 11.
Eternal life in union with God (Baq-bi-Allh): when one lives in the world subsisting in God.
Illumination, Discernment, Well-doing
Illumination (Tajalli) means self-manifestation of God, but is understood in different ways
by the mystics. It is the stage of union with God resulting in total absorption. A seeker reaches
the stage of Yaqin, when he is blessed with the glance in this world. In the Beatific Vision, God
manifests to the elect in various forms corresponding to their mental conception. The Sufis
call it Tajalli-i-Dht, signifying manifestation of the Glory of God during Wajd (ecstasy).
Every Sufi is blessed by God to have a natural ability to illuminate his soul with
Prophetic Blessings (Noor-i-Nubuwt). Whenever the light of faith touches his heart, his
soul is illuminated, as if a lamp is lighted. Such a person becomes source of illumination
for humanity. When such a person reaches the company of an accomplished Sufi master,
then this illumination of soul is increased manifold. This is an essence of Sufism.
Saints and seers obtain Divine Inspiration (Ilhm-i-Rabbni) from God. A mystic sees a
vision in inner space, not before his eyes. A Sufi, after his or her annihilation in the personality
of God, experiences a mystic union with God, which results in Tajalli. The Beatific Vision of
the Divine in glory is achieved when body, mind and soul are intoxicated with love of God.
Discernment (Firsat): The light gleaming in the heart of the illuminated mystic endows
him with this supernatural power. Its origin is in the Koranic verse in which God says that He
breathed His spirit into Adam. Orthodox Sufis, who strenuously combat the doctrine that the
human spirit is uncreated and eternal, affirm that Firsat is the result of knowledge and insight,
metaphorically the 'light' or 'inspiration,' which God creates and bestows upon His favourites.
Well-doing (Ihsn): From illumination of gradually increasing splendour, the mystic rises to
contemplation of the divine attributes, and ultimately, when his consciousness is wholly melted
away, he becomes transubstantiated (Tajwhar) in the radiance of the divine essence. This
is the 'station' of well-doing.
Annihilation (Fana)/Subsistence (Baqa)
Fan and Baq are two major milestones on the path of spiritual progress. Fan or
annihilation is the state that precedes the state of subsistence (or Baq). Sufis believe that
the purpose of human life is to attain the state of merger i.e. unity with the Almighty (Fan-
fi l-Allh) and then to live in that state (Baq). After reaching Wasl, ego becomes Fan-
destroyed and the immortality and bliss of Baq- presence of the Deity is experienced.
Unlike Nirvna, which is merely the cessation of individuality, Fan, the passing-away of
the Sufi from his phenomenal existence, involves Baq, the continuance of his real existence.
He who dies to self lives in God, and Fan, the consummation of this death, marks the
attainment of Baq, or union with the divine life. When one approaches the stage of merger,
it is called Salokyata and Samipyata (the state of Nearness). From here one moves to
Sarupyata (Baq) and complete Unity- Sayujyata (Baq-dar-Baq or Baq-bil-Baq).
When the individual self is lost, the Universal Self is found. Fan is: 1. a moral transfor-
mation of the soul through the extinction of all its passions and desires. 2. a mental abstraction
or passing-away of the mind from all objects of perception, thoughts, actions and feelings thru
its concentration upon the thought of God. Here thought of God signifies contemplation of the
divine attributes. 3. the cessation of all conscious thought.
Among the Darvesh orders, music, singing and dancing are favourite means of inducing
Fan.
Often, though not invariably, Fan is accompanied by loss of sensation. The gnostic
contemplates the attributes of God, not His essence, for even in gnosis a small trace of duality
remains: this disappears only in Fanal-Fan, the total passing-away in the undifferentiated
Godhead. It forms the prelude to Baq, 'continuance' or 'abiding' in God. The mystic is now
rapt in contemplation of the Divine Essence.
Gnosis (Marifat)
Sufism is a spiritual path, on which one travels in order to recognize Allh (Mri'ft) and
attain nearness (Qurb) to Him. This path develops the spiritual faculties of man for realization
of Divine Reality. While the term, Ilm denotes ordinary knowledge, Mrift is the mystic
knowledge peculiar to Sufis. Mri'ft is a special guidance, which Allah inspires in the purified
heart of the Mumin. This is a knowledge that cannot be learned through books. It is a gift of
Allah, who bestows it to His chosen ones among the Friends of Allh (Awliya Allh), who
have reached a certain degree of nearness to Him. This knowledge has been transmitted
from the breast of the Spiritual Guide to his disciples and cannot be disclosed to others.
Mri'ft of the Sufis is the 'gnosis' of Hellenistic theosophy, i.e. direct knowledge of God
based on revelation or apocalyptic vision. It is not the result of any mental process, but
depends entirely on the will and favour of God, who bestows it as a gift from Himself upon
those whom He has created with the capacity for receiving it. It is a Light of Divine grace that
flashes into the heart and overwhelms every human faculty in its dazzling beams. "He who
knows God is dumb." It is said to be a light that illumines and clarifies, but its very brilliance
dazzles, blinds and ultimately extinguishes the one designated as a knower (al-rif) as well.
There are two kinds of Mri'ft: 1. Istidlli: the ability to reach Allah by intellectual deduction
o-n the basis of observation of the wonders created by Allah. Contemplation o3n His creation
leads to mans recognition of Allah. This is also acquired by such pure souls to whom certain
things of the unseen realm have been revealed, i.e. by way of Kashf (divine inspiration which
removes the veils which conceal reality). 2. Shuhood: Those who have been blessed with this
wealth attain Allah without any deductive process. They acquire His Recognition instantane-
ously by way of spiritual perception and recognition. They are not dependent on the external
realm or the physical world to understand the greatness and reality of Allh.
Unity & Truth (Haqiqat)
Wahdat al-Wujud literally means the Unity of Existence, while, Wahdat al-Shuhud (Unity of
Witness or Apparentism) holds that God and His creation are entirely separate. Some Islamic
reformers have claimed that the two philosophies differ only in semantics and that the entire
debate is merely a collection of "verbal controversies" which have come about because of
ambiguous language. However, the concept of the relationship between God and the universe
is still actively debated, both among Sufis and between Sufis and non-Sufi Muslims.
The cardinal attribute of God is unity, and Divine unity is the first and last principle of gnosis.
The gnosis of unity constitutes a higher stage which is called 'the Truth' (Haqiqat). Unification
consists in making the heart single- that is, in purifying and divesting it of attachment to all
except God, both in respect of desire and will, and also as regards knowledge and gnosis.
The eternal and the phenomenal are two complementary aspects of the One. The creatures
are external manifestation of the Creator, and Man is God's consciousness (Sirr) as revealed
in creation. According to Ibn al-Arabi, since Man, owing to the limitations of his mind, cannot
think all objects of thought simultaneously, and therefore expresses only a part of the divine
consciousness, he is not entitled to say Ana l-Haqq, "I am God." He is a reality, but not the
Reality. Other Sufis e.g. Hallj, in their ecstatic moments, have ignored this subtle distinction.
Man is essentially divine. God created Adam in His own image. He projected from Himself
that image of His eternal love, that He might behold Himself as in a mirror. Hence He bade the
angels worship Adam, in whom, He became incarnate. In the pantheistic theory, there is no
real existence apart from God. Man is an emanation or a reflexion or a mode of Absolute
Being. What he thinks of as individuality is in truth not-being; it cannot be separated or united,
for it does not exist. Man is God, yet with a difference. In realizing the non-entity of his
individual self, the Sufi realizes his essential oneness with God.
Perspective of Sant-Mat (Kamil Sufis)
As against Islamic deification or Hindu gods-goddesses and Avatrs, Kmll Sufis and Sants
commended worship of God in the form of the perfect Master (Peer-o-Murshid or Satguru), the
true living Son of God or Word-made-flesh, and taking the gift of spiritual initiation of Nm or
Kalm from Him. Deity of the Kmil Sufis and Sants is Sat (Haq) or Akl- Timeless Being,
Positive Power (deity of the various religions being Kl- being of Time, Negative Power).
The Sufi Murshid-i-Kmils and Sants not only lived harmoniously with Islam and Hinduism
respectively, but also readily employed their own metaphors to put across their teachings.
The Sufi Kmils managed to give their message in the very metaphor of Islam. What better
example of this than the Masnavi of Mauln Rmi being dubbed as the Persian Qurn!
A parallel of the same may be found in Sant Tulsidass Rmacharitmnas.
The Kmil Sufis and Sants taught attainment of Par Vidy- esoteric knowledge- the
individual worship within the human body-temple thru meditation, rather than Apar Vidy-
exoteric knowledge, collective congregative prayer of mosque for salvation of the soul. They
practised true Sultn-ul-Azkr- King of Remembrances, or Surat-Shabd Yoga, not Prnaym.
In Sant-Mat terms, Shari- outer path involves activities such as: attending Satsangs, doing
Nishkam Sewa-selfless service, Tariq- the path of discipline involves living an ethical life &
filling-in of Introspection Diary, and doing Sumiran or Zikr of the holy Names, which leads
ultimately to the microcosmic seat of the soul or Third Eye. Mrif- the path of Grace
through the inner spiritual regions calls for daily meditation for at least 2.1/2 hrs., while
Haqiqa- first-hand experience of Truth or Godhead involves self-realization and merger in the
Master (Fan fi l-Shaikh) at the microcosmic seat of the soul (Sat Lok) at Sach Khand.
Sufi Poetic works of Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj mark the final comingling of the Kamil
Sufi and Sant-Mat traditions, separated only by language and culture.
 Stage in Hinduism Jannat- Paradise in Islam Maqam- Plane in Islam

Sahasrara {14} or {1000} Jannatu 'l-Firdaus Aalam-e-Hutal-hut-

(Suratu 'l-Katif)- Spaceless Empyrean
The Garden of Paradise

Satyam Loka {10} 'Illiyun (Suratu 't-Tatfif)- Aalam-e-Hahut-

The Exalted Garden Divine Essense

Tapah Loka Jannah 'n Na'im Aalam-e-Lahut-

(Suratu 'l-Ma'idah)- Divine Nature
The Garden of Delight
The Islamic Janah Loka Jannatu'l-Mawa Aalam-e-Jabrut-
Jannats- Paradises (Suratu 'l-Sajdah)-
The Garden of Refuge
World beyond Form

Mahar Loka {8} Jannatu'l-Adn Aalam-e-Malkut-

(Suratu 's-Bara'dah)- World of Imagination
The Garden of Eden

Swah Loka {6} Daru 'l-Qarar Aalam-e-Mana-

(Suratu 'l-Mu'min)- World of Spiritual Perception
The Dwelling which Abideth

Bhuvah Loka {2} Daru 's- Salam Aalam-e-Surat-

(Suratu 'l-Anam)- World of Forms
The Dwelling of Peace

Bhu {10} Jannatu'l Khuld Aalam-e-Tabiat-

(Suratu 'l-Furqan)- World of Nature
The Garden of Eternity

Paatals -- Tahat-ul-Sara-
Nether World
 CHISHTIA SUFI DELINEATION OF
THE SPIRITUAL STAGES

