THE TIMES OF INDIA
Sufism is a cultural tradition and some practices pre-date Islam, reports Sakina Yusuf Khan, on the sidelines of ICCR’s second international Sufi Music Festival in Delhi.
Delhi might have been in the grip of a cold wave last week, but that did not dampen the spirits of Sufi music enthusiasts who thronged the FICCI auditorium, wrapped up in pashmina shawls and long coats, to listen to soul-stirring renditions of artistes from Denmark, Hungary, Egypt, Morocco and India.
The three-day international festival was organised by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations as part of its ongoing creative dialogue, the second one in two years.
Says ICCR’s director-general, Suresh K Goel, “Today, there is a growing interest in Sufism all over the world. This is because it is seen as a philosophy that promotes tolerance and acceptance of different points of view; as being close to Bhakti and representing the liberal face of Islam; as a kind of movement which brings people together by emphasising total submission to the Divine.”
The growing popularity of Sufism is for real. Last year, Johns Hopkins University hosted a seminar on Sufism with speakers and performers from India. And Southbank Centre’s riverside spaces were suffused with devotional music as Sufi poet and singers performed at Muzaffar Ali’s Jahan-e-Khusrau, a festival dedicated to Amir Khusrau, the 13th century Sufi poet saint.
However, the ICCR’s Sufi festival sought to explore Sufism from an entirely different perspective. The attempt was to take a look at Sufism not in the usual liberal religious context, but as a rich cultural tradition. “Viewed from this angle, we found striking similarities and interesting overlaps between gypsy and Sufi music and culture. The interesting point that emerged from the performances was that a lot of what is today identified with Sufism predates Islam.” This is corroborated by Idries Shah, author of over three dozen critically acclaimed books on Sufi thought. Shah wrote: “Sufi philosophy is universal in nature, its roots predating the rise of Islam and other modern-day religions.” According to medieval Iranian scholar Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, the very word Sufi is derived from the Greek word sofia meaning wisdom.
On the first day of the festival, Egyptian performers were using an instrument, which the Egyptian ambassador informed us, can be found on the 5,000 year-old carvings of temple walls in Egypt. Sufism, as we know it, emerged around the sixth or seventh century CE but these instruments were there earlier. But as Goel explains, “Take Vedantic thought, it is easy to say it is Hindu, but Vedanta was a philosophy that actually guided the spirituality of people living at that time and in that culture – similarly, Sufism is a way of life.”
When we think of Sufism, the regions that come to our mind are the West Asian countries, Central Asian republics, India and Pakistan. Nobody thinks that the West could have had an influence on Sufism. “But if we delve deeper into Sufi culture, we can find influences of even Judaism,” says Goel.
Darvesh, is another example. It is identified with Sufism. But if you look at its evolving history, you find that it’s a nomadic tradition. Nomadic tribes traversing deserts would sit and dance around the fire when they would retire for the day. And this practice was extant long before the birth of Islam.
Similarly, listening to the Hungarian group on the first day and the Denmark group the second day of the festival – they sang in Hebrew and translated their verses into English – one found gypsy tradition overlapping with Sufism. The gay abandonment, fun and frolic that typify gypsy music and the practice of repeating key phrases are so similar to the Sufi zikr. Sufi renditions continue repetitive remembrance of God till a crescendo is reached. “It is curious that there should be so many pre-Islam traditions that continue as an integral part of Sufism today,” says Goel.
sakina.khan
