Journey of a Sufi

This question has been  bogging mankind from eternity and will remain so forever.

We live in various strata of society with differing social, cultural and economic life. Even those who live below poverty line wonder and struggle for a pint of peace. They are drowned in the miseries of life and the rigmarole squeezes their daily living with wants surrounding them; with pains of living and diseases befriending them.

Those in plenty are not free from trouble. They are free from daily wants and needs, surrounded by servants, cars and gadgets to ease the pain of living. But the demands of higher pleasurable life leaves its own trail of pain and anxieties.

What is it that one requires to reach the goal of inner peace, solace and solitude amidst all the demands of life, turmoils, rigmaroles, pain and suffering?

Those who are enjoying the pleasures of life, being entertained by music of night life, gastronomic foods and savories are unconsciously building in mysteriously a huge bubble inside, which waits for a moment to burst out and surround the person and those depending on them in misery, disease and poverty.

If one is looking for peace amongst the plenty or in midst of turmoils then mere practice of yoga, silence and meditation is not sufficient and enough. There is something more to cling to reach the goal set by life. It is the sum total of living which mysteriously builds up the inner peace automatically. For which at every point we need to let go off the huge burden carried on our shoulders. The burden of complains, woes, pains related to the failures, hurts given by others, bad memories, filthy ideas, wrongs and suffering caused by us to others, sufferings given by us to others which has created bad karmas for us. The road to peace, solace and solitude is to lessen this daily accumulation of bad karmas or bad deeds and instead in its place to increase acts of good heavenly deeds. Deeds as simple as feeding ants with half a spoon of sugar once awhile. Throwing crumbs of food to stray dogs, to birds and stray cows. Feed them with water tankers to slums where water shortage troubles them. If you think that such acts of goodness and charity is beyond your means and purse than utilize your free time to spread goodness by choosing any of the umpteen ways of good deeds.

Goodness, compassion, humility and simplicity will certainly ease the burden of life. Smile gets smile. Show mercy, mercy will be shown to you.

Watch TV shows discreetly as evil contents like sex dances, violent scenes, scenes of quarrels, bickering, arguments will add to your inner psyche to trouble you. Sex dances and sex scenes appeases the passions and it will have negative impact. Make it a point to enlighten your inner knowledge, it will become a source of strength and adds to your will power and determination.

Your accumulation of deeds of goodness and a will to serve others to relieve their pain and suffering will add to your good karma that will fetch peace, solace, quititude. Joys from good deeds would follow so also tranquility and life will become meaningful and well lived.

I begin in the name of Lord, the most Beneficent and Merciful

Sufism is as old as man himself. There is no word like Sufism in the study of the subject. The German scholar while studying the science and the learning of the Sufis wrote a book terming the subject as Sufism. From then on the western nations and western scholars have been calling the study of Islamic mysticism as Sufism, which study in Islam is known as ‘Irfaan’, the knowledge of your own self or ‘Tasawwuf’, the depth of the knowledge of the Divine. How did this Sufism arrive and has it got any basis and has it got any logic is an often question asked by strangers to this subject. People confuse religion with mythology. The atheist and empirical minded say that mythology is based on superstitious believes of the people and they being in dark always assume that some strange things happen in the cosmos and there is influence of the planets and that creates problems in the world. There is a lack of understanding of their own self and its nature.

Sufism is a subject which has been made into a theory. It is more of practice to reach the Divine. The belief is that God was a secret and wanted to reveal Himself. It is believed that the Creator of the whole universe, the Creator of all that is there in the space, moon and all the universal bodies, the Creator of all the matter, is a Single Unitary Being. Being which is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. And He has no partner, no avatar and He is existing from ever and will exist forever.

He just said “KUN” (Be) and the whole universe came into existence.

It could be akin to the theory of big bang when universe has come into existence. Lord gave the command “BE” and the command has fulfilled itself in bringing into existence the entire ever expanding cosmos. The Lord after having revealed Himself in the form of beauty and love, desired to place His vicegerent, a representative on the earth in His own image. So He created man, whose first name was Adam, with four elements of fire, water, dust and air. He blew His soul into this Adam’s clay. It’s believed that the soul did not sustain inside the dark being of Adam. So He had to create light and Muslims refer this light to be the light of Prophet Mohammed (Saw), Christians believe it to be the light of Jesus, and Hindus believe it to be the light of Brahma. This light along with the soul of the Lord dwelled in the heart of the Adam. The first beings created are the angels from light, who were commanded to bow down before Adam, but the arch angel, who was a Jinn created from fire, refused to do so. The arch angel was thrown out from the presence of the Lord and he became a devil or Satan. The belief is that Satan took permission from the Lord to way lay Adam and the generations to be born from the seeds of the man.