STAGE DESCRIPTION PROPHET

1 that of helpers Adam
2 that of abstainers Idries (Enoch)
3 that of the devotees Moses
4 that of the patient ones Job
5 that of those resigned to the will of God Jesus
6 that of the contented ones Jacob
7 that of the defenders of the faith Jonah
8 that of the thinkers Joseph
9 that of the afflicted Shuaib (Jethro)
10 that of the murshids Seth
11 that of the righteous ones Noah
12 that of the sincere ones David
13 that of the illuminated ones Khidr
14 that of the grateful ones Abraham
15 that of the lovers Mohammed
 Sikh,
Sant-Mat
&
Kamil Sufi
Planes
Sufism--Part 2
History of Sufism
Sufism as Islamic Mysticism
Islamic mysticism had several stages of growth, including (1) the appearance of early
asceticism, (2) the development of a classical mysticism of divine love, and (3) the rise and
proliferation of fraternal orders of mystics. Despite these general stages, however, the history
of Islamic mysticism is largely a history of individual mystic experience.
Asceticism: The first stage of Sufism appeared in pious circles as a reaction against the
worldliness of the early Umayyd period (661749). From their practice of constantly
meditating on the words in the Qurn about Doomsday, the ascetics became known as
those who always weep and those who considered this world a hut of sorrows. They were
distinguished by their scrupulous fulfillment of the injunctions of the Qurn and tradition, by
many acts of piety, and especially by a predilection for night prayers.
Divine Love: The introduction of the element of love, which changed asceticism into
mysticism, is ascribed to Rbiah. In the later decades, mystical trends grew everywhere in the
Islamic world, partly through an exchange of ideas with Christian hermits. A number of mystics
in the early generations had concentrated their efforts upon absolute trust in God (Tawakkul),
which became a central concept of Sufism. An Iraqi school of mysticism was initiated by al-
Musib, who believed that purging the soul in preparation for companionship with God was
the only value of asceticism. Its teachings of classical sobriety and wisdom were perfected by
Junayd of Baghdad, to whom all later chains of the transmission of doctrine and legitimacy go
back. In an Egyptian school of Sufism, the Nubian Dh al-Nn reputedly introduced the term,
interior knowledge (Mri'ft), as contrasted to learnedness. In the Iranian school, Ab Yazd
al-Bism is considered to have been representative of the important doctrine of annihilation
of the self (Fan). At the same time the concept of divine love became more central, especially
among Iraqi Sufis. Its main representatives are Nr and Sumnn the Lover.
Sufism as Islamic Mysticism
The first of the theosophical speculations based on mystical insights about human nature
and the essence of the Prophet Muhammad were produced by such Sufis as Sahl al-Tustar,
who was the master of al-allj, who has become famous for his phrase an al-aqq,
I am the Creative Truth (often rendered I am God), which was later interpreted in a
pantheistic sense but is, in fact, only a condensation of his theory of huw huw (He he):
God loved himself in his essence, and created Adam in his image. His few poems are of
exquisite beauty; his prose, which contains an outspoken Muhammad-mysticism i.e.,
mysticism centred on the Prophet, is as beautiful as it is difficult.
In these early centuries Sufi thought was transmitted in small circles. Some of the Shaikhs,
Sufi mystical leaders or guides of such circles, were also artisans. In the 10 th cent., it was
deemed necessary to write handbooks about the tenets of Sufism in order to soothe the
growing suspicions of the orthodox; the compendiums composed in Arabic by Ab lib
Makk, Sarrj, and Kalbdh in the late 10th cent., and by Qushyr and, in Persian, by
Hujwr in the 11th cent. reveal how these the mystics, belonging to all schools of Islamic law
and theology of the times, tried to defend Sufism and to prove its orthodox character.
The last great figure in the line of classical Sufism is Ab Hamid al-Ghazl, who wrote,
among numerous other works, the Iyulm al-dn (The Revival of the Religious Sciences),
a comprehensive work that established moderate mysticism against the growing theosophical
trends, which tended to equate God and the world, and thus shaped the thought of millions of
Muslims. His younger brother, Amad al-Ghazl, wrote one of the subtlest treatises, Sawni
(Occurrences [i.e., stray thoughts]) on mystical love, a subject that then became the main
subject of Persian poetry.
Sufism as Islamic Mysticism
Fraternal Orders: Slightly later, mystical orders centring around the teachings of a leader-
founder began to crystallize. The 13th cent., though politically overshadowed by Mongol
invasion, into the Eastern lands of Islam and the end of Abbsid caliphate, was also golden
age of Sufism: Spanish-born Ibn alArab created a comprehensive theosophical system
concerning the relation of God and the world, the cornerstone for a theory of Unity of Being,
according to which, all existence is one, a manifestation of the underlying divine reality. His
Egyptian contemporary, Ibn al-Fri wrote the finest mystical poems in Arabic. Two other
important mystics were a Persian poet, Fard al-Dn Ar and a C Asian master, Najmuddn
Kubr, who presented the psychological experiences thru which the mystic adept has to pass.
The great Persian mystical poet, Rm, was moved by mystical love to compose his lyrical
poetry that he attributed to his mystical beloved, Shams Tabriz, as a symbol of their union.
Rms Masnav is an encyclopaedia of mystical thought in which everyone can find his own
religious ideas. He inspired the organization of the Whirling Derveshes, who sought ecstasy
through an elaborate dancing ritual, accompanied by superb music. His younger contemporary
Yunus Emre inaugurated Turkish mystical poetry with his charming verses that were trans-
mitted by the Bektai order of Darveshes and are still admired in modern Turkey. In Egypt, the
Shdhilyyah order was founded by al-Shdhil; its main representative, Ibn A Allh of
Alexandria, wrote sober aphorisms (Hikm).
In Arabia, only a few interesting mystical authors are found after 1500. They include al-
Sharn in Egypt and the prolific writer Abd al-Ghan al-Nbulus in Syria. Turkey produced
some fine mystical poets in 17th and 18th cents. The influence of the mystical orders did not
recede; rather new orders came into existence, and most literature was still tinged with
mystical ideas and expressions.
Early Development of Sufism
Sufism was a mystical reaction against conventional Islam's strict outlook of the faith. It
believed that government should promote greater free thinking and equality for everyone, as
opposed to the traditional Islamic legalist government that followed the Qur'n, which was a
rigid law that the believers were forced to follow. This led to the split of a relatively small band
of believers from the majority of Islams followers around 675; Sufism, the new movement,
allowed for a less harsh and sterile form of Islam, which could accommodate mysticism.
The Sufis were historical Islamic Empires most influential missionaries due to their quest
to nurture their own and others' spiritual dimension. Their tendency to migrate among other
ethnic groups allowed them to easily unify the diverse communities in both neighboring and
distant lands. They created close connections of culture, rather than dominance, between the
Muslim people and the people of surrounding regions such as S.E. Asia, Africa and esp. India.
The Sufis were unique from the more military-driven Islamic forces because of their central
idea of universal love, which led them toward a generally more peaceful and friendly approach
to conversion. Although the Sufis' beliefs include specific social and religious beliefs and
customs, they have been willing to flex these customs in order to incorporate the potential
Islamic converts' traditions and rituals.
The impact of Sufism is significant and lasting. The Sufis absorption into foreign regions
and cultures produces great works of art, particularly poetry and hymns, in numerous
languages and dialects. As a result, they are some of the most important contributors to
Islamic literature. They opened mosques and schools as well as encouraged the development
of the civilizations they inhabited. The Sufis had a positive effect on the status of women, as
well as an even stronger emphasis on the equality of believers of Islam.
Early Development of Sufism
Sufism originated in the Golden Age of Islam during 9 th-10th cents. Since its very
beginnings, Sufism has been known in Transoxania and Khorasan which produced some of
the most renowned Sufis, saints such as 8th-9th cent. al-Fozail ibn Iyaz & Ibrahim ibn
dham and their successors, Shaqiq al-Blkhi & al-Farbi. Byzid Bastmi dealt with Fan
& Baq- annihilating the self in Divine presence, and presented views on worldly phenomena.
The earlier Sufis were ascetics rather than mystics, more of saints than seers. Sufism
developed as the internalization of Islam e.g. thru constant recitation and meditation of Qur'n
or as strict emulation of the way of Prophet Muhammad, thru which the heart's connection to
the Divine is strengthened. Esoteric teachings of Sufism were transmitted from Muhammad to
those who had the capacity to acquire direct experiential gnosis of God, which was passed on
from teacher-to-student thru the centuries, some of which came to be summarized in texts.
Conquest of Persia, Syria & Egypt by Muhammeds successors brought Islam into contact
with ideas which profoundly modified their outlook on life and religion. Mysticism grew and
developed, not in the Arabian desert, but in Persia through Islams cross fertilization. Asceti-
cism was now regarded as only the first stage of a long journey- the preliminary training for a
larger spiritual life. These ideas--Light, Knowledge & Loveformed keynotes of new Sufism.
The evolution of Sufi thinking was greatly influenced by Murjites, who set faith above works
and emphasized the divine love and goodness; Qdarites who affirmed, and Jabarites who
denied that men are responsible for their actions; rationalist Mutzilites, who rejected the
qualities of Allah as incompatible with His unity, and predestinarianism as contrary to His
justice, Btinis- an esoteric group, Bisheriys- an antinomian group, the Asharites- scholastic
theologians of Islam, who formulated rigid metaphysical and doctrinal system, Christological
sects like Gnostics and Manicheans and mystical groups like Hermetics and Neoplatonists.
From its origin in Baghdad, Iraq, Sufism propagated to
Persia, India, N Africa, Muslim Spain and SE Asia.
Sufisms Advent to India
Islam came to be accepted in India in the 7th-8th cents. as a result of reverence towards
Sufis and darveshes for their Bhakti aspect. With the fall of Sindh in 712, Multan had become
a Sufi centre, but Sufism in India is to be found only by the 12 th cent., and even so, for another
3-4 centuries, it continued to cross-fertilize with the Vedntins, Nth Yogis, Buddhists etc. and
spread, with Sindh, Multan, Punjab, Ajmer and Delhi as its main centres, and from thence to
South India as well. The Sufi Malings were akin to the Siddhs, Yogis, Vairgis in their dress
aspect. This devotional period lasted from 11th to 14th cents. producing likes of Moinuddin
Chishti in mid 1100s and Nizmuddin Auli in 1300s.
The South Indians were familiar with the Sufis & Moslem Darveshes fairly early. Thane
came under Arabic rule during 640s, but Moslems kept attacking India for several centuries
without success. In 8th-9th cents. India was a strong country, but by the 11th-12th cents., its
rulers turned debauchers and began to make wage wars with one-another. North India was
divided into half-a-dozen kingdoms, and as a result, foreigners took advantage and began to
attack India. Somnath and Mathura fell in early 1000s.
While Islam brought the sword, Sufism brought the sweet flute to India. Even before Islams
advent, many prominent Sufis, fleeing from Mongol invasion, had settled in India. The militant
face of Islam emerged in the 11th cent. Late 1000s saw forcible conversions in Lahore during
Ghazni rule. In late 1100s Khiljis destroyed Buddhist Vihrs and universities such as
Nland. Until the 18th cent., virtually every sentient Moslem was a Sufi, and several Hindus
readily followed the Sufi path of love. Aurangzeb (1618-1707) dealt this composite Ganga-
Jamni tradition a mortal blow. Even until the 1857 Mutiny, the Sufi was neither a Hindu, nor a
Moslem. Politics of the times created a schism between them; Sufism has declined in its wake.
Sufisms Advent to India
Islam had entered India in 711 under the Arab commander, Muhammad ibn Qsim, by
conquering the regions of Sindh and Multan, thus connecting S. Asia to the Muslim empire.
Arab Muslims were welcomed along the Hindustani (Indian) sea ports for trade and business
ventures. Sufi mystic traditions became more visible during the 10 th & 11th cents. of the Delhi
Sultanate- a conglomeration of four chronologically separate dynasties consisted of rulers
from Turkic and Afghan lands.
During the early 11th cent., the Ghaznwids brought a wealth of scholars into Indias
borders, establishing the first Persian-inspired Muslim culture succeeding prior Arab
influences. In 1151, another Central Asian group, called the Ghurids extended the previous
Ghazni territories into Delhi and Ajmer. By 1186, N. India was indistinguishable; a combination
of Baghdads cosmopolitan culture mixed with Persian-Turkic traditions of the Ghaznh court
accelerated Sufi intellectualism in India. Scholars, poets, and mystics from C. Asia and Iran
became integrated within India.
An emphasis on translation of Arabic and Persian texts (Qurn, Hadith corpus, Sufi
literature) into vernacular languages helped the momentum of Islamization in India.
Particularly in rural areas, Sufis helped Islam spread generously into prior polytheistic
populations.
The Persian influence flooded South Asia with Islam, Sufi thought, syncretic values,
literature, education, and entertainment that has created an enduring impact on the presence
of Islam in India today. Sufi teachings of divine spirituality, cosmic harmony, love, and
humanity resonated with the common people and still does so today. The following content will
take a thematic approach to discuss a myriad of influences that helped spread Sufism and a
mystical understanding of Islam, making India a contemporary epicenter for Sufi culture today.
Sufisms Advent to India
The Hindu Bhakti movement had mystical philosophies similar to those advocated by Sufi
saints leading to a syncretic mysticism. Sufism left a prevailing impact on religious, cultural,
and social life in S Asia. Sufism helped the assimilation of the Afghni Delhi Sultanate rulers
within mainstream society. By building a culture tolerant and appreciative of non-Muslims, Sufi
saints contributed to a growth of stability, vernacular literature and devotional music in India.
The introduction of the mystical form of Islam was done by Sufi saints. Besides preaching
in major cities and centers of intellectual thought, Sufis reached out to poor and marginalized
rural communities and preached in local dialects such as Urdu, Sindhi and Punjbi. Their
traditions of devotional practices and modest living attracted all people. Their teachings of
humanity, love for God and Prophet continue to be surrounded by mystical tales and folk
songs today. Sufis were firm in abstaining from religious and communal conflict and strived to
be peaceful elements of civil society. It is the attitude of accommodation, adaptation, piety
and charisma that continues to help Sufism remain as a pillar of mystical Islm in India.
Among the earliest Sufis in India was Hazrat Dta Ganj or Ali el-Hujwiri (d:~1089) of
Lahore. Many Indian Sufis, such as Amir Khusro, Sultn Bhu, Bulleh Shh, Wris Shh also
wrote in Hindi, Punjbi and Sindhi. In the 18th century, Shh Wal Allh of Delhi translated the
Qurn into Persian, the official language of Mughal India. Other Indian mystics of the 18 th
cent., such as Mr Dard, played a decisive role in forming the newly developing Urdu poetry.
Khwj Muinuddin Chishti introduced the Chishti Order in India. Shaikh Qutbuddin
Kki acquired his name Kaki (a man of cakes) when he produced hot cakes by putting his
hands in a tank of water to feed them. Shaikh Fariduddin, Bb Farid succeeded Shaikh
Qutbuddin Kki.
Sufism in India
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliy born in Badun in 1236, was the chief successor of Bb
Farid. He and his disciple Amir Khusro- a poet who used Hindvi to compose songs, riddles,
rhymes and enigmas in common mans language to reach their hearts, took Sufism to every
nook and corner of India. Shaikh Nasiruddin, more popularly known as Chirgh-i-Dilhi,
succeeded Hazrat Nizmuddin Auliy. Muhammad Gesu Darz, known as Band Nawaz,
in turn, succeeded him. In 1398, he moved to Deccan, where Sultn Firoz Shh Bhmani
received him with great respect. He died in 1422 in Gulbarg.
The saints of Qdiri Order also took India as their abode. Saiyad Muhammad Ghawth,
10th in the line of succession from Shaikh Abdul Qdir Gilani of Baghdad, the founder of the
Qdiri Order, settled in Uchh, Sindh, also an abode of Sufi saints of Suhrwardi Order. The
fame of Shaikh Abdul Qdir Gilni had already preceded him. He was, therefore, received
well and the then Ruler of Delhi, Sultn Sikandar Lodi.
Shaikh Bahuddin Zakariy was the foremost of the saints of Suhrwardi Order. He
was born in Multan in 1182 and was a grandson of Shaikh Abdul Qdir Gilni, the founder of
the Qdri Order, through his mother. He was, however, initiated in the Suhrwardi Order by
Shaikh Shihbuddin Suhrwardi and later asked to go to India.
The Naqshbandi Order Sufis were the last to enter India. This Order was introduced in
India by Hazrat Muhammad al-Bqi Billh, 7th in the line of succession from Baha'ud-din
Shh Naqshband, its founder. He was born in 1562 in Kabul, then a colony of the Sultanate of
India and came to India on personal business, but gave up worldly life in the quest of spiritual
knowledge. One day Muhd. Khwj al-Amkanaki appeared in his dream and invited him to
visit him, and initiated him in the Naqshbandi Order. He was authorized to go back to India,
and settled in Delhi. Through him the order spread swiftly throughout the Indian subcontinent.
Sufism in India
Shaikh Ahmad al-Fruqi was born in 1561 in Sarhind in India. At the age of 17 years,
he was authorized to train followers in three Tariqats: Suhrawardi, Qdiri and Chishti.
His spiritual progress brought him to the presence of Bqi Billh, from whom he took the
Naqshbandi Order and the authorization to train his disciples. Shaikh Ahmads son,
Muhammad al-Msum, a born-saint, succeeded him in 1624. In turn, his son Shaikh
Saifuddin succeeded him. He was succeeded by Nur Muhammad al-Badwani, a
descendant of Prophet Muhammad, with a bent back as a result of excessive contemplation.
His successor, Shamsuddin Habib Allh (Mirz Zanzn) had a liberal attitude towards
various religions and was Master of Naqshbandi, Qadiri, Chishti & Suhrwardi Tariqats.
Other Indian mystics of the 18th cent., such as Mr Dard, played a decisive role in forming
the newly developing Urdu poetry. Such modern Islamic thinkers as the Indian philosopher,
Muammad Iqbl have attacked traditional monist mysticism and have gone back to the
classical ideals or divine love as expressed by allj and his contemporaries. The activities
of modern Muslim mystics in the cities are mostly restricted to spiritual education.
Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj (1921-1989) blended spirituality and mysticism into his
poetry. He was acclaimed as India's greatest Sufi mystic poet writing in the Urdu language.
His collections of poems, Manzil-i-Noor (Abode of Light) and Mat-i-Noor (Treasure-house
of Light) won for him the Urdu Academy Award for poetry. His English publications include
collections of spiritual talks: Secret of Secrets, Spiritual Awakening and Wonders of Inner
Space; and of poetry: Cry of the Soul, A Tear and a Star, and Love at Every Step: My Concept
of Poetry. He lived love and by his example taught his disciples and those who knew him how
to also live a life of love. His work for peace was recognized throughout the world by civic,
social, and spiritual leaders.
Sufism in Kashmir
Sufi orders like the Suhrawardi, Kubrwi, Naqshbandi and Qdri, arrived in Kashmir
from Persia, C. Asia, and C. and N. India. Migration of many Saiyads of Turkistan along with
Saiyad Ali Hamdni from 1372 seeking a refuge from persecution of Timur, accelerated
conversion of Kshmiris to Islam. It also gave a mystical color to the new religion that the
populace embraced. Deeply imbued with the Sufism, these Saiyads simulated the tendency to
mysticism, for which Hindu asceticism and Buddhist renunciation had already paved the way.
Islam made its way into the Kashmir valley not necessarily by forcible conquest but by
gradual conversion, for which the influx of mystics from the S. and C. Asia had prepared the
ground. Sharf-ud-Deen Saiyad Abdur Rahmn Turkistni or Bulbul Shh (d. 1327), a disciple
of Suhrawardi Sufi, Shah Nimtullah Wali Frsi was to succeed in spreading Islm in
Kshmir.
The ascetic and unworldly life of the indigenous Kashmiri Muslim Rishis order of Sufis,
evolved in the beginning of the 15th cent., however, differs not only from the institutional and
fundamentalist Muslims, but also from other Sufi orders in its way of life, and bears a close
resemblance to the Hindu Rishis and Munis, as well as Buddhist and Jain monks.
Islam had made its inroads long before the establishment of Muslim rule in Kashmir. But
the well-organized Sufi activities began only towards the end of the 14th cent. with Sufis like
Saiyad Ali Hamdni, Mir Muhammad, Saiyad Jamluddin Bukhri and Saiyad Ismil Shmi.
A Suhrwardi saint, Saiyad Muhammad Isfahni (or Rifi) arrived in Kashmir in 2nd half of
15th cent. The other prominent Suhrwardi Sufis of Kashmir are: Saiyad Ahmad Kirmni and
Saiyad Jamluddin Bukhri, arriving in Kashmir in the first half of 16 th cent., among whose
disciples was Shaikh Hamz Makhdum or Mahbubul lam (Beloved of the World).
Sufism in Kashmir
The Naqashbandi order was introduced in Kashmir by Saiyad Hilal (d. 1457). Another
Naqashbandi saint was Khawj Khwand Mahmud (d.1642). The impact of Shaikh Ahmad
Sirhindi was reflected on the Sufis of Kashmir also.
Saiyad Nimtullah Shh Qdri introduced the Qdiri order in Kashmir in the second half
of the 16th cent. Another Qdri saint, who came to Kashmir from India, was Saiyad Ismail
Shami. His disciple was Mir Nzuk Niyzi. Mull Shah Badakshani, stayed in Kashmir for
more than 22 years. He was among the disciples of Mian Mir Qdri.
Saiyad Ali Hamdni (1314-1384), who had interaction with Yogini Lalleshwari, a famous
saint and devotee of Lord Shiva, belonged to the Kubrwi order of Sufis .It is well known
that the Kubrwi and Suhrwardi saints made strenuous efforts to support the Sunni cause,
which the dominance of Shis in politics in the second half of the 16th cent. had undermined.
Lalleshwari (1320-1392) (also known as: Ll Ded, Lall) was a mystic of Kashmiri Shaivite
sect, Trik and a disciple of Siddha Srikantha (Sed Byu). Her mystic verses, Ll Vakhs are
an important part in history of Kashmiri literature. She inspired some of later Sufis of Kashmir.
Whereas the Sufis were on the margins of society in other places, in Kashmir they were
the dominant influence. This is what makes the Kashmiri Muslim society different from other
Muslim societies. This made it possible for the Sufi in Kashmir to rebuke the preacher, rather
than being the target of abuse, as in other places.
What keeps Kashmiri mystics firmly anchored in the Indian soil is their meditative technique.
By and large they use variations of watching the breath (Ps-i-Anfs). This is similar to
various techniques of Prnym widely practised in India's Hatha Yoga traditions, which were
being practised by the Shaivaite yogis of Kashmir before the advent of Islam.
Sufism in Punjab
Since the early Punjabi poetry was spiritual in nature. Guru Nanak, the first guru of the Sikh
religion, distilled the Sufi, Nth and Bhakti traditions - three religious genres that influenced
Punjab's spiritual tradition - in his divine verses. The songs came to be identified as Kirtan.
Of the many Sufi orders in India, 3 flourished in the Punjab and produced a crop of poets:
the Chistia Farid Shakarganj, the Qalandaria, Shah Husain of Lahore and the Qadiri, Bulleh
Shah, who was a contemporary of Guru Gobind Singh. Sultan Bahu was a scholar of Arabic
and Persian but he contributed to Punjabi Sufi poetry in the form of Siharfi. Ali Hayder (1690-
1758) made his contributions in the form of Siharfi, Kfi and Guftgu. Hashim Shah (1735-
1843) was a Punjabi love-story writer, also a great Sufi poet on the basis of Dohre named,
Darye Haqiqat. The Kafis of Ghulam Farid Chachra (1845-1901) are full of Gods love.
The Sufis lived in villages and their vocabulary was refreshingly rustic. The day-to-day
activities of peasants, artisans and their women folk, the complicated emotional relationships
between the various members of joint families - a sisters love for her brother, the tension
between co-wives and the tyranny of a mother-in-law- gave them the similes and metaphors
they needed. The Sikh Gurus made use of these to convey their message.
A notable contribution of Sufis was the popularization of certain forms of verse, which
became distinctive of Punjabi literature, e.g. the Kfi, Br-mh, and the Siharfi. Kfi was well-
known to Persian poets and is popular today in Urdu verse. The Bra-mh, or the 12 months,
gave poets full liberty to describe the beauty of the seasons and with that convey their
message. The Siharfi or the acrostic, takes a letter of the alphabet as its cue. This was used
by the Sikh Gurus. Another notable contribution to Punjabi literature made by Sufi writers was
Kisss, love epics told in verse and sung in every hamlet. The most famous of these were:
Heer-Rnjh, Sassi-Punnoo, Sohni-Mahiwl and Mirz-Shibn.
Sufism in Sindh, Bangladesh & SE Asia
In Sindh (now Pakistan), Qzi Qadn (1463-1551), Shh Karim (1536-1623), Shh
Inyatullah (c.1623-1712), Shh Latif (1689-1752) and Sachal Sarmast (1739-1827) formed
part of the Bhakti movement, which had major impact through the spread of Guru Nanaks
(1469-1539) teachings and were great integrators of society.
Sufism in Bangladesh is a silent and spontaneous movement. Islam entered the region in
many different ways, the Muslim traders, the Turkish conquest, support of the Sultans and the
missionary activities of the Muslim Sufis. The large scale conversion to Islam began in the 13 th
cent. and continued for hundreds of years. Suhrawardi Hazrat Shh Jall was instrumental
in the spread of Islam throughout NE India including Assam. He reached India in 1300. Due
to him many thousands of Hindus and Buddhists converted to Islam. Chishti Sufi Tariqas
entered into E Bengal under Shaikh Fariduddin in 1296. Other Chishti active Sufis were:
Hazrat Abdullh Kirmni in W Bengal and Shaikh Akhi Sirjuddin Badyuni, sent in 1357 to
Bengal by his spiritual guide, Nizamuddin Auli. Orders like Qdiri, Qmisi. Maizbhandri,
Naqshbandi, Mujddid, Ahmadi, Muhammadi, Suhrwardi & Rifai entered 17th cent. on.
In South East Asia, expansion of trade with West Asia and India resulted in traders
bringing Islam. There existed a colony of foreign Muslims on the west coast of Sumatra by
674; other Muslim settlements began to appear after 878. In 12th cent. the Indian Chola navy
crossed the ocean and sacked the Hindu Srivijay kingdom in Kadaram (Kedah). Later, the
King of Kedh converted to Islam, with the Sultanate of Kedah being established in 1136. The
ruler of the region's most important port, Malacca Sultanate, embraced Islam in the 15th cent.,
heralding a period of accelerated conversion of Islam as the religion provided a unifying force
among the ruling and trading classes. Sufi missionaries played a significant role in spreading
the faith by syncretising Islamic ideas with existing local beliefs and religious notions.
Sufism in S. India
S. India has a very rich tradition of religious pluralism and Hindu-Muslim interactions,
many Hindu rulers patronising Muslim saints. Trichy had become an active Sufi centre during
the mediaeval period. Its main dargh is dedicated to Nthar Wali. Martyr-saint Vvar was a
Muslim disciple of the Keralite warrior-king Ayyappan, who is believed to have been an
incarnation of a Drvidian deity.
Mm Jigni, a Hindu princess of the royal family of Trichy, became a disciple of the Qdiri
Sufi saint, Dd Hayth Mir Khalander, (Abdul Azeez Makki, 11th cent.) whose shrine is
located near Chikka Magalur in Karntaka. Shri Krishnarja Wodeyar III, the Hindu ruler of
Mysore was a prestigious patron of his lineage. Bb Budan ( Jaml Ahmed Maghribi, 17th
cent.) introduced coffee to India by bringing coffee beans from Yemen is believed to be
incarnation of Hindu deity, Datttreya. The Bbbudangiri shrine represents a syncretic
culture synthesizing together Shaivite, Vaishnavite and Sufi cultures.
Bijpur is a very important Sufi centre in Karnataka, where thousands Sufis of different
orders of Silsils like Chisti, Qdiri, Shuttari, Haidari, Naqshbandi, Suhrwardi etc.
are buried. In Bangalore, there are a number of darghs of Sufi saints such as: Suhrwardi
Sufi saint Hazrat Tawakkal Mastn Bb, Qdiri Sufi saint Hazrat Mohiuddin Shh Qudiri
(Hazrat Kambal Poshah), Chishti Sufi saint Hazrat Khwj Mehboob Ali Shh Chishti.
Sufis of S. India have thrived unceasingly to bring about a unity between Hindus and
Muslims. Their teachings transcend the boundaries of caste and creed, preaching religious
harmony and human values. Sufism has done a lot to alleviate the antagonism that prevailed
between these two religions particularly among the lower strata of the society. Sufism has
had a positive effect on Kannada literature also. Folk forms such as Kalgi-tura ballads,
Rivaayath songs etc exhibit a blend of these religions in their thematic and formal concerns.
Sufism in Africa
From its beginning, Islam has been a central feature in Africa, which was the first continent
into which it expanded. Sufism has many orders as well as followers in W Africa, Algeria and
Sudan. In Morocco and Senegal, Sufism is seen as a mystical expression of Islam,
accommodating local beliefs and customs, which tend toward the mystical. Most orders in W
Africa emphasize the role of a spiritual guide, Marbout or possessing supernatural power.
Sufi brotherhoods appeared in or south of the Sahara desert around 1800. In the 17 th-18th
cents. individuals like al-Mukhtr al-Kunti and Uways al-Barwi of Qadiri, al-Hajj 'Umar Said
Tall of Tijni, Ibn Idris and Shaikh M'ruf of Shadhill set the directions of their orders. In
Senegal & Gambia, Mouridism Sufis have several million adherents and venerate its founder,
Amadou Bamb Mback (d. 1927). Sufism has seen a growing revival in Morocco with
contemporary spiritual teachers such as Sidi Hamz al Qdiri al Boutshishi. Notable are:
Algerian Emir Abd al-Qdir, Amadou Bamb, Shaikh Mansur Ushurm & Imm Shmil.
Egypt: During the middle of the 19th cent. Egypt was inhabited and controlled by Naqsh-
bandis. A major Naqshbandi Khnqh was constructed in 1851 for Shaikh Ahmad Ashiq (of
Diy'i branch of the Khlidi). During the last two decades of the 19th cent. two other versions
of Naqshbandi spread in Egypt. One of these was introduced by Sudanese, al-Sharif Ism'il
al-Sinnri into Upper Egypt from 1870 from Sudan. The Judi and the Khalidi branches
spread in the last decades of the 19th cent. and are still active today.
The Chishti Sbiri Jahngiri Silsil [named after Hzt. Makhdoom Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sbir
Kalyri, a successor to Bb Farid & Saiyad Muhammad Jahngir Shh Chishti Sbri of
Ajmer (d. 1924)] was brought to Durban, S. Africa by Jnb. Ebrahim Madri Chishti Sbiri in
1944.
..Syria, Azerbaijan, Russia, China, Spain
Syria and Palestine: Naqshbandi (Muradi) was introduced into Syria at the end of the
17th cent. by Murd Ali al-Bukhri, who was initiated in India. Khalid Shahrazuri rose as
the prominent Naqshbandi (Khalidi) leader in Syria and Lebanon. Khnqh al-Uzbaki
in Jerusalem still survives. Farmadi branch is still present in Lebanon. With Shaikh Abdullh
Fa'izi ad-Dghestani (d. 1973) Golden Chain of the Naqshbandi Order which had gone from
Damscus to India, Baghdd and Dghestan, returned to Damascus. Today, Naqshbandi
Haqqni Sufi Order is lead by his successor, Nazim al-Haqqni and is very active in Syria.
Azerbaijan and Daghestan, Russia: Naqshbandi Silsil beginning from Muhammad is
passed in chain till Ismail Kurdumeri. The chain from Muhammad Slih Shirwni is continuous
and goes all the way to Mahmud Afndi, Hasan Hilmi Afndi.
China: Ma Laichi brought the Naqshbandi order to China, creating the Khufi Hua Si Sufi
menhuan. Ma Mingxin, also brought the Naqshbandi order, creating the Jahri menhuan.
These two menhuan were rivals, and fought against each other. Some of the Chinese Muslim
Generals of the Ma Clique belonged to Naqshbandi Sufi menhuan. Today many disciples of
the Naqshbandi Haqqni Sufi Order exist in China.
In al-Andalus (Spain-Portugal), Sufism was influenced by the mystical tradition of Ibn
Masarra (883- 931) and the Persian mystics such as al-Ghazli (1058-1111) and al-Qushiyri
of late 11th-mid 12th cents. It came to be more accepted and assimilated into Islam during 12 th-
13th cents. After the expulsion of Muslims from Spain, Christian mystics of the 16 th cent. such
as Teresa of Avila reflected Sufisms lasting influence in Spain.
Contemporary Scenario in the West
Numerous non-traditional Neo-Sufi Sufi movements, who see Sufism as a Universal
philosophy, have grown in the West such as: Universal Sufism of Hz. Inyat Khn, Mevlevi
order, Sufi Foundation of America of Adnn Sarhn, Sufism Reoriented of Meher Bb,
Golden Sufi Center of Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Idries Shh known for his humorous Mull
Nasrudin stories, International Association of Sufism of Nahid Angha/Ali Kianfar, Oveyssi-
Shhmghsoudi order etc. Ivan Aguli, Ren Gunon, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, Nazim al-
Haqqni, Javad Nurbakhsh, Bulent Ruf, Muzaffer Ozk were other influential Sufi teachers,
while spiritualists such as G.I.Gurdjieff may not have conformed with orthodox Sufi tenets. In
the West, currently active Sufi academics and publishers include: Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Hamz
Yusuf, Abdullh Nooruddeen Durkee, Waheed Ashraf, Omer Tarin and Abdal Hkim Murd,
who have been instrumental in spreading messages that conform with the tenets of Islam.
Sufism has suffered many setbacks in the modern era, particularly at the hands of
European imperialists in colonized nations of Asia and Africa. Practices such as celebrating
events, visiting shrines, dance and music have been decried as being un-Islamic by the
orthodoxy. In recent years, many Sufi shrines and mosques have been damaged or destroyed,
and Sufis killed within the Muslim world. In Turkey, Sufis were banned in 1925 when they
opposed the new secular order. In Iran, Shi Sufis are harassed for not supporting the
government doctrine that the political leader should be supreme jurist.
Sufism is an antidote to militant Islams global jihd today. Some have blamed this on
petro-Islam based in narrow interpretation of Islam attributed to Muhammad- Whabism &
Salfism, promoted by the royal family of Saudi Arabia. It advocates purging Islam of what it
considers innovations- such as age-old practice of calling on pious figures and considers its
supporters to be permissible to kill, raid and enslave.
Sufism & Islam
Sufism & Islam
Sufism, as a mystic path predates both Islam & Christianity. Within Islam, it sprang up
in reaction against the leaders of Islam, like Hrun al-Rashid, the 8th cent. 5th Abbasid Caliph,
whose focus on worldly power and wealth were antitheses of Muhammeds simple life,
instead, choosing the mystic path of Hindus and Buddhists, and of Christian monks.
The Sufis had little choice but to work within the framework of Islamic Shari- else
they would have been dubbed Kfirs- unbelievers. This resulted in a silent warfare between
individuality and institutionalization. Unlike Islam, Tasawwuf- Sufism is not a faith of the
book, instead emphasizing direct experience through spiritual practice (meditation). Sufism
is transmitted heart to heart from the teacher to the student, not through texts.
Islam believes Allah is but one and is to be realized through the fourfold exoteric practice
of: 1. Salt- 5 times recitation of Namz- prayer to Allah, individually or collectively, under an
Imam 2. Zakt- charity 3. Sawm- self-discipline or keeping Roz- fast for 40 days of Ramzan
and 4. Hajj- pilgrimage to Kb. For the unfettered Sufis, in Salt, the Imam or Shaikh was
replaced by the Peer-o-Murshid- Master. The postures of Namz were replaced by postures
of Zikr- remembrance. Their Zakt became poverty and renunciation (Sanys), dependent
on Allahs mercy (a path of Nivritti, rather than the Islamic karmic Pravritti). Saum became
yearlong spiritual practices (Tapas). Hajj became seeking Allah in Qalb- heart, rather than in
Quibl (Sange-Aswad or Linge-Ashweta)-the sacred stone at Kb.
Muslim scholars who focused their energies on understanding the normative guidelines
for their congregation came to be known as jurists. Those who held that the most important
task was to train the mind in achieving correct understanding, delved into three main schools
of thought: theology, philosophy, and Sufism. Those who devoted their major efforts to
developing the spiritual dimensions of the human person came to be known as Sufis.
Sufism & Islam
Sufism was traditionally considered the systematisation of the spiritual component of Islam.
Many Islamic scholars hold Tasawwuf of Sufi doctrines and philosophies, to be the science of
the heart or gnosis (as distinct from other branches of Islamic knowledge which are exoteric
in nature). Even today, many of the traditional Islamic universities like al-Azhar endorse Sufism
as a part of the religion of Islam.
Sufis do not define Sufism as a Madhhab- school of legal jurisprudence (Fiqh). What
distinguishes a person as a Sufi is practicing Sufism, usually in association with a Sufi order,
rather than mere belief. While Sufism deals with Tasawwuf- matters of the heart, classic Sufi
Tariqas insist on adherence to one of the four Madhhabs of Fiqh and one of the two orthodox
schools of Aqida- creed or matters of intellect as well.
Sufism has been criticized for being non-Islamic in nature. Sufi masters have introduced
many special prayers and devotional acts into their schools, considered reprehensible, and at
best unnecessary, innovations. Sufis consider them progressive. Certain practices like singing
and dancing are considered inconsistent with the Shari while Sufis quote prophetic traditions
that condone certain forms of non-instrumental music. Also, some groups emerged that
considered themselves above Shari and treated Sufism as a method of bypassing the rules
of Islam in order to attain salvation directly.
Sufi writers took recourse to allegory and often abstruse language since Sufi literature deals
with highly subjective matters, such as the subtle states of the heart, that resist direct
reference. This opens avenues for many misunderstandings. The concept of Divine unity
Wahdat-al-Wajud is considered by critics equivalent to pantheism and therefore incompatible
with Islam. Much Sufi poetry refers to states of intoxication, expressly forbidden in Islam.
Sufism & Islam
The Sufis went beyond the Islamic Sharia- path of law (Karma-knd), which leads to
Mohabbat- love of Allah, during the process of which, Taub- repentance, Jihd- overcoming
obstacles, Sabra- patience to overcome ego, Shukr- gratitude, Rizaa- accepting Allahs will,
Khauf- fearing Allah, Tawakkul- not wandering hither and thither for physical sustenance,
Raz- remembering Allah in solitude and Fiqr- reflection are commended.
The Momin- Allahs beloved, now becomes Slik- seeker; through Jihad- struggle, he then
becomes rif- knower, undergoing pangs of separation. This is Tariq - path of discipline
(Upsan-knd). The Sufi may skip both Shari and Tariq, and enter the inner path or
Marif- path of Grace (Gyn-knd), leading to Haqiq- experience of Truth (Bhakti-knd).
To the Sufi, the root Islamic scripture, Hadith- oral Islamic tradition, Sunn- trodden path
or the way and the manners of Muhammad, Ijma- the consensus of the Ummh- the
community of Muslims, Qiys- process of analogical reasoning, in which the teachings of the
Qur'n are compared and contrasted with those of the Hadith etc., are mere intellectual
pursuits, which he veers away from, instead seeking Allahs Jaml- loving aspect, rather than
his Jall- powerful aspect.
The Sufis distinguish three organs of spiritual communication: the heart (Qalb), which
knows God; the spirit (Rooh), which loves Him; and the inmost ground of the soul (Sirr),
which contemplates Him. By emptying of Sirr- the secret, located in the middle of the chest,
signifying negation and obliteration of ego-centred human propensities, evil can be overcome.
By going through the pangs of separation in its Qalb- heart (the repository of the four-fold
Antah-karan) the Rooh can overcome Nafs. Murif- intuition (Praggy), the opposite of Aql-
intellect (yet another obstacle), is considered an aid. Both Nafs and Aql work through Khudi-
ego, killing which, the Sufi wishes to become Khud-- God (that comes of His own!).
Sufism & Islam
Allh: of Sufis is more akin to the Brahm of Vedntins or the Nirvna of Buddhists. For
Moslems, Allh is the supreme deity (his form is Sagun), stating Laa Ilaah Illillah- that there
is no God except Allh. For the Sufis also, while his power is supreme, but rather than his
Jalal, his Rahim (merciful) aspect is emphasized (Allh as a Nirgun- transcendent being of
the heart) making him less Semitic, but more akin to the Upanishadic concept. It was as a
result of their perception of Allh as a person that Islam tends to draw strong feelings.
Rooh (Jiva) or soul: Qur'n relates the relationship betwixt Allah (the One) & Muhammad
(his ultimate Rasul), making the devotee a servant of the served One. The Sufis, like the
Advaita Vedntin, Aham Brahmsmi said Anal Haqq i.e. that the human-being is created in
the Gods own image, after the rest of the creation was made. The soul is but the mirror in
which the Oversoul sees his own form. The lover and the Beloved. However, in order to
achieve self-realization, the soul has to go through pangs of separation (Virah).
Qynat- Creation: was made in the form of the separation of the soul from Oversouls own
essence. The various regions that came into being, are all but limbs of Gods own form. God
is Truth, and the rest his reflection or shadow. The Sufi thus sees the beauty of God in nature.
The human is deluded since he attempts to see his own reflection in nature.
Iblis- Devil: The Vedantins speak of My, the power of Brahm, as being responsible for
the separation of the soul from the Oversoul. Devil is Nafs- sub-conscious mind (Chitta-vritti)
or desire, represented by the outer faculties. While Iblis of Islam refused to bow down before
Adam, Iblis of the Sufis is a devotee of God, who undertakes the damning task of passing his
essences through karmic fires, so as to eventually purify them. He is not despised since it is
on account of him that one falls due to sin and gets to be the image of God.
Sufism & Islam
Mainstream scholars of Islam perceive Sufism as Islamic mysticism or its esoteric or inner
dimension, its core essence that provides insights into God and His creation. However, it is
disputed that it is essential to be a Muslim in order to be a true Sufi. Besides, many believe
Sufism is a universal faith which predates both Islam and Christianity.
Sufism as Islamic mysticism appears to be a contradiction in terms- the Sufis have never
been comfortable in Islam. Some Sufis under the Chishti order were not against absorbing
ideas from the Bhakti movement and even used Hindi for their devotional poetry. Indian
Sufism within the broad framework of Bhakti movement is one of the finest expressions of
Indian composite culture. However, the orthodox Ulam, with royal support, insisted that the
Sufis go back to Sharia. Even though the Ulam had certain differences with Sufis over
theological and mystic issues, yet, the Sharia remained a cementing force between them.
Ibn Sabin & Ibn Arabis Wahdat al-Wajud (Unity of Being) philosophy and Tanazzluat
(stages of manifestation), rather than orthodox Wahdat al-Shuhud (Unity of Perception,
Apparentism) of `Ala al-Dawlh Simnn & Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi or Abdul Qdir of Gilns
Silsil (who held the former, pantheistic view to be against Islams tenets), was advocated
by most Sufis, and took roots in Indian soil naturally. With the rise of Bhakti movement, direct
appeal and devotional surrender to God, regardless of religious law, was highly favoured.
The metaphor of husband-wife in describing the intimate relation between Peer-o-Murshid
and Mureed, again was never Islamic. In its subscribing to these, essentially un-Islamic
doctrines, Islamic mysticism, when introduced in India, became characteristically Indian in its
character and expression akin to the monistic Vedanta. For this, Sufis had to pay heavily-
some even with their lives.
 Masters of
Indian Sub-continent
 Ali Hujwiri (1009-1072)
"Like the corn fields that yield before the
ferocious winds, the believers endure trials
with fortitude. The hypocrites like cypress trees
stand arrogantly until they are knocked down."

