For long Sufism has been viewed as a mystic culture. Word 'Sufi', though debatable, means ‘one who is pure’. It epitomizes purity of soul and unending quest for the divine; realization of truth by following the path of love and devotion. Basic tenet of Sufi doctrine is that God is all-pervasive. He resides in all of us. It is the communion of self with the beloved(God), which is the eternal source of bliss and enlightenment.
This school of thought found large-scale acceptance among the common man. During the medieval period Bhakti Movement was articulated by Hindu Saints and Sufism by Muslim Saints.
Simple and sublime verses of Sant Kabir Das, a disciple of Bhakti movement and a philosopher, echoed Sufi sentiments.
Do not go to the garden of flowers!
O Friend! Go not there;
In your body is the garden of flowers.
Take your seat on the thousand petals of the lotus,
and there gaze on the Infinite Beauty.
(Translation by Tagore)
One of the most revered Sufi saints of his time was Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi. His work professed infinite Love for the divine.
At every instant and from every side, resounds the call of Love:
We are going to sky, who wants to come with us?
We have gone to heaven, we have been the friends of the angels,
And now we will go back there, for there is our country.
We are higher than heaven, more noble than the angels:
Why not go beyond them? Our goal is the Supreme Majesty.
What has the fine pearl to do with the world of dust?
Why have you come down here? Take your baggage back. What is this place?
Luck is with us, to us is the sacrifice!...
Like the birds of the sea, men come from the ocean--the ocean of the soul.
Like the birds of the sea, men come from the ocean--the ocean of the soul.
How could this bird, born from that sea, make his dwelling here?
No, we are the pearls from the bosom of the sea, it is there that we dwell:
Otherwise how could the wave succeed to the wave that comes from the soul?
The wave named 'Am I not your Lord' has come, it has broken the vessel of the body;
And when the vessel is broken, the vision comes back, and the union with Him.
(Translation by Simone Fattal)
Some other Sufi saints, who had great influence on the masses, were Nizamuddin Awliyah, Amir Khusrau, Baba Farid, Bulla Shah…
Even today, sparks of Sufism can be seen in the musical renditions of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveeen….
It’s a manifestation of confluence of traditions and cultures- breaking all the barriers- to spread the message of love.This is so beautifully expressed in this hindi couplet of Amir Khusro
Khusrau darya prem ka, ulti wa ki dhaar,
Jo utra so doob gaya, jo dooba so paar.
Khusro says the river of love
Has a strange flow
One who jumps into it drowns,
And one who drowns, gets across.
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