Written by Farhana Sadia Nity (Bangladesh contributor)
Sufism is a spiritual philosophy. The theory of Sufism was based on union with God which can be achieved through the love of God, prayers, fasts and rituals. Basically Sufism indicates to acquire a refried soul in order to build a strong relationship with Allah. Most scholars said that from the eleventh century to the seventeenth century Sufism was highly promoted in the Bengal region. In this region first campaigning about Islam was done by various Sufis. The Sufi principles and practices of Bangladesh are mostly traced to the Qur’an and Hadith. The effect of Sufism is seen in the socio-economic culture of Bangladesh. Different streams of Sufism are practiced in Bangladesh. Sufism in Bangladesh is a silent and spontaneous movement. Bangladeshi people are tender minded in terms of religious principles; they can be easily convinced if they are given the right direction and shown the right path towards truth.
Various Sufi orders in Bangladesh
From various Sufi orders, Muslims of Southasian regions prominently follow Chistiya, Naqshbandiyya, Qadiriyya and Suharabardiyya. In Bangladesh the orders of Quadiri, Razzaqiah, Sureshwaria, Maizbhandaria, Naqshbandi, Chishti, Mujaddid, Ahmadia, Mohammadia, Soharwardi and Rifa’i were the most far-reaching Sufi orders. Many scholars think there are twelve Sufi orders in Bangladesh. Till now Sufism is practiced in Bangladesh by following different orders. In most of the Khanqahs of Bangladesh the regular Sufi practice is Zikr (remembrance or recollections) which is assisted with Naat (Islamic Song). Naat (Islamic Song) is the only music performed with the verbal Zikr. At the time of doing Zikr no musical instrument is used. One of the most important things is normally the person who performs zikr doesn’t take part in other music. Sufi music, Qawwali, Guzzle, dance etc. are also performed in the khanqahs.
In Bangladesh, Sufis are called ‘fakir’, ‘wali‘, ‘ pir ‘ etc. Both the birth and death anniversary of Sufi pirs are observed annually with great enthusiasm where a large number of followers attend. Both the birth and death anniversary rituals of the Sufi saints are important to the followers as they think that through this way their pir becomes more religious as well as more spiritual.
Renowned Sufis of Bangladesh
Shah Sultan Balkhi (Bogra) Tomb
All the Sufi preachers followed different teaching techniques in order to improve the level of their followers. Among the prominent Sufis who came to Bengal during the 11th-12th centuries are Shah Sultan Balkhi (Bogra), Shah Sultan Rumi (Mymensingh), Shah Niamatullah Butshikon (Dhaka), Shah Makhdum Ruposh (Rajshahi), Shaikh Fariduddin Shakkarganj (Faridpur) and Makhdum Shah Daulah Shahid (Pabna).
Baba Adam Shahid was another Sufi saint who came to Bengal in the 12th century. In the 11th Century Shaiykh Saiyed Razzaq Ali Gilani introduced the Qadiriyya order to Bangladesh. He was one of the most influential Sufi leaders during that period. In the 19th century Gausul Azam Maizbhandari was a well-known Sufi saint. In the 20th century Sufi saint Khwaja Yunus Ali developed a tripartite teaching method whereas Shaiykh Saiyed Razzaq Ali Gilani and Gausul Azam Maizbhandari developed teaching methods Malfoozat-E-Ghous-E-Paak and Tarika-e-Maizbhandari respectively.
After Sufi Saint Khwaja passed away his student Maulana Hashmatullah Faridpur was one of the most influential Sufi saints until 2001. Besides these prominent Sufi saints & leaders, Bangladesh has many Sufi saint figures like Khan Jahan Ali, Sultan Balkhi,Ghazi Burhanuddin,Aziz Chishti, Ibrahim Danishmand, Shah Gabru, Haji Muhammad Yusuf, Muhammad Ishaq, Shah Jalal, Khanda Jhokmok, Adam Khaki, Khwaja Yunus Ali, Shah Malum, Shah Mustafa,Syed Nasiruddin, Shah Niamatullah, Shah Paran, Shah Ruknuddin, Shah Halim Ad-Din Narnauli, Shah Kamal Quhafa, Shah Siddiq, Shah Sultan Rumi, Syed Ahmad Ullah, Shah Tajuddin, Syed Yaqub, and Pir Yemeni.
Influence of Sufism on Bangladeshi life
- Religions Impact: Basically Sufism was started from the primary era of Islam through Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW)(PBUH). After His death people had come to his cousin as well as son-in-law, Ali for Islamic suggestions. In this way Sufism began spreading across the world along including Bangladesh. Many of the Bangladeshi people follow Sufism with their heart. The village people are mostly conservative and gullible as many fake Sufi leaders try to scam money out of people.
- Political Impact: Couple of years ago there was not that much influence of Sufi figures in the political field of Bangladesh. Nevertheless they are playing important roles in politic due to their influential on their followers. That’s why political groups of Bangladesh pay attention to them! Some of the renowned Sufi saints on account of their virtuous and saintly life sometimes motivate some of the political leaders to follow a liberal policy.
- Social Impact: The Sufi figures always follow proper Islam and they normally work do social welfare in the communities. This leads to the establishment of charitable work. For instance, opening of orphanages, women service centers, helping to promote equality and lessen the evils of casteism etc. They always try to do their work for infusing a spirit of piety and morality. For these reasons people always respect them, value them and try to follow their views and insights in their life.
- Cultural Impact: The places built in the memory of the Sufi saints clearly demonstrate the development of a new type of architecture. Sufi saints popularized devotional music like Qawwali, Naat and Guzzle. Some of the Sufi saints composed literary works in their native languages. Several Sufi saints were excellent at creating poetry in different genres. Actually they left no stone untried to improve their society so that they could do more for their religious betterment. They practiced their culture just like the way they practiced their own beliefs.
In Bangladesh, places like Sylhet, Chittagong, Mymensingh, Faridpur, Bagerhat etc. are known for many Sufi figures. In these areas Sufi figures all over the country maintain their philosophical standards. Sufi figures do not believe in caste system. They think that all humans are uniformly equal. This is the motivation behind their thought process. They practice humanity in the name of the Almighty. Sufism emphasizes upon leading a simple life. Their main priority is to keep themselves busy in building strong bonds with Allah(God) and increase their devotees across the world. For hundreds of years Bangladesh is holding the flag of Sufism strong and will continue to do so in the future.