Man is finite but love is infinite, and the

finite has no control over the infinite.

Hazrat Saiyad Hfiz Hji Abul Hasan Bin Usmn Bin Ali al-Jalbi al-Hujwiri, Dt Ganj
Bakhsh was a great Persian Sufi scholar, writer and poet. He was born in Ghazni
during the reign of Mahmud of Ghazni. Hujwiri belonged to the Junaidia school of
Sufism, founded by Junaid Baghddi, a major Sufi saint of Baghdad and was associated
with the most well-known Sufi orders in the subcontinent, such as the Qadiria,
Suhrwardi and Naqshbandi. He was both a Hasani and Husseini Saiyad with direct
lineage to the Prophet thru his father, who was a descendant of Hzt. Imm Hasan, son
of Hazrat Ali. He was accepted as a murid by Hazrat Shaikh Abul Fadl Muhammad bin
al-Hasan al-Khuttli. After having completed his studies, he travelled to Syria, Iraq,
Persi, Kohistn, Azerbijn, Tabaristn, Kermn, Khorasn, Transoxin etc. to acquire
knowledge from well-known scholars and to pay homage to saints. He significantly
contributed to the spreading of Islm in S. Asia. After permanently settling in Lhore, he
constructed a monastery and a mosque for himself. He was a prolific writer, perceptive
and discriminating in his choice of topics. Kashf-ul-Mahjoob (Revelation of Mystery) is
the first important treatise on Sufism.
 Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti
(1141-1236)
The path of love is such, that he who treads on it,
loses his name and identity. Love is all-embracing
and all-pervading: the lover's heart is a fireplace of
love. Whatever comes in it is burnt and becomes
annihilated. There is no fire greater in intensity than
the fire of love. The sign of true love is manifested in
obedience to and the fear of the Friend.

