Sufi Music

 Sufi Music:--

Sufi music is a genre of music inspire by Sufism its philosophy, and most importantly by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafez,...

Qawwali is the most well known form of Sufi music, common in Pakistan and India. However, music is also central to the Sema ceremony of the whirling dervishes, which is set to a form of music called Ayin, a vocal and instrumental piece featuring Turkish classical instruments such as the ney (a reed flute). The West African gnawa is another form, and Sufis from Indonesia to Afghanistan to Morocco have made music central to their practises. Some of the Sufi orders have taken an approach more akin to puritan forms of




 History Of Sufism:--

Sufism has been known in Transoxania and Khorasan since its very beginnings. Some of the greatest and most renowned Sufis were from this region, including 8th century saints such as Al-Fozail ibn Iyaz and Ibrahim ibn Adham and their successors, e.g. Shaqiq al-Balkhi and al-Farabi (9th century).

Towards the end of the first millennium CE, a number of manuals began to be written summarizing the doctrines of Sufism and describing some typical Sufi practices. Two of the most famous of these are now available in English translation: the Kashf al-Mahjûb of Hujwiri, and the Risâla of Qushayri.

Two of Imam Al Ghazali's greatest treatises, the "Revival of Religious Sciences" and the "Alchemy of Happiness," argued that Sufism originated from the Qur'an and was thus compatible with mainstream Islamic thought, and did not in any way contradict Islamic Law—being instead necessary to its complete fulfillment. This became the mainstream position among Islamic scholars for centuries, challenged only recently on the basis of selective use of a limited body of texts [example needed]. Ongoing efforts by both traditionally trained Muslim scholars and Western academics are making Imam Al-Ghazali's works available in English translation for the first time, allowing English-speaking readers to judge for themselves the compatibility of Islamic Law and Sufi doctrine.

The tomb of Khoja Afāq, near Kashgar, China.

Suficm in india:-

Muslims of South Asia prominently follow the Chishtiyya, Naqshbandiyyah, Qadiriyyah and Suhrawardiyyah orders. Of them the Chishti order is the most visible. Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, a disciple of Khwaja Usman haaroni, the propounder of this order, introduced it in India. He came to India from Afghanistan with the army of Shihab-ud-Din Ghuri in 1192 AD and started living permanently in Ajmer from 1195. Centuries later, with the support of Mughal rulers, his shrine became a place of pilgrimage. Akbar used to visit the shrine every year.^[1]
Turkic conquests in South Asia were accompanied by four Sufi mystics of the Chishtiyya order from Afghanistan: Moinuddin (d. 1233 in Ajmer), Qutbuddin (d. 1236 in Delhi), Nizamuddin (d.1335 in Delhi) and Fariduddin (d.1265 in Pakpattan now in Pakistan) [2]. During the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq, who spread the Delhi sultanate towards the south, the Chistiyya spread its roots all across India.[3] The Sufi shine at Ajmer in Rajasthan and Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi belong to this order.

Some Sufis under the Chishtiyya order were not against absorbing ideas from the Hindu Bhakti movement and even used Hindi for their devotional songs. However, the orthodox Ulama with royal support insisted that the Sufis go "back to Shariat". Even though the Ulama had certain differences with Sufis over theological and mystic issues, the Shariat remained a cementing force between them.[4]

The Suharawardy order was started by Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi of Baghdad and brought to India by Baha-ud-din Zakariya of Multan. Suhrawardiyyah order of Sufism gained popularity in Bengal.[5] The Qadiriyyah order founded by Abdul Qadir Gilani whose tomb is at Baghdad. It is popular among the Muslims of South India.

Baha-ud-Din Naqshband (1318-1389) of Turkestan founded Naqshbandi order of Sufism. Khwaja Mohhammad Baqi Billah Berang whose tomb is in Delhi (E.I.Rose ) introduced Naqshbandi order in India. The essence of this order was insistence on rigid adherence to Shariat and nurturing love for prophet. It was patronized by the Mughal rulers, as its founder was their ancestral 'Pir' (Spiritual guide). "The conquest of India by Babur in 1526 gave considerable impetus to the Naqshbandiyya order" [6]. Its disciples remained loyal to the throne because of the common Turkic origin. With the royal patronage of most of the Mughal rulers, the Naqshbandi order caused the revival of Islam in its pure form.
Many sufi poets like Bulleh Shah, Baba Farid ,Waris shah etc...

Baba Farid:-

                       Baba Farid (1173–1266) was a Punjabi poet and saint of the Chishti school of Sufism. He is considered the first known Punjabi poet. Revered by Muslims and Hindus, he is also considered one of the fifteen Sikh Bhagats within Sikhism and his selected works are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Baba Farid was one of the leading protagonists of the Sufi cult in the northern India. He laid stress on love of fellow human beings as a means of attaining love of God. Service to humanity was part of the mystic discipline for him. A great poet of his time, Farid wrote his verse in musical measures so that it could be sung. There is nothing in Baba Sheikh Farid’s poetry that is strident, or offensive to the sentiments of the Indian people. His verse is singularly free from any social, historical, or sectarian prejudice. His teachings are of a moral nature.

Bulleh Shah:-

Bulleh Shah (1680-1757) is the foremost Sufi poet of Punjab and holds manifold importance. In him the pantheism of Punjabi sufism reached its apex. He was born in a Sayyed family in a village near Kasur. He became a fakir of Qadri order as a disciple of Shah Inayat, an Arain peasant and Sufi master. Major part of Bulleh Shah’s verse is in the Kafi form like Shah Hussain, but he has written in some other forms too, like bara-maha and si-harfi. Love for Bulleh Shah is the essence of God. He affirms that it is a fire which is lit in the heart of man. It is yearning for return to God and is generally at the moment the individual self gets separated from Him. Bulleh Shah is acutely conscious of the differences and disputes between Hindus and Muslims and decries the persistence of both parties in their respective positions. His verses are very popular amoung the Punjabis. The reason evidently is his romatic defiance of the Muslim Sharia and an apparent condemnation of both Hindu and Muslim bigotry and ritual.