December 22, 1998 - Progress in human  life whether political, social or
    economic has depended upon and  deeply  indebted  to the activities of a
    group of dedicated persons guided  by  leaders of exceptional qualities.
    The ushering in of the greatest  monotheistic  movement in history under
    the nomenclature of 'Islam' was possible and its success assured because
    of the sterling character, the imperishable  faith and unfailing resolve
    of its leader, Prophet Mohammed, and his companions. 

    Muslim society has the distinction of initiating another unique movement
    in history  which  remains  unparalleled  by  its  wide-spread character
    covering the two  continents  of  Asia  and  Africa;  by  the remarkable
    success it achieved in having its objectives  fulfilled; by the enormous
    number of selfless  workers  it  produced  for  the  propagation  of its
    ideals; by the depth of  influence  it  exercised;  by the revolutionary
    fervour it aroused, and  by  the  indelible  marks  it  left not only on
    Muslim society but on  the  Christian,  Hindu  and Buddhist societies as
    well. It provided succour and nourishment to such an extent that Muslims
    were able to withstand  the  Mongol  catastrophy,  fight  it  back  with
    renewed vigour on religious plane and then to expand its horizons beyond
    the Sahara in Africa, across the Indus in India and over the oceans into
    Indonesia. This movement is known as"Sufism". 

    The beginning of sufi movement,  its  philosophy  and the biographies of
    its leaders (saints) are too well-known,  and dwelt upon at great length
    by a large number of scholars to be  recapitulated here. I shall take up
    only those aspects which  are  relevant  to  our  subject concerning the
    emergence of Pakistan. An important  point to bear in mind is that there
    would have been no Pakistan without the sufi movement. 

    Pakistan and sufism are inter-related,  inter-woven and inseparable from
    each other. If Pakistan's  beginning  is  traced back to the conquest of
    this sub-continent by Muslims  armies,  as is erroneously done, then the
    whole sub-continent should have  become  Pakistan since Muslim arms were
    successful throughout  the  area.  But  Pakistan  emerged  only in those
    territories where sufism met with  success.  Pakistan, therefore, can be
    described as the fruit  of  sufi  movement.   "Pre-eminent  among  these
    problems relating to the life  of  the  Muslim  community in all regions
    since the twelfth century", writes Professor  Gibb, "is the activity and
    influence of the sufi shaikhs and orders.  It was into the sufi movement
    that the life blood  of  the  community  flowed  ever  more strongly. No
    adequate history of Islam can be  written  until it, with all its causes
    and effects, has been studied patiently and with scholarly integrity, In
    no region, moreover, is this  study  more  fundamental  or more urgently
    required than in that of Islam in Indian subcontinent". He further says:
    "From the 13th century A.D. sufism  increasingly  attracted the creative
    social and intellectual  energies  within  the  community, to become the
    bearer or instrument of a social or cultural revolution." 

    In its early stages  sufism  was  an   individual   affair  confined  to
    intellectuals and spiritualists  with  hardly  any appeal to the masses.
    But with the passage of time  it  acquired  new  dimensions and began to
    deal with the mundane aspects of life as well. Its beginning, popularity
    and propagation have been  attributed  to many causes among which may be
    mentioned: 

    1. To free religious thought from the rigidity imposed by the ulema; 

    2. To emphasise in the Islamic  teachings  the element of God's love and
    mercy for His creation rather than His wrath and retribution; 

    3. To practise what one professes and  not merely indulge in slogans and
    soliloques; 

    4. To stress the  essence  of  faith  rather  than  mere  observance  of
    formalities; 

    5. To move away  towards  rural  areas  from  the  evil and debilitation
    effects of wealth, monarchy and bureaucracy concentrated in big cities; 

    6. To demolish the edifice of  false  values based on pelf and power and
    restore morality to its proper place in the niche of Muslim society; 

    7. To combat the  fissiparous  tendencies  and  centrifugal forces which
    were spreading their  tentacles  in  the  Muslim  world  in  the form of
    various heresies; 

    8. To discourage parochial feelings and eliminate racial pride which had
    assumed primary importance in  Muslim  thinking  relegating the ideal of
    brotherhood to a secondary place etc. 