Shaikh Khwj Saiyad Moinuddin Hasan Chishti, Gharib Nawaz (Benefactor of the
poor) was eighth in the line of succession from its founder, Khwj Abu Ishq Shmi
Chishti. He introduced and established the Chishti order in S. Asia. He was both a
Hasani (maternal) and Husseini (paternal) Saiyad. His great grandfather, Khwj
Saiyad Ahmad Husain, migrated from Samarr in Iraq and eventually settled in Sanjar
in Sistn region of Irn, where he was born (or in Isfahan). Aged 15, he witnessed the
Trtr sack of Khorsn twice. He was initially graced by Shaikh Ibrahim Qndozi, who
transformed his life. He proceeded to Samarkand and then to Bukhra, where he
pursued higher studies. He left Irq for Arabia, and from there proceeded to Haroon in
Iran, where the famous saint Hazrat Khwj Usman Harooni accepted him as his
spiritual disciple and appointed him as a spiritual caliph. He went to India, first
reaching Multn, then Lhore and Delhi, and from there, to settle at Ajmer. He was very
fond of music and fell unconscious in a state of rapture while listening to it. He had a
forgiving nature and showed love, regard, and respect to all, irrespective of caste,
creed, or religion. Khwj Qutbuddin Bakhtir Kki was his spiritual successor.
 Baha-ud-din Zakariya (1170-1267)
If a heart has no burning love for
God, it is merely a dead piece of
flesh, but if it possesses the Ishq
(love) of God, it is a mirror of Divine
presence and blessings.
It is the inward isolation from
everything which must be sought by
the true seeker of God.
If the repetition of the
remembrance of God is lacking,
then an individual cannot even
smell the love of God.
The safety of the body lies in
eating less; the safety of the soul
lies in sleeping less; and the
safety of religion lies in prayer.

al-Shaikh al-Kabir Shaikh-ul-Islm Bah-ud-Din Abu Muhammad Zakariy al-Qureshi,

Shaikh Bah-ud-Din Zakariy, Bahwal Haq, a Sufi of Suhrawardi order, was born at
Kot Kehror (Karor Lal Eason), Layyh District, near Multn, Punjb, Pkistn. His
grandfather Shh Kamluddin Ali Shh Qureshi arrived in Multn from Mecc en route
to Khwrezm. Bahuddin was born a wali. After his father's death he went to Khorsan,
and there engaged in acquiring the outward knowledge and in attaining the inward
graces for 7 years. He then went to Bukhra to complete his education. Having finished
with his course, he went to Mecc & Medin for Hajj where he stayed for 5 years and
studied the hadith from a distinguished muhaddith Shaykh Kamaluddin Muhammad
Yamani, who awarded him Khilfat only after 17 days of stay at
his Khnqh in Baghdd. From Medin, he went to Jerusalem, and from there to
Baghdd. He was one of the disciples of Shaikh ul-Shaiyukh Shahbuddin Suhrwarthy
and was a contemporary of Hazrat Bb Fariduddin Ganjshakar of Ajodhan and
Hazrat Khwj Qutbuddin Bakhtir Kki of Delhi. After wandering for 15 years he
eventually came to Multn, known as "Baghdd of the East" and settled there.
 If

Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki (1173-1235)

Salik is he who remains
engrossed in love of God.
He is so absorbed that if
the entire expanse of Sky
and Earth get into his
chest, he would scarcely
feel the presence.

Hzt. Khwj Syed Muhammad Qutbuddin Bakhtir Kki, Qutub ul Aqtb was a
renowned Muslim Sufi mystic, saint and scholar of the Chishti Order from Delhi. He was
born in Aush in Fergn Valley (S. Kyrgyz Republic), the son of Kamlu'ddin Mus. He
was a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad, descending through Hussain ibn Ali. His
mother arranged for his education by Shaikh Abu Hifs. When Moinuddin Chishti passed
through Aush during his travels, Bakhtir took the oath of allegiance at his hands and
received Khilfat and Khirqah from him. His influence on Sufism in India was immense.
He continued and developed the traditional ideas of universal brotherhood and charity
within the Chishti order. Qutub Minr, Delhi is dedicated to him. He came to Delhi
during the reign of Iltutmish. The name Kki was attributed to him by virtue of
a miracle. Kk (a kind of bread) miraculously appeared in that corner whenever his
wife required it. Like other Chishti saints, he did not formulate any formal doctrine.
Directed at the common masses, his discourses contained an emphasis on renunciation,
having complete trust in God, treating all human beings as equal and helping them as
much as possible. He continued and extended the musical tradition of Sam'. His shrine
has been the venue of the annual Phoolwlon-ki-sair (a festival of flower-sellers) in
autumn, now an important inter-faith festival of Delhi.
 Shaikh Baba Farid (1173-1265)
Separated from God, my
O Raven, you have searched my body burns like an oven,
skeleton, and eaten all my flesh. My bones burn like firewood.
But please do not touch these eyes To meet the Beloved I would
as I hope to behold my Beloved. walk until my feet were tired,
I would walk on my head.

Do not utter even a single harsh Not every heart is capable of

word; your True Lord and Master finding the secret of Gods love.
abides in all. Do not break anyone's There are not pearls in every
heart; these are all priceless jewels. sea; there is not gold in every
mine.
Khwj Farduddn Mas'd Ganjshakar, commonly known as Bb Fard, was a
Sufi saint of the Chishti Order. Fard's lineage is traced back to the 2nd Caliph Umar ibn
Khattab. Bb Fard was born in the Punjb town of Kothiwal. Shaikh Fard was born at
a time when Punjb was going through very tough times. Tamarlane, Halku,
Mohammed Ghouri, Mahmud Ghazanvi etc. had or were ravaging Punjab when Fard
was born. Although he received his formal education and knowledge from Shaikh
Bahuddin Zakari, he received his spiritual position from Khwj Qutub-ul-din
Bakhtiyar Ushi (Kaki) of Dihli, whose spiritual predecessors derive in an unbroken line
from Prophet Mohammed. He ultimately left Hnsi, Haryn and thence proceeded to
Ajodhan, the present Pk Pattan. Hazbr, the Emperor Nasir-ud-Din Balban's daughter,
was married to Bb Fard, He lived a life of severe austerity and piety. Farid can be
truly called the founder of the Punjbi literary tradition, making Punjbi literature older
than that using Hindi, Urdu, etc.
 Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
(1177-1274)
"Three things inevitably demand the attention of every believer
under all circumstances: A commandment to be obeyed, a
prohibition to be respected, and a Divine decree to be accepted
with good grace. In even the most trivial situation, at least one of
the three is bound to apply. The believer must therefore keep his
mind and feelings focused upon them, talk to himself about
them, and practice the physical self-discipline they require of
him at all times."

Saiyad Muhammad Uthmn or Shh Hussain, Hazrat Ll Shahbz Qalandar, Jhule Laal,
a Saiyad Sufi saint, philosopher, poet and Qalandar. He was born in Marwnd, Iran
and belonged to the Suhrawardi order of Sufis. He left for Baghdd where he met
Bb Ibrahim Karbali and became his disciple. He preached religious tolerance among
Muslims and Hindus. His mysticism attracted people from all religions. His dedication to
the knowledge of various religious disciplines enabled him to eventually become a
profound scholar. He was fluent in many languages including Pashto, Persian, Turkish,
Arabic, Sindhi and Sanskrit. Ll Shahbz lived a celibate life. He traveled around
the Muslim world and settled in Sehwn in Sindh, Pkistn. He established
a Khnqh there and taught in the Fuqhai Islm Madars; during this period he wrote
his treatises, Mizn-us-Surf, Kism-e-Doyum, Aqd and Zubdh. In Multn, he met
Suhrwardi Bahuddin Zakariy Multni, Bb Farid Ganjshakar and Makhdoom
Jalluddin Surkh Bukhri. Their friendship became legendary: they were known
as Chahr Yr (the four friends). The saints of Sindh including Shh Abdul Latif
Bhiti, Makhdoom Bilwal and Sachal Sarmast were his followers.
 Bu Ali Shah Qalandar
(1209-1324)
I am Haideri (a follower of Haider, aka Ali ibn Abi Talib),
I am a Qalandar and I am intoxicated (with inspiration).
I am a servant of Ali Murtaza (aka Ali ibn Abi Talib)
I am leader of all saints
Because I am a dog of the lane of "Allah's Lion"
(referring to Ali Murtaza).

Shaikh Sharafuddeen Bu Ali Qalandar Pnipati, titled Bu Ali Shh was born in early
1400 in Pnipat, India or at Ganj, Azerbaijan. He was a Sufi saint of the Chisht Order.
His descent is traced from Numan Ibn Thabit Hazrat Abu Hanif. His father, Shaikh
Fakhr Uddin was a great scholar and saint of his time. His mother, Bibi Hafiz Jaml,
was a Syeda; the daughter of Mauln Syed Nemat Ullh Hamdni. He completed his
studies at an early age and subsequently taught near the Qutub Minar in Delhi for 20
years. Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtir Kki is said to have visited his school, looking for
him and left a note. Kki took him to his murshid, Amirul Momineen Ali, through whom,
he received the required spiritual training, and after finishing Bu Ali Shah became a
dervish. He lived in Pnipat till death and served the people from there. Hundreds drew
spiritual or divine benefits from him. Hundreds embraced Islm because of him. The
Rjputs, who lived around, were the great beneficiaries. He left a deep impact on the
royal dynasty of Delhi, and preached them of good conduct. His dargh (mausoleum) in
the town of Pnipat is a place of pilgrimage.
 Nizamuddin Aulia (1238-1325)
Devotion to God is of two kinds- lazmi (intransitive)
and muta'addi (transitive). Lazmi devotion includes
prayers, fasting, pilgrimage, recitation of religious
formulae, turning over the beads of the rosary etc.
In lazmi devotion the benefit which accrues is confined
to the devotee alone. The muta'addi devotion, on the
contrary, brings advantage and comfort to others; it is
performed by spending money on others, showing
affection to people and by other means through which
a man strives to help his fellow human beings.

Sultn-ul-Mashaikh, Mehboob-e-Ilahi, Hazrat Shaikh Khwj Saiyad Muhammad

Nizmuddin Auliy, also known as Hazrat Nizmuddin, was born in Badyun, Uttar
Pradesh from a distinguished parentage, who traced their lineal heritage from the
family of Prophet Mohammad. At the age of five, after the death of his father, he came
to Delhi. Like his predecessors, he stressed love as a means of realizing God. For him,
his love of God implied a love of humanity. His vision of the world was marked by a
highly evolved sense of secularity and kindness. He became a disciple of Bb Farid. He
did not take up residence in Ajodhan but continued with his theological studies in Delhi,
while simultaneously starting the Sufi devotional practices and the prescribed litanies.
He visited Ajodhan each year to spend the month of Ramdn in the presence of Bb
Farid. It was on his third visit that Bb Farid made him his successor. Shortly after that,
when Nizmuddn returned to Delhi, he received news that Bb Farid had died. He
was the founder of the Chishti Nizmi order and had hundreds of disciples (Khalif)
who had Ijaza (Khilfat) from him to spread the order. Many of the Sufis of the order
are recognized as great Sufis. Nasiruddin Chirgh Dehlavi succeeded him.
 Amir Khusro (1253-1325)
Ab'ul Hasan Yamn ud-Dn Khusro or Amr
Khusro Dehlaw was born in Patili near Etah
in N. India. He was a Sufi musician, great
poet and scholar, mystic and a spiritual
disciple of Nizmuddin Auli of Delhi. He
invented both the Sitar and the Tabla. He is
regarded as the father of Qawwli. He
enriched Indian classical music by
introducing Persian, Arabic and Turkish
elements into it and was the originator of
the Khayl and Tarn styles of music. He
Dye me in your hue, my love, wrote poetry primarily in Persian, but also
You are my man, oh beloved of Almighty; in Hindavi. He was as prolific in tender lyrics
Dye me in your hue. as in highly involved prose and could easily
My scarf, and the beloved's turban, emulate all styles of Persian poetry which
Both need to be dyed in the hue of spring; had developed in medieval Persia, from
Whatever be the price for dyeing, ask for it, Khqn's forceful Qasids to Nizmis
You can have my blossoming youth in Khams. The verse forms he has written in
mortgage; include Ghazal, Masnavi, Qat, Rubi, Do-Beti
Dye me in your hue. and Tarkibhand. His contribution to the
I have come and fallen at your door step,
development of the Gh azal in India, is
For you to safeguard my pride, my dignity,
particularly significant. He called himself
You are my man, Oh beloved of Almighty,
Tuti-e-Hind (parrot of India)
Dye me in your hue.
 Shah Jalal (1271-1347)

Shaikh-ul Mashaek Mokhdum Shaikh Shh Jall Mozorrodh Bin Muhammed or Shh
Jall, al-Mujarrad (for his lifelong celibacy), Shaikh-ul-Mashykh (Great Scholar) is
one of the most revered Islamic heroes of Bangladesh. He was born in a village,
Kaninah in Hadhramaut, Yemen to a Muslim cleric and was brought up in Mecca by his
saintly maternal uncle, Saiyad Ahmed Kabir. He excelled in studies and became a Hfiz,
with proficiency in Islmic theology (Aqidh) and achieved spiritual perfection
(Kamliyyh) after 30 years of study, practice and meditation. His uncle gave him a
handful of earth and told him to travel to Hindustan, and to settle down and establish
Islam where earth of the same colour could be found. Reaching India, he met Khwj
Moinuddin Chishti and Shaikh Nizm ud-din Auli. His travelling party of 360 odd aulias
reached Sylhet, Bengal, where he found a match for the earth and remained there until
his death, converting thousands of Hindus and Buddhists to Islam. Ibn Battut, the
famous traveller, journeyed from Chittgong thru mountains of Kamru near Sylhet to
meet him, noting that Shh Jall was tall and lean, fair in complexion and lived by the
mosque in a cave, where his only item of value was a goat. Amir Khusro gives an
account of Shh Jall's conquest of Sylhet in his book, Afdlul Hawde.
 Ashraf Jahangir Semnani
While the kingly crown is on my head
(1287-1386)
Food is like a seed which takes
root in the land of Salik's stomach
by his kindness, this patched garment
will suit on my body.
and grows tree of actions (Aamal).
If the food is lawful, the tree of good
action grows; and if it is unlawful, the
tree of disobedience and sin grows;
if it is doubtful, the tree of vicious
ideas and negligence in prayer grows.

Hazrat Khawj Syed Makhdoom Ashraf Jahngir Semnni Noor Bakhshi was a
legendary Sufi saint of Persian origin who was affiliated with 14 different Sufi orders.
He made a notable contribution to the advancement of the Chishti silsil in particular.
He was born in Semnn, Iran where his father was the governer- a proficient scholar of
theology and inwardly inclined to Tasuwwuf (mysticism) and a direct descendent of the
Prophet Muhammad. By the age of 14, he had mastered all the subjects including
theology and philosophy, maturing into an extremely accomplished and proficient
scholar. At the age of 15, he was proclaimed the sultn of Semnn. He became a
disciple of the great Kubrawi Sufi Hazrat Al ad-Dawl Semnni and travelled to
Kashn to study under Shaikh Abdur-Razzq Kashni. Hazrat Khizr ordered Hazrat
Ashraf to abandon the throne and make way for India where his Pir (spiritual guide),
Hazrat Shaikh Al ul-Haq Pndwi, a famous Chishti saint was waiting for him. Along
with Hazrat Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdni, he visited many prominent places within the
Islamic world. During his travels he met many illustrious personalities of his time before
settling in Kichhauchh Sharif where his Khnqh became the focal point for those on
the spiritual path. He was an ardent supporter of Hazrat Ibn Arabi's theory of Wahdat
al-Wujud (Unity of Existence) and wrote many books on Sufism.
 Saiyad Ali Hamadani (1314-1384)

