Resting in peace: Followers of Sachal Sarmast sing an eternal message of harmony
Graves of Hindus, Muslims and Christians lie side by side at the Sufi saint's shrine.
The Sachal Sarmast shrine has graves of people from all religions, castes and ethnicities. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KHAIRPUR:
In keeping with his firm belief of tolerance and harmony, Hindus, Muslims and Christians are laid to rest side by side in the graveyard at Hazrat Sachal Sarmast's shrine.
For the Sufi saint, race, creed, caste, sex or colour never mattered. His firm belief in Sufism, pluralism and religious tolerance meant that he lived along with people of all kinds and mannerism and has been buried alongside them.
"We believe in spiritualism, not in ritualism," said Dr Sakhi Qabool Muhammad Faruqi, the Khanqah Sajjada Nashin [the caretaker of the shrine] of Sachal Sarmast in Daraza. "We believe in the conversion of the soul, rather than of the physical order."
Imposing restrictions on someone will not give him the message that the books and teachings of Islam contain, said the present 'master' of the shrine, Dr Faruqi. "We do not believe in differences," he said. The doors were open for everyone as the 'Shah of Daraza' never advocated intervention in other peoples' practices, he added.
"When we talk about 'universal brotherhood', we should be able to accommodate everyone and create space for them, in this life and beyond," said Dr Faruqi. "Existence of these graves is a fact that can't be changed. This, perhaps, is the best example of universal brotherhood and coexistence."
He then went on to talk about the universality of Sufism but stressed that it also has its limits. "It is a misconception that Sufism has no boundaries, those who claim that are the pseudo Sufis who have destroyed the image of Sufism and mysticism," he said, before revealing what defines the boundaries. "Character is the silent preacher of all saints. Sufis never asked people to intoxicate themselves, nor to divulge in any immoral behaviour."
Alongside the Muslims
For the president of the Hindu Council of Pakistan, Jethanand Kohistani, this comes as no surprise. "Hindus and Muslims have been living together in Sindh for centuries," said Kohistani. "Our forefathers used to participate in all Muslim ceremonies, including the annual urs."
While clarifying a common misunderstanding that all Hindus cremate their dead, Kohistani said that some Hindu groups prefer burying their dead while others submerge the body into the waters of the Ganges. Hindus also do not cremate the body of a child below the age of five or six, he said, adding that there are many graveyards in Sindh where Hindus and Muslims are buried together.
Alongside the Hindus
Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, a religious scholar, was of the view that every religion has its own values and all of them should be respected. He said that graveyards all over the world were separated to avoid Fasad Fil Arz [mischief on earth]. Sufis, however, have been followed by people belonging to different faiths, he said. "They spend their lives with them or at their shrines and wished to be buried alongside the Sufis."
These are very rare examples and no one should enforce them on anyone, he clarified.
The Sachal Sarmast
Sachal means truthful while Sarmast refers to someone who is lost in the love of truth. The saint’s real name was Hafiz Abdul Wahab, but he came to be known as Sachal Sarmast since he challenged the rigid mindset of his time. The period of his birth was full of political, religious and social turbulence and unrest in Sindh. He is also known as the ‘Shair-e-Haft Zaban [poet of seven languages]’ since he composed verses in Sindhi, Seraiki, Persian, Urdu, Arabic, Hindi and Punjabi. He was born in 1739 and died in 1827 in Daraza Sharif.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2014.
In keeping with his firm belief of tolerance and harmony, Hindus, Muslims and Christians are laid to rest side by side in the graveyard at Hazrat Sachal Sarmast's shrine.
For the Sufi saint, race, creed, caste, sex or colour never mattered. His firm belief in Sufism, pluralism and religious tolerance meant that he lived along with people of all kinds and mannerism and has been buried alongside them.
"We believe in spiritualism, not in ritualism," said Dr Sakhi Qabool Muhammad Faruqi, the Khanqah Sajjada Nashin [the caretaker of the shrine] of Sachal Sarmast in Daraza. "We believe in the conversion of the soul, rather than of the physical order."
Imposing restrictions on someone will not give him the message that the books and teachings of Islam contain, said the present 'master' of the shrine, Dr Faruqi. "We do not believe in differences," he said. The doors were open for everyone as the 'Shah of Daraza' never advocated intervention in other peoples' practices, he added.
"When we talk about 'universal brotherhood', we should be able to accommodate everyone and create space for them, in this life and beyond," said Dr Faruqi. "Existence of these graves is a fact that can't be changed. This, perhaps, is the best example of universal brotherhood and coexistence."
He then went on to talk about the universality of Sufism but stressed that it also has its limits. "It is a misconception that Sufism has no boundaries, those who claim that are the pseudo Sufis who have destroyed the image of Sufism and mysticism," he said, before revealing what defines the boundaries. "Character is the silent preacher of all saints. Sufis never asked people to intoxicate themselves, nor to divulge in any immoral behaviour."
Alongside the Muslims
For the president of the Hindu Council of Pakistan, Jethanand Kohistani, this comes as no surprise. "Hindus and Muslims have been living together in Sindh for centuries," said Kohistani. "Our forefathers used to participate in all Muslim ceremonies, including the annual urs."
While clarifying a common misunderstanding that all Hindus cremate their dead, Kohistani said that some Hindu groups prefer burying their dead while others submerge the body into the waters of the Ganges. Hindus also do not cremate the body of a child below the age of five or six, he said, adding that there are many graveyards in Sindh where Hindus and Muslims are buried together.
Alongside the Hindus
Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, a religious scholar, was of the view that every religion has its own values and all of them should be respected. He said that graveyards all over the world were separated to avoid Fasad Fil Arz [mischief on earth]. Sufis, however, have been followed by people belonging to different faiths, he said. "They spend their lives with them or at their shrines and wished to be buried alongside the Sufis."
These are very rare examples and no one should enforce them on anyone, he clarified.
The special assistant to chief minister on Auqaf and religious affairs, Abdul Haseeb, said that the message of the Sufis inspired people of all religions so much that they wanted to dedicate their lives to it and even wanted to be buried beside them. "People were so impressed by their teachings that they decided to make Sufi graveyards their final resting place."
The Sachal Sarmast
Sachal means truthful while Sarmast refers to someone who is lost in the love of truth. The saint’s real name was Hafiz Abdul Wahab, but he came to be known as Sachal Sarmast since he challenged the rigid mindset of his time. The period of his birth was full of political, religious and social turbulence and unrest in Sindh. He is also known as the ‘Shair-e-Haft Zaban [poet of seven languages]’ since he composed verses in Sindhi, Seraiki, Persian, Urdu, Arabic, Hindi and Punjabi. He was born in 1739 and died in 1827 in Daraza Sharif.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2014.