Kashmir: Where Sufis are Rishis and Rishis are Sufis!

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Kashmir: Where Sufis are Rishis and Rishis are Sufis!

By Sultan Shaheen

 

" The most dominant influence on the Kashmiri Muslims, in terms of

their Kashmiriyat, is that of the Rishi order of Sufis. While the

Sufi orders like the Suharwardi, Kubravi, Naqshbandi and Quadri,

arrived in Kashmir from Persia, Central Asia, and Central and North

India, the Rishi order evolved in the valley itself indigenously in

the beginning of the fifteenth century. The Kashmir valley was

already permeated with the traditions of Hindu ascetism and Buddhist

renunciation.

 

The term `Rishi' itself is clearly a derivation from Sanskrit and

Indian traditions, though some Medieval Muslim scholars have tried to

show that it is derived from the Persian word raish or rish meaning

the feathers or wings of a bird. Baba Dawood Mishkati, for instance,

gives a rather tortuous explanation. A bird whose feathers have been

removed has no control over its own movements and depends entirely on

the wind. And this is also the case with a Rishi; he is alienated

from the world and lives alone, buffeted by fate. This and similar

explanations, have, however, failed to impress the average Kashmiri

Muslim and he, by and large, accepts its Sanskrit derivation and uses

it loosely like his Hindus brethren as synonymous for a sage. In fact

many Kashmiris do not even associate the word with any particular

order of sufis, but use the word to denote any and every sufi saint.

The indigenous Rishi order of Sufis, however, does differ not only

from the establishmentarian and fundamentalist Muslims but also from

other Sufi orders in its philosophy and way of life. Many writers who

have chronicled the life and times of Kashmiris of this period have

been attracted to the unique way of life and philosophy of the Rishi

order of Sufis. . . .

 

This account is corroborated by Emperor Jahangir. He

writes: " Although they have not acquired learning and marifa, they

live a frank and unostentatious life. They criticise nobody and ask

for nothing from anyone. They neither eat meat nor marry. They always

plant fruit-bearing trees in uninhabited parts, so that people may be

benefited by them. But they themselves do not hope to reap any

advantages from these trees. "

 

The Kashmiri Muslim Rishi's ascetic and unworldly life thus bears a

close resemblance to the lifestyle of the Hindu Rishis and Munis as

well as Buddhist and Jain monks. Baba Dawood Khaki describes a Rishi

as one who is an ascetic and leads a disciplined life different from

those of other saints. He is free from all worldly pleasures. Baba

Nasib calls them gracious to the pious and describes them as men of

pure heart. Their presence has turned Kashmir into heaven, he says.

Cutting themselves away from all worldly relationships, they neither

marry nor bother themselves with a family life. Piety is their

apparel (khirqa); their nights are devoted to worship and during the

day they worship incessantly. Having abandoned all worldly desires,

they have succeeded in controlling their carnal lusts.

 

With such deep commitment to spiritual growth and the Islamic

philosophy of Divine Unity (wahdat-ul-wajud), which is not different

from Hindu philosophy of no duality (Advaita), it is not at all

surprising that the Rishis consistently preached complete harmony

among different religions and peace and understanding among their

followers. Aware of the tension created between Hindus and Muslims

during the reign of Sultan Sikandar, one of the foremost Rishis,

Sheikh Nooruddin wrote:

 

" We belong to the same parents.

Then why this difference?

Let Hindus and Muslims(together)

Worship God alone.

We came to this world like partners.

We should have shared our joys

and sorrows together. "

 

Shiekh Nooruddin himself faced restrictions during the reign of Suha

Bhatt who like grandfather, had started persecuting non-Muslims in

his new-found Islamic zeal, the Sheikh's message, however, was not

confined to Hindus and Muslims alone. It was meant for mankind as a

whole. That is why his sayings and his verses have acquired a

proverbial character and are routinely referred to by Kashmiris of

all hues in their daily life. Another reason for the popularity of

his verses and that of many other Rishis may be the fact that being

men of the people they expressed their thoughts in the simple

language used by common people.