God created from the rib of Adam, his life mate Eve. They dwelled in the garden of bliss. God had commanded them not to go near the tree of knowledge but Satan instigated Adam who refused to heed Satan but Eve fell to the glib and honeyed talk of the devil. Eve instigated Adam to eat the fruit of knowledge and that resulted in their banishment. After God taught them the secret words and all the names of the Lord they sought pardon. God commanded them to adjourn on earth to do good deeds, stay away from the bickering, to stay away from the instigations of the Satan. Lord commanded man to know his own self and cleanse his own self and purify all the blemishes of the heart and mind. So that the Effulgence of the Lord shines in the heart. Thus, the knowledge of the inner self dawned from the primordial time, from the time when God created Adam and thus God commanded man to search for him in his own self.

You would see the reflection of the Divine in every particle of the matter, in every particle of space. It is the Divine who runs the whole show, and we are all mere puppets. This is the belief of Sufi poets, who would put this thought in their poetry. The Lord has been sending great Prophets and men of letters, men of learning and men of wisdom from ages to enlighten man. Men of very high accomplished thinking, logic and inner understanding would enlighten all those who come to them. That is how the subject of law has come into existence. Thus, evil was driven away by the acts of goodness.

When Gautama Siddhartha left for the search of truth and found that it is the attachment to one’s own self, which gives rise to frustration in the mind and the heart. You have to rise above frustrations to reach ‘moksha’, the peace, the internal peace ‘As-salaama’. You have to live above all the worldly desires and surrender to the Great Being.

The qualities of Mercy and Beneficence are very close to the heart of God. So He commands man to color his own being in these great two qualities of the Lord of Mercy and Compassion. All religions of the world teach compassion and mercy. Now in order to reach the pinnacle of success of beneficence and mercy, man has to free himself from all that is disturbing in his mind and heart and his living has to be a life of purity. Purity of mind, purity of soul and purity of heart is the basic teaching of Sufis. Thus, Sufism has arrived in this world from the time of the birth of man. Man has been in search of his own Master.

Moulana Jalaluddin Rumi, one of the greatest poets and a great Sufi of erst while era wrote a great Mathnawi, a long poem of more than 20,000 lines in which he has written and taken strength from the stories of the times and from them has drawn the philosophy that the man, who has lost his roots needs to go back to the Divine. The method to reach the Divine is by love and it is only through love, forgiveness, patience, thank fullness, gratitude and all such heavenly qualities, that can take man to the Divine. His every particle in his being should speak of the Divine and Divine alone. His life should become pure, his living should become pure. So also his work should become pure, his actions should become pure. He has to live a life of purity and for that he has to be put in to the cradle of love, which he found in abundance when he was born in his mother’s lap. The mother gives love, nurtures the child with love and affection. Thus, the Sufis believe that if at all we have to reach the heaven then we have to serve our mother. Heaven lies at the feat of the mother, so said our Prophet (sas). These heavenly qualities are dealt in-depth by an adept, a Sufi master, who has received this training from his master and the chain goes up to the Prophet (sas).

To reach the kingdom of heaven one has to practice the principles of honesty, truthfulness, integrity and these qualities have to be inculcated in the mind and heart. It is the Sufi Master who keeps looking at the eyes of the disciple and reads his mind and heart and would be able to tell him as to what is troubling him; whether it’s the ego or it’s the pride or it is the baser elements of lust or such other baser qualities which disturbs the pupil. The master is a trained adept, who has conquered his inner self and reached the Divine by purification of his soul. Sufis live a life above themselves and they live for others. They are the most recluse persons, they live a life of total subjugation, a life of surrender to the Lord and surrender to the Prophet’s commands and live a life of purity.
Sufis wore wool. The wool is soft and warm signifying kindness and warmth of the heart. They always sit in the first line in the assemble of prayers and they are the first to acknowledge the greatness of the Great soul of the cosmos. They refuse to believe that God could transcend into the human self and that self could become his avatar. They only believe that the man has been created for worship and he has to subjugate himself and find the path to reach the Divine but not claim himself to be divine or a god himself or become mini god himself. That philosophy of avatars or avatars taking birth or the guru becoming god is not accepted in Sufism or in the religion of Islam or in any other monotheistic religions.

