Religious and Cultural Activities: The Rise and Growth of Sufism | HPSC Preparation: All subjects - HPSC (Haryana) PDF Download

Haryana: A History of Conflict and Harmony

• Haryana, located between Punjab and Delhi, has a long history of warfare, which has left a lasting impact on the region and its inhabitants. Despite the intolerant attitude of Muslim rulers towards Hindus and the frequent destruction of their holy places, the Sufi movement managed to integrate itself into the cultural fabric of India, bridging the divide between the two religions and promoting a sense of trust and unity. 
• The rise of Sufism in Haryana during the Sultanate period helped to bridge the gap between Hindus and Muslims despite the generally intolerant attitude of Muslim rulers towards Hindus, including the destruction of their religious sites. The Chisti sect of Sufism, which was founded by Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti, was particularly prominent in Haryana and had its center in Hansi. Other Sufi orders, such as the Suhrawardi, also established themselves in the region. 
• By the early 14th century, there were around two thousand khanqahs and hospices in Delhi and its surrounding areas, indicating the growing presence and influence of Sufism in the region. Shaikh Farid-ud-din Masud Ganj-i-Shakar (1175-1265) was the most prominent figure of the Chishti silsilah in Haryana during the thirteenth century. 
• He reorganized the silsilah into a structured spiritual movement after receiving training in mystic discipline from Shaikh Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki. After settling in Hansi, Shaikh Jamal-ud-din, who was the descendant of Abu Hanifah of Kufah and the khatib of Hansi at that time, was supposed to deliver lectures and make legal decisions. 
• However, he abandoned his office to become a disciple of Shaikh Farid, which led to his suffering from poverty and hunger, as reported by Mir Khurd and Abul FazP. Shaikh Jamal-ud-din suffered poverty and starvation after renouncing his position as khatib of Hansi to become the disciple of Shaikh Farid-ud-din Masud Ganj-i-Shakar. 
• When he asked Shaikh Nizamud-din-Auliya to convey his misery to Shaikh Farid, he was told that it was his duty to bear the burden of the spiritual territory assigned to him. These sufferings, however, resulted in him gaining a high degree of virtue and spiritual experience. 
• Abul Fazl wrote about his position among the Kalifahs of Shaikh Farid, stating that anyone who received a certificate of vicegerency from Shaikh Farid had to be approved by Jamal ud-din. If he did not approve, Shaikh Farid could not repair what Jamal tore up.

The Life and Works of Shaikh Jamal and his Successors

• Shaikh Jamal was a highly learned man, with two books to his name that showcased his scholarship: a Persian diwan and an Arabic treatise called Mulhamat. The latter was a condensation of the mystic thought of the preceding generation and clearly distinguished between the externalists and the mystics. 
• His insightful remark was that "A Zahid (externalist) keeps the exterior clean with water; an armystic keeps his interior clean from passions". His works shed light on the contemporary religious thought and institutions. Shaikh Jamal died at Hansi during the lifetime of his master and was succeeded by his son, Maulana Burhan-ud-din, who did not enrol any disciples, leaving this to Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Muhammad, for whom he held the greatest regard.
• Maulana Burhan-ud-din was succeeded by Shaikh Qutb-ud-din Munawwar, a distinguished disciple and khalifah of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auhya. He was one of the three disciples of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din who strongly opposed Muhammad Tughlaq's demand for his disciples to serve the state, standing up to the emperor's threats with courage and determination that garnered universal praise. 
• Not even the offer of a jagir of two villages could entice him into royal service, despite a firman personally carried by Kazi Kamaluddin Sadre-Jahan to him. The emperor was unable to capture the Shaikh and, when he realised that the rumours against him were out of jealousy, he honoured him and allowed him to stay at Hansi.
• Shaikh Nuruddin succeeded Shaikh Qutb-ud-din Munawwar. He was a contemporary of Firuz Tughlaq and authored several works on Muslim theology in Arabic and Persian. Shaikh Nuruddin declined the request of the Sultan to settle in Hisar-i-Firuza for the benefit of the people, stating that Hansi was his ancestral home and the abode of his predecessors. 
• Fate would have it that Hisar suffered from the Mongol invasion, while Hansi remained unaffected and provided refuge to the people of Hisar. Shaikh Nuruddin was friends with Maulana Ahmad Thanesari, an Arabic poet, whose noble elegies were copied into Akhbdr-u-UAkhyar, bearing testimony to his eminent talents and genius. Shaikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi, one of the Saints of the Suhrawardi order, also briefly stayed at Hansi. Other distinguished men of the town at that time were Maulana Fakhruddin, Kazi Kamaluddin, Nizamuddin, and Samsuddin. 
• Sufism had an impact on several towns, including Narnaul, Kaithal, Jhajjar, Payal, Hisar, and Panipat. Shaikh Nasiruddin Chiragh recommended praying at the tomb of Shaikh Muhammad in Narnaul as a solution to all difficulties. Shaikh Muhammad was among the earliest Sufis who arrived in India with Muinuddin Chisti, but he was killed by Hindu fanatics in 1243. 
• One of the disciples of Shaikh Munawwar, Sayyid Tajuddin Saiswar, also died in Narnaul. Maulana Kaithali was referred to by Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya as one of the three danishmands, a group of learned men who focused on academic pursuits and did not seek worldly prestige or glory. 
• Barani mentioned several distinguished men during the Khalji reign, including Saiyid Mujibuddin, Saiyid Mugisuddin, Saiyid Alauddin, Maulana Jalal-ud-din Saiyid (of Kaithal), Malik Tajuddin Jafar, Malik Jalal-ud-din, Malik Jamal, and Saiyid Ali (of Jhajjar), as well as Maulana Wejeh-ud-din of Payal. Gula Mira Nobahar, a descendant of Shaikh Farid (d. 1348), was also present in Hisar. 
• Shaikh Sharafuddin, also known as Abu Ali Qalander, was a revered saint in Panipat in the early 14th century. He moved to Delhi at the age of 40 to receive spiritual training from Khwaja Qutbuddin and was recognized as a talented teacher by many learned individuals of the time. 
• He served in the administration of justice for two decades but later received a divine call and abandoned his scholarly pursuits. During his travels, he met Shamsuddin Tabrizi and Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, who gifted him a robe, turban, and books. He threw the books into a river in their presence and settled as a recluse in Panipat. 
• The excerpt demonstrates the Shaikh's belief that academic knowledge was of no use in achieving spiritual enlightenment, and that he had little interest in worldly matters. After discarding his books and meeting with notable Sufi figures, he settled in Panipat where he lived as a hermit and reflected on his experiences. He continued to exchange letters with Shaikh Bakhtiyaruddin, and these letters are a valuable resource for understanding Sufism in India. The Shaikh's tomb can be found in Panipat.