 

The message given by Rishis or even Sufis of previous orders,

however, is always the same - the divine unity of all that is. In

fact it is the sufis of previous orders who had arrived from Central

Asia, and who had prepared the ground for the emergence of Rishis

with their powerful message of religious synthesis. One poem

particularly comes to mind. This is from the verses of Sarfi, a sufi

of the Kubravi Order.

 

O, Sarfi! What benefit are you going to

gain from the pilgrimage,

If Kaaba , temple and tavern are not identical with you.

O, Sarfi! As on every side a ray has

fallen from His face to light the night,

Impossible it is for you to say that Somnath

has not the Kaaba's light.

I see that comely face manifest in

whatever I regard,

Though I look at a hundred thousand

mirrors in all that one face is manifest. . . .

 

The relationship between the broad-minded sufis(mystics) and

conservative ulema has never been cordial in most Muslim societies.

But whereas the sufis were on the margins of society in other places,

in Kashmir they were the dominant influence. This is what makes the

Kashmiri Muslim society different from other Muslim societies. This

made it possible for the sufi in Kashmir to rebuke the preacher

rather than being the target of abuse as in other places.

Sheikh Nooruddin, for instance, can afford to be highly critical of

the Mullas who make it their profession to recite the Quran and get

money in return. He calls them veritable patterns of hypocrisy, one

of the greatest crimes in Islam. the Mullas pursue knowledge for

purely selfish reasons. He describes them in these words: " They wear

big turbans and long garments: they carry sticks in their hands; they

go from place to place and sell their prayers and fasts in return for

food. " The Rishi-sufi appears to have nothing but contempt for this

tribe of people:

 

" A spiritual guide seems like a pot full of nectar,

Which may be trickling down in drops.

Having a heap of books beside him,

He may have become confused by reading them.

On examining him we found him empty in mind.

He may be preaching to others but forgetting himself. "

" O Mulla your rosary is like a snake,

You begin to count the beads when

Your disciples come near,

You eat six meals one after the other,

If you are Mulla, then who are the thieves? "

 

Sheikh Nooruddin is almost prophetic, when he makes the following

prognosis:

" The people of Kali-Yuga in every house

will pretend to be saints,

As a prostitute does when dancing.

They will pretend to be innocent and extremely gentle,

They will not sow beans, cotton seeds or grains.

They will excel thieves in living by unlawful means,

To hide themselves they will repair to a forest. "

 

What keeps Kashmiri mystics firmly anchored in the Indian soil is

their meditative technique. By and large they use variations of pas-e-

anfaas (watching the breath). This is similar to various techniques

of pranayama widely practised in India's Hath-Yoga traditions. These

meditative techniques were being practised initially by the Shaivaite

yogis of Kashmir before the advent of Islam. What Sufis appear to

have done is that they have added the repetition of the word of Allah

of Huwwa to their meditative technique.

 

 

THE FASCINATING STORY OF KASHMIRI MYSTICISM

 

It was fifty years ago when the state of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to

India. The most remarkable event of those stormy time in our history,

however, is the fact that Kashmir's Muslims stayed secular in this

hour of their gravest trial. It was no mean thing, for them, unlike

even their brethren in Mirpur and Poonch, not to speak of other parts

of the country, to hear horrendous stories of communal carnage

involving millions of Hindus and Muslims and remain utterly

unaffected. Instead of giving in to the deadly and rampant communal

virus, Kashmiri Muslims waited for and welcomed Indian troops, fifty

years ago, to help them in their fight against Pakistani Muslim

tribal raiders.

 

Kashmir has been in the grip of militant separatism for years now. A

Muslim-majority region has been seeking to secede from a Hindu-

majority country. This is bound to create the impression of

communalism and obscurantism rampant in that state. And yet, barring

the misdeeds of isolated groups, largely funded from abroad, the

masses of people remain extraordinarily secular. Nothing could

demonstrate this better than the fact that ordinary Kashmiri Muslims

are even today eagerly awaiting the return of their Pundit brothers

and sisters who had left the valley at the height of militancy. As

reported by Rashmi Sehgal in the Times of India recently, the few

Kashmiri Pundits who have returned have received a very warm welcome

indeed.