What are the teachings of a Sufi master and how does one search for a Sufi master? Moulana Jalaluddin Rumi warns that many devils are in the garb of Sufi masters. He warns man not to lend his hand and become a disciple of the person claiming to be a Sufi master or a peer or a peeran unless you are satisfied that he is a totally surrendered person and a person of truth, a person of honesty and a person of integrity and his only interest is to make you perfect, help you polish your mirror of the heart, so that you can see the Divine in your own self. A Sufi Master should have no other desire, no other attachment, no other plan. Neither he has a desire to acquire money and wealth but his only desire is to reach the Divine, to spread the knowledge of the Divine. Only such a person is entitled to teach Sufism. You may say it’s very difficult to find such a Master in this world. If you search in your own self then the Divine will show you the path.

The Holy Quran speaks about the three inner consciousnesses. As a human being, the biologist say that man is a product of evolution and that he is an evolved being from the apes and the monkeys. If this be true then the carnal desires in man is the animal consciousness that is ‘nafse-e-ammara’. The Sufis recognize that man has initially acquired all the instincts and behavior of an animal. An animal will always search for food, satisfy his hunger, satisfy his lust, fight for his territory, conquer anyone who would attempt to seize him and he lives for his own desires and his lust. In such a person, the inner consciousness is filled with anger, jealousy and other instincts of ego and greed. The animal consciousness makes a person proud and his heart turns into a stone.

So the first and foremost aspects of the teachings are that a person’s heart and mind and soul is filled with animal consciousness and that man should conquer the animal consciousness. This has to be conquered by the various methods as taught in Sufism.

The second stage is ‘nafs-e–lawwama’, the consciousness which teaches you about right and wrong. You are told as to what is right and what is wrong. Man keeps developing moral consciousness which keeps telling him as to what he shall do and what he shall not do. This is based on the teachings of the society and also about the purity which dwells in the heart and mind. The moral consciousness reminds man not to do a wrong, a wrong which hurts another human being and which takes away the liberty of other human beings. A wrong destroys the goodness of the man and nature.

The third consciousness is referred to as ‘nafs-e-mutmainna’. In this self dwells divinity. The self which seeks the Lord; man begins to live by the dictates of the Lord and remains in the purified state. He practices day in and day out to remain in that position. He keeps remembering the names of the Lord. The cleanliness of the body is by taking regular bath by water. The cleanliness of the tongue is by shunning evil talk. The cleanliness of the mind is to remove all that disturbs the mind, to maintain equanimity; to maintain the benevolence of the mind and heart. So the ‘nafs-e-lawwwama’ achieves the Divine. This perfection is achieved through daily attempt to retain the light in the heart and mind. This process is carried out from morning till evening. A Sufi master teaches his pupil to be true to his own self, to be true to his mind and heart and carry on the dictates of God. As a humble servant, one is required to carry out all the duties assigned to one’s self in a most perfect manner and without disturbing one’s mind and heart. The main focus of life is to see the inner light and to enlighten oneself. To enlighten one’s being with the knowledge of the Divine. To live a very honest, simple, humble and sublime life.

