By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
To meet an original Delhi-wala and listen to the Urdu spoken hundred of years ago in Delhi, you have to leave your vehicle on the Mathura Road and walk towards the oldest continually inhabited place of Delhi. This basti is more than 700 years old and now named after its most famous resident Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya. This is Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin. Some families have been living here since the time of the famous Sufi saint.
Religion is very important in the lives of majority of Indians, but there are very few religious places where Indians of all faith can come together. Dargahs or tombs of Sufi saints provide that space for millions of Indians.
Syed Kabiruddin Nizami is a descendent of the sister of Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin. He is one of the khadims of the Dargah Nizamuddin attending to the spiritual needs of devotees who come from all over the world.
While talking to Syed Kabiruddin Nizami sahib about Hazrat Nizamuddin, Sufism and contribution of Sufis to India, I couldn’t help but notice that people of all faith, culture, language, and class come here. From a modern looking businessman from Mumbai who is in Delhi to make a multi-million dollar deal to a blind beggar who is singing songs in praise of Hazrat Nizamuddin. A lot of people in this hustle and bustle are from outside Delhi but quite a few from nearby who come here on regular basis. Away from politics, communalism, terrorism, and all kinds of fanaticism, a harmonious India emerges here.
Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin
Nizami informs me about the origin of Sufism and links it back to the Prophet of Islam. He denies that Sufism is anything different from Islam. He explains that Sufism is nothing but the spiritual aspect of Islam. Worship of Allah and serving the humanity is the principle of Sufism. There are four main Sufi orders in India- Chishti, Qadiri, Suhrawardi, and Naqshabandi. While other orders emphasize zikr (remembrance of Allah), Chishtia order puts more emphasis on serving the people. Even now, dargahs of Chishti order serve free food in daily langar. Hazrat Nizamuddin belonged to the Chishti order.
Nizami talks about Prophet Muhammed being called a ‘Mercy to the Mankind’ in Quran and he says that this mercy is visible in khanqahs (Muslim monastery) and Sufi dargahs as they serve all humanity irrespective of their religious belief. He is quick to say that dargahs are the only platform in India where people of all communities can come freely.
Born in Badayun in about 1238 AD, Hazrat Nizamuddin migrated to Delhi along with his sister and mother. He wanted to become a Qazi in Delhi but his spiritual quest led him to Baba Farid Ganjshakar in Pakpattan, Punjab. After getting khilafat from Baba Farid he returned to Delhi and established his monastery in Ghayaspura locality of Delhi. This area now bears his name and is called Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin.
One of the famous disciples of Hazrat Nizamuddin was Amir Khusro. Khusro is credited with development of Urdu that led to its popularization; he started Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. His contribution in literature and classical music is immense. He loved his teacher so much that he lies buried a few meters from Hazrat Nizamuddin’s grave.
Sufism in India not only provided a platform for spiritual needs of Indians but also served the people by providing them with a language to communicate in large parts of India, thus they were able to travel, trade, and find employment. Sufis enriched our life with brining literature closer to the people and adding new instruments like Sitar and Tabla and new elements and forms to Hindustani classical music. As we look at the almost thousand-year-old history of Sufis in India, we see that they not only infused spirituality in India but beyond politics, wars and sultans they gave us the idea of India that still exist within us.
Watch Syed Kabiruddin Nizami’s interview:
Syed Kabiruddin Nizami can be reached at [email protected] or phone # 9891855326