    These factors which gave birth to  organised  sufism were indeed serious
    ailments which  had  afflicted  Muslim  society  for  some  time and had
    assumed menacing proportions  by  the  12th  century  A.D. It was easily
    discernible that Muslim political structure was crumbling and its entire
    moral and social fabric facing extinction. The most redeeming feature of
    this dark and dismal period was that this challenge was successfully met
    by the Muslim society from its own  resources  and from its own inherent
    strength by employing its own moral and intellectual weapons. The answer
    to this grave challenge was the  sufi  movement. Sufism gave a new lease
    of life to the Muslims, provided  them  with  a bright vision, opened up
    fresh vistas for them, and guided  them  towards unexplored horizons. It
    was a glorious and splendid performance, unparalleled and unsurpassed in
    human history. 

    Hundreds of devoted workers  left  their  hearths  and homes, spread out
    over unknown regions hazarding strange climes and conditions with hardly
    any material resources to aid  and  assist  them.  Poverty and privation
    stalked their efforts while distance  and inaccessibility stood in their
    way. But undaunted and undeterred  they  marched forward demolishing the
    distances, breaking the barriers,  conquering  the  climes. And lo! they
    succeeded. What was the secret of their  success? They had both strength
    of character and courage of  conviction,  were selfless and devoted to a
    cause. 
 

    SUFISM IN ORGANISED FORM 

    Sufism became organised, and adopted  a form and institution in the 12th
    and 13th centuries A.D. The two great pioneers in this field were Shaikh
    Abdul Qadir Jilani and Hazrat Shahabuddin Suhrawardy. By introducing the
    system of  'silsila'  which  was  a   sort   of  association/order,  and
    takia/khankha, a lodge or  hospice,  they  invested  the movement with a
    sense of brotherhood and provided it with a meeting place. The 'silsila'
    and the takia/khankha were  the  king-pins  of  the organization. With a
    stream of selfless workers  available  and with no dearth of devoted and
    assiduous leadership, the movement  made  swift  progress and spread far
    and wide. 

    It is incorrect to state that the  sufis  followed the Muslim conquerors
    in the sub-continent. They were  here,  though in small numbers, and had
    started their work even before the arrival and triumph of Muslim armies.
    "We now know that a sufi, Sh.  Abdur  Rahman,  had settled in Ajmer even
    before Khwaja  Moinuddin,  and  was  the  author  of  the  first work in
    Hindi."( Indian Muslims, By  Prof.  M.Mujeeb.).  At  this time Ajmer was
    ruled by Rajput Rajas. Similarly, Shaikh Ismail Bukhari came to Pakistan
    before Mahmud Ghaznavi.  Mohammed  Alfi  who  came as early as Mohd. Bin
    Qasim's time began missionary work in  Hindu-ruled Kashmir. "The Ismaili
    missionary Abdullah landed near Cambay  in 1067A.D. and worked in Gujrat
    when the country was governed  by  Sidhraj  Jai  Singh.  He and his Jain
    teacher Huma Charya are said to have  been converted to Islam when there
    was no recorded Muslim invasion."  (The  Shias  of India, By John Norman
    Hollister). Such instances can be multiplied without end. 

    The character of sufi movement was such that if did not require official
    patronage or military protection. It  succeeded without both in a number
    of countries such as  Malaya,  Indonesia  and  East and West Africa. The
    same is true of their work in  Pakistan.  In fact, power was a hindrance
    rather than a help to the progress of  Sufi mission. This is amply borne
    out by the fact that  sufis  achieved  least  success  near the seats of
    power in the sub-contintent  and  had  greater  appeal where they had to
    fall upon their own moral and spiritual resources in which they were not
    wanting. 

