Discover the profound impact of Nizamuddin Aulia and Amir Khusro on Indian culture and spirituality. Nizamuddin Aulia, the revered Sufi saint of Delhi, and his distinguished disciple, Amir Khusro, celebrated for pioneering Hindi poetry and qawwali, shaped India's cultural and religious landscape. Explore their enduring legacy, from the philosophical teachings of Sufism to Khusro's innovative contributions in music and poetry. Learn more about their significance through historical insights and personal reflections by Justice Markandey Katju.
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| Legacy of Nizamuddin Aulia and Amir Khusro |
Nizamuddin Aulia and Amir Khusro
By Justice Markandey Katju
Nizamuddin Aulia was a renowned Sufi saint, celebrated for his piety, whose dargah is in Delhi
His most famous disciple was Amir Khusro, who can be called the Michelangelo of India, and the father of the Ganga-Jamuna 'tehzeeb' ( culture ). He is an iconic figure in Indian cultural history, having made contributions in several fields, a few of which are enumerated below :
1.He is perhaps the first poet in Hindi ( also called Hindvi), though he also wrote poems in Persian
2.He introduced ghazals in India, having borrowed this poetic form from Persian
3. He is the father of qawwali, a form of spiritual music often sung in dargahs
4. He invented the musical instruments sitar and tabla
One day in Delhi Nizamuddin Aulia, was standing with his disciple Amir Khusro, on the bank of the river Jumna. The saint saw Hindu worshippers bathing in the Jumna, and remarked ( in Persian) :
"Har Qaum raast raahe
Deen-e-wa qibla gaahe "
Which means :
"Every people has a pole (qibla) to which it turns"
i.e. Every sect has its own right path of worship.
Amir Khusro immediately completed the couplet with a verse of his own :
"Man qibla raast kardam
bar samt kaj kulahe"
Which means :
"I, however turn my face
towards the tilted cap "
(Nizamuddin Aulia, who was a sufi, used to wear a tilted cap. What Amir Khusro meant was that his path was that of his master, i.e. sufiism ).
Sufiism is the tolerant form of Islam, the reverse of Wahabi or Salafi Islam, which are the bigoted, intolerant forms. The sufis taught love and compassion for all, not just Muslims, and that is why I respect them. Wahabi or Salafi Islam has no place in a country of such tremendous diversity as India, in which all religions must be given equal respect if we wish to hold the country together. Indian Islam is Sufi Islam.
Dargahs are structures or edifices built on top of graves of sufi saints. The bigoted wahabi type Muslims say this is idol worship, as it is worship of graves, which is against Islam. This is a foolish understanding, for when one goes to a dargah e.g. Ajmer Sharif or Nizamuddin Aulia one does not do so to worship the grave of the sufi saint, but to offer respect to his memory.
Here is a photo of Prime Minister Nehru and Union Home Minister Dr KN Katju at the Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in Delhi
And here is my photo offering flowers at the dargah of Hazrat Amir Khusro, which adjoins the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia
(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court. These are his personal views.)