Mir Saiyad Ali bin Shahb-ud-Din Hamdni, Apostle of Kashmir was a Persian Sf of
the Kubrw order, a poet and a Muslim scholar. He was born in Hamdn, died
in Kunr and was buried in Khatln. He is a highly revered figure in Kshmir, parts of
Pkistn and in Tjikistn. He was very influential in spreading Islam in Kshmir and in
shaping Kshmiri culture. He wrote several short works on spirituality and Sufism in
Arabic and Persian. He was born in a noble family. He traced his patrimony to Hazrat
Ali and his mother reached the Prophet. His uncle entrusted him to Shaikh Abul Bracket
for spiritual training, and then to Shaikh Mahmud Mizdiqni, a renowned saint, who put
him to severe tests and inculcated in him humility. He became the spiritual heir of
Shaikh Abul Mimin Najam-Uddin Muhammad-bin-Mohammad Azni. Saiyad Ali
travelled far and wide throughout the Muslim World. To avoid persecution in his
homeland at the hands of Timur, he moved to Kshmir with seven hundred followers. In
Kshmir, Hamdan started to preach Islam in an organized manner and set up a large
number of mosques, visiting the valley on several occasions. Thanks to him, the
wonderful arts and crafts turned Kshmir into a mini Irn. The skills and know-how he
brought to Kshmir gave rise to the world famous industry of Cashmere shawls. He
introduced the C. Asian architecture in the valley and fused it with the Kshmiri
architecture, giving rise to a new style.
 Banda Nawaz (1321-1422)
The spiritual guide and teacher is A sound heart
well-acquainted with the ups and results in a sound
downs of the spiritual path. vision. This
Without his help and guidance the vision becomes
way cannot be traversed. The goal such that it turns
cannot be reached by mere rigours dust into
and ascetic practices without the alchemy.
help of the spiritual guide.
Syed Muhammad Hussaini or Sheikh Abul-Fatah Sadr Uddin Muhammad Dehlavi or
Hazrat Khwja Band Nawz Gaisu Darz was a Sufi saint from India of the Chishti
order, who advocated understanding, tolerance and harmony among various religious
groups. He was the descendant of Hazrat Ali. One of his forefathers came from Hert
and settled down at Delhi, where Gaisu Darz was born. His father was a holy figure
and devoted to Hazrat Nizm Uddin Auli. Gaisu Darz was a Murid of the noted Sufi
saint of Delhi, Hazrat Nasiruddin Chirgh Dehlavi, after whose death of, he took on the
mantle of the successor (Khalif). His parents migrated to to Daulatbad (Devgiri,
Mahrshtra) when he was 4 years. At the age of 15, he returned to Delhi for his
education and training by Chirgh Dehlavi. He was a student of Hazrat Kethli, Hazrat
Tjuddin Bahdur and Qzi Abdul Muqtdir. Moving back to Daulatbad owing to
the attack of Timur on Delhi, he took the Chishti Order to South India. He settled down
in Gulbarg, Karnatak at the invitation of Bahmani Sultan, Tj ud-Din Firuz Shh. He
preached in Afghanistan and Balochistan and taught at various other places. He
authored about 195 books in Arabic, Persian and Urdu, his magnum opus being Tafseer
Multqt. He composed Mirj-al shiqin in Dakhni, a South Indian branch of Urdu. He
wrote many treatises on the works on Ibn Arabi and Suhrwardi.
 Lalleshwari (1320-1392)
Lalleshwari, Lal Arif or Lall (translated as either seeker or
darling), also affectionately called Lalli, Ll Ded, Ll Diddi (Granny
Ll), a mystic of the Kshmiri Shaivite sect was born near Srinagar
in Kshmir. She was born in Pndrethan (Purnadhisthna) 4.1/2
miles to the S.E. of Srinagar in a Kshmiri Pandit family. She married
at age twelve, but her marriage was unhappy and she left home at
24 to take Sanys (renunciation) and become a disciple of the
Shaivite guru Siddha Srikantha (Sed Byu). She continued the mystic
tradition of Shaivism in Kshmir, Trik. Lall began wandering
Whatever work about, village to village, going naked or nearly naked, and singing
I did became songs of enlightenment. She was a creator of the mystic poetry
worship of the called Vtsun or Vkhs, literally speech. Known as Ll Vkhs, her
Lord; verses are the earliest compositions in the Kshmiri language and
Whatever word
I uttered became are an important part in history of Kshmiri literature. Ll Ded and
a prayer; her mystic musings continue to have a deep impact on the psyche of
Whatever this Kshmiri common man. There is a saying that in Kshmir only two
body of mine words have any meaning: Allh and Lall. Lalla's songs are short,
experienced
using the simple, direct language of the common people, yet she
became
the sadhana touches on complex yogic techniques and the elevated states of
of Saiva Tantra, awareness. The leading Kshmiri Sufi, Shaikh Noor-ud-din Wali,
illumining my (Nooruddin Rishi, Nunda Rishi), was highly influenced by her. A
path to Kashmiri folk tale recounts that as a baby, Nunda Rishi was breast-
Paramshiva.
fed by Ll Ded as he refused to be breast-fed by his mother.
Salim Chishti (1478-1572)
Saleemuddin Chishti or Salim Chishti was one of the most famous
Sufi saints of India. His father was a descendant of Fariduddin Ganj-i-
Shakar and a follower of Khwj Moinuddin Chishti, whose firm
faith in Wahdat al-Wajud (Unity of Being) provided the basis to his
mystic mission to bring about emotional integration of the
people. He was greatly revered by Akbar, the Moghul emperor,
who went to the shrine of Ashraf Jahngir Semnni, but on his way,
felt inspired to go to Chishti's home, deep in the desert, seeking a
male heir to his throne. Khwj Chishtis prayers blessed King Akbar
with a son, who named after him (Salim) and who succeeded the
throne of Delhi and ruled by the name of Jahangir. Akbar had a
great city Fatehpur Sikri built around Chishtis camp. His Mughal
court and courtiers were then relocated there. A shortage of water
was the main reason that the city was abandoned and it now serves
as a tourist attraction. After a mystical experience, Akbar assembled
groups of learned men of all faiths called Deen-i-Ilhi to discuss,
debate and deliberate about scriptures of various religions and
philosophies of various traditions and let men worship as they
willed, lifting restrictions on non-Muslims, issuing (and enforcing)
edicts enjoining tolerance and faith-blind justice. This set of beliefs
was characterized by sulh-i kul or a fellow feeling.
 Miyan Mir (c.1550-1635)
The thought of anyone
else besides God reduces
the degree of renunciation
and asceticism.
The self is reformed by
shariat, the heart is
reformed by tariqat and
the soul is reformed
by haqiqat.
Mir Mohammed Muayyinul Islm or Sin Min Mir of Lhore, the founder of the Min
Khail branch of the Qdiri order, was born at Sevstan (Sindh). A direct descendant of
Caliph Umar ibn al-Khttab, his father, Qzi S'in Dt belonged to the Qadiri order. His
mother, Bibi Ftim, was the daughter of Qzi Qadn. He severed his connections from
the world and left his home in search of the truth undergoing many hardships and
ascetic practices. He was accepted as a spiritual disciple by Hazrat Shaikh Khizr. He left
for Lahore for acquiring outward knowledge and learning at the feet of Mawlana
Sa'dullh, one of the leading scholars of Islam of his time and passing some years in the
company of MawlanaNe'matullh. He left Lahore for Sirhind, where he fell seriously
ill. After recovering, he returned to Lhore and began to preach and propagate the
doctrine of truth. Min Mir accepted Emperor Jahngirs request to honour him by his
visit to him. Emperor Shh Jahn, like his father, also showed Hazrat Min Mir great
respect. He was a spiritual instructor of Dr Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal
emperor Shh Jahn, who was of a mystic turn of mind. Min Mir holds a pivotal
legendary place in Sikhism and in Sikh history. Guru Arjan Dev invited Min Mir to lay
the foundation stone of the Harmandir Shib.
 Baqi Billah (1563-1603)
Good may be compared to the sun, and evil to night. When the rays of the
sun are no longer visible, night emerges. The sun, of course, has not
disappeared. So, this is a temporary illusion. So it is with evil. Thats why men
think that their sins are of their own creation and are not caused by Allah.

Rzi-ud-Din Muhammad Bqi or Khwj Bqi Billh was the

originator of the Naqshbandi order in the Indian sub-continent.
He was born in Kbul. His father was a famous scholar and
saint of Kabul. Bqi Billh was admitted to the school of Khwj
Sd at 5 to learn the Qur'n. He went to Mauln Sdiq Hilvhi,
a famous scholar at the age of 20. He went to Mvar-un-Nhr
and met numerous Sufis and Saints and gathered spiritual
knowledge from them. He received the spiritual training from
Hazrat Khwj Muhammad Amkngi. During the period of
learning, while he was going through a book on Sufisim, he
saw that the place was illuminated with light and Khwj Bah-
ud-Din Naqshbandi standing before him and showering
spiritual favor upon him. He wandered from C. Asia to India,
travelling to Lahore and Multn on foot and settling down in
Delhi. Bqi Billhs contacts with the nobility of the Mughal
Empire proved useful for reformation of the Muslims of India.
He took bold steps to stop Deen-i-Ilhi, considered heresy. He
stressed on Shari and influenced the people by virtue of his
piety and his strict adherence to the Sunnh. He preferred
Shari to Tariq (Sufism). His shrine is in Sadar Bazr, Delhi.
 Ahmad Sirhindi (1564-1624)
So pitiable are those people who succumb to the indulgences of their nafs
and fail to enjoy the worldly flavours in manners and doses prescribed by
the Islam, thereby divesting themselves of the felicitous and everlasting
flavours of Paradise. Do they not know that Allhu tal sees all?
Mans own nafs is the most adamant obstructive curtain between man
and Allh. Pushing the nafs away requires a conscientious process.
It cannot be described by words and writings, nor is it something that
can be learned by perusal. It has to be a gift that one was endowed with
in the eternal past, and it has to be primed by the attraction of Allh.
Imm-i Rabbn Shaikh Ahmad al-Frq al-Sirhind was an Indian Islmic scholar,
described as Mujddid Alf Thn (reviver of the second millennium). He gave to Indian
Islm the rigid and conservative stamp it bears today. Hailing from an Ashraf family of
descent from Caliph Umar, he was born in Sirhind, near Chandigarh. He went to Sialkot
to learn logic, philosophy and theology and read texts of Tafsr and Hadth. He made
rapid progress in Suhrward, Qdir and Chisht turq, and was given permission to
initiate and train followers at the age of 17. He joined the Naqshband order thru the
Sufi missionary Shaikh Muhammad al-Bq Billh. Sirhindi denounced Emperor Akbar's
policy of Sull-i Kul (mixing all religions into one). He believed that "what is outside the
path shown by the prophet (Shari) is forbidden." He wrote, "Cow-sacrifice in India is
the noblest of Islmic practices. The kfirs may probably agree to pay jiziy, but they
shall never concede to cow-sacrifice." He opposed the mystical monistic doctrine
of Wahdat al-Wujd ('unity of being') stating that in reality all things exist within God.
He advancedWahdat ash-Shuhd (oneness of appearance), i.e. the experience of unity
between God and creation is purely subjective and occurs only in the mind of the Sufi,
who has reached the state of Fan' fi Allh (extinction in God).
 Sarmad Kashani (c.1590-1661)
The Mullahs say Ahmed
went to heaven,
Sarmad says that heaven
came down to Ahmed.
There was an uproar and
we opened our eyes from the
eternal sleep.
Saw that the night of
wickedness endured, so we
slept again.
My head was severed from
my body by that Flirt who
was my Companion.
Otherwise, the headache
would have been too severe.
Muhammad Sa'id or Sarmad Kashni was a Persian mystic,
poet and saint who was born to a family of Jewish Persian-
speaking Azerbijani merchants. Originally a Jew, he
renounced his religion to adopt Islam, while some say he
even converted once more to Hinduism. Sarmad produced a
translation of the Torh in Persian. He traveled to the Mughal
Empire where he intended to sell his wares. In Thatt, he fell
in love with a boy named Abhai Chand, whom he instructed
in Hebrew, Persian and Jewish religion. During this time he
abandoned his wealth, let his hair grow, stopped clipping his
nails and began to wander the city streets and emperor's
courts a naked faqir. The reputation as a poet and mystic he
had acquired caused Mughal crown prince Dr Shikoh to
invite Sarmad at his father's court. On this occasion, Sarmad
so deeply impressed the royal heir that he vowed to become
his disciple. After being victorious in the war of
succession with his brother Dr Shikoh, Aurangzeb had
Sarmad arrested and trialed for heresy. Aurangzeb ordered
his mullahs to enquire from Sarmad why he repeated only
the first half of the Kalim, "There is no God but God". To that
he replied that "I am still absorbed with the negative part.
Why should I tell a lie?" Sarmad was put to death by
beheading. His grave is located near the Jm
Masjid in Delhi.
 Dara Shikoh (1615-1659)
Dr Shikoh was a follower of the Persian mystic Sarmad
Kashni, as well as Lahore's famous Qdiri Sufi saint Hazrat
Min Mir. He developed a friendship with the 7th Sikh
Guru, Guru Har Ri. Dr devoted much effort towards finding
a common mystical language between Islam and Hinduism.
Towards this goal he completed the translation of
50 Upanishads from its original Sanskrit into Persian. His
translation is often called Sirr-e-Akbar (The Greatest
Mystery), where he states that the work referred to in
the Qur'n as the Kitb al-Maknun or the hidden book, is none
other than the Upanishads. His most famous work, Majm-ul-
Bhrain (The Confluence of the Two Seas), was also devoted
to a revelation of the mystical and pluralistic affinities between
Sufic and speculation. He was also a patron of fine arts, music
and dancing. The library established by Dr Shikoh still exists
in Kshmiri Gate, Delhi.
Dr Shikoh was the eldest son and the heir-apparent of the 5th Mughal Emperor, Shh
Jhn. He was born near Ajmer to Shh Jahn and his 3rd wife, Mumtz Mahal. He was
an erudite champion of mystical religious speculation and a poetic diviner of syncretic
cultural interaction among people of all faiths. This made him a heretic in the eyes of his
orthodox brother and a suspect eccentric in the view of many of the worldly power
brokers swarming around the Mughal throne. He was favoured by his father, but was
defeated by his younger brother Prince Muhiuddin (Emperor Aurangzeb), himself a
follower of the Naqshbandi-Mujddidi order and disciple of Khwj Muhammad
Msoom, in a bitter struggle for the imperial throne. Dr is widely renowned as an
enlightened paragon of the harmonious co-existence of heterodox traditions in India.
 Sultan Bahu (1628-1691)
A most enduringly beloved Sufi scholar-poet, he belonged to the Qdiri Sufi order, and
later initiated his own offshoot, Sarwri Qdiri. Sultn Bhu was born in Ang, Soon
Valley, Sakesar in the Punjb Province of Pkistn. He refers to Muhiyuddin Abdul Qdir
Gilni as his spiritual Master in a number of his books and poetry, though Gilni died
long before his own birth. Most of his books deal with specialized aspects of Islam and
Islmic mysticism, but his eloquent and inspirational Punjabi poetry and prose constitute
a central pillar of the Sufi religious and literary tradition of northern India. His verses
are sung in many genres of Sufi music including Qawwli and Kfi.
I knew God well when love flashed
before me.
It gives me strength by night and day,
and shows what lies ahead.
In me are flames, in me is fuel,
in me is smoke.
I only found my Beloved, Bahu,
when love made me aware.
He is playing the game of
love by Himself
He Himself is the sight
He Himself is the seer
He Himself is the seen
He Himself is Love
He Himself is the lover
He Himself is the beloved.
 Shah Inayat (1646-1728)
Shh Inyat was a Sufi saint of Qdiri Shattri lineage,
Bullah has fallen in love who lived in Kasur, in Punjab, now Pkistn. He had a
with the Lord. mystic disposition and became a disciple of the famous
He has given his life and Sufi scholar, Muhammad Ali Raz Shattri. He belonged
body as earnest. to Arin tribe, earning a living through agriculture or
His Lord and Master is gardening. He also lived in Kasur for some time but,
Shah Inayat who has due to the animosity of the ruler of Kasur, moved
captivated his heart.
to Lahore, where he established an institution of his
own for advanced learning in philosophy, Sufism and
other spiritual sciences of the time. He was a religious
scholar, spiritual leader and wrote considerably on
Sufism and its developments. He had a good
knowledge of Persian and Arabic; his writings were
mostly in Persian. In Dastur-al-Amal he describes
various methods Hindus employed for attainment of
salvation in ancient times. According to him, this
knowledge was acquired and carried by the Greeks
after Alexander's invasion of India, from where it was
borrowed by ancient Iranians and subsequently
adopted by the mystics of Islamic countries. Islhul
Amal, Lataif-e-Ghaiby and Ishrtul Talibn are his
other popular books. He was the spiritual guide of
Punjabi poets and saints Bab Bulleh Shh and Wris
Shh. His tomb is situated on Queens Road, Lahore.
 Bulleh Shah (1680-1757)
Bullh has fallen in love with the Lord.
He has given his life and body as earnest.
His Lord and Master is Shh Inyat
who has captivated his heart.
Bulleh Shh (real name: Abdullh Shh), is believed to have
been born in Uch, Bahwalpur in Pkistn. His ancestors had
migrated from Bukhr in modern Uzbekistn, in 1680. He
received his early schooling in Pandoke, and later moved to
I have been pierced
Kasur for higher education. He was a Punjbi Sufi poet and
by the arrow of love, a humanist whose popularity stretches uniformly across
what shall I do ? Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. He studied Arabic, Persian and
I can neither live, nor the Qur'n under his traditional teachers. Though Bulleh Shh
can I die. was of the high Saiyad caste, yet, he accepted Shh Inyat a
Sufi of the Qdiri order, who was from the Arian cast and
Listen ye to my grew vegetables to earn a living. as his spiritual master.
ceaseless outpourings,
Much of Bulleh Shhs verses about love are addressed
I have peace neither
by night, nor by day. directly to Shh Inyat. The verse form he primarily
I cannot do without employed is called the Kfi (Refrain). His poetry and
my Beloved philosophy is audacious, almost egotistical critique of the
even for a moment. religious orthodoxy of his day, particularly Islamic. He
preaches an uncomplicated conception of humanity, as the
I have been pierced by common connection through which persons of all faiths and
the arrow of love,
creeds can attain a superior and more pure existence,
what shall I do ?
eventually coming closer to God.
 Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
(1689-1752)
"Sleeping on the river's bank, Beloved's separation kills me
I heard of Mehar's glory, friends,
Bells aroused my consciousness, At His door, many like me, their
longing took its place, knees bend.
By God! fragrance of Mehar's From far and near is heard His
love to me came, beauty's praise,
Let me go and see Mehar face to My Beloved's beauty is
face." perfection itself."
Shh Abdul Latif Bhittai is famous Sindhi Sufi scholar, mystic, saint, poet and musician,
considered to be one of the greatest poets of Sindhi language. His collected poems
assembled in the compilation, Shh Jo Rislo has been compared frequently to Rm. His
lineage goes back to the Khwrizim Shhs, others claim he was a descendant
of Mohammad. Shh Abdul Karim Bulri, a mystic Sufi poet of considerable repute, was
his great, great grandfather. His father, Saiyad Habib Shh, lived in Hl Haveli, a small
village, about forty miles from Matiri and not far from the village of Bhitshh, where
he was born. Later he left this place and moved to Kotri, where he spent some part of
his adolescent life. Young Latif was raised during the golden age of Sindhi culture.
Mostly, he was self-educated, but was well-versed in Arabic and Persian. He had a
serious and thoughtful look about himself and spent much time in contemplation and
meditation, since he was concerned about his moral and spiritual evolution with the
sole purpose of seeking proximity of the Divine. Throughout his travels he went to hills,
valleys, riverbanks, fields and mountains where he met the ordinary people.
 Khwaja Mir Dard (1721-1785)
My friend, we've seen enough fine sights,
through which we loved to roam.
You stay on to enjoy them;
we are ready to go home.
Ah! Dard! Just see those people here
to whom once life was lent.
But can you tell me whence they came?
Do you know where they went?

Khwj Mir Dard is one of the three major poets of the Delhi School the other two
being Mir Taqi Mir and Saud who are considered the pillars of the classical Urdu
ghazal. Mir, the greatest of them all, is remembered as a poet of love and pathos. Dard
is first and foremost a mystic, who regards the phenomenal world as a veil of the
eternal Reality, and this life as a term of exile from our real home. Dard was first and
foremost a mystic, a prominent member of the Naqshbandi Mujddidi order, and the
head of the Tariq Muhammadi in Delhi. He regarded the phenomenal world as a veil
of the eternal Reality, and this life as a term of exile from our real home. He developed
a deep love of music, possibly through his association with singers and qawwls who
frequented his father's house. His poetry includes a collection of Urdu ghazals and a
diwn in Persian. Dard's Persian prose works are extensive, consisting of the Ilm ul
Kitb, a metaphysical work on the philosophy of the Muhammadi path, and the Chahr
Rislat, collections of more than a thousand mystical aphorisms and sayings.
First remember that admirable God,
Who made Love the cause of this world..
Waris Shah (1722-1798)
Firstly it was God who fell in Love,
and the Prophet is the beloved..
Those who fall in love are like Holy Saints,
man is better as a slave of Love..
Gardens blossom in the hearts of those,
who have accepted the Love..

