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Hi everybody, good day!
Yeasterday was Qawali round at little champs and when Salman sang Mia Amir Kusrow sahab's kalam - shaap tilak seb cheene re mosee naina mila ke, Kailask Kher sahab gave a brief introduction of Kusrow sahab. Qawali music is a form of devotional Sufi music which is performed at Sufi Sharines in South Asia, specially in Punjab,Sindh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajastan, Bihar and UP
Last year, in SRGMP forum. I posted a thread about Sufism and Sufi music in India. For our new and young members I'm posting it one more time so that they can have better understanding of this form of devotional Sufi music.
We all enjoy Sufi MUSIC, poems and lyrics as they are very heart touching, relaxing and give us great pleasure. For our members information I am opening this thread to give you a basic idea about Sufism and its arrival and development in India.
Sufi faith or Sufism was born right after the arrival of Islam in Arab. Hassan Basri and Rabiya were the first sufis born in Arab. Some Sufis believe that Hazrat Mohamed sahib was the first sufi. Whatever it is, the Sufi faith infact developed in Iran and it entered in India through Afganistan with the ancient invaders e. g. Mod. Gauri and Mehmood Gaznavi followed by Mugals.
Sufi people are basically Saints who dedicate their life to society and mankind and spend most of their time in offering prayers and have no interest in politics. They are very close to God.
Shek Alibin Usman Al Hujviri (death 1072), CAME FROM MIDDLE EAST, later became famous with the given name Daata Ganj Bakesh, made his meditation center in Lahore. Thousands of people became his followers and adopted Islam.
Later in 1161 Kwaja Muideen Chisti sahab came to India from Gazni and spent few days in Lahore at Daata Ganj Bakeh's mazzar and later migrated to the city of Ajmer and made his permanent shrine there. Since he was the disciple of of Kwaja Usman Harvari of Chisht area in Afganistan, he was called Chisti. After Kwaja Muideen Chisti, Kwaja Baktayar Kaki became his successor. After Kwaja kaki, Skek Fareed (death 1265) became his successor who made his shrine and meditation center at Pakpattan distt. Mintgumri ( now Pakistan)
Among all the Sufis, the Chistis got the tremendous success in north India. Shek Fareed composed heart touching poetry which is still very popular in Punjab. Nusrat fateh ali khan has sung numerous poems composed by Fareed sahib e.g. -
Kaga (crow) karangu tandoleya, sagla khaya mans,
ey do naina met chiyeyo, pir dekhan ki aas.
Fareeda dareave kanee bagula baitha kail kare,
kail karende hanj nu, acheete baaj payee.
Fareeda be'nawaaza kuteeya, aeh na balee reet,
kabhi chal na aayeya, panjee waqt maseet.
Fareeda mun maidaan kar, toyee tibbe lah,
aagee muul na avsee,dojak sandi pahe.
Baba Farid ji's successor was Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (Delhi), born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh, India (1238 - 1325). When he was only 5 year old, he lost his father. He came to Delhi with his mother. He was very impressed with baba Farid and became his disciple at the age of 20. He used to go to pakpattan at the holy shrine, specially in the month of Ramadan. Baba farid ji made him his successor just days before his death. Auliya sahib didn't stay at pakpattan and chose to come back to Delhi, became Gods messanger and worked throughout his life for the poor people of that region. He had millions of followers and students and Amir Kusrow was his best student. We all know that Amir kusrow was a well known poet and musician. He intoduced the Qawali in Indian music for the first time. Not only that he invented Tabla by cutting the south Indian drum called mradang or pakhawaj.
Later Guru Nanak Dev (1469 - 1539) was very impresseed with Baba Shek Farid and his poetry and writing style. That was the reason that most of Fareed sahib's work has been preserved in holy Granth sahib. Saint Kabir, Surdass and Tulsi ji did the same kind work in Varanasi area. In hindi we call them poets of Bagti era. I don't find much difference in their teachings, thus Sufis and Bagti kaal poets have similarities in their teachings. They were are all promoting the concept of Ek - Iswar (thus we call them Ek Iswarwadi-who believe in one God) or one God.
There was a log gap of 250 years in new Sufi poetry or trditions before Shah Husein was born (1539-1600) He continued the teachings of sufisms and wrote remarkable literature and poems:
Maye ni mai kinu aakha, dared vichire da haal,
dhooya dhukhe mere murched wala, ja phoola ta lal,
sula maar deewani keeti, bihro payeea sadee khayal,
dukha di rooti sula da saalan, aahi da balan baal,
janjal bele phira tundendi, aaje na meleyo lal,
kahe Husein faquir nimana, shahu mele ta thiwa nihaal.
Sultaan Bahu (1629-1690) and Shah Safar Lahori (1659-1724) were the famous sufi poets of seventeenth century but the arrival of baba Bulee Shah(1680 - 1758) was the best one for the development of Sufi faith. The Sufi poetry was on the top in Bulee shah's era. We all know the popular kaafi fron film Bobby - be shek mandir masjid tiro, bulee shah ye kehta.
Ja mai sabak isq da parya, masjid kolo jeora darya,
dere ja thahur de warya, jithee wajde naad hazaar,
Isq di navi o navi bahaar.
ja mai ramaz iaq di paayee, maina tuuti mar gawaye,
ander bahar hoyee safayee, jit wal wekha yaro yaar,
isq di navi o navi bahaar.
Hashim Shah (1732-1824) and Gulam fareed (1845-1901) were the last Sufi poets.
At the same time in Hinduism we had Shankrachrya-adwaitwaad (788 - 820), Vishnuswami, Ramanuj (1017 Madrass) Nibarak-vaishnav (1036 Andhra) Madhwacharya, Chetan(1407 Bangal) Ramanand (1423 Prayaag) then Kabir (1455 Kashi)-eikiswarvadi. Most of these saints did not compose much poetry except Kabir, Sur and Tulsi in the north, Jaidev ji (1050) in bangal, saint Namdev (1270) in Maharashtra, Saint Ravidass in saint Kabirdass era.
Mods - if you think that this topic is violating the rules of I-F then it may be locked.
Friends, you are requested to post song videos of Sufi kalaams of your choice.
Bulle shah's pearls and diamonds by Khan sahib:
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