Sufism or Tasawwuf or Irfan, the inner core of Islam, teaches humanism, love, brotherhood and oneness and believes in creating a world citizenship through “Tauheed” (monotheism). Sufism or Irfan is a way of life to achieve perfection in manners, cultivate and culture the mind and heart with purity of thought and good behavior, through possession of all virtues and negation of all vices by a process of self-annihilation, self realization, self sacrifice and surrender of will before the Supreme Will of Almighty Allah. Sufism is an absolutely peaceful and totally non-violent movement to awaken the soul to greater grandeur through simple living and practicing lofty ideals, through meditation, Zikr’ (incantation), Sama (singing of holy hyms) and other Sufi practices, by accepting the Risalat (Prophethood) of our Holy Prophet Mohammed sallallahu alaihi wasallam; by strengthening of faith, servitude (yaqeen), by protecting the precepts of Holy Prophet, performance of daily Namaz (prayers); acts and deeds of righteousness, seeking and observing ‘Taqwa’ (awe of Allah); ‘Taubah’ (repentance). “Tawakkal” (full surrender and trust in Allah);‘Ikhlas’ (Sincerity), ‘Sidq’ (Truth fullness), ‘contentment (Tawakkul), ‘Haya’ (shame), ‘Sabr’(patience), ‘Shukr’ (gratitude, thankfulness), ‘Zikr’ (remembrance), ‘Zohad’ (renunciation),‘Khauf’ (Fear), ‘Rida’ (hope), Khushu’ (fearfulness, humility), ‘Istiqamat (uprightness) a ‘state’in which Allah’s grace comes perpetual for it implies the perfect performance of Allah’s service, ‘Firasa (insight) as Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said “Beware of the believers insight, for he sees with the sight of Allah”; ‘Wara’ (abstaining, that is from all unnecessary and unseemly occupations) and ‘Simt’ (silence). The Prophet is quoted as having said “Whosoever believes in Allah and his last day, let him speak good or else let him be silent”. Silence is interpreted both literally as meaning that the man should learn to govern his tongue and metaphorically is referring to a heart that silently accepts whatever Allah may decree), ‘Adab’ (Decent manners, as Prophet (sas) said ‘Allah mannered me and taught me good manners” live in righteous conduct; Dua (Prayer, seeking constantly supplicant to Allah, for Allah says, pray for me and I will answer you”) ‘Faqr’ (poverty) for Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said “The poor shall enter paradise five hundred years before the rich, ‘Tafakkur’ (meditation), ‘Muraqaba (contemplation)and ‘Muhasabah’ (Self examination), ‘Tauheed’ (belief in one Allah), ‘Mahabba’ (love), ‘Shauq(yearing), Uns’ (intimacy), ‘Rida’ (satisfaction). Truth is realized by daily submission to the rule of law laid down by Allah, for achieving the perfection of human self by “Mujahida; a collateral form of Jihad’ to mean ‘earnest striving after the mystical life”. As the Holy Quran says “And they that strive earnestly in our cause, we surely guide upon our paths (Quran 29: 69). Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam says that the “greater warfare (Al Jihad ul Akbar) is against the earnest striving with the carnal soul (mujahidat un nufs). It is by seeking refuge in Allah and seek His protection from the animal and satanic forces working in man, by observing ‘Saum’ (fasting) for the purpose of purification of inner and outer actions of man, by ‘Kurbani’ (sacrifice) so as to enable man to break away from the shackles of selfishness, self centeredness and to break away from the indulgence of pleasure seeking, materialism, ritualism, taboos and superstitions so as to achieve perpetual peace and “As-Sakina” (eternal peace) through deeds of everlasting goodness(Baqiyat us Salihat), thus to achieve Allah’s realization.

Sufism enlightens the mind, sharpens the wit, broadens the outlook and purifies the heart and thinking. Above all Sufism or Irfan makes a person humane and a perfect gentleman in every sense of the term. Sufism is a branch of Islamic spiritualism and its study and practice is known as “Tasawwuf” (Gnosis). The study is divided into four branches “Shariat” (common law), ‘Tariqat’ (spiritual path), “Ubudiat (servanthood – unity with Allah) and ‘Marifat’ (Allah’s realization – Gnosis). Sufism begins with acceptance of ‘Tawheed’ (monotheism) and Risalath of Prophet Mohammed sallallahu alaihi wasallam by observance of personal hygiene, strict disciplined life, doing charity and earning through the sweat of the brow.

The greatest mystery in the universe is the invisible mother Earth revolving around its master, the glorious Sun. The planet Earth alone is blessed with life and Man stands at the apex in the evolution of life. The life on Earth evolved from water, a chemical compound of oxygen and hydrogen, the elixir for life. First to arise were protozoan from plasma, the basic ingredient of life. After billions of years have evolved the modern Man having passed through various stages of stone age, fire age, iron and copper age and then evolving from the dark period to the period of learning, the renaissance; the industrial revolution and thus reaching the nuclear age. Man has reached out of the grip of gravitational pull and landed on its satellite Moon and then has proceeded towards its closest planet Mars.

Man is waiting for return of Mahatma, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed (sas) to redeem humanity from all sins, so that he can regain peace and tranquility.

Man’s intelligence and discovery of his own self has resulted in the development of Science and Technology for the betterment of humanity. However, Man has had to pay for the cost of this development in his moral and spiritual degradation and in destruction of nature and fauna besides global warming. Man has turned into his own enemy with discovery of destructive weapons, wars and by causing pollution, smog and destructive elements in nature. Family and community life is fast disintegrating with dissolution of joint families, divorces and live in relationships resulting in illegitimacy coupled by growing stress and strain in daily living. Pathos and melancholy is enveloping the soul and robbing Man of peace and happiness, solace and tranquility. Man is waiting for return of Mahatma, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed (sas) to redeem humanity from all sins, so that he can regain peace and tranquility.