Wris Shh was a Punjbi Sufi poet, renowned for his contribution to Punjbi literature,
best known for his seminal work Heer-Ranjha, considered one of the quintessential
works of classical Punjbi literature. He was born in Jandil Sher Khn, Punjb
(Pkistn) into a reputed Saiyad family. Wris's parents died when he was young, and
he probably received his education at the shrine of his preceptor. After completing his
education in Kasur, he moved to Malk Hans, a village 12 kms from Pk Pattan. Here
he resided in a small room, adjacent to a historic masjid, now called Masjid Wris Shh.
Wris acknowledged himself as a disciple of Hfiz Ghulm Murtaz of Kasur. He holds
the same position in Punjbi which Shakespeare has in English and Klidas in Sanskrit.
He was a consummate artiste, deeply learned in Sufi and domestic cultural lore.
Encyclopaedic in its comprehension, it is yet above every religious, communal and
parochial barrier. His verse is a treasure-trove of Punjbi phrases, idioms and sayings.
It is poetry of the human heart, universal in its outlook and appeal, diffusing the sweet
fragrance of sympathy for human beings everywhere. His minute and realistic
depiction of each detail of Punjbi life and the political situation in the 10th cent.
remains unique. Wris Shh sublimated his own unrequited love for a girl (Bhg Bhari)
in writing romance. Even his own teacher, hearing his enchanting poetry, remarked
that priceless pearls had been strung into a rosary by the miracle of Wris Shh.
 Mir Taqi Mir (1723-1810)
Where has selflessness taken me
I've been waiting for myself for long.

What can I tell you about Mirs faith or belief?

A tilak on his forehead in a temple he resides,
having abandoned Islam long ago.

O Mir, She came to my grave after I'd died

My messiah came to my aid after I'd died.

Muhammad Taqi was the leading Urdu poet of the 18th cent., and one of the pioneers
who gave shape to the Urdu language itself. He was one of the principal poets of
the Delhi School of the Urdu ghazal and is remembered as Khud-e Sukhan (god of
poetry). He was born in Agra in a family of Arab origins, which he left for Delhi to
finish his education and also to find patrons who offered him financial support. After
Ahmad Shh Abdalis sack of Delhi each year starting 1748, he moved to the court
of Asaf-ud-Daulh in Lucknow, but he eventually severed his connections with the court.
In his last years Mir was very isolated. His complete works, Kulliyt, consist of
six Diwns, comprising all kinds of poetic forms. His literary reputation is anchored on
the Ghazals in his Kulliyt-e-Mir, much of them on themes of love. His masnavi
Mu'mlt-e-Ishq (The Stages of Love) is one of the greatest known love poems in Urdu
literature. Mir speaks of man's interaction with the Divine and what affect it has on man
when God reveals Himself to man.
 Abdur Razzaq Kashi (1724-1836)
The Great Name (Ism-i-Azam) is the very essence and life of
all names and forms.
Its manifest form (Shabd) sustains creation;
It is the great ocean of which we are merely the waves,
He alone can comprehend this who has mastered our discipline.
The great Sufi, Syed Kamluddin Abdur-Razzq ibn Abi Ghanaim al-Kshi al-
Samarqandi, lived in a tiny village, Bans in Awadh. He was full of piety and devotion.
He brought back, from his forays into the neighbouring districts, the Little Traditions
into his worldview. Symbolizing the ecumenical traditions in the self-contained world
of the Sufis, he took part in Diwli celebrations and watched Bakhtiys perform the life
of Krishna. He visited the Mgh mela at Allhabd, interacted with the Jogis
and Bairgis, joined the theatrical performances featuring popular stories about
Krishna and the gopis, and often went into a state of ecstasy listening to Kabirs
verses. In this dimension, the Hindu gods were also his friends and thereby the well
wishers of all the disciples and followers among the Muslims as well. Of his well-
known disciples were Champat, the leader of the Bairgis, Chaitrm and Parasrm. He
had visions of Rm and Lakshman; and Krishna would send his salm to him. Walking
through a dense forest in the Deccan, Shah Abdur Razzq met Rm and Lakshman near
a pool (without knowing their identity). They treated him as their guests, offered
sweets to him, and left behind a lion and a bear for his protection. The next morning
the two, leading a herd of cows and buffaloes, showed up and directed the Shah to
the village. Later, when he returned to discover their identity, he found that they had
disappeared. Their disappearance confirmed his belief that they were, in fact, Ram and
Lakshman. A Tafsir, Tavilt-i-Qurn and Astalaht al Soofiyah are some his works.
 Sachal Sarmast (1739-1829)

'Tis not in religion I believe

'Tis love I live in. "Neither did I roll rosary,
When love comes to you. nor did I ponder and pray,
Say Amen! I went to no mosque or temple,
'Tis not with the infidel nor bow in adoration to any,
that love resides Sachal is lucky everyday,
Nor with the faithful. love is all around him."

Abdul Whab Frouqi or Sachal Sarmast (Ecstatic Saint of Truth) was a Sufi poet
from Sindh, Pkistn. He was born in Darz near Rnipur, Sindh. His father died when
he was a young child, and Abdul Whab was raised by his uncle, who also became his
spiritual master. He married, but the young woman died two years later. He never
remarried. Sarmast lived a humble, ascetic life, preferring solitude, simple meals of
daal and yogurt. It is said that he never left Darz, the village of his birth. Sarmast
was an ardent follower of Wahdat-al-Wujood (unity of existence) philosophy,
synonymous with Hamah Oost (all from One). He regarded love as the path to
spirituality and advocated self-realization as the path to liberation. He is regarded as
Shir-e-Haft Zabn (Poet of Seven Languages) due to his poetical works
in Arabic, Sindhi, Sariki, Punjbi, Urdu, Persian and Balochi to address the wider
audience in these languages. He spread the message of love for humanity through
poetry. His poetical works are sung by local singers in Sindhi and Sariki.
 Shah Niyaz Ahmad (1742-1834)
O my Lord! Teach us the
one word of your love. I do
not wish to waste my life in
reading stories about you.
I have sacrificed the austerities of this
world, my meditation, etc., at the Lotus
Feet of my God. My religion is love for
Him and to be intoxicated in that bliss. I
keep myself dyed in the colors of His
Love. Oh, you ascetic! Please listen to me
in the name of my God! You should
discontinue your austerities and rituals,
and instead should drink the cup of wine
of the Love of God. The intoxication from Hear thou one continuous
that bliss is much more exhilarating than and unending Music- a music
any other intoxication. You cannot find that is eternal and beyond the
such bliss anywhere else. confines of death.

Qutb-e-Alam Madr-e-Azam Niyz be Niyz Hazrat Qibl Shh Niyz Ahmed Alvi
Barelvi or Shh Niyz Ahmad was born in Sirhind and came to Delhi with his father,
appointed the Chief Justice in Delhi. His mother was herself a spiritual lady. He got
higher education from Madars Faqriy, Delhi which was equivalent to a college. He
completed his education including Qur'n, Hadis, Fiqh, Tafseer at the age of 15. He later
became the principal of the madars. He was married with the daughter of Abdullh
Baghddi. Saiyad Faqruddin Muhammad Dehalvi Faqr-e-Pk/Fakr-e-Jahn made
Shh Niyz his spiritual disciple. He deputed Niyz to Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) to carry
out the work of the order. He was initiated in Qdiri order by Saiyad Abdullh
Baghddi and Mohi-ud-din Diysnmi, in Chishti-Nizami order by Fakr-i-Jahn and Said-
ud-din, in Suhrwardi order by Fakr-i-Jahn, and in Chishti-Sabri-Naqshbandi order
from Shh Rahmat-ul-lh. The Sufi order he established is known as the Niyzi Silsil.
 Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869)
In paradise it is true that I shall drink at dawn the pure wine mentioned
in the Quran,
but where in paradise are the long walks with intoxicated friends in the
night, or the drunken crowds shouting merrily?
Where shall I find there the intoxication of Monsoon clouds?
Where there is no autumn, how can spring exist?
If the beautiful houris are always there, where will be the sadness of
separation and the joy of union?
Where shall we find there a girl who flees away when we would kiss her?
Ghlib was a very liberal mystic who believed that "the search for God within liberated the seeker
from the narrowly Orthodox Islm, encouraging the devotee to look beyond the letter of the law to
its narrow essence." Like many other Urdu poets, he was capable of writing profoundly religious
poetry, yet was skeptical about the literalist interpretation of the Islamic scriptures. In a verse
directed towards the Muslim maulvis (clerics), he criticized them for their ignorance and arrogant
certitude: "Look deeper, it is you alone who cannot hear the music of his secrets".
The object of my worship lies beyond perception's reach;
For men who see, the Ka'aba is a compass, nothing more."
Mirz Asadullh Baig Khn was a classical Urdu and Persian poet from the Mughal
Empire during British colonial rule. He was born in Agra into a family descended from
Aibak Turks and after his marriage, settled in Delhi. He was a chronicler of a turbulent
period during the Indian rebellion of 1857 and wrote that Delhi had become a desert.
He was the last great poet of the Mughal Era. Not only Urdu poetry, but the prose is
also indebted to him. He is today famous for his Urdu Ghazals. In 1850,
Emperor Bahadur Shh Zafar II bestowed upon him the titles of Dbir-ul-Mulk, Najm-
ud-daul and 'Mirza Nosh and appointed him as the royal historian of Mughal Court.
 Mohammad Iqbal (1877-1938)
Since love first made the breast an instrument of
fierce lamenting,
by its flame my heart was molten to a mirror,
like a rose I pluck my breast apart,
that I may hang this mirror in your sight.

Lend me the wings of Love and make me fly.

Turn my dust to fireflies that flit about.

Be not entangled in this world of days and nights;

Thou hast another time and space as well.

Sir Muhammad Iqbl, or Allm Iqbl was a philosopher, poet and politician in British
India, who inspired the Pkistn Movement. He was born in Silkot in the Punjab
Province of British India. His grandparents were Kshmiri Pandits, who converted
to Islam. He qualified for Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Government College
Lhore and was called to the bar as a barrister from Lincoln's Inn. Iqbl earned Ph.D.
degree in Germany. He began intensely concentrating on the study of Islam, while
embracing Rmi as his guide. His poetic works are written primarily in Persian rather
than Urdu. The poems emphasize the spirit and self from a religious, spiritual
perspective. He explains that an individual can never aspire to higher dimensions
unless he learns of the nature of spirituality. His books of Persian poetry include Asrr-i-
Khudi, Rumuz-i-Bekhudi, Paym-i-Mashriq and Zabur-i-zam, and his best known Urdu
works are Bng-i-Dr, Bl-i-Jibril, Zarb-i-Kalim and a part of rmughn-i-Hijz.
 Hzt. Inayat Khan (1882-1927)
Principles of his Universal Sufism:
There is-
one God; the Eternal, the Only Being; None exists
save He.
one master; the guiding spirit of all souls that
constantly leads all followers toward the light.
one holy book; the sacred manuscript of nature, the
only Scripture that can enlighten the reader.
one religion; unswerving progress in the right
direction toward the Ideal, which fulfills every soul's
life purpose.
one law; the law of reciprocity, which can be obser-
ved by a selfless conscience, together with a sense of
awakened justice.
one brotherhood; the human brotherhood which
unites the children of earth indiscriminately in the
fatherhood of God.
one moral; the love which springs forth from self-
denial and blooms in deeds of beneficence.
one object of praise; the beauty which uplifts the
heart of its worshipper through all aspects from the
seen to the unseen.
one truth; true knowledge of our being, within and
without, which is the essence of Wisdom
one path; annihilation of the false ego in the real,
which raises the mortal to immortality, in which
resides all perfection.
Inyat Khn was born in Vadodar, Gujart to a
noble Muslim Indian family. Primarily he represented
the Chishti order of Sufism, having received initiation
into the Nizmi sub-branch of that order from
Shaikh Muhammed Abu Hshim Madni, but was also
initiated into Suhrwardi, Qdiri and Naqshbandi.
His spiritual lineage (Silsil) follows a traditional
lineage from Ali ibn Abi Tlib, thru Abu Ishq Shmi,
the founder of the Chishti order, to Nasiruddin
Chirgh Dehlavi. He came to the West in 1910, first as
a touring musician and then as a teacher of Sufism,
visiting three continents. He was the founder of The
Sufi order in the West in 1914 (London) and teacher of
Universal Sufism. In 1969 the Universal Sufi Temple
was built in the South Dunes in Katwijk, The
Netherlands. Khn returned to India at the end of
1926 and there chose the site of his tomb, the
Nizmuddin Dargh complex, where he is buried. His
message of divine unity (Tawhid) focused on the
themes of love, harmony and beauty. He taught that
blind adherence to any book rendered religion void
of spirit. He is the author of many books
including, The Mysticism of Sound and Music and The
Sufi Message.
 Sai Baba of Shirdi (c.1838-1918)
" One God governs all. "
"Trust in me and your prayer
shall be answered."
"Why do you fear when I am here?"
"He has no beginning... He has no
end."

Si Bb of Shirdi was an Indian guru, yogi, and fakir revered by both his Muslims and
Hindus. His parents, Brahmins of Patri near Manwath in Nizm's State, handed him over
to the care of a fakir, who brought him up. At the age of 5, he was put in the care of the
saintly desmukh Venkush. He spent considerable periods with Muslim fakirs. He
arrived at Shirdi, Ahmednagar Dist. when he was aged about 16. He led an ascetic life,
sitting motionless under a neem tree and meditating while sitting in an asana. He then
left the village and met many saints and fakirs, and worked as a weaver and in the
army of Rni Lakshmibi of Jhansi during the Rebellion of 1857. He then returned to
Shirdi, treating the sick by application of ashes. Si Bb stressed the importance of
surrender to the guidance of the true Sadguru or Murshid, who, having gone the path
to divine consciousness himself, will lead the disciple through the jungle of spirituality.
He insisted on the indispensability of remembrance of God's name (Dhikr, Japa), and
often expressed himself in a cryptic manner with parables, symbols and allegories. He
taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner
peace and devotion to God and guru. He did not discriminate based on religion and
respected all forms of worship to God.
 Bawa Mohaiyaddeen (d. 1986)
Very few people will accept the medicine of wisdom. The mind refuses
wisdom. But if you do agree to accept it, you will receive the grace, and
when you receive that grace, you will have good qualities. When you acquire
good qualities, you will know true love, and when you accept love, you will
see the light. When you accept the light, you will see the resplendence, and
when you accept that resplendence, the wealth of the three worlds will be
complete within you. With this completeness, you will receive the kingdom
of God, and you will know your Father. When you see your Father, all your
connections to karma, hunger, disease, old age will leave you."

Muhammad Raheem Bw Muhiyaddeen was Tamil-speaking teacher and Sufi mystic

from Sri Lank, who came to the US in 1971 and established a Fellowship in
Philadelphia with branches throughout the US, Canada, Australia and UK, besides
Jaffn and Colombo, Sri Lank. By 1973, a group of his followers formed the a
Fellowship, which hosted a meeting house that offered several public meetings a week.
Bw established vegetarianism as the norm for the community. He was an artist and
created paintings and drawings that symbolized the relationship between man and
God. Bw authored over 25 books. He is said to have emerged from the jungles of that
country in the early 1940s and met pilgrims who were visiting shrines in the north.
Bw had spent time in 'Kataragama', a jungle shrine in the south of the island, and in
'Gailni', a cliff shrine dedicated to 'Abd al-Qdir al-Gilni of Baghdd. His association
with that Shaikh indicates his connection to the Qdiri order of Sufism. An shram was
formed in Jaffn, and a farm was started. Earlier in 1955, Bw had set the foundations
for a 'God's house in Mankumban, on the N. coast as a result of a spiritual meeting
with Mary, mother of Jesus. Bw taught through the use of fables. These reflected the
listeners background and included Hindu, Christian, and Muslim religious traditions.
 Shah Enayatpuri (1886-1952)

Shh Sufi Hazrat Mawln Khwj Yunus Ali, or Khwj Enyetpuri, was born at
Enyetpur in Sirjganj dist., Bangldesh. His forefathers were originally from Baghdd,
and migrated to Delhi, then to Enyetpur, Bangldesh. At the age of 18, he took
allegiance to the Sufi Tariq of Shh Sufi Syed Wzed Ali in Kolkata, India. He spent
long 12 years in Kolkat to undertake spiritual training from his pir with rigorous work
and became his chosen successor, and at his advice, he returned to Enayetpur and
established Enyetpur Darbar Sharif. Khwj Enyetpuri Tariq is one of the largest
Sufi Orders in Bangldesh, established by Khwja Enyetpuri. This Khnqh located at
Enyetpur represents mostly Mozddedi Tariq though influenced by other
Naqshbandi, Qadiri and Chishti Tariqs. Khwj Enyetpuri is the most successful
and celebrated Shaikh in Bangldesh and Assm in India. Not only did he teach
thousands of followers, but he also guided some successful spiritual leaders who have
set up different Khnqhs in different places of the country. Some large ones are Biswa
Zaker Manzil (World Peace Centre) at Atrasi in Faridpur, Chandra Para Darbr
Sharif, Paradise Pr Darbr Sharif, Shambhuganj Darbr Sharif, Murshidpur Darbr
Sharif etc. All classes of people from the highest rank to the day laborer visit them.
 Dayal Purush Sant Darshan Singh Ji
Maharaj (1921-1989)
Sant Darshan Singh Ji was born 14th September, 1921 in Kountrilla, Rawalpindi to
Kirpal Singh Ji and Krishna-wanti Ji. Initiated by Huzur Baba Sawan Singh Ji in 1926.
Graduated from Govt. College, Lahore. Joined Indian Government service in 1942, to
retire 37 yrs. later as Deputy Secretary. Married Mata Harbahajan Kaur; sons Rajinder
Singh and Manmohan Singh born in 1946 and 1960. Helped Sant Kirpal Singh Ji in his
mission as member of the Managing Committee. Served in Executive Committee of the
World Fellowship of Religions and as Secretary, First Unity of Man Conference. He
began his spiritual ministry in 1974 on Sant Kirpal Singh Jis demise and established
Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission in 1976. Kirpal Ashram was founded by him in 1977.
Was elected President, 6th Conference of World Religions and presided over sessions
of 15th Human Unity Conference. Broadcast poetry on radio in 1938, published Sufi
Urdu mystic poetry, Talash-e-Noor, Manzil-e-Noor, Mataa-e-Noor and Jadaa-e-
Noor, for which he was proclaimed the greatest Mystic poet of our times; English
poetry, Cry of the Soul, A Tear and A Star; prose, Secret of Secrets, Spiritual
Awakening, The Challenge of Inner Space, Soulergy, Ambassadors of Peace etc.
Received literary awards of Urdu Academies of Delhi, U.P. and Punjab states. He
undertook World Tours in 1978, 1983, 1986 and 1988 and prayed at the UN for World
Peace. Received Medals of UNO and of Congress of Colombia, Tributes of US House of
Representatives and Michigan Legislature, Honours/Keys to Cities of Detroit, St.
Petersberg and Cali. Served the victims of earthquake, volcanic eruption and famine.
Left for his Eternal Abode on 30th May, 1989.
 Dayal Purush Sant Darshan Singh Ji
Maharaj (1921-1989) contd.