    "Shaikh Daud of Lahore declined to  meet  Akbar although the Emperor was
    anxious to benefit from his guidance  and blessings. Eminent Khalifas of
    Shaikh Nizamuddin  refused  to  consider  a  proposal  made  by Mohammad
    Tughlaq to coordinate  missionary  activity  with  political expansion."
    (Indian Muslims, By Prof.M. Mujeeb.) 

    "Neither the succession of  victories  by Muslim armies nor the massacre
    of Hindu and the destruction of their temples brought many Hindus to the
    fold  of  Islam.  On  the  contrary,   as   would   be  natural  in  the
    circumstances, conquest only built  up  Hindu resistance. The battles of
    Islam were won not by Muslim iconoclasts  but by peaceful missionaries."
    (A History of the Sikhs, By  Kushwant  Singh.)  What actually transpired
    was that the vigorous period of organised sufi movement merely coincided
    with the conquest of  northern  India  by  the Ilbari Turks early in the
    13th century A.D. 

    Here we shall briefly narrate the  work  of  sufis in Pakistan. Early in
    the 8th century A.D.  when  Mohammad  Bin  Qasim  conquered  Sind (which
    included most of Punjab) sufi movement had not taken any organised form,
    as already stated.  In  those  days   Islam  was  propagated  mostly  by
    merchants and individual  preachers  belonging  to  various trades. They
    were successful only to a limited extent; they did not spear-head a mass
    movement. 

    The first  organised  work  in  this   region  was  started  by  Ismaili
    missionaries who  achieved  considerable  success  in  Sind and southern
    Punjab where they gained political  power  as well by installing Ismaili
    rulers at Multan and Mansura. But  the  success  of Ismaili missionaries
    was short-lived. Both  Mahmud  Ghaznavi  (997-1030  A.D.) and, 150 years
    later, Mohammad Ghori (1175-1206 A.D.) defeated and smashed the power of
    the Ismaili rulers which resulted in  the slow withering away of Ismaili
    Shiaism in Pakistan. Among the early Ismaili missionaries to gain ground
    in Pakistan were Pir Sadruddin, Pir Kabiruddin and Syed Yusufuddin. 

    The success of Ismailism in Pakistan  coincided with its similar success
    in other parts of the Muslim world  from  the  middle of the 10th to the
    middle of the 12th century A.D. During this period the Ismaili Caliphate
    of the Fatimids at Cairo  had  emerged  the  most powerful and Hasan Bin
    Sabbah's followers in the mountain fastnesses of northern Iran and Syria
    had become a factor to  be  reckoned  with.  But  the  Ghaznazvids,  the
    Ghorids, The Seljuqs, the Ayubids  and  lastly  the Mongols each in turn
    took steps to break their  political  power,  while the sufis completely
    triumphed over them in the  religious  sphere.  Southern Pakistan having
    become an integral part of the Muslim  world from quite an early period,
    witnessed this rise and fall of  the  Ismailis in its own territories as
    well. 

    The Ghaznavid period  was  marked  by  the  arrival  in  Lahore  of  the
    important spiritual figures of  Hazrat  Shaikh Ismail and Hazrat Ali Bin
    Osman Hujweri, popularly known as Data  Ganj Baksh (died between 1072-79
    A.D.) The latter was among the leading  sufi philosophers of the day and
    since no organised 'silsilas' had  started  in  his time, he did immense
    missionary work in an individual capacity and set an outstanding example
    for future generations. 

    "Shaikh Ismail was the  first  missionary  who  began preaching Islam in
    Lahore in 1005 A.D. He used to  deliver  'khutbas' every Friday at which
    thousands of Hindus  embraced  Islam.  Next  came  Hazrat Shaikh Ali Bin
    Osman Hujweri  during  the  time  of   Masud  Ghaznavi  and  was  highly
    successful  in   converting   large    number   of  Hindus  to  Islam."
    (Tareekh-e-Sind By Ijazul Haq Quddusi.) He is reported to have converted
    Rai Raju, a Hindu General of the Ghaznavids, to Islam. 