 

It has surprised many observers that, contrary to the general

experience of communal rioting in most parts of the sub-continent,

Kashmiri Muslims have been looking after the homes and hearths of

their migrated Hindu brothers for years in the fond hope that one day

there would be peace and they would be able to return. The demolition

of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya was followed by the demolition of

numerous Hindu temples in the Muslim Bangladesh and Pakistan, but

temples in kashmir, as very dramatically demonstrated by India

Today's video-magazine, remained safe from the effects of Islamic

frenzy seen elsewhere in the sub-continent, contrary to the claims

made by vested interests.

 

Where from does this deep commitment to secularism, to a composite

Hindu-Muslim culture emanate? What is the source of this deep

connection with India? Why is Kashmiriyat so important to the

Kashmiri Muslim? I think the answer lies in the eclectic and

syncretic nature of the Kashmiri Muslims' philosophy of life, his

spiritual beliefs. It is the impact of Sufi and Rishi visions of

Islam that have helped him synthesis the teachings of Prophet

Mohammad with the teachings of earlier sages of Hinduism, Buddhism

and Jainism. While elsewhere in the sub-continent, too, their pre-

Islamic beliefs, it is in Kashmir alone that one finds them claiming

their ancient Indian, particularly Vedic and Buddhist heritage

consciously.

 

The explanation perhaps lies in the history of the spread of Islam in

this region. Definite historical facts that would account for the

extraordinarily large number of conversions that took place in

Kashmir are not available, as Sir Thomas Arnold points out with

regret in his highly regarded book " Preaching of Islam. " But whatever

scanty information is available leads us to attribute this surprising

phenomenon to a long and continuous missionary movement carried out

by sufi saints, pirs, faqirs, darvaishes and ulema. The Islamic

missionary entered the valley at a time when, in the words of W. R.

Lawrence (The Valley of Kashmir) it " was a country of drunkards and

gamblers. " Such an atmosphere is very much suited for the spread of a

new philosophy or religion.

 

In the introduction to his English translation of Rajatrangini,

another authority on Kashmir, Dr. M. A. Stein maintains that Islam

made its way into the valley not necessarily by forcible conquest but

by gradual conversion, for which the influx of foreign adventurers

from the south and central Asia had prepared the ground. Bulbul Shah,

also known as Sharf-ud-Deen Syed Abdur Rahman Turkistani, was one

such adventurer, a mystic, who acquired the first notable success in

the spread of Islam in the form of the conversion of Ranchan Shah who

became the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir and assumed the name sultan

Sadr-ud-Deen.

 

The conversion of Ranchan Shah, also known as Ratanju, Ratanchan and

Ranju Shah, in the early fourteenth century, was followed by his

brother-in-law and commander-in-chief and several other notables

embracing Islam. One of the main reasons of Ranchan's conversion was

his anger with the Brahmins who had refused to incorporate a Tibetan

like Ranchan to the top of their cast hierarchy and accord to him the

rites of royalty. He took it out on the Brahmins, coercing several of

them to convert. But the charms of the mystics also had a hand in all

this. A place of residence was set up on the bank of the Vitasta for

the revered saint Bulbul Shah. This is known as Bulbul Kankar. The

first mosque in Kashmir was also built at this place. Bulbul Shah

died in 1327 A.D. He was a Syed form Turkistan and believed by some

historians to be a disciple of Sheikh Shahab-ud-Deen Suharwardy.

Others believe that he was a disciple of Shah Niamatullah Wali, a

khalifa of the Suharwardy tareeq(school).

 

Several other Syeds arrived in the valley and encouraged the spread

of Islam further. Prominent among them are the following:

1. Syed Jalal-ud-Deen of Bokhara, known as Makhdum Jahanian Jahangir,

the disciple of Sheikh Rukun-ud-Deen Alam, who arrived in 1348 A.D.

and left Kashmir after a short stay.

 

2. Sayed Taj-ud-Deen, the cousin of Mir Syed Ali Hamadani(Shah

Hamadan), arrived in 1360 A.D. in the reign of Sultan Shahab-ud-Deen.

He was accompanied by Syed Masud and Syed Yusuf, his disciples, who

lie buried near his tomb in Mohalla Shahab-ud-Deen Pura.

3. Syed Hussain Samnani, the younger brother of Syed Taj-ud-Deen, a

disciple of Sheikh Rukun-ud-Deen Alam, who came in 1373 A.D.