The Nature shouldn’t turn truant and avenge for its destruction and for meddling in its makeup and originality. The Oceans shouldn’t catch fire as it happened when deliberately Saddam Hussein burnt the oil wells in Iraq and left a trail of destruction. Tsunamis shouldn’t occur to destroy the nuclear plants. Volcanoes shouldn’t arise to spew the burnt ashes on the populace. Storms, tempests, cyclones and tornadoes shouldn’t turn out to be destructive leaving man in dismay, despondency and askance. There shouldn’t be Bhopal gas tragedy or Chernobyl nuclear plant leaking for elimination of man, humanity and nature.

How do we retain the peace, hope and bliss in humanity and environment? How do we bring back humanity on one platform? How do we unite hearts with love and affection? Tyranny, terror, fundamentalism is beckoning Man back to barbarism as in Iraq and Syria. Hindutava is gaining ground in India. Talibans are ranging in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Consumerism, materialism and sexual revolution are ranging in USA and western countries. Wealth, opulence, comforts and pleasure seeking has opened flood gates of destruction in the social living of man. Alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual perversion, breakdown of family lives has become common throughout the world. How should Man regain his sublime nature and how should godliness return to him?

Man might have betrayed God by abandoning Him but innate goodness in man cannot betray him. How should it gain ground? Man has been enemy of himself from time immemorial. Recent history is reminder of first and second world wars. Blood is shed on the basis of nationality, race, color and religion. Millions of Jews were sent to gas chambers by wicked and cruel Nazis. Partition of India led to butchery of millions of people, so also on the birth of Bangladesh. Thousands and thousands are killed in wars, communal clashes and in the breakup of countries. Man has been warring against Man. At the same time the compassion of Man has been overwhelming. There have been Albert Schweitzer, M.K. Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and scores of noble souls to save humanity from the brink of disaster, destruction and drowning in the ocean of woes.

In our present times, crime against humanity and individual crimes are continuing despite rise in educational and intellectual level and progress in societies. Barbaric acts in civilized societies are daily happenings. Rape including child rape, human trafficking, drug abuse and umpteen crimes are commonly heard. The combined effort of humanity to humanize and culture Man and to bring in godliness is failing time and again. How to restore faith, confidence, hope, gentleness and culture in every nook and corner of the world is the concern of all. Everyone’s hope is to end economic, social, political and religious exploitation. Can an utopia be created? A heaven on Mother Earth! Can an elixir be found for deadly diseases like AIDS, cancer, sexually transmittable diseases, diabetics and scores of incurable diseases? Can wars cease and peace prevail? Can fear of unknown be driven away? Can the planet Mother Earth be saved from nuclear destruction, environmental and ecological imbalance? Can Man be saved from destruction and all societies made to live in peace and harmony sans exploitation of all sorts?

The greatest challenge in the Indian polity is erosion of public faith in the political leadership due to massive and unprecedented corruption in public life. The next challenge is the laws delays and failure of the justice delivery system in rendering quick, easy and accessible judgments. There is an enormous lack of faith in the religious institutions and religious leaders due to moral degradation. Human ingenuity has adopted umpteen ways to siphon off public money besides non-payment of public debts leading to enormous loss to financial institutions. Due to maladministration billions of rupees have been lost in public undertakings. Several billions are spent for Defense and Armed forces at the cost of agriculture and irrigation. There is a huge decline in the moral character of Indian polity and Indian citizens in general. The common helpless man on the street wonders when these ills would end.

The greatest resurgence and revolution India had seen was the clamor for Independence from British rule under the leadership of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It was not just political uprising but reformation of Hindu and Indian life. M.K. Gandhi succeeded in removal of draconian caste system and brought in reforms in Indian social life. His principles of non-violence, Ahimsa and Swadeshi movements took the country by storm. His impeccable character, moral uprightness, sense of equality influenced the whole world. Martin Luther King in USA and Nelson Mandela in South Africa followed his footsteps. His principles, philosophy and thinking came to be known as Gandhisim. His love and practice for Truth and its experimentation were phenomenal and unique. Can India see again the resurgence of Gandhism under new leadership?

India is the land of Spirituality, wherein many religions have originated and thrived. Although Indians are highly superstitious with deep belief in myths, mythologies and astrology yet they are neither bigots nor deeply fundamentalists. They have co-existed with other religions with harmony and peace. Great many saints, yogis and gurus have risen and thrived. Sufism has spread throughout the length and breadth of the country. In recent past great savants have strengthened the faith of people in spiritualism like Shirdi Saibaba, Satya Sai baba, and Shankaracharya. In recent time yoga teachers Sri Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has revived yoga teaching among the masses. On one hand we see moral degradation and erosion of public faith due to high level of corruption and fanaticism taking roots, yet on the other hand we also see the spiritualism and yoga taking roots and flourishing in the country. There are hundreds of pilgrimage centers in the country with millions gathering in Kumbha mela, Rishikesh, Haridwar; on the banks of Ganges, Ajmer, Sabirmala and Tirupati. There are festivals galore among all the religious communities bringing joy and happiness among the citizens. Thus, we find India a land of contradictions. On the one hand people are deeply spiritual and dogmatic and on the other hand they are highly materialistic, taboo ridden as well as superstitious. The social order is also breaking up with crime on women and children rising. How are we to make people rationalistic besides strengthening the society to high level of social and spiritual consciousness?

