Popularizing the Dargah Culture In India

Bismillah Hir Rahman Nir Raheem.

Allahumma Salle 'Ala Syedina Muhammadin Wa 'Ala Aalihi Syedina Muhammadin Wa Barik Wa Sallim

Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar La ilahailallahu Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar Walillahilhamd.

Since time immemorial, there has been a controversy regarding the Dargah Culture.  Some are of the view that Muslims should not visit to Dargah as they have only one God, i.e the Almighty Allah, before whom they should bow their head, while others are of the view that Dargahs are the Sufi Shrines built on the grave of renowned Sufi saints, who were closer to ALLAH.

Over the years, the Dargah Culture has become the symbol of communal harmony. They stand for hope and miracles for devotees irrespective of faith and culture. People from far and wide visit these Dargahs and pray to fulfill their wishes. Thursday evenings at the Dargarhs are punctuated by million of worshippers, the sweet smell of burning incense, and the sounds of Qawwali music.

 

The most important Dargahs in India are the Dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya in New Delhi and the Dargah Sharif at Ajmer, Rajasthan. Both these Dargahs belong to the Chishti period of Sufism. Apart from these two, Baba Matka Pir Dargah, New Delhi; Khwaja  Qutub Dargah, New Delhi;  Baba Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai; Powa Makka, Hajo,Assam; and Hazrat Syed Meeran Husain Dargah,  Taragarh, Rajasthan  are some of the famous Dargahs of India. It is believed than Delhi alone has more than 50 Dargahs.

Dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya, New Delhi   : Nizamuddin Dargah enshrines Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya ,a revered Sufi saint of the Chisti order. At the age of 20, Nizamuddin went to Ajodhan (the present Pak Pattan in Pakistan) and became the disciple of Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakkar. He was also the spiritual master of Amir Khusro. He died in the forenoon of 3rd April 1325.

Nizamuddin Dargah is. visited daily by people of all religions. The tomb of Amir Khusro is also located within the Nizamuddin Dargah Complex. Qawwali is performed at the Dargah after the evening prayers.

 

The rush for the Dargah is exceptionally heavy during Id and the Urs fair held twice a year. The Urs fair is organized bi-annually on the death anniversaries of Hazrat Nizam-ud-Din Auliya and Amir Khusrau.

Dargah Sharif at Ajmer, Rajasthan: Ajmer, the most sacred of all Muslim places of pilgrimage in India. The revered Sufi saint, Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chisti, who came to Ajmer from Persia in 1192, died in 1236 and was buried here.

The entrance to the complex is from the Dargah Bazaar which leads to the first courtyard. This courtyard has a mosque built by Akbar and two cauldrons known as degs in which donations are made.

These donations are later divided among the poor. The saint's tomb is in the centre of the second court.

 It is enshrined in a domed marble chamber and is surrounded by silver railings. The tomb of Saint Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chisti, popularly known as Dargah Sharif, has been since long a pilgrimage and spiritual centre where followers of almost every creed and faith, Muslims and non-Muslims, come throughout the year. The shrine is considered, today, a second Mecca/Medina for the Muslims of South Asia.

    

Baba Matka Pir Dargah, New Delhi:

While going towards the famed Purana Qila, one can spot a tree within a place of worship from which hang several earthen clay pots. And the compound in which the tree is located is none other than the dargah of Baba Matka Pir. The mausoleum of the 12th century Muslim Sufi Saint is open to all faiths for worship.

The dargah has an interesting background and the pir whose original name was Hazrat Sheikh Abu Bakr Tulshi Haideri Kalandari Rahmatullah, was supposed to have come from Iran in the 12^th century for spreading the message of Islam.

The story goes that one day a thirsty traveller came to him asking for water and the pir offered him water from an earthen pitcher.The traveller then told him that he was suffering from a disease which apparently did not have any cure.The pir said that he would pray for him and when the man returned after some days he was said to have been cured completely of the disease. After the incident, people started thronging the dargah to seek the blessings of the pir. And while they narrated their problems, he would pray for them and the problems would be solved.

