The Sufi Courtyard: Dargahs Of Delhi

By Sadia Dehlvi

Discover the history of India's capital city through the fascinating lives and teachings of its Sufi saints The Sufi Courtyard takes you on a journey through the famous and lesser-known dargahs of Delhi. From the first Sufi centre established in Mehrauli by Khwaja Qutub Bakhtiar Kaki during the early days of the Delhi Sultanate to later nineteenth century Sufi retreats in the city, the author explores the spiritual, cultural and historical legacy of  the Delhi Sufis, making this book as much about Delhi as it is about Sufism. For centuries, the dargahs of Delhi have attracted large numbers of devotees belonging to different countries, faiths and backgrounds who seek spiritual solace and grant of their wishes. The magnetism of dargahs emanates from the personalities of the extraordinary Sufis buried in the premises. Through a simple narrative, Sadia Dehlvi brings  to life the philosophies and stories of their lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9789350294734

Sadia Dehlvi

Sadia Dehlvi is an author and columnist. Her family name - Dehlvi - reflects their centuries old association with Delhi. She comes from a family of writers who published several Urdu and Hindi magazines and books. Her grandfather, Hafiz Yusuf Dehlvi, founded Shama in 1938, an iconic Urdu film and literary monthly. For almost forty years, Dehlvi has been writing on women, minorities, Islamic spirituality and Delhi's heritage and culture. She is the author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam and The Sufi Courtyard: Dargahs of Delhi, both published by HarperCollins. She lives in New Delhi. Her website is sadiadehlvi.com

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Preface

‘O my Lord! Advance me in knowledge.’

The Quran, 20:114

I love Delhi, the city of my birth. I pray that Delhi will be my burial ground, for my ancestors lie in the bosom of its sacred earth. Centuries ago, they performed their ablutions with the waters of the Jamuna and embraced Islam at the hands of a Sufi at the embankment of the river. Most importantly, my beloved Sufis lived in Delhi and chose the city as their final resting ground.

Delhi’s history encompasses various emperors and their royal citadels. Its landscape is dotted with their tombs but rarely is a candle lit in their remembrance. At dargahs, however, candles come alive, holy scriptures are recited, the poor are fed and devotees continue to seek the blessings of those blessed by God. These Sufis, friends of God, are the true heirs of Prophet Muhammad , and Delhi their courtyard. In the hearts of their ashiqs, lovers, Delhi gleams almost as sacred as the cities of Makkah and Madinah. Devotees of the Auliya Allah, friends of Allah, popularly called Sufis, believe that heavenly showers of Nur, Divine Light, constantly pour over the city of Delhi.

The earliest references to Delhi are found in the epic Mahabharata, which mentions a city called Indraprastha, built in 1400 bc and ruled by the Pandavas. It is believed to be somewhere between the sites of Purana Qila and Humayun’s Tomb. Delhi is said to have been ruined and rebuilt at least seven times. The earlier cities include Indraprastha, Lal Kot, Siri, Jahanpanah, Tughlakabad, Ferozabad, Dinpanah and Shahjahanabad.

While Delhi’s kings were writing the political destiny of the region, Sufi scholars of the city were engrossed in keeping the torch of knowledge alight at their khanqahs, hospices. Here, they taught compassion, brotherhood and harmony, guiding people in their spiritual quest. Sufis spread their enlightened message, stressing the importance of character and the establishment of peace. During political upheavals, Sufis helped heal the mental anguish of Delhi’s citizens. Their legacy is an authentic understanding of Islam which preaches cultural sensitivity and inter-religious cooperation while never abandoning spiritual pursuit.

I have tried exploring the spiritual legacy of Delhi, an important centre of Sufism on the world stage during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Delhi offered refuge to innumerable Sufis subjected to torment and massacre during the Mongol invasions of Central Asia. At the time, the city of Baghdad was acclaimed as the centre of Islamic studies. The thirteenth century witnessed the Mongols making Islam the victim of their barbarism. Thousands of people were massacred, and mosques, libraries, schools and universities destroyed. The famed mosques of Bukhara, Baghdad and Samarqand fell victim to Mongol terror; many were turned into stables.

The desire to live peacefully led a large number of poets, scholars, artisans and religious people to settle in and around Delhi. They brought with them their institutions, skills, religious and literary traditions, which fused with local traditions and resulted in a uniquely Indian Islamic culture.