There is evidence to suggest that the two brothers Syed Taj-ud-Deen

and Syed Hussain were sent to Kashmir by Syed Ali Hamadani better

known as Hamadan Shah to explore the possibility of Kashmir providing

the Syeds of Turkistan a peaceful refuge from the persecution of

Timur, who seemed determined to massacre this powerful family on some

political considerations.

 

Shah Hamadan wielded an extraordinary influence on the spread of

Islam in the valley of Kashmir. Born in 1314 A.D. at Hamadan in

Persia, the Syed was the son of Syed Shahabud-Deen. Having memorised

the Holy Quran in his early boyhood and having studied theology

later, he became interested in Tasawuf(mysticism) and learnt its

first principles form his maternal uncle Syed Ali-ud-Deen. He became

a disciple of sufi saints Sheikh Abdul Barkat Taqi-ud-Deen and after

his death Sheikh Sharif-ud-Deen Mahmud Muzdaqani. His teachers

advised him to complete his education by extensive travels in the

world. Shah Hamadan followed this advice and visited several

countries. In his 21-year long journey he came in contact with

several sufis and mystics form various parts of the world. As he

returned to his native place, Timur started the persecution of Syeds.

This forced him to leave for Kashmir, where he was given shelter in

the true Indian tradition. Seven hundred Syeds are said to have

accompanied him to Kashmir in the reign of Sultan Shahab-ud-Deen in

1372 A.D.

 

The migration of so many Syeds along with Shah Hamadan further

accelerated the conversion of the great mass of Kashmiris to Islam.

But it also gave a mystical color to the new religion that the

majority of the people embraced. Prominent among Shah Hamadan's

followers who made the greatest contribution were: Mir Syed Haider,

Syed Jamal-ud-Deen, Syed Kamal, Syed Kamal-i- Saini, Syed Jamal-ud-

Deen Alai, Syed Foroz alias Syed Jalal, Syed Mohammad Kazim, Syed

Rukun-ud-Deen, Syed Mohammad Qureishi and Syed Azizullah.

These mystic divines established hermitages all over the country

which served as centres for the propagation of their beliefs. The

present Ziarat(shrine) of Shah Hamadan is said to have been erected

on a spot which he used as retreat on the Vitasta. This is where he

sued to discuss religion and philosophy with the Hindu divines and

sanyasis and test their so-called supernatural powers. It has also

left an indelible impression on the Kashmiri mind as many of the

points raised and discussed here have become part of the local folk

lore.

 

Another wave of Syeds came from Turkistan in 1396 A.D. along with the

22-year old son of Shah Hamadan, Mir Mohammad. Three hundred Syeds

came this time in the reign of Sultan Sikandar. The Sultan's Prime

Minister was a Brahmin named Malik Siya Butt. Impressed with a

dialogue with Mir Mohammad, Siya Butt converted to Islam along with

his family and many followers and assumed the name Malik Safi-ud-

Deen. He married his daughter re-named Bibi Barea to Mir Mohammad.

Sayed Mir Mohammad's influence resulted in the prohibition of

distillation and sale of wine. Gambling and Sati(the practice of

wives being burnt on the pyre of their dead husbands) were also

forbidden. He passed away in 1354 A.D. and was buried near his father

Khatlan.

 

The advent of such a large number eminent Syeds who ere seeking

refuge from persecution of Timur left a great impression on the

valley. As G.M.D. Sufi writes in his valuable contribution, `Islamic

Culture in Kashmir', " Deeply imbued with the sufism of the age and

country from which they emigrated, these Syeds and their followers

seem to have simulated the tendency to mysticism for which Buddhism

and Vedantism had already paved the way. " Perhaps also shocked refuge

in the regions of abstract thought as solace for the worldly

repression under which they laboured.

 

" One cannot forget " , says Col. Newall in the journal of the Bengal

Asiatic Society, " that the human mind has ever tended towards

mysticism and solitude at times when tyrants flourished, and in the

present case, no doubt, the wrath of Timur had been aroused against

these Syeds, who perhaps may have attempted to adopt an independence

of act and speech displeasing to the great conqueror " . As Sufi

further avers the presence of these types of Syeds naturally

influenced the more pronounced mystics of Kashmir, who, as the well-

known Rishis or Babas or hermits, considerably furthered the spread

of Islam by their piety and utter self-abnegation. They had nothing

to do with the state's coersion.

