Azadari and Sufis

Azadari and Sufis

By Prof.Mazhar Naqvi

Sufi saints and their shrines have played a crucial role in shaping Muharram ceremonies, especially Taziadari as a notable feature of Indian culture. Wandering mystics, also known as dervishes and qalandars took the Muharram traditions with them wherever they went.Sufis arrived in India mainly during the Sultanate period from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan to settle in Sindh, Multan, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bihar, Karnataka and Bengal. Also came with them their philosophy of love and devotion for Ahle-bait (Progeny of the Prophet).

The renowned Sufis like Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, Hazrat Nizam Uddin Auliya, Bandanawaz Gesudaraz , Zinda Shah Madar, Haji Waris ali Shah are all known for their solemn observation of Muharram rituals. The followers of Shah Madar, a saint who arrived in India from Aleppo, Syria, took the concept to such a great height that a huge number of Muslim holy men wandered North India, many of them holding the Imams in special reverence and helping spread Imami ideas among laborers and artisans.  The 150,000 holy men( Faqirs) of the Madari order in late-nineteenth-century constituted 2.3 percent of the Muslim population. They wandered about and revered in particular the sacred personages:  Prophet Muhammad, Hazrat Ali, Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain.

Prior to Sufis, the conqueror of Sindh, Haris bin Mar’at al-Abdi, had brought love of Ahle-Bayt to sub-continent. During the reign of Hazrat Ali, Shansab, a ruler of Sindh embraced Islam and was allowed to continue as a ruler of his kingdom. Thus, Shansab was the first ruler in the subcontinent to receive a degree to rule from Imam Ali. His descendants constituted the first loyalists of Imam  and were the only ones who continued to bear allegiance to Hazrat Ali long after he had been martyred in the mosque of Kufa.

Those who also  made Sindh their home included Abdullah al-Ashtar al-Hussaini (Abdullah Shah Ghazi, buried Karachi), who came to Sindh after his father Muhammad al-Nafs was martyred. He later traveled to Kandahar with Isa bin Abdullah bin Mas’ada. During the reign of the first Abbasid caliph, Mansur, Qasim bin Ibrahim Hasni also sought refuge in Sindh, and later moved on to Khan Garh, near Multan. Several Sindhi and Hindi scholars went to seek knowledge from the seminary of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq, including Faraj Sindhi, Khulad Sindhi Bazaz, Aban bin Mohammed Sindhi, Sabah bin Nasr Hindi, etc. On their return, they devoted their life to the propagation of Imami message and Azadari.

However, in North, Azadari began in military camps first and later on moved to mosques and dargahs. Emperor Timur is credited with introducing the concept of Taziadari on Indian soil. He   carried with him relics of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) including a lock of hair, manuscripts of the Quran used by Imam Hussain and a phial containing earth from the mound where the mortal remains of  Imam are interned at Karbala. According to Hollister ‘the custom of carrying these models of Hussain’s tomb is said to date from the time of Timur (d. 808 AH/1405 AD), who brought such a miniature tomb back from Karbala, later called the tazia.’ Scholars agree on the origin of the tazia rituals in India, but differ on whether Timur had the zarih (the miniature model) built on order, or had it brought from Karbala.

By the time of Muhammad Bin Tughlak Muharram ceremonies had gained a strong popularity among the people and they were widely observed throughout the sultanate. “Noor Turk, an Ismaili preacher, preached about Karbala in Delhi during thre reign of  Mohammed Tughlaq. It was his preaching that gave way to the raising of the alams (standard) and the tradition of processions.  In Lataef-e-Ashrafi, it is narrated that Syed Sahib and his associates used to carry a water bag made from hide in their area during the mourning days of Muharram. They did not wear good clothes or attend any functions in Muharram. Thus, they continued to observe Ashura with solemnity for 30 years, sitting under an alam (standard) at the mosque of Jaunpur

 After the departure of Taimur, it was Sufis who continued the tradition of Taziadari in the sub- continent and their shrines emerged as popular centers of muharram ceremonies. Since Hindus and Muslims both revered them equally, Sufis were able to spread the message of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his companions in such a way that mourning for the martyrs of Karbala became a solemn duty for all during the month of Muharram..

 It was the influence and inspiration of Sufis that prompted host of  Hindu rulers to organize religions congregations and processions during muharram. The kings of  Vijayanagar even donned blackened garments and helped to arrange the Kala Tazia processions. Even the Scindias of Gwalior and the Holkar Maharajas of Indore conducted Majlis or Muharram congregations. An Italian artist Bruno Cabrini has recreated scenes of Muharram processions with Tazias in the shape of the rathas  in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra organised by Hindus. He has even wondered in his memoirs as to why Hindus regard Imam Hussain as their Hero and lament over his martyrdom during muharram ceremonies .  He has recorded his astonishment in his own words in `Creation', the Venetian journal of art: "How come these Brahmins observe Muharram with such devotion and sincerity even though they are dedicated Hindus and do not permit slaughtering of any animal in the manner prescribed by Islam?!"

But Muharram ceremonies at a grand and mass scale were first witnessed  in the Indian subcontinent in the Deccan states of Bijapur and Golkonda.Subsequently, the Shahs of Awadh, the Talpur Mirs of Sindh, the Nawabs of Bengal and Hyder Ali and Sultan Tipu’s family in the South  India took it to new heights. In Punjab, Azadari began with the arrival of the Syeds, and Arastujah Syed Rajab Ali Khan promoted it further. In short, the subcontinent has long played host to the loyalists of the Ahlebait. Sufi saints  along with some well known scholars encouraged the mixing and merging of indigenous elements from the rich cultural heritage of the land to that of Muharram thus proclaiming the message of peaceful co-existence among communities and united resistance to tyrannical authority. (The author is a Heritage Management Expert based at Kanpur.)