Historians and ordinary citizens began referring to Delhi as Hazrat e Dilli, Dilli Sharif, Dar ul Auliya, Home of Allah’s Friends; Bait ul Fuqura, Home of the Faqirs; Baghdad e Hind, Baghdad of Hindustan; Qubbat ul Islam, Dome of Islam; Khurd e Makkah, Little Makkah. Writers and poets praised the city’s venerated status. The poet mystic Amir Khusrau’s verses describe the beauty of the city which he called, ‘the twin sister of Paradise and a true copy of the Divine Throne on the face of the earth’.

Blessings and prayers for Delhi and its people can be found in the prayer manuals of the Sufis. Juveni, a historian in Shahjehan’s court, wrote of Delhi’s glory in his book, Kalmatus Sadiqeen: ‘There is no doubting Delhi’s spirituality and the whole of Delhi is as sacred as a mosque’. The first comprehensive written account on the subject, Juveni’s book records the lives and teachings of over a thousand Sufis.

Three of the first five leading Sufi masters of the Chishti order lived in Delhi, affirming the sanctity of the city. Delhi remained the centre of Muslim rule for centuries, the narrow, legalistic interpretation of Islam by state jurists overshadowed by an inclusive understanding of Islam as taught by the Sufis.

The contents of this book are largely sourced from tazkirah and malfuzaat, memoirs and discourses of the Sufi masters compiled by their disciples. Most of these original texts are in Persian, of which many are currently available in Urdu. Historically, these manuals remain an important source for throwing light on the living conditions, customs and traditions of the age they were written in. Malfuzaat, literally meaning ‘what has been said’, documents a Sufi’s life, actions and sayings. The close companions and disciples of the Sufi record these, much in the same way as the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad are contained in Hadith literature.

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s discourses are recorded in the manual Fawaid ul Fuad by his disciple Amir Hasan Sijzi. As Hazrat Nizamuddin supervised the correction of the final manuscript, scholars consider it the most authentic malfuzaat of the early Chishti masters.

Another important chronicle of the Sufis in India is the Persian Akhbaar ul Akhyaar by Shaykh Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi, written during the late sixteenth century. I have used a contemporary Urdu translation of this manual as one of the sources for this book.

Despite their historical and spiritual significance, most graves in and around dargah compounds remain unmarked. Some among these graves are identified purely through oral traditions. I am trying to convince some of the caretakers of Khwaja Qutub and Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s dargah of the importance of placing tombstone markings at the graves of the renowned Sufis. Unfortunately, there are far too many people to deal with and a great deal of politics amongst the custodians of the dargahs. Without the consent of the dargah caretakers, naming the tombs is an impossible task but one that must be undertaken. Some generations later, this valuable information will be forgotten and lost forever. Fortunately, some community elders are still able to verify some of the tombs.

It is an impossible task to cover each and every dargah in Delhi. There are probably scores of smaller dargahs of which I am unaware. I have chosen not to write about some of the dargahs that I know of because they have not been historically verified. Most of these are probably genuine, while some recent ones may have resulted from a land grabbing exercise or invented over an old unknown grave to ensure financial offerings for the caretakers.

Working on this book has been both a heart-warming and heartbreaking experience. It gave me a wonderful opportunity to discover lesser-known areas of the city and to seek blessings at the threshold of innumerous Sufis. However, the negligence of most dargahs in the city and the ignorance about their historical importance has saddened my heart.

I realized the extent of the irreparable damage caused by the partition of India to Muslim sacred spaces and monuments. Refugee villages were allowed to come up within a few yards of historic dargahs, adjoining mosques and other historical monuments. Many dargahs and tombs have been desecrated and razed to the ground to make way for markets and residential settlements. Most of the new constructions are unauthorized and have caused the disappearance of many important tombs and monuments.

Urban renewal takes place in all cities, but unfortunately a large part of Delhi’s growth is unplanned, with sheer disregard for its historical and spiritual heritage. Seventeen years ago, the government banned all construction and mining within a hundred metres of monuments protected by the Archeological Survey of India. However, the lack of strict enforcement has led to the loss of Delhi’s heritage.

I was shocked to discover people using historical mosques, mausoleums and dargahs as their homes. I learnt that tracts of Waqf properties, endowments in the name of Allah for charitable purposes and legitimately belonging to the Muslim community, have allegedly been sold by corrupt officials of the Delhi Waqf Board or have simply been taken over by the Delhi government. Cremation grounds and structures sacred to other faiths have been carved out of Muslim khanqahs and burial grounds. Much as I try to push the thought away, one is left wondering if there is a pattern to the takeover.