    However, according  to  scholars,  the  general  conversion  to Islam in
    Pakistan started on a sizeable  scale  two hundred years later, from the
    13th century, after the Ghorid rule. This period begins with the arrival
    of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti  in  this sub-continent followed by a
    large number of Chishti and  Suhrawardy  sufis. This period also saw the
    expansion of Muslim power across the Sutlej into northern India. "Muslim
    mysticism reached India  when  it  had  entered  the  last  and the most
    important phase of its  history-  the  organisation  of  silsilas in the
    12th-13th centuries A.D. In the early period, only Suhrawardy and Chisti
    silsilas started their  work."  (Religion  and  Politics in India in the
    13th Century A.D. By Khaliq Ahmad Nizami.) 

    "Sind claims  the  distinction  of  being  the  home  of  Indian sufism.
    According to Hasan Nizami, Suhrawardy  sufis were the first to arrive in
    India and made their  Headquarters  in  Sind.  Suhrawardy order attained
    great influence in Pakistan  under  the  leadership  of Hazrat Bahauddin
    Zakaria of Multan. The famous  Qadirya  order entered India through Sind
    in 1482 A.D. Syed Bandagi Mohammad Ghouse, one of the descendants of the
    founder (Shaikh Abdul Qader Jilani 1078-1116)  took up residence in Sind
    at Uch (now in Bahawalpur) and  died  in  1517 A.D." (An Introduction to
    History of Sufism By A.J.Arbery.) 
 

    THE PIONEERS 

    The great pioneers of this 13th  century  sufi movement in Pakistan were
    the four friends known as  'Chahar  Yar':  Hazrat  Fariduddin Masud Ganj
    Shakar of Pak Pattan  (1174-1266);  Hazrat  Syed  Jalaluddin  Bukhari of
    Uch-Bahawalpur   (1196-1294);   Hazrat   Bahauddin   Zakaria  of  Multan
    (1170-1267) and Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar of Sehwan (1177-1274). It is
    said that 17 leading tribes of the Punjab accepted Islam at the hands of
    Hazrat Fariduddin  Masud  Ganj  Shakar.  Among  them  were  the Kharals,
    Dhudhyan, Tobiyan, etc. According  to  some  , Wattu, a Rajput tribe was
    also converted by Baba Farid. Hazrat Jalaluddin Bukhari converted Sumras
    and Sammas of Sindh while Hazrat  Zakaria  and Shahbaz Qalandar attained
    great success in Multan and  the  northern  areas  of Sindh. Saqi Sarwar
    Sultan converted a large number of Jats  and a group among them is still
    known as Sultani Jats. 

    But the Sufis did not  do  their  work  in  a  hurry.  They first set an
    example of highest probity  by  their  personal  acts  and explained the
    message of Islam in  a  simple,  forceful  manner  without  exerting any
    political or economic pressure so that  the work of conversion continued
    for centuries throughout  the  Delhi   Sultanate,  through  the  Khilji,
    Tughlaq, Lodhi and Mughal periods  down  to the days of the British Raj.
    We learn that during the time of the Mughals a noted sufi, Shaikh Dawood
    of Chati (in Pakistan)  was  carrying  on  the  work of conversion quite
    vigorously. The historian Badauni  says:  "Hindus to the number of 50 or
    more came each day  with  their  families  and  relatives  to  pay their
    respects to the Saint (Shaikh Dawood)  and under his spiritual influence
    embraced Islam." 