Notable Figures in Panipat: Hazrat Khwaja Samsuddin Turk, Abu Qalandar, and Saiyyid Alauddin

• In Panipat, during the same period as Abu Qalandar, was Hazrat Khwaja Samsuddin Turk, whose teacher Shaikh Ala-ud-din Sabari advised him to stay in Panipat but he couldn't fulfill the spiritual needs of the people. Instead, he went into the military profession under Balban, but soon became fed up with his job and returned to Panipat at the request of his master. 
• There, he met Abu Qalandar and the two became friends until Khwaja Samsuddin's death in 1318. Abu Qalandar was succeeded by Kabir-Al-Auliya Hazrat Shaikh Jalaluddin Makhdum (d. 1364). Another notable figure in Panipat was Saiyyid Alauddin, who lived during the same time as the Sultan of the same name. Although his numerous Persian and Arabic works are now untraceable, Barani mentions his erudition and scholarship in complementary remarks.
• During the Mughal era, Sufism spread to other parts of Haryana besides Hansi, which was an important center during the Sultanate but lost its prominence later on. Thanesar and Panipat became the new centers of Sufi activity. Abul Fazl and Badaoni, two renowned historians, provided detailed accounts of the lives and deeds of the Sufi saints and their impact on the public mindset, which is a valuable resource for us. The prominent Sufi saint associated with Thanesar was Hazrat Jalaluddin, who Badaoni claimed was a disciple of Shaikh Abdul-Quddus of Gangoh, where his tomb is located. 
• In the Collection of his Letters, there are a number of letters written by Shaikh Abdul to Shaikh Jalal. He was highly knowledgeable in both exoteric and esoteric learning and was an expert in teaching divine knowledge. In his later years, he lived in complete isolation and devoted himself to meditation and reading the Quran. 
• Despite being ninety-three years old and frail, he would rise unassisted upon hearing the call to prayer, put on his shoes, take his staff, perform ablutions, and pray. Following his prayers, Hazrat Jalaluddin would then recline on a couch. Badaoni quoted a couplet about him that described how when an aged man's veins appear on his skin due to giving up worldly desires, he becomes like a leader who can guide his disciples towards righteousness. 
• Badaoni had the privilege of meeting the Shaikh twice, first in 1561-62 and then in 1573-74. During his first visit to Agra, the Shaikh was there to resolve some issue related to his property in Thanesar. It was noted that Emperor Akbar had also visited him, accompanied by Biram Khan and later with Abul Fazl.