It is said that the then sultan of Delhi,Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban, was keen to test the powers of the pir.He sent him a platter full of iron balls and mud for a start. It is said that the pir covered the plate and started praying. After a while when he lifted the cover, he found that the iron balls had converted into roasted gram and the mud into gur.The baba then mixed part of the gur with the gram and a part with water which then changed into sweet milk. And on account of this even to date, people offer roasted gram, gur and milk in earthen pots after someone’s wish is fulfilled.

The baba then was referred to Baba Matka Pir.

  

Khwaja  Qutub Dargah, New Delhi : Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki was a renowned Muslim Sufi saint and scholar in the Chishti Order from Delhi. He was the disciple and khalifa (spiritual successor) of Moinuddin Chishti as head of the Chishti Order. 40 days before the demise of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki received the Khilafat and Khirqah (Sufi cloak) from him, and thus became the first spiritual successor of Khawaja Gharib Nawaz, Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti.

The Mazaar Sharif of Hazrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhityar Kaki lies near Qutub Minar at old Delhi. He also enjoys the following titles in the Sufi world: Qutub-ul-Aqtaab, Malik-ul-Mashaa'ikh, Rais-us-Saalikin, Siraj-ul-Auliya, etc.

Unlike in other Sufi shrines, here, the harmonium is never played in the inner courtyard. It is believed that a few days after Khawaja’s burial, the qawwals were reciting the verses: “Kushtagan e khanjar e taslim ra

Har zaman az ghaib jane digar ast” next to Huzoor’s grave when his arm came out of the tomb. Huzoor asked the recitation to be stopped or else he would be again seized by ecstasy and his whole body would come out of the tomb, in violation of Islamic laws.” Since then qawwalis are performed outside the walls of the tomb.

Baba Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai:

The dargah was built in 1431 by a wealthy Muslim merchant and saint named Haji Ali who renounced all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Makkah. Legend has it that Haji Ali died on his way to Makkah and his body, in its casket, floated back to Mumbai. However, some believe that Haji Ali drowned at the place where the dargah stands today.

As many as 40,000 pilgrims visit the shrine on Thursdays and Fridays. Non-Muslims are also permitted to walk on the causeway and into the Masjid compound. The only area out of bounds for non-Muslims is the sanctum sanctorum of the Masjid itself

  

Powa Makka, Hajo,Assam : Poa-Mecca standing on the Garurachal Hill, is a holy shrine for the Muslim community .Even the Hindus of the locality treat the same as most sacrosanct. Poa-Mecca is noted for the tomb of Pir Giasuddin Auliya, who made the first attempts to propagate Islam in this part of the world. It is flanked by a mosque built by Sujauddin Mohammed Shah in 1657 AD. People believe that the visit of Poa Mecca confers one fourth of the merits obtained from a pilgrimage to Mecca itself. It is said that the foundation of the mosque partly consists of some earth brought from Makkah.

Hazrat Syed Meeran Husain Dargah,  Taragarh, Rajasthan  : According to research, the first fort built on a hill in India was the fortress of Taragarh at Ajmer. During the reign of Qutb-ud-din Ebak, Hazrat Syed Meeran Hussain was the Garrison of Taragarh Fort. He also lived in the fort. While playing polo in Lahore, Sultan Qutubuddin Ebak fell down from the back of the horse and died. As soon as the news of his death reached Ajmer, the Thakur and Rajput landlords of adjoining areas jointly launched a night atack on Taragarh and entered the fort and slashed everyone. Hazrat Meeran Husain ( Rahmatullah Allaih ) was also martyred in the attack.

Hazrat Meeran Husain was a great abstemious saint. He mostly used to be at the service of Gharib Nawaz as a staunch follower.