    Other notable sufis of Pakistan  were:  Hazrat  Shah Mohammad Ghouse who
    migrated from Sindh and settled down in the Punjab; Hazrat Mian Mir, who
    was born in Sindh and migrated to Lahore where he is buried. (A personal
    friend of the 5th Sikh Guru Arjun, he laid the foundation of Hari Mandir
    in Amritsar). Hazrat Shah Jamal of Ichra, Lahore; Hazrat Shah Khairuddin
    Abul Maali of Lahore, Shaikh Ismail of Lahore; Hazrat Syed Yakub Zanjani
    (d. 604 H) Lahore,  Hazrat  Abdul  Nabi  Sham  of  Sham Chourasi who was
    originally a Hindu; Ruknuddin  Rukne  Alam of Multan who was grandson of
    Hazrat Bahauddin Zakaria  whose  family  had  also  migrated from Sindh;
    Hazrat Jalaluddin Bukhari Makhdoom-e-Jahanian Jahan Gusht of Uch who was
    the grandson of Hazrat Jalaluddin Bukhari; Syed Ahmad Saqi Sarwer Sultan
    of D.G. Khan;  Shaikh  Yusuf  Gardezi   of  Multan  (1026-1152);  Shaikh
    Safiuddin Haqqani of Uch; Pir Jalaluddin  Qutub-al-Aqtab who died at Uch
    in 1293 AD converted the  Mazaris  and  several  other  Baluch tribes to
    Islam; Channan Pir of  Cholistan,  Bahawalpur;  Sharfuddin  Bulbul Shah,
    Syed Ali Hamdani and Mir SyedHasan Samnani  of Kashmir; Shaikh Badruddin
    Suleman and Shaikh  Budruddin  Ishaque  of  Pak Pattan; Shaikh Sadruddin
    Arif, Shaikh Ruknuddin Abul Fatah  and  Shams  Subzwari of Multan; Alaul
    Aque; Hazrat Khardari Baba  Mulla  Taher  of  Ziarat; Pir Hunglaj on the
    coast of Makran; Pir Shori in Bugti  territory; Shah Bilawal in Lasbela;
    Pir Omar in Khuzdar; Zinda Pir  in  Lund  area,  Chatan Shah near Kalat,
    Sultan Shah  in  Zehri  territory.  Pir  Baba  of  Swat,  Kaka  Sahib of
    Nowshera; Khwaja Makhdum Chisti,  Sakhi  Sultan  (Mangho Pir) and Hazrat
    Abdullah Shah of Karachi;  Syed  Shah  Ali  Makhi,  Ghazi Baba, Makhdoom
    Mohammad Nooh,  Hazrat  Mohiuddin  Gilani,  Shah  Khairuddin  Gilani and
    Hazrat Shah Inayat of Sindh. 

    These sufis were great  intellectuals,  well-read  and widely travelled.
    Most of them were speakers of high calibre,  men of letters and poets of
    eminence. Because  of  their  merits   and  morals  coupled  with  their
    spiritual attainments they succeeded  in making a powerful impact on the
    life of the people among whom they  settled.  It was no mean achievement
    to change the religion and transform  the entire social life of millions
    of people in this subcontinent. 
 

    THE BLESSINGS OF THE SUFIS 

    The sufis performed a multitudinous  role. Being proficient in learning,
    adept in medicine and steeped  in  spiritualism,  they  dispensed  these
    possessions for the greatest good of the greatest number. Highest nobles
    of the state as  well  as  lowest  strata  of  society  gathered  in the
    Khankhas and the sufis showered  their  blessings upon them irrrespctive
    of rank and religion. They  provided  succour to the harassed and solace
    to the harrowed, made available food  and shelter to the needy, preached
    against corruption, and  admonished  the  harsh  and  oppressive rulers.
    There is hardly any social or  moral  crime  against which the sufis did
    not  raise   their   voice----slavery,    hoarding,   black-marketing,
    profiteering,  wine,  etc.  Barni  remarks  that  as  a  result of their
    teachings "vices among men had been reduced". 