Life and Works of Shaikh Jalaluddin

• According to Abdul Haq Mahaddis Dehlavi, Shaikh Jalaluddin spent his life in devotion to the Almighty, teaching and preaching Zikr and Sama. He wrote a commentary on Sama and a treatise titled Irshad-ut-Talibin. 
• Badaoni regarded him as a "crucible of austerity and devotion" and a "paragon of the people of rapture and ecstasy". The Iqbalnama notes that he was respected by all, read the whole Quran every day for eighty years, and never left his cell. Shaikh Jalaluddin died in 1382 (AH 989). 
• Shaikh Abu-l-Fath was a famous scholar who learned Islamic tradition under Saiyyid Rafi-ud-din, and later moved to Agra where he taught for 40 years. Badaoni and Miyan Kamaluddin Husain were among his students. 
• He was present in a gathering with Mir Saiyyid Rafi-ud-din Safawi, Mulla Jalal and other eminent Ulama to discuss traditions on Mahdiism, summoned by Islam Shah. On the other side was Shaikh Alai of Biyana, a distinguished disciple of Shaikh Abdullah Niyazi. Abul Path Thaneswari was also present in the assembly.

Haji Sultan's Contribution to Translation

•  During the reign of Akbar, Haji Sultan was a well-known personality in Thanesar who had undertaken a pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah. He was known for his remarkable memory and could reproduce religious texts word for word. Akbar had engaged him as one of the eminent scholars for translating the Mahabharata, known as Razmnama, and the Ramayana, which was started by Naqib Khan, from Sanskrit into Persian. 
• Badaoni, who was one of the translators, praised Haji Sultan's work and criticized Shaikh Faizi for not contributing much. According to Badaoni, when the first draft was completed, Faizi was supposed to convert the rough translation into eloquent prose and verse, but he completed only two sections. 
• Haji Sultan made improvements to these two parts, correcting the errors in the initial version, filling in the gaps, and carefully comparing it with the original until it reached a level of excellence where not even a small detail was overlooked. When Haji Sultan was working on the translation, an individual inquired about the content he was translating. 
• He answered, "I am translating something that was familiar ten thousand years ago into the current language." Haji Sultan was a profound intellectual who paid close attention to detail and was very diligent.  As mentioned previously, Sultan was punished for killing a cow in Thanesar and was exiled to Bhakkar by the imperial decree. Khan-i-Khanan, who was the subedar of Multan and a friend of Sultan, treated him kindly and allowed him to secretly return to his hometown after Multan was completely conquered. 
• After the Asirgarh and Burhanpur campaigns, Khan-i-Khanan requested the emperor to overturn Sultan's sentence. The appeal was granted, and the emperor privately instructed Abul-Fazl to appoint him as the Karori of Thanesar and Karnal. However, the farmers later filed a complaint against Sultan's oppressive governance, and when the accusations were found to be valid, he was given the death penalty. 
• Shaikh Chehali Bannauri, a Sufi saint from Bannur, was part of the lineage of Shaikh Jalaluddin. The marble tomb in Thanesar is named after him. Shaikh Chehali is a commonly used name, and he is referred to as Abdur Rahim, Abdul Karim, or Abdul Razak in various sources. 
• It is possible that he was Dara Shekoh's spiritual advisor and the author of a book called "Lives of the Waits," which discusses Muslim saints. Although Cunningham was unable to identify the saint, he believes, based on the tomb's design, that the Shaikh was alive during the same time as Dara Shekoh, around 1650 A.D. 
• Several towns in Haryana received spiritual guidance from the Sufi movement during the Mughal era, including Panipat, Narnaul, Hisar, Sadhaura, Jind, Sohna, and Safidon.

Notable Saints of Panipat during the Mughal Era

• One of the earliest known saints of Panipat during the Mughal era was Shaikh Amanullah Panipati (1467-1549), who was deeply influenced by Advaita philosophy. He wrote two works, "Asbat-al-Hadis" and a commentary on the famous composition "Lavdh" by Maiilana Jarai. Muhammad Afzal, the author of "Vikat Kahani," was also associated with the town and lived until 1623. Shaikh Abdul Kabir's son, Shaikh Jindapir, was another notable figure of Panipat, who lived during the same time as Shaikh Jalal of Thanesar. 
• The Shaikh, who was respected by both Hindus and Muslims, passed away in Panipat in 1590 and was succeeded by his worthy son, Shaikh Nizamuddin, who lived until 1609. Another notable figure in Panipat was Shaikh Man, who was a disciple of Shaikh Muhammad Hasan and had the privilege of spending time with Shaikh Salim-i-Chisti. 
• During their conversation, Shaikh Man asked how Shaikh Salim-i-Chisti had achieved his spiritual goal, to which the latter replied, "Our means is heart to heart," possibly referring to the Sufi method of experiencing the revelation of God through the inflaming of the heart with a fervent love for Him. Shaikh Man is known for composing a work called "Ghairiyyah," which is thought to be a polemic on the theology or mysticism of the Sufis, although the work itself is not currently traceable. 
• The book generated a lot of interest and Shaikh Azizullah, another theologian, wrote a reply to it called Riddle-to-Taymiyyah. This tradition of Sufi saints and scholars was carried on by Shaikh Shah Ali Chisti (d. 1624) and Sanullah Panipati, who were both descendants of Kabir-ul-Auliya. 
• Sanullah Panipati was a talented writer, but his works written in Persian script remained relatively unknown, and only a small portion has been discovered. Shaikh Nizamuddin was a well-known Sufi saint of the Chisti order in Narnaul. While he was a disciple of Shaikh Khanun of Gwalior, his true spiritual mentor was his elder brother. 
• Shaikh IsmaiK voluntarily chose a religious life and inspired those who interacted with him. Badaoni noted that the Shaikh used intoxicants to induce religious ecstasy. He spent around forty years devoted to religious pursuits, providing guidance to those in need, and undertaking pilgrimages to far-off places such as the holy shrine of Khwaja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtyar of Ush in Transoxiana. 
• As he grew old, he celebrated the saint’s festival in Narnaul.  Badaoni reported that Shaikh IsmaiL emulated his spiritual teacher in renouncing outward displays of material wealth and he treated everyone equally without any formality or favoritism. He also accepted disciples without discriminating between the rich and poor.