 

 

“SUFISM IN BOLLYWOOD”

Sufi song resembles a path of devotion and love which leads to none other than God himself. A person can strive towards intimate knowledge or communion with God by listening to Sufi Songs. But, in the present day circumstances, Sufi music seems to have got Bollywood into its whirl.

 Bollywood has been using Sufi Music since time immemorial.  The lyrics of the songs like “ Chhap tilak”, “ mere piya ghar aye ooo Ramji” from the movie YAARANA or be it “Dum mast ka lander” are  all directly connected to God.

 Songs like…. “Maula Mere Maula” from ANWAR ,A.R Rehman’s “Tere Bina” from the movie GURU, or be “Yaa Ali” from the movie GANGSTER, have touched us as these songs find favor with audiences because it connects them instantly with God. This genre of music has become successful to reach to the audience of all ages and classes. However, Sufi music has become the formula for a box office hit and its elements find their way into every sound track. It is coming out of stereos and mobile phones.  Music director, Anu Malik, the man behind “Rabbi” in ZINDAGGI ROCKS used his “Mehboob Mere” track in the film FIZA in 2000, to experiment with sufi music.    

 If we talk about packaging and purity of Sufi songs, not everybody applauds what seems to pass off as Sufi music today. This is music that should reach out to God. But, Sufi music today is out of key. Songs like “laaga chunri main daag”, originally a sufi song has been depicted on a prostitute in the movie, LAAGA CHUNRI MAIN DAAG. In the name of commercialization the bollywood industry has exploited Sufism to the extreme limit.

 Today, anything with a Sufi touch seems to ensure success in Hindi film music. Songs like “Chaand Sifarish” from FANNA, “Allah Ke Bande”  in WAISA BHI HOTA HAIN became  overnight successful because of the Sufi influence  in it. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan struck a chord with listeners with “Maan Ki Lagan” in PAAP, and his “Jiya Dhadak Dhadak” from KALYUG was among the top 10 for a long time. Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy too have joined the fray. Their composition “Mitwa”, in KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA has a mix of Sufi, Indian classical and rock influences and has been getting positive reviews.

 The Hindi film industry has been credited with popularizing Sufi music. But, the hard core Sufi singers have expressed their disappointment towards commercialization of Sufi music. Sufism is the mystical and ancient branch of Islam that emphasizes the seeker’s path towards ecstatic unity with God.

 However, there should be a balance between the purest and commercial approaches. No art can remain static, and therefore a change is always necessary. The jury maybe out on that one, but the music is still winning everybody’s heart.

THE SUFI CULTURE

 Sufi mystical poetry, performed as a part of prayers and devotions is conducive to mystical ecstasy. Sufi music accompanied by musical instruments can arouse passions either sensual or spiritual, which is the goal of Sufi music anyway. Hence, musical concerts are a regular feature of Sufi orders.

 Sufi music has a universal appeal as it speaks of pain, poverty, emotions, joys, sorrows, and way of the lives of common people in the context of their ties with the supreme power. The new generation of Sufi singers are promoting their genre of  music as a sound of connectivity, peace and friendship, transcending all borders of  class, creed race and nation.                                

          
 The modern day Sufi singers are a curious clutch of contemporary rockers from India and Pakistan with their guitars and drum sets and a handful of traditionalists. Most of their lyrics are old Sufi poetry.

                               


  Sufi music peaked when legendary dervishes like Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, Nizamuddin Auliya, and Aamir Khusro refined it into an elite genre of its own. It is a genre as much at home in a rocking party as in a dargah.

                                
 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan spread Sufi music beyond the borders of Pakistan. Zila khan, has been trained in songs since her childhood, and is one of the best –known female Sufi and ghazal singers in India. Joining the fray are Shubha Mudgal, Rekha Bharadwaj and Chanchal Bharti.


Sufi singers like….Hans Raj Hans, Nizami Bandhu and Chisti Brothers feature an elaborate chorus on their call and response qawwali with rugged and heartfelt selections.