Another disturbing trend is the increasing commercialization of dargahs, particularly of the more popular ones including that of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Caretakers seem more interested in collecting money from pilgrims, thus depriving these dargahs of a spiritual environment. First-time visitors are often rattled by various caretakers who are trying to take them exclusively under their wing. While some Pirs, Sufi Masters, are genuine, they are increasingly becoming a rarity. Unfortunately, many self-styled Pirs manage to lure devotees at dargahs with assurances of cures for all kinds of maladies. With little or no accountability of funds, not enough money is spent on the cleanliness of dargahs and facilities for the devotees. Unlike in the past, khanqahs no longer function as centres of learning and welfare.

I have verified each dargah and tomb detailed in this book to the best of my abilities. In the absence of historical records, some of the information is based purely on oral histories. I have used the Hijri dates since historical records of Sufis exist primarily according to the Muslim calendar. The Gregorian dates used in the book are approximate dates parallel to the Hijri calendar. In the Islamic context, the Gregorian calendar is irrelevant both in life and death. Celebration and observation of events at dargahs are based on the Islamic calendar. The Islamic day begins with sunset and the twelve months are based on the sighting of the new moon.

The symbolism of alphabets and words are a vital aspect of all mystic traditions, each having a specific language. I have deliberately refrained from the modern trend of using the words ‘saint’ and ‘shrine’ to define Sufis and their dargahs because they do not fit the Islamic context. While Sufis, like saints, are believed to be capable of interceding with God on behalf of their followers, the concept of sainthood remains exclusive to Christianity.

In contrast to the popular veneration of Sufis, saints need to be officially recognized by the Church through a process of canonization. The lengthy process requires testimonies proving the miracles attributed to the saint following his or her death. Although many Sufis are credited with miracles during and after their life, they are not required to prove their spiritual rank through them. The Sufi philosophy considers a pious, virtuous life spent in the way of God far more important than the demonstration of miracles. The Sufi could have been popular or unpopular, famous or largely unknown, during his or her life.

Shrines usually house a particular relic, idol or image that is the object of worship or veneration. Christian shrines need the sanction of the Church; Buddhist and Hindu shrines are spaces where deities are worshiped. Dargahs, literally meaning ‘door of the court’, are understood as the Sufi’s home. The Sufi philosophy believes that God revives the body and spirit of the Sufis after their death, providing them with sustenance. Islamic traditions affirm that Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of His prophets, martyrs and friends.

I believe this book is a result of blessings from Allah, Prophet Muhammad and the Sufis, whose lives and teachings are recorded here. Undoubtedly, all knowledge comes from the Lord. Accepting the possibility of error in this book, I feel compelled to add the Islamic formula, ‘Wa Allah hu alam’ – Allah knows best. May the winds of Allah’s Mercy blow our way and grace us with knowledge, sincerity, humility and strength to strive on the path to the Eternal Light.

Sadia Dehlvi

Nizamuddin East

New Delhi 2011

Divine Mysteries

My engagement with Sufism began as a teenager while occasionally accompanying my grandfather to the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin. Apart from the knowledge that dargahs were revered spaces, I understood little else. Years later, my mother embarked on the Sufi path and became a disciple of Shah Muhammad Farooq Rahmani. At her insistence, I became his disciple too, and we began to regularly visit dargahs. I observed that Ammi became softer on us as far as daily religious obligations were concerned, and was relieved. A convent-educated rebel of the seventies, I had little to do with religion and appreciated the dargah visits in a cultural context.

This led me to believe the Sufi path was easier, not requiring religious rituals. Over the years, as my interest in Sufi philosophy deepened, I realized that nothing could be further from the truth. I grew to understand Sufism as a difficult path, more meaningful and demanding of a person than the mere fulfillment of mandatory religious duties. Sufism welcomes you with an all-encompassing compassion, igniting a desire to swim deeper in the ocean of Divinity.

Sufi masters have long reiterated that Tasawwuf, the doctrine of Sufism, is the heart of Islam.