Visit of Mughal Emperor Akbar to Shaikh

• In 1578, the Mughal emperor Akbar visited the Shaikh but did not find him impressive. Abul Fazl, the court historian, describes him as someone who boasted about his simplicity. The Shaikh passed away in the year H 997 (A.D. 1588-89). 
• The Shaikh also felt a spiritual ecstasy and in that state, he uttered a couplet expressing his devotion to God. The couplet conveyed the idea that he was one of the people who were devoted to God's service, regardless of whether God showed him favor or not. 
• The Shaikh recalls that he was caught by the hand and twirled by ‘His Holiness’ in a moment that brought him lasting joy. Minahati, a poet who studied at the Delhi madrasa, was named by Emperor Akbar. In some of his verses, he expresses his admiration for a woman, saying he found the imprint of her foot on his path and he wishes to press his cheek against it. 
• He also speaks of losing his heart, along with others, as they meditate on the woman's slender waist. Contemporaries of Akbar include Saiyyid Najumuddin Husain from Jhajjar, Mulla Shah Mohammad from Shahbad who translated Badaoni’s History of Kashmir into Persian, Shah Qumaish, the son of Abdul Hayat and founder of the Qumaishia order, a branch of the Kadiriyas at Sadhora where his tomb and an annual fare is held, and Shah Dujan from Jind who was a disciple of Sadruddin Maleri and after whom the qasba of Dujana in Rohtak is named. 
• Shaikh Chayan Ladh of Sohna was a renowned disciple of Shaikh Abdul Aziz of Delhi who imparted Sufi teachings such as Fusus and Naqd-i-fusus despite early hardships due to poverty. In his later years, he gained favor with Emperor Akbar, who consulted him on important matters of the state. The Shaikh lived in the bhatkhande and was granted private interviews at night for prayer and recitation of the Holy Scriptures. He passed away in AD 1590.

Mulla Nuruddin Muhammad Tarkhan Safidoni

• Mulla Nuruddin Muhammad Tarkhan Safidoni was a renowned figure who was known for his poetry, geometric expertise, and knowledge in exact sciences and astrology. He was also well-versed in philosophy and rhetoric and was known for his amiable personality. 
• He was called Nuri of Safidon because he wrote poetry under the takhallus of Nuri and held Safidon as a Jagir for some time. He was a close associate of Emperor Akbar and was bestowed with the title of Tarkhan by him. He was also known for his generosity, munificence, and conviviality, for which he was considered unequalled and had become proverbial. 
• The individual in question is a poet who has authored a diwan and was recognized for his contributions to the public welfare. He constructed a canal extending from the Jamuna river to Kamal and beyond, enabling the cultivation of more land which in turn boosted the prosperity of the region. Emperor Akbar appointed him as a trustee of the tomb of Humayun in the imperial capital in the year 1586.
• One of his poetic expressions showcases his talent and emotions: "I sit with a heavy heart, away from those shining lips, sitting like a rosebud, with my head lowered to my collar."
• Many Sufi saints in Haryana continued to spread their beliefs and worked towards the moral betterment of the people. Some of these saints include Ismail Shah in Hisar, Abu Shakur Silma and Shaikh Dada Sahab in Sirsa, Shah Sodha in Safidon, Hidayatullah and Shaikh Muhammad in Dadri, Gaus AH Sahab and Maulavi Ahmadullah in Panipat, Shaikh Muhammad in Ambala, Shaikh Abdul Quddus in Mahendragadh, and Gulam Kadar Jilani of Rohtak. 
• Gulam Kadar Jilani is especially notable as he brought together Advaitism, Vaishnavism, and Sufism to create a happy synthesis. He lived from 1749 to 1819.