Can India again herald a new age of peace and harmony to the entire humanity and how? How to strengthen the moral and spiritual fabric of the Nation?

Sufis and their teachings

Man is a social animal prone to thinking, innovation, creativity, and inquisitiveness and intrinsically constructive in nature. Man has been in existing on the planet earth from millions of years either have evolved from apes or having been believed to have been created by God, the Supreme Creator of the universe in his own image. The belief of man which dawned on him from antiquity is that God when after creating beauty and love desired to place it in man, so that this creature can marvel on his creation and man be a vicegerent on the earth. The further belief is that all that God has created has been made subservient to man. So that man can achieve perfection in his living and manners with sound thinking and right actions, right intentions so that he can live in peace with all the creations and achieve heaven on earth itself, without destruction, evil dominating and demon having control on men and matters.

It is man’s further belief that divinity dwells in him which nurtures compassion, humility, sincerity, sublimity, graciousness, dignity and all finer elements of man. Man has also realized that there is enormous influence on him of negativity which is destructive in nature robbing peace, solace and tranquility in him. He has also found his innate nature of goodness and evil both trying to claim ascendancy with each other. It is to the good fortune of man that many charismatic, magnetic personalities arose time and again in mankind, who have elevated his status and helped him to overcome his weakness and capture and captivate the evil whenever it stole the thunder and achieved supremacy. These enlightened personalities have always left their foot print and mark on the march of time for humanity to follow their footsteps to achieve eternal peace (as-sakina), happiness, joy, ecstasy and tranquility.
The pursuit of higher learning and to maintain composure, equilibrium has been the endeavor of man. He cultivates it and nurtures it in his progeny and creates groups, societies to retain the higher ideals and practice it to attain peace in life.

The eternal desire of man to reach higher consciousness and to feel the Divine and get absorbed in His light has ever been from his creation and more so as is believed from the time he lost the paradise. The Divine has guided man and from the guidance sprung in his heart love, beauty graciousness, compassion, mercy and many more such qualities which are divine in nature. Those among the mankind who perfected their inner self, polished their mirror of their heart from all the impurities came to be specifically referred as divine persons and they achieved a niche in the mankind. They were the Prophets, Seers, Saints, Sufis, Mystics, Yogis and men of perfection. Their lives were glorious and glowing example for humanity to follow. Their teachings were an eternal guide and lamp to enlighten the dark path ways of life. They gave moral codes, instructions, left behind their living examples and taught ways and means to enlighten man to achieve peace, tranquility, graciousness, spirituality and divinity. From among their basic teachings were the recognition of all embracing, Omniscient, Omnipotent Being referred in various tongues as God, Eshwara and Allah. The fundamental teaching is God, Eshwara or Allah is all Merciful, Beneficent, full of Love, Graciousness, Kindness and ever Forgiving. At the same time besides guiding man, would take account of man’s deeds; awarding or punishing or forgiving and granting clemency.

The further teaching is that man should fully surrender to that Great being and subject himself to His laws, moral code, be ever prayful, charitable, thankful, fully relying on Him. Be patient during adversary and despondency and never give up hope and always fear Him and of the consequences of evil actions and deeds.

After the advent of Islam, the teachings of Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh) and the commands of the Holy Quran were interpreted in various ways thus bringing divisions and sectarian conflicts in the religion. Those followers who stayed away from the hum drum of life, from the strife and wars and political developments and devoted their whole life in perfecting and polishing their being, lived in pursuit of knowledge and for seeking the Grace of the Divine Being came to be known, as time passed, as Sufis, those who wore wool and lived an ascetic life and lived in search of truth. They humbled themselves before the Great Being by total surrender, seeking knowledge and wisdom and passing it on to their followers and disciples. They lived in monasteries, away from the hub and rub of the societies. They, with their refined living, graciousness, simplicity and humility achieved saint- hood. Their prayers for the needy and those who sought help were answered. They started their own schools of thought to pass on their teachings in the light of ‘Sunna’ i, e the canonical and religious law as laid down by Holy Quran and sayings of holy Prophet (Pbuh). They wrote extensively and their prose and poetry caught the imagination of the learned and common man. Their foremost teaching was humanism and love. To unite man kind in bondage so that society can be stable and mankind can achieve peace and happiness. Some Sufi masters were far ahead of their times. Sufism is an absolutely peaceful and totally non-violent movement to awaken the soul to greater grandeur through simple living and practicing lofty ideals; through meditation, Zikr’ (incantation), Sama (singing of holy hymns) and other Sufi practices, doing charitable activities and uniting the hearts of the mankind.