It is the inner dimension of Islam, the mystic way to penetrate the ghayb, unseen world, and establish an intimate relationship with Allah. Sufism can be defined as a quest to unveil the hidden mysteries of the Divine. The essence of the Sufi path is purification of the heart through constant self-reflection and remembrance of God. One of the first verses of the Quran emphasizes that the faithful are those who believe in the unseen. It is through the eyes of one’s heart, and not one’s physical eyes, that God can be known. The Sufi principle has roots in the Prophet’s definition of ihsan, excellence. ‘Excellence is that you should worship God as though you see him, for if you don’t see Him, He sees you’.

The Sufi philosophy derives its sustenance from the Quran, flowing from Prophet Muhammad’s mysticism. Taking the seeds from his own heart, the Prophet planted a garden of faith in the hearts of his companions. They transmitted these teachings to their disciples, for Muhammad said, ‘Let those present teach those who are absent’. Sufi masters became like lamps of knowledge, one lighting another.

The Messenger also said, ‘Your most dangerous enemy is the nafs, within you.’ Islam classifies jihad – which literally means ‘to strive’ – into jihad e asghar, the lesser outward battle fought against injustice, and jihad e akbar, the larger inner battle against the nafs or the ego. While returning from the battlefield of Badr, the first of the ‘just wars’, Prophet Muhammad defined the two faces of jihad saying, ‘We are returning from the lesser war to the greater war against ourselves’.

Sufis understand their path as ‘the greater war’, which demands a slaying of the lower self. They strive to become an insaan e kamil, perfect being, through an emptying of the self; where there is no space for the ‘I’ of the ego to exist and all that remains is the ‘I’ of Divinity.

There is a modern trend in both Muslim and non-Muslim societies to alienate Sufism from Islam, depriving it of both origin and source. Streams do not exist without rivers, and rivers cannot flow without the presence of oceans where they must merge. Sufi silsilahs, orders, are similar to streams that unite with rivers, finally merging with the ocean of Divinity.

Sufism is based entirely on the Quran, Sunnah and Hadith or the actions and sayings of Prophet Muhammad . These scriptures form the ethical, religious and spiritual foundation for Muslims, essentially prescribing guidelines on transforming oneself to higher states of consciousness. The Quran proclaims the heart as the centre of all knowledge and activity. The Sufi path teaches ways of curing the heart of spiritual maladies. Sufi aspirants are taught ways of awakening the heart to attain perfection as God’s servants.

Sufis are the friends of Allah, those who see with His Light. Prophet Muhammad said, ‘Beware of the true believer for he sees through the light of God.’ His companion Abu Huraira, recorded the Prophet as saying, ‘There will be some Divine bondsmen other than prophets, who will be envied by the prophets and martyrs.’ When the companions asked the Messenger to identify them, Muhammad replied, ‘They are the ones whose hearts will be filled with Divine light. As a result they hold each other dear in spite of being neither kindred nor of a common lineage. Their faces will be radiant and they will be seated on the throne of Divine Light. They will be without fear or grief.’ The Prophet described their state as found in the Quran, ‘Behold! Verily on the friends of Allah — there is no fear, nor shall they grieve.’ (10:62)

Muhammad’s sayings are classified into two kinds, Hadith and Hadith Qudsi. The latter are Allah’s words spoken by the Prophet, other than the verses of the Quran. In a Hadith Qudsi Allah says, ‘He who is hostile to a friend of Mine I declare war against him. Nothing is more pleasing to Me, as a means for My servant to draw near to Me with added voluntary devotions until I love him: and when I love him I become the hearing with which he hears, and the eye with which he sees, and the hand with which he grasps, and the foot with which he walks.’ This is the state that a Sufi tries to achieve, one where his actions become a manifestation of God’s actions.

Another statement of Muhammad’s endorses the belief that the world shall not be without Allah’s wali, friend, until the end of time. ‘A group among my community will never cease to support the Truth until the day of Resurrection. They are God’s khalifahs, viceregents on the earth and Allah’s elect creatures; it is they who will guide people to His religion.’

Sufis trace their enlightenment through a series of spiritual transmissions, connecting them all the way back to Prophet Muhammad . These unbroken chains of initiation are represented in various Sufi orders called silsilah, an Arabic word for a chain. An initiation rite bonds the disciple with his Master both in this life and the Hereafter. The Messenger initiated the first mystics from amongst his companions with the rite of bayah, oath of allegiance, and they in turn initiated other mystics. The Quran confirms, ‘Verily those who pledge their fealty to thee do no less than pledge their fealty to Allah. The Hand of Allah is over their hands: then any one who violates his oath, does so to the harm of his own soul, and any one who fulfils what