    Hazrat  Shah  Baz  Qalander's  success   in  his  campaign  against  the
    oppression of the local raja and against  the vices prevailing in Sehwan
    is well-known. 

    When Khawaja Moinuddin  Chisti  was  asked  about  the  highest  form of
    devotion, he replied that  it  was  nothing  but  helping  the poor, the
    distracted and  the  downtrodden.  Infact  Muslim  mystics  looked  upon
    'social service' as the supreme object of all their spiritual exercises.
    they did not believe in isolated, solitary  life of contemplation. 'Live
    in society and bear the blows and buffets  of the people' was the advice
    of most of them to their disciples. 

    Shaikh Ruknuddin Rukn-e-Alam of Multan is reported to have remarked that
    since all sorts of people visited  a  saint  it was necessary for him to
    possess three things: 1. money; 2.  learning;  and 3. spiritual ability.
    With the first he could help  those  who  needed  monetary aid; with the
    second he could solve the  problems  of  scholars  and with the third he
    could provide spiritual guidance. It  may be mentioned here that some of
    the sufis accepted gifts  and  donations  from  their rich disciples and
    distributed them among the poor  visitors,  thus  serving as a media for
    fair distribution of wealth. 

    The sufis always advocated the  path  of  peace and askd people to avoid
    rift and bloodshed. Shaikh  Fariduddin  Ganj Shakar of Pakpattan advised
    his disciples to placate one's  enemies.  He once told a vistor: "Do not
    give me a knife; give me  a  needle.  The  knife  is  an  instrument for
    cutting asunder and the needle for sewing together." 

    Another aspect of  sufi  teachings  was  that  they  stressed God's love
    rather than His wrath; treated their enemies softly, sympathetically and
    never abused other systems  or  creeds.  Though  greatly instrumental in
    bringing back Ismailis of Sindh and Punjab into the fold of Sunni Islam,
    they always praised the services  of  Ismaili  missionaries who preceded
    them. Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia had  commended  the work of the well-known
    Ismaili missionary Nur Turk  although  he was responsible for the rising
    against early Turkish Sultans in Delhi. 

    The sufis were so kind and  considerate  towards  people of all cultures
    and creeds that they exercised  profound  influence on Hindu society. It
    was because of the  sympathy  and  understanding  shown  by  them to the
    Hindus, particularly of the  lower  strata,  that  in  the 14th and 15th
    centuries AD the religious  leadership  of Bhakti movement rose from the
    lower sections. Never before in the  long history of Hinduism, religious
    leaders had sprung  from  that  strata  of  society  to which Chaitanya,
    Kabir, Nanak,  Dhannu,  Dadu  and  others  belonged.  And  what  is more
    significant, there was hardly any  leader  of  Bhakti school who had not
    passed some of his time in khankha. 

    Thus, khanqhas (hospices) not only  brought  Hindus and Muslims together
    but they also narrowed the  gulf  that  divided  the  Muslims of foreign
    origin and local converts. If the  sufis  had not played this vital role
    of far reaching importance there would have hardly been a common meeting
    ground between some of the ruling  classes  obsessed  with a superiority
    complex, and the ruled  who  comprised  both  Hindus and newly converted
    Hindus. Without sufis, most Muslim rulers of the early period would have
    remained isolated, lacking a broad base, always in danger of extinction. 

    As against the stiff,  nonchalanat  and  contemptuous  attitude  of some
    Sultans towards converted Muslims, the  sufis gave them a sense of pride
    and enhanced their  social  prestige  by  various  means.  They  usually
    conferred on them such titles  of  nobility  as  Khwaja (also pronounced
    Khoja), Momin (Memon), Malik, Shaikh, Akhund, Khalifa, etc. 

    By adopting an attitude of river-like generosity, sun-like affection and
    earth-like hospitality, the sufis  struck  at the very roots of casteism
    and  religious  exclusiveness  and   paved   the  way  for  large-scale
    conversions.  

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