What does it matter if I am called a man? The entire earth is my home

In truth I am the very soul of love; And the universe my country.
Dayal Purush Sant Darshan Singh Ji
Maharaj (1921-1989) contd.
Hidden in my verses are a million heartbeats,
My soul gives voice to the sorrows of the world.
When the flowers of the church, mosque
and temple gather together,
Spring will blossom forth in Your garden, O Lord.
From dawn to dawn,
let us speak of peace and listen to the message of love,
The shower-laden clouds of Sawan have enveloped
the tavern of time,
O Cupbearer, let the cup of love
go round and round and round.
I have learned to cherish all creation
as my own,
Your message of love is
the very meaning of my life.
The music coming from the depths of my heart
affects the hearts of the listeners;
My instrument may be subtle, but your music
which passes through it is subtler still.
All places of worship are symbols
of the One Beloved.
Bow your head when you see a temple,
and salute when you see a mosque.
With every breath I must bow to my Friend,
For I owe my life to his grace.
O tell the darkness of intellect
to seek the madness of love,
For this madness is a beam of Light,
and nothing but Light.
Why blame the tipplers
for their yearning eyes,
When the wine itself dances so
ravishingly in the cup?
Let this world become a temple of love and peace,
Let love and Truth illumine the world,
And the adversaries of peace awaken to its Light.
This sacred land of God has been trampled with
the burden of oppression.
He is hidden in every instrument, in every song
and melody.
All creation reflects His glory.
There exists not a sparkling wave nor a fiery star
that does not owe its radiance to His Light.
Life is not a dagger stained with the blood
of hatred;
It is a branch filled with the flowers of love
and compassion.
The Arabic-Persian
Masters
 Hassan al-Basri (642-728)
The people who will have the easiest reckoning on
the Day of Resurrection are those who have done the
reckoning of themselves in the life of this world, who
have considered well their deeds and intentions,
completed what is for Allah's sake and abstained
from what is not. And the reckoning will be heavy
for those who jeopardize their religious duties in the
life of this world and make no reckoning of
themselves, because they will discover that the
Almighty Allah has recorded even the weight of an
atom of their deeds.

al-Hasan ibn Abi-l-Hasan al-Bsri was a well-known Sunni Muslim preacher,

theologian and scholar, born to Persian parents in Medin. In youth, he took part in
campaigns in eastern Iran, but denounced arrogance and sin to take up a pious life
in Basr. Hasan met many companions of Muhammad including warriors from
the Battle of Badr. He became one of the most prominent figures of his generation,
being famous for his piety and condemnation of worldliness. He became an exemplar
for other saints in the area and made a deep impression upon his contemporaries. In
his sermons, he warned of the dangers of committing sin, and commanded them to
regulate their whole life in a pious manner. When he died, the entire population
of Basr attended his funeral.
 Ibrahim ibn Adham (d. c.718-782)
Three veils must be removed from the traveller's heart so that the door of happiness is opened to
him. First, should the dominion of both worlds be offered to him as an eternal gift, he should not
rejoice. The second veil is that if he possesses the dominion of both worlds, and should it be taken
from him, he should not feel sorry for his poverty. The third is that he should not be misguided by
any praise or favour, for one who is misguided like this, is a low person and the low person is veiled.
Abu Eshaq Ebrahim ibd dham is one of the most prominent of early ascetic Sufi saints.
His Sunni Hanfi Muslim family was from Kuf, but he was born in Balkh as the king of
Balkh, but abandoned the throne to take up ascetic life in Syri after he received a
warning from God through Khidr, who appeared to him twice. He lived in a semi-
nomadic lifestyle, often travelling as far south as Ghz. He abhorred begging and
worked for his livelihood, often grinding corn or tending orchards. His earliest spiritual
master was a Christian monk, Simeon. The most celebrated story of his conversion in
Sufi legend, echoes the legend of Buddha. Sufi tradition ascribes to Ibrhim countless
acts of righteousness and humility, which contrasted with his early life as king
of Balkh (a center of Buddhism). Ibrhim emphasized the importance of stillness
and meditation for asceticism.
 Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya
(d. 801)
"O God! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell,
and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise.
But if I worship You for Your Own sake,
grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.
I have loved Thee with two loves -
a selfish love and a love that is worthy of Thee.
As for the love which is selfish,
Therein I occupy myself with Thee,
to the exclusion of all others.
But in the love which is worthy of Thee,
Thou dost raise the veil that I may see Thee.
Yet is the praise not mine in this or that,
But the praise is to Thee in both that and this.

Rabe bint Esmail al-Adawiya lived in Basr, Iraq in the 2nd half of the 8th cent., and
was sold into slavery. Her master worked her very hard, but at night after finishing her
chores, Rbi would turn to meditation and prayers and praising the Lord. Poverty and
self-denial were unwavering and her constant companions. As her fame grew she had
many disciples. Her conception of prayer as a free and intimate supplication to God is
her great contribution to Sufism. Rbi said that God should be loved for God's own
sake, not out of fear- as the earlier Sufis had done.
 Maruf Karkhi (c.750-c.815)
A true servant of God is a God intoxicated saint who sees
nothing except his Beloved.
To persevere in the wake of affliction is the sign of sincere love
with God.
The saints of God are known by three signs: their thought are of
God, their dwelling is in God and their business is with God.
He who remains indifferent to worldly enticement will relish
Divine love. This love is based on Divine grace.
Love is a Divine favour bestowed by God on His real devotees.
It is not to be learnt from men; it is one of God's gifts and comes
as a grace.

Abu Mahfuz Mruf Ibn Firuz al-Krkhi was a Sufi Saint who is a pivotal figure in Sufism.
He was born in the district of Wsit or Krkh in Baghdad and was of Persian origin. His
was originally a Christian and the story of his conversion to Islm at a young age at the
hands of Ali ibn Mus, after rejecting all forms of polytheism is one of the most famous
in Islamic lore. Tradition recounts that he immediately went and told his father and
mother, who rejoiced at his decision and became Muslims themselves. After accepting
Islam, Mruf became a student of Dwud T'i, and underwent a severe trial of his
discipleship. Mruf, however, remained steadfast and proved himself so devout that his
righteousness became famous. As many as 14 Spiritual Orders branched out which
were known as the Mrufih Orders.
 al-Muhasibi (781-857)
Excess in listening leading to heedlessness and forgetfulness .
Excess in sight leading to recklessness and confusion.
Excess in speech leading to unneeded articulacy and
unnecessary addition (bi'da).
Excess in food leading to gluttony and overindulgence.
Excess in clothes leading to pride and pompousness.
Excess in housing leading to wastefulness and conceit.
So remember that preserving your limbs is an obligation and
leaving off excess is a virtue.
Ab abd Allh al-Harith Ibn Asad al-Anaz Al-Musib (meaning: self-inspection/audit) was
the founder of the Baghdd School of Islmic philosophy, and a teacher of the Sufi
masters Junayd al-Baghddi and Sri al-Saqti. He was a founder of Sufi doctrine, and
influenced many subsequent theologians, such as al-Ghazli. He was born in Basra. He was
renowned for his psychological refinement of pietistic devotion and his role as a precursor of
the doctrine of later Muslim orthodoxy. His main work was Ar-Ri yah li-qq Allah, in
which he acknowledges asceticism to be valuable as an act of supererogation, but always to
be tempered by inner and outer duties toward God. al-Musib was inspired to focus on the
purification of the heart and understanding the human psyche. He would question his
students about their thoughts and inclinations, try to understand them and how to cure those
that were mischievous, and then he would write books inspired only by spiritual intuitiveness
as opposed to what came in the form of scripture. He wrote many books about theology
and Tasawwuf (Sufism), among them Kitab al-Khalw and Kitb al-Ri`y li-huqu
Allh (Obeying God's Permits). His influence on posterity was immense although during his
lifetime, he was regarded with suspicion, and his last years were embittered by persecution.
He had joined a group of theologians who, led by Abd Allh ibn Kullb, criticized the
doctrines of the rationalist Mutzil school dominant at that time. It is said that they also took
issue with al-Muhsibs statement that Allah speaks without words or sound.
"In this state of
absolute purity
(unification) he has
Junayd Baghdadi (d.910)
lost his personal attributes; by this
loss he is wholly present (in God).
By being wholly present in God, he is
wholly lost to himself. And thus he is
present before God while absent in
himself; absent and present at the
same time. He is where he is now,
and he is not where he is."
Abu al-Qsim ibn Muhammad Junayd, al-Baghddi was one of the most famous of the
early Persian Sufis. He taught in Baghdad throughout his spiritual lifetime and was an
important figure in the development of central Sufi doctrine. Junayd, like Hasan of
Basr before him, was widely revered by his students and disciples as well as quoted
by other mystics. His basic ideas deal a progression that leads one to annihilate
oneself (Fana) so as to be in a closer union with the Divine. People need to relinquish
natural desires, to wipe out human attributes, to discard selfish motives, to cultivate
spiritual qualities, to devote oneself to true knowledge, to do what is best in the context
of eternity. This starts with the practice of renunciation (Zuhd) and continues with
withdrawal from society, intensive concentration on devotion (Ibdat) & remembrance
(Dhikr) of God, sincerity (Ikhls), and contemplation (Murqaba) respectively;
contemplation produces Fan. This type of semantic struggle recreates the experience
of trial (Bal) that enables people to enter into the state of Fana. It is through the stage
of Baq that one is able to find God or rather, have God find him / her. Reaching Baq
is not an easy thing to do though; getting through the three stages requires strict
discipline and patience. Junayd held the same view of primordial man as Plato- that he
had experienced a unitive being in God prior to his descent into terrestrial existence.
Among al-Junayd's other teachers, one of the most influential was Harith al-Muhsibi.
 Dhul-Nun al-Misri (796-859)
"When the love of Allah settles
in the heart there is a level of
intimacy between the slave
and Allah;
due to the fact that Allah
means more to him than
anything else."
He who tasted the everlasting love
Shall be the sincere friend to all the slaves
He who tasted the everlasting love
Shall belittle himself to all the slaves
He who tasted the everlasting love
Shall be the solace on the paths of the slaves
He who tasted the everlasting love
Shall be intimate with the Lord of the slaves.

Dhun-Nun (of the whale- an epithet of Jonah) Abu Faid Thawban ibn
Ibrhim al-Misri is one of most revered early formulators of Sufi
tradition. His teachings particularly emphasized that Gnosis is the heart
of the mystical path of Sufis. His father was a Nubian, possibly a slave.
A legendary alchemist and thaumaturge, he is said to have known the
secret of the Egyptian hieroglyphs. His sayings and poems, which are
extremely dense and rich in mystical imagery, emphasize knowledge
or gnosis (Marif) more than fear (Makhaf) or love (Mahabb), the
other two major paths of spiritual realization in Sufism. None of his
written works have survived, but a vast collection of poems, sayings,
and aphorisms attributed to him continues to live on in oral tradition.
He was imprisoned on charges of heresy in Baghdad, but the caliph
ordered him released, and he returned to Egypt. His tomb can be found
today in Cairo's necropolis.
 Bayazid Bastami (804-874)
Abu Yazid Bistmi or Tayfur Abu Yzid al-Bustmi is considered to be
"of the six bright stars in the firmament of the Prophet". A
Naqshbandi, he is regarded as the first mystic to openly speak of the
annihilation (Fan') of the base self in the Divine, whereby the mystic
becomes fully absorbed, becoming unaware of himself or the objects
around him. In one of these states, Bastmi cried out: "Praise to Me, for
My greatest Glory!" His belief in the unity of all religions became
apparent when asked the question: "How does Islam view other
religions?" His reply was "All are vehicles and a path to God's Divine
Presence".

Some of Bayazid's famous sayings that caused

him to be labeled as an intoxicated Sufi:

"Glory be to me! How great is My majesty!"

"Thy obedience to me is greater than
my obedience to Thee"
"I am the throne and the footstool"
"By my life, my grasp is firmer than His"
"I saw the Kaaba walking round me"
"Moses desired to see God;
I do not desire to see God;
He desires to see me"
 Mansur al-Hallaj (858-922)
Abu l-Moghith al-Hosain ibn Mansur al-Hallj was born near al-Baiza in Frs province
of Persia to a Hallj (cotton-carder). His grandfather was Zoroastrian. He traveled to
Tostr, Baghdd, then to Mecc, and afterwards to Khuzestn, Khorasn, Transoxin,
Sistan, India, China & Turkestan, gaining many followers. During his trances, he would
utter An l-aqq (I am The Truth), which was taken to mean that he was claiming to
be God, since al-aqq "the Truth" is one of the 99 Names of Allh. Statements like these
led to imprison- ment for 11 years in a Baghdad prison. He was publicly executed on
March 26, 922. He kept repeating, I am the Truth as they kept cutting his arms, legs,
tongue and finally his head. He was smiling, even as they chopped off his head.
I am my Beloved, my Beloved in me.
We are two spirits in one body.
If you see me, you see Him.
If you see Him, you see us both.
Kill me, my faithful friends,
For in my being killed is my life.
Love is that you remain standing
In front of your Beloved
When you are stripped of all your attributes;
Then His attributes become your qualities.
Between me and You, there is only me.
Take away the me, so only You remain.
"Glory to Him who revealed in His humanity
(i.e. in Adam) the secret of His radiant divinity,
And then appeared to His creatures visibly in
the shape of one who ate and drank."
Abu-Said Abil-Khayr
(967-1049)
The sum total of
our life is a breath Abusa'id Abolkhayr, Ab-Sa'd Abul-Khayr or Shaikh Abusaeid was
spent in the a famous Persian Sufi and poet. He was born in the village
company of the of Meyhneh in Greater Khorsn. He lived in Nishpur, and
Beloved.
subsequently moved back to Meyhneh. He traveled to and spent
Love came and flew time in small towns around the same province visiting other Sufis or
as blood in my veins
his teachers. His formal education included Islmic
Emptied me of
myself and filled me
scholarship and Arabic literature that he continued until the age 23
with beloved. when he left them for Sufism. He was the first Sufi writer to widely
Each part of my use ordinary love poems as way to express and illuminate
being she conquered mysticism. His picture as portrayed in various Sufi writings is a
Now a mere name is particularly joyful one of continuous ecstasy. The main focus of his
left to me and the teachings is liberation from I, which he considered the one and
rest is she. only cause of separation from God and to which he attributed all
"Not until every personal and social misfortunes. His mysticism is a typical example
mosque beneath the of the Khorsni school of Sufism. He extracted the essence of the
sun lies ruined, will
teachings of the past Sufis of this school (and to some extent other
our holy work be
done; schools as well) and expressed them in a simpler, and in a sense
And never will true deeper, form without the use of philosophy. Ab-Sa'd insists that his
Musalman appear teachings and Sufism as a whole are the true meaning of Islam.
Till faith and Nevertheless his interpretations of Qurn were different from the
infidelity are one." mainstream Islmic thought of the time.
 Al-Farabi (c.872-950)
We can achieve happi- An art, which has an
ness only then when we aim to achieve the beauty,
have a beauty; and we is called a philosophy or
have a beauty thanks to in the absolute sense it is
philosophy. named wisdom.
Ab Nar Muammad ibn Muammad Frb or Al-Frbi, known in
the West as Alphrbius was a renowned scientist and philosopher of the Islmic
Golden Age. He was also a cosmologist, logician, and musician. He was born either in
Fryb in Greater Khorasan (Afghanistan) or in Frb on Syr Dary (Kazakhstan). He
made contributions to the fields of logic, mathematics, music, philosophy, psychology
and education. Thru his commentaries and treatises, he became well known among
medieval Muslim intellectuals as The Second Teacher, i.e. the successor to Aristotle.
Al-Frbi was a founder of his own school of early Islmic philosophy known as
Frbism or Alfrbism. His Neoplatonic theology is also more than just
metaphysics as rhetoric. In his attempt to think through the nature of a First Cause,
Frbi discovers the limits of human knowledge. He also wrote a commentary
on Aristotle's work, and one of his most notable works is Al-Madina al-Fadila, where
he theorized an ideal state as in Plato's The Republic. His cosmology is essentially
based upon 3 pillars: Aristotelian metaphysics of causation, highly
developed Plotinian emanational cosmology and the Ptolemaic astronomy. In his
model, the universe is viewed as a number of concentric circles; the outermost sphere
or first heaven, the sphere of fixed stars, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus,
Mercury and finally, the Moon. At the centre of these concentric circles is the sub-
lunar realm which contains the material world.
 Avicenna (980-1037)
God, the supreme being, It is established in the sciences
is neither circumscribed that no knowledge is acquired save
by space, nor touched by through the study of its causes and
time; he cannot be found beginnings, if it has had causes and
in a particular direction, beginnings; nor completed except
and his essence cannot by knowledge of its accidents and
change. accompanying essentials.

Ab Al al-usayn ibn Abd Allh ibn Sn, Pr Sin, Ibn Sn (Latin: Avicenn), the
most famous and influential Persian polymath of the Islmic Golden Age, was born in
Afna, near Bukhr (Uzbekistan). He was either a follower of the Brethren of
Purity or a Sunni Hanfi or a Twelver Shi. He studied Fiqh (jurisprudence) under the
Hanfi scholar Ismil al-Zhid. He could not understand Metaphysics of Aristotle until
he read al-Farbis commentary on the work. He turned to medicine at 16, and not
only learned medical theory, but discovered new methods of treatment, becoming a
qualified physician at age 18. His corpus includes philosophy, astronomy, alchemy,
geology, psychology, Islmic theology, logic, mathematics, physics and poetry and
covers almost 450 works. Philosophy, Fiqh and theology (Kalm) were further
developed by Avicenn and his opponents. In the medieval Islmic world, due to
Avicenn's successful reconciliation between Aristotelianism and Neoplatonism along
with Kalm, Avicennism eventually became the leading school of Islmic philosophy
and was influential in medieval Europe, particularly his doctrines on the nature of
the soul and his existence-essence distinction. Following al-Farbi's lead, Avicenn
initiated a full-fledged inquiry into the question of being, in which he distinguished
between essence (Mahiat) and existence (Wujud).
 Shaikh Abdullah Ansari
(1006-1088)
Pir-i-Heart, Abu Isml Abdullh al-Herwi al-Ansri was a famous Persian Sufi poet and
was born and died in Hert. He was known as Shaikul Mashayekh (Pious of Heart) and
Shaikhul Islm (Master of Masters). He was a direct descendant of Abu Ayyub al-Ansri
and the disciple of Shaikh Abul Hassan Kharqni. His yearly Majlis-e-Wa'az was attended
by people from far and wide. He wrote several books on Islamic mysticism and philosophy
in Persian and Arabic. His most work Munjat Nmh ('Litanies or dialogues with God') is
considered a masterpiece of Persian literature.