Since Sufi teachings are universal in its nature, it can act as a universal binding force. People of all religions and races visit the Sufi mausoleums to seek their blessings and prayers. Sufis have been blessing to mankind.

Sufism was introduced in India before the advent of Muslim rule by Khwaja Moinuddin Chisty at Ajmer, Rajasthan. He is known as ‘Garib un Nawaz,’ succor of the poor. For the last eight centuries, his tomb and mausoleum is attracting millions and all sections of people. The Sufis have been doing enormous work in uniting the hearts of Indians in every nook and corner of India and in South East Asia and to spread peace and brotherhood. Eminent sages, saints among Sufis have been spreading the message of love. Their influence has been enormous in the lives of common man in India. In every town and city the living and past Saints among the Sufis are venerated by all sections of Indian populace. Their hymns, poetry and lyrics are song every day. Guru Nanakji founded Sikhism on the faith and belief of Sufis like Baba Fareed. The holy book of Sikhs comprises majority of poetry of Baba Fareed and other Sufis.

Urdu language is as a result of influence of Sufism. The ‘gazal’ pattern of poetry, ‘qawwalies’ and lyrics are adopted in Hindi movies and sung by the Indian populace. The Sufis adopted ‘Unani’ medicine, by natural resources for healing the sick and is quite popular in India.

Thus, Sufis and Sufism have been having enormous influence in uniting the people of India of diverse cultures and in creating syncretic culture. The mausoleums of Sufis have become sacred space for millions of Indians. Sufis are a boon to the humanity for their love, affection and deeds of eternal goodness. Shirdi Saibaba united Hindus and Muslims. His ‘Samadi’ is visited by millions and he is considered as an ‘avatar’ by millions of Hindu followers and as a Muslim fakir and Saint by millions of Muslim followers. The influence of Sant Kabir, Meera bai, Shankaracharya, Madhavachary, Ramanujam, and other Sants, Yogis and Saints of India has been having tremendous influence in uniting all sections of Indians without distinction of caste, creed and religion. The Sufis, Yogis, Sants and Saints of all denominations of all religions are great hope for our country. They are the unifying forces in these troubled times.

The aim of the founders of IIWC has been lofty and true. Among the many aims, the important one is to unite the mankind by true education which broadens the mind to embrace universal ideas so as to enable man to purify his heart to achieve universal brotherhood.

In order to realize this aim, a syllables and a curriculum has to be prepared and a course charted. Books on these lines have to be written for the purpose of teaching to the students at various levels-primary, secondary and college levels.

The State education system needs to be pressurized to include these subjects as part of the curriculum in the schools and colleges.
The IIWC should start courses and hold classes in a systematic way at various levels to further their aims. A good beginning will lead to achieve the aims and objectives of the IIWC.

All unitary efforts to unite all Unifying Forces in our Diverse Culture should be brought together by holding joint seminars and activities to defeat the divisive forces in our society.

The moment you recite the kalima, the crescendo of Islam, “La illaha illallah,” you at once give up idol worship both outwardly and inwardly and submit to the Will of the Lord Almighty.

Islam means surrender to the supreme will of the Master of the universe, the “Rub”, the “Malik”, the King. Only by such surrender, man achieves peace and freedom from creation of mental fiction, figment of imagination, myths and mythologies. The artificial man-made barriers between man and man on the basis of caste, creed, colour, nationality, language are all removed and all are made equal before the Supreme Master who has no equal or partner or an avatar or representative. There is no parallel to the Lord Almighty. Hence the crescendo “La illaha illallah,” that there is no god, but God, the Allah. By reciting this kalima, you are at once released from the tyranny of man, man-made gods, tyranny of mind and heart, taboos and superstitions. You achieve freedom of mind and heart and it opens to higher vistas of knowledge and learning. You become logical, rational, sensible and at once spiritual.

Thousands of great enlightened men in the form of messengers have brought home the message to mankind that the entire love should be only and be alone for the great Master, the Rub, the Lord, which brings freedom from falsehood, lies, stories, myths and mythologies, idol worship, which are all man-created, far far away from reality and truth.

