History
Early Period
Abdullah Shah Ghazi was a Muslim mystic and one of the earliest Sufis in Sindh who came from Arabia. [5] [6] His father, Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah. [7]
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. [8] 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. [9]
In 12th Century, a new wave of Sufi Mystics came to South Asia, these included Mu'in al-Din Chishti who brought the Chishtiyya order to South Asia, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, a Sufi saint from Sindh itself and founder of the Qalandariyya order, Baha-ud-din Zakariya, a Sunni Muslim scholar saint and poet who established the Suhrawardiyya order of Baghdad in medieval South Asia, Baba Farid, a mystic, poet and preacher and Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari.
Bahauddin Zakariya, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Baba Farid and Syed Jalalauddin Bukhari, together became known as the legendary Haq Char Yaar, or "Four friends" group. Friendship of these famous Sufi saints who were preaching in different regions of South Asia at that time helped spread Sufism in Sindh. [10]
Sufi Saints like Pir Mangho and Bodla Bahar were disciples of Baba Farid and Lal Shahbaz Qalandar who were greatly inspired by them and continued to spread Sufism in Sindh in 13th Century.
Middle Period
By 15th Century, Sindh started producing many Sufi saints and poets of its own such as Makhdoom Bilawal and Qazi Qadan of Bukkur who is also known as "The Father of Classical Sindhi Poetry". [11] [12]
Under Mughal Empire, Sindh saw a large number of Sufi Saints and poets these included Shah Abdul Karim Bulri, a Sufi Poet who was also the great-great-grandfather of another famous Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, [13] Shah Inat Rizvi, Bibi Jamal Khatun, a female Sufi saint whose mother was daughter of Qazi Qadan [14] and Shah Inayat Shaheed, another saint of Sindh who was executed on the orders of Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar. [15]
By 18th Century, Sufism had reached its high point in Sindh due to the poetry of Sufi Saints like Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Khawaja Muhammad Zaman of Luari, Mir Janullah Shah, Rohal Faqir and Sachal Sarmast.
Later Period
By 19th Century, Mughal Empire started declining and Sindh also saw a decline in Sufi poets and Saints. Some famous Sufi Saints and poets of this era from Sindh were Faqir Qadir Buksh Bedil and his son Muhammad Mohsin Bekas, Syed Misri Shah, Pir Hadi Hassan Bux Shah Jilani, Sufi Budhal Faqeer, Nadir Ali Shah, Khwaja Abdul Ghaffar Naqshbandi and Mewa Shah.
Modern Era
Sufism has become a primary marker of Sindhi identity for both Muslims and Hindus. [17] Sufism ideology is continued to be practiced by locals even though some terrorists have tried to attack sufism by attacking modern sufis like Sayyid Ghulam Hussain Shah Bukhari [18] and shrines like the one inSehwan Sharif which was the site of a suicide bombing in 2017 carried out by the Islamic State. [19]
