The mystic as muse

Poet Amrita Pritam said it in verse, Ajj Aakhan Wris Shah Nun, Pakistani theatre director Madeeha Gauhar and Shahid Nadeem saluted them through a play, Bulha, and now, fashion designer-publisher Muzaffar Ali pays tribute to the Sufi poet saints through a coffee table book called The Sufis of the Punjab. The book, launched in Delhi a few days ago, traces the tradition of Sufism and its impact on drama, literature, architecture and other works of art.

Poet Nirupama Dutt has written about how artists like Arpana Caur and Satish Gujral have imaged the love legends of Punjab, penned in poetry by Sufis such as Waris Shah who immortalised Heer-Ranjha. Another interesting insight by Dutt is into the Sufi architecture of the state. Several poets, authors, academicians, researchers and painters, from India and Pakistan, have contributed to the book, presenting an overview of how Sufism continues to influence the cultural, literary, artistic and spiritual tradition of the Punjab. The pages are replete with paintings, sketches, couplets in Urdu (with English translations), photographs and calligraphy.

Full report here Indian Express

Sufi mystics of Punjab

In times of growing dissatisfaction and the need to bring a method to the chaos around the simplistic, yet profound, teachings of Sufism resonate louder than ever. And a torchbearer in the effort to take Sufism to the masses is Rumi Foundation spearheaded by Muzaffar Ali and his series of artistic publications, the latest of which is The Sufis of the Punjab.

It’s a part of what began as a series of poetry-driven books in respect to regions and places, Muzaffar tell us. “It’s the same flower that is blooming in different areas and soils. The first one focused and documented the legacy of Hazrat Amir Khusrau while the next commemorated Jalaluddin Rumi and between the two we tried to show the parallels between Khusro and Rumi. The third one was on the Rishis and Sufis of Kashmir.”

Peaceful coexistence, communal harmony and love between different faiths forms the binding thread of all the articles. Muzaffar avers, “We’ve encapsulated all those we could find material on. There’s Bulleh Shah, Ghulam Farid, Sultan Bahu, Qalandar, Dara Shikoh, among others. It talks about the entire setting of Punjab being riddled with Sufi saints like Guru Nanak, Shah Hussain and Waris Shah. And about the current poetry patterns and commonalities between how Sufism takes from and gives to different faiths. It talks about influences of Sufism on Guru Granth Sahib, Radha Soami Satsang Beas and on the concept of langars.”

Full report here Asian Age

The heart of Islam

Sufism: The Heart of Islam;
Sadia Dehlvi;
HarperCollins;  Rs 499; Pp 480

Sufism is much misunderstood by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. While Muslims think that Sufis are innovators in the religion and qabr-parast (grave worshipper) and therefore unacceptable, non-Muslims think that Sufism offers a peaceful alternative to violent face of Islam and therefore acceptable to them. The truth is somewhere between these two extremes and as Sadia Dehlvi aptly states in her book Sufism: The Heart of Islam it is “the spiritual undercurrent that flows through Islam.”

The book is an introduction to Sufism but Sadia beautifully intertwines it with her own spiritual journey making it more personal and also approachable by readers. Adorned with beautiful calligraphy the book is divided into four sections (called books) and a total of 17 chapters spread over 400 pages.

Full report here TwoCircles