Sufism in Sindh covers the tradition of Sufism in Sindh, which is reputed to be an area of mystics. [1] Sindh is famous for the enormous number of saints and mystics who lived there and preached peace and brotherhood. [2] According to popular legend, 125,000 of them are buried on Makli Hill near Thatta. [3] [4] There is an abundance of Sufi literature produced in Sindh throughout history. [2]
According to some scholars the original torch-bearer of Sufism in Sindh was the 13th century saint Usman Marwandi, also known as Lal Shahbaz. These scholars believe that Sufism arrived in Sindh via Herat, Qandhar and Multan. Sufism reached its zenith in Sindh in the 18th century through the poetry of saints such as Shah Abdul Latif of Bhit and Sachal Sarmast of Daraz. [4]
The mystic Husain ibn Mansur al Hallaj, who is credited with the utterance Anal Haqq ("I am The Creative Truth"), reached Sindh in 905, proceeding from Gujarat. He travelled extensively throughout Sindh and discussed theological matters with local sages. [5] He inspired many poets and musicians in the region. Sachal Sarmast was one of the greatest admirers of Mansur Hallaj and pays homage to him in his poetry frequently. [6]
According to Michel Boivin, music is inseparable from Sufi poetry in Sindh. [7] Sufism's relationship with music is ancient in the Indus Valley and was due to Baha' al-Din Zakariyya, the Suhrawardi saint from Multan, and Muin al-Din Chishti, the founder of the Chishtiyyah order. Baha' al-Dïn Zakariyya's son-in-law, Shaykh Hamid al-Din Hakim was a teacher of Sindhi dhakirs (specialists in poetry). By the close of the 15th century, Sindhi dhakirs had earned acclaim in Mughal courts.
The author of the Akbarnamah wrote that the kafi music originated from Sindh. The art of 'musical narration' had received patronisation under the Surnrah dynasty of Sindh and was further developed and patronised under the Sammahs. [2] The most renowned Sindhi genre of poetry is the kafi which, according to Annemarie Schimmel, is accompanied by instruments and is a vehicle of mystical songs. [7] Shah 'Abd al-Latif is seen as the greatest renovator of Sufi music in Sindh. [2] The most famous expression of Sufism in Sindh is found in the Risalo of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.
The philosophy of Persian poets deeply influenced Sindhi Sufistic thought and poetry. During Muslim rule in Sindh, the works of Rumi, Attar, Jami, Nizami Hafiz, Khayyam, Saadi and other poetic Persian mystics were keenly studied by both HIndu and Muslim scholars. Sachal was deeply influenced by Attar. Shah Abdul Latif was influenced by Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi. [4]
Suffism became a primary marker of Sindhi identity for both Muslims and Hindus. [8]
Sindhis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who speak the Sindhi language and are native to the Sindh province of Pakistan. The historical homeland of Sindhis is bordered by the southeastern part of Balochistan, the Bahawalpur region of Punjab and the Kutch region of Gujarat. Having been isolated throughout history unlike its neighbours, Sindhi culture has preserved its own uniqueness.
Sindhology is a field of South Asian studies and academic research that covers the history, society, culture, literature and people of Sindh, Pakistan. The subject was first brought into the academic circles with the establishment of the Institute of Sindhology at Sindh University in 1964. Since then, it has developed into a discipline that covers the aspects of history and archaeology from the Indus Valley civilization to the modern Sindhi society. The subject has also received wider attention at international levels. An academic or expert who specialises in Sindhology is called a Sindhologist.
Pakistan’s tradition of poetry includes Urdu poetry, English poetry, Sindhi poetry, Pashto poetry, Punjabi poetry, Saraiki poetry, Baluchi poetry, and Kashmiri poetry. Sufi poetry has a strong tradition in Pakistan and the poetry of popular Sufi poets is often recited and sung.
A list of topics related to the topic of Sufism.
Kafi is a classical form of Sufi music mostly in the Siraiki, Punjabi and Sindhi languages and originating from the Punjab, and Sindh regions in the Indian subcontinent. Some well-known Kafi poets are Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sachal Sarmast and Khwaja Ghulam Farid. This poetry style has also lent itself to the Kafi genre of singing, popular throughout South Asia, especially Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. Over the years, both Kafi poetry and its rendition have experienced rapid growth phases as various poets and vocalists added their own influences to the form, creating a rich and varied poetic form, yet through it all it remained centered on the dialogue between the Soul and the Creator, symbolized by the murid (disciple) and his Murshid (Master), and often by lover and his Beloved.
Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, commonly known by the honorifics Lakhino Latif, Latif Ghot, Bhittai, and Bhit Jo Shah, was a Sindhi Sufi mystic and poet from Pakistan, widely considered to be the greatest poet of the Sindhi language.
Sachal Sarmast or Sacho Sarmast, was an 18th and 19th century Sindhi Sufi poet, mystic and philosopher from Daraza, regarded as an important figure in the Sindhi-language literature. He is revered throughout Pakistan.
Shah Jo Risalo is a book of poems of the Sindhi Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. Shah Abdul Latif's poetry was compiled during his lifetime and after his death. It was compiled and designated as Shah Jo Risalo or Poetry of Shah.
Sindhi literature is the collection of oral and written literature in the Sindhi language in prose and poetry. The Sindhi language of the province of Sindh in Pakistan is considered one of the oldest languages of ancient India, and influenced the language of Indus Valley inhabitants. Sindhi literature has developed over a thousand years.
Elsa Kazi (1884–1967), commonly known as "Mother Elsa", particularly in the Sindh province of Pakistan was a German writer of one-act plays, short stories, novels and history, and a poet. She was a composer and a musician of considerable achievement, involved in virtually every conspicuous branch of fine arts. Her paintings are often seen in many distinguished family homes.
Sindhi Adabi Board is a government sponsored institution in Pakistan for the promotion of Sindhi literature. It was established in 1955 in Jamshoro, Sindh. It is under the Education Department of the Government of Sindh.
Shah Abdul Karim Bulri (1536–1623) was a famous poet of the Sindhi language from Sindh, Pakistan. Shah Abdul Karim Bulri was the great-great-grandfather of the famous poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.
Dr Fahmida Hussain was born in a literary family on July 5, 1948, in Tando Jam in district Hyderabad Sindh, Pakistan. Her father Mohammad Yakoon "Niaz" was also a scholar who had translated poetry of Hafiz Shirazi from Persian to Sindhi language. Her brother Sirajul Haq Memon was also a well-known author and researcher. She is a well-known author, scholar, linguist and intellectual of Pakistan. Her fields of work have been: Literature, Linguistics, Woman studies and Anthropology. Her specialization is in the study of the great classical mystic poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. Dr Fahmida was the Chairperson of Sindhi Language Authority from May 2008 to March 2015. Before that she had served as Director of Shah Abdul Latif Chair, University of Karachi for ten years. Prior to that she had also served as Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Sindhi in the same university. Dr Fahmida Hussain is a prolific writer who has more than 15 books to her credit along with several research articles on the subjects of Literary Criticism, Linguistics with special reference to different aspects of Sindhi language, poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and gender issues. She started writing short stories and poetry from a very young age and has to her credit one book of short stories as well. She has been writing columns, articles and critiques in various newspapers and magazines from the last 40 years. She is married to Abdul Hussain and they have 3 children. Dr Sunita Hussain, Aruna Hussain and a son Shahmir Hussain.
Ustad Muhammad Juman was a Sindhi musician and classical singer from Pakistan, whose impact on Sindhi music is still pervasive.
Faqir Qadir Bux Bedil (1814–1873) better known by his pen name Bedil was a Sufi poet and scholar of great stature. After Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and Sachal Sarmast, two stars that shone on the firmament of Sindhi poetry and who could measure up to them in excellence were the father and son – Bedil and Bekas. They wrote poetry in Saraiki Sindhi and Persian.
Sufi Budhal Faqeer (1865–1939) was a Sufi saint and poet, and disciple of Hizbullah Shah Rashdi. Faqeer's poetry was collected by his disciples and published in a book called Risalo Budhal Faqeer. Much of what is known about his life is through Sufi tradition, and separating it from historical reality is difficult.
Muhammad Yousuf was a folk and playback singer of Pakistan.
Hotchand Molchand Gurbakhshani was an educationist and scholar, renowned for his annotated translation of the Sufi poetic compendium Shah Jo Risalo. He held the position of Principal at D.J. Sindh College Karachi and served as the first president of the Sindh Historical Society.
Lalchand Amardinomal Jagtiani was a story writer, novelist and essayist healing from Hyderabad, Sindh, British India. Throughout his prolific career, he penned a remarkable total of 62 books, encompassing diverse genres such as one-act plays, short stories, literary criticism, and scholarly articles.