You are the life of the soul,

Life in my body You are the rule (ayin) of
pulsates only for Thee, speech, (and)
My heart beats in You are Your own interpreter
resignation to Thy will. (tarjaman).
If on my dust a tuft of For the sake of Your
grass were to grow,
obligation to Yourself,
Every blade would
tremble with my
do not enter us into the shade
devotion for Thee. of deception, (but)
make us reach union (wisal)
with You.
 Hakim Sanai
(1044-1150)
Knowledge is good, it leads towards God. A learned person is
considered God's chosen one; yet over-intellectualism is bad.
Abul Majd bin Majdud bin dam, Sani was born in the province of
Ghazni in southern Afghanistan. Sani was the court poet of Bahrm
Shh and spent many years praising the king and his court, but later
became devoted to God and abruptly left the court. He is the first
writer to introduce Tasawwuf (mysticism) in poetry and also the first
to lay the foundation of ethical poetry. He presented mysticism as a
philosophy of life. Besides Kulliyt containing 30,000 verses, he
wrote seven Mathnavis. His Diwn, besides being read in royal
courts was a popular textbook of study in the Sufi centers.
Don't speak of your suffering--He is speaking.
Don't look for Him everywhere--He's looking for you.
An ant's foot touches a leaf, He senses it;
A pebble shifts in a streambed, He knows it.
If there's a worm hidden deep in a rock,
He'll know its body, tinier than an atom,
The sound of its praise, its secret ecstasy --
All this He knows by divine knowing.
He has given the tiniest worm its food;
He has opened to you the Way of the Holy Ones.
 Omar Khayyam
(1048-1131)
Khayym, who stitched the tents of science,
Has fallen in grief's furnace and been suddenly burned,
The shears of Fate have cut the tent ropes of his life,
And the broker of Hope has sold him for nothing!

Ghiyth ad-Dn Abu'l-Fat Umar ibn Ibrhm al-Khayym Nshpr (Philosopher of the
World) was a Persian polymath, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, and poet. He
wrote treatises on mechanics, geography, music, mineralogy and Islamic theology. Born
and buried in Nishpur in N.E. Iran, at a young age he moved to Samarkand and later,
moved to Bukhr. He taught for decades the philosophy of Avicenna. Khayym has
had an impact on literature and societies through the translation of his works and
popularization by other scholars. FitzGerald made Khayym the most famous poet of
East in West through his celebrated translation and adaptations of Khayym's
quatrains in his Rubiyat.
 al-Ghazali (1058-1111)
The happiness of the drop is to die in the ocean.
What good is an increase in wealth when life grows ever shorter?
Therefore be joyous only for an increase in knowledge or in good works,
for they are your two companions who will accompany you in your
grave when your family, wealth, children and friends stay behind.
Ab mid Mud. ibn Muammad al-Ghazl, a Persian jurist, mystic and
philosopher was born in Tabrn in Tus district of Khorsn Province
of Irn. Perhaps the single most influential Muslim after the prophet
Muhammad, he brought orthodox Islam in close contact with Sufism. He
studied in Nishpur under al-Juwyni, the outstanding Muslim scholar of
his time and joined the court of the vizier of Seljuq sultans, centered
in Isfahn. He was bestowed several titles such as "Brilliance of the
Religion" and "Eminence among the Religious Leaders. He underwent a
spiritual crisis and abandoned his career, leaving Baghdd on the pretext
of going on pilgrimage to Mecc. Making arrangements for his family, he
disposed of his wealth and adopted an ascetic lifestyle. After some time in
Damascus and Jerusalem, and a visit to Medin and Mecc, he returned to
Tus to spend several years in 'uzl (seclusion) by abstaining from teaching
at state institutions, but continued to teach in his Zawiy (private madras)
and Khnqh (Sufi monastery). He came back to the Nizmi in Nishpur
and later returned to Tus. He took aim at Falasif, a group of Islmic
philosophers (such as Avicenn and al-Farbi) who drew intellectually
upon the Ancient Greeks such as Aristotle and Plato, as non-believers,
which marked a turning point in Islmic philosophy.
 Abdal-Qadir Gilani
(1077-1166)
Give priority to the hereafter over the
world and you will benefit in both, but
if priority is given to the world over the
hereafter then you would suffer losses
in both.
Empty desires are the jungle of
stupidity and folly, and only the foolish
hustle and bustle aimlessly within it.
To remember death is the best
treatment for all ailments.
Make silence your habit, anonymity
your clothing, escape from the creation
your aim.
Adopt patience, for this world is an
assembly of troubles and calamities.

al-Sayyid Muhiyudin Abu Muhammad Abdal Qdir al-Gilni al-Hasani wal-Hussaini, al-
Baghddi was born in Na'if, district of Giln, Ilm Province, He was a Hanbali jurist and
Sufi based in Baghdd. Qdiri was his patronym.. Both his mother and father were of
apostolic lineage. At the age of 18 years, he went to Baghdd to pursue the study
of Hanbali law, Hadith, Tafsir & Tasawwuf, After completing his education, Gilni left
Baghdd. He spent 25 years as a reclusive wanderer in the desert regions of Iraq,
returning to Baghdd and preaching to the public. He joined the teaching staff of the
school belonging to his own teacher, al-Mukhrrimii. He was said to have been a
convincing preacher and converted numerous Jews and Christians. His strength came in
the reconciling of the mystical nature of the Sufi and strict nature of the Qur'n. He felt it
important to control egotism and worldliness in submission to God.
 Farid ud-Din Attar
(1119-1220)
Now will I draw aside the veil from Love,
And in the temple of mine inmost soul
Behold the Friend, Incomparable Love.
He who would know the secret of both worlds
Will find that the secret of them both is Love.
Ab amd bin Ab Bakr Ibrhm or Fard ud-Dn Ar (the perfumer),
was a Persian poet, theoretician of Sufism and hagiographer from
Nishpur of Khorsn, Irn. He was probably the son of a prosperous
chemist and received an excellent education. He abandoned his
pharmacy and traveled widely including to India, meeting with Sufis.
Majd ud-Din Baghddia disciple of Najmuddin Kubr, was likely his
teacher. Attr's works reflect the whole evolution of the Sufi movement.
The body-bound soul's awaited release and return to its source in the
other world can be experienced during the present life in mystic union
attainable through inward purification. His talent for perception of
deeper meanings behind outward appearances enables him to turn
details of everyday life into illustrations of his thoughts. He died a
violent death in the Mongol massacre.
About 30 works by Attar survive, but his masterpiece is the Mantic at-Tayr (Conference of the Birds).
A group of birds (individual human souls) under the leadership of a hoopoe (spiritual master) who
determine to search for the legendary Simurgh bird (God). The birds must confront their own
individual limitations and fears while journeying through seven valleys, before they ultimately find
the Simurgh and complete their quest
 Ibn al-Arabi (1165-1240)
When my Beloved appears,
With what eye do I see Him?
With His eye, not with mine,
For none sees Him except Himself.
My heart is capable now of all forms.
It is a pasture for the gazelles.
A convent for the Christian monks.
A temple for idols.
The Kaaba of pilgrims.
The table of Mosaic Law.
The book of Quran.
I am for myself the religion of love.

'Ab 'Abdillh Muammad ibn 'Al ibn Muammad ibn `Arab was born in Murcia, in
Moorish Spain. His family moved to Seville when he was 8 years old. During a
childhood illness, he had a vision that transformed his life. At age 27 he began to write
and continued for the rest of his life. It is estimated that he wrote some 300 works, of
which 75 to 100 exist today. At the age of 35, he left Spain. He lived near Mecca for
three years, where he began writing his Al-Futuht al-Makkiyy (The Meccan
Illuminations). He left Mecca, traveled, then settled in Damascus for the remaining years
of his life. Ibn Arabi believed in the unity of all religions and taught that the different
prophets all came with the same essential truth.
 Shams Tabrezi
(1185-1248)
When everyone is trying to be something,
be nothing.
Range with emptiness.
Humans should be like a pot.
As the pot is held by its emptiness inside,
human is held by the awareness of
his nothingness.

Shams al-Din Muhammad was a Persian mystic who received his education
in Tabriz and was a disciple of Bb Kaml al-Din Jumdi. He used to travel from place to
place weaving baskets and selling girdles for a living. He was the spiritual master of
Rmi and is referenced with great reverence in Rmis poetic collection, in particular
Diwn-i-Shams-i-Tabrz. Shams taught Rmi in seclusion in Konya for a period of forty
days, before fleeing for Damascus. After several years with Rmi in Kony, Shams
mysteriously disappeared; some say he was killed by close disciples of Rmi who were
jealous of the his close relationship with Rmi. As the years passed, Rmi attributed
more and more of his own poetry to Shams as a sign of love for his departed friend
and master. Shams becomes a guide of Allh's (Creator) love for mankind; Shams was a
sun (Shams) shining the Light as guide for evading darkness for Rmis heart, mind
and body. Maqlt-i-Shams-i-Tabrizi contains discourses of Shams Tabrezi.
 Maulana Rumi (1207-1273)
I died as a mineral and became a plant,
I died as plant and rose to animal,
I died as animal and I was Man.
Why should I fear? When was I less by dying?
Yet once more I shall die as Man, to soar
With angels bless'd; but even from angelhood
I must pass on: all except God doth perish.
When I have sacrificed my angel-soul,
I shall become what no mind e'er conceived.
Oh, let me not exist! for Non-existence
Proclaims in organ tones,
To Him we shall return.
"The song of the spheres in their revolutions
Is what men sing with lute and voice.
As we all are members of Adam,
We have heard these melodies in Paradise.
Though earth and water have cast their veil upon us,
We retain faint reminiscences of these heavenly songs;
But while we are thus shrouded by gross earthly veils,
How can the tones of the dancing spheres reach us?

Mauln Jall ad-Dn Muhammad Balkh was born in Balkh and died
in Kony. His doctrine advocates unlimited tolerance, positive
reasoning, goodness, charity and awareness through love. Rmi's life
and transformation provide true testimony and proof that people of
all religions and backgrounds can live together in peace and
harmony. Rmis visions, words, and life teach us how to reach inner
peace and happiness so we can finally stop the continual stream of
hostility and hatred and achieve true global peace and harmony.
 Shaikh Sadi
(1210-1291-2)

Muslih-ud-Din Mushrif ibn-Abdullh Shirzi was a native of Shirz in Irn. He

experienced a youth of poverty and hardship, and left his native town at a young
age for Baghdd to pursue a better education. He wandered for 30 years abroad to
Anatolia, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Sindh and India. Of his works, Bostn (The Orchard) is
entirely in verse and consists of stories aptly illustrating the virtues recommended to
Muslims as well as of reflections on the behaviour of Darveshes and their ecstatic
practices. Gulistn (The Rose Garden) is mainly in prose and contains stories and
personal anecdotes. The fate of those who depend on the changeable moods of
kings is contrasted with the freedom of the Darveshes. His lyrics are found
in Ghazaliyt (Lyrics) and his odes in Qasa'id (Odes).

All Adam's race are members of one frame;

Since all, at first, from the same essence came.
When by hard fortune one limb is oppressed,
The other members lose their wonted rest:
If thou feel'st not for others' misery,
A son of Adam is no name for thee

Poem is used to grace the entrance to the Hall of Nations of

UN building in New York with this call for breaking all barriers
Fakhr al-Din Iraqi Love the phoenix cannot be trapped
nor in heaven or earth can it be named;
no one has yet discovered its address:
(1213-1289) its desert holds not a single footprint.
Beloved, I sought you
There is no god but Love. here and there,
For the Allah's asked for news of you
deprived, from all I met;
Lust is their creed - then saw you through myself
Virgins waiting in and found we were identical.
paradise Now I blush to think I ever
And houris in dreams. searched for signs of you!

Fakhr al-dn Ibrahm Irq was a Persian Sufi commentator, poet, writer and artist,
born in Hamdn. He spent many years in Multn (Pkistn) as well as in Kony and
Toqt (Turkey). He also reached an exalted station of spiritual realization. Irqi was
highly educated in both theology and literary disciplines. Meeting a group
of Qalandars, he traveled to Multn where he came to serve Shaikh Bah-ud-din
Zakariya, head of Suhrawardia order for 17 years. He was betrothed to Shaikh's
daughter. After Shaikh's death, he left Multn and traveled to Mecc, Medin and then
to Turkey. While in Kony, he met Sadr al-Din al-Qunwi, son-in-law of Sufi
philosopher Ibn 'Arabi and Jalaluddin Rmi. Although 'Iraqi was the head (in exile) of a
large and respected Sufi order, he humbly became the disciple of Qunwi, who inspired
'Iraqi to compose his own masterpiece of commentary and poetry, Lama'at (Divine
Flashes). Irqi moved to Toqt, Turkey and then fled to Cairo, and settled down
in Damscus. Iraqi was a Gnostic who often spoke in the language of love. For him, as
well as many other Sufis, love was realized knowledge. His writing, Lamaat fits into a
genre, which expresses certain doctrines in the language of love.
 Khwaja Hafiz
(1325-1389)
If that Shirazi Turk would take my heart in hand, I would
remit Samarkand and Bukhr for his black mole.

Khwja Shamsu d-Dn Muhammad Hfez-e Shrz, a most beloved

poet of Persia, was born in Shirz. Hafez was born in Shirz, Irn. He
was supported by patronage from several successive local regimes:
Shh Abu Ishq, in his teens; Timur at the end of his life; and Mubriz
Muzaffar. His work flourished most under the reign of Shh Shuj, it
is claimed Hfez briefly fell out of favor with him for mocking
inferior poets, forcing Hfez to flee from Shirz to Isfahn and Yzd.
Themes of his ghazals are the beloved, faith, and exposing
hypocrisy. His influence in the lives of Iranians can be found in Fl-e
Hfez (Hfez readings), frequent use of his poems in Persian
traditional music, visual art and Persian calligraphy. He has written
5,000 poems, of which 500 to 700 have survived. His Diwn
(collected poems) is a classic in the literature of Sufism. The work
of Hfiz became known to the West largely through Goethe, whose
enthusiasm rubbed off on Ralph Waldo Emerson, who translated
Hfiz in the 19th cent. Hfiz's poems were also admired by Nietzsche,
Pushkin, Turgenev, Carlyle, and Garcia Lorka; even Sherlock
Holmes. Though Hfezs poetry is influenced by Islam, he is widely
respected by Hindus, Christians and others.
 Shah Nematullah Wali (1330-1431)
I am the cherished spirit breathed into the body.
I am the travelling stranger arrived out of
the spiritual dimension.
By the eternal cup I am intoxicated
and I carry the cup of obedience in my hand.
I remain in my solitude with my beloved
in the corner of the soul I stay with the people of
the heart,
sheltered from fear and hope.

Shh Ni'mtullh Wali was a Sufi Master and poet born in Aleppo, Syri and traced his
own descent from the 7th Ismili Imam, Muhammad ibn Ismil. His mother was Iranian
from Frs and his father an Arab from Syri. From Syri, his family moved to Shirz,
Iran. He traveled widely through the Muslim world, learning the philosophies of many
masters including ibn 'Arabi. He met Shaikh Abdollh Yafe'i in Mecc and became his
disciple. Spiritually transformed, he was sent out for travels as a realized teacher. He
resided near Samarkand, along the great C. Asian Silk Road, where he met the
conqueror Tamerlane, but to avoid him, left and settled in the Persian/Indian region of
Kermn. He lit the lamp of gnosis in a large part of Muslim world, especially
in Turkistan, Hindustn and Irn. His shrine is in Mahn, Irn. Ni'mtullh left a Persian
language Diwn (poetry) written in a symbolic form containing predictions about
future world events. On invitation of Sultn Ahmed Shh Al Wali Bhamani of Bidr to
him, instead he sent his son, Shah Khalilullh, the next Qutb (master) to Deccan in India.
The Sufi order coming from Shaikh Mrouf Krkhi was called Maroufieh before
Ni'mtullh, and after him, is named Nemtollahi and is one of the most important in
Iran. The Masters of this order come from Asia, Africa and Europe.
 Hakim Jami (1414-1492)
All through eternity
God unveils
His exquisite form.
In the solitude of nothingness
He holds a mirror to
His own Face and beholds
His own beauty.
He is the knower and the
known, the seer and the seen;
No eye but His own has ever
looked upon this Universe.
If love manifests itself
within you, it has its origins
in beauty.
You are nothing but a
mirror in which beauty is
reflected.
Because beauty and its
reflection are both from
that one source,
it is both treasure and
treasure-house.

Nur ad-Dn Abd ar-Rahmn Jm, Mawlan Nr al-Dn 'Abd al-Rahmn or Abd-al-
Rahmn Nur-al-Din Muhammad Dshti was a scholar, mystic, writer, composer of
numerous lyrics and idylls, historian, and the greatest Persian and Tjik Sufi poets of
the 15th cent. He was born in Jm in Ghor Province, Afghnistan, but his family migrated
to the cultural city of Herat. Afterward he went to Samarkand and completed his
studies there. He was a famous Sufi, and a follower of the Naqshbandi Sufi order. Jami
was primarily an outstanding poet-theologian of the school of Ibn Arabi and a
prominent Khwjagn Sf. Among his famous poetical works are: Haft Awrn, Tuhft
al-Ahrr, Layl w-Majnun, Fatiht al-Shabb, Lawa'ih, al-Durrh al-Fakhirh. He
created a distinction between two types of Sufi's- the prophetic and the mystic spirit.
He is known for both his extreme piety and mysticism. He developed images of
earthly love and its employment to depict spiritual passion of the seeker of God. Jmi
created an all-embracing unity emphasized in a unity with the lover, beloved, and the
love one, removing the belief that they are separated.
 Khalil Gibran (1883-1931)
Wisdom ceases to
be wisdom when it
becomes too proud
to weep, too grave
to laugh, and too
selfish to seek other
than itself.
"You are my brother and I love you.
I love you when you prostrate yourself in your mosque, Love possesses not,
and kneel in your church and pray in your synagogue. nor will it be possessed,
You and I are sons of one faiththe Spirit." for love is sufficient unto love.

Khalil Gibrn or Gibrn Khalil Gibrn was a Lebanese artist, poet, and writer. Born into
a Maronite Christian family in Bshrri N. Lebanon, as a young man he immigrated with
his family to the US, where he studied art and began his literary career, writing in both
English and Arabic. In the Arab world, Gibrn is regarded as a literary and political
rebel. His romantic style was at the heart of a renaissance in modern Arabic literature,
especially prose poetry, breaking away from the classical school. He is chiefly known in
the English-speaking world for his book, The Prophet, an early example of inspirational
fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose. He was
an accomplished artist, especially in drawing and watercolor, pursuing a symbolist and
romantic style over the then up-and-coming realism. Many of Gibrn's writings deal
with Christianity, especially on the topic of spiritual love. But his mysticism is a
convergence of several different influences: Christianity, Islm, Sufism, Judaism and
theosophy. Gibrn had a number of strong connections to the Bah' Faith.