Sufism: Connecting India and Pakistan through its Shrines.

Pakistan and India are two separate countries on the world map, having many religious, cultural and ethical commonalities

The presence of Sufi Shrines on both side of borders is also a common factor and people from all religions and social classes visit these shrines to pay homage to the Sufis.

The massive geographic presence of Islam in India is because of the presence of Sufi preachers who migrated from Central Asia, Turkey and some other places. Sufism had left a prevailing impact on the religious, cultural, and social life in South Asia. The introduction of the mystical form of Islam was done by Sufi saints. Sufi scholars were instrumental in the social, economic, and philosophic development of India. 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, Punjabi versus Persian, Turkish, and Arabic. Sufism emerged as a “moral and comprehensive socio-religious force” that even influenced other religious traditions such as Hinduism. 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. Furthermore, it is the attitude of accommodation, adaptation, piety, and charisma that continues to help Sufism remain as a pillar of mystical Islam in India.

People develop a mystical connection with these Sufis and continue to visit their Mazars even after centuries. These Sufis continue to benefit people after their death, creating various business opportunities around the Mazars.

A large number of worshippers continue to visit these Mazars on a daily basis, but this number grows during the annual Urs ceremony.

People visiting Mazars buy various items including flowers, chadar for graves and also feel happy to donate food for the poor and needy people living in and around the Mazars. Worshipers also buy various gift items and take it with them as Tabruk.

I recently visited the Mazar of Bari Imam and observed many interesting activities including the shoe collection point. Worshipers are conscious of the fact that if they left their shoes unattended, they may be stolen so they prefer to deposit shoes with shoes collection vendors. Around the Shrine of Saint, even shoes get lot of respect. The word Poshak is use for shoes. Shoes collector charge a petty sum or Rs. 5 to take care of each shoe pair. They have various shelf or baskets with them. They prefer to stock shoes of whole family in one basket or in one shelf and issue a token. On return from Mazar, devotee makes the required payment and collects their footwear

During my visit to Bari Imam’s Mazar, I also saw a Langar Khana (A place to get free food). At around 1:00 pm, large number of devotees queue up outside the langar khana with the hope that some devotee for his love of the Sufi buzurg will buy food for them and most of the time.

Urs (Death Anniversary Celebration) of Sufis is an annual ritual. Thousands of devotees visit the shrines during Urs days.

If a shrine is located in a less developed area, then it is an opportunity for the whole locality to reap the benefits of Urs celebration

Shrine of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar located in Sehwan Sharif, Sindh is a perfect example of this scenario. Devotees from the length and breadth of Pakistan visit Sehwan to attend the 3 day Urs celebration. Along with devotees, people with business interests also reach the area to earn some profits during these days. A tent is set up in Sehwan to accommodate these devotes. Unfortunately, this tent cannot accommodate such large number of devotees. Some of them thus need to rent apartments.

Sehwan which is a small city in the province of Sindh in Pakistan transforms into a city of lights during the 3 days of Urs celebrations. The restaurants and tea shops in Sehwan are decorated with colorful buntings to attract and welcome the visitors.

Many myths are also attached with tombs of the Sufi saints. Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s Mazar located in Karachi have huge staircase with 99 steps. It is believed that a person’s wishes will be fulfilled if he/she climbed all 99 steps without catching a breath. Climbing these steps in is a herculean task and I doubt if anyone has ever able to do, though it is a strong belief among the locals of the city.

Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s Mazaar is located on mountainous peak near the coastal belt of Karachi and it is believed that presence of this shrine is instrumental in preventing Karachi from floods and cyclones. It is unfortunate that a huge building is recently constructed in front of Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s Mazar, depriving city locals and visitors an opportunity to look at the tomb from a distance.

There is a door call ‘Door of Heaven’ at Baba Fareed Ganj Shakar’s tomb located in Pakpattan Punjab. There is a common believe that anyone who pass through this door will go to heaven. Each year, large number of devotees pass through this door and the crowd here often leads to stampede which results in deaths or injuries.

These Mazars are a source of spreading love among the people of various localities. An example would be the good will gesture by Ex- President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari when he donated a sum of One million dollar for the dargah of Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti located in Ajmer.

Pakistan’s city of Multan is called a city of shrines because a large number of famous shrines are located there.

In Pakistan people visiting shrines got a rude shock when few of the famous Mazars including the Shrine of Data Ganj Buksh were attacked by terrorists. But these heinous activities failed to deter the devotees who continued to visit Mazars in large numbers.