 

The Mughal King Jahangir did not think much of their learning and

says in his Memoirs: " Though they (Sufis, Rishis and mystics) do not

have religious learning or knowledge of any sort, yet they possess

simplicity and are without pretence. They abuse no one, they restrain

the tongue of desire, and the foot of seeking; they eat no flesh,

they have no wives, and always plant fruit-bearing trees in the

fields so that men may benefit by them, themselves desiring no

advantage There are about 2,000 of these people. "

 

Saints and Rishis like Sheikh Nur-ud-Deen, Baba Pom Rishi, Baba Bam-

ud-Deen, Sheikh Hamza Makhdumi, Syed Ahmad Kirmani, Syed Muhammad

Hisari, and Baba Zain-ud-Deen by their example and precept smoothed

the path of Islam in its slow, steady and systematic conversion of

particularly the entire valley. Farishta and Abul Fazl have also

described them in words of high praise, as abstaining from luxury,

living on berries and wild fruits of the mountains, in the remote

corners of which many of them had taken their abodes for purposes of

meditation and seclusion. In some instances they had constructed

ziarates or shrines, many of which remain to this day, attesting in

their traditions their founders' austerities and virtues, and forming

local schools of holy men or priests whose influence was beneficial

to the people as promulgating the principles of humanity and moral

virtues.

 

Having wielded tremendous influence on the Kashmiri society, Sheikh

Noor-ud-Deen is considered the national saint of Kashmir. His parents

belonged to the family of Rajas of Kishtwar. They embraced Islam at

the hands of Yasman Rishi, the younger brother of Palasman and

Khalasman Rishis. Yasman Rishi is remembered for his wide travels on

the back of a tiger subsisting entirely on a cup of wild goat's milk.

He took great personal interest in the upbringing of Shiekh Noor-ud-

Deen.

 

Born in a village called Kemoh in 1379 A.D., Sheikh Noor-ud-Deen

renounced the world early in life and retired to the caves for

meditation. He is said to have lived in the wildness for twelve years

subsisting on just grass. After that he sustained life on one cup of

milk daily, and finally on water alone for two and half years before

his death at the age of 63 in the reign of Sultan Zain-ul-Aedin in

1442 A.D. His tomb at Chara Sharif, 15 kilometres from Srinagar is

visited daily by thousands of people and anecdotes about the

simplicity and purity of his life are on the lips of all Kashmiris

till today. A large number of people embraced Islam impressed by the

simplicity of his lifestyle and the clarity of his teachings and

preachings. No wonder the destruction of the tomb a couple of years

ago had shocked Kashmiris out of their wits and had occasioned

intense mourning among Muslims throughout India.

 

The Mughal rule provided further impetus to the spread of Islam, as

many learned ulema and mystics arrived in the valley during this

period. Some miracles are said to have been performed by Syed Shah

Farid-ud-Deen Qadri of Baghdad. They impressed the Rajput Raja of

Kishtwar so much that he embraced Islam in the reign of Aurangzeb.

His conversion was followed by the majority of his subjects. The

process continued during the Afghan rule as well.

 

Thus, the process that had been started by a simple faqir called

Bulbul Shah was continued by a volley of saints and mystics, Rishis

and faqirs, ulema and learned men. No generals like Mohammadbin Qasim

or warriors like Shahab-ud-Deen or conquerors like Mahmud were

involved. No wonder the colour of Islam in the valley is still so

deeply mystical and deeply respectful of other religions.

It is extremely depressing to see people with such mystical

traditions living in such violent times. This is no place to discuss

the rights and wrongs of the clashing points of view. But it is

difficult to see Kashmir living permanently in the grip of

obscurantism and what is mistakenly call fundamentalism. Indeed in my

incorrigible optimism, I still see Kashmir's sufis and Rishis leading

India itself to a higher level of spiritual development. "

 

Sultan Shaheen

 

Kashmir: Where Sufis are Rishis and Rishis are Sufis!

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