The strong have been devouring the weak. The superior ruling class and the rich people exploited the poor and weak. Several superstitions ruled the day. Astrology, numerology, witchcraft, black magic and umpteen inhuman practices were the order of the day. Humanity did not have the blessing of freedom, truth, peace, justice, equality, brotherhood and the feeling of oneness and to think of the neighbour as thyself. The ego, anger, jealousy, covetousness and several human weaknesses were unbridled and uncontrolled. There was lack of culture, courtesy, manners, cleanliness and good living. Goodness was absent. Crime, cruelty, hatred, division between man and man was common. The women, aged and infirm had no place in the society. Inequity, mayhem and tyranny of the selfish, self-centered kings was the rule of the day.

It is the Mercy, Compassion and Beneficence of the Lord of the universe, that He kept sending messengers to reform man.

Finally, Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) emerged as the Seal of the Prophets to complete the message of peace, harmony, brotherhood, freedom, honesty, love, equality, justice, truth and self-sacrifice to one and all.

The Lord’s message is ingrained in the holy Quran and sayings of Prophet Muhammad. The moment you recite the kalima, the crescendo of Islam “La illaha illallah,” you at once give up idol worship both outwardly and inwardly and submit to the Will of the Lord Almighty and begin to accept His command as a humble servant. The Lord’s awe and wonder makes you at once knowledgeable and pure. You become humble, soft, clear, righteous, gentle, sweet-tongued, virtuous dedicated, sincere to the core, truthful, honest, modest and a person of great integrity and full of love, compassion, friendship, mercy, charity, hospitality and generosity.

You will become a gifted person, recognize the right of others and to respect those rights. You will become dutiful and your goal will be to attain eternal goodness and you will wish to create a society of love, peace and brotherhood, freedom, good work and goodness and cleanliness.

You shun back-biting, undue criticism, arguments, anger, pride, jealousy and hatred. All frivolous, useless, irrational, inhuman, illogical customs and traditions are done away with. You become your own policeman for self-control and self-purification.

With you, looking up to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for guidance and the holy Quran to follow the principles laid down by it, to live a virtuous and pure life, you shun satanic and diabolic ways besides all sexual perversions. You give up stubbornness, heedlessness, arrogance, power, pomp and show.

You take care of the entire environment and shun pollution, disease, mayhem, chaos, confusion, crime and a wayward life. You observe silence and are always patient and full of gratitude and thankfulness

Your earnings become lawful and so also your spending. You eat only permitted clean food by giving up haram, unlawful and unhealthy food, including blood, carrion, pork, drinking alcohol, drugs and such substances. Your inner purification begins and the heart glitters with love and compassion. You become a pure person… a Muslim.

A thousand times we wish that we could go back to erase from our records the wrong actions, mistakes committed by us and redo the thing again. But the times have changed, so also circumstances and history is already written. It is so impossible to change the past. A little mistake, a little wrong has changed the course of life. What is lost is lost forever. We regret in leisure.

We regret in Leisure

It is so difficult to undo the wrong done as have allowed the time to lapse and pass by. Wisdom dawns too late on the occurrence of the consequences. The only remedy available is perhaps to compensate by doing good deeds and turn a new leaf. In certain cases penance is suggested by scriptures. In certain instances intense prayers and retreat is the suggested remedy. We look up for the heaven to show His Mercy, Clemency and to wash the guilt away. There are certain wrongs which call for punitive actions. But large number of wrong decisions has only changed the course of events. We only yearn and wish that better decision could have been taken to avoid certain course of events. In certain times the hurt caused by us by our wrong actions can be mended by doing good to the person to whom we have caused hurt. We can be profusely apologetic and be sincerely and truly good to him. This can offset the wrong done by us. Where our wrong action has resulted in torturous crime, we need to face the civil consequences. To wash the guilt away, we need to truly repent and seek pardon from the person wronged and from the Almighty, so that such actions are not repeated. We need to seek Lord’s Mercy always and forever, for His Protection and Clemency, so as to avoid from falling in error and committing any further wrongs. There are ever so many silly actions committed by us day in and day out that some of which are reprehensible.

To avoid such actions, which bring us shame, we need to develop self control and self restrain for which we need to adopt correct speech, right action and right conduct. This perfection is achieved by long practice and self correction consciously practiced day in and day out, for which we need to practice love and affection, which should become our motto of our life. To maintain correct mental posture and balance we need to forgive others who commit wrong to us and also seek forgiveness from those to whom we commit wrong.